Hidden Resources

PASSAGE FOR THE DAY:

1        God is our refuge and strength,

    an ever-present help in trouble.

2        Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way

    and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,

3        though its waters roar and foam

    and the mountains quake with their surging.

4        There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,

    the holy place where the Most High dwells.

5        God is within her, she will not fall;

    God will help her at break of day.

6        Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall;

    he lifts his voice, the earth melts.

7        The LORD Almighty is with us;

    the God of Jacob is our fortress.

8        Come and see what the LORD has done,

    the desolations he has brought on the earth.
9        He makes wars cease

    to the ends of the earth.

He breaks the bow and shatters the spear;

    he burns the shields with fire.
10      He says, “Be still, and know that I am God;

    I will be exalted among the nations,

    I will be exalted in the earth.”

11      The LORD Almighty is with us;

    the God of Jacob is our fortress. (Psalm 46, NIV)

REFLECTIONS:

Agnostic writer H. G. Wells said, “God is an ever absentee help in times of trouble.” This statement grew out of his unbelief. But, for those of us who have experienced the gracious touch of God and entered into the life of faith, we recognize that Wells was wrong. For us, the living God is always present. And, by his presence, he brings deliverance and strength and hope to every time of trouble.

Psalms 46–48 (which we'll read over the next three days) grew out of a marvelous miracle in Israel’s history. The story is told in 2 Kings 18:13-19:37. Hezekiah was king of Judah when the Assyrians invaded the land. Sennacherib, the king of Syria, threatened to destroy Jerusalem, along with all the other Judean cities. He sent his officers to intimidate the people, and later sent a message ridiculing Yahweh's ability to protect his people. Hearing this threat, Hezekiah “went up to the temple of the LORD and spread [the message] out before the LORD.” Hezekiah then cried out in prayer:

“LORD, the God of Israel, enthroned between the cherubim, you alone are God over all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth.  Give ear, LORD, and hear; open your eyes, LORD, and see; listen to the words Sennacherib has sent to ridicule the living God. It is true, LORD, that the Assyrian kings have laid waste these nations and their lands.  They have thrown their gods into the fire and destroyed them, for they were not gods but only wood and stone, fashioned by human hands. Now, LORD our God, deliver us from his hand, so that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you alone, LORD, are God.”

Hezekiah took this crisis to the Lord. He cried out in faith, and the Lord heard his prayer. Not only this, but the living God moved in a miraculous manner to protect his beloved people.

“That night the angel of the LORD went out and put to death a hundred and eighty-five thousand in the Assyrian camp. When the people got up the next morning—there were all the dead bodies! So Sennacherib king of Assyria broke camp and withdrew. He returned to Nineveh and stayed there.”

This story, along with Psalms 46-48, is a reminder that we, too, can stand strong because of the divine resources God gives us.

God is our Refuge; we need not fear (verses 1–3). “God is our refuge and strength, and ever-present help in trouble.” He is available, accessible, and all-sufficient—an abundantly available help in trouble. God’s people go through trouble. Sometimes it’s because we’ve been disobedient; sometimes it’s because we’ve been obedient; and sometimes God knows we need to be strengthened and helped. Have you fled to your Refuge? When it seems like the mountains are crumbling into the roaring sea, remember that he is available. He is open. His eye is upon you. His heart is for you. Look to him. Hide in him to gain the strength and grace you need to face the storms and trials of life.

God is our Strength; we need not faint (verses 4–7). Figuratively speaking, we go from the turbulent sea in verse 2 to a quiet river in verse 4. Jerusalem was not established beside a river. To compensate, Hezekiah built an underground water system that brought water into the city (2 Kings 20:20). Similarly, we must live on hidden resources. We can’t depend on the world around us or other people. When you trust Jesus as Savior, God puts an artesian well of Living Water within you (John 4:13-14; 7:37-39). While the world has only broken cisterns, the Fountain of Living Water becomes a River. It is from Jesus that we get the spiritual resources we need. Are you drinking today at that River? Get your eyes off the sinking world and remember that God is your Strength. “The LORD Almighty is with us.”

God is an ever-present help; we need not fret (verses 8–11). When the Assyrians rose up and sought to destroy his beloved people, God “lifted his voice” and brought “desolations” upon their forces. The same voice that spoke all things into existence spoke destruction upon those who opposed his beloved people. It's the same today. The Church is surrounded by many enemies. Their aim is to lay God's people desolate—to destroy our lives and to nullify our faith. But our God shall not be overcome! Even the grave could not hold him! Just as he delivered his people from the hands of the Assyrians, so he will deliver us from all our enemies. The destruction God's enemies design to bring upon his church will one day be turned upon themselves. But we who look to the Lord in faith and trust will triumph! God says to his enemies and to his people alike: “Be still, and know that I am God.” Let his enemies be still and threaten no more. Let them stand silent in the knowledge that he is God—the one who rules and reigns over them. May we, as his people, be still and calm and sedate. May we be at peace and know, to our comfort, that he is God. He alone will be “exalted among the nations.” Because of the very real dangers we face, we can so easily drift into a place of fear and doubt and dismay. We can very easily forget who our God is. We can fret and worry about his timing and methods. But this fretting and worrying leaves us vulnerable to the enemy's attacks. So let us hear the word of the Lord: “Be still, and know that I am God.” Be still. Stand still. Sit still. He is the Lord Almighty. And he is with us.

POINT TO PONDER:

Our life depends on the hidden resources God gives us. So, today, let us be sure to take our strength and nourishment from God’s spiritual resources. He is our Refuge. He is our Strength. He is an ever-present help.

WHO AM I?

I am Tres Sansom, and I am so thankful for who our God is! No matter what the opposition we face, our God is still God. He shall not be shaken. He shall not be overcome. Because of who he is, and who I am in him, I will be at peace today.