WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:07.000 Hey, Michelle Alexander will come and read to us from Psalm 13. 00:00:07.000 --> 00:00:13.000 How long, O Lord, will you forget me forever? 00:00:13.000 --> 00:00:16.240 How long will you hide your face from me? 00:00:16.240 --> 00:00:22.480 How long must I take counsel in my soul and have sorrow in my heart all the day? 00:00:22.480 --> 00:00:27.120 How long shall my enemy be exalted over me? 00:00:27.120 --> 00:00:30.359 Answer and answer me, O Lord, my God. 00:00:30.359 --> 00:00:37.640 Light up my eyes lest I sleep the sleep of death, lest my enemy say I have prevailed over him, 00:00:37.640 --> 00:00:42.719 lest my foes rejoice because I am shaken. 00:00:42.719 --> 00:00:46.120 But I have trusted in you steadfast love. 00:00:46.120 --> 00:00:49.840 My heart shall rejoice in your salvation. 00:00:49.840 --> 00:00:55.480 I will sing to the Lord because he has dealt bountifully with me. 00:00:55.479 --> 00:00:58.719 Amen. This is God's word. 00:00:58.719 --> 00:01:00.759 Well, good morning. 00:01:00.759 --> 00:01:04.079 It's good to be with you here at St. C's. 00:01:04.079 --> 00:01:07.879 Let me just put my Bible here. 00:01:07.879 --> 00:01:12.159 It's a privilege and a pleasure to have the opportunity to share with you in worship 00:01:12.159 --> 00:01:18.719 and to share with you from God's Word to which we now turn in Psalm 13. 00:01:18.719 --> 00:01:25.920 His name was Moses Donaldson, and he was a minister in South Lanarkshire for a number 00:01:25.920 --> 00:01:31.840 of years, I think from the late 1970s to the early 1990s. 00:01:31.840 --> 00:01:36.960 He conducted my great-uncle Johnny's funeral in Abington. 00:01:36.960 --> 00:01:45.159 He interviewed me for Lanark Presbytery when I applied for the ministry almost 40 years 00:01:45.159 --> 00:01:46.159 ago. 00:01:46.159 --> 00:01:47.960 And he was a character. 00:01:47.959 --> 00:01:52.599 He was a man of irrepressible faith and exceptional enthusiasm. 00:01:52.599 --> 00:01:59.359 And he loved to tell his story, the story of how he became a Christian, how he ended 00:01:59.359 --> 00:02:03.039 up a minister of the gospel. 00:02:03.039 --> 00:02:09.000 And he would often make an appearance at various church meetings, fellowships, women's 00:02:09.000 --> 00:02:13.479 guilds in the locality telling this story. 00:02:13.479 --> 00:02:21.439 His testimony would be accompanied not by bagpipes but by accordion music and songs 00:02:21.439 --> 00:02:22.439 of faith. 00:02:22.439 --> 00:02:28.919 And he would speak of how he began his working life down the pits as a coal miner and of 00:02:28.919 --> 00:02:34.759 how an underground accident which almost cost him his arm led really to a dramatic turn 00:02:34.759 --> 00:02:38.039 around in his life. 00:02:38.039 --> 00:02:45.879 He came to faith after hearing Billy Graham preach at the Kelvin Hall in Glasgow in 1955 00:02:45.879 --> 00:02:49.759 and his life was never to be the same. 00:02:49.759 --> 00:02:58.680 And invariably at these meetings, his talk would always have the same title, from pit 00:02:58.680 --> 00:03:01.199 to pulpit. 00:03:01.199 --> 00:03:07.719 And it's that title that comes to mind as I read through Psalm 13 because here is a 00:03:07.719 --> 00:03:11.479 Psalm that speaks about a journey of faith. 00:03:11.479 --> 00:03:19.519 It's a Psalm that is to all intents and purposes a testimony, a testimony of faith. 00:03:19.519 --> 00:03:26.599 Because in this short Psalm, the writer David takes us on a faith journey from anguish to 00:03:26.599 --> 00:03:33.479 assurance, from darkness to light, from distress to delight. 00:03:33.479 --> 00:03:40.840 The Psalm moves inextricably upward from the lowest depths to scale the very heights of 00:03:40.840 --> 00:03:41.840 joy. 00:03:41.840 --> 00:03:48.479 It takes us from the pit of despair to the pulpit of praise. 00:03:48.479 --> 00:03:56.359 The Psalm reminds us that if we are man or woman of faith, we will invariably, inevitably 00:03:56.359 --> 00:04:02.039 find our faith put to the test. 00:04:02.039 --> 00:04:07.199 And in the Psalm, David shows us how to respond in such circumstances. 00:04:07.199 --> 00:04:13.199 And you'll notice that the composition is naturally divided into three parts of two 00:04:13.199 --> 00:04:14.199 verses. 00:04:14.199 --> 00:04:22.879 I want to look at each of those in turn as we travel with David on this journey of faith. 00:04:22.879 --> 00:04:31.279 And our journey begins in the opening two verses where we see the distress faith feels. 00:04:31.279 --> 00:04:34.919 How long, O Lord, will You forget me forever? 00:04:34.919 --> 00:04:37.240 How long will You hide Your face from me? 00:04:37.240 --> 00:04:40.079 How long must I take counsel in my soul? 00:04:40.079 --> 00:04:42.259 And I've sorrowed in my heart all the day. 00:04:42.259 --> 00:04:48.039 How long shall my enemy be exalted over me? 00:04:48.039 --> 00:04:49.839 David is in trouble. 00:04:49.839 --> 00:04:52.480 His fortunes are at a low ebb. 00:04:52.480 --> 00:04:56.639 His mind and heart are full of questions. 00:04:56.639 --> 00:05:01.079 Four times here, he asks the question, doesn't he? 00:05:01.079 --> 00:05:02.879 How long? 00:05:02.879 --> 00:05:04.759 How long shall You forget me? 00:05:04.759 --> 00:05:06.379 How long will You hide from me? 00:05:06.379 --> 00:05:08.159 How long am I to be in sorrow? 00:05:08.159 --> 00:05:12.000 How long will my enemies triumph over me? 00:05:12.000 --> 00:05:14.319 David here senses the absence of God. 00:05:14.319 --> 00:05:17.680 He feels a sense of anxiety on his soul. 00:05:17.680 --> 00:05:19.959 He endures the arrogance of his enemies. 00:05:19.959 --> 00:05:23.199 His troubles are kind of pressing down upon him. 00:05:23.199 --> 00:05:25.040 He feels crushed and alone. 00:05:25.040 --> 00:05:27.920 How long must all this go on for? 00:05:27.920 --> 00:05:31.759 He is here a man in great distress. 00:05:31.759 --> 00:05:36.839 And we're not actually told what it was that was causing David this anguish. 00:05:36.839 --> 00:05:40.680 We could, I'm sure, hazard a number of guesses. 00:05:40.680 --> 00:05:43.519 But the bottom line is we don't know. 00:05:43.519 --> 00:05:49.759 And perhaps in a way that makes David's words all the more applicable to us. 00:05:49.759 --> 00:05:56.879 Because at various times and for a variety of reasons, we may all find ourselves in this 00:05:56.879 --> 00:06:01.800 self-same pit of distress and despair. 00:06:01.800 --> 00:06:05.040 Because faith is not immune from such experiences. 00:06:05.040 --> 00:06:11.800 I know there are many who would hold if that if we have faith, then we shouldn't know times 00:06:11.800 --> 00:06:14.200 of suffering or trouble. 00:06:14.200 --> 00:06:23.640 But those who espouse such views have a dangerously warped understanding of the Christian life. 00:06:23.640 --> 00:06:27.800 Faith is not a get out of jail free card. 00:06:27.800 --> 00:06:35.319 Faith will inevitably know dark times of great distress. 00:06:35.319 --> 00:06:41.639 I've always been troubled by the verse in that great hymn, trust and obey, that says, 00:06:41.639 --> 00:06:48.000 not a shadow can rise, not a cloud in the skies, but a smile quickly drives it away. 00:06:48.000 --> 00:06:54.600 Not a doubt, not a fear, not a sigh, not a tear can abide while we trust and obey. 00:06:54.600 --> 00:06:56.720 Really? 00:06:56.720 --> 00:07:03.280 Not a shadow, not a cloud, not a doubt, not a fear, not a sigh, not a tear. 00:07:03.280 --> 00:07:05.840 I don't think so. 00:07:05.840 --> 00:07:10.120 Does his smile always drive these things quickly away? 00:07:10.120 --> 00:07:11.360 No. 00:07:11.360 --> 00:07:17.000 Sometimes it's as we trust and obey that we're led into places of shadow and cloud where 00:07:17.000 --> 00:07:22.040 there are many doubts and fears and not a few tears. 00:07:22.040 --> 00:07:25.720 Faith sometimes finds itself in a dark place. 00:07:25.720 --> 00:07:29.160 It's not always triumphant. 00:07:29.160 --> 00:07:35.400 Chapter 18 of the Westminster Confession puts it like this, true believers may have the assurance 00:07:35.400 --> 00:07:44.760 of their salvation in diverse ways, shaken, diminished and intermittent, as by God withdrawing 00:07:44.760 --> 00:07:52.640 the light of His countenance and suffering even such as fear Him to walk in darkness 00:07:52.640 --> 00:07:55.680 and to have no light. 00:07:55.680 --> 00:07:58.199 And that's certainly David's experience here. 00:07:58.199 --> 00:08:00.920 He's walking in the darkness and he has no light. 00:08:00.920 --> 00:08:03.160 He feels cut off from God. 00:08:03.160 --> 00:08:07.879 It's as if God has forsaken him or maybe worse, turned his back on him. 00:08:07.879 --> 00:08:11.079 He feels abandoned and alone. 00:08:11.079 --> 00:08:13.720 And sometimes that happens. 00:08:13.720 --> 00:08:18.680 God withdraws the light of His presence and we feel so far away from Him. 00:08:18.680 --> 00:08:21.800 How long, O Lord, will You forget me forever? 00:08:21.800 --> 00:08:27.240 How long will You hide Your face from me? 00:08:27.240 --> 00:08:31.040 There's more to David's distress than even that. 00:08:31.040 --> 00:08:36.720 He endures agony of heart as he seeks a way out of this predicament. 00:08:36.720 --> 00:08:39.399 How long must I take counsel in my soul? 00:08:39.399 --> 00:08:43.200 Have sorrow in my heart all the day? 00:08:43.200 --> 00:08:47.560 It's as if he keeps going over his problem again and again and again. 00:08:47.559 --> 00:08:54.759 He can't seem to think of anything else, it dominates his thought life, becomes self-absorbed, 00:08:54.759 --> 00:08:57.559 a prisoner of dark thoughts. 00:08:57.559 --> 00:09:00.759 There seems no way out. 00:09:00.759 --> 00:09:04.839 And then to top it all, there's the mockery and gloating of his enemies. 00:09:04.839 --> 00:09:08.359 How long shall my enemy be exalted over me? 00:09:08.359 --> 00:09:12.479 And here is the distress the psalmist feels. 00:09:12.479 --> 00:09:16.239 And it feels like it will never end. 00:09:16.240 --> 00:09:17.639 How long? 00:09:17.639 --> 00:09:22.399 He's marooned in the midst of the mess that he finds himself in. 00:09:22.399 --> 00:09:24.919 So everything is coming down upon him. 00:09:24.919 --> 00:09:27.480 There appears no escape, no relief. 00:09:27.480 --> 00:09:29.759 It's utterly relentless. 00:09:29.759 --> 00:09:32.600 He doesn't think he's going to be able to last out. 00:09:32.600 --> 00:09:34.680 He doesn't think he can keep on going. 00:09:34.680 --> 00:09:36.799 How long, O Lord? 00:09:36.799 --> 00:09:40.919 He has faith in the pit. 00:09:40.919 --> 00:09:48.039 And friends, sooner or later we all find ourselves there, desperate days that we long to come 00:09:48.039 --> 00:09:54.120 to an end, days in which, like David, we question God. 00:09:54.120 --> 00:09:55.759 Where are you? 00:09:55.759 --> 00:10:00.159 What on earth are you doing? 00:10:00.159 --> 00:10:06.279 I imagine in a group of this size, a number of you will be, have been through some pretty 00:10:06.279 --> 00:10:09.079 horrendous experiences. 00:10:09.080 --> 00:10:12.400 Many problems of one kind or another. 00:10:12.400 --> 00:10:16.240 How all-consuming such things are. 00:10:16.240 --> 00:10:25.040 Ill health, tragic loss, a relationship breakdown, the pain of bereavement, false accusation 00:10:25.040 --> 00:10:27.800 and lies. 00:10:27.800 --> 00:10:32.480 And you know something of the distress faith feels. 00:10:32.480 --> 00:10:40.000 But here's the thing, always remember that it is faith that feels it. 00:10:40.000 --> 00:10:44.000 It is faith that cries out to God. 00:10:44.000 --> 00:10:50.680 It's faith that asks the question, how long, O Lord? 00:10:50.680 --> 00:10:59.240 We may find ourselves in a bad way, rock bottom down in the pit feeling utterly lost and alone. 00:10:59.240 --> 00:11:03.720 But even here there is a glimmer of hope and a flicker of light. 00:11:03.720 --> 00:11:11.039 To quote that same chapter of the confession, it concludes, yet are they never utterly destitute 00:11:11.039 --> 00:11:17.159 of that seed of God and life of faith, that love of Christ and the brethren, that sincerity 00:11:17.159 --> 00:11:23.200 of heart and conscience of duty out of which by operation of the Spirit, this assurance 00:11:23.200 --> 00:11:31.480 may in due time be revived and by the which in the meantime they are supported from utter 00:11:31.480 --> 00:11:34.080 despair. 00:11:34.080 --> 00:11:37.440 How long, O Lord? 00:11:37.440 --> 00:11:40.040 And there's faith in that. 00:11:40.040 --> 00:11:44.480 However faint and weak it may appear. 00:11:44.480 --> 00:11:51.320 So from the distress faith feels, we move then secondly to the direction faith follows. 00:11:51.320 --> 00:11:55.400 And we have that in verses 3 and 4. 00:11:55.400 --> 00:12:00.879 Consider and answer me, O Lord my God, light up my eyes lest I sleep the sleep of death, 00:12:00.879 --> 00:12:07.760 lest my enemy say I've prevailed over him, lest my foes rejoice because I'm shaken. 00:12:07.760 --> 00:12:09.960 David feels far from God. 00:12:09.960 --> 00:12:12.520 God isn't answering his prayers. 00:12:12.520 --> 00:12:15.040 All his praying, all his pleading has come to nothing. 00:12:15.040 --> 00:12:17.000 He's found no relief. 00:12:17.000 --> 00:12:19.120 What does he do? 00:12:19.120 --> 00:12:22.080 Does he pick up his ball and storm off the pitch? 00:12:22.080 --> 00:12:24.799 Does he throw in the towel and admit defeat? 00:12:24.799 --> 00:12:28.519 No, he goes on praying. 00:12:28.519 --> 00:12:31.000 Consider and answer me, O Lord my God. 00:12:31.000 --> 00:12:37.600 He fixes attention upon God and appeals to him once more. 00:12:37.600 --> 00:12:46.720 The commentator, Dilrahaav Davis remarks, this is lousy logic but excellent faith. 00:12:46.720 --> 00:12:51.000 At one level it seems crazy behavior, madness. 00:12:51.000 --> 00:12:54.120 We feel that God has forsaken and abandoned us. 00:12:54.120 --> 00:12:56.240 He's not paying us any attention. 00:12:56.240 --> 00:12:58.360 He's hidden his ways from us. 00:12:58.360 --> 00:13:01.639 So what are we to do? 00:13:01.639 --> 00:13:04.120 We're to call upon His name. 00:13:04.120 --> 00:13:07.480 We're to look towards Him with expectant faith. 00:13:07.480 --> 00:13:11.399 We are to pray and not give up. 00:13:11.399 --> 00:13:17.120 Sometimes people say, you know, I'll pray when I feel like it, but no, we must pray even 00:13:17.120 --> 00:13:22.600 when we don't feel like it, perhaps especially so. 00:13:22.600 --> 00:13:27.639 Sometimes we feel less than inclined to pray and seek the Lord, but we must go to the throne 00:13:27.639 --> 00:13:29.600 of grace. 00:13:29.600 --> 00:13:35.199 We must continually beat a path to our Father's door knowing that He will never, ever cast 00:13:35.199 --> 00:13:36.879 us away. 00:13:36.879 --> 00:13:43.039 There's a sense in which prayer is to be woven into the fabric of our lives. 00:13:43.039 --> 00:13:46.039 How we need to discipline ourselves in this regard. 00:13:46.039 --> 00:13:52.600 Some years ago, Jim Packer and Carolyn Nystrom co-authored a little book on prayer. 00:13:52.600 --> 00:13:58.360 It had the title, Finding Our Way Through Duty to Delight. 00:13:58.360 --> 00:14:04.480 And there is something of that here in this psalm because faith focuses on God. 00:14:04.480 --> 00:14:10.039 Faith is directional, it's faith in, faith into, faith towards, faith upon our Lord Jesus 00:14:10.039 --> 00:14:11.159 Christ. 00:14:11.159 --> 00:14:15.560 Faith looks away from the self to the Lord. 00:14:15.560 --> 00:14:20.560 John Newton wrote, the duty, the privilege, the safety, the unspeakable happiness of a 00:14:20.560 --> 00:14:29.080 believer are all comprised in that one sentence, looking unto Jesus. 00:14:29.080 --> 00:14:32.659 Are you looking to Jesus this morning? 00:14:32.659 --> 00:14:34.799 This is what the psalmist does. 00:14:34.799 --> 00:14:37.199 He looks again to the Lord. 00:14:37.199 --> 00:14:44.079 Oh Lord, my God, Yahweh, the great God of the covenant, the one who has bound himself 00:14:44.079 --> 00:14:53.639 to His people such that He will never, ever forsake them, utterly and completely dependable. 00:14:53.639 --> 00:14:57.679 Resolve to be His people's God come what may. 00:14:57.679 --> 00:15:02.319 And it's the very instinct of faith to acknowledge that. 00:15:02.320 --> 00:15:08.520 Even when circumstances cause us to tremble and be afraid. 00:15:08.520 --> 00:15:14.480 Where else can we go except to Him who is the words of eternal life? 00:15:14.480 --> 00:15:22.680 We cannot leave Him for deep down we know Him to be the God who will never leave us. 00:15:22.680 --> 00:15:28.920 So what does David ask from the Lord? 00:15:28.919 --> 00:15:38.399 He's looking to Him, asking that He consider His situation and answer His petitions. 00:15:38.399 --> 00:15:43.279 He doesn't say, get me out of this trouble. 00:15:43.279 --> 00:15:47.319 He says, here and answer my prayer. 00:15:47.319 --> 00:15:50.120 And the thrust of His request is this, isn't it? 00:15:50.120 --> 00:15:54.959 Light up my eyes or give light to my eyes. 00:15:54.959 --> 00:15:58.519 It's quite an unusual expression. 00:15:58.519 --> 00:16:00.639 What does it mean? 00:16:00.639 --> 00:16:06.600 Similar phrase is used in 1 Samuel chapter 14. 00:16:06.600 --> 00:16:12.679 There Jonathan dips the tip of his staff into some honeycomb and eats it. 00:16:12.679 --> 00:16:16.960 And so we read there, he put out the tip of his staff that was in his hand and dipped it 00:16:16.960 --> 00:16:23.679 in the honeycomb and put his hand to his mouth and his eyes became bright. 00:16:23.679 --> 00:16:29.919 And Jonathan said, see how my eyes have become bright because I tasted a little of this honey. 00:16:29.919 --> 00:16:33.159 It's the same phrase. 00:16:33.159 --> 00:16:38.799 In 1 Samuel 14, Jonathan has been weary, he's been worn down, his resources depleted, things 00:16:38.799 --> 00:16:40.199 at a low ebb. 00:16:40.199 --> 00:16:48.959 But tasting the honey injected him, you see, with a fresh surge of energy and stamina. 00:16:48.960 --> 00:16:55.639 Maybe like having an energy bar or maybe a kind of red bull, I don't know. 00:16:55.639 --> 00:16:58.360 And his eyes become bright. 00:16:58.360 --> 00:17:00.840 The honey revives him. 00:17:00.840 --> 00:17:03.840 And that's what David is asking for here. 00:17:03.840 --> 00:17:10.120 He's asking the Lord to refresh him and supply him with strength in the midst of his present 00:17:10.120 --> 00:17:11.519 weakness. 00:17:11.519 --> 00:17:17.759 In his distress, he's looking to the Lord to brighten his countenance. 00:17:17.759 --> 00:17:23.240 In this day of trouble, light up my eyes once more, O Lord. 00:17:23.240 --> 00:17:25.480 Invigorate and strengthen my faith. 00:17:25.480 --> 00:17:34.599 Now you'll notice how David adduces three reasons why the Lord should do this. 00:17:34.599 --> 00:17:36.799 Three clauses are used in verse 4. 00:17:36.799 --> 00:17:43.920 Lest I sleep the sleep of death, lest my enemy say I've prevailed over him, lest my foes 00:17:43.920 --> 00:17:47.279 rejoice because I'm shaken. 00:17:47.279 --> 00:17:49.000 So what is David doing here? 00:17:49.000 --> 00:17:56.519 He's supporting, he's bolstering his petitions with reasons. 00:17:56.519 --> 00:17:58.000 Doesn't want to succumb to death. 00:17:58.000 --> 00:18:01.480 He doesn't want his enemies to shame him and triumph over him. 00:18:01.480 --> 00:18:08.000 And he re-reasons that Yahweh himself doesn't want this to happen. 00:18:08.000 --> 00:18:14.680 He expects God to act in such a way that he, his anointed servant, might not be put to 00:18:14.680 --> 00:18:16.519 shame and disgrace. 00:18:16.519 --> 00:18:22.000 And the kind of unstated implication is that if David is dishonored and defeated, that 00:18:22.000 --> 00:18:29.920 will reflect unfavorably upon the honor of God's name and glory. 00:18:29.920 --> 00:18:35.960 The point I'm making here is that David's prayer and petition is not a mindless repetition 00:18:35.960 --> 00:18:36.960 of platitudes. 00:18:36.960 --> 00:18:40.599 It's not a pile of vacuous spiritual phrases. 00:18:40.599 --> 00:18:47.719 It's actually a reasoned argument because prayer is not mindless babbling. 00:18:47.719 --> 00:18:51.839 It's a thinking exercise that involves us using our minds. 00:18:51.839 --> 00:18:54.559 It's a serious engagement with the living God. 00:18:54.559 --> 00:18:57.839 In prayer, we take God at His word. 00:18:57.839 --> 00:19:00.199 We take out His promises to us. 00:19:00.199 --> 00:19:07.319 We spread them out before Him and we plead with Him on the basis of those promises. 00:19:07.319 --> 00:19:09.279 What was it John Newton wrote in his hymn? 00:19:09.279 --> 00:19:13.720 And thy promise is my only plea with this I ventured nigh. 00:19:13.720 --> 00:19:19.759 Thou callest burdened souls to thee on such, O Lord, am I. 00:19:19.759 --> 00:19:22.359 And yes, of course, there is emotion here. 00:19:22.359 --> 00:19:27.639 We see that in the opening verses, but there's not just emotion. 00:19:27.639 --> 00:19:33.639 There's reason here because in prayer, both of these things go together. 00:19:33.639 --> 00:19:38.079 Mind and heart, emotion and reason, feeling and thinking. 00:19:38.079 --> 00:19:41.319 They're combined together. 00:19:41.319 --> 00:19:46.799 We have to be aware of a Christianity that is misshapen and lopsided. 00:19:46.799 --> 00:19:54.519 All heart and no mind, or all mind and no heart because Christian faith involves both 00:19:54.519 --> 00:19:59.679 feeling and thinking. 00:19:59.679 --> 00:20:07.159 Again Dale Ralph Davis observes, at the throne of grace, tears fall from your eyes and arguments 00:20:07.160 --> 00:20:10.160 from your lips. 00:20:10.160 --> 00:20:13.880 And so this is the direction that faith takes. 00:20:13.880 --> 00:20:17.160 It keeps going back to the Lord. 00:20:17.160 --> 00:20:20.320 It keeps pleading before the throne of grace. 00:20:20.320 --> 00:20:24.440 And sometimes it feels irrational and crazy. 00:20:24.440 --> 00:20:27.360 It makes no sense. 00:20:27.360 --> 00:20:35.279 But when troubles and trials come our way as they invariably shall, what else can we 00:20:35.279 --> 00:20:42.319 do than beat a path to our Father's door? 00:20:42.319 --> 00:20:45.680 The distress faith feels. 00:20:45.680 --> 00:20:49.599 The direction faith follows. 00:20:49.599 --> 00:20:55.960 And then thirdly here, the delight faith finds in verses five and six. 00:20:55.960 --> 00:21:00.759 But I have trusted in your steadfast love. 00:21:00.759 --> 00:21:04.319 My heart shall rejoice in your salvation. 00:21:04.319 --> 00:21:09.879 I will sing to the Lord because He has dealt bountifully with me. 00:21:09.879 --> 00:21:15.519 But a change of mood from the opening verses of the Psalm. 00:21:15.519 --> 00:21:20.079 It's a real turnaround here, isn't there? 00:21:20.079 --> 00:21:26.559 Before despair, distress, now joy and delight. 00:21:26.559 --> 00:21:27.559 What has happened? 00:21:27.559 --> 00:21:30.319 What has changed? 00:21:30.319 --> 00:21:35.599 Well notice that these final verses are shot through with personal pronouns. 00:21:35.599 --> 00:21:37.119 I have trusted. 00:21:37.119 --> 00:21:38.679 My heart shall rejoice. 00:21:38.679 --> 00:21:40.000 I will sing. 00:21:40.000 --> 00:21:42.279 He has dealt bountifully with me. 00:21:42.279 --> 00:21:49.639 And in the Psalms, the appearance of such pronouns often indicative of a significant change. 00:21:49.639 --> 00:21:52.759 And that's certainly the case here. 00:21:52.759 --> 00:21:54.639 David's not navel gazing. 00:21:54.639 --> 00:21:58.359 He's not looking inward. 00:21:58.359 --> 00:22:05.240 He's not claiming to have recovered his sense of self-esteem, have bolstered his own self-image. 00:22:05.240 --> 00:22:08.599 It's not that he's feeling better about himself. 00:22:08.599 --> 00:22:13.439 It's not even that his circumstances have changed. 00:22:13.439 --> 00:22:20.799 It is rather that he has fastened himself upon the character of his God. 00:22:20.799 --> 00:22:25.839 He's trusted, latched onto Yahweh's steadfast love. 00:22:25.839 --> 00:22:33.199 That's the Hebrew word, hesed, translated here as steadfast love, sometimes loving kindness 00:22:33.199 --> 00:22:38.119 or mercy, sometimes simply as love. 00:22:38.119 --> 00:22:42.799 It's God's faithful, undeserved covenant love for His people. 00:22:42.799 --> 00:22:49.559 This faithful love is what lay at the heart of the very existence of God's people. 00:22:49.559 --> 00:22:53.319 Exodus 34, it mounts Sinai. 00:22:53.319 --> 00:22:59.399 The Lord passed before Moses and proclaimed the Lord, the Lord a God merciful and gracious, 00:22:59.399 --> 00:23:04.839 slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness. 00:23:04.839 --> 00:23:11.399 Deuteronomy 7.9, know therefore that the Lord your God is God, the faithful God who keeps 00:23:11.399 --> 00:23:17.240 covenant and steadfast love with those who love Him and keep His commandments. 00:23:17.240 --> 00:23:25.039 Now think of the famous words at the end of Psalm 23, goodness and mercy, it's the same 00:23:25.039 --> 00:23:31.120 word, hesed, shall pursue me all the days of my life and I shall dwell in the house 00:23:31.120 --> 00:23:34.319 of the Lord forever. 00:23:34.319 --> 00:23:40.880 It's a love that is utterly committed and dependable, a love that will not let us go, 00:23:40.880 --> 00:23:44.640 a love from which we can never be separated. 00:23:44.640 --> 00:23:52.360 Everything comprises us away from this committed, faithful love of Yahweh. 00:23:52.360 --> 00:23:57.280 And this is what, in a sense, recaptures David's heart and imagination. 00:23:57.280 --> 00:23:59.880 This is what he came to realize. 00:23:59.880 --> 00:24:03.320 This is what lightened or brightened his eyes. 00:24:03.320 --> 00:24:05.960 This is what renewed his perspective. 00:24:05.960 --> 00:24:15.840 This is what strengthened his resolve, the steadfast love of the Lord that never ceases. 00:24:15.840 --> 00:24:22.640 I wonder if that strengthens and brightens our eyes this morning. 00:24:22.640 --> 00:24:29.039 Samuel Rutherford said of Christ, his love has neither brim nor bottom. 00:24:29.039 --> 00:24:34.960 How blessed are we to enjoy this invaluable treasure, the love of Christ. 00:24:34.960 --> 00:24:42.920 Nor rather allow ourselves to be mastered and subdued in his love so that Christ is 00:24:42.920 --> 00:24:48.880 our all and all other things are nothing. 00:24:48.880 --> 00:24:57.799 We sometimes sing that old Scottish paraphrase of the words at the end of Romans 8, nor 00:24:57.799 --> 00:25:05.039 death, nor life, nor earth, nor hell, nor times destroying sway, can ere if face us 00:25:05.039 --> 00:25:10.720 from his heart or make his love decay. 00:25:10.720 --> 00:25:11.720 That's Hesit. 00:25:11.720 --> 00:25:15.159 That's what we see at the cross. 00:25:15.159 --> 00:25:18.559 The steadfast love of the Lord that never ceases. 00:25:18.559 --> 00:25:21.799 His mercies that never come to an end. 00:25:21.799 --> 00:25:25.639 The love of the Savior for undeserving sinners like ourselves. 00:25:25.640 --> 00:25:27.800 A love that can never be destroyed. 00:25:27.800 --> 00:25:31.000 A love that endures forever. 00:25:31.000 --> 00:25:35.800 And it's that love that we come to know and experience for ourselves at the cross of 00:25:35.800 --> 00:25:42.080 Christ, the surprising, overwhelming love of God. 00:25:42.080 --> 00:25:49.160 And this great and wonderful love of Christ for us is to be the very anchor for our souls. 00:25:49.160 --> 00:25:55.920 We used to sing in the boys brigade when I was a young boy, we have an anchor that keeps 00:25:55.920 --> 00:26:04.200 the soul steadfast and sure while the billows roll, fasten to the rock which cannot move, 00:26:04.200 --> 00:26:11.920 grounded, firm and deep in the Savior's love. 00:26:11.920 --> 00:26:16.640 Notice how David is again able to rejoice in the God of his salvation. 00:26:16.640 --> 00:26:19.880 My heart shall rejoice in your salvation. 00:26:19.880 --> 00:26:24.720 I will sing to the Lord because he has dealt bountifully with me. 00:26:24.720 --> 00:26:30.320 I wonder if that's our testimony this morning. 00:26:30.320 --> 00:26:36.800 David delights in God, sings his praises, proclaims the exonancies of the one who has 00:26:36.800 --> 00:26:39.200 called him from darkness to light. 00:26:39.200 --> 00:26:46.440 His faith is renewed and strengthened not so much by a change of circumstances. 00:26:46.440 --> 00:26:52.080 But rather by a renewed sense of God's unfailing love for him. 00:26:52.080 --> 00:27:02.880 If I can put it this way, it's the Savior's love that leads him to the place of praise. 00:27:02.880 --> 00:27:06.480 What about us this morning? 00:27:06.480 --> 00:27:09.920 Where are you on the journey of faith? 00:27:09.920 --> 00:27:14.519 What is your testimony? 00:27:14.519 --> 00:27:19.119 Things difficult and hard things come our way. 00:27:19.119 --> 00:27:24.960 Perhaps because of bad choices we've made along the way, perhaps not. 00:27:24.960 --> 00:27:29.519 And when hard and difficult things happen to us, it can be hard to understand, it can 00:27:29.519 --> 00:27:32.599 be impossible to fathom. 00:27:32.599 --> 00:27:36.400 Seemingly without warning, we're plunged into some difficulty or another. 00:27:36.400 --> 00:27:38.440 We can't make any sense of it. 00:27:38.440 --> 00:27:41.039 The pit seems deep and dark. 00:27:41.039 --> 00:27:46.359 Because there appears to be no way out. 00:27:46.359 --> 00:27:51.079 Maybe some of you have read or heard the story of Cory Ten Boom. 00:27:51.079 --> 00:27:54.920 Our most famous book is called The Hiding Place. 00:27:54.920 --> 00:28:01.119 Holland during the Second World War, she and her sister Betsy were imprisoned for trying 00:28:01.119 --> 00:28:05.559 to rescue Jewish citizens from the Nazis. 00:28:05.559 --> 00:28:13.480 They eventually found themselves incarcerated in the Ravensbruck concentration camp and 00:28:13.480 --> 00:28:19.559 amidst brutal conditions, abuse from the guards, the murder of fellow prisoners, these two 00:28:19.559 --> 00:28:27.440 sisters ministered to others and shared the gospel with them from a small smuggled Bible 00:28:27.440 --> 00:28:30.240 that they had brought with them. 00:28:30.240 --> 00:28:36.279 We had a powerful ministry in that place. 00:28:36.279 --> 00:28:44.400 And yet even as many fellow prisoners turned to Christ, Betsy fell ill. 00:28:44.400 --> 00:28:54.440 And on her deathbed, she took her sister Cory by the hand and told her, tell people what 00:28:54.440 --> 00:28:59.000 we have learned here. 00:28:59.000 --> 00:29:10.799 There is no pit so deep that Christ is not deeper still. 00:29:10.799 --> 00:29:18.440 No pit so deep that Christ is not deeper still. 00:29:18.440 --> 00:29:25.640 For we worship and serve one who has plumbed the very depths of human experience. 00:29:25.640 --> 00:29:30.720 One who as the apostles creed the clairs descended into hell. 00:29:30.720 --> 00:29:35.800 One who entered the grave and made it a seedbed of hope for all who would place their trust 00:29:35.800 --> 00:29:38.360 in Him. 00:29:38.360 --> 00:29:46.400 So whatever you may be facing or dealing with today, be assured of this, Christ's love 00:29:46.400 --> 00:29:51.000 and grace are greater still. 00:29:51.000 --> 00:29:55.680 For friends, if we're not swallowed up by the darkness or engulfed in despair or swept 00:29:55.680 --> 00:30:03.720 away by distress, it can only be because we have a God and a Savior who is greater and 00:30:03.720 --> 00:30:07.680 deeper than all these things. 00:30:07.680 --> 00:30:12.440 One who has said, you are mine, I'll never leave you, I'll never forsake you. 00:30:12.440 --> 00:30:18.079 And who has written that promise in nothing less than his own precious blood is written 00:30:18.079 --> 00:30:20.839 in an indelible ink. 00:30:20.839 --> 00:30:23.799 It cannot be erased. 00:30:23.799 --> 00:30:30.839 Nothing in heaven or on earth can eradicate it. 00:30:30.839 --> 00:30:36.720 Knowing the Lord's steadfast love makes all the difference in the world. 00:30:36.720 --> 00:30:43.399 His love can hold us steadiest and keep us even in the most testing of days. 00:30:43.399 --> 00:30:48.119 Yes, sometimes we do indeed fear that our faith will fail. 00:30:48.119 --> 00:30:49.839 Our troubles will overwhelm us. 00:30:49.839 --> 00:30:51.480 We cannot go on. 00:30:51.480 --> 00:30:57.720 And it's then we must remember the great and wonderful truth that Jesus Christ always holds 00:30:57.720 --> 00:31:00.720 His people fast. 00:31:00.720 --> 00:31:07.639 When I fear my faith will fail, Christ will hold me fast. 00:31:07.639 --> 00:31:09.759 He surely will. 00:31:09.759 --> 00:31:16.439 Whatever your circumstances, whatever your situation may be, come to Jesus Christ this 00:31:16.440 --> 00:31:23.880 morning, give your life to Him, bring Him all that you are to the one who has demonstrated 00:31:23.880 --> 00:31:29.320 his own precious love for us, the one who's plumbed the very depths and has now been raised 00:31:29.320 --> 00:31:33.279 to the highest place. 00:31:33.279 --> 00:31:42.640 Remembering always that it was while we were yet sinners that Christ died for us. 00:31:42.640 --> 00:31:47.759 This may a knowledge of God's love in Christ hold you fast. 00:31:47.759 --> 00:31:54.440 Take you from the darkness into the light, from the pit of distress to the pulpit of 00:31:54.440 --> 00:31:56.520 praise. 00:31:56.520 --> 00:32:02.280 May David's journey of faith be yours also. 00:32:02.280 --> 00:32:10.160 Let's pray together. 00:32:10.160 --> 00:32:17.000 But in times of distress, be to us our comfort and strength. 00:32:17.000 --> 00:32:24.440 Lead us always to Christ in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. 00:32:24.440 --> 00:32:29.680 Like David of all, take us on that journey of faith so that we can rejoice once more 00:32:29.680 --> 00:32:36.160 in the love of the Savior and declare the praises of Him who called us from darkness 00:32:36.160 --> 00:32:40.680 to light through Jesus Christ our Lord. 00:32:40.680 --> 00:33:09.680 Amen.