How Long?

Well, hello there again.

Thank you. Good morning to you as well. Before we get started in the psalm 13, I would like to say how appreciative, and how grateful I am for pastor van. I am so grateful for our time in the Psalms spend already and last week, when we went through, so may, I was impacted and thankful when he gave a practical application of a book to look at if we need, I think it was Ray Orleans. Dean Moreland. Either way, he has given us an opportunity to apply it to our lives. I see him take throughout the week, and he brings it to Bear each Sunday and as he ministers to our church and I'm so grateful for him. And so grateful for his ministry, and I'm grateful for the privilege to be going through this song with you this morning. So if you would buy your head in prayer with me, there we are. So thankful for your presents. We are so thankful that you were here in the midst of us. Even now, whatever we come to you with what we come to you with it, would we be a light in our community? But we learn to lament well because without it we have muted ourselves to the pain and sorrow that we feel and validating the pain of our world. Would you guide us with your spirit actively working our hearts this morning? Not to refer this to others, but to appropriated into our own Hearts minds and Bodies In The Name of Jesus. Amen.

The stress is a common word. I often say it when someone ask me how I'm doing they say, how are you doing? I might say I'm tired, I might seem stressed sometimes it's the same difference to me. We've become used to it. A lot of us deal with stress in different ways we have coping mechanisms, some of us, some of us watch TV while it's a good option. Some of them are benign or neutral options of coping with stress, some are very negative. We have patterns, and habits in a community, full of addiction, taking and legitimate. Need an immediate with a legitimate means. It has become so common. And so prevalent, whether it's drugs or alcohol can be our phones. We are addicted to. We are taking a legitimate need immediate illegitimately We have become accustomed to the vocabulary of stress. Would I notice? Observe and experience is that suffering is not something we often talk about. When someone asks you how you're doing, there's a prescribed to answer and it's not, usually I'm suffering right now. Tuvok because in our souls, we know it's true. We are not really allowed to suffer in public. We suffer privately, we suffer on our own and really, if we turn up the music on the loud stuff, we turn the music down when it comes to our suffering. I'd like to give us a context for the genre of Lament. It is a complaint, it is not merely a complaint to anyone or to any party. It's a complaint to God and it has characteristics because I think complaining is actually something we're really good at whether we do it to our friends, or to our spouses or on social media. We are very good at complaining. What I noticed is that we're not often taking those complaints to God, and I am not accusing you. It's because I know it's true in my own life. When I, I am struggling, when I am angry, when I am her, I am not taking those things to God. And I am so thankful for Psalm 13. Lemon is something that acknowledges God is listening, is the god who hears when we speak to him. If God was not listening, we might as well stop talking. If you was indifferent as a brick wall each time, we call out to him and cried out to him, then our prayers would be fruitless and futile. Thankfully, he hears Lament gives us a voice when we don't have the words to say. And as it gives us a voice, it gives us a voice for those who are voiceless, it takes this mute. Aspects of those who suffer in a towel, they are to suffer alone. that it's okay to do it individually corporately and as a community, I think it's important for us to acknowledge that just as we await a diagnosis by a doctor. What is not named cannot be healed. When we are unwilling to admit and to acknowledge we will take no steps to heal or restore. And I'll repeat it because someone else much wiser and much more tightly than I said it. What is not named cannot be healed. So, it is time for us to name our suffering. Lemon is not about blaming God for our problems, rather it is fully, and readily acknowledging that in bringing, whatever bad stuff is going on. That he is Dan. And even when he answers in a way that's not to our liking, he remains the answer.

I'd like to say, praise. What is high tune happy upbeat praise, which is wonderful and we should do. Readily praise without lament is cheap. If we are unwilling to plumb the depths of our sorrow to a God, who hears to reorient, our lives, our minds to plumb the bad stuff, if we're unwilling to do that.

Then why do we have hope in a hopeless world? If you're unwilling to acknowledge that, sometimes we feel hopeless.

I'd like to give you four characteristics of Lament. It is vivid and assertive with raw emotion, Rob motion again is common but raw emotion towards God is less common. Laments are often imprecise and timing. They will often switch from past tense to present, tense, leaving us a little bit confused. If what they're talking about has happened or is happening. There's also vague circumstances when the psalmist writes their writing about a particular situation. They don't always named it because the lemon is a framework, by which the people of God can walk through sorrow together. They are vague intentionally. Not because it's effusive and it just Duluth as it goes forth, but rather that in the vagueness, we can individually and corporately name that unique sorrow, we endure. And fourthly. And perhaps most importantly, lament is always something that mute moves from expressions of pain to statements of trust. It is always acknowledging the evil and the suffering and the sorrow but is not doing that on its own. It is taking it with an upward thrust to statements of trust even when it's hard to trust.

And thirdly.

This song is split into three stanzas which I have titled. The question verses 12 to the request in verses three to four and a commitment to trust in vs 526. Although the men's can be caused by some one's own sin, the sin of others, laments are written for a very for varied reasons. This lament is specific to David situation, but it's vague that it can be applied to our own lives. That's for you. No takers. You Know Who You Are. You're welcome. If you would and you're able, please stand for the reading of God's word.

How long oh Lord will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? How long must I take counsel in my soul and have sorrow in my heart all the day? How long should my enemy be exalted over me? Consider an answer me O Lord, my God. Light up my eyes. Lest I sleep, the sleep of death. Bless my enemies. Say, I have prevailed over him. Let's my foes Rejoice because I am shaken, but I have trusted in your steadfast love. My heart shall rejoice in your salvation.

I will sing to the Lord because he has dealt bountifully with me. This is God's word. You may be seated.

The question is for fold for David. How long? It's almost a stutter in the question, how long the Lord? He doesn't complete the sentence. He then has to clarify later. How long it's almost as though. It's all he can get out to start. How long. How long will this need to go on? he says, will you forget me forever and I think it's important that we know when God is said to forget, it is not an unintentional thing and which he just has bad memory. When God said to forget the rider is noting particularly in the Old Testament that God is not acting. When God remembers it is because he is actively restoring the rider or whatever situation, he is bringing wholeness to. So he is not saying, will you forget me forever? Like how longer is it going to be until you call me again? Rather he saying how long until I find favor in your sight. How long will you hide your face from me? God hiding his face from us being his enemy. This is the situation that David is referring to. There is likely some sin that has occurred and he feels punished by God. He then asked how long, how long must I take counsel in my soul and have sorrow in my heart all the day. I don't know what you're coming with this morning. I don't know if you're depressed, I don't know. I do know some of your stories and I know that we all at different times in our lives and in varying ways experience suffering and there are times and there is a particular aspect of suffering that begins isolate us. If you didn't to make us feel alone, we think we're alone and then we feel We're alone and then we don't go anywhere with it. And it becomes this cycle of isolation and David feels depressed and rightly slow. How long will my enemy? The exalted over me tainted. Had a lot of enemies. We're not told which one it is. I can think of Goliath saw Absalom not just naming a couple David's life was in danger often. It was common to him. And yet, danger still bothers him. He brings it to God. He acknowledges that God is the primary actor. And if God is against him, who can be for him? Cuz if we are willing to acknowledge that if God's love being for us means, no one can be against us. If God is against us who in the universe can be against God, if God is against us, why would it matter if anyone was for us, if we are God's enemies, The nothing can help us. Nothing can Rectify that situation but God himself. And so the enemy whoever it is whether it's death or someone seeking to David's life. David acknowledges that it is, God, who must First Act and that is his primary concern. but not only does he ask a question, he also requests of God, he doesn't leave it where it's lying. He called out to God. I remember as a boy. My dad took me to baseball practices. I have four brothers so my dad I think I got used to taking us to practices. I remember this one distinctly because when we were in the parking lot before we went in to practice I began to cry and I began to have his conversation with him about a few years before hands. My grandma passing away, I was only about six or seven. So I guess it took a few years for me to Grapple with the idea and the reality that I could no longer have a relationship with her. Until I had I had this conversation with my dad. I'll tell you what he didn't do. He didn't tell me to suck it up. He didn't tell me, I just had to get over it. he didn't ignore what I was feeling just because I was a child and didn't understand He took me to go get a treat and I remember he listened. And I don't remember going to baseball practice that day. He took me home and we talked And it was so healing. It reminds me today and then it reminded me 10 that my dad cared about me. And as I reflect on that memory, I think about the fact that before she was ever my grandma. He was talking about his mom. And so, as we had that conversation, what thoughts must have been running through his head, as I was talking, he must have been thinking, you have no idea, the sorrow, I feel the separation, I feel for my own mother.

And Friends Brothers and Sisters in Christ. How much more so does. God the Father want us to bring our sorrow to him. My dad cared, when I brought it to him, how much more so does the god of the universe want to hear about what is going on in your life? How much more primed and ready is he?

Now is the time to bring your suffering to God? And requested him ask him to act. I think we stopped asking big prayers because we're tired of feeling failed. We need to persistently, ask of God to act consider an answer me. Oh, Lord my God, I die lest, I sleep, the sleep of death. It's not really. Vague is pretty clear. He doesn't want to die. Sleeping, the sleep of death is death. And he doesn't want his enemies to Prevail over him and I don't know what enemies there are in your life. And each of our narratives, we all have narratives we tell ourselves about the world. There is someone there is a co-worker. There is a sibling, there is a friend. There is someone That I think we like leave you as our enemy, whether it's a nation or Community. There is someone outside of us that is our enemy that we do not want to Prevail over a sin. So wow. You're not likely to have an army at your front door, as with common for David, there are enemies. And most importantly, the enemy, The Lion prowling for our destruction. Tempting us to give into a world of Darkness, that is not seek after God.

God answering David meant that he would turn his face back that he would remember that he would come back to David and answer that you would look on him. With the light TV ask is asking that he not be destroyed by his enemy but he's actually reasoning with God. If I'm destroyed David says, it means that God's anointed is destroyed and that reflects poorly on God and a competing world of God's, the one who destroys the other is the winner. And if God's key, if you always anointed is beaten in battle. If he is destroyed, if he is killed it reflects on his God. How often do we reason with God? How often do we come to him with a bad stuff? And say, I know you promised in Scripture that you would never leave my side and why? Does it feel as though you've left me? Why is it that my friends that my siblings that my family? Why has the cancer come back for our friend, the six-time? Why has it come back? Why is the war in Ukraine? Why has it lasted? 5 months 2 weeks and a day. We all thought Russia was joking when they said that they would attack and it is no joke. There is 6.3 million people who have left Ukraine. A quarter of the population is displaced. If we believe that suffering has left our world because we are in a pretty stable place, we are deluding ourselves suffering is as real today. As ever. There are millions of people in modern-day slavery. Suffering is real. If you are not at this present time and during suffering, then please lament for those around us who are suffering, is not something we are meant to do individually. If you are not suffering, do it for the sake of others.

Brothers of us, it is abuse. Job loss mental illness. Financial hardship. The list goes on.

And in a world where their popular Faith tells us that when you suffer you failed, you have to be given permission to grieve. And to not be given permission to grieve when we all experienced suffering means that we shut our mouths and we stopped talking when bad stuff happens. We begin to ignore it, and we set it beside. We put it in the drawer, we don't open and we leave it alone. It does not go away but it remains out of sight and out of mind. And Friends. Lament is not about Plumbing, the depths of our sorrow. It's about commitment to trust. It's about, I'm willing to State the hardship of what's going on in my life and the lives of others. Yeah, I will not stop trusting our Lord, but I have trusted in your steadfast love. My heart shall rejoice. In your salvation, there is only one who saved and he is Jesus Christ. There is salvation in no other. If you do not know Christ today is the day. And if you know, Christ, Today is the day to continue pursuing him, just as he pursues you. I will sing to the Lord. How healing are songs? How, how healing are the Psalms as the songs of the people of God, for thousands of years. Save for us but we have either forgotten or never learn to say in the first place.

And David's first verse how long? Oh Lord. Will you forget me in his last two verses I have trusted. I will sing. They don't seem to be, they're almost humorous because they don't match. You don't think that he would say you've left me. You've abandoned me and then a few verses later, but I have trusted you this entire time. There is. A little bit of a hardship of knowing. Is he talking about past tense, present tense, future tense? What I do know is that it's an active commitment to try in spite of what's going on and not merely trusting him when things are going the way we want them to God is the only answer to David situation? He is praising God for his unfailing love.

he's praising God, even though what he wants hasn't come He is looking to God, even though things aren't going his way.

The Psalms are a language for all seasons and Psalms of a men are the language of suffering. Prince suffering will endure as long as thin as in this world. We are waiting in the song.

We will wait. It's a theme of the Psalms and I noticed has began looking at that phrase. We will wait, it matches up with. I will try waiting on. God is Not merely waiting for him to act, it's trusting him in the waiting.

And we all get tired of waiting. I get tired of menial and and trivial things like a grade for my class. I get tired. When I wait too long at a restaurant

We are waiting for something far more Monumental when we are waiting for the god of the universe to bring his kingdom, we are waiting for Jesus to return.

We are waiting for God to act. So, evil isn't going away until Jesus makes things, right? Be nice. If you did if it did. We are waiting for what is most important?

So how do you actively take this away today? Tomorrow hopefully the rest of your lives. I think we need to begin building the muscle. Of complaining to God or lamenting to him. Look at the structure of the Psalms, pray them verbatim. But before you can do that, you have to acknowledge that you're suffering. Some of us, find it rewarding to journal. Some people take long walks in nature. I know a conversation with my wife is helpful with processing what I'm feeling. And is always helpful to bring that to God, but it cannot happen until we are willing to acknowledge that there is evil and pain and suffering. We are enduring and it doesn't mean you fail. It's okay to not be okay. Just because you're going through something hard, doesn't mean that it's entirely your fault or that even if it is your fault. That God is going to leave you there. That he's going to abandon you in that. Bring it to God using the Psalms of lament. They are thousands of years old, but the word of God is living and active today. We need the Psalms do not forget them, do not disregard them. They are songs for today. And whether it is something in your life or the lives of others, be willing to bring it to God.

Lemon as a church. Lament for your own sin, asking for Hope asking for Restoration in the men for the suffering in our world.

I remember to the class is called a Biblical Theology of suffering, and it was exhausted and comprehensive on suffering and how to respond to it. It was not. It was really helpful for me was that I had to write a lemon. So I wrote him and there was someone who had hurt me. There was someone that came into my mind immediately when I was given a prompt and I thought album n That person they wrote The Lemon. I know it's afterwards. Feeling started to come. Restoration. Came. Forgiveness in the Long Road of healing that broken relationship was further. Help the long. I'll tell you what I didn't do. I didn't write the lament for myself. I wrote the lament for that person. I wrote the lament for all of the pain they had experienced. I acknowledged that even though they had hurt me before they hurt me, they had been hurt themselves before they had hurt me, they were abandoned before they hurt hurt me. They were abused before they get hurt me. There was much suffering and sorrow. They had never been told it was okay to acknowledge, they have never found healing for that hurt. And so while it may become cliche hurt, people hurt people. And I'll amend the suffering they caused me, but I must be willing to acknowledge. They had experienced pain and suffering themselves. It is unhelpful and healthy, and it can become sinful. When we victimized ourselves, and only say that we are the ones who suffer. When we acknowledge suffering, we can fall off on either side of the road, we can fall off into a ditch, we can fall off the log on either side, we can only acknowledge our own suffering, we can become so egocentric. We don't recognize anyone around us and I imagine there are those in your life that are like that. And there are others who can only acknowledge the suffering of others. They have never taken the time. They have never been given the tools. Exercise. The muscles. To themselves lament the pain in their own minds because they're so outwardly focused on the pain and sorrow in those around them.

Lemon is a beautiful thing and it is a hard thing.

But doesn't mean that we shouldn't do it. Even though it's hard, doesn't mean we should disregard it. We should walk through the pain. And walk towards God in it.

Where we are. So thankful for your love. We are thankful that in you we find hope you will make all things right in the end. We love you. We trust you even when the bad things happen. When we suffer Weather is our wrongdoing, the wrongdoing of others, we committed to you, we commit individually and we committed at the church. We cannot do this on our own and we don't want to do it without you in the name of Jesus. Amen. We're going to transition into a time of communion. I'd like to welcome those who will be serving communion to come up. as we talked about the mint, I got a pinch hitter. I've got a ringer.

The person who lamented that we can look to. Is Christ before the cross in the Garden of Gethsemane. In Luke 22:42, he lamented. He said, God, take this cup from me. Father, take this cup from me and he's talking about the Cup of Wrath. He's talking about it and he says, I don't want it.

But not my own will but yours be done.

And after the Betrayal on the cross, he comes. Two halves with the words of Psalms 22 and as he is an Agony bleeding for you and for me he says my God, my God. Why have you forsaken me? I don't doubt that Jesus was trusting. God the father in that moment. But he still questions why? It had to happen. I think we can look to him as an example. I'm so thankful for that example.

As we talked about a few months ago in 1st Corinthians 11, I encourage you to think about your relationships, become rightly to the table to come rightly to communion. It's a community thing. If you do not have a right relationship with someone in this room, please feel free to take the time to make it, right? If there is something you're holding in your heart against someone else, please feel free to take time to make it right. we take communion once a month, but we want to participate in the body of Christ, everyday, and every week,

How do I test? Thank you for your patience?

Communion is not about us, merely as individuals, but as members of the body of Christ, we don't do it in our homes alone because you can't do it on your own. We're not meant to or not made to wear not made to do without each other or not made to do it without Christ. I'd like to read with you from.

1st Corinthians 11 verses 23 to 24. If you would, please read aloud with me for I received from the Lord. What I also deliver to you that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, and when he had given thinks he broke it, this is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me. She did it for you. He did it for me. Take bread. This is his body taken eat.

and if you would read the following verses with me, In the same way, he also took the cup after supper saying this cup is the New Covenant in my blood do this as often as you drink it in remembrance of me for as often as you see this bread and drink the cup you proclaim, the Lord's death until he comes. And if you would Please pray for the bread and the cup.

Let's pray. Father, we just how we approach you today, knowing that we are broken. We are broken in our souls broken, in our lives. And father we just recognized that you are holy and that in your Holiness. You set apart a way for us to receive communion with you and be reunited with you. Father was so we we trust the name of Jesus Christ a day that he covers our sins that he restores us to you so far that we we recognize you in all things. And father we praise you for your Holiness in Jesus name. Amen. This is his blood poured out for you. Taking drink.