Revering the Word
Psalm 55 In this life there will be trouble, trust in the Lord.
Good morning everyone. This morning we are in Psalm 55 and made the Lord guide and be with us as we look through this psalm. This is a psalm of David and it comes at a time when David has enemies. Now David had enemies a lot. You might recall that the King Saul whom he served ended up being an enemy of David and wanted to take David's life. David's son Absalom looked to take over the kingdom and declare himself king and he had a false prophet who was giving him advice called Ehethopel and that person gave him wicked advice against David. David you know many times in his life was on the run and had many enemies and you know it's interesting to think about that you know sometimes as a believer in Jesus Christ there will be people who might be opposed to you and it partly is just because you're a man of God or a woman of God or you're a person of faith and in a sense some of the people around you might feel convicted they might feel as though you believe that you're following God and and some people around you may not be following God and they feel a sense of judgment as a result of that and they may just sometimes want to rise up against you. That can happen I mean look at our Savior right here he was God in the flesh Emmanuel and what did they do they put him on the cross look at the apostles they were all murdered for their faith so sometimes by the fact that you're a Christian there's going to be people that are going to stand against you and David had a special favor upon him and I believe the favor of the Lord is upon his believers is upon us but David distinctly because he was promised to be King and eventually you know Jesus came from his family line and you know David son Solomon ended up building the temple there was a special blessing upon David and upon David's family you know from his line of king there was going to be a king that would come forever one of that makes sometimes interpreting David Psalms challenging because he is resting in and trusting in the deliverance of God from his enemies and he is trusting in God's divine blessing even though everything sometimes comes against him it's as though he has the faith that he knows that in the end he's going to be safe and David did die an old man now I do think that there's favor and blessing upon us and that God is with us as his people but but the divine plan that God had for David is unique and was for David so sometimes I think the promises that David shares are in general for us but not specifically for us and you know sometimes the divine blessing that we have from God is not always that things are going to turn out perfectly here on earth but that ultimately we have a home and heaven and God has a plan for us for reward and heaven for those who have followed him I do think God interacts and blesses and gets favored to our life here and that God does look out for our lives here I just we just can't claim the exact promises David had for each and every individual believer you know we're not the king of Israel so let's go ahead and take in this Psalm Psalm 55 give ear to my prayer O God and do not hide yourself from my supplication and you know at times David sensed a sense of desperation and calling out to God because people were after him give heed to me and answer me I am restless in my complaint and am surely distracted because of the voice of the enemy because of the pressure of the wicked for they bring down trouble upon me and in anger they bear a grudge against me I think it's just important as I mentioned at the onset that sometimes people are going to be against you and to not be surprised and you know to not rest in man's opinion of you I think that's really an important place to be is to not get your satisfaction to not get your ultimate piece of what man thinks of you because man is very shaky ground man will love you one day and not love you the next day but God is a is a consistent stable foundation for our lives and if you if your identity gets wrapped up in what others think about you you will be very up and down but if you rest in being a child of God even when then man is shaky you still are on something solid and I think it's great that David is bringing his prayer and complaint and his stress and restlessness to God and praise praise God that he went to the right place because of the pressure of the wicked for they bring down trouble upon me and in anger they bear a garage against me my heart is in anguish within me and the tears of death have fallen upon me David isn't you know in desperate times many times but God sees him through fear and trembling come upon me and horror has overwhelmed me you know imagine your son trying to usurp your kingdom I mean his son and through the evil console of false prophet actually like took David's concubines for himself in the presence of Israel just to violate his dad in any way he could and he sought to make himself king and replace of David and overthrow the kingdom your own son how sad I said oh that I had wings like a dove I would fly away and be at rest can we relate to that wouldn't it be nice just to sometimes be able to fly away from life and all of its problems behold I would wander far away I would lodge in the wilderness I would hasten to my place of refuge from the stormy wind and the tempest and we can relate to that right wouldn't it wouldn't it be great to just fly away but sometimes you know God's developing our character through the storm and that's what's happening here with David he's not going to fly away he's going to be protected by God and God's going to see him through and he's going to continue to see how God has provided for him and now he praised this confusing Lord divide their tongues for I have seen violence and strife in the city day and night they go around her upon her walls and iniquity and mischief are intermitched destruction is intermitched oppression and deceit do not part from her streets there's chaos going on outside you know a lot of commentators do believe that this is when the Absalom conspiracy when he was trying to get the city to be behind him and did get people to be behind him to become king but it didn't went out for it is not an enemy who approaches me then I could bear it nor does one who hates me who has exalted himself against me then I could hide myself from him but it is you a man my equal my companion and my familiar friend so it's kind of interesting because he he doesn't say his son so that's why you know we're not a hundred percent sure what situation this is addressing but we who had sweet fellowship together walked in the house of God in the throng and you know here he's got an insider and you know and that that makes it all the more you know difficult is when an insider you know turns on david um but don't be surprised you know we we can't be surprised at the challenges that man gives us um if you are thinking that the people around you everything's going to be perfect they're going to be loyal to you to the end no one's going to turn their back on you no one's going to harm you no one's going to leave you no one's going to say false things about you if you think that's the case then you're going to be surprised when it happens but you should never think that's the case that's the man is very wayward and you know one of the leaders at our church brought up a passage in our church it's one of my favorite from jeremiah 17 and he says blessed is the man who does not trust in man but is the man who trusts in the lord he shall be like a tree that is by the stream and his roots grow deep it's not the person who trusts in man it's the person who trusts in the lord now listen praise god when people are faithful and loyal and good to you and enjoy that but ultimately you got to keep your foundation on god because man is an unfurm foundation all right uh but now he's gonna he's gonna pray that you know his enemy who is coming against him that god would take care of him let death come deceitfully upon them let them go down alive to shio and you know we saw that in the old testament where god opened up the ground and allowed people to fall in um because they were of what they were doing and and david's praying that kind of a prayer for evil is in their dwelling in their midst um as for me i shall call upon god and the lord will save me and david even amidst all of his challenges really trusting in god even in morning and at noon i will complain in murmur and he will hear my voice he will redeem my soul in peace from the battle which is against me hallelujah he he trusted in god for there they are many who strive with me uh so he's got people on his side too god will hear and answer them even the one who sits and thrown from of old with whom there is no charge and he who and who do not fear god he has put forth his hand against those who were at peace with him he has violated his covenant his speech was smooth smoother than butter but his heart was war his words were softer than oil yet they were drawn swords isn't that something you know sometimes that's how deceitful man can be they say one thing you know in your presence but then when you're not there they're actually you know against you and that that can happen that can be the nature of man at times but what a beautiful verse this is cast your burden upon the lord and he will sustain you hallelujah that's the place to go he is our refuge he is our fortress he is our foundation he can he can sustain us mentally so that we can endure the difficulty that is around us and he blesses us on earth and one day he's going to bless us with an eternal hallelujah he will never allow the righteous to be shaken what a powerful word he will never allow the righteous to be shaken be a child of god be a man or woman of god and trust that the lord is going to be with you but you oh god will bring them down to the pit of destruction men of bloodshed and deceit will not live out half their days but i will trust in you but i will trust in you and eventually david is trusting that there's going to be justice you know he's going to be found right in god and his enemies who are against him are going to be found wrong in god and some of them indeed are going to have their lives be shortened as a result of them coming against god's chosen one david and indeed david did die an old man and god did protect him hallelujah david knew where to go amidst enemies amidst the trials of life david had his trust in the lord and that's the place for us to go to make sure that the lord is your trust he will give you peace hallelujah praise god when man is good to you when god gives you favor and when you have good people around you but but don't shift excuse me your trust on demand enjoy man be thankful to man praise god for the blessing of man but ultimately make sure you keep your foundation upon the rock and that is jesus christ and that way when the storms of life came when they came for david now your house will not be on the sand it will not be washed away but you will be have built upon the rock and god will see you through this life and ultimately bring you to the rock of heaven God bless you all.