Lord, I need Help for My Life - Part 2

Thanks everyone willingly part without money we give a donation to revision is different because what you return right lusting impact 1125 puts it this way generous with those who refresh of those symbols be refreshed. So if you give in the fall being generous and refreshing with the true cool drink all day with your text, multipart lesions on hold.how you use the free Christian media, one can quickly go from smooth sailing to only think it's easy to be thrown overboard into this. If you belong to God, you have a lot present for Dr. David Jeremiah, Psalm 121 and God is our protection and preservation through the storms of life.

Lord, I need help. My life where we are studying Psalm 121. If you have a Bible, you have the text of today's lesson. So find your place in the 124 Psalm Psalms right in the middle of the Bible open it up to the middle you be in Psalms and then find 121 were going to talk about that. Today's lesson is called Lord, I need help for my life. Sounds like everything we been saying a lot to the Lord in our prayers.

Recently, some of you have lost your jobs you've lost all sense of your economy you don't know where the next meal is coming from you friends we we understand that what we are here at shadow Mountain church in El Cajon, California were distributing a whole lot of food every Friday were feeding 1000 families from our community in an amazing thing that God is doing and is done through us. This feeding is reminding us of the depth of need that people have right now who could have thought that could be true in this great country of ours. But right now were worse were crying out to God what we do now. How can I find help for my life friends.

We have some more work to do in the 124 Psalm so let's open our Bibles there and let's go back to part two of Lord I need help in my life.

You know that God is not just the creator of all things. He is the sustainer of all things Paul writing to the Colossians reminded us that God is the one who created everything by him all things are created and at the end of the verse it says all things are in him all things consist by him, which means they are held together by him. If God should forever remove his hand from this universe would fly out into oblivion. But God continues to sustain us. He is the one who has created and the one who sustains so when you get on your journey to a place where you don't know what to do when you say Lord I need help just remember this one to praise the one who made heaven and earth is the creator God friend on what kind of problem you got when you got a resume like God has helped you can help.

What a great encouragement that really is the key to the whole song. This God who made heaven and earth is the one who has promised to be our helper, and in verses three through eight, we see the promises that have been made to us by Almighty God to help us along the way. It's interesting that in verse three. The person of the speaker changes. We move from a first-person declaration to 1/3 person.

For those of you more into grammar. You can check it out with the personal pronouns in the song. Some have thought that a whole new person is speaking in verse three.

In other words, that in verses one into the psalmist is asked the questions in verses three through eight somebody reps like a priest comes along and makes the answers, but I don't think that's what's going on at all. I think this is an internal dialogue in the heart of the psalmist asking questions of God and then framing the answers in writing down for our benefit. There are three things that he comes to in these eight verses about God that will help you as you put your trust in him.

When you cry out to God. Here's what you need to remember.

First of all, he perceives you he knows you. How many of you are glad that God knows who you are is unbelievable the God who made heaven and earth knows who you are. He does, he knows you by name. I've been having a lot of fun looking in the mirror every day and being reminded that he numbers the hair on my head.

I've been known to count them just recently seen Howard doing God not taking good care of that watching over the crop that's growing, you know, if God knows the number of the hairs on your head. Don't you think he knows what your problem is. Don't you think he knows what you're going through, don't you think he's concerned about what your experiences when you say God I need your help. God knows he perceives you notice what the text says he will not allow your foot to be moved. He who keeps you will not slumber. Behold, he who keeps Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep this Lord.

This maker of heaven and earth is perceived here as 103 times the Psalm says doesn't go to sleep on.

Remember reading a story about a man by the name of Bishop Quayle who was a leader in the Methodist Church years ago. He related experience of the Lord's providence in his life. He said one night he worked into the early morning hours trying to finish his work and he was so tired. The projects were overwhelming at a moment of intense pressure. As I fell on the 124 Psalm and the promise of the Lord's 24 hour vigil over him. He said he was reminded that his efforts to work for God, rather than allowing God to work through him or defeating an extremely exhausting so in his inner voice he heard the Lord say to him in his heart. The Lord said Quayle.

There's no need for both of us to stay up all night. I want to stay up anyway so you go to bed and get a good sleep. I thought well it's a great truth in it. How many of you have ever walked the fortnight over your kids walk the floor over some sickness that you know the answer to her some problem in your life you worry and frustrate wonder who's taking care of things and I'll send you read the Bible that the God in whom you trust in the one you asked for help, you know, never sleep. He never slumbers he never takes a day off. He's never gone on a journey out of town. God is always there whenever you call upon them.

I'm surprised. As I travel across the country. We have some releases of Turning Point but come on at 3 o'clock in the morning 4 o'clock in the morning. I was thought well will put it on there maybe some truck here.

While it's drive across the country, but everywhere I go I find dozens and scores of people who are night people, people who for some reason or another because of arthritic pain or whatever can't sleep and so they turn the radio on at night. I have a book in my library by a wonderful friend by the name of Ron meal in the title of book is this God works the night shift is not a great thought. He's always there, no matter when you need them in the loneliest darkest hour of the night he's there because he doesn't sleep. He doesn't slumber member Elijah in the Old Testament, we had the battle with the prophets of bail amount Carmel.

And you know they were both the find of the real God was.

I love the story, and Elijah, challenge the prophets of bail. He said were to put a sacrifice on their altars and call upon God to come down and consume it with fire so he gave them. You know you let them go first and from morning until noon, the prophets of bail cried out to their God to come down to consume the sacrifice and nothing happened and you can just see the panic in their voices are crying out to God all God come down consume this and long about noon when their time was about up. Elijah did something that no preacher should ever do because already told you the sarcasm doesn't have any place in our life, but he had a little mean streak and Elijah did and he couldn't resist because he already knew what was going on, so he decided he mock him a little bit and I read this with a smile.not telling this a good pattern to follow your life with is what Elijah did read what he said and it was known that Elijah mocked them and he said cry aloud, for he is a God. Either he is meditating he is busy or is on a journey, or perhaps he is sleeping and you have to wake them up.

I love it. It was a crated man what you got any real security. Do that because he was next right. He was in a call on his God. But isn't it interesting how wonderful the truth is in the word of God.

The God never goes to sleep on us is always there when Alexander the great was asked how he could sleep so soundly surrounded by so much personal danger.

He replied on one occasion that part. Many of his faithful guard was watching so he could sleep my friend have a great general can sleep when an earthly God watches over him by night. How much more should we sleep knowing that our eternal God is watching over us and he never slumbers and he never sleeps.

He perceives us and then the Bible tells us in verses five and six that this God in whom we put our trust for help for Texas verses five and 68 this way, the Lord is your keeper. The Lord is your shade at your right hand. The sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night. This is another promise that moves from the metaphor of the watcher to the metaphor of the shepherd who shepherds his sheep and watches over them and keeps them, it says he is the pilgrims shade on his right hand towards shaders very important because the pilgrims great danger in that day was from the elements of the heat traveling across the arid desert toward their city could be scorched if they weren't careful if you've ever been to Israel as I have been maybe traveled up the long road to Masada. You know how hot it can get how dry and hot in terribly stifling the heat can be.

So the promises, the Lord is your shade at your right hand in the word right hand. There is a wonderful thought of the prominent place in the heart of God. Psalm 98, one says will sing to the Lord a new song for you is done marvelous things.

His right hand and his holy arm have given him the victory over and over again in the Scripture the right hand of the Lord is the hand of power. He's given you shade in his right hands. As the Scripture protection. Now the psalmist delineates that protection into the two dayparts he talks first of all, about how he protects us by day. In verse six the sun shall not strike you by day, says the psalmist word strike means to be or hit or smite or kill really is the full appreciation of the shade that the Lord provides the sun will get to you in the daytime and then this is really surprising to me and I couldn't figure this one out. He will protect you by night, and in verse six he says nor will the moon smite you by night. I never heard about before Moonstruck, but you know what is. I dug into this.

I found out that in the period of time, to which this Psalm was addressed.

There were many people who had superstitions about moon.

In fact, in Matthew 1715 there's the story of a man who came to Jesus and begged him to heal his son and he described his son in these terms, he said, for he is an epileptic and suffer severely for he often falls in the fire and often into the water. If you look into the marginal reading works is epileptic. You will see in most of the translations.

The word actually is the word Moonstruck for his Moonstruck and suffer severely and often falls into the fire. The people and that they felt like were dangers in the nighttime from the moon. Now of course no serious Hebrew student nor Christian student. Whatever fall prey to that kind of superstition. We all know that you can be struck by the moon.

That's foolishness and we would never allow such superstition to creep into our culture right, we would never let that happen. But in fact that superstition is still very much with us in our vocabulary when we say somebody is crazy. We call them a lunatic and we talk about craziness as lunacy which comes from the word loon R which means moon right were not as sophisticated as we think we are with the Lord is saying, in essence, is this. He's enough to provide safety for you in the heat of the day and in the superstition of the night. He will go with you. How many to know people who are afraid of the nighttime.

A lot of times as people get older they take on a certain fear of the night.

Fear of danger. Some of them have insomnia can't sleep and so the night becomes a very difficult time for them to endure in here the psalmist is saying let me tell you something well protected by day protected by night, he's your protector is your helper.

What a wonderful encouragement. Then finally, in verses seven and eight. The psalmist says the Lord will preserve you. The word itself is right in the text. The Lord shall preserve you from all evil shall preserve your soul shall preserve your going out and you're coming in from this time forth, even for evermore.

What a wonderful promise break it down for a moment and notice that he preserves us from all evil. Here we are promised that the Lord will preserve us from evil or harm another words we are to be confident that no harm or disaster is outside of the control in the care of God. It all is filtered through his hands.

He hasn't lost control when difficult things come into our life and minutes as he preserves our existence shall preserve your souls is the psalmist. He announces that the Lord will keep our soul from all harm and the word soul. There is the word for life.

In other words, he's going to keep our life. How many of you know that God keeps our life forever and ever. He guards our soul throughout all eternity. We are alive today we will be alive forever because God is the keeper of our soul that it says he preserves us not only from evil and in our existence, but he preserves us every day and I love this phrase he shall preserve your going out and you're coming in. Sometimes I look at my schedule had to get up in the morning and I think that's all I ever do is blown commit well from this coming the back glove for missing coming in and I'm reminded of God's promised even to preserve us in or going out and are coming in.

This is a wonderful Old Testament idiom that speaks of the regular routines of life. While it's another reminder of God's watchfulness over us. It goes even to the warping roof of everyday things to know God cares about everything that happens in our life you got small children at home and you know you look at the day and you think for this is just like yesterday, and yesterday was like the day before and all I do is get up in the morning. Take care kids and wash clothes and clean up the mess they made, and try to get them ready for school and take care of all the running around to take care of and come home and get done if all in bed so tired I can hardly make it when I get up the next morning we start all over again you're going and you're coming out you wonder is God involved in all of this.

Does God care about my routines let me promise you that he does. He watches over you and preserves you in your going in your coming out in the Scripture is filled with this truth over and over again. William Barclay, in his commentary on the book of Luke had a little poem about the routines of life that goes like this, obviously written by a woman who was working at home, the prayer, goes like this, Lord of all pots and pans and things since I have no time to be a saint by doing lovely things are watching late with the or dreaming in the dawn light or storming Heaven's Gate's make me a saint by getting meals and washing up the plates. Amen. God makes saints like that doesn't me because God watches over the routines of life are going in and are coming out many ads this final thought. He preserves us eternally. He preserves us from evil. He preserves us in our existence. He preserves us in our everyday experiences and he preserves us forever for the last phrase is from this time forth and forevermore we are assured that God's care extends not just to all places and all settings of life but also for all time, both now and forevermore. He preserves us he cares about us in all the routines that are difficult, you know that sometimes we go on detours in this life.

Sometimes it seems like were stuck in a cul-de-sac and we just go round and round and were not going anywhere.

Sometimes because of our own stubbornness in our own self will we go our own way and someone will come along and say God is not watching over you anymore is not Nicias he's preserving you, even in your folly waiting for you to come back read the directions again get started. You know how hard it is for us to read the directions, how much frustration we must because God when we don't read the directions we go offer online sometimes we disable God doesn't care about his electric God's watching over the whole process. He will preserve you and he will bring you back, he will never let go and only pious Jew today practices is Judaism in his home on the door that goes out of the home and sometimes on doors in between places in the home.

They have a little thing: Azusa is a little metal container.

It's on the right-hand post of the door and in that container are the words of Deuteronomy chapter 6 in Deuteronomy chapter 11, which tell us that were to train up our children in the way they should go over to teach them in the going out in the coming in and every day when it pious Jew goes out of his home.

He touches them Azusa with his right hand and he repeats some of the words that are contained within the little metal container and then he always ends with some 121 verse eight the Lord will keep you both now and forevermore is the keeper when our children go off to go cross-country to schoolwork or off to see a friend believe we know the Lord is our keeper.

No wonder this is called a traveler.

Psalm many people have read this song over and over again as they've gone on a journey. The Lord is your keeper Eugene Peterson has given us the great paraphrase of the Scriptures called the message. One of my favorite people is a wonderful writer. He's not only given us this great paraphrase what is written. Many other books as well, and one of the books that he wrote is called a long obedience in the same direction as the title of the book and it's kind of an exposition of the Psalms in the Old Testament the Psalms of Ascent has some wonderful refreshing and absolutely got level truth for us about this song when he writes these words, he reminds us that the Psalm is not to say to us that we shall never stumble or stub our toes, but that no injury and no illness or no accident or no distress will ever have power over us. That is to separate us from God's purpose in our life. There's nothing they can do that, according to Peterson, a disciple of Jesus Christ should expect nothing more than this out of life. He said the Christian life is not a quiet escape to a garden where we can walk and talk uninterruptedly with our Lord, nor is it a fantasy trip to a heavenly city where we can compare blue ribbons and gold medals with others who have made it to the winners circle said the Christian life is going to God and going to God.

Christians travel the same ground that everyone else walks on, breathe the same air drink the same water shop in the same stores read the same newspapers are citizens under the same governments and pay the same prices for groceries and gasoline.

The same dangers subject to the same pressures get the same distresses and are buried in the same ground, but the differences that each step we walk each breath we breathe, we know that we are preserved by Almighty God. We know that we are accompanied by God.

We know that we are ruled by God.

Therefore, no matter what doubts we endure, or what accidents we experience. The Lord has promised to preserve us from evil.

He has promised to keep our life. I will look to the hills from whence comes my help. My help comes from God. My help. All of my help comes from God. That's what Paul was saying to the Romans in these words that we know so well from Romans eight for I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come more height nor depth, nor any other created thing, you shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is right.

Jesus. Nothing can separate us nothing that great benediction in the book of Jude as these closing words now to him was able to keep you from stumbling and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy to God our Savior, who alone is wise to be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and forever. Amen. I will look to the hills from whence cometh my help. My help.

All of my help comes from the Lord.

Amen was made you know many of these songs have been sent to contemporary music and I cannot tell you what this particular Psalm means to me personally. You are the strength of my life. That is what the Psalm says I mean like most of you there been times during these days when I felt weak felt like I didn't know what to do or if I did know what to do. Did I have the energy and the strength to do it. You are the strength of my life. That's what we say to God, because that's true. That's what we learned from the Psalm. Thus we learn from this Psalm of the ones to follow were studying 10 Psalms, the sheltering Psalms. The Psalms of David when he faced his pandemics. His covert 19s. What did he do sheltering God. How do we do that, he's teaching us ever learning will see you right here tomorrow is my fifth comes from shadow Mountain community to the David Jeremiah served as senior pastor is ministering to you when you write it let us know Turning Point". 38 San Diego, CA 92163 visit our website it David Jeremiah will/radio cost for your company and shall in no shorter encourage you in this unprecedented time was Jeremiah study Bible to stand for nationalization.

The large friend in the new King James variety Henson, visit Jeremiah.Luke/radio Gary who join us tomorrow as we continue the series regular falls upon Tehran point.

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