jan 27 gather

The song said speak. What is true? This is what is true the word of God.

from the 27th Psalm verses 1 through 11

salvation Shall I Fear The Lord is distraught.

Stumble and fall though an army besiege me my heart will not fear. One thing I ask from the Lord this only do I seek that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life to seek him in his Temple. Or in the day of trouble. He will keep me safe in his dwelling. He will hide me in the shelter of his sacred tent and set me high upon a rock. Then my head will be exalted above the enemies who surround me at his secretary and I will sacrifice with shouts of Joy. I will sing and make music to the Lord. Your my voice when I call O Lord be merciful to me and answer me. My heart says of you seek his face your face Lord. I will see. Teach me your way Lord. Lead me in a straight path. the word of God for the people of God

that song as many of them in fact the majority of them. was written by King David

and one of the things that we know about King David is that his life was anything but trouble free. Optimum his very earliest days. As a young Shepherd boy. Until the day of his death, he faced one daunting challenge after another.

It began in his childhood as a Shepherd boy, when when he said that he had to fight off Bears and Lions to protect the Sheep. As a teenager he went to face the Giant Goliath.

After he had been chosen to be king before he actually became king. He spent several years running and hiding from Saul so hated that man and wanted him dead. And after he became king he spent almost his entire life fighting one war after another with the Philistines and other neighboring enemies who who wanted to overthrow Israel. Seems like some things never change, huh?

He faced One Challenge after another from among his own people. Man who wanted to overthrow him and become the king themselves one of which was his very own son. And on top of all of that he had to face and conquer all of his own Temptations all of it on since including his Infamous indiscretion with with Bathsheba.

David's life was not an easy life. It was no picnic. It was never easy. There was a much. We're David to fear. In the midst of all of these fearful challenges, he was able time and time and time again to write words like those. We just heard a moment to go. The Lord is my salvation Whom Shall I Fear.

The Lord is the stronghold of my life of whom shall I be afraid? Even though an army besiege me my heart will not fear. In God, I trust I will not be afraid.

So how is it that someone who seem to always be in some sort of a frightening situation? Was Abel in the midst of all of that to maintain an attitude of Courage? And added you having no fear.

How is that? But the more important question for us is how can we attain and maintain the same kind of an attitude when we are facing fearful challenging times in our own lives?

I think a good place to start an answering that question is by looking at Bruce to In this passage, and I just read to you. It hurts to in reality the verbs that are used. There are used in the past tense. Which means that rather than the way it actually reads, it should have read something like this.

Against me to kill me when my enemies and foes attacked me. They stumbled. and they fell By the point in David's life when he wrote these words. He had already experienced God's faithfulness God's protection on countless times before. He had faced many battles and many challenges in his life. And God had delivered him. God had protected him. God had given him victory over his enemies. We see in this thought echoed again in inverse 9 where David wrote these words you have been my helper. That means in the past you have been my helper. and so one of the reasons why why David had this attitude of no fear was because he had the ability and he had the good sense. To recall all those times in the past when God had been there for him when God had delivered him rather than letting the the challenges of whatever he was facing at the current time overwhelm him you remembered what God had done for him in the past.

Can you recall? times in your past when God came to your rescue

in what scene may be like at the time circumstances that were completely overwhelming God was there.

I suspect I hope. That each and every one of you can remember such times in your life. I know I know I can I've lost count of how many times God has built me out of situations that I gotten myself into.

so the lesson for us here, is that the next time you are facing a crisis in your life instead of letting the fear or the anxiety get the better of you and overwhelm you Make an intentional effort to call to memory those times in your past when God has been there for you when God has shown his faithfulness and his strength.

Now there's another clue to David's courageous attitude that's founded versus four and five you wrote these words. One thing I ask from the Lord this only do I seek that I may dwell. I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life. To seek him in his Temple for in the day of trouble. He will keep me safe in his dwelling. He will hide me in the shelter of a sacred 10th and set me high on a rock. now it's quite possible. In fact, it's even likely that David was speaking. These words are writing these words in a literal sense. Talking about the Tabernacle this the tent of meeting place where the people would go to pray the place where the priest would go to come face-to-face with God. Place where David or anyone could go and find Solitude and and seek God's help and guidance and God's encouragement.

And in the world today for us. We can still find great comfort and encouragement and it even a certain amount of protection by spending time here. Inside the walls of the church. praying worshipping being around other Christians seeking and praising God whether we are here together with others or maybe just come in here at some day and spend some quiet time alone. I can tell you that in my early life and you probably heard me speak of this before between the ages of 15 and 30. I never darken the doors of a church. But in at the age of 30, I faced a very serious crisis in my life. And first thing I did was I went back to church. It was a safe place. It was a place to find encouragement was a place to find comfort. And I can still do the same for us today.

But I truly believe that David was also speaking in a figurative sense in a metaphorical sense as much as he was in a literal sense.

And what I believe David was attempting to say is that it is his it was his desire and it always had been his desire throughout the entirety of his wife to spend as much time as he possibly could everyday of his life no matter where he was praying to God worshipping God studying God's word seeking God's face so to speak.

David said he wanted to dwell in the house of the Lord.

We were Jesus refer to this when he was speaking to his disciples. He said if you will remain in me, that means dwell in me and if my words remain and you ask whatever you wish and it will be given to you. Dwelling in the Lord and dwelling in his word. Mean spending as much time as you possibly can in his presence. in prayer in study in cantata contemplation whether you're inside the four walls of the church whether you are at work whether you're wherever you might be. You can spend time with the Lord you can dwell with him. Being in God's presence does not mean that you have to be sitting here inside the four walls of this church.

David wrote one thing I ask this only do I seek?

I believe that David was acknowledging the truth. That there are always distractions always temptations that get in the way of our dwelling in the Lord. And David was was both making a commitment to the Lord to be faithful in his prayer facebool in his study and in his worship, but at the same time he was asking God to give him the strength and the discipline to get beyond all of the distractions and all of The Temptations of life and help him to keep that commitment to dwell in the Lord.

Life is full of distractions.

Life is full of Temptations. And so we also need to ask the Lord to help us. Help us get beyond the distractions & Beyond The Temptations that Rob us of precious time that we could spend much better. dwelling with the Lord and with his word

We see this thought that it is reaffirmed and verse 11 when David wrote teach me your way Lord. Lead me in a straight path. David knew he understood that the best way to avoid the Temptations to avoid the distractions to be in the center of God's will to remain confident in God's presence and protection. is to Endeavor to know and to be compliant with God's will the walk in God's way and the way that he leads us. In order to accomplish this we need to constantly be asking for God's help because we cannot do it alone. We just can't do it alone.

David Road of seeking God's face And in that we we hear an application that to David prayer wasn't just simply a time to to Bow your head and and give God a long laundry list of things. You want him to give you. It's a time to be in face-to-face conversation with god almighty.

What would you say to the Lord if he was standing right there in front of you? Would you just start right off and say you know Lord, this is what I want you to do for me today. This is what I want. This is what I don't think that's the way we do it would be we would probably be in all. We would probably be in reverence and worship. And wanting to thank God for all of the things that he has done for us. We're dying for us on the cross.

a very real sense in a very real sense and the person of the Holy Spirit the Lord is standing right in front of you right now.

Think about that the next time you pray. is there

Not a result of David's commitment to and his practice of dwelling daily with the Lord. What's his unshakable confidence? That in times of trouble. God would keep him safe. God would shelter him. God would set him up on a rock. So to speak safe from the dangers all around him safe from the enemies that surrounded him.

We have enemies too.

The enemies we Face are different than those that David faced at least a lot of them are we don't have to to literally go out every day and do battle with Philistines. Most of us probably don't have anybody wanting us to be dead so that they can take our place. But at the same time we do have enemies enemies that can frighten us that can harm us that can possibly even destroy us. Jesus warned us when he spoke the words in this world you will have troubles. But take heart.

Have no fear I have overcome the world.

We might have to be facing loneliness. Or maybe a physical illness or perhaps maybe some sort of an addiction may be the illness or the loss of a loved one. Maybe we're at Toys are we have some kind of financial challenges or maybe some legal challenges the list goes on and on and on we have lots of enemies. and like David each and everyone of us have to struggle with our own Temptations temptations that are constantly trying to drag us down paths. That will only do us harm.

Life can be tough. And there is much to fear.

But despite all of this if we like David will endeavor every day of Our Lives to dwell in the presence of the Lord to seek his face to praise him and worship him to recall all of those times and in the past when he has been there for us and delivered us. Then he will also bless us. with unshakable confidence He will shelter us from the storms of life. He will set us up on a rock safe from all of those enemies that surround us hers will not sweep over us. The fires will not consume us. And we will be able to declare confidently. The Lord is my salvation Whom Shall I Fear. The Lord is the strength of my life of what? Shall I be afraid?

amen

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Jesus you're my old man.

I hope that's how we