“When Evil Invades Your Place”

Message Title:  “When Evil Invades Your Place.”

Text:  Psalm 46:1-11 (NIV)

Verse 1 –  “Refuge and Strength”

• A Refuge is a place of protection and safety. You only need it when there’s trouble.

 “Ever present”

• We don’t have to “run to it.” We just have to turn to Him in faith.  Because He is ever-present.
• For many of us, internalizing this truth alone would be enough to affect the way we feel and how we perceive whatever is ailing us at the moment. Maybe that’s one reason the Lord repeats it so often in the Scriptures.

• • Joshua 1 – .Do not fear for I am with you.
  • Psalm 23 – Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I’ll fear no evil for thou art with me.
  • Matthew 28 – Lo, I am with You always.
  • John 14 – He will be with You forever, it says of the Spirit.
  • Hebrews 13 – I will never leave you.

• Ephesians 1 – Sealed unto the day of redemption Ephesians tells us of that same Spirit.
• We don’t have to wait until we see the Lord to be with Him.

Verse 4 “River and streams”

• For us, those rivers refer to the Holy Spirit whom the Lord calls rivers of living water in John chapter 7. The specific blessing mentioned here is “gladness” or joy.
• The idea is that though verses 1-3 even with mountains quaking and oceans roaring, the world in upheaval, chaos and confusion, we have access to the calming, consoling river and its various streams of diverse effects of grace.

Verse 5 – “She will not fall; God will help her.”

• Last week our message was about how one of the primary ways the Lord delivers this joy and gladness is through our mutual care and support of each other.
• God helps us through one another.

Verse 6 – “Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall; he lifts his voice, the earth melts”

• The Message Version: “Kings and kingdoms threaten, but Earth does anything he says.”
• Pharaoh and the disciples experienced the Lord’s power over nature..

Verse 7 – “The Lord Almighty is with us”

• God the warrior. The Lord of Hosts.  The Lord of angel armies.
• In other words… All the backup we will ever need is with us.

 Verse 9 – “He makes wars to cease to the ends of the earth”

• Man has free will to operate, but within limits. Never beyond God’s ultimate plans and purposes.  Never beyond His purposes for the world and for you.
• The earth revolves every 24 hours. While we are experiencing the light, other parts of the world are in darkness.  But the sun is always shining.  Think of the sun being God’s purposes.

Therefore…

 Verse 10 – “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”

• Be still… I will… That’s God’s message to us about everything that impacts our life.
• Be still doesn’t mean being complacent or disengaged. On the contrary we are still so we can be responsive, instead of just busy and frantic.  So we can respond from faith instead of fear.
• Whatever God is doing on the earth, He is doing in and through His people. That means you.   That means me.  Let us be still before Him so we can be responsive to Him.