Psalm 43:1-5
O, DELIVER ME
Intro: There is a question that men ask when the trials and storms of life
gather. Often you will hear them ask, "Why do bad things happen to
good people." Has this question ever plagued your mind? Of course it has!
We all want to know why the bad things in life happen to good people we
know, or even to good people like ourselves. One day, a woman asked
R.C. Sproul that particular question and his answer to her was a classic. Dr.
Sproul said this, "I don't know, I haven't met any good people." His
answer was designed to accomplish two purposes. First, it was designed
to remind the lady that we are all sinners. None of us a really good people!
Secondly, he wanted her to understand that no one is immune from trouble.
This second truth is driven home in the Psalm we have before us this
evening.
There is some debate as to who penned this particular Psalm. Some
have suggested that it was David when he was fleeing from the revolt of his
son Absalom. Others have suggested that it was king Hezekiah when
Jerusalem was under attack from the Assyrians. Regardless of whether or
not either of these is true, it would seem that the author of this Psalm is
going through a time of stress, personal attack and inner turmoil. His life
has brought him face to face with circumstances that are out of his control
and they have brought pain and confusion to his heart.
The fact is, we have all faced times in our lives when we were embroiled
in turmoil, pain and heartache. Those are the times of life that define us as
believers and confirm or deny our testimony concerning our faith in and love
for Jesus Christ.
As we read this Psalm, it becomes quickly evident that the Psalmist is
a broken man. Yet, he clings to his faith in God as a man thrown overboard
into the ocean clings to a life preserver. As this man lifts his prayer to the
Lord, he cries out in his despair, "O, Deliver Me!" I want to look at this
man's prayer for deliverance from his troubles. I want us to see both the
depth of his pain and the height of his faith in the Lord. We need this
because there are times when we all cry out to the Lord "O, Deliver Me!"
This Psalm offers us some reasons for encouragement in the midst of our
troubles.
I. V. 1-3 THE BELIEVER'S CRY
(Ill. From the outset of this Psalm, we are introduced to a man who is in
touch with the Lord of Heaven. If there was ever a reason to rejoice is
difficulty it lies in the fact that we have access to God. And in Him, we
find all the help we need to weather the storms of life. Let's take a
closer look at the prayer this man voiced.)
A. V. 1-2 A Cry For Liberty - The Psalmist feels trapped by his
circumstances and he cries out to God for deliverance. Do you ever
feel trapped? I sure do sometimes, but I am thankful that our God
is the Great Liberator! Notice what he wanted to be delivered from.
1. From The Slander Of Men - Evidently, the Psalmist has been
attacked by others. He feels that he has been done wrong and
he has been hurt by the words and actions of others. He pleads
for God to get involved and to vindicate him before his enemies.
(Note: Just so you know, everyone gets done wrong from time
to time. When that happens what are we to do? We are to
leave all judgment in the matter up to the Lord, and refuse to
seek any sort of vengeance, Rom. 12:19. We are to forgive and
forget in the matter, Eph. 4:32. And, we are to love our
enemies, Matt. 5:43-48; Psa. 25:22.)
2. From The Silence Of God - Often in the troubles of life, it seems
that God is totally unconcerned about our situation. We pray
and nothing happens. We cry out to Him and there is no answer
to be heard. We suffer and still the pain remains. The Psalmist
wants the Lord to speak to him about the situation, but the Lord
remains silent. (Note: When these times come our way, we
need to remember that the Lord operates in ways that we cannot
comprehend, Isa. 55:8-9; that His timetable is not the same as
out timetable; and that when it seems He doesn't care He still
knows about our situation and He will act when the time is right, Mark 4:37-41. (Ill. The disciples accused His of "never" caring.
They, like us, has forgotten what kind of person they were
dealing with!) Another occasion when Jesus delayed His action
was during the sickness and death of Lazarus, John 11. When
He did move, He received more glory and performed and even
greater miracle.) God's silence in your life does not mean that
He does not care. It merely means that He has something even
greater and more glorious waiting on you than that for which you
are currently praying!)
3. From The Sorrow Of Heart - The Psalmist wanted to be
delivered from the sorrow of his own heart. His question could
be stated like this: "Why am I letting the actions of a few
godless people control my life?" That is a good question!
When we reach the place where our troubles and the negative
people and circumstances of life control our joy and steal our
peace, we need to ask our selves the same question! (Note:
Jesus promised us His peace and His joy, right? (Phil. 4:7;
John 14:27; Gal. 5:22) If that is true, and it is, then when we
allow the trials of life to take the wind out of our spiritual sails, we
have no one to blame but ourselves! No one can steal your joy,
you have to give it up all by yourself!)
(Note: This man knows where his strength lies, v. 2. He calls on
God because his circumstances are beyond his control. They are
situations that he cannot fix! Therefore, he calls on the name of the
Lord, knowing the God alone has the power to fix that which is
broken in life. Friends, the sooner we learn this truth the better off
we will be: You can't fix what is broken in your life! There's no
use in you worrying over it. There's no use in you letting is consume
and control your life. The best thing you can do is learn to bring it to
the Lord, stand in His strength and watch Him work it out for you!)
B. V. 3 A Cry For Leadership - The Psalmist knows that the path out
of the dreary forest he now inhabits will be found only if God leads
him back to the place of victory. Therefore, he asks the Lord to lead
him out of where he is and take him to where he should be. That is
a worthy prayer for us all to make this evening!
1. He Desires God's Word - He desires to be lead by truth and
light. These are references to the Word of God. The Psalmist
wants to hear the voice of God telling him what to do! (Note:
When you need direction and leadership in your life, look no
farther than the Bible. It is a book that holds the solutions to all
of life's riddles. We go wrong when we reject the clear teaching
of the book and look for another way into the place of the Lord's
blessings, Psalm 119:105; 119:89; Psa. 19:8; 2 Pet.1:19.)
2. He Desires God's Way - He vows to follow God's plan to the
place of victory in his life. (Note: Far too many people hear the
voice of God through His Word. They see the path illuminated
by His truth, yet they refuse to walk in His ways. This is a recipe
for disaster! Only by consistently seeking God's way from His
Word and by living in what His Word tells us, can we ever expect
God to lead us from the place of trouble to the realms of peace.
The writer of Psalm 119, said it this way, "Thy word have I hid
in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.", v. 11.)
3. He Desires God's Worship - The Psalmist longs to be in the place where he can worship the Lord. He wants to be in a place of blessedness. (Note: It is hard to worship when there is
trouble in your heart. It is hard to express the Joy of the Lord
when you are crushed under the burdens of life. However, if you
are seeking His path in His Word and walking in that path when
it is revealed to you, He will lead you the places of worship once
again! A great example of this is Psalm 73 where Asaph walked
through a valley of despair until he looked at things from God's
perspective. He was again restored to a place of worship!)
II. V. 4 THE BELIEVER'S COMMITMENT
(Ill. The Psalmist makes certain promises to the Lord. He says that
God's work in his life will be answered by God's worship from his life!)
A. He Promises To Offer Sacrifices - He vows that he will make his
way to the altar and offer a sacrifice. Notice what he says, "I will
go!" He does not refer to taking another sacrifice with him. Perhaps
he is promising to do what the Lord wants all His people to do: offer
themselves to Him as a living sacrifice, Rom. 12:1-2. (Note: Unlike
this man, we are not exiles from the altars of God. We have access
to the Lord at all times, Heb. 4:16. Therefore, let us not wait until
brighter days enter our lives to call upon Him. Let us determine this
evening, in the midst of our trials, that we will place all that we have
and are on the altar for the glory of God. He will always accept that
kind of gift!)
B. He Promises To Offer Songs - Now the Psalmist promises to
rejoice in the Lord. He vows to use his abilities to praise the name
of the Lord. (Note: We live in a time when praise has just about
gone out of style. People are either ashamed of the Lord, too
bashful to praise the Lord, too stubborn to praise the Lord, too sinful
to praise the Lord, too prideful to praise the Lord, or they do not
know the Lord! You and I may not have many abilities this evening.
There may not be much talent in our bodies, but there is one thing
we can all do: we can all open our mouths and give praise to the
Lord, Heb. 13:15; Psa. 22:3.) (Note: That is the purpose of our
testimony time! We are to praise His for what He has done and is
doing for us, His children. It isn't a time to complain, unburden your
heart or pass judgment on others. It is a time to give glory to the
Lord. If you can't stand up and humbly praise God for His grace in
saving you and His goodness in blessing you, then you should just
keep your seat! Nothing can close down a service and quench the
Spirit like a negative spirit during a testimony service!) (Note: Be
that as it may, when it is testimony time, God's people ought to be
jumping to their feet all over His house to give Him glory! Shame on
us when we can't even thank God for our salvation!)
III. V. 5 THE BELIEVER'S CONFIDENCE
(Ill. The Psalmist knows that the Lord is working on his behalf and he
knows that in the Lord's time, all troubles are going to fall by the way
side. He expresses his confidence in the Lord in two ways.)
A. A Personal Challenge - He asks his soul a question: "Since God
is in control of this thing, why are you so upset?" Then he tells
his soul the only prescription it needs for joy in the valleys of life:
"Hope in God! He has it all under control!" (Note: We might want
to ask our souls the very same question this evening! You see,
there is no room for overwhelming sadness and fear in the heart of
a believer! If there is really a God in Heaven, and if He is really our
Heavenly Father, what right do we have to worry about and get
upset over the difficulties of life? The answer is: we do not have a
right to fret over the trials. You see, worry says, "God is dead! Life
is hopeless and defeat is sure." Therefore, instead of letting worry
sap your strength, ruin your nights and shorten your life, take God
prescription for worry and let Him take care of your situations, Phil.
4:6-7. (Ill. Matt. 6:7-8; Matt. 6:25-34)
B. A Profound Certainty - Even though he is still in the dark valley, the
Psalmist knows that he will soon come out of that valley in victory.
How does he know this? It's very simple: He has his faith in God, Heb. 11:1! He knows that regardless of how bad it looks right now,
the Lord is going to bring him through it and out the other side. (Ill. Psa 23:4, "Yea, though I pass through the valley of the shadow
of death!" The disciples in the boat thought they were doomed in
the storm, Mark 4:35-41. But, in their terror, they forgot what He
said to them before they boarded the boat, "Let us pass over unto
the other side.", v. 35. That tiny bit of information made all the
difference in this situation! They weren't doomed to die in the storm,
they merely needed to learn to lean on the Lord by faith!) (Note: I
just want to remind you that whatever it may be that you are facing,
it will not last forever! Eventually, you will reach the end of that
valley and ultimately, you will reach the end of all valleys. We will
spend eternity in a place where the trials of life cannot find us ever
again, Rev. 21:4. But until then, we will face trials. We will face
valleys and we will go through hard times. Just remember, they did
not come to stay, they merely came to pass! (Ill. He says that God
is the "health of his countenance". The word "health" means
"salvation, or victory". The word "countenance" refers to "the
face". In other words, the Psalmist is saying "The Lord brings
victory to my face!" I've seen lots of faces that need the victory
brought to them! The idea here is one of drying away the tears and
replacing the frown with a smile! That is what the Lord does for His
children!)
Conc: Have you been guilty of allowing the trials, troubles and valleys of life
control you, steal your joy and ruin your life? If so, the secret to being free
from their power in your life lies in the truth the Psalmist has taught us this
evening. 1. Learn to take your burdens to the Lord. 2. Commit to living
your life according to His will and praise Him even if it kills you. 3. Rest in
the confidence that the valleys will soon be behind us forever.
There is help at His feet if there is a need this evening!
