Where Is Your God?

Where Is Your God?

Griffith Baptist Church – 1/18/09

P.M. Service

Text: Psalm 42

Key verse: Psalms 42:11 - Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God.

Premise: When the world asks us where God is in our dark times, there is an answer for our souls that the world will never be able to refute.

The Introduction

1. The Thirst for God – 42:1-5

2. The Triumph of God – 42:6-11

Two days after the 9/11 attacks on our nation, Anne Graham Lotz was being interviewed by Jane Clayson on the CBS early show and was asked, "I’ve heard people say, those who are religious, those who are not, if God is good, how could God let this happen? To that, you say?"

Lotz replied, "I say God is also angry when he sees something like this. I would say also for several years now Americans in a sense have shaken their fist at God and said, God, we want you out of our schools, our government, our business, we want you out of our marketplace. And God, who is a gentleman, has just quietly backed out of our national and political life, our public life. Removing his hand of blessing and protection. We need to turn to God first of all and say, God, we’re sorry we have treated you this way and we invite you now to come into our national life.

That is how the world is. Where is God when everything unravels?

When things go awry in your life, the world may ask, “where is your God now that you are going through this.”

The sad part is that sometimes we feel so low that we entertain giving legitimacy to the question.

NEVER DO IT.

Here is a Psalm that speaks of the longing for God.

This is not a Davidic psalms but it is inspired Scripture nonetheless.

In answer to the question, “Where is your God?” the answer is an emphatic “Right here.”

But what should your outlook be when you feel that way?

Four truths to satisfy our longing.

Body

1. When You Are Dry, He Is Your Living Water – 1-2

A. A preacher told this story from His childhood - One day my mother was out and my dad was in charge of me and my brother who is four years older than I am. I was maybe 3 and one half years old and had just recovered from an accident in which my arm had been broken among other injuries. Someone had given me a little ’tea set’ as a get-well gift and it was one of my favorite toys. Daddy was in the living room engrossed in the evening news and my brother was playing nearby in the living room when I brought Daddy a little cup of ’tea’, which was just water. After several cups of tea and lots of praise for such yummy tea, my Mom came home. My Dad made her wait in the living room to watch me bring him a cup of tea, because it was ’just the cutest thing!’ My Mom waited, and sure enough, here I come down the hall with a cup of tea for Daddy and she watches him drink it up, then she says to him, ’Did it ever occur to you that the only place that baby can reach to get water is the toilet?’ ....Mom’s know!

B. The deer runs till there is nothing left and draw strength from the cool stream of water

C. We run dry sometimes:

i. Our spiritual energy is drained

ii. It is inevitable that we will get thirsty

iii. We cannot keep going without refreshment

D. John 4:13-14 – Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again: 14But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.

E. Our thirst is quenched:

i. By taking the time to stop and be with Him – spend time in His presence

ii. By the Word (Eph. 5:26)

iii. By Worship (2b - when shall I come and appear before God)

2. When You Are Despairing, He Is Your Lasting Hope – 3, 5-7, 11

A. Look at the Psalmists words of despair:

i. Tears 34/7 (3a)

ii. Mocking of the heathen (3b)

iii. Depression (5a, 6a, 11a)

iv. Overwhelmed feelings (7)

B. Do you ever feel like this?

C. But there is hope as seen in 5b and 11b)

i. Present hope

ii. Future hope

D. Cling to the promises of hope: