Ever-Present Help in the Time of Trouble — David Wilkerson

Ever-Present Help in Trouble

This message is one of the Times Square Church pulpit series. It was recorded in the sanctuary of Times Square Church in Manhattan, New York City. Other tapes are available by writing World Challenge, P .O. Box 260, Lindell, Texas 75771, or calling 903 -963 -8626.

You are welcome to make additional cassettes of this message for free distribution to friends. However, for all other forms of reproduction or electronic transmission, existing copyright laws apply. Psalm 46, verse 1, please.

Glory to Jesus. You're a beautiful people. Boy, just a wonderful, wonderful spirit of the Lord here. It's wonderful to come home and find such fire burning in this church. Psalm 46, if I can find it. Here it is.

I'm going to read about five verses, and my text is in verse 1. God is our refuge and strength, very present help in trouble, and very, there can also be interpreted, ever present help in trouble. Therefore, will not we fear, though the earth be removed and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea, though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof, there's a river, the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacles of the Most High.

God is in the midst of her, she shall not be moved. God shall help her, and that right early. The heathen raids of the kingdoms were moved, he uttered his voice, the earth melted. Here it is again. The Lord of hosts is with us.

The God of Jacob is our refuge. And look at verse 9. He makes wars to cease that war that's in you, that war that's in our inner man. He causes it to cease. Oh God, my Father, my precious Lord and Savior, how good you are.

Help us, Lord, to be reminded by your Holy Spirit that you are right at our right hand at all times. You're there, you're there now, and Lord, though we've been preaching around the world, there are needs here this morning, incredible needs, and those who need a word from heaven, so speak to us, speak to me, and speak through me, and Lord, help me in my time of need as I minister this, I pray in Jesus' name, amen.

God as Our Present Refuge and Strength

Amen. God is our refuge and strength of very present help in trouble. Boy, this is one of the greatest promises in the Bible. Of all the promises he's made, this is the sacrifice. There's a sacrifice of praise, but this, he says, God is our refuge and strength, very present help in time of trouble.

Now, folks, we read that and reread it. I have read that so many times, I can't tell you how many times I have read that and just crossed, just passed over it, and I can't make a theology, it has to be a revelation that comes to us, that God is a very present help in time of need.

That means he's here, he's available any time, night or day, he's at our right hand, willing to speak to us, to guide us, and if we really believe this scripture, if we believed it with all of our heart, we would not be down in the pits of despair, there would be no doubt, there would be no unbelief, because we believe.

This is one simple promise that he's made to us that could change our lives. This has sustained me in the last 45 days. The Lord gave it to me, in fact, I keep a little piece of paper in my pocket with the 34th Psalm on it, and also this verse, and I read it every day, I rely on that promise, I remind myself of it, and this has been a source of driving out of my life fear of man, fear of flying.

I used to be afraid to fly, remember? I've been flying thousands of miles, and in turbulence, but you see, I know now I have an angel on the plane, there's a very present help right here, he's right here.

You see, we have the idea the Holy Ghost abides in us, we read that scripture, we quote it, you know, Christ in me, and I in Christ, and we don't know what that means, most of us, we really don't live by that.

If we did, we wouldn't be in such pits of despair so often, and forgetting all the things that God has done for us in the past, and if we truly, honestly believed that he was there, we wouldn't have this concept that the Holy Ghost, we know, and you've said this if you're a teacher, you've taught it, you know that this body is the temple of the Holy Ghost, that the Holy Spirit abides here.

That's what the scripture says, that he lives here, but some of us, even though we know he's not out there in the universe somewhere, though he is, he's ever-present everywhere, he has taken up his residence, this body is a habitation of the Holy Ghost.

He lives here, but we have the idea he has a little chapel somewhere inside. He's built a chapel inside our heart, and here's our concept, we know he's there, yes, the Holy Ghost is in me, but he locks himself up there talking to the Father, and he's there available in time of need, a desperate situation, you go and knock on his door and say, Holy Ghost, I need help.

That's not what the Bible says, that's not what the Bible says at all. Now, I'm bringing you the most simple message I've ever preached, but it's life-giving to me and I hope it's life-giving to you.

Recognizing Ever-Present Evil

First of all, let me talk, before I talk about ever-present help, let me talk about the ever-present evil. Paul said, when I would do good, evil is present with me. You know that scripture said we fight not against flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers of darkness, rulers of darkness, and these principalities and rulers and princes of darkness.

The devil can't be everywhere at once. He is not omnipresent. If somebody says the devil is here today, the rest of the world can relax. He has principalities, he has powers, he has rulers, and he is ever-present to harass the believer.

He doesn't, the devil, we say the devil's after me, the devil is harassing me. Very seldom, I don't think most of us are that important in his kingdom or a threat to his kingdom, and though I would like to be known in hell, I'd like to be feared in hell, but there are principalities and powers of darkness that do his bidding.

And when you set your heart, when you really set your heart to be a seeker after God, I see this in my travels, when men step out of the crowd and say, I can't live the status quo anymore, I can't live like I am because I'm so empty, and I hear this confession everywhere I go, from pastors, even of large churches, I'm tired of just doing things and I don't have a relationship, I don't have intimacy with God.

And you see, the Holy Spirit, if he abides in me, then he resists this ever-present evil. Paul the Apostle knew what the present evil was, ever-present evil, because he had a messenger Satan sent to buffet him, and every day he faced that harassment because of the revelation that God gave to him.

And the more you walk in revelation, the more you can expect to be the target of all of the principalities and powers of darkness. They will persecute you, they will harass you. You go to prayer, they will interrupt you.

I've called that this conspiracy of interruptions. And he cannot invade that inner sanctum, he cannot invade that place where you and God are alone or sudden, because God said he builds a wall around you.

There's a wall of fire he can't penetrate. And it's in that time that he ministers to us and speaks in such special ways. But there is an ever-present evil. Now you have to recognize who your enemy is.

It's not always whatever your test may be that you're going through now. It's not just a flaw in your flesh. It's not the flesh you've got to recognize who your enemy is. We are fighting a battle. The Bible says we are wrestling against principalities and powers of darkness and rulers of iniquity.

And they are going to come against you when you truly set your heart to seek the Lord. This ever-present evil. Paul was speaking, he said, be sober, be diligent, or the Peter, because your adversary the devil is a roaring lion, walks about seeking whom he may devour, whom resists steadfast in the faith.

He also said to Peter, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan has desired to have you, he does shift you as wheat. Now, you see, the devil doesn't bother his own children, he already has them. In fact, Jesus said, you're of your father the devil, the lust of your father you will do.

In other words, they do it because of their nature, because they are being directed by the enemy. Now, it amazes me that we can believe that the devil can impulse his children, that he can lead them, he can guide them, and really, those that are living in the world, those who are bound by sin, he said, you're children of your father, the father of Satan, and his works you will do.

He speaks to his children, he speaks to his kind, and you can't tell me that in these last days when we need the voice of the Lord, we need direction more than in any generation, when we need to hear a word behind us that's still a small voice, you can't tell me that God's going to sit by, or the Holy Spirit in me is going to be silent and not talk to me when I need him.

You can't tell me that the devil is going to have that kind of power and influence over all of his children around the world, and it is a growing influence, it is a growing power. We don't glorify the devil, we don't magnify his power, but we have to be aware of his devices.

We have to be aware that we are in a battle, and if you're going to just float through this thing, if you're going to say, well, this is just my nature, or I'm fighting this because I'm just a wicked individual, not if you've set your heart to seek the Lord, not if you believe in the power of the blood, you are going to come under harassment.

You're going to have enemies rise up against you. There is going to be ever-present evil. There's never going to come a time in your lifetime until Jesus comes or until you are in the grave. There will never be a time that you will not be harassed.

There will never be a time that the enemy doesn't raise up enemies against you, even in your own family, but on the job and wherever you are, you're going to have an enemy. Recognize who it is. This is the enemy.

These are the powers and rulers of darkness that have come against me because I've set my heart to seek the Lord. Ever-present evil. A lot of young converts are discouraged because they believe that once they come to Christ, they never have to fight a battle again, that there will be no temptation, there will be no hard times, and God answers every prayer just like that.

They're prayers that I've prayed and I believe God's going to answer, but it's been a while. He's teaching me patience. But I recognize who the enemy is. I recognize when I'm about to go to the pulpit and the enemy comes and tries to throw doubts and unbelief into my heart.

I've known pastors who've fasted for 10 days at a time and I go to them, I say, I would tell you every time you fast like that, you're going to be under attack like nobody else. Tell me what the attack was.

And they'll start just telling me. Sometimes I hear men and women have come out of long fasts and they say, I came out of this doubting even the existence of God. And the enemy coming in with doubts and some of you are going through that now and I'm speaking not just extemporaneously but from the power of the Holy Spirit and I'm telling you there are some of you, listen to me, in the annex and upstairs and here now, you don't understand what you're going through because you've walked with God so long, you've prayed so hard, you've wept so much and you can't understand.

You can't understand sometimes the thought that he brings into your mind. Like Jeremiah, I've been deceived, God, you have, and I preached this before I left, I'm under delusion, I don't know where I am anymore.

I can't understand the temptation that you've allowed in my life. I can't understand this. Even enemies that you've raised up, I don't understand why you're not meeting my financial need and you know how critical it is.

I got opened an email yesterday from a couple, they've got a child with cerebral palsy and her husband's had a heart condition, lost his job and he's on SSI and finally he said, I give up, he said, I have lost all faith and confidence in God.

Lost it all. You see, there is an ever-present evil and it's not because your back's slid necessary but folks, your faith is going to be tested. The Bible said it's going to be tested, it's going to be tried.

I told once of a prophet friend of mine, he's a genuine prophet, there's so few but this man's a genuine prophet. He's written a few books and only a handful of people can read them because it's revelation.

If you don't know the heart of Jesus, you couldn't even want to read it. It's so very strong and to the point. He was at one of my meetings and I love this man, he's an elderly man. He is so anointed.

I asked him one day, I said, why aren't you in demand? Because he's a carpenter and he looked at me a little twinkle and he said, brother, God has my phone number. God knows where I live. I'm happy if I'm just here making furniture and getting revelation from Jesus, getting to know who he is.

And he came to a meeting, one of the most, I admire this man more than, he came up right on stage and the Holy Spirit was falling all over the place. Pastors were repenting everywhere, he said, brother, please lay hands on me, I'm being flooded with awful thoughts out of hell.

And my first impression, maybe I'm mistaken about you. Maybe you're not the prophet I thought you were. And for a minute I was repelled. How can such a great man of God be tested like this with doubt and unbelief, flooding from the pits of hell?

He said, David, you know these are not my thoughts. These are coming against me and I need authority, spiritual authority. You agree with me now, we're going to take authority over these and I'm not going to go on with it anymore.

Let's take authority. And I prayed with him and there was a deliverance. There is an ever-present evil, but thank God for this scripture. God is our refuge and strength, very present help in time of trouble and in need.

And he goes on, the writer goes on to say, even though we will not fear, though the earth be removed and the mountains be carried in the sea and the waters and roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling.

Trusting God in Every Trouble

No matter what kind of turmoil there is in your life, no matter how you're being tested. And I know that almost everybody listening to me has some kind of need and not a person here without need. If you are, would you please meet me after the service and tell me how you got to that place.

I want to get there. You know, we sit together in a church like this and we don't know what the one next to us is going through and the one in front of him behind you. Nobody knows what you're going through.

I don't know what you brought into the service this morning. But God told me to bring you a word. He is a very present help. Now what that means is near and available. I want to tell you this, and it's one of those lessons God has taken so long to teach me, that I don't have to get on my knees and work up some kind of spiritual emotion to hear from God.

I don't have to wait for hours in a secret place somewhere and just get my soul prepared to hear. My Lord said, I will abide in you. I'm going to live in you. Now you can't tell me the time or the day or the place or the generation or the time that God says, I'm not going to speak to my people anymore.

If he is ever present, he's there as a conversational Lord. He wants conversation. He wants to speak to you any time you need him. Oh, how far away we've gotten from this truth. The Lord said, I am nigh unto those who trust me.

David said, he's at my right hand. That means he's available. He's here on the job, in your house, in your crisis or anything else. He's available if you just be still and say, Lord, I believe that you do speak.

You said you're ever present and I need to hear direction. I need to hear your voice. I need to have you talk to me. You see, we're afraid of this. We're afraid the enemy's going to speak or the flesh will mimic the Holy Ghost.

We're afraid to launch out in this kind of lifestyle of intimacy with the Lord. Because you say, well, I've heard so many crazy things. Well, folks, you haven't heard half the crazy stuff I've heard around the world.

You know, God told me. God told me to leave my wife. God told a woman, she said, to leave my husband so I could be an evangelist, travel the world. No, no, no. Those are crazy things. Yes, but these are people who walk in the flesh.

When you say, I will step out by faith and walk this walk of intimacy with the Lord, you can believe, if you will trust that God is faithful, that he will not deceive a seeking heart. He will not deceive you.

He will not let your flesh rise up because you will go to the Word of God. He will bring the Word to you. And this intimate walk with the Lord is not possible without being an avid student of the Word, where you devour.

I find myself, I don't get lonely in hotels. Gwen came down to Argentina to visit with me for two weeks, but most of the time I was alone. And I'm in a hotel room. I've learned never to ever turn television on, not the news, seldom even a newspaper.

But you see, I don't get lonesome anymore. When I was a young man, I did. But I don't get lonesome and I look forward to those moments now when I can get in the room and everything. It's just the Lord and me and this book.

And spend those hours just absorbing this and started getting very, very excited to what he's saying. And then having made my petitions just to sit there and let him speak, let him talk. He answers every question.

He gives every direction. I was sitting there recently and the Lord said, You're to acknowledge me in all your ways and I'll direct your path. All your ways, everything. Now that sounds good, sounds rather easy, but it's the hardest thing in the world.

Because you'll take the big stuff to the Lord and then some little thing comes, Oh, I can handle this one. And you end up in a mess. And I was taking everything to the Lord. The Lord spoke to my heart that I had to cancel a meeting that we had arranged.

The Lord said, You didn't talk to me about it. You didn't ask me. I would have told you. There's a problem. And I said, Okay, Lord. It's not too late. He said, Oh, no, no. Obey me now. You see, there's a river.

The River of Peace and the Word of God

It says, There is a river, the streams, whereof shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacle, the most high. There's a river of peace. You see, this is the rest that is mentioned in Hebrews.

Where you rest in the knowledge that you don't have to have a counselor at hand all the time. You don't have to pick up a telephone. You have abiding in you everything you need. You have the Lord himself.

You have the power of the Holy Spirit. He abides. He is ever present. There's never a moment he won't talk to you. But we have been afraid to launch out in this because of this fear of hearing another voice.

I don't fear that anymore. Because the Lord knows that I've set my heart to obey him. If you have set your heart to obey the Lord, you will do it no matter what it costs. You will do it no matter how it hurts.

The Holy Spirit will convict you. There'll just be something rise up. I've asked the Lord if I'm in the pulpit and there is one thing that I'm saying that is either out of order or not in divine order.

That there would be a prick in my heart and I could just stop right in the middle. God will do that. He will raise a flag. Is anybody understanding what I'm saying? I am ever present. You know, you've read this.

How detailed the Lord speaks to his servants. Now, this is since the cross. I'm not talking about how God spoke in the Old Testament necessarily. You know, how God said and God said and God said. All the prophets, you read that.

God spoke, God spoke. And it amazes me that God can speak in the Old Testament now since we have the Holy Ghost and we have more sin. And we need to hear a voice more. Some people can't believe it. God would never forsake us in this hour.

God's trying to speak to his people. He's not wanting to speak just to your pastors or your teachers. He's wanting to speak to you. That you can have his voice. You can know his voice. I said you can know his voice.

Cornelius, you know the story. Here's a praying man. He's told by the Spirit of the Lord. Here's how intimate the Lord is with this man. Send men to Joppa. There's a man named, he gives his surname. Peter.

He's staying with a man called Simon. This man's a tanner. Gives him the occupation of the man. And he lives by the sea. Now, that's details. Meanwhile, Peter's up on the roof praying and the Lord says to Peter, the Spirit speaks to Peter and says, Peter, three men are about to knock on your door.

Go answer the door. They're going to ask you to go with them. Go with them without any doubts. Just go with them. Now, that's details. Saul has been converted and now he's blind. And the Holy Spirit says to a man named Ananias, get up and go to a street called Straight.

How straight the Bible is. I mean, God's just straightened out Saul. Ananias, you go to this house called Straight, this street called Straight to the house of a man named Judas. Saul is praying, waiting for you.

He knows your name and your mission. When you go, he's going to know your name. So he speaks to Saul. He said, there's a man called Ananias. Remember when Paul, he's been at sea and the boat is tossing and turning.

There's been a storm for days and he's down in the hold of the ship. And the Spirit of the Lord speaks to him and said, Paul, go up on board and tell everybody the ship's going to sink. But nobody's going to be lost.

And he stands there and he says, I've heard from my Lord. How deep did you go through the Scripture, all through the New Testament, how God is speaking. When did that stop? Show me anywhere in the Bible where God has changed.

Show me where you and I can't live that kind of life. These are ordinary men of like passion. God wants to speak to you about your problem. He wants to show you the way out. Where you're not going to have to get on a telephone and call somebody you think is more spiritual than yourself.

Walking in the Spirit by Hearing and Obeying

Now, thank God for pastors. Thank God for counselors. And there's always, God can give you word. But God is desiring and yearning and I believe pleading with his people to come away and learn his voice.

This is something the Holy Ghost teaches. I can tell you that I've avoided a lot of trouble lately because I'm learning slowly to consult him on everything. Everything. In all your ways acknowledge the Lord and he will.

He will what? He'll direct your path. There's more there, but I'm finished. Simple. And the reason this is so important with this, I close it. It is so very, very important because everywhere I go around the world, I see people in confusion.

Absolute confusion. It's in the pulpit. It's in the pew. It's everywhere. Why are so many pastors wanting to quit the ministry? And they'll tell you, I haven't heard from God. But you see, if you're a praying man or woman, you've been taught in this church to pray.

To seek the face of God. You've been taught the covenant. So many marvelous truths that you've been taught that would bring you closer to the heart of the Lord. But this is the ultimate thing that God wants to bring to us.

It's an ultimate walk of life in the Spirit. If you live in the Spirit, you're going to walk in the Spirit. And walking in the Spirit is simply listening to his voice. Nothing else beyond that. It's listening to his voice.

Letting him correct you. You're about to say something to somebody, you're going to give a piece of your mind to somebody? Keep it. The Holy Ghost will be there and say, hey, hey, hey, don't do that. You know, the Bible says that even a fool, if he keeps his mouth shut, is considered wise.

You know, you don't have to make conversation all the time. You let him converse. It's so wonderful. It's so glorious to be in a room by yourself or walk in the street and you hear, I love you. I'm not mad at you.

I hear your cry. I know what you're going through. Just hear it. Still small voice giving you direction. Correcting. Doing those precious little things that when you add them all up, it's the walk with Christ.

Practicing the Presence of Christ

Hallelujah. Do you love him this morning? I came home. I thank God for all that I've seen. I thank him for the blessings. I thank him for the souls. I thank him for the pastors that have been awakened.

But you see, I can't bless them. I could see all of that and go to my room and be so alone. And so saying, why do I need this? Why don't I just, you know, at my age, why should I do that? But the joy that I've had, if I've learned anything the past five weeks away from this congregation, especially as you grow older, the absolute importance of knowing his voice.

You don't listen to any other voice. You'll know it. You'll recognize it. And it's not an impossible life. And my desire is that everybody in Times Square Church and everyone listening, that would be your desire.

And you can practice that today, practicing his presence. Just give him time. You understand, God knows that this is his time. And you're going to allow him to speak to your heart. You will hear so much of love that you've never heard before.

He will never condemn you. If you hear anything that's condemning you, now he'll convict you, but he'll not condemn you. You will learn that quickly. Will you stand, please? My friends, this has just been a fatherly talk, but to me it's life.

Hearing God's Voice in Prayer

Father, I want you to make this known to us by the Holy Spirit. There are some in the choir, even among our musicians, elders, pastors, my family, and the whole family of God here today. We've got to hear your voice.

We need to hear from you. We can hear sermons. We can hear tapes. We can hear music. But God, we've got to hear that still small voice, the Holy Spirit within us saying, I'm with you. I have the answer.

I have what you need. God, it grieves you when we turn to men for answers and we don't go to you. How that grieves your heart. Israel grieved you because they just would not listen to you. You promised to lead them every moment of the day.

They only had to look at the cloud and the fire. Lord, all we have to do is look at this one verse. I am your refuge. I am your ever-present help. You're present here right now. You're present as they go to eat, as they go home.

You're present. You can speak in the car. You can speak at any time on the job and even here now. Speak. Let us hear that voice of how you love your people. You're not angry. You're not mad. You rejoice over your redeemed.

What a joy your people are to your heart. And we give you thanks. Would you just lift up your hands for a moment and say, oh God, I want to hear your heart. Lord, I want your heart. You said that you're in my right hand.

I'm going to believe that. Let faith rise right now. Lord, let faith arise. Let everyone in this building, let everyone in this building right now that knows you, everyone that knows you, Lord, set their heart to say, I will seek to know and cry out to him that you speak to my heart and get to know him more intimately than I've ever known him before.

So that every time we come to church, Lord, we will have heard from the Lord. Every day we lay down at night, we hear him speak. In the middle of the night we wake up, we hear his voice reassuring. And Lord, the time coming, we're going to be attacked again, there's no question.

We're going to have a fearful, fearful attack on this nation. And Lord, we're not to be afraid. You're going to speak peace. You're going to say, I'm going to see you through. There will be no alarm. There'll be no panic.

None whatsoever, because we have that reassuring voice of the Holy Ghost abiding in us. God bless you. Now, you can put your hands down. I have an invitation only for those that came to this church this morning.

Repentance and Intimacy With Jesus

Maybe you've been here before, and maybe this is your first time. You say, Pastor David, I can't understand that kind of walk yet, because I'm still not certain of my place in Christ. I've not fully surrendered everything to him.

Maybe you're here in a backslid. You've turned your back on the Lord. You've grown cold. I'm not looking for a mass of people here. I'm looking only for those who say, Pastor David, I honestly feel the Holy Spirit tugging at my heart.

I want to know him, but I've grown cold. I've really grown cold toward the Lord, and I don't want that life anymore. I can't tell you how much he loves you and how much he wants to touch you this morning and turn you around into a new lifestyle where he speaks to you and you get to know him.

Up in the balcony, go the stairs on either side and in the annex even. You can go to the lobby, and the ushers will show you how to get into this building. You come down the aisle, meet me here, and we'll pray together, and we'll believe the Lord that he began to speak to you even today.

You become intimate with Jesus. We're talking about those who want real intimacy while they're ministering in music. I see up in the balcony, wherever you're at, and in the annex, you can step right out and come and meet me right here in the main auditorium.

Lord bless you. You can keep coming. You can wait for just a moment. Those that are coming, I want you to listen to this. I'm going to read some verses that have so helped me in this kind of walk. I've not arrived, but I know where God wants us to go now.

The Lord Delivers Those Who Trust Him

In trust and confidence, you've got to believe that he will keep his word. I'm reading from the 34th Psalm. I sought the Lord and he heard me and delivered me from all my fears. I sought the Lord and he delivered me from how many fears?

All my fears. This poor man cried. Do you feel like a poor man, a poor woman this morning? In other words, so needy. The poor man cried. The Lord heard him and saved him out of all his troubles. The angel of the Lord camps around about them that fear him and delivers him.

Blessed is the man that trusts in him. Fear the Lord, ye his saints, for there's no lack to them that fear him. Young lions do lack. They suffer hunger. But they that seek the Lord shall not lack any good thing.

Amazing. They that seek the Lord will not lack any good thing. Come, children, I'll teach you to fear the Lord. The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous. His ears are open to their cry. The righteous cry and the Lord hears and delivers them out of all their troubles.

Hallelujah. See, we're talking about conversation. The Lord's near you and you cry out. You talk to him, let him talk to you, and he delivers you. The Lord is near unto them that are of a broken heart and save such as be of a contrite spirit.

Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers them out of them all. The Lord redeems the soul of his servant, and none that trust in him shall be left desolate. None that trust in him shall be left desolate.

Folks, do we believe this or not? I keep on a sheet of paper, a little piece of paper, I told you, in my book, the 34th Psalm, the one I just read you. And I read it sometimes three or four times a day until it's part of my spirit, my nature.