YOU CAN TRUST GOD! 1 O LORD, how many are my foes! Many are rising against me; 2 many are saying to me, "There is no help for you in God." 3 But you, O LORD, are a shield around me, my glory, and the one who lifts up my head. 4 I cry aloud to the LORD, and he answers me from his holy hill. 5 I lie down and sleep; I wake again, for the LORD sustains me. 6 I am not afraid of ten thousands of people who have set themselves against me all around. 7 Rise up, O LORD! Deliver me, O my God! For you strike all my enemies on the cheek; you break the teeth of the wicked. 8 Deliverance belongs to the LORD; may your blessing be on your people!(Psalm3:1-8) The text deals with the night King David was completely surrounded by his son Absalom and his army. David is expressing his pain, agony and frustration as he cries to God for help. However, David had such confidence in God… that he would deliver him in this situation; he simply went… to sleep… after that prayer. Absalom the son of King David began to scheme against his father to obtain the kingship, and had himself proclaimed king at Hebron (2 Sa 15:1–12). Marching against Jerusalem, he forced David to flee the capital and took possession of the royal palace and of the harem. He disregarded the counsel of Ahithophel and did not immediately pursue the small forces of David, but followed, instead, the advice of David’s friend Hushai, who counselled him to mobilise all of Israel’s army before continuing the pursuit. This gave David time to reorganise his forces and get ready for the decisive encounter (chs 15:13 to 17:23). The battle took place in the "wood of Ephraim," somewhere in Gilead, probably near Mahanaim. The forces of Absalom were severely beaten and in the confusion of battle Absalom was caught by the head in the branches of a tree, and left hanging helpless. While thus suspended he was killed by Joab against the explicit command of David. He was buried like a criminal in a large pit in the wood, and a big heap of stones was erected over his grave. Trust in the Lord in times of trouble! He will be a shield around you! God is building a shield around you as you read this message! The Lord will sustain you! Only believe! Only believe! I know where you are. I know how you feel. I have been there. I know what you are going through. Be encouraged! Be encouraged! OBSTACLES WILL COME YOUR WAY! Regardless of what obstacles you may encounter for a difficult task, these same problems… probably have been… overcome by other people. Some of these people may have written books, magazine articles, or Internet commentaries showing how to… surmount these difficulties. “ You can take from every experience… what it has to offer you. And you cannot be… defeated …if you just keep taking one breath followed by another, “Oprah Winfry. FEAR MUST BE CONQUERED! Fear is also a… major problem… when you are… surrounded… by trouble. David stated in the text that ‘he was not afraid of ten thousand people.’ “ No passion so effectually robs the mind of all its powers of acting and reasoning as fear,†Edmund Burke. BELIEVE IN A HIGHER POWER! Another problem in starting or resuming… a difficult task… according to psychologists is a lack of “ empowering beliefs.†These beliefs are such things as self-confidence and a "take-charge" attitude. Lacking these beliefs, you may feel… inadequate … that you can't meet the challenge. To overcome this problem you need to develop ...empowering beliefs. “ In the province of the mind, what one believes to be true either is true or becomes true,†said John Lilly. BELIEF IN GOD IS GOOD FOR YOU! These “ empowering beliefs†normally result from a… series of achievements. However, you also… can implant… these beliefs… directly into… your subconscious mind. In this way you can remove the… obstacle that keeps you from even… trying to take on… a difficult task. Belief in God… is good for you… physically, emotionally and spiritually.Belief in God is an... empowering belief . "Belief in God… is good medicine,†Herbert Benson, Harvard Medical School. When I was a young college student, I was walking home from class one night ;it could have been a Wednesday Evening. We usually got a pay check each Friday. At the time, I was surrounded by hunger and lack of money. It was also very cold that evening. I stopped by a service station that evening to warm up. As I entered the door, the owner’s wife came by with two pork shop sandwiches for his supper. He looked at those sandwiches and said that he did not want pork shop that evening. He offered me his sandwiches. I gladly accepted. Those two pork shop sandwiches helped me to graduate from college. My point is this… I believed God was going to help me in…that situation. I did not know how, but I believe my situation would change. I don’t know what you are facing! You may feel like you are completely surrounded by your problems. GOD IS ABLE!!! I am here to tell you that …God is able. He can make away out of no way. He can build a fence around you. He will build a fence around you… if you only believe. He built a fence around Moses when he came out of Egypt! He built a fence around David when he battled Goliath! He built a fence around the disciples on a stormy sea one night! He built a fence around Satan when He chained him, death, grave yards, and set the captives free! He built a fence around me one day! I know he will build a fence around you!
