DON’T BE AFRAID

 

Psalm 46:1-3

God is our refuge and strength,

an ever-present help in trouble.

Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way

and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,

though its waters roar and foam

and the mountains quake with their surging.

Selah

                 What makes you feel afraid? One of the things that makes me feel afraid is the apparent decline of the church in America. I have seen several articles lately that have heralded the demise of the church. Church attendance is at an all-time low in America. More and more people are classifying themselves as “nones” when it comes to religious affiliation. Along with the decline of the church is the decline of the moral and social fabric of our nation. If I read the signs of the time correctly, we have moved beyond a post-Christian society to an anti-Christian society. It is a cause for concern.

                I am reading Philip Yancey’s book Vanishing Grace. In that book, he chronicles the increasingly negative image that has been attached to evangelical Christians. Much of this negative image is the result of our own actions. Evangelicals have become known as the “anti-people”. We are characterized by what we are against rather than what we are for. In an increasingly permissive society, any talk about right and wrong or about morality is viewed as hate speech.

                In addition, Evangelicals have for the most part aligned themselves with the political right. They have sought to impose morality on society through political means. This is no more evident than in the unhealthy support for former President Trump. Many Christians placed their hope in Trump as their political savior. Now that Pres. Biden is firmly in office, that hope has been replaced by fear.

                In general, the Church in America is afraid because we have placed our hope in the wrong places. We have placed our hope in politicians and political power. We have placed our hope in conservative causes and moral campaigns. But all of these things have failed to deliver. We see our influence in society eroded on a daily basis. We have descended from a place of prominence into the depths of despair.

                What is happening in the church in America today is nothing new. It parallels the experience of the people of Israel. As God’s chosen people, they became arrogant and exclusive. They expected God to prosper whatever they did. They saw their hope and their future in the strength of their nation and their traditional religious practices. But they lost sight of God’s goal for them; to be a light to the world. Consequently, God allowed their nation to crumble, their center of worship to be destroyed, and their lives to be totally disrupted as they were exiled to a foreign land.

                But God never abandoned Israel and He has not abandoned His church. Psalm 46 is the antidote for the fear that we are experiencing. The Psalmist begins by reminding us that God is our refuge and strength. Our refuge in the storm that is ahead will not be political or economic but spiritual. Our hope is in the Lord and nowhere else.

                The Psalmist continues by reminding us that God has not abandoned us. He is an ever-present help in times of trouble. When we put our focus on the wrong things, we fail to see that God is present in our lives. He wants to protect and guide us, even when it seems like everything around us is falling apart. Jesus said that He is the Good Shepherd and that He cares for His sheep. That was not a hollow promise; it is a present reality. At the end of the Great Commission in Matthew 28, Jesus declares, “and I will be with you always to the end of the age.” He has not reneged on that promise.  

                The Psalmist remind us that no matter what is going on around us, we can find courage to face the challenges through the Lord. It may seem like the earth is shaking and the mountains are crumbling, but God is still on the throne. As Isaiah says, those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength. They shall mount up on wings as eagles. They run and not grow weary. They shall walk and not faint. When we place our trust fully in Christ, we do not have to be afraid of the future.

                Near the end of Psalm 46, we are encouraged to look back and reflect upon what God has done in the past.

Come and see the works of the Lord,

the desolations he has brought on the earth.

He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth;

he breaks the bow and shatters the spear,

he burns the shields with fire.

"Be still, and know that I am God;

I will be exalted among the nations,

I will be exalted in the earth." Psalm 46:8-10

                We are not the first generation to face opposition from our society. As we look back over history, we can see how the church has not just survived, but has thrived, even in the face of persecution. The plans of God cannot be thwarted. He will accomplish what He has determined to do. So we can trust Him.

                At the end of the Psalm, the Psalmist brings us back to the solid rock of our faith. Be still and know that I am God. In times like these we need to banish fear and rest in the strength of the Lord. There are going to be some rough days ahead. But, “The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.”

Psalm 56:3-4

When I am afraid,

I will trust in you.

In God, whose word I praise,

in God I trust; I will not be afraid.

What can mortal man do to me?