No Matter What, God is My Refuge

“Psalms that Make Me Psing”  Series

A Message by Jim Hammond from Psalm 46

There once was a king who announced a painting contest. He was building a new palace, and he wanted the main entrance hall to be decorated with a large work of art. The king envisioned his kingdom as a peaceful land, so whoever's painting best symbolized peace would win a large cash prize.

Over the next few months, hundreds of paintings arrived at the palace. The king decided on the top two. Before announcing a winner, he hung both paintings in the palace for public viewing.

The first painting was of a majestic lake, so tranquil and still that the lush hills behind it were perfectly mirrored in its reflection. The sky was a brilliant blue with soft, puffy clouds floating above. Wildflowers bursting with color outlined the lake, and a family of deer calmly grazed in a far meadow. All who saw it felt peace and happiness.

The second painting portrayed a tall mountain cliff, rugged and strong. A few small trees grew out of the cracks of the face of the cliff, with gnarled roots clinging for life. A foamy waterfall angrily crashed down the cliff and into the rocky land below. Above, dark ominous clouds loomed, and in the distance lightning flashed. Halfway up the cliff grew a small bush. In its branches, a bird sat in a nest apparently warming her eggs.

After several weeks, the king declared the second painting the winner. Confused and upset, the people asked the king to explain his decision. He said, "Peace is not the absence of conflict. Peace is a state of mind. Those who experience peace have love in their hearts even when turmoil surrounds them."

Citation: Michael Webb, "The Peace Prize," TheRomantic.com newsletter; submitted by Jerry De Luca, Montreal West, Quebec

It is this kind of peace Jesus offers us.  It is this kind of peace that the Psalmists wrote about.  And wouldn’t you agree, it is this kind of peace that we need to get a hold of?  Today’s Psalm for study gives us insight into this kind of peace.

This is a plaque that hangs in my office [show plaque].  It was given to me by my sister about 21 years ago about day 6 or 7 of 10 days in the hospital.  The plaque meant a lot to me then.  On day 6 or 7 of that hospital stay after a burst appendix, it still looked like I might require more surgery.  I was struggling and down at the time.  The plaque is a slice of log as you can see with a laminated picture of an ocean with a crashing wave against a rock.  In the sky are printed these words, and they come from the Psalm we will study this morning, “Be still and know that I am God.”

Focus:  I can trust God and take refuge in him and learn to relax in times of crisis.

I almost wish somebody more qualified than I could bring you this message, because although I might know in my head some of the truths contained in this Psalm, I have a great difficulty doing what it asks me to do.  I have difficulty relaxing, or being still in a personal crisis.  I sometimes try to fix it, and analyze it to death, and make things happen, and many times because I don’t handle it properly, I can make the crisis worse. 

Nonetheless, there are powerful truths here in this Psalm.  Truths I hope to learn how to apply to deal with personal crises more effectively.  I want to experience the kind of peace Jesus is willing to give me, and this Psalm speaks about.

I.  With God as My refuge (1, 7, 11) I will not fear

Psalm 46:1-11

For the director of music. Of the Sons of Korah. According to alamoth. A song.

God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.

2Therefore we will not fear,

though the earth give way

and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,

3though its waters roar and foam

and the mountains quake with their surging.

Selah

4There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells.

5God is within her, she will not fall;

God will help her at break of day.

6Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall; he lifts his voice, the earth melts.

7The Lord Almighty is with us; 

the God of Jacob is our fortress.

Selah

8Come and see the works of the Lord,

the desolations he has brought on the earth.

9He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth;

he breaks the bow and shatters the spear,

he burns the shields with fire.

10"Be still, and know that I am God;

I will be exalted among the nations,

I will be exalted in the earth."

11The Lord Almighty is with us;

the God of Jacob is our fortress.

Selah

Psalm 46:1-11 For the director of music. Of the Sons of Korah. According to alamoth. A song.

Korah was the one disciplined by God after the Exodus (Numbers 16).  His descendents, however, survived.  One branch of his descendants became temple guardians (cf. 1 Chron. 9:17ff), while another branch served as temple singers and musicians (cf. 6:31, 33, 39, 44). These descendants of Korah contributed 12 works to the Book of Psalms, most of which may have been used in temple liturgy.

God is our refuge and strength,

"Anything God has ever done, he can do now. Anything God has ever done anywhere, he can do here. Anything God has ever done for anyone, he can do for you." —A.W. Tozer

Citation: As seen in Leadership Weekly (10-09-02) 

an ever-present help in trouble.  [2] Therefore we will not fear, 

A.  The most frightful disasters

What are the most frightful disasters you can think of?  Chances are whatever they are they fall into one of the following 3 categories of disasters.

1.  Natural (1-5) or

2.  National (6-11)

3.  Personal

In Christian Reader, Brenda recalls a frightening night when her family faced danger:

6:34 a.m. "Mom…Dad…" I became aware of [our son] Chase standing in our bedroom door. "I think you need to wake up," he said….

"What's wrong, Chase? You're never up this early."

"Something's not right, Mom. And the lights just went out."

Something's not right, I realized with a start. The air feels strange. Just then I heard…a monstrous thunder boom that wasn't letting up. It was getting closer and closer….Tornado! I shook my husband awake. "Danny! Danny! Hurry!"

"Get to the basement, quick!" Danny shouted as he yanked on a pair of pants. I …raced behind Chase toward the basement stairs. Passing through the kitchen, I couldn't believe my eyes—the walls and doors bulged outward. Through the windows, a gray mass swirled wildly, a mass so thick I could not see the porch railings.

At the same moment, our fire alarm shrilled its warning. "Fire! Leave house immediately!" The outside horn blasted, trying to compete with the twister's roar. Then an eerie silence settled over everything. Except for the intermittent signal from the smoke alarm, it was quiet. Dear God in heaven, help us!

"Go on down, Chase!" I instructed him to run down the basement stairs. I flew into Tyler's room. His bed was empty. At the top of the basement stairs, I yelled, "Tyler, are you down there?" I heard a frightened, "Yes."

"Are both of you down there?"

"Yes."

"Hurry, Danny, hurry!" I hollered toward the other end of the house. We were about to take a direct hit from the tornado. "Danny!"

The house moaned. Starting down the steps, I hesitated. Where is Danny? What should I do? I need to be with the children. But I can't leave him up here!

Seconds later, the choice was made for me.

6:35 a. m. Unleashed fury struck full force at 200 miles an hour, an F4 tornado. Terrified, I gripped the handrail as I shouted for Danny. Suddenly the house began exploding around me. Glass shattered and wood splintered. I watched as shingles ripped off the roof and rafters began falling down. The stone fireplace crashed. Unidentified objects became wild missiles. Sheetrock dust filled the air as walls and ceilings were pulverized. The shrieking wind was deafening.

A wall beside me tore away. I was pulled first one way, then another. Shards of glass and bits of concrete block, mixed with red mud, bombarded me from all sides. Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted a huge black thing flying through the air just before it hit me in the head. The force sent me careening down the stairs. Everything went black for a few seconds. Yet my subconscious kept repeating, The children. You've got to stay alert for the children.

It was over as quickly as it began. The roar was silenced….

[Brenda Harvey, her husband, Danny, and two sons survived the tornado with only minor injuries. Their house was completely destroyed. But their faith was only strengthened as they learned one important detail from Chase, the son who had first awakened Brenda and Danny moments before the tornado hit.]

Days later, Chase and I were alone together. I felt compelled to ask, "Honey, what woke you that morning? Whatever it was saved our lives."

Chase hesitated. "I didn't know how to tell you," he started. "I can't say for sure what woke me the first time, but I got up and looked out the window, then went back to bed.

"That's when it happened. Something—or someone—moved a hand across the back of my hair. I knew I was supposed to wake you."

He gave me a look which said, You're not going to believe this. "Mom, it was my guardian angel. I didn't see her but I know it was."

"Oh yes, Chase, I believe you," as I grabbed him in a bear hug, recalling that within moments of his leaving his room, that room was obliterated along with Tyler's room and ours!

Citation: Brenda Harvey as told to Gloria Cassity Stargel, "Devastation at Dawn," Christian Reader (March/April 2002), pp. 48-51

 I want you now to notice the most frightening disaster, the first one mentioned in this Psalm. 

though the earth give way

The most fearful thing they could think of was related to their history.

[tell the story Korah’s Rebellion in Numbers 16 as found below]

Numbers 16:1-50

Korah son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, and certain Reubenites--Dathan and Abiram, sons of Eliab, and On son of Peleth--became insolent 2and rose up against Moses. With them were 250 Israelite men, well-known community leaders who had been appointed members of the council. 3They came as a group to oppose Moses and Aaron and said to them, "You have gone too far! The whole community is holy, every one of them, and the Lord is with them. Why then do you set yourselves above the Lord's assembly?"

4When Moses heard this, he fell facedown. 5Then he said to Korah and all his followers: "In the morning the Lord will show who belongs to him and who is holy, and he will have that person come near him. The man he chooses he will cause to come near him. 6You, Korah, and all your followers are to do this: Take censers 7and tomorrow put fire and incense in them before the Lord. The man the Lord chooses will be the one who is holy. You Levites have gone too far!"

8Moses also said to Korah, "Now listen, you Levites! 9Isn't it enough for you that the God of Israel has separated you from the rest of the Israelite community and brought you near himself to do the work at the Lord's tabernacle and to stand before the community and minister to them? 10He has brought you and all your fellow Levites near himself, but now you are trying to get the priesthood too. 11It is against the Lord that you and all your followers have banded together. Who is Aaron that you should grumble against him?"

12Then Moses summoned Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab. But they said, "We will not come! 13Isn't it enough that you have brought us up out of a land flowing with milk and honey to kill us in the desert? And now you also want to lord it over us? 14Moreover, you haven't brought us into a land flowing with milk and honey or given us an inheritance of fields and vineyards. Will you gouge out the eyes of these men? No, we will not come!"

15Then Moses became very angry and said to the Lord, "Do not accept their offering. I have not taken so much as a donkey from them, nor have I wronged any of them."

16Moses said to Korah, "You and all your followers are to appear before the Lord tomorrow--you and they and Aaron. 17Each man is to take his censer and put incense in it--250 censers in all--and present it before the Lord. You and Aaron are to present your censers also." 18So each man took his censer, put fire and incense in it, and stood with Moses and Aaron at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. 19When Korah had gathered all his followers in opposition to them at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting, the glory of the Lord appeared to the entire assembly. 20The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, 21"Separate yourselves from this assembly so I can put an end to them at once."

22But Moses and Aaron fell facedown and cried out, "O God, God of the spirits of all mankind, will you be angry with the entire assembly when only one man sins?"

23Then the Lord said to Moses, 24"Say to the assembly, 'Move away from the tents of Korah, Dathan and Abiram.' "

25Moses got up and went to Dathan and Abiram, and the elders of Israel followed him. 26He warned the assembly, "Move back from the tents of these wicked men! Do not touch anything belonging to them, or you will be swept away because of all their sins." 27So they moved away from the tents of Korah, Dathan and Abiram. Dathan and Abiram had come out and were standing with their wives, children and little ones at the entrances to their tents.

28Then Moses said, "This is how you will know that the Lord has sent me to do all these things and that it was not my idea: 29If these men die a natural death and experience only what usually happens to men, then the Lord has not sent me. 30But if the Lord brings about something totally new, and the earth opens its mouth and swallows them, with everything that belongs to them, and they go down alive into the grave, then you will know that these men have treated the Lord with contempt."

31As soon as he finished saying all this, the ground under them split apart 32and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them, with their households and all Korah's men and all their possessions. 33They went down alive into the grave, with everything they owned; the earth closed over them, and they perished and were gone from the community. 34At their cries, all the Israelites around them fled, shouting, "The earth is going to swallow us too!"

35And fire came out from the Lord and consumed the 250 men who were offering the incense.

36The Lord said to Moses, 37"Tell Eleazar son of Aaron, the priest, to take the censers out of the smoldering remains and scatter the coals some distance away, for the censers are holy-- 38the censers of the men who sinned at the cost of their lives. Hammer the censers into sheets to overlay the altar, for they were presented before the Lord and have become holy. Let them be a sign to the Israelites."

39So Eleazar the priest collected the bronze censers brought by those who had been burned up, and he had them hammered out to overlay the altar, 40as the Lord directed him through Moses. This was to remind the Israelites that no one except a descendant of Aaron should come to burn incense before the Lord, or he would become like Korah and his followers.

41The next day the whole Israelite community grumbled against Moses and Aaron. "You have killed the Lord's people," they said.

42But when the assembly gathered in opposition to Moses and Aaron and turned toward the Tent of Meeting, suddenly the cloud covered it and the glory of the Lord appeared. 43Then Moses and Aaron went to the front of the Tent of Meeting, 44and the Lord said to Moses, 45"Get away from this assembly so I can put an end to them at once." And they fell facedown.

46Then Moses said to Aaron, "Take your censer and put incense in it, along with fire from the altar, and hurry to the assembly to make atonement for them. Wrath has come out from the Lord; the plague has started." 47So Aaron did as Moses said, and ran into the midst of the assembly. The plague had already started among the people, but Aaron offered the incense and made atonement for them. 48He stood between the living and the dead, and the plague stopped. 49But 14,700 people died from the plague, in addition to those who had died because of Korah. 50Then Aaron returned to Moses at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting, for the plague had stopped.

and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, [3] though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging.                                   Selah

B.  Because God Is With Me

 The story of Korah, tells us also what is implied.  We are safe when God is with us.  We are not, when God is against us.  The sons of Korah learned this lesson well, and learned how to play second fiddle (something their fore father Korah did not learn how to do). 

[4] There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,

 Where is this city of God?  The writers meant Jerusalem, where God’s temple was located, and where his glory “dwelt”.

the holy place where the Most High dwells.  [5]God is within her, she will not fall;

 This says that because God was within his city, the city would not fall.  However, do you remember your history?  Jerusalem did fall.  Why?  Ezekiel 8 and 10 tells us why.  In Ezekiel 8 we learn it was because the city was filled with idolatry, and had become so wicked that God withdrew his glory.  Ezek. 10 tells us how His presence left.   Not long afterward, Jerusalem fell to the Babylonians.

Ezekiel 8:1-18

In the sixth year, in the sixth month on the fifth day, while I was sitting in my house and the elders of Judah were sitting before me, the hand of the Sovereign Lord came upon me there. 2I looked, and I saw a figure like that of a man. From what appeared to be his waist down he was like fire, and from there up his appearance was as bright as glowing metal. 3He stretched out what looked like a hand and took me by the hair of my head. The Spirit lifted me up between earth and heaven and in visions of God he took me to Jerusalem, to the entrance to the north gate of the inner court, where the idol that provokes to jealousy stood. 4And there before me was the glory of the God of Israel, as in the vision I had seen in the plain.

5Then he said to me, "Son of man, look toward the north." So I looked, and in the entrance north of the gate of the altar I saw this idol of jealousy.

6And he said to me, "Son of man, do you see what they are doing--the utterly detestable things the house of Israel is doing here, things that will drive me far from my sanctuary? But you will see things that are even more detestable."

7Then he brought me to the entrance to the court. I looked, and I saw a hole in the wall. 8He said to me, "Son of man, now dig into the wall." So I dug into the wall and saw a doorway there.

9And he said to me, "Go in and see the wicked and detestable things they are doing here." 10So I went in and looked, and I saw portrayed all over the walls all kinds of crawling things and detestable animals and all the idols of the house of Israel. 11In front of them stood seventy elders of the house of Israel, and Jaazaniah son of Shaphan was standing among them. Each had a censer in his hand, and a fragrant cloud of incense was rising.

12He said to me, "Son of man, have you seen what the elders of the house of Israel are doing in the darkness, each at the shrine of his own idol? They say, 'The Lord does not see us; the Lord has forsaken the land.' " 13Again, he said, "You will see them doing things that are even more detestable."

14Then he brought me to the entrance to the north gate of the house of the Lord, and I saw women sitting there, mourning for Tammuz. 15He said to me, "Do you see this, son of man? You will see things that are even more detestable than this."

16He then brought me into the inner court of the house of the Lord, and there at the entrance to the temple, between the portico and the altar, were about twenty-five men. With their backs toward the temple of the Lord and their faces toward the east, they were bowing down to the sun in the east.

17He said to me, "Have you seen this, son of man? Is it a trivial matter for the house of Judah to do the detestable things they are doing here? Must they also fill the land with violence and continually provoke me to anger? Look at them putting the branch to their nose! 18Therefore I will deal with them in anger; I will not look on them with pity or spare them. Although they shout in my ears, I will not listen to them."  

Ezekiel 10:1-22

I looked, and I saw the likeness of a throne of sapphire above the expanse that was over the heads of the cherubim. 2The Lord said to the man clothed in linen, "Go in among the wheels beneath the cherubim. Fill your hands with burning coals from among the cherubim and scatter them over the city." And as I watched, he went in.

3Now the cherubim were standing on the south side of the temple when the man went in, and a cloud filled the inner court. 4Then the glory of the Lord rose from above the cherubim and moved to the threshold of the temple. The cloud filled the temple, and the court was full of the radiance of the glory of the Lord. 5The sound of the wings of the cherubim could be heard as far away as the outer court, like the voice of God Almighty when he speaks.

6When the Lord commanded the man in linen, "Take fire from among the wheels, from among the cherubim," the man went in and stood beside a wheel. 7Then one of the cherubim reached out his hand to the fire that was among them. He took up some of it and put it into the hands of the man in linen, who took it and went out. 8(Under the wings of the cherubim could be seen what looked like the hands of a man.)

9I looked, and I saw beside the cherubim four wheels, one beside each of the cherubim; the wheels sparkled like chrysolite. 10As for their appearance, the four of them looked alike; each was like a wheel intersecting a wheel. 11As they moved, they would go in any one of the four directions the cherubim faced; the wheels did not turn about as the cherubim went. The cherubim went in whatever direction the head faced, without turning as they went. 12Their entire bodies, including their backs, their hands and their wings, were completely full of eyes, as were their four wheels. 13I heard the wheels being called "the whirling wheels." 14Each of the cherubim had four faces: One face was that of a cherub, the second the face of a man, the third the face of a lion, and the fourth the face of an eagle.

15Then the cherubim rose upward. These were the living creatures I had seen by the Kebar River. 16When the cherubim moved, the wheels beside them moved; and when the cherubim spread their wings to rise from the ground, the wheels did not leave their side. 17When the cherubim stood still, they also stood still; and when the cherubim rose, they rose with them, because the spirit of the living creatures was in them.

18Then the glory of the Lord departed from over the threshold of the temple and stopped above the cherubim. 19While I watched, the cherubim spread their wings and rose from the ground, and as they went, the wheels went with them. They stopped at the entrance to the east gate of the Lord's house, and the glory of the God of Israel was above them.

20These were the living creatures I had seen beneath the God of Israel by the Kebar River, and I realized that they were cherubim. 21Each had four faces and four wings, and under their wings was what looked like the hands of a man. 22Their faces had the same appearance as those I had seen by the Kebar River. Each one went straight ahead.

 God will help her at break of day.  [6] Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall; he lifts his voice, the earth melts. [7] The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.  Selah

II.  Come And See

[8] Come and see the works of the Lord, the desolations he has brought on the earth. [9] He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth; he breaks the bow and shatters the spear, he burns the shields with fire.  

A.  Then Be Still and Know

[10] "Be still, and know that I am God; 

DEFINITION:  [Barnes]  “Be still”—The word used here—from äôÈø?  raòphaòh—means properly to cast down;  to let fall; to let hang down; then, to be relaxed, slackened, especially the hands: It is also employed in the sense of not making an effort; not putting forth exertion; and then would express the idea of leaving matters with God, or of being without anxiety about the issue.  Compare Exo. 14:13, “Stand still, and see the salvation of God.” In this place the word  seems to be used as meaning that there was to be no anxiety; that there was to be a calm, confiding, trustful state of mind in view of the displays of the divine presence and power.

• "Be still and know that I am God." When we know that, everything is all right.

Could it be that our problem is that we're never still?

• We take so little time to be quiet.
• Our lives are kept upset by the things coming into them, constant interruptions.

. . . I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth."  [11] The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.  Selah

It's not easy to "be still and know that I am God" in the middle of crisis. But this psalm gives us clues how we can do just that.

• Psalm 46:10 says to "Be still," which literally means relax. It means to "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 response.
  Illustration:  Compare the tense body language of a fan watching a close playoff game with the much different body language watching the same thing later in a replay after he or she already knows the outcome.  
• The Psalmist asked us to “Come and See (v. 8) then “be still and know” (v. 10).  We cannot see the specific outcome of our crisis in advance, but we can Come and See God in action, and believe the revelation of general outcomes.  This alone can have a great impact on our specific crisis.  Here’s how…
• In life we can learn to relax not because we know how it's going to work out, but because we know the God who will work it out.

What can we know about God that we can hang on to no matter how dark it gets?

• God is actively busy as our protector, providing strength and help. He never lets anything into our lives that he can't turn to glory and our good.
• God won't leave you in the ditch. He stayed with Joseph even when Potiphar sentenced him to prison.
• God's reputation rides on our problems; he'll resolve our problems to his glory.
  -Illustration: Tell the story of King Jehoshaphat as recorded below:

2 Chron. 20:1-30

After this, the Moabites and Ammonites with some of the Meunites came to make war on Jehoshaphat.

2Some men came and told Jehoshaphat, "A vast army is coming against you from Edom, from the other side of the Sea. It is already in Hazazon Tamar" (that is, En Gedi). 3Alarmed, Jehoshaphat resolved to inquire of the Lord, and he proclaimed a fast for all Judah. 4The people of Judah came together to seek help from the Lord; indeed, they came from every town in Judah to seek him.

5Then Jehoshaphat stood up in the assembly of Judah and Jerusalem at the temple of the Lord in the front of the new courtyard 6and said:

  "O Lord, God of our fathers, are you not the God who is in heaven? You rule over all the kingdoms of the nations. Power and might are in your hand, and no one can withstand you. 7O our God, did you not drive out the inhabitants of this land before your people Israel and give it forever to the descendants of Abraham your friend? 8They have lived in it and have built in it a sanctuary for your Name, saying, 9'If calamity comes upon us, whether the sword of judgment, or plague or famine, we will stand in your presence before this temple that bears your Name and will cry out to you in our distress, and you will hear us and save us.'

10  "But now here are men from Ammon, Moab and Mount Seir, whose territory you would not allow Israel to invade when they came from Egypt; so they turned away from them and did not destroy them. 11See how they are repaying us by coming to drive us out of the possession you gave us as an inheritance. 12O our God, will you not judge them? For we have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are upon you."

13All the men of Judah, with their wives and children and little ones, stood there before the Lord.

14Then the Spirit of the Lord came upon Jahaziel son of Zechariah, the son of Benaiah, the son of Jeiel, the son of Mattaniah, a Levite and descendant of Asaph, as he stood in the assembly.

15He said: "Listen, King Jehoshaphat and all who live in Judah and Jerusalem! This is what the Lord says to you: 'Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God's. 16Tomorrow march down against them. They will be climbing up by the Pass of Ziz, and you will find them at the end of the gorge in the Desert of Jeruel. 17You will not have to fight this battle. Take up your positions; stand firm and see the deliverance the Lord will give you, O Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Go out to face them tomorrow, and the Lord will be with you.' "

18Jehoshaphat bowed with his face to the ground, and all the people of Judah and Jerusalem fell down in worship before the Lord. 19Then some Levites from the Kohathites and Korahites stood up and praised the Lord, the God of Israel, with very loud voice.

20Early in the morning they left for the Desert of Tekoa. As they set out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, "Listen to me, Judah and people of Jerusalem! Have faith in the Lord your God and you will be upheld; have faith in his prophets and you will be successful." 21After consulting the people, Jehoshaphat appointed men to sing to the Lord and to praise him for the splendor of his holiness as they went out at the head of the army, saying:

"Give thanks to the Lord,

for his love endures forever."

22As they began to sing and praise, the Lord set ambushes against the men of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir who were invading Judah, and they were defeated. 23The men of Ammon and Moab rose up against the men from Mount Seir to destroy and annihilate them. After they finished slaughtering the men from Seir, they helped to destroy one another.

24When the men of Judah came to the place that overlooks the desert and looked toward the vast army, they saw only dead bodies lying on the ground; no one had escaped. 25So Jehoshaphat and his men went to carry off their plunder, and they found among them a great amount of equipment and clothing and also articles of value--more than they could take away. There was so much plunder that it took three days to collect it. 26On the fourth day they assembled in the Valley of Beracah, where they praised the Lord. This is why it is called the Valley of Beracah to this day.

27Then, led by Jehoshaphat, all the men of Judah and Jerusalem returned joyfully to Jerusalem, for the Lord had given them cause to rejoice over their enemies. 28They entered Jerusalem and went to the temple of the Lord with harps and lutes and trumpets.

29The fear of God came upon all the kingdoms of the countries when they heard how the Lord had fought against the enemies of Israel. 30And the kingdom of Jehoshaphat was at peace, for his God had given him rest on every side.  

Conclusion:

• Will you trust God and take refuge in him and consciously decide to relax in your next crisis?  Will you drop your arms, drop your effort, and turn to God’s strong arm and put all your confidence in him? 
• Instead of being consumed by the problem, we should turn our face to the Lord.
• We should embrace God, believing he'll be our refuge, that he'll be exalted.