Psalm 142 AM

00:01 Invite you to turn in your copies of the Scriptures this morning to Psalm 142. Psalm 142. This message is going to be a little different this morning in that it's going to be just primarily Scripture. 00:18 I cry out to the Lord with my voice. With my voice to the Lord I make my supplication. I pour out my complaint before Him. I declare before Him my trouble. When my spirit was overwhelmed within me, then You knew my path. In the way in which I walk, they have secretly set a snare for me. 00:40 Look on my right hand and see, for there is no one who acknowledges me. Refuge has failed me. No one cares for my soul. I cried out to You, O Lord. I said, "You are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living." Attend to my cry, 01:00 for I am brought very low. Deliver me from my persecutors, for they are stronger than I. Bring my soul out of prison, that I may praise Your name. 01:13 The righteous shall surround me, for You shall deal bountifully with me." I want you to think about this verse... this phrase in verse 4: "No one cares for my soul." I'm thankful that that's not true, but that is an accurate statement of how David felt. 01:33 It's not true that no one cares for our souls. God cares for our souls. Others care for our souls. But do we care as much as we should? There are times when things happen in life when you can only cry out to God for His mercy and for His grace. 01:53 I'll have divided several.00 quite a number of Scriptures this morning on the subject of the cry and the comfort. The cry of the heart when you go through experiences that are gut-wrenching, that are unexpected, that are disrupting, 02:15 that the only thing you can do is just cry out to God. So I want you to hear these Scriptures this morning on the cry and the comfort. David, being acquainted with these cries... many of them come from his lips and his pen under inspiration of the Holy Spirit, of course. 02:34 Psalm 102:1-2: "Hear my prayer, O Lord. Let my cry come unto Thee. Hide not Thy face from me in the day when I'm in trouble. Incline Thine ear unto me in the day when I call. Answer me speedily. In my distress I cried unto the Lord, and He heard me. 02:55 Deliver my soul, O Lord. Out of the depths have I cried unto Thee, O Lord. Lord, hear my voice. Let Thine ears be attentive to the voice of my supplications. Unto Thee will I cry, O Lord, my rock. Be not silent to me. Lest if Thou be silent to me, 03:16 I become like them that go down into the pit. Hear the voice of my supplications when I cry unto Thee. When I lift up my hands toward Thy holy oracle. I said unto the Lord, "Thou art my God. Hear the voice of my supplications, O Lord. O God, the Lord, the strength of my salvation, 03:35 Thou hast covered my head in the day of battle. Lord, I cry unto Thee. Make haste unto me. Give ear unto my voice when I cry unto Thee. Let my prayer be set forth before Thee as incense and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice. Hear my prayer, O Lord. 03:55 Give ear to my supplications in Thy faithfulness. Answer me and in Thy righteousness. And enter not into judgment with Thy servant, for in Thy sight shall no man living be justified. For the enemy hath persecuted my soul. He hath smitten my life down to the ground. 04:14 He hath made me to dwell in darkness and those that have been long dead. Hear me speedily, O Lord. My spirit faileth. Hide not Thy face from me, lest I be like unto them that go down into the pit. Cause me to hear Thy loving kindness in the morning, for in Thee do I trust. 04:34 Cause me to know the way wherein I should walk, for I lift up my soul unto Thee. Deliver me, O Lord, from mine enemies. I flee unto Thee to hide me. Teach me to do Thy will, for Thou art my God. Thy spirit is good. Lead me into the land of uprightness. 04:54 Quicken me, O Lord, for Thy name's sake, for Thy righteousness's sake. Bring my soul out of trouble, and of Thy mercy, cut off mine enemies and destroy all them that afflict my soul, for I am Thy servant." Psalm 88: "O Lord, God of my salvation. I have cried day and night before Thee. 05:14 Let my prayer come before Thee. Incline Thine ear unto my cry. Be unto Thee... but unto Thee, O Lord, have I cried, and in the morning shall my prayer come before Thee. Bow down Thine ear, O Lord. Hear me, for I am poor and needy. Give ear, O Lord, 05:33 unto my prayer and attend to the voice of my supplications. In the day of my trouble, I will call upon Thee, for Thou wilt answer me." Begin to get the point that God... and that David is crying out to God. Others crying out to God. These Scriptures are not repeating. 05:54 They're over and over and over. The psalmist crying out to God. "Save me, O God, by Thy name, and judge me by Thy strength. Hear my prayer, O God. Give ear to the words of my mouth. Give ear to my prayer, O God, and hide not Thyself from my supplication. 06:13 Attend unto me and hear me. I mourn in my complaint and make a noise because of the voice of the enemy, because of the oppression of the wicked. For they cast iniquity upon me, and in wrath they hate me. My heart is sore, pained within me, and the terrors of death are fallen upon me. As for me, 06:33 I will call upon God, and the Lord shall save me. Evening and morning and at noon will I pray and cry aloud, and He shall hear my voice. Be merciful unto me, O God. Be merciful unto me, for my soul trusteth in Thee. 06:53 Yea, in the shadow of Thy wings I will make my refuge. Until these calamities be overpassed, I will cry unto God Most High, unto God that performeth all things for me. Hear my cry, O God." We sang it this morning. "Attend unto my prayer. 07:11 From the end of the earth will I cry unto Thee when my heart is overwhelmed. Lead me to the rock that is higher than I. Save me, O God, for the waters are coming in unto my soul. In Thee, O Lord, do I put my trust. Let me never be put to confusion. 07:31 Deliver me in Thy righteousness and cause me to escape. Incline Thine ear unto me and save me. Be Thou my strong habitation whereunto I may continually resort. Thou hast given commandment to save me, for Thou art my rock and my fortress. Deliver me, 07:51 O God." "I cried unto the Lord with my voice. Even unto God with my voice, and He gave ear unto me. In the day of my trouble, I sought the Lord. My sore ran in the night and ceased not. My soul refused to be comforted. I remembered God and was troubled. I complained, and my spirit was overwhelmed. 08:12 Help us, O God of our salvation. For the glory of Thy name, deliver us and purge away our sins for Thy name's sake. Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel. Thou that leadest Joseph like a flock and that dwellest between the cherubims. Shine forth. Stir up Thy strength and come and save us. 08:34 Turn us again, O God, and cause Thy face to shine, and we shall be saved." "I cried unto the Lord with my voice, and He heard me out of His holy hill. Give ear to my words, O Lord. Consider my meditation. Hearken unto the voice of my cry, my King and my God, for unto Thee will I pray. 08:56 Hear the right, O Lord. Attend unto my cry. Give ear unto my prayer that goeth not out from deceitful lips. Hear, O Lord, when I cry with my voice. Have mercy also upon me and answer me. Hide not Thy face far from me and put not Thy servant away in anger. 09:16 Thou hast been my help. Leave me not. Neither forsake me, O God of my salvation." In Psalm 18:6: "In my distress I called upon the Lord and cried unto my God. 09:31 He heard my voice out of His temple, and my cry came before Him even to His ears." Over and over and over, the psalmist came to the point where there was nothing they could do but cry out to God. That's not the end of the story. 09:49 The end of the story is the comfort that comes along when we cry out to God. Psalm 6:9: "The Lord hath heard my supplication. The Lord will receive my prayer. Now know I that the Lord saveth His anointed. He will hear him from His holy heaven with the saving strength of His right hand. 10:11 Thou hast given him his heart's desire and has not withheld the request of his lips. O Lord, my God, I cried unto Thee, and Thou hast healed me. Call unto me in the day of trouble. I will deliver Thee, and Thou shalt glorify me. Behold, God is mine helper. 10:33 The Lord is with them that uphold my soul. He shall reward evil unto mine enemies. Cut them off in Thy truth. I freely sacrifice unto Thee. I will praise Thy name, O Lord, for it is good. For He hath delivered me out of all trouble, and mine eye has seen His desire upon mine enemies. Cast Thy burden upon the Lord, 10:55 and He shall sustain Thee. He shall never suffer the righteous to be moved. When I cry unto Thee, then shall mine enemies turn back. This I know, for God is for me. For Thou hast delivered my soul from death. Will not Thou deliver my feet from falling that I may walk before God in the light of the living? 11:17 In God I have put my trust. I will not be afraid what man can do unto me. For Thou hast been a shelter for me and a strong tower from the enemy. I will abide in Thy tabernacle forever. Hear me, O Lord, for Thy loving kindness is good. Turn unto me according to the multitude of Thy tender mercies. 11:36 For Thou art my hope, O Lord God. Thou art my trust from my youth. But I will hope continually and will yet praise Thee more and more. I will go to the strength of the Lord. I will make mention of Thy righteousness, even of Thine only. Turn us again, O Lord, God of hosts. 11:55 Cause Thy face to shine, and we will be saved. Thou callest in trouble, and I delivered Thee. I answered Thee in the secret place of thunder. Blessed be the Lord who hath not given us His pray to their teeth. Our soul has escaped as a bird out of the snare of the fowlers. 12:16 The snare is broken, and we are escaped. Our help is in the name of the Lord who made heaven and earth. I waited for the Lord. My soul doth wait, and in His word do I hope. My soul waited for the Lord more than they that watch for the morning. But my eyes are upon You, O God, the Lord. 12:37 In You I take refuge. Do not leave my soul destitute. Keep me from the snares they have laid for me and from the traps of the workers of iniquity. Let the wicked fall into their own nets while I escape safely. Bow Thy heavens, O Lord, and come down. Touch the mountains, and they shall smoke. 12:57 I will sing a new song unto Thee, O God. Upon a psalm tree and an instrument of ten strings, I will sing praises unto Thee. He healeth the broken in heart and bindeth up their wounds. The Lord lifteth up the meek. He casteth the wicked down to the ground. 13:19 Sing unto the Lord with thanksgiving. Sing praise upon the harp unto our God." And one of my favorite verses in times of trouble, Psalm 42:11: "Why art Thou cast down, O my soul? And why art Thou disquieted within me? Hope Thou in God, 13:40 for I shall yet praise Him who is the health of my countenance and my God." It's through You that we find our direction, our wisdom, our comfort. Whatever it is we're in need of, it's through You that we find it. 13:59 Give us as a congregation wisdom to know how to respond. And Father, we love You. We trust You. We give every situation and every family in this congregation to You for direction and guidance and spirit filling. 14:21 Thank You for what You're going to accomplish, even in our discouragement right now. And we praise You for it in Jesus' name. Amen.