Class Lesson March 18, 2012

Hey Gang,

We continue this week in our series on worship, we have talked about what it means to be spiritual: to thirst for God, to reach out to God in despair and to find our confidence in God. Last week we looked at what it means to pray – to call on God: to talk with God, to learn from God, and to be obedient to God. This week we look at worship as being a celebration of life – how should we celebrate? To celebrate is to praise, to rejoice, to be excited for the experience. 


Is there anything today that causes this level of excitement?

The Beatles on The Ed Sullivan Show

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Think about things we celebrate, ways we celebrate, and ways we celebrate God?


Every Sunday should be a celebration and holiday! Worship reminds us of the PAST - what God has done. Worship centers us on the PRESENT - what God is doing now. Worship also gives us hope for the FUTURE - what God will do soon.

Read 2 Samuel 6:5 and 14-16 and consider why celebration in worship might make some people uncomfortable?

• Celebration makes us uncomfortable, why? Because it’s not religious to have fun when the world is suffering all around us. However, worship and celebration are natural consequences of living with an openness and appreciation of God's presence in our lives.
• In worship there is prayer, repentance, forgiveness, education, sacrament, and sharing. But there is also "Holy, Holy, Holy", "Amen!", "Hallelujah!" and "Maranatha!". There is sorrow for sin and for the plight of others, but there is also celebration for what God has done and is doing. A congregation that doesn't rejoice in praise is simply not in worship.

"Loving God means rejoicing in God, being eager to think of and pray to God. It means being glad to be in God's presence and to be with God alone. It means not grieving God, but rejoicing in God simply because it is God who is involved, and because we are permitted to know and have God, and to speak with and live with God." - Dietrich Bonhoeffer


 

I. WORSHIP IS A CELEBRATION OF GOD – PSALM 92:1-4

A psalm. A song for the Sabbath day.
1 It is good to praise Yahweh, to sing praise to Your name, Most High, 2 to declare Your faithful love in the morning and Your faithfulness at night, 3 with a ten-stringed harp and the music of a lyre. 4 For You have made me rejoice, LORD, by what You have done; I will shout for joy because of the works of Your hands.



Did the psalmist view praising God as a duty or a delight? What happens when you praise God despite sorrow or stress? How do we worship well rather than just going through the motions?



What worship is not? Worship is not:

1. Contemporary or traditional - a matter of personal preference.

2. Liturgical or spontaneous - it is not a matter of order.

3. For Sunday morning or Saturday evening - it is not a matter of schedule.



What is worship? Worship is:


1. A life of conversation with God.

• God speaks, we respond, God responds, we respond again. Worship involves listening, looking, tasting, feeling, and smelling. We breathe in the presence of God wherever we are. We inhale the memories of His faithful acts in the past. Just as we suffocate for lack of air, worship suffocates for lack of attentiveness to God's presence and faithfulness.

2. Our response to who God is.

• As we meditate on God's nature and character through prayer and study, the Holy Spirit reveals who God is more and more fully. As we experience who God is and what He is like, we give Him more worth in our lives. The more we come to understand who God is, the more we desire to open our lives up to the change that He desires in us. Paul wrote, "Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind." It is in this way that true worship is transformational. Perhaps the clearest image of such conversion in worship is found in Isaiah 6:1-8.

3. Our response to what God has done.

• Paul wrote, "Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God - this is your act of spiritual worship." (Romans 12:1). Throughout the Scriptures, God's people are constantly recalling God's acts of salvation. In fact, all of Scripture may be seen as a retelling of how God has reached out to save his lost children, and how He desires them to live in Him and with Him.

4. The experience of the greatness of God.

• It is an encounter with the God who is with us. Such encounters are not limited to clocks and calendars, pianos and guitars, or dramas and dancing. We worship wherever and whenever we experience the living Christ.

When does worship happen? Worship happens:


1. When we see and appreciate the beauty of God in nature.

2. When we hear and appreciate the innocent laughter of children.

3. When we feel and appreciate the warmth of morning sun.

4. When we taste and appreciate the provision of food.

5. When we smell and appreciate the beauty of the seasons.

6. When our conscience is brought to life by thoughts of God's holiness.

7. When we grasp a deeper understanding of who God is.

8. When we grow in compassion for others from knowing God's love for us.

9. When we surrender our desires to the will of God.





How did the psalmist celebrate God’s greatness?

• With praise, singing, musical instruments, and shouts of joy.
• The psalmist said it was “good” to praise or celebrate God.
• The psalmist named qualities of God (faithful love, faithfulness, works of Your hands).
• Meaningful worship comes in a variety of forms.

 

Our lesson wanted us to think about what or whom we are so crazy about that we gush over them whenever we get a chance to talk about them. – Kid or grandkids, your spouse, your favorite football team, how about God?


II. WORSHIP IS A CELEBRATION OF GOD’S WORKS – PSALM 92:5-9

5 How magnificent are Your works, LORD, how profound Your thoughts! 6 A stupid person does not know, a fool does not understand this: 7 though the wicked sprout like grass and all evildoers flourish, they will be eternally destroyed. 8 But You, LORD, are exalted forever. 9 For indeed, LORD, Your enemies— indeed, Your enemies will perish; all evildoers will be scattered.



How can the concerns of this day-to-day life find their proper places in a life of praise?

                                         Life & Death Celebrations

Life:  

• The life of the Christian is a life of joy. Too many Christians, however, believe that smiling, laughing, and celebrating are improper. Consider the image that comes to mind when you hear the word "pious." You tend to think of tight-collared, somber-faced pilgrims, right?
• The life of Jesus' disciples is one of celebration. Even though we live in a world full of darkness-suffering in which we often participate-we live with the confidence that God has overcome the darkness. Jesus told his disciples, "In this world you will have troubles, but rejoice, I have overcome the world."

Death: 

• When dealing with death, can we celebrate? How is it possible to celebrate in such a sad time of loss? We can celebrate because we know the mystery of the cross. In His dying, Jesus swallowed up death's power over us. It is no longer a scary unknown, but a conquered enemy.
• We celebrate, even in our suffering, because we know the God who is with us. "Joy and laughter are the gifts of living in the presence of God and trusting that tomorrow is not worth worrying about."

God is good and the life He gives us is good. 

So, what is there to celebrate?

1. There is beauty to celebrate.

2. There is love to celebrate.

3. There is answer to prayer to celebrate.

4. There are victories to celebrate.

5. There are changed lives to celebrate.

6. There is a wonderful future to celebrate.



Read Deuteronomy 14:23-27. How might such Biblical celebration challenge your attitude toward having a good time?


23 You are to eat a tenth of your grain, new wine, and oil, and the firstborn of your herd and flock, in the presence of Yahweh your God at the place where He chooses to have His name dwell, so that you will always learn to fear the LORD your God. 24 But if the distance is too great for you to carry it, since the place where Yahweh your God chooses to put His name is too far away from you and since the LORD your God has blessed you, 25 then exchange it for money, take the money in your hand, and go to the place the LORD your God chooses. 26 You may spend the money on anything you want: cattle, sheep, wine, beer, or anything you desire. You are to feast there in the presence of the LORD your God and rejoice with your family. 27 Do not neglect the Levite within your gates, since he has no portion or inheritance among you.





Does Philippians 4:4-7 have anything to say to you about celebration?


4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5 Let your graciousness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. 6 Don’t worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses every thought, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

God's people are those whose lives are bordered on one side by a memory of God's acts and the other by hope in God's promises, and who along with whatever else is happening are able to say, at the center, we are one happy people. 


Of all the people on earth, God's people have the most reason to party.




Why is it foolish to ignore or openly rebel against God? Why do some do it anyway?

• Those who ignore God might seem to escape punishment, or perhaps even thrive (they sprout like grass) for a season of time. We can see examples of this all around us. But in the end, they are eternally destroyed.

III. WORSHIP IS A CELEBRATION OF DOING RIGHT – PSALM 92:10-15

10 You have lifted up my horn like that of a wild ox; I have been anointed with oil. 11 My eyes look down on my enemies; my ears hear evildoers when they attack me. 12 The righteous thrive like a palm tree and grow like a cedar tree in Lebanon. 13 Planted in the house of the LORD, they thrive in the courts of our God. 14 They will still bear fruit in old age, healthy and green, 15 to declare: “The LORD is just; He is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in Him.”



How have you found living for God to be more delightful as you’ve aged? What’s harder about it?



How did the psalmist describe benefits of worship? (Don’t limit worship to gathering on Sunday morning; include such actions as waking each morning and thanking God for the day.) For you personally, what are benefits of worship? Why do it even if it didn’t benefit you?

• God lifted up my horn shows strength comes from God. Anointed with oil refers to God’s favor. His eyes look down on his enemies means he had confidence when under attack. He would thrive like a palm tree and a cedar tree.
• Righteous people thrive like a palm tree and cedar tree. Trees grow slowly but are much more sturdy and permanent than grass. (v. 7)
• Sample benefits of worship: shows what God is like; lifts us when down; encourages not just us but others; equips for challenges; strengthens relationships with God and believers; changes lives for better; ingrains truth within us; music.

Conclusion:

List words (positive and negative) that describe worship today. Is “joyful” one of the words on your list? What changes in your attitude or habit could you pursue to make worship joyful?

• Samples: meaningful, habitual, enthusiastic, routine, ordinary, passionate, fervent, wholehearted, halfhearted, unifying, dividing, loving.
• Our worship can be joyful when we focus on God. Worship can be delight, not duty. When we worship, we focus on God’s loving purposes.
• List practical strategies for worship. (Examples: be thankful for blessings, look for ways God is changing lives, sing, recall worship is a freedom, be open to new worship experiences, more)

                                                     Prayer of Commitment

Lord, I celebrate not only what You have done for me, but I also celebrate You for Yourself. Amen

Be in prayer this week as we continue in our series on worship and as you consider what it means to really celebrate life.

 
I hope you have had a blessed week and I look forward to seeing you on Sunday!

 
In His Love,

David & Susan

Class Lesson March 11, 2012

Hey Gang,

We continue this week in our series on worship as we deep dive into the very depths of our communication with God, when we worship - when we pray.  There is nothing more important in our relationship with God than prayer and worship. Through prayer we establish a relationship with God, and through worship we recognize who He is. 

We know from scripture that two things God requires of us as Christians is prayer and worship. When we enter into God's presence in worship, there should be two-way communication. God wants to speak to us in our times of worship. Church attendance does not make us worshipers. Having attended a church service begs the questions, "Did you worship while you were there?" "Did you go to meet God or just be part of a gathering?"


The question today is - Why do you pray?

Sunday's Rob Bell Video on Prayer

Click Here to Watch

Who You Go Call?

If your car breaks down? If you get a new job? If you get bad news from the doctor? When you find out you are going to be a grandparent? Does who we call vary based on circumstances?  Don't you think God wants to hear about these things in your life too?

• God actually desires that we be utterly dependent upon Him and that we are in desperate need of His help. Think of a human father. What good father would not want his children to turn to him when they need help? Naturally, a father loves it when his children come to him to seek help. There is something special about having someone there for you. God is this true source and He is more reliable than any human father or mother.

Psalm 50:15 “and call on Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor Me.”



Psalm 91:14-16 “Because he loves me,” says the LORD, “I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges My name. He will call on Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him. With long life I will satisfy him and show him my salvation.”



Psalm 145:18-20 “The LORD is near to all who call on Him, to all who call on Him in truth. He fulfills the desires of those who fear Him; He hears their cry and saves them. The LORD watches over all who love Him, but all the wicked He will destroy.”


Jeremiah 33:3 “Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.”

As Jesus taught the disciples to pray in Matthew 6:9-13, I found it interesting that The Lord's Prayer (or The Model Prayer) begins and ends with worship. It begins with "Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. . .". The word "hallow" points toward adoration, or reverence. This prayer ends with "For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever, Amen."




The most important matter of worship is the condition of the heart. Psalm 86 is entitled “a Davidic prayer.” It’s a heartfelt prayer for God to intervene on behalf of the psalmist. Apparently he prayed under duress and in desperation; his life was threatened by godless men. We do not know the specific setting of this psalm, but it is valuable for understanding the role of prayer in true worship, whether personal or public.



I. HEAR ME – PSALM 86:1-7

1 Listen, LORD, and answer me, for I am poor and needy. 2 Protect my life, for I am faithful. You are my God; save Your servant who trusts in You. 3 Be gracious to me, Lord, for I call to You all day long. 4 Bring joy to Your servant’s life, because I turn to You, Lord. 5 For You, Lord, are kind and ready to forgive, rich in faithful love to all who call on You. 6 LORD, hear my prayer; listen to my plea for mercy. 7 I call on You in the day of my distress, for You will answer me.



Notice the pattern of the prayer:



Petition Followed by Reason

1. David petitioned the Lord to listen and answer – why? He was poor and needy

2. He petitioned the Lord to protect his life and to save His servant’s life – why? He was faithful and trusted in the Lord

3. He petitioned the Lord to be gracious to him – why? He called on Him all day long

4. He petitioned the Lord to bring joy to His servant’s life – why? He turned to the Lord in hope



Isaiah 41:17 “The poor and needy search for water, but there is none; their tongues are parched with thirst. But I the LORD will answer them; I, the God of Israel, will not forsake them.”


This pattern did not indicate self-righteousness on David’s part. None of us are entitled to God’s blessings of listening to or answering our prayers, protecting us, saving us, being gracious to us, or bringing us joy. Instead, David made his petitions based on God’s character and readiness to act. David based his personal sense of being poor and needy, faithful, trusting in the lord, calling on the Lord all day long, and turning to the Lord on the relationship God had established with him.




Have you ever felt like your prayers just hit the ceiling and go no further? How can we be better “pray-ers”?

• Remember that prayer is talking with God and listening to God. Don’t pray to sound “religious” or impressive. Just talk with Him.
• Think about how easy and relaxed it is to talk with good friends or family members, the people we talk with frequently. Similar principles apply with God – make prayer an hourly habit.
• When a distraction arises, talk it over with God. That gets you into the habit talking things over with God and doing what He tells you.
• David gives us an important truth in verse 7 – he prayed or called on the Lord because he knew the Lord would answer.

As David prayed to the Lord in his time of distress, he was convinced God would not only hear his prayer but would answer in a meaningful and beneficial way. David prayed believing in the character of God to answer his need.

It’s God’s character that should empower our prayer life.

Communicating meaningfully with God starts with understanding who we are in terms of who He is. David rightly acknowledged, “I am poor and needy,” but God is “rich in faithful love.”


Here are some recommended psalms to incorporate into your prayers:

Praying the Psalms

8; 23; 27; 34; 46; 51; 57; 63; and 103

II. TEACH ME – PSALM 86:8-13


8 Lord, there is no one like You among the gods, and there are no works like Yours. 9 All the nations You have made will come and bow down before You, Lord, and will honor Your name. 10 For You are great and perform wonders; You alone are God. 11 Teach me Your way, Yahweh, and I will live by Your truth. Give me an undivided mind to fear Your name. 12 I will praise You with all my heart, Lord my God, and will honor Your name forever. 13 For Your faithful love for me is great, and You deliver my life from the depths of Sheol.




Verses 8-13 reveal two striking things about David

1. David knew many wonderful things about the Lord.

2. David realized he still had much to learn about God and His ways.




David asked God to teach him. How do we learn from God?

• Learning comes through doing.
• Learning from God is not pouring religious knowledge into our heads. It’s doing as God says, very practically and in daily life. Then we understand how His ways work and we find heart to know Him more.
• Think about how young children learn. In the eternal scheme we’re not that different.
• Learning God’s ways is not just once and done.

Why do we never really learn God’s truth until we act on it in obedience?

Like David, we should never stop seeking to learn God’s ways. Opening ourselves to this spiritual growth process is an act of humility on our part and a frank admission we have much to learn.





III. HELP ME – PSALM 86:15-16

15 But You, Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger and rich in faithful love and truth. 16 Turn to me and be gracious to me. Give Your strength to Your servant; save the son of Your female servant.




How did David express confidence in God’s character? How will we live when we have confidence in God’s character?

• One aspect of God’s character is He is unchanging. So when David described God as compassionate, gracious, slow to anger, and rich in faithful love and truth, these things will always be true about God.

My personal hope is that my life will be an everyday testimony to the life-changing power of God through Jesus Christ.





Conclusion:

How can we improve the quality and depth of our communication with God during the day? How about when we worship?

• Pursue an attitude toward prayer that is a mixture of both confidence and humility.
• Listen as well as talk.
• Do as God says. Share with God what you do.
• Use God’s Word to prepare your heart for prayer.

Prayer of Commitment

Lord, help me to pray to You in the confidence that You hear me and love me and will answer me. Teach me to express my worship of You through my prayers. Amen

This is another great lesson from the Worship by Heart series. I hope you will use it this very week in you communication with God. 


Have a blessed rest of the week and we'll see you on Sunday!


In His Love,

David & Susan

Class Lesson March 4, 2012

Hey Gang,


We begin a whole new series this week on WORSHIP! Many people think of worship as taking place on Sunday mornings at about 11 a.m. This worship includes congregational singing, prayer, an offering, a sermon, and an invitation. Some judge the quality of these worship services by how many people attend, how motivating the sermon was, or how good the music sounded. Our four week series is entitled – Worship By Heart and the study reminds us that true worship isn’t an event on the weekly calendar; it’s a matter of the heart. Real worship happens when those who know God respond to Him – with an action, a specific kindness, a thought, or an obedience. Where our heart is matters much more than style of music or preaching. True worship is about connecting with God and living a life that honors Him.



Lessons in this series:

March 4 – Be Spiritual – Strengthening your desire to encounter God.



March 11 – Call on God – Deepening your communication with God.



March 18 – Celebrate Life – Demonstrate that worship is celebration.



March 25 – Thank God – Motivating you to express your gratitude to God? 

Psalm 42

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God made you to know Him and worship Him. Do so with adventure and an anticipation of meeting Him.

Click on the links below to watch the Spencer's Mountain episode we saw in class:

Spencer's Mountain Pt. 1

Spencer's Mountain Pt. 2 

What was Clay Spencers idea of worship?

Why do you worship in church?

 Does my style of worship matter?

• Differences in style may be peripheral to the larger issues of content and impact.
• The condition of the heart is what matters most to God.
• It is not enough to go through the motions of any style if the substance is not from the heart.

Some of the most powerful psalms about suffering were written during the Babylonian exile. As chastisement for His people’s wickedness, God allowed Israel to be conquered by Babylon. Many Jews were taken into captivity, where their devotion to the Lord was reawakened. Psalms 42 and 43, which may have originally been combined, were probably written in Babylon during this time period.



Overcoming Despair - Psalm 42 & 43 (It's a song!)

1. A longing to worship God.

2. Chorus: Trust in God my Savior.

3. The pain of separation and oppression is too much to bear.

4. Chorus: Trust in God my Savior.

5. A plea for deliverance from the lies of wicked men.

6. Chorus: Trust in God my Savior.



The book of Psalms is one of the best resources believers have for finding encouragement when life is hard.



 
How does God want us to worship Him? - Spiritually with a thirst for Him, a despair for Him, and a confidence in Him!






I. THIRSTING FOR GOD – PSALM 42:1-5

1 As a deer longs for streams of water, so I long for You, God. 2 I thirst for God, the living God. When can I come and appear before God? 3 My tears have been my food day and night, while all day long people say to me, “Where is your God?” 4 I remember this as I pour out my heart: how I walked with many, leading the festive procession to the house of God, with joyful and thankful shouts. 5 Why am I so depressed? Why this turmoil within me? Put your hope in God, for I will still praise Him, my Savior and my God. 

How is our longing for God expressed in our worship?

Sometimes you don’t realize how much you need something until you lose it.

• The hot water heater goes out, or your internet goes down for a few days.
• Taking loved ones for granted … until we lose them or they move on or move away. When a relationship is over or a loved one is gone, we miss that person so badly we’d give anything just to have one more day with him or her. The longing is intense and overwhelming.

That’s the kind of longing the psalmist expressed in Psalm 42. Only God can fill certain longings in us. Without Him as our foundation, everything else is out of kilter.



This psalmist had a particular situation:

• He had known the joy of worshiping God together with others.
• He remembered entering the temple with shouts of joy and thanksgiving.
• But now he found himself away from his homeland – where he was prevented from joining in public worship.
• He could still worship God privately, but he also needed worship with others who shared his love for God.

How is thirst for water like longing for God? What else does spiritual longing feel like?

• When we experience spiritual thirst, it might feel like God is silent or far off. Our response might be to withdraw from God and His people. The response that works is to pursue God: Read our Bibles to actively obey Him, take part in corporate worship. Eventually feelings will follow actions, and we’ll feel His closeness again.
• It’s possible to need something and not even know it. Think about it, what do you feel when you are dehydrated – headache and joint pain. If we misdiagnose this, we might neglect to drink the very water that will make us feel better.

Do you think that you have ever thirsted or hungered for God and substituted Him for something else? How can we know when we’ve made poor substitutes? What is the difference between a substitute and God?

• When we are not desperately hungry and thirsty for God, we may have filled our bellies with lesser things. They fill the space but don’t satisfy for long.

What would happen to your faith if you were cut off from church and Christian friends?

• We can develop spiritual dehydration both from failing to meet with God at all and from forgetting Him as we go about our days.
• Spiritual depression.
• Jesus knew spiritual depression, separation from God.
• "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"
• He knew physical suffering, on the cross.

Each of us benefits from worship with other believers. Singing, studying God’s Word together, and the sweet fellowship of people grateful to God for salvation contribute to meaningful worship experiences. These experiences over time enrich our lives and draw us closer to the God we love and people who love Him.



Fellowship with God is as necessary and satisfying as water to those who are thirsty.

I love the story about the young man who went to the preacher searching for God. After much talk the preacher was not having any success – finally he thought and took the young man down to the river grab him and put his head under the water – the young man began to squirm and try his best to come up for air but the preacher held him under – finally lifting his head up out of the water – The preacher asked, Son when you were under the water what did you want more than anything? The young man said Air, Air, Air… And the preacher said, Son when you want God as bad as you wanted air, You will find Him!

WE NEED TO THIRST FOR GOD LIKE A DROWNING MAN NEEDS AIR.

How does worship in a group setting—especially a very large one—differ from a private worship experience?

• The psalms show us many colors of worship offering expressions of lament, confession, thanksgiving, praise, teaching, and celebration.
• Missing worship, alone and with others, can contribute to our spiritual discouragement.

II. DESPAIRING FOR GOD – PSALM 42:6-11


6 I am deeply depressed; therefore I remember You from the land of Jordan and the peaks of Hermon, from Mount Mizar. 7 Deep calls to deep in the roar of Your waterfalls; all Your breakers and Your billows have swept over me. 8 The LORD will send His faithful love by day; His song will be with me in the night— a prayer to the God of my life. 9 I will say to God, my rock, “Why have You forgotten me? Why must I go about in sorrow because of the enemy’s oppression?” 10 My adversaries taunt me, as if crushing my bones, while all day long they say to me, “Where is your God?” 11 Why am I so depressed? Why this turmoil within me? Put your hope in God, for I will still praise Him, my Savior and my God. 
 

Everybody has a rainy day occasionally – that’s life, and we expect it. But we don’t expect a tsunami – the kind of life crisis that knocks us off our feet, flips us upside down, leaves us gasping for air, and struggling just to survive. This is how the psalmist found himself as he penned these words. Without revealing the particulars, he described how he felt about what was going on in his life.

What has made you or could make you feel forgotten by God?

o Death of a spouse or child

o Loneliness

o Alienation from your children

o Incapacitating accident or illness

o Job loss

o Foreclosure on your home

o Others



How do you know God doesn’t forget you? (Isa. 49:13-15 and Heb. 13:5b)

13 Shout for joy, you heavens; rejoice, you earth; burst into song, you mountains! For the LORD comforts his people and will have compassion on his afflicted ones. 14 But Zion said, “The LORD has forsaken me, the Lord has forgotten me.” 15 “Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you!



5 Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.




What should you do when you feel like He has forgotten or that He doesn’t care?

• Share your honest but respectful emotions of both hope and despair with God. He’ll show you what to do about them. Trusting God doesn’t mean we pretend everything is all right when we’re dying inside. It means we thoughtfully handle the easy and hard of life. We can tell God how we really feel, no matter how depressed or angry we get. God is worthy of our worship when life is good and when it is just plain hard. Having negative feelings is not wrong. Allowing them to keep us from worshiping and trusting God is.
• At a time when circumstances seemed to indicate God had forgotten the psalmist and naysayers were claiming God had abandoned him, the psalmist forced himself to “remember” God (v. 6). Recalling God’s character can reassure us of His faithfulness to carry us through the crisis of the present.
• Remembering God and His people is a good antidote for depression.

III. CONFIDENCE IN GOD – PSALM 43:1-5


1 Vindicate me, God, and defend my cause against an ungodly nation; rescue me from the deceitful and unjust man. 2 For You are the God of my refuge. Why have You rejected me? Why must I go about in sorrow because of the enemy’s oppression? 3 Send Your light and Your truth; let them lead me. Let them bring me to Your holy mountain, to Your dwelling place. 4 Then I will come to the altar of God, to God, my greatest joy. I will praise You with the lyre, God, my God. 5 Why am I so depressed? Why this turmoil within me? Put your hope in God, for I will still praise Him, my Savior and my God. 

Which hope is a sure thing: hope in the judicial system or hope in God?





Is hope more than wishful thinking? How do light and hope work together to guide? How does truth guide?

• It’s a path to take. It’s an act of the will.
• As if we are in a courtroom, the writer called on God to argue his case and declare him in the right. He called God his refuge or “safe place.”
• We sometimes go astray when we ignore the compasses of God’s light and truth. Why do we need those to guide our steps and decisions?

How do we hope in God even in hopeless situations? As a community of believers, how can we help each other hope just by the way we treat them?



The psalmist closed Psalm 43 with the refrain as Psalm 42. It sounds like he gave himself a little self-talk. He chose not to wallow in depression but put his hope in God instead. In the end, we face the same choice. Either we give in to despair or choose loving obedience based on God’s promises.



Closing Thoughts:


Times of despair cause you to have much greater sensitivity to things that happen. You get that, "When it rains, it pours" feeling. Every little thing seems worse, quite often, than it really is. It is hard to think rationally or even to apply common sense when your emotions are torn apart. That is why the Psalmist asks God to send forth His truth. You need to remember to seek truth in your time of despair. Let your close family members or friends help you see the real truth in your situation. Even if it is a situation that cannot be understood, seek the truth about God’s unchanging character. Seek the truth about God to overcome the darkness of despair.



In John Bunyan’s story of “The Pilgrim’s Progress,” Evangelist tells young Christian that there will be tribulations along the way to the Celestial City – for tribulations mark the way to Heaven. But you be faithful unto death and the King will give you a crown of life. You see, the path to Heaven is straight and narrow, and no matter how rough the going, it must be followed.



However, young Christian got off the straight and narrow way, and he chose to take another way called By-Path Meadow. This choice though, led to his captured by Giant Despair and he is thrown into Doubting Castle where he is locked in by his own fears and doubts. But young Christian remembers that he carries a key that will open any lock in Doubting Castle because the key is called “Promise.”

God keeps His promises… will you keep yours?

Prayer of Commitment

Lord, I have a longing to be closer to You. Help me quench that longing with Your presence. Amen

This is going to be a great series. Be sure to read your lesson this week as we explore the depths of God's Word through the eyes of a lonely psalmist longing for God - can you relate to this psalmist?

Hope you have a blessed rest of the week as we prepare to meet this Sunday to begin a new series on Worship!

See you Sunday!

In His Love,

David & Susan