Here Comes Trouble

Introduction: A few years ago, when I lived in West Virginia with my parents, my father wanted some chickens. My mother did not really want any chickens running around the yard, but she finally gave in. So my father went on a search to find some chickens. He finally found some "Game" chickens. I did not know a lot about chickens and I still do not know a lot about chickens, but one thing I know about "Game" chickens, they multiply and fight. About one month after my father brought a few chickens home, we had chickens everywhere. It was hard to play outside because of the chickens. I remember coming home from school and the chickens would be fighting. I would leave for school and the chickens would be fighting. I would wake up in the morning and the chickens would be fighting. There was one other aspect about the chickens I noticed. When a storm would come and the rain would start, the little chicks would run to the momma hen and get under her wings. It was an amazing sight. The chicks would have protection from the storm by going to the mother. It reminded me of the Christian life. As Christians, we are going to have "storms" in our life. How are we going to react during these times of troubles? We must run to God. In the twentieth Psalm, David pens a prayer for Israel to pray while he is in battle. David placed his trust in God for protection in the day of trouble because he knew God would give him the victory. Christians should trust God for protection in the day of trouble, because God will give us the victory.

Read Psalm 20:1-9

It is evident throughout history David fought and won many battles. The reason for his victories was David sought after God. Throughout the book of Psalms there are prayers written by David for support and deliverance. David knew how to react, David knew where to run, he knew who to cry to during his day of trouble. Everyone in this building has seen their share of pain and heartache, or day of trouble. Once again, how are you going to react when you face these hard times? There are many who want to give up. There are many who want to blame God. Many want to try something other than God. This is not how the Bible tells us to react during this time. In these verses, the Bible identifies how we are to react in the day of trouble.

I. In the day of trouble, Christians need to rely on God’s protection (verses 1-4). (reliance)

In 1999, I lived in North Carolina for the summer and I was renting a single wide trailor. The trailor was not really in good condition. For example, when I would begin to take a shower, the spiders would join me from above. The front door was made of very thin plastic and any person could easily get in simply by pulling the door or cutting the door with a butter knife. Obviously, I was not in the most secure place. Which was the reason I asked my parents if they thought it would be a good idea to purchase a gun. They said, "When you go to sleep at night, you say your prayers, ask God to protect you and keep you safe, then when you say Amen, you put the bullet in the gun and lay it beside your bed. Who are you trusting more?" Needless to say, I did not buy a gun and God kept me safe while I was there. So many people are relying on protection from various means rather than relying on God’s protection. This was not the case with David in this Psalm. He developed a simple prayer that you can also pray.

A. Ask God to Defend You (verse 1).

That word King David uses for defend is the Hebrew word that actually means to make lofty, or I like the word, inaccessible. The enemy is active and he wants to destroy the plan of God. Jesus declared in John 10:10 that the thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. When your day of trouble comes, the devil will attack your mind and many times, thoughts will arise that are against God and his plan. It is in this time you need to draw your attention toward God and ask God to make you inaccessible, to set you in a place the devil cannot attack you.

B. Ask God to Help You (verse 2).

I love working with teenagers. The young people of our world need stability and Godly guidance. Teenagers also are looking forward to the time they are self-reliant. I remember having those thoughts. I remember telling my parents, "I can’t wait to be on my own!" "I can’t wait to have FREEDOM!" I talk to many freshman college students who start struggling and I recommend them to ask their parents for help and they immediately tell me, "No, I need to learn to be on my own, I don’t need their help." This mindset of self-reliance can be dangerous at times, especially in the Christian life. You cannot live the Christian life without God’s help. It does not matter how strong you may be, how popular you are, how rich you are, you need God’s help EVERYDAY!