Look To God, Always

Scripture Passage

^{Psalm 16}

¹ Keep me safe, my God,
for in you I take refuge.

² I say to the Lord, “You are my Lord;
apart from you I have no good thing.”
³ I say of the holy people who are in the land,
“They are the noble ones in whom is all my delight.”
⁴ Those who run after other gods will suffer more and more.
I will not pour out libations of blood to such gods
or take up their names on my lips.

⁵ Lord, you alone are my portion and my cup;
you make my lot secure.
⁶ The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;
surely I have a delightful inheritance.
⁷ I will praise the Lord, who counsels me;
even at night my heart instructs me.
⁸ I keep my eyes always on the Lord.
With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken.

⁹ Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices;
my body also will rest secure,
¹⁰ because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead,
nor will you let your faithful one see decay.
¹¹ You make known to me the path of life;
you will fill me with joy in your presence,
with eternal pleasures at your right hand.

 

Sermon Script

Last Sunday, we had our Easter celebration. We had a wonderful worship service.

Youth Choir did the special music with Youth Orchestra. Our Hi-C Praise Team led the offering song. The sanctuary was packed! We also had the delicious potluck lunch afterwards.

It was all because of the good news of Jesus’ resurrection. What did the resurrection reveal to us?

It showed us that nothing can separate us from God. The power of God’s love has overcome the power of death. Through the resurrection, we are now united with God forever.

That is why resurrection is the foundation of our faith.

Paul confessed in this way:

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:35, 37-39)

I want you to sit with these words for a moment. Let them sink in.

Is this a good news for you? If this isn’t the good news for our life, then what is?

We now have a reason to be confident. We now have a reason to live boldly!

We have the good news of the resurrection. We know that God’s love will surround us, no matter what. Living confidently – that is what people of faith do.

Of course, your confidence will be rocked at times. No one lives feeling confident all the time. The challenges of life will negatively affect our confidence at times.

We will have times of anxiety and stress. We will have moments of doubt. We will get down and depressed. We will be overwhelmed by our fears. These things will leave us feeling shaky and vulnerable.

Even David, a man after God’s own heart, felt that. In the psalm we read today, he begins with these words:

Keep me safe, my God,
for in you I take refuge. (Psalm 16:1)

We don’t know exactly what kind of situation he was in. But in these words alone, we can tell that he was scared. He felt threatened. He needed some kind of assurance and a hiding place. His confidence was rocked.

Yet, what did he do? He did not freak out. He did not react impulsively.

Rather than dwelling on his problems, he looked to God. The focus of the entire psalm is not himself, but God. He fixed his gaze on God alone.

I say to the Lord, “You are my Lord;
apart from you I have no good thing.” (Psalm 16:2)

When we are troubled, it is important to look to God.

Looking to God is the most basic, yet the most important practice in our journey of faith. Ironically, it is what we neglect the most.

Too often we are busy dwelling in our own thoughts. We try to fight our anxious thoughts. Even if we ignore them, they come back.

And what happens? They overwhelm us, every time.

Our thoughts drag us further into a dark place. Like quicksand. That is why we often get stuck in our heads. We end up suffocating in our thoughts.

Don’t try to fight your anxious thoughts. Don’t try to deal with your fears on your own. You will never win.

Instead, turn your attention away from yourself and onto God. Practice it, every time.

Looking to God doesn’t mean we look at a particular place. God is not an ‘object’ we can locate with our eyes.

Looking to God is about resting in God’s goodness. You recognize God’s goodness that already surrounds you. You trust that God will take care of you, no matter what. You leave yourself completely in God’s hands.

In that sense, your attention goes beyond your problems. Your problems lose their hold over you.

David said—

I keep my eyes always on the Lord.
With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken. (Psalm 16:8)

When you look to God, you will find peace. Peace that the world cannot give.

God will pull you out of your darkness. God will draw you into his warm and comforting light.

Even in chaos, you will be calm and stand strong. Your confidence will be restored.

That was David’s experience, as he said:

Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices;
my body also will rest secure,
because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead,
nor will you let your faithful one see decay.
You make known to me the path of life;
you will fill me with joy in your presence,
with eternal pleasures at your right hand. (Psalm 16:9-11)

You have nothing to be anxious or afraid of. God is right by your side. He will never abandon you. Nothing will be able to harm you. You will be safe.

If you are feeling unsure or scared about something, leave it to God. In every situation, simply look to him. Let him be your refuge.

God knows the way you should go. God will show you a path – the path of life. That path will lead you to joy, even in difficulties.