22 Aug Summer of Psalms | Week 7 “Dear Lord, Thanks for Nothing” | Apollo Beach
Announcements:
UPCOMING EVENTS: GO TO WATERSCHURCH.ORG/EVENTS TO REGISTER
FINANCIAL PEACE (FPU): 9/15/22
DISCOVER ISRAEL (INFO ABOUT THE ISRAEL TRIP): ZOOM MEETING 10/19/22
Below, click the link for ‘Last Days’ – The Book of Revelation Daily in 15 minuite segments each day over the next 5 weeks:
https://waterschurch.churchcenter.com/registrations/events/1316059
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Pastor Tim has 3 podcasts: The Deep End, the Deep Dive Bible Study on Romans, and 10 questions with Tim only available on timhatchlive./live. Be sure to like and subscribe to the channel to be notified of each new podcast.
Sneak peek of “The Kings 
of Compromise”: https://youtu.be/_c2eM62BFPA
Key Verse: Psalm 42/43
We make 35,000 choices a day. We make one decision every 2.5 seconds, and had made 480 decisions before we even got to service on Sunday. If we look at these choices we have from a godly perspective, we will have more joy in our lives. We would have 35,000 more opportunities for God to reveal himself to us.
The most important choice we can make all day is choosing whether what is happening in our life in a single day is God blessing us or cursing us. ‘ Is God blessing me or cursing me when….’
God does not curse us! Look at the story of Job (Job 1:8-12).
God does not do bad things to us, but he may allow seemingly bad things to happen to us in order to grow our faith in Him.
God does not do things TO you, He does things FOR you.
So, if we have a choice between God cursing us or blessing us, and we just found out that God does not curse us, then we only have one other option – God blesses us. It may not be the type of blessing we think and may not even seem like it is God at all.
Q. What are some blessings (even the simplest) of God that you thought God were really curses at first (or maybe something happening right now where you think God is cursing you)?
Psalm 42 and 43 were written by an unknown author, but nonetheless, this guy was sad. He was exiled from Jerusalem. He felt apart from God. He asks ‘where is God?’ twice. He has been mourning for a long time.
Psalm 42:3 ESV; Psalm 42:10 ESV
POINT #1 GOD IS ALWAYS THERE EVEN WHEN IT FEELS LIKE HES NOT
Deuteronomy 31:8
Not only is He always HERE but He is also always THERE.
He goes before us! God goes with us in our current struggle, in our current situation.
Psalm 42:5; Psalm 42:11; Psalm 43:5
This psalmist feels like God is not there. Three times he asks, ‘Why are you downcast?’. In those same verses, the psalmist says his soul is in turmoil within him. His soul is intentionally searching for God.
Q. What is a time when you felt like God was not there so much that your soul was in turmoil (depressed, downcast) within you?
What does the psalmist do?
As God’s people, we have to do things. There is work involved in our relationship with God. We are saved by grace but because we are saved we are called to do good works. ‘Faith’ works (James 2:17).
- He praises God. (In those same three verses, he praises God)
2. WHEN YOUR SOUL IS IN TURMOIL WITHIN YOURSELF, PRAISE GOD.
We, like this psalmist, need to praise God when we are down. Our perspective on our situation changes immediately when we praise him.
Q. When you find that you are in turmoil, what do you naturally do first (how much time passes before you starting praising God)?
Q. What are some specific instances that really stand out where you were extremely down that when you praised God your perspectivbe changed?
What does the psalmist do?
B) He REMEMBERS God.
3. WHEN YOU FEEL DOWNCAST, REMEMBER WHAT GOD HAS ALREADY DONE.
Psalm 42:6 ESV; Psalm 42:8 ESV
This should sound familiar to us. In Exodus, God uses Moses to lead his oppressed, downcast, soul turmoiled, suffering people to freedom. The psalmist is remembering what God did for his people.
Exodus 13:21-22
He did not depart from his people. God brought us through something before and he will do it again.
Q. When you are burdened, what do you remember God has done for you in the past that gets you through?
What does the psalmist do?
C) He WAITS for God.
Psalm 42:11; Psalm 43:5
The psalmist seems to grow patience in his praising. He is saying despite all of this, I will continue to praise, remember, and trust that this is of God – Not FROM but OF God and that he will remain faithful to God. Sometimes God wants us to go through it even if it means being exiled to another country miles away from home, feeling forgotten by God, downcast, or in turmoil.
Philippians 4:11-13 ESV
It is not just what feels good at the time or brings us success, BUT in every situation, then we can do all things. Whatever our struggle is we can deal with it through Christ who strengthens us.
Q. What can you do to develop and attitude of contentment in all circumstances?
SERMON IN A SENTENCE
When you feel like God is NOT there, REMEMBER what He has ALREADY done and PRAISE Him, and He can lead you to FREEDOM
SUMMER CHALLANGE: READ THROUG THE PSLAMS
THIS WEEKS CHALLENGE: PICK A PSLAM AND MEMORIZE IT
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