We welcome you to Stone's Hill today!

A typical Stone's Hill service has:

* music (so feel free to sing out);

* some announcements (things that are upcoming that you can be a part of);

* a message out of the Bible (God speaks to us through his Word);

* and an opportunity for you to respond to the message (either immediately in the case of a decision that needs to be made OR in the future as you live out the message in your daily life.)

So relax and enjoy your morning! We're so glad you are here!

MESSAGE TEXT
Psalm 16:1-11
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King David has a full-blown panic attack in Psalm 55. It sets up Psalm 16. Psalm 55:4–8 describes what a panic attack feels like: “My heart is in anguish within me; the terrors of death have fallen on me. Fear and trembling have beset me; horror has overwhelmed me. I said, ‘Oh, that I had the wings of a dove! I would fly away and be at rest. I would flee far away and stay in the desert.’” A few verses later David writes, “As for me, I call to God, and the LORD saves me. Evening, morning and noon I cry out in distress, and he hears my voice” (Psalm 55:16–17). He concludes the psalm by saying, “Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous be shaken. But you, God, will bring down the wicked into the pit of decay; the bloodthirsty and deceitful will not live out half their days. But as for me, I trust in you” (Psalm 55:22–23).
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PROPOSITION
If you are under extreme stress, experiencing trauma, anxiety, or in the throes of a panic attack, get to Psalm 16 as fast as you can. It’s a psalm of confidence. Psalm 16 is your surfboard to ride the panic-wave or the trauma wave. Everybody says “Focus on something.” Here is a focus point.
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We'll look at three general points of wisdom that will keep you in a healthy state of readiness for any trauma - followed by some scanning techniques to keep you grounded when you’re about to panic. David offers one petition (v.1), then he takes a life scan to keep himself grounded (v.2-11). He ponders what anchors him, rather than what alarms him.
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After we work through the passage, I’ll share with you how David’s scans key life areas to fight off his panic attacks. 16:8 I keep my eyes always on the Lord. With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken.
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THREE GENERAL POINTS...
Make your walk with God personal (1–4): Talking out your trauma with God and others is therapy. It diffuses the stress bubble and corrects your panic stories.
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Make your walk with God intentional (4–8): Embracing with gratitude the Lords provisions in your life. Replace anxiety with purpose.
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Make your walk with God eternal (9–11): Acknowledging the Lordship of Christ ensures life beyond the grave. The grave now has an exit door.
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INVITATION
Jesus’s bodily resurrection brings us all the promises of Psalm 16. Because of Jesus’s resurrection, we can call God “my Lord” (vv. 1–2), we are united with brothers and sisters who are our delight (v. 3), we have a beautiful inheritance in Jesus’s eternal kingdom (vv. 5–6), we have a faithful Counselor who will teach us and be at our right hand (vv. 7–8), we will not be abandoned (vv. 9–10), and we have fullness of joy (vv. 11).