From Problems To Praise
From Problems to Praise
| Psalm 13:1-61 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? 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. 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. |
From Depression to Deliverance
I. It is clear in our reading, David was depressed.
A. He must have felt he could not carry on in his current emotional condition
B. It is apparent he needed a change.
C. It is not sin or a gage of your spirituality if you enter a depressive state.
1. That is determined on how long you are there and how you get out.
D. We all get discouraged.
E. We all get depressed.
F. We all become fearful.
G. We all suffer emotional distress at one time or another.
H. But we all have help in those times.
II. Our world is suffering in epidemic proportions; problems, depression, frustration, anxiety...
A. In the workplace, in homes, on the streets, etc...
WE HAVE THE GOSPEL TO DISPEL AND VANQUISH IT ALL!!
III. There is a distinctive note of sadness in this psalm.
A. David felt forgotten.
1. Left out, forsaken, possibly rejected.
| Psalm 13:11 How long wilt thou forget me, O LORD? for ever? how long wilt thou hide thy face from me? |
B. How do we feel when someone leaves us out of the conversation, forgets our name, ignores us?
A. Imagine feeling as though God has done this to you.
C. It is believed this psalm was written about the time David was running from Saul.
1. David was being hunted like a common animal, instead of being treated like the king he was anointed to be.
2. His problems were draining him emotionally, mentally, and physically.
D. At this time, the rejected of society were coming to him for refuge.
1. In his greatest time of need and despair, he was having to minister to others.
E. Imagine the unfairness of it all.
1. But God is just.
2. We can deal with the unfairness of life, if we know God is with us.
3. But it seems at David’s greatest time of need, he could not move God with his complaining about his problems.
| Psalm 13:22 How long shall I take counsel in my soul, having sorrow in my heart daily? how long shall mine enemy be exalted over me? |
F. David’s prayers seemed impotent, unfruitful and powerless.
1. His problems were heavier than his complaining tongue could truly express.
IV. About this time, David must have felt hopelessness seeping in.
A. David recognized he could not find any help in himself.
B. This great warrior felt defeated.
| Psalm 42:1-31 As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God. 2 My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God? 3 My tears have been my meat day and night, while they continually say unto me, Where is thy God? |
C. He must have hungered and burned in his soul to hear from God.
D. Psalm 42:1-3 describes it so well...
V. David’s complaining about his problems turned to prayer and supplication.
A. “Consider and hear me, O Lord my God:...”
1. David literally asked God to pay attention to him.
2. He took it one step further.
a. David wanted God to pay attention to him AND hear him.
b. This word hear is not just a passive pondering.
c. It is a reactive response.
B. ...”lighten mine eyes lest I sleep the sleep of death.”
| Romans 8:35-3935 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36 As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. 37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. 38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, 39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. |
1. Asking for understanding.
2. Not to understand the problems...but to understand that God was still with him.
3. Our understanding of our problems is irrelevant.
a. We need to understand God goodness and mercy.
C. “Lest mine enemy say, I have prevailed against him; and those that trouble me rejoice when I am moved.”
1. Our understanding of God’s goodness, care and omnipresence will keep us through the worst problems.
VI. “But I have trusted in thy mercy...”
A. Mercy here means, goodness, kindness, faithfulness.
1. God is faithful through all things.
VII. “My heart shall rejoice in thy salvation.”
A. God’s salvation is worth rejoicing in.
B. David has gone from complaining to prayer to praise.
C. Rejoice literally means to revel and celebrate.
VIII. “I will sing unto the LORD, because he hath dealt bountifully with me.”
A. Sing a love song to Him.
1. But you have problems...
“Oh how I love Him...”
2. But you’re depressed.
“Oh how I love Him...”
3. But you’re sick.
“Oh how I love Him...”
B. Why should we go from problems to praise?
| 2 Corinthians 4:8-98 We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; 9 Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed; |
| Habakkuk 3:17-1817 Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls: 18 Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation. |
1. Because He hath dealt bountifully with us!!!!!