Not Forgotten
Notes
Transcript
Oh, for a thousand tongues to sing,
Blessed be the Name of the Lord!
The glories of my God and king!
Blessed be the Name of the Lord!
Blessed be the Name, blessed be the Name,
Blessed be the Name of the Lord!
Blessed be the Name, blessed be the Name,
Blessed be the Name of the Lord!
The 3rd verse says ‘He breaks the power of cancelled sin
Ever wondered how cancelled sin can have power? Because we give it power. Our flesh still leads us toward sin. Take every thought captive and make it obedient to Jesus Christ.
As the deer
To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.
In you, O Lord, do I take refuge;
let me never be put to shame;
in your righteousness deliver me!
Incline your ear to me;
rescue me speedily!
Be a rock of refuge for me,
a strong fortress to save me!
For you are my rock and my fortress;
and for your name’s sake you lead me and guide me;
you take me out of the net they have hidden for me,
for you are my refuge.
Into your hand I commit my spirit;
you have redeemed me, O Lord, faithful God.
I hate those who pay regard to worthless idols,
but I trust in the Lord.
I will rejoice and be glad in your steadfast love,
because you have seen my affliction;
you have known the distress of my soul,
and you have not delivered me into the hand of the enemy;
you have set my feet in a broad place.
Be gracious to me, O Lord, for I am in distress;
my eye is wasted from grief;
my soul and my body also.
For my life is spent with sorrow,
and my years with sighing;
my strength fails because of my iniquity,
and my bones waste away.
Because of all my adversaries I have become a reproach,
especially to my neighbors,
and an object of dread to my acquaintances;
those who see me in the street flee from me.
I have been forgotten like one who is dead;
I have become like a broken vessel.
For I hear the whispering of many—
terror on every side!—
as they scheme together against me,
as they plot to take my life.
But I trust in you, O Lord;
I say, “You are my God.”
My times are in your hand;
rescue me from the hand of my enemies and from my persecutors!
Make your face shine on your servant;
save me in your steadfast love!
O Lord, let me not be put to shame,
for I call upon you;
let the wicked be put to shame;
let them go silently to Sheol.
Let the lying lips be mute,
which speak insolently against the righteous
in pride and contempt.
Oh, how abundant is your goodness,
which you have stored up for those who fear you
and worked for those who take refuge in you,
in the sight of the children of mankind!
In the cover of your presence you hide them
from the plots of men;
you store them in your shelter
from the strife of tongues.
Blessed be the Lord,
for he has wondrously shown his steadfast love to me
when I was in a besieged city.
I had said in my alarm,
“I am cut off from your sight.”
But you heard the voice of my pleas for mercy
when I cried to you for help.
Love the Lord, all you his saints!
The Lord preserves the faithful
but abundantly repays the one who acts in pride.
Be strong, and let your heart take courage,
all you who wait for the Lord!
When David was persecuted by Saul.
This persecution came from someone in a position of power, from someone David knew personally, from someone David should have been able to trust.
This happened over a period of 15 years or so. Maybe closer to 20.
Remember David’s attitude in all this: I will not lift my hand against the Lord’s anointed. The truth of the matter was God had already rejected Saul. David was anointed as the next king of Israel the same year he killed Goliath. But there was time; real days when the sun came up and the sun set where waiting was the requirement. Growing. Learning. Maturing. Faith building. Waiting.
A broken vessel is useless, done for, worthless, cast aside, forgotten. Sad condition for a king! Sad condition for the King of kings! But He, too, was a broken vessel. We should see the picture of the Christ David’s words.
What we need to receive from this part of David’s story: In the waiting, you are NOT FORGOTTEN. You will feel like it. You, like David, may express it. But God has not forgotten you! He did not allow His Son to see decay. He who raised Him from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies… Romans 8
Notice what David did NOT say in the opening verses of this chapter:
I have served you, loved you, been upright, faithful...
He did not make the case he was good enough or deserving of what he was asking
He called on God’s righteousness to deliver him. He relies on the goodness of God stored up and worked out for those who take refuge in Him. We should too!
He asked in light of ‘your name’s sake’. Which is a way to say for your fame, for your glory. So people will see you and be drawn to you.
Is this the same or different from how we ask for things?
For our benefit
For pity
For ease, comfort
“Take this and use it for your glory. My life is in your hands. Draw people to yourself through me.”
Rock and Fortress
This whole chapter is one big confession of “I need You”.
The opposing statements in different circumstances of life: This is good for me so God must have sent it. God sent this so it must be good for me. David knew how to get himself to the second one.
Asks for it then confesses it is true! The fruit of this prayer is the certainty of its own truth. This is a faith-building prayer!
What David confesses:
You are my rock/fortress, rescuer, refuge, redeemer. You are faithful. I trust you. You see me, know me are for me. This is a hard time. I am weak. Those around me oppose me, have forgotten me, scheme against me.
But in your goodness you remember me. Your presence covers me, shelters me. You hear me, love me. I confessed my sin and you forgave me!
What David asks:
Guard my honor, deliver me, listen to me! Be my rock/refuge/fortress. Be gracious. Rescue me. Save me. Avenge me.
Our response:
Love the Lord. Trust Him. Be strong, take courage. Wait for the Lord.
Waiting on the Lord
I must trust Him instead of my eyes, heart, reasoning.
It looks odd to the unbeliever. Learning to walk with God. Earl Weaver, Oriole manager, tells believer on his team: I’d rather you learn to walk with the bases loaded.
My job is to get as close to Him as possible. To learn His voice through the Word so when He says go I recognize it is Him speaking. Wind, Earthquake, Fire…Whisper. Elijah`
And he said, “Go out and stand on the mount before the Lord.” And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore the mountains and broke in pieces the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. And after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. And after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire the sound of a low whisper. And when Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. And behold, there came a voice to him and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
A time of waiting is a time of preparation for obedience. Because after the waiting, ACTION! Following His question, God said GO. There were specific instructions and Elijah went.
We are in a time of waiting that is almost over. Do you recognize the voice of God? Is your faith able to let Him give you instruction to GO? Is obedience the only choice in your heart and mind? It’s not too late.