What to do when you are overwhelmed #
Psalm 102:1-12
Introduction
The Psalmist is overwhelmed here, but not because of a personal problem. It would seem in looking at it all, the Psalmist is concerned primarily with a national issue.
It would do us good, to be so heartbroken, grief stricken over the sin of our country, that we had this kind of a heart!
2 Chronicles 7:14 - “14 If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.”
We are looking forward to our revival services this Sunday.
Imagine, that we are as heartbroken as the Psalmist about the spiritual state of our country. The title of this Psalm, states that he is overwhelmed. The entire Psalm is not simply pointing at the problem…. But rather takes a turn for the positive about midway through the Psalm.
He gives us a few things to praise the Lord about!
I. Plan of God (10) #
A. God lifts up! #
• It is easy to praise God when He lifts you up!
B. God sets down! #
• Sometimes God allows oppression to come into our life!
• Sometimes God is accomplishing something we don’t fully understand!
II. Perpetuity of God (12) #
A. Change of thought #
i. Focus on problem (1-11) #
• Up until verse 11, the Psalmist is complaining about his problems!
ii. Hunger (5-6) #
• He is even poetic about it, using the birds as illustrations…
◦ pelican in the wilderness, owls in the desert… without food, hungry
iii. Extreme sadness (9) #
iv. Dying (11) #
• We really don’t know if the Psalmist is being dramatic, or truly he was near death!
B. Contrast to God (12)! #
i. “But thou” #
• When we consider how temporal everything around us is!
◦ We have all been influenced by the energizer Bunny, that just keeps going… that is what they want you to believe…. However energizer batteries run out!
◦ Rechargeable batteries, reach the end of an amount of times they can be recharged!
◦ Cars are temporal, homes are temporal, schools are temporal…
ii. “shalt endure forever” #
• Forever is not a lifetime… that has an ending!
• God is not a passing phase, that will end… He is ETERNAL!
C. Earth (25-27) #
• Expression, “Old as dirt”… which is old, but not eternal!
• It is as if God is changing his clothes, and the earth, and heaven, will be discarded.
III. Prayers Heard! (17-22) #
A. Doubt if prayers heard (1-2) #
i. Request to be heard #
• The Psalmist starts off, requesting his prayer be heard!
ii. Have you ever felt God didn’t know what was going on in your life? #
• Sometimes, we feel like God has forgotten about us!
• The Psalmist felt like God had abandoned him, or even his country.
iii. “Hide not thy face from me” (2) #
B. God hears our prayers! (17) #
i. Your feelings will lead you astray! #
Hebrews 13:5 - “5 Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.”
ii. WE have a comforter! #
John 14:16–17 - “16 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; 17 Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.”
C. Written for our assurance (18) #
• This was written for the people that will come!
• That they may praise him!
IV. Preservation of Saints (28) #
A. God has a remnant #
i. Many have thought there is no one else! #
• It simply is not true. Elijah thought he was the only one! He wasn’t!
B. God will keep us #
• The fact that God is eternal, tells us he has the power, to keep forever… and therefore can keep us forever!
John 3:16 - “16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
i. God will keep us! #
John 14:3 - “3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.”
ii. Ever with him! #
1 Thessalonians 4:17 - “17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.”