IN GOD WE TRUST
Psalm 31 1-5; 14-17
Scripture:
1 In You, O LORD, I have taken refuge;
Let me never be ashamed;
In Your righteousness deliver me.
2 Incline Your ear to me, rescue me quickly;
Be to me a rock of strength,
A stronghold to save me.
3 For You are my rock and my fortress;
For Your name’s sake You will lead me and guide me.
4 You will pull me out of the net which they have secretly laid for me,
For You are my bstrength.
5 Into Your hand I commit my spirit;
You have ransomed me, O LORD, God of truth.
14 But as for me, I trust in You, O LORD,
I say, “You are my God.”
15 My times are in Your hand;
Deliver me from the hand of my enemies and from those who persecute me.
16 Make Your face to shine upon Your servant;
Save me in Your lovingkindness.
17 Let me not be put to shame, O LORD, for I call upon You;
Introduction
The headlines read almost every day with the ever worsening news of our economy.
• “Canada’s unemployment rate soars to 7.2 per cent as economy sheds 129,000 jobs in January” (Toronto Star – 2/6/09)
• “Worst job losses since 1982”
• CTV NEWS –“More job losses to come, Flaherty tells Canadians
• Toronto Sun - An "economic tsunami" wiped out a record-high number of jobs across Canada last month
• Vancouver Sun – “U.S. employers slashed 598,000 jobs in January, the biggest monthly loss in 34 years”
• NEW YORK – “General Motors Corp. is planning to slash another 10,000 salaried jobs this year”
And I could go on and on and on, and I know you know all this. You have heard it every day on your radio, tv, in your newspaper, around the office and in the water cooler.
And I say to you, now is the time for the faith of the believer to shine. Now is the time to get ready for a harvest of souls. Now is the time when men and women are looking for something solid, something secure, something that will hold them safely and bouy them up amid the tossing seas of uncertainty and adversity.
But how does the believer do this in a time of great uncertainty? How does the believer give evidence to the assurance and certainty that is in God and His word. How can you and I let the “Light shine in the darkness”
We live in difficult times and the word of God does tell us that “He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.
The children of God are not spared adversity! Nowhere in the Word of God does it promise that if you serve God you will not suffer adversity. But God does promise to be with you and go with you and He does promise to deliver you. Our scripture today is Psalm 31. Let’s see if we can take a lesson from David the Psalmist.
1) David Makes a Bold Declaration
a) “In You O Lord I put my trust” vs.1
i) It was a conscious choice, decision by David
ii) He chose to take refuge in the Lord
iii) Many seek their refuge elsewhere
(1) The arm of flesh
(a) Their friends , family
(b) Their alliances
(i) The wonderful world of politics depends on this
(2) Their own abilities and resources
(a) Their ability to aquire wealth and property
(b) They place their trust in the almighty dollar
(i) But even the U.S. Congress realized the dollar isn’t almighty – God is
(ii) “Secretary Chase instructed James Pollock, Director of the Mint at Philadelphia, to prepare a motto, in a letter dated November 20, 1861: Dear Sir: No nation can be strong except in the strength of God, or safe except in His defense. The trust of our people in God should be declared on our national coins. “
(iii) The dollar is not secure or stable, recent events in our economy make that easily known
(iv) Why governments are pour billions of dollars in to the economies trying to prop the me
(c) But David made a conscious decision – “In Thee O Lord I have taken refuge.”
(i) To take refuge implies he sensed an impending danger or threat to his safety or well being, be it physical, mental, emotional or spiritual
(ii) To take refuge is to seek shelter, protection, and defense
(iii) Why does David choose to make God his refuge
(iv) What does David believe about God
1. What you believe in your core being is important, for what you truly believe determines your actions
2) David Declares His Belief about God
a) He Believed in God’s complete ability
i) Vs. 1 …let me never be ashamed, in thy righteousness deliver me.
b) He believed in God’s heart
i) Vs. 2 “Incline thine ear to me
ii) That God’s heart was disposed to Hear his prayers and cry for help
iii) That God was ready, willing and able to deliver him
iv) Note: What you believe determines what you do, how you act!
(1) It is not what you intellectually agree to but what you hold as a deep seated conviction in your soul
(2) David had a conviction about the person and character of His God. How do I know this? Because, David affirms this over and over in the Psalms and his actions echo his statements.
(a) Psalm 46:1-2 1. God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. 2.Therefore we will not fear thought the earth should change, although the mountains slip into the heart of the sea. 3 Though it’s waters roar and foam, though the mountains quake at its swelling pride
(b) Psalms 21:1,5 1. The Lord is my light and my salvation whom shall I fear? The Lord is the defense of my life. Whom shall I dread. 5. In the days of trouble He will conceal me in His tabernacle, in the secret place of His tent He will hide me, He will lift me up upon a Rock.
(c) Psalm 18:1-3 1. I love thee O Lord my strength. 2 The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, My God, my rock in whom I take refuge, My shield and my horn of salvation, my stronghold. 3. I will call upon the Lord who is worthy to be praised, and I am saved from my enemies.
(d) Psalm 34:4-8 4.I sought the Lord and He answered me and delivered me from all my fears. 5. They looked to Him and were radiant and their face shall never be ashamed. 6 This poor man cried out and the Lord heard him, and saved him out of his trouble. 7. The Angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and rescues them. 8. O taste and see that the Lord is good. How blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him.
This morning I want to highlight the goodness of God, the hope and assurance we have as believers, even when faced with or surrounded by circumstances of tremendous uncertainty and upheaval.
(Testimony – I had one of my members give their personal testimony here, how he had lost his job, what he and his family went through, and how God then delivered. )
David the psalmist reaffirms his trust in God.
Listen as we continue reading from our text in verses 3-5
(emphasize as reading)
3. You are my rock and my fortress, for your names sake (reputation) you will lead me and guide me. 4. You will pull me out of the net, which they have secretly laid for me. 5. Into your hand I commit my spirit. You have ransomed me, O Lord, God of truth.
Let us continue the reading again from verse 14-17
14. As for me, I trust in You, O Lord, I say You are my God 15. My times are in your hand (my good times, my bad times, my prosperous times, my times of want and need. My length of days) Deliver me from the hand of my enemies and from those who persecute me. 16 Make your face to shine upon your servant. Save me in your “lovingkindness” (David was depending on God’s unchanging Character) 17 Let me not be put to shame, O Lord for I call upon you.
David’s life, hope and strength were all in God.
He did not depend on: His position, his abilities, or anyone other than God
David’s total dependence upon God caused him to act –
- To walk in faith (the God walk is always a faith walk)
- To speak with assurance and confidence
- To live with a sure hope.
All those who put their trust in God will never be put to shame.
David says my hope, my life, my strength is in God.
No matter what circumstances, what turmoil or uncertainty you are facing, declare you hope, your life, your strength is in the Lord. Look upon Him and let your face shine with His glory, for His glory.
