Dark Clouds, Deep Mercy (4) - Choose Trust

To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. 1 How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? 2 How long must I take counsel in my soul and have sorrow in my heart all the day? How long shall my enemy be exalted over me? 3 Consider and answer me, O Lord my God; light up my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death, 4 lest my enemy say, “I have prevailed over him,” lest my foes rejoice because I am shaken. 5 But I have trusted in your steadfast love; my heart shall rejoice in your salvation. 6 I will sing to the Lord, because he has dealt bountifully with me.

Worship flows from suffering. Or at least it can. But the truest, deepest, and most passionate worship most often flows from suffering.

“All true songs of worship are born in the wilderness of suffering,” says musician and author Michael Card. In reflecting on the laments of David, Card suggests that without the “rocky terrain of his lonely life,” we would not have many of the psalms of David that we cherish. In other words, David’s pain created his worshipful laments. I think Card is right. Suffering refines what we trust in and how we talk about it. Mark Vroegop

In our suffering, in our lament…do not forget this truth.

Let it lead you to trust.

Pain can bring clarity.

Loss affirms trust.

Pain can become a platform for worship. Suffering can lead to trust. Lament is the language for this transition. Songs of sorrow are meant to move us from complaint to confidence in God. Mark Vroegop

Trust is what we turn to now.

Outline

Review:

Lament Element One - Turn Your Heart to God

Lament Element Two - Bring your Complaint

Lament Element Three - Ask Boldly

Big Idea: Lament leads us to active patience as we choose to trust in God.

It’s Time to Choose

Trust = Active Patience

Psalm 13 - Choosing to Trust

But God...

Three Affirmations of Trust

Affirmation of God’s trustworthiness

Affirmation of Salvation’s Certainty

Affirmation of God’s Worthiness

Varied Expressions of Trust

Sermon Body

It’s Time to Choose

All of the other three elements point here. This is the final destination of lament.

Lament will always bring us to a point of decision.

From the beginning of our journey, my goal has been to help you envision where lament leads. We’ve reached our destination. I hope you sense the opportunity that’s before you. But you’re going to have make the choice to take this final step. Unfortunately, I know far too many people who are stuck in their complaints. Others never move beyond their requests and what they want God to do for them. I hope you’ll be different. While I’ve tried to encourage you to talk to God about your struggles and to ask boldly for what you need, now you will need to bring lament to its appropriate conclusion. You will need to choose to trust. Mark Vroegop

Trust.

Trust is the destination that true biblical lament leads us too.

I love the way that Pastor Mark defines trust...

Trust = Active Patience

Now don’t make the mistake of thinking that trust is something you decide once and for all as you are walking through pain. It’s not as if you pray one lament prayer, and you never need to lament again. Life isn’t that simple. Grief is not that tame. Instead, we must enter into lament over and over so that it can keep leading us to trust.

In this respect, lament allows us to embrace an endurance that is not passive. Lament helps us to practice active patience.

Mark Vroegop

One of the ways that trust is defined is --- dependence on something future or contingent.

Through this very definition, we see that it is not something, by this nature, can be permenant, or once and done. The fact is, trust puts our confidence, hope, and reliance on something or someone outside of ourselves.

This means that we may well have to (no, we WILL HAVE TO) keep coming back to a reaffirmation of our trust time and time again.

Patience is defined as

Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, Tenth Edition patient

1pa•tient \ˈpā-shənt\ adjective

[Middle English pacient, from Middle French, from Latin patient-, patiens, from present participle of pati to suffer; perhaps akin to Greek pēma suffering]

(14th century)

1 : bearing pains or trials calmly or without complaint

2 : manifesting forbearance under provocation or strain

3 : not hasty or impetuous

4 : steadfast despite opposition, difficulty, or adversity

5 a : able or willing to bear — used with of

b : SUSCEPTIBLE, ADMITTING 〈patient of one interpretation〉

When we place our confidence in someone outside of ourselves, when we come back to it time and time, trust means we are ACTIVELY engaging in renewing and keeping our confidence where it belongs…WITH PATIENCE.

Patience is bearing the trial, waiting in trust, WITHOUT complaint.

It is not patience if all the while we are waiting we are complaining.

It is not patience if we are consumed with anxiety and tension while we wait. (This is not to say that we never have negative emotions while we wait, but simply that they do not consume or control us).

Trust = ACTIVE PATIENCE.

When we trust....

We are not complaining because we have confidence in the one whom we trust in

We are not anxious, because we have confidence in the one whom we trust

We are not passive...

We are obedient and actively pursuing the work and will of God even while we wait.

We are ACTIVE in renewing our trust and confidence and strengthening our faith

We are renewing our mind (Work) to dwell upon truth when our flesh and emotions would drag us away.

Trust looks like talking to God, sharing our complaints, seeking God’s help, and then recommitting ourselves to believe in who God is and what he has done—even as the trial continues. Mark Vroegop

Trust is ACTIVE in that it is constant work to keep trusting

Trust is ACTIVE in that it is working to obey and walk worthy even while we wait

Trust is PATIENT precisely because are placing our confidence in one who will never disappoint or fail.

So TRUST is ACTIVE PATIENCE.

Lament leads us here.

Lament rests here.

Lament, Pastor Mark says...

Lament is how we endure. It is how we trust. It is how we wait. Mark Vroegop

Lament MUST lead us here or it is provides no spiritual benefit or good. Lament does not lead here is either merely complaint or demand.

Lament gives us the platform to come to God with our complaint and our requests, but it will lead us to a place of trust or worship or else if fall short.

Lament leads us to a place of active patience as we trust in a world broken by sin while we hope in the coming world that is not.

Rebekah Eklund provides this helpful summary: “The prayer of lament rejoices in God’s saving actions in the now and hopes urgently for God’s saving actions in the future, the ‘not yet’ of the eschatological timeline. . . . Those who lament stand on the boundary between the old age and the new and hope for things unseen.” Mark Vroegop

Thus, lament leads us to choose trust.

Psalm 13: Choosing to Trust

Laments are designed to lead us toward decisive, faith-filled worship. We see this develop quickly in Psalm 13 as David combines his address and complaint to God in four how long questions.

Psalm 13:1-2.

Psalm 13:1–2 ESV

1 How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? 2 How long must I take counsel in my soul and have sorrow in my heart all the day? How long shall my enemy be exalted over me?

David is bringing his complaint. His questions. Particularly, his HOW questions.

·The next two verses feature David’s request. He boldly asks for deliverance:

Psalm 13:3-4.

Psalm 13:3–4 ESV

3 Consider and answer me, O Lord my God; light up my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death, 4 lest my enemy say, “I have prevailed over him,” lest my foes rejoice because I am shaken.

Consider me....answer me.....light up my eyes...

David has very specific and bold requests here.

BOTH of these, of course example David’s TURNING OF HIS HEART to God in prayer and supplication.

Verse 5, in this Psalm, is the hinge point that moves us into element four, choosing trust.

But God…

Psalm 13:5 ESV

5 But I have trusted in your steadfast love; my heart shall rejoice in your salvation.

But....

I have trusted...

I will rejoice...

IN YOUR SALVATION.

But God…saves.

In Psalm 13:5 David turns to a series of trust-laden statements that are rooted in the character of God. The shift starts with the word but. Mark Vroegop

But, Yet, therefore, because, since, so that, etc…and such transition words are critical and mark KEY TRANSITIONS and connections in texts.

Michael Jinkins suggests that words such as but and however are found in every lament because lamenting trust is not merely a belief or conviction; it is trusting despite what circumstances might lead one to believe. Words like but, however, and yet mark the intentional shift from the cause of the lament to trusting in who God is, what he has done, and the promises of Scripture. Mark Vroegop

Look at some examples....

Have volunteers look up these passages and read them.

Psalm 31:12,14.

Psalm 31:12–14 ESV

12 I have been forgotten like one who is dead; I have become like a broken vessel. 13 For I hear the whispering of many— terror on every side!— as they scheme together against me, as they plot to take my life. 14 But I trust in you, O Lord; I say, “You are my God.”

Psalm 71:10-11, 14.

Psalm 71:10–14 ESV

10 For my enemies speak concerning me; those who watch for my life consult together 11 and say, “God has forsaken him; pursue and seize him, for there is none to deliver him.” 12 O God, be not far from me; O my God, make haste to help me! 13 May my accusers be put to shame and consumed; with scorn and disgrace may they be covered who seek my hurt. 14 But I will hope continually and will praise you yet more and more.

Psalm 86:14-15.

Psalm 86:14–15 ESV

14 O God, insolent men have risen up against me; a band of ruthless men seeks my life, and they do not set you before them. 15 But you, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.

What is true of all three of these passages?

They issue complaints

They contain “but”

They turn to praise and trust.

Trust is believing what you know to be true even though the facts of suffering might call that belief into question. Lament keeps us turning toward trust by giving us language to step into the wilderness between our painful reality and our hopeful longings. Mark Vroegop

Lament leads us to trust.

It give us voice for our complaint, our suffering, our hurt....but it leads to bold requests and trust as we move from the WHY to the WHO.

Three Affirmations of Trust

Psalm 13:5-6.

Psalm 13:5–6 ESV

5 But I have trusted in your steadfast love; my heart shall rejoice in your salvation. 6 I will sing to the Lord, because he has dealt bountifully with me.

From these two verses, we see three affirmations of trust.

1. Affirmation of God’s Trustworthiness

“I have trusted in your steadfast love.”

God IS faithful.

He IS consistent.

He IS reliable.

He IS trustworthy.

What evidence exists to support these statements?

This is where examples of God’s faithfulness, specific, and personal to you come into play.

This where you pull the arsenal verses from your cache that speak to the trustworthiness of God.

Heb 13:5.

Lam 3:22-24.

Ps. 121.

Rom 8:26.

Rom 8:28.

Etc.

These are all affirmations of God’s trustworthiness.

What stories in scripture could you point to?

Israel and their deliverance from Egypt.

Jonathan and His armor bearer

Solomon - God kept his promise to make him the wisest man ever to live.

David

Hannah

Job

Paul/Saul

Disciples

Shoot, where you NOT turn to.

Let’s talk about one very poignant and blatant example of God faithfulness...

Hosea

I know this will take a bit to walk through, but I believe we should and must.

Hosea served during a very tumultuous time in the nations of Israel and Judah.

He served during the latter end of the 8th century - approximately 750-715BC.

Neo-Assyrian King Tiglath-pilesar rose to power. He and those kings following him extended Assyrian dominance in the land. They would even control Egypt for a time. Their control lasted over a century. This dominance, of course, impacted Israel and Judah.

Hosea and his ministry would be particularly impacted by six specific incursions by the Assyrians. Conquest and invasion, exile was a dreaded fate during biblical times and the Assyrians hung as an ever looming threat over them.

This created an environment of political instability.

Israel (Ephriam - The Northern Kingdom) would have six kings in the span of 30 years.

Zechariah (753BC) was murdered only after in six months in power

Shallum, the usurper, was assassinated one month later

Menahem (752-742) survived only because he paid a burdensome tribute to the Assyrian king Tiglath-pilaser.

Menahem’s son, Pekahiah (742-740) was assassinated by an army officer after only two years.

Hoshea’s rebellion against the Assyrians led to the end of the Norhern kingdom in 722BC

The spiritual condition of Israel (Ephraim) is seen as rebellious and wicked throughout. They are depicted as

A promiscuous wife

An indifferent mother

An illegitimate child

An ungrateful son

A stubborn heifer

A silly dove

A luxuriant vine

Grapes in the wilderness

The book of Hosea is primarily focused on Israel (Ephraim); referencing them 35 times in the book.

During Hosea’s ministry, worship of Baal was at an all time high

Let’s read Hosea 1.

Hosea 1 ESV

1 The word of the Lord that came to Hosea, the son of Beeri, in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash, king of Israel. 2 When the Lord first spoke through Hosea, the Lord said to Hosea, “Go, take to yourself a wife of whoredom and have children of whoredom, for the land commits great whoredom by forsaking the Lord.” 3 So he went and took Gomer, the daughter of Diblaim, and she conceived and bore him a son. 4 And the Lord said to him, “Call his name Jezreel, for in just a little while I will punish the house of Jehu for the blood of Jezreel, and I will put an end to the kingdom of the house of Israel. 5 And on that day I will break the bow of Israel in the Valley of Jezreel.” 6 She conceived again and bore a daughter. And the Lord said to him, “Call her name No Mercy, for I will no more have mercy on the house of Israel, to forgive them at all. 7 But I will have mercy on the house of Judah, and I will save them by the Lord their God. I will not save them by bow or by sword or by war or by horses or by horsemen.” 8 When she had weaned No Mercy, she conceived and bore a son. 9 And the Lord said, “Call his name Not My People, for you are not my people, and I am not your God.” 10 Yet the number of the children of Israel shall be like the sand of the sea, which cannot be measured or numbered. And in the place where it was said to them, “You are not my people,” it shall be said to them, “Children of the living God.” 11 And the children of Judah and the children of Israel shall be gathered together, and they shall appoint for themselves one head. And they shall go up from the land, for great shall be the day of Jezreel.

Note verse 2 - This marriage was intended to be an object lesson BOTH of their adultery and God’s faithfulness.

Notice the for in the middle of verse 2.

Chapter 2 reveals the people’s rebellion and adultery. It shows God removing his blessing and bringing judgment.

Despite that, at the end of chapter 2 we read, (Hosea 2:16-23)

Hosea 2:16–23 ESV

16 “And in that day, declares the Lord, you will call me ‘My Husband,’ and no longer will you call me ‘My Baal.’ 17 For I will remove the names of the Baals from her mouth, and they shall be remembered by name no more. 18 And I will make for them a covenant on that day with the beasts of the field, the birds of the heavens, and the creeping things of the ground. And I will abolish the bow, the sword, and war from the land, and I will make you lie down in safety. 19 And I will betroth you to me forever. I will betroth you to me in righteousness and in justice, in steadfast love and in mercy. 20 I will betroth you to me in faithfulness. And you shall know the Lord. 21 “And in that day I will answer, declares the Lord, I will answer the heavens, and they shall answer the earth, 22 and the earth shall answer the grain, the wine, and the oil, and they shall answer Jezreel, 23 and I will sow her for myself in the land. And I will have mercy on No Mercy, and I will say to Not My People, ‘You are my people’; and he shall say, ‘You are my God.’ ”

God promises to redeem and restore his people.

He follows that up with Hosea 3.

Hosea 3 ESV

1 And the Lord said to me, “Go again, love a woman who is loved by another man and is an adulteress, even as the Lord loves the children of Israel, though they turn to other gods and love cakes of raisins.” 2 So I bought her for fifteen shekels of silver and a homer and a lethech of barley. 3 And I said to her, “You must dwell as mine for many days. You shall not play the whore, or belong to another man; so will I also be to you.” 4 For the children of Israel shall dwell many days without king or prince, without sacrifice or pillar, without ephod or household gods. 5 Afterward the children of Israel shall return and seek the Lord their God, and David their king, and they shall come in fear to the Lord and to his goodness in the latter days.

God wanted this marriage to be a picture of his relationship with Israel, one that depicted HIS faithfulness to them despite their infidelity.

Problem is, Hosea 4 shows continual sin.

Hosea 5 shows God bringing judgment and discipline. His wrath and punishment bore down on them.

Hosea 6 exposes what God is really looking for....

Hosea 6:6 ESV

6 For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.

Hosea 7 shows the nation of Israel as unrepentant and unchanging (Hosea 7:10)

Hosea 8 promises that they will reap what they have sown. They have sown sin and rebellion and will reap judgement .

Hosea 9-10 shows the cycle again. Sin and punishment.

Hosea 11 is a testament to God’s trustworthiness and faithfulness. Despite their continual rebellion and unrepentant hearts...

Hosea 11:1 ESV

1 When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son.

Hosea 11:8–9 ESV

8 How can I give you up, O Ephraim? How can I hand you over, O Israel? How can I make you like Admah? How can I treat you like Zeboiim? My heart recoils within me; my compassion grows warm and tender. 9 I will not execute my burning anger; I will not again destroy Ephraim; for I am God and not a man, the Holy One in your midst, and I will not come in wrath.

God loves, unconditionally his people and promises to not forsake them forever.

Love is unselfishly choosing for another’s highest good. God remains faithful to them, that they might see, know, believe, and trust in Him and enjoy the fruits of WHO He is.

I am reminded here of 2 Timothy 2:8-13.

2 Timothy 2:8–13 ESV

8 Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, the offspring of David, as preached in my gospel, 9 for which I am suffering, bound with chains as a criminal. But the word of God is not bound! 10 Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory. 11 The saying is trustworthy, for: If we have died with him, we will also live with him; 12 if we endure, we will also reign with him; if we deny him, he also will deny us; 13 if we are faithless, he remains faithful— for he cannot deny himself.

When God binds himself to us, he cannot deny us or be unfaithful to us. When he binds with his Spirit, in salvation, he cannot walk way.

God bound himself to Israel by covenant and he could not be faithless to that. He would not be faithless to that.

Skip to the end. Hosea 14:4-7.

Hosea 14:4–7 ESV

4 I will heal their apostasy; I will love them freely, for my anger has turned from them. 5 I will be like the dew to Israel; he shall blossom like the lily; he shall take root like the trees of Lebanon; 6 his shoots shall spread out; his beauty shall be like the olive, and his fragrance like Lebanon. 7 They shall return and dwell beneath my shadow; they shall flourish like the grain; they shall blossom like the vine; their fame shall be like the wine of Lebanon.

When you see the rampart wickedness of Israel; their rebellious and unrepentant hearts; AND YET see this level of devotion and faithfulness of God, how can you NOT trust him?

My ESV Study bible bears these words....

…Israel’s unfaithfulness and obstinacy are not enough to exhaust God’s redeeming love that outstrips the human capacity to comprehend.

And that is the point.

God’s redeeming love.

His trustworthiness and faithfulness.

Lament affirms the trustworthiness of God. A testimony literally dripping from every page of scripture and every moment of our lives.

Every Christian has a record of God’s steadfast love. Therefore, we should remind ourselves about God’s worthiness to be trusted. To be a Christian means trusting in what God says and who he is. We came to faith that way. We trusted that the Bible is true. We believed forgiveness is possible for those who receive Christ. Trusting in God’s grace welcomed us into God’s family. Mark Vroegop

Write them down. They are your God Sightings. Your testimony of God’s trustworthiness.

Trust will affirm God’s trustworthiness and his faithfulness.

It will rally and resist against the cry of emotional pain and will take captive every thought to make it obey Christ and will renew the mind with TRUTH.

Christians don’t leave behind trusting God after coming to faith. On the contrary, being a follower of Jesus requires that we walk through life in continual trust. Seasons of suffering are no different. They are just harder and more intense. The stakes are higher and the emotions more raw. But trusting is still how we live. Mark Vroegop

This is why I love the phrase as he put it, CHOOSING TRUST. It is a deliberate, intentional act of the will to trust.

We must decide. We must choose. We must make the decision. You can choose to trust God.

And when we consider the testimony of his trustworthiness from scripture and from our lives, it is a simple choice.

Not always easy, as that choice comes with the fruit of continuing pain and disappointment in our lives at times.

But it is a simple choice. Clear. Easy to see the rightness in it.

As I personalize “I have trusted in your steadfast love,” it reminds me of God’s track record of faithfulness in my life. Sometimes I’ve prayed the same phrase over and over—almost like a chant. At other times I’ve prayed through a list of all the ways God has been faithful. Or I rehearse the gospel, thanking God for life-changing truths like Galatians 2:20: Mark Vroegop

Pray the scripture. Pray the gospel. Cling to it like the lifeboat it is.

Choosing to trust requires reinforcing what we know to be true. Mark Vroegop

Renew your mind. Take captive every thought. Make them Trust…and obey.

Choosing trust affirms the trustworthiness of God and compels us to remember and renew our confidence in that even while the “why’s” exist.

Next week, we will return and consider the final two affirmations that trust makes.

Conclusion

Review:

Lament Element One - Turn Your Heart to God

Lament Element Two - Bring your Complaint

Lament Element Three - Ask Boldly

Big Idea: Lament leads us to active patience as we choose to trust in God.

It’s Time to Choose

Trust = Active Patience

Psalm 13 - Choosing to Trust

But God...

Three Affirmations of Trust

Affirmation of God’s trustworthiness

Affirmation of Salvation’s Certainty

Affirmation of God’s Worthiness

Varied Expressions of Trust

As we learn to lament, may it always lead to trust and aid the process of growing together to become more like Jesus for the glory of God.

Application

What happens to the soul of someone who never moves to this last step of trust?

It will grow angry, bitter, resentful.

It will grow cold, stagnant, hard.

It will grow entitled and demanding.

It will ever be anxious and restless.

How do you think complaint and request set the framework for trust?

We have to lay out the angst in our souls. If there was never any angst, there would never be a need to trust.

Obviously, having complaint means that we have a desired way that we would like things to go. Complaint gives platform to make requests of the way we would like to see things go.

However, as is often the case, we have no control over the things that cause us angst nor control over the way we want things to be. Thus, we have to fall back on trust…to trust the one who does have control and whose character is good and just, righteous and true all the time.

In your own words, how would you define trust? What are its ingredients? What does it sound like? Look like?

Trust is confidently depending on another for something outside of our control.

Ingredients

Truth - We have to know something of the person we are trusting in. We may have to regularly remind ourselves of truth when our emotions want to dissuade us.

Patience - a joyful waiting with a firm conviction that the one in whom we are trusting has got it.

Peace - When we are trusting, we are free from anxiety and fear.

Joy - When can have joy and delight when we are trusting.

Why it is important to think about trust as “active patience”?

It shows that it does involve work on our part. We must be regularly choosing trust and obeying all that God has asked us to while we trust in Him.

Is shows what our heart attitude must be like. Patience is waiting with joy and without complaint. It is a sense of contentment in our circumstance precisely because we are doing the hard work of trusting.

What are some barriers that can stand in your way of turning to trust?

Unbiblical, unrealistic expectations

Anger, unforgiveness.

Grief, sorrow, and hurt that runs deep.

Repeated betrayals that erode our willingness to want to trust.

Unwillingness to let go of control, to place our fate in the hands of another (despite it already being there.)

Develop a list of your “go-to” promises, psalms, or songs. Write them down, and then share them with someone.

Make your arsenal. Do you have it?

1 Cor 10:13 - No temptation 1 Cor 15:9-11 - By the Grace of God I am what I am 1 John 1:9 - He forgives and cleanses 1 John 2:1 - We have an advocate 2 Cor 10:5 - Take captives every thought 2 Cor 12:9 - His grace is sufficient 2 Tim 1:6-7 - Spirit of Power, Love, and Sound mind 2 Tim 1:8-14 - Not ashamed - See also Romans 1:16-17 Eph 4:32 - Be kind; forgive Gal 4:4-7 - Adoption; Abba Father (See also Rom 8:12-17) Heb 12:1-2 - Lay aside every distraction Heb 13:5 - He will never leave me nor forsake me. Heb 2:14-16 - He helps those in temptation Heb 4:14-16 - There is mercy and grace in our time of need Hebrews 12:1-2 - Lay aside every distraction Is 40:31 - Mount up on wings like eagles Isaiah 26:3-4 - Perfect peace Isaiah 41:10 - He will uphold me James 1:5-8 - He gives wisdom Lam 3:22-24 - Mercies are new every morning Mark 12:30-31 - Greatest commandment Mathew 11:28-30 - Come to me all who labor and are weary Matthew 13:44-45 - Kingdom of heaven Matthew 6:19-21 - Lay up treasures Phil 4:13 - I can be content in all circumstances Phil 4:6-9 - Do not be anxious; think right thoughts Proverbs 23:17-18 - Don't envy. Hope assured. Proverbs 6:16-19 - Things God hates Ps 121:1-8 - Where does my help come from Psalm 139:1-6 - You have searched and know me Psalm 63:5-8 - Delight and Satisfaction in God Psalm 84 - How lovely in God’s dwelling place Romans 8:26 - The Spirit intercedes for us. Romans 8:28 - He works all things out for good. Zeph 3:17 - God delights over his people

Before moving on to the next chapter, take some time to talk to the Lord about your need to trust him.

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