What the Bible Says About Fear and Anxiety | Psalm 46 Explained | Jonny Ardavanis

Summary

Podcast Summary: "What the Bible Says About Fear and Anxiety | Psalm 46 Explained" Dial In with Jonny Ardavanis | March 3, 2026

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Episode Overview

In this episode, Jonny Ardavanis and guest Hank Bowen delve into the themes of fear and anxiety through the lens of Psalm 46, exploring what the Bible teaches about these struggles. Ardavanis breaks down the most repeated prohibition in Scripture—"do not fear"—and examines how God’s nature as our refuge, strength, and very present help addresses our anxieties, not merely as a theological idea but as a lived reality. The conversation aims to bridge the gap between biblical truth and personal experience, encouraging listeners to seek God’s presence amidst life’s troubles.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Prevalence of Fear in Scripture and in Our Lives

• The most frequent command in the Bible is "do not fear" (00:00, 05:00)
  • Ardavanis: "This is the most common prohibition in Scripture...because God wants us and desires that we live a life of peace."
• Anxiety is widespread, both biblically and today; even biblical heroes expressed fear, anxiety, and grief (04:35)
  • Ardavanis references David: “Every single night, I make my bed swim. I dissolve my couch with my own tears...That is a man's man. This man has slain his ten thousands.” (05:15)
• Both believers and unbelievers experience trouble, but only Christians can rejoice amidst suffering due to the hope found in God (05:00)

Psalm 46: God’s Character as the Answer to Anxiety

• The psalm is parsed into three main realities about God:

  1. God is our Refuge

     • Historical context: 701 BC, Sennacherib’s siege, God delivers Jerusalem (10:00–12:00)
     • “God is a refuge for his people when they have nowhere else to go...Only the Christian has a place to go.” (12:03)
     • Running to God means seeking Him in His Word and prayer, as Spurgeon illustrated: “What’s more important? Breathing in or breathing out?” (14:00)

  2. God is our Strength

     • We can’t live the Christian life in our own strength; true godliness is recognizing our weakness (16:00)
     • “Being a strong godly man isn’t machismo. It’s the humble recognition that on your strongest day, you are too weak to live for God without God.” (17:00)
     • The tendency is to seek help in human resources (jobs, relationships, money) instead of making God our first call, not last resort (18:18–19:00)
     • “Is it possible that part of the difficulty that you’re facing is that you are trying to navigate it in your own strengths?” (19:00)

  3. God is Very Present

     • Unlike distant ancient refuges, God is “a very present help in trouble”—literally, “a very findable refuge” (20:34)
     • “God is closer to you than your trouble is.” (21:11)
     • God’s nearness isn’t just theological—it must be subjectively experienced through abiding, prayer, and stillness (23:15–25:00)
     • “If your prayer life is anemic, then the subjective experience of God’s nearness is always going to feel like a theological idea rather than a personal reality.” (24:00)

Theological and Practical Encouragements

• Suffering is relative; don’t compare your pain to others’ (07:23)
  • Quote from Elizabeth Elliot: “Suffering is anything you don’t want that you have, or anything you have that you don’t want.” (07:30)
• God’s power is reinforced with the “Lord of hosts” title—He is the God of angel armies (25:00)
  • “One angel...wipes out 185,000 Assyrians in the blink of an eye. But...the God of angel armies himself is the one who accompanies you.” (25:04)
• Faith is “the refusal to panic” (Dr. Martyn Lloyd Jones) (28:29)
  • Not a denial of emotion, but a refusal to be ruled by fear; “There’s no panic in heaven.”
• “Be still and know that I am God” isn’t mere serenity, but a command over the chaos—God’s sovereignty silences fear (31:00–32:00)
  • Ardavanis: “When God says here, be still...the context is the mountains slipping into the sea, nations making an uproar. God says, quiet. It is an absolute command, Hush, you’re not God. I am.” (31:30)

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Memorable Quotes & Moments

• On the realness of biblical struggle:
  • Ardavanis: “The Bible is not full of this stoic denial of emotion...It’s fear and emotion and anxiety riddle the landscape of the most faithful, well known...people in the Bible.” (05:00)
• On human weakness and God’s strength:
  • “The Christian life is not hard. It’s impossible. You cannot live the Christian life in your own strength.” (17:00)
• On prayer and the Word:
  • “What’s more important, reading the Bible or praying?...What’s more important? Breathing in or breathing out?” — Charles Spurgeon, relayed by Ardavanis (14:00)
• On the proximity of God:
  • “God is as near as your next breath.” (21:11)
  • “God is not going warmer, warmer, colder, colder. He wants us to run to him as a refuge.” (25:44)
• On stillness and trust:
  • “When God says here, be still and know that I am God...God says, quiet. It is...Hush, you’re not God. I am.” (31:30)
• On suffering:
  • “You don’t have to compare your suffering to my suffering. Suffering is consistent across the people of God.” — Ardavanis, quoting Elizabeth Elliot (07:23)

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Key Timestamps

• 00:00 – Introduction to fear as the most frequent biblical prohibition
• 04:35–05:15 – David’s emotional struggles and biblical realism
• 07:23 – On the relativity of suffering; Elizabeth Elliot’s perspective
• 10:00–12:00 – Historical context of Psalm 46 (Sennacherib and Jerusalem)
• 14:00 – The importance of both prayer and the Word (Spurgeon illustration)
• 16:00–18:00 – The impossibility of living for God in our own strength
• 20:34–21:11 – God’s nearness: “very present help” and “very findable refuge”
• 23:15–25:00 – How to experience the presence of God, relationally and practically
• 25:04 – “The Lord of hosts is with us”—God’s power and presence
• 28:29 – “Faith is the refusal to panic.” (Martyn Lloyd Jones)
• 31:30–32:00 – “Be still and know that I am God”—commanding calm in chaos
• 33:20–34:49 – The command to pause (“selah”) and the need for stillness
• 34:49–35:01 – Closing reflections

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Final Takeaways

• Psalm 46 presents three foundational truths: God is our refuge, our strength, and our very present help.
• The Bible commands us not to fear—not just as an abstract principle, but because of the unchanging, near, and omnipotent character of God.
• Real spiritual peace is found not by removing all trouble, but by recognizing and savoring God’s presence in the midst of it.
• Listeners are encouraged to intentionally reflect through stillness, prioritize prayer and time in God’s word, and let the truth of God’s nearness move from mere theology to lived, experiential confidence.

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For listeners:
Use this episode as a prompt for personal reflection—where are you seeking refuge, where do you need strength, and how might you cultivate the stillness needed to truly experience God’s nearness in your anxiety?

Transcript

[A]

What the Bible says do not do, more than any other prohibition is do not fear. This is the most common prohibition in Scripture, is do not fear because God wants us and desires that we live a life of peace. What if I know this to be true theologically, but there is lacking the subjective experience of it personally? Well, there might need to be some stillness in your life to think about this because busyness mutes our ability to ponder deeply about the character of God. Would want to ask someone if they're facing a difficult battle in their life, something that is sleep stealing, insomnia producing, something in their life that is stripping them of joy and vitality. And then I would just want to ask them this question. Is it possible that part of the difficulty that you're facing is that you are trying to navigate it in your own strength? But I want to look at three realities in the therefore in the text. And then I want to look at this logical, rational deduction based on the character of God and in a world of fear and anxiety and loss, three truths about God. Hank Bowen, how are we doing?

[B]

I'm doing great, Johnny, I actually have a question for you. How are you doing?

[A]

I'm good.

[B]

Okay, good. Moving on. So if I say the words alabaster stone, what is the first thing that comes to mind? There's no wrong answer. I'm just curious.

[A]

John 2.

[B]

Okay, well, that was a much more godly answer than the one I was looking for. So I was at a work event the last couple of days. I was driving home five hours after. But on one of the panels, alabaster stone was referenced and the only thing that came to mind immediately was the Prince of Egypt soundtrack.

[A]

Oh, this is my home.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

So literally, this is my home.

[B]

I got, I was, I got in the car, was talking to my brother and I said, I actually need to hang up this phone right now because I need to go listen to the Prince of Egypt soundtrack. I mean he's. That's a. That's a hidden gem of our generation.

[A]

That entire is not a hidden gem. Recognized gem.

[B]

The soundtrack specifically is akin to Mozart or Beethoven. And I encourage and prompt any. Anyone listening to this, go back. It stands the test of time.

[A]

There is a video, and I will have to find it of these guys reenacting the opening scene on Instagram. I'll find it. Okay.

[B]

You can check the description below.

[A]

This episode is brought to you by the Master's University. If you or someone in your life is looking to continue higher education, I would encourage you to check out the Masters University at Masters Edu. And if you do look to enroll, you can use our promo code, dial in to waive the application fee. And I would highly encourage you to check out this institution that is committed to both Christ and Scripture.

[B]

What are we talking about today?

[A]

Well, we're going to be looking at Psalm 46. You know, the reality is, and I've written on the subject, but it's just so prevalent in the world in which we live. We live in a world of anxiety. Even if you look at the news, you know, on my social media for the most part, but every time I'm on, it's just like the more you are removed from the social media world, when you go back to it, you're like, oh my goodness, people are, it's inundating. Yeah, people are dying. There's attacks here, attacks here, the economy, this. And these are just the headlines of what we read on the news. But behind the headlines, there are individual stories in our lives of cancer, infertility, layoffs, a rebellious child, a broken relationship, car accidents. And all of these stories propel us and compel us to consider the mayhem of the world that we live in. And at times, I think even in the scripture we see this. Every child of God is prone to wonder, you know, where is God and who is really in control? Both believers and this is important. And unbelievers feel the effects of living as fallen creatures in a fallen world. We both have, you know, trouble in this life. You know, it's not just that cancer comes upon those who are in Christ. No, you watch the world, you turn on the news, people are dying. It feels like that. But only the Christian has the ability to rejoice amidst any sort of circumstance. And I've been looking at the subject of fear. You know, I've told you before, and R.C. sproul used to say this, that the number one negative prohibition in all of the Bible, meaning what the Bible says do not do, more than any other prohibition, is do not fear. This is the most common prohibition in scripture, is do not fear because God wants us and desires that we live a life of peace. And yet, ironically, I'm so thankful for this reality. The Bible is not full of this stoic denial of emotion. It's not like you have just all star A plus students in the Bible. It's fear and emotion and anxiety riddle the landscape of the most faithful, well known creatures or people in the Bible, the guys you name your kids after. And I just want to read like a couple different flavors of this. Initially and then we'll dive into Psalm 46. But David, the man after God's own heart, says in Psalm 4:1, answer me when I call, O God, you have relieved me in my distress. Be gracious to me and hear my prayer. And he says this because I am pining away. In Psalm 6, he says in verse 2, Be gracious to me, O Lord, for I am pining away. He says in 6:6. And I've referenced this before. Every single night, I make my bed swim. I dissolve my couch with my own tears. I mean, that is a man's man. It's song of David. This man has slain his ten thousands. You know, this is not a baby.

[B]

Saul's got thousands, but David's got ten thousands.

[A]

I mean, you know, guys that are like manly men. Totally David. It's literally, he walks down the room, you know, walks into the room, down the street, and it's like, oh, that man is an absolute savage. And we say that like, you know, in a joking way now, but this man kills people. Psalm 67. David says, My eye is wasted away with grief. It is because of all my adversaries. Psalm 101. David says, why do you stand far off, Lord? Where are you? He's just troubled in this reality. Psalm 16, 8, we see the same thing. Psalm 42, meaning that, you know, there's just this brokenness. This is all throughout the Psalms. There's a book in the Bible called Lamentations, which is just lament pouring out your heart. 33% of the Psalms broken people saying, where are you, God? Life is really hard. Trials and trouble seem to be just like one wave after another on my life. And for this reason, Athanasius, the theologian of the 4th century, once said that most of Scripture speaks to us. The Psalms speak for us. Meaning that the Psalms are the Christian's testimony of the reality of life. And then, thankfully, how God responds to those like us that are anxious and fearful, melancholy and going through dark seasons.

[B]

Well, and I think just to maybe punctuate your prior point of anxiety is such a prevalent matter of our time. I mean, obviously you wrote a book on it. This has been something we've covered on the podcast in general, but it's also, it's just encouraging to know people are facing real trouble and trauma throughout the world. And sometimes I think in talking to Christians in our church, fellow believers, brothers and sisters, they'll think like, well, I actually don't have a good reason. And almost makes them feel more guilty and more anxious and more removed and lonely. And not wanting to bring those things to the Lord because they feel like I have kind of this general anxiety driven posture. Yeah. Of everything. And so it's just encouraging to know as we turn to the Psalms, these prayers aren't prayers of like a more godly people that we can kind of tag onto, but these are prayers that are outlined for. For us to use as guard rails and to actually pray and lean into. And anyway, so we go back to

[A]

what you're saying, like the comparison of trials. Elizabeth Elliot, and I'll come back to her later on. She used to say that a lot of people would come up to Elizabeth Elliot, whose husband, Jim Elliot, one of my heroes, died. He was killed. And they would always say, like, hey, I know I've not suffered on the same level as you have. You know, your husband was killed. And she says, you know what? I just had to tell people, no, suffering is anything you don't want that you have, or anything you have that you don't want. Like, you don't have to compare your suffering to my suffering. Suffering is consistent across the people of God. Hey, folks, I want to highlight this book, the Triumph of Love, which is a resource from the John MacArthur publishing. These books are devotional, verse by verse expositions of some of my favorite chapters in the Bible. This book, the Triumph of Love, is a devotion on Romans chapter 8. If you aren't familiar with Romans chapter 8, it's one of my favorite chapters in the Bible. Paul's talking all about the work of the Holy Spirit that is interceding for us. And then he gets to that verse, that section at the end of Romans 8, where nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ. You know, one of the chief functions of the Holy Spirit is to pour out Romans 5. 5 says this, the love of God into our hearts. So it's not just a thing that we affirm, not just a doctrine, but something that we know to be true. And this book talks about that great reality. Furthermore, you can download some of the questions. If you're going through this with a group or a small group, there are questions where you could be able to walk through that together, either as a group or personally as well. Now, in Psalm 46, I want to look at three realities, but I want to look first at just this verse, Psalm 46. One, it says, God is our refuge and strength, the very present help in trouble. We'll look to verse two. I just want to notice there beforehand that it says God is our refuge and strength. And to note that Even the verb tenses in the Bible are inspired by God. It doesn't say God was our refuge and strength. God could be our refuge and strength. God should be, but that God is. You know, I love sports. You love sports as well. In the landscape of athletics we say, oh, that guy's got potential. You know, I look at high school sports, that's a four star athlete. He could be legitimate because that man or that young man might become even greater athlete. He could be the next Kobe, things like that.

[B]

Or he's past his prime like he once was. And now, now is that alone?

[A]

Yeah, yeah, he's over the hill. God has no potential. He's not in a state of becoming. He could be no greater of a God today than he was back then. He could be no less of a God today than he was back then. So that idea God is. I've circled the word is because God is not in a state of becoming. He is the same yesterday, today and forever. Malachi 3, 6. God says, I am the Lord, I change not. But I want to look at three realities and then therefore us in the text. And then I want to look at this logical, rational deduct based on the character of God in a world of fear and anxiety and loss. Three truths about God. Number one, that God is our refuge. You know, this psalm, it says, is written by the sons of Korah and they wrote eleven of the psalms. And all of the psalms that they wrote were against the backdrop of a historical event in the life of Israel. And I want to take you to a scene in the Old Testament. The year is 701 BC and the evil Assyrian king Sennacherib is marching on the city of Jerusalem. He's got an army of 200,000 men that has absolutely laid waste every neighboring nation before them. And they come in second kings 18 to Jerusalem in the commander of Sennacherib's army. And I again, real story, real point in time.

[B]

Find the drama.

[A]

This isn't just. Yeah, thank you, rc. Find the drama though. This real story. They come in the commander of Sennacherib's army and he begins to taunt Hezekiah. And it says in 2 Kings 18:29 that he's shouting over the walls. Now just imagine you're a kid kind of looking over the wall and he says, do not let Hezekiah, that's king of Jerusalem deceive you, for he will not be able to deliver you from my hand. Nor let Hezekiah make you trust in Yahweh mocking Yahweh saying, yahweh will surely deliver us, and this city will not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria. And then he says this. Do not listen to Hezekiah. Has any one of the gods of the nations delivered his land from the hand of the king of Assyria? Who among all of the gods of the lands have delivered their land from my hand? This is the Assyrian commander. That Yahweh should deliver Jerusalem from my hand. Now Hezekiah hears all this. He goes back into the temple. He tears his clothes, puts sackcloth and ashes. Just a sign of total dependency on God on his head. He falls on his face before Yahweh and prays in 2nd Kings 19:19. Oh, Yahweh, our God, I pray, deliver us from his hand that all of the kingdoms of the earth may know that you alone, O Yahweh, our God. Do you know what happens next?

[B]

I do. Tell us, Joni.

[A]

It says in Second Kings 19:35. Then it happened that night that the angel of Yahweh went out and struck 185,000 in the camp of the Assyrians. And when men arose early in the morning, behold, all of them were dead. Epic. And it's against this backdrop that many of the commentators believe that the sons of Korah were compelled to write that God is a refuge for his people when they have nowhere else to go, nowhere else to turn, when they are in danger, when enemies are encroaching in on them, God is a refuge. You know, I've heard Joel Beke say one time that this is the predominant distinction between a child of God and a child of this world. Only the Christian has a place to go. You know, when we were growing up in Chicago, there would be, you know, tornadoes. And I remember one time we had to go down in the church basement and there was a place to huddle. Right. You're safe. And the psalmist is testifying to us here that whether we are facing little skirmishes in our life or big battles, we must turn to God, and he is a refuge for us. This is why David says in Psalm 62, verse 8, Trust in him at all times, O people, pour out your heart before him. For God is a refuge for us. Now a different word is used. And I want you to read these two verses for me to convey the same idea. In verse 7, 11, would you read verses 7 and 11?

[B]

Yeah. It says, yahweh of hosts is with us. The God of Jacob is our stronghold. Skipping down to verse 11, Yahweh of us, Yahweh of hosts is with us. The God of Jacob is our stronghold.

[A]

Now it says here that God is our stronghold and he is our refuge. But what does this actually mean? And what does it mean to run to him as a refuge when we are anxious and fearful? Well, practically, I mean, think with me. It means to run to the revelation that he has given to us in his word. It means to flee to him in prayer. It should be as natural for you to run to God's word as it would be for a baby to cry for their mother's milk. You know, one time someone asked Charles Spurgeon what's more important, reading the Bible or praying? And he responded by saying, well, let me ask you a question. What's more important? Breathing in or breathing out? And what he's getting at is both the word of God and praying to God, communing with him in prayer are both critical priorities for the Christian life and the repeated experience of those who run to God as a refuge amidst an anxious and fearful world. Now I just, I think that the average person you talk to, if I was just to ask a general question, do you feel badgered by something? Yeah. The encouragement from the scripture would be, well, you can't walk along the highways and byways of this life without objectively knowing this is true that he is our refuge, but subjectively experiencing that by running to him in prayer and through the testimony and revelation of His Word.

[B]

Well, maybe just two quick observations and we'll hop to, to the next revelation of his character. But moving quickly, one you mentioned this is a, you grounded this in a historical reality. And I just want to make the observation that's important. Why? Because we live practical lives that are actually in a place and a time. And so knowing that God actually showed up in this way, this is a real psalm written by real men. After coming through that existence is critical. Like this isn't a fairy tale, this is actually grounded and it changes the way you pray as you face things.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

And then maybe just secondly, real quickly, I'm noticing we're grounding in who God is. There's a relational element here as opposed to like a self help framework or way of thinking. And that's, it's just a meaningful difference as we think about what the world is offering us for those who are faced with anxiety and then what the Bible is screaming for us.

[A]

Yeah, yeah, absolutely. And I think to, you know, talked through this before and this is the theme of my book, consider the lilies. But the way that God responds to the anxious is through not looking at their circumstances necessarily, but by proclaiming his character. And these three realities that we're looking at in this psalm are three attributes of God. One, that he is a refuge, he protects. Secondly, here it says, God is our refuge. And then secondly, he is our strength. When we arrive at the refuge, we are likely weary, we are faint hearted, and we need to be strengthened by God. That's why it says God is our refuge and our strength. He's our offense and our defense. He protects the fearful, but he energizes and strengthens the downcast. All of these men in the scripture that you may be familiar with, particularly in the Old Testament, Jeremiah, David, Elijah, they were men of God, but they were human. They lacked the strength to live for God on their own and by nature, temperamentally, dispositionally, they're fearful. And I think, you know, I've said this before while I'm preaching, the Christian life is not hard. It's impossible. You cannot live the Christian life in your own strength. So we not only need God to be our refuge, we need him to be our strength. We need him to give us what we cannot give ourselves. You know, tomorrow morning we have a men's breakfast. One of the things I've told the men at our church, or on Saturday morning, be a godly strong man. You've grown up hearing that, oh, that man's a strong man of God. But being a strong godly man isn't machismo. It's the humble recognition that on your strongest day, you are too weak to live for God without God. We need him to give us what we cannot give ourself. And that is supernatural strength. Those with that understanding can say with David in Psalm 28:7, the Lord is my strength, the Lord is my shield. He's offense and he's defense. And because he's everything to me, my heart, David says, trust in him. I think, Hank, sometimes the Lord needs to deplete us physically, spiritually, emotionally, so that we can learn to say, with Paul, God's grace is sufficient for me. And then that next line is his. What power is perfected in my weakness? Now, let's just think about this out loud for a moment. What prevents us from running to God as a source of strength? What would you think?

[B]

I would say, first it would be looking to our own strengths, or not feeling this might be redundant, but just facing the circumstances in my own skill, gifting prior experience. Absolutely.

[A]

Yeah. And we think about, you know, we run to either finances totally gifting Friends. Right. Like, we try to insulate ourself with like, them before going to God.

[B]

Totally.

[A]

And so we use God as maybe a last resort. Yeah. Rather than like our first call, Hail

[B]

Mary, like genie at the end.

[A]

Yeah. He's a divine 911 and a cop out. And those that live this way, it's not just that they're. They're failing to live in the experience that God has afforded to them. They will never be able to say with David In Psalm 18, the Lord, Yahweh is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock in whom I take refuge, my sh. I mean, just think about this. This guy's on the run for 10 years from his father in law, Saul. He's my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. It is human nature to put our trust in human resources and human strength. But that's a vain pursuit. David says, some boast in chariots, strength. No. Some boast in horses. No. I will boast in the name of Yahweh. He is my refuge. He is my strength. I would want to ask someone if they're facing a difficult battle in their life. Something that is sleep stealing, insomnia producing it is despairing, it is depressing something in their life that is stripping them of joy and vitality. And then I would just want to ask them this question. Is it possible that part of the difficulty that you're facing is that you are trying to navigate it in your own strengths? We, as we look to God's word, have to take our pick. We either make a refuge out of God and run to him as a refuge, or paper mache, popsicle stick refuge, or we try to live this life in our own strength. And the scripture says that's impossible.

[B]

Yeah, well, it's just drawing the distinction of. I'm thinking about the Gospel of John of Jesus just declaring, come to me, I will give you rest. It's in the person of Jesus Christ that we're actually finding that rest and refuge. Keep rolling here.

[A]

Well, God is our refuge and strength. And then third reality here is that he's very present, help in time of trouble. So he's our refuge, he's our strength, and he's very present. This is critical in the ancient world. In the ancient world, most refuges had to be traveled to. They were on an elevated position, picturing,

[B]

like Helm's Deep in the Second Lord of the Rings.

[A]

I'll have to check it out. I'm just joking. I'm just joking.

[B]

Oh, my goodness. That was horrifying.

[A]

I saw it for the first time a couple years ago.

[B]

Are you kidding? No, this is all right. Sorry.

[A]

I read the books.

[B]

We have to stay. Oh, okay. That was. Yeah, I read. I didn't watch one of the greatest battle scenes in cinema history, but most

[A]

refuges had to be traveled to. So there was this fear over the prospect of traveling to the refuge, because while traveling through the lowlands, you could be picked off, ambushed on the way. So going to the refuge was a risk in of itself because why they were far off. But the scripture says here God is not a distant refuge. He is a very present help. The literal rendering of this in Hebrew is that God is a very findable refuge. You don't have to travel to Him. He is as near as your next breath. God is closer to you than your trouble is. This is who God is. You know, I've mentioned this before, but, you know, we talk about this in the. We were speaking of Prince of Egypt in the book of Exodus. You know, if I asked a random person, hey, what's the Book of Exodus about? They would say, well, the plagues, right? But the majority of the book of Exodus is not about the plagues. It's about God's prescription and desire to dwell amongst his people. So he comes to Moses and says, I'm not a deity that delivers to ditch. I'm a God who delivers you so that I might dwell amongst you. And so the majority of the instruction in the book of Exodus is about the tabernacle. I want to dwell amongst my people. I'm close. We live in a very fallen and fractured world. And the only way that you're going to be able to navigate this world with a level of peace and stability in a world of chaos and confusion is if you know not just that God is everywhere, but that he is near. And he's not a sometimes present God. He is a what very present help in time of trouble.

[B]

And maybe just to remind folks, we're looking at Psalm 46, this is all in verse one. This is just a plain. We're literally taking parts kind of A, B and C of the first verse. Maybe a question for you, Johnny, would be, if I'm a believer and I pray, but I don't feel like I have the presence of God, what is your maybe practical response to someone who says, like, okay, yes, I'm hearing this, but I don't feel it necessarily.

[A]

Well, I would say wherever there's dissonance between the reality and revelation of God's word and our Subjective feelings that we have to pray that God would convince us that His Word is true, even if our feelings do not align. God is near, you know, that is a reality. So I would say, first of all, we have to go to God and say, hey, impress this reality upon my heart. David says in Psalm 139 that where can I go from his Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go to the heavens, you're there. If I make my bed in the depths, you're there. God help me to believe and live like this is true. Looking at Psalm 34, he's near to the brokenhearted, he's near to the crushed. I am with you. Jesus says, even to the end of the age. Those are just realities in Scripture that we have to ask the Holy Spirit to help us believe. And so I think that that comes through prayer. God is transcendent, like he's a holy God. He is, you know, he's thrice holy, but he's also imminent, and that's critical for our life. So I think too, you begin to experience this more and more as you live in communion with God. Meaning if you're. If your prayer life is anemic, then the subjective experience of God's nearness is always going to feel like a theological idea rather than a personal reality that is thrilling to you.

[B]

Maybe just real quick, I would also, as you're talking, I'm thinking about be still and know that I am God and that be still. There's. It's not a passive kind of. Oftentimes I'll think what's true maybe in my own life is all. I would be one who'd say, like, man, I don't feel his presence. But also, I'm simultaneously neglecting the inputs of actually being reminded of God's truth in His Word, what we're doing right now, and then also spending, like, the actual personal time in prayer. And it sounds. I don't mean to be so basic, but the actual reality of. No, that's something you just hit on. You need to experience it in your own life because it's relational in nature.

[A]

Yeah, I think that comes from abiding in Christ, abiding in His Word, and then being reminded that despite whatever I may be feeling, this is a God who cannot lie. And so, yeah, we trust God's Word when our feelings don't align. Now, I think one thing that's really important in this chapter, and you've already touched on it, is we are tempted to depreciate and mitigate kind of the importance of God's nearness, His power, him being a refuge. We devalue that. Yeah, but you read verses 7 and 11 already. It says the Lord of hosts is with us. And then it says again in verse 11, the Lord of hosts is with us. I love that phraseology, and here's why. Over 25 times in the book of Malachi, God is referred to as the Lord of hosts, or sometimes it might be translated as the Lord of Armies, the God of armies. And I want you to think with me because we're tempted to devalue this nearness of God. One angel in the context of this story wipes out 185,000 Assyrians in the blink of an eye. But it says here you don't have just an angel traveling with you. It says the God of angel armies himself is the one who accompanies you in this life. That's significant. The psalmist is wanting you to understand that God is not the mayor of a small village. He's the God of angel armies, one of which one angel can wipe out an army nation in the blink of an eye. And this is the God who offers you his refuge, the God who provides you with strength, the God who is ever present help in times of trouble. He doesn't tease us with the prospect of finding Him. And I think this is important too. When you say about experiencing it, God is not going warmer, warmer, colder, colder. He wants us to run to him as a refuge, just in the same way that I would want my daughter to run to me with what's going on in her life. I think first of all, we have to understand that God is not taunting us from afar. It says, the Lord of hosts is with us. He loves to be with his children. And he makes that invitation known. So he's not making it difficult for us. And I mentioned this on Sunday. Each of us is as close with God as we choose to be. Oswald Sanders. And each of us experiences the subjectivity of this in the way that we pursue intimacy with God now, in light of all these realities, that God is our refuge, that God is our strength, that he is an ever present help in times of trouble, and that he's a powerful God. Sometimes we preach application before the truth, but there is an implication from this text and it's given to us directly in the psalm. It's in verse two, it says, therefore in light of these realities, we will not fear though the earth should change, and though the mountains slip into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam, Though the mountains quake at its swelling pride. We started this episode by talking about all the realities in our life that make us anxious finance relational. But it's just saying here, if God is our refuge, if he is our strength, and he is, if he is very present, what on earth would you have to fear? Not because those fears are illegitimate in of themselves, but because the God of angel armies is the one that accompanies you in this life. I want you to jump in here and I'll just read this by Dr. Martyn Lloyd Jones. He says faith is the refusal to panic. So it is. Why? Because there's no panic in heaven. Because there's God, God's plans and because there's a recognition of his authority.

[B]

It's such a good point. And it just strikes me, a refusal to panic. It's not that to your point, these things wouldn't, as they come across the windshields of our life, that they wouldn't cause us some level of emotional discomfort like facing them immediately. And I'm not trying to cheapen it. It sounds like this isn't kind of like harsh wooden doctrinal reality. No, it's. It's understanding that you have a sick child, you're going through a horrible thing in your family, finances are broken. Those are real things. The point is not don't experience that. The point is don't panic. Which is what it's. Remind yourself of a reality that is greater, deeper, more true than those realities.

[A]

Yeah. And those are collectively true of all of God's people, but personally and individually true for you as you live the Christian life. I used the phraseology or terminology before that we are victim of coffee mug Christianity, meaning that we have like these verses that we kind of pull out of context. And some of them I think are, you know, less of an issue than others. But Philippians 4, 6 is probably the most common verse on anxiety. Be anxious for nothing. But in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Now that's true. But I think that prohibition Be anxious for nothing is rooted in the four words that precede it. In verse five, Paul says, the Lord is near. And then he says, be anxious for nothing. This reality of God's nearness is the surest ground to stand on in a crumbling world. You've never navigated a single trial where God is not as near as your next breath and he is closer than trouble. Itself and where he himself offers you refuge and strength. Now you've mentioned a verse at the end of the psalm already. It is in verse 10 to be still and know that I am God, or cease striving and know that I am God. But this is another verse that is victim to being, I would say misinterpreted or misapplied. Often this verse would be kind of a picture of a mug, you know, overlooking a calm summer lake. But when God says here, be still and know that I am God. In verse 10, the preceding context of that is the mountain slipping into the heart of the sea. Verse six, the nations are making an uproar. Verse six, the kingdoms tottered. He raised his voice, the earth melted. He makes wars to cease to the end of the earth. Verse 9, he breaks the bow. Those are the nuclear weapons of the ancient world. He cuts the spear in two, he burns the chariots with fire. And then elevated and exalted above all the mayhem of mountains crumbling into the sea, waters roaring, nations tottering, wars clamoring. God says, quiet. It is an absolute command, Hush, you're not God. I am. And then he says, I will be exalted among the nations. I will be exalted in the earth. This is not just, hey, have a calm morning, which it might be to reflect on those. It is this reality that everything in our life that seems massive, wars, mountains, does the beckoning of the voice of God. And he just says, hush, know that I am God.

[B]

It's just amazing that to your point, it's not a serene painting, it's amidst like earth shattering warfare language. And again, just going back to your prior point, it's striking me as Christians, it's so easy to be overwhelmed by God's holiness and his sovereignty, which in no way am I trying to step back from that. But what's easier for me to forget or be less reminded of is that that same God is indwelling near present in the same way that it's God gave us our families as a shadow of an like, not even a good shadow of how much I love my kids. Like the Lord looks at me that way, the holy sovereign, amazing God. It's just amazing truth to reflect on.

[A]

So I think to read this psalm properly is you've touched on it already, but it actually comes at the end would be to read it as this God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in times of trouble. Then to feel the rapidity of the strings begin to move, though the earth should change.

[B]

Prince of Egypt's house.

[A]

Yes. Though the mountains slip into the heart of the sea, Though the waters roar in foam. Verse 3. Come, behold the works of the Lord. Verse 8. He makes wars to cease to the end of the earth. Right. He breaks the bow. He cuts the spear. He burns chariots with fire. Above it all God says, be still. Shh. And know that I am God. I will be exalted in the earth. Right. I'll exalt it among the nations. And then this little word at the end of verse 11, where the strings come back in and it says selah, which is a musical pause. And it means to take a moment and to rest and reflect on this reality. So there is a call here for some stillness. But your stillness has to be informed by God's power and presence. And that's when, going back to your question, what if I know this to be true theologically, but there is lacking the subjective experience of it personally? Well, there might need to be some stillness in your life to think about this, because busyness mutes our ability to ponder deeply about the character of God. And that's what we need in a world full of fear, is to be gripped and grabbed by the reality of Scripture, that God is our refuge, that he is our strength, and that he is a very present help in times of trouble.

[B]

Well, I appreciate you taking the time to unpack this, and just for me, to your point, it's one thing to intellectually know this. It's another to take the time to savor and bask in it. So thank you, Johnny.

[A]

No, thank you, Hank. Sam.