In the Midst of the Storms…..
Passage:
Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me, for in you my soul takes refuge: in the shadow of your wings I will take refuge, till the storms of destruction pass by. I cry out to God Most High, to God who fulfills his purpose for me. He will send from heaven and save me; he will put to shame him who tramples on me. God will send out his steadfast love and his faithfulness! My soul is in the midst of lions; I lie down amid fiery beasts–the children of man, whose teeth are spears and arrows, whose tongues are sharp swords. Be exalted, O God, above the heavens! Let your glory be over all the earth! They set a net for my steps; my soul was bowed down. They dug a pit in my way, but they have fallen into it themselves. My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast! I will sing and make melody! Awake, my glory! Awake O harp and lyre! I will awake the dawn! I will give thanks to you, O Lord, among the peoples; I will sing praises to you among the nations. For your steadfast love is great to the heavens, your faithfulness to the clouds. Be exalted, O God, above the heavens! Let your glory be over all the earth.” (Psalm 57:1-11)
Prayer:
- This song – is tied to one of the lowest, darkest moments in David’s life.
This song was birthed at a time in David’s life where it felt like all control – all peace – all security – was stripped from his grasp.
In this passage – we are going to see three key things through David’s example – of what to do in the storms –
- Cry out to God in the storm (v. 1-3)
- Be honest with God in the storm (v. 4-6)
- Worship God in the storm (v. 7-11)
Cry Out to God in the Storm:
Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me, for in you my soul takes refuge: in the shadow of your wings I will take refuge, till the storms of destruction pass by.
The first thing that we see happen here in the text is that David cries out to God in the midst of the storm –
- He says – GOD RESCUE ME! Help!
how many of you have had those times in your life where when you turn to God in prayer – and the first and only words on your lips are “help?” that’s where David is –
- and what is so interesting to me – is when he cries out for help he in a sense pushes all the chips in – he says – it is in you where I find refuge – and if you don’t show up i’m toast –
- rather than grasping at control in the storm – he surrenders control in the storm
I cry out to God Most High, to God who fulfills his purpose for me. He will send from heaven and save me; he will put to shame him who tramples on me. (SELAH) God will send out his steadfast love and his faithfulness!
If you are a believer in this room – no matter what has happened in your life – There are promises that apply to you –
- the will never leave you or forsake you (Heb. 13)
- there is no condemnation (Rom 8)
- Nothing can separate you from his love (Rom. 8 )
- He is near to the brokenhearted (ps. 34) and will draw near when you draw near (Ja 4:8)
that even though you don’t understand right now – all things work together for good for those who love God and are called to his purpose (Rom. 8:28).
- We can cry out to God in the midst of the storm – because despite our changing circumstances – he stays consistent in the storm –
But David doesn’t only cry out to God in the storm – he is also Honest with God in the storm – look at your text –
Be Honest with God in the Storm:
My soul is in the midst of lions; I lie down amid fiery beasts–the children of man, whose teeth are spears and arrows, whose tongues are sharp swords.
Hebrews says, “Since we have a great high priest – Jesus – Let us with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”
He’s not afraid of your anger – or your doubt – he’s not perplexed by your anxiety or your depression – he longs for you to be honest – to bring every broken expectation – every bit of mistrust. – and lay it at his feet
But I love what David does here with his honesty – not only is he honest with himself and God bout the size of his problems – he honest to himself and God about how big God is.
Be exalted, O God, above the heavens! Let your glory be over all the earth! They set a net for my steps; my soul was bowed down. They dug a pit in my way, but they have fallen into it themselves.
Worship God in the Storm:
My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast! I will sing and make melody! Awake, my glory! Awake O harp and lyre! I will awake the dawn! I will give thanks to you, O Lord, among the peoples; I will sing praises to you among the nations. For your steadfast love is great to the heavens, your faithfulness to the clouds. Be exalted, O God, above the heavens! Let your glory be over all the earth.”
- Hear we see a powerful statement from David – we see a commitment in the midst of the hardest thing he had gone through at this point in his life – He says God, I choose to worship – I choose to lift you high
Closing:
So church if you are in the storm this morning
- cry out to him in the storm
- be honest with him in the storm
- worship him in the storm