Fear and Faith - Trial and Trust part 1

Well, I did enjoy that new song. I have heard that one before. I'm not sure if Brother Keith has done that one for us in the past. But if you did pay attention, you'll notice that really those words came right out of the song. I saw verse 6. I saw verse 3. I saw verse 4. And maybe that's a good one for you to acquire. Maybe that's a good one for you to get, so you can use it in your own personal time, that song. And it wouldn't surprise me if I requested for Brother Keith to sing that one next week as well. A lot of times I do that, so I really felt like that fit right where we're going tonight.

Well, take your Bible and turn back with me to Psalm chapter 3. I already said earlier in our scripture reading we will only be covering verses 1 to 4. Just to let you know how I think, many times I look at a Psalm like this or a portion of scripture like this, and I have good intentions. I desire to divide all of the verses. But Brother Keith will tell you as I get to studying and the message begins to develop, it doesn't take long before it turns into a part 1, a part 2, even sometimes a part 3. But it's just my desire that we would take our time and get all that we can get out of the scriptures.

We're really not in a hurry, so I don't want us to skip through and miss anything that the Lord wants us to have and to see and to apply in our life. So we'll take Psalm 3 and we'll have a part 1 tonight and a part 2 next week. The Lord willing. Now, I do not think I have to tell you that we live in a day of uncertainty and a day of fear. Now, a lot of people are very, very uncertain in our day. Some people battle with being very fearful. Now, some would say for good reason, but you know there are some that would say there's really no good reason to fear. We do live in a day of uncertainty and fear. Think about it.

If you think about all that's been happening lately, there's been a lot to stoke fear in our hearts and in our minds and in our culture for many. Lots of people are uncertain and fearful about this coronavirus pandemic. You know, where is it going to go? How far will this go? How long will it last? You keep up with the numbers. Mississippi has some of the very highest numbers per capita. Even our county, we have quite a few cases in our county. I know people who are suffering with this coronavirus and that can stoke fear in the hearts and the minds of many people.

Some people are uncertain and fearful because of the economic crisis associated with this coronavirus, this self isolation, this shutting down really of many portions of our economy. I've had many conversations with some of you about lost jobs. Some of you have lost your job. Maybe you'll get your job back when the economy rebounds. I've talked with some of you men about how your jobs are uncertain. And see, things like this can cause us to be uncertain. Things like this can cause us to be downright fearful. Lots of people are very uncertain and fearful because of actions taken by government officials.

If you've paid attention to how some of our governors in our land have reacted, you know, they've become big brother. They've become big brother and they have infringed on certain constitutional rights. That makes a lot of people very fearful. And lots of people are very fearful because of the weather we've experienced. Last Sunday we endured some horrible tornadoes in our state. As a matter of fact, storms are raging even now. And some people could even say, "Brother Chris, why would you have church? There's some bad weather." Well, our Lord is Lord of the storms. He can go around us. He can go over us. He can go through us.

But we're going to meet and be in God's word. Now, what am I trying to show you? Times like these can make cool, calm, and collected people very nervous and very fearful. Times and circumstances like these can make normally fearful people come close to hitting the panic button. Isn't that right? Times like these can make panicky people even lose their minds. Now think about that. Now, I don't know why this came into my mind. I think I said earlier I've been studying Psalm 3 for several weeks. I don't know, but a memory just came to my mind as I was studying. I can remember when I was a kid.

One of the most popular television shows was The Six Million Dollar Man. Now, for some of you, that ages me. Some of you, that's way before your time. But man, I remember The Six Million Dollar Man. I mean, that was a hit show. But you know, as a kid, I remember vividly when The Six Million Dollar Man fought Sasquatch. Man, it struck fear and panic in that little boy's heart. And I'm telling you, every time I went squirrel hunting with my dad and with my grandfather, man, I was scared to death of Sasquatch being in those woods. Now, we know that my fears of Sasquatch in the woods of Wilkinson County, Mississippi, those were unfounded.

As an adult, those fears are humorous. But as a kid, I'm telling you, those were very, very real for me. And looking back, we see that those are childish. They're humorous. We laugh at that. Well, here in Psalm 3, we're going to address fear. Fear and uncertainty. We will see how the teaching in Psalm 3 can help us, even when fear and panic can chase us down like a hound, because that happens for some. Now, listen to you, Pastor, here. Listen to me. We're all different. God's made us all different. Some of us are strong and resolute, and we're not fearful at all. Oh, but there are others that are different. Some of us struggle right here.

Some of us battle with anxieties and fears and worry. We are all different. I'll give you a real quick example. Think about the 12 disciples. Peter and Thomas were very fearful. Peter was bold as a lion. I mean, he was ready to defend the Lord and chop heads off. He just missed the heads and hit the ears. But Thomas, what was he? He was doubtful. He just wouldn't believe the resurrection. What did he say? Oh, I just got to touch his body. I got to see him to believe. See, we're all different. Peter was no better than Thomas, and Thomas was no better than Peter. We're just all different.

Now, at this point, I want to show you what's going on in Psalm 3. This is a lot. There's really a lot going on here. This can be seen really in a broad way in two ways. First of all, we have a lot of background. We have a lot of context. What is behind this particular Psalm is very important. And then second, we have some things in the Psalm itself. There is a lot in these verses besides the actual teaching. Now, let me explain what I mean. First, the background or the context. Most scholars believe that King David wrote this Psalm. Your Bible probably has some type of a heading indicating that it was David who was the author.

Bible scholars say this Psalm was written by David when he was running from his son Absalom. Now, listen to what was happening for David. David's son Absalom was leading a civil war so as to take away the kingdom from his father. For years, Absalom had nursed bitterness and anger against his father because of horrible sins within the family. Absalom's older brother, his older half-brother, Amnon, had raped Absalom's sister Tamar. That's awful. We know, but it's true. Because David never punished Amnon, Absalom soured in his bitterness. He soured in his anger towards his father.

And it was out of these circumstances that Absalom led a great civil war within David's kingdom. And this revolt was the single greatest threat to David's throne. It was when David was actually running from Absalom in 2 Samuel 15 to 18. Then he wrote these words. And it was out of this deep and difficult trial that David was inspired by God and he wrote these words. That's the context, the background. But then second, we have some observations from the Psalm itself. The language and the words and the images in the Psalm. Knowing that David wrote this while he was in great trial, it can help us with some of the language, yes.

But also we know that David was a great military man. He was a soldier. He was a great military leader. So this helps us understand the words and the images that we see in here. One scholar that I read this past week or so pointed out that we see a soldier's heart in the Psalm. I like that. We see a soldier's heart. And we will definitely see that. The greatest observation would be that David, he was in the trial of a lifetime. So you need to remember that. This is one of the biggest trials of his life. His oldest son had raped his daughter. Years later, his other son is leading a civil war against him. That's just amazing.

And it would do you some good to go back and read those chapters in 2 Samuel. To get all of this in your mind and in your heart. So as we are examining the Psalm, we will see King David. Yes, King David. Yes, he was a great warrior. A great warrior king. But he was also a man. He was a man. Here we have this true man of God. He is crying out to God in great emotion, in great desperation, even in tears. We also see David swing from great fear and desperation to great confidence in his God. I guess we can say it like this. We see two sides of the man. We see both sides of the man in the verses. We see fear and then we see faith.

We will see his great fear, but then we will see his great faith in God. We will see this great trial in his life. This could be seen as the biggest trial of his life. And through this trial, we will see trust. We will see trial and trust, fear and faith. And that leads me to the title of the message. That's the title. Fear and faith, trial and trust. Now, as your pastor, I believe these verses can be very, very timely. Some of you really need to hear what is going to be shared tonight and not just hear it and mark it off your list and move on. Some of you need to take what's being shared tonight and next week.

And oh, you need to let it be medicine to your soul to help you get past what? Your fear and your trial. So that your fear will turn into faith and your trial will turn into trust. So I've explained how we're going to divide the verses. We're going to really take them two at a time. We're going to look at verses 1 to 4 tonight. We'll look at the rest of the Psalm next week. Now, I'm not going to read the scripture. We read it earlier. I will read it as we go. So we're going to take these verses two at a time and we'll have two major truths tonight in our outline. So first, let's notice number one, this is what I'm calling David's adversity.

Now, the verses 1 and 2, this is what I'm calling David's adversity. Look back at the scriptures. "Oh Lord, my adversaries have increased. Many are rising up against me. Many are saying of my soul, there is no deliverance or salvation for him in God." Now, right away, right away we see the reality of David's situation. He does not ease into his problem. If you'll notice, David is a lot like some people we know. They're people we know, they just unload on you, do they not? And that's what we see. David is in a terrible crisis. He doesn't ease into it. He unloads it right here in verses 1 and 2. But notice some of the language in verse 1 and 2.

The New American Standard that I'm reading from, he uses the word "adversaries." He goes on to say, "Many are rising up against me." The English Standard Version uses the word "foes." Two times we see the word "many." So David, he just dumps it all out right here. Isn't that true? But here in the verses, we not only see a description of his adversity, but we see his reaction to his adversity. And there is a lot here with his reaction. This will be very revealing for you and helpful for you and even convicting for some of you. So there are several observations I want us to make here. First of all, notice he turned to God.

First, he turned to God. Look at verse 1, "Lord." And then what we see, the first word, "Lord." The first thing David does is he turns to God. This is very good. But as we continue, we will see that David is flawed in this prayer. So first he turned to God. Second, he complained to God. Second, he complained to God. Yes, he's praying, but he's complaining to God in his prayer. Go back to the verse. "Lord, how many adversaries have increased? Many are rising up against me. Many are saying, 'Of my soul.' There is no deliverance for him and God. There is no salvation." So we see that he is complaining.

We start to see David's humanity really, really fast. When Absalom's conspiracy was growing, when more and more people and soldiers were joining Absalom's opposition against him, what does David do? He complains to God. Now, if we really pay attention here, we can hear David almost in his emotion. He's saying, "Oh, Lord, they're all against me. They're all against me. Many, many more are coming. Oh, Lord, they're even more and they're coming after me." Now, remember who David was. David was God's anointed king. Remember, he was the shepherd boy that killed Goliath. God enabled him to kill the great fighting man of the Philistines, Goliath.

God had been with him all throughout his life. God had faithfully, faithfully, faithfully demonstrated himself to David. And here we can almost hear David saying, "What am I going to do, Lord? Many are against me. Many, many more are coming after me. They keep telling me that I have no hope. Lord, what am I going to do?" So yes, David went to God in prayer, but he was complaining. It seems he went to God really wavering in all of his confidence in God. And then third, I want us to see he experienced opposition. You see how we're going through the verses.

He turned to God, but yet he complained to God, and now third we see that he experienced opposition. Now, if we pay attention, we can see two forms of opposition here. Really, we've already touched on some, but we need to zero in on this opposition a little more. First, there was this obvious physical assault, this obvious physical opposition. What does he say? "Oh, my adversaries have increased, many are rising up against me." Isn't that what he says? Now, this was a real, serious, physical opposition. Remember, this was a civil war. Bible scholars say that this was the biggest threat to King David's throne.

In 2 Samuel chapter 15 verse 12, it says that Absalom's rebellion was growing strong, that more and more people were with Absalom. So the threat was so great that David, he fled from the capital city. He left the safety of his own palace, and he ran from the rebellion. So we see this was an actual physical assault. And then second, there was a verbal assault. There was a loud, real, verbal opposition here. What does the text say? Verse 2, "Many are saying of my soul, there is no deliverance or salvation for him in God." And if we look close, I call this propaganda. Many were telling the people and David that God was not with David.

They were saying that there was no help for David in God. Now, if we study the events, we see that David's circumstances scream that David had no hope. We could see why many would think that God had abandoned David. So take a look at this opposition. David had been driven from his throne from the capital city of Jerusalem by these opposing forces. God had not protected David earlier when he and his armed men were around him and there were other supporters around him. He had been in the safety of his strong position in Israel, but now he is fleeing like a forsaken fugitive. He is now looking for a safe place to hide.

And as he was fleeing, he was being taunted. He was being told that God had forsaken him. Now, in summary, notice what we see here in these verses. We've been studying David's adversity in verses 1-2. David is facing this great trial of this great adversity. David does turn to God, but his heart and prayer is flawed. He is complaining about both physical and verbal opposition. There is opposition from without and opposition from within. Yes, the rebels are hot on his trail, but this verbal attack has gotten into his head. The propaganda, it seemed to be working. David is coming to God in prayer, but he seems to be coming in defeat.

So to me, his heart is flawed here, and because his heart is flawed, his prayer is flawed. Now, in application, I really want to ask you to be on the edge of your seat. Every now and then I ask you to do that. Now, what I mean is spiritually, I mean be sharp and keen here, there's a lot that we need to learn. And I want to ask you a few questions, and I want you to be honest with yourself. Now, because of the crisis, the coronavirus, we can't meet here, and you're in the comfort and safety of your own home. You're with your husband, you're with your wife. Maybe ask your wife, maybe ask your husband to help you here.

Discuss this with your spouse. If you don't have a spouse, maybe discuss this with a close Christian friend. So I'm asking you to be honest as I ask some probing questions, okay? What is the first thing you do when trial comes your way? What do you do when fears and uncertainty and adversity come into your life? Oh, do you pray like this? Do you pick up the phone and start dialing a number and say, "Oh, Lord, I don't know what I'm going to do," and you start talking to your mother?

Do you pick up your phone and see you're real spiritual, and you pray and say, "Oh, Lord, I'm not sure what I'm going to do, but I'm going to call my pastor or my Sunday school teacher"? Do you jump into social media to see what the experts say? Oh, listen, when trial comes our way, some of the trials we've talked about, do you start reading the news and see what news outlets are saying? You know, some people think the gospel is this, the gospel of Fox News. What am I trying to show you? There are many places we go.

There are many places we seek help when trial comes our way, when fear comes our way, when uncertainty and adversity comes our way. And you know, you could add to that list. When or if you do go to God in prayer, do you come complaining? Do you come crying? Do you come babbling about the circumstances? Do you really think about all that David was going through? Doesn't it really seem like he was crying and babbling and complaining? Now pause with me for a minute. When we come to God like this, now let me explain what I mean.

When we come complaining and crying and babbling, when we come like this with our fears and trials and adversities, notice what we do. Notice what we're saying about ourselves and about God. We may treat God as if he didn't even know what's happening. Now think about David. How foolish was that? David, God knew all about David. It's almost like he's thinking God doesn't know what's happening. And when we come like this, it's as if we're saying, "God, you don't really know what's going on in my life." We may treat God as if he can't even handle the circumstance. We come to God, "Oh God, you just don't know.

It's so bad." We act like God can't handle it. We may treat God as if he's impersonal, he's aloof, he's just out there in the distance. And look, we can be telling God that we do not think that these events are even divinely orchestrated by God. See, we believe in God's providence here. God is a sovereign God, and everything that happens in our life is for a reason. Oh, go back and study our friend Job. And see, anything that comes into our life is by God and for God, for His glory, is for our own sanctification and correction and growth in Christ. And also, it's for the glory of God in our life and the life of the church.

So we treat God as if God is ignorant. We treat God as if He's incompetent. We treat God as if He's impersonal. I mean, like He's not even interested in working in our life for the good and for His glory in our lives. Now, this is something you really need to pick up on. My commentator said this. He says that this is the threat of practical atheism, that God is impersonal and does not care, that God does not want to personally work in our life, that there is no help from God. You see where David's been going? And you see how we're more like David than you know? Listen, we cannot react to adversity like this.

We cannot let fear and panic grip us. Look, when circumstances come our way, we cannot say as David did in Psalm 3, verses 1 to 2, "Lord, look around. What am I going to do? They're even telling me there's no hope." So let's continue. I want us to see number 2. We have God's protection. This is out of verses 3 to 4. This is what I'm calling God's protection. Now, at this point, we see a shift, a big shift in the verses. Verse 3 shows us a change with this one little word in the New American Standard, "but." Look at the verse. "But thou, O Lord, art a shield about me." Look at the shift.

"But you, O Lord, you're a shield around me, my glory, and the one who lifts up my head. I was crying to the Lord with my voice, and he entered me from his holy mountain." You see, sometimes that little word "but" can be wonderful in the Scriptures. But David shifts his attention from his adversity to God. He changes his prayer from his many enemies and their voices all around him to God. David shifts his prayer to who God is and how David relates to God properly. Now, again, there's a lot going on in these verses as well. This will be revealing and corrective, very helpful, very insightful. First, notice he trusted God. Look at verse 3.

"He trusted God, but thou, O Lord, are a shield about me." He is trusting God. Now, earlier I said that we see David's warrior heart in these verses. David begins to express his trust in God, and David begins to use military imagery. This imagery reflects how David was thinking and feeling, but this is more than how David felt. This is how he saw God working in his circumstances. Now, specifically, we have three military metaphors, and these are powerful. Notice God was his protection. That's what this word "shield" means. God was his protection. See, in a Bible in David's day, a warrior would use a shield for protection.

It protected him from arrows and from swords and other offensive weapons. David is expressing something very simple and very powerful. He is saying, "You, O Lord, you, you are my protection. You can protect me from my many, many adversaries. You can protect me from this awful civil war. You can protect me from all of the lies that are aimed at me, and they're coming from this terrible conspiracy." So David saw God as his protection. But then notice for David, God was his glory. Go back to the verses. God was his glory.

"But you, O Lord, are a shield about me, my glory, and the one who lifts up my head." You see, when an army experienced-- when an army went into battle, they experienced either shame or glory. In victory, the army, the soldier, they attained glory. In defeat, it was all about shame. One scholar pointed out that the soldiers in that day, they went into battle very, very light. They went into battle very light. Oh, but when they were victorious, they came out of battle heavy. They were heavy with the spoils of war. And you see, the spoils of war were a part of their victory, and that was a part of the glory in the victory.

So David saw God, that God could give him the spoils of this war, God could give him the victory, God could give him the glory in the victory, and his victory came from God. And then notice, God was his honor. Go back to the verse. Again, these are the three military metaphors. "But you, O Lord, are a shield about me, my glory, and the one who lifts up my head. I was crying to the Lord with my voice, and he answered me from his holy mountain." Now, in this situation, David was experiencing nothing but shame. Before this civil war, David held his head high as the king. He had honor, he had prestige, he had glory.

When he fled from his palace, he fled like a fugitive. He lost his honor, he lost his dignity. He was seen as defeated, almost totally defeated. He was humiliated. But here, David is saying that God is his honor. He is saying that God can lift up his head in dignity and in honor as the one true king of Israel. So what do we see? David trusted God. David is exhibiting trust in God. In verse 3, he is praying from this warrior's heart, expressing his faith, and he is using military metaphors. He is saying that God can protect him, and God can give him glory in the victory. He is saying that God can lift up his head from shame to honor again.

And so David is trusting in God for protection and glory and honor. Then second out of verse 4, we see that he cried out to God. We see that he cried out to God. Go back to the verse. "I was crying to the Lord with my voice, and he heard and answered me from his holy mountain." Now, if we've been paying attention, we may say something like this. "Haven't David been crying out all along?" Yes, yes, and no. Yes, he's been praying. But remember that earlier his prayer was faulty. His prayer was faithless. His prayer was man-focused. He was focusing on himself. Here, things are different.

Now, there are a few details about the prayer that we need to see to show us that this prayer was different. Notice that his prayer was out loud. Isn't that what the verse says? If we read verse 4 carefully, we see this reality. David was crying out. He was crying out loud. I think this shows us that David was working through his feelings. Though his doubts and fears were there, he had worked through those doubts and fears. He had come to a place of desperation. He was working hard to get to God, to get to a place to be heard from God. And so to me, this is a great progression in prayer. So he is praying out loud.

And then notice, this prayer was answered. Isn't that what the verse says? This prayer was answered. And he answered me from his holy mountain. Here we see that God is the God who answers prayer. Whereas before, David prayed in fear. Here, David is praying in faith. It is David's prayer faith that is heard. That is the difference between the two prayers. Remember what David prayed in verse 3. You see his faith? You see his faith? So we see that David prayed a prayer of faith and it was heard. And then notice this prayer was to the sovereign Lord. Now, we know this language. If we look at the verse, what does it say?

And he answered me from his holy mountain. We saw this back in Psalm 2, verse 6. David knew that his God was the sovereign Lord of all. And praying to the one who was seated on his holy mountain, David is acknowledging that God, God is the true and sovereign one. So in summary, notice what we have here out of verses 3 and 4. David's protection. We see a big change in David's heart. Therefore, we see a big change in his prayer. In verse 1 and 2, David is praying in fear. Here in verses 3 and 4, David is praying in faith. In verses 1 and 2, David is praying, looking all around him.

In verses 3 and 4, David is praying while looking up to God and seeing God on his throne in heaven. And here David says that God is his protection, that God is his glory, and God is his honor even in shame. He knew that his victory was with God. And what do we see? His trial had become trust. Now an application. I think there's a lot here that we need to see. There's a lot that we need to learn here. And again, I ask you to be on the edge of your seat and I want to ask you some questions. Be honest. Maybe ask your husband or your wife to help you here. Listen to each other. Maybe discuss this with a good Christian friend, okay?

So let's be honest. When trials come your way, when trials come your way, do you approach God like David did in verses 3 and 4? Listen, when you face fear and uncertainty in your life, do you approach God like verses 1 and 2 in fear? Or do you approach God like David did in verses 3 and 4 in faith? Now a question. This pertains to David. How could David trust God as his protector? How could David trust God as his glory? How could David trust God as the one who would lift him up in honor? It was because God had demonstrated himself to David time and time and time again. David knew God from experience. Oh, I'll speak about one time in his life.

Oh, what about when King Saul was chasing David? Oh, day after day, month after month, Saul was trying to kill David. And David even had to flee to the foreign land of the Philistines and all along God sustained David. Listen, God had demonstrated himself faithful to David time and time and time and time again. But what about for you? God is giving you life. Think about that. God is giving you life. And God has sustained you all of your life. And did not God provide Christ for your salvation? Oh, yes, God did that. We've learned forever ago that it was in the heart of God that he would send his son to die in the place of man.

And what do we see? God provided Christ for your salvation. Did not God work in your life to save you? Think about your own personal conversion experience, how God sustained you when you were lost, and you deserve the devil's hell. And God brought you to that place where he converted you. He gave you a new heart. Oh, it was God that did all that for you. And has not God worked in your life ever since? God has saved you? Has God ever let you down? I don't think anybody can say yes. Well, then shouldn't you trust God for your protection in these times?

I mean, shouldn't you trust God just like David for the victory and the honor that you need in these times? Listen, my friend, God is bigger than any coronavirus. Listen, my friend, God is Lord over the economics in your job. Oh, listen, God is so much larger than all of the governments and the governors and the princes and the kings and the lords and all of the government officials. Didn't we learn that in Psalm chapter 2? And listen, my friend, God is Lord over the tornadoes. I think about our old righteous friend Noah. Didn't he experience a tornado? Didn't the Lord sustain him during that storm? God is Lord of all of these storms.

And so what am I trying to show you? Shouldn't we trust God to protect us even when fear may envelop us? He did David and he sure can do it for us. And listen, when adversity comes, physical or verbal, look, that's a verbal adversity is tough. When the fears and the doubts and the voices and the opinions and the hecklers and the revilers, oh, when they chase you like a hound, when outward adversity comes and inward adversity comes, listen, we should do as David did, rush to God and trust God. But again, do we treat God as if we're atheists? As if he really doesn't exist? Do we treat him as if he's impersonal?

He's just off in the distance and he can't handle things. I think some of you do more than you know. Listen, folks, fear is an opportunity. Fear is an opportunity to build up your faith. You hear? Fear is an opportunity to build up your faith. And trial is an opportunity. Trial is an opportunity to build up your trust in the one true God that has saved you. And oh, my friend, embrace that work, embrace that work so that God would work within you and you could be like David when David was comfortable in his trial and trusting in his Lord and when his fear had turned to faith. Now, in conclusion, notice what we've seen. David's adversity.

He complained. He was experiencing opposition, both physical and verbal. Oh, this was real, a great civil war. This was real. This was adversity. Oh, he went to the Lord, but he just went complaining. He had a faulty heart and that led to a faulty prayer. Oh, but then we see a shift. We see David's protection. He trusted in God. He trusted in God for his protection, for his glory, the restoration of his honor. He trusted that God would bring him from shame to honor. And listen, he cried out to God in confidence. Don't you see the big swing? Don't you see both sides of the man?

You see the fear in David was turned to faith and the trial that he was in, it turned to trust. Now, you might say something like this, "Pastor, what do I do?" "Brother Chris, what do I do? I'm not like David. I don't feel like David. I don't really know much about David. What do I do? I've only been a Christian a couple of years. What do I do?" You might be honest and look at your husband or your wife or call me on the phone or text message me and say, "Brother Chris, I struggle really, really bad with fear and adversity and panic, all of that. I struggle." Well, let me give you a few practical points of instruction that will help you here.

First of all, get you a good, good private place of prayer. Get you a good private place of prayer. Now, think about David with me. Oh, when he was a shepherd boy, he was out there in the wilderness tending his dad's sheep, but he was with the Lord. You see? He had a good private place of prayer. Oh, if we study his trials, many times when he was in his trials, he was out in the wilderness and he had a great time of prayer. Find a place where you can be alone with God, where you can be uninterrupted. I'm not talking about five minutes.

I'm not talking about driving down the road in your car, somewhere where you can go and you can close the door and you can get on your knees before God and you can pray, look, for minutes, yes, but for even hours. And oh, when you're in your private place of prayer, get in the Word of God. If you want to know who God is, get into what God's Word says. Get into the book. And oh, you might have to get in your private place of prayer and to beat back the flesh, you might have to get on your knees on a hard concrete floor and open up the Bible so you can't go to sleep and read God's Word to discover who God is. And then third, pray.

Pray through those fears. Pray through that adversity. Pray through the panic that can envelop you. Pray, be honest with God. Tell God exactly how you feel. He knows. This might surprise some of you. There are times when I've done that in my private place of prayer. I've got God's Word and I got really honest with God. And I just said, "God, I'm mad. I'm mad. I'm mad about circumstances. I want things to change over here and over here and over here." Someone might say, "Is it that irreverent?" No. I wasn't shaking my fist at God. I was saying, "God, I'm mad because circumstances have not changed." I was being honest.

Get before God and be honest about your fears, honest about your panic, honest about your adversity. Oh, the inner turmoil. Remember the propaganda in David? He began to believe the lies that God was not with him and for him. Pray through those fears with great honesty. Pray on your knees in that private place with God's Word open and pray through how you feel and what you are. And then forth, keep that adversity. Keep those fears. Keep those insecurities before God in prayer and in the Word. Keep God there. Keep there with the Lord until God works. Chances are it won't be one night.

Chances are it might be night after night after night after night. You know, I heard a good illustration about this. He's a fairly famous pastor of another denominational persuasion. He told a story about when he went to the Holy Land. You know, many of the biblical sites are there. I won't get into that because of time. But he told the story about really visiting the actual Mount Carmel where Elijah prayed down fire from heaven. And you know, we said he got into Mount Carmel and he just looked around and he felt like that should be some great spiritual experience.

And he said after he traveled back home, he went to his prayer closet and it was as if God was saying, "I've met you here in this prayer closet all these years. You didn't need to go to Mount Carmel to try to find me. What am I trying to show you? You take who you are. You take your fears. Take your adversity. You find you a good private place of prayer. You get in the Word. You just take those fears, those adversities, all the panics and the panic attacks. You bring it all before God and look through his Word and through a work of God in you, God will work. Now there's one verse that I haven't called your attention to. The end of verse 4.

I really want you to look at verse 4 with me. "I was crying to the Lord with my voice." And what does it say? "And he answered me." He answered me. Now what does that mean he answered me? This could be that God reminded David in his mind and in his heart of all that God had done for him in the past. Maybe God helped him remember and he jumped up off of his knees and he said, "God, why would I fear you've always been with me?" It could be that as David was meditating on God's Word that God took scripture to build and strengthen his faith and then he jumped up off of his knees out of his prayer and what did he say?

"Oh God, I know you'll be with me because the Word says so." See this is personal. This is experiential. This is the internal work of God in you. And look, if you will go to your private place of prayer and if you will be in God's Word and be honest before God and pray through these fears, pray through these insecurities and the adversity, no matter how big it may seem. And if you tarry there and say, "God, I'm not going to leave until you work in me," eventually you'll be as David. You'll jump up and you'll say, "Lord, you answered me." And you'll be different. You'll be changed.

And so for you, your adversity, fear, trial, fear, let God do this personal work inside of you. Now I'll revisit my Sasquatch story. I remember those days. I don't remember how many episodes I watched of the six million dollar man fighting Sasquatch. It's rather silly. It's make believe. It's childish. But oh, I remember. Oh, I remember going to those woods, squirrel hunting with my grandfather and squirrel hunting with my dad. And oh, I was petrified. It's humorous. Yes, it's silly. It's make believe. It doesn't even exist. But aren't some of you acting like that? Aren't some of you acting like that about your fears?

Aren't these fears just worked up over something that doesn't even exist? This trial is nothing to our Lord. And so let God work in you. And look, I believe you'll get to the place where you'll look back at that fear in your life. You'll say, "How childish." Oh, how weak. Oh, I wasn't near what I should have been. And so that fear will turn into faith and that trial will turn into trust. And God will get glory out of your life and in his church and in the difficulties that you are facing. So what's the title of the message? I think you've got it by now. Fear and Faith, Trial and Trust. Let's pray over what we have learned tonight.

Let's ask the Lord to do a work in our hearts, not just right now, but in the days and weeks and even years to come. And then I'll mention a few things about the week and we'll dismiss worshiping together.