# Light in the Midst of Darkness - Psalm 88

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ibFJIeVzws

[01:59] Mhm.
[30:49] Register is so long it's incomprehensible.
[30:52] That's your future coming.
[30:54] You know, here while we live in the earth, we think, "Oh, my time is short."
[30:59] My end is coming.
[31:01] No, it's not.
[31:02] Your beginning is coming.
[31:05] We have a negative way of looking at life.
[31:07] We don't realize because we're minded.
[31:12] That the life we're living now is so short, so brief compared to eternity.
[31:21] And we don't slow down enough to really consider that the Bible tells us that what we're doing in this very brief moment matters for an amount of time that your mind cannot even comprehend.
[31:37] If, when I say that to you, that should really put all of your complaining into perspective.
[31:43] It's like when your parents tell you, you know, I remember going to Disneyland and back in the old day, you didn't buy tickets online.
[31:51] You didn't have a card that you just swiped and went in.
[31:54] Every time we went, we had to stand at the ticket booth.
[31:59] And I remember being so impatient for 5 minutes while getting tickets, maybe 10 if it was max.
[32:09] And I didn't consider that that brief 10 minutes would turn into something much greater, much longer.
[32:16] I'd have been way more patient if I really had considered it that way.
[32:19] And I think in life, we don't as Christians think that way.
[32:22] We're so consumed with here and now that we do not think heavenly minded.
[32:27] And some of you're like, "I do, pastor.
[32:30] I am heavenly minded."
[32:32] I'll remind you of that next time you're complaining to me.
[32:35] And then you'll quickly join the rest of us in saying we really are not heavenly minded.
[32:41] We are prone to have our mind put in the wrong place.
[32:45] And that chapter really should have put things into perspective for us so that we consider that whatever happens in this life, as terrible as it
[32:52] May be, is but for a brief moment.
[32:57] You like, "Pastor, tell that to me.
[32:59] I've been living it for 80 years."
[33:02] Don't care.
[33:06] It's a brief moment in comparison to eternity.
[33:08] That's why I believe the Holy Spirit saw it fit to put Psalm 87, the chapter of a heavenly perspective, right before we read one of the saddest chapters in the Bible.
[33:21] And it is Psalm 88 begins with a pretty simple reference title, if you have New King James.
[33:30] We'll read it in a second, but the original title is very descriptive.
[33:36] What happens when we find a title that's super descriptive in the original text?
[33:41] It is pretty telling you there is more to this chapter than you understand.
[33:48] For if you were to just read it and think this is just a man who's sad, irritated, disappointed, and finishes
[33:54] His prayer that way, the title tells you that's not true.
[34:02] The reference title is very simple.
[34:04] It says a prayer for help in despondency.
[34:08] What's despondency?
[34:13] Mhm, you all threw out relevant terms on a broad scale because despondency is not a narrow word when you look it up.
[34:22] Despondency, the definition is a profound state of extreme sadness, extreme depression, and complete loss of hope.
[34:33] By the way, as a pastor, this is one again, one of the most common things I come in contact with is people um start with the end of the description who have lost hope.
[34:50] Despondency, not always but often, sets in following major setbacks.
[34:57] Whether it be a personal loss or facing insurmountable difficulties, despondency leaves a person feeling utterly disheartened and unable to see a way forward.
[35:11] If the reference title here be true of the chapter, why on earth is it here in the midst of future-looking Psalms?
[35:19] Why is it at the end almost of future-looking Psalms, almost all of them pointing to eternity?
[35:28] Seems to me like kind of an odd place to put it.
[35:33] But even Charles Spurgeon about this chapter said this, he said assuredly, if there was if there was a song of sorrow and a Psalm of sadness, this is one.
[35:45] True.
[35:47] It is possible, in my opinion, I am Are you guys like, "Oh, oh, his opinion."
[35:54] It is possible that this chapter is here
[35:58] Because when we look and we long for heaven, when you and I are heavenly minded, we think, "Oh, well, then we'll be in a right headspace."
[36:09] True.
[36:09] But when we think heavenly minded, often we remember that we're still here, we're still in these bodies, we're still in these financial struggles, we're still dealing with a wicked and broken and evil world, we're still dealing with politics, we're still dealing with you fill in the blank.
[36:26] We're reminded that we're here, and that it would be easy to find ourselves in a place of despondency.
[36:35] Easy to lose heart.
[36:39] Hard to focus on eternity.
[36:46] True.
[36:46] Here is the original title.
[36:48] It says a song a psalm of the sons of Korah to the chief musician set to Mahalath Leannoth, a contemplation of Heman the Ezrahite.
[37:00] That is extensive.
[37:02] That's a lot of information.
[37:05] Who read that and kept reading and did not care?
[37:08] You can embarrass yourself.
[37:09] I don't mind.
[37:12] That title is the key to understanding the chapter.
[37:18] If you skip over it, you miss what the chapter's about.
[37:22] You miss the point of the chapter.
[37:24] [snorts]
[37:25] This is not just a prayer, not just a song, but it's also a mizmor or a melody.
[37:35] What's the purpose of a melody?
[37:38] So, we won't forget it because it's important that this chapter be one of the ones in our creed or our life that we think about often.
[37:47] It can be said this psalm is a prayer, a song, a melody, and it is sang to the Lord, the chief musician.
[37:54] Those are easy.
[37:55] By the way, that part of the title is simple.
[37:59] By the way, here another This is another
[38:02] Point where when you look up the original text, it's not by the sons of Korah, but the original Hebrew tells us that is written for the sons of Korah.
[38:16] Again, for the rebellious children.
[38:18] Who's that?
[38:20] You.
[38:21] If you did not think you, you're the rebellious child, for sure.
[38:27] Who in here obeyed the Lord all week perfectly?
[38:32] You rebels.
[38:34] This is a Psalm for who?
[38:38] For you, written for the Lord.
[38:43] Mahalath Leanoth.
[38:45] Mahalath, the word is actually a tricky word.
[38:50] It took me a bit.
[38:50] By the way, you can't Who in here uses like a concordance or the Strong's or the Blue Letter Bible when you read?
[38:58] Okay, you I mean, Aaron says Google.
[39:00] I also slightly approve.
[39:03] Listen.
[39:04] If you were to open up the Blue Letter Bible and read the very first description, it would tell you that the word means this or something like this.
[39:12] Meaning dubious, probably a catchword in a song given name to tune.
[39:21] But when you begin to continue to dive, by the way, here's my encouragement for you again.
[39:27] When you study the word, if you come back to me and say, "Pastor, I read this and I don't get anything out of it."
[39:34] I'm going to tell you you didn't really try very hard.
[39:38] Like when my mom gave me Brussels sprouts and said, "Eat it and you won't be hungry."
[39:41] And I'm like, "I tried and I just I didn't get anything out of it."
[39:46] Well, if you don't put the fork in it and stick it in your mouth, as rough as it may be, you will be left empty, true?
[39:53] So, if you got nothing when you study this chapter, you did not work up a sweat to figure it out.
[39:59] And the Bible is coded so that you have to work for it.
[40:03] And I love that.
[40:06] It should be.
[40:06] Because it's a protection mechanism built by the Lord to preserve his word.
[40:10] One, two, it makes you have to be diligent, disciplined.
[40:17] Jesus called a bunch of men to follow him.
[40:19] What did he call them?
[40:23] Lazy disciples.
[40:26] No, he called them disciples, which comes from the word discipline.
[40:30] It means to be a disciplined person.
[40:33] If you're not a disciplined person, you're just living your life one day at a time.
[40:37] I encourage you that the Bible encourages you to be disciplined.
[40:42] So, when you read the Bible, don't just read it, but read it with intent and and and desire to see the depth of scripture.
[40:48] The word Mahalath, when you begin to go through the Blue Letter Bible and you go down, there's a bunch of descriptions, but when you get to the genius Hebrew Chaldee Lexicon, it says this.
[40:57] It says to sing, harp or a stringed instrument.
[41:02] The signi- signification of singing in this
[41:05] Root arises from that of soothing.
[41:11] That doesn't sound like it belongs here, does it?
[41:14] This chapter, when you read it, were you soothed by it?
[41:19] No, not really.
[41:22] It was uncomfortable to read.
[41:25] But the word Mahalath can mean a harp or a stringed instrument.
[41:29] It means a very — you just heard guitar.
[41:33] It's a very open, beautiful instrument.
[41:39] The signification of singing mean it's something that we profess with our mouth loud, both mixed together, and then in this root arises from that of soothing.
[41:51] You know, like the chapter I believe, why I have the opinion that it was put here for that purpose, is because when we look at heaven, I think from that comes soothing, but truth.
[42:01] And truth is, we're still here.
[42:03] True?
[42:03] Uh, when you woke up this morning, you had a hard time getting out of bed.
[42:06] True?
[42:07] Some of you are like, "No, I jumped out of bed with youth."
[42:12] Go sit in the back.
[42:14] The rest of us are having a rough time getting out of bed because things are breaking.
[42:19] Some of us can't even see our first step.
[42:23] Can't see our feet.
[42:23] Good one.
[42:27] It's hard.
[42:29] When I think of heaven, I'm so excited for it, but it also brings a almost sometimes uh a place of being melancholy.
[42:39] Best way to put that.
[42:42] The word layanoth means afflict as a discipline.
[42:44] A God agent, meaning an agent of God, something he is using for discipline.
[42:52] And you think, "Well, because I'm being punished."
[42:55] Ooh, maybe the word is not discipline the way you think it is.
[42:59] Maybe the word discipline is the very word you think it might be, and that is to be diligent.
[43:06] To be plugged in, to be to be purposeful in your action.
[43:14] When you put these two what appear to be maybe possibly opposing terms together, you see the totality of this song differently.
[43:23] When we become despondent, when all these terrible things are around us and they feel like they're afflictions upon us, when we're seeing all of the issues of life and it feels like a burden upon us, we are to be reminded that it is his allowance.
[43:47] It is He does it on purpose.
[43:51] He allows them to be in our life.
[43:53] They're agents of his.
[43:58] They are his tools and the purpose could be to refine you.
[44:02] They could be to correct you.
[44:09] They could be to keep you from being too attached to this world so that you'd worship something else.
[44:19] They were agents to keep you heavenly minded.
[44:23] They could be agents to cause you to have to be reliant on him because you're stubborn.
[44:31] By the way, me and Gary did not pre-talk about this.
[44:35] We never do.
[44:38] And it is through this prayer, this song, this melody that we should not forget that we can be soothed in the midst of the one who has all things in our lives for a reason.
[44:53] A actual reason.
[44:53] And some of you are like, "I don't like that."
[44:57] This pain I'm having, that's not from God.
[44:59] That is Satan.
[45:03] Are you sure?
[45:03] Because everything in your life is allowed by him.
[45:03] Don't believe me?
[45:03] Go
[45:09] Study the book of Job.
[45:13] And you will quickly realize that all that you have in your life, those things that you think are agents of the enemy, are possibly agents of the Lord.
[45:24] Mhm.
[45:25] Isn't that a deep start to the study?
[45:29] For those of you who are like, "You missed a line."
[45:31] No, I didn't.
[45:33] Let's start in verse 1.
[45:34] [clears throat]
[45:35] O Lord God of my salvation, I have cried out day and night before you.
[45:39] Let my prayer come before you.
[45:41] Incline your ear to my cry.
[45:47] For my soul is full of troubles, and my life draws near to the grave.
[45:54] I am counted with those who go down to the pit.
[45:57] I am like a man who has no strength, adrift among the dead, like the slain who lie in the grave, whom you remember no more.
[46:10] And who are cut off from your hand.
[46:16] What state of mind is the psalmist in here?
[46:20] He is depressed.
[46:23] Really depressed.
[46:27] Those are some strong words.
[46:31] I didn't talk about the author from the title yet.
[46:33] The original title says the writer was Heman the Ezrahite.
[46:41] Don't say He-Man.
[46:47] It's a not it.
[46:47] Did you know there's a lot of mention of this man in the Bible?
[46:53] First Kings 4:30 through 32 tells us in that section of scripture that Solomon was wiser, and then it lists a few individuals, which is interesting to me because it's listing them, not saying that just Solomon was wiser.
[47:09] It's listing them.
[47:10] because they were the wisest known.
[47:13] So that it's telling you Solomon was wiser than they were, giving them high rapport.
[47:21] And those individuals listed, Heman is listed.
[47:27] Which means he was a super wise man in his time.
[47:33] First Chronicles 6, chapter 15, chapter 16, and 2 Chronicles chapter 5, all you together unanimously tell us he was a very exceptionally talented man.
[47:46] Specially especially music.
[47:49] But he was exceptionally talented, well-rounded.
[47:54] By the way, I get that a lot.
[47:56] People are like, "Well, of course you're good at what you do.
[47:58] You're just really talented."
[48:00] Well, I mean, yes, God has given me many talents.
[48:01] Some of them I had to learn and refine through discipline.
[48:06] But, truth be told, that's not what makes me a good person, as you'll see as we continue to study Heman, cuz he still
[48:12] I struggled just like you do.
[48:15] First Chronicles 25 tells us that Heman was appointed to a very high position to lead the worship, appointed by the king with two others, Asaph and Jeduthun.
[48:27] All three of them together were leading the worship of Israel.
[48:31] They were very important.
[48:34] In fact, it tells us that they did it before the Holy of Holies.
[48:39] That's a very high position in ministry.
[48:45] First Chronicles 25:6 tells us, and most of the commentators missed this one.
[48:53] It tells you that Heman was blessed by God with 14 sons and three daughters who all served with him.
[49:04] That means his whole family was plugged in and serving the Lord.
[49:07] The commentators got that, but they missed that it tells you that Heman was a seer.
[49:14] Oh.
[49:16] Why does that matter?
[49:18] Because now this plugs in to the book, the third book of Psalm, because it's another seer who sees the future.
[49:25] It tells you and I in that brief little thing that Heman didn't just know his own reality, his own life.
[49:37] He saw future things.
[49:41] This doesn't sound like a guy who would be struggling with depression, does it?
[49:47] By the way, some of you who struggle with depression, and if you do, you should really plug into the sermon this morning.
[49:52] Because the base of the sermon is depression and dealing with it.
[49:57] And I think that's one of the biggest things Americans are dealing with right now, even in church.
[50:03] But when you read this, when you begin to see who Heman was, you start to say, "Well, that's not a man who would suffer from depression."
[50:13] And as a pastor who's been given
[50:16] a high position in ministry,
[50:19] I'm I've
[50:20] a technically talented person
[50:22] comparatively to the rest of my people
[50:24] that I know.
[50:27] I have five children, which is more than
[50:29] most that I know.
[50:32] I understand Heman, and I tell you I
[50:35] struggle with depression as well.
[50:38] In fact,
[50:40] I think it is safe to say people like
[50:43] Heman
[50:44] suffer from depression equally if not
[50:46] more and hide it because of the position
[50:49] in which they are in.
[50:52] But Heman didn't decide to do that. He
[50:53] decided to let the whole world know in
[50:55] Psalm 88, "I suffer with depression.
[50:59] Even though my world looks perfect to
[51:01] you,
[51:03] here's a cry that I have."
[51:07] By the way, that seer, him being a seer
[51:10] is going to be important at the end.
[51:14] Those who appear to be leaders, the
[51:16] greatest among you, who have deep
[51:18] wisdom, they've been blessed with the
[51:20] large family, they're serving in high
[51:21] capacities, they struggle with
[51:24] depression, and that's why pastors
[51:26] commit suicide. That's why pastors fall
[51:29] away from the ministry. That is one of
[51:31] the biggest reasons.
[51:37] If you're sitting there thinking,
[51:38] "Pastor, why are you turning this sermon
[51:40] about you? I'm a normal person with none
[51:42] of those things, and I struggle with
[51:43] depression, so I'm worse off."
[51:45] No, you're not.
[51:48] You actually have it way more simple
[51:49] than those who have to hide it and save
[51:51] face.
[51:52] By the way, let me I I am very open
[51:54] about who I am. Most pastors won't tell
[51:56] you this, but as a pastor, all I do, how
[51:59] God has chosen to let me serve, is to
[52:02] listen to you unload your baggage onto
[52:06] me.
[52:08] And I had to learn early on, my wife
[52:11] had to remind me often, you cannot carry
[52:14] everyone's baggage. Jesus said, "Cast
[52:18] your cares, your anxieties, your burden,
[52:21] cast it upon me, because I care for
[52:24] you."
[52:27] Everybody at some point has dealt with
[52:30] depression in their life. Every person
[52:33] alive has dealt with depression.
[52:36] On what scale? That's different. Don't
[52:38] know.
[52:41] But I want you to take note of first,
[52:43] we're going to have to look at the
[52:44] positives in this scripture, in this
[52:45] chapter, and not the negatives. Because
[52:47] when you look at the negatives, you'll
[52:48] feel sorry for yourself with him.
[52:51] And he's not writing this Psalm so you
[52:53] would feel sorry about yourself. He's
[52:55] writing this Psalm to give you a clearer
[52:57] picture of his heart.
[53:00] What does he say first? Look at verse
[53:02] one.
[53:04] O Lord God of my salvation.
[53:10] That is how he begins his prayer in
[53:13] struggling in the midst of depression.
[53:15] He acknowledges that the Lord is able to
[53:18] save, that he has saved,
[53:22] that he will save. Hold that thought for
[53:25] a moment.
[53:28] When we see that, even in the darkest
[53:30] place, Heman knew that the only
[53:33] salvation he would ever know
[53:36] would and does come from the Lord.
[53:42] So, he calls on the Lord
[53:45] in the very beginning with hope and
[53:47] expectation on one thing that God, the
[53:50] Lord, is a God of salvation. That's who
[53:52] he is.
[53:56] You're going to be tempted as we read
[53:57] this to say, "He has no hope."
[54:01] He does have hope, but he's being
[54:03] honest.
[54:05] And he has to tell himself first in his
[54:08] prayer, "The Lord is my salvation."
[54:10] before he cries out to the Lord. Because
[54:13] when we By the way, if you go to the
[54:14] Lord, church, individuals,
[54:18] and you begin with your complaint,
[54:22] you will fall into despondency.
[54:26] Because you'll be focused on the
[54:28] complaint
[54:30] and not the Lord who saves.
[54:34] He goes on and says, "My soul is full of
[54:37] troubles." He was suffering. Him and at
[54:39] some point he's suffering from deep
[54:41] troubles, a place that only the Lord
[54:43] could know, could understand.
[54:46] I've heard it said three times this week
[54:48] by some of you in here and another
[54:49] person I know that I'm suffering
[54:53] and no one understands my suffering.
[54:57] Not true.
[54:59] That's what a despondent person says
[55:01] who's focused on their own problem.
[55:04] There's many people who understand what
[55:06] you're going through. In fact, I will go
[55:07] out on a limb and say there are many
[55:08] people who are suffering far, far, far,
[55:12] far worse than you are.
[55:16] And you say, "Then you don't know me." I
[55:17] don't need to know you.
[55:19] I know a ton of other people and I hear
[55:21] their complaints and I can safely say
[55:25] that no matter how great you think you
[55:27] are, there's always someone greater.
[55:30] Even if you brag about your suffering,
[55:32] there's someone who's suffering greater,
[55:33] guaranteed.
[55:35] True?
[55:37] Make sure we're all on the same page
[55:38] here so you don't have a nasty heart
[55:40] while we go.
[55:44] But the psalmist wasn't afraid to tell
[55:46] the Lord, my soul, not everybody else's.
[55:48] I'm not He's not concerned with those
[55:49] around him. When you're depressed,
[55:51] that's not your concern.
[55:53] My soul is full of troubles.
[55:57] My life draws near to the grave, he
[55:59] says.
[56:01] Every day I feel closer to death,
[56:04] whether it be physically for Heman,
[56:06] whether it be spiritually or it be both.
[56:09] The psalmist here, he is heavy in the
[56:11] midst of depression.
[56:15] People around him and could see the
[56:17] battle in his life and they counted him
[56:20] as one
[56:23] who was brushing towards or heading
[56:25] towards death.
[56:28] Last week when Gary got up here to
[56:30] speak, I was glad he said what he said,
[56:32] but I saw a man at the brink of death.
[56:38] Depression is hard.
[56:40] It's a difficult thing and there are
[56:42] many pastors who love to brush over it
[56:44] and say get over it.
[56:47] The psalmist is okay realizing this is
[56:49] where I am and I'm going to pour my
[56:51] heart out to you because everyone sees
[56:54] where I'm at. I know that my soul is
[56:56] troubled and I'm calling out to the God
[56:58] of salvation and I'm going to be honest
[57:00] with you.
[57:01] Another person this week told me, I
[57:03] yelled at the Lord this week.
[57:05] And I'm glad he told me that cuz it's
[57:07] true. There are times when I go to the
[57:09] Lord and you go to the Lord in your
[57:10] depression and you're angry with him.
[57:13] Maybe you're not angry. Maybe you're
[57:14] just like, I just don't understand you.
[57:17] And here I am in this place of
[57:19] suffering.
[57:22] He says I'm like a man who has no
[57:24] strength.
[57:27] Heman felt like there was no way to get
[57:31] himself out of it.
[57:32] And most people in depression, that's
[57:34] how they feel.
[57:36] There's no way out of this.
[57:38] I can't lift myself out. People try to
[57:40] lift me out. I don't come out. I'm stuck
[57:43] here. I have no strength.
[57:48] I'm just
[57:49] adrift among the dead, he says. You
[57:52] know, I'm just floating around like all
[57:54] the dead people.
[57:57] I'm just barely getting through every
[57:59] day and I feel alone in it. I feel that
[58:02] everyone around me is dead to what's
[58:03] occurring.
[58:06] And it's as though everyone around me is
[58:08] unresponsive to what I'm dealing with.
[58:12] Who in here has ever felt that way?
[58:14] Look around you.
[58:15] I want you to know
[58:17] it ain't just you.
[58:20] Don't let the devil lie to you in that
[58:22] way.
[58:26] I'm like the slain who lie in the grave.
[58:28] Like, I don't even want to do anything
[58:30] anymore. I'm already pretty much dead
[58:32] anyways.
[58:35] And it And this is the hard one. He
[58:37] says, "Whom you remember no more." Why
[58:39] does he say that?
[58:41] Because that is how he feels.
[58:45] And it's okay to tell the Lord how you
[58:47] feel.
[58:48] Some of you are like, "Well, I don't say
[58:49] that to him because it's not true." Is
[58:51] it how you feel? Then say it to him.
[58:54] You're not going to hurt his feelings. I
[58:56] promise that.
[58:58] You're not going to hurt the Lord's
[58:59] feelings. He knows you at your lowest.
[59:01] He knows the lowest point of your life
[59:02] that maybe you haven't even got to yet.
[59:04] He already knows you there.
[59:06] You're not going to hurt his feelings.
[59:09] One of the greatest qualities of this
[59:11] psalmist in this sad prayer is that he
[59:13] is honest to the Lord. He's not hiding
[59:16] it.
[59:17] Listen, for those of you who are
[59:18] struggling in your depression, I'm just
[59:20] going to tell you straight up, you
[59:21] should be honest about who you are,
[59:22] where you are. Not pretend.
[59:25] Those of you who are in a high capacity
[59:27] and feel like I can't show how I'm
[59:30] struggling because then everyone would
[59:31] not respect me. False.
[59:34] Be honest with who you are.
[59:38] Do I struggle with depression? You bet
[59:41] your bottom dollar I do. My whole family
[59:43] knows when I'm headed down that path.
[59:46] I'm just lucky that God has placed
[59:47] people there that come along with a
[59:48] stick and beat me out of it.
[59:52] But it hasn't always been that way.
[59:55] There were times when I was alone and no
[59:57] one understood. You know what's puzzling
[59:59] to me? You you you lose someone you care
[01:00:01] about. I lost my dad and all my brothers
[01:00:04] and sisters and my mom who's happens to
[01:00:06] be here today,
[01:00:07] we all went through the same thing.
[01:00:10] Not true.
[01:00:12] Because even the depth of my mother's
[01:00:14] understanding, I could not understand.
[01:00:17] The depth of my suffering, she did not
[01:00:20] understand.
[01:00:21] She had a general idea,
[01:00:23] but we felt alone as a family
[01:00:25] individually a lot of times that we
[01:00:28] didn't understand even each other and
[01:00:30] what it was. We were in this place where
[01:00:32] I felt exactly like he's describing. I'm
[01:00:34] I might as well just die cuz it's my
[01:00:36] life is worthless here.
[01:00:40] And I feel like you don't remember me
[01:00:42] anymore.
[01:00:47] And who I feel like he's saying I'm cut
[01:00:50] off from your hand like like I'm not
[01:00:52] allowed to feel your goodness anymore or
[01:00:54] your help. You've left me in this.
[01:01:00] Who in here is starting to get depressed
[01:01:02] or you feel kind of depressed or you
[01:01:03] know what this feels like?
[01:01:06] Good. Pay attention to me really quick.
[01:01:08] Let's pull ourselves out of the pity
[01:01:09] party
[01:01:11] and let's notice something here.
[01:01:13] Notice that he says that he is like
[01:01:19] a slain person. He is like one who you
[01:01:22] no remember no more. You I'm like one
[01:01:25] who has been cut off from your hand.
[01:01:29] What does that tell you about the
[01:01:30] psalmist himself?
[01:01:32] He's saying, I feel like one of them.
[01:01:36] But I know it not to be true.
[01:01:39] See how easy it is to just speed read
[01:01:41] through this and then be like, well, the
[01:01:43] psalmist is depressed, so so can I be.
[01:01:46] No, the psalmist is dealing with his
[01:01:48] depression by taking it to the Lord and
[01:01:50] saying, here is how I feel. I feel like
[01:01:53] this.
[01:01:55] But I know it not to be true.
[01:01:57] Is the intention he's giving.
[01:02:00] Hm. How many times do you go to the Lord
[01:02:03] with that heart?
[01:02:04] When he's not answering your prayer and
[01:02:06] you're suffering, do you go to him and
[01:02:07] you're like, I don't know, I feel like
[01:02:09] the wicked that you've cut off. Or
[01:02:11] you're like this, why have you cut me
[01:02:13] off?
[01:02:16] Those are huge differences in heart.
[01:02:20] Did it ever occur to you that God's
[01:02:21] allowing that to be there in your life
[01:02:23] and not answering because he sees that
[01:02:25] part of your heart that does not trust
[01:02:27] him?
[01:02:29] Because all things are put there as his
[01:02:32] agents for discipline. That's what you
[01:02:34] found from the beginning of the chapter.
[01:02:36] Got to keep thinking about that now,
[01:02:37] huh?
[01:02:39] And who are cut off from your hand?
[01:02:42] I feel like I'm going to encourage you
[01:02:44] if you're taking notes, when you go to
[01:02:46] pray and you go to complain to the Lord
[01:02:48] and you By the way,
[01:02:50] we'll reach back in old studies. When we
[01:02:52] complain, what does it say about our
[01:02:54] heart?
[01:02:56] We don't trust him.
[01:02:59] The psalmist is not complaining.
[01:03:01] He's sharing his heart with the Lord.
[01:03:02] He's saying, I feel like this. Here's
[01:03:04] where I'm struggling.
[01:03:06] Next time you go to the Lord, stop
[01:03:08] complaining.
[01:03:09] Before you complain cuz you're going to
[01:03:11] want to, I don't care who you are.
[01:03:13] Finances, relationship problems, cars,
[01:03:15] backs, eyes, do I need to go on?
[01:03:19] Hateful people within church stabbing
[01:03:21] you in the back repeatedly.
[01:03:23] Okay?
[01:03:25] I don't care what it is, you're going to
[01:03:26] be tempted to complain to the Lord. Do
[01:03:27] not.
[01:03:29] Go to your own heart first and say,
[01:03:31] "He's the Lord of my salvation." Remind
[01:03:33] yourself who he is and then go to him
[01:03:36] with a different heart. "I'm not going
[01:03:38] to complain to you. I'm going to share
[01:03:39] how I feel with you because I don't want
[01:03:41] to feel this way."
[01:03:44] Okay? Note to self.
[01:03:50] Now you understand why the Psalm begins
[01:03:53] with those words and one of them saying
[01:03:56] a music from the base word or root of
[01:03:59] soothing. This is actually soothing when
[01:04:01] you read it with the right intention.
[01:04:04] Because even in my struggling, I looked
[01:04:06] at this Psalm and looked at this prayer
[01:04:07] and thought, "Sometimes I'm not even
[01:04:10] honest like him and to tell him how I
[01:04:11] feel. I'm just mad at him."
[01:04:14] This is a soothing Psalm. It allows me
[01:04:16] to offload a burden to him, but not
[01:04:18] accuse him.
[01:04:20] That's what the psalmist is doing
[01:04:22] in this beginning part. Does he carry
[01:04:24] through the same way all the way to the
[01:04:26] end of the Psalm? I don't know. Let's
[01:04:27] find out together.
[01:04:31] Verse six. You have laid me in the
[01:04:34] lowest pit. Bless you.
[01:04:37] In darkness in the depths, your wrath
[01:04:40] lies heavy upon me and you have
[01:04:42] afflicted me with all your waves.
[01:04:47] Selah, stop and think about that one.
[01:04:50] Yeah. Why'd you put Selah there?
[01:04:52] Couldn't you have moved it somewhere
[01:04:53] else?
[01:04:55] Like the psalmist is literally saying
[01:04:56] like you've laid me in the lowest pit
[01:05:00] in darkness, in the depths. I feel
[01:05:02] disconnected. I'm in a hole. I feel like
[01:05:05] there's no way out of it. It's dark.
[01:05:06] Nobody understands. Your wrath lies
[01:05:08] heavy upon me. In other words, this is
[01:05:10] from you to me.
[01:05:14] And you have afflicted me with all of
[01:05:17] your ways. I just keep getting hit and
[01:05:19] hit and hit. Have you ever been to the
[01:05:21] beach?
[01:05:23] The first My dad was like this crazy
[01:05:25] dude who would like walk way out and put
[01:05:27] me on his shoulders as a kid and that
[01:05:29] was terrifying. The first time he got me
[01:05:31] to walk out there, first thing he said
[01:05:32] is when a wave comes, jump with me. And
[01:05:34] I thought, you don't know what you're
[01:05:35] talking about. I'll go under.
[01:05:39] I remember going under and he said I
[01:05:41] heard him say, "Wait." And I went under.
[01:05:44] And I came up and the wave hit me in the
[01:05:45] face.
[01:05:47] [snorts]
[01:05:47] And I tried to recover and by the time I
[01:05:49] recovered another wave hit me in the
[01:05:50] face, another wave hit me in the face.
[01:05:53] In that example, what is the bad part
[01:05:55] that occurred there? That I got hit in
[01:05:56] the face?
[01:05:58] Or was it that I did not listen to him?
[01:06:03] My dad, if he were here, would tell you
[01:06:04] it's because young grasshopper, you did
[01:06:06] not listen to me.
[01:06:08] He said that often in the car to me. In
[01:06:10] that exact wording.
[01:06:15] This is another amazing thing here. It
[01:06:18] is evident that the things that Ammon
[01:06:20] was facing made him feel like he was at
[01:06:22] the lowest, darkest place with heavy
[01:06:24] things weighing him down and it just
[01:06:26] kept hitting him and hitting him. And it
[01:06:28] felt like you almost get to a good spot
[01:06:31] and then boom again. Then boom again.
[01:06:36] By the way, I You know what's funny to
[01:06:37] me? Let me just share it before we
[01:06:38] continue. Every time I study
[01:06:43] and then I talk to you all,
[01:06:46] all you do until I'm in this pulpit is
[01:06:48] tell me things that I have already read.
[01:06:52] Tell me the word of God is not alive.
[01:06:56] By the way, all of you know as I'm
[01:06:58] reading this, you're like, ah.
[01:07:00] I don't have to correct you. By the way,
[01:07:02] if I ever If you ever see my pastor
[01:07:03] doesn't really help us, he just says
[01:07:05] I'll pray for you.
[01:07:06] Yeah, because I know the word will
[01:07:08] correct you. I don't have to.
[01:07:11] Whether you choose to open it or not is
[01:07:12] up to you, but as long as you show up on
[01:07:14] Sunday morning or you listen online, I
[01:07:16] know it's going to deal with you.
[01:07:18] I don't have to. That's a beautiful
[01:07:19] thing. But [clears throat] he's at this
[01:07:21] low place and it he feels like he's just
[01:07:23] getting hit and hit and hit. And you
[01:07:25] think like this is just him complaining
[01:07:27] and blaming it on the Lord. Nope, it's
[01:07:29] the opposite. He is acknowledging that
[01:07:31] it was not random. He's acknowledging
[01:07:34] that it was not the enemy hitting him.
[01:07:37] He's acknowledging it's you. I know it's
[01:07:40] you. You're allowing this in my life.
[01:07:45] Oh, this hurts and I already can see it
[01:07:46] in some of your faces [laughter] that it
[01:07:47] hurts.
[01:07:50] All that you face is allowed by him.
[01:07:56] Whether you would like to acknowledge it
[01:07:58] or not
[01:07:59] is on your end.
[01:08:01] But the psalmist is like, "I'm not even
[01:08:03] going to hide it. I know you're allowing
[01:08:05] it. I know that I feel this way because
[01:08:08] you're allowing it."
[01:08:10] By the way, I'm giving you
[01:08:13] beautiful keys that a psychologist could
[01:08:16] never tell you that the Bible is telling
[01:08:19] you how to deal with your depression.
[01:08:22] Get your heart right
[01:08:24] and understand he's the God of
[01:08:26] salvation. He saved you from the depths
[01:08:28] of hell. Then go to him and be honest
[01:08:30] with him, pray with him, and tell him,
[01:08:32] "This is how I feel. I feel like this."
[01:08:36] And I know that you're allowing it in my
[01:08:39] life. I am aware that this hits me and
[01:08:41] it hits me and it's you. It's an agent
[01:08:44] from you.
[01:08:46] No psychologist is going to tell you
[01:08:48] that. What I just told you, that is the
[01:08:50] opposite of what they will tell you to
[01:08:52] do. So, stop going to them.
[01:08:55] By the way, you're like, "I don't. I
[01:08:57] read self-help books off Amazon." You're
[01:08:59] dumber than the person going to the
[01:09:00] psychologist because I can write a book
[01:09:02] right now and have it say whatever I'd
[01:09:04] like and I can put it on Amazon for you
[01:09:06] to read.
[01:09:08] Like, why are we listening to you?
[01:09:09] Because I'm not telling you how I feel
[01:09:10] about it.
[01:09:12] I'm telling you what the Bible says
[01:09:13] here. And that is the first steps of
[01:09:16] getting out of the pit of depression.
[01:09:20] That's how you do it.
[01:09:22] This is gold.
[01:09:24] This is amazing.
[01:09:26] And it's found by just slowing down and
[01:09:28] reading it. God had allowed things in
[01:09:30] Haman's life and he knew it and he was
[01:09:32] like, you know,
[01:09:34] even though I'm upset about it, I'm just
[01:09:36] going to acknowledge it that you you're
[01:09:37] doing it. I know you're doing it and I
[01:09:40] feel bad about it. I feel alone in it.
[01:09:42] That's okay. Tell the Lord your heart.
[01:09:43] Be honest with him.
[01:09:49] Maybe it was because of some mistakes he
[01:09:51] had made. It's possible that some of the
[01:09:53] things he was facing was from bad
[01:09:54] choices. I know albeit you don't believe
[01:09:57] this,
[01:09:58] but even people who are in high places
[01:10:01] make dumb choices and make mistakes and
[01:10:03] suffer for them.
[01:10:05] Ask me how I know that.
[01:10:07] Cuz I've done it twice this week.
[01:10:11] We make mistakes. We're no different
[01:10:14] than you.
[01:10:17] We all struggle the same. We struggle
[01:10:18] with almost the exact same things.
[01:10:22] Different levels, different times.
[01:10:24] We all are sinners. We all make dumb
[01:10:26] mistakes. We all open our mouths when we
[01:10:28] should not open our mouths.
[01:10:30] And that starts a fire like the
[01:10:32] wildfires in California and burns
[01:10:34] everybody out of their homes. Know what
[01:10:36] I'm talking about?
[01:10:37] Okay.
[01:10:38] It might have been his own doing. He
[01:10:41] very well may have made mistakes and
[01:10:43] they were coming back and biting him.
[01:10:44] True.
[01:10:47] But maybe the polar opposite is
[01:10:49] absolutely true that he did nothing and
[01:10:51] he was perfectly good in serving the
[01:10:54] Lord and like Job, God allowed it in his
[01:10:57] life for a reason.
[01:10:59] Do you know that sometimes By By the
[01:11:01] way, only the book of Job really gives
[01:11:03] us that depth of insight that lets us
[01:11:06] know sometimes he lets us suffer.
[01:11:09] Think about this for a second.
[01:11:11] For otherworldly reasons that you're
[01:11:14] that are that have nothing to do with
[01:11:16] here. Did you know that?
[01:11:19] Bet you you didn't stop and think about
[01:11:21] that because in another realm, in a
[01:11:23] heavenly realm,
[01:11:26] God was using Job, who's living in time,
[01:11:30] to glorify his own name in a heavenly
[01:11:32] realm.
[01:11:34] So, it could be because you're facing
[01:11:37] things that you have done to yourself
[01:11:38] and God allows them as discipline
[01:11:40] because he loves you.
[01:11:42] It could be things that
[01:11:44] you will never understand until heaven
[01:11:48] that have nothing to do with here.
[01:11:50] Or third, it could just be that God sees
[01:11:53] things in you he wants to change. But
[01:11:55] whatever his reasons be, they're reasons
[01:11:58] and they're great reasons.
[01:12:00] And the psalmist is going to just
[01:12:02] approach the Lord.
[01:12:05] He does not at any point in this chapter
[01:12:08] protest that the Lord was unfair,
[01:12:11] that the God that God was being mean or
[01:12:13] unjust to him.
[01:12:15] He never blames God in saying you've
[01:12:18] fully left me and you will not save me.
[01:12:21] At no point does he believe any of that.
[01:12:25] But he is struggling within his flesh
[01:12:28] and he's going to be honest. Here's how
[01:12:30] I feel.
[01:12:31] But I'm not going to acknowledge that it
[01:12:33] is you who's unjust cuz you're not. He's
[01:12:35] standing on a firm rock in the middle of
[01:12:37] his sadness and I love that. That's a
[01:12:39] great thing that many of us do not do.
[01:12:42] Not only does he acknowledge that God is
[01:12:44] just and he does right, but he also
[01:12:46] acknowledges his own burdens and his own
[01:12:49] struggles, his own misdoings.
[01:12:51] And instead of hiding it in the depths
[01:12:53] of his soul, he calls on the Lord
[01:12:56] to save him.
[01:12:59] And so he continues to pour out his
[01:13:01] heart to the Lord. Verse 8, "You have
[01:13:03] put away my [clears throat] account my
[01:13:04] acquaintances far from me. You have made
[01:13:07] me an abomination to them."
[01:13:13] "I am shut up. I cannot get out. My eye
[01:13:16] wastes away because of affliction."
[01:13:20] "Lord, I have called daily upon you.
[01:13:23] I have stretched out my hands to you."
[01:13:26] Verse 10 is a really cool and puzzling
[01:13:29] thing. "We or will you work wonders for
[01:13:32] the dead? Shall the dead arise and
[01:13:35] praise you? Say law." He's in question
[01:13:38] telling the Lord lift me out from the
[01:13:40] dead and the dead will praise you.
[01:13:43] That's not a man in deep deep dark
[01:13:45] depression. It's a man who's dealing
[01:13:47] with depression,
[01:13:49] but choosing to put his eyes in the
[01:13:51] right place.
[01:13:55] "You've put
[01:13:56] my acquaintances far from me."
[01:14:00] Who has ever felt that way? That you
[01:14:02] were absolutely alone
[01:14:05] and no one cared about you?
[01:14:08] But look around.
[01:14:09] It ain't just you. I'm going to keep
[01:14:11] reminding you because the the one number
[01:14:13] one lie in depression is
[01:14:15] you're the only one that feels this way.
[01:14:19] No. Even Heman, the worship leader, the
[01:14:23] highest worship leader, felt alone.
[01:14:26] All of his acquaintances had left him.
[01:14:27] By the way, whenever you're struggling,
[01:14:29] most people are going to be like, "Yeah,
[01:14:30] let me know when you're done."
[01:14:32] Like, I'll be here, but I'm going to be
[01:14:34] over here watching you burn a bit. And
[01:14:36] when you put it out,
[01:14:38] then come on back and we'll have a good
[01:14:40] conversation.
[01:14:43] He goes as far as to say you've made me
[01:14:45] an abomination to them." Has anybody
[01:14:47] felt that way before?
[01:14:50] Let me tell you what that feels like if
[01:14:51] you don't know and you haven't raised
[01:14:52] your hand. Try being the pastor's kid.
[01:14:57] And then doing the very things that your
[01:15:00] dad preached from a pulpit, "Don't do
[01:15:02] these things."
[01:15:04] And watch how quickly not only people
[01:15:06] scatter from you,
[01:15:08] but how quickly you're an abomination to
[01:15:10] them.
[01:15:12] Because I've been there.
[01:15:13] And every pastor's kid who's listening,
[01:15:15] and by the way, many do listen to this
[01:15:17] study.
[01:15:18] If you're a pastor's kid, understand
[01:15:20] this. It's going to happen in your life.
[01:15:22] I don't care how far you try to run away
[01:15:23] from it. At some point, you're going to
[01:15:24] be an abomination to everybody around
[01:15:26] you because you do one thing wrong. My
[01:15:28] dad would always say to us kids, "You're
[01:15:30] like fish in a glass fishbowl." And I'm
[01:15:32] like,
[01:15:33] "That's terrible."
[01:15:35] I'd be like, "Dad, can I do this?" He's
[01:15:36] like, "No, no, no.
[01:15:38] It's not really a bad thing, but I don't
[01:15:39] want to cause someone else to sin, so
[01:15:40] don't do it."
[01:15:42] And I'm like, "You're telling me it's
[01:15:43] right to do, but I can't do it?" Because
[01:15:45] everybody's watching you.
[01:15:48] That's a tough world to live in, let me
[01:15:49] tell you.
[01:15:50] It's a tough world to grow up in, and I
[01:15:53] sympathize with pastor's kids who come
[01:15:54] to me and say that often. And by the
[01:15:56] way, pastors come to me and tell me,
[01:15:58] "Can you help my children?"
[01:16:01] You could say, "Well, God punished you
[01:16:03] by doing that." No, he didn't. He
[01:16:05] prepared me to be a witness to people
[01:16:08] who are going to suffer in the same
[01:16:09] manner. Is it because of my own doing?
[01:16:11] No, it's because of his doing. Follow?
[01:16:13] Easy to be depressed.
[01:16:15] Easy to blame it on God, but it is him,
[01:16:17] and it is for a reason, and it matters.
[01:16:20] You've put my acquaintances far away
[01:16:21] from me. You're made him myself an
[01:16:23] abomination to everybody. He's alone.
[01:16:26] That's what he's telling you. I feel
[01:16:27] alone, and nobody wants to even come
[01:16:29] near me. They feel like I'm a leper.
[01:16:31] I have to walk around saying, "Unclean,
[01:16:33] unclean." And everybody scatters.
[01:16:38] He says, "I'm shut up, and I cannot get
[01:16:41] out." There is the one line in
[01:16:43] depression that everybody knows. When
[01:16:46] you're in it, it feels impossible to get
[01:16:48] out. It feels like you're shut inside of
[01:16:50] a room and you cannot you there's no
[01:16:53] doors, no windows.
[01:16:57] And my eyes waste away because of
[01:16:59] affliction. In other words, Heman,
[01:17:02] this man, this leader, this mighty dad
[01:17:05] of like
[01:17:07] an army of children,
[01:17:10] cried
[01:17:11] more than he could ever cry.
[01:17:15] Somebody told me, "I don't like to watch
[01:17:16] you do sermons cuz you cry then I cry
[01:17:18] and that shouldn't be."
[01:17:21] Well, get used to it because real men
[01:17:24] cry.
[01:17:26] Yeah, some of us can say amen. Some of
[01:17:27] you are like, "I don't like you right
[01:17:28] now." Too bad.
[01:17:31] Too bad. At some point in your life,
[01:17:33] your eyes will waste away in affliction
[01:17:35] and you might hide in a closet and do it
[01:17:37] in or in a bathroom and not tell
[01:17:38] anybody, but truth be told, Heman's not
[01:17:41] afraid to tell the whole world, "I cried
[01:17:43] so much it felt like my eyes were
[01:17:44] wasting out of my sockets."
[01:17:48] That's honesty.
[01:17:51] And then you hear him say in the midst
[01:17:53] of all this honesty, "Lord, I've called
[01:17:55] upon you daily
[01:17:57] and I've stretched out my hands to you."
[01:17:59] It tells you Heman is not in a
[01:18:01] depressive state and not looking for
[01:18:04] help. He says, "Every day I've been
[01:18:06] diligent to call out to you." Do you
[01:18:08] know that most of you in your depression
[01:18:12] did not call upon the Lord daily?
[01:18:15] You're like, "No, I did, Pastor. I said
[01:18:16] like, can you get me out of this?" No,
[01:18:17] no, no. Not that kind of prayer.
[01:18:21] To call upon him, to invite him into the
[01:18:24] situation.
[01:18:27] When you're in depression, you want to
[01:18:28] send out like commands
[01:18:31] or feel super sorry for yourself and not
[01:18:33] give commands at all. I'm not talking to
[01:18:35] nobody.
[01:18:38] No, he's calling out and he did it
[01:18:39] daily. He called out every moment. Like
[01:18:41] Gary said, when he felt it come up to
[01:18:43] his knees, he realized, "Okay, we're not
[01:18:45] going in head deep and we're going to
[01:18:47] call on the Lord quick."
[01:18:50] "I brought you in quickly daily to the
[01:18:52] circumstance and I've stretched out my
[01:18:54] hands." It means Haman was willing to
[01:18:56] give up
[01:18:57] on his own
[01:18:59] getting out of it. "I'm not going to get
[01:19:00] myself out." Did you know you're not
[01:19:02] going to get yourself out of depression?
[01:19:06] You're not.
[01:19:07] I was driving in a truck with one of my
[01:19:09] coworkers. I don't share this often cuz
[01:19:11] I don't like to uh embarrass them, but
[01:19:13] if he watches, he'll love this.
[01:19:15] We were He was driving me back from town
[01:19:18] into work in a work truck and he he
[01:19:20] looked at me and he was telling me a
[01:19:21] story how he's got free of drugs
[01:19:24] and drinking because he was he was into
[01:19:25] drinking heavy and it was taking over
[01:19:27] his life.
[01:19:28] And
[01:19:29] he was like,
[01:19:31] "You know, I I called out for help. You
[01:19:33] know, he's telling me all these things.
[01:19:34] I knew that I was being this zone
[01:19:36] forever. I couldn't get out of it and
[01:19:37] then I pulled myself out.
[01:19:40] I changed my head space."
[01:19:44] Don't Rule number one, do not sit in the
[01:19:47] truck with a pastor and tell me you got
[01:19:49] yourself out of depression.
[01:19:51] That's stupid. But he didn't think about
[01:19:53] it and I looked at him and I said, "Hey,
[01:19:55] no, you didn't. God heard your cry and
[01:19:59] he met you in the midst of it and he
[01:20:00] changed your head space and then you got
[01:20:04] out because he gave you strength." And a
[01:20:06] long pause and he looked at me and he
[01:20:07] goes, "You're right."
[01:20:10] Keep it that way, buddy.
[01:20:13] I I'm that way to everyone I know, by
[01:20:15] the way. I don't pick on one person.
[01:20:20] Whether you'd like to acknowledge it or
[01:20:21] not, the only way you can come out of
[01:20:23] depression is if the Lord lifts you out
[01:20:25] of it.
[01:20:26] You're not getting out yourself.
[01:20:28] By the way, if you think, "I got out of
[01:20:29] it," you're standing on a teetery
[01:20:32] 1 by 4 over a giant pit and I promise
[01:20:36] you you will fall right back into it. I
[01:20:38] don't It may take a day.
[01:20:40] It may take a week, but you'll be right
[01:20:42] back in that pit because only the Lord
[01:20:44] can lift you out of it.
[01:20:48] Heman is doing all the right things in
[01:20:51] his prayer. Sad prayer? Yes. True
[01:20:54] prayer? Yes.
[01:20:56] Aimed correctly? Yes.
[01:20:59] That's where we're going to have to
[01:21:00] consider. Like do we as Christians, do
[01:21:02] we approach the Lord the same way that
[01:21:04] Heman is? Are we honest with the Lord
[01:21:06] like Heman is? Are we honest with
[01:21:08] everybody else who will read your life?
[01:21:10] Are you being honest about it? Heman put
[01:21:12] it
[01:21:13] You're reading about it thousands of
[01:21:15] years later.
[01:21:16] He put it out for all to see because he
[01:21:18] was not ashamed
[01:21:21] that he struggled.
[01:21:23] But he wanted to call on the Lord.
[01:21:27] The desire of this man's heart in the
[01:21:29] midst of depression is that he longs for
[01:21:31] God to work wonders in his life and he
[01:21:33] desired to arise and have another reason
[01:21:36] to praise the Lord.
[01:21:40] This is not a man who's angry at the
[01:21:42] Lord. This is a man with real struggles
[01:21:44] who if he couldn't understand anything
[01:21:47] else, he understood this. God is my
[01:21:49] salvation. He will hear me when I call
[01:21:51] and even if I call daily and he doesn't
[01:21:54] answer me.
[01:21:55] Even if I reach out for his hands and I
[01:21:58] give up and desire he move, I will keep
[01:22:01] at it until he does.
[01:22:08] I'm going to keep at it with desire to
[01:22:11] see his wondrous works and that in the
[01:22:13] end I might glorify and praise his name
[01:22:15] and not my own. And that's what I'll do
[01:22:17] and that is his determination.
[01:22:20] I've done it. I'm going to keep doing
[01:22:22] it.
[01:22:24] Let me ask you a question. Is he pulled
[01:22:26] out of the pit of depression?
[01:22:29] Nope.
[01:22:31] Those of you who expect a Disney happy
[01:22:34] ever after ending are not going to get
[01:22:37] it in this Psalm.
[01:22:39] And here's why.
[01:22:41] It's placed in the middle of Psalms that
[01:22:45] see the future and have put our mind in
[01:22:48] a heavenly place.
[01:22:51] And it is 100% true that God could not
[01:22:55] deliver you
[01:22:56] from depression from now until the day
[01:22:59] you die and he still will be faithful.
[01:23:02] He still will save you because you will
[01:23:04] be pulled to another place in which you
[01:23:06] will never suffer again.
[01:23:09] He will always be faithful.
[01:23:13] The decider of whether you trust him or
[01:23:15] not is whether you're really heavenly
[01:23:17] minded and know that he can choose to
[01:23:19] let you suffer and it's for a reason.
[01:23:23] If God had not let me suffer the way
[01:23:25] that he had and it felt like an eternity
[01:23:27] that I suffered,
[01:23:29] I would never have been able to help the
[01:23:31] people that God has brought into my path
[01:23:33] to help.
[01:23:35] And if he had never given me anybody to
[01:23:37] ever help,
[01:23:39] then there's a reason on the other side
[01:23:41] of eternity that I don't know and I'm
[01:23:43] willing like Heman to say I'll call out
[01:23:45] for you every day. I'm going to still
[01:23:47] call out to you. I'm going to ask for
[01:23:48] your strength and your hand.
[01:23:52] And I'll keep doing it
[01:23:54] until you answer. And the day he answers
[01:23:56] might be heaven.
[01:23:58] Some of you are like, I didn't want to
[01:23:59] come here this today.
[01:24:01] My God is a God of miracles. Yes, he is.
[01:24:03] My God is a God of wonders. He loves to
[01:24:05] set the captives free. He did. He set
[01:24:08] you free.
[01:24:09] He's worked a miracle in all of your
[01:24:11] lives.
[01:24:12] And if he never does another thing, he
[01:24:14] is wholly right, just, and perfect in
[01:24:16] all his ways and you will glorify him on
[01:24:19] the other end of it anyways.
[01:24:22] Changes your perspective a bit, doesn't
[01:24:24] it?
[01:24:25] When you're struggling in the midst of
[01:24:26] depression, you think if he doesn't
[01:24:27] solve it in this life, then I don't love
[01:24:29] him. I can't trust him.
[01:24:31] Careful.
[01:24:33] His ways are higher than ours.
[01:24:35] Our heart should be to go to him and
[01:24:37] say, I will continue to pray to you
[01:24:39] anyways.
[01:24:41] Even if I feel like you're not answering
[01:24:43] me.
[01:24:44] Because maybe your answer is be content
[01:24:45] and keep reaching out to me.
[01:24:48] Hm.
[01:24:49] Verse 11.
[01:24:51] Shall your loving kindness be declared
[01:24:53] in the grave or your faithfulness in the
[01:24:55] place of destruction? Let me stop and
[01:24:57] tell you the answer to those qualities
[01:24:59] questions are, yes.
[01:25:02] Let me pre-tell you, he's asking but I
[01:25:04] don't think that he's asking because he
[01:25:07] wants an answer of yes or no from the
[01:25:09] Lord. I think he's asking as statements
[01:25:11] to the Lord but in question form. He's
[01:25:13] saying, shall the loving shall your
[01:25:15] loving kindness be declared in the
[01:25:17] grave? In other words, can your loving
[01:25:19] kindness come from me while I'm in
[01:25:21] depression? Yes.
[01:25:23] Or your faithfulness in the place of
[01:25:25] destruction? Yes.
[01:25:29] His faithfulness is even when you feel
[01:25:30] like your life is destroyed, he's being
[01:25:32] faithful to you. He says, shall your
[01:25:34] wonders be made known or be known in the
[01:25:36] dark? Yes, in fact that's the that's the
[01:25:39] most
[01:25:40] optimum place
[01:25:43] for his works to be known is in the dark
[01:25:45] in the in the bottom.
[01:25:49] And your righteousness in the land of
[01:25:51] forgetfulness? Yep.
[01:25:53] He'll be right even when you think he's
[01:25:56] forgotten you.
[01:25:59] Those are not complaints. They're not
[01:26:02] him questioning God.
[01:26:05] He's almost telling himself if these are
[01:26:08] almost questions I believe to himself.
[01:26:12] In the grave, in the midst of
[01:26:14] destruction, in the dark, in
[01:26:16] forgetfulness, can you can your loving
[01:26:18] kindness, your faithfulness, your
[01:26:20] wonders, and your righteousness be
[01:26:21] known? Yep.
[01:26:25] I can attest to that because at my
[01:26:27] lowest, I saw those the brightest.
[01:26:31] Depends on whether you want to look for
[01:26:32] them or not. And the psalmist is trying
[01:26:34] to look for them. He's asking the
[01:26:35] questions.
[01:26:37] The light, it's been said the light
[01:26:39] shines bright brightest in the dark.
[01:26:43] It does. It cuts through. You ever turn
[01:26:46] on the hallway light when you're trying
[01:26:47] to go to the bathroom at night and you
[01:26:48] feel like a solar flare hit you in the
[01:26:50] face?
[01:26:52] It's because it was in the dark and you
[01:26:54] see light so much better, so much
[01:26:56] brighter.
[01:26:59] Life
[01:27:01] is most potent in the grave.
[01:27:05] Hence
[01:27:07] Paul could say
[01:27:08] for me to live
[01:27:10] is Christ, but to die is gain. Like in
[01:27:14] my death, life is there. That die to
[01:27:18] yourself and you'll live, Jesus tells
[01:27:20] us.
[01:27:23] It's at the worst that he does the
[01:27:26] greatest work.
[01:27:28] True?
[01:27:29] Who in here doesn't like that statement?
[01:27:31] Raise your hand.
[01:27:33] Uh some of you are liars.
[01:27:37] I'm not going to call you out, but
[01:27:39] maybe you're having to rethink your
[01:27:40] thoughts this morning.
[01:27:43] Faithfulness is the firmest in the midst
[01:27:45] of destruction because even in the midst
[01:27:47] of destruction at my at when I even
[01:27:50] even self-destruction,
[01:27:52] he has always been faithful to me. In
[01:27:54] fact, his faithfulness was more seen by
[01:27:56] me in those moments than when everything
[01:27:57] was going well.
[01:27:59] And his righteousness, him being right
[01:28:01] and doing things correctly was most
[01:28:03] important in the middle of forgetfulness
[01:28:05] to me.
[01:28:07] When I was
[01:28:08] tempted to forget him or when I felt
[01:28:10] like he forgot me,
[01:28:13] his righteousness shown through more
[01:28:15] because I realized all that you've done
[01:28:17] is right.
[01:28:19] By the way, sometimes I didn't figure
[01:28:20] that out myself. I had to have other
[01:28:21] people tell me that on the other side.
[01:28:24] Mhm.
[01:28:27] We just don't like it
[01:28:29] because as the cracks show up in our
[01:28:31] brokenness, the light shines through
[01:28:33] that brokenness, and we don't want the
[01:28:34] cracks because they're uncomfortable.
[01:28:37] Mhm.
[01:28:40] And so obviously this Psalm is going to
[01:28:42] end on a note, a good note, like all the
[01:28:44] others pointing to heaven. Nope. Verse
[01:28:46] 13, but to you I have cried out, O Lord,
[01:28:50] and in the morning my prayer comes
[01:28:51] before you. Stop. What does he do first
[01:28:53] in the morning? Check his Facebook?
[01:28:56] Check his stocks?
[01:28:58] Check to see who's still president?
[01:29:00] Didn't think I was going to bring that
[01:29:01] one up, did you?
[01:29:04] No.
[01:29:05] He prays first. My prayer in the morning
[01:29:08] comes before you. Verse 14, Lord, why do
[01:29:11] you cast off my soul?
[01:29:14] What's he doing? Complaining or is he
[01:29:15] acknowledging that the Lord had cast off
[01:29:17] his soul, allowed it to occur? Yep.
[01:29:21] Why do you hide your face from me?
[01:29:23] I've been afflicted and ready to die
[01:29:25] from my youth.
[01:29:28] I suffer your terrors. I am distraught.
[01:29:32] Your fierce fierce wrath has gone over
[01:29:34] me. Your terrors have cut me off.
[01:29:37] They came around me all day like water.
[01:29:40] They engulfed me all together.
[01:29:43] Loved one and friend, you have put far
[01:29:46] from me and my acquaintances into
[01:29:48] darkness.
[01:29:52] All right, have a good Sunday. No. No,
[01:29:54] I'm just kidding.
[01:29:56] I'm just kidding.
[01:29:57] [laughter]
[01:29:57] Don't end it that way.
[01:30:00] First question, why does the Psalm end
[01:30:02] that way?
[01:30:04] You're going have ask yourself that
[01:30:05] question. Why does the psalm end in such
[01:30:08] like depression? He's being honest. Let
[01:30:10] me tell you first, he's being honest.
[01:30:12] He's saying, "This is how I feel." But
[01:30:14] he says, "I I I've cried out to you and
[01:30:16] my prayers have come before you in the
[01:30:18] morning."
[01:30:20] But I understand I I've all this that
[01:30:23] I'm facing is from you. I It's That's
[01:30:25] the end of his prayer. I get it. It's
[01:30:28] from you and I don't understand it.
[01:30:30] By the way, you don't have to.
[01:30:33] If you're that kid that's like, "Why?
[01:30:35] Why? Why?" You don't need to know.
[01:30:39] His ways are higher than yours. It's
[01:30:40] okay to say, "I don't know." I don't
[01:30:43] know why you've cast me off. I don't
[01:30:44] know why I'm being afflicted. I don't
[01:30:45] know why I'm hurting. I don't know why
[01:30:47] I'm going through all of this.
[01:30:49] And I'm going to leave it there.
[01:30:52] It's okay to leave it there before the
[01:30:54] Lord.
[01:30:55] This is a healthy prayer from someone
[01:30:58] who's depressed.
[01:31:03] I would love to sit here in this pulpit
[01:31:05] and tell you that in this lifetime there
[01:31:08] will be a change in your life and there
[01:31:10] will be a happy ending and all of your
[01:31:11] problems will go away. And and I can't
[01:31:14] tell you that.
[01:31:17] I can tell you God does do that. I can
[01:31:19] tell you that.
[01:31:20] As he sees fit.
[01:31:23] But I've also seen God not do it.
[01:31:27] I'm going to bring up my friend Wes and
[01:31:28] I'm never going to let this one go
[01:31:31] because it was the greatest example to
[01:31:33] me that God can make your life go
[01:31:34] straight to the ground for a reason.
[01:31:38] My friend hated me. Could not stand me.
[01:31:41] He'd hang out with me.
[01:31:43] But he didn't like me.
[01:31:44] Whenever I'd join a party of gaming and
[01:31:46] he was in there, he'd be like, "Oh, he's
[01:31:47] here."
[01:31:50] He couldn't Do you know why he couldn't
[01:31:52] stand me?
[01:31:53] Cuz I would bring up Jesus and he
[01:31:54] couldn't stand it.
[01:31:56] And the man was suffering. He had
[01:31:59] He had valley fever
[01:32:01] really badly
[01:32:03] and smoked. So, it got worse.
[01:32:06] And then he got cancer and it was
[01:32:08] aggressive.
[01:32:11] And I remember getting the call from his
[01:32:13] girlfriend telling me, "You need to
[01:32:14] come."
[01:32:16] And the first time my mind was like,
[01:32:17] "Why do I need to come? So, he can get
[01:32:19] one last punch in before he goes?"
[01:32:23] No.
[01:32:24] Jesus sent me.
[01:32:26] And that man as many times as I told
[01:32:28] him, "I'm praying for you." And I did.
[01:32:30] "I'm praying that God will heal you."
[01:32:31] God never did.
[01:32:34] That man went to the very last moment. I
[01:32:36] showed up and I I I cleared the room.
[01:32:40] And I said, "Me and you are going to
[01:32:41] have a serious talk."
[01:32:44] And I told him, "I love you way too much
[01:32:46] to lie to you. You're headed to hell.
[01:32:48] That's where you're going.
[01:32:51] Your life is not holy. You're a sinner
[01:32:52] just like me. The only difference
[01:32:53] between you and me is the same thing you
[01:32:55] get mad about all the time. That Jesus
[01:32:57] is going to save you, but you have to
[01:32:59] surrender your life to him." And he
[01:33:01] bawled crying and gave his life to Jesus
[01:33:03] and 2 days later went home to be with
[01:33:05] Jesus.
[01:33:06] Listen, your life can go down because
[01:33:09] God knows what he's doing.
[01:33:12] He'll allow what he allows
[01:33:14] for a reason.
[01:33:17] Our job is to not figure it out
[01:33:18] sometimes.
[01:33:20] Because if Oh.
[01:33:22] If I was to try and figure it out, I
[01:33:23] would have not gone.
[01:33:25] I didn't I need to understand why God
[01:33:27] didn't heal him.
[01:33:29] I needed to be obedient and go and
[01:33:30] realize that some he chooses not to and
[01:33:32] the ways that he moves are just they're
[01:33:34] past me.
[01:33:36] And someday
[01:33:38] that man, and he is now by just letting
[01:33:41] you know, it's the greatest comfort to
[01:33:42] my heart is he's having the greatest
[01:33:44] life he's ever had and everything I told
[01:33:46] him about Jesus is true and he knows
[01:33:48] it's true.
[01:33:50] Friend, if you're suffering this
[01:33:52] morning, he hasn't forgotten about you.
[01:33:54] He He's allowing it.
[01:33:57] And there's a reason and I don't know
[01:33:58] what it is, and I'm not I could never
[01:33:59] tell you.
[01:34:01] But you could trust him.
[01:34:03] And if you're like, I'm having a hard
[01:34:04] time because I'm in depression, then
[01:34:05] like the psalmist, go pray to him every
[01:34:08] day, every morning, and keep doing it
[01:34:10] until you're in eternity.
[01:34:12] Because someday he'll save you.
[01:34:15] He's promised you he will.
[01:34:16] It's the one thing he has promised.
[01:34:18] Someday, I'm going to come and take you
[01:34:22] from where you are to where I am, and
[01:34:24] everything [clears throat] will be
[01:34:24] right, and you'll be there with me
[01:34:26] forever. You'll never leave my side. You
[01:34:28] won't We'll be together forever in a
[01:34:30] perfect place.
[01:34:32] That heart can get through depression
[01:34:35] because there's strength that's not from
[01:34:37] you. There's strength from him, true?
[01:34:40] Mhm.
[01:34:47] God has reasons far beyond what we
[01:34:49] understand. If you look at Job's life,
[01:34:51] he had no idea
[01:34:54] why he was facing what he was facing. He
[01:34:56] didn't know.
[01:34:58] And he went lower than I think any of us
[01:35:01] have ever gone.
[01:35:04] And he still praised the Lord. He still
[01:35:05] shared his heart with the Lord. He gave
[01:35:07] real complaints like the psalmist,
[01:35:09] "Here's how I feel."
[01:35:12] But he still trusted in the Lord.
[01:35:14] And the Lord blessed him and gave him
[01:35:16] tenfold
[01:35:17] after.
[01:35:18] And truth be told, Christian, if you're
[01:35:20] suffering in this life, your next life
[01:35:22] is going to be beyond understanding.
[01:35:24] You'll be more blessed than I will be.
[01:35:28] That's something you probably should
[01:35:29] hold on to.
[01:35:31] Because whatever God is doing, I know
[01:35:33] this this to be true. Whatever he's
[01:35:35] doing, he's going to glorify his own
[01:35:37] name, and you won't be mad about it
[01:35:40] later.
[01:35:41] Trust me, you won't.
[01:35:45] In this prayer, it is evident that
[01:35:47] things were weren't getting better for
[01:35:48] the psalmist, and it is evident that the
[01:35:51] psalmist felt like God had abandoned him
[01:35:53] and he wasn't afraid to share his heart
[01:35:54] with the Lord and I'm glad that he did
[01:35:56] so. And I am going to encourage you to
[01:35:59] do the same, but be careful how you go
[01:36:00] to him.
[01:36:02] Do you trust him?
[01:36:04] And then cast your burdens on him or are
[01:36:06] you just going to complain? Because if
[01:36:07] all you do is complain to the Lord, then
[01:36:09] all it says of your life is, "I do not
[01:36:11] trust you unless you do these things for
[01:36:14] me."
[01:36:16] Mhm.
[01:36:18] Why does the psalm end so abruptly and
[01:36:21] without closure? Because the truth is
[01:36:23] you may never see closure on this side
[01:36:25] of heaven and that's okay.
[01:36:28] He may not heal my vision. That's okay.
[01:36:32] There's things that he will do that we
[01:36:33] cannot understand.
[01:36:36] But in the midst of all of this psalm
[01:36:38] and all of the negativity, I would be
[01:36:40] amiss to not tell you this. In the
[01:36:42] beginning, I told you that most
[01:36:44] commentators did not realize that Heman
[01:36:47] was a seer.
[01:36:49] Which means he saw the future.
[01:36:55] John Corson says this, "The first man
[01:36:57] who died on this planet was not Adam.
[01:37:01] The first sinner
[01:37:03] or Cain
[01:37:05] the first murderer none of them died
[01:37:08] first.
[01:37:09] It was Abel.
[01:37:11] The first worshiper. We look at this
[01:37:15] as a a great tragedy but that's due to
[01:37:18] our earthly perspective. Do you really
[01:37:21] think Abel thought it was a great
[01:37:22] tragedy when he was escorted to heaven?
[01:37:25] I suggest he was rejoicing. Mhm.
[01:37:30] Crazy.
[01:37:35] In 1 Chronicles 25, it tells you that
[01:37:38] Heman was a seer.
[01:37:40] And we are in a book of prophetic
[01:37:42] psalms. Now, I'll give you homework.
[01:37:45] Go back and read this psalm for I
[01:37:47] believe it is the Psalm or prayer that
[01:37:50] Jesus prayed at his darkest moment. I'll
[01:37:52] leave it that. Let's stand up.
[01:38:01] Lord, we come before you as a
[01:38:03] congregation, Lord, and we are thankful
[01:38:05] that even in hard Psalms, ones that
[01:38:08] aren't exciting, so we think to read,
[01:38:10] there is such amazing hope there.
[01:38:13] Lord, your word is full of life if if
[01:38:15] we're willing to look for it. And this
[01:38:16] morning you lifted my soul in the midst
[01:38:18] of the most depressing Psalm.
[01:38:21] Thank you, Lord, that in the midst of
[01:38:22] darkness, that's where you are. That you
[01:38:24] shine light into the darkness. Lord, we
[01:38:26] thank you that your ways are not ours,
[01:38:28] because if they were, we would not be
[01:38:29] here.
[01:38:31] Lord, your ways are far above my own,
[01:38:33] and as I read that Psalm as your prayer,
[01:38:36] I it reminded me, Lord, of how much you
[01:38:38] suffered on my behalf.
[01:38:41] It reminded me that there's no way I
[01:38:43] could suffer like you have.
[01:38:46] Lord, you have suffered beyond my
[01:38:47] understanding, and you didn't suffer
[01:38:49] because no one helped you. You chose to
[01:38:53] stay in the suffering so that I could be
[01:38:55] free.
[01:38:56] Lord, you chose to stay in in the
[01:38:58] suffering, in the trouble.
[01:39:02] And your father turned his back from you
[01:39:04] because our sin was placed upon you, so
[01:39:06] that we could have hope of a new life
[01:39:08] where all things are right.
[01:39:11] So, Lord, I pray this morning for
[01:39:12] whoever is dealing with depression,
[01:39:14] Lord, and they're looking in all these
[01:39:15] places to try and find a solution. I
[01:39:18] pray that they would stop looking
[01:39:19] everywhere else, and that they would
[01:39:20] take the gold that is found here in your
[01:39:23] word, and that they would embrace it,
[01:39:24] Lord. That they would run to you and
[01:39:26] know that we, as your children, have
[01:39:29] been given a hope of a future, and we're
[01:39:31] to look towards that future where we are
[01:39:34] citizens.
[01:39:36] [snorts]
[01:39:37] Lord, where we have you waiting for us
[01:39:39] to be your bride. Lord, that we would be
[01:39:42] with you for eternity. That's our
[01:39:44] future. What is this life as your word
[01:39:47] says, it's but a vapor. It's a a moment
[01:39:50] of suffering.
[01:39:52] But you promise an eternity of pleasure
[01:39:54] and joy
[01:39:56] and rejoicing and singing.
[01:39:59] Lord, in serving. We can't wait for that
[01:40:01] day. I thank you, Lord, that you used me
[01:40:05] the way that you do, that you use all of
[01:40:06] us if we'll choose to be
[01:40:09] to reach the world and give them hope.
[01:40:11] Lord, and if to give hope
[01:40:13] we have to be
[01:40:15] in the dark, then I pray you'd keep us
[01:40:17] right where you have us.
[01:40:19] So, we could be the light that you
[01:40:20] desire us to be. So, ultimately, your
[01:40:23] name is glorified in the end. Lord,
[01:40:25] thank you for Heman who gave us a very
[01:40:28] true and honest prayer.
[01:40:30] Not watered down, not hidden, not
[01:40:33] made to look good for Instagram, but
[01:40:35] it's an honest prayer that we might see
[01:40:37] we all struggle
[01:40:39] and we can all pray like Heman prayed or
[01:40:41] prayed. That we would be people who
[01:40:43] choose to follow you and put our trust
[01:40:45] in you even when it's not right. Choose
[01:40:48] to be open and honest with you even when
[01:40:49] we're struggling.
[01:40:51] Lord, if someone's
[01:40:53] struggling here today with that very
[01:40:55] thing and this was written for them, I
[01:40:57] pray that you would cause them to
[01:40:58] understand they don't have to hide it.
[01:41:01] Lord, that they don't have to pretend
[01:41:02] like it's not there.
[01:41:04] But it's okay to come here and [music]
[01:41:07] have the change of heart, Lord, and and
[01:41:09] ask to be lifted up.
[01:41:11] Because that's what the church is for.
[01:41:13] We're here to help one another.
[01:41:15] Give them boldness to ask someone they
[01:41:18] don't know
[01:41:20] Lord, to pray with them. Now, that
[01:41:22] blesses your heart.
[01:41:24] Lord, I thank you for all of the things
[01:41:26] you're doing in this church and how you
[01:41:27] provide for us and you continue to just
[01:41:29] do your work here. I pray that as long
[01:41:32] as you do that work, we would be
[01:41:33] diligent to stay right with you and
[01:41:35] serve to the capacity that you've called
[01:41:36] us to serve, even if we're depressed.
[01:41:40] In Jesus name, amen.
[01:41:42] Amen.