What Can I Do When Trouble Overwhelms Me?
PSALM TWENTY-SEVEN
In this lesson we will learn how to rely on God during crises.
OVERVIEW
David spoke about trouble in the famous 27th Psalm. When he wrote this, he was probably running from Saul in fear. Some have suggested that he may have written it when Absalom, his son, took the throne of Israel away from him. Whenever it was written, we do know the 27th Psalm is the personal testimony of a man who is in trouble. Despite the many moods reflected in this Psalm, it is quite evident the psalmist knew what to do when trouble visited his life. We shouldn’t be surprised if, on occasion, it visits our lives, too.
This deeply spiritual Psalm is easily divided into two sections. Verses 1–6 give the psalmist’s testimony of how he dealt with fear and trouble. Then, almost as an illustration for us, verses 7–14 are a prayer David prayed when he was in trouble.
Express Your Faith
David said in verse 1, “The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?” We know David is in trouble and fear is knocking on his door. The rest of the Psalm speaks of his enemies and trouble. Yet, here he is expressing his faith out loud and aggressively. He is saying what he knows, even though his feelings don’t match what he’s expressing.
When the disciples were in a boat with Jesus and He was asleep, storms came and waves began to rise. The disciples were terrified, and finally one of them cried out, “Teacher, do you not care if we perish?” Jesus raised His arms, and said, “Peace be still,” and the storm subsided. Then he turned and rebuked His disciples, saying, “Why are you afraid? Have you no faith?”
He was reminding them that He was with them. We can’t have a blind kind of simple faith that’s not objectively attached to anything and get through fear. Jesus was saying that as a believer in Him, you don’t go through trouble alone. In the midst of his trouble, David can say, “The Lord is my light and my salvation, and I know that I don’t have to be afraid.”
I find that when trouble visits my life, I often need to speak out loud what I’m not really too sure about in my feelings. I say, “Lord, I don’t really feel like this is true, but I know You are my strength. You are my salvation.” By expressing your faith during the time of trouble, you take the first step toward healing and wholeness.
Extend Your Faith
I want you to notice that secondly David moved from expressing his faith to extending his faith. I once read a secular management book that suggested writing catastrophe reports. In the midst of your trouble, you sit down with a yellow pad of paper, imagine the worst result you could have from the trouble you’re experiencing, and write it in detail. When you read it aloud, you realize this problem probably won’t get that bad, and you start feeling better.
David has written a catastrophe report in this Psalm. He’s extended his fear to its logical boundaries. Notice he says in verse 3 he won’t fear if an army camps against him. He’ll be confident even if war rises against him.
Sometimes we spend so much time talking about what’s wrong in our lives, we don’t take enough time to express our faith and say, “Lord, even if this bad situation got ten times worse, You would still be there for me. I have confidence in this. You are the God of the extremes in my life.” Express your faith and then extend your faith.
Experience Your Faith
In verses 4 and 5, David talks about experiencing his faith. He says, “One thing I have desired of the Lord, that will I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in His temple. For in the time of trouble, He shall hide me in His pavilion; in the secret place of His tabernacle He shall hide me; He shall set me high upon a rock.”
This is a wonderful, rich verse. David has now whittled his life down to one thing. He says, “One thing I have desired of the Lord, that will I seek.” It reminds me of Philippians 3:13, 14 where Paul says, “… one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”
David says the one thing he’ll do when trouble comes is center his thoughts on God. He’ll go into the temple, the sanctuary, where God is. He’ll meditate on the beauty of God and spend time with God’s people.
As I mentioned in lesson seven, when problems come to most people, the first thing they do is quit coming to church where they would have been confronted with the Word of God. What David says was critical to him during his time of trouble is what many people drop immediately when trouble descends. David speaks about it openly before his people and says, “In the midst of my trouble, I come to the Lord’s house.” At this time, the temple wasn’t even built yet, so David went to a tent. The temple, for David, was the place where the Ark of the Covenant was kept. It was where the presence of God was expressed. So what David said was essentially, “When my enemies encamp around me, and I feel trouble pressing in upon me, the one thing I won’t ever do is let it get between God and me.” He’s like a military man who’s found a refuge, a fortress.
If you allow trouble to come between you and God, it will move you away from Him. But if you refuse to let trouble separate you from God, it will stay on the outside and be a force that pushes you toward God. It all depends on where you let the trouble come into your life.
Enjoy Your Faith
Not only do we need to experience our faith, but verse 6 says we need to enjoy our faith. “And now my head shall be lifted up above mine enemies all around me; therefore, I will offer sacrifices of joy in His tabernacle; I will sing, yes, I will sing praises to the Lord.”
Praise is not just worship; praise is also warfare. What David is saying is that when we feel least like worshipping God, that’s when we need to worship Him most.
Have you ever seen people with so much trouble their heads are down? Have you felt that way? You face a confrontation and it goes wrong. You walk away from there with your head down. Very graphic, isn’t it? The Bible says when you face trouble and you worship, that worship becomes the lifter of your head. You could walk into church with the burdens of the world on you, and when you get caught up in the worship of the Lord, it’s almost like God just lifts your head right up.
Worship makes God big in your heart. Is God big? Yes. He can’t get any bigger than he is. I mean, God is God. He’s the ultimate bigness. But worship magnifies God; it puts awareness of who God is into your heart so you begin to sense and appreciate the greatness of almighty God. When you see His greatness and you put your trouble in that picture, everything changes. When you measure your trouble against others, you might be depressed, but when you measure your trouble against the greatness and magnificence of God, that’s a great thing. No wonder your head gets lifted.
Those are the principles David tells us in verses 1–6 of Psalm 27. Then in verses 7–14, he prays.
Respond to God
When we study this prayer, we understand how to pray when trouble comes. In verse 7, David says, “Hear, O Lord, when I cry with my voice! Have mercy also upon me, and answer me. When You said, ‘Seek My face,’ My heart said to You, ‘Your face, Lord, I will seek.’ ” True prayer in time of trouble is really a response to God calling us. Isn’t it interesting that even when trouble overwhelms us, some of us aren’t prone to take the first step toward God? We’re stubborn. The Bible calls us “stiff-necked.” When trouble comes, we have an incredible urge to try to work it out ourselves. Sometimes God’s the last option on a long list of options.
David says that in the midst of his trouble, he heard God say, “Seek my face, David.” David obeyed. In every difficult situation, there’s always a time in the midst of it when the voice of God speaks to us and says to us, “Seek My face.” When this happens to you, respond. True prayer in time of trouble is really a response to God.
Rely on God
True prayer in time of trouble relies upon God’s provision. David says in verses 9 and 10, “Do not hide Your face from me; do not turn Your servant away in anger; You have been my help; do not leave me or forsake me, O God of my salvation. When my father and my mother forsake me, then the Lord will take care of me.” David realizes how dependent he is on God, so dependent that he said, “God, even if it were true that my father and my mother could forsake me, I know that You would take care of me.” David’s father and mother never forsook him. He’s using it as an illustration. Even if his mom and dad kicked him out and disowned him, he knows God would never do that. When David wrote this Psalm, he may not have known about the break-up of the family in our day, but his words can comfort those whose parents have rejected them because of their faith in God. Even if your mother and father forsake you, God will be there to provide for you. He is your father, your Heavenly Father.
Resign to God’s Will
David’s prayer is a prayer of humble submission to God’s will. In verse 11, he says, “Teach me Your way, O Lord, and lead me in a smooth path, because of my enemies.” David’s not trying to sort out his trouble himself. David isn’t saying, “Lord, I’ve figured out my way, now You bless it.” He’s saying, “Here’s a blank sheet of paper. I have no idea how to get out of this trouble. You fill in the page. I’ll sign the bottom of it, Lord.”
Perhaps because of some experiences I’ve been having in my own life, I almost came out of my chair when I understood what David said in verse 13: “I would have lost heart, unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.” David’s not talking about seeing the goodness of the Lord in the sky by and by. He’s talking about seeing it in the land of the living, here and now. It’s as if David is saying, “I would have fainted. I would have given up. I would have lost my will to go on, if I had not believed I would see your hand of goodness in the here and now.”
I don’t have to debate with you about the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. We expect that as God’s people, but sometimes we don’t see it because we don’t look for it. I’ve been keeping track of the goodness of God in the land of my living. I keep a little journal in which I write things God does. My list is growing. When I’m in trouble and my faith gets down to a flickering flame, I open up my journal and read my list that shows the goodness of God in the land of my living. It has been a great encouragement to me. If we don’t recognize the goodness of God, our prayers will be anemic.
Remain Calm During Delays
God isn’t on our time schedule. We need to remain calm when God delays. Sometimes when we pray, “Lord, help,” He doesn’t do it right away. In verse 14 the psalmist says, “Wait on the Lord; be of good courage; and He shall strengthen your heart; wait, I say, on the Lord!”
When trouble comes express, extend, experience, and enjoy your faith. When you pray in times of trouble, respond to God, rely on Him, resign to His will, and remain calm until His help arrives. All of these principles are available to you just like they were to David. You can write your own Psalm, and God will hear you.
APPLICATION
1. In Mark 4:17, whom does Jesus say will immediately stumble when tribulation or persecution arise?
What does Jeremiah 17:8 say about the roots of a person who trusts and hopes in the Lord?
2. How does 2 Timothy 2:3 say we must endure hardship?
What does Nahum 1:7 say God is when you’re in trouble?
The dictionary defines that as “a fortress” and “a place of survival.”
3. Why does Paul say, in Romans 5:3, that we glory in tribulation?
Verse 4 says this causes what chain reaction?
4. In times of trouble, it helps to remember to turn to God because, as Paul says, in Romans 15:5, He is the God of what?
In 2 Corinthians 7:4, how does Paul say he feels during tribulation?
5. Turn to Proverbs 3:5 and answer these questions.
How much should you trust God?
What does this verse say about trying to figure out solutions to your own problems?
If you acknowledge God in all areas of your life, what will He do?
6. Think about a trial you’re facing, and then ask yourself what Paul asks in Romans 8:35.
In verse 37 Paul says we are more than conquerors. How?
DID YOU KNOW?
The book of Psalms has several contributing authors: David, Asaph, the sons of Korah, Heman and Ethan the Ezrahites, and Moses. These authors account for approximately one hundred of the psalms. The remaining passages are attributed to anonymous writers. It seems likely that the compilation of Psalms was begun under David or Solomon and completed around the time of Nehemiah and Ezra, some five hundred years later.
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