Have you ever had a “mountaintop experience”? This is a time of great learning, growth, positive change, fruitful ministry, exhilarating service, etc. where God shows up super huge and super powerful and absolutely blows your mind. These times are often followed by a “walk through the valley of the shadow of death.” This is a very low experience that can bring anxiety and testing and depression and fear. This valley is where Psalm 3 finds us today. But this valley is not where we will remain.
These 8 verses written by King David are ultimately about
Deliverance. These words teach the truth, and provide a
crucial reminder, that When foes rise,
the Lord is my Shield and Deliverance.
When we walk away from our time together today, I want
you to know Jesus is the ultimate
security!
Father-God, open
our hearts and minds to the truth in these verses today. Teach us what we need to know to honor you
with our lives. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
We have three divisions, today:
1. David’s foes (Psalm 3:1-2)
2. David’s God (Psalm 3:3-6)
3. God’s Deliverance (Psalm 3:7-8)
Let’s get started.
Read Psalm 3:1-2.
This is a psalm of David.
These verses describe how the author felt when he was running from his
son Absalom. You can read this account
in 2 Samuel 15. David’s own son
challenged his father’s authority in an attempt to usurp the throne. According to this account, many people actually
rose up against David and sided with Absalom.
David fled, taking his household and several officials with him. But David has won battles. He has fought enemies. Why would he flee? Scripture says many rose up against him. And besides, fighting your family is a
challenge!
Sadly, this is a reality for the believer even today. Those who do not believe oppose those who do. This can come from hatred, jealousy, or
pride, just to name a few motives. The
opposition can come from coworkers, strangers, or family members. And as I said before, it can be challenging
to have to fight your family. How often
have you “given in” just to keep the peace?
Apparently, word was circulating among many that God
would not deliver David.
This leads us to our first principle:
God’s people will
experience opposition.
When have you experienced opposition? When have you fled to avoid a fight? But, on the flip side of the coin, how are
you seeing God’s activity in areas where you feel opposition?
Now let’s look at what happens when David takes his eyes
off the storm and puts them on the Lord.
Read Psalm 3:3-6.
It’s amazing what a change in perspective can do! In these verses, David reminds himself that
the Lord as his protection. God lifts
David’s head. God hears David’s prayers,
and answers those prayers. God gives
David rest. David is able to sleep
because he can trust God to be God. God
wakes David up. God sustains David. Because of God, David chooses not to be
afraid! Even though tens of thousands
assail him on every side. Wow!
When you have Christ as your Savior, you should have a
change in perspective. The Holy Spirit
lives inside every believer, and acts as a teacher, a comforter, a counselor! Just as David reminded himself Who God was,
we can remind ourselves of those same things: Jesus is our protection. He lifts our heads. He hears and answers our prayers. He gives us rest. He brings sleep to our eyes. He wakes us up. He sustains us. Because of Jesus, we can choose not to be
afraid. If God is for us, who can be
against us?
It can be challenging to take your eyes off of the
circumstances and put them on the Savior, but that’s what we have to do if we’re
going to walk victoriously through this life.
And here is our second principle:
God’s people have
the ultimate protection: Jesus!
In what areas of your life do you need a change in
perspective? What do you need to remind
yourself about Who God is? How have you experienced the protection of
Jesus? How do you remind yourself about
how Jesus has protected you in the past so it is easier to trust Him to protect
you in the present and future? How does
your life demonstrate trust in God’s provision and protection?
Now let’s finish up with a look at the Lord’s deliverance.
Read Psalm 3:7-8.
David prays for deliverance. He prays for his enemies to be stricken. He recognizes that deliverance comes from the
Lord. He prays for God’s blessing to be
upon His people.
Do you realize that the ultimate battle is already fought
AND WON! Christ won the ultimate victory
on the cross of Calvary. The enemy of
our souls was completely defeated. And
God’s people are blessed in that we are more than conquerors because of Christ!
Do you know Jesus as your Savior? If yes, praise Jesus! If no, do you want to? If yes, pray with me:
Father-God, I come
to you in the name of Jesus to admit that I am a sinner in need of a
Savior. I acknowledge that Jesus is that
Savior. I believe He was crucified and
died to pay the penalty for my sin, and that He rose again, defeating death. Thank you for hearing my prayer and saving my
soul. Amen.
Even after praying that prayer, you may feel like you’re
in a battle. Get yourself a Bible and start
reading the Gospel of John in the New Testament. Check out the You Version Bible app if you
don’t have a copy of the Bible. It’s
free. Find a Christian friend and tell
them about the decision you’ve made.
Find a Bible preaching church. Take
time every day to pray and read the Bible.
Get to know Jesus.
If you’ve been a Christian for years, you may still feel
like you’re in the midst of a war. Lift
your eyes off of your circumstances and put them on Jesus. Change your perspective.
And here is our final principle:
God delivers His
people through Jesus Christ.
When have your experienced God’s deliverance?
In Matthew 14:13-33, there is an account of a “mountaintop
experience” in the feeding of the 5000!
This is followed by Jesus walking on water to the disciples, who are
struggling in a boat in the midst of a storm.
Peter briefly walks on the water, but breaks his focus on Jesus and
starts to sink when he notices the storm.
This is just like life for us! I am struggling with a situation – actually several
situations – at work right now. When I
focus on those circumstances, I lash out, react emotionally, behave badly, and
risk losing my witness. When I focus on
Jesus, I can find peace in the midst of the storm. I find the strength to wait instead of
reacting out of frustration and emotion.
Yes, this really works.
If you reviewed this chapter of Matthew, you may have
noticed that the feeding of the 5000 was preceded by the killing of John the
Baptist. I’m not sure of the time frame
during which these events occurred, but that would’ve been a pretty low point
for Jesus to follow with feeding and teaching thousands. My Pastor is always saying, “You are either
coming out of a trial, in the midst of a trial, or going into a trial.” This cyclical pattern describes the Christian
life pretty well.
Just remember that, if you trust Jesus as your Savior, when
you’re in the part of the cycle where you “walk through the valley of the
shadow of death,” you need fear no evil for God is with you!
Father, thank you for
this time in Your Scriptures. I pray
that we will be transformed by what you revealed to us today. That we will focus on Jesus and not our circumstances,
and this will lead us into victorious living in His name. Amen.
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