Sermon Tone Analysis

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)

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.

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.

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.

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)

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)

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)

God will send out his steadfast love and his faithfulness!

Here David expresses his absolute assurance of God’s love for him.