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You Deserve A
Break Today
Psalms 46:1-46:10
Have you ever
noticed that some of the things that you love the most about a person,
or place are also the very things that cause you the most struggles? In
talking with couples time and time again, I have see that the cute
little habits seen in dating become annoying addictions in marriage.
When parents talk about the way that their 2 year old says no, they talk
like it is cute and sweet, but 2 years later when the 4 year old is
standing in the middle of Wal-mart having a melt down screaming no at
the top of their lungs, it’s not so cute.
Even in my life, one of the biggest drawing points to moving my family
to Scuffelgrit was the slower pace of life, and the chance for my boys
to run and play outside, safe from the dangers of a city like Atlanta.
But that first Saturday when I needed something from the hardware store
at 2:00 in the afternoon only to find out that I would have to drive to
Jasper, or Tupelo, or Tuscaloosa because all of our hardware stores
close at noon, well the slower pace was not so quaint.
Even those of you who were blessed to live your whole lives here have
felt the pull to be 15 places at once and do 15 things at once. We live
in a world that pulls us one place or another all the time. Families
have trouble seeing one another for 30 minutes anymore much less
enjoying a meal and conversation. The days of the family sitting around
the dinner table discussing the day’s events are a rarity. The family
meal of a meat and three vegetables has given way to the number three
super sized from the drive through as we move from one activity to
another.
Have you noticed that over the past 10, 15, 20 years how many different
options have appeared to accommodate you in the struggle? Last week
while I was in Huntsville, I counted 17 fast food places that
specialized in chicken. And even though there were 17 chicken places,
all serving variations of the same dish they all claimed that they were
the place to eat by their slogan. Kentucky Fried Chicken boasted that
“They Do Chicken Right.” While Popeye’s said that, you would “Love that
Chicken from Popeye’s.” I even saw a cow deface a white billboard by
painting “Eat More Chicken” on it.
We definitely live in a fast paced world and a fast food life style. But
how are we, who are called to be different from the fast food world,
live a life style that’s well … different. Well I don’t think that we
can answer that question by saying, “If you are a Christian you have to
slow down, enjoy a meal with your family, and stop to smell the roses
from time to time.” As nice as that sounds, it’s not always possible.
Over the next few weeks, I want to look at some of the slogans of the
fast food world and see what we can do to be different. And if we are
going to start with fast food then why not start with the world’s
largest fast food chain, McDonalds. In 1971, McDonalds noticed a trend
in society and made an offer that was so successful that every ten years
they reintroduce the offer, and that offer is very simply, “You Deserve
a Break Today.”
Have you ever had a day that needed a break? Maybe you have had a day
like Alexander. Have you heard his story? The story of “Alexander and
the Horrible, Terrible, No Good, Very Bad Day"? If you haven’t, let me
tell it to you.
Alexander was a boy about 7 or 8 years old, & he had one of those days
when everything went wrong, disasters one right after another. Nothing
went right. "It was a Horrible, Terrible, No Good, Very Bad Day."
It all started in the morning when Alexander woke up, he discovered that
he had gone to bed with gum in his mouth, & when he woke up it was in
his hair. When he got out of bed he tripped over his skateboard, & then
he dropped his sweater into the sink where the water was running. He
said, "I just knew it was going to be a Horrible, Terrible, No Good,
Very Bad Day!"
Then he went to school, & he had a horrible day there, too. After school
he had a terrible experience at the Dentist’s office. And they didn’t
have the shoes he wanted when they went shopping. Then came supper, & he
said, "We had cauliflower for supper, & I hate cauliflower! And on TV
all I saw was huggin & kissin, & I hate huggin & kissin!"
"Then my bath water was too hot, & I got soap in my eyes, & I lost my
marble down the drain. When I went to bed, Nick took back the pillow
that he said I could have. And my Mickey Mouse night light burned out, &
I bit my tongue, & the cat decided to sleep with Nick & not with me. All
in all," He said, "it was a Horrible, Terrible, No Good, Very Bad Day"
Now is it any wonder that when Alexander finally came to the end of that
day, he heaved a sigh & cried, "I think I’ll move to Australia"?
Have you ever felt that way? I’m sure that you have! Almost all of us
have had days of anxiety & stress & frayed nerve endings when we need a
break, & we need to learn how to deal with them.
As I read the scriptures, I find no instant formula for spiritual
maturity. A lot of people are searching for one. They just want to have
an experience or say a prayer, & have instant spiritual maturity. But it
doesn’t come that way! Growth comes through stress & strain & struggle
as we endeavor to live the Christian life.
A few years ago, Thomas Hobbs of the University of Washington published
his research on Human Stress. They listed many of the common experiences
of life, evaluated their impact on our mental and emotional well-being,
and rated them according to the stress they produced in our lives. This
stress rating was expressed in what they called "Life-Change Units, or
LCUs." The worse the stress rating, the higher the LCUs.
For instance, getting a divorce is 73 LCUs. Being pregnant is 40 LCUs.
Remodeling a home is 25 LCUs. The stress of Christmas is rated as 13
LCUs. On & on went their list of life’s stresses, each one rated in
LCUs. If you approach 300 LCU’s then you are a candidate for major
health issues.
When Mary Winkler killed her husband earlier this year Trista and I got
out our LCU list and tabulated what we knew about her and her score was
over 400.
The reason that a score over 300 will cause you to have either a
physical or mental or emotional breakdown is because, humanly speaking,
we just can’t cope with that much change.
But notice that I said "humanly speaking," & I emphasize the word
"humanly," because our trust in God can make all the difference. So
maybe the break that we are looking for won’t come from a big Mac and a
large order of Fries. So maybe we need to find our break somewhere else.
Turn with me to Psalm 46. This Psalm was evidently written in that kind
of environment. There must have been times when the psalmist felt like
he was in a pressure-cooker & couldn’t get out. So he wrote the words of
this Psalm as he sought to deal with the stresses of his life.
Listen to the first verse, "God is our refuge and strength, a very
present help in trouble." The Hebrew word "trouble" that he used means
"pressed in." Do you remember the old saying, "Between a rock & a hard
place?" That is the kind of pressure the Psalmist is talking about.
When Martin Luther was surrounded by enemies he read this Psalm & then
wrote the great hymn, "A Mighty Fortress Is Our God." He saw the
tremendous power of God as "a bulwark never failing." Regardless of what
happens in the world there is still the strength & power & might of God.
Let me give you a brief overview of this Psalm & then we’ll look at it
in a little more detail. There are 3 Sections.
Verses 1-3 deal with changes in nature, & the Psalmist says, "I will not
fear! God is my refuge & my strength, & even though the world around me
may be shaking, I will not fear!"
Verses 4-7 speak of changes taking place in society. The Psalmist says,
"I will not be moved! Even though nations are falling apart, & even
though society is deteriorating, because God is my refuge & strength I
will not be moved!"
Finally in verses 8-11, its almost as if the Psalmist sits back after
everything he has seen in society & in nature & says, "I will not let
stress ruin my life anymore! I’m going to relax, transform my life,
change gears, & get on with it in keeping with God’s Will."
I Will Not Fear
So let’s look at verses 1-3 (Read Text)
It almost sounds as if the psalmist was familiar with the headlines in
our modern day scientific journals, doesn’t it? Worrisome things are
happening in our world today. During the past 20 years, earthquakes have
increased at a phenomenal rate. Geologists point to the San Andreas
fault, & predict that one day a large chunk of western California will
fall off into the Pacific Ocean. They say that the Pacific rim volcanoes
are ripe for a major eruption. And just yesterday thousands of people
fled Indonesia as another volcano gets ready to erupt.
And what about the hurricanes that lash our coasts, the tornadoes that
sweep across our states, the blizzards that paralyze our cities, the
drought that shrivels up & cracks our farm land, & the floods that wash
away bridges & homes? Some are beginning to cry out, "What is happening
in our world today?"
The Psalmist says, "I will not be afraid. My Lord is still in command of
the winds & the waves & the sea, & all of the elements of nature.
Therefore I will not fear. God is my refuge & my strength."
Notice here that the writer doesn’t say I will not fear because I am
brave, or the danger is small. Rather he says that he will not fear
because God is in control and Death or Life as long as God is near will
be fine. It reminds me of what the Apostle Paul says in Philippians 1:21
For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.
I Will Not Be Moved!
Now look at verses 4-7. (Read Text)
Here he pictures nations in an uproar, kingdoms falling, of great
changes taking place. Does that sound familiar?
I read this passage a few weeks ago after Trista and I returned from
Tupelo and I couldn’t help but think about Elvis Presley. He started out
making $14 a day as a truck driver. He made a recording that caught the
ear of a promoter. The next thing you know he was the highest paid male
entertainer in the world.
When Elvis Presley died, the airlines were clogged with people trying to
get to Memphis, TN. Five tons of flowers were sent to his funeral.
People lined the streets just to catch a glimpse of his coffin.
Elvis Presley once said, "I would give a million dollars for one week of
peace."
Our world is all shook up. Nations are in an uproar. Mankind seems to be
falling apart. But we, as Christians, don’t have to be. We can stand
steadfast because God is our refuge & our strength, & because Jesus is
King of Kings & Lord of Lords. He is the same yesterday, today, &
forever. And as Christians we stand strong in the faith & commitment
that we have in Jesus, who is our Lord.
I Will Not Be Filled With Stress Anymore!
Then it seems that the Psalmist sits back & looks at all the changes
that have taken place & he reflects on them with these words in verses 8
& 9, (Read Text)
Sounds ominous doesn’t it? The Lord breaks the bow, shatters the spear,
and burns the shields
But we can’t stop there we must press on to verse 10. (Read Text)
Do you realize what he is saying? He is saying, "In the midst of it all
I have decided that I will no longer let my life be filled with stress &
anxiety." Why? Because "God is my refuge & my strength."
I wonder if we have forgotten how to relax? How long has it been since
you sat down with your family & ate a meal together, & then after the
meal just talked and visited & had fun? How long has it been since you
took off your shoes & walked barefoot & felt the blades of grass beneath
your feet?
How long has it been since you took a long walk in the evening, &
watched the sun set? Or sat in a hot tub of water & read a whole chapter
of a book without interruption? How long has it been since you just
leaned back & relaxed & listened to some good, wholesome music? How long
has it been?
How long has it been since you just spent a day & got away from it all?
You took your wristwatch off & forgot what time it was & did what you
wanted to do, when you wanted to do it?
Someone said that 3 words can summarize how most of us spend our lives -
hurrying, worrying, & scurrying. It’s time for us to take the Psalmist
to heart, to "Be still, & know that I am God."
Three Great Truths:
Now let me close by pointing out 3 great truths that we can draw from
this Psalm:
God Is Always Near And Available to us.
God never puts us on hold. We may be on hold on the telephone, on hold
at the red light, on hold at the bank as we deposit our money, on hold
in the post office line, & on hold at the supermarket.
But God is always available & anxious to hear us whenever we want to
speak to Him. Some of our problems may be superficial, but others are
deep, & God can help us. So talk to Him!
God’s Power is Greater Than Anything in All This World.
Greater than winds or storms, or earthquakes, or volcanoes. There is no
greater power. God’s power is sufficient to win the victory over all the
enemies that come our way. The Psalmist tells us again that "God is our
refuge, our strength in times of trouble." So don’t be afraid to ask for
His help.
God’s Help Works When We Can’t Help Ourselves.
Have you felt weak lately? Have you felt like there are too many
stresses, too many LCUs in your life, & that you’re about ready to
explode? God’s help is available, & all you have to do is reach out for
it, & grab hold.
If you’re here tonight without Him as your Lord & Savior, please realize
that He wants you to come to Him, accepting His love, receiving His
forgiveness, & becoming a part of His family. Will you come as we stand
& as we sing?
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