Tears, Fears and Praise
-
For the director of music. To the tune of “A Dove on Distant Oaks.” Of David. A miktam. When the Philistines had seized him in Gath.
1 Be merciful to me, my God, for my enemies are in hot pursuit; all day long they press their attack.
2 My adversaries pursue me all day long; in their pride many are attacking me.
3 When I am afraid, I put my trust in you.
4 In God, whose word I praise—in God I trust and am not afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?
5 All day long they twist my words; all their schemes are for my ruin.
6 They conspire, they lurk, they watch my steps, hoping to take my life.
7 Because of their wickedness do not let them escape; in your anger, God, bring the nations down.
You keep track of my misery.Put my tears in your leather container. Are they not recorded in your scroll?
9 Then my enemies will turn back when I call for help. By this I will know that God is for me.
10 In God, whose word I praise, in the Lord, whose word I praise—
11 in God I trust and am not afraid. What can man do to me?
12 I am under vows to you, my God; I will present my thank offerings to you.
13 For you have delivered me from death and my feet from stumbling, that I may walk before God in the light of life. -
Introduction: Kelvin shares the story: paralysed by fear at the Lazy-B River, Lisburn, Northern Ireland.
Three headings that will open up this bible passage for us: Fears & Tears & Praise
Fears
David the psalmist is fearful and running from Saul. He goes to the land of Saul’s enemies. Surely, Saul would not follow him there. Gath is the lamnd of the Philistines(where David slew Goliath). Of course they remembered who David was (they sand songs about him, he still had Goliath’s sword) - read about it in 1 Samuel 21. It was not a wise move. David was not thinking clearly. Fear had made his thinking fuzzy. Do you recognise this feeling? God isn't turning up so you work things out for yourself and things get worse. God seems far away.
If some of the issues are self-inflicted perhaps you fear that you can’t pray for help… you have brought this trouble on yourslef - Issues such as debt or relationship breakdown. Substance abuse or alcohol dependency or porn or drugs, ‘I am just getting what I deserve is what Steve said to me when I visited him in Hospital. The life I have lived has caught up with me.’ If you are a believer, when you are in this place it affects your prayer life, your Bible readings and clarity about the situation you are in and God seems far away. Yes, you still have faith but that first love with the Lord, that meaning and guidance you get from his scriptures is not happening.
David never allowed guilt & shame to prevent him from coming back to God. David knew God's mercy and forgiveness (Ps 51:7ff ‘Wash me.’). [Matt Boswell, Matt Papa]
Praise the Lord, His mercy is more, Stronger than darkness, new every morn Our sins, they are many, His mercy is more. What love could remember no wrongs we have done. Omniscient, all-knowing, He counts not their sum, Thrown into a sea without bottom or shore, Our sins, they are many, His mercy is more.
David prays in Psalm 56:1 ‘Be merciful to me for my enemies trample on me all day long.’
David's antidote to his fears was to put his trust in God and God’s Word.
Psalm 56:3 ‘When I am afraid I put my trust in God’ (he repeats this in verse 4 and v11) ‘I trust in God's word.’
I will not be afraid. God's character is to be merciful. David is not saying I will never be afraid - he is giving himself a talking to – rather like that familiar chorus: ‘God is all I need, he is all I need he supplies my need,’
Psalm 56:9 ‘This I know God is for me.’ Notice David was strengthened from his prayer times. How are your prayer times? David drew strength from praise and worship (v10). How are your times of praise and worship? He drew strength from the word. How are you doing reading God’s word? We need to spend time in God’s word of God.
I Hope this ‘Renew refresh resource’ weekend has helped and resourced you. Perhaps you have had prayer ministry and I am sure many conversations. David was fearful but he gave himself a talking to and declared ‘This I know God is for me.’ Moving from David’s fears to David’s tears.
Tears
Remember David is a warrior - a Goliath Slayer, he fought off lions and bears in his shepherding days. Is it strange that he is admitting and emphasising tears? There is no shame in tears. The most surprising statement is that not only does God keep a record, but he also holds our tears. I have come to realise that this is very significant.
Psalm 56:8 ‘You keep track of my misery. Put my tears in your…..container! Are they not recorded in your scroll?’ NET
I hope you have been refreshed, built up and resourced to go back to where you live with renewed zeal, knowing the peace of Christ in your hearts.
David was under attack, he had made some poor decisions. But he got back to God. That was his rescue. God not only knew of his tears, he held them & I believe the Lord wept with him. The divine command says ‘weep with those who weep’ (Romand 12:15) – this Word of God oozes compassion and pastoral care. That’s what our Lord does. God added his tears to David's there must be a lake of tears! Not one tear is wasted or ignored. Even your silent weeping, hidden sorrow, the Lord knows these situations. God is that close. Next time you weep - hear this- he has been weeping as well with you, holding you catching your tears in his cupped-up hands - that is the picture he gives us.
Kelvin relates part of his Testimony - Lake of Tears
When the bottom fell out of my world - in a split second a car crash and all the assumed givens in life are stripped away, health, independence, sport, mobility. The Lord spoke to me from Honister Pass - ‘I am with you always’ (Matthew 28:20) It kept me Holding on, that was my solid rock - Jesus.
Later Questions and frustrations led to a special close encounter – Lake of Tears.
Praise
This was the Lord's answer to my arrogant rant, ‘Lord you don’t know me, you don’t see the tears I cry, you don’t realise this is harder than I can bear’
He said every tear was noticed, caught, held and added to by God who weeps with those who weep (Romans 12:15).
If we leave it there, I feel that I have given you half the message. There is a great comfort in knowing we are not alone, that God is present and holds our tears in what must be a Lake of Tears. But does that really help us move on or grow as Christians….There’s more….
2 Corinthians 2:14-16, ‘Thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ and through us diffuses the fragrance of his knowledge in every place for we are to God the fragrance of Christ.’
As we turn to God in word and praise we bless God and we diffuse the fragrance of Christ where he has placed us. Like reed diffusers for Jesus all over the place. When we turn to the Lord Jesus in our fears and tears, He can turn every adversity into a victory.
How do we do this? David grasped it, in Psalm 56:3,10 ‘In God whose word I praise, in the Lord whose word I praise.’ – two words – Word and praise.
I found when I was visiting people on Hospital Wards, even in their darkest hour those who chose to praise and worship God despite their suffering were strengthened for the ordeal. I will finish with Gina’s story. Gina’s favourite song of praise was Matt Redman’s Bless the Lord Oh my Soul. When I met her she said, ‘the sun comes up, it’s a new day dawning, It's time to sing Your song again… (pg 204 lake of Tears).
Gina definitely diffused the fragrance of Christ. Ultimately, that should be our earthly goal, to be Christ like, so that when we see him face to face ‘we will be like him’ (1 John 3:2).
The sun comes up
It's a new day dawning
It's time to sing Your song again
Whatever may pass
And whatever lies before me
Let me be singing
When the evening comesBless the Lord oh my soul, Oh my soul
Worship His Holy name
Sing like never before, Oh my soul
I'll worship Your Holy name
Bless the Lord
