GOD IS FOR ME!!
Psalms 56:1-13
The 56th Psalm has somewhat of an interesting subscription to say the least. If you’ll notice just over verse #1 of this particular Psalm, we can gather that it was addressed to the chief musician. And then notice these words, “Upon Jonath-elem-rechokim,”. Most commentators agree that this is the title of this particular Psalm, as it has been translated, “The Silent Dove in Distant Places.” I believe that it will be made evident why that David entitled this Psalm as such throughout the course of the message tonight.
Another thing that interesting about the subscription over verse #1 is the fact that we see the words, “A Michtam of David.” In fact this is one of 5 Psalms that are identified as such in the Bible. And the word Michtam literally means to cut or to engrave. You see, the thought that David was trying to establish in the mind of the chief musician when he penned this particular Psalm was the fact that he wanted this to be a permanent writing. And of course we know that God must have agreed, because t has been eternally preserved in the Bible that you hold in your hand this morning.
The remaining portion of the subscription over verse #1 lets us know that David was led of the Lord to pen these words, when the Philistines took him to Gath. You’ll find by studying your Bible that those words have reference to David fleeing from King Saul for his life and while in his haste to do so, he ran right into the Philistines at a place called Gath. The king of Gath had put David under arrest and was under pressure from his advisers to put him to death. After all, this was the man that killed Goliath, several years earlier and what an opportunity for the Philistines here to do away with David all together. But my what an encouragement these verses of Scripture are, as we read of God’s protecting hand on David’s life. LET’S READ ABOUT IT TOGETHER (READ TEXT)
Now when you study your Bible, I believe that you’ll find that this the 56th Psalm is actually a twin Psalm to the 34th Psalm that God used David to pen as well. The 34th Psalm seems to have been written after David’s escape from the Philistine king, however the 56th Psalm seems to have been written while David was still in Gath, held as a prisoner in enemy hands. Of course this the 56th Psalm stands shoulder to shoulder with the preceding Psalm (55th Psalm) where we read of David’s troubles being caused by his family and his friends. But here in the 56th Psalm, David’s troubles are being caused by his foes. And my what trouble David was facing here in the 56th Psalm.
I can see David in my minds eye under lock and key in Gath, a prisoner in a foreign land, the home of the hereditary foes of his own people. His life at this point hangs in the balance. No doubt outside of his cell, the triumphant troops of the Philistines march up and down, gloating over their capture of the slayer of Goliath. Some of thus Philistine soldiers had lost brothers, sons, or friends in the battle that shortly followed at Elah, after David had killed Goliah. And now they have David in their hands. So what is David to do? At this point the had nowhere to go, but to the Lord. He had nowhere else to turn, but to the Lord.
But friend these verses of Scripture before us tonight teach us that when the Lord was all that David had. The Lord was all that David needed! John Phillips gives us a wonderful outline of this the 56th Psalm.
In verses 1-4 of this Psalm David declares that GOD IS MERCIFUL!
We not only see evidence of David’s Foes in verses 1-2, but we also see evidence of David’s faith in verses 3-4. And while considering those things, we certainly can gather along with the Psalmist that GOD IS MERCIFUL!
In verses 12-13, David declares that GOD IS MIGHTY!
And that thought not only made David, Happy in His Soul in verse #12, but it also made David, Heedful of his steps. And again while considering those truths we most certainly can gather that GOD IS MIGHTY.
But what I specifically felt led of the Lord to do this evening, was to call your attention if I may to verses 5-11 of this Psalm, where David declares that GOD IS MINDFUL.
The Lord was not only mindful of David’s TRUST in verses 10-11. The Lord was not only mindful of David’s TRIALS in verses 5-7, but the Lord was also mindful of David’s TEARS in verses 8-9. In fact notice again if you would please what David had to say about his tears in verses 8-9. He said,
Thou tellest my wanderings: put thou my tears into thy bottle: are they not in thy book? (I’m glad that God is keeping a record of every tear that falls from the tear ducts of His children’s eyes) David testified personally to that fact here in the 56th Psalm. He continued to say in verse #9, “When I cry unto thee, then shall mine enemies turn back: (NOW HOW DO YOU KNOW THAT DAVID? HOW DO YOU KNOW THAT YOUR ENEMIES WILL TURN BACK?) Well David answered by saying, “This I know; for God is for me.”
David in essence was saying, “I know that my enemies are going to be turned back. I know that God is going to give me victories over my enemies. I know that God is going to give me victory over my trouble and my trials because, GOD IS FOR ME!
David was simply saying this! GOD IS ON MY SIDE! When it seems like everything is going wrong, GOD IS FOR ME!. When it seems like my friends are few and far between, GOD IS FOR ME. When the vallies seem to outnumber the mountain tops, GOD IS FOR ME!
Hey friend you want to know what kept David smiling in the midst of that Philistine dungeon. When it seemed like everything was going wrong? It was the fact that he knew that GOD WAS FOR HIM! GOD WAS ON HIS SIDE! That’s why he spoke of praising the Lord in verses 10 and 12. That’s why David said in verse #11m “I’ll not be afraid of what men will do to me.” That’s why that even though David was facing death and destruction at this point in his life, In spite of that he still spoke of walking before God in the light of the living in verse #13. It was because that David could say, “GOD IS FOR ME”!
And with the help of the Lord tonight I want to use the very words that David used in verse #9 of our text tonight, and preach for the next few moments on this subject, GOD IS FOR ME.
Now I don’t know about you child of God. But I rejoice in the fact that I serve the same great God that David served when he penned this the 56th Psalm. That same God that encouraged David, That same God that Strengthen David, and that same God that eventually Delivered David from the hands of the Philistines.
I want you to know tonight child of God, that that same God is still just as powerful, and still just as wonderful and all knowing and all sufficient as he was when David penned the 56th Psalm. If we were to ask David here in this Psalm, “David, how do you know that when you cry unto the Lord that the Lord will make your enemies turn back? How do you know that your prayers aren’t in vain? How do you know David that God’s going to bring you through this deep dark valley. Well I believe that David would answer as he did In verse #9 by saying, “I’ll tell you how I know!
I’ll tell you how I know that God will turn my enemies back and that God will answer my prayer and that God will bring me through this deep dark valley. BECAUSE GOD IS FOR ME! God is on my side! God is for me! And if God be for me, then who in the world can be against me?
DAVID TESTIFIED TO THE FACT here in the 56th Psalm. GOD IS FOR ME!
And Child of God, God sent me here tonight to tell you that He is for you! Why some of you tonight think that God has forgotten about you. Oh no friend, GOD IS FOR YOU! He’s on your side. He’s not your enemy tonight, He’s there to drive your enemies away! GOD IS ON YOUR SIDE! He’s not made a mistake in your life! He knows what He’s doing! He cares about your needs, and He’s going to take care of your because GOD IS FOR YOU!
Now I can’t testify for you tonight child of God, but that’s enough to make me want to shout! Just to know that GOD IS FOR ME! Just to know that God is on my side. Just to know that God cares! I’ll be honest with you tonight, I can see why God would want to be for you! (you’re some of the sweetest most caring people that I know - example) But I know me! And yet in spite of shortcomings, in spite of my weaknesses, in spite of my unfaithfulness, GOD IS FOR ME! Thank God Praise God for the fact that GOD IS FOR ME.
Now you may be here tonight and you would ask the question, “Preacher, how do you know that God is for you?” Do you have any proof that God is on your side? Oh yes, we have the proof of the SCRIPTURES first of all and most importantly, but I also have the proof of the SAINTS themselves. Let me explain tonight,
1. I KNOW THAT GOD IS FOR ME BECAUSE HE WAS WILLING TO MAKE ME A CHILD OF THE KING!
Yes He was able to make me a child of the king, but my Lord was willing to make me a child of the King. Do you know why? Because God is for me! He was willing to leave the portals of glory, and come down to a sin cursed earth and take on the form of human flesh in order to make me a child of the King! You see He paid the price so that He could adopt me into His family. In fact He laid down His very life In order to make me a child of the king!
Oh listen to me tonight, I may not look like it this evening, but I’m actually a royal descendant of a king from Jerusalem! (Saw in the paper the other day where the Queen of England made Billy Graham and royal knight of England) Why that’s nothing, I more than a Knight of a queen, I’m a child of the king! That’s why I know that God is for me, because he was willing to make me a child of the king!
I John 3:1-2 says Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.
know that God is for me because He was willing to make me a child of the King.
2. I KNOW THAT GOD IS FOR ME BECAUSE HE IS WORKING TO MOLD ME INTO HIS IMAGE.
You know when you study your Bible, you see the Lord in many different lights. In John chapter #14, you see Him as the Way, the Truth and the Life. In John chapter #8 He’s seen as the Light of the World. In John chapter #6 Jesus is seen as the Bread of life. But in Jeremiah chapter #18, the Lord Is seen as a potter. A potter that takes a peice of clay, and even though that clay is marred and useless at first, as the potter takes the clay and begins to mold that clay, he eventually, through his tireless hours of molding and making that clay turns that worthless piece of mud into a work of beauty.
God said through the pen of Jeremiah, in Jeremiah chapter #18, “The word which came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying,
2 Arise, and go down to the potter’s house, and there I will cause thee to hear my words.
3 Then I went down to the potter’s house, and, behold, he wrought a work on the wheels.
4 And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter: so he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it.
5 Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying,
6 O house of Israel, cannot I do with you as this potter? saith the LORD. Behold, as the clay is in the potter’s hand, so are ye in mine hand, O house of Israel.
AS you study about the life and the labors of the potter in the Word of God, you’ll find that the potter not only finds the clay. The potter not only fires the clay, but it’s the potter the fashions the clay! You see where most of us would have just seen a piece of worthless mud, the potter looks beyond the initial appearance of the clay and see’s the clay’s potential.
And because of that the potter picks the clay up, and begins to mold it, and begins to make it, as he sees fit to make it.
And you want to know how that I know that God is for me? I know because the Lord is working to mold me into His glorious image! Every day, moment by moment, he’s molding me, and making me, into a vessel that He could be pleased with and that he could use.
You think about that Christian friend, the next time something happens in your life that you don’t understand. THE CLAY NEVER QUESTIONS THE POTTERS METHOD - NEITHER DOES THE POTTER QUESTION THE POTTERS MOTIVE. The clay is completely submissive and plyable to the potters hand. And that’s how that we ought to be child of God.
David was being held captive here in our text by the Philistines. But even though he didn’t understand what God was doing. He had enough confidence in His God that He was working all things for his good! And that’s what persuaded David to say In verse #9 GOD IS FOR ME!
David said that not only because that God was willing to make him a child of the King, but because God was working to mold him into His glorious image. And we can say the same thing today!
God is for you! God is on your side child of God. And that’s glad to know! You can’t always say that about your friends. You can’t always say that about your Brothers and Sisters in Christ, but they’ll never be a time when you can’t say that about the Lord!
God is for me! He was willing to make me a child of the King. He is working to mold me into His glorious image. And finally tonight,
3. I KNOW THAT THE GOD IS FOR ME BECAUSE HIS SON IS WAITING TO MOVE ME OUT OF THIS WORLD.
I believe that the Lord Jesus is anxious to get his bride which is the church. We are the purchased possession! God is coming for us! But what a joy it is to know that until He comes, He’s for us RIGHT NOW!
