When God Delays - Part 1

Thanks everyone willingly part without mission to vision is what you write 25 puts it this way generous with those who refresh others themselves be refreshed.

So if you give in the fall being generous and refreshing with a true cool drink all day with your text, multipart lesions are whole.how you use the free Christian media everything become more urgent, even you. God is not the Y well you know the frustration recognizing point of the Jeremiah 10 for some 15 and considers the question that every believer has found it at some point.

What do you do with God's timing is when you win God like you know there's this question that we ask after we ask other questions of God and here is how long how long God did you know that that's in the book of Psalms were 16 times how long before we hear from you while you waiting why are you delaying this not just in the Psalms that appears. It's in other places in the Scripture as well, and you may be like. I am wondering how long before we can go back to work. How long before we go back to church. How long before we can resume life as we once knew it, and what do we do when least when we sense God is delaying some 13 helps us that's our study for the next two days so put a marker there in your Bible.

Be ready to join us in a few moments as we open again to the book of Psalms, this time to Psalm 13 we try to give you the background of the Psalms and why David wrote them and when he wrote them in his life.

One of the beautiful things about the book of Psalms is that you can study it with the life of David and much of the material in the Psalms is interlaced with David's narrative and so you see where David was what he was doing and then this is what he wrote. How helpful is that to us reflects our heart.

Someone once told me that when you read the book of Psalms you will find some for everything you ever experienced in your life because David was a man for all seasons he lived a rich full life. He wrote about it in his journal.

We call it the Psalms and today it Psalm 13. Well let's get started with Psalm 13, when God is from the moment that David killed the giant Goliath the giant that had taunted Israel. David himself became the hunted man to become the hero of his people and King Saul, who had been the former hero became bitterly jealous. The women of Israel celebrated the victory of David over Goliath by singing a song which is recorded for us in first Samuel chapter 18 in verse seven, so the women saying as they danced and said Saul has slain his thousand and David his 10,000 you can imagine that a man with an ego as large as Saul's would have a great deal of difficulty when he walked out of the palace and into the streets and heard that song wafting through the air. Saul has slain his thousands, but David is 10,000 and Saul's reaction to that song is recorded for us in just a few verses after the song itself is given for the first Samuel 18 verses eight and nine we read these words. Then Saul was very angry and saying displeased him and he said they have ascribed to David 10,000s into me.

They have ascribed only thousands now.

What more can he have, but the kingdom so Saul I David from that day forward.

That means you gave him the evil I looked at him out of the green sickness of jealousy which it come to take over his being in first Samuel 1829 tells us that Saul was afraid of David and became David's enemy continually. Now we all know that story but what we may have forgotten is that for the next eight or nine years. David ran from Saul, he was the original fugitive his fugitive status was complicated with all kinds of personal involvements. For instance, the one who was chasing him had a son and a daughter, and David love them both. He loved Jonathan his best friend and he loved Michael Saul's daughter is lifestyle for these eight or nine years was one of running and hiding and he lived in the fields and in the forests and in the caves and in the deserts.

Finally he was chased clear out of the land of Israel and into the land of Stein's who were the hated enemy of his people. He ends up in a city called Gath where they find out who he is and in order to escape.

He has to act like he's gone insane. The Scripture says that in order to get away from vacation, King of Gafford David dribbled in his beard and scratched his hands on the doors and acted like he was crazy later was 600 of his faithful men he settled in a place called Sigg lag and he lived there for 16 months only to go out on a military mission and come back and when he gets home. The city has been burned to the ground. All of the wives of the children of his men including his own family have been carried away. He knows not where the men who are with him, supposedly his faithful 600 or so angry about the situation that they do what sometimes happens. They turned on their leader and they said they were going to stone him and kill him because he'd been the reason for the loss of their family and first Samuel 36 we read that David was greatly distressed for the people spoke of stoning him, because the sole of all the people was grieved every man for his sons and daughters out of the desperation of David's heart running away from a powerful enemy for 8 to 9 years living like he was an animal sometimes instead of the anointed king of God. David cried out to the Lord in the words of Psalm 13 and listen to what they say how long the Lord will you forget me forever. How long will you hide your face from me. How long shall I take counsel in my soul having sorrow in my heart daily. How long will my enemy be exalted over me considering hear me oh Lord my God, enlighten my eyes lest I sleep the sleep of death, lest my enemies say I have prevailed against him less those who probably rejoice when I am moved but I have trusted in your mercy, my heart shall rejoice in your salvation. I will sing to the Lord because he is not bountifully with me.

FB Meyer, one of the great writers of scriptural commentaries has said that Saul's persecution lasted for eight or nine years and no hope of termination was on the horizon and David was a man who spent 500 days passing through a forest. The tangled overgrowth hides the sun and he begins to despair of ever coming out alive. He wrote this song when he was exhausted when he was depressed the troubles with King Saul had gone on year after year. There seem to be no way anything could be resolved. He'd already been driven to desperate human means to escape from Saul and nothing seemed to work and this Psalm was wrong out of the extremity of his soul. He simply could not go on.

Not for another day.

Not for another hour, not even for another minute you been there done that, been to the place where you felt like Lord I can't take anymore. I have to hear from you if you don't resolve this issue. I don't know what I'm going to do most of us have been there at some time or another may have been a long drawn out sickness that you thought wasn't going to be quite as complicated but it just keeps becoming more difficult than ever. It's a financial problem of some severity and long-standing. Maybe you spend your whole life building security for the future and something happened and he wrote it and it's all gone. You wonder how God is everything to resolve it. Or maybe it's a wayward son or a daughter, for whom you been praying now for lo these many years. Or an alcoholic spouse or an unsaved loved one or some kind of dysfunction in your family, or situation at work demanding unreasonable boss or some jealous, spiteful, fellow worker that you have to work beside every day before you know it you'll find yourself in David shoes everybody goes through it sooner or later some unresolved problem some issue that you don't know what to do with and it seems as if no matter what you try. There is no solution on the horizon and you can understand David's words is a man of God. He's that sweet singer of Israel. He's the man after God's own heart, but in frustration. He cries out to God, how couldn't help but think that we as spiritual children are not much different than our own physical children would run a journey. Someplace in from the back seat you get these words, how much longer is it how much further is it are we there yet were just like children are only when God delays we can learn much from these writings of David. Aren't you glad you put this down for us helps me so much to know that were not alone that someone else that we love and respect whom God has honored his had the courage to say the kinds of things that we wonder sometimes whether we should even be saying out loud so we notice first of all, as we look at the text that we know our struggle when God delays. Sometimes we think it's not right for us to struggle but it is all right for us to struggle were not the only ones who ever struggled with this issue. Like many of David's songs if you will read them carefully, you will discover that this Psalm begins with a sigh and ends with a song. But you can't get to the song without going through the sigh, the reoccurrence of the phrase in this Psalm is worth noting if you underline in your Bible, you will notice that four times in these first verses he uses this expression. How long four times. He asked God how much longer God, how much longer he describes his struggle as he cries out loud to God and here is a good illustration of the importance of honest prayer. Sometimes I think when we pray, as Christians, we don't pray. Honestly, I don't know if we think we can posture before God, or what you had somebody say how are you doing and you say I'm doing fine and you know your line like a rat you just got off the phone telling somebody how bad everything was in you meet another person in the hallway may say how are you doing you Sam thought you could do that with your friends because they don't know what's going on but you can do that with God.

So you might as well tell them what's going on, telling how you feel. Sometimes when God delays we view forgotten.

Let's be honest in the first verse he says how long the Lord will you forget me forever feeling that God has forgotten us is not an uncommon experience.

Sooner or later, most of God's people go through a period of time when they wonder if God really is. There is really forgotten them. It's a thought that's repeated many times in the Psalms as you read through the book of Psalms. Notice it whenever it appears, for instance, in Psalm 10 verse one Psalms cries out why you stand afar off the Lord, why do you hide in times of trouble you know God is always there when I don't need and then when I need and I'm in trouble. You Andrew Fuller who was an early commentator on the Scripture said it's not under the sharpest but under the longest trials that we are most in danger of fainting is not true. We handle the momentary challenges.

The big problem that comes up and we hang in there for the shortfall and we didn't resolve but when that problem is protracted. I'm reminded that when Joel went through his terrible times in the Old Testament is a portion of Scripture where he was just hit one right after the other.

With the disasters of life's children were killed as animals were killed, the servants were killed and everything happened to one right after the other and Joel just handled it in great strength, but when it became apparent to him later on in the book that this was a long and protracted trouble. He just caved in hundred.

How many of you know how hard it is to know that there doesn't seem like there's any answer out there in the near future, and this is going to be a long-term challenge.

Sometimes when that happens you think God is forgotten, you while we may feel like God is forgotten is let me remind you that is an impossibility. God never forget you. I love this verse of Scripture which is written to the nation of Israel, but has such great impact on us when we read in Isaiah 49 says, can a woman forget her nursing child and not have compassion on the son of her womb.

Surely, they may forget, yet I will not forget you see I have's inscribed you on the palms of my hands.

Your walls are continually before me was, is, as you know, can a woman forget her nursing child, and that's the most enduring intimate relationship that he could think of Mrs. even if that were to happen. I'm not going forget you back. I've written your name on the palms of my hand. That's a personification of Almighty God, so that we can understand you are in the palm of his hand is not going forget you. He hasn't forgotten you.

Now, no matter what your feelings may be. Sometimes when God delays we feel forgotten is not true, but David carries it to the next level. He said sometimes God delays that I don't hear an answer from you. I feel like I'm forsaken. He writes how long will you hide your face from me. Not only has God forgotten him.

But in his mind he feels like God is purposely covered up his eyes so that he doesn't have to know that David is better God's forsaken. That's one thing to be forgotten in the human realm that can happen unintentionally, but the forsake someone you have to do that on purpose. And David said, sometimes in my walk with God in this long drawn out affair of running away from Saul and all the things that happen. I feel like not only has God not in me, but he's totally and maybe even on purpose, forsaken me. He's written me off his list is your race to me from the Journal is not interesting because that is exactly the emotion that our Lord expressed when he was on the cross but did you know where those words came from me remind you of something so so very interesting. In Psalm 22 we read these words.

This is a song written by David, but let me tell you about it. My God, my God, why have you forsaken me. These are almost exactly the same words of Psalm 13.

Why are you so far from helping me, and from the words of my groaning all my God I cry in the daytime, but you do not hear and in the night season, and I am not silent. Now if you study the Old Testament Psalms you know that Psalm 22 has no historic place in the life of David is what they call a messianic Psalm. It is a Psalm about the Messiah. It is a Psalm which predicts and prophesies the crucifixion of the Lord Jesus Christ long before that method of execution was known to any man. Psalm 22 is a picture in the Old Testament of the absolutely awesome crucifixion of the Lord Jesus Christ in the new and you remember when the Lord Jesus was hanging on the cross. One of the words that came from his mouth in his closing moments before death were the very words of Psalm 22 recorded for us in Matthew chapter 27 we read and about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli Lama, Suboxone. I that is being interpreted, my God, my God, why have you forsaken me. All of a sudden when I read that in the Psalm and put it together with the truth of Psalm 13, I realized, were not the only ones who felt forsaken the Lord God himself not only felt forsaken, but was forsaken. His father turned his back upon them because he could not stand to look upon the sin that he bore there on his back. So every time you feel forsaken and you lift up your voice to pride Almighty God. Just remember that the one who hears your prayers. It's been there and done that. He knows exactly what you feel. He has been there and experienced what it means to be forsaken when we feel forsaken and we express our feelings. We are just being very Christlike. Currently sometimes you say well you know what, I don't think I should pray that way. That doesn't sound very reverent, will listen to the prayer of the Lord on the cross, my God, my God, why have you forsaken me yet at the same time you have to be reminded again that God does not ever forsake us. In fact, the reason that he forsook his son was so that he would never have to forsake us.

Isn't that interesting. He turned his back upon his son so that he would never have to turn his back upon us, so that when we cry out to him in the midst of our trials is long and drawn out as they may seem to be even when we can't sense it. God is hearing us and he will never forsake you over and over again that truth is found in the Scripture like Hebrews chapter 13 in verse five, for he himself is said I will never leave you. I will never forsake you.

We may feel forsaken. But we are not and we should feel free to express our thoughts to the Lord when those feelings overwhelm us.

Then sometimes when God delays. We not only feel forgotten and forsaken. But we feel frustrated juror feel frustrated with God, I'm really frustrated praying about this for years four months doesn't seem like you're there, listen to the words of the psalmist in the second verse of the 13th chapter he says how long shall I take counsel in my soul having sorrow in my heart really, how long shall my enemy be exalted over me. He's frustrated for two reasons. First of all he's frustrated because of his own emotions. He says every day I go through this every day I have to deal with this. You know the problem of the Christian life is its own daily and every day you have to get up and face the challenges and if you got some particular problem in your life like a problem with your marriage or a problem with one of your children or some kind of sickness that you don't know about what's going to happen every day when you get up the first moments when your mind turns on those thoughts begin the present upon you, and they don't go away.

James Montgomery Boyce was written a wonderful commentary on the book of Psalms says the third time David asks how long he refers to a combination of what we would call dark thoughts and uncontrollable emotions.

We no longer sense that God is blessing us and we tend to ruminate on our failures and get into emotional funk and when our emotions take over. It's always hard to get back on the level course because the best means of getting back on the level course is calm reflection and a review of all of the past blessings and those are all swept away because of the problems that we are currently experiencing and we discover we can't settle ourselves down long enough to complete the exercise of remembering what God is done and settling in on who use the problem begins to take over in our life. David was talking about that, not in your stomach that weighed in your breast it makes even the thought of food distasteful. You can't sleep and you can eat, and you can't settle to do anything and every time you almost get your mind on something else back comes the thought of that problem to take over again.

Have you ever experienced that becomes your constant and daily companion's frustrated you know what to do. You been taught what to do. You know you should read your Bible you know you should pray, you know, used to fellowship with God's people.

But the problem is taken over his got you in such an emotional mind that no matter what you do. You can't do the thing you know you should do is frustrated. Emotions were raw edge maybe was frustrated because it is enemy. Notice he says how long shall my enemy be exalted over me. I need to tell you something that you may have forgotten.

David was the king and waiting. David was anointed three times to be king of Israel.

You know how long there was between when he was anointed the first time and when he actually became king 15 years when Jesse came down and brought David up to Samuel and Samuel poured the oil on David's head as a young man said this is the king. From that moment on, David went back take care the sheep. Then he went to Saul's court when he got involved in this whole thing with Goliath and then Goliath was killed and David is chased all over Palestine for 8 to 9 years and he knows he's the king, God's anointed him his anointed again and again the third time, but he's not king he's just king and waiting. How would you like to be being chased all over the place knowing that you're the king got. I thought I was going to became yes but not till I chase you around the whole earth for about nine years. You know, times like this and if you like that now had all her plans we had everything set me in the fall. Some of you were planning on school, no schools not going open you had a new job waiting for you in new office and that everything is put on hold anyone here what I do know what to do when life goes on pause when God just makes everything come to a standstill and put you in a place where you have no option but to think deeply about your life and hopefully about God.

Well, that's what were talking about in the lesson from Psalm 13, when God delays how long God, how long that's her question and that we been studying it today were going to return to that tomorrow as we finish up our discussion of the 13th Psalm God bless you will see right here for more information on the series when your willful visit our website really offered to freeways to help you stay connected monthly magazine Turning Point and daily email devotional sign-up today. Jeremiah got a little flash drive you that Jeremiah don't move./Radio when you asked me a copy of David's helpful shelter in God sure to be an encouragement to you during this unprecedented gift of any amount.

Jeremiah 35 in the English standard and new international version as well as in standard a large print the new king in a variety of visit. David Jeremiah don't hold/radio I'm very tomorrow as we continue the series. When you look falls upon the point Jeremiah taking time to listen to from teasing