Satisfaction in Difficult Times - Part 1 of 2

The Baptist Bible Hour now comes to you under the direction of Elder LeSaire Bradley, Jr. O for a thousand tongues to sing, my great Redeemer's praise! The praise of my God and King, the triumph of his grace!

This is LeSaire Bradley, Jr. inviting you to stay tuned for another message of God's sovereign grace. Praise to the Lord, the Almighty, the King of creation! O my soul, praise Him, for He is thy health and salvation! All ye who bear, now to His temple draw near, join me in glad adoration! Praise to the Lord, who doth prosper thy work and defend thee! Surely His goodness and mercy, here daily attend thee! Under a new, what the Almighty can do, if with His love we befriend Thee! Praise to the Lord, who let all that is in me adore Him! All that hath life and breath come now with praises before Him!

Let the Amen sound from His people again! Gladly, for aye, we adore Him! We're glad you've joined us for the broadcast today. I want to thank all of you who helped to support this program. We depend on our listeners for the support that's needed.

The summer months have been particularly difficult this year, so if you can help us catch up, we'll certainly be thankful for it. Our address is Baptist Bible Hour, Box 17037, Cincinnati, Ohio 45217. Also, you can go to our website at BaptistBibleHour.org.

There you can read the Baptist Witness, and you can also there make a donation if you would like. A wonderful Savior is Jesus, my Lord, a wonderful Savior to me! He hideth my soul in the cleft of the rock, where rivers of pleasure I see. He hideth my soul in the cleft of the rock that shadows the dry, thirsty land. He hideth my life in the depths of His love. And covers me there with His hand, and covers me there with His hand.

A wonderful Savior is Jesus, my Lord. He taketh my burden away. He holdeth me up, and I shall not be moved.

He giveth me strength as my day. He hideth my soul in the cleft of the rock that shadows the dry, thirsty land. He hideth my life in the depths of His love, and covers me there with His hand, and covers me there with His hand. With the wordless blessings each moment He crowds, and filled with His moments divine, I sing in my rapture, O glory to God, for such a Redeemer as mine. He hideth my soul in the cleft of the rock that shadows the dry, thirsty land.

He hideth my life in the depths of His love, and covers me there with His hand, and covers me there with His hand. The message today was delivered at Grace Primitive Baptist Church, Pearl, Mississippi, June 4, 2022. Certainly a joy to be with you all here.

I came 62 years, if I'm calculating right, in succession, and had to miss two because of COVID. So having come here consistently over the years, it's just been an important part of my life to be able to be with you all, have such pleasant memories of years gone by, and of being with many of those that have gone on to be with the Lord. Read from the book of Isaiah, chapter 58, verse 11. And the Lord shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones. And thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not.

Now in the first part of this chapter, there are a number of warnings and rebukes. God is calling on His people who had strayed and wandered to repent and return to Him. And when they do, here He says is the promise that the Lord will guide you continually, satisfy your soul in drought.

So we see here satisfaction in difficult times. First, there's a promise of continual guidance. By nature, we're inclined to chart our own course.

We want to be independent, especially the younger generation today doesn't want anybody to tell them anything. They're going to make up their own mind, go their own direction, but that inclination is in the depraved heart of all of us to some degree. But there's a danger in going our own way. Isaiah chapter 55 verse 7 says, Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts, and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him, and he will abundantly pardon. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. God's ways are much higher than our ways. His way is always right.

We may not understand it. In our fallen nature, we may not agree with it, but God's ways are right higher than ours. Many are ready to offer advice, but there's danger in looking to the world for advice and counsel. Isaiah chapter 30 verse 1 says, Woe to the rebellious children, saith the Lord, that take counsel, but not of me, and that cover with a covering, but not of my spirit, that add sin to sin, that walk to go down into Egypt, and have not asked at my mouth to strengthen themselves in the strength of Pharaoh, and to trust in the shadow of Egypt. Therefore shall the strength of Pharaoh be your shame, and the trust in the shadow of Egypt your confusion. Egypt stands as a representative of the world, so the fact is when one departs from the Lord and turns to the world for counsel, they're on a dangerous path.

I read in a publication just a few days ago where the writer was trying to advise preachers that were preaching in some of the communities where there have been shootings and other great difficulties as to how they might appropriately counsel and advise their people. And so he's saying you just got to tell people it's all right to be angry at God. Now I've searched the scriptures, but I've never found a place where there was authority and permission given to anybody to be angry at God. I see some examples in scripture where there were people who were angry at God, but they had to repent. Jonah being an example of it when he was out there pouting and angry because things weren't going his way.

And we can see other examples of it. And then he went on to say, you know God can take it. You can just tell him, I'm angry with you. And it may be you'll just have to forgive God. Of course that implies that God's done something wrong.

You've got to forgive him. It's just remarkable as to how far off base somebody can come who claims to be believing the scripture and trying to give advice and counsel to other ministers as to what they ought to preach. And so he says, my ways are higher than your ways, and you go down to Egypt, you go down to the world, you listen to what the world has to say, and you're going to be put to shame. So how important it is for all of us, but particularly young people today, to understand that the only place we can get the right counsel is from God's inspired word. God provides the counsel that we need. Psalm 119 verse 11, thy word of I hid in my heart that I might not sin against thee.

Why does that work? Hiding the word in your heart. Well if you hide the word in your heart, you've got to be knowledgeable of what it says. So that means you've got to read it, you've got to meditate on it, and you need to hear it preached.

Because God uses preaching to bring about spiritual enlightenment and growth. Thy word of I hid in my heart. There's so many corrupt things, evil ideas that you can hide in your heart and keep in your mind and it will steer you in the wrong path. But thy word of I hid in my heart that I might not sin against God because temptation comes. And when the Spirit of God brings to your mind the word that you've already hidden in your heart, it makes a difference. You remind yourself, I'm living my life in the very face and presence of God.

Is this a course I want to take? Is this an action I want to pursue? Is God going to be pleased with it? That everything I do, I need to do in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Now sometimes people say, do you think this is wrong or that's wrong? Ask yourself this question. Can I do this in the name of Jesus? That will mark a lot of things off your list.

You don't even have to have a second thought about it. I know I can't do that because I can't do it in the name of Jesus and ask Him to bless me while I'm doing it. So Jesus said in John 17, 17, sanctify them through thy truth, thy word is truth. How is it God's people are going to be sanctified, cleansed, directed in the right path?

Through His truth. 2 Timothy 3, 16 says all scripture is given by the inspiration of God and is profitable. It's profitable.

It's good. It's good for doctrine. There are many today that will say doctrine is not important.

If you just have love, that's all that's necessary. But He says doctrine is profitable. It's profitable for reproof, for correction, for instruction and righteousness that the man of God may be thoroughly furnished unto all good works. Oh, how vital doctrine is.

It's the bedrock of all the things that we're going to believe and implement in a practical way. Start with the fact that God is God. He is absolutely sovereign.

He is totally holy. Puts things in a different perspective than what man will reason in his own judgment. And so God provides guidance for us through His word.

He directs sometimes by providence. In 1 Thessalonians 2, 18 it says, Wherefore we would have come unto you, even I, Paul, once and again, but Satan hindered us. It was my intent to come.

I wanted to come. But Satan hindered us. How can that be providential? Well, certainly if God had been pleased to do it, He could have subdued Satan and removed that obstacle. But God allowed that to happen. So sometimes we learn what God would have us to do by the providential circumstances that unfold in our life. We think we've planned on something that's good and it may be good in itself.

There's nothing harmful about it. It's just not God's time and His purpose for you to go that way and do that at that given moment. And so we have to be submissive. We may be disappointed when there are things we can't do, but we have to bow and recognize His will. And He gives us guidance through our trials. Isaiah chapter 50 verse 10, Who is among you that feareth the Lord?

Now I want you to get this carefully. This is not somebody who's running from the Lord. This is not somebody who is disobedient. This is one that fears the Lord and obeys the voice of His servant. But that walketh in darkness and hath no light.

Now there are some that would tell you that just doesn't seem reasonable. They'll preach that if you're obeying the Lord, you'll never be in the dark. You'll never have difficult times.

You'll be prosperous in every category. But here it clearly says this is an obedient individual who obeys the voice of the Lord, but is in the dark. How does that happen? Well, within the providence of God, He sometimes leads us in the path where there's darkness. In the dark, we're made keenly aware of how fragile we are, how weak we are, how desperately we need God's help every hour of every day, and we must continually call upon Him. You know, when you're in that situation, it's not that prayer is just a duty you've got to take care of in the morning and in the evening. You pray because you've got to pray. Lord, I need you desperately.

And it's all right to pray. I need you in a hurry. You find the psalmist sometimes saying that, Lord, hear me speedily. I need help. I need it now. When Peter was trying to walk on the water and he started sinking, he said, Lord, Savior, I perish.

He didn't have time for a lot of introductory words. He'd have been under the water quick if he hadn't have called when he did and got help when he did. So sometimes we're in that plight. Lord, I'm in such a desperate strait.

I'm so much in the dark at the moment. I need Thy light, the light of Thy countenance, the warmth of Thy love. I need Thy guidance.

Now, what is he supposed to do? The one who walks in darkness and has no light, let him stay upon his God and trust in the name of the Lord. Trust in the name of the Lord. And it says, furthermore, you must be careful not to build your own fire. When you're in the dark and you say, well, I can't take this. I've got to do something. You start building your own fire.

It says, this shall he have of mine hand. He shall lie down in sorrow. It'll only lead to confusion when you say, well, things are not working out. I've got to come up with another plan. I've got to have some ingenious way of resolving all these difficulties.

No. This one that's walking in the dark has no light. Let him stay upon his God and trust in the name of the Lord. The Lord teaches us and guides us then in those difficult times, in those dark days, to be more dependent upon him. And so the text says, the Lord will guide you. What reassurance, what comfort that as you are a pilgrim and a stranger in this world and find many challenges to get through it, that you're not by yourself, that he has promised to give comfort, to give guidance, reassurance.

When he taught the disciples to pray, he taught them to pray this. Our Father, which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven. I want thy will to be done, Lord. I want to be surrendered and submissive to thee. Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.

And there's a place that will cause you to pause for a moment. Lord, have I really forgiven everybody like I want to be forgiven? Are there a few cases where I'm holding some malice?

I've still got some grudges. Better deal with it because if you're asking God to forgive you like you've forgiven other people and you haven't done a very thorough job of forgiving other people, you're in trouble. Lord, forgive me, but bless me to know that I've forgiven others. And he says, lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever.

Amen. So he promises to lead us, to lead us not into temptation, to deliver us from evil, and as we're praying, thy will be done in earth that includes us as earthen vessels. Lord, thy will be done in me even as it is in heaven.

He will guide us continually. Favorite Psalm, Psalm 23, verse 1. The Lord is my shepherd I shall not want. He leadeth me, he maketh me to lie down in green pastures. He leadeth me beside the still waters.

Isn't that a consolation? To think that we as weak, poor souls here on this earth would be led by the Good Shepherd, the Great Shepherd, Jesus Christ, that he would lead us. And so we have a promise that he will guide us.

And then there's inward satisfaction. He says he will satisfy their soul in drought. In a time of drought, the grass is brown, the ground is parched. It's an ugly scene that looks desolate and barren.

I've been in the South several times in the summer when there have been droughts that you just look out over the field and see the crops that are scorched and burned. It's depressing. It's discouraging to see it. So this speaks of difficult times, difficult times.

Going to satisfy you in drought, in the time of trouble. I think we could safely say that this era of the coronavirus has been a time of tremendous difficulty. Many of us have suffered with it. We've seen our loved ones suffer with it. We've seen our loved ones die with it.

We know the devastation that it's wrought across this country and around the world. Look at it and just say what trouble it has brought. Plans change.

Marriage is delayed. Business is destroyed. Jobs lost.

All kinds of negative things. But I'm here to tell you this. The coronavirus is not running loose to the point that God can't control it. God's still on the throne.

He's still working his will in the army of heaven and among men and heaven to the earth and none can stay his hand or say unto him, What doest thou? And so the drought speaks of difficult times like sickness and death and difficulties in our government that we're seeing today, radical changes that are taking place in America that cause all of us to be concerned. We ought not to be worriers. Worry is a sin.

Now I dare say to some of you professional worriers here today that if we gave you opportunity, you could make out a rather extensive list in short order of everything you worry about all the time. Oh, how difficult to face the fact that worry is a sin because when you worry, that means you're not trusting God. You're not walking by faith.

You're not depending on Him. Ah, yes. He has promised to satisfy us even in the drought. I remember an old sister used to be a member of our church. She'd gone on to be with the Lord. In the early summertime, we'd go to her house and the first thing she wanted to do was take you out to her garden. Oh, it was just in good order, just straight rows and the plants flourishing and she was so proud of it. And then as the summer went on and the dry times came, we'd go to her house and say, I want to see your garden. Well, I don't feel like going out there today.

She didn't want anybody to see it all dried up and neglected. Well, it certainly means that there are times because of our failure, because of our neglect in being in God's Word and communicating with Him, being faithful in church attendance for a variety of things, that we can be dried up and we're humiliated for others to know how we have slid back and certainly have to come to the Lord and ask Him for forgiveness. So being satisfied with the Lord doesn't mean that we're satisfied with ourself. I know that constant change is necessary, that we may turn from the weakness of the flesh and find our strength in the Lord and live to His honor and glory. I hope that you will write us this week. Until next week at this same time, may the Lord richly bless you all. The Baptist Bible Hour has come to you under the direction of Elder Lesair Bradley, Jr. Address all mail to The Baptist Bible Hour, Cincinnati, Ohio 45217. That's The Baptist Bible Hour, Cincinnati, Ohio 45217. Love to Thee.