Psalm 37:1-11, 16,17; 23-28, 34, 39, 40 “Shelter In a Storm” 9/21/08
We would be hiding our heads in the sand to not address the issues that have come up this week in our world. What happened this week will be remembered for centuries to come. Hurricane Ike hits the coast and gas spikes up here. I was in Clinton at a meeting two Fridays ago now. When I arrived in Clinton at 10:00 am gas was $3.68. I thought, I need to get some gas before I leave. When I left two hours later, gas was $4.18, and the other gas station had already run out of gas. Everyone here has a story to tell about that. Hurricane Ike had caused panic especially in the midlands. But it caused devastation on the Texas coast and we need to pray for those people. The news this week was so important that what would normally be considered front page headline news was relegated to the back burner- for example, American Embassy is hit with a rocket, the oldest Money Market Fund- the Reserve Primary Fund went below $1 for the first time in history.
The economic news this week has just been a jolt. Lehman Brothers is no more. Merrill Lynch had a commercial that showed a horrible storm blowing and the animals inside panicking, and then a narrator said, “in the midst of the storm, it is only natural to wonder where the future will lead… To people who worry about the winds of change today- we’ll be there with the strength and sources you can count on, because at Merrill Lynch we’re bullish on the future.” Merrill Lynch is technically still around, but perhaps not as bullish as they once were.
Let me say this, and say it clearly, “I am bullish on the future.” But I am not always bullish on our financial future. There IS a distinction! I’ll be the first to admit that preachers aren’t economists. But I know who holds our future. I know in whom I trust. Storms come and go. The real solid refuge, the solid rock is not an insurance company like AIG, or a great investment firm like Morgan Stanley, or even a supposedly solid bank like Wachovia. I believe with the Psalmist who said, “God is our refuge and strength, an ever present help in trouble, therefore we will not fear though the earth quakes and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea” (Psalm 46:1,2).
I am bullish on the future because of the shelter we have from God. (39,40)
“The salvation of the righteous comes from the Lord; he is their stronghold in times of trouble. The Lord helps and delivers them; he delivers them from the wicked and saves them because they take refuge in him.” God is our shelter- our protection- our shelter in a time of storm. The word “stronghold” is “strong tower” or “keep.” The idea is an impregnable tower that lasts even though the rest of the castle falls. Maybe you see your world crumbling. I invite you to go to the strong tower- the refuge- the ultimate resort and hope- our Lord.
I am bullish on the future because God is our provider. The Lord upholds the righteous (17). One of the names of God found prominently in the Bible is “Jehovah Jireh” (the Lord our Provider). The Elijah stories are stories of God’s provision for the righteous in a hard time. There was a drought and famine in the land. But God led Elijah to a brook and fed him with birds. Later he went to a widow’s house who was about to sell her last oil, but miraculously because she was hospitable toward Elijah- the oil never ran out! It is important to recognize that Psalm 37 was written to a people who faced famine regularly. We have not faced a famine in our country since the 1930’s. These people to whom these words were written lived in a land where they were literally carried away to Babylon, Assyria, Mesopotamia, or Rome as slaves. They were not just afraid of losing their houses, they were afraid of losing their lives. This should give us some perspective. Last week I heard a piece about AIDS orphans in South Africa. There are millions of AIDS orphans, whose parents died of AIDS (some estimates are as high as 80% of the population are infected with HIV in South Africa). Fifty seven of them lived in one small two bedroom house with one toilet. Can you imagine one toilet per fifty-seven people? They didn’t have clean water, and they waited on the trash truck to come each day so they could get food. Maybe we should put things in perspective. God promises us not everything, but only daily bread.
I am bullish on the future because even if we die there is the resurrection. In verse two it expresses that the wicked die and fade away like grass and green plants in the winter. There is a hope that even death cannot take away. That is the hope of eternal life. I will tell you that when my parents died, that hope became even more important. When my wife was diagnosed with leukemia, that hope became even more important. When young people die in a plane crash, the hope of life beyond this one for those who trust in God is important.
I am bullish on the future because I wait on and trust in God. This passage gives the faithful tools to overcome worry, panic, and fret.
1. Trust- Literally “be careless” I Peter 5:7 says, “cast your cares on the Lord for He cares for you.” Trust is like relaxing. Trust is like going to bed when you could sit up and wring your hands. Trusting in God is putting your whole weight down going to sleep. Today it is easier to put your trust in God than a week ago. It is easier, because before we might say, “we trust in God and… the insurance company, the bank, the savings account, or the government.” Perhaps we need to walk in the meadow and look at the lilies and the sparrows and think about God’s care as Jesus said to do. We don’t have as many false trusts today. We see them for what they are- temporary shelters.
2. Wait- One of the hardest things in life is waiting. In our culture this is especially hard. We have hurried things up to improve efficiency, and waiting seems like a waste of our time. We don’t want to wait on our food to be cooked- so we have fast food and microwaves. We have sped up our computers and machines to they start quickly and not slowly. Many pay extra to have high speed internet, high speed communication. I am not an advocate of slowness. But I would also say that learning to be patient with non-animated things helps us to be patient with each other, and more importantly with God. Waiting really means we are not in control. The One on whom we wait is.
3. Delight- The real question is found in the source of our contentment. Could we be content if we had all our toys and luxuries taken away? Is it possible to find peace when our savings are threatened, and our source of income is withered away?
The Psalm begins by saying “Do not fret.” It may be close to impossible to not worry in this life. But it is possible to not let your worry or panic control you. Luther once said, “we may not be able to prevent the birds from hovering over and flying about our heads, we can prevent them from building nests in our hair.”
The promise is that if we delight and commit ourselves to Him, He will give us the desires of our hearts. Now that doesn’t mean that you can have all the luxuries in the world- that your stocks will always make money. It means that your desires become like God’s desires, and your heart like His heart. When you delight in God, it changes your desires, and it enables you to have not only the best possible dreams and hopes, but also that those hopes and dreams and prayers become a reality.
One of the leaders of England was always worrying about things. His employee came to him one day and said, “Sir, don’t you think that God governed the world very well before you came into it? “ The man said, “Yes, but why do you ask?” The employee went on, “Don’t you think that God will govern the world very well after you go out of it?” “Of course I do!”, the leader said.”Well, then can’t you trust Him to govern it for the little time you are in it?”
God is the ultimate shelter in a storm. But a shelter does no good unless you trust in it and rely on it. You have to come into it- not just believe it is there! Jesus was talking about Jerusalem and said, “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, How I would gather you under my wings as a mother hen would her chicks but you would not come.” There are millions who face the devastations of life- the hurricanes, the worries, the hardships of life without grasping hold of God’s outreached hand. Others only grasp hold of it limply, wanting to still rely on their own strength. So many who come to church today, do so half-heartedly. But you who come have the opportunity at least to hear and respond. He calls us to trust in Him, wait on Him, delight in Him/ Jesus said, “Come to me ye who are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest.” Come to the refuge- come on into the stronghold. Come into the shelter from the storm and rest and find hope to ride it out. Amen.