We turn again this morning to Psalm 71, and you'll find my text in verse 20 and verse 21. Psalm 71, verse 20 and verse 21. And as you're finding your place in the Bible, our theme this morning is Revived, Raised, Restored and Comforted. Revived, Raised, Restored and Comforted. Psalm 71 and verse 20. Thou which has showed me great and sore troubles shall quicken me again and shall bring me up again from the depths of the earth. Thou shalt increase my greatness and comfort me on every side. Dear congregation, many a believer knows what it is to go down into the depths. For many it is the depths of sorrow and pain. Things happen in the providence of God which are so dark and mysterious, and one begins to sink into those depths. Yet the Lord is full of compassion and will not only support the believer in the trial, but in his good time will deliver. We see this abundantly made known to us in Psalm 34. There will be a reviving, there will be a restoring, there will be a raising up and there will be a comforting. Now we read in 2 Corinthians 1, verses 3 and 4, these words. Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort, who comforteth us in all our tribulation. that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God. He is the Father of all mercies and so he will come alongside and lift us from the depths. He will restore. He is the God of all comfort and so he is more than able to comfort you. where we come now directly to these two verses here this morning, in verses 20 and verse 21. And I'd like us to consider, first of all, a little reviving. Secondly, a lifting up. Thirdly, a gracious restoring. And fourthly, a surrounding comfort. A little reviving, a lifting up, a gracious restoring, and a surrounding comfort. Verse 20. Thou which has showed me great and sore troubles shall quicken me again. Well, let's consider that a little reviving. As we have seen in this psalm, in the providence of God, the psalmist had known great and sore troubles. There was the opposition of soul. and there was the rebellion of Absalom, besides many other things which David had faced. There was further the assaults of the devil. Great and sore troubles is the testimony of the psalmist in verse 20. Thou which has showed me great and sore troubles. In the providence of God, these things were shown to him. And such things are shown to us in God's providence. Thou which has showed me great and sore troubles. great and sore troubles, troubles which so affected his soul, and under such he felt such a weakness within. Now the weaker believer faces such times, but as we see here also those that are stronger We must never conclude it is just for a weak saint that they face such weakness within. No, those who are stronger can know times of great weakness within. Matthew Henry wrote, the best of God's saints and servants are sometimes exercised with great and sore troubles in this world. So exercised, the strongest of Christians Christians can be so exercised and feel such weakness within and it's good for the Lord's people to be honest here. I meet some people and they give the appearance that they're never troubled but all we see here the sweet psalmist of Israel, he was strong in the Lord but oh he felt weakness, he was exercised, he was burdened. His heart so often was stirred by the Messiah, as we see plainly in Psalm 45, yet he faced great trouble, which was so grievous to him. As a result, he felt much weakness and lifelessness within. Yes, there was life. There was that new life, that principle of grace, but oh, he felt lifeless at times, so weak. He found it so hard. We have our enemies who surround us, who sit down and plot against us. We can identify with the psalmist here. He considers the sore troubles, the great troubles he'd faced because of his enemies. We can do likewise. It can be so hard as we think of certain ones. What are they going to do next? What are they going to say to me? And then we also have the old enemy, the devil, and he comes after us. Sometimes it's a little quieter, but then at times he's very active and we're very aware that he has come after us and he's firing the fiery darts. They come one after another. You wake up in the morning, maybe, and you seek to read and pray, but a dark comes and then another dark comes. Doubts are laid before our minds, lies he presents to us, and it can be so hard. But as a result of our enemies and as a result of the devil, but also the day-to-day battle we have with sin, we can feel so weak, we can feel so lifeless. Can you identify with this? Even the strongest of the Lord's people can identify with this. You can feel so lifeless. You know what it's like to have a sickness bug. You feel drained, lethargic, lifeless, weak, and it's hard. One can feel an inner weakness, a mental weakness and a spiritual weakness. Sorrow floods your soul like the waves of the sea and you feel so weak. It's so hard for you going against the waves. In Psalm 69, verse 1, we read, Save me, O God, for the waters are come unto my soul. They came right in. At times we see waves of sorrow coming towards us, and then we feel them coming right into the soul, and they push against us, and we feel weakness. Those waves are strong, and we know weakness within. However, the Lord is not unmindful of us. He looks on. You recall the great bondage the children of Israel were in, there in the land of Egypt. He did not forget them. He remembered the covenant which he had graciously made. We read in Exodus 3 verse 7, and the Lord said, I have surely seen the affliction of my people, which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters, for I know their sorrows. He remembered. He had not forgotten. He saw them in bondage, so weary, so weak. He remembers. How amazing that is. He remembers us this very moment. And we, in the light of the Scriptures, can rest that he will never fail us. And in his mercy, he will quicken us. There will be a little reviving. Now we make our prayer with the psalmist, as we see in Psalm 119, verse 25, my soul cleaveth unto the dust, quicken thou me. according to thy word. Quicken thou me according to thy word. He's thinking of God's promise. He's thinking of the word and we can think of God's promise that he will uphold us and strengthen us. He will quicken. So we pray to the Lord, quicken us, oh Lord. We feel our weakness. You know, it's when we feel our weakness, we make that prayer. At times we have weakness within, but we don't recognize it, and so we don't pray. But when we come to that point and we're so aware of our weakness, and that we need the Lord not only every hour, but every moment, we make this prayer, quicken thou me according to thy word, and he will, because he has not forgotten us, and he is a covenant-keeping God. The psalmist there in Psalm 119 verse 25, knew what it was to be on the ground, in the dust, he felt so lifeless, but there on the ground he looks up to the Lord, quicken me, revive my soul. We look for church revival, we prayed for it last year, and we pray for it again this year and how much more we need it again this year. Oh, that the Lord would look down from heaven and revive the church. Psalm 85 verse 6, will thou not revive us again? How there needs to be that revival. Oh, how there needs to be that drawing near to the Lord in these days. How the Lord needs to revive congregations. Sadly, I know too many congregations who are divided. Sadly, there's murmuring and complaining and division in so many churches. Oh, Lord, revive us. Oh, how we need it. But, oh, do we not recognize we need personal revival? Quicken me is our prayer as we see in Psalm 119, verse 25. Quicken me. I'm surrounded by great and sore troubles. I'm so weak. quicken me thou which has showed me great and sore troubles shall quicken me again there's the hope he will we make it our prayer lord we need a little reviving in our hearts today we need a little reviving in our souls quicken us oh lord quicken me i begin with myself and we take the comfort here thou which has showed me great and sore troubles, shout, quicken me again. He's done it in the past for me. Here, do it again for me. He's done it in the past for you, dear child of God. He will do it again. Quicken me again. He will. We feel our weakness. I do. I'm sure you do. Oh, we pray, quicken, revive, send me a little reviving, and he will in his good time. We know through past experiences that little reviving we can feel so weak, but then we're helped to go out the door. We're helped in our business. We're helped again maybe to read and pray. We're helped again to so focus on the Lord that comes this little reviving. Let's move on and consider secondly, a lifting up. A lifting up, verse 20. Thou which has showed me great and sore troubles shall quicken me again and shall bring me up again from the depths of the earth. You notice where the psalmist sees himself as being in the depths. I'm weak, but also he finds himself in the depths. And often it's like that, isn't it? When the child of God finds himself in the depths, they also know weakness. Often it's when we're in the depths, isn't it? It's a no pleasant place. Elijah found himself there. And so did the Psalmist. You recall those words in Psalm 130. Out of the depths have I cried unto thee, O Lord. He's there in the depths. Yes, he's known a little stirring in his soul and he's helped to pray, he's helped to look to the Lord, but he's still in the depths because he's crying out to the depths. The sweet psalmist of Israel, whose heart had been so stirred by the Spirit in Psalm 45 and had known much of Christ, found himself in the depths. Do not be surprised if suddenly you find yourself in the depths You may be held to pray, Lord, help me out to the depths, but you're still in those depths. Yes, there's a little lifting, but oh, you're still there in the depths. And sometimes for the psalmist, it was the depths of sin. He was convicted over his sin, but at other times there were the depths of sorrow. And at times the believer finds themselves in those depths often. It's an often occurrence, isn't it, to find oneself in the depths of sorrow. The believer is brought low through certain circumstances that trouble them. They find themselves in a low state. And it's not easy. It seems things are getting dark. and one is perplexed. There's low thoughts. The believer seeks to pray, but they're battling with low thoughts. The believer seeks to read the Word of God, but low thoughts seem to surround their minds as well. The depths. Notice the psalmist in verse 20. He been in the depths, shall bring me up again from the depths of the earth. In the depths, right down. There's times when we can feel we're right down. Yes, there's the comfort, the hope, He will lift us, but we find ourselves right down in the depths, knowing great sorrow within. However, the Lord's mercy is more than able to reach you in those depths. The depths you find yourself in are not too deep for the Lord. You may find yourself sinking, and you're sinking, but there's a limit, for the Lord stretches out his arm to reach you. You may not be aware of his arm, but his arm is stretched out, and you will only sink to a point. There's a limit. Dear child of God, there is a limit to your sinking in the sorrow. Low thoughts may press you down, But there is a lifting in God's good time. A lifting up for the downcast. Psalm 116 verse 6, I was brought low and he helped me. I was brought low. And it's our testimony at times, isn't it? I was brought low. That situation that came before me plunged me into the depths in my mind, in my soul. I woke up one morning and I remembered something from the past that so upset me and caused me to have low thoughts then and low thoughts again. Come to my heart. I was brought low. It's something the Psalmist knew. It's something Christ knew. There in that Psalm as well, as he sung those words in the upper room, Psalm 116, verse 6, I was brought low. I was brought low. It's our testimony, isn't it? But it goes on, and he helped me. His hand was there. It was stretched out. I was going down and down, but, oh, he stretched out his hand, and there was a limit. He helped me. He helped me by his, oh, compassionate hand. He helped me by his, oh, strengthening hand. He brought me up. I was brought low, and he helped me. He looked on, and such pity was known in his heart, and he helped me. And up from the depths I came. Precious are those moments when you are aware the Lord is lifting you up. It may be that you at this present time, you're very low. These are challenging days, aren't they? You're very low and you long to be lifted up when a precious time will come. It's precious, isn't it? You know how it is when there's a lifting up in your mind. Let me use an illustration. One day you may be on a walk in the countryside and you're burdened and you're looking down. There's lovely scenes around you, but you're looking down. You're burdened by a number of things, you're troubled, but then you just look up and your eye catches a beautiful scene maybe. You look at the green pastures in front of you or the hills beyond. You take note of the birds singing. And you find this ease coming into your mind. There's a lifting. Well, think of when the Lord lifts up. It's precious, isn't it? The Lord raises up. Note these words here. Thou which has shown me great and sore troubles, shalt again, quits shall quicken me again and shall bring me up again from the depths of the earth. David had been in the depths, he was troubled by all the things that he had known, but there had been a raising in his life. He believed it would come, and it came, as we know. There's a lifting up the Lord raises, a verse. You read and the Holy Spirit applies it, and you know that's strengthening. The verse is brought to your attention. You may be reminded that you're so loved by God. You're held by the shepherd, and there's this lifting up. For some, there's the need of medication, and then the Word of God floods in, and there's a lifting up for the child of God. He raises us up because He takes pity. He has compassion upon us. Are you struggling at this time? Some struggle more than others. Are you struggling? It's hard, isn't it? It's not where we wanted to be at the beginning of this year, still in the grip of this pandemic. There's struggles and you may have struggles in your heart this morning. Struggles as you think of certain things in front of you and as you consider certain things behind you. But there will be a raising up. The Lord is faithful. Let us be in expectation. We see that here, do we not? Thou which has showed me great and sore troubles shall quicken me again and shall bring me up again from the depths of the earth. I'm in the depths of the earth now, right down. But Lord, I'm in expectation. There'll be a lifting up, dear child of God. Can I say with much love in my heart, if you are struggling at this time, if you are in the depths, The Lord will raise you up. I can assure you of that. Thirdly, let's consider a gracious restoring. A gracious restoring. Verse 21. Thou shalt increase my greatness and comfort me on every side. Let's just consider the scene here. Remember David had to flee because of Absalom. Oh, that was such a pain to him, such a trouble to him. He was downcast. He found himself in the depths. He was away from where he wanted to be. He was struggling. He knew weakness. Now he had known a temporal greatness, but oh, he's away now from home. But oh, he's in expectation that the Lord shall increase his greatness. Thou shalt increase my greatness, his temporal greatness. He's away. Where's his influence? But oh, he believes the Lord will increase him, his influence and power. He will be back there. in command. He will see further increase, the Lord will bless, temple increase, the kingdom would extend. But all consider, all say, he thinks of inward greatness, inward greatness. Thou should increase my greatness. He's in expectation. that the Lord would so stir the graces within and that there would be a strengthening and a growth. And that's what we particularly focus on here today. Thou shalt increase my greatness. Now many of us will not know temporal greatness. It may be that one of you listening on may be one day you enter parliament and you become very influential or you find yourself in another position and you find yourself in a position of great influence, but I expect most of us will not know such greatness as that. Yes, there have been certain Christians who have been in places of great influence and we are thankful for that. However, Let's focus on the inward things. The Lord can graciously restore. We've already considered David felt his weakness. He struggled. He struggled at times in looking unto the Lord, but he believed there would be a restoring, this gracious restoring. Well, let's consider this. One can struggle, but the Lord graciously restores. Faith can be strengthened. There's growth. What a precious thing it is when we find this restoring. There's this growth within. At times our faith seems small to us, but there can come a greatness. Our faith is strengthened. There's growth. Think also of love. At times our love can seem at a low ebb. we may be struggling in the depths but oh we can be in expectation that Lord will excite that grace of love and then also peace one can be troubled in the depths one can feel their weakness but oh one could be in expectation Lord that would increase that grace of peace within my heart and then joy when one's in the depths One can find it hard to rejoice in the Lord. We're told in Philippians, rejoice in the Lord always. And again, I say rejoice. And we all know there's much cause for rejoicing in the Lord Jesus. And we would so want to rejoice all the time, but we have our struggles. We find ourselves in the depths. But they will become a gracious restoring. The Lord will restore. Thou has put joy, gladness in my soul, the psalmist could testify. And we can know the greatness of joy, that grace growing within, increasing. That's what we consider here as well. And the Lord will graciously do it. There will be a restoring. How we long to grow in grace. The Lord graciously helps his people. Thou which hast showed me great and sore troubles, shalt quicken me again, and shalt bring me up again from the depths of the earth. Thou should increase my greatness, be an expectation. We long to grow, don't we, for the glory of his name. We long for the glory of his name, that he would increase the greatness, that would increase and that there will be a greatness in our faith, our love, our peace and joy, that others might see it, what the Lord can do. He can raise the downcast. He can increase them and strengthen them, that they are found looking so on him and rejoicing in him. The Lord will help you. The Lord graciously helps. There will be an increase. Psalm 92 verse 12. The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree. He shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon. Those that be planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God. They shall still bring forth fruit in old age. They shall be fat and flourishing. do not belong to be fat and flourishing in a spiritual way. The older we get, and I can think of certain old saints, they're such an example, and they're so living for the Lord, they're focused on Him. Oh, to grow, my hair may be thinning, what does it matter? But oh, to flourish spiritually, that's what I long for. And the Lord is able. What do we read? Thou shalt increase my greatness. The Lord is able. You may feel you're in the depths, but there can come this strengthening and your faith is seen as great then. People take note, that person, they've been struggling, but they're focused now on the Lord. Oh, for an increase. Oh to growing grace, do not we see that in 2 Peter 3 verse 18, but growing grace and in the knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. Oh to growing grace that there will be this spiritual greatness within. We long for it, we feel so weak and we feel the grace is so small at times, particularly when we're in the depths, but all for an increase, for the glory of his name and for the benefit of our own souls. The Lord is able, there will be a gracious restoration. Oh, we see that in verse 21. You consider those words in Psalm 23. He restoreth my soul. Oh, the shepherd's work through his spirit, the restoring of the soul. Sometimes we feel at a distance. Sometimes we feel so weak. The shepherd comes. and he restores the soul. He is the physician of the soul. He is the shepherd who has us on his heart and he comes to restore the soul that there will be a greatness within. The grace is a flourishing. Grace is in growth. Oh, consider him, he restoreth my soul. Precious are those words, aren't they? When we feel it happening, When we're in the depths, but then we feel it happening. When we feel the weakness, but then we feel it happening. He restoreth my soul. Well, we conclude with considering fourthly, a surrounding comfort. A surrounding comfort, verse 21. Thou should increase my greatness and comfort me on every side. He believes there will be comfort on every side. He's in the depths. He knows anxiety. He's fearful. That's plain, isn't it? Comfort for the fearful, isn't it? Oh, he's fearful, but he's in expectation that the Lord not only would increase his greatness, yes, for him in a temporal way, but also inwardly, but also that he would be comforted on every side. He's been concerned, he's been anxious, but he believes the Lord will comfort him all around. These are precious words, aren't they? They caught my eye in the week. Thou shalt increase my greatness and comfort me on every side. Yes, the Lord was with him and the Lord is with us. but he was in expectation that in a special way the Lord would come and so surround him and also give him comfort on every side. Psalm 34 verse 7, the angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear him and delivereth him. He's with us but all of the times when we feel he's so around us and then There are times when we feel He's comforting us on every side. He will come and He will so comfort you. We think of the abundance of comfort on every side. Consider again those words in 2 Corinthians 1 verse 3. Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort. He's the God of all comfort. What an abundance. He's the God of all comfort. How he is able to comfort his people in every situation. How he's able to comfort you. How he's able to comfort me. How he's able to comfort all of us here at Ipsley, though we're not together. But oh, how He's able to comfort us on all this thing on. Who loved the Lord in a precious way, He is able to comfort us. But not only us, but all His people all over the world. He's the God of all comfort. Oh, what comfort. And we see the application of that comfort. Who comforteth us in all our tribulation. 2 Corinthians 1 verse 4. He's the God of all comfort. And He applies. and we know it. One may be in the depths, but then they begin to feel comfort. A verse is brought to them. He comforts us and sometimes we know such an abundance and we can say with the psalmist, thou should increase my greatness and comfort me on every side. Here's the psalmist, I'm going to look that way and I'm going to find comfort. Then I'm going to look that way and I'm going to find comfort. I will look at that child but comfort will meet me. I will look at that situation but comfort will meet me. Comfort will be before me as I think of the future but also comfort will be behind me as I think of the past. Comfort on every side and that's how it can be. You can think of that situation you're facing in the future, and the Lord comforts you with a verse of scripture. And you're comforted, but then maybe you think of something that's happened in the past and you're troubled, but then another verse of scripture comes. and you're comforted, or you may be reminded of the providence of God in the past, how he helped you and supported you. You find comfort on every side. As you look at that child and that child, you find comfort. Yes, you've been struggling, but a verse is brought home to you. And the Lord applies it and you find comfort. But let's think of another thing. Comfort on every side. I find comfort when I'm under the ministry of the Word, the psalmist is thinking of. And there are times when we find such comfort under the ministry of the Word, but then you find comfort in your home, as you read the Word each day, and there are those seasons, is there not, you find comfort under the ministry of the Word, when we are able together, but then in your own homes. I was comforted when family worship was conducted. I found comfort then, I found comfort when I read the Word of God on my own. I found comfort when a Christian contacted me and they gave me a verse which I wasn't expecting. There I found comfort. I picked up a Christian book and a verse came home and I found comfort. I read of a Christian's testimony in that book, how they were helped in affliction and I could identify with them. Comfort I found there on every side. The other day I picked up a book and I opened the book in the vestry and I read this, Let us not be weary in well doing, Galatians 6 verse 4. Having the book in my hand I read those words in the chapter written by Spurgeon. And then I noticed that where the book had been, there was a piece of paper. And I called these words, casting all your care upon him, for he careth for you. Comfort on every side, you see. I picked up a book, there was a verse to comfort me. And where the book had been, there was a piece of paper. And I looked at that, there was comfort for me there. And precious therefore are the days then. When we find comfort surrounding us, we seem to go forward and there's comfort for us. We get home and there's a word of comfort for us. We're driving along, we're reminded of some providence in the past and we're comforted. Comfort on every side is not always the case, but it happens at times. There's such an abundance of comfort. A message comes through and then another message and we're comforted and we're aware that God has come and so surrounded us in comfort. Thou should increase my greatness and comfort on every side. Such an abundance, such a surrounding. a gracious surrounding, the Lord comes and encamps round about them that fear him, and he brings comfort. Spurgeon wrote, as we were surrounded with afflictions, so we will be enroned with consolations from above and from all around. Light shall come to dispel our former gloom, The change shall be great indeed when the Lord returns to comfort us. Dear child of God, there are times when He who bears the name, the Consolation of Israel, will come and embrace you. At certain times we feel a little comfort, but there's other times when we're so aware He's come and He's embraced us. The consolation of Israel has embraced us. We're surrounded, His arms are enfolded around us. We can feel so cast down, so weak, but He comes. O pray that the Prince of Peace would come and so surround you with his arms of comfort and bring messages to soothe your soul. Comfort on every side. That's what we long for, isn't it? Comfort on every side. We struggle at times. We say with the psalmist in Psalm 119, when will thou comfort me? We believe he will, but we don't feel the comfort, but he will come. And there will be special times when you feel you're so embraced by the consolation of Israel that you feel comfort on every side. In closing, at the end of the journey, dear child of God, you will see the Lord. And when you see him, you will look at him and you will be comforted. But then you will look beyond his shoulder and you will be comforted with the sights you see there. You will look to his side and you will be comforted. But then you'll look again to him. Such comfort will fill your soul and it will stay. Oh, we have that to give us hope, have we not? A wonderful prospect, but all till that moment. May we know more comfort coming. May we know more times when we are surrounded by the comforter and the consolation of Israel, and we find comfort on every side, and we're lifted from the depths. Where are you this morning? Are you in the depths? Where have you been in the past week? Have you been in the depths? Let me assure you, the Lord will come. The Lord will raise. There will be a little reviving. He will graciously restore. And in your life, you will find comfort on every side. He will do that for you because he so loves It's not easy at times, I begin with myself, but let's be in expectation. He's coming. He will help. We will know little revivings. We will know gracious restorings. And we will know him embracing us with his arms of comfort. And we will feel helped. And we will feel that the Lord has shown us great May the Lord bless you, and may the Lord bless his right. Amen.