The Lord Hears and Delivers - 240104

SPEAKER A Hello. I'm Mike Browning. Welcome to let God speak. Many of the psalms focus on people in Crisis. How did the psalmists handle their problems? What did they do? Well, from time to time, we all face crises in our lives. We can learn a lot from the psalmist's experiences, so note how they exercise their faith when faced with the impossible. Well, folks, on our panel today, we have Kylie Fisher and Cassie Sollano. So welcome, ladies, to joining us today. Cassie, this is your first time on let God speak, so we really appreciate you joining us today. We'd like to have prayer first, and so we invite you to join with us. Father in heaven, we thank you that you are with us in all the experiences of life. And today, as we are looking at the book of psalms, I pray that you'll help us to be just a little more equipped at the end of this to face life's issues. Please. And we pray this in Jesus name. Amen. Kylie, how well does God understand the issues that we face in our lives? SPEAKER B Yeah, he understands them, actually, better than we understand ourselves. He understands us better than we understand ourselves, because Jeremiah 17, verse nine says that the heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked. Who can know it? SPEAKER A We're not sure we like that thought. SPEAKER B No, I know it's not a very pleasant sort of thought, but it kind of sounds a bit like a rhetorical question, the way that it's posed. Who can know our heart? But psalms actually tells us that God knows our heart. So let's have a look in psalm 139 and verses one to three, and I'll read those. It says, o Lord, you have searched me and known me. You know my down sitting and my rising up. You understand my thought afar off. You comprehend my path and my lying down, and are acquainted with all my ways. So even though we don't know our own hearts, God knows our hearts. SPEAKER A Yes. That's amazing. He knows our thoughts. Does the fact that God knows our thoughts bother you at all, Cassie? SPEAKER C It didn't bother king David. I think at first it's definitely confronting that God has this totally all encompassing knowledge of us. But if we read verse six, David says, such knowledge is too wonderful for me. It is high. I cannot attain it. So I think it's obvious he sees that as something that's comforting instead of something that at first could feel a bit overwhelming. Just if we read verse 16, your eyes saw my substance being yet unformed. And in your book, they were all written the days fashioned for me when as yet there were none of them. And I think the idea of this lifelong plan when often our lives seem uncertain is a very comforting. SPEAKER A Okay, thank you. Thank you, Cassie. That's true. It's good to know that God knows so much about us. He's a God of goodwill as we end to see when we talk some more. Look, knowing about us like that, Carly, have you ever wondered what God really thinks about us? What does he think about us knowing us so well? SPEAKER B Yeah. So let's have a look at verse 17 of this same psalm which says, how precious also are your thoughts to me, o God, how great is the sum of them. So it's not something scary to David who wrote this psalm. And even in verse ten it says that no matter where we are, even there, your hand shall lead me and your right hand shall hold me. God is wanting to draw us to himself. God wants to lead and guide in our lives. SPEAKER A Yes. He's like a caring father, isn't he? He's watching over us. Thank you for that. That's great. Look in psalm. Still in psalm 139, folks. And looking at verse 23 there, this is what it says. Search me, o God, and know my heart. Now he's addressing God personally here. Try me and know my anxieties. See if there's any wicked way in me and lead me in the way everlasting. There's a kind of hint of accountability or judgement here, Cassie, should we be afraid of this divine scrutiny of our lives? SPEAKER C Do you think without a saviour we'd be afraid? But it's not like we're giving all our secrets to some human person who might judge us and pick us apart. God is trying to save us. So I'd like to read from John, chapter three, verse 16. It says, for God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send his son into the world to condemn the world. But the world through him might be saved, which is, I think the key point is that he doesn't want to condemn us. That's not his main goal. Even though he does know these things. His goal for us as people is to save us. SPEAKER A Okay. It isn't very uncomforting, as you say. Yeah, I'm so grateful that our God is like that. Look, some of the psalmists actually really got themselves into trouble, didn't they? Can we ever be placed in a situation we might think this. Can we ever be placed in a situation where God can't help us? SPEAKER B Yeah, so I think when we think about the example of David, he is one that just seemed to be always on the know. He's on the run from King Saul. And then later on in his life, even though he was a man after God's own heart, he did in one time in particular, really depart from God's ways. And that was, of course, his terrible sin with Bathsheba. And then he murdered someone to cover up this sin and lied and did all of these sorts of things. And because of that, he actually was, I guess, persecuted by his son, Absalom, or one of his sons. And persecuted is not quite the right word. But anyway, he was chased by one of his sons, Absalom. And so psalms three, four and five actually speak about that time. And those are prayers that David prayed to God at that time. And yet we see that God saved him out of that trouble. And so even though he sinned, I think we find the secret of David's change of heart and his attitude to God in psalm 16, verse eight, which says, I've set the Lord always before me because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved. So even no matter what our circumstances are, if we turn back to God with a true heart, really allow him to work in our hearts and to work that true repentance in our hearts, God can still save us. He will still help us. SPEAKER A Yes, David's story is a wonderful, almost overwhelming indication of God's mercy towards human beings, erring human beings. So, yes, he can work with us and will help us. I'm so encouraged by that. Look in psalm 121. I'm going to read verse three. There. Psalm 121 and verse three, which says this, he will not allow your foot to be moved. He who keeps you will not slumber. Now, what is the psalmist saying here, Cassie? Because he's really got a message for us here. SPEAKER C Well, foot here is descriptive of our life's journey. Be moved here. The phrase means to slip, so God will not allow adverse circumstances to turn us away from a fulfilled life in our face, no matter how overwhelming they might seem. SPEAKER A Okay, that's good, Cassie. I'm glad about that. So God is just going to stay with us and he'll keep us going. I'm so grateful. Now, still in psalm 121, I'm going to read. Well, verse three, we read the first part. He will not allow your foot to be moved. He who keeps you will not slumber. There's an interesting statement. And then verse four, behold, he who keeps Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep. What do you think he's saying to us here, Kylie? SPEAKER B Yeah, well, he really emphasises that word slumber. And he know that he won't slumber. So God's not a human being like us. He doesn't need to sleep. And so he's constantly watching over us. And there's never a moment that we're without God's tender watch care. SPEAKER A Yeah. And of course he repeats it, says it twice, repetition for emphasis. Here, he wants you to get this. Don't think that God has a day off occasionally. Yeah, he's still with you all the time. That's really great, Cassie. Psalm 121, verse five and six says this, the Lord is your keeper, the Lord is your shade at your right hand. That's interesting. The sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night. What was his main point here, Cassie, do you think? SPEAKER C I think the phrase your shade is the point here. It calls to mind the pillar of cloud. In the time of Exodus, it sheltered Israel practically from the desert sun. The point is that God not only provides spiritual shelter, but also physical, practical shelter as well. SPEAKER A Okay, so he's going to help us with the rough affairs of life. Is that right? SPEAKER C Yeah, definitely. SPEAKER A I'm glad about that. So it must be appropriate to pray about everything, is it? I think it must be, yeah. I really do. Look, still in psalm 125, and I want to refer back to verse five again where it says, the Lord is your shade at your right hand. What's the significance there about him being our shade on our right hand? Corey? What's he saying? SPEAKER B Yeah, so it doesn't mean really, that you're inherently bad if you're left handed or anything? Well, some people have thought that, but just that the right hand is, for most people, that is the stronger hand. And so it's saying that God is there. He's there to help us and to strengthen us. Let's just look at another verse about this, actually. Psalm 89 and verse 13. So psalm 89, verse 13 says, you have a mighty arm, strong is your hand and high is your right hand. So, yeah, that's just emphasising that idea of strength. And with having God at our right hand, we know that we can trust him. SPEAKER A Okay, so we're safe there. Indeed. Still in the psalm. Back to psalm 121, by the way, and looking at verse seven and eight there, it says, the Lord shall preserve you from all evil. He shall preserve your soul. Notice the word preserve coming through over and over. The Lord shall preserve your going out and your coming in from this time forth and even from ever forevermore. So what's the underlying message here, Cassie? SPEAKER C I think this really illustrates God's interest in every area of our lives. Our coming out and going in that sort of. If we leave our houses at the beginning of the day and then come back in, every moment is of interest to God, and he's constantly watching over us. SPEAKER A Thank you, that. Thank you for that. Every moment is of interest to God, you said, and I like that, don't you? It warms your heart to know that God is so interested in each one of us. How does he do that? He's God, isn't he? It's wonderful. Look, occasionally we all face serious issues in our lives, and no one is exempt from problems in this life, and we all are aware of that. And so the question that really ought, we ought to address, Kylie here, is what is the spiritual secret to apply in time of life? Trials. Life's trials. SPEAKER B Yeah. So let's have a look at psalm 17 and verse seven, because I think that gives us a really good answer to this question. Psalm 17, verse seven says, show your marvellous lovingkindness by your right hand. O you who save those who trust in you from those who rise up against them. So that's got the idea again, of the right hand and God saving us. But for us, it says, oh, you who save those who trust in you. So our part is to trust in God. SPEAKER A Okay, that's good. That's good. Jesus put a lot of stool on people doing just that very thing, didn't he? Trusting, having faith, even when you can't see through the problems. Still in psalm 17, I noticed verse eight says, keep me as the apple of your eye. Hide me under the shadow of your wings. What is the meaning of being the apple of his eye here, Cassie? It's an interesting expression, isn't it? SPEAKER C Yeah, it's an expression that's used to mean your favourite, I think it's often used with little children that we say, oh, this precious little child is the apple of my eye. And it's used here for a similar reason, because God's children who trust him are his special treasure and they're very precious to him, and he will never cease to care for them who are faithful to him. SPEAKER A Okay. The apple of his eye, like, this is the special kid on the block. I like that, too. Thanks very much for that. Still in 17 and verse eight. Actually, the last part, which I did read, says, hide me under the shadow of your wings. What does it mean to be under the shadow of his wings here, Kylie? SPEAKER B Yeah. So it's an idea that's used a number of other places in the Bible, and it's talking about how a mother bird will gather its chickens or its chicks underneath its wings. And Jesus used the same figure when he was here on earth. So Matthew, chapter 23 and verse 37, Jesus was speaking here to people that had really rejected him. This was spoken at the end of his ministry. He said, o Jerusalem, jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones, those who are sent to her. How often I wanted to gather your children together as a hand gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing. Yeah. So that's that beautiful picture. SPEAKER A It is a beautiful picture. A bit of a sad one, too, in a sense, that God wants to gather us together and care for us. Many people don't want that, and even many of his people neglect that. And I encourage us all, take everything to God in prayer, because we're learning how interested he is in us, aren't we? I'm going to refer now to psalm 91, actually, if you're following in your bibles, folks, psalms 91, and have a look at verse two there. And this is what it says. I will say of the Lord, he is my refuge and my fortress, my God. In him I will trust. That's a beautiful picture, too. What is he saying here when he talks about God being our refuge and fortress? SPEAKER C God is our protector. Like a refuge is a place where we can seek comfort. And a fortress as well is something firm and solid. In addition to this, I like to read. Verse four says, he shall cover you with his feathers and under his wings you shall take refuge. His truth shall be your shield and buckler, so his truth can be our shield against whatever life throws it is. And we don't need to be afraid of those things. I'll read verse five as well. You shall not be afraid of the terror by night, nor of the arrow that flies by day. SPEAKER A Okay, thank you. So it's very clear, isn't it? God wants to look after us. I'm going to read an interesting statement here from the book, steps to Christ and page 100. If anybody would like a copy of that book, contact us here at three ABN. This is what it says. No calamity can befall the least of his children. No anxiety harass the soul. No joy, cheer, no sincere prayer escape the lips of which our heavenly Father is unobservant or in which he takes no immediate interest. Get that? An immediate interest in the things that we bring to him. Now, having read that and thought about that, Carly, sometimes answers to prayer may be delayed, or the answer is quite different from what we actually hoped for or expected. We may think even that God has abandoned us and isn't listening. Does he ever do that? SPEAKER B He doesn't ever abandon us, but, yeah, a really good example of a time when it sort of seemed to God's people that they had been abandoned by God was Israel at the Red Sea. And they'd been brought out of Egypt, out into the wilderness, and they were following this cloud, this pillar of cloud, and this pillar of cloud led them to the Red Sea. And so they sort of couldn't really go forward any further that way by themselves. And then all of a sudden they realised the egyptian army was coming behind them and the mountains were on the other side. And so it seemed like God had abandoned them. SPEAKER A They were doomed. SPEAKER B That's right. But we find out in psalm, also in psalm 106, but in psalm 114, verses one and three, we find out what happened. So psalm 114 and verse one says, when Israel went out of Egypt, the house of Jacob, from a people of strange language that's obviously just talking about the Israelites coming out of Egypt. So verse three says, the sea saw it and fled. Jordan turned back. And so we've got actually two events there, which is the Red Sea parted, and so the Israelites were able to go through on dry ground and they escaped from their enemies. And then a generation later, the Jordan river was opened so that they could go into the promised land. So that was a time when God's people, it seemed like God had abandoned them, but actually he hadn't. He was just opening the way for an amazing deliverance. SPEAKER A Yes. I mean, the Jordan was in flood too, when God parted it, which to me was amazing, because, remember, the Red Sea was parted, and it wasn't till 40 years later that the Jordan was parted and the people went into the promised land. So they had both generations, the one that came out of Egypt and the one that went into the promised land 40 years later, all saw this amazing miracle of God parting the waters for them. Yeah, he did the impossible. Do you get that? I get that. And that is what he's wanting us to remember. Okay. Now, the Israelites understandably got pretty excited about those miracles, didn't they? SPEAKER C Yeah, they definitely did. I think it's reflected in the poetic language. I'll continue reading from psalm 114, verses four and five. The mountains skipped like rams, the little hills like lambs. What ails you oc that you fled, o Jordan, that you turn back, think this really conveys the joy they must have been feeling when that happened, when they've been delivered from something impossible. It's only something we can imagine to be so just ecstatic. SPEAKER A Yeah. When God does the impossible in our lives, and periodically, if we're people of prayer, he's going to do that. And sometimes we sense the need of him to do something unexpected. And I think we can expect the unexpected when we have God in our lives. To be honest with you, there's something very deep and encouraging, as we've already said here, Kylie, about God doing this amazing miracle for the people of Israel, there's something there for us all, isn't there? SPEAKER B Yeah. So it shows that no matter what our situation might be in life, that we can trust in God and he can help us. Yeah. We might not see the way out, but God has a way out for us. SPEAKER A Yes. And we are never in a position that God has not made provision for. It's important to keep that in mind because things come and surprise us. Take us out of. Come out of left field. We don't expect them. But God is not taken by surprise. And just recently faced with quite an issue, God reminded me of that very simple promise. All things work together for good to those who love God. Now, most Bible reading christian people would know that promise. Don't forget it, because that is true. God is able to take anything that happens to us and bring something good out of it. All right, moving right along, Jesus did something similar to this parting of the sea, didn't he? SPEAKER C Yeah, he did something very similar. I'll read from Matthew, chapter eight, verses 25 and 26. This tells the story of when there was a storm threatening to sink the ship that the disciples are in, where Jesus is peacefully sleeping and the disciples are frantically panicking. So I'll read Jesus's response, says, then his disciples came to him and awoke him, saying, lord, save us. We are perishing. But he said to them, why are you fearful, o you of little faith? Then he arose and rebuked the winds in the sea. And there was a great calm. I think this very calm response to a situation that seemed impossible, like we've been discussing, is just something for us to remember. SPEAKER A Do you think that Jesus was actually a bit disappointed in their reaction? Now, bear in mind, their lives are at stake. If you have been out in a big storm in a small boat, you know what it's like. He kind of says, what were you worried about? Doesn't he? Why were you fearful? Are you of little faith? Jesus was with them in the boat. They didn't have to be afraid. But they were learning that, weren't they? But they still had to learn it. But they were to do so. What do you think, Carly, of the disciples reaction to this miracle now? Because they were there, they saw it. SPEAKER B Yeah. So let's read about it. In verse 27, which says so the men marvelled saying, who can this be that even the winds and the sea obey him? So I think the disciples were starting to realise that this person that was in the boat was not just an ordinary human being. There was actually God in human flesh. And we sort of see that reflect at the beginning of John's gospel. In the beginning was the word. The word was with God and the word was God. All things were made by him. And they were starting to realise this was the same God that had parted the Red Sea, parted the Jordan river, parted the Jordan again when it was struck by Elijah with Elijah's mantle. SPEAKER A That's right. It was a fantastic event for them. Yes, you're right. They're beginning to realise that they are dealing with not just a human being. Jesus was the God man and had therefore control of nature. And this was something that they found amazing. And we need to keep it in mind if Jesus is with us. This is the point I get here. If Jesus is with us, we don't have anything to worry about. Let's keep that in mind, shall we, as we go into the future. Okay, that was disciples reaction. I'm going to go back to psalms now, to chapter 20, psalms 20 and verse one. Psalms 20 and verse one. Actually, I'm going to read verse one and verse two here. May the Lord answer you in the day of trouble. May the name of the God of Jacob defend you. May he send you help from the sanctuary. That's interesting. And strengthen you out of Zion. So God is pictured here as sending his help from the sanctuary. What is this saying to us, Cassie, this very interesting statement? SPEAKER C Well, a sanctuary is a place of safety from the dangers of life, which I think really resonates with what we've been discussing. It's somewhere where God personally dwells and from there, that's where he's sending this help and protection. It's a very real place. And not only that, Jesus is interceding for us actively in the sanctuary. This person we've been talking about, that is God is doing something right now for us. SPEAKER A Okay. And that's so interesting and important, isn't it? Because God's throne is in the sanctuary. That's where God manifests his visible presence for his creatures. Right. And there Jesus ministers before the throne. It's really quite a wonderful thing to keep in mind that he does that and he protects us there so we're safe while ever that he's interceding is the word you used where he intercedes and actually before his father prays on our behalf. That's quite remarkable. Finally, Kylie, a question here to finalise things. What new Testament picture do we have that reassures us that God still sends us help from the sanctuary in heaven today? SPEAKER B Yeah. So in the old Testament. So, I mean, we've just been reading in psalm, chapter 20, about the sanctuary and David would have been very familiar with the sanctuary because that was really the centre of the israelite system of worship and that whole structure that they worshipped in all of the services and everything were a pattern or a small symbol of things that are in the heavens. SPEAKER A It was demonstrating for us what actually Jesus is doing in the sanctuary in heaven on our behalf, for the forgiveness of our sins and to help us. SPEAKER B Yeah. SPEAKER A As we're saying today. SPEAKER B Yeah. So it talks about that a lot in the book of Hebrews. So let's read Hebrews chapter four and verses 15 and 16, which says, we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathise with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. So just as the people in know sought God's help, so today Jesus is interceding for us and we can come to him and we can find help in him. SPEAKER A Yes. And it's interesting, isn't it? In verse 16 he says, let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace. That word, therefore, is very important. Therefore, on the basis of what he's just been saying, which is that we have a high priest who is able to help us. He was tempted like we are, he had trials like we have, and he was without sin and he's therefore able to help us. I find that tremendously encouraging. Thank you, Carly. Thank you, Cassie, today for your input. Really appreciated that. The message of the Psalms is clear. If you're going through tough times, folks, keep going. You can trust in the Almighty hand of God. He is the God of the impossible and the unexpected and he's personally committed to caring for you. Well, we're glad you joined us on let God speak today. All our past programmes plus teachers notes are available on our website, threeabinastralia.org. Au if you would like, you can send an email to [email protected]. Au we invite you to join us again next time. God bless. SPEAKER D You have been listening to Let God Speak, a production of 3ABN, Australia. Television. To catch up on past programs, please visit 3abnaustralia.org.au Call us in Australia on 024-973-3456 or email [email protected] We'd love to hear from you.