6. Overcoming Stress, Psalm 27

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Hymns: RHC 117 In Tenderness He Sought Me, 56 Jesus, the Very Thought of Thee, 70 Jesus, I am Resting

Overcoming Stress

Psalm 27:1-14

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? 2 When the wicked, even mine enemies and my foes, came upon me to eat up my flesh, they stumbled and fell. 3 Though an host should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear: though war should rise against me, in this will I be confident.

4 One thing have I desired 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 behold the beauty of the Lord, and to enquire in his temple. 5 For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion: in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me; he shall set me up upon a rock. 6 And now shall mine head be lifted up above mine enemies round about me: therefore will I offer in his tabernacle sacrifices of joy; I will sing, yea, I will sing praises unto the Lord.

7 Hear, O Lord, when I cry with my voice: have mercy also upon me, and answer me. 8 When thou saidst, Seek ye my face; my heart said unto thee, Thy face, Lord, will I seek. 9 Hide not thy face far from me; put not thy servant away in anger: thou hast been my help; leave me not, neither forsake me, O God of my salvation.

10 When my father and my mother forsake me, then the Lord will take me up. 11 Teach me thy way, O Lord, and lead me in a plain path, because of mine enemies. 12 Deliver me not over unto the will of mine enemies: for false witnesses are risen up against me, and such as breathe out cruelty.

13 I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. 14 Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord. Psalm 27:1-14 (KJV)

 

OUTLINE

  • Help unfailing (v1-3)
  • Worship De-stressing (v4-6)
  • Prayer Relieving (v7-12)
  • Faith Waiting (v13-14)

 

INTRODUCTION

A study was made by the Mayo Clinic in the US concerning the physical effects of stress. These are the findings[1]:

The report observes, “Stress symptoms may be affecting your health, even though you might not realize it. You may think illness is to blame for that nagging headache, your frequent insomnia or your decreased productivity at work. But stress may actually be the culprit.

Common effects of stress …
… On your body … On your mood … On your behaviour
     Headache

Muscle tension or pain

Chest pain

Fatigue

Stomach upset

Sleep problems

        Anxiety

Restlessness

Lack of motivation or focus

Irritability or anger

Sadness or depression

           Overeating or under-…..  eating

Angry outbursts

Drug or alcohol abuse

Tobacco use

Social withdrawal

Indeed, stress symptoms can affect your body, your thoughts and feelings, and your behaviour. Being able to recognize common stress symptoms can give you a jump on managing them. Stress that’s left unchecked can contribute to health problems such as high blood pressure, heart disease, obesity and diabetes…Also, if you have chest pain, especially if it occurs during physical activity or is accompanied by shortness of breath, sweating, dizziness, nausea, or pain radiating into your shoulder and arm, get emergency help immediately. These may be warning of a heart attack and not simply stress symptoms.”[2]

Serveral years ago, the Lord brought me to visit a home for the destitute. Here, I met with an elderly gentleman undergoing a state of depression that saddened my heart. He shared with me that his four children had abandoned him. He had sacrificially supported all four of them through tertiary education in the United States. His eldest son has a PhD with a double first honours. The irony is that they have now refused their responsibility to care for their aged father. Several months ago, he attempted to kill himself from the 7th floor of a building. A Christian lady stopped him in time and dissuaded him. A Christian worker from the home is giving him bible study. He has agreed to come to church each Lord’s Day for the last 3 months.

One Thursday night, the Lord brought me to visit a Christian couple. The husband has experienced a stroke that caused him to lose the use of one hand and has since spent more than S$30,000 on physiotherapy. He was obese. He has since lost more than 30 kg. Still he is more than 80 kg. He is the worldwide Finance Manager for multi-billion leading electronics company. He says that he has no time to even go to the wash room at times.

How does a Christian cope with the pressure that is placed upon him in his family and work as he seeks to glorify God as a living epistle of God’s grace? The secret is his relationship with His God. Psalm 27 teaches us this…

(1) Help unfailing (v1-3)

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? 2 When the wicked, even mine enemies and my foes, came upon me to eat up my flesh, they stumbled and fell. 3 Though an host should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear: though war should rise against me, in this will I be confident.

The psalmist tells us his fears and how he overcame fear in his life. The secret is that he started with his LORD. The psalmist begins his writing with the LORD and ends with the LORD as the last word. HE is the first and the last, the beginning and the end. Where does the LORD stand in your life?

The beginning of help is when we acknowledge that God is in sovereign control over our lives, having the power to provide, protect and preserve from all troubles that can come our way. The LORD is our anchor. This relationship with God takes away our fears and anxious care. He is light in darkness and He truly can save us from our troubles (v1). Is He your strength? How can He be your strength? It is by knowing who He is!

Putting mine enemies in their place in my heart is the sense of verses 2-3. When fear grips and overwhelms our heart, we see that our problem is bigger than God. But if God is truly God, then our problems must not be beyond God’s help! It is a logical and comforting thought. Having a correct perspective of God in our heart will help us to put our enemies in their place.

The children’s chorus be embraced by simple faith “My God is so big, so strong and so mighty, that’s nothing my God cannot do.” That invisible God of the Bible can do all things. He is in full control and He has the ability to help me to yet triumph with Him. We need to come to acknowledge this by consciously taking God at His Word, the psalmist testimony, our testimony.

MacArthur observes well, “Fifty-six times in the Bible the word almighty is used. Always it is used of god; never of anyone else. God is all powerful, or omnipotent. Again we are forced to use a negative to explain the concept: there is nothing He can’t do. That is a staggering idea. There is no bounds to His power.”[3]

The psalmist is confident in God’s ability to help him yet again.

Isaiah 40:28 Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary?…

(2) Worship De-stressing (v4-6)

4 One thing have I desired 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 behold the beauty of the Lord, and to enquire in his temple. 5 For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion: in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me; he shall set me up upon a rock. 6 And now shall mine head be lifted up above mine enemies round about me: therefore will I offer in his tabernacle sacrifices of joy; I will sing, yea, I will sing praises unto the Lord.

Worship is the secret to spiritual and mental health. A man alienated from His Creator God is lost. Worship helps him to surrender himself to God. The words of godly hymns sung ministers to his heart, the preaching of God’s Word provides solutions to life’s troubles, the partaking of the Lord’s Supper helps us to make right with God, prayer helps us to gives all our troubles to Him and allowing Him to help us.

Life is full of trouble. Each week when we appear before God in worship, it is as if things can fall apart. But when we come before the awe and majesty of God in worship, we are connected with the power of omnipotence ministering strength to our hearts. That is why the psalmist is able to say with conviction, “the Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?” (v1). Although problems are still there, we come away with peace and joy in the heart when we surrender our problems to Him and entrust Him to help us solve them.

Do you have the habit of attending mid-week prayer meeting? After the high point of worship on the Lord’s Day, the mid-week prayer meeting is the Christian’s confident booster. It helps to lift his spirit to renew his trust in God.

The psalmist discovers for us that coming to God in worship is a great delight for him. Is this your experience? If it’s not, no wonder, we trudge along in our Christian life.

A pavilion provides shade and temporary shelter for the weary traveller (v5). A rock provides a solid foundation, protection and security. Much of the Old Testament imagery has the desert as its backdrop. The sight of a rock in a barren, sun-parched wilderness lifted the spirits of the hot and weary traveller. David was a fugitive in the desert and he worshipped God as the Rock in whom he found shelter (2 Samuel 22:1-4).

God is a safe refuge, utterly secure and dependable. Is this your experience? The LORD protects the psalmist from his enemies by hiding him in “the secret of His tabernacle”, the dwelling place of God. The LORD lifts him up above the reach of his enemies.

In our distresses, we can sing the hymns of God’s promises that uplift our hearts. The chorus “I Know the Lord will Make a Way for me” is very encouraging for the heart as we call unto our Lord, He will show to us the light at the end of the tunnel of our trial.

I know the Lord will make a way for me (2x)

If I look to Him in prayer, darkest night will turn to day

I know the Lord will make a way for me.

John Sung chorus is another, “Only Jesus, Only Jesus”.

Only Jesus, only Jesus

Only He can satisfy

All my burdens are turned to blessings

When I know my Lord is nigh.

 

(3) Prayer Reliving (v7-12)

7 Hear, O Lord, when I cry with my voice: have mercy also upon me, and answer me. 8 When thou saidst, Seek ye my face; my heart said unto thee, Thy face, Lord, will I seek. 9 Hide not thy face far from me; put not thy servant away in anger: thou hast been my help; leave me not, neither forsake me, O God of my salvation. 10 When my father and my mother forsake me, then the Lord will take me up. 11 Teach me thy way, O Lord, and lead me in a plain path, because of mine enemies. 12 Deliver me not over unto the will of mine enemies: for false witnesses are risen up against me, and such as breathe out cruelty.

We now come to the details for stress relief. How was the psalmist able to relief his arching heart? It is by crying to God in prayer. He pleaded with importunity, persisting in prayer. He pleaded for God’s mercy (v7). He realises that he is an undeserving sinner before God. God’s mercy is the outworking of His love. It does not fail for it is the character of God to love His children with an everlasting love. He articulated his troubles before God.

He was obedient to draw nigh to his LORD (v8). He examines his heart and confesses his sins, making right with God (v9).

1 John 2:1 My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:

Be aware of your sins. Confess them.

 1 John 2:12 I write unto you, little children, because your sins are forgiven you for his name’s sake.

 Be aware that your sins have been forgiven when you confess them.

The words “seek” (v8), “teach” (v11a) and “lead” (11b) in the imperative are the deliberate actions of the heart to surrendering our will to God’s will for our lives.

The Word of God is the Christian’s infallible wisdom and guide. Are you spending time in the study of God’s Word? Oftentimes, Christians give in to their troubles because they have not the wherewithal to find solutions from God’s Word.

A seminar was conducted on how to study the Bible several years back. This is crucial. We need to spare no effort to dig deep into God’s Word for divine wisdom to solve life’s problems. Study the Proverbs – a chapter a day for wisdom in practical Christian living.

(4) Faith Waiting (v13-14)

13 I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. 14 Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord.

 God’s goodness is received by faith (v 13). The psalmist trusted in the goodness of God. He therefore, will see God’s blessings upon him by faith. Trusting God requires us to put our stake with God as our only help. Then we will behold His glory.

Patience in trial begets overcoming strength (v 14). Three imperatives in this last verse, “wait”, “he shall strengthen” and “wait” seek to still the tumultuous heart. All will be well. To wait is to hope in God. He will surely do good to those who loves Him.

By way of application, Charles Swindoll learnt in Seminary this lesson of waiting upon God in this way in preparation, “I also learn the hard way about a concept later described by Dr Richard Swenson as “margin”. If you think of your life as a glass, and your responsibilities as the liquid it contains, margin is the empty space between the surface of the liquid and the rim of the glass. Margin – that all-important empty space – is the place of residence of patience, your creativity, your feelings of contentment, your ability to cope with stress…including your ability to learn. Information does in easier and it stays longer when you have margin. And in many ways, that’s where learning has the greatest opportunity to become life changing. Preparing properly requires sufficient room to think, to relax, to pray, to breathe … I also discovered that excellence demands margin. I survived that semester (21 credits + 2 audits + new born first child) and even managed to retain much of what I had learned only because I hadn’t begun that period of intense pressure already exhausted. I knew I couldn’t continue such a maddening pace and turn in excellent work. So, I made a conscious decision in my next semester to slow down and reduce my load. You can get by when you’re stretched to the limits, but to become excellent in any given area – to rise to your own potential consistently – you must be healthy, rested, and focused, not preoccupied with stress, or rushed with deadlines, or ruled by the tyranny of the urgent.”

To wait upon the LORD, is to give time to seek God’s ways and doing in God’s strength. May this be our life style!

CONCLUSION

Let us not look to the world for solutions in life. God’s Word is sufficient. He is our all sufficient Helper. Come to Him in worship. Seek Him in prayer. We shall receive victory by an overcoming faith that is patient.

[1] Edited from http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/stress-symptoms/SR00008_D

[2] Ibid.

[3] John MacArthur, Worship: The Ultimate Priority, Moody Publishers, 1983, 87.