Our scripture reading this afternoon, we turn to Psalm 63. Psalm 63, entitled the Psalm of David when he was in the wilderness of Judah. Oh God, thou art my God. Early will I seek thee. My soul thirsteth for Thee. My flesh longeth for Thee in a dry and thirsty land where no water is, to see Thy power and Thy glory, so as I have seen Thee in the sanctuary. Because Thy lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise Thee. Thus will I bless Thee while I live. I will lift up my hands in Thy name. My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness, and my mouth shall praise thee with joyful lips when I remember thee upon my bed and meditate on thee in the night watches. Because thou hast been my help, therefore in the shadow of thy wings will I rejoice. My soul followeth hard after thee. Thy right hand upholdeth me. But those that seek my soul to destroy it shall go into the lower parts of the earth. They shall fall by the sword. They shall be a portion for foxes. But the king shall rejoice in God. Everyone that sweareth by him shall glory, but the mouth of them that speak lies shall be stopped. Thus far we read God's holy and infallible word. The text this afternoon is verse 7. Verse 7. Because thou hast been my help, therefore in the shadow of thy wings will I rejoice. Beloved congregation, in our Lord Jesus Christ, we rejoice at the occasion of the birth of a covenant child. We rejoice at this occasion that we can have the sacrament administered and that we may have that sign and seal pictured unto us in baptism that all our sins are forgiven us for the sake of Jesus Christ. And we are happy and we rejoice. But I don't so much want to begin this sermon with joy. That's where the sermon will end up with on the third point. But for now, we begin in the wilderness, because that's where David was when he wrote this psalm. And from that point of view of us being in the wilderness, many different questions come to mind. When you feel all alone in life, Where do you turn for company when you feel pressed on every side? Where do you seek your shelter? With all the turmoil that you experience in life, whether it's physical turmoil or spiritual turmoil, whether it's the big problems in life, whether it be the very small problems in life, problems you've brought about because of your sins, Problems that arise because of things that come from without. But when nothing is going your way, even when you feel yourself about to die, where do you look for peace and rest? Where do you look for comfort and security? And now listen to the words of the text. In the shadow of thy wings will I rejoice. And then this too, where do you seek your help when you are beaten down and battered? when you try to help yourself but you find that I am weak and I'm helpless to help myself. And then too when you found that every human helper is vain, where do you turn for the help that you and I so desperately need? And listen to Psalm 63 verse 7, because thou hast been my help, therefore in the shadow of thy wings will I rejoice. And the answer to all of those questions, the answer to all our problems and misery and helplessness is the shadow of God's wings, which teach us that God is our protector. God is the one who cares for us. And he does all this for us and for our children through the Lord Jesus Christ. In the wilderness of this world, We may have peace and joy only as we find it under the shadow of God's wings. And therefore, this is a fitting text for many different kinds of occasions, but a fitting text for this occasion of baptism, because we bring forth our children into the wilderness of this world. And in this world, there will be hardships and there will be difficulties. And that's something that the parents who have presented their child for baptism, Jacob and Colleen, that's going to be true of you in the years to come. And you will encounter that as you raise your son Colton in the fear of God's name. But you need to know how to respond properly to all of those hardships and difficulties that you will encounter when you come across them. The answer of the text is, In the shadow of God's wings is our help and our peace and our comfort. And underneath those wings, we will rejoice. And that's the theme of the sermon, In the Shadow of God's Wings. Let's note first the occasion. Secondly, the protection we have. And finally, the rejoicing. in the shadow of God's wings. Now, in order for us to appreciate what it means to be in the shadow of God's wings, we need to understand the occasion and the circumstances David was going through when he wrote this psalm. The heading of the psalm says, the psalm of David when he was in the wilderness of Judah. And this is the time in David's life when he was fleeing Absalom and he had to run out into the wilderness and to live there for a while. And though the heading of the psalm doesn't specify that he was fleeing Absalom, And therefore, some contend that this might very well be a psalm that David wrote when he was fleeing from Saul, when Saul was pursuing him and David had to flee into the wilderness. And yet verse 11 says, but the king shall rejoice in God. And that king that he refers to is himself. David is that king. He's saying that the king will rejoice, I will rejoice in God. And the only time that we know David when he was king and when he was in a dry and thirsty land prevented from going to the sanctuary was when Absalom pursued him. Now this was a difficult time in David's life. And it was difficult from a number of different points of view. Physically, it was difficult living in the wilderness, as David did for a while. And we find that in verse 1 of this chapter. Verse 1, my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land where no water is. David isn't simply using a spiritual metaphor, but he's looking at the circumstances around him that teaches him that spiritual truth. But nevertheless, he says he's in a dry and thirsty land. Take that very literally. David is in the wilderness. It's very hot. He and his company have very little, hardly any water, and their throats are parched. And now imagine if that were you, that you have to leave home. and that you don't have time to gather any of your belongings, you don't have time to go grab your favorite water bottle and fill it up underneath the faucet. You've got to go, you've got to head out and you've got to go out into the wilderness, out into the desert, where there is little, if any, water. Well, that's David and his company in the wilderness. Their mouths are dry, their throats are parched, they desperately want some cool, refreshing water. And all along there's the threat of Absalom and when is he coming and how big is his army? The physical difficulties were great in David's life at this time. But then think also of the spiritual difficulties. that David was going through because why is he in the wilderness after all? Well, it's because his own flesh and blood has rebelled against him. For years Absalom has been plotting against his father and now Absalom has gained a following and David has to run away because his own son is out to kill him. The anguish in David's heart was great over the sin that his son Absalom was committing. And that spiritual anguish is intensified because David knows that he's not an innocent bystander in all of this misery and distress that he's going through in life right now. David knows that this has come about because of his own sin. Because David was the one who years earlier committed that sin of adultery with Bathsheba. and committed that sin of murder by killing Uriah the Hittite, Bathsheba's husband. And the Lord said, the sword will not depart from the house of David. And God said, David, I forgive this sin of yours, but now you will have to bear the consequences of this sin in your life and in your family. And one of the consequences is that there will be turmoil and there will be unrest. in your household. And David is experiencing the sword in his own house. He's experiencing that sword very literally as Absalom takes that sword in his hand, coming out to kill his own father. This was spiritual anguish for David in the wilderness, knowing that this all came about because of my own sin. And to add to all of the spiritual anguish that David is going through, perhaps the hardest part for David was that fleeing into the wilderness meant that he was separated from God, or at least separated from the worship of God in the sanctuary, so that we read verse one, I'm in a dry and thirsty land where no water is and my soul thirsts, it longs to see God, And I used to go to the sanctuary, verse 2, to see thy power and thy glory, as I have seen thee in the sanctuary. But now you understand, David, he can't go there anymore. He's in exile. He can't go to the house of God. And David says, I'll pray and sing here in the wilderness, but I want to be with God in his house like I used to. And that tells us that this great thirst of David, that he mentions in verse 1, yes, you can be sure there was that physical thirst that he had in his throat, but the great thirst wasn't found in his mouth, but it was in his heart. Because he was deprived of God in the sanctuary, and David thirsted after God. Oh God, thou art my God. Early will I seek thee. My soul thirsteth for thee. So that's the occasion. All kinds of physical difficulties and spiritual difficulties as David is out in the wilderness. And David's anguish in the wilderness is a picture of the trouble and sorrow that we go through in our earthly sojourn. And we can say from a general point of view that we are in the wilderness right now all our life long, all of our life long, we are in the wilderness because this earth is not our home. Heaven is our home. And so long as we are in the body of this death, from that point of view, then yes, we are in a dry and thirsty land. And how many of us here are going through a physical difficulty, some type of pain in the body, some type of sickness, and there's no prospect of that pain or that sickness going away. And the days become so long, and they become so weary. And doesn't that make us thirst for God as we experience the pain of this wilderness? Or do you have any type of spiritual pain Maybe that happens when your own flesh and blood goes astray, a close family member, a son or a daughter, a spouse or a parent. And they may not be out to kill you like Absalom was to David, but it feels as if they could as well be doing that. Such is the anguish and the pain in our hearts. Or even when we contemplate our own sins, and here this applies to every single one of us, because we've all sinned against God, we've all played the rebel, and we smite our chest, God be merciful to me, the sinner. And we find that we are in the wilderness, longing to be delivered from this old man of sin. All right, now at the occasion of baptism, we rejoice and we are happy at the birth of a covenant child and with the sacrament being administered and with our faith being strengthened, seeing that sacrament being administered, and yet whenever parents bring forth covenant seed, they bring forth that child into the wilderness. And there's a certain fear that godly parents have. Am I sufficient? Am I sufficient to take care of this child, of all these my children? There are dangers out there in the world and now the responsibility is placed upon me for that child's welfare? That's hard. And every godly parent knows his or her own sins and are my sins going to be a deterrent as I strive to raise my child in the fear and admonition of the Lord. And then there's this too that I know that my child is a sinner and I know where my child got that sinful nature from. He gets that from me as a father, from me as a mother. And it's only a matter of time before that sinful nature begins showing itself. There's the questions and the hardships we as parents have, and how am I going to react when I raise my children in the fear of God's name? Will I bring the right words of rebuke? Will I be too harsh and drive the child away? Will I be too lenient and the child will grow up doing as he or she pleases? And we can add this to the concern and worry that we have for our children, knowing that we can't watch over them forever. Children grow up and we have concerns for them. We pray for them. And we wonder if I die as a parent, who will take care of them? Who will provide for them? Who will protect them? Who will keep them safe? Who will give them shelter? There's the concern that we have for our children as we enter the last days. It's something pastors worry about. It's something that we as parents think about. And grandparents, what will our children have to go through? And our grandchildren, as we get closer and closer to the end of time and the Great Tribulation, will they be able to stand? Will they confess the name of the Lord Jesus Christ? And we worry and we pray, but this is all part of bringing forth children into the wilderness. But David doesn't despair because of his miserable condition. He doesn't simply say, woe is me, my life is undone. Because by God's grace, David realizes that in all his wilderness, that he's in the shadow of God's wings. Even though David felt that he was far away from God, yet he realizes that God is not far away from him. Though David was not with God in the sanctuary, at that moment, yet God was with him in the wilderness. So that David says, and can confess in verse 3, because thy loving kindness is better than life, my lips shall praise thee. And David now begins to understand that I can leave my palace, I can be forced away from my home in Jerusalem, I can be deprived of my very life, but that's alright. because I know the loving kindness of Jehovah God and that loving kindness is better than life. And then David sums it up and he says, I'm not helpless. because I'm under the shadow of God's wings. That's verse seven. Because thou hast been my help, therefore in the shadow of thy wings will I rejoice. And David confesses that he is safe and secure as God cares for him under the shadow of his wings. And when David uses this figure of the wings of God, that points out that God is the great protector and defender of his people. And this isn't the first time that the Bible refers to the wings of God. Maybe it's not an illustration, a picture that we normally think of, but it's there in the Bible, and we ought to know it and understand it. It comes earlier in the Bible, even in the book of Exodus, in Exodus chapter 19, verse 4. In Exodus 19, verse 4, this is God speaking to the Israelites, ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians and how I bear you on eagles' wings and brought you unto myself." What a wonderful way of envisioning the deliverance that God gave to the Israelites. I bear you on eagle's wings and I delivered you out of Egypt. And you think of an eagle and with the little eaglets as it were on the back of that eagle and that eagle soars away from the predator and those little eagles are safe and that's God. I bear you on eagles' wings, and I brought you through the wilderness, and I will bring you to the promised land." There's another passage, Deuteronomy 32, verse 11. In Deuteronomy 32, verse 11, as an eagle stirreth up her nest. fluttereth over her young, spreadeth abroad her wings, taketh them, beareth them on her wings. So the Lord alone did lead them. So the Lord alone did care for and protect and nurture the Israelites when they could not take care of themselves. So that when David writes the Psalms, that this isn't a strange figure to the Israelites that the care and love and protection of God is pictured in the wings of an eagle and therefore David uses this figure of even God's wings over and over again in the Psalms. Psalm 17, verse eight, keep me as the apple of thy eye, hide me under the shadow of thy wings. Psalm 36, verse seven, the children of men put their trust under the shadow of thy wings. Psalm 57, verse one, be merciful unto me, O God, in the shadow of thy wings. Will I make my refuge? Many times David uses this figure of the wings of God to explain how God protects his people and cares for his people. And here in Psalm 63, under the shadow of thy wings. What does this illustration teach us about God? It teaches us that God protects us. It teaches us that God is the one who keeps us safe. and preserves us and our little ones and all his people. You think of the wings of an eagle, and if a predator would come up to that nest to devour the little baby eagles, then all those little eagles would huddle under the wings of that father or mother eagle, and that strong eagle the wings serve as a safeguard so that no predator can pass through. And so with its beak and talons, and then too with the beating of its powerful wings, and it drives that predator away. And that's what David has in mind. that God has come to help me and to protect me, to save and deliver me. Though I be in the wilderness, I'm not helpless because I'm under the shadow of God's wings. And therefore I am safe and I am secure. And that applies to all of us. So that when the day of evil and temptation draws nigh, that then there the Lord is, with his mighty wings beating away the enemy so that we may enjoy peace and comfort under the shadow of those same wings. This is the doctrine of the preservation of the saints. God preserves us so that the enemy cannot have his way with us. God preserves us and gives us to see his strength and his power and to depend upon him. Our faithful Heavenly Father keeps us and preserves us. Closely connected with that, in the second place we learn from this figure of the wings of God, we learn that underneath those wings we find a sure refuge. That's what Psalm 57 verse 1 teaches. Be merciful unto me, O God, in the shadow of thy wings will I make my refuge. my refuge, that's the place where I live, that's the place where I find peace and happiness and joy and contentment in life. And here you think of a different creature with wings, you think of a hen. with all her chicks, and where do those chicks find their home? But underneath the wings of mother, as that mother hen broods over those chicks, caring for them, warming them, giving them protection, and there's no other place the baby chicks want to be. They find their comfort and their protection, their peace and security under the wings of their mother. Well, God is the one who spreads his mighty, powerful wings, and there is refuge and shelter for us. God is our refuge. God is our defender in times of trouble. God is the one who cares for us and our children and all those who belong to him. So God is our protector. God is our refuge. We learn that from the figure of those wings. And then in the third place, that illustration of the wings of God also teaches us concerning the love of God. Because that hen and the eagle spread out their wings in love. for their little children. And God spreads out his wings in his love and in his mercy, knowing that we are weak and we are helpless, that we cannot take care of ourselves, but in his love, he has chosen us and elected us in Jesus Christ. And in that love, we are preserved in this wilderness and will one day infallibly be brought to our heavenly home. And further, we learn this about God's wings. that the wings of God point us centrally to the Lord Jesus Christ. Because the greatest difficulty and burden that we have in the wilderness of this life is not this that I lost my job, is not this that I have financial difficulties, is not this that I have naughty children and wayward family members and life has become so difficult for me. Now, not to minimize those difficulties, God gives us strength to bear up in those times. But the greatest difficulty that you and I have, the greatest burden, is that burden of sin. The greatest burden there is, is to shoulder the weight of those sins against the justice of God. And so long as we carry those sins, we not only have the misery of living in this present wilderness, but there's the misery of the prospect of the condemnation of hell. But thanks be to God, thanks be to God for spreading His wings over His people and by giving unto us a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, the Savior who would die for our sins and in that way protecting us from the just punishment of our sins that we rightly deserve. And now in this life, God having adopted us as his children, he protects us also from the attacks of the enemy so that we never can be snatched away and that we never can be plucked out of the hand of our Heavenly Father or to be plucked from underneath the wings of Almighty God. And that's comfort for us personally, that's comfort for us parents as we think of the safety and the protection of our children. We're comforted. We saw it visibly in the sacrament, the sprinkling and washing with water. That's a comfort to us that Jesus Christ washes away all our sins and cares for us and preserves us in this life. And we learn all of that from this figure as Psalm 63 verse 7 states it, under the shadow of thy wings. And as we live under the shadow of God's wings all the days of our life, what else can we do but rejoice and to be happy? And that's David. That's what Psalm 63 verse 7 states. Because thou hast been my help, therefore in the shadow of thy wings will I rejoice. David says that he will rejoice. Now consider what a marvelous thing this is for him to say. Because David is in the wilderness. There's no water. He's in a dry and thirsty land. His own son is out to kill him. And yet David is able to confess, under the shadow of thy wings, will I rejoice. I'll be happy. I will praise and worship the God of my salvation. Note, David doesn't say this, not under the shadow of thy wings, I'll just manage to get through, not under the shadow of thy wings. I'll put on the happiest face I can, but deep inside I'm really a miserable person. No, but in the shadow of thy wings will I rejoice. And what we see here is that God has brought David to the mountaintops of faith, David is confessing, I know the troubles here in the wilderness are for my good. And I know that the things that happen to me will work out for my salvation. And therefore I'm happy with the way that God has arranged my life. Even when it hurts me, even when it brings pain and misery in my life, but I will rejoice because I'm safe, I'm secure, I'm under the shadow of God's wings. And this rejoicing is that exercise of faith that rests in God, knowing that God is strong and powerful, mighty and able. to avert all evil, or to turn it to our prophet, a faith that knows that God doeth all things well. And we rejoice under the shadow of God's wings, and in all of our earthly sojourn, therefore we will place our firm confidence and trust in Him. And that confidence and trust is strengthened when we look back on prior trials in life. And that's what it was for David. David, the beginning of the text, because thou hast been my help. So now David is looking back in his life. Looking back in his life when there were times of hardship and difficulty. Looking back in his life when he was running away from Saul. Looking back in his life when he was face to face with a lion. and with a bear. And during those times, David experienced, God was with him. God was caring for him. God was giving him the strength to manage and to go on and to trust in the God of his salvation. And now David finds himself in this wilderness of Psalm 63. He's thirsty. His Son is out to destroy him because thou hast been my help. David knows the power and the safety and the protection those almighty wings of Jehovah God afford and David knows those same wings are over me right now and underneath those wings will I rejoice. And so also are we called to trust in Jehovah God and rejoice in him, to rest quietly under the shadow of his wings. And as he has helped you in the past, That's something that's easier for us to see and to understand. We know God will help us in the future, but when we look back in life, we say, I was going through this trial and this hardship, and God helped me. God was my help in time of trouble. Therefore, now, in the present, in this my present wilderness, I will place my trust in God and I will rejoice under the shadow of his wings. And in that confidence, you may go forward in life. And so people of God, is your mouth dry and is your throat parched? Are you in the wilderness? Do you have worries for yourself and for your children? Let this be your confession now and forever because thou hast been my help. Therefore, in the shadow of thy wings will I rejoice. Amen. Let us pray. Our Father, which art in heaven, we thank thee for thy word. Apply it to our hearts. We thank thee that thou art the God of all comfort and hope and consolation, that we may know thy covenant love and mercy as thou dost spread forth thy powerful almighty wings over us and over all thy church from the beginning to the end of the world, keeping us safe, giving us warmth and comfort, and giving us to know that all our sins are forgiven us through the blood of Jesus Christ. May we go forward in life with that confidence that thou art our heavenly Father, our guardian and protector, and therefore we are safe under the shadow of thy wings. Bless us in the remainder of this Sabbath day. May we keep it holy to the glory of thy name. We pray this in Jesus' name alone. Amen. We sing psalter number 163. Psalter number 163, a versification of Psalm 63, a note there in stanza three, my Savior, neath thy sheltering wings, my soul delights to dwell, still closer to thy side I press, for near thee all is well. Let's sing the three stanzas, all three, Psalter number 163. ♪ That is love ♪ and left my prayer to Thee. Give me, my soul, and satisfy my darkness turns to light. My soul shall ponder every now the moment I lay my eyes on thee. ♪ And over Niobe's triumph ♪ The Lord bless thee and keep thee. The Lord make his face shine upon thee and be gracious unto thee. The Lord lift up his countenance upon thee and give thee peace. Amen.