A Word about Calling Upon the Lord

Today I want to share a word about calling upon the Lord, as I comment on Psalm 3. This passage reads:

Lord, how are they increased that trouble me! Many are they that rise up against me. Many there be which say of my soul, there is no help for him in God. Selah. But thou, O Lord, art a shield for me; my glory, and the lifter up of mine head. I cried unto the Lord with my voice, and he heard me out of his holy hill. Selah. I laid me down and slept; I awaked; for the Lord sustained me. I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people, that have set themselves against me round about. Arise, O Lord; save me, O my God: for thou hast smitten all mine enemies upon the cheek bone; thou hast broken the teeth of the ungodly. Salvation belongeth unto the Lord: thy blessing is upon thy people. Selah.

The comedy film “Ghost Busters” popularized the phrase “Who ya gonna call?”  Though not proper English, it is a valid question. Who do you call upon in time of trouble?  Do you call on the government?  Do you call on friends?  How about a lawyer?  Each of these are valid, and should be used, but they aren't the ultimate source of our help. When in trouble, despite whomever else we may call upon, we should always call upon God, as did the Psalmist in our passage for today.

THE PROBLEM:

In a word, the Psalmist’s problem was people.  He had people who opposed him. This reminds me of a joke I heard when we served as international missionaries, “Missionary service is wonderful except for two things: the other missionaries and the local believers!” 

David was not alone in having people oppose him. They opposed Jesus also, as He told us in John 15:18-19:

If the world hates you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you. Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also.  But all these things will they do unto you for my name's sake, because they know not him that sent me.

Jesus clearly taught in this passage that the people who oppose Him also will oppose us, because we identify with Him. As I have often said, the way of salvation is narrow, and it seems to be superimposed on the broad way that leads to destruction. As people work their way towards eternal separation from God, they bump into us and jostle us who are heading toward our Lord!

This problem became a real plight for the Psalmist. Every time he faced adversity, every time something went wrong, people would say it was his fault. He must have strayed from God! God had abandoned him, or so it seemed. 

This situation reminds me of the attitude displayed by the test pilots featured in the book and movie, The Right Stuff. Anytime a pilot crashed and died, it was because he didn’t have “the right stuff,” regardless of the true cause of the crash. Even when a mechanical failure occurred, a pilot with that magical “right stuff” would be able to fly his way out of trouble. David was facing this same type of judgmental attitude and it was becoming oppressive to him.

THE PROTECTION:

Although those around him had their doubts, the Psalmist knew where he could acquire the help he needed. It was from God, and from God alone! Only God could shield him from his adversaries. Only God could lift him up and allow him to hold his head high.  Nothing else that David could turn to could do that, but God could.

David’s God was also Paul’s God. It could well be that Paul was thinking of the 3rd Psalm when he wrote to the church at Ephesus about the full armor of God:

Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 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. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;  and your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Ephesians 6:11-17

Of course, knowing that God can protect us does us no good if we can’t get His attention. Remember how the prophets of Baal danced and shouted and cut themselves on Mount Carmel? Remember also how Baal never said a mumbling word back to them? David knew that Yahweh God heard him, and when He did, He responded! Of course, our God still hears and responds to His people today!

THE PEACE: 

Because Yahweh God is faithful, we can trust Him. Because we can trust Him, we can rest. Ship’s captains cannot rest if they don’t have faith in the other mates in a ship. A young mother out on a date night with her husband can’t enjoy herself if she doesn’t have faith in their babysitter. People about to have surgery can’t rest if they don’t trust their doctor or hospital. David could have peace, because he knew his God, and our God, is faithful.

Since we know that God has our back, we can not only have peace, but we can also be fearless. We admire the sacrifice of the 300 Spartans at Thermopylae, but David said that ten thousand could not hurt him if God was his protection! That’s why he could stand up against Goliath with only a sling shot and why Samson could fight and kill 1,000 with the jawbone of a donkey. Even should our human fate be to die opposing evil, we can still say with the writer of Hebrews, “The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.”

THE POWER:

When he was in trouble, when he needed help, when he saw that he was lost without God, the Psalmist uttered a simple plea: “Arise, O Lord, and save me!” It has been said that the most common and most urgent prayer of all is the simple, “God help me!” David cried out in just that manner in his time of need. We should not be ashamed or too proud to call out in the same way when we need God’s intervention. We know God hears the prayers of His people, however simple or complex they might be, and He acts to bless us.

It is equally important for us to know, as did David, that God has the power to protect us. As Isaiah 59:1 tells us, “Behold, the Lord's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear.” 

In fact, not only does He hear our cries and defend us from our enemies, but God also does it with style. He slaps their face, and He breaks their teeth, and He publicly embarrasses the enemies of God’s people. We saw this in the contest on Mount Carmel and David also saw it in his personal life.

THE PARDON:

If we can trust God to save us from our earthly foes, should we not trust God even more to save us from our spiritual foes? Paul knew that our spiritual battles with unseen foes was as real as and even more consequential than our battles with our visible enemies. This is what he told the church at Ephesus: 

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.” Ephesians 6:12

Of course, our biggest enemy, our greatest threat, is not external to us, but internal. We are our own worst enemy. We are all lost in our sins, and we know that, as Paul wrote to the Roman church, 

There is none righteous, no, not one: There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one. Romans 3:10-12

Clearly understanding his own sin, Paul went on to cry out to God like David did in the 3rd Psalm, asking,

O wretched man that I am! Who shall deliver me from the body of this death? I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Romans 7:24-25

Like David, not only did Paul see the problem, but he also knew the answer which he shared with the Ephesians, saying, 

For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.  Ephesians 2:8-10

This is another way of saying what Peter taught in Acts 4:10-12, 

Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole. This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner.  Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.

CONCLUSION:

So, who are you going to call upon in your time of need?

• Your family and friends?

• Your lawyer or your doctor?

• The police or the fire department?

Yes, do! But also remember to call upon the Lord who can save us from the things that these others cannot! This includes ourselves and our own self-defeating tendencies!

Who ya gonna call? Like David, call on God! He will answer, He will respond, and He will save!

Every blessing,

Dr. Otis Corbitt