Late in the summer of 2004, Bonnie, Charlie, Ivan and Jeanne each decided to enjoy a brief vacation in Florida. Florida welcomes a lot of vacationers to their state every year, but these turned out to be the most unwelcome guests in many years. They caused millions of dollars in damage, and when they left, everybody was glad to see them go. You see, Bonnie, Charlie, Ivan and Jeanne were not your normal guests. They were four separate hurricanes which blew through the state in one of the worst hurricane seasons on record.
Joel Ruth, a 52-year-old marine archaeologist, was also glad to see them go, but for a different reason than most. He knew that there was a strong possibility the storms might have uncovered something of value, so he began walking the beaches. He had been studying a specific section of beach in Breyard County for 20 years, but AFTER the storms he discovered 180 Spanish silver coins, in near mint condition, worth more than $40,000. The coins were from a Spanish treasure fleet, of about a dozen ships, that were destroyed by a hurricane in 1715. Then, 289 years later, another hurricane uncovered part of the treasure. (Orlando Sentinel, October 2004; www.PreachingToday.com)
That’s what storms do, especially the storms of life. They uncover treasure. They reveal valuable things. They teach us important lessons that we would not otherwise learn.
That’s what another treasure hunter, David, discovered as well. He was running from a maniac king, Saul, who had nearly pinned him to the wall with a spear. David found himself in Gath, the territory of Palestinian terrorists, back then known as the Philistines. Their dictator, Abimelech Achish, wanted David dead, because he had killed one of his best warriors, a giant named Goliath. He had routed the dictator’s entire army, and he had killed tens of thousands of his terrorists.
David was scared and in trouble, so he pretended to be insane when he was brought to the dictator. He made marks on the doors and let saliva run down his beard. The dictator thought, “This guy’s insane; he can’t hurt anybody,” and he sent David away.
It was then that David uncovered some valuable treasure. After the storm, David discovered some valuable lessons, worth much more than 180 Spanish silver coins, which he shares with us in Psalm 34.
If you have your Bibles, I invite you to turn with me to that psalm,
Psalm 34, Psalm 34, where we learn what trouble teaches us.
Psalm 34:title-3 OF DAVID, WHEN HE CHANGED HIS BEHAVIOR BEFORE ABIMELECH, SO THAT HE DROVE HIM OUT, AND HE WENT AWAY. I will bless the LORD at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul makes its boast in the LORD; let the humble hear and be glad. Oh, magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name together! (ESV)
David invites us to praise the LORD with Him, to magnify and exalt His name even in times of trouble.
I like the way two-time Academy Award-winning actor Denzel Washington put it. He says, “A bad attitude is like a flat tire. Until you change it, you're not going anywhere.” (Jeannie Law, “Denzel Washington: God Has 'Faith in Me,'” Christian Post, 11-12-15; www.PreachingToday.com)
He’s absolutely right! So stop protesting and start praising the Lord. Stop complaining and start celebrating who He is.
On January 12, 2010, a massive and devastating earthquake struck just outside Port-au-Prince, the capital city of Haiti. Countless buildings in the city collapsed and over a hundred thousand lives were lost. The already shaky power grid was effectively destroyed, along with every other form of infrastructure. That night, with aftershocks rolling through the ground, almost all the residents of the city and the surrounding countryside stayed outside, torn with grief and fear. Even so, the night was filled with singing.
An article on NPR summarized it this way: “For the Western hemisphere's poorest country, the earthquake that hit Haiti... was an especially cruel blow. Despite this, it's hard to find a Haitian who doesn't profess a belief in a loving God.”
The Haitians proclaimed the loving kindness of God and they sang. You see, even when you've lost everything, you still have a song. (Andy Crouch, The Tech-Wise Family, Baker Books, 2017, pages. 193-194; www.PreachingToday.com)
So praise the Lord in your trial.
Why? Because God delivers you from all your fears. He rescues you from your tight spots, and He snatches you out of the jaws of fear.
Psalm 34:4 I sought the LORD, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears. (ESV)
Literally, he snatched me away from all my fears. Fear had a hold of David, like a lion with its prey in its jaws, but God came along and snatched David away from the jaws of fear.
Psalm 34:5 Those who look to him are radiant [they shine], and their faces shall never be ashamed. (ESV)
Isaiah uses the same word, “radiant,” to describe a mother’s face lighting up at the sight of her children, long after she gave them up for dead (Isaiah 60:5). That’s what God does for you when you look to him in times of trouble. He brings you out of “hopeless” situations and makes your face shine.
Psalm 34:6 This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him and saved him out of all his troubles. (ESV)
Literally, He brought him to a wide place out of all his tight spots. God gets you out of your tight spots and gives you the freedom to pursue His dreams for you.
Psalm 34:7 The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him, and delivers them. (ESV)
The “Angel of the Lord” is none other than the Lord, Himself. He is the same One who rescued Hagar in the desert (Genesis 16). He is the same One who rescued Isaac from his father’s knife (Genesis 22). He is the same One who rescued Israel from the Egyptians (Exodus 3; Judges 2).
On numerous occasions the Old Testament identifies the Angel of the Lord as the LORD Himself. And then there are other times when the Angel of the Lord seems to be distinct from the Lord. This leads me to believe that the Angel of the Lord is none other than Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the one that John 1:1 says, “IS God” and is “WITH God” at the same time. JESUS is the One who “encamps around those who fear Him, and HE delivers them.”
Just this last April (2019) in Oregon, the Washington County Sherriff’s Office responded to a 911 call from a woman who reported hearing a burglar locked in her bathroom. She saw shadows shifting under the door, and after officers appeared on scene, they heard a persistent rustling under the same door.
The officers issued several commands to come out and brought in a K-9 unit for backup. After getting no response, they opened the door “with guns drawn” to encounter the suspect… an automated robot vacuum. Sheriff’ Deputy Brian Rogers said, “We entered the bathroom and saw a very thorough vacuuming job being done by a Roomba vacuum cleaner.”
The Buzzfeed article said, “The scene was cleared — and probably quite clean, too.” (Julia Reinstein, “A Burglar Hiding In An Oregon Bathroom Turned Out To Be… A Trapped Roomba,” Buzzfeed.Com, 4-10-19; www.PreachingToday.com)
Many times, our fears are unfounded. But even when they are legitimate, God delivers us from them. It’s the first lesson trouble teaches you:
PRAISE THE LORD, BECAUSE HE DELIVERS YOU FROM FEAR.
Boast in God, because He saves you out of all your worries. Exalt His name, because He gets you out of all your tight spots.
2nd, trouble teaches you to...
FEAR THE LORD, BECAUSE HE PROVIDES FOR YOU IN TIMES OF HARSHIP.
Respect the Lord, because He meets your every need. Trust and obey God, because He supplies your every lack.
Psalm 34:8 Oh taste and see that the LORD is good [Know in your experience that God is pleasant and beautiful]. Blessed [or oh, how happy] – is the man [the gibbor – the mighty man, the warrior, the hero], who takes refuge in Him! (ESV)
Men, it is not the sissies who go to the Lord for help. It is the mighty men, the warriors, the heroes in this verse. They don’t trust in their own strength. They don’t rely on their own resources. Instead, they find refuge in the Lord, and they are made all the stronger for it. David, the author of this psalm, was the greatest gibbor, the greatest war hero Israel ever had, and He often went to the Lord for help.
Psalm 34:9 Oh, Fear the Lord, you his saints [i.e., those of you who belong to Him] for those who fear him have no lack!
Psalm 34:10 The young lions suffer want and hunger; but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing. (ESV)
The self-sufficient go hungry. Those who seek the Lord are filled.
That’s what David, the writer of this psalm, discovered throughout His life. When he was running from Saul, in the territory of Palestinian terrorists, He needed protection and supplies. He needed a strong defense and food for his men, and that’s exactly what God gave him.
God supplied ALL his needs in that situation. God did not supply his GREEDS, no. God supplied his NEEDS when he was in trouble, and God will do the same for you. He won’t give you a million dollars, a mansion, and a Mercedes. But He will give you everything you need.
In his book An Unstoppable Force, Erwin McManus talks about the day when he was ministering in South Dallas. He was shepherding a small congregation, but they began to grow. So the leaders began looking for a place to build a larger church building. That’s when they spotted an acre of land for sale near downtown Dallas. Given its location, they thought it strange that the property was available, but they were excited at their good fortune. The small group of people – many on welfare – began to pray and work hard to raise the money for the property. Eventually, they were able to purchase it after receiving financial help from an association of churches.
Then, as the congregation applied for building permits, they discovered that the city of Dallas had declared the property “unbuildable.” The acre of land in a prime location was nothing more than a worthless landfill. McManus grieved over this waste of precious time and money. He says, “We had bought an acre of garbage.”
Core samples going down at least 25 feet turned up nothing but trash. All McMannus could do was ask his litte congregation to pray and believe that God would use even the worst of human mistakes to perform the greatest of miracles.
Then after months of prayer, McManus asked for more core samples to be taken. This time the researchers found soil instead of garbage. The city gave them clearance to build, and the same realtor who sold them property offered them three times the amount for which he had sold it to them. McMannus says, “I cannot tell you... what happened beneath the ground at 2815 South Ervay Street. All I can tell you is what I know—and that is that God took my failure and performed a miracle.” (Erwin McManus, An Unstoppable Force, Group, 2001, pp.151-153; www. PreachingToday.com)
In their time of need, God provided, and God will do it for you, as well. God supplies your every need, but only if you fear Him, only if you “take refuge in Him” as verse 8 puts it, or “seek the Lord” like verse 10 says. Verse 9 makes it very clear: “Those who fear him have no lack!” So what does it mean to “fear God”? Well, David tells us.
Psalm 34:11-14 Come, O children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the LORD. What man is there who desires life and loves many days, that he may see good? Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking deceit. Turn away from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it. (ESV)
Fearing God is saying what God wants you to say and doing what God wants you to do, as you seek and pursue peace (or shalom) in all your relationships. Shalom, in its essence, means wholeness and completeness. According to one commentator, it is the “completion and fulfillment of entering into a state of wholeness and unity, a restored relationship” (Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament). In other words, when your relationships with each other are right, your relationship with God is right. Remember what John said in 1 John 4:21: Whoever loves God must also love his brother.
Last fall (2018), Lucy Rogers (the Democrat) and Zac Mayo (the Republican) were aggressively competing for the same state House seat in Lamoille County, Vermont. Both ended up visiting every single home in the district – all 2,000 plus – each wanting to win in the worst way.
However, their highly competitive race took a dramatic turn at their debate in October (2018). The candidates asked the moderator for a few extra minutes at the end to do something together. They stood up from their tables and began moving the furniture, preparing to play a duet together. Lucy grabbed her cello while Zac picked up his guitar, and they played “Society,” a song written by Eddie Vedder about longing for a less competitive society.
Their rendition so resonated with the folks in northern Vermont, a CBS News reporter actually saw houses that had signs for both candidates – a clear indication that the winner of this race had already been decided. It was a landslide victory for civility. (Steve Hartman, “Political rivals stun voters with unexpected duet” CBS News: The Uplift, 10-19-18, www.cbsnews.com/news/ lucy-rogers-vermont-political-rivals-stun-voters-with-unexpected-duet-zac-mayo; www.PreachingToday.com)
Please, in in our contentious, political climate, love and respect one another even when you disagree, because to love each other is to love God Himself.
My friends, that’s what fearing God is all about. To fear God means to do the hard work of pursuing peace, the hard work of “entering into a state of wholeness and unity,” the hard work of seeking a “restored relationship.” Are you at odds with someone? Then pursue peace with that person and experience God’s abundant supply.
These are the lessons that trouble teaches you. 1st, Praise God, because He delivers you from fear. 2nd, Fear God, because He provides for you, and 3rd, trouble teaches you to...
CRY OUT TO GOD, BECAUSE HE RESPONDS TO YOU IN TROUBLE.
The Lord hears and answers prayer. God acts on your behalf when you call on him.
Psalm 34:15-16 The eyes of the LORD are toward the righteous and his ears toward their cry. The face of the LORD is against those who do evil, to cut off the memory of them from the earth. (ESV)
God ignores the wicked, but he pays attention to the righteous, He pays attention to those who do His will.
Psalm 34:17-20 When the righteous cry for help, the LORD hears and delivers them out of all their troubles. The LORD is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit. Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the LORD delivers him out of them all. He keeps all his bones; not one of them is broken. (ESV)
In other words, God protects His own from extreme distress.
Jesus found this to be true. Even though he suffered horrible pain on the cross, John 19 tells us that “they did not break his legs,” in fulfillment of this verse from the Psalms (John 19:33,36). God allowed the Roman soldiers to go only so far with Christ’s body, and no further. God put limits on the amount of Christ’s suffering, and He puts limits on your suffering as well.
Psalm 34:21-22 Affliction will slay the wicked, and those who hate the righteous will be condemned. The LORD redeems the life of his servants; none of those who take refuge in him will be condemned. (ESV)
No one who puts their trust in the Lord will ever be punished for their sins. That’s because Jesus was punished instead of us on the cross. Christ’s death was the price for our redemption.
Now, all you have to do is trust Him. All you have to do is come to Him for protection. All you have to do is find your rest in Him, and he takes care of everything else. In your times of trouble, cry out to Him and He will respond. He will hear and answer your prayers.
Antonio Bundy, a police dispatcher in Lafayette, Indiana, was praised for her kindness toward a caller just this last January (2019). A young boy had dialed 911, and Bundy asked him, “What is your emergency?”
He said he had a bad day at school and needed help. Normally, in a situation like that, a 911 operator would scold the caller for wasting police resources, but Bundy took a different tack. She asked the boy what was troubling him, and he told her it was a math assignment. The boy read her the problem – what is 3x4 + 1x4 – and Bundy walked him through the steps to solve it. She said the brief interaction was a nice break to her otherwise busy day.
The boy said that was the only problem he needed help with, then thanked Bundy for her assistance.
“I'm sorry for calling you,” he told her, “but I really needed help.”
“You're fine,” Bundy replied. “We're always here to help,” (Caitlin O'Kane, “911 dispatcher helps child who called for math homework help,” CBS News, 1-29-19; www.cbsnews.com/ news/kid-calls-911-for-math-homework-help-lafayette-indiana-911-dispatcher-helps-him; www.PreachingToday.com)
In the same way, God is always there to help you no matter how big or small your problem is. Just cry out to Him. He will not scold you. On the contrary, He will save you in your time of trouble.
These are the lessons trouble teaches all of us. 1st, Praise God, because He delivers you from trouble. 2nd, Fear God, because He provides for you in trouble. And 3rd, Cry out to God, because he responds to you in trouble.
Margaret was confined to a wheelchair, because she lived with a body that was contorted and misshapen, ravaged by multiple sclerosis. She spoke softly, often slurring her words in barely audible grunts. She drooled constantly and was in pain nearly all her waking hours.
If anyone had reason to complain, she did, but that was not Margaret. She loved Jesus, and she never missed church. Sunday morning and evening, midweek prayer meeting, and special gatherings, Margaret was always there, always in a neatly pressed dress.
At one of those meetings, her pastor asked people to share their favorite Bible verse. After many people spoke, Margaret motioned that she wanted to say something. Most of the people had recited their verses from memory or read them aloud from Scripture. Since Margaret could not speak, her pastor looked up the verse and read it for her. The verse was Psalm 119:71 – “It was good for me that I was afflicted, that I may learn Thy statutes.” Margaret smiled broadly and nodded her head, her wheelchair a testimony to God’s grace. (Jim Van Yperen, Making Peace, 2002, pp. 106-107; www.PreachingToday.com)
How about you? Learn the lessons that trouble teaches, and let your affliction be a testimony of God’s grace in your life.
