In The Storm

ME

Illus.: In 1996 my grandfather had a stroke as the result of heart cath complications. he spent the next year and half practically bed ridden all the time with my grandmother giving him around the clock care. When my grandfather passed I lost not only my granddad I lost the single most important man in my life. That season for me in my heart was a storm. The season for my grandmother and the rest of my family was definitely a storm.

WE

We all face storms...

WE

at home

at work

in our finances

with our health

with loss

The question is not - will we face storms? The question is - what do we do in the storm?

GOD

What do we do when we find ourselves in a storm?

In David is recounting his own personal storm. He was being tracked by King Saul and was hiding in a cave out of fear of execution. In the midst of this trying moment in his life David writes this beautiful song of worship showing us that worship is not just for the highs but also for the lows. In this Psalm we find David do two primary actions of worship in the midst of his storm. These acts of worship are the very things we need to do when we find ourselves in a storm.

So, what do we do when we find ourselves in a storm?

Trust Him.

How do we do this? How do we trust God, when the storm is upon us?

Trust That God Is Your Refuge (1)

English Standard Version Psalm 57

1  Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me,

for in you my soul takes refuge;

in the shadow of your wings I will take refuge,

till the storms of destruction pass by.

English Standard Version Psalm 57

Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me,

for in you my soul takes refuge;

in the shadow of your wings I will take refuge,

till the storms of destruction pass by.

English Standard Version Psalm 57

Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me,

for in you my soul takes refuge;

in the shadow of your wings I will take refuge,

till the storms of destruction pass by.

English Standard Version Psalm 57

Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me,

for in you my soul takes refuge;

in the shadow of your wings I will take refuge,

till the storms of destruction pass by.

Here David states that God is his refuge. He even paints this picture of how God protects him by using the image of a bird shielding it’s young. Even though David was being hunted by King Saul, he knew that God had him shielded in his wings.

Illus.: Talk about going to my great-grandmother’s each summer in Oklahoma. One year that we were there a severe storm came up and we had to run next door to my great-uncle’s house to get in his storm shelter. I had never been in an area that had tornados. I was scared, but my grandmother (on my dad’s side) told me that that basement would keep me safe.

What about you?

God offers the same to those who follow Him today. He is our refuge and our shield. You might be facing some extreme storms right now, but I want you to know that you can find refuge in the arms of God.

Do you trust him to protect you?

Trust That God Has A Purpose (2)

English Standard Version Psalm 57

2  I cry out to God Most High,

to God who fulfills his purpose for me.

Though David is in a dire situation, he stills believed that God had a purpose for his life and would fulfill it. When we are in the midst of the storm this is the first thing that we forget. We forget that God has a plan and He is sovereign. We feel out of control, so we tend to think that God is as well. Here David remembers that God had a purpose.

Illus.: Talk about Hallelujah Festival & Matt Adams events and the sheer negative comments that we received as a result of having those events from number of folks. Talk about how the rain threatened the Hallelujah Festival, but we believed that God had a plan. Last Sunday night we saw nine folks profess faith in Jesus Christ with hundreds of folks attending our festival just days before.

We need to remember that God has a plan for our lives, and there is nothing that the enemy or any storm can do to stop it. So, as you go through your storm, trust Him. Trust that he has a purpose for your life and a purpose for allowing this storm. A purpose that will make sense one day. If you will just trust Him in this storm, you will see it when the clouds clear.

Do you trust that God has a purpose for you?

Trust That God Will Save You. (3a)

English Standard Version Psalm 57

3  He will send from heaven and save me;

he will put to shame him who tramples on me. Selah

Here David makes a statement that proves his confidence in God. He says, “He will send from heaven and save me.” This level of trust was not due to what happening in David’s life at that moment, but in a lifetime of trust in God’s saving power up to this point. David knew that God would save Him, because He had delivered him from beasts and even a giant. It wasn’t even a question for him.

Illus.: Talk about our dog and how attached it is to Julie. If our dog is at home and hears the garage door open she will get all excited and run to the garage door in anticipation of Julie coming home. Why? She knows if Julie is not home that is usually the sign that she is now.

Are you struggling with this today? Do you doubt that God can and will deliver you from your current storm?

I want to invite you to trust Him even still. It’s not about what is happening now, but about how God has proven himself over and over again in our lives.

Use this 8:15 Service.

Illus.: I love the modern praise song “Oceans.” The chorus of that song says a lot about David is communicating here, “Spirit lead me where my trust is without borders, Let me walk upon the waters, Wherever You would call me, Take me deeper than my feet could ever wander, And my faith will be made stronger, In the presence of my Savior.

Use this 10:30 Service.

Illus.: I love the hymn “Tis So Sweet To Trust In Jesus.” The chorus says a lot about what David had to say here, “Jesus, Jesus, how I trust Him, How I’ve proved Him o’er and o’er, Jesus, Jesus, Precious Jesus! O for grace to trust Him more.”

Trust His Love For You. (3b)

English Standard Version Psalm 57

God will send out his steadfast love and his faithfulness!

Here David expresses his absolute assurance of God’s love for him. Here is David in hiding and fear of losing his life, but still takes time to acknowledge God’s love for him.

Why?

Notice, the phrase David uses here, “steadfast love.” The word (hesed) that David uses refers to God’s “covenant loyalty” to Israel. David was trusting in the fact that God who loved Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and all of Israel still loved him. He is again drawing from the God’s proven tracked record.

Illus.: Talk about how when Julie and I were dating and engaged I would tell her that loved many times just to hear it back. I would do so because I needed to be reassured due to the fact that all I knew of marriage was not good. However, over the almost 23 years that we have been married I no longer need that. Why? She has proven her love to me. I know she loves me.

You may be going through a storm right now and wonder if God cares. I want you to know that it is the storm talking and not God. God loves you. He desires nothing more than to fellowship with you and to show His love to you.

Trust God’s Power Over Your Storm. (4-5)

English Standard Version Psalm 57

4  My soul is in the midst of lions;

I lie down amid fiery beasts—

the children of man, whose teeth are spears and arrows,

whose tongues are sharp swords.

5  Be exalted, O God, above the heavens!

Let your glory be over all the earth!

Look at what David uses to describe his situation. He felt like he was literally in a lion’s den and that those who were out to get him would soon devour him. However, he is confident that God was bigger and more power than those who were out to get him.

So, what do we do when we find ourselves in a storm?

The same is true for you and for me. No matter how big your storm is today GOD IS BIGGER.

Illus.: When I was a youth pastor over twenty years ago, Veggie Tales was a huge thing. So, when we had our first child we bought him all the Veggie Tales. Veggie Tales for those who don’t know was a Christian cartoon narrated by vegetables, namely Bob and Larry. Anyway a young vegetable Junior Asparagus was having a hard time sleeping due to fear, so Bob the Tomato sings him a song and the main lyric is, “God is bigger than the boogie man. He's bigger than Godzilla, or the monsters on TV. Oh, God is bigger than the boogie man. And He's watching out for you and me.”

Some of you are facing a situation that seems impossible. I want you to know today and trust in the God who is BIGGER than your problem. Even is He doesn’t deliver your from your problem, He will deliver you through your problem.

So, what do we do when we find ourselves in a storm?

Praise Him.

How do we do this? How do we praise God, when things are going wrong?

Praise Him In Your Heart. (6-7a)

English Standard Version Psalm 57

6  They set a net for my steps;

my soul was bowed down.

They dug a pit in my way,

but they have fallen into it themselves. Selah

7  My heart is steadfast, O God,

my heart is steadfast!

Here David describes his enemies as setting a net for him, but he praises the Lord because he knows that the net that they set for him will end up catching them. Was that ultimately true? Yes, King Saul died as a result of his own actions. Therefore, David praised the Lord in his heart.

Where does worship start?

It starts in our hearts. The reason that many folks don’t sing and sit stoic in worship is not because they have a voice problem. They have a heart problem. The joy of the Lord is not in their heart, so how would it ever come out their lips or be seen in their face.

Illus.: I have sat in worship services with folks that looked angry to be there and never cracked a smile until it was time to leave. What if I looked like that preaching? That wouldn’t be very encouraging, challenging or anything.

If this describes you, I want you think about why do you worship? Why do you come into this place? Is it duty? Is it out of love? What is your motivation? If it is anything other than a love for Jesus, I encourage you to go home today and pray all week asking God prepare my heart to worship you this week. If you will, He will.

Praise Him In Song. (7b-8)

English Standard Version Psalm 57

I will sing and make melody!

8  Awake, my glory!

Awake, O harp and lyre!

I will awake the dawn!

Here David talks about using his voice and instruments to praise the Lord. Singing is not the only form of worship, but it is an essential one. Here is why. When we sing, we sing together. We corporately express to God His goodness and His mercy.

Illus.: The church I grew up in had a strong music program and worship ministry. The reason for this were several, but the main reason was we loved one another and loved to sing together.

Will you lift up your voice with the rest of us in a moment when we sing our final song? It’s not the last song. It’s our last opportunity this morning to sing and praise the Lord together, so let’s do so with joy in our hearts.

Praise Him Before The World. (9-11)

English Standard Version Psalm 57

9  I will give thanks to you, O Lord, among the peoples;

I will sing praises to you among the nations.

10  For your steadfast love is great to the heavens,

your faithfulness to the clouds.

11  Be exalted, O God, above the heavens!

Let your glory be over all the earth!

God Who Judges the Earth

Here David shares how he will give thanks to God in the presence of the world. He is not ashamed. Instead, he is overjoyed by what God had done.

When you are in your storm, this seems impossible. Yet, it is necessary. It is necessary for you to stand before the world and declare God’s goodness. Why? People need to see Christians praising the Lord in their storm to see that our faith is real.

Illus.: You may be in a storm right now. During the invitation I want to invite you to come forward to share a praise with us in the midst of your storm. You don’t know who your story might help.

YOU

What now?

Do you need share a testimony in your storm?

Do you need ask God to change your heart about worship?

Do you need to make a NEXT STEP?

WE

If we will learn worship in our storms, we will see the heart of God like never before.