When We're in Trouble

- vows my lips promised, and my mouth spoke
when I was in trouble.

~Psalm 66:14

The first 13 verses in Psalm 66 have certainly given us many examples of trouble.
*Being stuck between the Red Sea and an army of angry Egyptians.
*Being in prison. (Whether that was literal, or figurative...)
*Being laden with burdens.
*Having men ride over ones head. (Again, the literal or figurative question.)
*Going through fire and water.
I know we can add our own troubled circumstances to this list.
And now in verse 14 we see the psalmist making reference to those troubles again - as the springboard for vows he made to God. So today I would like to go a little deeper into how we can respond to God in the midst of the troubles we face.
Because we will face them!

Let's spend some time studying Psalm 27:1-6.
How does the psalmist describe the LORD in verse 1? And what is the psalmist's response to his own description of HIM?
Verses 2-3 speak of situations most people would fear. Based upon what you know from verse 1, why does the psalmist respond with confidence?
According to verse 4, what is the psalmist's greatest desire?
Does verse 5 indicate that the psalmist's life will be free of trouble if his desire in verse 4 is achieved?
What will happen instead?
What does verse 6 say will be the result of God's protection? Both for the psalmist and his enemies, and the psalmist and God?
We see in both Psalm 66:14 and Psalm 27:1-6 that God's help in the midst of trouble elicits a response from those whom He has helped. Maybe it is the fulfillment of vows, or passionate shouts of joy. I shared with you in the video Monday that my own response has been one of surrender - letting go of my attempts to control my circumstance, because I have recognized that God is the only One in whom I can trust.
In light of what we have seen today, how will you respond to God the next time you're in trouble?
May I encourage you to prayerfully read through Psalm 27:1-6 again, asking God to speak to your heart about His power in your troubles, and your response to it all?