Class Lesson April 10, 2011

Hey Gang,

Last week we began a 4-week series on Navigating the Maze of Grief. We talked last week about the good of grief done well through Christ. We watched Rob Bell explain how important it is to know and understand why Jesus wept at the dying of His friend Lazarus.

How do we deal with the pain we suffer when we lose someone we love?

Rob Bell - Matthew 

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This week we learn the importance of Recognizing God's Presence during our time of grieving.

C.S. Lewis once said, “God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pain.”   Our lesson this week wants you to - Lean on God as the source of comfort and power – He is always with you.

Think about this for a moment, have you ever been lost? How did you discover you were lost? How did you find your way back to where you needed to be? How did you treat people along the way?

Grief in our lives often creates confusion and frustration. These lost feelings can lead us to be unkind to people or to wonder where God is when we seem to need Him most. We can draw on God’s power to continue to be kind because he walks beside us through our times of grief. 

I. TALK WITH GOD – PSALM 31:7-10

⁷ I will rejoice and be glad in Your faithful love because You have seen my affliction. You have known the troubles of my life ⁸ and have not handed me over to the enemy. You have set my feet in a spacious place. ⁹ Be gracious to me, LORD, because I am in distress; my eyes are worn out from angry sorrow— my whole being as well. ¹⁰ Indeed, my life is consumed with grief, and my years with groaning; my strength has failed because of my sinfulness, and my bones waste away.

Maybe you’ve heard people ask during grief or despair, “Where is God?” Or perhaps you’ve asked that question yourself. If God is close by, we assume we will not experience difficult times. But God stays with us during the easy and the hard of life. When I’m grieving, I just need to lean on God. Words aren’t necessary. Even when I don’t feel God, I can keep talking to Him because he hears and cares. So talk to Him.

The life of David as revealed in the Old Testament included many encounters with danger and stress. As a young shepherd, he protected his sheep from wild animals. As a young man, he fought and won against the Philistine giant named Goliath. In Saul’s court, he was the object of Saul’s murderous paranoia. He fought in numerous battles against Israel’s enemies, had family pain, and faced a rebellion led by his son Absalom. In some of David’s experiences, he was an innocent victim, but in others, sinful choices contributed to his crises. In the Psalms, where David’s name appears more than any other author, he expressed his petitions for help. He talked to God!

God had seen David’s affliction and knew his troubles. A wonderful attribute of God is His omniscience. Also, He is not a passive onlooker. His knowledge couples with love, and He responds to us even when we do not know what to ask for.

God’s blessings of help are not just for the obedient but also for those who turn to Him in repentance. Verse 10 indicates the suffering of David probably came from a time of disobedience in his life. David referred to his sinfulness as the cause of his difficulties. Much of the suffering we face arises as the result of our own misbehavior. Recovery begins when we confess our sin and ask for God’s forgiveness. God stands ready to help us, but He also faithfully calls on us to repent.

Most of us have a few undependable acquaintances – they talk big but regularly let us down. We may like them or even love them, but their behavior shows they are just not trustworthy; talking with them only aggravates us. God, however, is trustworthy. So spend your talking time with Him and people who honor Him.

II. ACT IN GOD’S POWER – PSALM 31:14-16

¹⁴ But I trust in You, LORD; I say, "You are my God." ¹⁵ The course of my life is in Your power; deliver me from the power of my enemies and from my persecutors. ¹⁶ Show Your favor to Your servant; save me by Your faithful love.

During grief, people often feel numb and disconnected from God. One way to be strong and courageous is to keep putting one foot in front of the other.

David expressed confidence and faith in God’s ability and willingness to help him. The Lord was David’s God. Turning to the Lord for deliverance was not a last resort for David. We have all heard people say in crisis, “I guess there’s nothing else we can do but pray.” Many people exhaust other possible sources of help and only turn to the Lord when those fail. Turning to God first saves us a lot of time and agony.

Everyone turns to someone or something in their times of need. Some people put their ultimate trust in themselves. They are proud of their self-reliance and believe they can work through any problem on their own. Some put their trust in others. They become absolutely dependent upon a mate, child, or friend. Some people put their ultimate trust in money or possessions. They fail to recognize that wealth cannot purchase security, salvation, love, respect, or countless other treasures.

Putting our absolute trust in God requires that we let Him guide the whole course of our lives. When we trust God above all others, He shows us what to do, when to do it, how to do it, and then gives us the strength for doing it. David said, “The course of my life is in Your power.”

III. REFUSE ARROGANCE – PSALM 31:21-24

²¹ May the LORD be praised, for He has wonderfully shown His faithful love to me in a city under siege. ²² In my alarm I had said, "I am cut off from Your sight." But You heard the sound of my pleading when I cried to You for help. ²³ Love the LORD, all His faithful ones. The LORD protects the loyal, but fully repays the arrogant. ²⁴ Be strong and courageous, all you who put your hope in the LORD.

In these final verses of Psalm 31, David expressed praise to the Lord and called upon believers to love and put their hope in Him. In verse 22, David admitted to a period of alarm when he wondered if the Lord saw his plight or heard his cries for help. Panic is what we feel when we forget God and His faithfulness. We may feel alone as believers, but we never are. God has promised never to leave or forsake His children (Heb. 13:5).

When believers look to God for help, they should first examine their lives to determine if they are living obediently to His will. David confessed his sins. Then he called upon the Lord for mercy. Trials and grief should cause us to examine our lives and ask God if there is a behavior or attitude we should change.

The arrogant should not expect help from the Lord, but instead, they will be fully repaid for their sinful attitudes. There are many that seem to believe that God exists to help us regardless of our relationship with Him. God’s promise of help is for the repentant and the faithful who submit to God’s will for their lives. Humility is essential to find God’s help in our times of need.

Remember

Lean on God as the source of comfort and power – He is always with you.

Susan and I won't be there Sunday as our daughter, Susannah is getting married this weekend. Monica and Larand Spencer will have a "Circle of Love" time for prayer and praise for what God continues to do in each of our lives. I shared this video last week on facebook so, I thought I would share it with all of you as well. This is where I am this weekend - keep Susan and me in your prayers. 

I suddenly realized what was happening, Susannah's all grown up and leaving us, and something inside began to hurt!

Susannah's Getting Married 

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We will see you next week!



In His Love,

David & Susan