Seeing Jesus in the Psalms

  Psalm 142 A psalm of David, regarding his experience in the cave. A prayer. 1 I cry out to the Lord;     I plead for the Lord’s mercy. 2 I pour out my complaints before him     and tell him all my troubles. 3 When I am overwhelmed,     you alone know the way I should turn. Wherever I go,     my enemies have set traps for me. 4 I look for someone to come and help me,     but no one gives me a passing thought! No one will help me;     no one cares a bit what happens to me. 5 Then I pray to you, O Lord.     I say, “You are my place of refuge.     You are all I really want in life. 6 Hear my cry,     for I am very low. Rescue me from my persecutors,     for they are too strong for me. 7 Bring me out of prison     so I can thank you. The godly will crowd around me, ...

  Psalm 140 (read the Psalm) MAIN POINT: Jesus had enemies and so will you, but you can trust that in the presence of God you are safe from your enemies. Jesus talked about loving your enemies ( burning coals on people’s heads ) and people being thrown into fire. ( Matthew 3:12, 25:41, Mark 9:43-49, Luke 16:23-24, Revelation 14:10,  19:20, 20:10, 20:14-15, 21:8 ) And Jesus definitely had enemies. There were people trying to kill Jesus, and Satan wasn’t leaving any space for his rampage of kill, steal and destroy campaign to pass Jesus by. David has his share of enemies too. It should be no surprise to you that both Jesus and David were people often on the run, aware of the danger that lurked in every location and word of their enemies' presence. Jesus uses the words of verse 3 to describe the people whom everyone assumed should be closest to God.  Have you felt like evil people and evil forces are gunning for your soul? David understood that feeling and even more, Jesus...

  Psalm 56 “I trust in God, so why should I be afraid? What can mere mortals do to me?”   Psalm 56:4b & 11 Jesus echoes the words of David spoken here twice in Psalm 56 verse 4 and verse 11 when He is warning people about the Pharisees in Luke 12:4-5.  4 “Dear friends, don’t be afraid of those who want to kill your body; they cannot do any more to you after that. 5 But I’ll tell you whom to fear. Fear God, who has the power to kill you and then throw you into hell. Yes, he’s the one to fear.”  Luke 12:4-5 The context is also similar. David according to the Psalm notes is writing in response to a time his enemies had captured him, and Jesus is responding to a great conflict He has had with the Pharisees. 53 As Jesus was leaving, the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees became hostile and tried to provoke him with many questions. 54 They wanted to trap him into saying something they could use against him.  Luke 11:53-54 MAIN POINT: When facing great con...

  Psalm 55 How could I read Psalm 55 and not relate? I was struck first by the vivid description of fear. As I copied over the words, “Oh, that I had wings like a dove; then I would fly away and rest! I would fly far away to the quiet of the wilderness” (vv.6-7), I remembered several times feeling the same way, even recently. The monster of betrayal , the spectre of fear , or the haunting ghost of wanting-to-escape , can be the close companions of many a Christian servant. These very same evil spirits hounded Jesus, the son of God, until  His death on the cross.  12 It is not an enemy who taunts me— I could bear that. It is not my foes who so arrogantly insult me— I could have hidden from them. 13 Instead, it is you —my equal, my companion and close friend. 14 What good fellowship we once enjoyed as we walked together to the house of God . MAINPOINT: God can help you carry your burdens. Give your burdens to the Lord, and he will take care of you. He will not permit the go...