Seeking for the help of the Lord, I direct your prayerful attention to Psalm 61. And we'll read for our text the first two verses. Hear my cry, O God, attend unto my prayer. From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee. When my heart is overwhelmed, lead me to the rock that is higher than I'm. Psalm 61, verses one and two.

This is one of those psalms, and there are many of them, that begin on a very low note, very despondent, overwhelmed note. But by the time it finishes, then there is praise, then there is gladness.

When I was first seeking the Lord, I used to cast away such psalms because I would start with them and I would feel that they come where I am and I could go along with the those sentiments, the feelings that were expressed at the start of the psalm. But because they left me at the end, then I thought, well, that psalm can't be mine because the psalmist is in a very different position than I am in.

But it wasn't until I realised that it is when we've been blessed, when we've been favoured, then we're able to write, then we're able to pen such psalms, And then the thought came, well, the psalmist began low. I am low. He did not stay in that condition. He was lifted up. He was encouraged. May I be encouraged, too. And then that really encouraged me. And may it be an encouragement to some of you, too, that where you have a psalm or passage of scripture that comes low and it may find you where you are and what you're feeling, the position you're in, the doubts that you feel and the fears that you are under, that you may be encouraged that as the psalmist was brought out of that, the psalmist was lifted up, that you also will be lifted up and strengthened as well.

And this psalm then is one such psalm. Begins very low, from the end of the earth will I cry unto thee when my heart is overwhelmed. Lead me to the rock that is higher than I. But it ends so will I sing praise unto thy name forever that I may daily perform my vows. David, a Psalm of David.

Sometimes we might be surprised when we get passages like this and you think, what? A man after God's own heart, feeling like this? He getting so low like this? I thought I was the only one that felt those things. Only one that felt so low. The devil's been telling me if I was one of God's children, I would never get so low. I wouldn't be in that position, but here is David, and he's one of God's children, and he's overwhelmed, and he feels low.

How many times we might come across passages like this? Reminded in James concerning Elijah, fiery prophet Elijah, there's a man subject to like passions as we are. Yes, running away from Jezebel, wishing himself that he might die. But before that, he was able to stand before Ahab, before all the prophets of Baal, and before all the people of Israel. One moment so strong, and the next moment so weak.

Samson was the same. In ourselves, we have no strength or might. But David, he knew this, that his strength, his help, was in God.

Now this is a psalm. It's a psalm for encouragement. We think of the picture that is here, of one being overwhelmed. You think perhaps of the seaside, and one that has gone down into the waves, and the waves have knocked them down and covered them with water, and they're overwhelmed, and they cannot stand up. And one comes to them and leads them to a rock, a rock that's higher than them, and lifts them up and puts them upon the rock. Then they can see all the waves going below them, but they are safe, and they're not being tossed anymore because they're on the rock, and they're in a place of safety.

And this is the picture. that is here. This really is metaphorical. When we have the words a rock or something like that, it's used to stand for and symbolize something else. It's like the Lord Jesus Christ saying that I am the bread of life. He's using bread to symbolizing himself, something else other than bread. And we think of the water of the river of life as well. There are many metaphors or illustrations. We think of our Lord speaking of himself as the vine, ye are the branches. But we're to look past the vine and past branches and we see Christ and we see his people and they are joined to the Fine, but these things are helpful for us because they are scriptural illustrations, they are pictures that we can relate to and help us to understand the word of God.

I want this evening just to speak of two main points. The first is David's rock. David's rock, which is Christ. And then secondly, David's cry. especially what he mentions in prayer.

Firstly then, David's rock. And this is why we read Psalm 18. 18 is also a Psalm of David. And so David there is very clear. In verse 2, he states, the Lord is my rock. and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my strength, in whom I will trust, my buckler and the hoard of my salvation, and my high tower. And so when David is crying, lead me to the rock that is higher than I, this is who he wants to be led to, to the Lord or Jehovah, my rock. And that's Psalm 18 as well. Beautifully sets it forth in a couple of other verses, verse 31. For who is God, save the Lord, or who is a rock, save our God. And then we have in verse 46, The Lord liveth, and blessed be my rock, and let the God of my salvation be exalted.

The way David uses it in this psalm, we think of verse 2, The Lord is my rock, always will be, unchangeable. You think of verse 31, none other but the Lord. Who is God? Save the Lord. Who is a rock? Save our God. Only one name given among men whereby we must be saved. And then we think of verse 46, the living rock. When we think of a rock, we think of something that's not living. No life in it whatsoever, no movement whatsoever. But when David uses it in this context, the Lord liveth and blesses me my rock. He is a living rock.

If we were to go back to Psalm 61 and go on to the next Psalm, We also have the rock set forth again by David. In verse 2 of Psalm 62, he only is my rock and my salvation. He is my defense. I shall not be greatly moved. Again, the emphasis is a unique rock, a unique savior. This is something which today is so offensive to man. They will believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. But if you say that he is the only name given among men whereby we must be saved, that he is truly God and truly man, that he is unique, that there is none other God but him, that is offensive to men. They like to think, as solemnly our king does, that there are other gods and other faiths and other religions that are just as equal, feeling and thinking that Jesus just gave an example and that same example can be given by all sorts, but that he is the and only saviour, that he is the true God and he is the only living God, that is offensive to man. But this is what is emphasized and is a comfort to David and is a comfort to all the people of God. In verse six of Psalm 62, he only is my rock and my salvation. He is my defense, I shall not be moved. Notice again, he only is my rock. How easy it is for men, women, children to have, as it were, a trust or say that they're trusting God, but they're secretly trusting in something else, someone else or in themselves. But the psalmist is very clear that he doesn't have any other. He is the only hope and help that he has.

So in verse 7, in God is my salvation and my glory, the rock of my strength and my refuge is in God. David, of course, would have well known the accounts in the law, Exodus 33, when Moses desired to see the Lord's glory. And he said, I'll make all my glory Pass before thee, there is a place by thee, by me, and I'll put thee in a cleft of the rock. And when I pass by, I'll put my hand over thee, thou shalt see my back parts, but not my front parts.

Beautiful time of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. David would have also known very clearly of the smitten rock, where the children of Israel cried out to the Lord that he would provide for their mortar. And Moses was shown a rock, which when it was smitten, the waters flowed and gushed out. That same rock as well. Later on, when Moses was told to speak unto the rock, but instead of speaking, he said to the rock, must we bring Water out of the rock for you rebels. And he smote the rock twice. And because of that, because God said he did not sanctify the Lord before the people, he was not to go into the promised land.

The gospel, the good news of salvation, those living waters that flow, and we're told to flow from Jerusalem, half toward the former sea and half toward the hinder sea, half toward the Jews and half toward the Gentiles. That's not begrudgingly given. God never says to any, however rebellious they are, must I die for you? Must I bring some blessing out of the gospel? Must I speak to you good things, glad tidings? The gospel is not begrudgingly. The reminder this season of the year the message of the angels it was on earth, peace, goodwill toward men, and to remember our Lord's words that he came not to destroy men's lives, but to save them.

The gospel is good news, and it's good news not begrudgingly given, but willingly, freely given. Yea, for the rebellious also, that the Lord God may dwell among them. And so David would have known these, and there's many Psalms, Psalm 78, Psalm 105, Psalm 114, and they speak of those things that were done in the wilderness, of the Lord as being the rock and the smitten rock and the strength and help of the people of God.

The Apostle Paul, he speaks to the children of Israel. that they drank of that spiritual rock that followed them, and that rock was Christ, very clearly identifying that it was Christ that was in the church in the wilderness. And of course, our Lord, our Lord testifies. He speaks of Peter, Peter, whose name was a stone, thou art Peter, as if it bring forth, here is his name and here is my name. What I am set forth in scripture upon this rock, I'll build my church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

The Apostle Peter, he refers, he speaks to the tribes in a way of strengthening and helping the people of God in 1 Peter 2 and verse 8. Or verse 7, he speaks of the Lord, unto you therefore which believe he is precious, but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made, the head of the corner, a stone of stumbling and a rock of offence, Even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient, were unto also they were appointed. But ye are a chosen generation. And he's referring back to Isaiah, Isaiah 14, or Isaiah 8 rather, verse 14. And there was prophesied that which the Lord should be is what should come. And Peter is identifying that.

Sanctify the Lord of hosts and let him be your fear and let him be your dread and he shall be for a sanctuary but for a stone of stumbling and for a rock of offense to both the houses of Israel for a gin and a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem.

and his prophesying of the Lord Jesus Christ. They rejected him. And really, it is a picture of one building a building, or the Masons building a building, a building, of course, especially in Bible times, they had the stones for the foundation, great stones for the temple, the foundation stone. And then there was a topstone, a headstone. And Christ is spoken of as both, as being the foundation stone upon this rock I'll build my church, but also as a headstone, bring forth a headstone, crying grace, grace unto it. And the church of God is built up into him as living stones built up into the temple of God.

But when they brought forth the top stone, then the chief cornerstone, the builders thought it didn't fit. It wasn't the right grain. I remember years ago visiting Mr. Alan of Clapham. He was an engineer. And he showed me the pictures or drawings of the front of a building built with stones. And each one was numbered, each of those stones, different shape, but they were all drawn and they were all numbered. It wasn't just haphazardly built.

But then he said, you know, when you come to the top stone, then that top stone is designed with a lip on it so that when the rain comes, instead of the water running right down the side of the wall, it runs clear of the wall. because the stone has this fine lip to it. So it goes down and then it comes back up again. So if the water's going to run down the wall, it's got to go not only down, but then it's got to go up into the groove in the top stone and then down the wall, which it can't do. So it drops free of the wall.

But that thin lip that hangs over the wall, It needs the grain of the stone going the right way. Otherwise, it would just break off. It's not strong. But when it comes to the cornerstone, what do you do? Because on that cornerstone, on one side, the grain's got to go one way. And on the other side, it's got to go the other way. So the way they resolved it was to get a stone with a very fine grain, different than all of the other stones. It was strong in both ways.

And the picture that he says of how the Jews viewed Christ, he didn't conform to what they thought. They rejected this stone. The builders building didn't realize the builder had designed it to be the stone that it was. And this is the picture of our Lord. He didn't come as they thought he would come. They knew not the day of their visitation. They didn't think he fitted with the scripture. How many times they said, search and see, but no prophet comes out of Galilee. But if they'd known their scriptures, they would have known that it was prophesied that he should come from Galilee.

Many other scriptures they did not see, did not fit. And even the disciples. On the way to Emmaus, we trusted that it should have been he that should have redeemed Israel. They needed to be shown in all the scriptures the things concerning himself. And one of the things would have been the rock. One would have been this metaphor, this type. And so it's a blessed thing to get a picture and to understand the Lord more by what David says. The Lord is to him that he is his rock, and his eye is to be led there.

But when we think of what also is set forth with the rock is a trust. You can trust in that rock that it will always be there. It will not move. It is strong. It is unchanging. There's so many attributes. We think of the scripture speaking of the shadow of a great rock in a weary land. And if you've ever been in a situation where you've had the sun beating down, as I have, over in Australia, and you're looking, you're looking for a shelter, you're looking for a clump of trees, you're looking for a rock or something that you can go in the shadow of it, So that takes the sun, that has that beating on it, but you're in the shadow of that rock.

Our Lord is spoken of in that way as well. And most solemnly, the Lord speaks of those that fall upon that rock as being broken, but they're being saved. But upon whom that rock falls, It shall crush them to powder. David was one of those that fell upon that rock, wanted to be upon it, wanted to be set upon it, wanted to be led to it. Instead of fleeing from the Lord, he is fleeing to the Lord. Instead of wanting to get far from him, he wanted to get near to him. We may ask ourselves, are we in that position? Do we want to be nearer to the Lord, want to know him as David did, as his rock? Do we desire that same knowledge?

Well, David here, he comes and he cries, he prays. And I want to look in the second place of David's cry and what he mentions in prayer. Very good for us to look at the prayers of Scripture. Look at the circumstances that they're in when they prayed and what words they used. I hope it is that we desire to be also praying people and to seek the Lord in prayer.

So looking at the psalm here, Firstly, David desires that the Lord would hear his cry. Hear my cry, O God. You think, is it necessary to actually ask the Lord of that? In Psalm 18, we read of those that were the enemies that cried, they even cried unto the Lord. But he did not hear them. He did not hear them. There are many that do that. They have a life characterized by distance and lack of prayer, but when trouble comes, then they cry to the Lord. The Lord does not hear them.

But David, he is aware of this. that there are some prayers, there are some that call upon the Lord and the Lord does not hear. But he desires that he might be heard. It's a solemn thing as well. We can get into a pattern where we just pray and we're not even mindful of what we're praying. We're not even concerned whether the Lord hears or not. We're not looking for answers to prayer or not. And this is a real challenge to us. Is that really so with us? When we pray, are we mindful whether the Lord hears or not?

If you're in one room of the house, and you're in some trouble and you've got your finger stuck under something and you want someone to come and lift it off and you call for help, are you at all concerned if anyone is hurt? How reassuring it is if someone cries out, I'll be coming, I'll come soon as I can. Just the fact that you've been hurt. But if you think you're crying and no one is listening and you're in danger and you're in trouble, How distressing that that is. We know, you might say, the Lord always hears his people. But they want the assurance of it. And, you know, it's pleasing to the Lord when he can see that his children, they value his ears. They acknowledge that he is a God that he is. You think of the trial upon Mount Carmel where those that were believing in their Baal God cried and cried, and there was none to hear. There was no God. And Elijah mocked them. Perhaps he's on a journey, or perhaps he's asleep and needs to be awakened. And the whole difference. They hadn't got a living God. and got one that heard or could answer.

So David, his desire is, hear my prayer. May we go away with that in our prayers as well. Lord, hear my prayers. My poor prayers, hear them. But then he goes on, oh God, attend unto my prayer. That is, act according to it. Do as what is being asked. Attend to it. Whatever needs to be done, whatever needs to be performed and done, do these things. We desire that as well. That God, who has heaven and earth at his command, waits to answer prayer, as the hymn writer said, might answer our prayers. To add that to our prayers as well. Lord attend to this prayer, deal with this matter, help me in this situation, appear for me.

Then he tells God where he feels to be. From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee, That's where he feels to be. Now, literally, David may have been. This may have been written when David was fleeing from Absalom, or fleeing from Saul, and being in a position at the end of the earth. The very idea of rock as well. David knew very well the places that he hid was in places of rocks, or caves, or security in that way. He would have had illustrations of that, even as fleeing from his enemies.

But we wouldn't confine it to just a physical at the end of the earth. But in our feelings, so far off, so far off. Maybe as one this evening, you feel so far off from the Lord. And that again is if we're so far off with someone literally, and we cry and we call unto them, we think, how can they hear? Because we're so far off. And this is a picture. It's another reminder to us that though God knows us, he knows our thoughts, he knows where we are, yet he will be reminded of and told by us where we feel to be.

Sometimes it may be in public prayer, and sometimes it is not right to open everything up, the secrets of the heart in public prayer, Things are not right to make public, especially personal, vile, evil, sinful sins. But we may give an impression of things different than what they actually are. But when we come to private prayer, we can be perfectly honest with the Lord and tell the Lord exactly where we are, what we feel to be. Tell it even in public prayer, in general terms. And David, of course, here, it is public, it is open. You may all read it. From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee, far off. May that be an encouragement to those of you here that may feel a far off. Blessed thing then to be brought nigh, brought nigh. He's spoken of as the Gentiles like that, that ye that once were far off are brought nigh by the blood of Jesus Christ.

But then he tells also when he wants God to act, when my heart is overwhelmed, is overwhelmed. We spoke of the one in the sea and the waters going right over completely taking you off your feet, not able to stand. Sometimes we may be overwhelmed, overwhelmed with a sense of our sin, overwhelmed with providences that are coming, one trouble after another, one thing after another. We think that we cannot stand. No, not another day. Overwhelmed with fears, overcome and overwhelmed with family troubles and trials. or overwhelmed with pain and affliction and weakness. Those things that completely go over us all so that they feel to be buried underneath it. And this is when David says, when my heart is overwhelmed. That's when, that's when I specifically have a petition that I won't act it upon when this is the case.

So what is his petition? What does he want the Lord to do? Lead me, lead me to the rock that is higher than I. What a mercy it is that God not only provides his only begotten son, but also will lead a poor soul to him. Our Lord says none can come unto me except the Father which sent me draw him and I'll raise him up at the last day. What a blessing it is that the Lord who is the Good Shepherd himself does lead his people.

And here is David, a man after God's own heart. You might say, David, you know where your rock is. You know how to get to him. You know how to trust in him, to go to him. No, he says, I want to be led there. We can have a hard heart, feeling far off, feeling overwhelmed with everything, feeling hardly able to pray. We can't recall and we can't bring back the things and the helps that we've had before and what the Lord is for us. but to be able to pray like this, lead me, lead my thoughts, lead my affections, lead me so that I come off myself and off my troubles and onto the Lord.

And those are blessed times when we're brought from our sufferings, our troubles and our trials and led to the Lord and actually our own trials leading us to think of the Lord's sorrows and the Lord's cries. You think of our Lord, my God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? When we feel forsaken, led to him being forsaken. When we thirst, hear the Lord saying, I thirst. When we feel to be lifted up above the earth, mocked and derided to think of the Lord. lead me to the rock, lead my thoughts, lead my affections, lead my meditation, lead my hopes to this rock, to the rock that is higher than I.

The hymn writer says, out of self to Jesus lead. It is the work of the Holy Spirit to take the things of Jesus and reveal them unto the soul. And he's especially to be led to Calvary, led to the Lord's sufferings and death and what he endured to put away his people's sin. Natural man does not want to know that, does not want to hear it. But the Lord's people in trouble and trial, that's what they want. The smitten rock, the waters that flow from that rock, the blessings, the shadow of a rock, They support the strength, the help that comes from the Lord Jesus Christ. To be able to say, my help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth.

I want you to really notice what is happening in this prayer. As he has said, lead me to the rock that is higher than I. Picture David, he's praying this prayer, and he prays this, and then he goes on in prayer. In verse three he says, for thou hast been a shelter for me, and a strong tower from the enemy. And as he is praying, these things are coming to his mind. Even in prayer, the Lord is answering his prayer. I trust there's some of us here that know this. We've begun in prayer in a low place and we noted this with this psalm, it begins low and ends high, but it's all within his prayer. How many times we've gone to prayer and we've been so low, but by the time that we've finished, the Lord has brought us up out of our pit, he's set us upon that rock. Because one thing after another comes to his mind. I will abide in thy tabernacle forever. I will trust in the covet of thy wings. For thou, O God, hast heard my vows. Thou hast given me the heritage of those that fear thy name. He's thinking of these things, he's remembering, he's recalling what the Lord is to him and what he has done.

Thou wilt prolong the King's life and his years as many generations. He shall abide before God forever, O prepare mercy and truth which may preserve him. So will I praise unto thy name, sing praise unto thy name forever that I may daily perform my vows.

I believe also in this psalm is pointing to our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ himself. David's greatest son. So when we think of the psalmist in his place, in his prayer, and we think of how even through prayer, the Lord answers prayer.

Many a time, I believe I've known this, known what to do. You know, we're told in one instance to pray for our enemies. And the amount of times that I've had those that have been a trial and trouble to me and I've prayed for them. And as I prayed for them, then the Lord has turned as it were a mirror. And I've seen the things that they have been an adversary to me, I've been just the same to them or to others. And it's been the way that the Lord has shown me my own sin, humbled me and brought me down. and brought me low.

Many blessings the Lord brings forth, not only in answer to prayer, but through prayer. Because it is through prayer we have fellowship and communion and union with the Lord and time with the Lord, spent before the Lord. That time in prayer is not wasted time, it is blessed time. And it's times like this that begin, may it raise a ray of hope to one here, begins when we are low, begins when we are overwhelmed, then we cry, and then we pray, and then the Lord hears, and then we get a big contrast from what we were and from what we are when the Lord answers and blesses us through prayer.

For may the Lord grant us That David's rock be our rock. That David's prayers be our prayers and his blessings be our blessings too. Amen.