"Feeling Empty, Dry, or Deserted?"
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I want to thank Ashley and our wonderful children this morning for putting on all of this for us. It does my heart good to see our children learning and singing about the Lord. Hopefully you have brought your Bibles this morning and i want you to turn with me to Psalm 63.
I want to share this Psalm with you today because I feel that there are times where we can all feel like we are in a dry and weary land. There are times where we can feel really empty like nothing is going right in our lives. We can even get empty because we are spiritually far away from the Lord. Maybe it has been a while since you have truly sought the Lord. At other times we feel deserted because of the relationships in life have gone wrong or people have walked away from us. So, if you are feeling this way today this Psalm is for you because it helps us to see that feelings come and go but we can trust in the steadfast love of the Lord our God.
King David experienced a wilderness situation when he was either running from King Saul or when he escaped from his own son Absalom. Like I talked about last week even King David had many family issues and difficulties but he realized that his hope was in the Lord. Many of the Psalms that David writes are in fact prayers for help. This prayer help us see that David spent time in the wilderness and even though David is there, he is completely confident in God. He is confident in His power and love for him, even as David’s enemies (God’s enemies) chase after him.
When we are feeling empty, dry, or even like God is far from us we need to remember these 3 things!!!
1. Seek after God’s Presence.
O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.
So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary, beholding your power and glory.
Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you.
So I will bless you as long as I live; in your name I will lift up my hands.
My soul will be satisfied as with fat and rich food, and my mouth will praise you with joyful lips,
Here in verse 1 we see that David has an eagerness to be with the Lord in every situation. He is passionate to spend time with the Lord. In fact, David says that his soul thirsts for the Lord. David longs for the Lord like a wanderer in a desert longs for a drink of water. Now King David remember is writing this Psalm while hiding out in the desert wilderness of Judea, but I’m sure that he is longing to be back in Jerusalem worshiping the Lord.
In verse 3 David realizes that God’s covenant love is more valuable to him than life itself. And because of this all David can do is praise and bless his God. When we as believers truly seek the Lord it should lead us to give praise to God. What does that mean or really look like? Well, verses 4 and 5 tells us that.
-We can lift up our hands.
-Our souls can truly be satisfied.
-We praise God with what we say and we do that because we have real joy in our lives.
The Old Testament posture of prayer was a lifting up of the hands toward God and a readiness to receive every good gift that comes from our God. This is a wonderful picture of our trust in God church. And then I want you to notice in verse 5 that we see this wonderful metaphor comparing the spiritual and emotional satisfaction of God’s divine presence with this amazing food.
I want us to see all of this today because my point is this are you seeking God when you feel dry and empty or are you seeking after something else to try and fill that emptiness? What is it exactly today that is satisfying your soul? When we continue to seek after the thing of this earth we will come up empty every time. But when we seek the Lord and His presence we will experience real joy and peace. Listen to these words from King David in Psalm 27.
One thing have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in his temple.
2. Remember we have a Powerful God.
when I remember you upon my bed, and meditate on you in the watches of the night;
for you have been my help, and in the shadow of your wings I will sing for joy.
My soul clings to you; your right hand upholds me.
In verse 6 here we see this metaphor of rising up from bed, or raising our head up. When we sleep, this is a time when we as humans can be most vulnerable to surprise attack and injury. It is also a time where we can experience nightmares and terrors. The point David is trying to make here is that when we pray we can remember and meditate on God and his shelter and power. When we are weary we can run to God for rest, but we can also find power in God when we need strength.
David did both and he was content with God as his help, both day and night. When you feel empty and alone in the wilderness of life are you turning to God? Many people run from God or try to rely on their own strength and will power. Many times in my own life when i feel weak or weary I know how much I need the Lord. I’m reminded that i’m not all powerful and I can’t do everything and that is why I need God desperately. He is all powerful and all mighty. We need to run to him day and night for everything in this life. Listen to these verses today.
Great is our Lord, and abundant in power; his understanding is beyond measure.
“It is he who made the earth by his power, who established the world by his wisdom, and by his understanding stretched out the heavens.
but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world.
He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,
After this I heard what seemed to be the loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, crying out, “Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God,
Our God is greater than any storm we may face, he is there to help us and guide us as we go through wilderness times. We need to lean unto him and trust in his power and strength.
3. The Future Judgment of God’s Enemies is coming.
But those who seek to destroy my life shall go down into the depths of the earth;
they shall be given over to the power of the sword; they shall be a portion for jackals.
But the king shall rejoice in God; all who swear by him shall exult, for the mouths of liars will be stopped.
Here in verses 9-11 we how David put’s his faith and trust in His God. That ultimately David knows and understands that his God will take care of him. David helps us to see here that the enemies are in full view here, however that are little threat to the Almighty and Powerful God. David is somewhat comical here because he writes that his enemies (God’s enemies) will go down into the depths of the earth and be given over to the sword and then they will be food for the jackals. David is confident in his God and that God will ultimately take care of the enemy.
So often, we feel like there is something we have to do when we feel attacked. We have to post something on social media to get back or stand up and fight. Listen to these words church.
Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.”
Someday the Lord will return and when He comes there will be judgment wether we like it or not. Someday God is going to take care of those who stand in opposition to Him. Every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.
Verse 11 tells us that those who swear by the name of God show themselves to be loyal to God and will be taken care of by God in times of danger. We we swear our oath of allegiance to God, we have no reason to fear church.
Like David, we sometimes find ourselves in a desert season with circumstances that leave us emotionally and spiritually dry. In these times, God urges us to draw near to Him and to hear His voice more clearly. When we do, He becomes living water to us. Even in the desert, He sees us and sustains us.
If we seek God with discipline, the desert can be one of the greatest adventures in gaining wisdom, strength and maturity. The quietness of the desert allows us to get to know Him better, with more depth and fulfillment. He doesn’t enjoy our pain, but he delights in our passion and desire to know him more and more.
The Lord knows the way through the wilderness. We only need to take His hand.
(Close and lead into Communion)