House of Hope Online

August 27, 2023

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In last week’s word, “Why Come to Jesus?” we made the point that we should come to Jesus not only because He will save us from the Tribulation, but also because He loves us deeply, and He wants His love to help us not only in the end time battles, but even today as we await His coming.  We saw scriptures where the Lord said He is our healer (Exodus 15:26), and Jesus Himself told us that our faith in that healing will make us well (Matthew 9:22).

So continuing that theme that our salvation and love relationship with Jesus have big time benefits for us right now, I want to put forth today His word that He is an ever-present help for us in times of trouble, and if we give our stresses to Him, He will deliver us from them.  The scriptures promise He will serve as a refuge for us, He will calm our storms, and He will rescue us when we are lost.

God Is Our Refuge, Deliverer, Savior, and Provider

The word “refuge” means a place that provides shelter and protection from danger or distress.

Psalms 46:

 1 ¶ (For the choir director. [A Psalm] of the sons of Korah, set to Alamoth. A Song.) God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble.

Psalms 34:

 2 My soul shall make its boast in the LORD; The humble shall hear it and rejoice.

 3 O magnify the LORD with me, And let us exalt His name together.

 4 I sought the LORD, and He answered me, And delivered me from all my fears.

 5 They looked to Him and were radiant, And their faces shall never be ashamed.

 6 This poor man cried and the LORD heard him, And saved him out of all his troubles.

 7 The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear Him, And rescues them.

 8 O taste and see that the LORD is good; How blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him!

 9 O fear the LORD, you His saints; For to those who fear Him, there is no want.

In Psalm 34, David encourages us to humbly make our boast in the Lord and to magnify Him, that is, make Him a bigger part of our lives, acknowledge Him as provider and deliverer.  Note verse 4, if we seek Him, He will answer and deliver us from all our fears.  Are there things in your life that you are fearing?  Who is it you are seeking in times of stress and worry?  A mentor? A family member? A friend?  Seek the Lord on those matters and allow Him to lift them from you.  He will deliver you from all your fears.

I love verses 8-9: Taste and see He is good.  Take refuge in Him, i.e., seek shelter and protection from Him and you will be blessed!  If we fear (revere) Him, there is no want, no lack, no area unfulfilled in your life.  These are big time upgrades in our stress management and contentment, and we need to take more advantage of the promises!

Our Faith and Humble Spirit Play a Role

Psalms 10:

 17 O LORD, Thou hast heard the desire of the humble; Thou wilt strengthen their heart, Thou wilt incline Thine ear

 18 To vindicate the orphan and the oppressed, That man who is of the earth may cause terror no more.

In verse 17, the psalmist praises the Lord who hears the desire of the humble and strengthens our hearts.  Our hearts need strengthened today with everything that is happening in our world.  He will strengthen our hearts so we will not falter and will not fear what is happening around us.

Verse 18 promises the orphan and the oppressed that the man who is of the earth may no longer cause terror in our lives.  But remember, we must go to Jesus with a humble heart, not seeking revenge or trying to look victorious in front of others.  The Father cannot and will not respond to our fleshly, prideful nature.  He hears the desire of the humble.

Psalms 107: (Dis-) Stress Management in the Spirit

Psalms 107 is an excellent stress management manual for us.  The psalmist praises the Lord throughout and gives several examples of the Lord’s willingness and ability to deliver us from our distress when we humbly ask Him.  As we go through the verses, keep in mind that the word “distress” means pain or suffering affecting the body, mind, or emotions.  Thus, the psalm is relevant for managing any type of stress in our lives today.

Psalms 107:

 1 ¶ Oh give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; For His lovingkindness is everlasting.

 2 Let the redeemed of the LORD say [so], Whom He has redeemed from the hand of the adversary,

 3 And gathered from the lands, From the east and from the west, From the north and from the south.

 4 They wandered in the wilderness in a desert region; They did not find a way to an inhabited city.

 5 [They were] hungry and thirsty; Their soul fainted within them.

 6 Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble; He delivered them out of their distresses.

 7 He led them also by a straight way, To go to an inhabited city.

We are the redeemed of the Lord and we have to say so, meaning we need to praise Him!  He redeems us from our adversary, who is the devil or anyone in our lives that the devil is operating through.  Verse 4 says they wandered in the wilderness in a desert region, and they could not find a way to an inhabited city.  Wilderness is defined as an area with no clear or obvious pathways out.  A desert region is one without water or potential for growth.  An inhabited city is the opposite of a desert wilderness, and a more desirable place in terms of living and growing.   The word “they” refers to the people of Israel in the Old Testament, but in this context, it also applies to us, and our lives before coming to Christ.

Before coming to Christ, that was me – I was wandering in a wilderness.  My confidence was in myself, not the Lord.  I thought I had a plan for my life but that was my plan, and it was selfish and filled with greed and other desires of the flesh.  I was hungering and thirsting for the joy and contentment that escaped me until I met Jesus.  Then I cried out to Him in my distress, and He led me to an inhabited city, which means I was no longer wandering in the wilderness of life. 

For us today as believers, this means any problem we have, any uncertainty about what to do or say, that is causing stress in our minds or emotions, can be dealt with if we cry out to the Lord in distress.  It could be a fear of a health issue, financial lack, anything without a clear pathway out.  Any dry (desert) area in our life can be ministered to by Jesus. He is our faithful deliverer who loves us!

Note verse 6 says “they cried out to the Lord in their trouble; He delivered them out of their distresses.”  Crying out to the Lord is the key to deliverance.  Crying out to Him is being humble before Him and acknowledging we need Him.  Crying out to Him invokes our stress management plan in the Spirit!

In Matthew 8, we see Jesus’ responsiveness to the disciples’ cry, even though He pointed out a weakness in their faith.

Matthew 8:

 23 ¶ And when He got into the boat, His disciples followed Him.

 24 And behold, there arose a great storm in the sea, so that the boat was covered with the waves; but He Himself was asleep.

 25 And they came to [Him,] and awoke Him, saying, “Save [us,] Lord; we are perishing!”

 26 And He *said to them, “Why are you timid, you men of little faith?” Then He arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and it became perfectly calm.

 27 And the men marveled, saying, “What kind of a man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?”

The point is: if we cry out to Him, He will calm the storm, even if our cry displays a weakened faith.

He Even Saves Us from Our Own Rebellion

Continuing with Psalms 107, we find the Lord even responds to our cry when the reason for our distress is our own rebellion.

Psalms 107:

 8 Let them give thanks to the LORD for His lovingkindness, And for His wonders to the sons of men!

 9 For He has satisfied the thirsty soul, And the hungry soul He has filled with what is good.

 10 ¶ There were those who dwelt in darkness and in the shadow of death, Prisoners in misery and chains,

 11 Because they had rebelled against the words of God, And spurned the counsel of the Most High.

 12 Therefore He humbled their heart with labor; They stumbled and there was none to help.

 13 Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble; He saved them out of their distresses.

 14 He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death, And broke their bands apart.

Verse 10 indicates even if our darkness and rebellion against His word leads us to prison, He will save us from our distresses.  There may be consequences for our rebellion – verse 12 says He may allow us to be humbled as a result – but He will still deliver us. 

Understand that the verse 10 expression “prisoners in misery and chains” does not have to mean we are literally in jail.  It could mean our rebellion, or our spurning of His counsel, led us to a place where we are enslaved to something and therefore are in misery.  It could be drug or alcohol addiction, or it could be we cannot be happy unless things are going well at work.  Those are chains that imprison us.  When we find ourselves in such a place, even if it is our fault, we can still cry out to Him in humility, and He will hear us and deliver us.

I am reminded of the testimony of my oldest son, Will.  When he was in high school, he began experimenting with drugs even though He knew it was wrong.  The Lord had a call on his life – Will was to praise the Lord with his drums, but teenage Will was resisting that call.  One day, he was at a party and took a drug that caused his heart to start beating rapidly like it was coming out of his chest.  Will is convinced he was dying of a heart attack, and in his trouble, he cried out to the Lord and said if He saved him, he would give his heart to Christ and obey His call.  Immediately, the Lord saved Will out of his distress.  His heartbeat returned to normal, and Will left that party.  Today Will’s heart beats fine as he beats his drums for the Lord in worship.

What I want to emphasize to you is that even when we are in sin, we can cry out to God.  Remember that Jesus loves us so much He laid down His life for us.  He is not going to refuse us because He is mad at us.  He was annoyed at the disciples’ weakness of faith, and used it as a teaching moment, but He still calmed the storm.  He still delivered my son despite his rebellion.

Psalms 107 continues to emphasize that Jesus will save us from our own rebellion.

Psalms 107:

 15 Let them give thanks to the LORD for His lovingkindness, And for His wonders to the sons of men!

 16 For He has shattered gates of bronze, And cut bars of iron asunder.

 17 ¶ Fools, because of their rebellious way, And because of their iniquities, were afflicted.

 18 Their soul abhorred all kinds of food; And they drew near to the gates of death.

 19 Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble; He saved them out of their distresses.

 20 He sent His word and healed them, And delivered [them] from their destructions.

I love verse 20 – He sent His word and healed them.  Jesus is our word.

He Guides Us to a Safe Place of Opportunity

Psalms 107:

 21 Let them give thanks to the LORD for His lovingkindness, And for His wonders to the sons of men!

 22 Let them also offer sacrifices of thanksgiving, And tell of His works with joyful singing.

 23 ¶ Those who go down to the sea in ships, Who do business on great waters;

 24 They have seen the works of the LORD, And His wonders in the deep.

 25 For He spoke and raised up a stormy wind, Which lifted up the waves of the sea.

 26 They rose up to the heavens, they went down to the depths; Their soul melted away in [their] misery.

 27 They reeled and staggered like a drunken man, And were at their wits’ end.

 28 Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, And He brought them out of their distresses.

 29 He caused the storm to be still, So that the waves of the sea were hushed.

 30 Then they were glad because they were quiet; So He guided them to their desired haven.

Verse 30 – He guided them to their desired haven.  He takes us from a place of distress, a storm, to a desired haven.  The word “haven” means a place of safety, refuge, or a place offering favorable opportunities or conditions.  Notice in verse 23 the psalmist is referring to businesspeople, so that means their haven would a place where business opportunities are good.  Therefore, if your distress is with finances, cry out to Him in your trouble, and He will deliver you.

Let Us Extol the Lord!

Psalms 107 finishes with an exhortation to extol Hm, which means to glorify Him or praise Him highly.  It emphasizes that the Lord will dry up the land of the unbeliever, and bring springs of water to His people who are oppressed, so they can sow and reap from the land.

Psalms 107:

 31 Let them give thanks to the LORD for His lovingkindness, And for His wonders to the sons of men!

 32 Let them extol Him also in the congregation of the people, And praise Him at the seat of the elders.

 33 ¶ He changes rivers into a wilderness, And springs of water into a thirsty ground;

 34 A fruitful land into a salt waste, Because of the wickedness of those who dwell in it.

 35 He changes a wilderness into a pool of water, And a dry land into springs of water;

 36 And there He makes the hungry to dwell, So that they may establish an inhabited city,

 37 And sow fields, and plant vineyards, And gather a fruitful harvest.

 38 Also He blesses them and they multiply greatly; And He does not let their cattle decrease.

 39 When they are diminished and bowed down Through oppression, misery, and sorrow,

 40 He pours contempt upon princes, And makes them wander in a pathless waste.

 41 But He sets the needy securely on high away from affliction, And makes [his] families like a flock.

 42 The upright see it, and are glad; But all unrighteousness shuts its mouth.

 43 Who is wise? Let him give heed to these things; And consider the lovingkindnesses of the LORD. (NASB)

Verses 36-38: those of us who hunger for Him will be made to dwell in a land where water supports growth, and we will be able to plant and harvest, i.e., prosper.  Our cattle (our talents and other assets) will not decrease, saith the Lord!

Let us give heed to these things, and consider the lovingkindness of our Lord.  Verses 39-41 promise when we are oppressed in misery and sorrow, He sets us securely on high away from affliction.  We are His family!  He has a loving kindness for us.  Let us see that and be glad!

Father God, we extol You for being our Refuge, Deliverer, Savior, and Provider.  Your love for us is overwhelming.  You forgive our rebellion and deliver us from our distress when we humbly cry out to You.  You guide us to a safe haven of opportunity for growth and harvest.  You preserve us against the devourer.  Help us Lord to remember Your lovingkindness, and by Your Holy Spirit, quicken us to give You all our worries.  In Jesus’ name, we pray.  Amen.