Lord—Help! | David Jeremiah

Lane Mikheil a senior adult ventured out of  his house during the corona virus pandemic to   get a few supplies at his local grocery store in  Georgetown Tennessee he'd been shut in for some   time but his disability check had finally arrived  and well just needed some food and staples and so   when he reached the checkout counter his bill  was 173 dollars as he counted his money he was   surprised to find himself thirty three dollars  short maybe you've had a similar experience it's   an embarrassing moment well Mikheil quickly began  grabbing things to put back on the shelf but the   17 year old cashier stopped him her name was  iconically Elizabeth Taylor reaching for her   purse the teenager paid Mikheil total bill out  of her own money when someone asked her why she   did it Taylor said it was all essential stuff she  said we've seen a lot of older people and they're   all trying to buy groceries and a lot of places  have run out of the stuff and so the older people   are kind of taking the downfall for that I just  wanted to give back when I could you know life   often catches us short it's embarrassing to find  ourselves needing help but we all need all the   help we can get especially like in times like now  in times of crisis we all need grace grace that's   more than sufficient and so many of the Psalms are  written for pilgrims needing help on the path of   life as we have read Psalm 121 we can hear the  psalmist's crying out lord I need supplies for   my journey I need help I need guidance I've lost  my way can't you show me the right way to go can't   you meet my needs in this beautiful Psalm of just  eight verses were encouraged to trust God even   when life gives us what we haven't haven't asked  for the confidence expressed in some 121 is rooted   in the grandeur of the psalmist vision of God the  maker of heaven earth the Lord who can be trusted   to help us at every point along the journey  through the sunny passages as well as the darker   treks through forests of night the psalmist lifts  his eyes to the hills above and sees the one who   was not only the destination of the journey but  also the strength for every step of it in spite   of all the perils we encounter the mountainous  Craig's and the desert wastelands I want to tell   you you can trust the Lord he's awesome we feel  small and insignificant but the psalmist assures   us that God bridges the gap he is never too great  to care and we are never too small for his caring   the psalm reflects on a God who soothes us in  our anxiety and watches over us as a shepherd   with his sheep as you hold your Bible open to  this wonderful chapter you find these important   words in superscription at the very top says a  song of a sense what does that mean well there   are 15 of these special Psalms and the first of  them is Psalm 128 Junt days the Israelites would   travel to Jerusalem for feast days at the temple  and coming from whatever distant town they called   home the pilgrims would make the long journey  by foot walking with their families and friends   enjoying their holiday travel they were eager  for good times in the holy city seeing friends   again over the feast and making sacrifices to  God scholars believe that the songs of a sense   were written to be sung along the road from the  lowlands of Palestine all the way up to Jerusalem   as the travelers walked up that natural incline  the uphill Trek to Jerusalem they'd sing another   of these joyful Psalms at each new level in fact  if you read them in order you can almost see the   stages of the journey moving onward and upward  toward the temple where the people would arrive   for the worship of God these Psalms are the music  of the uphill journey we've seen something of the   historical context but of course these Psalms are  alive not limited to ancient history for us today   the pilgrimage songs become metaphors for our own  spiritual journey though we don't often attend   sacred feasts in Jerusalem the road we walk takes  us from the lowlands of our present circumstances   to the higher place to which God has called us and  the songs of a sense contain essential truths for   our journey through this life as we make our way  to be with God forever we can quickly grasp their   symbolism and find deep encouragement in these  little songs let's begin first of all in the first   two verses of this Psalm with the possibilities  for help on our journey the Bible never lies to   us by claiming that life is easy Christianity is  no free pass there are no shortcuts to bypass the   essential human experience but somehow people  get that mistaken idea and when they eventually   face trouble as they always do they come to the  irrational conclusion that the presence of trouble   implies the absence of God and a greater mistake  could not be imagined God's Word reminds us that   we are Pilgrims and strangers in a foreign land  whose roads are filled with hazards the road is   long and weary and dangerous it winds through the  veils of Tears and acres of muck and mire but the   long and winding road finally comes to the City  of God the place of joy and feasting simply stated   that's the biblical view of life in the world  so where do we go to find traveler's assistance   well first of all we can look around for help  the psalmist says I will lift up my eyes to the   hills he has prepared for his journey through the  mountains to Jerusalem and as he enters the road   he takes a moment to gaze up to the horizon he  thinks of the miles ahead the twists and the turns   and the surprises the old friends and the new ones  whose acquaintances he will make he thinks of the   dust and the heat the darkness and the thirsty  miles he admires the graceful line where the   mountains embrace the sky I don't know about you  but I've always been intrigued by the prominence   of mountains in the Bible many great things  happened on mountaintops the sacrifice of Isaac   on Mount Moriah the giving of the law on Mount  Sinai the Transfiguration of Christ the message   of Mount Olivet Elijah's prophetic showdown on  Mount Carmel and of course all of history turns   on a crucifixion one dark Friday on Mount Calvary  climactic moments in the biblical narrative always   seemed to seek higher ground and there's something  grand and majestic about mountains they set the   landscape and the people in context something  about the majesty of mountains invokes the   majesty of God that happens in the scriptures to  listen to isaiah 55:12 for you shall go out with   joy and be led out with peace the mountains and  the hills shall break forth into singing before   you or Psalm 125 one and two those who trust in  the Lord are loud like Mount Zion which cannot be   moved but abides forever as the mountains surround  Jerusalem so the Lord surrounds his people from   this time forth forever there are many passages in  the Old Testament that described the mountains as   a place of blessing but in ancient times mountains  were also sites of danger and hardship their rocks   and caves hid wild animals and bloodthirsty  bandits pagan cultures built their temples in   the mountains yes godly pilgrims found a sense  of majesty in the high country but they also   a sense of danger and a fear of the unknown the  Lord God could be sought there but pagan gods were   a shrine enshrined there as well so the psalmist  must have thought of these things reflecting on   the many meanings of mountains he gazed upward at  the onset of the journey and he said I will look   to the hills we can look around for help or we can  look within read again what the psalmist writes in   the first words of his some I will lift up my eyes  to the hills from whence comes my help take a good   look at that first verse the psalmist says I will  lift up my eyes to the hills from whence comes my   help the New King James Version has corrected  the punctuation but I used to miss read this   I used to read it like this I will lift up mine  eyes unto the hills from whence comes my help I   used to conclude that we look for help from the  mountains but that's not what the psalm says at   all the writer makes this statement I will lift  up my eyes to the hills he breaks off and then he   asks a question from whence comes my help what  a difference the dash makes the traveler looks   to the hills and then he looks inward and as  he looks in word he asks himself this question   where am I going to find help he feels all the  hesitancy and concern many of us feel before we   set out on a long journey traveling as a measure  of insecurity about it we all know that what if   something happens while I'm out of town who can  I turn to this is what writers call an internal   monologue and what you and I call talking to  ourselves is that a healthy thing to do well   the fact is we do it all the time our Psalm 121  traveler is talking to himself he feels a little   anxiety about getting through the high hills to  arrive at the faraway Jerusalem and he naturally   thinks will anybody help me if I get sick or if  I'm attacked or I run out of money he looks around   and been he looks within he looks around to the  hills he looks within to his own heart and then   finally he looks above what does it mean to look  above well when you look above you're looking at   God you're looking at God to find out where is  your help and where can it come how do you find   God it's not from within when you look within  you are going to be disappointed because you   don't have the answers you can't find your way but  if you look above you will find God we can look   around and we can look within or we can look above  in the second verse we find the solid foundation   of this Psalm my help comes from the Lord who made  heaven and earth at last the psalmist comes to the   point that provides the essence of his song he's  telling himself I've looked up to the mountains   and I find no help I've looked within and I find  no guidance but finally I've looked up and I've   realized the source of my help it comes from no  one but God what a lesson for life's travelers on   this earth my help comes from the Lord I remember  when I was in the hospital suffering from cancer   one night it was three o'clock actually in the  morning I was just laying there looking up and   I was reminded that one of the things hospitals  do to you they they limit your vision the only   thing I could do at that moment was to look up  I couldn't look around I was too tired to look   within but I could look up and I didn't just see  the ceiling I realized I was a child of God and   that he was caring for me the Lord is described  here in this psalmist the God who made heaven   and earth isn't that interesting the power of this  statement is wrapped up in the idea that since God   is the creator of all things and since all things  are his handiwork his power should never be quite   gende the creator has made everything we can see  or touch or imagine when we cast our hopes on him   we're not only coming to a God who cares but a God  who can so on that day when your journey begins   you're face to face with disaster you'll be filled  with an unaccustom'd sense of helplessness you'll   cry out lord I need help and in your moment of  deep anxiety remember this the one to whom you are   praying is the one who made heaven and earth he is  the creator god I don't know what kind of problem   you may be facing in the weariness of your journey  or in the coronavirus that we face but I'm certain   it can seem all but insurmountable but take a deep  breath and take a new look in the perspective of   the one who created and sustains every atom of the  universe that thought renews our strength to carry   on the possibilities for help on our journey are  not in the hills and they're not within there from   the Lord on high and then verses three through  eight of our Psalm give us the promise of help   on our journey this Psalm is so wonderful because  it's so easy to see the organization of it and in   this section the psalmist uses 8 small verses to  make three immense points that are so valuable   to our journey toward those hills we will all  stand as he did looking down that road and up   those mountains your heart will cry out to God  and here's what you'll need to remember first of   all the Lord perceives you notice verses 3 & 4 he  will not allow your foot to be moved he who keeps   you will not slumber behold he who keeps Israel  shall neither slumber nor sleep now we can't see   God but you need to know that he sees you always  he knows you aren't you glad that God knows who   you are isn't it unbelievable that the God who  made heaven and earth knows you by your name he   knows the very hairs on your head by number Jesus  assures us of that in Matthew 10:30 and that's a   very intimate kind of knowledge believe me I've  been up close and personal with that issue I lost   my hair twice during my battle with cancer and  both times it all came back I'm so glad someone   was keeping inventory God numbers the hairs on  your head don't you think he's up to date on   the larger issues of your life don't you think he  knows exactly how you feel and cares deeply when   you say god I need your help you need to know that  he knows you he perceives you Lloyd John Ogilvie   told a story about Bishop Quayle who was a leader  in the Methodist Church years ago one night the   bishop worked into the early morning hours trying  to finish his work and solve his various problems   it happened that the Bible on his desk was open  to Psalm 121 and at a moment of intense pressure   Quayle was feeling tired and frustrated and  annoyed suddenly his eyes fell on the startling   words that told him God never slumbers that our  Lord watches over us on a 24-hour vigil here was   Bishop Quayle burning the midnight oil worrying  over so many things and God was watching over him   as he worried here was Bishop Quayle working for  God rather than allowing God to work through him   and it came home to the minister with great impact  that such a life was exhausting and ultimately a   losing battle he reported that in his inner being  he heard the Lord say quail there's no need for   both of us to stay up all night I'm gonna stay  up anyway why don't you go to bed and get a good   night's sleep have you ever paced the floor  at night because of your kids your financial   problems maybe during this coronavirus you've lost  your job or you have so many problems maybe you're   sick maybe you have this Cova 19l nasir like me  you worry and you wonder who is taking care of   all of this and then you read in the Bible that  the God in whom you have trusted the one who you   asked for help never sleeps he never takes a day  off he's never out of town you don't even need a   secret cell phone number or an email address  he's always right there he's watching you so   close that you don't even need to call out to  him he's watching over you even as you sleep   because he loves you my late friend Ron Mel wrote  a book shortly before he died and the title of the   book is one of my favorite book titles of all time  here's the title god works the night shift that's   one of the best titles I've heard in a long time  isn't it a great thought that God is always there   no matter when it is that you need him in the  loneliest darkest hour of the night he is there   because he doesn't slumber or sleep yes the Lord  perceives you but secondly the psalmist tells us   that the Lord protects you notice verses five and  six in the sum the Lord is your keeper the Lord   is your shade at your right hand the Sun shall not  strike you by day nor the moon by night and that's   what the scripture says God is the pilgrim's  shade on his right hand and the word shade is   very important because travelers along the ancient  roads in this part of the world felt a great deal   of anxiety about the desert heat sunstroke was a  serious issue if you've ever visited Israel as we   have many times and traveled up the long road to  Masada which we have done you know how stifling   the heat can be and how dry and oppressive I mean  it's enough to drain away every ounce of your   strength and the Bible says God protects us by day  the Sun shall not strike you by day then when the   day is over he will protect us by night verse  six continues nor the moon by night there are   many people that I know and you know who suffer  from night fears nearly every child has begged for   a nightlight aging people often come to fear the  night as well the darkness and the loneliness of   it special terrors for many people and some suffer  from insomnia and the long dark night becomes even   longer a difficult time for them to endure for all  of us who have struggled or been struck by fear   weather of the Sun or the moon or anything else  on the horizon here's the message god is great   he will provide safety for you in the heat of the  day and in the terrors of the night he will never   leave your side the Lord perceives you he sees  you he protects you and then thirdly the Lord   preserves you listen to verses 7 and 8 the Lord  shall preserve you from all evil he shall preserve   your soul the Lord shall preserve your going out  and your coming in from this time forth and even   forevermore this wonderful promise contains four  precious truths the Lord preserves us from evil he   will help us make it through when evil in danger  reared their ugly heads think about the worst   thing that can happen the most evil thing that  could befall you nothing is outside of his control   think about every kind of disaster that terrifies  humanity every one you can name is subject to the   God who preserves bad things do happen but they  happen within his supervision and long-term   purposes it's foolish to believe things have  gotten out of the control simply cannot happen the   Lord preserves us from evil and the Lord preserves  our existence it says he shall preserve your soul   as our pilgrim narrator reassures us that God will  keep our Souls from all harm he uses a particular   word for soul Hebrew writings usually reach for  this word when the meaning is life in other words   God is going to keep your life it doesn't end  when you breathe your last breath there is much   more to the idea of life than the womb to tomb  understanding to which we limit ourselves as we   grieve at a funeral we know we've to a punctuation  mark in someone's life and that's what it is but   that mark is not a period as we assumed but  merely a comma we need put no question mark   on that one you are an eternal creature and  he is the keeper of your existence guarding   your soul through earthly life and eternity as  well the traveler looks at the long road before   him the hills above him and reminds himself that  this is one short journey in the world set within   a joyful journey in God's eternal world that  context lifts his spirit so the Lord preserves   us from evil he preserves our existence and the  Lord preserves us every day I love this phrase   the Lord shall preserve your going out and your  coming in sometimes when I rise in the morning   and take a good look at the schedule blaring at  me from my planner I sigh deeply and feel like   a slave to the world's demands do you ever feel  that way go out come in go out come in the days   begin to look alike as they entangle themselves  in urgent appointments this meeting in the next   meeting and yet God promises to preserve us even  as we go out and we come in which is by the way   a wonderful Old Testament idiom that expresses the  regular routines of life this promise extends even   deeper into the world of everyday responsibilities  maybe you have small children at home you look at   the day and think boy this is just like yesterday  and yesterday was like the day before all I do is   get up in the morning and take care of kids  and wash clothes and clean up their messes   and prepare them for school and run errands all  over town and come home and make dinner and fall   in bed too tired even to sleep then I get up the  next morning and I start all over again in your   darkest moments ladies you begin to wonder is God  involved in all of this does he care at all about   the endless treadmill of my life let me assure  you that he does care he watches over you and   preserves you in your going out and in your coming  in this is a promise that God's Word repeats over   and over so that there may be no question about it  he truly cares the Lord preserves us from evil the   Lord preserves our existence the Lord preserves  us every day our going out and our coming in and   the Lord preserves us eternally the psalmist  proclaims that the Lord will preserve us from   this time forth and even forevermore verse 8 God's  care extends not only to every place and to every   setting but it also spans all of time and eternity  time plays tricks on us Donna and I have talked   about that recently for the child anticipating  Christmas morning it moves like molasses and a   week might as well be a year for an adult the year  seems to fly and we can't believe how quickly each   succeeding one whirls by us we began to see time  as our enemy its accelerating pace frightens and   discourages us if time is cold and uncaring  we think then God must be too but don't ever   think such a terrible thought for it's not so  God cares for us in time and eternity time is   only his tool to bring us wisdom and perspective  the keeper of our lives is God a pious Jew in   today's world keeps certain elements in his home  in keeping with the traditions of his faith and   if you were to visit such a man you'd come to  his door and notice a small metal container on   the outside doorway and also on the inside he  calls this little metal container a mezuzah and   it enshrines for him in a physical way the words  of Deuteronomy chapter 6 and 11 which tell us that   we are to train up our children in the way they  should go and that we are to teach them as they   go out and as they come in so there at the door  way is the mezuzah and as the pious Jew leaves his   home to travel to his place of work he touches  this little metal box with his right hand and   repeats aloud a few of the words contained within  it asking God to preserve him as he goes out and   comes in his final words will always be the Lord  keep you both now and forevermore whether we go   out to travel around the block or around the  world the Lord is our keeper Eugene Peterson   writes about God's watchful care over us in these  words he says the Christian life is not a quiet   escape to a garden where we can walk and talk  uninterruptedly with our Lord nor is it a fantasy   trip to a heavenly City where we can compare blue  ribbons and gold medals with others who have made   it to the winner's circle no he said the Christian  life is going to God and going to God Christians   travel the same ground that everyone else walks  on Christians breathe the same air drink the same   water shop in the same stores and read the same  newspapers our citizens under the same government   pay the same prices for groceries in gasoline  fear the same dangers are subject to the same   pressures get the same de-stresses are hurled  into the same ground but the difference is that   each step we walk each breath we breathe we  know we are preserved by God we know we are   accompanied by God we know we are ruled by God and  therefore no matter what doubts we endure or what   accidents we experience the Lord will preserve us  from evil he will keep our life when the present   time begins to feel treacherous as it has for many  of us in recent days we can smile and look right   past it we can lift our eyes above and take in the  beautiful hills outlined against the horizon and   then we can cast our eyes beyond even those past  the horizon into the face of our Father we know   he loves us we know he watches over us over the  entire journey here and in the next world and no   matter what the future holds no matter what may  lie around the next corner our help comes from   the Lord who loves us nothing can keep us from his  love Parkinson's disease can't do it cancer can't   do it the corona virus doesn't even come close no  matter what it is you're facing whichever way your   road bends whatever obstacle looms before you  in your road that obstacle can't do it either   here's how I know that Romans 8:38 and 39 says it  this way in the words of the Apostle Paul for I am   persuaded that neither death nor life nor Angels  nor principalities nor powers nor things present   nor things to come nor height nor depth nor any  other created thing shall be able to separate us   from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our  Lord that is our promise men and women for what   we're facing now for what we're going through for  what we shall face in the future we serve a God   who has an everlasting love for each one of us who  cares about us more than we could ever understand   and has promised to go with us wherever we go  those promises are given to those who know God and   so the question that you must ask yourself is if  you don't feel the sense of those promises in your   life if you don't feel the security that comes  from a relationship with God maybe it's because   you don't have a relationship with God you say dr.  Jeremiah what does that mean what it means is that   in order to know God to have a relationship with  him not just to know about him you have to become   one of his family you have to join his family  through faith in His Son Jesus Christ you have   to come to God and say to him Lord God forgive  me of my sin forgive me for violating the the   absolutes of your law I want to be forgiven I  want you to let Jesus Christ come into my life   Lord Jesus come and live within me Jesus Christ  as God's only begotten Son who died for you on the   cross and when you invite him to come and live in  your life and forgive your sin he will come in he   never fails to respond to an honest invitation  so wherever you are whatever situation you're   in if you want to know the love and protection  and assurance of Almighty God in your life you   begin with this first step of putting your trust  in Jesus Christ I want to pray a prayer with you   right now and help you do that so wherever you  are if you're able to do it will you bow your   head with me and create out of your space this  Cathedral where we will worship God dear God it   is so frustrating that we are so spread around  all over some of us are in a group and so many   of us are by ourselves and there is within us  this hunger and thirst to know you to be able to   have the confidence that you are involved in our  life and that you care about us so as we gather   in this place and as we open our hearts to you it  is my prayer that you will grant to those who are   listening and watching the faith to believe that  God loves them and Jesus Christ died for them and   that they can become Christians by putting their  trust in you whoever you are wherever you are   simply pray this prayer dear God I need you in  my life I know that you love me I know that you   gave Jesus Christ to be my Savior I accept Jesus  Christ as my savior in this service right now I   invite him to come and live within my heart and in  my life Lord Jesus come into my life I pray and I   will seek to live for you in the days ahead father  I thank you that that prayer which has been prayed   millions of times throughout the years has the  same efficacy today as it did the first time it   was ever prayed that you are not willing that  any should perish but that all should come to   repentance thank you for those who prayed this  prayer to receive Jesus Christ as their Savior   and if you prayed that prayer if you look down on  your screen there's a place where you can check   that you've prayed this prayer to receive Christ  if you will check that box and if you will let us   send information to you we'll be glad to do it if  you want to do it anonymously that's alright too   but let us know that you've prayed and we'll begin  to pray for you that God will give you his grace   and show you his strength and bring that sense  of security to you even in these uncertain days

Channel: David Jeremiah

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Keywords: david jeremiah, turning point ministries dr. david jeremiah, dr. david jeremiah, david jeremiah sermons 2020, Easter, resurrection, Jesus, Jesus Christ, Christ, faith, tomb, turning point david jeremiah, turning point ministries, turning point ministries tv broadcast, turning point ministries sermons, turning point ministries david jeremiah

Id: pZfYxstmBCo

Length: 33min 54sec (2034 seconds)

Published: Tue May 26 2020