Sermon

September 16, 2001
15th Sunday after Pentecost
Psalm 46
Pastor Robert Raasch

God is Our Refuge

1. The World is in Turmoil
2. God is in Control
3. Our Hearts Can be at Peace

The images are indelibly etched on our minds by now, aren't they? The horrific vision of an airliner disappearing into the side of one of the world's tallest buildings, the ensuing ball of fire and pillar of black smoke reaching into the sky. We see in our mind's eye the vision of one and then the other of the World Trade Towers plummeting to the ground in an avalanche of glass, steel and stone. We watched in horror as crowds of people ran for their lives in front of a blizzard of smoke and debris. We've imagined what it must have been like for those who were left behind, those who were caught in the building, people with nowhere to run, nowhere to hide, walled in by fire or buried in a pile of concrete.

All these images are still fresh in our minds, and they bring with them a sick feeling in our stomachs. Even though these acts of terrorism occurred hundreds of miles from here, they still hit very close to home-like right in our own hearts and our own lives. It makes you wonder whether anybody will ever be safe again? I mean, if there are people who are intent on killing themselves, in order to bring death and suffering to the people of our nation, who's to say it won't happen again? How can a person feel safe from such random acts of terror? Where can a person hide? Where can a person find shelter? And I don't mean simply shelter from the bombs and bullets of terrorists, but shelter from our own fears, our own doubts, our own questions about what is going on in our world.

I don't know about you, but I think there are a lot of people who are desperately looking for a place where they feel safe. People are looking for a message to assure them that everything will be all right. They are looking for some help in dealing with what seems incomprehensible. Well, if you are one of those people-and I know I am-then take heart. For God, in his Holy Word, offers you all those things and more. Here in the verses of Psalm 46, speaking by inspiration of the Holy Spirit, the Psalm writer declares for all to hear:

God is Our Refuge

In these verses, the writer points out brings out three key truths which are especially applicable for our lives this week.

1. The World is in Turmoil
2. God is in Control

Therefore,
3. Our Hearts Can be at Peace

First, our world is in turmoil. In the opening verses in this psalm the writer draws a contrast between the stability which God offers us and the instability which characterizes the world around us. The psalmist writes, "God is our refuge and strength, an ever present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea". Listen to those words again as you think of the people in standing in those two towers as the floors began to collapse under their feet: "though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea." My friends, last Tuesday thousands of people experienced exactly what that psalmist is referring to. The things that we stand on, the things that we trust in, are not completely stable. But God is. We can put all our weight on God. We can rely on God-because God says, "I the Lord your God do not change." (Malachi 3:6). God is still our solid foundation even when the physical world is caving in all around us.

That's one kind of turmoil we face. The turmoil created by collapsing buildings, earthquakes and hurricanes, and the like. But the Psalmist goes on to speak of a 2nd kind of turmoil in our world. He says, "Nations are in uproar" and "kingdoms fall." Here the psalmist is speaking about the turmoil that exists among nations. Certainly, the recent events have put our nation is in turmoil. The American people are in effect, writhing in pain in the wake of what happened in Washington and New York. And yet, the turmoil is not just within our own country. There's a lot of turmoil going on in many different nations of the world. Although this recent attack on our homeland has certainly caught our attention, and rightfully so, still, it's just one act of aggression among many, many wars going on around the world. The psalmist had it right. Nations are in an uproar.

But if you think about it, none of this should come as a surprise to us, should it? Jesus himself described the signs that would precede his second coming. Jesus told his disciples, "Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom…You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come." (Matt. 24:6,7)

Make no mistake about it. Until the day when Jesus returns in all his glory, there will continue to be animosity, aggression and atrocities of every kind, committed by man against man. All of which only further bears out three Biblical truths: #1: All mankind by nature is morally corrupt. #2. When human beings reject the true God and ignore their the conscience that God has given them, they are capable of committing unthinkable crimes. #3 We are not in heaven yet. Life in this sinful world is not paradise, as some would have us believe. Rather, it is what Luther called it, "a vale of tears", a place where the Satan and his minions still wield a great deal of influence in people's hearts and lives.

And yet, even though we can see Satan's fingerprints on the world around us, the fact is, as the Psalmist so clearly states it: II. God is (still) in Control. Here in our text, the Psalmist refers to the control that God, for example, has over the destiny of nations. The psalmist writes, "Come and see the works of the Lord, the desolation he has brought to the earth. He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth; he breaks the bow and shatters the spear." God, as Sovereign Lord, certainly has the ability to stop nations from waging wars. He can place insurmountable obstacles in the way of people to prevent them from carrying out their evil intent. Sometimes God does with people what he did with Satan in the Book of Job. He said to Satan, in effect, "I'll let you do this but not this. You can take Job's family, but you can't touch his body. Or, you can take away his health, but not his life." In the pages of Scripture, we often get a "behind the scenes" look at how God miraculously protects his people from even greater harm, whether it was the pillar of fire in the wilderness keeping the Israelites from their enemies in the desert, or God protecting Daniel in the lion's den, or God keeping Jonah safe in the belly of the fish.

Time and again, God uses his almighty power to defend his people from danger, guarding and protecting us from even greater evil. In fact, as we hear the stories coming out of Manhattan, as we hear of people who just missed disaster, or who somehow walked out of that building unharmed, you realize that God is still defending and protecting his people from harm.

And yet, the question which still begs to be asked-and in fact, the question that undoubtedly has been asked a million times over this week is this, "If God is really in control of the world and if God can really keep evil away from us, then why did he allow this terrible tragedy to occur?

Well, there are a number of ways to answer that question. On the one hand, we need to remember that God has given man a certain amount of free will, that is, the freedom to chose between right and wrong. Unfortunately, some people misuse that freedom by choosing to do what is evil. God could forcibly prevent people from committing such crimes, but it would mean turning all people into robots-people who can only do good, not because they want to, but because that's all they're allowed to do. But God doesn't want robots. He wants people who willingly and freely live in obedience to God-and he's given us all a reason to render that joyful obedience. He's given us his Son. Because Jesus gave his life for us, miserable sinners that we are, we have a reason and the ability to live our lives in obedience to God and in love for our fellow man. On the other hand, when people don't know or appreciate what Jesus has done for them in love, they are can't reflect that love in their lives. When people don't realize the value that Jesus has placed on human life, they fail to protect the human lives of others. The bottom line is this: A person's relationship to God in Jesus Christ has a very dramatic effect on their subsequent attitudes and actions toward their fellow man. Or, to put it another way, when people are spiritually dead, they do things that are morally perverse.

Now, I said before that one of the ways to explain why bad things happen in this world is to point to man's free will, man's perverse free will. And yet, maybe the more appropriate way to explain why such things happen is to simply say, "I don't know. I don't understand." But then again, I don't have to. God doesn't demand that I understand all the how's and why's of life in an imperfect world. Instead of understanding everything, God grants to us the gift of faith. And faith allows us to say, "God I don't get it. But I trust that you will handle it. You've already laid down the perfect track record for me. You proved your love for all nations by sending your son, to rescue us from the hell our sins deserve. On a personal level, you called me to faith and kept me in the faith. You cared for my life, just as you have cared for the birds of the air and the grass of the field. Since you have cared so well for me in the past, I trust that you will take care of me in the future. In fact, that's the point the psalmist brings out in the final verses of this psalm. Yes, the world is in turmoil. But God is in control. Therefore, III. Our Hearts can be at Peace.

What does God say here in our text? "Be still and know that I am God." Wow! Is God speaking to our hearts today, or what? Be still. That is, don't worry. God says, "I haven't lost control of the world. I haven't lost sight of you, or your needs, or your fears. I am still the Almighty Creator and Preserver of the universe. I promise that I will guard you and protect you. I will send my holy angels to surround you." What comfort we find in God's almighty power. And yets, we find even greater comfort in God's love. Love that sent Jesus to the cross in our place, love that assures us that all things work for the good of those who love God.

Who knows what good God will bring out of this week's tragedy? Did God use Tuesday's events to transport some believers from this vale of tears to himself in heaven? Sure, he did. Might God use it as an opportunity to draw people closer to himself, to give us a chance to share the hope we have in Christ, to give us a reason to flood his throne with our prayers, and share our material wealth with those in need. Absolutely. And even if we can't see all those good things in this life, we will be able to see them perfectly in heaven.

Until that time, however, you and I will probably continue to struggle with our questions and doubts, our fears in the wake of Tuesday's disaster. We still need protection from the evil around us and relief from the anxiety within us. Well, thank God that in him and his Word, we find a safe place from both hardships. How does the Psalmist put it? "God is our Refuge." You know what a refuge is, don't you? You go down to Horicon marsh and you'll find that a refuge is where migratory birds are protected from being hunted. Closer to home, the refuge for ducks and geese happens to be the Appleton city limits-and I'll guarantee you that it doesn't take those birds very long to figure that out. Well, just as surely as geese have a refuge, so do you and I. Only our refuge is not a particular piece of property. Our refuge is God and his Word. God promises that by grace, through faith in his Son, we are his people, the sheep of his pasture, the flock under his care. God has made us his own. And while God never said that he would exempt our lives from all trials and tribulations, he does promise that through those hardships, through those tears, yes, even through death itself, he will give us something to hang onto, something to lift us up, something to draw us closer to himself, in this life and the next. Oh, what the psalmist said of old is still true today: "God is our refuge and strength, an ever present help in trouble. The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress." To him be the glory and praise. Amen.

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