God’s Promises in Hard Times
Notes
Transcript
Hello! Welcome to Psalms of the Saviour: Devotions for His Sheep. I’m Joshua VanZandbeek, and today we are going to explore together Psalm 61, which is a Psalm of David. I would like to start with reading the Psalm together. You are welcome to follow along in your Bibles, or just listen if you like.
To the choirmaster: with stringed instruments. Of David.
Hear my cry, O God,
listen to my prayer;
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,
for you have been my refuge,
a strong tower against the enemy.
Let me dwell in your tent forever!
Let me take refuge under the shelter of your wings! Selah
For you, O God, have heard my vows;
you have given me the heritage of those who fear your name.
Prolong the life of the king;
may his years endure to all generations!
May he be enthroned forever before God;
appoint steadfast love and faithfulness to watch over him!
So will I ever sing praises to your name,
as I perform my vows day after day.
Let’s start with the first lines of this prayer of David’s:
Hear my cry, O God,
listen to my prayer;
Have you ever prayed something like this? Or read this Psalm and echoed these words in your heart? If that has been you, or perhaps even is you today, I hope you can find encouragement through this Psalm. David cries out to God from the ends of the earth, when he is faint. This probably does not mean a literal ends of the earth, but rather in a spiritual sense. Chronologically, Psalm 61 follows Psalms 51-59, which correspond to the story of David and Bathsheba. Psalm 60 shows David back at the helm, but here we see David in distress again. This could be because David is away in battle, or perhaps facing Absalom.
Either way David cries out to God. There is a sense even of a longing for God here in this Psalm. David knows he can trust Yahweh and anticipates living with him forever, which is a heritage for those who fear the Lord (Ps 61:4-5). David see also the eternal heritage of life with God through his Son… God’s Son, Jesus Christ. So, it is important for us to look at three important points about this psalm.
God promised David that his son - Christ - would build a house for him, and that God would establish the throne of his kingdom forever (2 Sam 7:13). David’s prayer expands on this. He calls for God to “prolong the life of the king… to all generations!” (Ps 61:6).
David clearly sees his son as not only living forever but reigning forever. So he goes on to ask God: “May he be enthroned forever before God” (Ps 61:7).
God answers David’s prayer by saying to Christ, “Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool” (Ps 110:1; Mark 12:36-37). God also swears, “You are a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek” (Ps 110:4). This is exactly what we see in the person of Christ. Upon his death and resurrection, Jesus is exalted to the right hand of God, where he reigns forever (Heb 1:3). Hebrews 7:25 also declares that his reign and priesthood mean “he is able to save… since he always lives to make intercession for them.”
We see David trusting in Yahweh as the One who is a strong tower, and the rock of our salvation. We also can have this same assurance because we serve the same God, and we know God does not change. Moreover, through Christ we look forward with David to the day when Christ will rule and reign forever. When this happens, we will no longer cry out to God in distress. Christ will bring peace, and fulfillment.
If you are facing a hard time right now, maybe sickness, financial burden, family issues, or even burnout, I want to encourage you to cry out to God. Your enemies are no bigger than David’s were, and God has no enemy to big for Him. Take courage and comfort in looking forward to dwelling with Christ forever, and through this sing praises to Yahweh, even as David does at the end of this psalm.
Before we end, I have two questions for you:
Where do you turn in hard times?
How does Jesus’ role as priest and King help you draw near to God?
Let’s close our time by praying the end of Psalm 61 together:
So will I ever sing praises to your name,
as I perform my vows day after day.