Prayer in Times of Trouble
Notes
Transcript
Ten years ago, my wife Krista entered a time of trouble and I can safely say that Psalm 43 captures well the turmoil a person of faith deals with when they are surrounded by trouble. Ps 43:1
Vindicate me, O God, and defend my cause against an ungodly people, from the deceitful and unjust man deliver me!
With her permission, I’d like to share her story and how the Bible can help us pray in times of trouble. At the time, Krista was the Executive Director of Haven Ministries in Queen Anne’s County - an organization that she founded after hearing the Lord call her to start a homeless shelter following a worship service one Sunday. Over the course of the next eight years, she had successfully opened and operated a wonderful shelter housed within Kent Island UMC and for four years, Haven Ministries had operated a transitional house on State Street in Stevensville - a county owned rancher style home at the end of a side street next to a junkyard and a SHA property.
You already know how Krista runs an operation - One Mission Cambridge offers a similar environment where everyone is welcome, all are treated with dignity and respect, but there are rules that need to be followed for the safety of all.
Haven Ministries had the same reputation and safety record. Lives were changed as the churches came together to serve. Working with the County and State officials, Haven Ministries set out to develop a state of the art, center for compassionate care at the State Street location. They would build a facility that would house an emergency shelter on the first floor, along with a kitchen and general meeting space, and offer transitional housing apartments on the second floor - allowing those who were willing to be mentored and guided, who worked and saved their money, to move from homelessness to independent living.
It was a beautiful dream - a vision shared by her board, the county commissioners, the housing department, and state representatives. After several years of community meetings, public hearings, meetings with planning and zoning, securing funds through the State, site plan development, selecting an architect and contractor, the time had finally arrived to break ground.
But then, trouble arrived. A family moved into the neighborhood and their property was adjacent to the back of the State Street property. When they discovered that a homeless shelter was going to be built close to their home - the husband picked up his sword and made it his personal crusade to derail this project. Soon letters began arriving to every home within close proximity to State Street - “do you know your children are going to be in danger? Crime is going to go up! Women will not be able to walk on the Cross Island Trail by themselves. The County is trying to sneak in this boondogle! What makes Haven Ministries qualified to protect our safety?” A group was formed “SOS - Save Our Stevensville!” They blanketed every neighborhood sowing seeds of fear. Every state official and county official were bombarded with emails from the instigating neighbor - hundreds of complaints.
I was appointed to pastor in Royal Oak at the time and the main instigator in all this found out where we lived, drove down to our home and took pictures of our house. On social media, we were suddenly evil outsiders - even though we lived in Stevensville for a decade and had developed deep roots there. We received prank calls at our home, harassment online, and had to constantly dispel lies being spread throughout the community.
All along, I was sure that we would be victorious. This was a spiritual battle and I just knew that God was going to right this wrong - we just had to keep moving forward and take the high road.
It took a huge toll on Krista. She lost sleep and at the times, the stress was overwhelming, there were moments of depression.
Psalm 42 and Psalm 43 actually go together. It is assumed by most scholars that originally this was one psalm that was split up later when chapters were introduced. In Psalm 42, we hear the psalmist cry out:
My tears have been my food day and night, while they say to me all the day long, “Where is your God?”
and Psalm 42:9
I say to God, my rock: “Why have you forgotten me? Why do I go mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?”
The State Street controversy did not end as we expected it. Never underestimate the power of fear mongering to derail a good thing. In a matter of months, the county held elections and a new group of commissioners came to power - most on the promise of shutting down State Street - which they promptly did. Haven Ministries was evicted from the property - temporarily becoming a homeless homeless shelter.
Supporters and board members grieved the loss of what could have been. Krista had to pick up the pieces and lead the organization forward, while also dealing with injustice and harm that was committed.
I had to reexamine my own assumptions. God’s timing is not our timing - and trials are for our character development - as we discussed this last week in our Hebrews study:
Hebrews 12:10–11 (ESV)
…he disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness. For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.
Krista’s experience is one vivid example of the hardship and trouble a believer can face in this world. It is only one. I have faced my own times of troubles while following God’s call that have resulted in lasting scars. And if we took the time, I know many, if not each one of you, could share of a time you too were surrounded by trouble. When it seemed you were all alone - and that no one really understood what you were going through. When tears are you food day and night. When others ask “Where is your God now?” You may be going through such a time now.
How do we pray in such a time?
This is where Psalms like 42 and 43 can help guide us. Psalm 42 is attributed to the Sons of Korah, and likewise, 43 is probably theirs as well. During the time of King David, the Sons of Korah became the great leaders of choral and orchestral music in the tabernacle. They composed prayers into songs for the people to sing in worship. Of all of the psalms we find in the Bible, eleven are attributed to the sons of Korah, including Psalm 46, where we hear in verses 1-3:
God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling. Selah
From Psalm 42-43, we know that these faithful leaders had known times of trouble and in turn, created these powerful prayers in order to help all who faced their own troubles.
One of the feelings we may experience during difficult times is that God may seem distant. According to his own purposes, there are times when we sense His closeness and times when we do not. We can cry out for answers, or help, or guidance and yet all we hear is silence. This is what we hear expressed in both Psalm 42 & 43 today - the repeated pattern ties the two psalms together:
I say to God, my rock: “Why have you forgotten me? Why do I go mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?”
and Psalm 43:2
For you are the God in whom I take refuge; why have you rejected me? Why do I go about mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?
Michael Wilcock, in his book The Message of the Psalms, notes that…
The Message of Psalms: Songs for the People of God 2. A Long Way from Home
The very words Why have you forgotten/rejected me? (42:9; 43:2) show that in the psalmist’s mind God is remote enough for him to feel deserted, yet near enough for him to talk to.
We continue to pray to God, knowing He is there, that He hears, even when we do not hear him. Who else is there to turn to - who really knows all that is going on both eternally and internally within our minds and heart? And it should strengthen us to realize that our Savior, Jesus - when hanging on the cross, surrounded by his enemies, cried out “Why have you forsaken me?” - which itself comes out of Psalm 22:1-2
My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning? O my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer, and by night, but I find no rest.
The truth is that God is always present. Jesus himself told his disciples “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” But, for His greater purposes, we may not feel the closeness of His presence. How do we handle the distance? Do we give up - is our faith so shallow that we conclude that He does not care?
What does the psalmist do?
He instructs his mind to remember.
These things I remember, as I pour out my soul: how I would go with the throng and lead them in procession to the house of God with glad shouts and songs of praise, a multitude keeping festival.
That memory may sound odd to us, but for an ancient Israelite - they could recall the times of celebration when they joined their fellow countryman in pilgrimage as they made their way to the Tabernacle, and later the Temple, to worship God during one of the festivals. Surrounded by faithful followers, worshipping and filled with the joy of the Lord.
We may not set out on a literal pilgrimage to the Holy Land, but we can recall those times of worship where we felt at peace in the Spirit. When we experienced His presence.
And then the psalmist reminds himself that since it happened before, it will happen again. He repeats this passage three times (42:5, 42:11, 43:5)
Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation
Of course, in times of trouble, we need to make our plea. We need to be open and honest with God and ask Him to lead to us through this mess. Knowing that only God alone can truly vindicate a person, we plead for Vindication. Lord a wrong has been done, fix it! An injustice has been committed, right it! But then we need to trust that God will do so in His own timing. And that timing may not be for awhile - even until the end of Days. But God will make all wrongs right. He will bring justice.
The psalmist also makes this plea:
Send out your light and your truth; let them lead me; let them bring me to your holy hill and to your dwelling! Then I will go to the altar of God, to God my exceeding joy, and I will praise you with the lyre, O God, my God.
When we are stuck in the mire of troubles, when darkness has surrounded us, what we truly need is God’s light so that we can see and his truth to guide us free (I made a rhyme! Right on time!)
Praying in troubling times means to keep on praying - even when God feels distant. Remember the past times when God’s presence was known to you, times of worship with other believers, and instruct yourself that it will happen again. And make your plea - trusting that He will lead you through.
That period in Krista’s life was pretty traumatic. She has given me permission to share that it took quite some time to heal from that experience. Therapy helped. And God is faithful. That controversy, while killing the project that they had invested so much time and resources toward, galvanized Haven Ministries supporters. Donations and new volunteers flowed in. Lessons were learned, new avenues of funding were established by opening two businesses to make HM more self-sustaining. And in May of 2022, two Homes of Hope were opened in Stevensville, with little to no opposition less than a mile from the State Street location. God is good, all the time.
And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.
I’ll close with this quote by Stephen Lennox in his commentary on the Psalms:
Psalms: A Bible Commentary in the Wesleyan Tradition Chapter 41: “Put Your Hope in God” (Psalms 42:1–43:5)
The experiences of this anonymous son of Korah demonstrate that the life of a believer is not free of trouble. Troubles do not vanish with a prayer, even for one so passionate about being in God’s presence. The one who perseveres through pain, abandonment, ridicule, and disappointment—remembering to hope even when the reasons seem few—will not be disappointed by God.
Amen.
