In your Bible tonight, Psalm 61. Psalm 61, this verse has been on my heart, and I'm certain that a lot of folks have been experiencing a statement in this passage of Scripture even this week. It's something that happens and works in our hearts, there's no doubt, regularly. The Bible says that my heart is overwhelmed. My heart's overwhelmed. How many of you have ever been there? You have had your heart overwhelmed. How many of you have ever been there? And let's just take a survey. And how many of you have been there in the last seven days? My heart's overwhelmed. And it's a tough place to be. It's a struggle. As a matter of fact, David, in his passage of Scripture, he says, my heart's overwhelmed within me, and my heart's overwhelmed, and then he gives us some insight into how it is affecting him. I want you to look at the last verse of this psalm, Psalm 61. He says, so will I sing praise unto thy name forever, that I may daily perform my vows. I'm going to tell you what David was dealing with. David's heart was so overwhelmed that he was really having a hard time accomplishing the things that he needed to do on a daily basis. He was having a hard time just his day-to-day life because his spirit was overwhelmed within him. He was having a hard time serving Jesus. He was having a hard time nurturing a relationship with Christ. He was having a hard time doing and being what God had called him to do and be. heart was overwhelmed. God's going to use this passage of scripture and this writing, the words that God's putting in David's heart and has asked him to write down for us, God's going to use this emphasis in this passage of scripture to help David to come to the place where he gets out of the floodwaters and finds himself anchored on a rock that's higher than himself. I want you to know if you anchor yourself on yourself, what you can do, what you can accomplish, what your wit and energy can produce, in your Christian life you're going to find out that that is never enough. You're going to be overwhelmed. You're not able to get above the current. But I'll have you know something, there is a rock that's higher than I. And there's a place where we can stand, a place where we can rest, a place where we can know that we're safe from the torrent. David says, I want to help you with that, because God's helped me with it. And he gives us Psalm 61, the Bible says, Hear my cry, O God, attend to my prayer. From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee. When my spirit is overwhelmed, lead me to the rock that is higher than I. For thou hast been a shelter for me and a strong tower from the enemy. I will abide in thy tabernacle forever. I will trust in the covert of thy wings, Selah. For thou, O God, hast heard my vows. Thou hast given me the heritage of those that fear thy name. Thou wilt prolong the life, the king's life, and his years as many generations. He shall abide before God forever. O prepare mercy and truth. which may preserve him. So will I sing praise unto thy name forever, that I may daily perform my vows. Tonight I want to preach this message. It's titled this. We find it in verse 2. My heart is overwhelmed. My heart is overwhelmed. And what do we do when our heart is overwhelmed? And David's gonna give us some insight into what we do when our heart is overwhelmed. As we kind of come to an introduction here of this passage of scripture, the first couple of verse, I think, provide us an introduction, and David is gonna begin to explain to us the process that he's in. His heart's overwhelmed, and here's where he's beginning, and the Bible says, oh God, thou art my God, I'm sorry, verse number one, hear my cry, oh God, attend, The first thing we see that David has found himself with a heart that's overwhelmed and he's crying to the Lord. It is always good to cry to the Lord. Look, it is counter our pride. It is the opposite of what we want to do. We want to buck up, soldier. The Lord says it's okay for you to cry unto me. Something that encourages me about the cries of a child in the ears of a father is God responds to the cries of his children. If you're here and you've raised children, you know different cries. How many of you can identify some different cries? As a dad, I remember some cries. There was a cry that was kind of like, hmm, I'm not gonna do anything about that. I'll keep watching the news. There were other cries that you think, well, maybe I need to get up, and you'd get up and check, and, you know, it might be something serious. But there was that one cry. Have you ever heard that one cry that, there's no questions asked, you jumped to your feet and ran to the aid of your children? I want you to know something. God hears our cries, and it's always good to cry to Him. When your spirit's overwhelmed, then you cry to the Lord. Cry to Him. It's right. He says, hear my cry, oh God, attend to my prayer. He says, I'm crying, I'm praying. Now folks, prayer, son, is very important. Prayer is that act of giving it all to God. Why do we pray? We pray so we are relinquishing control. God, I need you. We need God whether we pray or not. We need God whether we acknowledge it or not. But when we pray, we hand God the reins. And he's better at it than we are. Hear my cry, oh God, attend to my prayer. Verse two, look at this, I love it. From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee. I thought and thought about that phrase. From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee. And I don't think David's bragging about how loud his voice is. He probably had a loud voice. He wasn't bragging saying, you know, I can cry from the end of the earth and God will hear me because I've got a great big voice. The truth is, I think that from the end of the earth will I cry unto thee. I think that David is making a point. No matter how far away I've gotten from God, I can cry to him. I remind you, you are not so far gone that God can't redeem your soul. You're not so far gone that God is unwilling to forgive you. You're not so far gone that you need to do a few things before you get right with God. Oh, the devil sells us a bill of goods, it's not true. The devil gives this idea that, well, look, you're so far away from God that if you'll clean up and straighten up and do a few things and kind of be good for a little while, then you can get right with God. No. David says, from the ends of the earth, I'll cry to you. David says, look, I found myself in a deep, dark, devastating spot, and I know what I got to do. My spirit's overwhelmed within me. I've got to cry to the Lord from the ends of the earth even. I'm so thankful to know that I'm never so far away from God that God can't help me. From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee when my heart is overwhelmed. He says, Lord, my heart, it's overwhelmed. It's overwhelmed, it's affecting my ability to be the father that I'm supposed to be. It's affecting the way, in David's heart, it's affecting my duty as the king of Israel. But you're here tonight and you understand that your heart's overwhelmed. You're watching it affect the calling of God on your life. You're not being as effective as you ought to be at work, at home. You're overwhelmed. What do I do? His prayer is this, lead me. You see that in verse 2? Lead me to the rock that is higher than I. What a beautiful picture. What a beautiful picture of a high ground, a place where you can get where you don't have to fear the storm. You'll not drown there. Lead me to the rock. that is higher than I. That rock is Jesus. Lead me to the rock. You know, he's praying. He's praying, I understand that an overwhelmed heart can lead to lots of things. Have you ever been in an overwhelmed heart situation and your overwhelmed heart led you to do something really ridiculous? Have you been overwhelmed in your heart and you said something you really wish you hadn't? Have you been overwhelmed in your heart and you went somewhere you really wish you'd never gone? You've been overwhelmed in your heart and you reacted and responded in a way that was just not right. It was sinful and wicked. I don't know if you know an overwhelmed heart can lead you in lots of wrong directions. And David got to the place where he identified that his heart was overwhelmed. He identified that he was not functioning the way that he ought to function. with the vows that he promised to God. And with an overwhelmed heart, he cried, he prayed. With an overwhelmed heart, his burden was this. Lord, from the ends of the earth, I'm crying to you. Lead me to the rock that's higher than I. He said, God, I have you, God. I need your presence. Lead me. There's another place in the scripture that David prayed something like this. He prayed, lead me in the paths of righteousness. Lead me. God, help us. My heart's overwhelmed. What do I do? Here's some things I want to share with you from this scripture. Number one, remember God's faithfulness in the past. The next part of this passage of scripture, you're going to see it very clearly that David's going to look to the past, he's going to make a statement about the present, and he's going to look to the future. And the first thing he's going to say to us is, remember that God has been faithful in the past. Look at the third verse. He says, for thou hast been a shelter for me and a strong tower from the enemy. His prayer is that the Lord would lead him to the rock, the Lord would lead him to his self. And the reason that he's looking to God for help right now and right down the road is because he's seen God faithful in the past. He says, thou hast been a shelter for me. I want you to testify for the glory of God for just a minute. How many of you have been in a situation where your heart was overwhelmed in the past and you found God's faith? Well, that's you. Would you say amen heartily? Amen. Look, it's so easy when our hearts are overwhelmed to forget that God's been good before. It's easy when our hearts are overwhelmed to forget that God's been faithful before. It's easy to get to the place where we just think that, you know, this is our waterloo, this is the end. But God's faithful. And David says, I'm going in this overwhelmed moment, I'm going to trust in the Lord because I'm remembering God's faithfulness in the past. He says, thou hast been a shelter for me. I wonder what David was saying when he was talking about a shelter. David found shelter on many occasions throughout the scriptures. One place he found shelter was in the cave of Adullam. In the cave of Adullam, he prayed. He said, I looked on my right hand and refuge failed me. He said, no man cared for my soul. But in the story right after, he pens the words of Psalm 142. The Bible says that a host of people that he didn't even know existed that was on his side and cared for him showed up and lifted him up. God sheltered him in the cave of Duham. God sheltered him in other times, in other places. There's no doubt you can't see the shelter on the battlefield the day that David fought Goliath, but I can guarantee you this, God was his shelter. He says, Lord, my heart's overwhelmed, but I'm gonna trust in you because you've been faithful in the past. He says, thou hast been a shelter for me. and a strong tower from the enemy. I see a connection here between a rock that's higher than I and a strong tower. Tower's a place of safety. Tower's a place where you can kind of get above the fray and see what's actually going on. I'm gonna tell you something. When your heart's overwhelmed, It's the same as being in the weeds. Tall weeds, if you can't tell where you are, it's the same as walking through a thick fog and you don't know which way is which. But I'll have you know something, that if you'll cry to the Lord and put your feet on a rock that's higher than you, if you'll let Jesus be the strong tower in your life that'll take you above the fray, where you can see clearly again. You're going to find out that God is able to help you when your heart is overwhelmed. Remember God's faithfulness in the past. He says, Lord, you've been a shelter for me, a strong tower from the enemy. May God help us. Have you seen God faithful in the past? You're going to be sure He'll be faithful in the future. Trust Him. Trust Him. Trust Him. When my heart's overwhelmed, I'm going to remember God's faithfulness in the past. Number two, when my heart's overwhelmed, I'm going to remain true to the Lord in the present. Now, this is fun, because here's what David is testifying to us. He says, my heart's overwhelmed. And in verse four, he says, my heart's overwhelmed, but I'm going to let you know something. With God's help, here's what I'm going to do. I will abide in thy tabernacle forever. I will trust in the covert. of thy wings." What does he say? I will. He says, here's what I'm going to do right now. He says, I will abide in thy tabernacle forever. Now, it's kind of fun to think about the tabernacle. The tabernacle is the dwelling place of God. The word tabernacle is literally tent. It's tent. Now, David, here's what he's dealing with. He's dealing with an overwhelmed heart. My heart's overwhelmed. And I'm going to tell you something. An overwhelmed heart will lead you to the wrong place. We've talked about it, all right? Let me tell you something. When your heart's overwhelmed, you need to ask yourself this question. What tent am I in? The word tabernacle and tent is the same thing. He says, I'm going to dwell in your tabernacle. He says, Lord, I'm going to your tent. I'm going to the tent where you are. I'm going to the place of your presence and your faithfulness. He says, I'm going to your tent. I'm going to tell you something, it's easy to find ourselves in the tent of self-loathing. Have you ever found yourself there? Your heart's overwhelmed. You find yourself in the tent of self-loathing. You find yourself in the tent of despair. The tent of pride. You find yourself in the tent of anger. You find yourself in the tent of sinful rebellion. David says, right now, here's what I'm going to do. I'm praying, I'm crying, and I'm dwelling in your tabernacle, Lord, forever. I'm just going to get as close to you as I possibly can. I want you to know that if you'll intentionally seek the Lord when your heart's overwhelmed, He'll help you. If you'll intentionally put yourself in the place of God's blessing, where's the place? Well, you found one of them. God's house on a Wednesday night. You'll put yourself in the way of the blessing of God, alone with His Word. In a quiet time and place, listen to sound Bible preaching, good Christ-honoring music. You put yourself in the place of a blessing, you put yourself in God's tent, you know what's going to happen? He's going to lift the heart of an overwhelmed child. When my heart's overwhelmed, I'm gonna remain true to the Lord. He says, abide in the tabernacle. He says, I will abide in thy tabernacle forever. I will trust in the covert of thy wings. The covert of thy wings is the sheltered place under the wings. There's a great old song, under his wings, I'm safely abiding. May God help us to find ourselves under his wings. I don't know, sometimes in my mind I just try to put myself there, just kind of nestle up in my heart under God's wings. And you may not be able to see it, you may not be able to feel it, but anytime you care to be covered by God, He's there. He says, I'll trust in the cover of thy wings. He says, here's why. Here's why, here's why I should. He says, I will trust in the cover of thy wings, Selah, for thou, verse five, O God, has heard my vows. Thou hast given me the heritage of those that fear thy name. He says, I'm gonna do what's right now. I will right now abide in your tavern. I will trust in you because, Lord, you've heard my vows. What's he saying? In his heart, he says, look, I'm overwhelmed, but I'm not quitting now because I've promised God that I'd live for him. You've heard my vows. I'm not quitting now because I promised God I'd serve him. I like it when duty motivates us to do the right thing. How many of you ever done something that was your duty, even though you didn't feel like doing it? Have you ever been there? Oh, you know something, that's fine. I don't always feel like doing the right thing, but we should do what's right. And David says, look, he's like, I remember my vows. I'm not quitting because I promised God I'd serve him. As he thinks about his vows to the Lord, he also is reminded that the work that God has given him to do is something of eternal value. Look, don't get so caught up with everything that's going on around you that you forget to serve God. That you forget that life is short and eternity is long. He says, I'm going to remain true in the present. The reason I'm going to is because I've promised. I've promised God and I'm going to keep my promise. One of the greatest reasons to be faithful to a spouse is because you promised them and God that you would. And I'm going to tell you something. If you obey God and act honorably, He's going to bless you for it. Be sure of it. Remain true to the Lord in the prayer. He says, I've promised to keep your words. And when you've vowed a vow to God, not only have you promised God to do something, but God in turn has accepted you and given you something to do that matters for eternity. How many things are we worried about that are frivolous and don't matter for eternity? When we're serving the Lord, we're doing something that matters for eternity. We have a purpose and a reason to live. Look what else motivated. He says, in this present moment, I'm going to remain true to the Lord. 4, verse 5, Thou, O God, hast heard my vows, thou hast given me the heritage of those that fear thy name. I think this is kind of fascinating. When David is low, his heart's overwhelmed, you know what he decides? He says, you know, I'm going to do the right thing today. And it's all about God and His glory, but one thing on the sidelines that motivated him was he said, Lord, you've given me a heritage of them that serve the Lord. He says, you know what? My heart's overwhelmed, but I'm going to keep trusting the Lord because my father, Jesse, loved the Lord. I'm going to keep serving the Lord because you've given me a heritage of those that serve the Lord. And I want to tell you something. I think it's good to be motivated to serve the Lord because of Your heritage. I think it's good to be motivated to serve the Lord because of the generations to come. And David says, look, my heart's overwhelmed, but I ain't quitting. I ain't giving up. I'm going to keep fighting for the glory of God. I'll remain true to the Lord in this present moment. Finally, number three. What do I do? My heart's overwhelmed. What do I do? Rest in the promises of God for the future. Rest in the promises of God for the future. Look at the Bible, verse 6. We'll look at these quickly. The Bible says, Thou wilt prolong the king's life and his years as many generations. The first thing was he felt confident that the Lord was going to continue not only his life but continue his legacy for generations to come. What are you living for? Are you living for just what you can get for right now? Are you living to leave the heritage of godliness for generations to come? I pray that we live in such a way that we're passing down, passing the torch to the generations that follow. And David says, Lord, you're going to, as I'm faithful to you, you're going to prolong my life and the years and as many generations. You're gonna bless for years to come. And I'm trusting, I'm gonna rest to the promise of God because you're gonna prolong the king's life. He says in verse 7, I'm going to rest in the promises of God for the future because he says he shall abide before God forever. He says I'm going to live for God now because I'm going to live with God forever. I'm going to live for God now because I'm going to live with God forever. How many of you ever wanted to say something to your wife but you didn't say it to your wife because you knew you were going to have to live with her? Not me, I just thought some of you guys may have thought that before. David says, look, I'm gonna trust you now because I know I'm gonna live with you forever. Hey, look, it's sweet. Who do you give the most care to? You give more care to the people you live with. It makes sense. David says, I'm going to trust in you today because I'm going to live with you forever. Can I tell you something sweet? As overwhelming as the moments are, and it's real, I'm not demeaning them or belittling them. As overwhelming as the moments are, can I remind you of something? For all of eternity, it won't be overwhelming because we'll be living in the presence of Christ forever. Praise his name. Verse number seven. He shall abide before God forever. Here's his prayer for the future. He says, Lord, as I live my life, he says, Lord, prepare mercy and truth which may preserve him. He says, Lord, I'm gonna just keep on keeping on because I know what you're gonna do in the future. You're gonna be faithful in the future. And he says, Lord, will you prepare two things for me? First thing you prepare for me is mercy. You know what David knew he needed? David knew that as he lived his life, he was going to need God's mercy. How many of you are thankful that God gives you mercy? It's of the Lord's mercies that you're not consumed. You deserve punishment and wrath. But God is merciful and he doesn't give them. So David says, Lord, I'm going to keep living for you. I'm going to keep moving on. I'm overwhelmed, but I'm going to keep on. He said, prepare mercy. Give me mercy along the way. Isn't it sweet? He says, Lord, prepare mercy and prepare truth. You know what David wanted? David wanted truth. He wanted to know what was right to do for himself. But he also wanted the people around him to embrace and experience and have the truth. He says, Lord, prepare mercy and truth. He's looking ahead. I'm resting in the promises of God. Prepare mercy and truth, which may preserve him. Verse eight, so will I sing praise in thy name forever. Do you know what God always wants us to do? He always wants us to sing his praises. When should I not praise the Lord? There's never a time when I shouldn't praise the Lord. We should sing His praises. We should sing praises to the Lord. He says, so will I sing praise unto thy name forever, that I may daily perform my vows. David says, Lord, I got to get back to the place where day to day I'm effective. Day-to-day I'm accomplishing what you've saved me to accomplish. Day-to-day I'm living in victory and not defeat. Day-to-day Lord, I'm accomplishing my vows. Lord, I'm going to sing your praises so that I may daily accomplish my vows. So that I may daily perform my vows. I'm just going to sing your praises. You're here tonight and you say, my heart's overwhelmed. I ask you, remember God's faithfulness in the past, remain true to the Lord in the present, rest in the promises of God for the future. For heaven's sake, sing praises to the Lord. He's good.