Call Upon His Name!

Good morning, Cities Church. Great to be with you. This morning we’ve come to Psalm 55. This Psalm has some overlap with the Psalm we looked at last week, Psalm 54, which Pastor Jonathan preached from last Sunday.

There are several similarities between the two Psalms, between Psalm 54 and 55, but the main thing that I’d like to highlight is that, in both Psalms, we see David preaching to himself, exhorting himself, reminding himself of various truths. Pastor Jonathan mentioned this. We saw David doing that in Psalm 54, and we’ll see it again here in Psalm 55.

So, I’m excited to examine this Psalm with you. Let’s pray and then we’ll dive into the text.

Father in heaven, you are so kind. Your kindness blows me away, every time I think about it. It’s remarkable. Oh God, Thank you. Thank you. Now I ask that you would be pleased to use your word and this sermon this morning to edify your people here. I pray that the truth we see in this Psalm would inspire us, and provoke us toward holiness. And I pray that every single one of us would walk out of this place this morning more confident in your sustaining love. I ask this in the name of Jesus. Amen.

In the opening verses of Psalm 55 we see David lamenting and crying out to God. David is facing a painful situation and he’s crying out. Look at verses 1 and 2 with me:

“Give ear to my prayer, O God,
and hide not yourself from my plea for mercy!
Attend to me, and answer me…
I am restless in my complaint and I moan,"

David, here, is asking God to listen, right? He says, “O God, give ear to my prayer…” and “…attend to me.” And He seems desperate. But then, he launches into why he desperately wants God to listen. Look at verse 3:

"because of the noise of the enemy,
because of the oppression of the wicked.
For they drop trouble upon me…
My heart is in anguish within me;
the terrors of death have fallen upon me.
Fear and trembling come upon me,
and horror overwhelms me."

So, apparently, there’s a group of people coming after David — they want to “oppress” him, his heart is in “anguish” and he is overwhelmed by “horror.” Woah! Uh, this is intense. Now, there’s something interesting here in these verses.

When you examine these first few verses closely, you pick up on David’s tone, he’s feeling anxious, afraid, unsettled, frazzled, horrified, overwhelmed. It’s sort of like he’s saying, he’s not sure he’s going to make it.

However, what we sense here is not the norm for David. Usually, when David cries out to God, he tends to speak with more courage, than this, because he knows that when he cried out to God, he knows God will listen. Listen to David elsewhere:

In Psalm 4:3,

“the LORD hears when I call to him.”

In Psalm 33:18,

“Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear him, on those who hope in his steadfast love...”

In Psalm 34:15, David writes,

“The eyes of the LORD are toward the righteous and his ears toward their cry…”

And there are many more. So, we see plenty of moments in Scripture where David speaks with courage, even when facing pain or suffering, not because he’s confident in himself, but because he’s confident in God, he’s confident in God’s ability to save him. There are many moments in Scripture when David approaches God with great confidence and courage!

Now, that’s not to say that David is always confident, there are certainly moments where he isn’t as confident, however, those moments tend to be rare. Well, these early verses of Psalm 55, seem to be one of those rare moments, we can pick up on David’s anxieties.

John Calvin, the great 16th century pastor-theologian, picked up on this, in his commentary on this passage, here’s what Calvin said:

“From the language with which the psalm opens, we may conclude that David at this time was laboring under heavy distress. It could be no ordinary amount of [distress] [because it] produced such an overwhelming effect upon [David], a saint of his distinguished courage.”

Calvin picks up on this, the language and tone from David here is unique from his other writings. Calvin says that David is usually a “saint” with “distinguished courage” but here, in this Psalm, David seems different. This tells us, that whatever David was facing, it must have been very bad. And throughout the rest of this Psalm, as we’ll see, David explains why pain is so bad, he gives us a vivid and intense description of the anguish he is feeling, there’s a sense of devastation that David is feeling.

It’s, as if, there’s been some violence that’s been done to his soul. That’s how he’s feeling! From verse 6 thru verse 11, David is talking about this group of wicked people that are after him, they’re wreaking havoc on the city, and he’s asking God to stop this madness, he asks God to stop them, in verse 9 he asks God to “divide their tongues”… another English translation renders it, “Confound their speech.”

This imagery of “dividing tongues” reaches back to the book of Genesis, at the Tower of Babel, the people back in Genesis 11 had been conspiring together to do an evil thing, so God divided the languages. So, David is like, God, would you do that again. Maybe if these evil people can’t communicate with one another, maybe this madness will come to an end. And then, in verse 12, the Psalm shifts. It’s in verse 12 where we pick up on why this moment is especially bad for David.

Up until this point he had been talking about a group of evil people, but in verse 12 it shifts to one particular person. Look at verses 12-13,

“For it is not an enemy who taunts me —
then I could bear it;
it is not an adversary who deals insolently with me —
then I could hide from him.
But it is you, a man, my equal,
my companion, my familiar friend.”

Apparently, one of the leaders of this evil crew is someone who was once very close to David. David’s like, listen, if it had been some stranger, I could take that. If it had been some military general from another country or foreign power, fine, I could handle that, I mean, it would’ve been bad, but it wouldn’t have haunted me this bad.

This someone David spent time with. He calls him a “familiar friend”… “a man, my equal.” And the betrayal is devastating to David.

When I was studying this Psalm this week, and thinking about betrayal, it reminded me of William Shakespeare’s famous play “Julius Caesar”— and that moment in the play where Julius Caesar is being attacked in the Roman senate, and he’s eventually assassinated, and in the play, Caesar sees his dear friend, his protégé, Brutus, along with the conspirators. And Caesar is stunned and heartbroken by the betrayal! And Caesar famously says to Brutus “Ett—tu—Bru—tay!” As you know, this means “and you too Brutus.”

Now, historians tell us that it didn’t happen the way Shakespeare wrote it, but whatever. It’s still an epic moment in the play. And you can feel it. And that’s what David is feeling, he’s looking at this old friend of his, and he’s like, Really? And you too?

Later in the Psalm David describes his old friend. Look at verse 21:

“His speech was smooth as butter,
yet war was in his heart”

We’re getting a good picture of the depth of the betrayal; this person was malicious, his words were “smooth [like] butter” yet there was “war in his heart.” Ooofff. And some of us have experienced this sort of heartbreak.

Maybe you got to know a person like this, someone who says all the right things, you think they’re one type of person, but then you find out they’re not what you thought. Maybe you’ve experienced a fracture in a friendship, or maybe you had a spouse betray you. Relationship fractures cut deep. And that’s the feeling David is expressing here.

Then, in verse 15, we see another shift, this is where David starts to declare truth, he’s preaching to himself, he’s reminding himself of some important truths. Look at verse 15 with me, David says:

“Let death steal over them.
Let them go down to Sheol alive;
For evil is in their dwelling place and in their heart."

Then this is reiterated in verse 23, look at verse 23 with me:

“But you, O God, will cast them down
into the pit of destruction…”

These people who are causing strife and this friend who betrayed David, they’re going to go down a different pathway than David. This is important for David to acknowledge. The reason is because, if you’re in David’s situation, where there’s strife and violence being done in the city, and there’s this person who has deeply wounded you… betrayed you. It would be really easy to think that these guys are gonna get away with it.

David is reminding himself, he’s preaching to himself, God’s going to take care of this. Then, he draws a contrast between himself and that evil crew. Look at verse 16:

“But I call to God, and the Lord will save me.”

David knows that the evil men will face judgment, but he will be saved. Not because he is the most morally upright character in the Scriptures. It’s not because he was anointed king. No, none of those reasons. The reason David will be saved is because he called to God. That’s it.

In Romans 10:13, the apostle Paul says,

“everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

David knows this and he preaches it to himself throughout the Psalms. He continually reminds himself and us that we can call upon the name of the Lord. David continues to preach truth here in Psalm 55, he’s reminding himself of the goodness of God.

Look at verses 17-18,

“Evening and morning and at noon
I utter my complaint and moan,
and he hears my voice.
He redeems my soul in safety…”

You sense from David here, his confidence has returned. In the opening verses of this Psalm, his confidence seemed shaken, but as he’s been reminding himself of the truth, his tone has shifted. The same will be true for us. As we remind ourselves of truth, as we preach to ourselves, and to each other, we regain our confidence, and it’s not confidence in ourselves, but confidence in God, confidence in his ability to save, and confidence in his willingness to save.

In John 6:37, Jesus says,

“…whoever comes to me… I will never cast out.”

The apostle Peter says this:

“Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, so that at the proper time he may exalt you…”

If we humble ourselves, God will exalt us. But if we refuse to humble ourselves, then God will humble us. David knows that his sins have been forgiven and he will not face the same judgment as these other men. This wicked crew is causing strife, they are refusing to humble themselves, but there will come a day where God will humble them. In verse 19 of this Psalm, David says that:

“God will… humble them…”

Those wicked men will be humbled.

Friends, if you are here this morning and you refuse to humble yourself, there will be a day where God will show up and he will humble you. That will not go well for you.

In James 4:6, James is quoting from the book of Proverbs. He says this:

“God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”

There will come a day where those who refused to humble themselves, they will be humbled by God. The last verse we’ll look at together this morning is verse 22, this is the key verse in this passage. David has given us insight into his tremendous pain, he has shared his anguish, he’s feeling anxieties and fear and deep hurt, betrayal; but he continues to preach to himself and to us he says this. Look at verse 22 with me,

“Cast your burden on the Lord,
and he will sustain you;
he will never permit
the righteous to be moved.

Cast your burden on God… he will sustain you! Another English translation renders it this way:

“Pile your troubles on God’s shoulders — he’ll carry your load, he’ll help you out…” (MSG)

We pile our troubles onto God’s shoulders. He will sustain us, he will not permit that we be moved! In the New Testament, the apostle Peter picks up on this same sentiment and same language, in 1 Peter 5:7, Peter says:

“casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.”

Church, the reason we cast our anxieties on God, is because he cares.

Maybe your burdened because of a relational fracture in your life, someone betrayed you and you’ve been wounded. Or maybe it’s something different… Maybe your family is in crisis. Maybe your facing disease or a difficult prognosis. Or maybe you have a hard relationship with a child. Or maybe your marriage is struggling. Or maybe there’s some financial hardship… or infertility… or mental health… or some problems at work… or maybe you’re feeling lonely… or feeling misunderstood. Maybe you’re feeling exhausted or anxious because life just hasn’t gone the way you had hoped!

Whatever your burden may be, cast it on the Lord, pile it onto his shoulders, he cares for you! Church, he cares for you!

Almost every Sunday morning, here at Cities Church, we do a welcome at the beginning of the service. And in the welcome, whoever’s doing it, we will often remind you of the words of Jesus from Matthew 11. I wanna read them for you. Matthew 11:28, Jesus says,

“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

Jesus says, I will give you rest! Church, he cares for you! In 1 Peter 3:12, the apostle Peter says:

“For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayer…”

Christians, you are the righteous ones, you have placed your faith in Christ, so you are declared righteous, this applies to you. His eyes are on you, his ear is attentive to you, he’s ready to listen to you! Church, God cares for you!

Many of us have faced great burdens. Many of us have had moments of significant nervousness… or anxiety… or exhaustion… or deep hurt, like David has described here in Psalm 55. In those moments… cast your burdens on him… he will sustain you… he cares for you!

I wanna close this morning with some practical application. What does this look like, practically? I want to give you two action items to consider, when you’re carrying anxieties or when you’re feeling overwhelmed or feeling alone or trying to figure out how to navigate a painful situation with a friend or a coworker or your spouse whenever you are facing any burden of any kind, here’s what you do.

First… Go to God in prayer… first!

Notice the first thing David does at the beginning of this Psalm, even when he was feeling shaken, he cried out to God! His first inclination, is to pray, to make his requests known to God. It’s okay to talk to friends, or spouse, or community group, or your life group, or your boss, or a counselor, or a therapist, or your pastors, all of these may be appropriate in most situations, however, your first go-to must be the Lord.

Listen to these words, from the apostle Paul in Philippians 4,

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication... with thanksgiving... let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

Do you want the peace of God to guard you? Well then, go to him in prayer, with thanksgiving in your heart, and make your requests known to him!

Second, when you’re carrying anxieties, when you’re facing a painful situation, here’s what you do…

2) Preach to yourself!

David has modeled this for us in the Psalms. Tell yourself the truth! Proclaim truth to yourself. Sometimes we know what’s right, in our brains, but it doesn’t quite sink into our hearts or our souls.

We might have the right data or even have the right theology in our brains, but sometimes, when we face hardships, the truth isn’t a felt reality. So, we need to hear it again!

Practically speaking, this may look different from person to person, or season to season, or even day to day. Sometimes this may mean you listen to a sermon. You’re dealing with something, so you pull up the Cities Church app or our YouTube channel and you listen to a sermon.

Sometimes this means you intentionally play some music that you know will remind you of truth. And often times this means you quote Scripture. One of the most powerful gifts God has given us is the Word of God. When you have certain thoughts pop your head or certain emotions arise in your heart, in that moment, quote the Bible!

Memorize some Scripture and quote it out loud. If you don’t have it memorized, get some 3x5 cards and write some verses out. Put them on your mirror in the bathroom. Put them on the dashboard of your car. Keep them in your pocket, wherever.

And whenever those painful thoughts or emotions come flooding back into your head, you pull that 3x5 card out and you read it, out loud, and you let the word of God shape you. And you keep reading those Scriptures over and over and over again until that truth is deep inside you!

The Bible tells us to, cast our burdens on the Lord, because he cares for us, and he has promised to sustain us! Preach that to yourself every single day!

Daily remind yourself that God cares for you. Daily remind yourself that your redemption is not because of something you did, but because of your trust in Christ. Daily remind yourself that you are sinner, deserving of hell, but God intervened, and he made a way for you to be saved. Daily remind yourself that God became a man, that he lived a perfect life, and that he was condemned to die as if he was a sinner!

Daily remind yourself that God placed your sins on Jesus Christ, and that Jesus paid for your sins at the cross! And that’s why we come to this table every single week.

One of the things we do when we take communion is we preach to ourselves. It’s an action that reminds us of the love of God.