Summer Preaching Series August 16-17, 2025
“A Fortress” Psalm 46
Rev. John R. Larson Ascension Lutheran Church Littleton, Colorado
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. There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells. God is within her, she will not fall; God will help her at break of day. Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall; he lifts his voice, the earth melts. The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. 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. The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. (Psalm 46)
Why do people leave the Christian faith? Why do people reject having God in their life? Some start in the faith but they don’t finish. They come as a child, a young person, even later in life, but now they seldom pray, seldom receive Holy Communion, the Bible is not read, worship is not attended. Jesus is not their treasure.
Why? They had a bad experience with a church or a pastor or priest? Life got busy and they couldn’t work God into it? Sin got too inviting and God’s demands for change and repentance were too hard?
Jesus gave a teaching called “The Parable of the Sower.” (Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23). The sower (God) goes to spread His seed. Some seed fell on hard ground. Some fell on rocky places. Some fell on ground filled with weeds. Jesus says of this, “When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is the seed sown along the path. The one who received the seed that fell on rocky places is the one who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. But since he has no root, he lasts only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, he quickly falls away. The one who received the seed that fell among the thorns is the man who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful.” (Matthew 13:18-22)
That section of that parable is a “downer” for every pastor and preacher that I know. It is discouraging for everyone who has a passion for the salvation of friends and kids and family and co-workers. But this psalm – 46 – is the antidote for such discouragement.
When you read this special word of God I want you to take two words with you. Merciful and mighty. Like we sing in that hymn, “Holy, Holy, Holy”. Why do people stop trusting in God? Lots of reasons, right? Why do people, why do so many of you, refuse to give up your faith? Why do you stand strong until your death? It is all because of who our God is. Psalm 46 says that our God, our Triune God – Father, Son and Holy Spirit is merciful and mighty.
We’ll start with mighty quality about our God. Chaos was the order of the day when this psalm was written. Listen to the description of what they faced, “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.” (Verses 2-3) He isn’t done describing the chaos. “Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall; he lifts his voice, the earth melts.” (Verse 6) “He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth; he breaks the bow and shatters the spear, he burns the shields with fire.” (Verse 9)
It is when all is against us that the mighty hand of God means the most. Here is the reminder to you:
- God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in the time of trouble. (Verse 1)
- The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. (Verses 7 and 11)
When you want to do wrong, when you are challenged to forsake the God who calls you His own, when the devil lies to you, you and I have a God who is almighty and He is our fortress. He is our rock and our strength. Psalm 27 begins with the confidence we have in Him, “The Lord is my light and my salvation – whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life of whom shall I be afraid? When evil men advance against me to devour my flesh, when my enemies and my foes attack me, they will stumble and fall. Though an army besiege me, my heart will not fear; though war break out against me, even then will I be confident.” (Psalm 27:1-3)
I guess the very concept of God is about one who is strong and mighty. We have security and confidence in God’s might. Against all odds God has delivered His people.
But there is more to our God than a strong arm. There is a merciful and kind heart. 2 times in the psalm we have the phrase, “The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.” You’ve heard the phrase “God with us” before. In Isaiah the promise was made, “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel”. (Isaiah 7:14) In the New Testament when the angel comes to Joseph to tell him about the birth of Jesus he quotes that passage and gives the translation of Immanuel when he says, “they will call him Immanuel- which means, “God with us.” (Matthew 1:23)
God, the almighty, became weak, mortal, fully man. “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:14)
Why do you stay strong in faith? Why don’t you just discard it? God is your fortress. You are safe in Him. You don’t have to live in fear. Your eyes are taken off of self and they are focused on Christ, our God, who He is and what He has done. Don’t be looking at your failures and sins, rather, look at Jesus. He is your confidence and surety.
It was Jude Donovan who suggested Psalm 46 to be part of our sermon series this summer. And it was verse 10 that caught her attention. Maybe it has caught yours too. “Be still, and know that I am God.” She gives this definition, “Be still: stop striving, cease activity, be quiet and calm. Release fretting, fixing; control, worries. A shift from active engagement to quiet contemplation and trust, whether in a physical, mental or spiritual context.”
How can we do that? There are so many things that are overwhelming and troubling. How? How about living in a sure faith that God is mighty and merciful. Our God came to be Immanuel, God with us. We can give up trying to control all things. We can be still. Quiet. Restful. Peaceful. Psalm 32 says this about our God, “You are my hiding place, O Lord; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance.” (Verse 7)
I started this sermon with the account of people leaving the Christian faith. Using the Parable of the Sower I said that the hard soil, the shallow soil and the soil with weeds did not receive the seed either at all or for any length of time. But that isn’t the end of the story. God’s word is powerful. It works and produces saving faith and has such good fruit. God’s word leads people to confess Jesus as Lord and Savior. Jesus says, “But the one who received the seed that fell on good soil is the man who hears the word and understands it. He produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.” (Matthew 13:23)
Jesus is your Savior. Trust in Him. God is your refuge and strength, an ever-present help in the time of trouble. The Lord Almighty is with you; the God of Jacob is your fortress. Be still and know that God is truly God. God will produce in you great and abundant faith. Amen!!
