Finding Stability during Turbulent Times

Series: Sanctuary: The Psalms of Ascent

Sermon: Finding Confidence during Turbulent Times

Do you ever feel like the ground has been shifting beneath you so much you are not sure if you can even find a place to stand anymore?

From the Wall Street Journal Saturday Essay, “Learning to Conquer Life’s Crises,” July 11, 2020:

“Covid-19 has brought a crush of change to Americans. Nearly 140,000 families have lost loved ones; 40 million of us have lost jobs; tens of millions more are rethinking our careers, where we live, what gives us mean­ing, how we care for our children or aging par-ents. The way that we cope with such changes is what psychologists call a “life transition.” Given the moment we’re in, learning to master these challenging periods just may be the most essential life skill each of us needs right now.

My data show that each of us will experience around three dozen disrupters in our adult lives—that’s one every 12 to 18 months. These disrupters range from switching jobs to car­ing for a loved one, from getting divorced to facing an addiction. The largest percentage involve our relationships, followed by our identities, beliefs, careers and bodies.”

How do we respond when the ground is shifting beneath us? Where can we find confidence when we can’t even seem to stand firm?

Our confidence is found in what we know about God.

Confidence in God’s Presence Gives Us Stability (1-2)

Have we ever lived in more uncertain times? As challenging as these times may be, there have certainly been more difficult times in history in general and in Christian history in particular.

But—for most of us—these are the most uncertain times that we have ever faced.

There is economic instability. Jobs have been lost. Businesses have closed. A skyrocketing unemployment sector has prompted fear for many.

There is political instability. A large part of family lives in Tennessee. During that Reagan years we would go to Tennessee and there would be some disagreement between one part of the family that was Republican and one part that was Democrat.

To one half, Reagan was a hero and to the other, he was a villain. But by and large, it was friendly banter that never really got out of control. That is not the case in many families today.

There is geographical instability. China. North Korea. Everyday there is a new threat from an old foe.

There is cultural instability. Male and female. Black and white. Rich and poor. It can seem as if we are constantly outraged.

We are surrounded by instability.

But we thank God that—in spite of the instability that has affected every area of life—God will never change.

Psalm 125 says that God surrounds His people like the mountain range surrounds Jerusalem.

As Mount Zion is the dwelling place of God so does God dwell among—and around—His people.

The image of mountains is intended to communicate stability and security. We lift up our eyes to the mountains or the hills.

Mount Zion is often referred to as the dwelling place of God.

The Psalmist is teaching that—during times of instability—our safest place to be is in the presence of God.

That stability is reserved for those who “trust in the LORD.”

“Those who trust” does not say “those who have trusted,” but those who trust. The implication is that we are in a state of trusting. “Those who do trust” or “those who are trusting.”

Are you trusting God right now? I’m not asking you if you believe in God. I’m not asking if you’ve trusted Him in the past.

I am asking are you living your life in a state of trust right now?

One of my favorite stories in the Bible is of Elisha and the young lad…

Confidence in God’s Justice Gives Us Stability (3)

The reason that we often fear is because we are aware that there are enemies who desire to harm us.

There are those people who hate Jesus Christ and therefore they hate Christians. They reject our values.

The very world itself has been corrupted by sin and therefore the circumstances often work against those who are try to live honestly.

There is spiritual warfare all around us and we are often the focus of the attacks of the devil.

Often, the enemies are so many that we grow weary of the fight.

It is not always what we have lost that causes us to fear. It is what we fear losing. Worry destroys the faith of more Christians than defeat does.

But the consistent promise of the Bible is that God is going to set things right in His time.

Verse 3 says:

For the scepter of wickedness shall not rest upon the land of the righteous, so that the righteous will not put forth their hands to do wrong.

A promise like this implies one thing: evil is present. It is here. It is wicked. It is destructive. We do not need a promise if there is no threat.

The fact that there is a promise means that we experience this daily. We need a promise because the need is real.

The promise that is given to us is that the scepter or the weapon of wicked will not be upon the land forever.

But more importantly, there is the promise that there is a land where no wicked weapon will be.

One of the greatest struggles today is that we are a people who are ultimately governed by the love of the Lord. But we live in a world that is all too often governed by the wickedness of humanity.

God has given certain institutions for our good. Government serves a purpose. But government is served by fallen humanity and therefore its tendency is to oppress.

Decisions are made to increase the power of the powerful and restrain the rights of the quiet.

The Bible teaches that humanity—even saved humanity—can be tempted to do evil in the face of evil.

Matthew 24:24 teaches that God will shorten our days because—in a society that is driven by corruption—even the chosen ones of God can be led astray by following a false messiah.

We can desire relief so much from the tyranny of the present world that we could turn to false saviors. We might turn to injustice in order to find justice.

Rather than taking up the sword of the Spirit we might take up the sword of human warfare. Rather than placing a trust in a king we might place faith in a political leader.

Rather than trusting in the angel armies of God we might trust in the armies of humanity. Rather than giving our ultimate devotion to an eternal Kingdom we might find ourselves more devoted to a temporary nation.

But Psalm 125:3 teaches that God will not allow the scepter of the wickedness to remain upon the land lest the righteous be overcome by their own evil.

You may be growing impatient in the current situation of culture. You may even get angry at the rampant violence that you see.

Two wrongs do not make a right.

But God will not excuse fighting evil with evil.

The weapons of our warfare not carnal. They are mighty in Christ Jesus.

Let’s devote ourselves to prayer. Let’s trust the Word of God. Let’s follow the leading of the Spirit. Let’s commit to be the people of God gathered as the church.

Confidence in God’s Blessedness Gives Us Stability (4-5)

Prayer is the key to stability and confidence. The person who does not pray should not be surprised when their faith fails. When they lose a sense of God’s nearness.

Prayerlessness causes cowardice. Prayerfulness leads to confidence.

Not confidence in ourselves. Oh no. Just the opposite. True prayer is the result that we despair of ourselves. We seek God because we recognize that we are weak.

But prayerfulness gives us confidence because it reminds that God is here. He is listening. He hears our concerns.

Prayer is not merely making our list known to God. Prayer is actively engaging in the life of God. It is submitting our desires to the will of God.

Robert Murray Mc’Cheyne once wrote “What a man is on his knees, that he is and no more.”

Augustine said that “true prayer is nothing but love [for God].”

Phillip Nation wrote “prayer is our response to the echoes of Eden where long to walk with God in the cool of the day.”

One of the most important measures of the Christian life is our practice of prayer.

Notice that the Psalmist ends Psalm 125 with a word of prayer:

Do good, O LORD, to show who are good. And to those who are upright in their hearts. But as for those who turn aside to their crooked ways, the LORD will lead them away with the doers of iniquity.

David is praying for justice. He is essentially saying: “O God. Bless those who are upright and judge those who are wicked.”

How would we define the upright? Certainly by saying they are sinless. Perfect. No one would qualify.

Perhaps Jesus is defining the upright when He give the Beatitudes. The upright are:

· Those who mourn.

· Those who are meek.

· Those who hunger and thirst for righteousness

· Those who are merciful.

· Those who are pure in heart.

· Those who peacemakers.

· And those who are persecuted.

These are the one who are upright. The ones that God blesses. These qualities are most clearly demonstrated through an attitude of prayerfulness.

But—just as quickly as he prays for God to bless the upright—he prays for God to judge the wicked. Those who turn aside to crooked ways.

David knows that—thought he wicked seem to rule for a season—it is a limited season. There will dawn a new day will all evil will be put to death. All the wicked will stand in judgment.

And he longs for that day. He prays for that day.

That day will be defined by “Peace upon Israel.”

The Psalmists ultimate desire is that the people of God would be at peace. That the swords of wickedness would be broken.

Of course, we are experiencing anything but peace today. If I were to label the cultural mood of the day it would be simple: outrage.

Everybody is upset about something. The world is divided. The nation is divided. Our homes are divided.

But the anticipation of the people of God, and God’s promise to His people, is peace.

Eugene Peterson writes of Psalm 125:

“The emphasis of Psalm 125 is not on the precariousness of the Christian life but on its solidity. Living as a Christian is not walking a tightrope without a safety net high above a breathless crowd, many of whom would like nothing better than the morbid thrill of seeing you fall; it is sitting secure in a fortress.”[1]

Peace is not the consequence of compromising what is right. Peace is the result of following the road of righteousness; the way of the Cross.

Conclusion: What should you do?

1. Practice the presence of God in your life. Seek Him. Obey Him. Pray. Worship. Fast.

2. Remember that—one day—the wicked will be judged and evil will be destroyed.

3. Patiently wait upon God. He will honor His word. He will bless His people.

Conclusion: Turning to Jesus

The truth is, there is no so safe place in this world to turn. It is a fallen world. But Jesus is said to be the solid rock upon which we can stand. There is no disappointment in Him. He is the anchor for our souls. The healer of our hearts. The hope-giver.

[1] Eugene Peterson, The Journey: A Guide Book for the Pilgrim Life (London: Marshall Pickering, 1989), 76