The Day of Trouble

 Temple Baptist Church - 6-30-2024

Psalm 20

 

Introduction:

 

A.  Psalm 20 is Davidic, so this helps to clarify the context of the Psalm.  I want to introduce this Psalm by looking at some of the individual words in verse 1.  “In the day of trouble”

 

B.  David, because of his greatness in the sight of the Lord and his position in the Nation of Israel, was a man of many troubles.  Some troubles that he had were relatively small and easily managed.  Our lives fall into the same pattern of ups and downs as troubles are a way of life. 

 

C.  I often say that life is hard, so we need to just get used to it.  Life is so full of ups and downs that a worldly song said, “Up high in April, shot down in May!”  These mountains and valleys are what make the child of God grow.  We need the good times to get it all back together and we need the bad times to test our integrity.  “What will it take to stop me?” is a question that only time and troubles will answer.

 

d.  The text says, “the day of trouble”, which implies that this day was not a normal troublesome day.  It was “the” day of trouble.  “The” is a definite article implying that this was just a particular day of trouble, but also that it possibly was one of a kind.

 

e.  This particular Psalm must have been a doozy!  The Psalmist cried out to the LORD, the only One who would be able to sustain and succor him in this hard time in his life.

 

1.  My mind goes back to the oldest book in the Bible, the Book of Job.

 

2.  Job was a godly man who was upright and eschewed evil.

 

3.  Job was a man who prayed for his family because he feared for them.  Job 3:25  For the thing which I greatly feared is come upon me, and that which I was afraid of is come unto me.

 

4.  Job was a man who lost it all in a couple of days.

 

5.  Job was a man who maintained his integrity.  Job 1:20-22  Then Job arose, and rent his mantle, and shaved his head, and fell down upon the ground, and worshipped,  (21)  And said, Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither: the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.  (22)  In all this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly.

 

6.  In the midst of his trials, Job said this.  Job 14:1  Man that is born of a woman is of few days, and full of trouble.

 

g.  One day may be the day that “the day of trouble” comes to us.  In this chapter of Psalms, there are some lessons taught we can learn from “the day of trouble”!

 

1.  Verse 1.  “The Lord hear thee … the God of Jacob defend thee”  Notice that verse 1 is not a question!  It is a statement of fact. 

 

a.  The Lord does hear us when we are in trouble so, learn to pray early.  So often, prayer is the last thing you do when in trouble.  There is an old saying, “Are we down to that already?"  If not careful, lasting damage can occur before we pray and, though the day of trouble passes, the “sword” will never leave our house.

 

Proverbs 8:17  I love them that love me; and those that seek me early shall find me.

 

Isaiah 55:6  Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near:

 

b.  The Lord will defend us when we are in trouble, so trust Him.

 

Psalms 9:9-10  The LORD also will be a refuge for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble.  (10)  And they that know thy name will put their trust in thee: for thou, LORD, hast not forsaken them that seek thee.

 

2.  Verse 2.  “Send thee help from the sanctuary … strengthen thee out of Zion” 

 

a.  We get so much of our help while in church.  Learn to remain faithful to the house of God.  Too often, when life really comes down of us hard, it so easy to blame God and give up on the house of God. 

 

b.  We get so much of our strength comes from our church family.  “And exhorting one another” cannot be of help if we are not here to be exhorted!  Satan is the “Divider and Chief” as he knows how effective it is.  If God’s people are not faithful in attendance, there may come a day when they no longer have a church to attend!

 

3.  Verse 3.  Here we find one of the temporal blessing of offerings and sacrificing.  When God’s people are good to God, God is good to them.  Remember to be faithful in stewardship, especially when “the day of trouble” incorporates financial pain.  “Remember all thy offerings … !”  Selah!  “To pause and to weigh.”  If we are not faithful with the “unrighteous mammon,” we will not be given the “true riches” that God has in store for us.

 

4.  Verse 4.  Seek your counsel from the Bible first.  Weigh decisions in times of confusion by the Word of God.  The Bible is our “anchor in the shifting sands of human theology!”  Everything is changing and so is the counsel of the world as it continues in its decline into moral decay.  God is always right and the world is almost always wrong when it comes to things of morality and decision making.

 

5.  Verse 5.  I preached on rejoicing this morning.  The Bible says to “rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say rejoice.”  Both the good and bad times.  Rejoicing in bad times will help you to find your encouragement in the LORD and trust Him to fulfill His promises.

 

Hebrews 10:23  Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;)

 

6.  Verse 6.  Understand that when the heavens seem to be silent or made of brass, the LORD both sees and hears.  He knows where we are and what we need.

 

Isaiah 40:31  But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

 

7.  Verse 7-8.  Place your faith in the LORD whom you cannot see instead of in the temporal things which can be seen. Temporal things will fail you, but the Lord will never let you down.

 

2 Corinthians 4:17-18  For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory;  (18)  While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.

 

8.  Verse 9.  Trust in the Lord with all thine heart!  Do the best that you can but rest in the fact that He will hear and He will save.

 

Psalms 30:5  For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.

 

Conclusion:  We all need to know that God is good all the time.  In our ups and in our downs, good times and hard times and He will be there with us and for us.

 

Psalms 9:9-10  The LORD also will be a refuge for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble.  (10)  And they that know thy name will put their trust in thee: for thou, LORD, hast not forsaken them that seek thee.