When God Seems Far Away (Through the Psalms) Psalm 61

Welcome to through the song a weekend ministry of the truthful overtime will study all 150 songs with pastor Don Greene from Cruz Community Church in Cincinnati, Ohio were glad you're with us is over the Psalms.

Now, as we join our teacher in the truthful. We love the Psalms in part because they give voice to our distress in times of weakness. Many of the Psalms. Do that and Psalms 61 is certainly in that same genre. Let's read it together for all read it as you listen along might be a better and more accurate way to say it. Psalms 61. The inscription reads for the choir director on a stringed instrument, a Psalm of David. Perhaps a song to be sung as opposed to simply read in its original day in verse one here my cryo- God, give heed to my prayer from the end of the earth. I call to you in my heart is faint, lead me to the rock that is higher than I for you have been a refuge to me. A tower of strength against the enemy. Let me dwell in your tent forever. Let me take refuge in the shelter of your wings selloff for you have heard my vows, oh God, you have given me the inheritance of those who fear your name, you will prolong the king's life, his years will be as many generations, he will abide before God forever appoint lovingkindness and truth, that they may preserve him so I will sing praise to your name forever that I may pay my vows day by day will hear in Psalm 61 David finds hope in God and in his enduring promises and there is no historical setting that is given for this song. Many commentators believe that perhaps David wrote it when he was fleeing from his son Absalom. During that time of distress in his life. Whatever the setting is the key for understanding this Psalm is that David was feeling alone and alienated. He felt as though God was far away and so as we come to Psalm 61 we we can ask ourselves what do we do when God seems far away are times like that in the lives of believers is not a universal experience, but certainly those who have been dislocated by job transfers or new situations in education or death of a loved one's things like that leave you without your comfortable sense of supporting the things that are familiar that have always informed and given you a sense of direction as you follow God.

What about when those times are taken away when those things are no longer present. David was in that situation, as he wrote Psalm 61 and were going to see how he responded to it here this evening together will start out with his call for help. Point number one if you're taking notes David's call for help and he opens with a call to God to answer his prayers.

Look at verse one with me.

He says here my cryo- God and then as though it were an echo. Give heed to my prayer and so weak he calls on God at the opening of the song to say God hear me.

I need your attention. I need you to listen to what I have to say here and as you go on in the song you find that the seeking divine protection in a time of weakness.

Look at verse two, he says from the end of the earth.

I call to you when my heart is faint, lead me to the rock that is higher than I and there in verse two, you get a sense of what the condition of his heart isn't maybe a sense also of what his circumstances were, somehow, either literally or simply metaphorically maybe a combination of both.

David was it seems as though he was separated from Jerusalem and separated from the established place of worship and so is perhaps in a foreign land, leading a military battle or something like that.

It's as though he was.

He was far away from that which he loved and treasured the most.

It's ER and I'm calling to you from the ends of the earth.

He says and he says that my heart is faint and so David is weary and is at the point of despair as he opens this prayer and you get a sense of get a sense that he feels distant from God, and yet even when God seems far away.

David knew that he could call on. That's one of the sweetest things to take from the song right from the beginning is that when you have that sense of distance.

Your alone may be been transferred your way from family or away from your church or away from your fellow believers are baby or new believer and and your family won't have you anymore. What then, and in a human horizontal level you're all alone will. How sweet is it to see David calling to God with a sense of confidence that God will hear his prayer in that time of distress and so he says there in verse to look at the end of it with me.

He says lead me to the rock that is higher than I and here is one of the hardest things for us to kind of grasp and to embrace believe we all love the sense of being self-sufficient. We like to be independent. We like to have a sense that you know we kind of have things under control, but life is it always like that.

Is it and David was in a situation where the things that he wanted in the things they needed were outside of his control. He wasn't able to make it happen on his own and so he asks God he says lead me to the rock that is higher than I the rock being a place of refuge or place of safety. Picture a cliff that is high above the valley where enemy forces are your up on this cliff and you're protected by the physical distance and the in the place of safety. Is there. David says I can't get there on my own.

What I need God. I am not able to provide on my own and so with humility and with a sense of dependence. He comes to God and he says God take me and lead me to a rock that is higher than I where I need to go is too far away for me to reach what what would comfort my soul is beyond my circumstances to accomplish the beloved one of the one of the keys to true spiritual growth.

I believe, is coming to recognize what David is presupposing here and that is is that you cannot always control your circumstances, you're not always in a position to be able to change that which would make things more comfortable for you. You cannot be the instrument of your own deliverance. You cannot be the source of your own safety. Your two week you're too vulnerable you're too impotent to do that and blood… Kinda step back here for a moment and stop for a moment and realize that isn't it true that when you truly came to Christ were to all of those principles in play at the moment of your conversion isn't conversion simply a statement. God, I realize that I'm in a place of danger and alienation from you. I am under judgment. I am a guilty sinner before a holy God and isn't the isn't the principle that is it working conversion is an understatement. God, you must deliver me because I cannot deliver myself.

God I need you to show mercy to me that I cannot earn with the works of my own hands.

This principle of helplessness and dependence is woven into the very beginning of the Christian life. It's it's at the heart of conversion that that God I I have to come to you as a beggar I come to you as a sinner separated from you and unable to save myself. No one is a Christian who doesn't know something about appealing to God in that in that desperate humility and dependence that he would have mercy on you because you know that you can't do anything to save yourself. What you see in Psalm 61 is just a carryover that that that the things that animate that initial moment of conversion is the same thing that animates us later in spiritual life.

When we find ourselves weak and separated and isolated and you come back.

It brings you back to not to be saved again, but it brings you back to that that start position of dependence that says God I need your help and I am relying on you because I cannot do anything with power my own hands. You need help. That is beyond yourself. You need God to lead you and those who would advance in spiritual life.

Those who would grow in their sanctification are those who will embrace that principle in humility rather than resist it in in pride say I don't want to confess my weakness well then. Now don't be surprised if God doesn't humbly further until you do. Point is for us to recognize our dependence on God and to live in a trusting sense of of of committal to him. And yes, it humbles you, but it promotes your spiritual growth. What you find in Psalm 61 is David, as we will see is David growing ever closer in and in increasing degrees of intimacy as he feels to God will beloved you in the sense you gonna have to make a choice about what you want and what you will embrace in life and when the humble circumstances, and you're not the tower strength that you once thought you were that others thought you were in your humble danger, reduced then in embrace that and enter into the spirit of Psalm 61 because that is what will promote your spiritual growth. No one grow spiritually, who has a sense of self-sufficiency that is animating their life so we have to put that pride aside was you continue in the Psalm ultimately what you're going to see is that what David ultimately has in mind for for what his rock is it's it's God himself. God himself is the rock that he wants him to lead David to the same God lead me to yourself as we'll see in verses three and four as David appeals in and states the basis for why he is praying and and his expectation for God's answer. Look at verses three and four with me lead me to the rock that is higher than I for any goes on and he explains the basis of his prayer. Here in verses three and four, he says, for you have been a refuge for me. A tower of strength against the enemy. Let me dwell in your tent forever. Let me take refuge in the shelter of your wings several different things are going on in these two verses that are all very sweet and very and very enriching for our first spiritualize for hearts to feed on. First of all, David is saying is he as he says God lead me to the rock that is higher than I is as he states that is his prayer. Here I am faint, distant. You seem so far away.

God lead me to the rock that is higher than I and then he says for any goes in need. He unfolds the basis of of his prayer. First of all he he says God you've been like this to me in the past you've been a refuge to me in the past and therefore based on the based on the reality that the you've already dealt with me in this manner. In the past I have a confident expectation as I pray that you will do that again in the future. God, I'm just asking you to do what you've already done for me in the past am not asking for anything new, of course, you will answer this prayer.

Of course I prevail upon you to do that which you've already shown yourself willing to do. That's wonderful, isn't it. Doesn't that strengthen your sense of approaching God in prayer. Can't you step back in your own spiritual life and realize there been times where God has strengthened you and help you when there was no way that you could help yourself. Isn't that true is that true when youth you had loved ones on the brink of death and said God help my loved one. And God answered and and now you find yourself in a position of blessing once again. Isn't that a sweet place to be, well, as you grow and multiply those experiences over the course of your life. They become the grounds upon which you said God help me again.

Do what you did in the past. Do it for me again there's that growing sense of intimacy and trust that comes and starts to break the eye isolation when God seems far away say no I remember, this is I've been in this position before God help me, then he'll help me again. David is reasoning with God in that sense and uses for metaphors in these two verses and these are very interesting to us to look at and to watch look at look at these four metaphors. These word pictures of what he is asking for from God.

He says in verse three. You've been a refuge for me in the second half of verse three a tower of strength, a refuge, a tower verse four. He says let me dwell in your tent forever. At the end of verse four. Let me take refuge in the shelter of your wings. Look at these metaphors because a really key to the core.

The Psalm here refuge tower strength a tent and wings what each of these pictures is doing is they are showing confidence in his God they are, they are showing they they are picturing the way he is viewing the protective hand of God on his life there there pictures to explain a greater principle and invisible principle of what he wants God to be like to end and watch this with each of these metaphors, they become increasingly personal.

Along the way. This is one of that. This is one of the highlights of Psalm 61, at least in my judgment, these metaphors are increasingly personal thing about refuge being like a high rock, a high rugged rock where your your safe from the enemy, but you're still kind of out and exposed, but at least your safe go on to the next metaphor that tower strength. That was the place of protection in a fortress on the city wall so your within the walls are within the protection of the city.

Now closer than you were on the refuge on the high rock closer and more intimate with perhaps the people of God. There, but it goes more from there he goes to to the tent, perhaps even referring to the very tabernacle in the wilderness where the presence of God was made known before the temple was built. So from the rock to the fortress to the tent and then to the most intimate place it all look look at the end of verse four. Here he says let me take refuge in in the shelter of your wings picturing the protective presence that young birds take under their caring mother where they are close where the mother is safe and there is that warmth and intimacy right under the wings of mother herself well David is saying God, where I ultimately want to be. I want to be in that place of close, intimate fellowship with you where there is nothing between you and me. Where there is where there is no separation where as it were.

I am I am right on your chest, even as the disciple John leaned his head onto the chest of Jesus at the Last Supper that close intimacy. So from a high rock to a city tower to attentive dwelling to the most intimate place.

David is saying God. What I want you to do. I want you to leave me right next to yourself. You seem far away right now. God I want you to step by step-by-step bring me into that place of intimacy that we once enjoyed and he says that's what I'm after here is not so much, not so much protection from the enemy that is visible here in Psalm 61 but it's that earnest desire for the intimate fellowship with his God, and so beloved. Let's step back and just be a little bit personal here this evening.

Does God seem far away to you as you sit here tonight. Did you come in estranged with sensitive so many problems that are just weighing down upon me so many different things that I'm thinking about and God seems like he's a million miles away will. How sweet to see in Scripture itself, a God inspired words through the pen of David telling you this is the way back to intimacy and rather than trying to fix all of your problems are weighing down on your mind set those aside and just say hot I can't fix this I I am not able to solve the problems that I face. And here I am in my weakness. I pray that you would take me and that she would lead me right into the center core of fellowship with you and to realize that in Psalm 61 you see the evidence of God delights to answer that prayer and so beloved in those times. Stir yourself up to face. Don't collapse in your weakness. Don't melt under the weight or under the heat of the you would kinda collapse under the weight of something you would melt under the heat of your trials. Try to keep my own metaphor straight here. Don't just melt there, stir yourself up and said God lead me, help me. I trust in you. I need you to lead me ever closer to you because I don't want to stay in this place. You seem so far away now he ends this first section of four verses with the word cell law word that's designed to have a stop and pause and meditate on it to recognize that to recognize that this is what God is like that God receives prayers of of tender bruised hearts in response to them with positive, loving, gracious answers. That's who God is, were supposed to stop and reflect on that that God is not a God who chastises us for the sense of distance is not a God who repudiates the prayers because we are weak, is precisely on the basis of our weakness that he receives us is precisely when the patient says I am sick that the doctor comes to heal. Jesus said, you know those orders. Those that are well don't need a physician come not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. This is the whole principle on which God receives us. He told Paul he said my strength is perfected in your weakness. Paul said that I'm content to be weak. If only the power of God would be perfected in me. In my weakness, and so it turns all of our normal human thinking on its head that when we are weak, then we are strong. And that's when we are weak that we call out to God in a way that he is pleased to answer. That's an encouragement for us to come to them and encouragement to trust him now as you move on into the second half of the song you find call of confidence a call of confidence now, having prayed this way saying God lead me to the rock that is higher than I leave me all of the way into progressive steps of close intimacy with you now what you find in the second half of the Psalm is is David's confidence that God will indeed honor his prayer and his commitment. Look at verse five says for because God I'm confident that you will let me take refuge in the shelter of your wings because you have heard my vows of God and you have given me the inheritance of those who fear your name and what you find here is David's confidence was was rooted in God's promises God had made a covenant with David back in second Samuel chapter 7, to give David life and to give David an enduring kingdom.

A dynasty that would flow from his through his descendents and and that there would be men to sit on his throne look over at second Samuel with me for a moment. Second Samuel chapter 7. One of the truly key chapters in all of the Bible. Second Samuel chapter 7 you'll find in verse 16 we won't go through all that we could say about this chapter, just a just a representative text from this chapter and verse 16. God is speaking to David and says your house and your kingdom shall endure before me forever. Your throne shall be established forever, and David goes on in. David responds in verse 18 says David, the king went in and sat before the Lord, and he said, who a mile Lord God and what is my house that you've brought me this far and yet this was insignificant in your eyes. Oh Lord God, for you have spoken.

Also the house of your servant concerning the distant future. David realize that these promises. In this covenant that God made with him in second Samuel seven is not simply about David but it was about his descendents in this would extend long into the future. This was to be an enduring covenant and it's that promise, that is the basis of David's appeal as we turn back to Psalm 61 Psalm 61 go back to verse five with me. He says you have heard my vows, oh God, you have given me the inheritance of those who fear your name. He says God you have made promises to me. You made promises to the nation Israel.

You've promised us a land and you promised us a blessing and you've promised spiritual prosperity in this land, and when we are faithful to you and it is that promise, that is the basis of David's appeal.

Here's the key.

Here's the key for you and me as were processing how we apply this to our lives. Notice he says God you've given this to me. He's appealing to God. Based on things that God has done and things that God has said and he says God I know that you have heard my vows, you know of my commitment to serve and follow you well what he is saying here is, is God. I'm not appealing to my own merit.

I'm appealing to what you have done. I am appealing to what you have given you've given us this inheritance. You've given us that in order to bless us and you've given that to me and so he's not appealing to any sense of self-righteousness as he prays this way, his confidence is rooted in anything in himself, as though he somehow deserve God's protection rather he is confident watch this he is confident that God will align David's life and David's circumstances so that they will ultimately be consistent with the promises that is made in the past.

Now how do you take that and think through that and apply it in your own thinking.

When and it's it's so easy to fall into self-pity and self-justification. Isn't it God I don't deserve this and why me and why am I suffering this way, which embedded in implied in statements like this is is that I'm good enough that I should be suffering like that. That's a wrong way for us to think it's the wrong way for us to to respond to God and it's not the basis on which we we approach him. Rather, rather, all this is so important. It is so important for you to come back into premise your appeals to God in your prayers to God.

Based on what he has promised and what he has what he is said about himself and the mercy that is shown to you in Christ and to premise it in that rather than simply saying God get me out of this trouble because I don't like it, so that your mind is thinking in your your words are rehearsing promises of God. For example, turn to Romans chapter 8 Romans chapter 8 when God seems far away. Well, let your mind go to Romans chapter 8 and and speak truth to yourself. Refer Scripture to yourself, and rebuke your weakened and un-believing heart with Scripture's and your heart will respond to the word of God. The apostle Paul said in verse 38 of Romans chapter 8. I am convinced that neither death nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing will be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. So you reason like this you pray like this you think like this. What I'm about to say, God, God, you sent Christ to save me and you have in fact saved me and that means that you have saved me forever and the love of Christ is eternal.

The love of Christ is prominent. It has to be that way because Jesus Christ is the same yesterday today and forever the way that you have blessed me in the past. So God is the way that you will bless me in the future and not based on any merit of my own, but based on what you have done for me in Christ, oh God, there is nothing that could possibly separate me from you and so God I pray that in this time of weakness in this time were you seem far away, I pray that you would gather me up and lead me back into the state of mind where my mind rests in the eternal security that belongs to the believer in Christ God, keep me there strength in my heart that I might live and believe in light of what you've actually done for me that is the way that we respond when God seems distant, you go back to the word you go back to the promises you go back to what God is actually accomplished for you in Christ and you return to first principles and say I'm going to reevaluate everything and when I turn my attention back to these first things that that that are true about Christians and let my heart rest and those in and trust God and ask God to bring me back into the spiritual reality of these things, which is much different than saying I don't like this.

I don't want to be here. I don't deserve this. We don't reason that way. As believers we go straight to the promises of God and reason from them and let those shape the way that we think and respond well with those things in mind.

Go back to Psalm 61 now Psalm 61 and David in verse six switches to the third person as he continues to pray. Remember that as a king. He had a representative capacity for the nation wasn't simply about David is an individual. David is a is an individual man. But as the Kings the well-being of the nation was tied up in his own well-being as well because of that representative capacity has and so he prays in the third person from that perspective.

And he says in verse six making statements of confidence.

He says you will prolong the king's life, his years will be as many generations, he will abide before God forever. You hear the echoes of the Davidic covenant there don't you you he will abide before God forever appoint lovingkindness and truth, that they may preserve him. Now there are two aspects to David's prayer here in the immediate situation. He is expressing confidence that God will preserve his own life as the king of Israel what you want to see and what we need to see and draw out of this is that David is looking further than his own well-being. He's looking further than his own deliverance he is expressing confidence that God will will preserve his line preserve his dynasty for many generations. This is no superficial prayer that says God get me out of my immediate problem. David has in mind the fact that God had promised a dynasty to come through and come from his loins that would endure forever. Ultimately, then David's prayer here in verses six and seven are answered and no one less than the Lord Jesus Christ. Because Christ is the one who will abide before God forever. Christ is the one who is the ultimate David Christ is the one who will dwell and sit on the throne of David in his millennial kingdom.

So David is expressing confidence not only for the immediate situation before the long-distance future as he prays here is praying that God would preserve that dynasty that would ultimately culminate in the Lord Jesus Christ.

So David says there at the end of verse seven. Look at it with me appoint lovingkindness and truth, that they may preserve him.

David is certain now. Notice how he is gone from a a call, a cry for help to the statements of confidence.

Now he sure that God will do this because God is a God of loyal love and truth, and he's made promises, and he will keep them all beloved that is what frames your entire approach to life is a Christian. This frames everything else. This is the first principle that determines the way that you process everything about life you think this way Christ has come to save me. He accomplished my redemption on the cross.

I now belong to him. The Holy Spirit dwells within me and the Holy Spirit is is the guarantee of future things yet to come. The guarantee the down payment that assures us that there is more to come. Therefore, you say therefore you reason with yourself because these things are true, then therefore I cannot possibly be meeting my end. In these present circumstances, no matter how stark, no matter how desperate, no matter how hopeless it appears from a human perspective, that's not the perspective that governs my heart that is not the perspective that governs the way I interpret what happens to me you step back from the circumstances.

You remember the things revealed to us in God's precious word about your salvation and you say to that is what determines my ultimate future. What determines my ultimate future is not the next doctor's report is not what happens in the in the midst of this very serious and heavy trial know there is something transcendent that his work in my life and that is what I draw my confidence from it's not that the circumstances will necessarily change but that I am in the hand of Christ, and no one can pluck me out of his hand and that is why were confident even when God seems far away, even when the circumstances are difficult. See, as Christians, we are in a blessed position that would be the envy of non-Christians if they only understood we are not at the mercy of our circumstances like they are our happiness, our security, our well-being is not rooted in what happens around us is rooted in things that are eternal and unchanging is rooted in a God who loves us and is given himself up for us, it's rooted in is rooted in the certainty of his promises that he will finish what he's begun in us and so that leaves us in a blessed position of peace that David expresses in verse eight with renewed faith. David pledges his future obedience and worship. He says in verse eight, so from this position of confidence. I will sing praise to your name forever that I may pay my vows day by day the vowels showed that David was praying with a conscious commitment to obedience.

The praise shows the David's prayers were not rooted in selfishness he desired deliverance.

Watch this he desired deliverance so they could serve God according to God's desires. The David would have the desire of his heart by being able to praise and to serve God with the life. The God given in adversity.

The adversity of this time in his life did not kill David. He was not the end of him. Rather, it brought forth a greater sense of perspective on the love for God a deeper awareness of his promises and a renewed commitment to trust him and you know what beloved your present adversity by the grace of God is not gonna kill you either. It's not going to be the end of you.

Nothing is going to be the end of you when you belong to Christ, nothing is going to separate you from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus your Lord. Nothing is nothing is going to somehow put you in a position where your soul is lost in all that you held precious was somehow slip through your fingers. In the end that is just not the way that God deals with us.

Get out is not the way the God deals with you. God deals with you in perfect faithfulness. God deals with you in in a selfless generosity that was shown at the cross, God deals with you and in a perfect faithfulness and though you walk through the valley of the shadow of death in the language of David elsewhere in Psalm 23 you say to yourself I fear no evil for you are with me that is the confidence that we have is those who belong to this great God now with those things said, let let me just give you four quick takeaways from Psalm 61 to 2 applied to your own heart and life notice kinda be an echo of things that I've already said that sometimes you know the truth of the matter is, the longer that I preach, the simpler I want things to be that the simpler I try to be the more direct and clear. I try to be because sometimes it's just the simplest things we need to hear to to strengthen us and to help us all these things are very simple, but perhaps of the point.

The very point at which we often fail first take away and in times of weakness call on God call on him, God, hear my prayer, hear my cry will God give heed to my prayer and and especially all beloved. Remember this song in particular, remember Psalm 61 when your the means of support that you have always relied on her suddenly taken away from you a new job entering into college moving away into a new city and extended illness where your strength is gone.

The death of the spouse death of the child sickness of the child that you can't fix in all of those things beloved come back to Psalm 61, and in the midst of what seems to be a crisis and and the circumstances are spinning out of control go back to Psalm 61 and call on God and say God I am calling to you.

It's like I'm at the ends of the earth use. It seems so far away and I am alone in my heart is fainting here. My heart is weak here. Oh God, God in light of that, in light of what you've done in Psalm 61, in light of what you've done in Christ God please come and take my hand and lead me closer to yourself. All of my human friends. All of my human loved ones may be gone but God you're not, you're still here and therefore I rest my hope in an beloved, even in those times of isolation, you can turn to God in confidence that he will respond to you with his love, wisdom and power that he won't abandon you in perpetuity to the present isolation that you're feeling this is a wonderful truth to lay hold of. Secondly, as you call on God, remember his promises.

Remember his promises and weakness say okay I'm feeling weak hear what I gonna do a little: cut is what I want to do is you call on God say I'm going to remember his promises on the remember what he said to me. David prayed with confidence as he remember the promises of God to them as remember the past times a God had delivered him well then you do the same thing as your praying in the midst of your weakness. You say no. I remember Philippians 16, God said that he who began a good work and you will perfected until the day of Christ Jesus, we know what that means and I know that I belong to Christ. That means that he's going to perfect me over the long term, even though today is a bad day.

Even though this period of life is very difficult. God is at work perfecting me in accomplishing the fullness of the reason for which he saved me and therefore I'm not alone.

Therefore, this isn't the end of me. So you remember promises like that beloved in those times of weakness. Your dependence and your vulnerability is real, but you do not need to panic. In fact, you should not panic. You should not let yourself panic because your God reigns your God has offered his son on the cross to save your soul, your God has promised to bring you safe into heaven in the end, there is no need for panic here in one of the ways that you manifest spiritual growth. Spiritual maturity. One of the surest ways that you can be an effective witness for Christ is to be calm in a crisis that would make others collapse.

Thirdly, as you call on God renew your commitment, faithfulness is what David did. David said in in verse eight of all pay my vows day by day.

He not only can you not only was asking for help.

He committed himself to obedience and so you're mindful of so many things you say I am weak.

Therefore, when a call on my God I'm not going to call on him in an ignorance. I'm going to inform my prayers by the promises that he's given to me and as I think about the goodness of God in my life. What I'm going to do is is I'm going to let this time of isolation strengthen my commitment to be faithful to my God, rather than letting it become a source of disobedience or distrust not be save yourself and become all the more committed to faithfulness in this time of isolation, beloved a willing and trusting heart like that is positioned for God's future blessing and finally tonight if you're not a Christian Psalm 61 applies to you to.

In the simplest of ways to keep coming back to the simple things just come back to the simplest of things.

If you're not a Christian, you need to become one but you can't do it in your own strength.

What Psalm 61 teaches you is this. It said it teaches you to pray God. I know I am not saved. I know I am still a center separated from you, God, I just pray that you would take me and lead me to Christ by the power of your Holy Spirit lead me to him.

God's eye.

As I open your word. I pray that you would you would lead me to the Scriptures.

It would awaken my dead heart and open and illumine my darkened mind so that I could understand and come to Christ. God do that for me.

Seek the rock that is higher than you are. Don't be content to live in your sin, don't be content to to live in the in the obvious depravity of your own heart, but Psalm 61 awaken you to the sentences cut. I need out here and I can't do it on my own.

I'm lost.

I can't find my way. Oh God lead me to the rock that is higher than I am.

Oh God lead me to the rock who is Jesus Christ. And as you do that God will be faithful to God will answer that prayer. Why, because that's the kind of God that he is spelled together in prayer. Father would love to be on top of the world. And on top of our circumstances, but so often life's not like that, people, circumstances, health, don't cooperate with our desire to be on the top of the hill, the king of the hill we find ourselves weak and desperate and unable to deliver ourselves. The circumstances of spun out of control in a way that we cannot fix the unsettling Lord for us. When those things happen. It's that way for many in the room tonight. Father, we know each other. We know these things about each other and so in simple dependence after an exposition of your word father which shows us that you are more than willing to you're more willing to help us and we are to ask Lord, we pray that you would take our weak and weary hands and lead us to the rock that is higher than I lead us to the rock that is higher than we are.

Leaders indeed owe God to yourself.

Let the difficult earthly circumstances be the classroom in which you teach us to find our complete satisfaction in Christ alone and father bring us as it were, to the very intimacy of of your side under the very wings of God's word, knowing that you care for us that your provision and protection for us is absolutely perfect, and that in a supernatural way that goes contrary to outward circumstances. Father, we would be at peace in the midst of the storm.

Pray that for each one here father.

Pray that for those who are listening over the live stream or hearing these things later on father when the when our bodies fail us.

When relationships fall short of what we had hoped father when our own spiritual commitments proved to be inadequate father. In those times of weakness and distance so it would seem hear our cry and lead us to the rock that is higher than I let us flee to our refuge, our Lord Jesus Christ. Father, where we will always find a loving reception faithful year.

The help for which we need an eternal perspective that will guide us as bless each one now as we close these things to you in the name of Christ. Well, my friend. Thank you for joining us on through the Psalms you know if you're enjoying this podcast I think you would love to join our church on our lifestream on Sunday mornings at 9 AM Eastern or 7 PM Tuesday evening. Also, Eastern time. You can find that lifestream link@truthcommunitychurch.org again our lifestream link is found@truthcommunityto.org we hope to see you there God? Thanks, Don and Fred.

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