We recently had the steeple and roof repaired so that we could stop the water soaking the back of the sanctuary. This has been an ongoing battle for the past several years; however, the latest one to repair it guaranteed his work for 10 years. Thus far, we've had no leaks and we are hopeful that this has fixed it. We believe this guarantee and believe that the person will stand behind his work.
On the other hand, we hear a lot about guarantees that probably don't mean all that much to us anymore. Manufacturers will guarantee that their product will do what they say it will do. Stores will guarantee their customers' complete satisfaction or the lowest price on a particular item. However, we greet most guarantees with a healthy dose of skepticism. Guarantees may sound great, but we all know that guarantees have exceptions buried in the fine print that provides a way out.
Perhaps the title of this sermon articlesounds unrealistic and full of hype. Regardless of what you may think, however, I do in fact offer you a guarantee for a successful 2010. How can I do that? Because it is the same claim that Psalm 91 makes. Let's read Psalm 91.
I. God is Our Refuge against All Trials
II. The Necessary Condition
III. God Assures Us of His Care
I. What is the basic claim in Psalm 91? God is Our Refuge against All Trials!
Verses 1-2 state clearly, "He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the LORD, 'He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.'" The names for God in these verses paint a powerful and beautiful picture. God is the "Most High;" there is no thing or no one greater than God. The covenant names, "Almighty and Lord" refer to God who made His covenant with the people and always keeps His word completely. He is "God" in that He is not just Israel's God, but is God of the whole world.
And the picture of God's care in these verses is also very powerful. In God one can find rest and security, the kind you find in your home when the roads are icy and treacherous outside. God is a refuge and fortress, which means that our place of protection is complete and strong. The person who is lives with God will rest safely and securely with God.
Now notice especially how the author makes his promise of God's care. He says that this powerful and caring God is "my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust. He is giving his own testimony about God based on his own personal experience with God. He is saying that He really does trust in God and God cares for him. In the rest of the Psalm, he will try to convince others that they should also place their trust in God.
To help them in this, he gives some examples of what God can do for them as their refuge in verses 3-8. "God will save you from the fowler's snare," a trap that was deliberately set by a person to trap birds. God too will save you from man-made threats against you. Some are those who spread false and malicious gossip about you or those who intentionally put you down to build up their own egos.
God will save you from a wide variety of problems: terrors, arrows, plagues and pestilence. Not only that, but God will also protect you at all times. Whether it is the terror at night or the arrows of the day, God is there with you to protect you when problems come.
The author uses two beautiful pictures to describe God's protection. Verses 7-8 say, "A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you. You will only observe with your eyes and see the punishment of the wicked." Regardless of how dire the situation may seem to be, even if thousands seem to be falling all around you, God will protect you. Here is the assurance that evil around us will also be punished; God's justice will be maintained.
Second, in verse 4, he says that God will protect in the same way that a mother bird protects her chicks. God's care is powerfully tender. M.R. De Haan tells of seeing a mother hen one time during a storm. It was a terrible storm. Trees were blown down and the air was filled with debris. Suddenly a gust of wind lifted the chicken coop and sent it tumbling across the farm yard. He expected to see chickens, chicks and feathers blown all over the place. But there the hen was in the middle of yard, without shelter, exposed to the wind violent enough to blow a person down. As though cemented to the ground, she squatted motionless until the storm past. Her chicks sheltered safely under her wings.
That is the protection of God for those under His care. Under the shadow of His wings, we find protection even if all else is falling apart! It is like a fortress that cannot be overtaken, like armor that is impenetrable.
The author of Psalm 91 is saying that God is his refuge and strength, his fortress! And the author is saying that God can be ours as well in all circumstances of life, IF… And it is that "IF" that we need to hear.
II. The Necessary Condition is given in verses 9-10.
The condition is that a person must "make the Most High your dwelling." To "make God your dwelling" means to trust in God fully and completely. In other words, you do not trust in anyone or anything else.
Now maybe that sounds scary to you. It is always scary to put all your eggs in one basket. It seems to go against good common sense. You always spread out your valuables so that if some are lost, you still have some left. When we travel we split our money between Claire, myself, and the suitcases so that if one thing is stolen or lost, we still have some money.
The author of Psalm 91 says put everything that you have on God alone. Don't rely partially on God and partially on your possessions or bank accounts or your job. You put your whole trust completely on God alone. Jesus teaches the same thing in the New Testament. Jesus does not say that we should follow Him only in our religious sphere of our lives.
"Here's a neat philosophy that you can tuck away in case you need it for help. Jesus says, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me." That is not just something to file in the religious section of our lives. That is something that should shape our lives, our hearts, our actions, our jobs our relationships, everything that we have and do.
That is what the Bible means by "dwelling in God". Dwelling is trusting that God will watch over you in whatever you do. Dwelling is also something that we do, we believe and give our lives fully to Jesus Christ and do what He wants us to do and to be.
Now if we do that then there is security. Verse 10 says, "Then no harm will befall you, no disaster will come near your tent." Whatever afflictions and trials that may come will not harm you.
Why? Verses 11-12 say, "For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you." God will watch over us in such a way that no harm will come to us. Dwelling with God is what we need to find success.
Now at this point some of you may be thinking, "But wait a minute! Does this mean that in this coming year, if I believe in Jesus and dedicate myself to Him, I'll never become sick, or get hurt, and my loved ones won't die?" We must realize that there still will be sickness and adversity. Some of us may face serious or even life-threatening situations. We may be unjustly treated or taken advantage of and hurt.
What is being promised here is not that we will never face hard times again. There will be trial, death and pain, but nothing that God does not allow and that will not be used for God's glory and our benefit. Nothing will be out of the control of our loving and powerful God.
Paul says the same thing in Romans 8:35, where he writes, "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? Notice that Paul does not say these things won't happen to us. Quite the opposite, he insists these awful things will happen to us!
Being human means that there will be trials and problems. And being a Christian means there will likely be even more afflictions because the world will attack us for our beliefs. We can expect to have problems in this coming year, but we can also be assured that God will watch over us and bring us through whatever difficulties we may face.
God is in everything, good and bad. In Marilyn Robinson's book, "Gilead," the main character is a pastor who writes his very young son a long letter reminiscing on his life. He recalls one time when a huge storm came up and blew the chicken coop, chickens and her day's clean laundry drying on the clothesline all over the place. There was nothing they could do but watch as everything around them was tossed around. She looked at her son and said, "I know there is a blessing in here somewhere." +
Even in all kinds of disappointments and sorrows, God's hand is evident. And even more, there is our victory over these things described in verse 13. Those who trust in God are not only survivors who endure; they are victors who overcome and win! Those who trust in God will be stamping on lions and cobras.
These are symbols of all the potential evils that can harm us. God will enable us to have the victory over these things as well. In Romans 8 Paul asks if the troubles in this life will separate us from the love of Christ.
Paul says that not only will the troubles of this life not separate us, we will be victorious! Romans 8:37 goes on, "No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us." We are not survivors, we are conquerors!
David Wells points out that during the Civil War, the doctrine of providence went into retreat. Until that time, most people believed God was watching and directing things, even in wars.
The Civil War was so gruesome and death so random that they started believing in luck and would say "Good luck" instead of trusting in God's providential care. However, the Psalm makes it clear that God is fully directing and in charge and nothing can happen without His involvement and His loving care.
That is how we can guarantee success in 2010! Much depends on how you define success, doesn't it. If by success we mean that we will have what many would consider to be a good year, we may not be successful at all.
If we are defining "success" as having a life free from pain, trials and hassles, then we likely will be disappointed! If we think of success from the Bible's perspective, we can be successful. If we live in Christ, and live for Him, then regardless of what happens to us, we will know that we are under the powerful wings of our God who is watching over and protecting us. Then nothing will separate us from the love of God.
III. God Assures Us of His Care in verses 14-16.
Now God himself speaks: "Because he loves me," says the Lord, "I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name." God lays out three requirements. A person must love Him; literally, must "cleave" to Him in love.
A person must have an exclusive loyalty to God alone. Second, a person must acknowledge God's name. A person must understand who God is and what He expects from those who follow Him.
Finally, the person must be willing to call on the Lord. We must realize that we are helpless beggars who must reach out to the Lord for grace. These are the three requirements.
What specifically does God promise to do for those who trust in Him in this way? God will rescue and protect us in our needs and problems. Maybe there are problems that you are facing right now. Family tensions, job problems, health uncertainties. Maybe a load of guilt that you can't tell anyone else about.
Maybe there will be these things in the future as well. We have continual reminders that life is very fragile. Perhaps death may come to you or your family. There may be other things as well that will be very difficult and very challenging.
George Smith was a man of tremendous courage. A daring jet test pilot in the 1950's, back when the sound barrier was first being broken, he could face anything - until he had to bail out of a jet going 805 miles per hour. Though he survived, he was afraid of ever flying again.
During his hospital stay, a nurse helped him overcome his fear. "Courage," she said, "is knowing the worst - and discovering that, in God's world, the very worst can't really hurt you. The promise for those who believe and trust is that while you may not avoid these things, God will help you to endure and even overcome them.
Moreover, God will answer us when we bring our needs to Him in prayer. Prayer is the way that we can cope and even overcome trials in life and prayer is no little thing!
Calvin Miller writes of one occasion when Francis Schaeffer was flying across the ocean, two engines on one wing failed. Gradually the plane settled toward the ocean. When the airplane was skimming the waves and about to crash, Schaeffer, who had been praying for God to start the engines, felt the comforting jar of the engines as they flamed back to life. The aircraft began to regain its lost altitude.
Miller writes, "Can airplane engines be started by prayer? Emphatically, yes! There are no circumstances over which God is not sovereign. God promises that He will powerfully answer us in our time of need.
And God will honor us. We are not pawns in some game; we are God's dearly loved people. God will do what is best for us even if it does not seem good to us.
In Marilyn Robinson's book, "Gilead," the pastor reflects on his life for his son. He had made many mistakes and faced many trials, but he came to grips with them by having the following perspective.
When he has had sleepless nights, he realized that he can either torment himself or trust in the Lord. There is no earthly solution and he can add to the problems by dwelling on them. There are times when it is easier said than done, but the perspective helps.
He will give us long life and He will show us salvation. Not literal long life perhaps but life that is filled with meaning and direction and purpose. And regardless of what may happen in this year, if we make the Lord our dwelling, believe Him with all our heart and mind and seek to live for him, we will experience beautiful life with Him. Let God take full control and God will bless you beyond what you can imagine.
