Have you been under so much pressure in life that it is just so much easier to give up? This passage introduces us to a time in David’s life when he was under an enormous amount of pressure.

  • David’s life is under threat
  • He has to provide a safe refuge for his parents
  • 400 distressed men come to David and they stay (Would have been easier if they left David alone)
  • Food and shelter for everyone is certainly a huge concern

That is huge pressure.

Now that’s the story…David has got a huge number of people to worry about. Not just about his own life that Saul is trying to kill but a huge number of other people. It takes a lot of money to feed a small group of people but 400?

All of us face pressure but certainly not as much as David. Yet as we read through David’s story, we find that in spite of the pressure;

  • David defeats Saul and becomes the King
  • David’s family is protected from harm
  • The 400 weak and distressed men become the mighty men of David

What a turnaround. David experienced a powerful turnaround and he reveals how this is done in Psalms 63.

Psalms 63 is a Psalms written with the Wilderness experiences of David in mind.

Psalms 63

It says in verse 1 – Early in the morning, I will seek you…then in verse 4 it says, “Thus I will bless you while I live”.  This simply means while I am breathing and alive and could also refer to his lifestyle or manner during the day.

Then finally in verse 6, David says, “When I remember you on my bed”.

Do you see it? David when under so much pressure in the wilderness, wakes up early in the morning to seek God. He doesn’t read his Facebook account or reads the Newspapers. He seeks God early in the morning. Then he blesses God right through the day and then when his head is on his pillow at night, he remembers God.

This is simply saying that while under so much pressure, David’s secret to the turnaround is to focus on God right through the day.

His FOCUS IS FILLED with the FULLNESS OF GOD.

And that’s how we live everyday, whether under continued pressure or not – we keep our focus filled with the FULLNESS OF GOD.

How will we pay the water bill? Early in the morning, I will seek you…I will long for you…I will thirst for you….

The doctor said that I have high blood pressure …I will bless you while I live.

My children are not listening to me…I will remember you on my bed…

Right through the day till I go to sleep, our focus must be filled with the FULLNESS OF GOD. Many times, you can’t change the pressure but you can attract the Power of God to overcome the pressure.

Just one Other Thing…

In Matthew 14, the disciples were in the boat and the storm was blowing quite strongly. Suddenly they saw Jesus and thought it was a ghost. Then Jesus said, It is I, do not be afraid. Then Peter said, Lord if it is You, tell me to come and I will come to you.

When Jesus said that word…COME, Peter stepped out onto the water and walked…Whoa! A supernatural event was taking place…A grown man walking on water is supposed to be impossible and should be sinking but when Peter obeyed and focused on Jesus, the water held him up.

So the other thing is OBEDIENCE. Obedience switches on the Suprenatural power of God. So when Peter obeyed, he walked on the water by the Supernatural power of God. But he maintained that supernatural walk on the water as long as he focused on Jesus.

OBEDIENCE is the switch that runs on the power but Focusing on Jesus is the channel that keeps the supernatural flowing.

Keep obeying and keep looking at Jesus!!!

But Peter then took his focus off Jesus and heard the wind and saw the water and became afraid and began to sink.

In the morning…David woke early and seeked the Lord, during the day, he blessed the Lord and at night, he remembered the Lord.

Pastor Brian Houston

Hillsong in their early days had moved into a warehouse where the church services were held on the ground floor and the offices were on the Mezzanine floor. One day as Pastor Brian was in his office, he heard a loud thud. He got up thinking, “Lord, I hope that it is not Ben”. Their son, Ben 2 years old at the time. When Pastor Brian looked from the railings on the Mezzanine floor, he saw Ben lying on the concrete floor and not moving or breathing.

He ran down. Bobby came running also from the other side.  Ben’s head was bleeding with fracture. Only a few moments passed but it seemed an eternity. Wondering what to do, Pastor Brian picked him up and cried out, “JESUS”. Immediately, Ben’s eyes flickered and he breathed. It’s who we focus on in the time of pressure that makes a difference in how things turn out.

So fill your focus everyday with the fullness of God…Don’t cry with heavy burdens. Instead, early in the morning, seek the Lord…bless the Lord during the day and remember the Lord at night when you go to sleep.

In Psalms 63 verses 9-10 says that those who were against David were defeated and faced a difficult future, As we keep obeying God and focusing on Jesus, God will fight our battles and turn our situation around.

Delivered from Sickness

A good friend in Palmerston North has a mighty testimony that when his wife was very sick, the doctors couldn’t do anything and when he turned to witch-doctors, his wife grew worse. But out of his difficulties and struggles, he turned to a Christian friend who introduced him and his family to Jesus. Today, his wife is totally healed and his family are serving the Lord faithfully in NZ.