Amen. In your Bible tonight, Psalm 55. When you turn to Psalm 55, David has written this psalm, and most likely this is the byproduct and comes out of David's heartbreak over Absalom, his son, rebelling against him and running him off for the throne of Israel. I like to not take things for granted and tell the stories and talk about some of the details, but David is the rightful king of the nation of Israel. He's lived a long life now. He has ruled for many years on the throne, and God has used him in a mighty way. Lots of things are in the rearview mirror in David's life, like Goliath, Bathsheba. And now, David, in the years where you'd think he could kind of kick back and be at ease in Zion, no pun intended, that this would be the golden years. Now David is facing and dealing with things that you never would have imagined that he would have to deal with and face. And Absalom, his own son, has rebelled against him. One of his closest confidants, Ahithophel, has turned against him. And now David is literally nursing a broken heart and battling with a spirit that is overwhelmed because of all the circumstances that are going on around him. And as I've read this psalm and thought about it and studied this psalm, I ask the Lord to speak to my heart. I know that in so many instances in our church family and in our church and in our society, there are so many folks who find themselves at this moment just overwhelmed with all that's going on around them. So much uncertainty and often battling with hurt and hurtful conditions and fearful things. In this psalm, we're going to watch David make a resolve that he will call upon the Lord. He says, as for me, I will call upon the Lord. I'd like to read this Psalm to you. It's 23 verses. It'll take us just a moment, but there's no time wasted reading God's Word. Do you follow along? The Bible says in verse 1 of Psalm 55, give ear to my prayer, O God, and hide not thyself from my supplication. attend unto me and hear me. I mourn in my complaint and make a noise, because of the voice of the enemy, because of the oppression of the wicked. For they cast iniquity upon me, and in wrath they hate me. My heart is sore pained within me, and the terrors of death are fallen upon me. Fearfulness and trembling are come upon me, and horror hath overwhelmed me. And I said, O that I had wings like a dove, for then I would fly away and be at rest. Lo, then would I wander far off and remain in the wilderness, Selah. I would hasten my escape from the windy storm and tempest. Destroy, O Lord, and divide their tongues, for I have seen violence and strife in the city. Day and night they go about it upon the walls thereof. Mischief also and sorrow are in the midst of it. Wickedness is in the midst thereof. Deceit and guile depart not from her streets. For it was not an enemy that reproached me, then I could have borne it. Neither was it he that hated me that did magnify himself against me. Then I would have hid myself from him. But it was thou a man, mine equal, my guide, and mine acquaintance. We took sweet counsel together and walked into the house of God in company. Let death seize upon them, and let them go down quick into hell, for wickedness is in their dwellings and among them. As for me, I will call upon God. and the Lord shall save me. Evening and morning and at noon will I pray and cry aloud, and he shall hear my voice. He hath delivered my soul in peace from the battle that was against me, for there were many with me. God shall hear and afflict them, even he that abideth of old, Selah. Because they have no changes, therefore they fear not God. He hath put forth his hands against such as be at peace with him. He hath broken his covenant. The words of his mouth were smoother than butter, but war was in his heart. His words were softer than oil, yet were they drawn swords. Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee. He shall never suffer the righteous to be moved. But thou, O God, shalt bring them down into the pit of destruction. Bloody and deceitful men shall not live out half their days, but I will trust in thee." But I will trust in thee. Look at the Bible, it says in verse 16, and we'll get our message titled, we'll jump right in tonight. Verse 16, the Bible says, As for me, I will call upon God. As for me, I will call upon God. I love this phrase in this passage of scripture because here's the contrast. David is surrounded by a group of people who had given lip service to him as king and had given lip service to God as Lord. But now after all these years of following King David, who was following King Jesus, now we see a group of people who have decided rather than trusting in God, rather than calling upon the Lord, rather than leaning on the Lord, we see a group of people led by Absalom, David's own son, who has decided that we're going to do what we want to do. We're going to rebel against God because we anticipate and feel that we're smarter than God. And we've got a better plan than the plan that God has. There was a group of people surrounding David who said, we don't care about following the Lord anymore. We do not care about calling upon the Lord anymore. We do not care about what God thinks is right. And in contrast to the rebellion, David makes something really plain. He says, as for me, I will call upon God. I don't know about you, but I want that to be my heart's cry. As for me, I will call upon God. There may be masses of people around me who've decided that God's not the answer anymore, but I want the burden of my heart and the resounding cry of my mouth to be that as for me, I'll call upon God. There may be masses of people who turn their back in rebellion against God's word, but it be our prayer and our plea and our cry, as for me, I'll call upon God. In this passage of scripture, we're going to watch the emotions that David is going through. The resolve in his heart is simply this, as for me, I will call Let's consider a few things tonight. Number one, I will call upon God when the emotions are overwhelming. I will call upon God when the emotions are overwhelming. How many of you have ever been in a moment that was overwhelming and you failed to call upon God? The move that you made in your overwhelming moment was faithless, fearful. sinful. David's going to do something here that I think is really wonderful. He's going to call upon the Lord when the emotions are overwhelming. Look at what the scripture says in the first verse here. Verse 1, give ear to my prayer, O God, and hide not thyself from my supplication. Attend unto me and hear me. Now I think this is kind of interesting. three times in this passage of scripture, in verse number one, three times Paul really has this, almost this sense of begging God to hear him. Can I ask you a question? Does God require his children to beg him in order that he might hear them? The answer is no. You know, when I look at this passage of scripture and I think about David at this moment, I know that he's battling with some crazy emotion. Now, here's something you've got to think about. David's situation. One thing that's going on in David's life and David's world is this rebellion with Absalom is the byproduct of David's rebellion. One of the consequences of David's old sins has reared its ugly head. And at this moment, there's the temptation in David's heart to doubt The love of God. Now, I'm going to tell you something. It's going to come up in your world too. You're going to know that you need God. You're going to know that you need to call on God. But the devil is the accuser of the brethren, and the devil's going to cause you to doubt whether or not God's even willing to hear you anymore because of what you did six years ago, or six days ago, or six hours ago. But I want you to know something. If you confess your sin, he's faithful and just, forgive your sin, cleanse you from all unrighteousness, and you don't have to beg God to hear your prayer. He's hearing. We watch David, I see it and I know that his heart is burdened and it's causing him to doubt, but his resolve is, I will call upon God when the emotions are overwhelming. Give ear to my prayer, O God, hide not thyself from my supplication, attend unto me, hear me. Then he continues. You might identify with some of the things that was going on in David's heart this moment. He says, I mourn. I mourn. You may be here tonight and you're mourning. God hears your prayers. God cares. He's touched with the feelings of your infirmities. He says, I mourn in my complaint. He says, I'm pouring out my complaint, Lord, and it's so deep that I'm mourning in my soul. He says, I mourn in my complaint and make a noise. How many of you have been burdened with such grief that You can't help but make a noise. I've been there. It's a rough spot, but it's that groaning time. Groaning. He says, I mourn in my complaint and make a noise because of the voice of my enemies. Because of the voice of the enemy. He says, the voice of the enemy is wearing me out. You're facing opposition and the chatter of the enemy is wearing you out. You live in a world that in so many ways and masses of people have just sold their souls to the devil. The voice of the enemy, oh, it's wearing you out. How many of you get burdened down by all the wickedness that is so prevalent everywhere around you? David was mourning because of the voice of the enemy, because of the oppression of the wicked. Boy, don't we live in some oppressive times. Now look, I want you to know something. I'm very optimistic, and you're going to find out this is an optimistic passage of Scripture. But this moment, we've got to deal with the details of the burden that's being carried here. David was oppressed by the wicked. He says this, they cast iniquity upon me. He said not only are they wicked, but they are turning the tables and looking back and saying, you're wicked, you're wicked, you're wicked. Did you ever think there would come a time where someone who said they believed in God and loved Jesus and believe the Bible is the Word of God would be looked down on by masses of people in society as someone that's an enemy of forward progress. Did you ever imagine that would happen in the United States of America? Hey, we're there! But as for me, I'll call upon God. He said, They oppressed me. They cast iniquity upon me. And in wrath, verse number three, they hate me. It's amazing to think that you can literally have the purest heart to help the whole world and do the right thing with the right attitude. And before you know it, you will have developed a vicious enemy. Hallelujah. I hear people say this all the time, don't ever let it keep you from doing what's right, but I've heard folks say, no good deed goes unpunished. Let me tell you something, there is some truth to that. But I tell you, as for me, I will call upon God. I'm going to do the right thing. With God's help, I'm going to not let the emotion drive me to do the wrong thing. David says, I will call upon God when the emotions are overwhelming. They hate me. Verse four. My heart is sore pain within me. And the tears of death are falling. He's got to this place where his heart just hurts. He's got this place where he even knows that, look, at any moment, my life could be taken from me. I'm thankful. that I feel safe in the freedom that we enjoy as citizens of this great nation. David was at a place where he thought, you know, I may not make it through this alive. Let me tell you something, even when you deal with that type of fear, the resolve that must be made is, as for me, I will call upon God. Verse 5, fearfulness and trembling are come upon me. and horror hath overwhelmed me." David says, I will call upon God when the emotions are overwhelming. Don't allow your emotions to lead you to sin. Allow them to push you to God. As for me, I will call upon the Lord when the emotions are overwhelming. Number two, I will call upon the Lord when I want to run away. Have you ever been in a situation that you just said, I'll just tell you what I want to do, I want to quit. I'm running for the hills. I'm throwing up the white flag and I'm giving up. Let me tell you, you're not alone. David, the man after God's own heart, said, hey, I'm in such a mess that I think I'd just like to get away. Look at what the scripture says, verse number 6. The Bible says, and I said, oh, that I had wings like a dove, for then would I fly away and be at rest. Lo, then would I wander far off and remain in the wilderness, Selah. I would hasten my escape from the windy storm and tempest." What does he say? He says, I'm going to tell you what I want right now. I want a set of wings because I want to fly out of this mess. And if I can't have wings, he says, I think I'll just wander far off. He says, and if I wander far off, I'll stay there in the wilderness. He said, I would like to escape. He says, the tempest, the storm is awful. I want to run away. Let me tell you something. These are words in David's heart. It is true that David finds a safe spot in the wilderness, but he finds a safe spot in the wilderness for just a moment in order to regroup that he could seek the Lord and go back and get and fight and do what God had called him to do. When you're tempted to quit doing what is right because you're frustrated with the circumstances and overwhelmed with the burden. I want to tell you something. Do right until the stars fall. Do right without apology. Don't stop living for Jesus. Don't quit. There's an old song that Bob used to play for us when we were little. The phrase that sticks out in my mind, it says, don't give up on the child of God. He'll be there when the battle's raging. It went, don't give up, don't give up, don't give up on the child of God. And I don't want to be that kind of person that just says, hey look, I'm going to throw in the towel. There have been moments in my heart I thought, you know what? I don't have to deal with this. But then the Holy Spirit of God says, hey boy, don't seek relief from my will. Seek me in my will. Look, we should stop saying, I've got to get out of this. And we need to start saying, Lord, what do you want me to get out of this? You understand? God's going to use the burdens and trials and the hard times. He's going to use them to prove himself and you can guarantee it. David says, as for me, I will call upon God when I want to run away. David says, I will call upon the Lord, upon God, when the hurt and betrayal are personal. Now David is going to show us something that you may have dealt with. David is going to show us the inside of his heart and show us one of the reasons why this moment is extra bad. It's because his own son and one of his most trusted confidants have stabbed him in the back. The Bible says in verse 9, if you look at it, destroy O Lord, divide their tongues. He's praying that the Lord will take their power away and deal with them appropriately. Destroy O Lord, divide their tongues. He wants them not to be able to get along anymore, the alliance that was against him. He says, I've seen violence and strife in the city. Day and night they, violence and strife, go about it upon the walls. He says he's watching the city and he says we've got a horrible mess. Violence and strife, day and night. Mischief also and sorrow are in the midst of it. Verse 11, wickedness is in the midst there of deceit and guile. Depart not from their streets. He's burdened. And then he says this, look at it, verse 12. He says all this violence, mischief, distress, brought on, he says, it was not an enemy that reproached me. It was his own son, Absalom. It was his own confidant, Ahithophel, and others. It was not an enemy that reproached me. Then I could have borne it. Neither was it he that hated me that did magnify himself against me. Then I would have hid myself from him. He was thou a man mine equal, my guide, mine acquaintance. He says, the person that betrayed me, verse 14, we took sweet counsel together and walked in the house of God in company. He says, I'm not talking about being betrayed by a foreign adversary. I'm talking about being betrayed by somebody that I trusted. Now I'm gonna tell you something. These are the hardest moments and hardest things to deal with in our flesh. It happens often. I think probably one of the number one ways that this kind of hurt occurs is the betrayal of a husband against a wife or the betrayal of a wife against a husband. The betrayal of a parent against a child, a child against a parent. And I want you to understand something. that people are going to terribly disappoint you. But what you've got to do is even when the betrayal and the hurt is personal and close, you need to determine with David to say this, I will call upon God. I will call upon God when the hurt and betrayal are personal. Verse 20, it's almost like he can't let it go. He deals with something else in verses 16, 17, 18, and 19, but he just can't let it go. I mean, if you've ever had a personal hurt, and you seem like you can kind of move on for a minute, but the next thing you know, you pick it back up. David's like that in this Psalm. He deals with it for a few verses, and then he changes the subject. Then he comes right back to it. He says in verse 20, he says, He hath put forth his hands against, such as be at peace with me. He hath broken his covenant. He says, Ahithophel, my son, he's turned to people against me that love me, that are at peace with me. And he promised that he would be my aid. He broke his covenant. He says the words, verse 21, the words of his mouth were smoother than butter. He said that boy talked one more slick game. The words of his mouth were smoother than butter, but war was in his heart. His words were softer than oil, yet were they drawn swords? He said, he said one thing and did another. He broke his promise. But David's resolve was this, I will call upon God when the hurt and betrayal are personal. I beg you, don't let personal betrayal blacken your heart toward God who can heal you through the worst of the worst and the things that you think you could never get over. You know what the devil wants you to do? The devil wants you to be so angry and upset because of what they did that the anger and bitterness becomes so real and revelant and boils up for year after year after year after year and Satan robs you of the joy that God can give you even though the betrayal was huge and personal. David said, as for me, I will call upon God. Finally. Oops, just kidding. Two more. Number four. David says, I will call upon the Lord, knowing He will save me. I think this is wonderful. Look what it says in verse 16. He says, ask for me, I will call upon God, and the Lord shall save me. You see that word, shall? Does David pray at this point? He's been through the emotion and now he's coming to where he's on his feet. He says, as for me, I will call upon God. God shall save me. Can I ask you a question? Is there hope for your situation? The answer is yes. David says, I'll call upon the Lord knowing He will save me. 17, verse 17, evening and morning and noon will I pray and cry aloud and he shall hear my, he says I'm gonna pray all the time and I'm gonna rest knowing that he shall hear my voice. Verse 18, he hath delivered my soul in peace from the battle that was against me. for there were many with me." He's looking back, he's like, look, God in the past has been faithful. He's led me. He's been faithful in the past. I think he's thinking of the cave of Adullam when he ran from Saul and he went to the cave of Adullam from Saul and he said, I looked around and no man knew me. Refuge failed me. No man cared for my soul. But the next thing that happens in his story is there's a group of people gather around him. He says God's been faithful before. God's been good before. God has been faithful. He's given me peace before and he will do it again. Verse number 18. He hath delivered my soul in peace. Verse number 19. God shall hear. and afflict them, even he that abideth old." Because they have no changes, therefore they fear not God. One of these days I'm going to preach just on verse 19, because he makes an awesome accusation. What's he say? He's thinking about their rebellion. He says, because they have no changes, therefore they fear not God. He says, look, these guys have not let God change their lives, so they don't fear Him. I want to tell you something, when you fear God, when you love Jesus, when you repent, you're going to see a change and God will help you to trust Him. He says, I will call upon the Lord knowing He will save me. Finally, number five, I mean it this time. This sermon is like Fat man going through a barbed wire fence. A few more points and we'll be through. Point number five. David says, I will call upon God because I should. I will call upon God because I should. Here's what he says, he makes a statement. It's like, he says, let me just apply this to your life. He says, cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee. He shall never suffer the righteous to be moved. What's he say? He says, I'm gonna tell you something, I'm gonna call upon God because it's the right thing to do. Because I should. What does he tell us to do? Cast your burden upon the Lord. What do we do with our burdens? We give it to the Lord. You can't carry it anyway. Cast your burden on the Lord and He shall sustain thee. Maybe you're here tonight and you think, I'm at this moment where I don't know if I can bear this any longer. You're right. You can't. Give it to the Lord. He will sustain you. He's good like that. He shall sustain thee. He shall never suffer the righteous to be moved. You trust the Lord and you're going to find out that your footing is sure and certain. The opposite is also true. Verse 23, But thou, O God, shalt bring them down into the pit of destruction. Bloody and deceitful men shall not live out half their days. So there's a penalty. There's repercussions for not trusting the Lord. It says at the end of this chapter, but I will trust in thee. What's David say? He says, ask for me, I will call upon God. And may the Lord help us to direct our attention to him, to carry our burdens to him, to swear our allegiance to him, to cast our cares on him, to obey him and trust him for the results. Oh David, he was hurting. It was bad. But David said something very important. As for me, I'll call upon God.