Trusting God in the Dark

Psalm 13

Tonight I want to preach a message entitled “Trusting God in the Dark”

To trust God in the light is nothing, but trust him in the dark-that is faith.

Charles Spurgeon

We are all in one of these three categories:

Just come through a trial

Going through a trial

about to go through a trial

I know several of you are in the midst of trails right now!

And to be completely honest......

I struggled with this message.

Not for lack of things to say,

Rather how I can get out of the way and

let this passage be a blessing to you like it has me.

This short Psalm has been the greatest helps in my life.

It has become so real to me and gotten me through and shown me a lot!

David is writing this, presumedly, while still fleeing from King Saul.

It amazes me how he a man like David goes through these emotional ups and downs.

but it also encourages me and it pray it does you as well!

READ AND PRAY

1st David’s Desperation

How Long? four times vs 1-2!

How long will thou forget me, O Lord? Forever.

How ling will you hide your face from me?

Have you ever been to a point in your life where it felt like God forgot you?

Maybe you’re there now...

Illness / death

financial

Work

something that may be minor to others, but major to you

Can I tell you.....

If you’re a child of God....

God has not forgotten you!

That is a lie out of the pit of hell!

The Lord promises to time and time again He is with us!

Deuteronomy 31:6 Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the Lord thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.

Deuteronomy 31:8 And the Lord, he it is that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed.

(A cloud by day, a fire by night - Tozer)

Joshua 1:5 There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.

Joshua 1:9 Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.

Matthew 28:20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

Hebrews 13:5–6 Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. 6 So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.

Time and time again we are promised that God is with us!

Do not believe the lie that God has forgotten you!

I think of Job.

Job 13:23–25 How many are mine iniquities and sins? Make me to know my transgression and my sin. 24 Wherefore hidest thou thy face, And holdest me for thine enemy? 25 Wilt thou break a leaf driven to and fro? And wilt thou pursue the dry stubble?

Just like David was desperate, Job was desperate.

Desperate for an answer to what was happening in his life.

Job was a just man.

But he was under an attach from the devil to try and get him to deny God!

Don’t fall for the lies and tricks of Satan!

Satan will try to take our focus off of God!

He will try to distract us with the trial.

He will try to get us to trust in ourselves to solve our problems.

Look at V2

How long shall I take counsel in my soul?

David is fighting a mind game.

He says “I cant keep doing this!”

He’s trying to figure out his own way.

It keeps leading to sorrow! “ having sorrow in my heart daily”

When we are in the battles of life / the storms of life

We CANNOT look to ourselves or our feelings for the answer!

We have to turn to and trust in God.

Our hearts and our emotions can and will make things worse!

Jeremiah 17:9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?

Proverbs 3:5–6 Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; And lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, And he shall direct thy paths.

Warren W. Wiersbe - It’s a dangerous thing to give in to our feelings, because feelings are deceptive and undependable

Don’t let you emotions make bad decisions for you.

1 John 3:20 For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things.

Trust in the Lord. He is in control.

When we are desperate for answers like David was here remember....

He has promised that He is with is us

and he knows the answers to the “How long’s”

We have to trust in His perfect timing and will!

Next we see..

David’s Desire vs 3-4

Read v3a

“Consider and hear”

David has changed from asking how long to now....

“remember and hear me”

David felt like like God had abandoned him

He wanted to know the Lord was with with him!

Have you ever got to that place....

where like David you felt abandoned

where the ONLY thing you wanted was feel the Lord’s presence and voice?

Why does it take us getting to our low points to desire that???

That may be the cause for the trail in your life!

To be completely transparent and honest...

That is two the things the Lord has pointed out to me....

my lack of faith in Him

and my lousy walk with Him.

“Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: - Ps 55:17”

That should be our desire every moment of our life.....

To be in the presence of the Lord.

David desired for the Lord to look toward him and rescue him!

He desired for the Lord to answer him!

David wanted encouragement from the Lord!

3b “Lighten my eyes”

He wanted a light in the darkness!

David was asking for answers!

He was wanted wisdom and guidance from the Lord.

3b “Lest I sleep the sleep of death”

Not sure if the stress of this was physically affecting David.

But worry can affect us physically!

We should not let it!

We have to have to hold on to his promises!

1 Peter 5:7 - Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.

Philippians 4:6-7 - Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

2 Timothy 1:7 - For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

We are going to face struggles and trials.

We are going to get down.

We cant expect to go through life like Teflon, where nothing sticks and affects us

but as Christians we have to remember that we have hope!

we can have that “peace of God, which passeth all understanding”!

It’s important that we do!

Why?

Of course we desire peace and comfort for ourselves.

And that is very legitimate desire, but...

Look at the end of v3… there is a semicolon not a period.

David continues his thought and gives us the WHY .

Read verse 4

“lest the enemy say I have prevailed”

What the reason for David’s trials?

Satan trying to stop the lineage of Jesus

We already mentioned Job.

Satan literally said he wanted to get Job to turn from and curse God.

The why, is because......

If we get so defeated that we give up.

Then we have given up on the Lord’s will and plan for us.

We can lose our testimony.

I like how weirsby puts it.

As much as David was concerned about his own needs, he was concerned even more with the glory of God

As Christians we claim to have the peace of God

We claim that we trust God

But if we are giving up on life because of the storm

What kind of testimony is that?

Psalm 38:15–17 For in thee, O Lord, do I hope: Thou wilt hear, O Lord my God. 16 For I said, Hear me, lest otherwise they should rejoice over me: When my foot slippeth, they magnify themselves against me. 17 For I am ready to halt, And my sorrow is continually before me.

Psalm 35:19–21 Let not them that are mine enemies wrongfully rejoice over me: Neither let them wink with the eye that hate me without a cause. 20 For they speak not peace: But they devise deceitful matters against them that are quiet in the land. 21 Yea, they opened their mouth wide against me, And said, Aha, aha, our eye hath seen it.

The world is looking for every reason to doubt and to point out our failures.

Our doubt can not be their stumbling block!

Realizing that in my life was huge turning point for me.

How could I be so down and depressed and still be a light to my lost friends?

I couldn’t!

Matthew 5:14-16 Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

Our one task ask Christians is to be a light for the Gospel!

and how can we be that light when

we are living in the darkness and depression of our own struggles?

Don’t let yourself get to that point!

Ask the Lord to give you wisdom “lighten your eyes”

So that you can be the testimony /light you need to be.

We must stand strong relying on the Lord and never waver...

v4b “when I am moved”

the word “moved” means “to waver, to be agitated, to totter and shake”

We need to be firmly planted in the Lord.

As Christians we have entrusted him with our eternal life

Why can’t we trust Him in these storms of life that are but a vapor?

I think of Ps 1

When we are planted whole hearted in the Lord we should not be moved!

James 1:5–6 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.

Whatever the crisis, the psalm teaches us that we must choose between fear (walking by sight) or trust (walking by faith), listening to human counsel or obeying the wisdom that comes from the Lord.

Warren W. Wiersbe

Colossians 2:6–7 As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him: 7 Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving.

Hebrews 10:23 Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;)

We must be planted / holding fast to the Lord.

To faith in our salvation.

There is NOTHING that can take that away!

The storm may seem unsurmountable, but

there is hope and victory in our salvation.

We must hold onto that with all of our worth!

Like we actually believe it!

and that is exactly what David does in the last two verses.

3rd thing we see is....

Davids Delight

Read vs 5-6

“But” This is the turning point for David!

It is really an answer to prayer for him.

He was desperate for relief

He desired to see the face of the Lord

For an answer to his prayer.

I believe this is part of the answer for David!

and it should be for us.....

He found delight in the salvation of the Lord.

Hasn’t the Lord been so good to us!

The God who spoke the universe into existence,

who we time and time again fail.

Showed us mercy by sending His Son to die for us!

That we might be saved!

That alone should bring us out of any pit of despair that we are in!

But oh help us....

As we grow “older” in our Christian life

or get to busy to and lose our need/desire for the Lord

how quickly we forget how good He is!

David is down and low.....

But he is trusting in the the Lords Mercy

He’s rejoicing in the salvation of the Lord

and He is singing praises about how good God has been to him.

When you’re down remember these things!

Think on how good and merciful God has been to you

Psalm 103:1–2 Bless the Lord, O my soul: And all that is within me, bless his holy name. 2 Bless the Lord, O my soul, And forget not all his benefits:

Lamentations 3:22–26 (KJV 1900)

22 It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.

23 They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.

24 The Lord is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him.

25 The Lord is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him.

26 It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord.

Rejoice in the fact that no matter how bad it gets....

you have peace in your salvation.

And sing praises to the Lord.

I love You, Lord For Your mercy never fails me All my days, I've been held in Your hands From the moment that I wake up Until I lay my head Oh, I will sing of the goodness of God

And all my life You have been faithful And all my life You have been so, so good With every breath that I am able Oh, I will sing of the goodness of God

The only true peace we will ever find is in the Lord.

We are going to face struggles.

As Christians a lot of times we seek peace in other things.

Look for distractions..

Too many times it to the things of this world.

John 16:33 These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.

We aren’t going to find the answers to our trials in ourselves or the world.

What we should really look for, is the Lord.

Call out to Him!

for wisdom and guidance

for answers!

for peace.

You may not get the answer you are after right away.

Trust God in the dark until the light returns.

A.W. Tozer

You may get a different answer....

The Lord may be showing you areas of weakness in your life

You may never get the final answer until you get to heaven.

But we can always find HOPE in our salvation!

and we can be like David here.... rejoicing in the Lord.

Psalm 40:1–2

I waited patiently for the Lord;

And he inclined unto me, and heard my cry.

He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay,

And set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings.

Christian, remember there is no trial that God doesn’t already have the victory over!

Rejoice in the goodness and salvation of God.

If your here tonight and are not saved.....

maybe you are going through something in your life.

You will not find peace or salvation in this world...

no amount of friends, money, drug/alcohol

are going to give you the peace you desire!

Acts 4:12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.

The only way to find peace and comfort is through Jesus

and the blood He shed for you on the cross of calvary.

The Lord loves you and want’s to save you!

don’t wait!