I teach an Adult Bible Community at Thomas Road Baptist Church called the G.A.P. (for Graduates and Professionals), and each week I post the outlines and discussion questions from my lessons on the G.A.P. page on Facebook. A while back I started posting these notes on the blog too. So, here is the outline and questions for our meeting on February 28, 2010. The lesson is on Psalm 46. If you have any questions or would like to add a comment or two, that would be great!
Going Sane in a Crazy World
Standing Still When Things Fall Apart
Psalm 46
Introduction
The Tick and Arthur
“You aren’t going crazy chum, you’re going sane in a crazy world”
We live in a crazy world
Branch Davidians and Fallen Towers (9/11)
Facing Personal Loss
My father's death
Steve Huisman's death
Your situation?
Going Sane in a Crazy World
Psalm 46: The Frame is God’s Presence (v. 1) and our Position (v. 10)
1. When God seems silent, be still and know his presence
2. When the world turns against us, be still and know his power
3. When things get hectic, be still and know him
Going Sane means to Stand Still
1. When God Seems Silent
Psalm 46:1-3
When life goes crazy, where is sanity? Where is God?
In what way is God a refuge when life is in tatters?
C. S. Lewis—A Grief Observed
“Where is God? When you are happy, so happy that you have no sense of needing Him, so happy that you are tempted to feel His claims upon you as an interruption, if you remember yourself and turn to Him with gratitude and praise, you will be -- or so it feels -- welcomed with open arms. But to go to Him when your need is desperate, when all other help is vain, and what do you find? A door slammed in your face, and a sound of bolting and double bolting on the inside. After that, silence. You may as well turn away. The longer you wait, the more emphatic the silence will become. . . . What can this mean? Why is God so present a commander in our time of prosperity and so very absent a help in times of trouble?”
God’s presence has not changed, yet we seem to be unable to access it
God seems distant, or at least a bit unconcerned
Our world is shattered, where is the glue to hold us together?
The Absence of God? Is he there?
Be still and know his presence
Col. 1:15-17: Jesus is the glue that holds reality together
The Psalmist calls us to put our trust in God who holds all things together
The words “refuge” and “strength” speak of God’s security and power
Our security is not in the ground beneath our feet (remember Haiti or Chile?)
God is our ultimate unshakeable reality and the greatest power of all
Just because I don’t see the sun that doesn’t mean it ceases to exist
When life gets hard, we need to stand still, to desist, to stop striving and to dwell on his presence
God is omnipresent, he has gone nowhere
Be quiet, and listen
Psalm 91:7
Be still and know his presence
2. When the World Turns Against Us
Psalm 46:4-7: God is with his beloved Jerusalem
2 Corinthians 4:7-10—Jars of Clay
We are not exempt from hardships, difficulties, and bad emotions
But we are more than survivors (Romans 8:31-39; especially v. 37)
We may be shaken, but we cannot be destroyed
The power by which we live and Jerusalem is sustained is the power of God
When things go south, we must learn NOT to rely on our abilities
Our power MUST come from a higher source
God is There, and He is Able
Be still and know his power
3. When Things Get Hectic
Psalm 46:8-11
God's Word to us when we're on the ragged edge of reality: Be Still, Desist, Cease striving, Stop Struggling, Relax.
Psalm 46:10 says to "Be still," which may mean “relax.” It means something like "let your arms down to your side"—to be vulnerable to God.
God also says to "know that I am God." He calls for a cognitive and a personal response.
We cease striving not because we know how it's going to work out, but because we know the God who will work it out.
C. S. Lewis, A Grief Observed (continued)
"I have gradually been coming to feel that the door is no longer shut and bolted. Was it my own frantic need that slammed it in my face? The time when nothing at all in your soul except a cry for help may be just the time when God can’t give it; you are like the drowning man who can’t be helped because he clutches and grabs. Perhaps your own reiterated cries deafen you to the voice you hoped to hear."
All kinds of things may be going wrong, but God remains unmoved and unchanged
He is constant, he is there, he is not silent, he has not moved
To know him is to know security even in the most hectic time
To know him requires time and stillness
We must sit with him, spend time with him
We need lap time with our Father
We need to unravel, to experience Selah
His presence is ours, our position is to be still with him
Be still and know him
Now What?
So, life is going crazy
How do we go sane in a crazy world?
How can we find firmness when things seem unsound?
1. We must begin with a proper focus
Whatever consumes our attention soon overwhelms our senses and colors our perspective
Instead of being consumed by the problem, we should turn our face to the Lord
This week we must schedule time with God
2. We must stand still on God’s firmness and stability
We must learn to quit striving, to cease kicking, to be still and to be vulnerable to what God may be doing
We must embrace God as our sole refuge, as our primary source of satisfaction
This week find ways to create a space of peace in your hectic schedule. Take time to sit still.
3. This week, when the bottom falls out, when God seems silent, when the world turns against you, when things get hectic
Be still, and know God’s power, presence, and person
And you’ll find that he is a genuine refuge in time of trouble
Thanks for reading!
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