Sermon: Trusting God When Everything Falls A Part

Sermon: Trusting God When Everything Falls A Part

Psalms 11:1-7 “In the Lord put I my trust: how say ye to my soul, Flee as a bird to your mountain? For, lo, the wicked bend their bow, they make ready their arrow upon the string, that they may privily shoot at the upright in heart. If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do? The Lord is in his holy temple, the Lord's throne is in heaven: his eyes behold, his eyelids try, the children of men. The Lord trieth the righteous: but the wicked and him that loveth violence his soul hateth. Upon the wicked he shall rain snares, fire and brimstone, and an horrible tempest: this shall be the portion of their cup. For the righteous Lord loveth righteousness; his countenance doth behold the upright.”

Introduction: More than any part of the Scriptures, it is the Psalms that have provided the greatest comfort for God’s struggling people through the centuries. This Psalm begins with David declaring his faith and trust in the LORD. He says, “In the LORD I take refuge.” The term “refuge” refers to safety and security. It's in the LORD, and the LORD alone, that David feels he is safest. As various threats in life come knocking, we find safety in the LORD. Here David asks, “if the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?” I imagine that many of us over these last few weeks have felt like “the foundations are being destroyed.” What do we do When Everything Falls A Part? Of course, many of us endure dark times in our lives where we feel that the very things that have given our lives stability have been pulled out from under us. The news reports are filled with discouraging stories of protests, wars, disasters, winter storms, government shutdowns, store closings, deportations and endless trouble. It is enough to make your head spin.

This psalm is another depiction of David in trouble. It may have been written when he fled from Saul's court and was hiding in the wilderness (Psalm 18). Or David may have written it when his son Absalom was pursuing him (Psalm 3). Whatever the occasion, this psalm expresses David's trust in the Lord as all-knowing and righteous despite his disappointment with the world around him.

What an interesting Psalms this is, as David the sweet psalmist of Israel, a man after God own heart, who considered His service of King Saul and of Israel as an honorable duty; and would not listen to temptations presented by his advisers to flee in fear. Today, there are many who have given the best years of their lives serving the country, but now they feel abandoned by the country they love and served. Many of them can appreciate David’s dilemma. This event occurred early in the life of David. Up unto this point his life had been almost a fairytale yet it was true.

David’s story is very familiar to most of us. We remember him as a shepherd tending his father’s sheep. This son of Jessie, earned a great reputation as a great protector of the sheep, killing both a bear and a lion. We are also familiar with his musical skills and extraordinary anointing. Probably, nothing pushed David to the forefront as his noted battle with Goliath. In this psalm, David must face a new giant. After his defeat of Goliath, he was moved to the palace of king Saul and given the king’s daughter for a bride. The privilege to serve in Saul’s and defend his nation must have been simply awesome. Can you imagine being promoted from a shepherd boy with no military training to becoming a commander in the king’s army, the son-in-law of the king, and the king’s personal armor bearer. He moved from a commoner to royalty and his family would be tax exempt.

David has almost forgotten being overlooked by his father and brothers because King Saul treats him more like a son than a soldier. David really looks to king Saul as a father figure. He admired his stature, his vision and wisdom. So, David serves king Saul with all his might. Whatever task was required of David, He excelled. With every successful deed, His popularity grew. David became the subject of legends. Psalmists sang his praise, the people celebrated him, the soldiers admired him, and the Generals highly respected him. David was living the dream.

Little did he know that his newly found popularity would stir up so much envy, jealousy and opposition. King Saul, his mentor and friend, would become his chief enemy. Saul, who had been known for his humble beginnings, honesty and just acts. Now Saul’s only purpose was to kill David. Even Jonathan, Saul’s son, recognized that Saul’s attitude had changed towards David. Now Saul was full of rage and anger against David. He is willing to sacrifice the nation for personal vengeance. He thought that tearing down David would make him bigger and tearing everything that reminded him of David was his life’s mission.