Can you hear me Lord?
Psalm 61:1-8
Do you remember the old Verizon commercial? The Verizon man used to say “Can you hear me now?
If you are familiar with him and the commercials, you know that he has switched sides- From Verizon to Sprint. His words have become ammunition for his competitor. He said can you hear me know because he was in spots that he could not hear people and people could not hear him. Now, he has found a carrier to deliver the message and a way that he could hear the messenger.
That is what King David is feeling in the text for this morning.
Prayer
Psalm 61:1-8 Read from the Bible
This is a passage and thought of a discouraged man in a hard spot. This is a man who has made mistakes and God has in the past helped him out but now feels like God has forgotten him. The king of Israel has been run off by his son Absalom who wants to take over and who is ready to humiliate him.
Anyone relate to times that you feel that way?
Discouragement is defined as “A loss of confidence or enthusiasm; dispiritedness.”
William Ward describes discouragement
“Discouragement is dissatisfaction with the past, distaste for the present, and distrust for the future. It is ingratitude for the blessings of yesterday, indifference to the opportunities of today, and insecurity regarding strength for tomorrow. It is unawareness of the presence of beauty, unconcern for the needs of our fellowman, and unbelief in the promises of old. It is impatience with time, immaturity of thought, and impoliteness of God.”
This text is a prayer to God for restoration. It is David’s prayer to be able to get back in the presence of his God. Sometimes we have to go to the lowest point before God can get our attention. It is framed by a cry out to God, and a vow of praise if God would restore that relationship.
(V2) “From the ends of the earth I call to you.” At his lowest point, he felt miles away from God and it was overwhelming.
At those times of discouragement we feel like we are far from God and He does not hear us.”
At those times, we want to give up on God because giving up seems like the easier choice.
We second guess ourselves and turn inward instead of toward God and God’s people.
We feel miles away, we feel like He has abandoned us, and we feel overwhelmed. We cannot go by feelings because feelings can be deceiving. His Word tells us that He never leaves us or forsakes us. His Word tells us He will help us through those times of discouragement.
There comes a point in a mature Christian’s life that he has to decide to trust how he feels or trust what God word says.
This is not the first time that David would be overwhelmed.
“Overwhelmed”- in this context means that he felt like a dark sheet was put over him to create darkness.
There are some things that we can do when we feel overwhelmed that comes right out of God word.
The first thing to realize is;
That though we feel overwhelmed, the situation does not have our Lord overwhelmed or in a position of surprise or not knowing what to do.
Realize that it is a cover of darkness that is created to make you think it is dark and with no hope. Pull off that cover and let the light is. Amen.
Realize and recognize that it will not last forever. This may be a season in life. It does not define your life.
Things to Remember;
I. His shelter “For you have been my refuge.” (shelter)
The place of remembrance-“For you have been…”
He is remembering the times that God has been with him in the past.
Those times in battle where He did not know where to turn and the Lord brought him through in victory.
Those times that he felt ambushed by things he had no control over and God had seen him through.
God is never late and He is never early. He is always right on time.
The place of security- (Shelter of your wings)
Shelter should be a place of security. It is a safe place. King David is saying that God’s shelter offers him a safe place. David has learned to view his shelter as a safe place even if he was at the time going through a hard time. The shelter of His wings is a covering. Underneath His wings is the security that he longs for and needs. Safe places are by design to be a safe place but also to feel safe.
The place of His Presence- David knew what it felt like when God was present and he knew what it felt like when God seemed far away and he was again wanting God’s presence and seeking it. He was drawing himself close to God and desire that His presence would again hold him tightly.
Illustration-
THE MIRACLE OF GOD’S PRESENCE
(plane that went down on 911 in Somerset Pa.)
Lisa Beamer reflects on the loss of her dad in her book, "Let’s Roll."
“Slowly I began to understand that the plans God has for us don’t just include ‘good things’, but the whole array of human events. The ‘prospering’ he talks about in the book of Jeremiah is often the outcome of a ‘bad’ event. I remember my mom saying that many people look for miracles- things that in their human minds ‘fix’ a difficult situation. Many miracles, however, are not a change to the normal course of human events; they’re found in God’s ability and desire to sustain and nurture people through even the worst situations. Somewhere along the way, I stopped demanding that God fix the problems in my life and started to be thankful for his presence as I endured them.”
That’s good right?
How is a Godly person described in the Bible?
(1) Dwelling in His shelter- dwelling means to live there, not someone who just visits. To plant roots and lay down a foundation. To dwell is long term and means that you will not be easily shaken out.
Resting in His shadow- Resting in His presence. That Ah, Ha moment of contentment.
Proverbs 3:24-
“When you lie down, you will not be afraid; when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet.”
That is resting in the Lord… not being afraid and when you lay your head down, your sleep will be sweet and without stress.
(2) Trusting in His refuge, fortress
Trusting in the Lord is allowing God to do what He wants to do when He wants to do it and believing that He has your best interest at hand.
For much of our lives, we allow much turmoil. It saddens me to think how many years we have wasted living this way. Spending a lot of time being upset about things we couldn’t do anything about, experiencing feelings of guilt and condemnation, having no peace and just not enjoying life.
Thankfully, God offers transformation. It is learned behavior to trust God (Repeat)
What It Means to Trust God
Trusting God is simply believing that He loves you, He’s good, He has the power to help you, He wants to help you, and He will help you. Christians are called believers, but many times, we are more like unbelieving believers. We trust our friends, the bank, the stock market or the government more than we trust God and His Word.
John 15:5, Jesus says that apart from Him, we can do nothing. We need to lean on Him for help with everything in our lives. Sadly, a lot of people go to church, hear what they should do and then go home and try to do it on their own. They usually end up desperately telling God how hard they’re trying to do what they need to do, and they’re leaving Him out!
God wants us to put Him first in our lives. He wants us to put our confidence and trust in Him, all the time, in everything.
Learning to Trust God, Not Myself
I used to have a habit of trusting myself. I formed this habit through years of trusting people, getting hurt and finding out I couldn’t trust them. This caused me to believe, If you want something done right, you’ve got to do it yourself. If you don’t ask anybody for anything or open your heart to them, they can’t hurt you. But this mindset just kept me from trusting God. It was a bad habit I had to break.
Proverbs 3:5,6 says,
Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths (NKJV).
When you accept Jesus Christ as your Savior, the Spirit of God comes to live inside you. This is one of the greatest blessings of salvation: You don’t have to go through someone else to get to God. He dwells in your heart and you can learn to hear His voice.
The best way to hear from God and know how He wants you to live is to know what the Bible, His Word, says. God’s Word gives us wisdom. And as we study the Bible, our mind is renewed (see Romans 12:2), so we no longer just think the way the world thinks – we can think the way God thinks!
In what ways do believers today need spiritual help?
Satan wars against our souls
Our culture wars against our faith
Sometimes families are embroiled in battle with one another
Terrorists war against our society
II. His Tower (Fortress)
The fortified place of God
I told Becky when we first got married that our home was our castle and that the world may have all its garbage, but we were not going to allow that in our home. It is so much more with God, His fortress elevates us up not dragging us down.
God wants to take you to the high places
He wants you to live above your circumstances.
Soar like an eagle
“But those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”
Soar like an eagle not scratch the ground like a chicken.
The Rock- Jesus is the rock- a solid help in time of need. It is also a picture of God placing us on solid ground and on firm hard footing.
III. His Faithfulness (last one)
Respect for the Lord- Society today tries to fit God in their lives. We don’t fit Him in, we invite Him in and make Him a first priority in our lives.
We have to learn that because of God’s faithfulness, we can trust Him. His character does not change.
whatever happens, God is still in charge
men think that they are in in charge and running the world … God is really the one in charge
whatever happens, God is sufficient
whatever my need, God is able to meet it
God wants me to know and do His will, even more than I do
God loves me in spite of who I am or what I’m like
Closing,
Psalm 91:1-4 Read as encouragement
“Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.”
Surely he will save you from the fowler’s snare and from the deadly pestilence.
He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.”
Amen.
