Useless Information 8/11/2019

Today is a fantastic Sunday! I am excited about praying over our children as we release them into schools. Welcome to our guests - it is our custom to end most services with a time together at the altar. When I conclude preaching we spend some time praying and inviting God to minister to us personally. We invite you to join us, but recognize that not every person is comfortable with coming up as a group. More than anything we want you to experience the presence of God today.

Congratulations Antonio and Teanna on their beautiful wedding!

If you were at Monday night prayer say a loud hallelujah! We have started a regular prayer meeting on Monday nights. You are invited to come to the church between 6-8pm and pray.

Intro

I want to start out today’s sermon by reading scripture. We are going to read Psalm 88.

Psalm 88 NKJV

A Song. A Psalm of the Sons of Korah. To the Chief Musician. Set to “Mahalath Leannoth.” a Contemplation of Heman the Ezrahite. 1 O Lord, God of my salvation, I have cried out day and night before You. 2 Let my prayer come before You; Incline Your ear to my cry. 3 For my soul is full of troubles, And my life draws near to the grave. 4 I am counted with those who go down to the pit; I am like a man who has no strength, 5 Adrift among the dead, Like the slain who lie in the grave, Whom You remember no more, And who are cut off from Your hand. 6 You have laid me in the lowest pit, In darkness, in the depths. 7 Your wrath lies heavy upon me, And You have afflicted me with all Your waves. Selah 8 You have put away my acquaintances far from me; You have made me an abomination to them; I am shut up, and I cannot get out; 9 My eye wastes away because of affliction. Lord, I have called daily upon You; I have stretched out my hands to You. 10 Will You work wonders for the dead? Shall the dead arise and praise You? Selah 11 Shall Your lovingkindness be declared in the grave? Or Your faithfulness in the place of destruction? 12 Shall Your wonders be known in the dark? And Your righteousness in the land of forgetfulness? 13 But to You I have cried out, O Lord, And in the morning my prayer comes before You. 14 Lord, why do You cast off my soul? Why do You hide Your face from me? 15 I have been afflicted and ready to die from my youth; I suffer Your terrors; I am distraught. 16 Your fierce wrath has gone over me; Your terrors have cut me off. 17 They came around me all day long like water; They engulfed me altogether. 18 Loved one and friend You have put far from me, And my acquaintances into darkness.

Does anyone wonder why the Lord included this Psalm in His word? I have wondered about the value of it for us. It’s pretty depressing. Definitely we can all relate to what has been written.

Feeling abandoned by God.

Troubles and problems overwhelming us.

Feeling like we could die.

Asking if God has brought this trouble on us.

Even feeling like our friends and loved ones have disappeared on us.

Praying, crying out to the Lord that he would hear us and deliver us.

Three times the writer says “I have cried to the Lord”. He says I cried out day and night in verse 1.

In verse 9 I have called daily upon You.

Verse 13 leaves us with the impression of one of those late night prayers that we have all prayed before. “to You I have cried out, O Lord, And in the morning my prayer comes before you.”

The majority of scholars believe the song was written based on a lifetime of affliction and sickness.

What stands out to me, and may have dawned on you as we read. Is that even though the writer cries out to the Lord there seems to be no response.

His prayers for deliverance, or even for an answer go unheeded by the Lord.

Three times he prays. Three times without response he moves on to how bad life is.

This doesn’t sit well with me. I, like you, want answers. I want my problem fixed. I don’t want to suffer. I don’t want to struggle.

I want to ask “how do I fix this?” and have God swoop in with the answer.

Have you ever felt like the author of Psalm 88? I feel like I am going to die, my troubles are overwhelming me. Why aren’t you answering Lord? Deliver me!

This Psalm reminds me of Job.

Job

Job loses everything. He loses his lively hood. He loses family, children are taken from him. He loses his own health. He is afflicted and sitting on ash heap scratching the boils on his skin when three friends come to see him.

Job’s life has been rocked. He is in the throws of despair. There is little to be positive about. In answering Eliphaz in chapter 23 you get a sense of how abandoned Job really feels.

Job 23:2–7 NKJV

2 “Even today my complaint is bitter; My hand is listless because of my groaning. 3 Oh, that I knew where I might find Him, That I might come to His seat! 4 I would present my case before Him, And fill my mouth with arguments. 5 I would know the words which He would answer me, And understand what He would say to me. 6 Would He contend with me in His great power? No! But He would take note of me. 7 There the upright could reason with Him, And I would be delivered forever from my Judge.

If I knew where to find the Lord. I would present my case.

I think I know what His answer would be. Would He judge me harshly? I don’t think so. He would deliver me forever.

Did you notice what Job said, if I knew where to find him.

I have looked for him… I can’t find him. I have prayed, but he’s not answered. I called out to him, but He has not heeded my call.

Job 23:8–9 NKJV

8 “Look, I go forward, but He is not there, And backward, but I cannot perceive Him; 9 When He works on the left hand, I cannot behold Him; When He turns to the right hand, I cannot see Him.

I don’t know where God is at and He is not answering my calls!

Useless Information that matters

Do you feel the emptiness of lost hope for Job? We have to have hope. Hope that it will improve. Hope that it can change.

Right before Job is about to surrender to the hopelessness of his situation. It is like some revelation is brought to his mind.

Job 23:8–9 NKJV

8 “Look, I go forward, but He is not there, And backward, but I cannot perceive Him; 9 When He works on the left hand, I cannot behold Him; When He turns to the right hand, I cannot see Him.

Job 23:10 NKJV

10 But He knows the way that I take; When He has tested me, I shall come forth as gold.

But! He knows the way that I take.

Just because I go forward and He is not there. Doesn’t mean he don’t know where I am headed.

Just because I look around and I cannot perceive him, behold him, or see him. Doesn’t mean he is not there.

If He knows where I am…there is always some hope. I don’t have to know where He is, as long as He knows where I am.

Psalm 139:1–6 NKJV

1 O Lord, You have searched me and known me. 2 You know my sitting down and my rising up; You understand my thought afar off. 3 You comprehend my path and my lying down, And are acquainted with all my ways. 4 For there is not a word on my tongue, But behold, O Lord, You know it altogether. 5 You have hedged me behind and before, And laid Your hand upon me. 6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; It is high, I cannot attain it.

Such knowledge is too wonderful for me.

It is wonderful to think that God knows us so intimately.

Matthew 10:30 NKJV

30 But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.

God knows you so well. He knows the hairs on your head. He knows the way that you take. He knows how you will stand up to the test you are in. He knows your sitting down and standing up. He understands your thoughts. He knows your path. He knows the words upon your lips.

It’s useless information. It does not change the trial you walk through. It does not affect the struggle you might be in right now. It may not answer your questions of why.

But there is a life altering comfort in knowing that His hand is upon your life!

Altar Music

When you can’t see Him, and you can’t get a response from your cries to Him. Rejoice! Because God knows that when you come out of the other side… When He has tested you, you shall come forth like gold. Why?

Job 23:11–12 NKJV

11 My foot has held fast to His steps; I have kept His way and not turned aside. 12 I have not departed from the commandment of His lips; I have treasured the words of His mouth More than my necessary food.

Because I am going to hold fast, keep His way. I am going to keep going, not turning aside.

I will not depart from His commandments, I will treasure His words.

I may be starving and struggling…but I am going to keep on keeping on. I will serve him with my whole heart!

What should you do when you find yourself in a trial but it feels like the Lord is not in that trial with you?

Keep going the way He has given you. Don’t backslide, don’t turn aside. Keep doing what you know is right in His sight. Treasure the word of God above everything and just keep walking.