Sermon – Psalm 91 – God is Your Refuge

Rev. Jeffrey T. Howard

First Presbyterian Church of Ocean City

Sermon – Psalm 91 – God is Your Refuge

February 14, 2016

            This is the first Sunday in the season of Lent.  Lent is a forty day period that begins on Ash Wednesday and ends with Easter.  Sundays are not counted as part of Lent because Sundays are always set aside for a celebration of the resurrection of Jesus Christ.  On Ash Wednesday Lent began with the stark reminder that we are mortal and were created from dust and to dust we shall return.  We learned that Sin was preventing us from eating from the Tree of Life.  And so confession was the first step in reconciling with God and receiving the gift of eternal life.  Today we will see that whatever happens to us in this life we can trust God who is our refuge, our fortress in times of trouble.  We will get to this, but first let's pray. 

            “Grant unto us, O Lord, to be occupied in the mysteries of thy heavenly wisdom, with true progress in piety, to thy glory and our own edification. Amen.” (John Calvin)

            According to the church father, Athanasius, “If you desire to establish yourself and others in devotion, to know what confidence is to be reposed in God, and what makes the mind fearless, you will praise God by reciting the 91^st Psalm”. (Interpretation Psalms p.296)

            Listen to the good news from the psalmist.

Psalm 91: 1 Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.  2 I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.”

            The psalmist wants us to think of God as a fortress, a refuge.  Whenever you experience trouble, whenever you have problems, whenever you can't pay your bills, whenever your relationships are on the rocks, whenever your health fails, there is one place you can turn.  You can turn to God.  God won't prevent all your problems.  There is just too much sin in the world for that.  But God will comfort and strengthen you in your difficulties if you turn to him. 

            Once I was planning a memorial service for a family.  They didn't know God and didn't go to church.  They were filled with grief and had no idea what to do about it.  Prayer was an alien concept for them.  But I did pray with them and they seemed to appreciate it.  And I designed a memorial service that would explain to them the benefits of knowing Christ.  My hope was that through this they would find Christ who would be a refuge for them in times of trouble.

            We are so privileged as Christians to worship God every Sunday and pray every day so that when we experience the loss of a loved one, our relationship with God will sustain us through the grief.  God is our refuge.  Here is how the psalmist put it.

3 Surely he will save you
    from the fowler’s snare
    and from the deadly pestilence.
4 He will cover you with his feathers,
    and under his wings you will find refuge;
    his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.
5 You will not fear the terror of night,
    nor the arrow that flies by day,
6 nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness,
    nor the plague that destroys at midday.
7 A thousand may fall at your side,
    ten thousand at your right hand,
    but it will not come near you.

            I was once talking with a young couple preparing for marriage.  The woman had grown up in a Presbyterian church.  She went to church every Sunday and prayed every day.  But she was concerned about her future husband.  He grew up feeling forced to attend church with his family.  Church was not a part of his adult life and prayed rarely.  But he knew about about his future wife's faith and was willing to go with her to church on Sundays.  He wanted to pray more, but he was uncertain about how to begin having a more fervent prayer life.  I suggested that the two of them could pray together before each meal they shared.  The woman's family had done this when she was growing up.  And the man agreed that this would be a good thing to do.  My prayer is that God will always be a refuge for them, somewhere they can go whenever they experience trouble.  Listen again to the psalmist.

9 If you say, “The Lord is my refuge,”
    and you make the Most High your dwelling,
10 no harm will overtake you,
    no disaster will come near your tent.
11 For he will command his angels concerning you
    to guard you in all your ways;
12 they will lift you up in their hands,
    so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.

            Is this true?  Can we jump off the roof of the church with the assurance that angels will catch us?  Are the words “The Lord is my refuge” a magical incantation that will protect you from all harm?  There was one Bible scholar who interpreted Psalm 91 this way.  His name was Devil and he had a discussion about this psalm with Jesus.  Here is what he said. 

Luke 4:9 The devil led him to Jerusalem and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down from here.10 For it is written: “‘He will command his angels concerning you to guard you carefully; 11 they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’”

            So is this true?  Will God prevent all harm regardless of what we do?  I think not.  That would be a very foolish thing to think.  And Jesus responded to the Devil's interpretation of Psalm 91 this way. 

Luke 4:12 Jesus answered, “It is said: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’”

            God will protect you from evil, but not from your own stupidity.  I heard about a young woman who was learning to drive.  She was a good girl and very active in her church.  Her parents put her in a driver education class and gave her plenty of practice driving the family car under their supervision.  On her sixteenth birthday she got her driver's license and her parents gave her a used car.  For the next few months God protected her as she drove to and from school.  But then one day she was at a friend's house.  The friend was drinking beer and offered her some.  After a couple of hours drinking together they decided to go for a ride.   The young woman started driving recklessly.  Her car was going too fast around a curve and overturned in a ditch.  Both girls were hurt. 

            Why didn't God protect them from the accident?  God does protect us from the consequences of sin.  But we should not test his protection because testing God is itself a sin.   And taking God for granted is never a good idea.  God does not always protect us from ourselves.  So what should we do?  We should avoid sin and rest in the assurance that God is our refuge when trouble arises.  God will be in the hospital room after an accident.  God will be with you in physical therapy.  God will be there as you recover at home, because God is faithful and loves you.  Let's go back to the psalmist.

14 “Because he[b] loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him;
    I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.
15 He will call on me, and I will answer him;
    I will be with him in trouble,
    I will deliver him and honor him.
16 With long life I will satisfy him
    and show him my salvation.”

            Last week Nancy and I visited Dora in the nursing home.  It's been a long journey for Dora since her strokes.  But throughout the healing process God has been with her.  Slowly her brain is recovering.  Last Thursday she not only remembered who I was she actually seemed like the old Dora.  We talked about the day when she could be with us once again in worship.  And I thanked God that he has been with Dora comforting her, healing her, and being her refuge.

            The promise of scripture is that the God you worship will be with you always.

            This Thursday we will have a memorial service for Irene.  Irene loved this church and loved the Lord.  But given her health problems over the last year she was unable to worship with us.  But her faith sustained her.  She knew God was with her in the hospital.  God was with her in physical therapy.   God was with her in assisted living.  And Irene rejoiced at news about this church because she loved all of you.  God was her refuge and strength.  And so this Thursday we will assemble to remember her and the God she worshiped.

            So I urge all of you to continue deepening your relationship with God because this relationship is your refuge in troubled times.  It is so important that you worship every Sunday and pray every day.  Through these practices your faith will grow.  This faith will sustain you in times of trouble.  You will then experience the presence of God as your refuge.  Let's pray.

            “Cherishing and Reassuring God, we come to worship and thank you for your goodness to us as individuals, and as a community of faith.  Each of us, at various times, have gratefully found shelter under your wings, and we have found a secure refuge in your invincible presence when battered by life’s storms, and for this we thank you. Intimate God, the Psalmist called you “...my refuge, my place of safety… my God…”, and invites each of us into that same intimate relationship of trust and acceptance. Satisfying God, help us to let go all that we cling to that belongs to this “world”, and to place our complete trust in the God of the ages, the God of millions of saints in light, and the God of our future.
            God of reliable promises, you said: “...This I declare: I will rescue you...I will shield you... I will protect you... I will answer you...I will honour you...I will be with you... I will satisfy you...” In humble thanks, we hear and we acknowledge these  gracious and generous gifts from you, our Loving God.  Help us to respond your love and trust all the days of our lives.  Amen.

http://www.thetimelesspsalms.net/w_resources/pentecost19[26]c_2013.htm

February 14, 2016

            This is the first Sunday in the season of Lent.  Lent is a forty day period that begins on Ash Wednesday and ends with Easter.  Sundays are not counted as part of Lent because Sundays are always set aside for a celebration of the resurrection of Jesus Christ.  On Ash Wednesday Lent began with the stark reminder that we are mortal and were created from dust and to dust we shall return.  We learned that Sin was preventing us from eating from the Tree of Life.  And so confession was the first step in reconciling with God and receiving the gift of eternal life.  Today we will see that whatever happens to us in this life we can trust God who is our refuge, our fortress in times of trouble.  We will get to this, but first let's pray. 

            “Grant unto us, O Lord, to be occupied in the mysteries of thy heavenly wisdom, with true progress in piety, to thy glory and our own edification. Amen.” (John Calvin)

            According to the church father, Athanasius, “If you desire to establish yourself and others in devotion, to know what confidence is to be reposed in God, and what makes the mind fearless, you will praise God by reciting the 91^st Psalm”. (Interpretation Psalms p.296)

            Listen to the good news from the psalmist.

Psalm 91: 1 Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.  2 I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.”

            The psalmist wants us to think of God as a fortress, a refuge.  Whenever you experience trouble, whenever you have problems, whenever you can't pay your bills, whenever your relationships are on the rocks, whenever your health fails, there is one place you can turn.  You can turn to God.  God won't prevent all your problems.  There is just too much sin in the world for that.  But God will comfort and strengthen you in your difficulties if you turn to him. 

            Once I was planning a memorial service for a family.  They didn't know God and didn't go to church.  They were filled with grief and had no idea what to do about it.  Prayer was an alien concept for them.  But I did pray with them and they seemed to appreciate it.  And I designed a memorial service that would explain to them the benefits of knowing Christ.  My hope was that through this they would find Christ who would be a refuge for them in times of trouble.

            We are so privileged as Christians to worship God every Sunday and pray every day so that when we experience the loss of a loved one, our relationship with God will sustain us through the grief.  God is our refuge.  Here is how the psalmist put it.

3 Surely he will save you
    from the fowler’s snare
    and from the deadly pestilence.
4 He will cover you with his feathers,
    and under his wings you will find refuge;
    his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.
5 You will not fear the terror of night,
    nor the arrow that flies by day,
6 nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness,
    nor the plague that destroys at midday.
7 A thousand may fall at your side,
    ten thousand at your right hand,
    but it will not come near you.

            I was once talking with a young couple preparing for marriage.  The woman had grown up in a Presbyterian church.  She went to church every Sunday and prayed every day.  But she was concerned about her future husband.  He grew up feeling forced to attend church with his family.  Church was not a part of his adult life and prayed rarely.  But he knew about about his future wife's faith and was willing to go with her to church on Sundays.  He wanted to pray more, but he was uncertain about how to begin having a more fervent prayer life.  I suggested that the two of them could pray together before each meal they shared.  The woman's family had done this when she was growing up.  And the man agreed that this would be a good thing to do.  My prayer is that God will always be a refuge for them, somewhere they can go whenever they experience trouble.  Listen again to the psalmist.

9 If you say, “The Lord is my refuge,”
    and you make the Most High your dwelling,
10 no harm will overtake you,
    no disaster will come near your tent.
11 For he will command his angels concerning you
    to guard you in all your ways;
12 they will lift you up in their hands,
    so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.

            Is this true?  Can we jump off the roof of the church with the assurance that angels will catch us?  Are the words “The Lord is my refuge” a magical incantation that will protect you from all harm?  There was one Bible scholar who interpreted Psalm 91 this way.  His name was Devil and he had a discussion about this psalm with Jesus.  Here is what he said. 

Luke 4:9 The devil led him to Jerusalem and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down from here.10 For it is written: “‘He will command his angels concerning you to guard you carefully; 11 they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’”

            So is this true?  Will God prevent all harm regardless of what we do?  I think not.  That would be a very foolish thing to think.  And Jesus responded to the Devil's interpretation of Psalm 91 this way. 

Luke 4:12 Jesus answered, “It is said: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’”

            God will protect you from evil, but not from your own stupidity.  I heard about a young woman who was learning to drive.  She was a good girl and very active in her church.  Her parents put her in a driver education class and gave her plenty of practice driving the family car under their supervision.  On her sixteenth birthday she got her driver's license and her parents gave her a used car.  For the next few months God protected her as she drove to and from school.  But then one day she was at a friend's house.  The friend was drinking beer and offered her some.  After a couple of hours drinking together they decided to go for a ride.   The young woman started driving recklessly.  Her car was going too fast around a curve and overturned in a ditch.  Both girls were hurt. 

            Why didn't God protect them from the accident?  God does protect us from the consequences of sin.  But we should not test his protection because testing God is itself a sin.   And taking God for granted is never a good idea.  God does not always protect us from ourselves.  So what should we do?  We should avoid sin and rest in the assurance that God is our refuge when trouble arises.  God will be in the hospital room after an accident.  God will be with you in physical therapy.  God will be there as you recover at home, because God is faithful and loves you.  Let's go back to the psalmist.

14 “Because he[b] loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him;
    I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.
15 He will call on me, and I will answer him;
    I will be with him in trouble,
    I will deliver him and honor him.
16 With long life I will satisfy him
    and show him my salvation.”

            Last week Nancy and I visited Dora in the nursing home.  It's been a long journey for Dora since her strokes.  But throughout the healing process God has been with her.  Slowly her brain is recovering.  Last Thursday she not only remembered who I was she actually seemed like the old Dora.  We talked about the day when she could be with us once again in worship.  And I thanked God that he has been with Dora comforting her, healing her, and being her refuge.

            The promise of scripture is that the God you worship will be with you always.

            This Thursday we will have a memorial service for Irene.  Irene loved this church and loved the Lord.  But given her health problems over the last year she was unable to worship with us.  But her faith sustained her.  She knew God was with her in the hospital.  God was with her in physical therapy.   God was with her in assisted living.  And Irene rejoiced at news about this church because she loved all of you.  God was her refuge and strength.  And so this Thursday we will assemble to remember her and the God she worshiped.

            So I urge all of you to continue deepening your relationship with God because this relationship is your refuge in troubled times.  It is so important that you worship every Sunday and pray every day.  Through these practices your faith will grow.  This faith will sustain you in times of trouble.  You will then experience the presence of God as your refuge.  Let's pray.

            “Cherishing and Reassuring God, we come to worship and thank you for your goodness to us as individuals, and as a community of faith.  Each of us, at various times, have gratefully found shelter under your wings, and we have found a secure refuge in your invincible presence when battered by life’s storms, and for this we thank you. Intimate God, the Psalmist called you “...my refuge, my place of safety… my God…”, and invites each of us into that same intimate relationship of trust and acceptance. Satisfying God, help us to let go all that we cling to that belongs to this “world”, and to place our complete trust in the God of the ages, the God of millions of saints in light, and the God of our future.
            God of reliable promises, you said: “...This I declare: I will rescue you...I will shield you... I will protect you... I will answer you...I will honour you...I will be with you... I will satisfy you...” In humble thanks, we hear and we acknowledge these  gracious and generous gifts from you, our Loving God.  Help us to respond your love and trust all the days of our lives.  Amen.

http://www.thetimelesspsalms.net/w_resources/pentecost19[26]c_2013.htm