Jesus is the central figure of Scripture.  Even great patriarchs like Moses, David, and Paul are not central figures.  They and their stories are present to point us to God. Sometimes, we unintentionally and (God help us) intentionally make ourselves the central figure.  When under attack from the enemy, that can be our go-to as we cry “Woe is me instead of Great is He.”  Psalm 48:1 says, “Great is the Lord, and most worthy of praise.”  The first three verses go on to say He is the central figure of everything as close as our city and as far away as the whole world.  Great is the Lord!  This psalm is a continuation of praise from Psalm 46 and 47 to the Lord for how He singlehandedly defeated the 185,000 Assyrians one night as Jerusalem slept.  Great is the Lord!

Jerusalem was fortified well, but the Assyrians had defeated other well-fortified cities.  The difference here, at the time, was “God is in her (Jerusalem) citadels and He has shown himself to be her fortress.”  Verse four says the Assyrian king and his armies surrounded Jerusalem. It seemed like it was over for Jerusalem, but King Hezekiah knew what to do.  He prayed (Isaiah 36).  In times of trouble, He sought the Lord, the central figure of everything.  He focused on God instead of himself.  Then Jesus, the Angel of the Lord, moved upon their enemies, seizing them with “pain like that of a woman in labor” (v. 6).  We must remember the enemy against God’s people is also the enemy against God.  This once organized, overconfident, and overcoming army now had been overcome and “destroyed and shattered like the ships of Tarshish” (v. 7).  There is no army greater than the Lord.  He is God of Angel Armies!

Jesus’ victory caused God’s people to rejoice and testify!  They were witnesses that “have heard and we have seen” (v. 8) firsthand the Lord Almighty in action.  What’s interesting here is that they didn’t see or hear it happen.  “When they got up the next morning, there were all the dead bodies” (Isaiah 37:36b).  The Lord was at work in His might while they slept and when they saw what He had done, it was obvious only God could do such a miracle.  This caused worship to happen in the temple (v. 9), in their villages (v. 11), and around the world (v. 10.)  You see, when it’s unmistakably God that miraculously moves, God’s people are overcome with worship.  When God’s people don’t steal the spotlight, He gets the glory.  This kind of life-altering experience will plant God’s people so much that they “tell them to the next generation” (v. 13).   When we pass on the miraculous acts of the Lord Almighty to our kids and grandkids, we are saying, “This God is our God forever and ever and He will be our guide even to the end” (v. 14).

Questions:

1. When God moves miraculously, do you give Him the credit and glory?
2. Do you trust God to move miraculously as you sleep?
3. Are you telling of God’s miraculous deeds to the next generation?

Prayer:

Lord, help me make You the center of it all.  I will tell of Your greatness to my kids and grandkids so they may do the same to theirs.  Thank You for working on my behalf as the God who does not sleep.  I will not only praise you in church but in my neighborhood and around the world.  In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

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stephenrharrison

Stephen and his wife Haley have called Arkansas home all of their lives. Stephen has served in several ministry roles over the last 25 years and as a lead pastor for the last 8 years. Stephen attended Williams Baptist College and earned a BA in Biblical Studies from Ouachita Baptist University, an MA, MDiv, and DMin in Christian Leadership and Pastoral Ministries from Liberty University. When not pastoring, Stephen enjoys running, cycling, reading, writing, camping, fishing, and spending time with his family.