Quiet Your Soul | Pastor Darren Palmer | Faith Church

Turn with me to Psalm 131, Psalm 131. I just

want to read, I want to read one verse that I'm

going to springboard off of and talk about something

that I think is important in this hour. Psalm

131 and verse 2. Surely I have calmed and quieted

my soul like a weaned child with his mother.

Like a weaned child is my soul within me. Isn't

that powerful? I want to read it one more time.

Surely I have calmed and quieted my soul. like

a weaned child with his mother, like a weaned

child is my soul within me. Father, I just ask

that in these few moments that we have to share

and look into your word today, that you would

shape us and that you would mold us and make

us more like you. We thank you, Father. And everybody

said, Amen. Praise God. Cammie and I, we care

greatly about what is happening in your life.

And so we work hard to make sure that you have

the tools that you need to not only survive this

crazy world that we live in. How many of you

know that we live in a crazy world? Come on.

Put your hand up if you think we live in a crazy

world. We do. But God's plan in this world is

not for you just to survive, but for you to thrive

in your relationship with the Lord. abundance

is God's plan for you. And by that, I'm not preaching

a give -to -get kind of gospel, name -it -claim

-it kind of gospel, but God's plan for you is

abundance. I want to read what the apostle John

said in 3 John 1 and verse 2. He said, Beloved,

I pray that you may prosper in all things. and

be in health just as your soul prospers. Amen?

That's a lot of prospering. God wants you to

thrive. He wants you to prosper in his relationship

with you, in your relationship with him. Hallelujah.

I had never in my life known what it was to be

afraid. And 18 years ago, when I was 35, I went

through a year -long battle that forever changed

my life. It was a battle of health at first,

and then it was a battle with fear, and then

it was a battle with demons. that fear opened

the door to in my life. It changed my marriage.

Cammie used to sleep incredibly deep. And now

if she hears something, she wakes up. And it's

because of that nine months of time and what

I battled through during that season. But the

worst part of it all is that there was chaos

that was in my soul. And I could not fulfill

this verse. I could not calm and quiet my spirit.

This is not something that God does for you.

The psalmist here, David, wrote Psalm 131. He

said, have calmed and quieted my soul. I have

done it. So God helps you and heals you, and

He might do some things in your life. Praise

God. He's the source of it all. Amen? He's the

source of it all. But it is a skill that David

learned really well in his relationship with

the Lord. David was gifted at calming and quieting

his soul. In fact, as a shepherd boy, a teenager,

he learned this. In fact, many people believe

that Psalm 23 was one of the first psalms that

David wrote before he ever was even anointed

to be king. As he's out there in the back of

the wilderness taking care of sheep, he wrote

it. He said, the Lord is my shepherd, I shall

not want. He leads me beside... I should know

this. It rolled off my tongue when I was practicing.

He makes me to lie down in green pastures. That

was the part I forgot. He leads me beside still

waters. He restores my soul. David learned this

as a teenager. That I can still and quiet my

soul beside the waters that God leads me to.

Just as I'm a shepherd over these sheep, God

is a shepherd over my soul if I partake of what

He has given me. Amen? I have stilled and calmed

my soul. And so when I was walking through, Let

me continue with David for a moment. Because

later on in his life, it was no different. He's

a warrior, and he's leading an army. And he's

not... the king yet. In fact, he's running from

Saul. And in this case, he's leading an army

and he's pursuing the Amalekites. And the men

had lost everything and they blamed David for

it. And it says in 1 Samuel 30 verse 6, now David

1 Samuel 30:6

was greatly distressed for the people spoke of

stoning him because the soul of all the people

was grieved, every man for his son. and his daughters.

And not only did they want to stone David and

blame him, but David had lost his own family.

And yet the next sentence says this, but David

strengthened himself in the Lord his God. Isn't

that awesome? He had learned the secret of stilling

and quieting his soul. And Cammie knew that I

was walking through this, that that's what I

needed. In fact, she wrote out Isaiah 26 .3 on

a note card, and she put it on my bedside table

where I read it every single day, multiple times.

And so Isaiah 26 .3 says, you will keep him in

perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you because

he trusts in you. Now that's elusive, isn't it?

In this generation, perfect peace. That's elusive.

In our generation and in our time, a stilled

and calmed soul in perfect peace is rare. But

it's a gift that God wants to give you. and teach

you that you can learn. Praise God. And through

this verse, we have the first part of the remedy.

I'm going to come back to the remedies in a moment,

but remedy number one is keep your mind fixed

on Him. Amen? Praise God. And slowly I gained

victory over those months. And slowly I was able

to calm and quiet my soul once again. And that

was the victory. Slow down. Meditate on who God

is. Hebrews 12 .2 says, Look unto Jesus, the

author and finisher of our faith. There's a lot

of noise in the world. There's a lot of noise

in the church. People are afraid of quietness

and calmness. People don't like it at night,

so they put on headphones and listen to music

while they're sleeping. Because stillness and

calmness and quietness bothers them. You start

to listen to your own thoughts. And it is something

that people try to drown out. Driving down the

road and the car has to be filled with sound.

When I'm by myself. 80 % of the time in my car,

I have no sound playing at all. I like the silence.

I've trained myself that way. Silence, calmness,

and quietness. Quieting your inner man is a key

to hearing God's voice. Right? Quieting your

thoughts. This takes self -control. Because if

you just let your mind idle, it's going to run

everywhere. You've got to rein that mind in so

that you can hear the quietness. 1 Kings 19,

what was it? That was the situation where Elijah

could hear the voice of God? Was it in the storm?

Was it in the wind? It was a gentle whisper.

And he heard the voice of God. The sons of Korah

wrote about the opposite of a quiet spirit in

Psalm 42. And so I want you to know if you're

spirit man, if you're inner person, is not always

calm and quiet, guess what that makes you? Human.

And so this is a skill to learn and master. It

is not something that most people have conquered.

And the sons of Korah hadn't conquered it either.

And in Psalm 42, in fact, in 42 and 43, they

say the same thing three times. It's like the

refrain of a dreaded chorus. Why are you cast

down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within

me? Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him,

for He is the help of my countenance. Why are

you disquieted? You know that the first word

is downcast. Why are you downcast, O my soul?

Do you know that word downcast means to disintegrate

to dust? To disintegrate away to dust. Why are

you downcast, O my soul? And then he says, why

are you disquieted within me? The word disquieted,

hama, to make loud sounds. Great commotion and

tumult. That's disquieted, disturbed. And he's

using that about his inner man. Not what he's

hearing with his natural ears, but what he's

feeling in the silence. My soul just is not quite

right. Everything is discombobulated on the inside.

I am not experiencing the peace, the shalom of

God on the inside. Anybody ever been there before?

Maybe you're there right now. You're experiencing

that disquieted feeling. on the inside. You can't

quiet your inner man. And they wrote these two

psalms, the sons of Korah, and they give us another

piece of the remedy. The first one is, keep your

mind stayed on Him. The second part is, put your

hope in God, for I will yet praise Him. And praise

becomes part of the remedy of quieting your inner

man. Praise the Lord, O my soul. You know, I

feel like sometimes the saying of Ruth Ward Heflin

is true. That the height of your praise determines

the depth of your worship. And the height of

your praise goes high. Hallelujah. It does something

on your inside. Praise God. It calms and quiets

you. It's my prayer that everybody will leave

this place calmer and quieter than when they

came in. Amen? I believe that that can happen.

Calmer and quieter because of praise. Put your

hope in God, for I will yet praise Him. Hallelujah.

There are no circumstances. You need to get this.

There are no outward circumstances that can steal

the quietness of your soul. The outward circumstances

can rage. It does not have to determine the condition

of your soul. That's something that's learned

by the power of the Holy Spirit. Let me read

you a verse. Now it happened on a certain day.

You just listen to the story and then I'll give

you the reference. Now it happened on a certain

day that he got into a boat with his disciples

and he said to them, let's cross over to the

other side of the lake. And they launched out.

But as they sailed, he fell asleep. And a windstorm

came down on the lake, and they were filling

with water and were in jeopardy. And they came

to him and awoke him. Now, I've been, probably

their boat was a little bit bigger than the boats

that I have, but I've been in some rough waters.

And actually, as long as it's warm weather and

the water is not in danger of causing hypothermia,

I actually really like the rough, rough water.

As long as it's not too rough, it's a lot of

fun to paddle in. But I guarantee you this, I

have never slept in tumultuous water. Our Savior

said, hey, hey. gentlemen, let's go to the other

side of the lake. And he fell asleep in the boat,

and the boat starts rocking. The boat is filling

up with water. It is starting to fill up with

water. One time our canoe filled up with water,

and I did not tip it. It just, water came over

the edge, and it and it filled the whole canoe,

and the canoe was a couple of inches underwater.

We were still sitting in it, and we were still

paddling. But I tell you something we weren't

doing. We weren't asleep in the boat. And Jesus

is sleeping through the windstorm. They were

beginning. to fill up with water and were in

trouble. And they came to him and woke him and

said, Master, Master, we are perishing. Now,

there is a difference between what is happening

on the inside of these disciples and what is

happening on the inside of Jesus. These disciples,

their hearts are not calm and quiet. Their hearts

are filled with fear. Their hearts are filled

with anxiety. They are fixing their eyes not

on what Jesus said to them, hey, let's go to

the other side, but on the wind and the waves

and all the circumstances. And Jesus arose, and

I think he wiped... sleepy dirt out of his eyes.

And he rebuked the wind, the raging of the water.

And I think he did it calmly. I don't think he

had to raise his voice. And they ceased and there

was a calm. And Jesus said to them, where is

your faith? And here's the third key this morning

is to Allow your faith to get bigger. Then they

were afraid and marveled, saying to one another,

Who can this be? For he commands even the winds

and the water, and they obey him. The squall

was upon them, but Jesus was sleeping in the

boat. Because of his faith and his trust in God.

Speaking to somebody here today, God is going

to bring you to the other side. Trust him. Allow

the calm that is in his heart. To get inside

your heart. God is not nervous about your situation.

God is not wondering if you're going to make

it or not. He is calm and quieted and assured.

Hallelujah. And you allow that to get in your

heart. Isn't that a good word? Allow that that

is in his heart to get inside. your heart. We

need to retrain our minds. Some of us need to

turn off the television because unfortunately,

media, all of it, is biased. Politically, if

you're watching a political channel, it is either

trying to sway you to become a Democrat or sway

you to become a Republican. There is not media

that is not one way or the other. And you know

the number one ingredient that they use to get

you swayed? Fear and anxiety. And you give yourself

to that, and you're going to start to get angry

with them, one side or the other. But what's

happening to your soul? Your soul is no longer

calm and quiet. It is disquieted. And I believe

that God, some of you need to turn it off so

that you can quiet your heart again to the Lord.

Quiet your heart. Isaiah chapter 30, verse 15.

Isaiah 30:15

I've only got two more scriptures and I'm done.

This might be the shortest message I've ever

preached. Some of you are clapping. Bill is clapping

his hands back there. He is clapping his hands.

Oh, he's ready for lunch. In Isaiah chapter 30,

Isaiah 30 · chapter mention

God gives them some direction to get out of the

judgment that they're in, and he says in verse

15, for thus says the Lord God, the Holy One

of Israel, in returning, some translations say

repentance, in repentance and rest is your salvation,

or you shall be saved. In quietness, and confidence

shall be your strength. But you would have none

of it. It got quiet in here, didn't it? He gave

them the remedy. Return. Rest in me. Embrace

quietness and rest. But they rejected it. By

the way that we live, we can reject the quietness

of our soul, the calmness and stillness of our

heart. We love our grandsons. But they shake

up our house. We've had them for over three weeks.

This is the longest. That's why we look so good

this morning. We have been dealing with them

and loving them and enjoying them. Mostly, 90

% enjoying them. But they bring a sense of disquiet.

to our home. And some of you can appreciate when

your grandkids come, and some of you can appreciate

when you send them back to mom and dad. Oh, raise

your hand if you know what I'm talking about.

Come on. You got to be honest. Yeah, grandparents

with their grandchildren in the room right now

have to be careful. Quietness and confidence

is your strength. I want to read one more passage.

Psalm 46. I'm going to read the whole psalm.

And you're going to hear, this is again the sons

of Korah. God is our refuge. And strength. A

very present help in trouble. Therefore we will

not fear. Even though the earth be removed. And

though the mountains be carried in the midst

of the sea. Though its waters roar. Guess what

that word roar is? Disquieted. It's the same

word. Tumultuous. Why so disturbed within me?

Though the waters roar and be troubled. Though

the mountains shake with its swelling. Selah.

In the midst of that, the next verse happens.

There is a river. Whose streams shall make glad

the city of God. The holy place of the tabernacle

of the Most High. God is in the midst of her.

She shall not be moved. God shall help her just

at the break of dawn. Here's that word again.

The nations raged. It's the same word. The nations

were entumbled. The nations were disquieted.

The nations were all stirred up. Does that sound

like our world today? That's where we live, friends.

The nations raged. The kingdoms were moved. But

God lifted his voice and the earth melted. The

Lord of hosts is with us. The God of Jacob. Is.

Our refuge. Selah. Come. Behold the works of

the Lord. Who has made desolations in the earth.

He makes wars cease to the end of the earth.

He breaks the bow and cuts the spear in two.

He burns the chariot in the fire. Be still. And

know that I am God. I will be exalted among the

nations. I will be exalted in the earth. The

Lord of hosts is with us. The God of Jacob is

our refuge. Selah. And that word still. Be still.

is the word rapah. And it means to hang limp.

What it really means is to give up. To give up.

To give up in your own strength, in your own

flesh, in your own trust. It means to fully yield.

Be still. Be still. Tell on Edmund and Benji.

We told them to be still. And they would not.

So I put one in one chair. And one on the couch.

And I said, you're there for two minutes until

you are still. One of them got up. I won't tell

you which one. And they got another two minutes.

Give up. Yield. You know, we're not that much

different. It's time to yield to the Lord. It's

time to give up to God's plans for your life.

It's the question that Jesus asked Saul on the

road to Damascus. It's hard for you to kick against

the pricks. Give up, Saul. Yield. Some perhaps

have been running from God. And it's time to

simply give up and yield and know that He's God.

The Lord may or may not change your situation,

but He will change you. He may or may not deliver

you out of the lion's den. He may or may not...

cause you to not be burned when you're thrown

into the fire, but he will change you and transform

your life. Peace is a fruit of the Spirit. Self

-control is a fruit of the Spirit. It is your

portion as a believer in Christ. I have stilled

and calmed, quieted my soul. Father, we come

before you in Jesus' name. And we thank you for

your word that penetrates and cuts. And even

this morning, there's a restlessness. That just

can seem to never go away in our inner person.

God, I'm just asking for grace this morning.

You do the initial work, but we maintain it.

And we have to learn to calm and quiet our mind.

There's some this morning that are carrying.

The chaos of Psalm 42 and 43. Why so disturbed

within me? Put your hope in God. It's what you've

taught us to do, Lord. To fix our eyes on you.

To fix our mind on you. To give you praise. To

grow in our faith. And to give up before you.

Lord, if there's somebody here that's never yielded

their life to Christ, I just want to give them

that opportunity. I just want to pray for you

right now. If you're here and you're not right

with God, really, and you know that, but you

want God to do a work inside of you this morning

and you want to say, God, here I am. I yield

my life to you. You might not even know what

all that means. That Jesus paid the price for

your sin on the cross. And you just yield to

that. And you just turn to the Lord. And you

just say, God, I turn to you. I turn away from

my sin. And I turn to you right now. If you're

here and... And that's your heart and you want

to pray that prayer. God, I'm coming back to

you. I just want you to just lift your hand.

Everybody's eyes are closed and their heads are

bowed. If you want to pray that prayer, just

lift your hand to the Lord. Thank you. Anybody

else that would just say, yes, I need to yield

my life to Christ. Thank you. Anybody else? Anybody

else? For the sake of these two that have raised

their hands, I'd just like us all to pray together.

Just repeat this prayer after me and just pray

it from your heart right now. Lord Jesus, I thank

you for the cross. I thank you for shedding your

blood for me. I receive the gift of forgiveness

as I turn from you. Turn to you. Turn from my

sin. Turn to you. Thank you that you walk with

me. Thank you that you help me. Every step of

the way. Lord, I'm now a follower of Jesus Christ.

Thank you, Lord. Thank you, Lord. Thank you,

Lord. We give you praise, God. We give you praise.

And now, Lord, there are people here, they need

the peace of God to come and be their guard,

but they need you, Lord, to just do an initial

work in their heart. And as they praise, and

as they focus on you, and as they grow in their

faith, and as they yield, They're asking you

this morning for help. And so, God, we just want

to cover anybody that's in the midst of a moment

like that in their life. And you can, I'm going

to pray for you whether you raise your hand or

not, but if you do raise your hand, I'm going

to pray for you specifically. Everybody in this

room has been where you are. If you'd like specific

prayer, just for the Lord to help you in quieting

your soul before him. I just want you to lift

up your hand to the Lord. I'm going to pray for

you. Thank you, Lord. People all over just lifting

up their hands. Father, those that have their

hands raised right now, you see right where they

are. You see what they're walking through in

life. Their situations and their circumstances

might be tumultuous. But I ask in Jesus' name

that you would come alongside them right now.

And God, I just speak to the storm, not just

on the outward, but on the inside. And I speak

to it to be still in Jesus' name. And I thank

you, God. I pray, God, that this, even today

before they go to bed, that you, Lord, would

come as a shepherd and they would yield to the

shepherd that would say, come beside the quiet

waters I have for you just for a moment to turn

everything off, to put away the phone, and to

just... Breathe you in. And to just say, Jesus,

I thank you for the stillness and the quietness

of my heart. Help me to grow in stilling and

quieting my soul. In Jesus' mighty name. In Jesus'

mighty name. Hallelujah. Praise the Lord. I feel

the peace of God in this house. Amen? I feel

the peace of God in this house. And I just speak

that Hebrew word for shalom. The Hebrew word

shalom is peace. And it is all around you. And

it covers every area of your life. And it guards

your heart. and your mind. Isn't that good? Peace

of God. Hallelujah. I have stilled and quieted

my soul. It's a precious commodity. And I want

to encourage you to treasure and value stillness

and quietness in your life. Amen? Praise God.