SERMON TEXT
“A Psalm of David, when he fled from Absalom his son. O LORD, how many are my foes! Many are rising against me; many are saying of my soul, “There is no salvation for him in God.” Selah. (Psalm 3:1-2 ESV)
In this entire Psalm we see David's example of how he dealt
with the significant trouble he was facing
and want to learn from his example
for our own days of trouble.
First Lesson: Speak to God of Your Trouble
While you and I aren’t kings with people trying to steal our throne, we ARE people who understand amid the trouble that we face the voices telling us that there is no deliverance in God for us. For David his enemies were many others around him, but surely he also had the voices in his own head. And perhaps our own voices can be the loudest enemies we hear. Doubts and self-accusations are significantly powerful enemies. Perhaps it’s the voice that tells you that you’re not good enough for God to love you. Or I’ll never be delivered if I don’t get my act together. Or I’ve cried out to God and he’s obviously not listening. He wants me to learn something and if I don’t learn it he’ll continue to press on me until I get it. Or he has left me alone. And help isn’t coming. These soft spots in our faith that get pushed on by circumstances that we have to deal with – that tempt us to say, “Will God actually deliver me?”
But you see what David does here? Amid all the despair and fear, David speaks to God about it. In fact, the very God whom these voices keep telling him wants to have nothing to do with him, is the very one to whom David cries out to. And what does he cry out? He tells God that all he can hear is the voices of the many who are saying to him that he doesn’t care about him and he pours out his anguish at the feet of the God who is not supposed to care.
Often when we hear the enemy voices in our lives telling us that there is no way out, no deliverance, God is not for you, God is far off, or God is not real, we succumb to it and we grow in doubt and we sit in it and can’t get out. But David teaches us to take those voices to God, pour out our anguish at his feet and entrust ourselves to him.
Tell him of your sorrows. Tell him of your predicament. Surely he knows already, but share with him your heart here. Tell God of your troubles. Don’t listen to the voices that tell you that he will not deliver you, or that he doesn’t care. He calls us to come to him, tell him, speak with him without fear, without condemnation, without trepidation, but to come freely and confidently and cry out to him for the first time or for the umpteenth time.
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To help us understand the heart of God regarding us coming to him and speaking to him of our trouble, the Lord was kind to give a specific word of encouragement/prophecy/revelation to strengthen us.
Word of Encouragement/Prophecy Shared on Sunday Morning (watch/listen to sermon for scriptural thoughts after this was shared)
I am with you, Dear Ones. My arms are open wide, ready to receive you in My warm embrace. You will find no anger or condemnation in My heart toward you, nor will you find the disdain or disgust that you fear lurks there. I have only love for you, & My love for you knows no bounds!!! Come and soak in it My Dearly Beloved Child!!! My love brings healing to your heart and refreshment to your soul!!! YOU ARE MINE. Breathe it in and rest in it ~ this is truth. My heart is where you will find your true home.
I long for you to bring to me all of your joys and sorrows ~ to sit with Me and empty your heart of every burden. It is in the place that you pour out your heart to Me that I will meet with you and speak deep healing & peace & contentment to you. I will listen to you & I will laugh & cry with you as you share your heart with me, for I am the most tender-hearted of fathers. I will answer all of your questions by giving you a clearer understanding of Myself, and you will find your heart to be strangely full and at rest.
It is in this place of authentic brokenness before Me, where you share openly & transparently everything that is in your heart, that I will bring you healing. You need have no fear of how I will react to your questions & hurts & doubts & even anger. I already know everything that is in your heart & I long to meet you right there. In fact, I Am the ONLY one who can meet you right there. I am FOR you, My Beloved Child, and nothing can change or alter the course of My love for you. Nothing. You are the apple of my eye. Come to Me, My Beloved Child. I love you.
Application...
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Speak to the Lord often this week of your troubles. Keep taking them to him (we'll look at the rest of Psalm 3 next week but feel free to peek ahead and consider what David does and put into practice).
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With the word of encouragement/prophecy on Sunday morning being a key component take some time to listen to THIS sermon regarding what we believe about the gift of prophecy.
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MUSIC TO ENCOURAGE AND STRENGTHEN