It's hard to know sometimes what to do, which direction to go in life. As I reflect on events that I've been a part of for the last several years, I'm reminded of some difficult times. I don't think any of us particularly enjoyed COVID or that period of time. And we've gone through a lot together. Some unusual things have happened. I don't know if you all remember the Sunday there was a gunman loose and he walked in the back of the church. Or the Sunday we preached when the power was going on and off. And I'm reminded of the many funerals and things that we've had. And I'm also reminded of the many good times and the births that we've had and the marriages. I'm reminded of the time that we returned to the river on the back of Doug's farm for a baptism. A couple of times we did that. Had been a tradition of the church for many years. I'm sure to some degree I share a heaviness for a lot of reasons today, and so I have had my mind changed a little bit on the topic, which is usually a good thing. Turn with me to Psalms 46. Psalms 46, there are portions of this, as with the last sermon, that will be very familiar to you. And we would do very well to memorize these passages. God is our refuge and strength and very present help in trouble. Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed and the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea, though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof? There is a river, The streams wherein shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacle in the Most High. God is in the midst of her and she shall not be moved. God shall help her in that right early. The heathen rages in the kingdoms were moved. He uttered his voice and the earth melted. The Lord of hosts is with us. The God of Jacob is our refuge. behold the works of the Lord, that desolation he hath made in the earth. He maketh wars to cease unto the end of the earth. He breaketh the bow, and cutteth the spear in sunder. He burneth the chariots in the fire." Be still and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the heathen. I will be exalted in the earth. The Lord of hosts is with us. The God of Jacob is our refuge. As I said, I am reminded of many times over the last number of years that we have all been touched by troubles and trials in our lives. I don't think any of us have fully escaped this. It may not be as difficult as someone else, but to some degree that is not really something we can compare, is it? There's no doubt that the trials and struggles that each of you have gone through are important to you, and we cannot measure them against what others are going through. Yet at the same time, I am keenly aware that many of us are going through some very, very difficult times, and just to be continue to be what I am. We need to continue to be deeply in prayer for Pam and Frank. My heart was broken this morning, brother. I know that others who have lost loved ones who are maybe not very pleased with the news from last week that I would be resigning. And I'll honestly add myself to that list, I'm not real excited about it. And so I thought today maybe it would be good to put us in remembrance of what God has already told us about our present and our future. to be reminded of the truth that is so powerfully written in these verses that He inspired to be recorded and to be kept safe for us and know that for thousands upon thousands of years, people who believe in the one and only God have sought refuge in Him and encouragement in these very words. It is encouraging not only to know that they are true, but to know that, again, for thousands of years, millions of people have read these words in their time of struggle, their time of confusion, their time of hurt, their time of pain, and have found a refuge, which is what this says, in knowing what God says about Himself. Because when we unwrap all of this, it isn't about us, is it? It never was, it never will be. It is only about Him. God is our refuge and strength in very present help in trouble. God is our refuge. He is our safe place to go. That's what a refuge is. That's a place that we can go and feel secure. That is what God is for us. When we go through troubled times, when we are hurting, when we don't know which way to go, we should not forget that God is our refuge, our safe place, and He is our strength when we are in trouble. When we are in doubt, when we are struggling, when we are, I think you can fill in the emotion. God is there as our strength and our refuge, and He is very, very present. Now, that's easy to say for me today. But it might not be easy for you to believe. Because sometimes when we're in the midst of it, It's hard to really believe that, isn't it? And everybody here has gone through some type of trial or struggle in your life. Again, I'm not asking us to compare, but I know that everyone has had doubts, we've had concerns, we've had heartbreaks, we've had disappointments. We must remember that God is the refuge and our strength right now when we are in the mists. And sometimes the only way we can possibly see that is to look back and realize that He was there all along. He was there all along. But we must remember that He is our strength, our refuge, and He is here. Verse 2, number 2, You see, if you don't fully commit that first verse, the therefore doesn't mean much, does it? We have to internalize this to know that God is our refuge, our strength, He is our help in our current present. Therefore, we will not fear. We will not fear. Fear is an enemy. Ever thought about that? I mean, God has given us the gift of fear to physically keep us alive. We're rightfully afraid of certain things that we should be. But I'm talking about spiritually. Fear is not of God in that sense. That is the opposite of what He is. God is certainty. God is comfort. God is sure. And when we are living in life with Him, when He is our refuge and our strength and our present help in trouble, we will not fear. Again, maybe it's easy for me to say today and hard for you to truly believe. There are times in our lives when this is more of a struggle than others, but we shall not forget it. And we ought not to forget it. And perhaps you're thinking, well, listen, Ben, you don't know what I'm going through. You don't know how hard the struggle really is. You don't know how deep the heartbreak is. You don't know the level of betrayal. You don't understand. And you know what? I probably don't. But I know someone who does. I know someone who does. And what did he say about it? Don't fear. Therefore, we will not fear. And as hard as whatever it is that you're currently going through or have gone through, or let's just be honest, will go through, look at what this is compared to. Look at the rest of this verse. the mountains be carried to the midst of the sea. Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, and the mountains shake with the swelling thereof, I dare say none of us have seen anything like this." We have not seen a mountain thrown into the ocean. We have not seen the ocean overcome the earth. We have not seen the complete destruction of land masses and the utter shaking of the world. And if that is what He says, we don't have to be afraid of that. How much less do we have to fear the other things in life? Does that make sense? If we can stand knowing that we are in God and in a refuge, that He is our strength, that He is our help in time of trouble, and that we don't have to fear even when the world is being destroyed, then surely God is with us when we have struggles in our lives. is the encouragement. What is that encouragement? It says, there is a river, the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God, the holy place in the tabernacle of the Most High. God is in the midst of her, she shall not be moved. God shall help her in that right early. I do think this verse is talking about the city of Jerusalem. It's talking about a river. It may be talking about the river that fed the pool Siloam, which means scent, which is interesting. But none of the rivers around Jerusalem were particularly large or wide or deep. They weren't raging rivers. No, instead they were actually fairly calm So, think about that. There is a river, "...the streams wherein shall make glad, or comfort, the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacle of the Most High." I think you can look at this from a spiritual nature and begin to understand that what God is doing in our lives is giving us a slow, steady, continuous, cool drink of water. That is Him. We can try and run away from that. We can refuse to be a part of it, but it's still there. God has given us a river and streams to help us grow, to feed us, to comfort us, to make us glad in the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacle of the Most High. You see there was a point, if you know hopefully a little bit about biblical history, there was a point that God Himself inhabited the Ark of the Covenant and the Holy of Holies, a tabernacle that the Hebrew children moved around from place to place and He was literally physically, as far as God can be physical, present in that spot. And there came a time when He departed that. I think, and I may be wrong about this, I think it certainly happened when Jesus Christ was crucified, which is why the temple veil was torn in two. The most holy place in the world where God dwelled was open to the public. And God in a manner of speaking through the Holy Spirit now lives in what? Inside of me and inside of you. We shall not be moved because He will not be moved. And He that is in you is greater than he that is in the world. Do you see? Do you see the faith and strength that we can draw from this if we would truly only understand that God, if you know Him, is living inside of you? Your body is the tabernacle. He is present inside of you. He is feeding you with the river of the Holy Spirit, giving you encouragement and nourishment and telling you which way to go. And He will not leave us. He who began a good work in you is faithful to complete it." Brothers and sisters, dear ones, listen, no matter what you have, are, or will go through in your life, if you belong to Him, He will never leave you. And that is beautiful encouragement. God is in the midst of her, and she shall not be moved. Is God inside of you? Is He in the midst of you? Have you allowed Him to come in and to make you a new creature and a new creation? Has He saved your soul? Because if He has, He is in you and you will not be moved because He is all-powerful and He wins. I hope you're finding some encouragement in this. She shall not be moved. God should help her. The King James says, and that right early. Other translations might say early in the morning or at first light or first thing. And that's the implication. And we understand from this that God's mercies are renewed every day. We are reminded to keep a watch at night as we go to sleep and to sing his praises first thing, because every single day he renews his mercies toward us. and that right early. We go on back to the whole turmoil of life. The heathen raged. The kingdoms were moved. He uttered his voice and the earth melted. The heathens raged. Y'all watch TV anymore? Do you see the literal rage that's going on? I hope it hasn't escaped your notice and it makes me not want to watch. But do you see the way, and I'll just say it, the heathens are screaming and yelling and literally raging against God in public for all to see and with no fear whatsoever about what they're saying and they stand and they rage against God. And how far are they getting? Exactly nowhere because He will not be moved. And so no matter what goes on in the world, no matter how the heathens, those who do not believe in God, they can rage all they want to, they can scream, they can yell, they can spray paint anything, they can burn everything down. But listen, God is not mocked, He is not moved, and He is inside of us. And He wins. He wins. For but a season we go through things in this life, and we ought to find encouragement as people have for thousands of years." As I said already, all you had to do was go back and look through the history books and read anything that's gone on and know that God was there then and He's here now. There's been much worse times. there may be worse times yet to come. But God is in the midst of her, she shall not be moved. The heathen can rage all they want. The kingdoms can be moved and changed." We're seeing that today. We're hearing of wars, and rumors of wars, and all these manner of things. And yet, at His voice the earth will just disappear because God is in control. And God is established in you. Lord of hosts is with us. The God of Jacob is our refuge. Come, behold the works of the Lord, what desolation hath made in the earth. He makes wars to cease unto the end of the earth. He breaketh the bow, cutteth the spear in sunder. He burneth the chariot in the fire." God is in charge and will do whatever it is He wants to do. And we are simply to praise Him and observe. The things of this world do not escape His notice. When we went through this series a number of years ago on the attributes of God, I really hope you all remember that. And I hope you just took away at least a few things Remember that God is omniscient and omnipresent. That is, He knows everything and is everywhere. There are no secrets for Him. There is no one plotting in a corner to do something that He is not aware of. There is no secret hurt that you have that He doesn't already know about. There is no desire of your heart that He's not aware of. There is nothing in the future that He doesn't know. And kings and kingdoms can plot in vain. can worry and be concerned and be in vain because God knows and He is in control. He can change anything, any moment that He wants to. And I think this brings us to verse 10, which I think might be one of the most difficult verses for us today. First two words, you ready? Be still. We struggle with that as a people, don't we? We don't want to be still. We don't want to be quiet. We don't want to listen. We somehow have this idea even amongst good believers. And I've said it enough and I stole it from Brian Harding and you all have heard it before. Somehow we have this idea that being busy for God is the same as having a relationship with Him. That's not necessarily true. Be still. Be still. It is those still times that God speaks to us. It's that gently flowing river that we just read about. not a raging tempest. You recall other times in the Scripture when people wanted to hear from God and He almost always would come what? In a still, small voice. You recall Elijah, he wasn't in the whirlwind, he wasn't in the fire, he wasn't in the thunder, he wasn't in anything until Elijah was still and quiet and then God came and spoke to him. Brothers and sisters, so many times when we go through the trials of our lives, what we need is to simply be still. We need to be still and know. that I am God." What an amazing sentence. What an amazing task for us to simply be still and know that I am God. And then he adds, and I will be exalted among the heathen, who rages, and I will be exalted in the earth, which will disappear at his command. Lord of hosts is with us. The God of Jacob is our refuge. And although I've admitted reading it, your verse may contain the word say law, which has some debate about what it means, but it's generally thought to be a pause, whether for musical purposes or otherwise, it carries the same idea. Pause brothers and sisters, Many of us have been, are going, and will go through very, very challenging times. Will you be still and know that He is God? Will you recognize that He is our refuge? Will you recognize that He is our strength and very present help? And therefore, we do not have to fear, and should not fear, though even if the earth comes to an end, we have nothing to fear." No matter what wars are started, no matter what physical possessions we begin to lose. Why? Because the spiritual river of God is flowing inside of us because He lives inside of us and we can be more than conquerors in Jesus Christ. Be still and know. that I am God. It brings with it peace. Even when we don't like the outcome. Brothers and sisters, we get this really confused a lot of times. We have this notion, and let's all just be honest with ourselves, that to us when we get what we want, I mentioned this last week, when we get what we want that's what was supposed to happen. Or the only thing that's good is when we get what we want. How many of you in your lives have earnestly sought something that wasn't given to you that later you can say that was right and that was good? If you've lived very long, you have. We don't understand what God has for us and we might not always like it. But it's good because He is good, and He is right, and He is strength, and He is that river, and He is our refuge. He is everything, and He will not be moved. And aren't you glad? Because if it was up to me, I'd mess it all up. If it was in my own strength, I'd go the wrong way. I'd try and do what I wanted, what I thought was best. But brothers and sisters, it's not up to me. And it's not up to you, it's up to Him. And that's when we must be still and know that He is God. I feel I must close with this. I literally pray that this has been helpful and encouraging to some. whatever you're going through. I pray that if things are okay now, that whether it be next week, or next month, or next year, whenever the next crisis strikes you, that you will draw encouragement and remember these words. Not my words, but the words that God Himself has spoken. You are far better studying and memorizing chapter 46 than you are listening to what I have said again. Let the Lord speak to you through His Word. I pray that you remember them. I pray that you can apply them to your lives. Bookmark it. Think about it. Find your ever-present help in times of trouble when the times come. But I have a real concern on the other hand, because this doesn't apply to everybody. If you've not been saved, then God isn't your present help. He can be, if you come to Him, if you'd repent, if you'd seek Him. He literally died for this, to know you and be known. God is so desirous to have you as His own, to save you from everything that's negative that we just read about, that He sent His only Son to die for you. to shed His blood, to take the punishment, but we must repent, must believe in faith, the saving of our soul, and then we will not be moved. Why? Because God is inside of us. Because until that happens, none of this applies to you. And you know what? It may be okay now, but when those trials and storms come, When the hard times come, when decisions have to be made, those of us who know Him, aren't you glad that He's in here? Even when I doubt, even when I hurt, even when I struggle, even when I'm disappointed, even when I'm angry, I know that my Redeemer lives. And I know that He purchased with the blood of His Son And I know Him, and He knows me. And no matter what the future holds, no matter whether the earth be destroyed, I know who He is. He is my refuge and my strength, my very present help in trouble. Therefore, I will not fear. If you've never, ever known that, you need to. And the only way that that will ever happen is when you come to him and you give yourself over, you confess and you beg for forgiveness. And for some of us who know, maybe we need to be renewed. God already knows, don't hide it. He knows if you need help in your present time of trouble. He knows if you feel distant. Remember, it's always us to do the leaving. He never does. And so it's us to return. And so as we have a time to reflect, a time, if you've listened closely, I've changed my language over the years. I now say a time to be obedient. Because that's what I'm asking you to do is to be obedient. If you've never come to know him, then this is the time that you need to be obedient to him. If you've been trying to do all of this on your own, if you feel lost, As in unsure of which way to go, if you feel overwhelmed by the world, this is your time to be obedient. And the only way that anyone can be obedient always begins the way every conversation should, that is talking to God and being honest with Him. Whether that's on your knees, at your pew, or that standing. I've had some really good conversations laying down. But we must go to Him. And maybe some of us just need to be still. And ask God, help me know. Help me know. that you would be satisfied today to know that He lives inside of you, to know that that river springs forth with the Holy Spirit dwelling inside of you, to know that you shall not be moved because He shall not be moved, to know that in the hard times and in the good times and then every time in between that you can be still and know Him. Let's have a hymn.