BUT AS FOR ME AFFLICTED AND IN PAIN I WILL PRAISE GOD

Proclamation:

“But as for me, afflicted and in pain, may Your salvation, God, protect me.  I will praise God’s name in song and glorify Him with thanksgiving.”  Psalm 69:29-30 (NIV)

Explanation:

These words were written by King David under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God.  David begins this psalm by comparing his situation to a drowning man, up to his neck in water. (Psalm 69:1-2)  He prays to The Lord God to rescue him, to not let him drown or be swallowed up by a pit. (Psalm 69:13-18)  Many Bible scholars believe that this psalm referred to Christ and predicted events documented in The New Testament.  (Psalm 64:4 people hating Him without cause in John 15:25; Psalm 69:9 the zeal for God’s house consuming Him in John 2:17; Psalm 69:21 being given vinegar and gall to drink in Matthew 27:34; Psalm 69:22 let their table be made a snare in Romans 11:9; and Psalm 69:25 about Judas’ house being deserted in Acts 1:16-20)  But even while suffering the psalmist prays and says that he will praise God and give Him thanks.

Application:

Even in the midst of His pain and suffering while He was on the cross, Jesus prayed for us saying, “Father forgive them for they know not what they do.” (Luke 23:34)  Nothing that we go through is as bad as what He went through and He was still able to pray, and to pray for others.  Nor have we gone through things as bad as King David went through, and even with all of his sins David prayed and praised God and he was a man after God’s own heart. (Acts 13:22)  We need to keep our focus on The Lord God and not on our problems.  Prayer, praise, and thanksgiving are always appropriate, even in the midst of our storms.

BLESSED IN THE MIDST OF TROUBLE

Proclamation:

"Though I walk in the midst of trouble, You preserve my life; You stretch out Your hand against the anger of my foes, with Your right hand You save me."  Psalms 138:7 (NIV)

Explanation:

King David wrote these words under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God.  While he was praising The Lord with song and music, and thanking Him for hearing his prayer, he said that God kept him as he walked through the midst of trouble.  

Application:

We should also praise and thank God for preserving and protecting us while we were in the midst of trouble.  We have walked in the shadow of death, without knowing it, and God saved us. (Psalm 23:4)  God has protected us from dangers seen and unseen, and all manner of hurt and harm.  We don't know how close to death we came while driving on these city streets and freeways.  We ought to thank and praise His holy and righteous name every day for all of the good things that He has done, and for all of the blessings that we have received including protecting us as we were going through the storms of life. 

KEEP YOUR EYES ON THE LORD AND YOU WON'T SINK

Proclamation:

"During the fourth watch of the night Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake.  When the disciples saw Him walking on the lake, they were terrified.  ‘It's a ghost,’ they said, and cried out in fear.  But Jesus immediately said to them: ‘Take courage! It is I.  Don't be afraid.’ ‘Lord, if it's You,’ Peter replied, ‘tell me to come to You on the water.’  ‘Come,’ He said.  Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus.  But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, ‘Lord, save me!’  Immediately Jesus reached out His hand and caught him.  ‘You of little faith,’ He said, ‘why did you doubt?’  And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down.  Then those who were in the boat worshiped Him, saying, ‘Truly You are The Son of God.’" Matthew 14:25-33 (NIV)

Explanation:

This historical event and the words of Jesus, The Christ, were witnessed and written by the Apostle Matthew.  Not only did Jesus walk on water, He had the power to allow Peter to also walk on the water.  Peter was doing fine looking toward Jesus, but when he took his eyes off of The Lord he began to sink.  As he was sinking he prayed a powerful short prayer, "Lord, save me!"  Jesus heard him and immediately caught him.  All those who saw what had happened worshipped Jesus saying, "Truly You are The Son of God."

Application:

Jesus has the power to grant us what we ask for.  As long as we keep our focus on Him, by His power, we can do what others think is impossible.  Our problems begin when we take our eyes off of Him and focus on what is going on around us.  That is when we start to sink into sin.  Our God is bigger and more powerful than our problems.  There is no need for us to ever doubt Him.  We just need to have faith, pray, and keep our focus on The Lord, and He will get us through whatever it is that we are facing.

PRAYING IN THE MIDST OF TROUBLE

Proclamation:

“Then they took Jonah and threw him overboard, and the raging sea grew calm ... The Lord provided a great fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was inside the fish three days and three nights. From inside the fish Jonah prayed to The Lord his God. He said: ‘In my distress I called to The Lord, and he answered me ... I called for help, and you listened to my cry.’ ” Jonah 1:15-2:2 (NIV)

Explanation:

The prophet Jonah did not do what The Lord wanted him to do and The Lord caused him to be caught up in a great storm while at sea. (Jonah 1:1-4)  Jonah told the men on the ship that he was the cause of the storm. He also told them that they could calm the seas, save the ship, and save themselves if they threw him overboard. (Jonah 1:11-12)  Reluctantly, they threw him overboard, the sea became calm, and Jonah was swallowed by a great fish. (Jonah 1:15-17)  From inside the belly of the great fish, Jonah prayed. (Jonah 2:1-2)  Jonah did not pray until his situation seemed hopeless.

Application:

Like Jonah, we are frequently disobedient to The Word of God.  We make bad choices, get in trouble, and our problems go from bad to worse.  Like Jonah, we want to do things our way and not God’s way.  Even when we get in trouble, in the midst of a storm, we persist.  Only when our situation seems hopeless do we turn to God in prayer.  We would do better if we prayed more often and followed His Word instead of doing what we see as right in our own minds.  God is always with us, even when we are in the midst of a storm He protects us. (Psalms 138:7)  We just need to pray, confess our sins, ask to be forgiven, and ask for His help, and He will help us. (1 John 1:9) He said that He would never leave us or forsake us. (Hebrews 13:5)  If we spent more time reading The Word of God and praying, we would probably not be in the midst of trouble so often.