'a Song For Times Of Crises'

SERMON OUTLINE:

• (1). We Prepare to Meet the Lord (vs 1-3).

• (2). We Seek to Please the Lord (vs 4-6).

• (3). We Submit to the Lord (vs 7-12).

SERMON BODY:

Ill:

• In the Far East, there is a tree called the Chinese bamboo tree.

• This remarkable tree is different from most trees,

• Because it doesn’t grow in the usual fashion.

• Once planted, one must water, feed and nurture the seed every day.

• It must be placed in an area of sunlight to receive nutrients from the sun.

• And as you do that you wait, and you wait, and you wait!

• For four years there is no evidence of growth.

• For four years there is no evidence of life.

• For four years it seems like one is totally wasting their efforts.

• For four years the Chinese bamboo tree doesn’t break through the ground,

• But then in the fifth year an amazing thing happens;

• The tree begins to grow at an astonishing rate.

• In fact, in a period of just five weeks,

• A Chinese bamboo tree can grow to a height of 90 feet.

• One farmer said:

• “It’s almost as if you can actually see the tree growing before your very eyes.”

• TRANSITION: The older I get;

• The more I am convinced that life often works in a similar way.

• You can work for weeks, months and even years on your dream;

• With no visible signs of progress and then, all of the sudden, things take off.

• Note: The growers of the Chinese bamboo tree have one key element;

• They need ‘faith’

• Faith to believe that if they keep watering and fertilizing the ground,

• Then one day a tree will break through.

• Now their faith is not blind, it is based on previous experience;

• There faith is sourced, rooted in knowledge.

• What has happened in previous years can and will happen again!

Likewise, our faith as followers of Jesus:

• Is not blind or uninformed but rather it is sourced.

• Sourced in the Word of God that reveals to us the God of the Word!

• Past experience and the testimony of others may help and encourage us;

• But ultimately our faith rests;

• In the Word of God that reveals to us the God of the Word!

• Psalm 5 brings to our attention the experience of king David.

• It shows to us how a righteous person prays to God,

• This is a song, ‘A Song for Times of Crises’

• In times of crisis we all pray, Christian and unbeliever,

• The difference is we know who we are praying to and why!

(1). We Prepare to Meet the Lord (vs 1-3)

“Listen to my words, LORD,

consider my lament.

2 Hear my cry for help,

my King and my God,

for to you I pray.

3 In the morning, LORD, you hear my voice;

in the morning I lay my requests before you

and wait expectantly.”

Notice:

• Twice in verse 3 the Psalmist says; “in the morning”

• I like the fact it does not say, ‘Early in the morning’

• Because some people like my wife are morning people.

• And some like me are not!

• Quote: I like what Earl Wilson said:

• “There ought to be a better way of starting the day than having to get up.”

• I’m not a morning person. I’m a tried-and-true night owl.

• In fact, when I was younger, I didn’t realize the sun came up before 9 a.m.!

• I always thought it got up when I did.

Now whether you are a morning person or not – listen to what the psalmist says:

• There is an important biblical theme here when it comes to mornings,

• And not so much in rising early (you can labour that point if you want to),

• But the main point here for me is its symbolism.

• The symbolism.is pictured in the sense of renewal,

• The idea being that every morning brings with it a new day.

Ill:

• I am taking a service in Hawthorne Court Care Home in September,

• A special service that they have never done before,

• A service they are calling, ‘A Celebration of Life’

• A service where the staff and family members can spend a short time,

• Reflecting and giving thanks to God for the lives of their loved ones.

• The manager of the care home has sent me an order of service,

• And the first hymn they want to sing is; “Morning Has Broken”

• If you read the words to that hymn, it ends by saying,