BIG IDEA:
REJOICING BY FAITH WHEN TIMES ARE TOUGH REQUIRES
FAITH IN THE LORD’S LOVINGKINDNESS
INTRODUCTION:
Patience: "bearing pains or trials calmly or without complaint"
"steadfast despite opposition, difficulty, or adversity"
I. (:1-2) THE ANGUISH OF TOUGH TIMES THAT PERSIST
Note the tone of Impatience (like little children in a car on a long trip -- "Are we almost there?" "How long?")
Note the 4 cries of "How Long" in this section
A. Forgotten by God
“Wilt Thou forget me forever?
How long wilt Thou hide Thy face from me?”
B. Frustrated to the point of despair
“How long shall I take counsel in my soul,
Having sorrow in my heart all the day?”
C. Fallen in Humiliation and Disgrace before the enemy
“How long will my enemy be exalted over me?”
II. (:3-4) THE APPEAL FOR HELP
A. The Appeal for Attention -- answers the problem of being forgotten
1. Consider
2. Answer
“Consider and answer me, O Lord, my God”
B. The Appeal for Deliverance -- answers the problem of frustration and despair
"Enlighten my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death"
C. The Appeal for Vindication from my enemies -- answers the problem of humiliation and disgrace
1. "lest my enemy say, ’I have overcome him’"
2. "lest my adversaries rejoice when I am shaken"
III. (:5-6) THE ASSURANCE OF FAITH IN GOD’S LOVINGKINDNESS
The connection between:
A. Lovingkindness of the Lord who "has dealt bountifully with me" -- no way God.could forget you
B. Faith – “But I have trusted …”
C. Rejoicing -- your enemies do not have the last word
“My heart shall rejoice in Thy salvation.
I will sing to the Lord”
* * * * * * * * * *
DEVOTIONAL QUESTIONS:
1) Remember how the Father hid His face from His Son while He hung on the cross bearing in His own body our sins? How can we imagine that our Heavenly Father,
having paid such a precious ransom for our soul, would ever hide his face from us – the ones clothed with the righteousness of Christ?
2) What type of frustration builds within us when we take upon ourselves the responsibility of trying to figure a way out of our predicament? What are the dangers of “taking counsel in my soul”?
3) Do we believe that the Lord has a stake in our victory? He is the one who has pledged to protect and deliver us. Do we think that He will allow His good name and His faithfulness to be maligned by letting our enemies have the last word?
4) Are we actively remembering the Lord’s lovingkindness to us in the past in order to
give us hope and expectation of deliverance for the future? Is our heart’s testimony that the Lord has truly “dealt bountifully with me”?
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(including notes on each psalm from other commentators)
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