An Understanding Of The Will Of God

AN UNDERSTANDING OF THE WILL OF GOD

PSALM 121

I WANT TO BEGIN TODAY BY SAYING THAT THIS IS A VERY DIFFICULT MESSAGE TO DELIVER TODAY. MESSAGES ON THE WILL OF GOD HAVE MANY DIFFERENT ROADS THAT THEY CAN TAKE, AND I WANT TO BE VERY CAREFUL AS TO WHICH ROADS WE GO DOWN TODAY. IT’S ALSO DIFFICULT IN THAT THE SOVEREIGN WILL OF GOD IS A WORK IN PROGRESS, AND THERE ARE SOME ASPECTS OF IT THAT WE MAY NOT KNOW RIGHT AWAY, AND MAY NOT KNOW COMPLETELY THIS SIDE OF HEAVEN.

RECENTLY OUR COMMUNITY WAS CALLED ON TO MOURN THE DEATH OF TWO CHILDREN IN A VERY TRAGIC WAY. HAD THEIR DEATHS OCCURRED IN ANY OTHER WAY IT WOULD STILL BE JUST AS TRAGIC. TRAGIC EVENTS THOUGH ARE NOT LIMITED JUST TO CAMPBELLTON. AS WE WATCH THE NEWS ON TELEVISION WE HEAR OF CAR ACCIDENTS, FIRES, CRIME, AND HEALTH CONCERNS, ALL OF WHICH TOUCH LOVED ONES AND LEAVE US ASKING THE QUESTION, WHERE IS GOD IN THE MIDST OF THIS? WHO CAN I TURN TO FOR COMFORT OF A BROKEN HEART?

WHAT I WANT TO SUGGEST TO YOU, TODAY, IS THAT WE CAN TURN TO GOD FOR COMFORT IN TIMES OF TROUBLE. IN THE SOVEREIGN WILL OF GOD WE CAN FIND THE RESOURCES TO CONTINUE ON WITH LIFE, IN THE CONFIDENCE THAT IN THE MIDST OF ANY TURMOIL, GOD IS STILL IN CONTROL OF THE SITUATION. I BELIEVE THAT ONLY AS WE SURRENDER OUR LIVES TO THE SOVEREIGN WILL OF GOD, THAT WE WILL FIND THE COMFORT THAT WE DESIRE.

BIBLICAL BACKGROUND:

LET ME BEGIN BY GIVING YOU SOME CONTEXT AND HISTORY OF THIS PASSAGE.

SAUL WAS THE FIRST KING OF ISRAEL. AT FIRST HE WAS A GOOD KING, BUT EVENTUALLY BECAUSE OF HIS PRIDE, HE OFFERED A SACRIFICE TO GOD, WHICH WAS THE JOB OF THE PRIEST. BECAUSE HE DID THIS, GOD SENT THE PROPHET SAMUEL ON A SEARCH FOR A NEW KING TO REPLACE SAUL. EVENTUALLY SAMUEL WOULD ANOINT A YOUNG MAN NAMED DAVID TO BE THE NEW KING.

SAUL WOULD NOT GIVE UP THE KINGDOM THOUGH, EVEN THOUGH HE KNEW THAT HE SHOULD. HE FELT IF HE COULD KILL DAVID THAT THE THREAT TO HIS THRONE WOULD BE ELIMINATED.

DAVID AND HIS BAND OF FOLLOWERS TOOK REFUGE IN THE HILLS WHERE DAVID PLAYED AS A BOY. THEY WERE HILLS THAT HE KNEW WELL FROM HIS TIME AS A SHEPHERD. YET FOR DAVID, THE RIGHTFUL KING OF ISRAEL, THERE WAS THE CONSTANT DANGER OF MEETING UP WITH SAUL AND HIS MEN.

BIBLICAL CONTEXT:

THERE WOULD BE TIMES THAT DAVID WOULD FEEL TIRED FROM THE CONSTANT DANGER TO HE AND HIS MEN. PSALM 121 SPEAKS OF SUCH A TIME. DAVID DIRECTS US THROUGH THIS PSALM TO THE PLACE WHERE WE CAN FIND PEACE WITH GOD, AS HE LEADS US TOWARDS THE SOVEREIGN WILL OF GOD. HE TAKES HIS EYES OFF HIS PRESENT CONDITION AND PLACES HIS FAITH IN THE SOVEREIGN PLAN OF GOD.

THE FIRST VERSE OF THIS PSALM IS DAVID’S CRY FOR HELP. IT’S WHERE SOME OF US COULD BE TODAY. DAVID LOOKED AT HIS SITUATION AND OVERCOME BY EMOTION AND TIREDNESS, MAKES A DESPERATE CRY FOR HELP. “WHERE DOES MY HELP COME FROM?”

THIS IS NOT A UNIQUE CRY FOR US AS WELL. WE HAVE ALL BEEN PLACED IN SITUATIONS WHERE WE FEEL HELPLESS, AND THE BURDEN OF THE SITUATION ON OUR HEARTS IS MORE THAN WE CAN BEAR.

THEN IN VERSE 2 HE GIVES US THE ANSWER. “MY HELP COMES FROM THE LORD”. DAVID KNEW THAT GOD HAD A SOVEREIGN PLAN OF WHICH HE WAS A PART. HE KNEW HE HAD TO TRUST IN THAT PLAN, EVEN THOUGH HE DID NOT KNOW WHERE THAT PLAN WOULD LEAD AND THAT IF HE DID, GOD WOULD SAFELY LEAD HIM THROUGH THE TRIAL HE WAS FACING.

DAVID USES MANY MILITARY TERMS IN THIS PSALM. HE REFERS TO GOD AS STANDING ON WATCH IN VERSES 3 AND 4. THE GUARD OF THE CAMP COULD NOT GO TO SLEEP AS IT WAS HIS JOB TO WARN THE OTHERS IN THE CAMP OF AN ADVANCING ENEMY. HE COULD NOT SLEEP, SO THAT THE OTHERS IN THE CAMP COULD.

THIS IS A PSLAM OF PROTECTION. IN VERSES 5 AND 6 HE REFERS TO THE LORD AS SHADE TO PROTECT YOU FROM THE SUN DURING THE DAY, NOR THE MOON AT NIGHT. THEN, IN VERSES 7 AND 8 HE RE-AFFIRMS HIS LOVING PROTECTION AS HE PROMISES TO WATCH OUR COMING AND GOING FOREVER.

THIS PSALM IS A GREAT EXAMPLE OF DEPENDANCY THE SOVEREIGN WILL OF GOD. I WANT TO TAKE THE REST OF MY TIME TODAY TO TALK ABOUT THE WILL OF GOD AND SHOW YOU THAT AS WE DEPEND ON THE SOVEREIGN WILL OF GOD, THAT IT CAN CREATE FOR US A BASIS TO FIND PEACE AND COMFORT IN THE TRAGIC SITUATIONS THAT WE FACE.