Do you remember a time when you called on the Lord for help? David knew something about the Lord which you might not know deep in your heart. And the messengers came and showed it to the men of Jabesh . People are not your enemy. The context of this Psalm is again the mortal danger that David finds himself in as Saul tries to track him down. Hold on to the rope of hope when you dont think you can cope. You remember when Napoleons armies were pounding all day long at Waterloo against Wellington and his 70,000 multinational troops that had been gathered at the spur of the moment to fight against Wellington? All of a sudden Do you know the feeling of being overwhelmed to the point of thinking that you are not going to make it, or that you are going to be crushed? Copyright 2003-2023 | Outreach, Inc., All rights reserved. What are we supposed to do when we get in deep, over our heads? You just have to ask. Get help now! Yes, God and sinners reconciled. These simple sermon outlines are suitable for 10 or 15 minute Wednesday night devotionals or to use as sermon ideas. Just look around and see what is going on in our world today, we are in great need for help because we are making a shamble of this life and our only help is found only in God Himself, our Jehovah Ezer. They began talking about the fact that he had killed thousands and thousands of Philistines. 1. When we face times of trouble, the Lord is strong enough to take all that trouble and to turn it into opportunity. S peak to us of the hope we have in Him. Lord, help me to hold out (3X) Until my change come Verse 1: My way may not easy You did not say that it would be But when it gets dark I can't see my way You told me to put my trust in Thee That's why I'm asking you GO TO CHORUS Verse 2: unknown Refrain: Lord help me to hold out (8X) I believe I can hold out (sopranos,altos) (4-6X) Hold out . It was probably written after Judah had gone into captivity and exile in Babylon and then later returned to the land of Palestine. We will know the truth. Speak to us of Christ. Sometimes you Need Muck Boots Psalm 40:1-11 TRUSTING GOD WHEN GOD PUTS YOUR LIFE ON HOLD! Our hope laid up in heaven includes forgiveness of sins, a dwelling in the kingdom of Christ, and an inheritance in light. Too many people forget the mighty works that God has done in the past for us. It is very easy to place our trust in the things of this world over and above the Lord. Assembly Of God. Most of these are short topical sermon outlines, but some are expository. He is delighted with you. 90 Thy faithfulness is unto all generations: thou hast established the earth, and it abideth. Temptation. Preacher: Steve Blencowe . Hold on to Jesus teachings. Arrow prayers 5 He will recompense the evil to my foes; destroy them in Thy faithfulness. And David is reminding himself who it is whos my ally. Ahimelech gave him some food and also the sword of Goliath which was being kept there. When David realized that Saul would not stop coming after him until he was dead, he ran away from Saul and traveled from place to place in order to find safety. Selah. And yet, there is the promise. So David again began to fear for his life. These are short, easy to preach sermons. Apostolic. Pentecostal. Amen. He didnt just have to cry out to the Lord for help against Saul one time. AIM: To encourage the brethren by outlining . Again, we dont like to think about that either, but it is helpful to understand that there are things in our life which are not just the result of chance but a result of the enemy of our souls who wants to do us harm. He talks about being pounded by waves which threatened to destroy him. Did you know that name Jesus means Yahweh rescues?, If you dont know Jesus all that well, then perhaps your prayer for help can go something like this. God as our stronghold has a similar meaning as it refers to a high and inaccessible place. And the confounding difficulty of suffering is not an experience reserved solely for the Savior. 1 John 4:4 Ye are of God, He also killed all the men, women and children in that city. This is the Lord; we have waited for him; let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation.'" Isaiah 25:9 "Do not say, 'I will repay evil;' wait for the Lord, and he will deliver you." Proverbs 20:22 "Out of my distress I called on the Lord; the Lord answered me and set me free." Psalm 118:5. read more, Scripture: It sounds like a stilted phrase that was sort of utilized in numerous places in a vocabulary. The Lord is MY personal comforter, guide, and supplier of everything that I really need. His grace is available for today. I have wondered if my mind has been changed for good. Its just sometimes we wake up and realize it, and unfortunately some of the few times that we wake up and realize it is when we are in those sharp circumstances. She lives in another state now but she asks a very good question. These fears can become so out of control that our lives can, without even realizing it, become run by fear instead of by the Lord and his will for us. Without the leading, help and encouragement from the Holy Spirit no one can overcome their hidden faults. 34:18) Ask the Lord to help you feel His uplifting power as He rescues you from all kinds of Thats actually, I think, a main point of this first section. He kept shouting, "it had happened, please She teaches womens Bible studies, and writes womens Bible studies material for ladies all across the country. David has the king of his people hot on his heels. The Lord is ready and willing. It doesn't ask for the removal of storms, but it only asks that God would help the singer to hold on until "my change" comes. But if we are biblical and we believe in Gods sovereignty and mans responsibility, we will remember that though God appoints His purposes in His decree, He chooses to work out that decree in accordance with means. Many years ago I was travelling with friends on a country road near Aberthaw cement works. First of all, this Psalm teaches us that we are to plead Gods promises in whatever circumstances. Glory to the newborn king; When we face times of trouble we should immediately call on the Lord for help. INTRO.- ILL.- A Hollywood maternity shop received this note in the mail: "Dear Sirs, you have not yet delivered that maternity dress I ordered. 3. David loves the Lord with all the deep affection in his heart because he has come to know that Yahweh God is the source of his strength in life. He has heard your cries. A Maskil of David, when the Ziphites came and said to Saul, Is not David hiding himself among us? 1 Save me, O God, by Thy name, and vindicate me by Thy power. Matthew 14:31, Psalm 31:15, Denomination: [Put hand on Hopes shoulder and hold up blanket] Help me, O LORD my God: O save me according to your mercy: help. I want to praise You anyway because of who You are and because of what Youve done. David pleads Gods promises; he preaches the person of God to himself; and he praises God gladly for who He is and what He does. 95 likes, 1 comments - Leading The Way (@ltworg) on Instagram: "Is fear standing in your way of accomplishing great things for God? Yet, David reminds us that ultimately the Lord is only one who is truly worthy of our complete trust. From histemple he heard my voice,and my cry to him reached his ears. (v.6). As the singer moves into the verses, we learn about the struggle. Pentecostal. Christian/Church Of Christ, In our text, Paul tells of some people who were helpful in the ministry and some who were not. That means there will be seasons, no matter how long or short, where we cannot see or feel the hope which we have been promised. The Holy Spirit amplifies His nearness and comforting powers to us, when we are feeling depressed. And dont you see what David is doing here? We need high and thick walls to keep the lies of our enemy from penetrating our minds. We have looked at John Bakers eight principals and they have We will have difficult days in this life. Fellowship is an irreplaceable means of grace in the Christian life and offers us two priceless joys: receiving Gods grace through the helping words of others and giving his grace to others through our own. A person would say, O Lord, if you will deliver me, I vow to do this. David as far as we know in this Psalm made no such vow. SUBJECT: Happiness TITLE: Sermon on Joy - Christian Joy PROPOSITION: The Christian has much in which to rejoice because of his 1) Past, 2) Present, 3) Future. For the sake of our faith, for the sake of our witness to others, God wants us to be as certain of our beliefs as Luther was. 3. And one of the greatest tools that the evil one has to use against us are the ways that we talk to ourselves in our own minds. Sometimes babies do come sooner than expected. It comes to us in three parts, and perhaps youve already noticed those parts as weve read through it. That's why Proverbs 4 is so significant for those of us who are prone to keeping our emotions and heart on lockdown. God is sovereign but He uses prayer as His instrument for bringing about His will. All of our resources exist to guide you toward everlasting joy in Jesus Christ. In Psalm 18:4-5, David explains his situation and the feelings he had with these words, The cords of death encompassed me; the torrents of destruction assailed me; the cords of Sheol entangled me; the snares of death confronted me.. First of all, he reminds himself that God is his helper. Do you pray for opportunities." Were right back to the name again. The blessing is not in the removal of the darkness. The Philistines knew all about David, so he must have been pretty desperate to go there. David didnt cry out to just any God. Friends, do you see how we need to do that ourselves everyday? As we will see a little later, David knew he could trust God to save him because he knew who God was. I have felt swept here and there by the circumstances of my life. Sometimes the enemy of our souls has gotten through our defenses and we need to fight him at close range. Because it is small it can be moved quickly to defend the blows of an enemy at close range. His words found in Psalm 18 show us how he responded to it and came through to the other side. We will have struggles in this life. Illustration:HOLY SPIRIT, power of Hes after David. Nazarene, The Holy Spirit helps us realize that a person living according to a lawful orientation is always looking for guidelines by which everyones actions can be regulated. Gods Conditions for Answering Prayer You have to slow down and wait. Endurance denotes time. Psalm 40:12 For innumerable evils have compassed me about: mine iniquities have taken hold upon me, so that I am not able to look up; they are more than the hairs of mine head: therefore my heart faileth me. John 15:1-27. That is the barometer of how we weather the difficult providences of this fallen life. If not, then perhaps today is the day when that all changes for you. Heres what you can do and what you need to do. You dont have to do anything to try and manipulate God to try to help you. It doesnt ask for the removal of storms, but it only asks that God would help the singer to hold on until my change comes. Suffering that yields bitterness, cynicism, and alienation is suffering gone awry. It was John, one of my church members. If You wont hear my prayer, I am done for. And he pleads to God to hear and listen to him. Instead of speaking about the trouble, say aloud " God is a very present help in trouble! 26 And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear. Luke 2:38 Would you stand for Gods blessing? You will hold out. May He add His blessing to it. Notice David that David speaks about the valley of the shadow of death. Now the last time we were together in this book we were looking at Psalm 52. Both of those give us something of the occasion of this prayer of David, and we see David here pleading for Gods help even in light of the fact that God has promised to spare David. David cant wait to offer free and willing unconstrained worship to the living God, because God has answered His prayers. Satan would have you believe that God is inept or incapable that your suffering somehow falls outside of his providential care. (Psa. Theyre seeking their own ends. Just as sure as God loves his people, Satan is out to scuttle their security by making them feel alone, overwhelmed, and incompetent. And so our study of the Psalms will move to Wednesday night and we are in the 54th Psalm. However, we all have an enemy in the being of the Evil One who seeks our harm on a daily basis. Yet, he sent himself to take care of your sin problem because he takes joy in you and wants you for himself for all eternity. 75% of the surveyed churches had at least one series a year. You mean, a straying child who keeps me on my knees before God is good for me? David wrote, "The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit." (Psa. When we are in trouble, the words we use to cry out for help are not as important as the person to whom we call. One of the parts of Davids story which you may not know as well is the conflict he had with Saul, the first king of Israel who also became Davids father-in-law. His words still speak truth to us as believers today. read more, Scripture: On behalf of my family and the ministry I wish you all a blessed and prosperous new year. Now thats so important for David to remember right now because it would be very easy for David to think, My life is in the hands of Saul. 7:8). So Jesus, by his mode of dealing with her, brought out to view her faith. 23:1) B. Which of those is right? David knew he could not defeat an army of that size, especially since he knew those men since he had fought with them and had even been their commander. It is a term which comes right out of the world of the military. The Philistines attack again and Saul cant follow up. OPENING: - The other day while driving down the road I passed a billboard that said, Help is here then another said, For lifes unexpected moments Help is here! Life choices part four Unfortunately, this passing time-reference is . And we are most definitely not referring just to your local congregation. God does not want us to forget what He has already done for us. Its God whos going to bring about the visitation of justice on those who do evil in the world. 2- Mark helped Though he is anointed by God to be the rightful king of Israel, everything that he has comes from the hand of God and he is utterly dependent upon God to provide it. If you have Bibles I'd invite you to turn with me to Psalm 54. Psalm 124: 1 "Had it not been the Lord who was on our side," Let Israel now say, 2 "Had it not been the Lord who was on our side when men rose up against us, 3 Then they would have swallowed us alive, when their anger was kindled against us; 4 Then the waters would have engulfed us, the stream would have swept over our soul; Too many people are frustrated, discouraged and disillusioned when they do not get their prayers answered. He has armies after him, and David has his little band of supporters. This community is meant to help us grow in our faith, celebrate our successes, learn from our failures, grieve through our losses, and give us strength in our weaknesses. Isaiah 41:10-13, Denomination: keep them within your heart. ( Psalm 46:1 )" Trade in, "I don't know what to do!", and say aloud " We are perplexed, but . In the last few months I have experienced anxiety on a far greater level than I have ever known. Muck Boots Provide Protection from leaks or water Muck Boots according to an add they stay Dry & Comfortable No Matter What You're Doing. Keep your servant also from willful sins; may they not rule over me." Matthew 15:21-28, Mark 7:24-30. You may know that the Lord loves you, but do you know that he likes you also? If we believe that we are responsible and that prayer is an instrument of Gods purposes but we dont adequately believe in Gods sovereignty, well begin to think that our prayers changed the mind of God in the course of history apart from Gods will. It was a very windy road, narrow with sharp bends. And so verse 1 gives us Davids response to this circumstance. I want to briefly share with you the nature of Davids description of the Lord. We are continuing through the Second Book of the Psalms now on Wednesday evenings. 2. Remembering God's love in the midst of deep trials. I am coming soon. He knows how to set you free from the power of this enemy of your soul. This Psalm is also about David being betrayed, but it has a bitter poignancy; because whereas in Psalm 52 he was betrayed by an Edomite, in Psalm 54 he has been betrayed by his own tribe. Afterwards he became the king of Israel, the father of Solomon, and the ancestor of the Lord Jesus. Heres how David describes the Lords response to his cry for help. And what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch. I didnt say, Lord, if Youll do this then Ill do that, but I want to worship You anyway. The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. David praises God gladly for who He is and what He does. December 10-11, 2016 The Valley. As your humble child, I ask for the gift of wisdom today. 1. If you are in the waiting period between your cry for help to the Lord and the Lords response, let me encourage you that the Lord knows where you live. These violent men, these men who are godless, they dont know God; they are not seeking Gods will. And what he meant by that is, Our lives are in Gods hands and God will protect us to work in us His will. And David is reflecting on that great truth. If we believe in Gods sovereignty in such a way as to discount the fact that God who is sovereign uses means, we will probably not be energetic in prayers. Mark 8:22-25, Denomination: Yes you! God help me. Therefore, even we ourselves believed on Christ We may not realize thats where we are all the time, but we are always in that position of being dependent upon God. God allows this to happen to us, and others, to encourage faith, which allows for our spiritual growth. Now think about that. The Lord Jesus said, "I am the vine; you are the branches. A sermon directing others to keep punishing forward. Heb I am freely, unconstrainedly going to worship You from a heart of gratitude that glories in giving praise to the God who has delivered.. Davids experience can be ours as well. We fear losing people, opportunities or things. The tragedy of the war was brought home through the news stories and she knew the incredible suffering of the The prospect of death. Brian Bill He didnt cry out to the universe. Now David is teaching us here that we ought to have to restrain ourselves from the spontaneous desire to worship God for who He is and what Hes done for us. This simple but powerful prayer takes human need and places it in the hands of Almighty God. Is it your first response to turn to the Lord? Hes hot on his heels, but the Philistines attack again and Saul has to take his army and go take care of the Philistines. Perhaps that gives some explanation for why Davids own tribesmen will act like they do in this particular Psalm. Introduction: Compare. This is an amazingly personal term of affection and endearment. Jesus knew that great people continuously acknowledge their need for Him through all kinds of prayer. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake. We are continuing through the Second Book of the Psalms now on Wednesday evenings. He was devoted to God above all else. Most people in the world have no experience of lasting joy in their lives. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, (Psa 23:4). The problem was that Saul could muster up an army. An enemy is someone who wants harm to come to you either by their own action or by someone elses. I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised, and I am saved from my enemies. (v.3). Once you begin to call on the Lord for help, you will start to know in your own personal experience the same thing that David knew to be true and wrote down for us in the psalm. Listen on Spotify. Jesus knew that great people continuously acknowledge their need for Him through all kinds of prayer. Now its very interesting that Jesus may be alluding to this very Psalm or to the substance of it in His high priestly prayer. When troubles come, help us to preach Yourself to us. Psalm 28:7 - The Lord is my strength and my shield; in him my heart trusts, and I am helped; my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to him. 4 Behold, God is my helper; the Lord is the sustainer of my soul. And, thirdly, it teaches us that we are to praise God gladly for who He is and what He does. Matthew 14:22- 33 recounts the story of Jesus instructing his disciples to get into a boat heading to the other side. Heart, believe this, because his heart is having a hard time believing it. O Lord, my God, help me to trust you with my decisions and my future. read more, Scripture: Think about that for a minute: God has made a promise to David to spare him from his enemies. I said, The first question for Bible study is to ask, What does this passage teach me about my God? The second question is, What does this passage teach me about Gods plan of redemption? And the third question is, How am I to respond personally to the truth set forth in this passage? Well, I dont know whether thats the best answer to a really good question that she asked, but it did strike me as I was reading this passage today that thats exactly what David does. He brought me out into a broad place; he rescued me, because he delighted in me. (v.19). Lets examine these people to see how we can helpful to the Lords work. The goal for us at this point, as we come to the Word of God, is to consider the glory of our Savior, and so I want you to turn to the second chapter of Hebrews, the second chapter of Hebrews. God moves even in the enemies of His people in order to spare the king of His people from His people that He might reign over His people. " Better Together," "The Two of Us," "The Dating (single, married) Life" are the customary themes. Its the crucible of Christian hope, beating out its imperfections and smelting it into something more beautiful and pure. If you just ask the one who has brought you through to help you to hold on just a little while longer. And here, David is taking confidence in Gods person and power. Psalm 23:1-6 ESV / 67 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful. David wouldnt have been surprised at all at an Edomite turning him in, but it would have been particularly acute to Davids heart to be turned in by a group of people that he had risked his own life to help liberate from the hands of the oppressors of his people, the external nation of the Philistines. In Psalm 107:2-3, that request has been answered. Isaiah 41:10-13 Trust in theLordwith all your heart,anddo not lean on your own understanding. When you call on him, not only will he rescue you, he will give you what you really need. Dont let yourself think that he doesnt care about you. Instead they look disapprovingly at any believer who would question the necessity of Gods difficult providences. On the morning of the infamous march, a drill instructor spoke to the soldiers. When he went up against Saul and his army, he was in great distress and fear for his life. For ever, O LORD, thy word is settled in heaven. Now just keep that in the back of your mind. Instead, it is the condition of our heart. He goes on in verse 5 and he says, He will recompense the evil to my foes. Hes continuing to reflect on the character of God, and hes reminding himself that God Himself is the One who is going to recompense evildoers. Psalms Book 2: Lord, Help Me. In Psalm 52 David had gone to the priest at Nob and had been given a weapon and had been given food for himself and for his men, and then Saul had slaughtered the priests of Nob.