The storm of Psalm 29

We'll read a simple psalm together. Psalm number 29. Psalm number 29 please.

We'll commence reading at verse number 1. Give unto the Lord, O ye mighty, give unto the Lord glory and strength. Give unto the Lord the glory due unto his name. Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.

The voice of the Lord is upon the waters. The God of glory thundereth. The Lord is upon many waters.

The voice of the Lord is powerful. The voice of the Lord is full of majesty. The voice of the Lord breaketh the cedars.

Yea, the Lord breaketh the cedars of Lebanon. He maketh them also to skip like a calf. Lebanon and Syrian like a young unicorn.

The voice of the Lord divided the flames of fire. The voice of the Lord shaketh the wilderness. The Lord shaketh the wilderness of Cadiz.

The voice of the Lord maketh the hinds the calf and discovereth the forest. And in this temple doth everyone speak of his glory. The Lord sitteth upon the flood.

Yea, the Lord sitteth king forever. The Lord will give strength unto his people. The Lord will bless his people with peace.

Now, that's our reading. We just go to bless what we've heard already and this further reading. Now, I'm going to try and divide the time and be very brief.

Let another brother speak. We look at this psalm and if you look at it again with me, you'll see in verse one and two, we have the Lord four times. When you look down at verse three, down to verse number nine, we have the Lord mentioned ten times.

And when you look at verse ten to eleven, again you have the Lord mentioned four times. Eighteen times in such a brief psalm. I'm going to give you the way I have enjoyed the psalm and others might differ from me, I don't mind.

But I'll give you the way I've enjoyed it. If you look at verse one and two, I've enjoyed there the voice of the priest. When you come down to verse three to nine, we have the voice of the king.

When you come to verse ten and eleven, with the voice of the prophet. The voice of the priest and we have praise. The voice of the king and we have power.

The voice of the prophet and we have peace. Look at it again. When we look at verse three and four, I want you to think of a storm that's coming.

In verse five and seven, down to seven, we have the storm that's crashing. And then when you have verse eight and nine, you have the storm that's coming. Verse three and four, the storm coming, that's before the storm.

Verse five to seven, the storm crashing, that's beneath the storm. Verse eight to nine, the storm coming, that's beyond the storm. I've linked these last three portions that have spoken about this storm.

I've linked it with the voice of the Lord on three different occasions. I want you to think with me about the voice of the Lord in the garden that our brother referred to. And there he prayed in the garden, not my will but thine be done.

This in this section, the storm crashing, I want you to think with me about Psalm 22. And I want you to think with me there of the Lord Jesus when he cried, my God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? And this last portion, the storm coming, I want you to think with me about the Lord Jesus and his words, it is finished. And so we're going to think about the storm coming, before the storm, the Savior praying, not my will but thine be done.

The storm crashing and beneath the storm, the Lord Jesus, my God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? And then the storm coming beyond the storm and the Lord Jesus when he said it is finished. And we trust that our hearts might be warmed as we would prepare for tomorrow and think about the Lord Jesus and remember him in his own appointed way. I want you to think with me about the storm coming.

You know the Lord Jesus, he could see the storm coming even before he reached the garden. Isaiah tells us that he was a man of sorrows acquainted with grief, that he was despised and rejected of men, and the hatred of men was building up towards the Lord Jesus. And they were plotting and they were planning his death.

And the Lord Jesus who could see into the heart of every man, he could see what was going to happen. And he knew, well he knew long before he left heaven that he must go to the cross, but he knew the heart of man and he knew the plot and the deception and the treachery of Judas and how he was going to deliver him and sell him for 30 pieces of silver. But I want you to think with me about the Lord Jesus in the garden and it's been alluded to already.

As there he contemplated Calvary and how he would be made sin for us and how he would contemplate and think about the wrath and the righteous wrath of God that would fall upon him. And he could see the storm clouds gathering and he could see what he was going to pass through. And there in the garden the Lord Jesus he bowed and he prayed, not my will but thine be done.

He was prepared to enter into the storm. We've heard about the one who being in the form of God thought of that robbery to be equal of God, but made himself of no reputation and took upon him the form of a servant and was made in the likeness of man. And being found in fashion as a man he humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.

And our brother referred to John 14, but that the world may know that I love the Father and as the Father gave me commandment even so I do arise, let us go hence. And so the Lord Jesus he was prepared to do that which delighted the heart of God. Though I come in the volume of the book it is written of me, I delight to do what that which brings thee delight.

Oh we thank God for the Lord Jesus as we think of him who was prepared to enter into the storm. Now we want to pause there a minute. Maybe along the hills around Highland or Wisconsin or wherever you live, my dear brother you've looked out as we do in Ireland sometimes when we're on a height.

And we look out and we can look out across the land and we can see away in the distance the storm. We can see the dark clouds gathering. We might say as we do in Ireland, you know that there's some we're getting it today.

Someone's getting the rain or the storm or the whatever it is. But we know that the storm's coming. You know we've heard about those and they've requested prayer.

We've heard about this dear lady, Jerry's daughter and how the storms we've heard just now. You know we should all be compassionate and we should all be soft-hearted and we should all be filled with pity and we should all be moved to prayer. But we should all remember this brother and sister.

When someone else is going through the storm remember this. And the young may not understand what we're saying but when someone else is going through the storm remember this. The storms coming our way some of these days.

And we can hear about someone ill here or someone going through trial there and we can say they're going through the storm. And this brother is going through the storm or this sister. But remember this the storms coming our way.

And it's just before the storm. The storms coming. Do you know I had occasion to take the funeral of a of a beloved sister just a just a few weeks ago.

She battled with cancer for nine years. And as we sat and we chatted you know she said to me Terry I would never have chosen this way but I'd never be without this experience. I want to say this the Lord Jesus he chose to go through the storm.

And he prayed not my will but thine be done. I'll leave you to think about it. But then I want you to come with me to the storm that was crushing.

And I want to get our gaze fixed on Calvary. And I want to think of those that cry that rent the heavens. My God my God why hast thou forsaken me? And the storm is crushing around the Savior.

And that tsunami of the wrath of God against our sin. That tidal wave of the wrath of God. That righteous anger against our sin.

As I crissed around the Lord Jesus as he's beneath the storm. As those waves and those billows that we've heard about as they criss upon him. And wave after wave after wave falls upon the Lord Jesus.

And crisses upon the Son of God. And he cries there amidst that storm. My God my God why hast thou forsaken me? Why art thou so far from helping me? And from the words of my roaring.

I was thinking of this brother. I want you to think about this now. We often hear men saying that in the hours of darkness God made to meet upon him the iniquity of us all.

I don't believe that for a minute. I don't divide the sufferings of Christ. If we read Psalm 22 he cried.

He says oh my God I cry in the daytime and thou hearest not. And in the night season and I'm not silent. And I just wonder on my own mind.

And I leave you for to think about it brother. That when the darkness came. If you read about the darkness in the Bible.

It's always got to do with sin and with wickedness and satanic power. And I wonder was it then that the enemy came. When they came in like a flood.

When the force and the power of satanic power came. And was then that the darkness came. When the enemy thought I have him at his weakness.

At his weakest point. And there the lion. The ferocious lion came.

And there was a battle. The great battle. And there the storm raised at its highest.

And its most fierce. And the darkness came upon the Son of God. You think about it brother.

The Lord Jesus at Calvary. And he cries my God my God. Why hast thou forsaken me? Alone upon the cross.

God's judgment Jesus bore. He paid and through the cross of glory evermore. Alone alone.

He bore it all alone. And there upon the cross through that storm. That raging storm.

The Lord Jesus was alone. We're going to pause again. I want to look at every brother and every sister here.

And maybe today the storm is crashing. And maybe you're going through the storm. And maybe all is dark.

And the thunderings and the lightnings and the darkness have come upon you. And you're going through a storm. You know many storms are different.

Some storms they come in the night and they go in the night. Some trials are like that. They just come upon us suddenly.

And they're gone suddenly. Some storms they last longer than others. It's days and it's days and it's days.

And some trials are like that. And maybe there's a dear brother or a beloved sister. And you're going through the trial.

And all around you is dark. And you feel alone. I want to tell you dear brother and dear sister you're not alone.

For the one who hung alone upon the cross he said I will never leave thee. Nor forsake thee. And there's one who be with you through the storm.

You know our brother mentioned John 6 and I was reading John 6. The Lord Jesus he's up in the heights and the disciples they're battling through the storm. All their Gospels tell us that the wind was contrary. And they they found it hard in the rowing.

And they're going out into the midst. And it seems as if it seems as if satanic power is driving them out into the midst of the of the lake to seek to destroy them. And they're battling through that storm.

And it seems they're alone. It says Jesus was not come on to them. But if you read it carefully and you look at the words that our brother does you'll see it means this.

Jesus was not yet come on to them. He saw them from the beginning of the storm. He saw them he saw them going through the storm.

It was always his intention to come to them. But he was not yet. Why? He allowed them to go through that storm a little.

And they appreciated his presence and his intervention all the more. And he drew near to them. And they were afraid.

And he said that as I be not afraid. Oh dear child of God I want you to understand this. No matter how great the storm.

No matter how long it lasts. No matter how long the trial. I want you to grasp this today.

You know it already. But take it freshly to your heart today. You who are going through difficult day.

And the storm crossing around you. Remember this. He has said I will never leave thee.

Nor forsake thee. So we may boldly say the Lord is my helper. I will not fear what man shall do unto me.

The Lord Jesus he comes through the storm at Calvary. But I want you to think of the storm coming. The storm coming.

And that triumphant cry that we love. It comes from the lips of the mighty victor. The triumphant Lord.

And he says to the last day. It is finished. And if we could borrow the words of the gospel.

It was a great calm. A great calm. Ne'er again shall God Jehovah smite the shepherd with the sword.

Ne'er again shall cruel sinners set it against us. If not, our glorious Lord. There's a great calm.

The savior he has conquered. He has come through the storm. He's reached the other side.

And the one who died for our sins and was buried. He goes again. Up from the grave he arose.

A mighty victor o'er his foes. And thank God that the one who has made sin for us. He knew no sin that we may be made the righteousness of God in him.

He sits now in glory seated. Where our sins no more can rise. And he's beyond the storm.

And child of God I want to tell you this. There's a day coming when all the storms will be over. That trial that you're going through it will come to an end.

This too shall pass. The storms will be over. We've been reading here in this psalm.

And you know verse three down to nine. It may point to that tribulation that our brother William spoke about. When the when the nation of Israel will go through that time of Jacob's trouble.

That sorrowful seven years. But you know verse 10 and 11 points to that millennial peace. If you look at verse 10, the Lord sitteth upon the flood.

That word flood was only found once. One other occasion in the Old Testament. And that's to do with Noah's flood.

And you see there the Lord sitteth upon the flood. He was controlling. He was overruling the flood.

And it only lasted so long. And so it will be with the tribulation period. The days shall be cut short.

And you know that doesn't mean that 24 hours will become 20 hours. No. The days will be shortened.

There's one who's in control even of that terrible tribulation period. And then he will usher in that that day of peace. That millennial peace.

That great rule and reign of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. The Lord sitteth. King forever.

He's looking back and then he's looking forward. And you see the trial you're going through dear child of God today. With all your heartache and all your sorrow.

With all your tears. I want to tell you this. There's one he sits over the flood and he's ruling in the storm.

That storm will end. The Lord will give us people strength. He'll give strength on those people.

He'll give you strength to come through that storm. Some of us know the storms of life. We can sing that old song.

When the storms of life are raging, stand by me and the Lord has done it every time. But the Lord gives us strength of the storm. And then the Lord will bless his people with peace.

Is it a coming when we'll hear a shout. Arise my love my fair one and come away. We'll go to a place where there's no more storms.

There's no more trials nor sorrow nor tears. We'll be able to sing on that day as we do sometimes now. Rocks and storms I'll fear no more.

When on that eternal shore. Drop the anchor for the sail. Safe at home within the veil.

And the Lord he gives us strength for the storm. He will give us peace and he'll bring us safely to the other side. And he'd get under the boat and the boat will be immediately on the golden shore of heaven.

If I could use that picture. Child of God. The storm coming.

We don't know what we'll face before the Lord comes. The storm crashing. The storm coming.

You do what the Lord Jesus did. Before the storm he looked to the Father and he prayed to him. During the storm he looked to the Father and he prayed to him.

And after the storm he looked to the Father and he prayed to him. And child of God I tell you this. Keep your eye on the Father.

Keep your eye on God. Keep your eye on the Lord Jesus. When the storms of life are raging.

He will stand by you. And he will give you strength. And he'll bring you safely through.

And one day we'll land in that blissful shore. The storms of life will be forever over. And we'll look at the King.

We'll see him face to face. May God bless his work.