Summer In Psalms: Psalms 61

Summer In Psalms: Send Help

Story: Have you ever felt overwhelmed?

Good things - renovating timber hills

Hard things - last couple months

Life’s not about WHAT overwhelms you, it’s about where you turn when you feel overwhelmed.

Passage: Psalms 61:1-4 NLT

1 O God, listen to my cry!

Hear my prayer!

2 From the ends of the earth,

I cry to you for help

when my heart is overwhelmed.

Lead me to the towering rock of safety,

3 for you are my safe refuge,

a fortress where my enemies cannot reach me.

4 Let me live forever in your sanctuary,

safe beneath the shelter of your wings!

Pray:

Title: Send Help

Main Points: How to pray when you feel overwhelmed

1. Listen To Me
   1. O God, listen to my cry! Hear my prayer! 2 From the ends of the earth, I cry to you for help when my heart is overwhelmed.

   2. The first step in how to pray when you feel overwhelmed… PRAY!

      1. Talk to God. Real talk to God. GOD! HEAR ME! LISTEN PLEASE! I’M OVERWHELMED! THINGS AREN’T OK! I’M DROWNING DOWN HERE! I’M EXHAUSTED! I HAVE NO STRENGTH! I’M HURTING! I’M DEPRESSED! SEND HELP!
      2. I love how David says “I cry to you for help!” If you’re overwhelmed today, It’s my prayer that you would cry out to God for help. He hears you, He is listening, and He wants to help.

      3. Are you grateful today that when we’re overwhelmed, God isn’t. God knows the plan for your life and He’s watching over you and He’s listening to your cries.

         3. Reverse The Process

      4. Often times we get the order wrong. We think “I’ll do everything I can to resolve the situation and then if that doesn’t work out then I’ll call on God.”

      5. Application: Marriage, Career, Children, Future, Dreams, Etc.

      6. Here at Pinewood we believe that prayer is our first response not our last resource, not our next option. Big or small, we pray to God. Highs and lows, we go to God. Mountains or valleys, God!

         4. Illust: I grew up as a very overwhelmed kid. For about 2 years I would spend almost every evening in the bathroom vomiting due to anxiety and the feeling of being overwhelmed.
         5. Question: What is your threshold for “overwhelmed”?
         6. Application: The odd thing about being overwhelmed is that it’s different in every season. Feeling overwhelmed does not necessarily mean there’s a lot going on, just that you are responding differently with what’s going on than other times.

      7. Some seasons it seems I can handle much more than others. I believe there’s more to feeling overwhelmed than our external circumstances.

      8. Internal Struggles:

         1. Unknown - What’s going to happen tomorrow? How is it all going to work out?
         2. Control - What if it doesn’t turn out the way I want it? What if I’m not enough?

         3. Trust - Can I rely on this person to come through? Will this person let me down like everyone else has? 3. External Symptoms

         4. Sickness, depression, isolation, & exhaustion.

            7. Question: When you’re at the end of your rope, where do you go?

      9. You could self medicate

      10. You could get angry at God
      11. You could go to destructive places
      12. You could lean on destructive people
      13. You could isolate yourself away from the world

      14. David turned to God first, and God often sends His help through people

          8. Prayers and Promises

      15. Faithful prayers to God renew previous promises made to God and usher you back to His presence.

      16. Lead Me

          1. Lead me to the towering rock of safety, 3 for you are my safe refuge, a fortress where my enemies cannot reach me.
          2. This prayer is one of trust and assurance that God has a plan for your life and that He will take you higher. But it’s also a prayer that requires something of you, if God is to lead you then you must follow, even if it means your circumstances don’t immediately change.

      17. This prayer is not an escape plan, but a decree of God’s character and nature. “For you are my safe refuge”

      18. In the trial, in the storm, in the hard season, HE IS YOUR ROCK, HE IS YOUR SAFE REFUGE, HE IS A FORTRESS FROM YOUR ENEMIES.

          3. “The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer, my God, my rock where I seek refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.” - Psalm 18:2 CSB
          4. “He alone is my rock and my salvation, my stronghold; I will never be shaken.” - Psalm 62:2 CSB
          5. “The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are protected.” - Proverbs 18:10
          6. These are the promises of God. He will never leave you nor forsake you. He is faithful to see you through any obstacle, any circumstance, any tragedy!
          7. Application: In a climate of confusion, in a culture of shaky ground, in atmospheres of doubt and fear, aren’t you grateful today that we have the Rock of salvation. The Rock which is our firm foundation. The Rock that will not move! His love is sure, His grace is sufficient, and His purpose is forever! AMEN!
          8. Illust: Hiking Up Sanitas

      19. There’s something about going higher that changes our perspective. When we’re in the middle of a situation it’s difficult to see the bigger picture. But God elevates our perspective and gives us purpose in our pain.

      20. Let Me Live

          1. Let me live forever in your sanctuary, safe beneath the shelter of your wings!
          2. “Lead me…” requires you to follow. “Let me live…” requires you to rest. Both are not at odds with each other, both are necessary if we are to live a victorious life.
          3. When you are…

      21. When you are overwhelmed, God is steady

      22. When you are weary, God is your strength
      23. When you are in the valley, God is your refuge
      24. When you are isolated, God is with you
      25. When you are afraid, God is your everlasting peace
          4. “How priceless your faithful love is, God! People take refuge in the shadow of your wings.” - Psalm 36:7 CSB
          5. “Be gracious to me, God, be gracious to me, for I take refuge in you. I will seek refuge in the shadow of your wings until danger passes.” - Psalm 57:1 CSB
          6. “because you are my helper; I will rejoice in the shadow of your wings.” - Psalm 63:7 CSB

Closing: Send Help

Illust: Shodankeh Johnson in prison

“but those who trust in the Lord

will renew their strength;

they will soar on wings like eagles;

they will run and not become weary,

they will walk and not faint.” - Isaiah 40:31 CSB

“God is our refuge and strength,

a helper who is always found

in times of trouble.

2 Therefore we will not be afraid,

though the earth trembles

and the mountains topple

into the depths of the seas,

3 though its water roars and foams

and the mountains quake with its turmoil.” - Psalm 46:1-3

Walking Points: *Keep these points simple and brief

1. Talk to God
2. Trust
3. Tell others