A good morning, everyone. So good to see you and be with you this morning in the house of the Lord. Carol and I come this morning with hearts full, humbled by the goodness of God and grateful for as many blessings to us. And we've just come off a wonderful week. We spent a few days away at a conference in Indianapolis, Indiana, where there was a gathering of 7,000 believers from all 50 states and 38 countries. And we studied the theme alive together. Went through a series of teachings on the book according to the book of Ephesians. pastors and lay leaders and church members. It was just a marvelous week together. And we were blessed to spend a good part of that week with the Mark Lundberg and David Hammer families who were also there with us in Indianapolis. And so it was truly a great week as we were refreshed, encouraged. It was nice to be on the other side, my notebook open and my pen ready and to have my Bible open and to just have good teaching. coming to be able to learn from good and godly men insights into God's Word. So I'm thankful, church, for this opportunity to get away and be refreshed. It's good to be back, and we're glad that we can continue. But because I was away all week, I was not able to take time to prepare something fresh in the book of Hebrews. And so I was reworking things that I have done in the past in the Psalms. And so we'll be in the Psalms as a stop out this morning in our series in Hebrews. Caring for Women March for Life is next Saturday. So please support the church, support someone that's walking, go walk. If you want to support me, all the money goes for a good cause. We want to continue to have a prophetic voice in speaking against the evil of abortion, but also to offer hope to women and their children in time of need. And if we say we believe in a big God, and I believe in God enough, that the day will come when abortion will not only be illegal, it will be inconceivable. And so let's be a pro-life church, continue to be a pro-life community. Let's promote a culture of life, the importance and dignity of each person from the moment of conception to the time of natural death. And I pray that we'll continue to pray according to that end. We know it's a prayer that's pleasing to our God. If you've not already had a chance, please turn your cell phones to silent so we don't have any interruptions as we go through the sermon this morning. And those of you joining us online, good morning. Receive our greetings in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. We're so glad we can be together, study God's word together. So please open your Bibles to Psalm 56 as we prepare to study this morning. I love to study church history. I learn a lot from the study of church history, the examples of how God has worked in and through men and women down through the centuries. We can learn from every era of how God has been at work. And one of the heroes of the early church in the fourth century was a theologian and preacher named John Chrysostom. He was given the name Goldenmouth because he had such a gift of eloquence and elegance in his preaching. And one of the reasons he was so successful in ministry and so influential was because he was diligent to nurture his relationship with the Lord. We don't have to agree with everything that he did to be influenced and encouraged by his testimony. Seeking to know God better, he became a hermit in the mountains near the city of Antioch in modern-day Turkey in AD 373. But his time of isolated prayer and meditation was cut short by illness. But he learned that God was at his side, and because God was at his side, he could withstand anyone or anything. And that lesson served him well. For in AD 398, he was appointed Patriarch of Constantinople, now known as Istanbul. And as you know, the Roman Empire was divided into the western Latin-speaking part and the eastern Greek-speaking part, and he was a leader in the eastern half of the Roman Empire, at least in the church. But because he preached the word, and challenged the powerful, he drew their attention. And his reforms antagonized Udokia, who was the wife of the emperor. She worked with many others to oppose Christus Stum, and eventually had him exiled. But after a while, the people and their popular uprising said, we want Chrysostom back, and so he was brought back to serve among the people. But he continued to infuriate Eudokia, and time and time again, he was exiled. It got to the point where he accused Eudokia of being involved in paganism, of being a false practitioner. In fact, the charge was true. She was, in fact, running after idols. But she didn't like being accused of that. And so he was idled, exiled once again. So how did he respond to exile after exile of being persecuted for standing firm in the faith, for preaching the truth with conviction? Well, here's how one church historian early on recorded the words of Chrysostom. What can I fear? Will it be death? But you know that Christ is my life, and I shall gain by death. Will it be exile? But the earth in its fullness are the Lord's. Poverty I do not fear, riches I do not seek, and from death I do not shrink. Chrysostom had learned that if he was trusting in the Lord, he knew that the Lord was always with him and ready to help him in the face of those who would oppose him. And I think that's a story that prepares us well for the passage that we're going to look at today, which is Psalm 56. In Psalm 56, we see a cry for help in the midst of trouble, in the midst of being surrounded by enemies. And David expresses faith in God because he knows God, he knows his word, he knows his promise. And my hope is that that will be an encouragement to us today as we also face trials and difficulties and we can look to the one today who is the greater son of David, even our Lord Jesus Christ, God in the flesh, who is the light of the world. And so as we prepare in this sermon entitled In Trouble But Still Trusting, I invite you to stand as I read our text for this morning, Psalm 56, and as we hear from God principles of how to rejoice in the midst of trouble. And the Holy Word of God says, Be gracious to me, O God, for man tramples on me. All day long an attacker oppresses me. My enemies trample on me all day long, for many attack me proudly. When I am afraid, I put my trust in you, in God, whose word I praise. In God I trust. I shall not be afraid. What can flesh do to me? All day long, they injure my cause. All their thoughts are against me for evil. They stir up strife. They lurk. They watch my steps as they have waited for my life. For their crime, will they escape? In wrath, cast down the peoples, O God. You have kept count of my tossings, put my tears in your bottle. Are they not in your book? Then my enemies will turn back, and the day when I call, this I know, that God is for me. And God, whose word I praise, and the Lord, whose word I praise, and God I trust, I shall not be afraid. What can man do to me? I must perform my vows to you, O God. I will render thank offerings to you, for you have delivered my soul from death, yes, my feet from falling, that I may walk before God in the light of life. Friends, this is the word of the Lord given to his people as an encouragement of standing firm in the midst of an evil world. May the Lord give us ears to hear and eyes to see. Please be seated. And let us pray. Father, even as we have sung your praises this morning, The words of David already echo in our minds because we know they're your words, and so we want to be attentive. And so would you do the work that you can do, and you only, and that is to open our eyes to see and our hearts to rejoice and our wills to receive and our minds to understand. For Father, we know that if we are in your holy presence, even now it is because you want to speak to us through your word. So would you be the one that banishes distracting thoughts, banishing temptations to turn away or to look away or to consider other things and accept what is before us, which is your holy word. Help us, Father. We need your help. In Jesus' name, amen. I hope you have your Bibles open and you'll keep them open. And I'm going to begin this morning, not with the first verse, but actually with the introductory explanation that comes before the verse that's found in the psalm. You notice it says words something to this effect. To the choir master, according to the dove on far off Terebinth. It's a reminder with this instruction to the choir master that the book of Psalms is actually a book of hymns. It is meant to be sung as part of the gathered worship of God's people. So the notes to the choir master are how to remind the people to prepare them how they are to sing the song as they gather together. And you recall then, as they're getting prepared to worship the Lord in song and speak to one another, that this is something the Apostle Paul picked up in the book of Ephesus, where we are commanded as we gather to address one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs. Singing to one another is a way that we teach one another. And there is such joy in congregational singing. That's why it's so important that we gather together for worship. For we were not set apart, called out of darkness into light, called out of the world into the kingdom of heaven to be alone, to be a lone ranger, to just kind of walk our own path. As we learned over and over again this week at the conference as we were studying the book of Ephesians, the Christian life can only be lived out in communion of faith with other believers. That's how we can practice the commandments of serving one another, loving one another, helping one another, praying for one another, worshiping God with one another. The beauty of corporate worship is that there are things that happen as we gather that just simply can't be duplicated in our private times of devotion. We come to be blessed, we come to be taught, we come to be encouraged, but we also come so that we'll be an encouragement and be a source of encouragement to others. And so when people are not here, they don't realize that they're robbing those that are here of a blessing, of an opportunity, of fellowship, of engaging one with another. So consider the phrase, to the dove on far-off terrabents, This dove is far away from his land and from where he wants to be. This dove is a bird who has a tender spirit, who is in tune with God. And I think there's a sign, a symbol referring to David here, because Psalm 55 and 56 come together as a pair. And in Psalm 55, verse six, David himself says, oh, that I had the wings like a dove, I would fly away and be at rest. David cries out to the Lord in both Psalms in the midst of trouble, seeking peace. Now as we go through Psalm 56, we're going to see that David remains silent in the face of his enemies. He just is crying out to the Lord. I think that's a good lesson for us today. All of us are gonna face challenges. All of us will face trials and troubles. And so, our goal and role then should be to speak to God when in trouble, for he knows what is happening, and he's able to help. David didn't always do so, but at least here in Psalm 56, he practices the behavior of silence in the midst of trouble. In a sense, he prefigures who is the greater son of David, who himself would be silent in the face of his trials before the wicked leaders of Israel and of Rome, as we see in Isaiah 53. He was oppressed and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth. This was a promise of how the Messiah would engage himself in the face of opposition. And then Jesus fulfilled that as he was on trial, where he gave no answer. not even to a single charge, so that the governor was greatly amazed. David, in the midst of this difficult challenge, guards his silence, and in doing so would be able to save himself from further trouble. Of course, as a figure of Christ pointing forward to the greater Son of David, Jesus would bear the sin of many, would remain silent in the face of his accusers, and in doing so, as he cried out to the Father, would save a great multitude who would believe in him. Now, what are the circumstances behind Psalm 56? Well, for that we would need to go to 1 Samuel chapter 21. There is this cat and mouse game going on, if you will, of Saul chasing after David. Saul, who is the official king of Israel, but has had the anointing removed from him, is pursuing David, who has the anointing as the king of David. And so David is moving quickly from place to place as Saul in his wickedness is pursuing him to take his life. And David arrives in the city of Gath, one of the stronghold cities of the Philistines. And they quickly recognize who he is. They even begin to recite back to him and to each other one of the celebratory things that was said about David. Saul has killed his thousands, and David his ten thousands. Now David realizes that his life is now under threat. Because why would the king of the Philistines harbor a mighty warrior of Israel? So David pretends to be insane, tells us that he even lets the drool go down on his beard and acts in a crazy manner. As one commentator says, David was compelled through fear to employ an artful device so that it might save his life. Well, it did save his life in this instance. The king of Gath sent David away saying, I don't need one more crazy person in my kingdom. So David, in this act of deception, saved his life, but it would reveal the ongoing struggle in his heart between faith and fear. I think that's a struggle we can relate to as we go through this life, the ongoing struggle in our hearts between faith and fear. So that's the backdrop of Psalm 56. So let's look into the details in our time this morning. The first major point is pleading the hope of God, and we're gonna cover the first four verses under this major point. pleading the hope of God. The psalm begins, be gracious to me, oh God. David is pleading to God for mercy. He understands that it's one thing to suffer because of our own foolishness and wrong decisions. That happens to all of us because of things we say, things we do, places we go, activities we're involved in. But here David knows that he is suffering because he's doing the Lord's work. He knows that he's the anointed one that who's going to become king of Israel, but he must wait. for the perfect time where God will remove Saul and God will put him in his proper place on the throne. David is not to lift his own hand to rise himself up to the throne. And so he's pleading with God for mercy and grace. He knows that this is not something that he deserves as if we can command God to give us grace or give us mercy. Or, Lord, look at all that I've done in helping the people of Israel. I deserve some type of deliverance from you. No, it's an appeal to His grace. Be gracious to me, oh God. This rich, undeserved, free grace of God. And when we find ourselves in trouble, that's our only plea. Lord, help. Be gracious to your servant. Be gracious to me, O God, he says, for man tramples on me. All day long an attacker opposes me. David knows that he's under threat. He has enemies on the outside, not only the king of Gath and the Philistines, but also those inside with Saul and his entourage. So he has trouble from without, trouble from within. As John Calvin said, David was as a sheep between two bands of wolves. And while he might use the singular man today, it seems that in his attitude it's, everyone seems to be against me, Lord. And notice how ruthless they are as David perceives what is happening and he cries out to God that they oppress him, they attack him, they trample on him. And if we do a slight change in the voweling and how you can write out the Hebrew language, that could mean they, Devour me, or they swallow me up. Their teeth are set on edge against the Lord and against David. And David knows that if God doesn't come to his aid, he will be consumed. David knows by experience, and as you read through this saga, chapter after chapter of Saul running after David, and David escaping, but David acting mercifully and righteously towards Saul, you can see that it is just the lot throughout history that sinners rage against the righteous. And David knows that full well. And so we can follow the example of David to cry out to God to ask for help for our God is a good father. And a good father comes to the rescue of his children. And so we can cry out to him in our time of need. He goes on and says, my enemies trample on me all day long for many attack me proudly. David feels no respite for his soul. He said, they oppose me all day. They're puffed up. They come against me as a group, which we often see. This is where, as I said, the study of church history is so helpful. And generation after generation, righteous saints have had to take on, as it were, societies, civilizations, kingdoms, kings, the wicked. And the opponents of God rarely stand alone. They gather in packs, and they attack the righteous. Spend any time at all on social media, and you'll see that that pattern continues today, where the righteous, those who claim the name of Christ, those who want to stand for righteousness and stand for integrity, find themselves slandered, find themselves threatened, find themselves attacked all day long. We indeed, as a church, face many enemies today. We heard during the invocation the prayer for the church in China. We can multiply that by places around the world where Christians are facing onslaught of evil. And we recognize that the enemies trample on God's people all day long. They attack them proudly. A few years ago in a television ad that was put out by an organization that is attacking the Bible, attacking American heritage, attacking the right of Christians in the public square. It was an ad that was led by Ron Reagan, the son of the late U.S. President. He was encouraging people to join this organization that attacks Christians and wants to keep them out of the public square, and he misrepresents the Constitution, he misrepresents the history of America's foundation. And he ends the ad by saying this, Ron Reagan, a proud atheist, not afraid of burning in hell. As it was in the days of David. So it was in the time of Jesus, so it will be in our day that many proudly attack God's people. And so it is that we want to follow the example of the ultimate son of David. Look at David and say it's a good example, but the ultimate son of David who allows us to stand firm, who allows us to not return in kind the attacks that we are under. And so let us be those who are quick to turn to the Lord in times of trial. And just let the Lord know what's happening, even though he knows already. But we need to hear ourselves expressing our needs to God. And let Christ, who has endured it all for us, let him be the one who causes us to stand firm in the face of the opposition that we may face. He goes on and he says, when I am afraid, I put my trust in you. David is, in a sense, he's saying this to God, but you can almost imagine that he's saying it to himself, and this is a good thing for us to do. David understands that he was weak and vulnerable. He's not pretending to be a hero here. He knows he's in a dangerous situation, and he's expressing that there's fear. And so as we deal with fear in our own lives, we can remind ourselves that real courage is not the absence of fear. Real courage is acting uprightly and wisely in the face of fear. So, Christians, this morning, if you're in Christ, let this be an encouragement that in the midst of fear and challenge, tell the truth to yourself. Go to the Word of God, express the truth of the promises of God, and then turn it over to God and say, when I am afraid, I will put my trust in you. And let that be the prayer that you just offer to the Lord all throughout the day as a reminder Yes, we're going to face troubles. That is promised to us. But when I'm afraid, I put my trust in you. Hudson Taylor was a great missionary, the father of what we call the modern missionary movement, but he had a great faith in God. God brought him through things. I just encourage you to read his autobiography if you get a chance. Trial after trial, and yet he trusted God, and God gave answer after answer. In one especially trying time in his work in China, he wrote to his wife, we have 25 cents and all the promises of God. The earthly resources may seem meager, they may seem limited, they may seem to be running out, but above and beyond that, we have all of the promises of God. And so whatever challenges we may be facing today, we have the resources and power available to us in Christ that are at our disposal. When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. David knew where to find help. and time of trial in you, in God. You know, it's possible that in our minds, in fact, it's very common that we can have a bit of fear and a bit of trust going on at the same time. The key is to let trust overcome the fear, because the fear of man gets us nowhere, but the fear of God gets us deliverance and safety. So David called upon the Lord and drew close to Him when he was afraid. And we can do the same, can we not? We have the same Lord with the great promises and the great privileges and we can turn to Him. Whether it's problems from without, problems from within, we have the confidence that God can be at work and put our minds at ease. You know, one of the things that Carol and I like to do is reflect. and reminisce of what we've seen God do since the time he called us into ministry in the middle 1980s. There were many challenges along the way. We've had financial challenges. We've had problems of our personal security in countries where that was an issue. Perhaps some of you remember even just a few years ago having a pretty dramatic medical challenge with Carol. But we've learned over the years, and I promise you, not perfectly, but we have learned over the years, slowly but assuredly, that we can trust the Lord. He will never fail. And He's always provided. He didn't fail David. He will not fail you. When I'm afraid, I put my trust in you. The Christian who has met the Lord truly knows that whatever the trials of this life, God is worthy of our trust. The believer connected to the Lord, who is the anchor of our lives, even in the storms of life, as we sang just a few moments ago, we cannot be separated from God, or from His love, or from His promises, from the one who said, I am with you always, to the end of the age. Will you make it your prayer today, tomorrow, every day that you're given life? When I'm afraid, I put my trust in you. David goes on and says, in God whose word I praise, in God I trust, I shall not be afraid. David gives praise to God for his word. He trusts in God's word. So when in trouble, friends, read his word. had the privilege of meeting with some of the people from Crossway. And we've presented their ministry several times over the past year and a half to two years. And they once again said, thank you, Evangelical Free Church of Oroville, because we were generous in helping to get Bible distribution going out to believers who don't have any. And our church has helped mobilize that effort, and they've already completed their first million Bible project. And they're gonna start a second one among believers in Africa where the church is growing so fast that they can't keep up with the Bibles. And in fact, because the people are so poor, a pastor, if he wants to have a study Bible, it will be the equivalent of his month's worth of groceries. And for the common lay person, it would be at least a week to two weeks of labor. And so what a blessing we have, a privilege to help get Bibles into their hands. And they treated it as the most precious thing that they have. Is that how you see the Word of God? Do you go to the Bible first? Is that the grounding of your hope? Is that the grounding of your confidence? Are you a man, a woman of the Word of God? David knew God's Word, and he believed God when God spoke. Therefore, he could praise Him. And he says, I shall not be afraid. David recognizes the temptation to fear is real. There are real dangers in this world, but God is with us. There are enemies of God's people today in this world, but God is with us. And so David is fighting against his fear and pushing himself to trust in the Lord. He let his faith triumph over his fear. You know, we saw something similar in the ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ. He would send his disciples out and again and again, he would say, do not be afraid. And it's the same today, David says, in God, whose word I praise in God, I trust I shall not be afraid. What can flesh do to me? David understands that there is more to life than just our physical safety and personal health and financial well-being. If we hang too tightly onto the things of this world, it shows that we're really not ready for the next one. Do we live in fear of man or do we live in fear of God? What can flesh do to me, David asks. You know, the greater son of David said something very similar 1,000 years later. He sends his people out and says, preach the gospel. And then he says, and do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both body and soul in hell. And so our Lord Jesus Christ bore the insults that came against him that would come against us. He paid the price of our redemption and therefore we can trust him because what can flesh really do to us? So David begins with pleading the hope of God. He continues with persecuting the hurt of the enemies. And this will take us through verses five to seven. Persecuting the hurt of the enemies. And listen to this testimony of David. You feel the agony of his heart as he cries out, all day long they injure my cause. All their thoughts are against me for evil. They stir up strife, they lurk, they watch my steps as they have waited for my life. For their crime will they escape? And wrath casts down the peoples, O God." Just feel the anguish that David is going through all day long. as his enemies oppose him. They're persistent, they're accusing him. They pervert his words, they twist what he is saying. He even says that all their thoughts against David are for evil. There's just a weight here, isn't there? The evilness of evil, the sinfulness of sin. This is a typical example of those that oppose God. It's a warning then to watch over our own hearts. If they focus on all day long against David, they fall into the trap that those who oppose the things of God seldom find anything else. All their thoughts are against me for evil. They want to trap David, they want to hurt him, they want to damage him. But David says, look at what they're doing, they stir up strife, they lurk, they watch my steps as they have waited for my life. You know, today I would think of, if they're stirring up strife, they lurk, they watch my steps, they've waited for my life. I think of what goes on in social media today. Now, thankfully, I stay off it for the most part, so I have to get it secondhand from people that I talk to. But it seems that there are a lot of people who are keyboard warriors on Twitter or Facebook or Instagram, who just blast out accusations and accuse people and criticize and tear down and say things that they would probably never dare to say if they were in person. I have a feeling that that's what Jesus went through as well, that kind of thing with the religious leaders and even the political leaders plotting to take his life. That's what David is feeling now. They're plotting to take my life. So they do their acts of wickedness and darkness against those who walk in the light. And so David has to cry out for their crime. Will they escape? David asked this question before a holy God. And it's a rhetorical question, really. Right? Of course, they will not escape. But as I was pondering that verse, I was thinking of an expression that I learned while working among Arabs. They have an expression that the man who stops fearing God is a man that others will fear. And we know that if you're not a God-fearer, you can become a very fearful person. Look at the people that are opposing David. They're not fearing God, so they're becoming people to fear. But he asked the question, will they get away with it? Can anything happen outside of the gaze of God? Can anything happen outside of his knowledge? He knows that ultimate justice will come. But he still prays, in wrath, cast down the peoples, O God. And we wonder, how can a saint pray something like this? Well, I think we need to hear David in anguish as he prays this. He's praying for justice to come. And we do desire that justice will come. When we pray, our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come. Thy will be done. We are praying for the righteousness of God to come in its fullness. And what will happen when it comes in its fullness? It will destroy all the wicked and all wickedness. But of course, we pray that through the prism of the cross, and we say, but in this day, in this day of salvation, oh, please come to Christ before it's too late. Repent and believe. Today is the day of salvation. But the heart of the believer does want God to be vindicated, and he will be one day. Thirdly, as we move on, we move from persecuting the herd of the enemies, we see protecting the helps of God. And this will take us from verses 8 to 11. The helps of God. David is beginning to give comfort to himself as he recognized what God is doing. Verse 8, you have kept count of my tossings, put my tears in your bottle, are they not in your book? David has been under trouble for so long, and of course, as we read the Psalms, one after the other, David finds himself in trouble. He can't even count his troubles anymore. Wave after wave has hit him. Perhaps we feel like that. Wave after wave of trouble hits us, and we wonder if we can stand. And yet, David takes comfort that God is aware. We read through the Psalms and we see that David knew what it was to have sleepless nights, great frustrations, betrayal, there were the shedding of many tears. And David says that God collects them all in a bottle and remembers them. For sometimes there are tears for the righteous, are there not? You share the gospel with someone and they reject it in your face and you feel the pain. A loved one is still in rebellion against God and your heart is in anguish as you plead with them to come to the cross and be reconciled with God. God knows all about it. Paul reminded Timothy that there are tears in service to God. Jesus shed tears in his own service as he looked at the stubborn city of Jerusalem and he wept because he knew that their judgment was coming. There's this mixture of joy and tears in Christian ministry, in the Christian life, in your life. So we understand a little more. Some of the meaning behind Psalm 126, those who sow in tears shall reap with shouts of joy. He who goes out weeping, bearing the seed for sowing, shall come home with shouts of joy, bringing his sheaves with him. As we labor for the Lord, as we struggle for righteousness, as we proclaim the Lord, there may be tears, and notice it says he collects them in a bottle. Is there a literal bottle somewhere with our tears drop into? Of course not. This is a symbolic reminder that God remembers all that we're going through. He who counts the hairs on our heads counts the tears that fall from our eyes and rewards those that have been shed for righteousness sake and is able to do that very well. David knows then that God is for him. He is for all who fear Him. The Lord Jesus Christ, the greater Son of David, endured the worst that sinners could throw at Him, knew the worst in the depths of pain and suffering and betrayal and anger. He was a man of sorrows. But as we're discovering as we're going through Hebrews, he went and endured all of that so that he would learn what the effect of sin was, the cost of sin and obedience to the Father. And we'll get later on through Hebrews and we'll see that this Jesus who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. And he did that for us. because the application then is the very next verse, consider him who endures from sinners such hostility against himself so that you may not grow weary or faint hearted. In these helps that God gives, there'll be pain, but he draws us closer to himself. And we have one of the helps of prayer. We have one of the helps as his comfort. We have one of the helps of fellowship with other believers. And he turns and he cries out to God. And notice what he says. He said, then my enemies will turn back in the day when I call. Do you see the answer to prayer here in its results? In that day when I call is when I pray. And this was not something that was new to David. He would learn it again and again. And in 2 Samuel, he's the one who said, I will call upon the Lord who is worthy to be praised, and I'm saved from my enemies. In the day that I call, when I'm afraid, I will trust in you, David says. My enemies will turn back in the day when I call, when I pray, when I call up to the Lord. Even in our own day, as they did back then, people mocked the idea of prayer. Just wait, the next unfortunate catastrophe that happens, a school shooting, a church shooting, a major event, and Christians showing empathy and compassion will come and say, my heart breaks for you, and I want you to know that I'm praying for you. And what comes back is mockery and scorn and telling what we can do with our prayers. They have no clue. about the power that they're dealing with, and the power that is available to us in prayer. So let them continue to mock, and let's keep on praying, because we pray to the Lord when we're in times of trouble. We know, we saw it modeled even in the life of our Lord Jesus Christ, who continually prayed, and everything that he faced, he modeled for his prayer. Here we find David just saying, I pray to you, because I'm in trouble. And the enemies then begin to turn back. God can bring deliverance from what it is that we're facing. And so David begins to recognize that there's a response to his prayers. You know, he began this prayer with, be gracious to me, oh God, and now he says that in the hour of need, he prays with faith that God will act. In fact, he's sure that God will act. Saints, I don't have to ask you if you are facing troubles today. I just ask you what troubles are you facing today? What's on your list of challenges, of troubles, of trials, of tribulations? And are you praying? Let me ask a second question. Do you mean it? Do you believe God will do something? Do you believe God hears your prayers? Do you believe God that will act? You know, many of us are bent towards wanting to do something. We want to work hard. We've got a problem. We want to work to solve it. We've got a lack. We want to work to fill it. We have a need. We want to work to satisfy it. Yes, there's an appropriate time for all of that. But here's the situation. When we work, we work. But when we pray, God works. And who do you think is more effective in his work? Be gracious to me, oh God. In my trials, I will cry out to you, O Lord. And David found this hope. And we can have that hope. Because we have even greater promises than David knew. We're in the one who is the ultimate son of David. But David says, I know that God is for me. You can pray that, can't you? With confidence. I know that God is for me. Prayers that are offered for the success of God's will, the success of God's plan, the moving forward of the church for the glory of God will be heard and will be answered in timing that will bring glory to God. Then my enemies will turn back on the day when I call. This I know that God is for me. Jesus, when he came, he pleads with his people. And he says, truly, truly, I say to you, whatever you ask of the Father in my name, he will give it to you. Until now you've asked nothing in my name. Ask and receive that your joy may be full. We can cry out to the one who is the ultimate son of David, the one who hears us, the one who is with us and says, cry out in my name and I will hear. This I know, that God is with me. In verse 10, David says, in God whose word I praise, in the Lord whose word I praise, in God I trust, I shall not be afraid. What can man do to me? Look at how he's using two different titles for God. He uses God, Elohim is the word that's behind, it means the mighty one. He uses the personal name of God, Yahweh, which means the living one. He cries out to him and he's praying to him. He says, I praise your word, I trust you because you are the mighty one, the living one. If we say, when I am afraid, I will trust in you and I will pray to you an hour of need, know to whom you are praying, that it's the mighty one, it's the living one, the one who is ready to respond. In the early 20th century, there was a man struggling for righteousness, even got kicked out of his own denomination, had to start a new denomination and a new seminary. His name was J. Gress of Machen. He was a theologian, he was a pastor, he was an evangelist. He said this, the more we know of God, the more unreservedly we will trust Him. The greater our progress in theology, the simpler and more childlike will be our faith. The more we trust him as our great father, we'll have a child-like faith. I'm not talking a child-ish faith, a child-like faith that just says, I trust you, you're the mighty one, you're the living one. And so David, as he cries out and says, I trust you, I praise your word, I shall not be afraid, he repeats the question, what can man do to me? He reminds himself again, put our trust in the Lord, and fear Him. Think about your relationship to eternity. Your life, my life, is but a whisper. But eternity is like a hurricane. Which one are we to live for? The length and breadth and depth and height and glory of eternity, or the temporary nature of the now? Put your trust in God and his word. Praise him. Preach the gospel to yourself if necessary. I don't mean get out some formula. I mean remind yourselves of who Christ is and the promises he's given and what he promises to be for you and in you and through you in that trouble that you're in. Gird and ground your faith in the character of God and in his promises. It's not my faith that saves me, it's the object of my faith that saves me. I trust it's in Jesus Christ. And little faith in a great God opens the doorway to heaven. But are we afraid? We open the tablet in the morning, we look at the news, or we turn on the radio driving to work. Are we afraid? Or is our trust in the Lord? And what happens then when We get into trouble. Do we turn away? Or do we confess God? Do we say, I trust in you? What can man do to me? Jesus said, everyone who acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven. But whoever denies me before men, I will also deny before my Father who is in heaven. Is your faith in God I trust? I will not be afraid. What can man do to me? When writing to the Roman emperor early in the second century, a man by the name of Justin Martyr, guess how he got his name, was killed for his faith. And listen to what he said. He was writing, he was explaining the truth of the gospel and saying, Christians make the best citizens. Christians are the ones you should trust the most. They pray for the emperor, they serve the people in the community. He says to the emperor, you can kill us, but you can't hurt us. Because Justin Martyr understood what ultimately mattered. In God I trust, I shall not be afraid. What can man do to me? And lastly, we see performing the heart of the worshiper. Performing the heart of the worshiper. David, as he reflects on this, as he pours out his heart, as he reflects on who God is, as he recognizes that he will trust God, he says, now, because this is true, I must worship this mighty and living God. I must perform my vows to you, O God. I will render thank offerings to you. and he pours out his thanksgiving, he pours out his worship. We can do that. When we see God at work, when we contemplate who he is, when we put our trust in him, when we recognize the promises, we can offer our sacrifices of thanksgiving and praise. But David, even in the midst of trouble, says, I must, I must, I must continue to remain faithful to God. He won't be tempted to, when the going gets easy, after it's been rough, I made a promise. Well, Lord, you know, I was kind of in a tough situation. I'm not going to keep my vows. No, he was determined to keep his vows. That's why in recent weeks, I've had us pray for the persecuted church to remind us to pray for brothers and sisters who face this decision daily. Will they confess Christ before watching world or will they deny him? David says, I will keep my vows. I will worship my God. I will be. faithful to what he has called me to do. And if we have seen God at work, we need to be quick to offer back to him praise and thanksgiving and worship and keep the word in good times and in bad, the promises we have made to God. And as we come near to the end of this psalm, David says, for you have delivered my soul from death, yes, my feet from falling. David is now recognizing, God has rescued me again and again and again. And if you're in Christ today and you can think back over your life and put some things down, you can remember times when God rescued you again and again and again. You have delivered my feet from falling. And in Christ, we have been delivered from the ultimate feet falling into the depths of hell. And if we have been delivered and we have been rescued from the rightful wrath of God, when we're dead in our sins, surely we should be the ones then who go back and say, thank you, I didn't get what I deserve. I got what I didn't deserve. All the promises and blessings of God and Jesus Christ. Why does he recognize this? For you have delivered my soul from death, yes, my feet from falling. Why? That I may walk before God in the light of life. David wants to walk uprightly. He wants to live in a way that honors the name of his God. He wants to live in a way of integrity inside and out in his life. He wants to walk under the lordship of Jesus Christ. David has walked through a lot. But look at that promise, that I may walk before God in the light of life. He who says, I've walked through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me. You're wrought in your staff to comfort me. Saul says, I will walk before God in the light of life. That reminds us then, does it not, of the greater son of David, who would come years later and say, I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life. Oh, David only knew a part of that. He could only by faith see the promises to come, but he knew enough about God that God was his light and his salvation. How much greater we who live on this side of the cross, who have the indwelling spirit and a copy of God's word in front of us, can walk in the light of life because we have received such a great deliverance. So friends, as we've looked through Psalm 56 this morning, we see that David acted according to the truth, and the call for us would be to do the same. And we can do the same. Indeed, we must do the same. Just one more example from history. I told you I like church history. Ignatius of Antioch was martyred for his faith early in the second century. And as the Roman guards carried him off to where he'd be put to death, he said, I am the wheat of God and am ground by the teeth of wild animals that I may become the pure bread of God. And then he said this, I care for nothing visible or invisible that I may gain Christ. Let fire, the cross, beasts come upon me, the breaking of my bones, the tearing of my members, the grinding of my whole body, So be it, if I may gain Christ. It doesn't matter what happens to us, friends. It's how we respond to what happens to us, and it's more important that we live in light of eternity and walk in the light of life and to hang on to the things of this earth. If David can cry out, for you have delivered my soul, from death, yes, my feet from falling that I may walk before God in the light of life. Then we here in Christ can say in him was life and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness and the darkness has overcome it. Are you secure in Christ today? The ultimate light that David spoke about fully revealed in the light that came with Jesus. Now, next week, Lord willing, as we know, we hold things with an open hand, we'll get back into the book of Hebrews, and we continue with the theme, Jesus is better, and we've just begun chapter 5, but that's my hope. But wherever we are in God's Word next week, what are some lessons we can take away from our time in the Word today? Because we all have fears and difficulties, we turn to the Lord for help. For he is gracious with his children. For he is gracious with his children. Because his word is sure, we will trust him and not be afraid of those who oppose us. Life is hard, but Jesus is better. Because God knows of our tears and cries, we call on the Lord for help in time of need. He knows, He beckons, He hears, He responds. Let's praise Him. And because God protects us, we gladly offer Him our praises and our thanksgiving. The amount of praise that we give to God should be equal to the amount of blessings that we have seen come from His hand, so that we're sure that we're constantly giving praise to Him for all that He has done in our lives. Let us pray. Father, I'm thankful that in your Word, you and your wisdom gave us examples to challenge us, to trace out a path that we can follow. And I thank you for the hope that is in your Word, that is sure, it is true, it is so worthy of our affection and devotion. And Father, as you are stirring in our hearts even now and in our minds, may you give us hearts quick to bend our knee before you and say help. Would you remind us of those areas where we've turned away or starting to turn away, and would you bid us to come back, and would we hear? And would you give us such a view of your greatness and your goodness that all things pale in comparison and that we would just walk in the light of life because you're good and you're with us and we can turn to you and we can call on you and we can trust you. So God, even now, do business with us as your people so that we become more like your son, which is your will for us. And this week, may these words be on our lips. that our hope and our trust will be in you moment by moment. May it be for your glory and for our good. In Jesus name. Amen.