Luke of Psalms and Psalm 61.
Psalm 61.
Hear my cry, O God, listen to my prayer.
From the end of the earth I call to you.
When my heart is faint, lead me to the rock that is higher than I.
For you have been my refuge, a strong tower against the enemy.
Let me dwell in your tent forever.
Let me take refuge under the shelter of your wings.
Now I suppose if anybody popped their head in here tonight and looked around,
they would say, well, this is a very peaceful place.
It would look so calm and peaceful.
But, of course, we have no idea what might be going on personally in everybody's heart here.
Some people, it might be peaceful.
Some people, they might be very contentious now because life is going very smoothly.
But maybe for others it's anything but.
We often don't display just what is going on within our own hearts.
And there might be many personal conflicts and many personal troubles.
We might feel overwhelmed.
Might be filled with doubts and fears and all sorts of things.
And one of the things sometimes that distresses the Christian is that they think that they shouldn't be like that.
They think that it's because their faith must be lacking.
That there's something wrong because they're thinking that as a Christian,
we should have the faith to commit everything to the Lord.
That there should be a settled peace within us.
We remember that Jesus says,
My peace I give you, not as the world gives, give I unto you.
And so there's this sense that there must be something wrong with my faith,
something wrong with me as a Christian,
if I feel troubled and anxious and overwhelmed.
Well, we've got to remember that the man who penned this psalm, David,
was a man termed a man after God's own heart.
And David was a man who enjoyed much fellowship with the Lord,
a man who had great times,
a man who was a man of great praise.
But he was also somebody who knew what it was to be troubled.
And when we go through the psalms, particularly the Davidic psalms,
you will find that there is almost a constant theme.
There are some psalms that are so full of praise,
but this psalm is so typical, it begins with the urgent cry,
and yet it finishes with a sense of triumph and praise.
And that is often where we too will be led
as we go through all the different experiences that we go through in life.
And David knew what it was like to be troubled.
Sometimes he knew that trouble brought about by enemies.
It had nothing to do with anything with himself,
just as the enemies against God and against God's kingdom.
And he as a representative was at the forefront of that assault.
But sometimes also the troubles were brought about by his own sin,
by his own failings.
So he knew what it was like on all different levels to be troubled.
And so we find David here that he is in absolute distress.
And he begins by saying,
hear my cry, O God, listen to my prayer.
And when he says that, you can see this,
there's a real urgency in David's prayer here.
Now, I know that you know,
but I know a lot of people think that prayer
is simply just going through a form of repetition.
People think that prayer is just mumbling a few words to God,
that it is something that a Christian has to do,
but it's just part of what they do.
And some people almost have the idea
that if they just say a wee word,
then that's fine.
They say, well, I've spoken to God today.
But you and I know that real prayer comes from the heart.
It is urgent.
It is meaningful.
It's wonderful.
When we really need God,
we really pray.
And I'm sure we've all gone through different times
where we've just gone through the process of prayer.
Christians do that.
There are times that we've maybe lost the edge
and we just go through the motions.
But there are other times
when it's a real cry.
It's an urgent cry.
You listen to a little baby cry.
And whether they're crying for food
or crying because they're uncomfortable
or cry because they're needing change,
they really cry.
Well, that's the kind of cry
that the Lord's people make.
It is a real heartfelt cry.
And so David is here praying
and he's in desperation.
And he's saying,
hear, Lord, listen.
And the idea here,
hear my cry, O Lord,
listen to my prayer.
It's got the idea of attend to it.
Don't just hear my voice.
Listen to my voice in such a way
that you will attend to the matter
that I'm bringing before you.
And if you and I attend to something,
it means that
if we're going to attend to something,
we push other things aside
and we say,
well, I've got to attend to this right now.
And so we're going to give all our attention to it.
And that's like what David is saying.
Lord, I want you to give all your attention
to this right now.
Now, I know we talk about
how some people are able to multitask.
And I believe some people are.
I haven't a clue how you multitask,
but I know that some people are able.
But even the best person who can multitask
cannot give their full attention
to everything at the same time.
There is only really one thing
that you can really focus on.
If you've got a few very important things to do,
you cannot do them all together.
But the Lord can.
The Lord is able to attend
to everybody's needs
at the same time
and to give full attention
to everything that is being required.
So David is saying here,
Lord, give all your attention.
Please hear my cry.
Listen to my prayer.
And then we find that David is here,
that he's praying
and he's saying that
it's as if you're at the ends of the earth.
From the end of the earth,
I call to you.
Now, of course,
David was displaced at this time.
We don't know the background to it.
There were two major times in David's life
where he was away from home
and away from his comforts,
away from the throne,
away from the sanctuary,
from the tabernacle.
And we know one of them
was when he was on a run from Saul.
And he spent years
barely escaping with his life.
It could have come from this period.
But people think more than likely
it came from the time
where there was
Absalom's rebellion against him,
where his own son
rose up,
turned the hearts of the people
against David
because he wanted to take over the throne.
And it was one of the most
heartbreaking periods in David's life.
And you cannot but read
when Absalom was killed,
the absolute heartbroken distress
that David was in
because he loved Absalom, his son.
And yet here's his son
wanting to kill him.
So David, remember how he had to run.
He had to leave, as we say,
leave his throne,
leave his home,
leave Jerusalem,
leave the city of God,
as it were,
leave the sanctuary,
the tent of meeting.
He had to leave all that.
So although it is not geographically
the ends of the earth,
it is spiritually speaking,
the ends of the earth.
He's so displaced, as it were,
so far away.
And so David is crying here
with all his heart
that the Lord would hear him.
And we find that David is saying,
from the end of the earth,
I call to you
when my heart is faint.
And again,
the idea here
of the heart being faint
is of being overwhelmed,
of distressed,
depressed.
All these words come into it.
Areas of depression,
areas of just despair,
almost.
And we've got to remember,
Christians go there.
You know,
sometimes people say,
oh, Christians can't be depressed.
Christians cannot be troubled
with anxiety.
Of course they can.
David knew all about these things.
David experienced
the highest of highs,
but he experienced
the darkest of lows as well.
And that's part of what
makes the Psalms,
the book of Psalms,
such a wonderful book.
Because wherever you are tonight,
you will find,
if you go through the Psalms,
you will find there
your experience.
You will find
where you're at.
Because sometimes
when you go through the Psalms,
you will find the Psalmists
speaking with a boldness
that you'd be frightened
to speak with
before God.
Sometimes there's an anger
comes through.
Sometimes there's a confusion
comes through.
Sometimes great questions
come through.
Sometimes when you read them,
you'd say,
you know,
I would be scared
to speak like that.
But it's so encouraging
for us to see
this is a word of God.
And this is a place
where God's people
sometimes are.
That's where David was
at this particular time.
And so David cries,
Lord, he says,
lead me to the rock
that is higher than I.
And you see in verse 3,
he says,
for you have been
my refuge.
Now David is talking here
about something
he wants to happen
and something
that has happened
before.
And that's very much
how David
kind of goes in life.
You remember when David
went out to fight Goliath?
He said to Saul,
look,
it's all right.
God,
in the past,
I have fought the lion
and I have fought the bear
and I defeated both.
And because God
helped me there,
he will help me again.
So David is always
looking back
on what God
has done for him
in the past,
convinced that God
will do for him
in the future.
And we should do that as well.
We should look back
and remember
because, you know,
there are times
if we're down
and distressed,
sometimes we can't
lay hold upon
what God has actually
done for us.
And we need his help.
We need sometimes
to ask the Lord,
Lord, refocus.
Help me to look back
and to see the blessings
that you have actually
blessed me with.
Because sometimes
we lose sight
of these things.
And some of these blessings
even come in the hard times,
even the things that,
the difficult times
that we go through,
we're able to identify
the blessings
that we have actually
received in them.
So David is here saying,
lead me to the rock
that is higher than I.
Now a rock we always
think of as a place
of a stronghold
and somewhere
it's a good viewpoint.
Somewhere safe.
Get up onto a rock.
The first psalm
that we sang,
Psalm 40,
talks about this rock.
And you can never
look on the rock
or read about the rock
without thinking
of the great picture
that the Bible
so often gives
of the Lord Jesus Christ.
And in fact,
we even see
the symbolism
of that
in the Old Testament
where Moses
struck the rock
and the water
came out.
And Jesus Christ,
of course,
is the ultimate rock
who was,
he was struck
in order
that we
may live.
But in that psalm,
Psalm 40,
we have the picture
there of
in the fearful pit
and miry clay
and the cry
and being taken
from it
with our feet
put upon a rock
and our way
established.
Now, of course,
that is a once
and for all
that happens
when we're converted.
And that will
never,
in a sense,
be
replicated
again in our life.
But the experiences
will go on
over and over
and over again.
We will constantly
be crying
to the Lord
to deliver us
from the different pits
that we find
ourselves in
and to
give us
a sense
again
of our feet
of being
upon the rock
that is Christ.
Because everything
else in this life,
it doesn't matter
what philosophies
or strategies,
it doesn't matter
what plans
or people,
it doesn't matter,
everything ultimately
will fail.
Everything else
will give up
or give in.
except Christ.
And so there's
this great
sense of the rock.
You know,
sometimes at a
human level,
maybe when you
go through a,
you may be going
through a particularly
difficult time
and you look back
and you'll remember
one or two
or a few people
and they stuck
with you
through thick
and thin.
they didn't
shift,
they didn't
flinch,
they were there
and so often
you'll say,
you know,
he or she,
he was a rock
to me.
She was a rock
to me.
In that time
where I was
going through
so much trouble,
they were there
for me
just like a rock.
Well,
that's a picture
of the supreme
rock
who is Jesus Christ
and he and he
alone can give us
what nobody else
can and so he is
this rock of defense
and this rock
of refuge.
But when we see
here,
David says,
lead me to the rock.
In other words,
he's asking for help.
I can't,
I can't get there
myself and you
and I know that.
We can't,
we can't work
that up ourselves.
We are dependent
upon his grace
and his help.
Then he says,
for you have been
my refuge
and it's interesting,
David is then
starting to move
as it were
into a greater
degree of personalness.
You have been
my refuge,
a strong tower
against the enemy.
He used this
strong tower
and gets the idea
that not only
is it a defense
but that strength
is being imparted
as well.
That's what the Lord
does to you
and to me,
isn't it?
He gives us
strength.
His strength
is made perfect
in our weakness
and many a time
we've felt weak
facing what we've
had to face.
Every day
there's a sense
of our inability
to walk the walk.
There are times
when we feel
we're being overcome
by temptation.
Times we feel
we're being overcome
by sin.
sometimes we think
how am I going
to make it on?
But you know this,
the Lord keeps us
going.
So they from strength
and weary
go,
still forward
unto strength.
That's how the Lord
takes us.
His strength
being made perfect
in our weakness.
But then
the psalmist
moves in verse 4
and he says
he's moving now
into the place
of fellowship.
Let me dwell
in your tent
forever.
And again
that's so often
the prayer
of David.
You think of
Psalm 27
and it's just
this delight
to be in God's house.
This is the place.
And you know
that's one of the
wonderful things.
It's wonderful
like in a midweek
meeting
because as I say
maybe some of you
came in here tonight
and you were
distressed in heart.
Nobody else
could see it.
And you know
sometimes when we're
distressed
and when we're
almost
our thinking
is all kind of
displaced
it's hard to pray
because we're
kind of
we're all over
the place.
But you know
there's something
wonderful when we
come to God's house
because God
has a way
of dealing with us
when we come
together like this.
If Asaph
who wrote
Psalm 73
was here
with us tonight
he would say
you know
there's no place
like God's house.
I was all over
the place
Asaph would say.
I was in a
terrible state.
My mind
was
turning cartwheels.
I was envying
the godless.
I was here
there and everywhere
until I went
to God's house.
And when he went
there
the Lord
restored his focus.
and he began
to see that
the very people
that he was
envying
he actually
should be
pitting them.
That they were
on a slippery
slope heading
to destruction.
And that's why
he goes on to say
whom have I
in the heavens
high but
thee O Lord
alone
and in the
earth whom I
desire
besides thee
there is none.
There's the
therapy
of God's
house.
God is a
great work
of restoration
in his house.
And so
you can understand
why David
is saying
here I am
I'm crying
as it were
from the
end to the
earth.
Oh I
long to get
back
to dwell
in your tent.
And then he
goes then
it's even more
it's closer
still let me
take refuge
under the
shelter of
your wings.
It's that
picture that
we often
find in
the Bible
as the
Lord speaks
to us
in the
beautiful
imagery
in different
ways of
just like
the mother
bird
sheltering
the chicks.
We sang
about it
in Psalm
91
about his
feathers
and it's
a place
of warmth
the place
of protection
the place
of nearness
the place
of love
that's what
the Lord
does with
us.
He shelters
us and
keeps us
close to
himself.
And so
as David
is working
his way
through
by the
time he's
come to
this stage
you can
see that
he's moved
from the
desperation.
Yes he's
still in
desperation
but you
know this
is what
happens when
we're in
touch with
God
really
praying
to the
Lord.
The
Lord
is lifting
us up
little by
little along
the way.
And so
we find
that David
is you
can almost
feel the
different
spirit within
him as
he's becoming
more convinced
of God's
goodness and
God's
faithfulness
and of
God's love
towards him.
And then
we find
that as
it moves
on in
the
focusing
upon
Christ
because
nobody
else.
Now we
know that
from a
human
point of
view
when we
follow the
genealogy
the human
genealogy
Christ came
through the
Davidic line
and so
this prayer
of David's
is fulfilled
in Jesus
Christ.
But then
we see him
finishing
so will I
ever sing
praises to
your name
what a
difference to
the start.
And you
know it
will be the
same for
you and
for me as
well.
Even if
tonight we're
in the
depth when
we start
out the
Lord will
take us
on and
he'll take
us up so
that that's
how we will
finish that
we will so
will I ever
sing praises to
your name.
And you
know that's
how it's going
to be for the
Christian at the
end of the
day because
us we're all
moving on
that journey
to where we
will forever
sing praises to
his name.
This world
is it is
a veil of
tears.
We have our
good times and
we have our
sad times but
we're moving
on to this
world of
eternal praise
and how
wonderful that
that is the
end of our
journey.
So we pray
that tonight
we will have
this sense
of God's
goodness,
God's ear
open to
us,
of God's
willingness to
answer,
of his
faithfulness to
us and his
abundant love
in all the
different situations.
Let us pray.
Lord our God
we give thanks
for your word
to us.
We give thanks
for your
unfailing love.
We give thanks
oh Lord that
you are the
God who hears
our cry,
that you
attend to
our need.
And yet
Lord we have
to confess
that we're
not worthy
of the
least of
your
mercies.
And so
often as we
begin to
pray and
as we get
a greater
awareness of
who you
are we
begin to
feel less
within ourselves
and we
feel that we
are nothing
but poor
creatures.
But Lord we
pray that
like the
psalmist said
when I am
poor and
needy yet
the Lord
will think
upon me.
and how
wonderful
that the
Lord would
think upon
us realizing
that his
thoughts are
beyond numbering
his thoughts
of good to
his people.
So we pray
to bless us
tonight.
Pray for
those who
are struggling,
those who
are going
through difficult
times,
those maybe
who have
anxieties
and worries
that they
haven't been
able to share
with anybody
else.
Give them
the faith
to pour out
their hearts
to you
that they
might be
able to
share with
you and
do them
good we
pray.
Lord we
pray for
those who
are nursing
broken hearts.
Pray Lord
for those who
are recovering
from illness.
We pray for
those who
are ill.
We pray for
all in
hospital,
those who
are in
need.
Tonight we
remember again
your servants
Reverend Duncan
MacLeod and
Moraghan.
We think of
the funeral of
their daughter
Katie and
Tuesday.
Lord be
near to
them.
There are
so many
mysteries in
life,
so many
harrowing
pains and
sorrows.
So many
can follow
and understand
where they
are.
Many
cannot.
We pray
then that
you will
help them,
grant them
a great
sense of
your peace.
Watch over
us tonight
then we
pray.
We give
thanks for
the prayers
offered,
for the
words sung,
for your
word that
has been
read.
And we
pray that
you will
bless us,
taking every
single one
of us home
safely.
Lord we
give thanks
for this
congregation.
We give
thanks for
the witness
and testimony.
Lord we
give thanks
for everybody
who does.
So much
is done
here for
you.
And we
pray Lord
that you
will indeed
as we
heard open
the windows
of heaven
and pour
out a
blessing upon
us.
Not because
of our
deserving,
but Lord
that we
might be
an ever
growing
witness in
this
community
to your
power,
to your
grace,
and to
your love.
Take away
then from
us our
sin in
Jesus'
name.
Amen.
We're going
to conclude
singing.