Not Forsaken

The speaker discusses the importance of trust in God and how it leads to a deeper relationship with Him. They emphasize that when we trust God, He will never abandon us and will always be there for us. The speaker encourages listeners to seek God and trust in Him, knowing that He is faithful and will never forsake us. They also mention that seeking God leads to intimacy and a closer relationship with Him. The speaker concludes by urging listeners to trust in God and reminding them that He is always reliable and consistent. Today we are going to Psalm 9 and verse 10. The Bible says, And they that know thy name will put their trust in thee. For thou, Lord, hast not forsaken them that seek thee. The past two days we've been dealing with what happens when we trust in the Lord. We've discovered that there is deliverance when we trust in the Lord. We also learned that anyone who trusts in the Lord will never be put to shame. Today we're going to focus on the fact that when we trust in the Lord, we are never forsaken. The second part of verse 10 of Psalm 9 says, For you, Lord, hast not forsaken them that seek you. It connects with the first part which says, They that know your name will put their trust in you. The psalmist brings us into a conversation which encourages us to know God for ourselves. One of the points that I raised the last time we were together was that I cannot trust God for you. I cannot trust God for someone else. Trust in God becomes a personal matter, something that you do, something that you exercise on your own through the help and the power of the Holy Spirit. In the same way, we trust God because we know Him. The psalmist says, when there is an experience with the name of the Lord, when there is an acquaintance, when there is that relationship that we have with the Lord, we are moved, we are stretched, we are motivated, we are taught, we become into that place where we know that we can trust in God. The thing about it is that the more that we know God, the more that we give ourselves the experiential knowledge, experiential, the more that we are able to develop that sort of closeness. When we dive into that closeness with the Father, when we know Him not just because someone said about Him, but when we know Him personally, when we know Him because we take time to seek Him, when we know Him because we take time to inquire of Him, when we know Him because we take time to sit at His feet and to desire and to immerse ourselves in His counsel, our trust in the Lord is magnified. Our trust in the Father becomes stronger. Our trust in the Father becomes something of greater value. You cannot really trust someone if you don't know them. As a matter of fact, our confidence in people, humanly speaking, has developed over a period of time and over that level of acquaintance that you and I may have with these people. In the same way, the psalmist makes us to understand that because of our acquaintance, because of our dealings, because of our interactions, because of our ability to be in fellowship with the Father, the trust level becomes deeper. It becomes more intense. It's almost like a relationship. It's almost like a marriage. It's almost like a spouse to a spouse. It's almost like children to their parents. It's almost like good friends. Trust has developed over time and what the psalmist suggests in verse 10 of Psalm 9 is that when we get to know God, not know Him by name only from the concept of I know what His name is, but know Him by name from the essence of what that name represents. You know, the name of the Lord is more than just what we call Him. The name of the Lord is more than just how we identify Him. When we speak of the name of the Lord, we are referring to His essence, we are referring to His character, referring to the personhood of who God is. Who may God who He is. It is something that we have to continue to grasp by faith. It's something that we get to discover as we spend time in His presence. You can fully trust someone, I can fully trust someone, or I can even begin to learn to trust someone without a relationship, without communication, without interaction, without spending time with this person. The psalmist gives us a balance. He gives us two sides. He says, based on the experience that we have with the Lord, our trust in Him is strengthened. Our trust in Him becomes something of greater weight. You know, people say, you know what, I can trust you. And the fact is, it's very easy to say that if you want someone to like you. But trust is built on longevity. Trust is built on time. Trust is something that we test. Trust is something that is proven. And the only way that we can prove that we can trust God, it's because we've had, or we have, we have an experience. There is a reference point, or there are several reference points that we can actually go back to. There are situations and occasions that we can point to, and we can say, God has been trustworthy. God has been exactly the person who He calls Himself the name. God has been exactly the individual that He described to be. God is the God of strength. God is the God of power. God is the God who delivers. God is the God who sets free. God is the one who saves. He's the one who rescues. He's the one who turns and change things. Why? Because we've had an experience. We've had an experience with that God. We've had an experience with that name. We've had an experience with that individual. We've had an experience with that person. Hence, we are brought to the second part of verse 10, which says, you, Lord, has not forsaken them that seek you. Sammy sticks just a little bit deeper, and that's where God wants to take us today, is that trust brings with it, it brings with it a level of not only intimacy, but it brings a level of vulnerability. It brings a level that I can trust you because you know me. I can trust you because I am known by you. I am not afraid. I can seek you. I can pursue you. I can come into your presence. I can wrap myself in your arms. I can rest on your shoulder. I can throw myself in your lap. I can fall at your feet. That's what, that's the idea of the whole thought that you, Lord, has not forsaken them that seek you. Because when we seek God, it becomes a matter of intimacy. It becomes a matter of relationship. It's not words. It's not a cliche. It's not just mere exercise, but it's something that whispers spirit to spirit. It's something where although the body is present, although the emotions are there, what now interacts is the spirit. Spirit goes into conversation. Spirit blends into intimacy. That's what seeking God is all about. So the psalmist says, because of the element of trust, because of the level of trust, because of the nature, because of the room that you have given me, because of the place that you have made for me, because you have given me an invitation, and I have acted upon the invitation, because you have opened your arms and you said I ought not to be afraid, because I have sensed your love, your mercy, your tenderness, and your compassion, and your care. Because I know if I come into your presence, you will not push me away. You will not cast me out, or you will not reject me. Hence, I am able to seek you. What is most important about seeking God on the trust factor is that we are not forsaken. Let's bring the two together, because it is important that we cannot have one and not the other. The first part, as we have already seen, says they that know your name will put their trust in you. They that have their personal experience with you, they who have acknowledged your welcome, those who have literally got themselves into that space, into that time, into that place with you, they are the ones who have come to trust you. Not only this, but you, Lord, have not forsaken. In other words, this is very important that we pay attention here, because when we trust God, there is something that comes with it, and that is there is no forsaking. The word forsake in the original context means God will not abandon. God does not abandon. God does not say you can trust me and then turn away. God doesn't say that you can trust me and then he's nowhere to be found. God does not say that you can trust me and he does not deliver on that trust that he extends. When God says that you can trust me, he says you can trust me to the point that I will not abandon you. You can trust me to the point that you will not find yourself alone. It's almost like what Jesus said to the disciples, and lo, I am with you all the way, even on to the end of the world. This tells us something that when we trust God, when we understand that level of intimacy, God has given us his word. God has given us himself. God has given us his nature and his character, and that is he's going to be steady. He's going to be steadfast. He's going to be committed. You know, many people say, I can't trust you anymore because you are not true to your word, because you relinquish your commitment, because you say something and you act a different way. But the psalmist tells us when we trust in God, God will not walk away because this is also understanding or implication of the word forsaken. When we say forsaken, that means God does not leave us. God does not abandon. God does not resign from his commitment. God does not eventually get tired and decides, you know, I can't do this anymore. I am going to simply step aside. Instead, he is consistent. Instead, you can count on the fact that God will be there because that's what trust is about. So the psalmist seems to weave trust and not forsaken in the same verse. He seems to bring them so close that they're inseparable. He says because of the trust that we have, that we're able to put in God, God is now responding by not forsaking. Because of the trust that we have been, we've been made to taste, because of the trust that we've been made to partake of, the result of that trust, the outcome of that trust, the benefit of that trust is that we have God on our side. We have God in our situation. We have God in our trials. We have God in our burdens. We have God, you know, in everything that we have to do and everything that concerns us. God does not get tired when we are tired. God does not get weary when we're weary. God does not get disappointed when we're disappointed. He is not anxious when we become anxious. Instead, He is consistent. Instead, He remains the same yesterday, today and forever. You can count on and I can count on God that even if others may leave, even if others may walk away, even if others gave us the word and then they're not able to fulfill it for whatever reason, God will be there. That's why the psalmist loves this with so much strength and he says, you have not forsaken us and it doesn't carry the idea that perhaps he will. As a matter of fact, it is set in the conversation. It is set in context. It is set in time and it is set in eternity that God does not forsake His own. There is no time in scripture. There is no time in history. There is no time in life that someone can charge God for being someone who abandons his own, being someone who deserts his own. As a matter of fact, David said because of our ability to come to you with that open welcome, you have proven, you have shown us, you have demonstrated to us that we are not forsaken. Beloved friends, I want you to remember today as you go throughout your day, as you juggle multiple things in life, remember this. When you trust God, what happens for you is that you will never be forsaken. There is no forsaken. You can count on God to be there tomorrow at this time. I can count on Him to be with me next year and the next several years. In other words, we can wake up at any particular time of the day, any time in life, and God is steadfast. God will be there. God will be there. It is not like Paul had to say of Demas who had forsaken him and Alexander who was cast in great ham. They were once people, particularly Demas, he had once walked with the apostle. But when things became colorful as far as the world is concerned, and when things were cloudy, Demas literally ran. Demas walked away. There are many people who would stand with you when things are good. There are many friends when the weather is beautiful. But where are the same friends when it gets a little bit cloudy, when it gets a little bit shaky, when it gets a little bit deep, when it gets a little bit strong? Where is everyone? But the good God, the good thing about scripture, the good thing that we can glean from this is that when we trust in God, God is reliable. And I want to cement that in your spirit today. When we trust in God, God is reliable. There is no forsaken in His word. There is no forsaken in His action. God will be there. God will always be there. The Father will be with you. Yes, Jesus had to say everywhere you go that my spirit, glory to God, will be with you. And it encourages me to encourage you and to let you know that many will forsake. Many will walk away. Many will turn their backs. Many will leave. Many will lose themselves from you. Some will depart. Some will leave you alone. Some will totally neglect you. There will be those who will even claim not to know you. But the psalmist reminds us that you, Lord, has not forsaken them that seek you. Listen to this, beloved friends. As we seek God, as we seek God, there is a dimension of trust that is revealed. And I'm going to land this message on this thought. As we seek God, there is a dimension of trust that we discover. As we posture ourselves in that sense of intimacy, in that sense of getting to know, sharing the heart of the Father, coming to the place where we experience Him in a way that we've not experienced Him before, you can be guaranteed and I can rest assured that the Father will not desert us. I can rest assured that it's in the seeking, in the searching, in pursuing and going out after Him that God is not going to allow us to be left behind. God is not going to relinquish His assignment or His word. There is nothing in your life that God would promise, God would decide to start and God would say, you know what, I'm sorry I can't fulfill it. I've got to turn this over to a different department. I've got to call in somebody else to handle this. I had not begged in for that for so much. I did not think that it was going to be so heavy. As a matter of fact, he would fail to be God if that was the response that any of us is to experience from God. Instead, instead of what we see, instead what we get, instead what we experience is the God who is consistent. I want you to hear this, the God who is consistent, the God who is consistent. So as you and I trust God, we can know for sure no matter where we go in life, no matter where life takes us, no matter what happens, whether it be good or in our opinion may not be good, there is no abandoning. God is going to be right with us. He's not going to walk away. He's not going to leave us. We're not going to be left to ourselves. There is no time in your life that God is going to let you figure it out on your own. Although at times it may appear as if you're walking alone, but the truth is we are never left to ourselves. You know how I know this? Because Israel was in Egypt during that period in the book of Genesis and Exodus, and God was still mindful of their enslavement. God was still mindful of their bondage. He brought them out by a mighty hand in an outstretched arm. Then we fast forward into scripture, and what we find out is even after the people of Israel rebelled and turned their hearts against God, God was still there. Even when they were taken into captivity, God was still there. God's presence was still with them. His hand was still with them. That's why we have a subset of prophets and ministers of the word of the Lord that continue to minister and to speak faith and to speak hope to the people of Israel, even when they were in captivity. This is just part of an indication of how God has not forsaken. I want you to think long and hard, and perhaps you don't have to, but I want you to think very quickly of a moment that you thought that you were forsaken, of a moment that you thought that all was lost, of a moment that you felt like you were alone. It seems like abandonment was everywhere, and the silliness was loud. One of the things that you can testify, one of the things that you can say is that I may have felt alone, but I was never alone. You see, that's why David echoed and he said, where can I go from your presence? Where can I go from your presence? There is no hiding from the presence of the Lord. There is no hiding from the face of the Lord. He knows where we are. He knows exactly what we're dealing with. He knows even the things that we don't know, and that is so powerful, that is so wonderful to understand, that God knows the things that we have not seen. God knows the things that we are not understanding. He knows better than us, and that's why we must understand and appreciate the fact that He will not forsake us. There is no forsaken. We will never be forsaken, no matter where we find ourselves in life. Today, I want you to reflect deeply. I want you to think over this. I want you to pay attention to what God has done in your life, and I want you to pay attention now. Perhaps you may feel a little overwhelmed and you're wondering, but what am I going to do? How am I going to navigate this new phase or this new aspect of life? Remember this. The Bible says quite clearly in Psalm 9 and verse 10, that God, not man, that the people that know the name, they put their trust in Him. For you, Lord, have not forsaken them that seek you. Think about it. Let it settle. Let it speak. You, Lord, have not forsaken them that seek you. When we pause, we realize that God is faithful to those that seek Him. My encouragement, therefore, is to seek God, not only when you feel, but even when you don't feel like it. Seek God, and as you seek Him, what's going to happen? You will realize that He is exactly who He is, and that your trust in Him will cause you to experience a God who does not forsake. If you have not trusted Christ as your Lord and Savior today, I want to give you an opportunity to do so. Remember, Christ died for us according to the Scripture, and the Bible declares, whosoever believes in Him shall be saved. Would you receive the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior today? He wants to save you. He wants to set you free. He wants to give you a brand new life. That can begin right now. Should you need more information about the Christian walk, feel free to reach out to us. We'd love to share with you and to help you walk as a believer of Jesus Christ. Until then, God bless you. That is my prayer. To carry the gospel of Jesus Christ to so many around the world.