A Psalm For a Dark Night - Part 1

Thanks everyone willingly. Both would almost give a donation to vision is what you return rates of loosing impact.

1125 Is Way generous with those who refresh of those supposedly refreshed. So if you fall regarding being generous and refreshing with a true cool drink all summer day with your text at all.how you use the free Christian media trials can blindside you all rise up from within you and I can be as personal as a regular trial impersonal as a drug pandemic 30.2 J marshes have draw from God's perspective can reveal the good that can come from from when your world falls apart is his message some dark real friends were going to jump into the Psalms because somebody told me a long time ago that if you look at somebody's Bibles been a Christian for a long time. You will find motor stains on the book of Psalms pages than any other place in the Bible you say why would I want to do that because that reminds you where you go when you're going through something that's really hard you go to the book of Psalms because there you find hope and help and encouragement and understanding because everything that we have experienced at all that were experiencing now was experienced by David and he wrote about him his journal, he reflected, honestly about how it was affecting his life and he gave us these wonderful truths that come to us only in the book of Psalms today to look at Psalms 71. So if you have your Bible close by. The Psalms are right in the center of your Bible as you open the Bible to the center, you will be in the book of Psalms and find the 71st Psalm to talk about that today and tomorrow your on Turning Point.

We call this Psalm for a dark night and I guess that would be a good way to describe what were going through the loss of work, the loss of job, and for many, the infrequency of enough food to go to church, not being held to go to school not being no work.

This is dark Knight Psalm for us from the Bible. The place we always turn when we need help and will get to it in just a moment and let me just tell you that we have a brand-new book that really gives you a lot of the material from the Psalms. It's called shelter in God. Your refuge in times of trouble. It's brand-new. It just came out.

Thomas Nelson worked with us pretty much night and day for the first few weeks of this pandemic so that we would have something to put in your hands to be an encouragement to you. Some of you are asking a lot of questions. Why is this happening when will everything go back to normal and perhaps the most pressing question of all.

Where is God when it feels like everything is falling apart well to find answers to many of those questions as we explore these Psalms together in this special inspirational series and once again, you can have the book sheltering God for the gift of any size during the month of June. We want to be a blessing to you. We want to encourage you.

We want to add value to your life and strength to your spirit and soul.

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So ask for your copy when you send your gift attorney point today. Well were talking about a Psalm for a dark Knight Psalm 71. Let's go thinking a lot about why God brings things into our lives in what he does in the process of it.

I want to tell you upfront. I have got all the answers by any means, but you learn things in a dark night that you don't see in the daylight and some of those things I want to talk to you about today is about 3 o'clock in the morning at the green hospital and without going into all the details of what I was experiencing I had done taken this treatment and I was on morphine. Never been on morphine before I don't recommend it. I was on a morphine drip which means that was dripping into my system and it was going on all through the day and night. Morphine has different reactions with different people and I would sleep for little bit night wake up and I'd be just totally wide-awake trying to figure out what was going on. Where was I what was happening was during one of those nights when I was not sleeping I was. I guess on that for about five days. I woke up and I remembered that someone had given to me Scripture verse and said pastor you need to read this and I don't even remember now what was but it was an angel of God, and 3 o'clock in the morning, not in my right mind, but the best I could be at that moment, I pulled out my Bible and I began to read Psalm 71, and it was incredible to me with that some in my life and I don't want to go into a lot of detail about my own personal experiences because this is really not about me. This is about God Almighty and what he can do it anyone of our lives, and he has certainly trusted each of us with our own set of challenges. Even the best of God's people at one time or another, are prone to ask questions when things happen. They don't understand and that is because of our humanity. Things do happen. How many of you know, things happen. It was like that for a man that I read about. Not long ago who was hardhat employee who had a really difficult accident. He was asked to fill out a report can be filled this report out to try to be helpful to the supervisors and this is what the report said. When I got to the building where I was working I found that the hurricane had knocked off some of the bricks around the top of the building, so I rigged up a being with the pulley at the top of the building and placed it up a couple of barrels full of bricks. When I had fix the damage area. There were a lot of bricks left over when I went to the bottom and began releasing the line. Unfortunately, the barrel of bricks was much heavier than I was and before I knew what was happening. The barrel started coming down, jerking me up. I decided to hang on since I was too far off the ground by then to jump in halfway up I met the barrel of bricks coming down fast. I received a hard blow on my shoulder and then I continued to the top banging my head against the beam and getting my fingers pinched and jammed in the pulley when the barrel hit the ground hard. It burst its bottom allowing the bricks to spill out. I was now heavier than the barrel. So I started down again at high speed halfway down. I met the barrel coming up fast and I received severe injuries to my shins when I hit the ground. I landed on the pile of spilled bricks getting several painful cuts and bruises. At that point I must've lost my presence of mind because I let go of my grip on the line. The barrel came down fast, giving me another blow on my head and putting me in the hospital. I respectfully request sick leave.

How many of you at one time or another for the way life beats up on you have requested sick leave to God, you know, I just want to drop out for a while and not be a part of what's happening.

Well the 71st some certainly was penned by someone who was going through a similar experience there is no superscription to Psalm 71. If you notice by looking down at your Bible, often at the top of the Psalm.

You can learn who wrote it. There is no superscription here because they're not really sure who did write it, but it is pretty evident to me that it was David and that it is a continuation of the thought process that you find in the 70th Psalm and most scholars who have tried to pinpoint when the Psalm was written by David say it was during the time when his son Adonijah was trying to usurp the authority of the throne which David had promised to Solomon so here with David in his old age is two boys, Absalom was already tried to take the throne, and Adonijah who was trying to usurp Solomon's role. David is going through some hard if you talk about trouble with your kids. David could've expected it by the things that he did in his earlier life, but David paid a price that was heavy. And there's no pain that's like parental pain and David was feeling it at the very core of his life.

I guess it really doesn't matter too much. Who wrote the Psalm because it's God's word and it's filled with truth that will help us no matter what our problems might be one of the things I do know about the author is this. He was well acquainted with the word of God for the 24 verses of Psalm 71, there were over 50 quotations and allusions to other songs. The Psalm itself is simply a compilation of God's word over and over again. You see phrases that are from another Psalm here and in the psalmist put it together in this most poetic form, so I want to talk with you for a little bit about the kinds of things that happen to us and how we are to respond and what we should do when they happen.

First of all I think it's important for us to take a visit to the reality of the trials in the believer's life.

Sometimes people get the impression that if there Christians they should never have any trouble that we should get a card that says exempt from all suffering. As soon as we accept the Lord.

But there is no evidence that that has even been an afterthought in the word of God.

We are not exempt from suffering. We are human people. The different dimension is how we deal with it. Peter wrote in first Peter chapter 4 in verse 1211 don't think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you. It's not strange it's not unique. Everybody goes through difficulty, whether they're believers or not. And as the writer of Psalm 71 face the pathway before him.

He saw that it was suddenly a very steep hill decline with many many obstacles to be overcome any rights about it with the passion that only he could express if we look to the Psalm we will begin to pick up some of the reasons that we have trials in our lives. For instance, sometimes we have trials because of ungodly foes. Notice verse four of chapter 71. Deliver me all God out of the hand of the wicked out of the hand of the unrighteous and cruel man. David had some people who were his enemies and they were creating stress for him.

The word cruel.

There is a word from which the Old Testament gets the word 11. It means he was wicked and he was spreading his wickedness every way he could. It was fermenting and it was ugly.

Sometimes you have problems because of enemies.

Maybe you have someone where you work or someone that you have to deal with another company. Someone who knows perhaps that you're a Christian is decided out of their anger at God to make you the focal point and so they do everything they can to make your life miserable.

I know some Christians whose lives have been turned upside down because of another individual. It can happen. And it can happen to you. Sometimes we have trials says this psalmist because of an uncertain future notice.

The ninth verse of the Psalm where David speaks about getting old. In fact, I must tell you when I first read this Psalm I thought it might have been a cruel joke on the part of whoever gave it to me because later on in the Psalm. The psalmist says, oh God, please don't forsake me. When I am old and gray headed. I sort of felt at the time I was reading that that I was both.

But notice how he alludes to the fact that sometimes trials are a factor of our biological clock, he says. Don't cast me off in the time of old age and don't forsake me. When my strength fails and sometimes there is a trial that comes to us because of sickness you going along and everything's fine, and you never dreamed that you will ever hear the word cancer related to your name and then you hear it, and all of a sudden the reality settles in, you realize that you didn't vote for you didn't get to ask about it. You didn't have anything to say about it and it happened, and as you know, it's not a respecter of people. Sometimes people think with your pastor. This shouldn't happen you well why not on the people before I'm a pastor and things happen to people because of our humanity. He gives us another clue as to why we can have problems. In verses 10 through 13.

Sometimes it's because of unfaithful friends. Notice what he says in these verses for my enemies speak against me and those who lie in wait for my life. Take counsel together saying God has forsaken him. Pursuant taken for there is none to deliver him all God. Do not be far from me.

Oh my God, make haste to help me let them be confounded and consumed to our adversaries of my life.

Let them be covered with reproach in this honor who seek my hurt. David has some people who are trying to subvert his authority. These are not follows these are people from within his own circle. The folks were trying to hurt him. If this is a part of Adonijah's rebellion were not just enemies.

They were the people of his own family, his own son Absalom tried to take the phone away from David and Adonijah tried to take the throne away from the son of David, to whom he had promised it. He knew that his father was old so he rushed to try to work a power play against his own dad.

Can you imagine how that must've hurt sometimes people tell us of their family troubles in the trials that come because people who once were in love become bitter enemies one to another.

The lawyers that I talked to tell me there is no more bitter seen in all the world and you see often in a divorce court where people who have been bound to each other by vowels now become bitter enemies and they come together in a court of law to destroy one another with hatred in their heart.

The person who has sensitivity toward God in any sense of the word cannot help but just die inwardly when that happens sometimes trials come because of unfaithful friends. But there's another thought here in the Psalm, and I'm not taking this right now. Chronologically, but I'm just showing you the thoughts that God gave me in the Psalm.

Sometimes we have trials in our lives because of an unequaled father. Did you know that God is involved in our trials. He doesn't just know that they happen to his friends, he allows them, and sometimes he even sends them.

Did you know that just as a father who loves his children will allow his children to experience difficulties and try to work them through. So they can grow in their knowledge and strength of how to deal with difficulties. God often sends difficulties into our lives to strengthen us and to make us better children in his family, and you surely see this in verses 19 and 20. Also, your righteousness of God is very high, you who have done great things of God, who is like you, you who have shown me great and severe troubles, God hated it. He said there's no God like you, but you've shown me great and severe troubles and some of you could say I am in that class is done that to me. Why would God do that.

Why would he let that happen when troubles come and trials come into our lives in whether there for these reasons, or any other reasons. There are certain reactions that we have. Let's talk about the results of trials in the believer's life. How do we feel when that happens, we have many different feelings and people asked me over the years. When you found out you had cancer. Were you afraid absolutely totally afraid. Yes, I was frightened I know but not anxious to do it either. My fear was more the loss of my relationship for at least a period of time with the people that I love them all kinds of things that go through your heart with your mind, let me tell you what you feel when trials come into your life. The David or the author of this psalmist certainly touched on numbers of them. First of all, sometimes you feel so totally vulnerable. There's a sense of vulnerability. You know, especially for those of us in the male gender who had pretty much everything under control. You know we got it all figured out were going to have 30 more years to do the things we planted were going to take care of our grandchildren and our great-grandchildren and we got it all scoped out and then something happens. The begins to cast doubt on the possibility of all that and you feel so vulnerable interesting thing is that the seventh verse of the 71st Psalm says it this way, I have become is a wonder to many, but you are my strong refuge. What David met was that everyone was watching him to see what he would do if that's true for the average person. Let me tell you if you happen to be a Christian leader it's really true for you, you feel a sense of great pressure and vulnerability.

Notice what David did. He didn't know what he would do what he was watching God to find out what God would do, that's what any of us does when we feel that sense of vulnerability. Then when you go through trials whether it's illness or any other kind of life-threatening thing that happens to you. You not only feel a sense of vulnerability you feel a sense of insecurity. Notice in verse two David cries out. Deliver me in your righteousness and cause me to escape toward. I want out help me get out of this mess.

Let me wake up tomorrow morning and it won't be there. Verse nine he says it the same places do not cast me away the time of old age. Do not forsake me when my strength fails.

One of the commentators that writes on the Psalm who I read titled the Psalm Psalm for a godly old man.

I like the godly part. The old man part.

I'm not sure about but if it is true that this Psalm was written to help those who are maturing and age, let me tell you there is no need for those who are facing that like the native security is there. So often the natural defenses that older people have against life's injuries are gone, they are retired from their employment.

Sometimes their health is failing. Many of their friends are dying. Their minds are not as sharp as they used to be. Their income is greatly reduced and they feel very defenseless and oftentimes very insecure and the need for God is realized at a greater extent and it's interesting to me that when David writes of the metaphors for God's help he uses two main metaphors.

One of them is in verse three. It's called a strong refuge. He said God hear my strong refuge and the others in verse three. Two. He says you are my rock and my fortress when you're getting through with the growing old process and things are the way they used to be, and you begin to not feel a strong and secure is you need someone to whom you can go will be your fortress and your strong refuge will be your rock. And David said I found in God that he is that one for me. Praise his name.

Not only do you feel vulnerable and insecure about when you're going through problems you feel a sense of dependency. You know, one of the great characteristics of a strong leader before he knows God, and if he's not walking with God.

One of the great characteristics as he is self-reliant he is independent he can make his own decisions and chart his own course and do his own thing, but sickness takes that away from you, and life-threatening things that come into your life began to enrolled that sense of totally independent determination and all of a sudden, you begin to realize this is some I don't have any control over learn on what to do with this Lord. This is never faced this before and I don't know what to do on God futile breakthrough for me. Big and strong. I'm in deep trouble. Lord you're the only one you say what I haven't been there yet, but I'll tell you what your biological clock is ticking and you will get there.

All of the space that we face. The sense of vulnerability and security, and dependency and then sometimes along with this dependency. There's almost a feeling of panic or emergency notice in the 12th verse. David says make haste to help me, Lord, please do it now, but I know this could take a long time but I think could Lord just wave your wand over this whole situation and make all the hurt go away. Make all the pain disappear. Take away whatever it is that they say is in my body that shouldn't be there Lord just make it be gone that what we feel when I love about the Psalms is they were written by a real person who faced trials just like we face and he didn't try to put a spin on them. He just told it like it was we say pastor Jeremiah that's reality of trials. The result of trials in our life when we do with someone has said the psalmist filled with great praise and great complaining all at once, and I don't know if that's true, but I know that after you get past David saying what it really was like in his own life. He takes the high road and he shows us a direction and I hope if you don't hear anything else I say you kinda write down these few things because I believe these are critical to all of us.

We don't have a theology of adversity in the church these days.

We've got all of this prosperity gospel that's so permeated all the stuff we do so that now we have posited this and positive that how many of you know that as much as you'd like it to be. Life just isn't always positive. Sometimes the positive things get interrupted. I'd like it to be positive and I'm a very positive thinker, to tell you something if you don't have a plan going into adversity, you will do very well with it sooner or later. All of the spaces of one kind or another unexpected, unannounced, uncharted, unplanned, when you do this question is what you do and that's the question. Everybody's asking right now pastor. What should I do?

Is this going, what's going to happen next. Where are we in all of this. This reason we hustled in and hurried worked day and night to put together this brand-new 300 page book called shelter in God from material that I have studied in the past on the Psalms.

We brought it all together into this one package to make it available to you now so that you have something you can hold in your hand something you could read from every day something to give you inspiration and encouragement and hope Santa gift of any size to Turning Point during the month of June and simply say please send me the book shelter in God.

It will be on its way to you. We have the center warehouse were ready to ship them as soon as we hear from you. It's a dark month. It's a dark time, but there is light and God is the light, and if we keep our eyes on him.

He will help us and strengthen us so this is meant to help you do that. Focus your attention on God. From this beautiful Old Testament book we call the Psalms. These are the sheltering Psalms of David and will finish what we started today and tomorrow as we talk again about the Psalm for a dark night. Psalm 71. Please join us tomorrow. I'm David Jeremiah. Thank you so much for being with us today for more information on the Jeremiah series. Bring your willful visit our website really often tend three ways to help you stay connected monthly magazine Turning Point and daily email devotional sign up today@davidjeremiah.org/ready David Jeremiah don't move/ready when you asked me a copy of David's helpful new book shelter in the short to be an encouragement to you during this unprecedented through the gift of any amount Jeremiah study Bible and the English standard and new international version as well as in standard a large print the new king in a variety of come up visit David Jeremiah.world/radio I'm very hopefully join us tomorrow as we continue the series when you will impose upon Tehran thinning point.

Jeremiah, thanks for taking time to listen to the Friendly's and Christian