Sermon Tone Analysis

NLT - 1 O Lord, how long will you forget me?

Forever?

How long will you look the other way? 2 How long must I struggle with anguish in my soul, with sorrow in my heart every day?

How long will my enemy have the upper hand? 3 Turn and answer me, O Lord my God!

Restore the sparkle to my eyes, or I will die.

4 Don’t let my enemies gloat, saying, “We have defeated him!”

Don’t let them rejoice at my downfall.

5 But I trust in your unfailing love.

I will rejoice because you have rescued me.

6 I will sing to the Lord because he is good to me.

3 Turn and answer me, O Lord my God!

Restore the sparkle to my eyes, or I will die.

4 Don’t let my enemies gloat, saying, “We have defeated him!”

Don’t let them rejoice at my downfall.

Today we’re going to talk about going, “From the Pit to a Praise”.

So we’re in the holiday season where people are

5 But I trust in your unfailing love.

I will rejoice because you have rescued me.

6 I will sing to the Lord

because he is good to me.

So we’re in the holiday season where people are

shopping for toys and gifts

decorations are going up from the minimal to people literally adding extra electrical, to power all of the stuff they display and they’re giving tours

• shopping for toys and gifts

Christmas songs are on every venue you could name

• decorations are going up from the minimal to people literally adding extra electrical, to power all of the stuff they display and they’re giving tours

The holiday movies and tv favorites and classics are playing once again and those that would like to become classics are playing too.

• Christmas songs are on every venue you could name

• The holiday movies and tv favorites and classics are playing once again and those that would like to become classics are playing too.

It would seem the season to be merry and bright is here, and yet, that’s not the case for everyone.

For some this is a season of sorrow, of stress of trying to do too much, give too much, shop too much.

For some this is a time that highlights what they don’t have and it brings about feelings of despair, sorrow, guilt and a desire to want to do more, but because they can’t, there are feelings of inadequacy.

And so it’s not all it’s chalked up to be and no one expresses sorrow and despair better than King David.

David had his days and times where he just felt abandoned by God; and this Psalm was on of those times.

Anybody ever feel that way?

It would seem the season to be merry and bright is here, and yet, that’s not the case for everyone.

For some this is a season of sorrow, of stress of trying to do too much, give too much, shop too much.

For some this is a time that highlights what they don’t have, and it brings about feelings of despair, sorrow, guilt and a desire to want to do more, but because they can’t, there are feelings of inadequacy.

You’re doing all you know to do, you believe you’re following God, you’re giving, you’re serving, you’re praising and yet—you’re sad, you’re disappointed, you’re overwhelmed, you’re feeling as if God has left you and you’re having to navigate this field we call life with all its traps and land mines and trials and tribulations and troubles and struggles, all—by—your—self; and like David you’re thinking, “God where are you”?

And so it’s not all it’s chalked up to be and no one expresses sorrow and despair better than King David.

David had his days and times where he just felt abandoned by God; and this Psalm was one of those times.

Anybody ever feel that way?

As this passage begins, David is in a pit of despair and he asks the question, “O Lord, how long will you forget me?

Forever?” Sometimes, when you’re going through something, when you’re waiting on God to intervene in your situation, when you’re waiting on God to answer your prayer; minutes can seem like hours, hours can seem like days, days can seem like months and months can, yep you got it, months can seem like years.

David says, Lord are you going to forget me, “Forever!”

You’re doing all you know to do, you believe you’re following God, you’re giving, you’re serving, you’re praising and yet—you’re sad, you’re disappointed, you’re overwhelmed, you’re feeling as if God has left you and you’re having to navigate this field we call life with all its traps and land mines and trials and tribulations and troubles and struggles, all—by—your—self; and like David you’re thinking, “God where are you”?

As this passage begins, David is in a pit of despair and he asks the question, “O Lord, how long will you forget me?

Forever?” Sometimes, when you’re going through something, when you’re waiting on God to intervene in your situation, when you’re waiting on God to answer your prayer; minutes can seem like hours, hours can seem like days, days can seem like months and months can, yep you got it, months can seem like years.

David says, Lord are you going to forget me, “Forever!”

You’re waiting and waiting and waiting and waiting and you’re not good at waiting and so while you wait, what are you doing?

Are you waiting patiently?

Are you complaining while you wait?

Are you working while you wait?

Are you serving while you wait?

Perhaps you’re doing the last thing God told you to do and you’re doing it with joy and gladness—while you wait.

How are you waiting?

What’s your posture?

What’s your attitude?

You’re waiting and waiting and waiting and waiting and you’re not good at waiting and so while you wait, what are you doing?

Are you waiting patiently?

Are you complaining while you wait?

Are you working while you wait?

Are you serving while you wait?

Perhaps you’re one of those people who’s doing the last thing God told you to do and you’re doing it with joy and gladness—while you wait.

How are you waiting?

What’s your posture?

What’s your attitude?

It’s important—the way you wait is important.

Now don’t get me wrong we all have our days when like David we say golly Lord, what are you doing?

Why are you taking so long?

Can you hear me, do you see what’s going on down here?

Lord, when are you going to move?

David said, “How long will you look the other way?”

If you watch the news and see and hear all the terrible things people are doing to each other, you may ask the question does God really know what’s going on here?

He can’t.

Right?

Because if he did, surely he would stop it…right?

It’s important—the way you wait is important.

Now don’t get me wrong we all have our days when like David we say golly Lord, what are you doing?

Why are you taking so long?

Can you hear me, do you see what’s going on down here?

Lord, when are you going to move?

In this particular Psalm, it’s personal for David.

Sometimes you just get to a place where you say like the old Winans’ song, “It’s me, it’s me, it’s me O Lord standing in the need of prayer, not my mother, not my father, but it’s me oh Lord standing in the need of prayer.

Not my sister, not my brother but it’s me oh Lord standing in the need of prayer.”

They had another song that said, “This time it’s personal.”

It’s not selfish to pray for yourself.

You’d better learn to treat prayer like the oxygen masks on the plane.

If the masks deploy, they tell you to place your mask on yourself first, then assist those around you.

You can’t help others when you’re oxygen deprived.

David is in a place where he feels like God has forgotten about him, not only that he feels God has forgotten his promises to him, his covenant with him, his lovingkindness he had experienced before and his mercy.

David is in a place where he’s wondering, God do you even remember that I exists?

Come on, I need some relief, these folks, my enemies are coming against me, they’re accusing me of things I didn’t do, Lord where are you?

How long are you going to allow them to mistreat me like this?

David asks God, “How long must I struggle with anguish in my soul, with sorrow in my heart everyday?”

Anybody ever been there?

you know God is there, you know God is on your side, yet, there’s this doubt that arises because of your situation.

Can I tell you something right here…God’s abilities are not dictated by your situation.

God is…God can…and God will despite your situation and your circumstance.

But when you have doubt, don’t feel like the Lone Ranger, don’t beat yourself up, instead, recognize you are in good company; you can see King David’s heart in this passage of Old Testament Scripture, but Jesus himself, cried out to God from the cross, in his time of anguish and despair saying, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me!”