Psalm 27:4 (ESV)

One thing have I asked of the Lord,

that will I seek after:

that I may dwell in the house of the Lord

all the days of my life,

to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord

and to inquire in his temple.

Psalm 42:1–2 (ESV)

As a deer pants for flowing streams,

so pants my soul for you, O God.

My soul thirsts for God,

for the living God.

When shall I come and appear before God?

Psalm 73:25 (ESV)

Whom have I in heaven but you?

And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you.

Psalm 84:1–2 (ESV)

How lovely is your dwelling place,

O Lord of hosts!

My soul longs, yes, faints

for the courts of the Lord;

my heart and flesh sing for joy

to the living God.

Psalm 130:6 (ESV)

my soul waits for the Lord

more than watchmen for the morning,

more than watchmen for the morning.

Psalm 143:6 (ESV)

I stretch out my hands to you;

my soul thirsts for you like a parched land. Selah

Psalm 63:1 (ESV)

O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you;

my soul thirsts for you;

my flesh faints for you,

as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.

We come thirsting, panting, fainting, longing, and expectantly to your house this morning Lord. So show us Christ. Seated on the throne…high and lifted up…the one who deserves all blessing and honor and glory.

Receive our worship…and direct our hearts now we pray…in Jesus name

--

There are very few things that I can guarantee you about life.

But there are a few things that we can be certain for...

Benjamin Franklin said it this way:

“Our new Constitution is now established, and has an appearance that promises permanency; but in this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.”

What a presidential thing to say by the way…can you imagine what that would be like today. “Alright kids of America, cant guarantee you much of our country…but the two things that is certain that you can expect: you will die…and your government is gonna need your money...

*Now… please stand for the pledge…*

But there are more than just those things that we can guarantee.

For example, I can guarantee you that— in this life you will experience some really good things. You will be captivated by beauty. Whether its the beauty of a sunrise, or the beauty of a clear nights sky, or the beauty of a man or a woman. Theres tons of things to be struck by in this world because it all functions like a mirror to a beautiful God.

But I can also guarantee you this…you will also experience hardship in this life. You will experience pain. You will face these moments in your life when you feel like all hope is lost. Because while we do live in a world that was created perfectly beautiful, we also live in a world that has been affected in every conceivable way by the curse of sin.

And with that curse of sin comes all sorts of problems that we will face in life.

Death is real.

Cancer is real.

Diseases are real.

Viruses are real.

Conflict in marriage and relationships are real.

Addiction is real.

War is real.

Divorce is real.

Infidelity is real.

Abortion is real.

Suicide is real.

Depression and anxiety is real.

Spiritual hardship is real.

This is the world we live in…and these are just a few of the things that we will face in life…the list could be much much longer...

Here’s my point: Crisis, pain, suffering, affliction…it’s coming for you…like it or not.

And I dont tell you this to be pessimistic this morning, Im telling you this because as your pastor Im trying to help you. This is what life on this side of Eden is gonna be like.

And if you dont believe me, then hear these words from God in a fresh way this morning:

Psalm 34:19 (ESV)

Many are the afflictions of the righteous,

but the Lord delivers him out of them all.

Acts 14:22 (ESV)

"....through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God.”

1 Peter 4:12 (ESV)

Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you.

Hardship isnt foreign…it’s forecasted in the Christian life.

But here’s the point I want you to take home with you today…even though we can expect hardship in life...

You Can Have Hope When Life Get's Hard

And in Psalm 77 we get an example of what it looks like to find hope even when life is really hard...

We Have to Learn To Lament.

Now I need to be honest…in 30 years of life…and consequently, 30 years of church. I have never heard a sermon on Lament that I can remember.

So let me give you a Definition of lament:

Concise Oxford English Dictionary Lament

lament

■ noun

1 a passionate expression of grief.

Lament is a cry of desperation to God...

But if you really wanna know what Lament looks like,

Just listen to Asaph’s words...

Psalm 77:1–4 (ESV)

I cry aloud to God,

aloud to God, and he will hear me.

In the day of my trouble I seek the Lord;

in the night my hand is stretched out without wearying;

my soul refuses to be comforted.

When I remember God, I moan;

when I meditate, my spirit faints.

Selah

You hold my eyelids open;

I am so troubled that I cannot speak.

Listen to the rawness and vulnerability of this passage …Asaph is trying to make sense of how he is supposed to respond as a man of faith when all hope seems to be lost.

Remember what I said last week, that there are Psalms that are raw, honest, vulnerable, and uncomfortable?

This Psalm has all of those elements...

Here is a man who is hurting…hurting to the point to where he is in tears…he’s anxious, worried, and doubting

During the day— And all night long……he seeks after the LORD. He’s trying to comfort his soul, but noting is working, his soul just wont quit hurting. He refuses to be comforted...

Many people who have endured a crisis of faith have experienced what Asaph was dealing with in this passage…something happens that shake our confidence in God’s plan, causing us to have doubts, anxieties, and fears. And in an attempt to quelch our fears and doubts—our minds start racing like Asaph’s did.

Psalm 77:5–6 (ESV)

I consider the days of old,

the years long ago.

I said, “Let me remember my song in the night;

let me meditate in my heart.”

Then my spirit made a diligent search:

But in all his searching and thinking…his mind was led to some disturbing questions:

Psalm 77:7–9 (ESV)

“Will the Lord spurn forever,

and never again be favorable?

Has his steadfast love forever ceased?

Are his promises at an end for all time?

Has God forgotten to be gracious?

Has he in anger shut up his compassion?” Selah

Here’s how we would frame these questions:

Will the Lord reject me forever?

Has God given up on me?

Has God quit loving me?

Can I even trust God anymore?

Is God even good anymore?

Let me as you a question…do you think this is okay?

Is it okay to feel like there is no hope? Is Asaph in sin? And are we in sin when we feel hopeless? Maybe sometimes…but not always. I think he’s just being honest. Asaph wants to hope in God. He is fighting to hope in God…he is searching and meditating. He is praying and diligently seeking God…but it just isn't bringing comfort to his soul.

His seeking after God only brings more questions than answers...

Here is the point…while there is such a thing as sinful unbelief in unconsolable moments…there are also these desperate moments that we face in life where spiritual platitudes alone like “Just have faith...” wont bring hope, because your wondering if God is even faithful.

Have you ever been there?

On October 28, 2015…I learned this too…and it’s hard to explain to people how difficult a miscarriage can be who have never had one.

“It’s going to be okay...”

I knew that in my head…but my heart didn't care. We had lost a baby...My wife was hurting…and I was hurting. And I knew it was going to be okay…but in that moment it didnt matter…because we were not okay.

Here is what I learned through that experience...

Christians in the modern day American church dont know how to deal with people in pain…because we dont know how to deal with our own pain.

We see pain as a problem that we can fix if we just say the right thing or pray the right prayer…Zach Eswine says, We treat people like the Little Engine Who Could. But what happens when the little engine cant?

We deal with pain in all sorts of terrible ways. Especially emotional and spiritual pain...

We either ignore our hurt, pretend it doesnt exist, try to tough it out, or we try to suppress it by keeping busy…

But the pressure of pain doesn't ever stay hushed for too long. It only builds over time. The longer you ignore it, suppress it, or pretend—the bigger the inevitable explosion will be.

Pain will either make your faith, or it will break your faith.

And if we want it to make our faith…we have to lament. We have to learn to cry out to God in the midst of our deepest valleys.

When you fake it till you make it…that’s when you end up in sin. Because it is a lack of faith…you lack the faith to believe that God can deal with your problems, so you try to deal with them on your own. You lack the faith that God will take you just as you are, so you try to fix yourself before coming to God. When you hide your fears, anxieties, and doubts from God, you function like Adam and Eve in the Garden—we try to cover our nakedness.

What God desires is for us to come to him…even in the lowest of the lows…even when our faith is weak…God wants our pain…just as much as he wants our praise.

He isnt ashamed by your affliction. He doesnt disregard your desperation. He desires for us to bring our despair to him...

Notice what Asaph does in his moment of affliction...

Psalm 77:10 (ESV)

Then I said, “I will appeal to this,

to the years of the right hand of the Most High.”

He makes an appeal—this is legal terminology.

When lawyers disagree with a judgement, they appeal the decision of the court to a higher authority.

This is what Asaph does.

When his heart is making a judgement about God, he doesnt rely on his heart…he understood that God isnt determined by his feelings... so he appeals to a higher authority.

What authority did he appeal to? The Word of God.

When Asaph’s faith fails…he appeals to the facts of the scripture.

We have to Appel to our hearts with truth

Psalm 77:11–15 (ESV)

I will remember the deeds of the Lord;

yes, I will remember your wonders of old.

I will ponder all your work,

and meditate on your mighty deeds.

Your way, O God, is holy.

What god is great like our God?

You are the God who works wonders;

you have made known your might among the peoples.

You with your arm redeemed your people,

the children of Jacob and Joseph. Selah

He focuses his mind on one particular story…the Parting of the Red Sea...

Psalm 77:16–20 (ESV)

When the waters saw you, O God,

when the waters saw you, they were afraid;

indeed, the deep trembled.

The clouds poured out water;

the skies gave forth thunder;

your arrows flashed on every side.

The crash of your thunder was in the whirlwind;

your lightnings lighted up the world;

the earth trembled and shook.

Your way was through the sea,

your path through the great waters;

yet your footprints were unseen.

You led your people like a flock

by the hand of Moses and Aaron.

Asaph looks back…in order to find hope for the future.

He remembers how God made a way for his people when there was no way…and he trusts that God will make a way for him as well.

He essentially says this, “Lord, I know that everything around me seems to be falling apart…but redemptive history tells me time and time again that you will keep your promises…you will make a way for me when there seems to be no way.”

And for us…when all hope seems to be lost…we have to look back. We have to see that God has never failed to keep his promises. His word is true. His promises are sure. When life is hard…we find hope by appealing to our hearts with the truth of God that we find in His word.

So if you are in the midst of a dark night of the soul right now…and I know for a fact that some of you are…I want you to hear these words in a fresh way this morning.

Matthew 5:1–12 (ESV)

Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him.

And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying:

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

“Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.

“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.

“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

“Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Praise is the Only Way Out of the Pit.

Praise is the way out of the pit...

Asaph did this...

Verses 16-20 is actually a hymn of celebration...

Psalm 77:16–20 (ESV)

When the waters saw you, O God,

when the waters saw you, they were afraid;

indeed, the deep trembled.

The clouds poured out water;

the skies gave forth thunder;

your arrows flashed on every side.

The crash of your thunder was in the whirlwind;

your lightnings lighted up the world;

the earth trembled and shook.

Your way was through the sea,

your path through the great waters;

yet your footprints were unseen.

You led your people like a flock

by the hand of Moses and Aaron.

And I want you to notice those last 2 verses specifically...

Your way was through the sea...

The sea stood for chaos in ancient cultures...

your way was through the chaos…it was through the muck and the mire...

Your path was through the great waters...

Yet your footprints were unseen...

The people of God were walking through the middle of the chaos…they were walking through the middle of the storm…and notice who was walking before them…leading them like a shepherd leads his sheep to greener pastures...

It was God.

God enters into the chaos of life with us. He enters into our pain and our suffering...

And if you want proof…just look to Jesus.

Jesus was the one who left heaven and came to earth to bear the iniquity of sin.

Jesus was the one who suffered the judgement of men and the wrath of God.

Jesus was the one who lamented “my God my God, why have you forsaken me...”

When you feel that the Chaos and struggle of life is going to overwhelm you…you need to look back and remember that Jesus is the Christ over chaos.

Jesus has come make a way for us, where there was no way...

So appeal to Him today…by faith…believe and trust in his work and his victory...

And then all that’s left for you to do is just sing and celebrate…to praise your way out of the pit.

Next Steps:

If you have a pain in your life that you are holding onto, lament—walk through the pain—knowing that the God that endured pain for our redemption is going to walk through it with you.

Ask the Lord to help you learn to worship through lament this week.

Appeal to someone who you know is in the midst of pain with the truth of the gospel this week.