When you are Anxious, Alone, Angry, & Afraid
Notes
Transcript
Not Afraid #3
Not Afraid #3
When you are Anxious, Alone, Angry, & Afraid
When you are Anxious, Alone, Angry, & Afraid
Good morning, and welcome to our online experience and our celebration of Mother’s Day 2020. It will certainly be a Mother’s Day that we will not soon forget.
Friday morning, there was a headline on CNN that said "Covid-19 could kill 75,000 Americans through 'deaths of despair.'" That headline, and the story that was posted kind of sum up how that there are all kinds of people who are anxious, alone, angry, and afraid this morning as we continue to go through this pandemic together. What I want to do this morning is to try to help us see that these are not the ways we need to respond to this thing, and to see that God is bigger than this.
I’m sure that all of us are feeling somewhat discombobulated by this disease and the changes that have been forced on us have brought. It is disorienting, and confusing - we can go out in groups of under 25 if we are in a county than is considered “yellow”, but we remain in “red” here in Allegheny County. Some of you watching this morning are watching from Ohio, where this week you will see a huge change in the way you are able to do life, and there will be huge lines at hair salons is my guess when they open up. And there is this tension in the air everywhere you go. Events like graduation have been canceled, and we are all wondering if or when the Major League Baseball season will begin. Going to the grocery store can seem like an act of futility, as many of the items you think you need aren’t available. It’s just - nothing is normal - not home - not church - not school - not work - not Mother’s Day. Nothing is as we are used to things being. And, the stock market continues to be all over the place, unemployment is higher than it has been in a long time. So many are responding to all of these changes, and they are anxious, alone, angry and afraid.
Of course, the bigger concern for many is that there are some that are currently battling this disease, and they are concerned for their lives or for the lives of their loved ones. Of course there is a level of anxiety. Of course there is a level of loneliness. Of course there is a level of anger. Of course there is a level of fear. Putting all of this into perspective is difficult, but I want us to look at some scriptures this morning to help us face it all unafraid.
Sometimes, Christians - and pastors talk in platitudes, and we give people the idea that if we would just trust in the Lord that there would be no level of anxiety, there would be no loneliness, there would be no anger, there would be no fear. We can be guilty of just telling people to “trust in the Lord.” Or, even worse, Christians are sometimes guilty of telling people that they need to just praise the Lord for the storms. I want to tell you this morning that there is nothing more untrue - we can continue to praise the Lord through the storms. We can trust the Lord even when nothing makes much sense to us, either. But I don’t want to be guilty of just throwing out slogans and platitudes that do little to actually encourage people. I don’t want to be guilty of just telling people to trust God, when I don’t know how they are feeling or the extent of what they may be dealing with. There are some very real problems that people are dealing with in the midst of this thing, and I don’t want to trivialize any of that.
The place we can find real hope and peace in the midst of any storm life throws our way is in the Word of God, so that is where I want us to look today. Any time I feel alone or afraid or anxious or angry, the place that I can always find encouragement, hope, help, and peace is just in spending some time in God’s Word. One particular book that we can find this help and encouragement is in the book of Psalms, and that is where I want us to turn today. I want to just turn to a number of different passages in the Psalms today to help see what God’s word is for us when we go through these times.
Let’s look first of all to the words of David in Psalm 9:9-10
The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed,
a stronghold in times of trouble.
Those who know your name trust in you,
for you, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you.
If you are hurting, if you feel alone, if you feel oppressed, the Lord is a refuge for you. David says, He is a stronghold when you are in a time of trouble.
Those who know God will trust in Him, and that makes a lot of sense doesn’t it? When you know somebody, you know whether or not they can be trusted. Think about that in terms of your human relationships - we typically do not trust those we don’t know. You know that you are a person that can be trusted, but when somebody doesn’t know you, there are so many people around us who are not trustworthy, that people don’t know whether they can trust you or not.
Those who know your name, though will have a level of trust in you. Those who know your name trust you. The question is, what's God's name? What do you call God? What's God's name? What do you call God? Those who know his name trust in the Lord. Well, what you call someone really matters because what you call someone tells us a lot about the relationship. This is Mother’s Day, and our mothers are supposed to be someone that we certainly can trust. My kids know that they can trust their mom to love them and be there for them no matter what. They can trust her - they call her mom. The name which you use often reveals the depth or the intimacy of the relationship. What we call someone tells us so much about the relationship. My kids call Lisa mom, I call her hun, or well, there are things I can call her that nobody else can because of the nature of our relationship. To some, she is Lisa, to others, she is Mrs. Kasler. The name that people use to refer to her speaks clearly into the type of relationship that they have with her.
What you call someone tells you so much about the relationship. What you call God reflects the intimacy of your relationship with God. It shows us how well you know him. What do you call God? When I was in 5th grade, my flag football team won the city championship in Canton, Ohio. We had this banquet where we got our trophies, but there was a dinner, and they had someone come up to pray for the meal, and I remember it seemed so strange to me that he called God “the man upstairs.” That is not a very close relationship if you think of him as the man upstairs, Jesus called Him, Abba, Father, which is the equivalent of calling him daddy! Now that is reflective of a personal and close relationship.
Let’s look back at our scripture together, David said to God, "Those who know your name "trust "in you." How do you grow in your trust to God? You get to know his name. You get to know his character. What we are going to do this morning is we are going to look at some different passages in the Psalms and see how David describes God. God called David “a man after His own heart,” telling us that there was a close relationship. Throughout the Psalms, we find that David or one of the Psalmist would start by saying, “God is” and then they would fill it out with some sort of attribute of God. I want us to look at some of those this morning and see what those attributes have to say to us when we are in a time of anxiety, when we are alone, when we are angry, when we are afraid.
In Psalm 22:19, David says,
But you, Lord, do not be far from me.
You are my strength; come quickly to help me.
Who are you, God? David says, God, You are my strength. Paul said, over in 2 Corinthians 12:7-10
or because of these surpassingly great revelations. Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me.
Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me.
But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.
That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
The New International Version (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2011), 2 Co 12:7–10.
What we find is that the same thing is true for us. When we are weak, then we are strong, because we are strong not in our own strength, we are strong in His strength. Whenever you don't have enough strength on your own, whenever you're vulnerable, whenever you're hurting, Paul said whenever you are weak, God's strength is made perfect in your weakness. In other words, every time you have a weakness, you also have an opportunity to experience God's strength, God's power and God's presence. You may feel like you are at the end of your strength, the end of your self - turn your weakness over to God and find His strength.
Who is God?
Who is God?
You are my strength.
You are Faithful
Then when we continue to look for these Psalms that give us attributes of who God is, we find in Psalm 31:5, these words
Into your hands I commit my spirit; deliver me, Lord, my faithful God.
Here’s the thing, we live in a world where faithfulness is not applauded and rarely practiced. People are going to let us down - Your stock portfolio is going to let you down. The economy is going to let us down. You will probably even let yourself down sometimes. because we are less faithful than we even would like to admit. But here is the good news this morning, even when we are faithless, He is faithful! It is an intricate part of His character, He is faithful. The people of God in the Old Testament were faithless so often, and yet, He was faithful. When the disciples were faithless in the New Testament or in the early church, He was faithful. In my life, in the times that I have let Him down, in the times that I have failed and been faithless, He has been faithful. Who is God? He is a faithful God. His Word is true. He is always faithful in every single way. Do you know God? The names of God, who is God? Scripture says God, you are my strength. You, God, are always faithful.
Who is God?
Who is God?
You are my strength
You are faithful
Then, let’s look at another one of these characteristics of God. in Psalm 65:5, David says:
You answer us with awesome and righteous deeds, God our Savior, the hope of all the ends of the earth and of the farthest seas,
Who is God?
Who is God?
You are my strength
You are faithful
You are the Hope of all the Earth
You want to know who God is? He is our hope! As we go through this election year, it seems like every election cycle we find politicians who are offering us hope, but the truth is that our hope is not in some politician sitting in Washington D.C., or in Harrisburg, PA, or in Beijing, China, or in Moscow , Russia. Our hope is in the one and only lord of all the universe. Our hope in overcoming this pandemic is not even in medicine or science. God gave us those things in order to help us, but our hope is not in the science or medicine, our hope is in the God of the Universe. If you are battling some sickness this morning, listen to me, our hope is in the miracle working, healer, the hope of all the world. Isaiah said in
but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.
My hope is in you. Those who know God's name, those who know him intimately, those who trust in Him, you can put your faith in God.
Who is God?
Who is God?
You are my strength
You are faithful
You are the hope of all the Earth
Here is another one of these characteristics, we read in Psalm 75:1.
We praise you, God, we praise you, for your Name is near; people tell of your wonderful deeds.
Who is God?
Who is God?
You are my strength
You are faithful
You are the hope of all the Earth
Your Name is near.
He is always near, and over in the book of James, 4:8, we read what happens when we draw near to Him.
Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.
Whenever you feel like you are beaten down. When you feel far away from Him. When you feel like life has you completely defeated. Draw near to Him, and when you do, He will draw even closer to you! Sometimes we think of God as far away and distant, and there is an aspect of who God is that He is far above all that we can begin to fathom, but we are also told that He is closer than a brother. He loves you, and He cares about all of the things that are on your mind this morning. He cares about your hurts and your struggles, He cares about your failures and your striving. He cares about you! He loves you this morning, and He is present wherever you are. Even when you are angry at Him, and you may be turning your back on Him, He is close enough for you to reach out and find forgiveness and cleansing and help and hope for each new day.
Who is God?
Who is God?
You are my strength
You are faithful
You are the hope of all the Earth
Your name is near
David added this in Psalm 86:5
For you, O Lord, are good and forgiving, abounding in steadfast love to all who call on you.
Who is God?
Who is God?
You are my Strength
You are Faithful
You are the Hope of all the Earth
Your name is Near
You are Good
Our God is GOOD! If you were here in person, you would respond with All the Time, and I would say, All the time, and you would say, God is good! This is not a term of measurement, like we will say somebody is good at basketball, but somebody who is even better, we will say is great. We know that God is Great when it comes to a term of measurement, but what we are saying when we say that God is good is that He is good as opposed to evil. He is always on the side of good. He is good, when nothing seems to be right in the world. He is good, no matter what you may be experiencing. He is good!
David also says here that He is so full of love - unfailing love for all of us, and He is ready to forgive. God isn’t just good, He is so good that He offers forgiveness for all of us who have turned our backs on His way. He is full of love for those of us who are unlovely. On this Mother’s Day, we are reminded that even parents who are evil will usually heap love and good things on their children.
If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!
If we, who are clearly less good than God give good gifts to our children, we know that this good God that we worship will give wonderfully good gifts to His children.
No matter what happens, or what we may be going through, God is good. When we are grieving, on this Mother’s Day, I find myself in that category, the first Mother’s Day after my Mother’s death. Even when we are grieving, God is good! When the economy is booming, God is good, but even when we are unemployed, or our retirement plans have shrunk, God is good. God is good when you are healthy and everything is going good in your life, but He is also good when you are sick, or when everything seems to be falling apart. God is good All the time, and all the time, God is good.
God is so good, and He God is so ready to forgive, He's so ready and God is not just loving, He's so loving. Love isn't just something that he does, It's who He is. It's his nature and there's nothing that you can do to get him to love you more and there's nothing you could do to cause him to love you less. He just loves because that's who he is.
Who is God?
Who is God?
You are my Strength
You are Faithful
You are the Hope of all the Earth
Your name is Near
You are Good
What do you call God? God, you're my strength. God, you're always faithful. God, you're my hope. You're always near. You are so good. You're so ready to forgive. You are so loving What do you call God? Because what you call him reflects what you know about him.
Finally, let’s look at Psalm 118:28-29
You are my God, and I will praise you; you are my God, and I will exalt you.
Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.
Who is God?
You are my Strength
You are Faithful
You are the Hope of all the Earth
Your name is Near
You are Good
You are MY God
In closing this morning, “Can you call Him My God?” Do you know Him as your God, or is He just somebody else’s God? For most of us, He starts out as our parents God, have you made Him your God?