We Praise

Introduction

Personal introduction

Dismiss children

Thank you to everyone that donated and delivered thanksgiving meals with Bridge Community Church. We are glad to have gospel centered partnerships in Bristol to reach the community with the gospel.

Thank you to everyone that helped with Operation Christmas Child. You all are amazing. I know it’s cold down there, the heating in this building isn’t the best, the door was being opened constantly but you persevered. And a special thank you to Ms. Kami who handles that program from start to finish. Over the last 3 years and more she has been apart of that and because of her efforts there have been over 30,000 boxes come through LBC and go to children in need. Round of applause.

Today we are starting a new series for the Christmas season where I’m hoping to be a blessing to you. Today and the next three weeks we are going to be talking about living in the waiting.

What do I mean by “in the waiting”? We live in the state of right now and not yet. In between what is and what will be.

Each of us find ourselves waiting for something. We have done it our whole lives.

I have three kids and each one of them, within a week or so of their birthday will begin telling me about their next birthday. Or they are waiting for Christmas.

Many of us and most of you teens can’t wait to drive. You are waiting for that day to come. The day you get to move out of the house, go to college, get married, have kids, kids move out, retire, go on vacation, etc.

Some of you are in the waiting of not so great things though. Your waiting for the pain of the loss of a loved one to go away. Your waiting for the diagnosis. Your waiting for the child to come back…your waiting for this busy time to pass...

No matter where you find yourself in these scenarios, we are all waiting for something. It’s in the waiting we can begin to lose sight of God and battle within us. During this season of the year, especially in this part of the country, we find mental health problems rise. People battle the winter blues. It’s dark when you leave for work and dark when you come home from work. It’s cold, it’s probably snowed or going to snow.

What leads to these things? I believe we can point to the primary source of many, not all, of the issues that arise within us as living in the waiting and losing sight of God.

Today I want us to look at Psalm 13 and see how in the waiting…we praise.

This psalm was written by David while he was on the run from King Saul. Now, if your not familiar with that story let me fill you in.

David was Saul’s son in law and King Saul had grown jealous of David. He tried to kill him a couple times and has now banished him. David was on the run for some time. While he was on the run he was in the waiting. You see, when david was a teenager, the prophet Samuel annointned him to be the next king of Israel after Saul.

Here he is running for his life, sleeping in caves, but knows he is to be king. He is waiting for his stay at the four seasons while sleeping at a roach motel.

It’s during this season of waiting he writes this psalm

Follow along as we read the first couple of verses

Psalm 13:1–2 KJV 1900

1 How long wilt thou forget me, O Lord? for ever? How long wilt thou hide thy face from me? 2 How long shall I take counsel in my soul, Having sorrow in my heart daily? How long shall mine enemy be exalted over me?

Psalm 13:1-2

Exegete:

Here in the waiting David has begun to look into himself and not look out on the Lord.

His focus is on how he feels and the situation he is in which has cause dhim to be in the pits of despair is it were. He feels that God is hiding from him.

Verse 2 notice he speaks of the sorrow in his heart daily. He sees His enemy exalted over him.

Illustrate:

Have you ever found yourself there? In the waiting between what is and what is to come you can forget that what is to come isn’t as bad you think it is going to be.

David is writing as though God has hid his face from Him when God is omnipresent. God doesn’t hide his face from us, we turn our face from God.

This internal struggle happens inside each of us when we face adversity. When we face a trial of life. We can ask ourselves, “God where are you?” He’s right there.

It’s in these moments though we blame ourselves for our situation, and at times that may be appropriate, but to stay in that mindset is to ignore the truth of the gospel.

I was playing a game with my son the other night and it was a great learning opportunity for Him. While you can disagree with me, I’m one of those parents that doesn’t always let my kids win. Especially as they get older. I do think it helps build some confidence, I’ve seen that in my children, however I want them to know they ahve to earn the W.

We were playing this board game and it seemed as though I had it in the bag. I’m going to be honest with you, I thought I had it won. My son got upset about it, we talked through it, continued playing becuase I wouldn’t let him quit, and then after a couple more turns, he was winning.

Apply:

What happened when he got upset? He looked at the circumstances around him and they were bad. He looked inside himself and didn’t believe he could keep going. This lead to feelings of defeat and sadness.

When you are facing struggles, whether mental, physical, or spiritual…don’t look inside your own heart or soul.

That’s like looking into the mirror of the law. You will find the truths you already know. You are weak. You are tired. You can’t keep going.

Instead of looking into your own capabilities, look to the Lord.

Philippians 4:13 KJV 1900

13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

Phil 4:13

John 15:5 KJV 1900

5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.

John 15:5

How? Spend time with Him. You can do this by reminding yourself of the promises of God. You can do this by getting alone, pouring your heart and soul out to him through tears of brokenness. You can sit and meditate upon His Word and His promises.

David fwasn’t thinking of God’s presence and thought he was alone. He forget about God’s promise of victory, he thought he had lost.

In the waiting we praise becuase...

I. God’s promises are bigger than my problems

When you get inside of your own head and heart you find yourself focused on your weaknesses and the problems around you. You will begin to think you are alone and the only one facing what you are facing. The truth is your never alone and your not the only one going through what your going through.

HIs thoughts are higher than our thoughts, his ways are higher than our ways, and when we can stop focusing on the pain of the moment we will see the promise of eternity through Jesus Christ.

David wasn’t alone spiritually or physically he had people with him. But in this state of despair, he had forgotten the promises of God.

David contiuned writing

Psalm 13:3–4 KJV 1900

3 Consider and hear me, O Lord my God: Lighten mine eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death; 4 Lest mine enemy say, I have prevailed against him; And those that trouble me rejoice when I am moved.

Psalm 13:3-4

Exegete:

David is writing and calling out for God’s attention. He asks for his eyes to be lightened which is a reference to his spiritual and physical state. David is calling on God to remove the darkness he sees around him. The enemies and difficulties he was facing. Remove that darkness from his sight o he can focus on the light of God in his life.

He is asking for physical and emotional vitality to continue his fight. He has gotten depressed, exhausted, and scared of what his enemies will do and now calls on the Lord to open his eyes to the truth of His deliverance.

Illustrate:

If you have ever been where David is, you find your mind going to the worst case scenarios. This is when we begin asking questions, where is God. Why would God allow this? I don’t know how to go on from this.

There is never a good time for a trial to come our way or for tragedy to enter our lives. When they do though, we can praise God for us being able to call out to Him to help bring clarity and focus.

To remind us that we can get through this. to give us His perspective on the issue. To comfort us and to remind us who the trut victor over death, trajedy, and trials is.

Paul wrote to the Corinthians reminding them “O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?”

Even in what we would see as the wort of events taking place, through faith in Christ we can know, the trajedy ends in victory.

Apply:

David focused on himself at first an the situation he was in. Now he is calling on God to help him see the path to victory, to change his emotional state,and to give him the vitality he needs to get through. So that he himelf may be ok? Listen to this, not for himelf, but for the glroy of God.

We can praise God in the waiting

II. His glory will be seen through us

We were created to bring God glory. David is praying to the Lord and telling Him my enemies will rejoice becuase I am shaken. Beause David is the annointed one of Israel. He is to be the next king. With his defeat comes the shame of the God of Isreal.

He claimed his identity in God just as we can claim our identity in Jesus.

This dosn’t mean we can claim our iddenity in Christ and avoid trajedy…it means that through our trajedy we can find ourselves in Christ.

Remembering who we are reminds us of what we are made for and knowing what we ar emade for, the glory of God, we can trust that His glroy will be seen through us as we turn to Him.

IN the final part of this Psalm David writes

Psalm 13:5–6 KJV 1900

5 But I have trusted in thy mercy; My heart shall rejoice in thy salvation. 6 I will sing unto the Lord, because he hath dealt bountifully with me.

Psalm 13:5-6

Exegete:

In verse 5 we see the word but which indicate a transition from fear to faith. From questioning the promises of God to claiming the promises of Godd.

David had experienced a roller coaster of emotions yet GOd is still on the trone.

He has remembered his identity and in the midst of tragedy he can rejoice in the salvation, the eternal state he has been promised and the ultimate outcome of his live and the events of it.

Even in the caves of the middle east David is singing to the Lord because he has been blessed by God.

Illustrate:

This happen after remembering the promises, reemmbering your purpose, and claiming your identity. Don’t get discouraged about your walk with God if tragedy strikes and this isn’t your first response.

Most of us go through what David is going through. A hint of despair as we think of the worst case scenario. A little fear thinking we can’t get through or that it will never end.

And then…THEN we reorient ourselves to the Lord and get back on track.

Apply:

This happens from a focus on our situation and a zoomed in moment in our life rather than the zoomed out look that the Lord takes on our lives. We forget the bountiful blessing we have for the tragedy of the moment.

If this is where you are. Waiting for the tragedy or trial to pass can I encourage you,

III. God’s blessings are found when you look for them

Even in the most tramatic tragedies of life, once we have been able to reorient ourselves on oru Savior, we can look around and count our blessings.

The overall theme of this Psalm is something we must all recall and that is the presence and presents of God is always with us when we are seeking them.

In the waiting between the now and the not yet of whatever your situation is remember, you can praise.

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