Start Here

Counseling through the Psalms – Psalm 64 – “A Prayer for the Fearful”

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Pinterest
Email

How do you handle it when sinful people do wicked things? How do you respond when it seems like everyone around you is attacking you? Do you ever feel like people around you are plotting and planning ways to hurt and harm you?

It’s interesting that when God created humanity in His own image, part of that image was that we have the ability to think and invent. But what happens when humanity takes the mind and heart that God has given them and uses it to invent ways of evil or to strategize to do wicked things?

We live in a world that is full of evil. There are many enemies around every corner. This psalm speaks of the enemies as secretly plotting, strategizing, scheming, suddenly attacking, all because of their perceived self-importance. In addition, they have taken the gift of words and speech and turned them into weapons of hurt and harm.

Do you know someone like that? Has this ever happened to you? How do you tend to respond when it seems that your perpetrators are out to get you?

In this psalm, we learn how David deals with these problems. He prays. He brings his complaint and concerns to God. We would be wise to do the same. He also spends a significant time describing his fears to God. Even though God is all-knowing and all-wise, David specifically lays out his concerns and the problems that he is encountering. Once again that is wise counsel to us. Finally, David reminds himself of what the Almighty God could do. We see the sovereign God out-strategizes the wicked people and their evil plans and suddenly turns on them.

David was able to find his security in God’s power and justice. He knew that in God, he had a sure and certain refuge. As a result, he rejoiced in God as the only remedy for his fears.

Hear a message by James Long, Jr. from our Counseling through the Psalms series on Psalm 64.

Message Exposition – Psalm 64 – A Prayer for the Fearful

  • Section # 1 – Psalm 64:1-6 – David’s Complaints and Concerns
    • 1. The psalmist prays to God for protection (Psalm 64:1-2)
      • David’s plea: Hear me
      • David’s petition # 1: Preserve me from fear
      • David’s petition # 2: Protect me from my foes
    • 2. The psalmist is suddenly attacked by his enemies (Psalm 64:3-6)
      • David describes his fears
        • The enemies secretly plot
        • Their swords of attack (The enemies use their tongues as weapons)
        • Their strategies
        • Their sudden attacks
        • Their scheming
        • Their self-importance
  • Section # 2 – Psalm 64:7-10 – David’s Certainty and Comfort
    • 3. The psalmist’s enemies are suddenly attacked by God (Psalm 64:7-9)
      • God shoots them down, and they are brought into judgment, suddenly
      • The wicked will be exposed, judged, and brought to ruin
      • Humanity will fear God and ponder what He has done
    • 4. The psalmist takes refuge in God alone (Psalm 64:10)
      • The righteous will take refuge in God
      • The upright in heart will rejoice
  • The Gospel in Psalm 64

______________________________________________________________________________ 

About James and Lessons for Life

Are you longing to find answers to the deeper issues of life? Join Dr. James Long, Jr., a pastor, counselor, and university professor with over 25 years of experience. Hear James as he tackles some of life’s biggest questions and helps us find God’s solutions to life’s struggles. Learn the power of living by God’s grace and for His glory. Experience the joy of forgiveness and freedom found in Jesus Christ alone. If you are on a search for freedom, you will love being part of this conversation.

Subscribe, and enjoy the show! 

Find me on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram. Follow me on Twitter. Get my blog posts by email.
You can also connect with me on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, and YouTube. 

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Pinterest
Email

Related

Facebook Twitter Youtube

Get Updates

Simple fear journal

Fear dominates so many people today. When people struggle with fear, they find themselves struggling to think clearly. 2 Timothy 1:7 says, “God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.” Self-control could also be translated as a sound mind. It is a disciplined and self-controlled, and rightly prioritized mind. This simple journal will help you to write out your fears and biblically reframe your thinking and behaving to deal with your fears.

Gratitude journal

When was the last time someone said thank you to you? When was the last time you said thank you to someone else? So many people today struggle with a lack of thankfulness and ingratitude. This leads to struggles with complaining, criticizing, and comparing. Gratitude and thankfulness provide a powerful remedy for these problems. This gratitude journal helps us to identify what we should be grateful for and what we do as a result of seeing life as a gift.

God's grace prayer journal

Do you struggle with applying the truth that you learn during your study of God’s word? This God’s grace prayer journal will allow you to focus on gratitude and live in contentment in life. The journal pages encourage you to observe what you are learning from the Bible text, evaluate how you have failed to live according to the truths stated, seek forgiveness, and develop godly plans for change.

Giving hope

Do you struggle with the lack of hope? Do you find yourself struggling with doubt and insecurity during times of great challenge? During those times, you need to find your rest and assurance in pondering, personalizing, praying, and practicing what God’s Word says. In the short devotional, spend time meditating and studying each of these passages. Write down whatever comes to mind in the spaces below. And let God speak to you.

Discovering Godly patterns

One of the keys to growing in Christlikeness in our lives is to unearth and discover, and biblically evaluate our thinking patterns, speaking, and acting. This worksheet will help you be honest and specific about areas in your life that are not meeting biblical standards in thinking, speaking, and acting.

Counseling review journal

The God who began a good work in you will continue it through your lifetime and will finish it when we meet him face-to-face. God works for us, and God works in us. He enables us to become more like Christ every single day. This work is progressive and continual in this life. This worksheet helps us review and evaluate gains made during counseling and discipleship, show gratitude to God for what he has done, and develop plans for future growth and change.

Conflict review worksheet

There probably is not a day that goes by that we do not have some level of conflict with others. This worksheet helps us focus on the problem and not the person. It helps us evaluate how we have handled a dispute and how we should deal with it moving forward.

Bible study notes sheet

Do you ever struggle with doing a Bible study or journaling the key ideas from your reading? This Bible Study Note Sheet will encourage you to ponder and meditate on Scripture. Also, God’s Word is meant for you, so this worksheet will help you personalize what you are learning. It will also guide you in learning to pray God’s Word, and finally, it will encourage you to put into practice the principles and promises you find in reading the Word of God.

Anger journal

Anger is a significant issue for so many people. People often stuff or spew their anger, but very few learn to study their anger. This journal assignment will help you to do just that. It will help you understand, evaluate, and respond to your anger in better ways.

4 Steps to rethinking a problem

Do you ever find yourself getting overwhelmed with problems? Do you find yourself struggling with thinking clearly during a challenging situation? This four-step approach to rethinking a problem will help.

4P problem-solving approach worksheet

Problems can seem overwhelming. When we are in the midst of a significant crisis, many of us struggle with defining the problem and implementing helpful solutions. This worksheet helps us to identify three unbiblical and unproductive ways of handling problems. It also encourages us to destroy problems, not people, as we deal with issues in a biblical and God-honoring way.