When Deep Calls to Deep Part 2

This is part 2 of the sermon, I preached this May 3, 2009

Text: Psalm 42,43

Know the Sovereign God of the Depths
When you are in over your head you must seek the living God in the depths, you must also know the Sovereign God of the depths.

Vs 6 – The psalmist, understanding the temple was in Jerusalem where the presence of God is expressed his sorrow that he was distant from God. Notice he did not blame God for being distant, he recognized that God did not move, it was he the psalmist who distanced himself from God. He longed to be back. (If you are far from God don’t you long for that relationship you once had?)
Vs 7 – picture of one wave of the deep sea calling to another to coordinate a plan to drown the psalmist. Waterspout – like a tornado at sea. The picture of being lost at sea during a storm, tossed by the waves, taking on water and sinking fast, with no hope of rescue. He is in over his head. Notice he recognizes God’s sovereignty over it all. The Lord is directing it (like the lifeguard who pulled the rope causing me to be in the deep water).
-Like Jonah 2:3-6 3: For thou hadst cast me into the deep, in the midst of the seas; and the floods compassed me about: all thy billows and thy waves passed over me. 4: Then I said, I am cast out of thy sight; yet I will look again toward thy holy temple. 5: The waters compassed me about, even to the soul: the depth closed me round about, the weeds were wrapped about my head. 6: I went down to the bottoms of the mountains; the earth with her bars was about me for ever: yet hast thou brought up my life from corruption, O LORD my God.
Vs 8 – Although the psalmist was overwhelmed, in over his head, he recognized the sovereignty of God that God allowed this to happen and he did so because God loved him and that God is with him. God’s love never fails!
-Like Job who lost his wealth, his family, his health and he said “The Lord gave and the Lord that taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.”
Vs 9 – Recognizing that God is sovereign, and that God is his rock in this storm he asks the obvious question “Why have you forgotten me?” IE Why has God not come to his immediate aid? It seems his prayers are unheard and unanswered.
-mourning – literally means to be dark or black. Such was his despair.
-the enemy – Satan – will oppress you and I. Ephesians 6:10-12 10: Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. 11: Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12: For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
Vs 10 – Mocking his faith in God was like a sword in his bones.
Vs 11 – Here he must talk to himself again – repeating what he knows is true. Notice the difference from vs 5 – the health of my countenance – a change of face. When you get your mind in the right state your feelings and emotions will follow. The despair so evident has now changed in his countenance.

Do you really believe God knows what is best? Do you really believe that God will do what is best?
Romans 8:28 26: Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. 27: And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God. 28: And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. 29: For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. 30: Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified. 31: What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? 32: He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things? 33: Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth. 34: Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us. 35: Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36: As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. 37: Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. 38: For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, 39: Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Do you believe that?