Psalm 42 – Seek Peace

By Pastor Bob Rasmussen

Good morning! And hello to those watching online on Facebook, YouTube, Christian World Media, Roku, and our website. We do appreciate those watching and hope that these messages are received. If you ever have a prayer request, you can email us at jamjanesville@gmail.com or drop it on the platform you are watching from.

We do have some news about our livestream. It seems TDS, the company that brother Aaron works for, will be moving into the neighborhood. We will be migrating from Spectrum to TDS, which will give us a massive increase in the speed at which we can upload our video and audio. This will lead to higher-quality video and audio – all with cost savings that are also very welcome, amen?

Last night we had our annual chili mix, which was very good. It is always lovely to take a moment and refresh with our brothers and sisters – especially with food. Congratulations to those who won the contest!

Which leads me into what I would like to talk about this morning, and that is resting – resting in Jesus.

Now, this is not about a woe-is-me, I need rest message. Rather, it is about going deeper into the presence of the Lord to access truly soul-refreshing rest. I know that we are all busy. This week, I started my biggest project to date in Mequon, WI. Long days and a long drive, so I get it. We all get tired.

I am pulling 49 cables for cameras in a large facility. I have 33 runs completed. I only need to do four more pulls of 4 for a total of 16. And I will be done. So, I need to rest, physically, I absolutely do.

We all need to rest after work. We need rest after playing. And we need rest to get through this life. And there is a purpose to that rest. But there is a deeper rest that we also need. And that is in the presence of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

• Psalm 127 Except the Lord build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain. 2 It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows: for so he giveth his beloved sleep.

That is the KJV but I really like how it is in Amplified:

• Psalms 127: Unless the Lord builds the house, They labor in vain who build it; Unless the Lord guards the city, The watchman keeps awake in vain.

What I love about this verse is that there is this reminder that the Lord is watching over all of us. The Lord is guarding us.I pray this over all of you, that the Lord grant you rest and peace, like maybe you haven’t for a while. Perhaps you have been in some very stressful times. Maybe there are things in your marriage that are very tense right now.

Maybe you are going through a divorce. Perhaps it is a persistent or new health issue. I know that for Diana and me, we are believing for two healthy babies for our daughter, Johnna, and her husband, Andy. We have about 10-11 days before they will induce her.

Diana will be flying to help for the first few days, because it will be double diaper duty. And she wants to be there to support them.And even though we will be separated, I know the Lord will be with her and with our family in Texas. And I can rest, knowing that whatever I am going through and whatever you are going through, the Lord is present, and watching us.

It can get so easy to start to worry and fret obsessively over some things, when all it accomplishes is literally nothing. I can think of many times when I was so worried about a situation that I had no control over. I ran through scenario after scenario in my mind of what would happen. What if that happens? What do I do if the other thing happens? And in the end, it really did have no impact on the outcome.

I want to press in during those times and be aware of His presence, and that He cares for me, He cares for us, that He loves us, and that He protects us.

Unless the Lord builds the house. This is a good reminder.Money is not a bad thing; we need it to pay bills, buy groceries, and give gifts. But in the end, it’s just money. I work hard for the money I make, just like everyone else here, including folks who are retired.  But if that is our only goal, it is pointless.

There is that old phrase, you can’t take it with you – and it is so very accurate. If we are not doing and earning, if we are not working with the Lord, there is no life in it. It will not have a lasting impact.

In a culture of likes, shares, and followers, it can become very easy to take our eyes off of who is most important and who we follow, amen?Without the Lord involved, it’s just vanity. And I am not talking about the vanity in your bathroom.

Vanity has two primary meanings. Excessive pride in one’s appearance or achievements, and something worthless and futile. Without the Lord, that is what you have – it’s worthless. If we are doing everything without a connection to God, there is no eternal impact. And that is why I think real rest, real security, and effectual prosperity come from trusting God and not in ourselves.

• Matthew 11:28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

Has anybody ever felt like that? Maybe you feel like that today? The beautiful thing is that Jesus knew what it would feel like. He knows how you are feeling today in this very moment, and He is saying just come to me. Just move to me. Just trust me, Jesus, and He will give you rest.

• 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

Not just rest, but rest for your souls.

Anyone in here ever have panic attacks?Panic attacks really are debilitating.I started having them in my early 20’s I think.The first one landed me in the emergency room. And I think I went an additional four times. I was just in my 20’s and I thought I was having a heart attack.

It would wash over me, and I would tense up, and my breathing would change. I started breathing quickly and shallowly. I would become lightheaded. I ended up going into therapy, and I had a doctor who had me addicted to benzodiazepines. I was popping them like candy. He prescribed me other medications that clouded my thinking and dulled my whole demeanor. It was an awful time in my life.

Fast forward a number of years and I was off the meds and didn’t really have them anymore. Until I did. Diana and I were headed to a job and that thing hit me like a ton of bricks. Same symptoms, same fear, same shallow breathing. Back to the ER, again. I got some more help, but didn’t get hooked on the benzodiazepine – I had some, but it wasn’t like it was before.

Throughout that whole experience, I learned some things. One was I now had a relationship with a Savior who watches over me and guards me, amen. I also have a God who offers me a place to come and receive rest, hallelujah.

I also learned that the rapid breathing that would accompany my panic attacks is a symptom of the sympathetic nervous system’s fight or flight response. This rapid, shallow breathing pattern prepares the body for an emergency by increasing heart and blood pressure.

God gave us this to fight battles of a physical nature. So with more knowledge and a little discipline, I learned to do something – I learned to control my breathing.

Sometimes I would take a bag. I would place it over my mouth, and I could actually see my breathing – and I could go from that quick, shallow breathing to a deep, oxygen-enriched breath that would bring relief throughout my body. And it would allow my body to rest from that stressful situation.

This isn’t some Middle Eastern methodology; that is just how God made us. But sometimes, just taking those deep breaths, we can focus ourselves up. It can help us center on whatever we are doing.

Now, let’s look at how we can apply how we breathe and how we spend time with God. I am not against devotionals, I am not against worship songs, I am not against quick posts with a shout-out for God.

I use all of those things, but if the only connection we have with God during the week is a quick two-minute read of a devotional or worship song on the way to work. If all we are doing is reading a quick post on Facebook or Instagram, we are just taking shallow breaths, spiritually. They can be refreshing, but it is it enough?

I think we all, myself included, can benefit from deep, whole, life-giving, empowering breaths of the Spirit, but it is an active effort on our part.

• Psalm 46:10 Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth. 11 The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah.

This is why we need to take some real, significant time to spend with the Lord, significant time in places where His presence is with us, and we just wait on Him to speak into our life.For me, that is where we will truly be restored. That is where our soul is refreshed.

That is where we can be reminded that He is with us, He is watching over us and guarding us, that He’s helping build the house, which is each of us.  That’s when we are reminded that he is building our business, or our jobs, our very lives for the enrichment of His kingdom and His purpose.

It is so easy to get caught up in routine, which is not a bad thing, as long as we include Him, amen? A reading of a quick post, a worship song and a now I lay me down to sleep is not going to be enough.

There is a time coming where things are going to be difficult. We can see it already in this country, can’t we? Evil is accepted and promoted everywhere we look.So we need to be ready.

We are going to go to Psalm 46 here in a minute.I love the Psalms. I am grateful that it is part of the Word of God.I see myself many times in the Psalms, they are very open and honest about how they feel. And they were written by imperfect people and share how they are feeling and their prayers – there is an inherent honesty in them.

And some of them are like God, where are you? God, why is this happening? Why are you mad at me, God?They shout about being surrounded, that they are in a battle.  They talk about how in the middle of whatever mess they are in, God seems distant, far off, and not caring about them at all.

The Lord put these in here, I think, to say that even if we are to be victorious, that we are more than conquerors, that even though we fight from a position of victory, it’s OK to have these feelings and moments.

I am Christian, I love Jesus, and I am on fire for God – then something happens and we get the wind knocked out of us – we feel alone, defeated, and have no hope. It’s in Psalms.I failed God, I sinned, and I feel horrible. It’s in Psalms.I want to be thankful and acknowledge that everything I have is from God.  I want to praise God! It’s in the Psalms. I have been wronged; I need retribution, and I need justice. It’s in Psalms.I need to be renewed, I need restoration, and I can’t do it on my own. It’s in Psalms.

Let’s look at Psalm 42

• Psalm 42:1 As the deer pants [longingly] for the water brooks, So my [a]soul pants [longingly] for You, O God. 2 My soul (my life, my inner self) thirsts for God, for the living God. When will I come and see the face of God? 3 My tears have been my food day and night, While they say to me all day long, “Where is your God?”

You can hear the desperation of this Psalmist. Their life is utterly dry; they know what they’re missing: the presence of God. They can’t make their way to God; it’s been a while. There is pain in their words, like they are being crushed and overwhelmed

• 4 These things I [vividly] remember as I pour out my soul; How I used to go along before the great crowd of people and lead them in procession to the house of God [like a choirmaster before his singers, timing the steps to the music and the chant of the song], With the voice of joy and thanksgiving, a great crowd keeping a festival.

You can hear the kind of excitement they remember, when they were on fire for God, when they were in His presence. How they were bringing people into the presence of god.

That could be some of us couldn’t it? When we first got saved, you could not keep us from church. You could not keep us from the Word. We wanted to tell everyone about this amazing Lord Jesus, who saved us and brought us new life.

But we have marriages, we have children, and jobs – all the things of a busy life. Loss, drama, and pain are part of this life—and some of the newness was worn away by the mundane, slowly quieting the spark we once had.

• 5 Why are you in despair, O my soul? And why have you become restless and disturbed within me? Hope in God and wait expectantly for Him, for I shall again praise Him For the help of His presence.

That is when we feel that separation from God. When we are not spending the time we need to in His presence. We feel it in our souls, but we can be reminded that all we need to do is to get back to that place before Him, just lying at His feet, and worshipping and praying, amen?

Just like a panic attack for me, this is like a panic attack for the Soul, telling us that something is not right. Something is missing. That it is not a soul-healthy place to be.

• 6 O my God, my soul is in despair within me [the burden more than I can bear]; Therefore I will [fervently] remember You from the land of the Jordan And the peaks of [Mount] Hermon, from Mount Mizar.

I can see whoever is writing this taking a moment and intentionally remembering that relationship that they had in His presence. I see them stopping the shallow, panicked breathing and taking a deep, soul-filling breath, remembering who God is.

Remembering that God is good, God is gracious, and that God is merciful.

• 7 Deep calls to deep at the [thundering] sound of Your waterfalls; All Your breakers and Your waves have rolled over me. 8 Yet the Lord will command His lovingkindness in the daytime, And in the night His song will be with me, A prayer to the God of my life.

Deep calls to deep – for me, means from the very depth of his soul, they need God, like we all do. From a deep and profound need for God, calling on the unfathomable greatness of God to fill his soul. I’ve been there!

• 9 I will say to God my rock, “Why have You forgotten me? Why do I go mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?”

That is not a good place to be, is it? That’s when the real panic of our soul sets in. Why are you forgetting me, Jesus? I don’t feel you? Why, God, are you letting all these things happen?

When we are not spending that time with God, we can feel separated. We can start to believe the lies of the enemy, because what does the Word say?

• Hebrews 13:5 Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.

Never means never, just because you don’t feel it does not make it true.

• 10 As a crushing of my bones [with a sword], my adversaries taunt me, While they say continually to me, “Where is your God?”

Does anybody have someone like that in their life? Well, you prayed for so–and–so, and they died. Where is your Jesus now?What good does it do you to believe in God if your son or daughter goes down a bad path? Where is your God now?Your marriage failed! You got fired! You’re broke, what good is Jesus?Where is your God?

And then, a deep, soul-refreshing breath is taken in the Psalm.

• 11 Why are you in despair, O my soul? Why have you become restless and disquieted within me? Hope in God and wait expectantly for Him, for I shall yet praise Him, The [b]help of my countenance and my God.

Wait expectantly for Him. You may not see what He is doing now, but just you wait! Remind yourself of who He is and what He says, not the world.Praise Him in the moment! It will never be perfect in this life, but it will in the next.There may be enemies all around, but do not despair!

• Romans 8:37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. 38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, 39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Do not despair, o my soul. Just take a breath. A breath of His Word. Give Him a breath of praise. A breath of prayer. Never lose hope in Him! Amen?

Make no mistake, the enemy will be just fine with you living your life and coming to church on Sunday. He does not fear that, honestly.What he fears is a believer who spends time with God in prayer, a child of God who spends time in worship, and a son or daughter who spends time in the Word.

The worship team is going to lead us in altar call here in a moment. Let’s all just take a breath and spend a moment with God as we cry out deep to deep.

Acts 2:38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. 39 For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.