I have been praying to God for a response to the terrible tragedy that has been in the news for the past couple of weeks. The Tsunami in the Asia and Africa has dominated the world consciousness since it struck without warning, the day after Christmas.
Colin Powell called the tragedy a ‘horror’ unlike anything he’d ever seen; stating that, "I have been in war and I have been through a number of hurricanes, tornadoes and other relief operations, but I have never seen anything like this!"
I was very much finished with the body to this sermon, when it hit me that the response was in the sermon!
Typically when some major disaster occurs there is a question of why God would allow something like this to happen … “Why do bad things happen to good people?” And while I’d like to answer that question – in general – I will save that for another time. Instead I will mimic the answer Pat Robertson gave on a recent news program: “Storms and earthquakes and other natural disasters happen!” They have happened since man was put out of the garden – and often when they do they leave great devastation in their wake. Even the Bible has records of storms occurring – one of which even threatened the ship in which Jesus was traveling. (Jonah 1:4; Mark 4:36-41; Luke 8:22-26)
Perhaps when we get to see God we will be able to ask Him for a concise answer as to how these natural events – events we fondly call “acts of God” – fit into the overall picture of the punishment for the sin of Eden.
A few years ago the Spirit drew my attention to a collection of conversations and letters entitled, The Practice of the Presence of God, written by a Carmelite monk named Brother Lawrence. I discovered it quite by accident when I was looking for a book to recommend to a friend, who had asked me if I thought that God is still speaking to men, today. The title evoked in me a sense of deep awareness of the importance of our finding our way – from time to time – to that “secret place” where we meet God, heart-to-heart; breast-to-breast; and mouth-to-mouth.
It occurred to me that the only way we ever really come to a point where we can talk about true worship is that we find our way to that place where we at once become aware That we are standing in the Presence of God. I felt that same sense of God’s Presence in reading the words of David in this Psalm – and I asked God for the right words to say to you to help me transport you, in this lesson, into this place of worship. You see, if I can get you into the posture of worship, then I will actually also have you in the posture of achieving your greatest power and potential. And more importantly, I will have gotten you to that place of confidence in God – and in His Presence – where you will truly be empowered to stand up against whatever the enemy throws in your way.
So we come this Sunday to the first part of a new Series concerning The Meaning and Method of Worship. I pray that this will be a blessing to you – as it already has been to me. I am in awe at whet God has already deposited into my spirit, and I am anxiously looking forward to imparting it to you.
Now I have to confess that God did not just ‘drop’ this sermon into my spirit, the way he often does. This time I was listening to my friend Bishop Neil C. Ellis, from Nassau, Bahamas; and he mentioned this scripture in a sermon that actually dealt with another passage from the New Testament. But when I opened my Bible to read a verse from this Psalm the Spirit of God grabbed my attention, and started pouring into my spirit.
1 O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is; 2 To see thy power and thy glory, so as I have seen thee in the sanctuary. 3 Because thy lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise thee. 4 Thus will I bless thee while I live: I will lift up my hands in thy name. 5 My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness; and my mouth shall praise thee with joyful lips: 6 When I remember thee upon my bed, and meditate on thee in the night watches. 7 Because thou hast been my help, therefore in the shadow of thy wings will I rejoice. 8 My soul followeth hard after thee: thy right hand upholdeth me.
What got my attention, right off the bat, was the sense that this was a Psalm about worship – and that David had put everything else out of his mind and just let himself go all the way into God’s presence.
In my nearly thirty years of Ministry I have found one very profound and important spiritual constant, namely that whenever I have wanted to get a sense of closeness to God I have always been able to depend on King David to open the doorway.
And I thought to myself if I could use this passage as a way to get you into a posture for worship I could unleash a power in you that is beyond your wildest imagination.
Now don’ get me wrong, see, I don’ believe you have a problem knowing how to worship: you know how … I’ve seen you. But I need you to understand the reason that I back away, sometimes, when you come to me and ask me to do some magnificent and extraordinary thing. True, God has empowered me as the Chief Apostle of this house to tap into the supernatural realm – the spiritual realm – to get some things done that couldn’t be done without a boost from the Holy Spirit.
And certainly you recognize the anointing that God has put on my life, to enable me to be the spiritual leader you need me to be. But I don’ want you to get so locked in on me that you miss the sheer power that God has invested in you. I don’ want you to get so locked in on me that you lose sight of the precept that when Jesus said “greater works shall he do,” He was not just talking to me He was also talking to YOU! (John 14:12) Watch this …
Can I teach?
1 After this I heard something like the loud voice of a vast multitude in heaven, saying: Hallelujah! Salvation, glory, and power belong to our God, 2 because His judgments are true and righteous, because He has judged the notorious prostitute who corrupted the earth with her sexual immorality; and He has avenged the blood of His servants that was on her hands. 3 A second time they said: Hallelujah! Her smoke ascends forever and ever! 4 Then the 24 elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God, who is seated on the throne, saying: Amen! Hallelujah! Revelation 19: 1 – 4 Holman Christian Standard Bible
It’s so easy for people to put an inordinate amount of confidence and trust in their Pastor/Prophet/Preacher, and not realize what God has already put inside them.
John says when the great multitude – that’s us – started worshiping God that it caused an uproar in heaven and everything in heaven started praising God. So my question to you is, if the worship of the regular Saints moved the forces of heaven, don’t you think that your worship can move that teeny little mountain facing you?
God poured this message into my spirit so that I can impart its power to you – and in the process show you how to really tap into the powers of the Almighty! Used to be a time when you had to wait for the priests to go in and get your blessing; but now you can go into the Holy of Holies and get it for yourself! Halle-lu-JAH!
So we look at this Psalm and the message that God put on David’s lips, for us. Now before I start let me say something that’s gonna rip apart your theology; ‘cause I know what you’ve been told but the truth is, the Psalm are not just poetry! Every Psalm has a story, and was written to coincide with some incident or event in the author’s life.
The Caption at the beginning of this particular Psalm says, “A Psalm of David when he was in the wilderness of Judah.” When I saw that caption I asked myself “What’s that all about?” because the idea of a wilderness doesn’t coincide with my idea of what Judah was like.
Judah was the capital, the urban center. It was where the king had his royal mansion and where the treasures of the nation were stored. But, a wilderness? How could that be? Webster’s defines a wilderness as a WILD PLACE:
“a (1) : a tract or region uncultivated and uninhabited by human beings (2) : an area essentially undisturbed by human activity together with its naturally developed life community b : an empty or pathless area or region.”
This did not fit with my picture of Judah, so I went searching for an answer; and what God showed me was very interesting:
You see, in the first place I am usually able to get a sense of the background of a story by looking at a few verses, but the story that led up to the time of this Psalm forced me to read a lot deeper than usual. And here is what I found:
The time that is referred to in this caption is recorded in the Old Testament in 1 Samuel 22:3 – about 23:18; but the story doesn’t end there. You have to read all the way to Second Samuel about the 19th or 20th chapter, before you can really see how things worked out. Watch this:
1 Samuel 22:1 [NLT] So David left Gath and escaped to the cave of Adullam. Soon his brothers and other relatives joined him there … 5 One day the prophet Gad told David, "Leave the stronghold and return to the land of Judah." So David went to the forest of Hereth.
1 Samuel 23:14 [NLT] David now stayed in the strongholds of the wilderness and in the hill country of Ziph. Saul hunted him day after day, but God didn’t let him be found. 15 One day near Horesh, David received the news that Saul was on the way to Ziph to search for him and kill him. 16 Jonathan went to find David and encouraged him to stay strong in his faith in God. 17 "Don’t be afraid," Jonathan reassured him. "My father will never find you! You are going to be the king of Israel, and I will be next to you, as my father is well aware." 18 So the two of them renewed their covenant of friendship before the LORD. Then Jonathan returned home, while David stayed at Horesh.
2 Samuel 15:13 [NLT] A messenger soon arrived in Jerusalem to tell King David, "All Israel has joined Absalom in a conspiracy against you!" 14 "Then we must flee at once, or it will be too late!" David urged his men. "Hurry! If we get out of the city before he arrives, both we and the city of Jerusalem will be spared from disaster." 15 "We are with you," his advisers replied. "Do what you think is best." 16 So the king and his household set out at once. He left no one behind except ten of his concubines to keep the palace in order.
2 Samuel 17:27 And it came to pass, when David was come to Mahanaim, that Shobi … Brought beds, and basons, and earthen vessels, and wheat, and barley, and flour, and parched corn, and beans, and lentiles, and parched pulse, 29 And honey, and butter, and sheep, and cheese of kine, for David, and for the people that were with him, to eat: for they said, The people is hungry, and weary, and thirsty, in the wilderness.
Poor David!
On the one side he is chased out into the forest to escape the clutches of a homicidal maniac named King Saul …
On the other side he has to run for his life to keep his beloved son Absalom from killing him for the sake of a throne that would one day be his by inheritance, anyway.
Watch this …
David LOVED Saul!
He had been Saul’s armor bearer and favorite son-in-law and sung lullabies to him, during his own wilderness experience, to drive away the evil spirit that was plaguing him.
But Saul was so driven by jealousy – and by keeping David away from the throne of Israel – that he spent the greater portion of is last days on earth in a murderous plot to either have someone assassinate David, or to ultimately do it himself.
David loved Absalom!
The Bile says that David banished Absalom for two years, after Absalom had his half brother Amnon killed.
Amnon had been David’s first-born son by Ahinoam – a woman from Jezreel. Absalom’s mother, Maacah, had a beautiful daughter by the name of Tamar – whom Amnon lusted after very deeply, until he finally raped her. For this Absalom plotted and – after two years – had friends to assassinate Amnon on the way to a banquet in David’s honor.
For all the time that Absalom was away, David pined for him; and even after he forgave him he still could not see him face to face for another two years. But the Bible says clearly that David pined for Absalom almost from the beginning of that four-year hiatus; and afterward restored his son to a position of high honor. Nevertheless we read of this plot that made it necessary for David to flee.
And the king was much moved, and went up to the chamber over the gate, and wept: and as he went, thus he said, O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! would God I had died for thee, O Absalom, my son, my son!
READ IT!
DAVID
The King he loved so dearly … BETRAYED HIM
The son he loved even more … BETRAYED HIM
I watched him deal with God, after the Prophet of God exposed his sin against Uriah, in conspiring to kill Uriah so he could have his wife, Bath-Sheba. 2 Sam 11:3 – 12:26
His disappointment that the God whom he loved would not permit him to build Him a Temple
So many betrayals …
Wars …
Intrigue …
Deception …
What a shambles his life is in!
His mentor and king is out to kill him, and then commits suicide
His best friend is slain by the hated Philistines
He had a daughter raped by her half-brother
He had a son murdered by his own half-brother.
This same son is out to kill him!
He thinks, “God, where did I go wrong?”
Then it hits him—he started this chain of reactions by that affair he had years ago.
He opened the door for sin to ravage his family.
Much of the blame falls at his doorstep!
J. How would you feel?
1. Devastated?
2. Suicidal?
K. Do he think he could find any soul satisfaction in God at that moment?
1. What would he think if I said—not only could he but I will show he exactly how he could!
2. I know he could because King David found soul satisfaction in just this situation.
3. The how is found in our Ps 63.
…For they said, The people is hungry, and weary, and thirsty, in the wilderness.
And that’s when it grabbed me:
David was in a thirsty place! And I GOT IT, because I’ve BEEN THERE!
O God, You are my God;
1. Early will I seek You;
2. My soul thirsts for You;
3. My flesh longs for You In a dry and thirsty land Where there is no water. So I have looked for You in the sanctuary, To see Your power and Your glory.
4. Because Your lovingkindness is better than life, My lips shall praise You.
5. Thus I will bless You while I live;
6. I will lift up my hands in Your name.
7. My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness
8. And my mouth shall praise You with joyful lips. 6 When I remember You on my bed, [and] I meditate on You in the night watches.
9. Because You have been my help, Therefore in the shadow of Your wings I will rejoice.
10. My soul follows close behind You; Your right hand upholds me.
The hart is fond of feeding near the water. When hunted he will take to the river, staying submerged as long as his breath permits, then swim down stream in the middle so as not to touch the branches of the trees on either side. He thus prevents the hounds from finding his scent … in a chase he becomes faint and longs for the water. Dakes Annotated Reference Bible. P. 567 Note b for Ps. 42:2
Stags and hinds need abundant water, especially in hot countries, and, in time of drought, may be said, with a slight poetical licence, to “pant,” or “cry” (Joel 1:20) for it. Pulpit Commentary. Exposition on Psalm 42
Early will I seek You;
Our hearts go out to the people in these countries – but especially for those who don’t have the advantage of a personal relationship with God, such that they could approach Him as our Father. Even David
The prayer of the humble is his delight. Why not make David’s words your own — with better right than he? For the ancient saint came and claimed his privilege only on the ground of God’s covenant; we claim our birthright through him who said, “I ascend unto my Father and your Father, and to my God and your God” (John 20:17; cf. Romans 8:16). We are met for worship, yet there may be those to whom worship is but a dead form, who have never aspired, never cared to say, “O God, thou art my God!” You pity and despise the poor Hindu idolater. Which is really on the lower platform — he in his rude, dim, maimed, yet sincere fashion, expressing his sense of dependence on a higher and invisible, power, “feeling after God;” or you, with the light of nineteen Christian centuries shining full on you with the open Bible, with the music of God’s message of reconciliation filling the air, yet with man’s noblest aspiration, the quest of God; man’s deepest, purest affection, — the love of God; man’s sublimest capacity, — the worship of God, dead or slumbering in your soul? Alas! you do not dream what a glory, power, joy, meaning, would come into your life if from this hour you learned to say, “O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee.” CLARKSON, W., and E.R. CONDER. The Pulpit Commentary Homiletics on Psalm 63
God says, I love them that love me; and those that seek me early shall find me. Prov. 8:17
I wait for the LORD, my soul doth wait, and in his word do I hope. My soul [waiteth] for the Lord more than they that watch for the morning: [I say, more than] they that watch for the morning. Ps. 130:5-6
With my soul have I desired thee in the night; yea, with my spirit within me will I seek thee early: for when thy judgments [are] in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness. Isaiah 26:9
My soul thirsts for You;
Thirst is an insatiable longing after that which is one of the most essential supports of life; there is no reasoning with it, no forgetting it, no despising it, no overcoming it by stoical indifference. Thirst will be heard; the whole man must yield to its power; even thus is it with that divine desire which the grace of God creates in regenerate men; only God himself can satisfy the craving of a soul really aroused by the Holy Spirit. My flesh longeth for thee; by the two words soul and flesh, he denotes the whole of his being. C. H. Spurgeon. The Treasury of David
The Hebrew word for thirst is tsame, and is only found here and in two other places in the Old Testament:
Psalm 42:1-2 NKJV As the deer pants for the water brooks, So pants my soul for You, O God. 2 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God?
Isaiah 55: 1 – 3 NKJV "Ho! Everyone who thirsts, Come to the waters; And you who have no money, Come, buy and eat. Yes, come, buy wine and milk Without money and without price. 2 Why do you spend money for what is not bread, And your wages for what does not satisfy? Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good, And let your soul delight itself in abundance.
The thing about thirst – in the natural – is that we can never drink anything that can quench our thirst like water; and we can never drink enough water that we are never thirsty again. But our joy is that we know we have LIVING WATER in Jesus, and that when He quenches our thirst it is quenched for good:
Jesus answered and said to her, "If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ’Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water … Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life." John 4:11, 13-14 NKJV
James 1:2-4 My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; 3 Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. 4 But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.
My flesh longs for You In a dry and thirsty land Where there is no water. So I have looked for You in the sanctuary, To see Your power and Your glory.
David recognized when he found himself in the Wilderness that the one place he could have found peace is in God’s Sanctuary – under the shadow of God’s wings (Ps. 91:1-4). How many times have I shared with you that the best thing you could do when you find yourself depressed, or sick, or facing a time of trouble and turmoil is to FIND YOUR WAY TO THE CHURCH! There is no medicine … the hospitals don’t have a treatment, or a machine, or a pill, that can give comfort like we can find in God’s Secret Place.
David did not thirst for water or any earthly thing, but only for spiritual manifestations. The sight of God was enough for him, but nothing short of that would content him. How great a friend is he, the very sight of whom is consolation. Spurgeon
Because Your lovingkindness is better than life, My lips shall praise You.
Hear my cry, O God; Attend to my prayer. From the end of the earth I will cry to You, When my heart is overwhelmed; Lead me to the rock that is higher than I. For You have been a shelter for me, A strong tower from the enemy. I will abide in Your tabernacle forever; I will trust in the shelter of Your wings. Ps. 61:2-4 NKJV
Believers have the unique ability to praise God in the BAD times. At the end of the day, we know that David’s axiom is true that God’s loving kindness is better than life. And so – watch this – in the middle of a dry and thirsty place
Where there is nothing that will satisfy the thirsting of my soul
I don’t have a pity party
I don’t focus on whether I’m going to escape with my life
Or if Absalom is going to find me and take my throne away
What I do is get up real early, and put on my prayer shawl and FIND GOD! And when I have found Him I start to praise Him and worship Him
My lips
My hands
My soul
My mouth
My mind is gonna worship You
