THE THREE BE’S OF HAPPINESS: Be Free

November 8, 2009

Psalm: 18:1-6

I love you, O LORD, my strength.

The LORD is my rock , my fortress, and my deliverer,

my God, my rock in whom I take refuge,

my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.

I call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised,

so I shall be saved from my enemies.

The cords of death encompassed me;

the torrents of perdition assailed me;

the cords of Sheol entangled me;

the snares of death confronted me.

In my distress I called upon the LORD;

to my God I cried for help.

From his temple he heard my voice,

and my cry to him reached his ears.

NRSV

Psalm 18:16-19

He reached down from on high, he took me;

he drew me out of mighty waters.

He delivered me from my strong enemy,

and from those who hated me;

for they were too mighty for me.

They confronted me in the day of my calamity;

but the LORD was my support.

He brought me out into a broad place;

he delivered me, because he delighted in me.

NRSV

Psalm 18:31-33

For who is God except the LORD?

And who is a rock besides our God? —

the God who girded me with strength,

and made my way safe.

He made my feet like the feet of a deer,

and set me secure on the heights.

NRSV

We’re beginning a brief series today on biblical insights that will help us live happier, more joy-filled lives. I think this is a timely series. The world seems to enjoy saddening us—just watch the news, read the paper. But for people of faith, there are resources to find some rays of happiness shining through some of life’s darkest times. We’re going to start down the road of true happiness today.

“When I was a boy, I told people that my father was stronger than anyone else in the world …. In those days a cherry tree grew in our back yard. This was my hiding place. Ten feet above the ground a stout limb made a horizontal fork, a cradle on which I could lie face down, reading, thinking, being alone. Nobody bothered me here. Even my parents didn’t know where I went to hide. Sometimes Daddy would come out and call, Wally? Wally? but he didn’t see me in the leaves. I felt very tricky,”

“Then came the thunderstorm … It was usual for me to dream in my tree and therefore not to notice changes in the weather. So if the sky grew dark or gave any warning, I didn’t see it… [But one day a wind tore through the backyard and hit the tree with such force that it tore the book out of my hand and threw me from my limb.] “I locked my arms around the forking branches and hung on. My head hung down between them. I tried to wind my legs around the limb, but the whole tree was wallowing in the wind.”

“Daddy!”

[As the wind blew I felt that my arms were going to slip from the branches.]

“Daddeeeee!”

[Then I saw his face at the back door.] “Daddy saw me, and right away he came out into the wind and weather, and I felt so relieved because I just took it for granted that he would climb up the tree to get me. But that wasn’t his plan at all. He came to a spot right below me and lifted his arms and shouted, ‘Jump!’

“‘What?’

“‘Jump. I’ll catch you.’

“‘I screamed, ‘No!’”

[But as the wind continued to blow, I changed my mind.] I let go. “In a fast eternal moment I despaired and I plummeted. ‘This, I thought, is what it is like to die?’”

“But my father’s arms caught me.

“Oh, my daddy — he had strong arms indeed. Very strong arms. But it wasn’t until I actually experienced the strength that I also believed in it.”

--Mourning into Dancing, Walter Wangerin

We know our God has strong arms, indeed, don’t we? But it’s not until we actually experience that strength do we believe in it.

When you’re in your tree, and you’re suddenly pounded by storms, how can you believe in God’s strength, and let go, trusting those arms?

The psalmist shows us how.

The cords of death encompassed me;

the torrents of perdition assailed me;

the cords of Sheol entangled me;

the snares of death confronted me.

In my distress I called upon the LORD;

to my God I cried for help.

From his temple he heard my voice,

and my cry to him reached his ears.

When you’re clinging to your limb for dear life, take a moment and…

REMEMBER YOUR TIMES OF DELIVERANCE

If this were a small group instead of a big one—and if this were a lesson instead of a sermon—I would ask you to turn to a person next to you and tell of a time you experienced God’s deliverance. Somehow, somewhere you experienced a strength beyond yourself. Perhaps something mystical happened, like a phone call or a visit or a letter or some other “coincidence.” Or perhaps you felt burdened, hurt, worried as you started a prayer, and then felt a strange peace as you prayed. And you knew that there was a Power greater than your own surrounding you, strengthening you.

If I asked you to do this, every one of you could tell of at least one time. So when you’re up your tree with the swaying branches, remember that help is on the way. God has never dropped you yet, and isn’t about to now. Remember a past time of deliverance, and take heart.

A professor at Fuller Seminary—where, by the way, Pastor Mark is working on a doctorate in youth ministry—told of a time he experienced a deep depression. He simply had to get away. So he went to a remote island in Puget Sound and was there alone, for three weeks. No newspapers, books, telephone, or television. Totally alone.

About a week and a half into this, he had an almost mystical experience. He was sitting, reflecting, when…

“I heard my mother say, ‘I can’t help you.’ I heard good friends say, ‘I can’t help you.’ I felt utterly lost. Then at some miraculous moment, I felt a powerful sense: ‘No, you are not lost. I am here, underneath you. I am holding you up.’

“I arose, and I thought for the first time in my life, ‘I know the meaning of joy.’ It felt so marvelous. I said to myself, ‘Now I know what the psalmist means, Even when you make your bed in hell, I will be there, and I will hold you up.’” (Moyers, Genesis, 216).

So, when you feel abandoned, remember your time on Puget Sound, your special place where you sensed God saying, “I am here, underneath you, holding you up.”

I love you O LORD, my strength.

The LORD is my rock , my fortress, and my deliverer,

my God, my rock in whom I take refuge,

my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.

I call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised,

so I shall be saved from my enemies.

What else do you do while you’re clinging to that limb blowing in the wind?

DEVELOP YOUR OWN NAMES FOR GOD.

Did you notice what the psalmist called God?

“Strength.” “Rock.” “Fortress.” “Deliverer.” “Shield.” “Horn of Salvation.” “Stronghold.”

What names can you call God—names that recall to you the strong right arm of the Lord? There are traditional ones. “Father.” “Lord.” “Master.” “God Almighty.” “Yahweh, or Jehovah,” meaning “The Great I AM.”

But I invite you to look into your life. What names can you come up with that might be more personal, special, to you? There might be some non-traditional names you can come up with as well.

If you’re sick, in body or soul:

THE GREAT DOCTOR.

If you’re feeling lost and confused.

THE CAPTAIN OF MY SHIP.

If you’re lonely:

MY FAITHFUL FRIEND.

If you’re beating yourself up for your mistakes:

MY UNDERSTANDING COUNSELOR.

If you or a loved one are facing death:

THE GREAT DEATH-DEFEATER.

If you are relaxed, enjoying a sunset:

THE MASTER ARTIST.

Get the idea?

There is no situation you can be in where you can’t imagine a name that praises God, that points to God’s greatness. Why not begin your prayer by calling out that name? Throughout the day, address God with that name. And maybe that name will call out a strength and beauty that will filter through your spirit, just like it did the psalmist’s.

For who is God except the LORD?

And who is a rock besides our God? —

the God who girded me with strength,

and made my way safe.

He made my feet like the feet of a deer,

and set me secure on the heights.

It’s obvious the man who wrote these words put all his trust in God. He didn’t compromise his loyalty. He didn’t hedge his bets. In poker terms, he went “all in,” pushing all his chips into the middle of the table, trusting in God.

Simply put, he committed to making God tops in his life.

MAKE GOD TOPS IN YOUR LIFE.

Do you know what a sense of power you gain over your problems if you do this? Any problem you have you’re able to put in perspective—because you know that no matter how big your problem seems, God is ALWAYS bigger!

Have you ever had those times when you encounter something—or someone—totally frustrating and you say, “You have to be kidding me!” A boss who tells you to do one thing, you do it, and then changes his mind. A co-worker who spreads a bit of gossip about you, or starts an e-mail chain about you. A child who refuses to listen. A parent who refuses to listen. People who refuse to listen, period.

And you know how these situations and people can get under your skin? You can’t get them out of your mind. They seem to gnaw away at your soul. You nurse hurt feelings. You cry out at the injustice. You play out the “When he said that, I should have said…” scenes.

But IF you truly believe that God is first and foremost in your life. IF you seek to do what God wants you to do. IF you have a heart for God’s mission, and a passion for God’s purpose:

THEN...

…all those frustrating situations with incredibly frustrating people…

IT DOESN’T MATTER.

It doesn’t matter how tacky, petty, or downright mean people are to you.

GOD is the important one in your life. GOD is the one you’ve bet your life on. You love Him with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. You seek to do His will: then all those tacky, petty, mean people? What they try to do to you has the effect of throwing spitballs at a battleship. And they discover how small and weak they are, compared to the God you call your “Rock.”

REMEMBER:

IT DOESN’T MATTER!

How freeing that is to say that.

That’s because you know how strong the arms are waiting for you under that tree.

Let go.

It’s difficult to do. Letting go is ALWAYS difficult to do. But remember there’s someone waiting for you, and He’s never, ever, dropped anybody—and He doesn’t plan to start with you.

You KNOW how strong God is. Now it’s time to EXPERIENCE that strength yourself.

Let go.

He reached down from on high, he took me;

he drew me out of mighty waters.

He delivered me from my strong enemy,

and from those who hated me;

for they were too mighty for me.

They confronted me in the day of my calamity;

but the LORD was my support.

He brought me out into a broad place;

he delivered me, because he delighted in me.

NRSV