A couple of times during the winter I found myself flat on my backside after slipping on ice and then struggled to get back on my feet.  

Sometimes it can feel like that in life
There are times we feel down and I can’t seem to get up again

Read PSALM 34

David is talking to people who are feeling down about what is happening in their lives.

David talks about people who are
broken-hearted
crushed in spirit.

He is talking about people who are feeling down because things have gone wrong in their lives.

RELATIONSHIPS HAVE GONE WRONG

Brokenhearted ….. A word that describes the pain that comes to our hearts when relationships go wrong.

Gone wrong because of what others have down to you
Gone wrong because of what we have done to others

CIRCUMSTANCES HAVE GONE WRONG

Crushed in Spirit ; …. Describing people who have been left feeling helpless and hopeless because of what has happened to them in their lives.

Health goes wrong
Financial pressure
Lose jobs

SO WHAT HAPPENS WHEN WE GET DOWN?

Do we just despair?
Do we just give up and give in?

Psalm 34 has principles To Get Up When You Are Down

REAlLISE SOME THINGS
DO SOME THINGS

Realise Some Things

God’s word tells us that when we are down, when we feel brokenhearted and crushed in spirit God wants us to know two things

18 The LORD is CLOSE to the brokenhearted
and SAVES those who are crushed in spirit.

GOD CARES …. The Lord says that he is CLOSE to the brokenhearted. Not just present, not a casual observer. God becomes especially close to those who are going through hard times because relationships have gone wrong

Isa 40:11 He will carry the lambs in his arms, holding them close to his heart.”

Do you see what this means WHEN WE ARE BROKENHEARTED GOD COMES CLOSE AND HOLDS US CLOSE TO HIS HEART
God cares

GOD CAN HELP
SAVES those who are crushed in spirit.”

Psalmist is talking about God’s ability to change our circumstances, to get us out of the circumstances that are crushing our spirits.

He can do that by
Changing us
Changing our circumstances, changing the situation or taking us out of the situation

DO SOME THINGS ….

1 … Focus on God not our problems

When are down we become a bit obsessed with ourselves and our problems, we take up all our attention, and we think about ourselves all the time

think about something else ….. GOD

Look at the words used in the Psalm …. “Praise” “Extol” “Boast” “Glorify” “Fear the LORD”

We can’t do what those words call on us to do if our focus is on ourselves, we can only do those things when we get our focus off ourselves and on to God

Enables us to see our problems in the light of God

THIS WHY WORSHIP IS IMPORTANT …. hymns, songs, bible reading, sermons, Communion all help us focus on God

2 … RELY ON GOD NOT YOURSELF

What we are to do when we get our focus on God, we are to rely on him

“v4 Sought” v5 “look to him” v 6 “Call on him” v7 “take refuge”

All those words and phrases are about relying on God and not ourselves

6-7Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the centre of your life. Philippians 4:6-7: The Message (MSG)

When we rely on ourselves we get anxious and worried. Paul encourages us to make a conscious decision to stop relying on ourselves to solve our problems and take all our worries and give them to God.

3 …. LIVE TO PLEASE GOD NOT YOURSELF

We are to “fear the Lord” …. Not a cringing fear but the right attitude to God, its about recognising God is God, Its not just about attitudes, its about actions, we truly fear the Lord when we allow Him to determine how we live rather than ourselves.

Turn from evil and do good; …. REPENTANCE …. turning from everything we know to be wrong, so that we can face God.

Can’t learn to focus on God, can’t learn to rely on God if we are not facing God and we can’t face God until we turn away from everything we know to be wrong and stop living to please ourselves and start and living to please God.

“will teach you the fear of the LORD.” ….. we need to be taught to live God’s way, need to get into the Bible

SO HOW DO YOU GET UP WHEN YOU ARE DOWN?

Psalm 34 …. realise some things and do some things

REALISE  … God cares and can help

DO … Focus on God not your problems, Learn to rely on God not yourself, Live to please God not yourself