God's Purpose

The first two stanzas of Psalm 46 lead to the last stanza where we find the purpose of God. Verses 8-11,It is amazing—we find God’s invitation in verse 8, “Come, behold the works of the LORD, how He has brought desolations on the earth.”  Come behold—the word speaks of seeing with the eyes of your heart…look at what God has done in the past and know that He will do it again.  That’s the invitation but notice God’s plan in verse 9.
Since the Fall man has fought and rebelled and sought autonomy and he has abused, manipulated, and schemed his way to the top, but it won’t always be that way.  We’ve heard of the war to end all wars, but that was followed up by more wars.  There is really only One peacemaker…God will one day say enough is enough and He will make wars cease to the end of the earth; He will break the bow, shatter the spear, and burn the chariots.  The weapons of man will be useless against the plans of God.  That’s His plan—He is working toward the Day when Jesus will come and rule the earth with an iron scepter.  All rebellion will be useless.
But notice His glory,Everything God does is moving toward this end.  Every trouble that comes our way, every blessing, every providence, and every plan—it is all moving us to the day when He will be exalted, and His glory will be seen and every knee will bow in Heaven and on the earth and under the earth and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father!  What a day that will be!  You and I are called to prepare for that day and to prepare others for that day.
From His invitation to see, from this plan for peace, and from His glory we move to the conclusion…two times we find these words—here and in verse 7.  Look at as we close, “The Lord of hosts,” Luther said,Lord Sabaoth is another way to say the Lord of Hosts…He is the mighty One, the commander of angel armies and Lord of all.
He, the LORD of hosts, is with us.  Immanuel, God with us.  John Wesley was almost dead—his voice was all but gone and you could barely hear him, but at the end, he mustered all the strength he could and cried out, “The best of all is, God is with us.”  He raised his right hand and waved it in triumph and said again, “the best of all is, God is with us.”
But church, who is this God who is with us?  He says, “The God of Jacob is our fortress.”  Why Jacob?  Why not the God of Abraham?  Jacob was a deceiver, a swindler, a cheat—he shared the womb with a twin brother, Esau, and the Bible says they struggled together in the womb…he came out of the womb holding onto his brother’s heel…his name means, he cheats…he deceived everyone he ever met, but over his life he came to know the God of his father.  God even changed His name to Israel.  That’s a story of grace!
You and I are more like Jacob than we want to admit, but God will be our God if we will come to Him in faith and then we have a story a tell to the nations.  Luther said, “The Spirit and the gifts are ours through Him who with us sideth.  Let goods and kindred go, this moral life also, the body they may kill, God’s truth abideth still.  His kingdom is forever!”  The best of all is God with us!