Instructions On How To Handle Difficult Times

PSALM 62:1-12 “INSTRUCTIONS ON HOW TO HANDLE HARD TIMES”

A) I read about a man that was sitting at home one evening when the doorbell rang!

* When he answered the door, a six-foot tall cockroach was standing there.

* The cockroach immediately punched him between the eyes and scampered off.

* The next evening, the man was sitting at home and once again the doorbell rang.

* When he answered the door there was that six-foot tall cockroach again.

* This time it punched him, kicked him, and karate chopped him before running away.

B) The third evening the man was sitting at home and once again his doorbell rang!

* He opened the door and once again there was that six-foot tall cockroach.

* This time it leapt at him and stabbed him several times.

* The gravely injured man managed to crawl to the telephone and call 911.

* An ambulance arrived and rushed him to the hospital.

C) As he was being treated at the hospital, the doctor asked what happened!

* The man explained about the six-foot cockroach.

* The doctor thought for a moment and said, “Yea, there is a nasty bug going around.”

D) There may be some of you that feel like a nasty bug is going around!

* There are times in life when it seems we are being kicked, punched, and stabbed by the events

and happenings of life.

* There are those hard times when life is pressing and distressing.

* Things are hard to deal with, hard to face, and hard to handle.

E) Psalm 62 was a Psalm written by David during a hard time in his life!

* The background of Psalm 62 is that anguishing time of Absalom’s rebellion.

* Absalom had been attempting to take the throne away from David and the conspiracy was

growing stronger each day. * It was a very disturbing and distressing time for David!

F) In Psalm 62 David tells us what he did during this hard time in his life!

* As I read the Psalm it’s like David is giving us instructions about what to do when hard times

do come! * Let me give you 3 things that David instructs us to do when hard times come .......

(1) HOW WE SHOULD TURN TO THE LORD!

* David begins the Psalm by saying, “Truly my soul waiteth upon God:”

* In the hard times of life, David turned to the Lord.

* When the hard times come we should turn to the Lord, or to put it another way, take our

problems to the Lord! * Why did David turn to the Lord? * Notice why in the Psalm .......

A) He Found Salvation In The Lord! * David says in v.1, “From Him cometh my salvation.”

* In v.2, he says, “He only is my rock and my salvation.”

* In v.6-7 he repeats himself and says, “He only is my rock and my salvation:” and “In God is my

salvation.” * The word “salvation” speaks of that which has been saved or delivered!

* When David spoke of the Lord as being his salvation he was declaring that God was his

deliverer ... He knew that in the hard times the Lord could deliver him!

* When David spoke of the Lord as being his deliverer, he gives an interesting description of how

God delivers! * As you look at the Psalm you see that David says certain things about God .......

1) In v.1 and then in v.5, he practically repeats himself!

* In v.1, he says, “Truly my soul waiteth upon God: from him cometh my salvation.”

* And he says basically the same thing in v.5, “My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my

expectation is from him.”

* The difference is that he uses the word “salvation” in v.1 and the word “expectation” in v.5.

2) The word “expectation” is an interesting word to use to describe how God delivers!

* The word literally describes a cord or line! * It is the word used in Joshua 2:18 where it speaks

of the “line” or rope used to let the two spies down out of the window of Rahab’s house.

* In the case of the two spies it was to let them down .......

* But in David’s case, you might say it was to pull him up or out!

* It is almost like David is saying that when we find ourselves in difficult situations, God lets down

a lifeline to lift us out or deliver us from our problems!

* We may go through hard times, but God is our salvation ... He can deliver us and bring us out!

B) He Found Security In The Lord! * David says in v.2, “He is my defense;”