Lament
Series: Hope in Despair
Speaker: Nick Freestone
Date: 10th October 2021
Passage: Psalm 6:1-10
00:00:00 --> 00:00:08 Once, there was a moth. That's right, a moth. And he went to see a podiatrist.
00:00:09 --> 00:00:14 The podiatrist said, moth, what seems to be the trouble? How can I help?
00:00:15 --> 00:00:24 The moth said to the podiatrist, doc, I'm in a bad way. My life has fallen completely apart.
00:00:24 --> 00:00:31 My friends have all deserted me. Even my family won't talk to me. I can't find work. My marriage
00:00:31 --> 00:00:38 is falling apart. Nothing makes me happy. I just don't know what to do, doc. What do I do?
00:00:40 --> 00:00:47 The podiatrist paused and then replied, moth, I can see you're in bad shape. But with everything
00:00:47 --> 00:00:53 that you have going on in your life, you should be seeing a psychiatrist, not a podiatrist.
00:00:54 --> 00:01:01 Why did you come to see me? And the moth replied, the light was on.
00:01:05 --> 00:01:09 Where do we turn when our life gets out of control?
00:01:12 --> 00:01:23 Where have you flown when overrun by anxiety or fear? Unlike that moth, we need to turn toward
00:01:23 --> 00:01:33 the light that can help us with our troubles. In seasons of trouble and darkness, God is near to us.
00:01:33 --> 00:01:43 And for those seasons, he has provided a pattern of prayer that is a path into his light called lament.
00:01:43 --> 00:01:55 Lament is a uniquely Christian response to suffering and tragedy. When we lament, we take our emotions
00:01:55 --> 00:02:06 and turn to God with them. We tell him what is happening. We ask him to intervene. We challenge his promises.
00:02:06 --> 00:02:15 And there we can rediscover the hope we have in a relationship with him.
00:02:16 --> 00:02:24 When we lament God, he is our weeping. He listens to our cries and he accepts our prayer.
00:02:24 --> 00:02:32 So in your season of despair, come lament in the light of your hope in Jesus Christ.
00:02:32 --> 00:02:42 Lament is a neglected response to tragedy and suffering in our churches.
00:02:43 --> 00:02:48 Christians rarely lament together or privately.
00:02:48 --> 00:02:53 But lament is worth rediscovering and practicing.
00:02:53 --> 00:02:58 Because the Bible is filled with the language of lament.
00:02:58 --> 00:03:01 In public and private prayers and songs.
00:03:03 --> 00:03:06 We'll discover in the weeks to come the book of Lamentations,
00:03:07 --> 00:03:10 which in its entirety is one lament.
00:03:10 --> 00:03:16 There are also more than 40 psalms of lament that are written to be sung all together.
00:03:16 --> 00:03:25 If this biblical pattern of lament is here for us, why aren't we lamenting?
00:03:27 --> 00:03:35 Local Christian author Peter Davis says that Christians in Sydney, and churches generally in Sydney,
00:03:35 --> 00:03:37 are afraid of lament.
00:03:39 --> 00:03:40 Is that true?
00:03:40 --> 00:03:50 In our multi-ethnic church, most of us only reveal negative emotions from grief and pain in private.
00:03:52 --> 00:03:58 Could it be that there's some sort of unspoken rule amongst us that any overflow of emotion is wrong?
00:04:00 --> 00:04:02 For many, it's just not done or improper.
00:04:02 --> 00:04:10 But perhaps we would rather appear respectable than openly upset.
00:04:12 --> 00:04:16 At an online funeral I attended recently, this was on full display.
00:04:17 --> 00:04:23 It was on Zoom, and there might have been, you know, 80 to 100 faces on screens.
00:04:23 --> 00:04:27 And every single person who had an opportunity to speak,
00:04:27 --> 00:04:32 before or while they cried, apologized,
00:04:33 --> 00:04:35 at a funeral,
00:04:36 --> 00:04:38 the most appropriate place I can think of,
00:04:39 --> 00:04:41 for shedding tears together.
00:04:43 --> 00:04:47 In some families, emotions are seen as weakness.
00:04:47 --> 00:04:49 They prove a person is out of control,
00:04:50 --> 00:04:52 has lost their self-reliance,
00:04:52 --> 00:04:56 or lost their capacity to contribute to the family.
00:04:57 --> 00:05:01 But who of us has not felt out of control completely in our lives?
00:05:01 --> 00:05:03 Too weak to fix a situation,
00:05:03 --> 00:05:09 or just not knowing the answer of how to solve what's going on in our family.
00:05:12 --> 00:05:13 Locally,
00:05:14 --> 00:05:16 hiding our hurting is not working.
00:05:17 --> 00:05:19 Mental health issues are a major concern
00:05:19 --> 00:05:22 in our suburb of Chatswood
00:05:22 --> 00:05:24 and at our local government area of Willoughby.
00:05:26 --> 00:05:30 But we rarely talk about our struggles,
00:05:30 --> 00:05:32 especially together.
00:05:34 --> 00:05:35 In some families,
00:05:36 --> 00:05:38 and in some churches, sadly too,
00:05:39 --> 00:05:42 positive emotions are so obsessively sought
00:05:42 --> 00:05:45 that any negative emotions are rejected
00:05:45 --> 00:05:47 or stifled.
00:05:47 --> 00:05:50 Look out for those
00:05:50 --> 00:05:53 live your best life now messages.
00:05:54 --> 00:05:58 Pain and grief cannot be kept
00:05:58 --> 00:05:59 from our lives.
00:06:01 --> 00:06:04 In our hiding of these emotions,
00:06:04 --> 00:06:07 we need to take them somewhere
00:06:07 --> 00:06:09 and we often go,
00:06:09 --> 00:06:10 like the moth,
00:06:11 --> 00:06:12 to the wrong light.
00:06:13 --> 00:06:14 It might be
00:06:14 --> 00:06:16 something on a screen.
00:06:16 --> 00:06:18 It might be
00:06:18 --> 00:06:21 a destructive relationship
00:06:21 --> 00:06:23 or an unsafe relationship.
00:06:24 --> 00:06:27 It might end up in an addiction.
00:06:29 --> 00:06:31 Or if you turn completely inward,
00:06:32 --> 00:06:34 you'll find yourself breaking inside.
00:06:35 --> 00:06:37 We naturally react
00:06:37 --> 00:06:39 to suffering and tragedy
00:06:39 --> 00:06:41 as our culture
00:06:41 --> 00:06:42 says that we should.
00:06:42 --> 00:06:45 What would it take for us
00:06:45 --> 00:06:46 to look at God's Word
00:06:46 --> 00:06:48 as His followers?
00:06:49 --> 00:06:50 To look at God's Word
00:06:50 --> 00:06:52 as our guide
00:06:52 --> 00:06:54 to reacting to all that is hard
00:06:54 --> 00:06:55 and horrifying
00:06:55 --> 00:06:57 in our lives?
00:06:57 --> 00:07:01 It would take a deep,
00:07:01 --> 00:07:02 a deep,
00:07:02 --> 00:07:03 deep,
00:07:03 --> 00:07:03 deep trust
00:07:03 --> 00:07:05 that the God
00:07:05 --> 00:07:06 who created us,
00:07:06 --> 00:07:07 who knows us
00:07:07 --> 00:07:09 and is in control,
00:07:10 --> 00:07:12 understands
00:07:12 --> 00:07:13 and can act.
00:07:14 --> 00:07:16 A deeper faith
00:07:16 --> 00:07:17 to react to hardship
00:07:17 --> 00:07:18 God's way.
00:07:18 --> 00:07:21 The Bible
00:07:21 --> 00:07:22 provides us
00:07:22 --> 00:07:22 a way
00:07:22 --> 00:07:24 to not be okay
00:07:24 --> 00:07:25 and to come
00:07:25 --> 00:07:26 to God
00:07:26 --> 00:07:27 safely,
00:07:28 --> 00:07:29 never hiding
00:07:29 --> 00:07:29 or hurting,
00:07:31 --> 00:07:32 never hiding
00:07:32 --> 00:07:33 our hurting
00:07:33 --> 00:07:34 from our Father.
00:07:35 --> 00:07:36 So that's why
00:07:36 --> 00:07:37 lamenting
00:07:37 --> 00:07:38 is crucial
00:07:38 --> 00:07:40 for Christians
00:07:40 --> 00:07:40 in Sydney
00:07:40 --> 00:07:42 and across the world.
00:07:42 --> 00:07:43 It's okay
00:07:43 --> 00:07:44 to lament
00:07:44 --> 00:07:45 and it's needed.
00:07:47 --> 00:07:48 But James mentioned
00:07:48 --> 00:07:48 before
00:07:48 --> 00:07:49 that people
00:07:49 --> 00:07:49 have been calling
00:07:49 --> 00:07:50 tomorrow
00:07:50 --> 00:07:51 Freedom Day.
00:07:52 --> 00:07:52 Why are we
00:07:52 --> 00:07:53 talking about
00:07:53 --> 00:07:54 lament right now?
00:07:54 --> 00:07:56 Why hope
00:07:56 --> 00:07:56 in despair
00:07:56 --> 00:07:57 now?
00:07:59 --> 00:08:00 The worst
00:08:00 --> 00:08:00 is over,
00:08:00 --> 00:08:00 right?
00:08:03 --> 00:08:04 Life
00:08:04 --> 00:08:05 has been hard
00:08:05 --> 00:08:05 for all
00:08:05 --> 00:08:06 in lockdown
00:08:06 --> 00:08:07 in our city
00:08:07 --> 00:08:08 but life
00:08:08 --> 00:08:09 is often hard
00:08:09 --> 00:08:09 and for some people
00:08:09 --> 00:08:10 it's always
00:08:10 --> 00:08:11 hard.
00:08:12 --> 00:08:13 Across the world
00:08:13 --> 00:08:16 near and far
00:08:16 --> 00:08:18 life is full
00:08:18 --> 00:08:19 of griefs
00:08:19 --> 00:08:20 and pains.
00:08:22 --> 00:08:23 All of us
00:08:23 --> 00:08:23 flick
00:08:23 --> 00:08:24 on our devices
00:08:24 --> 00:08:25 past articles
00:08:25 --> 00:08:26 whether it be
00:08:26 --> 00:08:27 in the news
00:08:27 --> 00:08:28 or from other
00:08:28 --> 00:08:28 organisations
00:08:28 --> 00:08:29 of horrors
00:08:29 --> 00:08:30 all across
00:08:30 --> 00:08:31 the world
00:08:31 --> 00:08:33 let alone
00:08:33 --> 00:08:34 in your own
00:08:34 --> 00:08:35 life.
00:08:36 --> 00:08:38 It's so hard
00:08:38 --> 00:08:39 to see
00:08:39 --> 00:08:40 all of this
00:08:40 --> 00:08:40 grief
00:08:40 --> 00:08:41 and pain
00:08:41 --> 00:08:42 and know
00:08:42 --> 00:08:43 what to do
00:08:43 --> 00:08:43 about it.
00:08:43 --> 00:08:45 If we are
00:08:45 --> 00:08:46 seeing tragedy
00:08:46 --> 00:08:47 everywhere
00:08:47 --> 00:08:49 and it is
00:08:49 --> 00:08:50 such a heavy
00:08:50 --> 00:08:50 burden
00:08:50 --> 00:08:52 where do we
00:08:52 --> 00:08:53 turn to hand
00:08:53 --> 00:08:54 it over?
00:08:56 --> 00:08:56 We're here
00:08:56 --> 00:08:57 in this series
00:08:57 --> 00:08:58 to learn
00:08:58 --> 00:09:00 rather than
00:09:00 --> 00:09:00 reject
00:09:00 --> 00:09:01 lament
00:09:01 --> 00:09:02 we need
00:09:02 --> 00:09:03 to embrace
00:09:03 --> 00:09:03 it
00:09:03 --> 00:09:04 so that we
00:09:04 --> 00:09:05 are ready.
00:09:07 --> 00:09:07 Discovering
00:09:07 --> 00:09:08 lament
00:09:08 --> 00:09:08 starts when we
00:09:08 --> 00:09:09 open our
00:09:09 --> 00:09:10 Bibles
00:09:10 --> 00:09:11 and read
00:09:11 --> 00:09:12 along with
00:09:12 --> 00:09:12 laments
00:09:12 --> 00:09:13 like Psalm
00:09:13 --> 00:09:14 6
00:09:14 --> 00:09:15 as Flora
00:09:15 --> 00:09:15 just read
00:09:15 --> 00:09:16 to us.
00:09:16 --> 00:09:16 Thank you
00:09:16 --> 00:09:16 Flora.
00:09:18 --> 00:09:19 As we
00:09:19 --> 00:09:20 read and
00:09:20 --> 00:09:20 preach along
00:09:20 --> 00:09:21 with the
00:09:21 --> 00:09:22 laments of
00:09:22 --> 00:09:22 Scripture
00:09:22 --> 00:09:23 they can
00:09:23 --> 00:09:23 become
00:09:23 --> 00:09:25 our prayers
00:09:25 --> 00:09:25 to lament
00:09:25 --> 00:09:27 or shape
00:09:27 --> 00:09:28 our lament
00:09:28 --> 00:09:29 prayers
00:09:29 --> 00:09:31 for right
00:09:31 --> 00:09:31 now
00:09:31 --> 00:09:32 for some
00:09:32 --> 00:09:33 of us
00:09:33 --> 00:09:34 and certainly
00:09:34 --> 00:09:35 soon
00:09:35 --> 00:09:36 for the
00:09:36 --> 00:09:36 rest of
00:09:36 --> 00:09:37 us.
00:09:39 --> 00:09:39 In lament
00:09:39 --> 00:09:40 we approach
00:09:40 --> 00:09:40 God
00:09:40 --> 00:09:41 directly
00:09:41 --> 00:09:42 and that
00:09:42 --> 00:09:42 might feel
00:09:42 --> 00:09:43 unusual
00:09:43 --> 00:09:44 for some
00:09:44 --> 00:09:44 of you.
00:09:45 --> 00:09:46 It may be
00:09:46 --> 00:09:46 that you
00:09:46 --> 00:09:46 rarely
00:09:46 --> 00:09:47 approach
00:09:47 --> 00:09:48 God
00:09:48 --> 00:09:50 one-to-one
00:09:50 --> 00:09:51 in prayer.
00:09:52 --> 00:09:53 But even
00:09:53 --> 00:09:53 though it
00:09:53 --> 00:09:53 is
00:09:53 --> 00:09:54 uncomfortable
00:09:54 --> 00:09:55 the good
00:09:55 --> 00:09:56 news is
00:09:56 --> 00:09:56 that you
00:09:56 --> 00:09:57 won't be
00:09:57 --> 00:09:57 learning it
00:09:57 --> 00:09:58 alone.
00:09:59 --> 00:09:59 As I
00:09:59 --> 00:10:00 said before
00:10:00 --> 00:10:02 Psalms
00:10:02 --> 00:10:02 and lament
00:10:02 --> 00:10:03 Psalms
00:10:03 --> 00:10:03 specifically
00:10:03 --> 00:10:05 are written
00:10:05 --> 00:10:06 so that
00:10:06 --> 00:10:06 God's
00:10:06 --> 00:10:07 people can
00:10:07 --> 00:10:07 sing them
00:10:07 --> 00:10:08 all together.
00:10:11 --> 00:10:11 Open
00:10:11 --> 00:10:12 to Psalm
00:10:12 --> 00:10:12 6.
00:10:12 --> 00:10:12 Make sure
00:10:12 --> 00:10:13 you've got
00:10:13 --> 00:10:13 that in
00:10:13 --> 00:10:13 front of
00:10:13 --> 00:10:13 you.
00:10:14 --> 00:10:15 Think
00:10:15 --> 00:10:15 about
00:10:15 --> 00:10:16 what it
00:10:16 --> 00:10:17 felt like
00:10:17 --> 00:10:19 to hear
00:10:19 --> 00:10:19 those
00:10:19 --> 00:10:20 words
00:10:20 --> 00:10:21 of
00:10:21 --> 00:10:21 David
00:10:21 --> 00:10:21 in
00:10:21 --> 00:10:22 that
00:10:22 --> 00:10:22 Psalm
00:10:22 --> 00:10:23 when
00:10:23 --> 00:10:23 Flora
00:10:23 --> 00:10:23 read
00:10:23 --> 00:10:23 them
00:10:23 --> 00:10:23 out.
00:10:24 --> 00:10:25 Imagine
00:10:25 --> 00:10:25 showing
00:10:25 --> 00:10:25 up to
00:10:25 --> 00:10:26 church
00:10:26 --> 00:10:26 and
00:10:26 --> 00:10:27 that's
00:10:27 --> 00:10:27 Psalm
00:10:27 --> 00:10:27 1.
00:10:28 --> 00:10:29 We
00:10:29 --> 00:10:29 stand
00:10:29 --> 00:10:30 up
00:10:30 --> 00:10:30 in
00:10:30 --> 00:10:31 our
00:10:31 --> 00:10:31 homes
00:10:31 --> 00:10:31 or
00:10:31 --> 00:10:32 gathering
00:10:32 --> 00:10:32 soon
00:10:32 --> 00:10:34 and
00:10:34 --> 00:10:34 we
00:10:34 --> 00:10:34 sing
00:10:34 --> 00:10:36 Psalm
00:10:36 --> 00:10:36 6.
00:10:40 --> 00:10:41 That
00:10:41 --> 00:10:41 would be
00:10:41 --> 00:10:41 a cultural
00:10:41 --> 00:10:42 rarity.
00:10:43 --> 00:10:43 It
00:10:43 --> 00:10:43 would be
00:10:43 --> 00:10:44 incredibly
00:10:44 --> 00:10:45 uncomfortable.
00:10:46 --> 00:10:47 But that's
00:10:47 --> 00:10:47 what this
00:10:47 --> 00:10:48 Psalm
00:10:48 --> 00:10:48 is for.
00:10:49 --> 00:10:50 it's
00:10:50 --> 00:10:51 not for
00:10:51 --> 00:10:52 singing
00:10:52 --> 00:10:53 to feel
00:10:53 --> 00:10:54 ourselves
00:10:54 --> 00:10:54 into some
00:10:54 --> 00:10:55 kind of
00:10:55 --> 00:10:55 depression
00:10:55 --> 00:10:56 and follow
00:10:56 --> 00:10:57 those emotions
00:10:57 --> 00:10:58 down the
00:10:58 --> 00:10:59 path to be
00:10:59 --> 00:10:59 where David
00:10:59 --> 00:10:59 is.
00:10:59 --> 00:11:00 No.
00:11:01 --> 00:11:02 We can't
00:11:02 --> 00:11:03 even sing
00:11:03 --> 00:11:04 ourselves
00:11:04 --> 00:11:05 into understanding
00:11:05 --> 00:11:05 where David
00:11:05 --> 00:11:06 was at.
00:11:07 --> 00:11:08 But we
00:11:08 --> 00:11:09 learn to
00:11:09 --> 00:11:09 lament
00:11:09 --> 00:11:10 like David
00:11:10 --> 00:11:12 when we
00:11:12 --> 00:11:12 sing
00:11:12 --> 00:11:13 psalms
00:11:13 --> 00:11:14 like this
00:11:14 --> 00:11:14 or songs
00:11:14 --> 00:11:15 like this
00:11:15 --> 00:11:15 together
00:11:15 --> 00:11:17 to prepare
00:11:17 --> 00:11:18 ourselves
00:11:18 --> 00:11:19 for the
00:11:19 --> 00:11:20 dark
00:11:20 --> 00:11:20 seasons
00:11:20 --> 00:11:21 of life
00:11:21 --> 00:11:22 to come.
00:11:24 --> 00:11:25 We
00:11:25 --> 00:11:25 could
00:11:25 --> 00:11:26 wait
00:11:26 --> 00:11:27 to learn
00:11:27 --> 00:11:28 lament
00:11:28 --> 00:11:29 and pick
00:11:29 --> 00:11:30 up lament
00:11:30 --> 00:11:30 scripture
00:11:30 --> 00:11:32 when our
00:11:32 --> 00:11:32 lives have
00:11:32 --> 00:11:33 completely
00:11:33 --> 00:11:33 fallen apart.
00:11:33 --> 00:11:33 life.
00:11:36 --> 00:11:37 But if you've
00:11:37 --> 00:11:37 been through a
00:11:37 --> 00:11:38 really difficult
00:11:38 --> 00:11:38 season of
00:11:38 --> 00:11:40 life or a
00:11:40 --> 00:11:40 time of high
00:11:40 --> 00:11:41 anxiety where
00:11:41 --> 00:11:42 your mind is
00:11:42 --> 00:11:43 spinning out of
00:11:43 --> 00:11:45 control, it's
00:11:45 --> 00:11:46 hard to tell
00:11:46 --> 00:11:49 where to
00:11:49 --> 00:11:49 turn.
00:11:50 --> 00:11:50 It's hard to
00:11:50 --> 00:11:51 tell light from
00:11:51 --> 00:11:52 light from
00:11:52 --> 00:11:53 light from
00:11:53 --> 00:11:53 the light.
00:11:53 --> 00:11:55 So we
00:11:55 --> 00:11:55 need
00:11:55 --> 00:11:56 words
00:11:56 --> 00:11:57 ready.
00:11:58 --> 00:11:58 Words
00:11:58 --> 00:11:59 ready to
00:11:59 --> 00:12:00 bring to
00:12:00 --> 00:12:00 God in
00:12:00 --> 00:12:01 patterns of
00:12:01 --> 00:12:01 lament
00:12:01 --> 00:12:02 learnt
00:12:02 --> 00:12:02 together
00:12:02 --> 00:12:03 through
00:12:03 --> 00:12:04 scripture
00:12:04 --> 00:12:05 and through
00:12:05 --> 00:12:05 song.
00:12:06 --> 00:12:07 Because we
00:12:07 --> 00:12:07 break.
00:12:09 --> 00:12:09 And life
00:12:09 --> 00:12:10 is not
00:12:10 --> 00:12:10 easy.
00:12:12 --> 00:12:12 There are
00:12:12 --> 00:12:13 griefs
00:12:13 --> 00:12:14 near to
00:12:14 --> 00:12:14 us,
00:12:15 --> 00:12:16 outside of
00:12:16 --> 00:12:16 us,
00:12:16 --> 00:12:17 and inside
00:12:17 --> 00:12:18 of us.
00:12:19 --> 00:12:20 In this
00:12:20 --> 00:12:21 series, we'll
00:12:21 --> 00:12:21 learn to
00:12:21 --> 00:12:22 lament
00:12:22 --> 00:12:24 a path
00:12:24 --> 00:12:25 to the
00:12:25 --> 00:12:25 light.
00:12:26 --> 00:12:26 So that
00:12:26 --> 00:12:27 when darkness
00:12:27 --> 00:12:29 comes, we
00:12:29 --> 00:12:30 know our
00:12:30 --> 00:12:31 way back
00:12:31 --> 00:12:32 to hope.
00:12:35 --> 00:12:36 Psalm 6
00:12:36 --> 00:12:37 is a
00:12:37 --> 00:12:38 song of
00:12:38 --> 00:12:38 David.
00:12:39 --> 00:12:40 It's for
00:12:40 --> 00:12:41 God's people
00:12:41 --> 00:12:42 to sing, to
00:12:42 --> 00:12:43 learn, to
00:12:43 --> 00:12:43 turn to
00:12:43 --> 00:12:44 God and to
00:12:44 --> 00:12:44 find hope
00:12:44 --> 00:12:45 in Him.
00:12:47 --> 00:12:47 But turn
00:12:47 --> 00:12:47 with me
00:12:47 --> 00:12:48 there to
00:12:48 --> 00:12:48 verse 8
00:12:48 --> 00:12:50 of Psalm
00:12:50 --> 00:12:50 6.
00:12:50 --> 00:12:52 David
00:12:52 --> 00:12:53 boldly
00:12:53 --> 00:12:54 laments
00:12:54 --> 00:12:54 because of
00:12:54 --> 00:12:55 this.
00:12:55 --> 00:12:56 Because of
00:12:56 --> 00:12:57 these three
00:12:57 --> 00:12:57 wonderful
00:12:57 --> 00:12:58 truths.
00:12:58 --> 00:12:59 We're going
00:12:59 --> 00:12:59 to shape
00:12:59 --> 00:13:00 the rest
00:13:00 --> 00:13:00 of our
00:13:00 --> 00:13:00 time around
00:13:00 --> 00:13:01 these three.
00:13:02 --> 00:13:03 The Lord
00:13:03 --> 00:13:03 has heard
00:13:03 --> 00:13:04 my weeping.
00:13:04 --> 00:13:05 The Lord
00:13:05 --> 00:13:06 has heard
00:13:06 --> 00:13:06 my cry
00:13:06 --> 00:13:07 for help.
00:13:08 --> 00:13:08 The Lord
00:13:08 --> 00:13:09 accepts
00:13:09 --> 00:13:10 my prayer.
00:13:11 --> 00:13:11 First,
00:13:12 --> 00:13:12 the Lord
00:13:12 --> 00:13:12 has heard
00:13:12 --> 00:13:13 my weeping.
00:13:15 --> 00:13:16 This
00:13:16 --> 00:13:16 psalm is
00:13:16 --> 00:13:18 very personal.
00:13:18 --> 00:13:18 personal.
00:13:18 --> 00:13:19 It doesn't
00:13:19 --> 00:13:21 have the
00:13:21 --> 00:13:21 personal
00:13:21 --> 00:13:22 details you
00:13:22 --> 00:13:23 might expect.
00:13:23 --> 00:13:24 Say, if a
00:13:24 --> 00:13:25 friend was
00:13:25 --> 00:13:25 telling a
00:13:25 --> 00:13:27 friend, hey,
00:13:27 --> 00:13:27 this happened.
00:13:28 --> 00:13:29 I felt like
00:13:29 --> 00:13:30 this.
00:13:31 --> 00:13:31 Then I ran
00:13:31 --> 00:13:31 out of
00:13:31 --> 00:13:32 tissues,
00:13:33 --> 00:13:34 etc., etc.
00:13:34 --> 00:13:35 No.
00:13:36 --> 00:13:36 David, he was
00:13:36 --> 00:13:37 horribly sick
00:13:37 --> 00:13:38 in body and
00:13:38 --> 00:13:40 soul and
00:13:40 --> 00:13:40 somehow also
00:13:40 --> 00:13:41 at the same
00:13:41 --> 00:13:42 time in
00:13:42 --> 00:13:43 imminent danger
00:13:43 --> 00:13:44 from his
00:13:44 --> 00:13:44 enemies.
00:13:44 --> 00:13:46 enemies and
00:13:46 --> 00:13:46 a situation
00:13:46 --> 00:13:47 has arisen
00:13:47 --> 00:13:48 that takes
00:13:48 --> 00:13:49 a massive
00:13:49 --> 00:13:50 toll on
00:13:50 --> 00:13:51 him, inside
00:13:51 --> 00:13:52 and out, and
00:13:52 --> 00:13:53 he expects
00:13:53 --> 00:13:55 to die by
00:13:55 --> 00:13:56 sickness or
00:13:56 --> 00:13:57 sword in
00:13:57 --> 00:13:58 physical and
00:13:58 --> 00:13:59 mental agony.
00:14:01 --> 00:14:02 David's
00:14:02 --> 00:14:03 sickness gave
00:14:03 --> 00:14:04 him immense
00:14:04 --> 00:14:04 physical pain,
00:14:05 --> 00:14:06 down to his
00:14:06 --> 00:14:08 bones, to the
00:14:08 --> 00:14:08 point where he
00:14:08 --> 00:14:09 was weak and
00:14:09 --> 00:14:10 faint, as it
00:14:10 --> 00:14:11 says in verse
00:14:11 --> 00:14:11 2.
00:14:12 --> 00:14:12 We don't know
00:14:12 --> 00:14:13 what it is.
00:14:14 --> 00:14:16 Till he was
00:14:16 --> 00:14:16 worn out and
00:14:16 --> 00:14:18 hoarse of
00:14:18 --> 00:14:19 voice from
00:14:19 --> 00:14:19 all his
00:14:19 --> 00:14:20 groaning, as
00:14:20 --> 00:14:21 it says in
00:14:21 --> 00:14:21 verse 6.
00:14:22 --> 00:14:23 His eyes went
00:14:23 --> 00:14:24 blind and
00:14:24 --> 00:14:25 failed him, as
00:14:25 --> 00:14:26 it says in
00:14:26 --> 00:14:27 verse 7, and
00:14:27 --> 00:14:28 when he closes
00:14:28 --> 00:14:30 them to rest, he
00:14:30 --> 00:14:31 cannot sleep, as
00:14:31 --> 00:14:32 it says in
00:14:32 --> 00:14:32 verse 5.
00:14:34 --> 00:14:35 He's also
00:14:35 --> 00:14:35 hurting in
00:14:35 --> 00:14:36 his soul.
00:14:37 --> 00:14:38 Verse 3
00:14:38 --> 00:14:38 says, my
00:14:38 --> 00:14:40 soul is in
00:14:40 --> 00:14:40 deep
00:14:40 --> 00:14:41 anguish.
00:14:41 --> 00:14:44 His
00:14:44 --> 00:14:45 soul blurs
00:14:45 --> 00:14:45 his
00:14:45 --> 00:14:46 perception of
00:14:46 --> 00:14:46 the world.
00:14:48 --> 00:14:49 His
00:14:49 --> 00:14:49 pain of
00:14:49 --> 00:14:50 soul blurs
00:14:50 --> 00:14:51 his perception
00:14:51 --> 00:14:51 of the world,
00:14:51 --> 00:14:52 as it says in
00:14:52 --> 00:14:52 verse 7.
00:14:53 --> 00:14:54 But the
00:14:54 --> 00:14:55 most worrying
00:14:55 --> 00:14:56 sign of
00:14:56 --> 00:14:56 David's
00:14:56 --> 00:14:57 situation, even
00:14:57 --> 00:14:57 though we
00:14:57 --> 00:14:57 don't know
00:14:57 --> 00:14:58 what it is,
00:14:59 --> 00:14:59 is how it
00:14:59 --> 00:15:00 looks.
00:15:01 --> 00:15:02 It's so
00:15:02 --> 00:15:04 bad that
00:15:04 --> 00:15:04 David's bed
00:15:04 --> 00:15:05 is swimming
00:15:05 --> 00:15:06 in his
00:15:06 --> 00:15:07 tears.
00:15:09 --> 00:15:09 Verse 6
00:15:09 --> 00:15:10 describes
00:15:10 --> 00:15:12 every place
00:15:12 --> 00:15:13 where David
00:15:13 --> 00:15:13 has sat
00:15:13 --> 00:15:14 as soaked.
00:15:16 --> 00:15:17 Every spot
00:15:17 --> 00:15:17 is soaked
00:15:17 --> 00:15:18 with weeping.
00:15:20 --> 00:15:20 This is
00:15:20 --> 00:15:22 long-term
00:15:22 --> 00:15:24 depression
00:15:24 --> 00:15:25 or anxiety.
00:15:27 --> 00:15:28 It's at
00:15:28 --> 00:15:28 least a
00:15:28 --> 00:15:29 night, but
00:15:29 --> 00:15:29 it's probably
00:15:29 --> 00:15:30 more, and
00:15:30 --> 00:15:31 it's weeping
00:15:31 --> 00:15:31 and crying
00:15:31 --> 00:15:33 and rehydrating
00:15:33 --> 00:15:33 and weeping
00:15:33 --> 00:15:34 and crying
00:15:34 --> 00:15:34 more.
00:15:35 --> 00:15:38 And only
00:15:38 --> 00:15:38 after at
00:15:38 --> 00:15:39 least one
00:15:39 --> 00:15:39 night of
00:15:39 --> 00:15:40 this dark
00:15:40 --> 00:15:41 situation
00:15:41 --> 00:15:42 does David
00:15:42 --> 00:15:43 open his
00:15:43 --> 00:15:44 mouth.
00:15:45 --> 00:15:45 It takes
00:15:45 --> 00:15:46 him breaking
00:15:46 --> 00:15:47 physically and
00:15:47 --> 00:15:48 emotionally.
00:15:49 --> 00:15:50 This once
00:15:50 --> 00:15:51 mighty warrior
00:15:51 --> 00:15:52 now cries
00:15:52 --> 00:15:53 out.
00:15:54 --> 00:15:55 His fear
00:15:55 --> 00:15:55 of death
00:15:55 --> 00:15:57 from
00:15:57 --> 00:15:58 sickness
00:15:58 --> 00:15:59 or from
00:15:59 --> 00:15:59 man
00:15:59 --> 00:16:01 overtakes
00:16:01 --> 00:16:02 his ability
00:16:02 --> 00:16:02 to process
00:16:02 --> 00:16:03 life in
00:16:03 --> 00:16:04 an orderly
00:16:04 --> 00:16:04 way.
00:16:05 --> 00:16:06 And stricken
00:16:06 --> 00:16:07 and panicked,
00:16:08 --> 00:16:09 he decided
00:16:09 --> 00:16:09 to cry
00:16:09 --> 00:16:10 out, possibly
00:16:10 --> 00:16:11 the most
00:16:11 --> 00:16:11 common lament
00:16:11 --> 00:16:12 in Scripture
00:16:12 --> 00:16:14 in verse 3,
00:16:14 --> 00:16:15 where he cries
00:16:15 --> 00:16:15 out,
00:16:16 --> 00:16:16 how long,
00:16:17 --> 00:16:17 oh Lord,
00:16:18 --> 00:16:19 how long?
00:16:19 --> 00:16:23 we should be
00:16:23 --> 00:16:24 ready to
00:16:24 --> 00:16:25 lament before
00:16:25 --> 00:16:26 we are
00:16:26 --> 00:16:26 completely
00:16:26 --> 00:16:27 broken, but
00:16:27 --> 00:16:28 we can't
00:16:28 --> 00:16:28 predict the
00:16:28 --> 00:16:29 speed that
00:16:29 --> 00:16:30 darkness will
00:16:30 --> 00:16:30 rush upon
00:16:30 --> 00:16:31 us.
00:16:32 --> 00:16:33 While lament
00:16:33 --> 00:16:34 is always a
00:16:34 --> 00:16:35 right response,
00:16:35 --> 00:16:36 let me say
00:16:36 --> 00:16:37 that clinical
00:16:37 --> 00:16:38 depression or
00:16:38 --> 00:16:39 anxiety or
00:16:39 --> 00:16:40 any other
00:16:40 --> 00:16:41 valid and
00:16:41 --> 00:16:42 treatable
00:16:42 --> 00:16:43 mental health
00:16:43 --> 00:16:43 issue,
00:16:44 --> 00:16:45 they can
00:16:45 --> 00:16:46 arise in
00:16:46 --> 00:16:47 dark seasons
00:16:47 --> 00:16:48 like David
00:16:48 --> 00:16:48 is describing
00:16:48 --> 00:16:49 now,
00:16:50 --> 00:16:50 even before.
00:16:52 --> 00:16:52 You could
00:16:52 --> 00:16:53 argue that
00:16:53 --> 00:16:53 Psalm 6
00:16:53 --> 00:16:55 shows some
00:16:55 --> 00:16:56 level of
00:16:56 --> 00:16:57 treatable
00:16:57 --> 00:16:58 clinical
00:16:58 --> 00:16:59 depression,
00:16:59 --> 00:16:59 for sure,
00:17:00 --> 00:17:00 in David.
00:17:02 --> 00:17:02 Lament
00:17:02 --> 00:17:04 cannot replace
00:17:04 --> 00:17:05 needed medical
00:17:05 --> 00:17:06 and professional
00:17:06 --> 00:17:07 help, which
00:17:07 --> 00:17:07 for most of
00:17:07 --> 00:17:08 us, we will
00:17:08 --> 00:17:09 need to engage
00:17:09 --> 00:17:10 with either
00:17:10 --> 00:17:11 in our own
00:17:11 --> 00:17:11 lives or in
00:17:11 --> 00:17:12 the lives of
00:17:12 --> 00:17:13 our family in
00:17:13 --> 00:17:13 our lifetime.
00:17:13 --> 00:17:15 lament is
00:17:15 --> 00:17:16 always there
00:17:16 --> 00:17:17 for every
00:17:17 --> 00:17:18 dark day,
00:17:18 --> 00:17:19 even before
00:17:19 --> 00:17:20 we see the
00:17:20 --> 00:17:20 cracks forming
00:17:20 --> 00:17:21 in our soul
00:17:21 --> 00:17:22 or in our
00:17:22 --> 00:17:23 circumstance.
00:17:25 --> 00:17:26 That is
00:17:26 --> 00:17:26 when we
00:17:26 --> 00:17:27 take up
00:17:27 --> 00:17:27 our lament
00:17:27 --> 00:17:28 to God.
00:17:32 --> 00:17:33 The Lord
00:17:33 --> 00:17:33 hears our
00:17:33 --> 00:17:34 cry.
00:17:34 --> 00:17:37 As David
00:17:37 --> 00:17:38 cries out
00:17:38 --> 00:17:38 to God,
00:17:38 --> 00:17:39 we see
00:17:39 --> 00:17:39 four
00:17:39 --> 00:17:40 characteristics
00:17:40 --> 00:17:41 of lament
00:17:41 --> 00:17:43 that together
00:17:43 --> 00:17:44 guide David
00:17:44 --> 00:17:45 back to
00:17:45 --> 00:17:46 his hope.
00:17:47 --> 00:17:47 David has
00:17:47 --> 00:17:48 been groaning
00:17:48 --> 00:17:49 and weeping
00:17:49 --> 00:17:50 aimlessly
00:17:50 --> 00:17:51 as a
00:17:51 --> 00:17:52 reflex to
00:17:52 --> 00:17:53 his pain
00:17:53 --> 00:17:53 and fear,
00:17:53 --> 00:17:54 but now
00:17:54 --> 00:17:54 his words
00:17:54 --> 00:17:55 become lament
00:17:55 --> 00:17:57 as he brings
00:17:57 --> 00:17:57 them to
00:17:57 --> 00:17:57 his Lord
00:17:57 --> 00:17:59 who can do
00:17:59 --> 00:17:59 something to
00:17:59 --> 00:17:59 help him.
00:18:01 --> 00:18:02 Verse 1,
00:18:02 --> 00:18:03 turn there
00:18:03 --> 00:18:03 with me.
00:18:04 --> 00:18:06 It says,
00:18:06 --> 00:18:06 Lord,
00:18:06 --> 00:18:07 do not
00:18:07 --> 00:18:07 rebuke me
00:18:07 --> 00:18:08 in your
00:18:08 --> 00:18:09 anger or
00:18:09 --> 00:18:10 discipline me
00:18:10 --> 00:18:10 in your
00:18:10 --> 00:18:11 wrath.
00:18:13 --> 00:18:14 Seems a
00:18:14 --> 00:18:14 strange place
00:18:14 --> 00:18:15 to start.
00:18:17 --> 00:18:17 David seems
00:18:17 --> 00:18:17 to be
00:18:17 --> 00:18:18 confessing
00:18:18 --> 00:18:19 something,
00:18:19 --> 00:18:20 but unlike
00:18:20 --> 00:18:21 many other
00:18:21 --> 00:18:21 Psalms that
00:18:21 --> 00:18:22 begin with
00:18:22 --> 00:18:23 a confession
00:18:23 --> 00:18:23 of a
00:18:23 --> 00:18:25 specific sin,
00:18:25 --> 00:18:27 David instead
00:18:27 --> 00:18:28 pleads with
00:18:28 --> 00:18:29 God and
00:18:29 --> 00:18:30 confesses
00:18:30 --> 00:18:31 his
00:18:31 --> 00:18:32 sinfulness.
00:18:32 --> 00:18:32 forgiveness.
00:18:33 --> 00:18:34 He makes
00:18:34 --> 00:18:35 a claim
00:18:35 --> 00:18:37 of need
00:18:37 --> 00:18:38 for God's
00:18:38 --> 00:18:39 grace toward
00:18:39 --> 00:18:40 him.
00:18:41 --> 00:18:42 David doesn't
00:18:42 --> 00:18:42 deserve his
00:18:42 --> 00:18:43 relationship with
00:18:43 --> 00:18:43 God,
00:18:44 --> 00:18:46 but he claims
00:18:46 --> 00:18:47 the relationship
00:18:47 --> 00:18:47 anyway.
00:18:48 --> 00:18:49 And he does
00:18:49 --> 00:18:50 not claim a
00:18:50 --> 00:18:51 right to his
00:18:51 --> 00:18:52 change of
00:18:52 --> 00:18:53 circumstances.
00:18:54 --> 00:18:54 He instead
00:18:54 --> 00:18:56 knows God's
00:18:56 --> 00:18:57 character is to
00:18:57 --> 00:18:58 save and to
00:18:58 --> 00:19:00 heal as he is
00:19:00 --> 00:19:01 gracious and
00:19:01 --> 00:19:01 loving.
00:19:02 --> 00:19:03 So he trusts
00:19:03 --> 00:19:05 God by
00:19:05 --> 00:19:05 grace.
00:19:06 --> 00:19:07 He trusts
00:19:07 --> 00:19:08 God's grace
00:19:08 --> 00:19:08 that he would
00:19:08 --> 00:19:09 hear him and
00:19:09 --> 00:19:12 heal him as
00:19:12 --> 00:19:12 he cries out
00:19:12 --> 00:19:13 in prayer.
00:19:16 --> 00:19:17 David then
00:19:17 --> 00:19:19 tells God of
00:19:19 --> 00:19:19 his situation,
00:19:20 --> 00:19:22 even though he
00:19:22 --> 00:19:22 knows God
00:19:22 --> 00:19:23 already sees
00:19:23 --> 00:19:23 it.
00:19:23 --> 00:19:27 all the
00:19:27 --> 00:19:28 tears and
00:19:28 --> 00:19:29 groans.
00:19:30 --> 00:19:31 God can
00:19:31 --> 00:19:31 already see
00:19:31 --> 00:19:32 all of it.
00:19:33 --> 00:19:34 We just
00:19:34 --> 00:19:35 went through
00:19:35 --> 00:19:38 how David
00:19:38 --> 00:19:39 describes his
00:19:39 --> 00:19:40 situation to
00:19:40 --> 00:19:40 God.
00:19:40 --> 00:19:40 That's how we
00:19:40 --> 00:19:41 know what
00:19:41 --> 00:19:41 David was
00:19:41 --> 00:19:42 going through.
00:19:43 --> 00:19:44 David tells
00:19:44 --> 00:19:45 God all of
00:19:45 --> 00:19:45 it.
00:19:47 --> 00:19:48 Think of
00:19:48 --> 00:19:49 how a
00:19:49 --> 00:19:50 little child
00:19:50 --> 00:19:52 reacts to
00:19:52 --> 00:19:53 falling down.
00:19:53 --> 00:19:56 the parent
00:19:56 --> 00:19:56 might be
00:19:56 --> 00:19:57 there and
00:19:57 --> 00:19:58 usually is
00:19:58 --> 00:19:58 there.
00:19:58 --> 00:19:59 If they're
00:19:59 --> 00:19:59 not on
00:19:59 --> 00:19:59 their phone,
00:20:00 --> 00:20:00 they're probably
00:20:00 --> 00:20:01 watching their
00:20:01 --> 00:20:02 child and
00:20:02 --> 00:20:02 their child
00:20:02 --> 00:20:03 knows it.
00:20:03 --> 00:20:04 And their
00:20:04 --> 00:20:04 child is
00:20:04 --> 00:20:05 running and
00:20:05 --> 00:20:05 playing and
00:20:05 --> 00:20:05 then their
00:20:05 --> 00:20:06 child falls
00:20:06 --> 00:20:07 down.
00:20:07 --> 00:20:08 They might
00:20:08 --> 00:20:08 skin their
00:20:08 --> 00:20:09 knees, hurt
00:20:09 --> 00:20:10 their hands
00:20:10 --> 00:20:12 and they run
00:20:12 --> 00:20:12 to their
00:20:12 --> 00:20:14 parent or
00:20:14 --> 00:20:15 their carer.
00:20:16 --> 00:20:17 And they
00:20:17 --> 00:20:17 say to
00:20:17 --> 00:20:18 them, what
00:20:18 --> 00:20:18 happened?
00:20:19 --> 00:20:19 Even though
00:20:19 --> 00:20:20 they just saw
00:20:20 --> 00:20:20 it.
00:20:21 --> 00:20:21 And the
00:20:21 --> 00:20:22 child says,
00:20:22 --> 00:20:22 I fell
00:20:22 --> 00:20:23 down.
00:20:23 --> 00:20:23 I got
00:20:23 --> 00:20:24 an
00:20:24 --> 00:20:24 owie.
00:20:26 --> 00:20:26 You see,
00:20:26 --> 00:20:26 part of
00:20:26 --> 00:20:27 lamenting is
00:20:27 --> 00:20:28 blurting out
00:20:28 --> 00:20:29 in our own
00:20:29 --> 00:20:29 words what
00:20:29 --> 00:20:30 God already
00:20:30 --> 00:20:31 sees.
00:20:32 --> 00:20:32 Doing this
00:20:32 --> 00:20:33 affirms our
00:20:33 --> 00:20:34 close relationship
00:20:34 --> 00:20:36 where we can
00:20:36 --> 00:20:36 share our
00:20:36 --> 00:20:37 hurting words
00:20:37 --> 00:20:38 with our
00:20:38 --> 00:20:39 loving Father.
00:20:41 --> 00:20:42 It's safe
00:20:42 --> 00:20:43 with Him
00:20:43 --> 00:20:44 because He
00:20:44 --> 00:20:45 hears what
00:20:45 --> 00:20:45 we say
00:20:45 --> 00:20:47 and we're
00:20:47 --> 00:20:48 near to
00:20:48 --> 00:20:48 His ear.
00:20:48 --> 00:20:49 God.
00:20:51 --> 00:20:52 Then David
00:20:52 --> 00:20:53 asks God
00:20:53 --> 00:20:53 to do
00:20:53 --> 00:20:54 something.
00:20:55 --> 00:20:56 He wants
00:20:56 --> 00:20:56 God to
00:20:56 --> 00:20:57 have mercy
00:20:57 --> 00:20:58 and deliver
00:20:58 --> 00:20:59 him out of
00:20:59 --> 00:20:59 his situation,
00:21:00 --> 00:21:00 verses 2 and
00:21:00 --> 00:21:01 4.
00:21:02 --> 00:21:03 He asks
00:21:03 --> 00:21:04 specifically
00:21:04 --> 00:21:05 for healing
00:21:05 --> 00:21:06 in verse 2
00:21:06 --> 00:21:08 and that it
00:21:08 --> 00:21:08 would come
00:21:08 --> 00:21:09 quickly as
00:21:09 --> 00:21:10 he cries
00:21:10 --> 00:21:10 out, how
00:21:10 --> 00:21:11 long?
00:21:11 --> 00:21:14 He trusts
00:21:14 --> 00:21:15 in God
00:21:15 --> 00:21:16 to deliver
00:21:16 --> 00:21:18 him, even
00:21:18 --> 00:21:19 in verse 10
00:21:19 --> 00:21:20 to bring
00:21:20 --> 00:21:21 justice
00:21:21 --> 00:21:22 into his
00:21:22 --> 00:21:23 situation.
00:21:23 --> 00:21:25 In verse 4
00:21:25 --> 00:21:26 it says,
00:21:27 --> 00:21:28 save me
00:21:28 --> 00:21:29 because of
00:21:29 --> 00:21:29 your unfailing
00:21:29 --> 00:21:30 love.
00:21:32 --> 00:21:32 Because of
00:21:32 --> 00:21:33 the love
00:21:33 --> 00:21:33 that he sees
00:21:33 --> 00:21:34 in God,
00:21:34 --> 00:21:35 he trusts
00:21:35 --> 00:21:36 that he's
00:21:36 --> 00:21:37 going to be
00:21:37 --> 00:21:38 saved, or
00:21:38 --> 00:21:39 at least
00:21:39 --> 00:21:41 he claims
00:21:41 --> 00:21:42 that promise.
00:21:44 --> 00:21:45 In a
00:21:45 --> 00:21:46 relationship of
00:21:46 --> 00:21:46 grace and
00:21:46 --> 00:21:47 love with
00:21:47 --> 00:21:48 God, David
00:21:48 --> 00:21:49 can safely
00:21:49 --> 00:21:49 plead for
00:21:49 --> 00:21:51 help, but
00:21:51 --> 00:21:52 that verse 4
00:21:52 --> 00:21:54 save me
00:21:54 --> 00:21:54 because of
00:21:54 --> 00:21:55 your unfailing
00:21:55 --> 00:21:57 love, could
00:21:57 --> 00:21:58 also be
00:21:58 --> 00:21:59 in part a
00:21:59 --> 00:22:00 challenge to
00:22:00 --> 00:22:01 God.
00:22:02 --> 00:22:02 Does David
00:22:02 --> 00:22:04 feel loved
00:22:04 --> 00:22:04 by God
00:22:04 --> 00:22:05 right now?
00:22:06 --> 00:22:07 I suggest
00:22:07 --> 00:22:08 he probably
00:22:08 --> 00:22:08 doesn't feel
00:22:08 --> 00:22:09 it.
00:22:10 --> 00:22:11 It doesn't
00:22:11 --> 00:22:11 mean it's
00:22:11 --> 00:22:12 not true.
00:22:13 --> 00:22:14 And then in
00:22:14 --> 00:22:15 verse 5, David
00:22:15 --> 00:22:16 continues to
00:22:16 --> 00:22:17 challenge.
00:22:18 --> 00:22:18 He says,
00:22:18 --> 00:22:18 among the
00:22:18 --> 00:22:20 dead no
00:22:20 --> 00:22:20 one proclaims
00:22:20 --> 00:22:21 your name.
00:22:21 --> 00:22:22 Who praises
00:22:22 --> 00:22:22 you from
00:22:22 --> 00:22:23 the grave?
00:22:24 --> 00:22:25 At death's
00:22:25 --> 00:22:26 door, David
00:22:26 --> 00:22:27 is challenging
00:22:27 --> 00:22:28 God.
00:22:29 --> 00:22:30 Surely God
00:22:30 --> 00:22:30 would keep
00:22:30 --> 00:22:31 his king
00:22:31 --> 00:22:32 alive to
00:22:32 --> 00:22:33 lead his
00:22:33 --> 00:22:33 people to
00:22:33 --> 00:22:34 follow him
00:22:34 --> 00:22:35 as God
00:22:35 --> 00:22:36 has promised.
00:22:37 --> 00:22:38 Will God
00:22:38 --> 00:22:39 save for
00:22:39 --> 00:22:40 his own
00:22:40 --> 00:22:41 name's sake?
00:22:43 --> 00:22:44 How often
00:22:44 --> 00:22:44 do you
00:22:44 --> 00:22:45 challenge God
00:22:45 --> 00:22:45 out loud
00:22:45 --> 00:22:47 to his face?
00:22:48 --> 00:22:49 Is that a
00:22:49 --> 00:22:49 safe thing
00:22:49 --> 00:22:50 to do?
00:22:52 --> 00:22:53 Challenging
00:22:53 --> 00:22:53 God in
00:22:53 --> 00:22:54 lament
00:22:54 --> 00:22:56 means
00:22:56 --> 00:22:56 remembering
00:22:56 --> 00:22:57 God's
00:22:57 --> 00:22:57 promises
00:22:57 --> 00:23:00 and seeing
00:23:00 --> 00:23:00 if they
00:23:00 --> 00:23:01 are contradicted
00:23:01 --> 00:23:02 by our
00:23:02 --> 00:23:02 negative
00:23:02 --> 00:23:03 circumstances.
00:23:04 --> 00:23:05 It's a
00:23:05 --> 00:23:06 brave thing,
00:23:06 --> 00:23:06 yet it's a
00:23:06 --> 00:23:07 safe thing
00:23:07 --> 00:23:08 for David
00:23:08 --> 00:23:08 to do
00:23:08 --> 00:23:10 because of
00:23:10 --> 00:23:10 the close
00:23:10 --> 00:23:11 relationship
00:23:11 --> 00:23:11 that he has
00:23:11 --> 00:23:12 with God.
00:23:12 --> 00:23:13 and it's
00:23:13 --> 00:23:13 a wise
00:23:13 --> 00:23:14 thing
00:23:14 --> 00:23:15 because when
00:23:15 --> 00:23:16 we challenge
00:23:16 --> 00:23:17 God's
00:23:17 --> 00:23:17 promises,
00:23:18 --> 00:23:19 they always
00:23:19 --> 00:23:19 stand true
00:23:19 --> 00:23:20 and sure,
00:23:21 --> 00:23:22 no matter
00:23:22 --> 00:23:22 the scrutiny
00:23:22 --> 00:23:23 they are put
00:23:23 --> 00:23:23 under.
00:23:25 --> 00:23:26 And so
00:23:26 --> 00:23:27 after David
00:23:27 --> 00:23:28 cries out,
00:23:28 --> 00:23:30 what happens?
00:23:30 --> 00:23:33 we see
00:23:33 --> 00:23:34 no evidence
00:23:34 --> 00:23:35 of deliverance
00:23:35 --> 00:23:36 or healing
00:23:36 --> 00:23:38 from illness
00:23:38 --> 00:23:39 or enemy.
00:23:40 --> 00:23:41 But the
00:23:41 --> 00:23:41 lament
00:23:41 --> 00:23:42 changes tone
00:23:42 --> 00:23:42 in verses
00:23:42 --> 00:23:43 9 and
00:23:43 --> 00:23:43 10.
00:23:44 --> 00:23:45 David's
00:23:45 --> 00:23:45 prayers
00:23:45 --> 00:23:46 become
00:23:46 --> 00:23:46 determined
00:23:46 --> 00:23:47 and even
00:23:47 --> 00:23:48 more certain.
00:23:49 --> 00:23:50 In verse
00:23:50 --> 00:23:51 9 it says
00:23:51 --> 00:23:51 he turns
00:23:51 --> 00:23:52 away from
00:23:52 --> 00:23:53 evil toward
00:23:53 --> 00:23:53 God.
00:23:54 --> 00:23:54 There's a
00:23:54 --> 00:23:55 purposefulness
00:23:55 --> 00:23:57 about whatever
00:23:57 --> 00:23:57 he will do
00:23:57 --> 00:23:58 next.
00:23:58 --> 00:24:01 As he
00:24:01 --> 00:24:02 tells God,
00:24:02 --> 00:24:03 asks God
00:24:03 --> 00:24:04 and challenges
00:24:04 --> 00:24:04 God,
00:24:06 --> 00:24:07 David finds
00:24:07 --> 00:24:08 his way
00:24:08 --> 00:24:10 to truth
00:24:10 --> 00:24:12 in God's
00:24:12 --> 00:24:12 promises.
00:24:13 --> 00:24:14 He finds
00:24:14 --> 00:24:15 God listening
00:24:15 --> 00:24:15 to his
00:24:15 --> 00:24:16 weeping,
00:24:16 --> 00:24:17 hearing his
00:24:17 --> 00:24:18 cries and
00:24:18 --> 00:24:19 accepting his
00:24:19 --> 00:24:19 prayer.
00:24:20 --> 00:24:21 This is what
00:24:21 --> 00:24:22 gives David
00:24:22 --> 00:24:22 hope.
00:24:24 --> 00:24:25 These verses
00:24:25 --> 00:24:25 here.
00:24:27 --> 00:24:27 The Lord
00:24:27 --> 00:24:28 has heard
00:24:28 --> 00:24:28 my
00:24:28 --> 00:24:28 weeping.
00:24:29 --> 00:24:29 The Lord
00:24:29 --> 00:24:30 has heard
00:24:30 --> 00:24:31 my cry
00:24:31 --> 00:24:31 for mercy.
00:24:32 --> 00:24:32 The Lord
00:24:32 --> 00:24:34 accepts
00:24:34 --> 00:24:35 my prayer.
00:24:37 --> 00:24:37 As if
00:24:37 --> 00:24:38 from nowhere
00:24:38 --> 00:24:39 David has
00:24:39 --> 00:24:40 this sudden
00:24:40 --> 00:24:40 strength,
00:24:41 --> 00:24:42 he rejects
00:24:42 --> 00:24:43 the allure
00:24:43 --> 00:24:43 of all the
00:24:43 --> 00:24:44 other bright
00:24:44 --> 00:24:45 lights that
00:24:45 --> 00:24:46 a king
00:24:46 --> 00:24:47 of a
00:24:47 --> 00:24:47 country
00:24:47 --> 00:24:49 could run
00:24:49 --> 00:24:49 towards
00:24:49 --> 00:24:50 in a dark
00:24:50 --> 00:24:51 time like
00:24:51 --> 00:24:51 this.
00:24:51 --> 00:24:52 Whether it
00:24:52 --> 00:24:53 be a
00:24:53 --> 00:24:53 treaty with
00:24:53 --> 00:24:54 the evil
00:24:54 --> 00:24:55 nations around
00:24:55 --> 00:24:55 David,
00:24:55 --> 00:24:56 or whether
00:24:56 --> 00:24:56 it be
00:24:56 --> 00:24:57 a lust
00:24:57 --> 00:24:58 after some
00:24:58 --> 00:24:58 other
00:24:58 --> 00:24:59 distraction
00:24:59 --> 00:25:00 to run
00:25:00 --> 00:25:01 away from
00:25:01 --> 00:25:01 his internal
00:25:01 --> 00:25:02 problems and
00:25:02 --> 00:25:02 struggles.
00:25:04 --> 00:25:05 Instead,
00:25:06 --> 00:25:07 David embraces
00:25:07 --> 00:25:08 the ability
00:25:08 --> 00:25:09 of God
00:25:09 --> 00:25:09 to comfort
00:25:09 --> 00:25:11 him in
00:25:11 --> 00:25:12 the promise
00:25:12 --> 00:25:12 of God's
00:25:12 --> 00:25:13 acceptance
00:25:13 --> 00:25:14 of his
00:25:14 --> 00:25:15 prayer
00:25:15 --> 00:25:16 before God
00:25:16 --> 00:25:17 heals or
00:25:17 --> 00:25:17 saves.
00:25:17 --> 00:25:21 David finds
00:25:21 --> 00:25:22 his trust
00:25:22 --> 00:25:23 in a
00:25:23 --> 00:25:23 relationship
00:25:23 --> 00:25:24 with God
00:25:24 --> 00:25:25 that cannot
00:25:25 --> 00:25:25 be broken
00:25:25 --> 00:25:26 by any
00:25:26 --> 00:25:27 circumstances
00:25:27 --> 00:25:27 but can
00:25:27 --> 00:25:28 be relied
00:25:28 --> 00:25:29 on in
00:25:29 --> 00:25:30 every
00:25:30 --> 00:25:31 circumstance,
00:25:31 --> 00:25:33 even this
00:25:33 --> 00:25:34 circumstance.
00:25:36 --> 00:25:37 So here I
00:25:37 --> 00:25:38 imagine David's
00:25:38 --> 00:25:39 tear-stained
00:25:39 --> 00:25:39 face
00:25:39 --> 00:25:42 becoming
00:25:42 --> 00:25:43 peaceful,
00:25:43 --> 00:25:44 maybe a
00:25:44 --> 00:25:44 deep breath.
00:25:44 --> 00:25:44 death.
00:25:47 --> 00:25:48 And the
00:25:48 --> 00:25:49 backing
00:25:49 --> 00:25:49 music
00:25:49 --> 00:25:51 turns from
00:25:51 --> 00:25:52 minor to
00:25:52 --> 00:25:52 major.
00:25:52 --> 00:25:53 Maybe there's
00:25:53 --> 00:25:53 a key
00:25:53 --> 00:25:54 change,
00:25:54 --> 00:25:55 or maybe
00:25:55 --> 00:25:55 a peaceful
00:25:55 --> 00:25:56 ending.
00:25:58 --> 00:25:58 And then we
00:25:58 --> 00:25:59 have verse
00:25:59 --> 00:25:59 10.
00:26:01 --> 00:26:02 All my
00:26:02 --> 00:26:03 enemies will
00:26:03 --> 00:26:03 be overwhelmed
00:26:03 --> 00:26:04 with shame
00:26:04 --> 00:26:05 and anguish.
00:26:05 --> 00:26:06 They will
00:26:06 --> 00:26:07 turn back
00:26:07 --> 00:26:07 and suddenly
00:26:07 --> 00:26:08 be put to
00:26:08 --> 00:26:08 shame.
00:26:11 --> 00:26:11 This sounds
00:26:11 --> 00:26:12 out of the
00:26:12 --> 00:26:12 blue.
00:26:13 --> 00:26:13 It sounds
00:26:13 --> 00:26:14 a bit bold
00:26:14 --> 00:26:15 for our
00:26:15 --> 00:26:15 tongues.
00:26:17 --> 00:26:18 Will David's
00:26:18 --> 00:26:19 enemies be
00:26:19 --> 00:26:19 turned back?
00:26:20 --> 00:26:20 Will they
00:26:20 --> 00:26:21 take on
00:26:21 --> 00:26:22 David's
00:26:22 --> 00:26:22 anguish of
00:26:22 --> 00:26:23 soul that
00:26:23 --> 00:26:24 we read about
00:26:24 --> 00:26:25 in verse 3?
00:26:25 --> 00:26:25 Will they
00:26:25 --> 00:26:26 take that
00:26:26 --> 00:26:26 on as
00:26:26 --> 00:26:27 their own
00:26:27 --> 00:26:27 somehow?
00:26:28 --> 00:26:29 But no
00:26:29 --> 00:26:30 matter the
00:26:30 --> 00:26:30 outcome,
00:26:31 --> 00:26:32 David is
00:26:32 --> 00:26:33 confident in
00:26:33 --> 00:26:33 God's ability
00:26:33 --> 00:26:34 to do
00:26:34 --> 00:26:34 verse 10.
00:26:36 --> 00:26:37 He's
00:26:37 --> 00:26:37 confident in
00:26:37 --> 00:26:38 God's ability
00:26:38 --> 00:26:39 to work
00:26:39 --> 00:26:41 justice as
00:26:41 --> 00:26:42 David sees
00:26:42 --> 00:26:42 it.
00:26:42 --> 00:26:44 and he's
00:26:44 --> 00:26:45 comforted in
00:26:45 --> 00:26:46 the acceptance
00:26:46 --> 00:26:46 that God
00:26:46 --> 00:26:47 has given
00:26:47 --> 00:26:49 him in
00:26:49 --> 00:26:51 relationship as
00:26:51 --> 00:26:51 he is
00:26:51 --> 00:26:52 lamenting in
00:26:52 --> 00:26:52 prayer.
00:26:54 --> 00:26:55 Lamenting
00:26:55 --> 00:26:56 changed David
00:26:56 --> 00:26:57 from verses
00:26:57 --> 00:26:58 1 to verse
00:26:58 --> 00:26:58 10.
00:26:59 --> 00:27:00 But his
00:27:00 --> 00:27:01 situation didn't
00:27:01 --> 00:27:02 change, not
00:27:02 --> 00:27:02 at all.
00:27:04 --> 00:27:04 Lamenting led
00:27:04 --> 00:27:05 David to hope,
00:27:06 --> 00:27:08 to dismiss his
00:27:08 --> 00:27:09 doubts, because
00:27:09 --> 00:27:10 God heard him
00:27:10 --> 00:27:10 weep.
00:27:11 --> 00:27:12 He listened
00:27:12 --> 00:27:12 to his
00:27:12 --> 00:27:13 cry, and
00:27:13 --> 00:27:14 he accepted
00:27:14 --> 00:27:15 his prayer,
00:27:16 --> 00:27:17 which confirmed
00:27:17 --> 00:27:18 the relationship
00:27:18 --> 00:27:18 that David
00:27:18 --> 00:27:20 had by God's
00:27:20 --> 00:27:21 grace and
00:27:21 --> 00:27:22 unfailing love
00:27:22 --> 00:27:22 for him.
00:27:23 --> 00:27:23 For David,
00:27:24 --> 00:27:25 that was
00:27:25 --> 00:27:26 enough.
00:27:28 --> 00:27:29 Today, you
00:27:29 --> 00:27:30 might not be
00:27:30 --> 00:27:30 in a place
00:27:30 --> 00:27:32 like David
00:27:32 --> 00:27:33 was, desperate
00:27:33 --> 00:27:34 and despondent
00:27:34 --> 00:27:35 or even
00:27:35 --> 00:27:36 dying, but
00:27:36 --> 00:27:38 if you
00:27:38 --> 00:27:38 don't
00:27:38 --> 00:27:39 lament
00:27:39 --> 00:27:41 today, you
00:27:41 --> 00:27:42 certainly will
00:27:42 --> 00:27:42 soon.
00:27:44 --> 00:27:45 We have
00:27:45 --> 00:27:46 seen in
00:27:46 --> 00:27:46 Psalm 6
00:27:46 --> 00:27:49 that God
00:27:49 --> 00:27:49 is the
00:27:49 --> 00:27:51 light that
00:27:51 --> 00:27:52 Scripture would
00:27:52 --> 00:27:53 have us turn
00:27:53 --> 00:27:54 to for help
00:27:54 --> 00:27:54 in our darkest
00:27:54 --> 00:27:55 hour.
00:27:56 --> 00:27:56 So don't
00:27:56 --> 00:27:57 wait until
00:27:57 --> 00:27:58 your soul and
00:27:58 --> 00:27:58 body have
00:27:58 --> 00:28:00 recovered to
00:28:00 --> 00:28:01 begin to
00:28:01 --> 00:28:01 pray.
00:28:03 --> 00:28:03 But come to
00:28:03 --> 00:28:04 God in lament
00:28:04 --> 00:28:06 while our
00:28:06 --> 00:28:07 tears are
00:28:07 --> 00:28:07 flowing.
00:28:09 --> 00:28:10 We have
00:28:10 --> 00:28:10 found here
00:28:10 --> 00:28:11 that lamenting,
00:28:12 --> 00:28:12 turning to
00:28:12 --> 00:28:14 God, telling
00:28:14 --> 00:28:15 God, asking
00:28:15 --> 00:28:17 God, even
00:28:17 --> 00:28:17 challenging
00:28:17 --> 00:28:19 God, is a
00:28:19 --> 00:28:19 pattern of
00:28:19 --> 00:28:21 prayer and
00:28:21 --> 00:28:22 lament that
00:28:22 --> 00:28:23 God will hear
00:28:23 --> 00:28:25 and accept.
00:28:25 --> 00:28:25 And when we
00:28:25 --> 00:28:26 come to him
00:28:26 --> 00:28:27 to test our
00:28:27 --> 00:28:29 relationship and
00:28:29 --> 00:28:29 compare our
00:28:29 --> 00:28:30 broken body,
00:28:30 --> 00:28:31 soul, and
00:28:31 --> 00:28:32 circumstances to
00:28:32 --> 00:28:33 his promises
00:28:33 --> 00:28:34 for now,
00:28:34 --> 00:28:35 and for the
00:28:35 --> 00:28:37 future, we
00:28:37 --> 00:28:37 find him
00:28:37 --> 00:28:39 trustworthy and
00:28:39 --> 00:28:40 reliable.
00:28:41 --> 00:28:42 In lament, we
00:28:42 --> 00:28:43 can find hope,
00:28:44 --> 00:28:44 and as we
00:28:44 --> 00:28:46 hope, our
00:28:46 --> 00:28:47 faith grows.
00:28:48 --> 00:28:50 Faith does
00:28:50 --> 00:28:51 not always
00:28:51 --> 00:28:53 resolve life.
00:28:54 --> 00:28:55 But with
00:28:55 --> 00:28:56 faith, there
00:28:56 --> 00:28:57 is forever,
00:28:58 --> 00:28:59 forever hope
00:28:59 --> 00:29:00 in Jesus.
00:29:00 --> 00:29:02 God's
00:29:02 --> 00:29:03 God's
00:29:03 --> 00:29:04 love, and
00:29:04 --> 00:29:05 he
00:29:05 --> 00:29:05 was
00:29:05 --> 00:29:08 loving, so
00:29:08 --> 00:29:09 that he
00:29:09 --> 00:29:09 would be a
00:29:09 --> 00:29:10 saving God.
00:29:11 --> 00:29:11 So he
00:29:11 --> 00:29:12 came to him
00:29:12 --> 00:29:13 and lamented.
00:29:13 --> 00:29:14 He found
00:29:14 --> 00:29:15 hope in
00:29:15 --> 00:29:16 God's light,
00:29:16 --> 00:29:17 the light of
00:29:17 --> 00:29:18 his promises,
00:29:18 --> 00:29:19 that one
00:29:19 --> 00:29:21 day, justice
00:29:21 --> 00:29:22 and peace
00:29:22 --> 00:29:22 would be
00:29:22 --> 00:29:22 done.
00:29:24 --> 00:29:25 In his
00:29:25 --> 00:29:25 life,
00:29:26 --> 00:29:28 but in the
00:29:28 --> 00:29:28 world, once
00:29:28 --> 00:29:29 for all,
00:29:29 --> 00:29:30 justice would
00:29:30 --> 00:29:30 be done.
00:29:31 --> 00:29:31 But David
00:29:31 --> 00:29:32 didn't live
00:29:32 --> 00:29:33 to see the
00:29:33 --> 00:29:34 fullest display
00:29:34 --> 00:29:35 of God's
00:29:35 --> 00:29:37 grace, how
00:29:37 --> 00:29:38 gracious God
00:29:38 --> 00:29:39 would be,
00:29:40 --> 00:29:41 but we get
00:29:41 --> 00:29:41 to.
00:29:43 --> 00:29:45 Today, we
00:29:45 --> 00:29:46 have the
00:29:46 --> 00:29:47 brightest view
00:29:47 --> 00:29:47 of God's
00:29:47 --> 00:29:48 guiding light
00:29:48 --> 00:29:48 in the
00:29:48 --> 00:29:49 darkness.
00:29:49 --> 00:29:50 We have the
00:29:50 --> 00:29:50 light of the
00:29:50 --> 00:29:52 world, Jesus
00:29:52 --> 00:29:53 Christ.
00:29:54 --> 00:29:55 God's
00:29:55 --> 00:29:55 grace is
00:29:55 --> 00:29:56 on dazzling
00:29:56 --> 00:29:58 display, and
00:29:58 --> 00:29:59 it sears
00:29:59 --> 00:30:00 our sight
00:30:00 --> 00:30:01 when we
00:30:01 --> 00:30:03 see Jesus
00:30:03 --> 00:30:04 at the
00:30:04 --> 00:30:04 cross.
00:30:05 --> 00:30:06 It is
00:30:06 --> 00:30:08 there where
00:30:08 --> 00:30:09 Jesus took
00:30:09 --> 00:30:10 the sin of
00:30:10 --> 00:30:11 all who
00:30:11 --> 00:30:11 believe in
00:30:11 --> 00:30:13 him upon
00:30:13 --> 00:30:13 himself,
00:30:15 --> 00:30:16 dying in
00:30:16 --> 00:30:17 agony in
00:30:17 --> 00:30:18 our place,
00:30:18 --> 00:30:19 so that we
00:30:19 --> 00:30:20 could know
00:30:20 --> 00:30:20 God's
00:30:20 --> 00:30:22 grace, see
00:30:22 --> 00:30:22 God's
00:30:22 --> 00:30:25 grace, and
00:30:25 --> 00:30:25 discover full
00:30:25 --> 00:30:26 forgiveness.
00:30:28 --> 00:30:29 How can
00:30:29 --> 00:30:30 you know,
00:30:30 --> 00:30:31 how can
00:30:31 --> 00:30:31 you trust
00:30:31 --> 00:30:32 right now,
00:30:32 --> 00:30:34 2021, in
00:30:34 --> 00:30:34 Sydney or
00:30:34 --> 00:30:35 wherever you
00:30:35 --> 00:30:35 are in the
00:30:35 --> 00:30:37 world, how
00:30:37 --> 00:30:37 can you
00:30:37 --> 00:30:39 know that
00:30:39 --> 00:30:40 lamenting,
00:30:40 --> 00:30:41 you're turning
00:30:41 --> 00:30:41 to God, you're
00:30:41 --> 00:30:42 telling God, you're
00:30:42 --> 00:30:43 asking God, you're
00:30:43 --> 00:30:44 challenging God,
00:30:44 --> 00:30:45 and hoping in
00:30:45 --> 00:30:46 him, how can
00:30:46 --> 00:30:46 you know that
00:30:46 --> 00:30:47 is worth it?
00:30:50 --> 00:30:51 How can we
00:30:51 --> 00:30:53 know that
00:30:53 --> 00:30:54 our tears and
00:30:54 --> 00:30:55 our prayers are
00:30:55 --> 00:30:56 not for
00:30:56 --> 00:30:57 nothing?
00:30:59 --> 00:31:00 We can
00:31:00 --> 00:31:01 know because
00:31:01 --> 00:31:03 Jesus became
00:31:03 --> 00:31:03 God's enemy
00:31:03 --> 00:31:05 and died
00:31:05 --> 00:31:07 in our
00:31:07 --> 00:31:08 sorrows.
00:31:10 --> 00:31:11 Jesus bore
00:31:11 --> 00:31:13 the pain and
00:31:13 --> 00:31:14 wrath that
00:31:14 --> 00:31:15 in verse 10
00:31:15 --> 00:31:15 of this
00:31:15 --> 00:31:17 psalm, David
00:31:17 --> 00:31:18 imagined should
00:31:18 --> 00:31:19 be poured out
00:31:19 --> 00:31:19 on his worst
00:31:19 --> 00:31:20 enemy.
00:31:21 --> 00:31:21 That's what
00:31:21 --> 00:31:22 David saw
00:31:22 --> 00:31:24 justice to
00:31:24 --> 00:31:24 be.
00:31:25 --> 00:31:26 But instead,
00:31:27 --> 00:31:27 God took
00:31:27 --> 00:31:28 our pains
00:31:28 --> 00:31:29 of death
00:31:29 --> 00:31:30 upon
00:31:30 --> 00:31:30 himself.
00:31:33 --> 00:31:33 Jesus
00:31:33 --> 00:31:35 is the
00:31:35 --> 00:31:36 light of
00:31:36 --> 00:31:36 our hope.
00:31:40 --> 00:31:40 He did
00:31:40 --> 00:31:41 all that so
00:31:41 --> 00:31:41 that God
00:31:41 --> 00:31:42 our Father
00:31:42 --> 00:31:42 could promise
00:31:42 --> 00:31:44 us so
00:31:44 --> 00:31:45 assuredly
00:31:45 --> 00:31:46 that when
00:31:46 --> 00:31:46 we come to
00:31:46 --> 00:31:47 him as
00:31:47 --> 00:31:48 believers in
00:31:48 --> 00:31:48 his son's
00:31:48 --> 00:31:49 sacrifice,
00:31:49 --> 00:31:50 forgiven
00:31:50 --> 00:31:50 our
00:31:50 --> 00:31:51 sinfulness,
00:31:52 --> 00:31:53 that we
00:31:53 --> 00:31:53 have a
00:31:53 --> 00:31:54 father and
00:31:54 --> 00:31:55 a family
00:31:55 --> 00:31:56 to run
00:31:56 --> 00:31:57 to with
00:31:57 --> 00:31:58 our sorrows.
00:31:59 --> 00:32:01 So find
00:32:01 --> 00:32:01 comfort
00:32:01 --> 00:32:04 somehow,
00:32:05 --> 00:32:07 but surely
00:32:07 --> 00:32:09 in lament,
00:32:10 --> 00:32:11 in the
00:32:11 --> 00:32:11 accepting
00:32:11 --> 00:32:12 gaze of
00:32:12 --> 00:32:12 your father
00:32:12 --> 00:32:13 because you
00:32:13 --> 00:32:14 have unlimited
00:32:14 --> 00:32:15 grace from
00:32:15 --> 00:32:16 God to
00:32:16 --> 00:32:17 lament.
00:32:19 --> 00:32:19 And we
00:32:19 --> 00:32:20 can claim
00:32:20 --> 00:32:21 that grace
00:32:21 --> 00:32:22 like David
00:32:22 --> 00:32:23 did in
00:32:23 --> 00:32:23 verse 1
00:32:23 --> 00:32:23 of this
00:32:23 --> 00:32:24 psalm,
00:32:25 --> 00:32:26 if we
00:32:26 --> 00:32:27 trust in
00:32:27 --> 00:32:28 Jesus.
00:32:28 --> 00:32:28 Jesus.
00:32:29 --> 00:32:30 If you
00:32:30 --> 00:32:30 do not
00:32:30 --> 00:32:31 know Jesus
00:32:31 --> 00:32:32 yet, I
00:32:32 --> 00:32:33 encourage you
00:32:33 --> 00:32:34 to get in
00:32:34 --> 00:32:34 contact with
00:32:34 --> 00:32:35 us by
00:32:35 --> 00:32:36 email or
00:32:36 --> 00:32:38 phone in
00:32:38 --> 00:32:38 the comments
00:32:38 --> 00:32:39 right now
00:32:39 --> 00:32:40 or hang
00:32:40 --> 00:32:41 around on
00:32:41 --> 00:32:42 Zoom and
00:32:42 --> 00:32:42 ask,
00:32:43 --> 00:32:44 how can I
00:32:44 --> 00:32:45 know Jesus?
00:32:47 --> 00:32:48 The light
00:32:48 --> 00:32:49 of the
00:32:49 --> 00:32:51 world is
00:32:51 --> 00:32:52 your only
00:32:52 --> 00:32:52 hope.
00:32:52 --> 00:32:54 But if
00:32:54 --> 00:32:54 you do
00:32:54 --> 00:32:55 know Jesus
00:32:55 --> 00:32:56 and you
00:32:56 --> 00:32:56 can,
00:32:58 --> 00:32:59 with him
00:32:59 --> 00:32:59 you will
00:32:59 --> 00:33:01 find by
00:33:01 --> 00:33:03 grace that
00:33:03 --> 00:33:03 you are
00:33:03 --> 00:33:04 safe.
00:33:05 --> 00:33:06 In him
00:33:06 --> 00:33:06 you'll find
00:33:06 --> 00:33:08 hope through
00:33:08 --> 00:33:08 lament.
00:33:09 --> 00:33:10 So church,
00:33:10 --> 00:33:11 when you go
00:33:11 --> 00:33:11 through hard
00:33:11 --> 00:33:12 and horrifying
00:33:12 --> 00:33:14 times, fly
00:33:14 --> 00:33:15 to God.
00:33:16 --> 00:33:16 Come to
00:33:16 --> 00:33:17 his light.
00:33:17 --> 00:33:17 Don't be
00:33:17 --> 00:33:18 found at the
00:33:18 --> 00:33:19 podiatrist
00:33:19 --> 00:33:20 like the
00:33:20 --> 00:33:20 moth.
00:33:20 --> 00:33:22 Don't be
00:33:22 --> 00:33:24 drawn towards
00:33:24 --> 00:33:25 any other
00:33:25 --> 00:33:25 light that
00:33:25 --> 00:33:26 cannot
00:33:26 --> 00:33:27 deliver you
00:33:27 --> 00:33:28 from death.
00:33:30 --> 00:33:31 Run by
00:33:31 --> 00:33:32 the way
00:33:32 --> 00:33:33 of lament
00:33:33 --> 00:33:33 to the
00:33:33 --> 00:33:34 light of
00:33:34 --> 00:33:34 God's
00:33:34 --> 00:33:35 promises that
00:33:35 --> 00:33:36 shine so
00:33:36 --> 00:33:36 brightly at
00:33:36 --> 00:33:37 the cross
00:33:37 --> 00:33:38 and lament
00:33:38 --> 00:33:39 to the
00:33:39 --> 00:33:39 God who
00:33:39 --> 00:33:40 hears your
00:33:40 --> 00:33:40 weeping,
00:33:41 --> 00:33:41 who listens
00:33:41 --> 00:33:42 to your
00:33:42 --> 00:33:42 cries,
00:33:42 --> 00:33:43 who accepts
00:33:43 --> 00:33:44 your prayer,
00:33:46 --> 00:33:46 who accepts
00:33:46 --> 00:33:47 you.
00:33:48 --> 00:33:49 Lament in
00:33:49 --> 00:33:49 the light of
00:33:49 --> 00:33:50 your hope.
00:33:50 --> 00:33:52 Jesus Christ.