It Really Is Well January 18, 2026

It Really is Well!
Psalm 46
St. Peter’s Anglican Church
January 18, 2026

I saw a funny thing online this past week — there is a TV show … which shall remain nameless … but the hosts are named Whoopi, Sunny and Joy.

I do not watch the show … but I have seen some clips … and let’s just say … they certainly don’t live up to their names!

Their commentary of the events of the day are not the most edifying … and if you listen to their hyperbole … it would seem that the world is coming to it’s end … that Armageddon is right around the corner … and it’s all one person’s and one political party’s fault.

I find that if you listen to them there is a complete absence of the existence of God in what they discuss … and the same can be said for some of the “discussions” that you can see on social media … such as Facebook … X … Twitter … etc.

As Christians, however … we have a different way of looking at things … a different lens … if you will.

We know that there is a God in heaven who is still on the throne … and nothing happens apart from His Divine and perfect will.

If we simply look at the news — however you get it — one could be very pessimistic … one could throw up their hands in defeat … and say what’s next … one could get depressed and say “I want out!” …

In 1962 … I was 10 years old. Some of you were around then … but I won’t name names!

One evening, I remember my father getting my brother and I together before bed and telling us that there was a crisis in the world … I don’t remember exactly what he said … but I know now that it was the Cuban Missile crisis … where the Soviet Union had place nuclear missiles in Cuba … 90 miles from the United States.

My father told my brother and I that bad things could happen … but as Christians we didn’t have to worry because we knew that if anything happened we would go to heaven … and then my father prayed.

We know that nothing happened … and we also know that there has been a couple of other tense worldwide situations since then … and probably some that we don’t know about.

But again … and let us NEVER forget … that God is in complete control … AND we have to trust Him … no matter how dark the situation seems!
Nothing … absolutely nothing happens if He doesn’t allow it to happen.

We may never know the reason … but that is irrelevant … because our trust is in God.

Psalm 115:3 says: ““But our God is in heaven; He does whatever He pleases.””

Proverbs 16:9 says: ““A man’s heart plans his way, But the Lord directs his steps.””

And for those who are our representatives in government … here and abroad … we read:

““The king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord, Like the rivers of water; He turns it wherever He wishes.””

The Prophet Isaiah gives us some great words of comfort:

““Remember the former things of old, For I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me, Declaring the end from the beginning, And from ancient times things that are not yet done, Saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, And I will do all My pleasure,’””

Repeat those words when things seem to be out of control: ““‘My counsel shall stand, And I will do all My pleasure,’””

Repeat those words when there are dire predictions: ““‘My counsel shall stand, And I will do all My pleasure,’””

Repeat those words when you can’t believe what you see happening:““‘My counsel shall stand, And I will do all My pleasure,’””

However, not only is He in complete and absolute control over all the events in our lives and the world … but He is ALWAYS there for His children …

… He is always there for those who know Him through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ … and it is something that we as Christians need to firmly grasp and hold to!

This is exactly what we see in Psalm 46 … our Psalter reading for today.

It is a beautiful and encouraging Psalm.

This psalm has been called Luther’s Psalm.

We are told that it was this Psalm which he was accustomed to sing in times of trouble. When the times were dark and when his enemies appeared to triumph — such as we see sometimes today — he would sing this Psalm …

In fact … it was this Psalm that was the inspiration for his most famous hymn … the hymn which we began our Worship service today with: “A Mighty Fortress is Our God!

Look at how the Psalmist begins: ““God is our refuge and strength, …””

The Psalm begins with this declarative statement: ““God is our refuge and strength, …”” … with clear implication that ONLY God is our refuge and strength.

… it is ONLY Him that we need to turn to … not anyone or anything else.

We think of all the ways that people try to deal with the negative and troublesome issues in their lives … and you’ve heard me say these before …

… it could be money … power … revenge … rules and regulations … alcohol or drugs … sex … any variety of things …

BUT … as Christians … regardless of what is happening in our personal lives … in the lives of our families … our cities … our country … our world …

… we know … beyond a doubt that: ““God is our refuge and strength …””

David says in Psalm 18:2: ““The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; My God, my strength, in whom I will trust; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.””

We don’t have to depend on our own strength or our own resources when things seem to overwhelm us … when the circumstances of our lives or world seem to be out of our control … or when we read or listen to the news … let us remember these words:

““God is our refuge and strength …””

But it goes way beyond that … because as he continues we read: ““A very present help in trouble.””

We NEVER have to ask … “where is God …?” … “why isn’t God there?”

… because we know He is there … He IS … ““A very present help in trouble.””

We can NEVER say … I am all alone in this …

We can NEVER say … as the old song goes … nobody knows the trouble I’ve seen!

Because … for God’s children … those who have trusted in Christ as Savior and Lord we know that God is: ““A VERY present help in trouble.””

Notice how that it is emphasized … a VERY present help … one commentator said: “He (GOD) is found an exceeding, or superlative help in difficulties.”
The fact that God will always be there for us regardless of the circumstances is emphasized in the next two verses:

““Therefore we will not fear, Even though the earth be removed, And though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; Though its waters roar and be troubled, Though the mountains shake with its swelling.””

Note clearly how the writer emphasizes that God will always be there by saying … “Therefore” …

… Because God is our refuge … the one that we can flee to for help in each and every situation …

… Because God is our strength … the one who can deliver us …

… and because God is always present in time of need …

THEREFORE … we WILL NOT fear … because we have NOTHING to fear!

… even if there is something like a violent earthquake …

I’ve told you before about the verses that sustained me during my daughters illness and death … from Isaiah 43:1b-3a:

““Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; You are Mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, Nor shall the flame scorch you. For I am the Lord your God, The Holy One of Israel, your Savior;””

… For I am the Lord your God, The Holy One of Israel, your Savior;””

SO … regardless of the circumstances … ““God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble.”“

We just need to take God at His Word!
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As the Psalm continues we see imagery of God being with His people … of God protecting His people … and God providing for His people … that is … those who have trusted in Him.

““There is a river whose streams shall make glad the city of God, The holy place of the tabernacle of the Most High. God is in the midst of her, she shall not be moved; God shall help her, just at the break of dawn. The nations raged, the kingdoms were moved; He uttered His voice, the earth melted.””

Wherever we are … God is there …

Whatever we are going through … God is there …
And then we see those words of the assurance of God’s protection:
““The Lord of hosts is with us; The God of Jacob is our refuge.””

… Just as God was with the Patriarchs of Israel … Abraham, Isaac and Jacob … He is still there for His children.

And then as we continue … we read of the power of God and what He can do and does …

““Come, behold the works of the Lord, Who has made desolations in the earth. He makes wars cease to the end of the earth; He breaks the bow and cuts the spear in two; He burns the chariot in the fire.””

Throughout the Scriptures we find God fighting on behalf of His people.

Think of the victory that God gave His children at Jericho … where the children of Israel marched around the walls … and they came tumbling down.

Or, in Joshua 10, we read that God rained down hailstones from heaven on the Amorites and we read:

““There were more who died from the hailstones than the children of Israel killed with the sword.””

We read of Gideon having victory with only three hundred men … and many other times the Lord fought for them and gave them victory.

In 2 Kings, we read of the Lord blinding the Syrians at the request of Elisha so that the Israelites could have victory.

God was their refuge and strength … a VERY present help in time of trouble.

We don’t know when trouble will arise … we don’t know what will happen in the future … in fact … we don’t know what is going to happen in the next hour …

Proverbs tells us: ““The Lord has made all for Himself, Yes, even the wicked for the day of doom.””

This is why the Psalmist then says: ““Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!””

As Christians … we know that this earthly life is NOT all that there is.

We KNOW the end of the story …

So what are to do?? … ““Be still, and know that I am God;”” (REPEAT)

Reminds us exactly of what Moses said to the people after the Exodus at the Red Sea and the Israelites thought they were doomed and Moses said: ““Stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord.””

Think of that … the children of Israel were trapped … standing before the Red Sea with the Egyptian Army behind them … and Moses said: ““Stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord.””

We know that God parted the Sea and delivered the children of Israel and destroyed the Egyptian Army.

The children of Israel had to trust God and as Moses said: ““Stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord.””

In other words there needs to absolute and complete trust in God … and what He will do.

We do not need to be anxious or worry about what will happen.

This is why Jesus says those familiar words:

““Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.””

We don’t know what tomorrow will bring … we don’t know if there will even be a tomorrow …

… but one thing we do know … as the Psalmist says this about God: ““I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!””

This is why the Psalmist concludes Psalm 46 with the words similar to those he began it with and wrote in verse 7 and in his conclusion:

““The Lord of hosts is with us; The God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah””

My friends … there are troubles all around us … in our own lives … in our cities and towns … in our country … in our world …

But for the Christian we know … ““The Lord of hosts is with us; The God of Jacob is our refuge.””

If we confess Jesus as Savior and Lord … then we know that indeed … ““The Lord of hosts is with us; The God of Jacob is our refuge.””
We can say with Luther … A mighty fortress is our God … and we can have the peace that passes understanding … and say … It is well with my soul.

AMEN!