Uh I don't know. how dark your individual experience is right now. I don't know. What kind of enemy It's surrounding you and surrounding your life right now. But I can tell you on the authority of the Word of God that when you long to be in the presence of the Lord, All of your fears will give way to courage.
All of your terror will give way to confidence. All of your dread will give way to exuberance. Welcome to Leading the Way with Dr. Michael Usak. pastor and author of more than 50 life-impacting books.
The Psalms overflow with practical words for daily living. And that's why Dr. Youssef is taking several episodes to dig into a few key chapters to offer encouragement to you. right where life has you to day.
So, whether this is a season of joy or you find yourself dodging fear and darkness at every corner, these messages are for you. Here now is Dr. Youssef to begin this episode of Leading the Way Audio. Have you ever found yourself experiencing both confidence And anxiety. Both at the same time.
I mean, have you ever experienced And we'll find yourself On the one hand, you are trusting in the Lord, and you're trusting in His word, and you're trusting in His promises. On the other hand, you're somewhat. Apprehensive. At the same time. Do you know what I'm talking about?
I mean you find those two opposites Are operating inside of you like two movements of a symphony, all at the same time. And the reason I'm asking you that question, I have a reason for that. It's because I do. I do. I go through this.
Moments When those Both feelings going in at the same time. On the one hand, I would feel confident. In the power of God. On the other, I'm somewhat apprehensive. On the one hand, I am exuberant.
that God is working His purposes out, especially when I can't see them with those two eyes. On the other hand, the realities of what's going on around me can get to me a little bit and make me concerned. This is part of the flesh warning against the spirit, and the spirit is warning against the flesh as we walk this Christian walk.
Now, if you are in the same boat with me, take heart. Take courage because King David. The great King David felt the same way. And he expresses those in Psalm 27. By the way, this psalm...
was sung in the early church on Sundays. Because it reminded them of the resurrection and the power of the Lord Jesus. It's a prophecy of the Messiah, remembering his. Death and then his resurrection.
So they sung the psalm in the early church. And that is why I want to communicate to you That there's nothing wrong. With you. If you ever feel that those two Seemingly, and I use the word deliberately, seemingly opposites are going on inside of you at the same time. And the reason I say seemingly because they are really consistent.
They are consistent. On the one hand, I have confidence when I face the enemies of God. On the other hand, I am utterly desperate before God. On the one hand, I don't fear the enemy of God. On the other I fear God.
On the one hand, I am exuberant with confidence in the presence of God. On the other hand, We are entreating God, in crying to God, in asking God to fulfill His promises to us. And that's exactly what this Psalm does. In fact, the Psalm divides itself into two sections. The first six verses, verses one to six, there is an exuberant confidence.
And in the second half, verses 7 to 14, there is an entreating cry. It divides itself. I didn't have to be clever to come up with an outline. Exuberant confidence, verses 1 to 6, an entreating cry, verses 7 to 14. That exuberant confidence comes to the psalmist.
As he looks back, in his life. Most historians say that this Psalm was written. At the time when King David was running away from his rebellious son Absalom. When he had to leave his throne and had to leave the palace, and he was in exile for a moment.
So he looks back in this desperate time in his life after being a great king. He's reduced to a refugee, to escapee. And so he looks back in his life and he remembers the incredible power of God that held him together when he was running away from King Saul. He remembers those dark alleys in which he found himself And the light of God was shining upon him and got him out of that. He is remembering all of the past goodness of the Lord, both the Old Testament and the New Testament.
Name God to be light. John said, Light shines in the darkness, and darkness cannot overcome him. He is the light that gives light to everyone. John said that He is the light. In Him, there is no darkness at all.
Jesus is the light in His purity and in His sinlessness. Jesus is the light in the joy that He gives us and provides for us in the midst of our sorrow. He is the light of hope that He provides us when He takes us out of our hopeless situations. When we look back We often forget They passed interventions of God. We really do.
We don't think of the yeah, yeah, God did that, but but I'm really focusing on the darkness of this moment. And David says, get out of that by looking back. and how God intervened in your life in the past.
Now, whether you had faced health challenges and God has come in and gave you strength, whether you have faced business problems, whether you have faced relationship problems, whether you have faced financial problems, wherever you have been, and there God had come and intervened in your life, when you look back at those moments in your past objectively, you will discover and you will think, How could that God who got me out of the darkness of the past cannot get me out of this one? When you remind yourself of that, you cannot help but be encouraged and lifted up. And that's exactly what David is saying. The Lord is my light and my salvation. Whom shall I fear?
The word salvation here also can be translated Delivered. It could be translated a stronghold, or it could be translated refuge. And the psalmist is saying, because God delivered me before. I fear not the present. Because God was a stronghold for me in the past, I do not fear the future.
Because God showed Himself to be strong on my behalf in the past, therefore I cannot be terrified by the threats of the present. Because God acted on my behalf in the past, and therefore, no matter how bleak it may look. He will act on my behalf in the future. Proverbs 18, 10. The name of the Lord is a strong tower.
The righteous runs into it and they are safe. Beloved, beloved, listen to me. The God who brought you to salvation. Who opened your spiritual eyes and made you recognize that you need him For salvation, that you are a sinner and heading for hell, and without him, you cannot make it. The God who did all of this.
The God who redeemed you with the precious blood of His Son, the God who forgave you all of your sins. He is the same God. Who can preserve you here and now and all the way to heaven. The God who delivered you From the condemnation of sin and Satan, the God who canceled all of the wages of your sins, the God who canceled all of your spiritual death. will shield you.
From lives. Present. Buffeting. But you notice David was really under attack in the time when he's writing.
Now he was not sitting in the Riviera sipping iced tea. He was still a Under attack, and that's why he writes these words. Look at verses 2 and 3. He said, but let me give you my translation, okay? The enemy appears to be advancing.
The walls A closing in. The pressure appears to be unbearable. The sound of the enemy's sharpening of his weapons. are deafening me. The sounds of the enemy's horses' hoofs are getting closer and closer.
The enemy's weapons are getting ready to be fired. The enemy's threats, they are severe enough to make a man's heart melt. But Don't be taken by appearances. That's what he's telling us. Because when it comes to the point of actually attacking you and destroying you, they will fall apart.
Even if they're six feet away. they will fall and stumble over their weapons.
Something else I don't want you to miss. David is desperately longing for the presence of God. The presence of God. I don't know. How dark your individual experience is right now.
I don't know. What kind of enemy is surrounding you and surrounding your life right now. How? But I can tell you on the authority of the Word of God. That when you long to be in the presence of the Lord, all of your fears will give way to courage.
All of your terror will give way to confidence. All of your dread will give way to. Exuberance. When you seek the Lord Himself, listen to me. When you seek the Lord Himself, not what He can do for you.
There's nothing wrong with what he can do for you, but when you seek his face and not his hand. When you seek the Lord for who He is. You're gonna have Exuberant confidence. no matter how bleak it may look in your individual life. You know, back in the Old Testament time, They experience the presence of God.
In the temple, before the temple, it was the tent of the Lord. This is where God is.
Now, in the New Testament, we know that God is everywhere. The Holy Spirit indwells us. We can be in the presence of God in our homes, in our cars, wherever we may be. But we tend to really undermine the importance of the presence of God when the body is gathered together. That's why Hebrews said, do not forsake the assembly together.
As some people have a habit of doing. Why? Because there is special blessing, there is a unique blessing, there is special strength in the presence of God as the body of Christ has gathered together. When you seek God, With all of your heart. you will experience exuberant confidence.
David was longing. to be back in Jerusalem. Remember, he's in exile right now. He can't go. To the tent and worship and listen to the psalms sung, and be there in the middle of the worship time.
And he was longing to be there up in Jerusalem in that tent to worship the Lord. Where God was. And he said, This is like being a desperately thirsty man. with parched lips, longing for a drink of water. That's how much he was longing for the presence of God.
Why? Because he knew that in the presence of the Lord there is protection, there is safety, there is comfort, and there is peace of mind. As he faces. His enemies. David was experiencing exuberant confidence, in the Lord and the promises and the faithfulness of God.
But secondly, he was also expressing He was expressing. An entreating cry. Look at verses seven all the way to fourteen. In these verses We see him. Crying to the Lord, entreating God.
Hear my voice when I cry, O Lord. Be merciful and answer me. My heart says to you, seek his face. Your face, Lord, I seek. Do not hide your face from me.
Do not turn your servant away in anger. For you have been my helper. Do not reject me or forsake me, O God, my Savior. For if my father and my mother both forsake me, The Lord receives me. Who of us?
Who of us? in truthfulness. Can say That we have not prayed a prayer like this or words similar to this. At some time in our lives Now I'm talking about times When you have absolute confidence In the faithfulness of God. Even though you're desperate.
I'm talking about times when you have absolute trust in the promises of God, even though you cannot see a single evidence of Him fulfilling those promises right now. You know, what most people don't realize is that fear and faith Our next-door neighbors. Did you know that? They are next door neighbours, they really are. They like to People on the seashore.
When faith is up Fear is down. And when fear is up, Faith. is down. One moment you are encouraged. And you know.
That God's promises are for you. The next moment you are crying in prayer, entreating God. Crying to him, saying, God, when will you answer me? I know that in reading of this Psalm, most people. Their eyes go straight to verse 10.
And uh there's a reason for that. Though my father and my mother both forsake me, The Lord will receive me. Listen, hear me right on this one because there is a reason for that. Good reason. Most people I'm not saying all people, but most people.
have experienced rejection at some time Or another. Feeling of rejection can be dreadful. Feeling of rejection can be Terrible. Especially if that rejection comes from someone who is dear and near to you. I'm talking about Those who have experienced disappointments With parents.
Always children. A spouse. A dear friend or a business partner. Who turn on ya? And when you are in the depth of this Dark pit of rejection.
The devil basically do his dirty work. very well at those moments specially. And he will come to you and they say, you know, That person is not the only one who rejected you. God has rejected you as well. And when you get in this Deep pit and you Get the thought that God has rejected you, or God has forgotten you, or God doesn't care about you.
What happened? You dig even a deeper pit. But there's another reason why. Verse 10. ministers to all of us.
Look at it carefully. Because the ideal parent The ideal parents are the ones who provide acceptance, they provide guidance, they provide. Listening. ears and listening heart to their children. They provide protection to their children.
That's the ideal parent. And And those are the very things that David is asking the Lord for. You notice that? Those are the very things he's asking for. He's saying, Don't forsake me too, Lord.
Don't hide your face from me. Don't reject me. Don't forsake me. Please listen carefully.
Now, David knew the character of God. He experienced that firsthand in the Adulum cave and all over the desert of Israel. He knew deep down that God could never reject him, that God could never forsake him, that God could never desert him. But in the depth of his feeling of rejection, he projects his thoughts on God. How many of us have done that?
And then he catches himself. Look at verse 11. Lord, guide me out of this oppressive situation. God never too busy for you. God is never too preoccupied for you.
God never takes his eyes off you. God never slumbers nor sleep. God never forsakes nor forgets you. God is never too late and is never too early. He's always on time.
Amen. Give him praise. Give him praise. Amen. And that is why David prayed in confidence.
because he knew that God's delay does not mean his denial. Just as a child feel safe and secure and protected by His or her parents David is saying, verse twelve, Lord, I know. That you will not turn me over to those who seek to destroy me. Lord, I know that there are bullies in the schoolyard, there are bullies in the neighborhood, there are bullies at the workplace, there are bullies everywhere. There is a big, major bully called Satan who is like a lion crawling around looking for someone to devour.
But, Lord, because I know that under your protection program, I am absolutely sure that the devil may bark, but he can never bite. Because on the cross, Jesus knocked his teeth out. Amen. Did David get what he was asking for? Did he get acceptance?
Did he get a hearing? Did he get protected? Absolutely. He did. And that is why he ends where he began with exuberant confidence.
Look at verse 13. He said, I am confident of this, I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.
Now some people think that's in heaven. That's not what it says here. In the land of the living, that's not talking about heaven, he's talking about here and now. And then he concludes. In fact, we know from history that he got restored to the throne.
We know that. God answered all of his prayers, but God's delays are not his denials. He concludes, oh, he said, by the way. Yeah. One thing I learned In all of this experience, Through my pain and experience of rejection, there's one thing I learned.
You know, always learn from God. What is his purpose in this? Don't just rush with things and say, Okay, get me out, God, get me out, God. Just say, God, what can I learn from this? David said, I've learned.
I learned that God's timing is different than mine. He said, I learned that God's purpose is greater than mine. I've learned that God's plan is bigger than mine. I've learned that God's answer is sweeter than my expectations. He said, I've learned that God's solutions are far better than mine.
I've learned that God's blessings are far more extensive than my wildest imagination. All you need to do, verse 14. The last verse, all you need to do, he says, Trust him and and wait. Trust him. And wait.
I often think of a generous benefactor or a great king would promise you something. Would you not With a great deal of expectations, wait, and believing that somehow he's gonna keep his word, how much more God? How much more got? The Lord is my light and my salvation. Whom shall I fear?
And the answer is. There we go. Amen. Thank you for joining Dr. Michael Youssef for Leading the Way Audio.
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