Fresh Response
June 28, 2020
Big Picture
As things begin to open back up and we all return to routines we’ve missed for so long, let us return with the understanding that, as a church, we are transitioning into a fresh season. In a prayer meeting days before we went into quarantine, God made us a promise saying, “I am not scattering my church, I’m gathering my church.”
God’s purpose for the church is not going to be interrupted or hindered by what has happened or what may come ahead. We have all experienced unprecedented times this year and may have felt defeated, drained, or heavily discouraged. However, how we respond in the face of these adversities greatly matters and affects the perspective we hold in this coming season.
Sermon Recap
In Psalm 34:1-10 we find a passage written by David while on the run from king Saul. David was at his lowest and most desperate point as he pretended to be insane in order to escape, and eventually wound up in a cave hiding for safety. In this most adverse circumstance David makes a powerful decision and declares, “I will bless the Lord at all times” (Ps 34:1a).
Like David, our circumstance does not have to hinder our decision to bless the Lord at all times. Blessing God’s name has nothing to do with what is going on around us, but everything to do with who God remains to be. God is a God of mercy, a God of grace, and his love endures forever. David didn’t just bless the Lord at all times, he also added, “His praise will always be on my lips” (Ps 34:1b). Praising God is not a one-time event and doing so continuously has infinite benefits. Praising and blessing God’s name:
Re-focuses our mind on God and connects our heart with his.
It fosters awareness of his presence with us.
It reminds us of his character and recalls past provisions which strengthens our hope for future deliverance.
It opens our heart to receive God’s joy and peace.
It develops our eternal perspective, so we won’t be bound by an earthly mindset.
It fulfills the purpose for which you and I have been created for.
While in a cave, in fear for his life, away from family and loved ones, with no assurance of what will happen to him, and seeing no viable way for the promise and anointing he received to be fulfilled; David states, “Those that seek the Lord lack no good thing” (Ps 34:10). If our definition of a “good thing” is limited to physical needs, then we will miss the significant point David is making. It’s not those that have everything this world offers that lack “no good thing,” but rather those that “seek the Lord.”
To seek the Lord does not mean God is hiding or far out of reach. To seek the Lord means fixating our minds and hearts on God at all times. In him we have everything we will ever need (Eph 1:3), and nothing will ever separate us from him (Rom 8:38-39). Years after the cave, David became a king who conquered all his enemies and firmly established the kingdom of Israel. Upon handing the throne to his son Solomon, he ordered all his leaders to, “Now devote your heart and soul to seeking the Lord your God” (1 Chr 22:19). David lived his whole life seeking God, regardless of where he was, in the cave or in the palace, and he led an entire nation to do the same.
If you are feeling discouraged today and are at your breaking point in this season, then do what David did; bless the Lord at all times, let his praise be on your lips continuously (Ps 34:1), and “look to the Lord and his strength; seek his face always” (Ps 105:4).
Pastor Christina Hanfere
Christina Hanfere co-pastors Overflow City Church, with her husband Pastor Paul Hanfere, in the heart of downtown Silver Spring, which is located only 7 miles away from the Washington D.C. Capitol. She is also a certified life-coach, pre-marital counselor, and heads the discipleship program at OCC.