This month in Indonesia, we’ve been lucky enough to make friends at a local church. One of the things we get to do while we are with them is teach and preach in home groups and Sunday church services.
I taught this message last night. So, I thought I’d share. Enjoy!
Recently, I’ve been reading through the Old Testament.
I love all the stories.
Stories about Abraham’s family and the promises God made to him.
Stories about Moses and the intimate relationship he had with God.
And about the promises God gave to Moses as he led the Israelites through the wilderness.
Then Joshua, who got to see all of those promises fulfilled as he led the Israelites into the Promised Land.
Then the cycles of salvation and disobedience as the Israelites repeatedly walked away from the Lord during the time of the Judges.
Then, when they finally rejected God as their King and crowned Saul instead.
Now, I’m learning about David, a man chasing after God, even during this time in history, when the whole nation is in chaos.
David was one of the main authors of the Psalms;
he wrote many songs of praise, and wasn’t afraid to express his emotions through words, music, and even wild dance.
He wanted to be near to God and praise Him in any way he could.
There was a time in his life when David had to run from King Saul, who was trying to kill him.
As he was on the run, living in caves and hiding for his life, he wrote Psalm 27, which we’re going to look at together.
Psalm 27
The LORD is my light and my salvation;
whom shall I fear?
The LORD is the stronghold of my life;
of whom shall I be afraid?
When evildoers assail me to eat up my flesh,
my adversaries and foes, it is they who stumble and fall.
Though an army encamp against me, my heart shall not fear;
though war arise against me, yet I will be confident.
One thing I have asked of the LORD, that will I seek after:
that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life,
to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD
and to inquire in his temple.
For he will hide me in his shelter in the day of trouble;
he will conceal me under the cover of his tent;
he will lift me high upon a rock.
And now my head shall be lifted up above my enemies all around me,
and I will offer in his tent sacrifices with shouts of joy;
I will sing and make melody to the LORD.
Hear, O LORD, when I cry aloud;
be gracious to me and answer me!
You have said, “Seek my face.”
My heart says to you, “Your face, LORD, do I seek.”
Hide not your face from me.
Turn not your servant away in anger, O you who have been my help.
Cast me not off; forsake me not, O God of my salvation!
For my father and my mother have forsaken me,
but the LORD will take me in.
Teach me your way, O LORD, and lead me on a level path
because of my enemies.
Give me not up to the will of my adversaries;
for false witnesses have risen against me,
and they breathe out violence.
I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the LORD
in the land of the living!
Wait for the LORD;
be strong, and let your heart take courage;
wait for the LORD!
So verse one basically tells us that because David is with the Lord, he has nothing to fear.
But verses two and three talk about plenty of scary things:
evildoers
adversaries
foes
armies
war
but David says that with God he’s not scared.
So I thought,
Well, God, I don’t have any armies coming after me, and I’m not hiding in a cave.
So who are my enemies?
And God reminded me of Ephesians 6, which says that our war isn’t against flesh and blood, but against spiritual rulers and powers.
The Spirit of Fear
Doubt
Anger
Pride
Insecurity
THOSE are my enemies.
THOSE are the adversaries who try to make me stumble, who are encamped against me.
The last time I led a squad, I faced a lot of lies about not being qualified to lead.
I thought I wasn’t friendly enough to be wanted.
Or holy enough to teach about Jesus.
Or smart enough to speak out what I thought.
In those moments, those LIES were my enemies.
Take a minute to think about who some of your enemies are.
Bitterness?
Unforgiveness?
Lust?
Self Pity?
Pride?
Selfishness?
Greed?
Anger?
Fears of being abandoned?
Rejected?
Forgotten?
Lies that you’re not worthy?
David tells us that though those things may all be present, we don’t have to fear them.
Verse four tells us why.
David says he’s asked ONE THING from God, and it’s not for
bravery
or safety
or provision
or even for his enemies to go away.
He asks
TO DWELL IN THE HOUSE OF THE LORD FOREVER.
TO GAZE UPON HIM.
He knows, as the next few verses tell us, that all he truly needs is to be near the Lord.
To dwell in His house.
To look at His face.
As he draws near the Lord, all threat from his enemies goes away.
When we stop trying to get away from our enemies,
our fears,
doubts,
selfish desires,
etc.
and start drawing near the Lord, our enemies get smaller and smaller.
Verse eight tells us that God’s answer to David’s problem is to
“Seek my face.”
David declares that he is seeking God’s face.
He’s asking God to get an even closer look, for he knows that his enemies surround him and want to kill him.
The next couple verses stir up a nervous anticipation in my heart.
Will God let David seek his face?
David says things like,
“Do not hide from me”
“Do not turn me away”
“Do not cast me off or forsake me”
“Do not give me up to my enemies”
All of those statements make me wonder if that’s what God is going to do.
But in the last verse we see that David DID seek the Lord’s face, and he looked upon the GOODNESS of the Lord.
He found STRENGTH and COURAGE in the waiting.
In the time that it seemed like he might not see God, he was brave and waited expectantly for God to show up.
When he sought the Lord, he no longer saw his enemies encamped around him.
He saw goodness, strength, and a courageous heart.
When I draw near the Lord, I no longer see
Fear
Doubt
Anger
Pride
encroaching around me.
I see Love, Joy, and Gentleness.
In the moments where I’m not sure if He’ll show up in time, I take courage and stand strong while I wait, because I know I will see His goodness if I earnestly seek it.
Last year, as I battled those lies, the only place I found freedom was in seeking God.
Seeking my identity in who He says I am.
So when I looked to Scripture, and prayer, and times of worship,
I began to see what He thought.
Lies of not being qualified were replaced with His visions of how He created me to be.
Intentional. Strong. Patient. A little sassy.
Fearfully and wonderfully made in his image.
As I drew near to Him, the lies of my enemies were silenced.
I’m going to pray, and while I do, ask God what He wants to show you when you seek His face.
Will He replace your bitterness with joy?
Your unforgiveness with kindness?
Hatred with patience?
Trust that as you draw near to Him, He is drawing near to you!
I’m still fundraising for the remaining cost of this trip.
As you can see at the top, I’m less than $5000 away!
If you want to be a part of my incredible support team,
Or if you feel led to be even more generous than you already have been,
Click the “Donate” Link at the top!
You’re the best!
Also.
Here’s some pictures of my team in action, because I think they’re great.
And so would you.
Kids Church!
Youth Group!
Home Church!
Brown Canyon…What we thought was a beautiful canyon tourist destination, was actually an active construction site! Just a bunch of man-made dirt mountains!
