The Empty Soul - Loneliness

This was the final sermon in our Emotion and Devotion series at Sojourn and Brother Dave Harvey brought it. He started with the phrase: "Empty is as empty does" to set up Psalm 63 and how even when we feel empty, we can be full.

Psalm 63

O God, You are my God; I shall seek You [b]earnestly;

My soul thirsts for You, my flesh [c]yearns for You,

In a dry and weary land where there is no water.

2 

Thus I have seen You in the sanctuary,

To see Your power and Your glory.

3 

Because Your lovingkindness is better than life,

My lips will praise You.

4 

So I will bless You as long as I live;

I will lift up my hands in Your name.

5 

My soul is satisfied as with [d]marrow and fatness,

And my mouth offers praises with joyful lips.

6 

When I remember You on my bed,

I meditate on You in the night watches,

7 

For You have been my help,

And in the shadow of Your wings I sing for joy.

8 

My soul clings [e]to You;

Your right hand upholds me.

9 

But those who seek my [f]life to destroy it,

Will go into the [g]depths of the earth.

10 

[h]They will be [i]delivered over to the power of the sword;

They will be a [j]prey for foxes.

11 

But the king will rejoice in God;

Everyone who swears by Him will glory,

For the mouths of those who speak lies will be stopped.

Go Up (v 1) - Bear your heart to God.
When we feel lonely and empty, we need to go back to the basics: God is our God and we need to put the Lord before us as God.
We belong to God no matter how we feel.
Without God we are restless and unsatisfied. In this Psalm David makes God the answer to his empty state. David recognizes that his present state was ordained by God and acknowledges this. He is sovereign over all things.
Sometimes God empties us in order to fill us back up with Himself.

Go Back (v 2-5) - Recall a time when you were satisfied in God, when you could feel the closeness of God in your life. This stimulates our affections for God so that we can do those things that bring closeness to God which is as much of a reality as the current circumstances.
As our affections stir for God, it stimulates worship of God.
Praise God until you are filled, then praise because you are full.
As you remember what God has done, God will grow big and your circumstances will grow smaller

Go Loud (v 3,4,5,7) - There is a physicality to David's response
We are to respond to what is according to God's word. It involves our heart, soul, mind and strength which is great passion. David shows strong affections as he worships the Lord. His relationship with the Lord calls for affections, and our relationship with the Lord calls for affections. It is a response to what God has done for us. We need to do this.
The heart of worship is to respond to past truths and future promises and bring them together in the present.

I really enjoyed this sermon and it helped me in knowing how to respond to people in circumstances as well as knowing how to go to God with my own. We have a great God and He is faithful.