PSALMS 1-18

Faith in Seasons of Silence Psalm 10: 1; 12-18

Psalm 10:12–18 NRSV

12 Rise up, O Lord; O God, lift up your hand; do not forget the oppressed. 13 Why do the wicked renounce God, and say in their hearts, “You will not call us to account”? 14 But you do see! Indeed you note trouble and grief, that you may take it into your hands; the helpless commit themselves to you; you have been the helper of the orphan. 15 Break the arm of the wicked and evildoers; seek out their wickedness until you find none. 16 The Lord is king forever and ever; the nations shall perish from his land. 17 O Lord, you will hear the desire of the meek; you will strengthen their heart, you will incline your ear 18 to do justice for the orphan and the oppressed, so that those from earth may strike terror no more.

Our Psalm this evening is actually a continuation of the previous Psalm, written by David. As we discussed, many of David’s psalms are prophetic in nature and these two are among those. They deal prophetically with the Millennial reign of Christ as He establishes His kingdom on earth following the Great Tribulation. Although they are prophetic psalms, there is practical application for our lives as well. In the verses we passed over tonight, David discusses the activity of the wicked and their relentless persecution of believers. He addressed their behavior, arrogance, pride, blasphemy, as well as, their cruel and deceptive acts toward others. Down through the ages, those who followed the Lord and sought to serve Him have dealt with adversity. This continues in our day as well, with many around the world facing intense persecution for their faith. Adversity and trials are unavoidable in life. We must learn how to deal with them as they come into our lives. Often in these times we want immediate answers and help. I’m sure we have all experienced seasons in life where it appeared the Lord was distant and silent. These are the circumstances in which David penned this psalm. I want to examine the elements of his prayer as we consider: Faith in Seasons of Silence. I. The Anxiety Proclaimed (1) – Why standest thou afar off, O LORD? why hidest thou thyself in times of trouble? Some may be critical of David for asking such questions, but we too have asked similar questions before. David expressed great anxiety here. He was perplexed as to why God hadn’t already moved in his situation. David knew God was aware of his difficulty and he questions why God is silent.  We may not want to admit it, but we have questioned the Lord at times. Surely we all have prayed about a particular circumstance, hoping for immediate results, but the situation did not improve. There are times when it seems God doesn’t hear our prayers, or that He chooses not to act upon them. We must realize this all relates to our perception of reality. Even though God may not answer our prayers immediately, or in the manner we thought He would, we must never assume that God is not working or interested in our situation. Even on cloudy days the sun continues to shine, even though we can’t see it. God continues to work in our lives even when we feel as if He is idle or distant.  A delay concerning our prayers does not always constitute a denial. Sometimes God says yes; at times He says wait, and there are even times when God denies our request. We must learn to trust Him in every situation, even if it appears He is silent. P a s t o r Chris Benf ield, Fel lowship Missionary Baptist Church Page 1 October 11, 2014 II. The Appeal Presented (12-15) – After pouring his heart out to God concerning the wickedness of his adversaries, David offers a humble appeal to the Lord. Consider: A. The Plea (12a) – Arise, O LORD; O God, lift up thine hand. David knew he was in desperate need of the Lord’s help. He knew he would never survive the relentless assaults of the enemy without God’s strong hand working on his behalf. He offers a plea to the Lord for help in his time of desperation.  There will be times when we reach the end of ourselves. We have all dealt with situations we couldn’t handle, and they will continue to come as long as we live. In our times of desperation, we need to reach out to the Lord for help as well. There will be times in life where we are totally dependent upon the Lord to secure a resolution to the problems we face! B. The Prayer (12b) – forget not the humble. David was in a hopeless situation apart from the Lord’s intervention. He knew God was his only hope. He had offered a plea unto the Lord and now he offers a prayer of humility. He begged God to hear and answer his prayer. He sought to express his utter dependence upon the Lord.  Often we tend to rely upon our own wisdom, strength, or abilities to handle situations we face. There are times when God will allow us to face a difficulty that we cannot handle. We will eventually be faced with a situation where we are forced to cry out unto the Lord in desperation, totally looking to Him for help and guidance. In those times humility is essential. We must come to the place that we realize God alone can meet our needs and seek Him with a heart of gratitude and worship rather than demanding help through an arrogant heart. C. The Perplexity (13-14a) – Wherefore doth the wicked contemn God? he hath said in his heart, Thou wilt not require it. [14] Thou hast seen it; for thou beholdest mischief and spite, to requite it with thy hand: David was perplexed at the outright disregard of the wicked toward God. They lived and behaved as if they believed their actions would never be brought into accountability. They acted as if they feared no one, not even God. David knew the Lord was aware of their actions. He knew God had witnessed their gross iniquity. He pleaded with the Lord to deal with them according to their deeds.  It may have appeared that the wicked continued to prosper, but David knew their prosperity was only temporary. He may have suffered defeat at their hands, but God would hold them to His righteous standard and judge them accordingly. In essence David rejoiced that he was not responsible to overcome the enemy or judge their unrighteousness. P a s t o r Chris Benf ield, Fel lowship Missionary Baptist Church Page 2 October 11, 2014  Our lives face great adversity at times. It is evident that modern society has abandoned the ways of God. The Christian is now viewed as a hindrance to progress and we are labeled as bigots and hate-mongers for standing upon the Word of God. I am perplexed by the rebellion of men, but I know God will prevail. The actions of the wicked are not unnoticed. It is not our responsibility to bring judgment upon them. We must continue to serve the Lord and trust Him to deal righteously with those who rebel against His Word. D. The Poverty (14b) – the poor committeth himself unto thee; thou art the helper of the fatherless. David knew God alone was his strength and his salvation. He knew God would not ignore His own. He would come to the aid of those who genuinely sought Him. The world viewed them as impoverished, but they were rich in the Lord.  What comfort there is in this thought! Many view us as ignorant and foolish to believe in One we can’t see. Our lives are lived in light of His desires rather than the demands of this world. We do not seek worldly pleasures or gain. We have a source of strength the world knows nothing of. I have placed my faith and trust in the Lord of glory. I am resting in the finished work of Christ instead of my own accomplishments or abilities! E. The Petition (15) – Break thou the arm of the wicked and the evil man: seek out his wickedness till thou find none. As we have discovered in previous psalms, David knew the battle was not his to fight. He faced a well prepared and determined adversary. David did not worry about his ability to defeat the enemy. He had sought the Lord and trusted Him to deal with his enemies according to His divine plan. David asked the Lord to deal with wickedness wherever it was found.  We are no match for the enemy. In and of ourselves we will face certain defeat. I am glad it isn’t up to me to deal with the wicked. I am called to be a witness for the Lord and to love others as I love myself. We need to prayerfully seek the Lord about the many needs of our day and trust Him to take care of those needs. He alone can deal with the hearts of men and bring about profitable change. I am not advocating that we abandon biblical standards, but rather trust the Lord to deal righteously with those who seek our defeat. III. The Anticipation Professed (16-18) – In conclusion David reveals the great anticipation he has regarding the power and presence of the Lord. Notice David speaks of: A. The Authority (16) – The LORD is King for ever and ever: the heathen are perished out of his land. Men may have enjoyed a season of power and prosperity, but David served the eternal God. His P a s t o r Chris Benf ield, Fel lowship Missionary Baptist Church Page 3 October 11, 2014 Lord reigned on high. There was never a time when God didn’t exist and there was no danger of His demise. This brought comfort to David. Regardless of the outcome of his present situation, God would remain and He would continue to possess absolute authority! B. The Assurance (17) – LORD, thou hast heard the desire of the humble: thou wilt prepare their heart, thou wilt cause thine ear to hear: Things may have been desperate at the moment, but David knew he wasn’t alone. He had prayed and enjoyed confidence knowing God would hear and answer his prayer. He would prepare David’s heart to face whatever would come against him. As long as God was on his side, David was assured of victory.  This brings great comfort to the believer as well. God hears the prayers of His people when they pray from a pure and humble heart. He is active in our lives, willing and able to meet our needs. He may not immediately remove the burden we face, but He will provide what we need to endure. Our Lord loved us enough to bear our sin on the cross, providing for our salvation. If He loved us that much, and He did; He will never leave us or forsake us. We can rest in the Lord. C. The Attention (18) – To judge the fatherless and the oppressed, that the man of the earth may no more oppress. Again David realized he was not alone in the journey. God was an ever present help in his time of need. Circumstances may have seemed out of control, but God was there. David knew he could always depend on the Lord. He would have the final say.  Our struggles continue today. In fact it seems as if they grow more difficult, but we have a source of strength that will never fail. We have an anchor of the soul that will endure. The saved are secure in Christ the Lord. We will have to endure difficulty as long as we live, but one day our Lord will return to judge sin and Satan. This life of trouble and pain will not last forever. We will one day be delivered from the presence and power of sin to dwell with the Lord in eternity. There may be times when our faith and hope are weak, but they are never completely gone. Look to the Lord and trust in Him. He will have the final say. Victory has already been secured! Conclusion: I am sure we can relate to the words of David in this psalm. We have all faced difficulty in life; and I am sure there were times it seemed as if the Lord was nowhere around. He may have been silent, but He was not unaware. He may not work or answer in the way we thought He would, but His ways are always right and just. We must learn to trust Him even when we don’t understand. He will never lead us astray or forsake us in the journey. Are you struggling in life? Are there circumstances that you can’t handle? If so, you are in a good place. That may sound cold and absurd, but it is true. When we come to the realization that P a s t o r Chris Benf ield, Fel lowship Missionary Baptist Church Page 4 October 11, 2014 we need the Lord in our lives, it is then that He begins to work. If you have reached the end of yourself, seek the Lord.