Crying Out in the Dark: Finding God in Suffering

• Suffering and Unplanned Life Events [00:36:18 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor introduces the theme of life changing unexpectedly due to physical, spiritual, or relational suffering, setting up the context for Psalm 13.
• Divine Sovereignty and Purpose in Pain [00:45:28 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor argues against the idea that God is indifferent or malicious during suffering, asserting instead that God works all things for good and His glory.
• Biblical Exegesis ([Psalm 13](https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+13&version=KJV) & [Romans 8:28](https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans+8%3A28&version=KJV)) [00:46:43 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor transitions to studying David's confrontation with suffering in Psalm 13 and supports the theological claim with Romans 8:28.
• Suffering and Lament [00:47:00 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor discusses the reality of chronic pain, swirling thoughts, and the feeling of abandonment, using Psalm 13 to illustrate how David cries out 'How long?' in the midst of suffering.
• The Character of God [00:48:22 ▶️ 📄]
  > Referencing Tim Keller and Peter Kreef, the pastor argues that God entered human suffering in Jesus Christ, providing resources for hope and courage rather than just explaining the 'why' of pain.
• Faith Amidst Uncertainty [00:54:28 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor explains that David's faith was not based on seeing God's immediate intervention but on trusting God's 'steadfast love' and 'bountiful' dealing even when the outcome was unknown.
• Praise Before Deliverance [00:55:50 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor highlights the 'corner' in lament where God's people turn to praise, citing his own experience and David's example of praising God before the full resolution of the crisis.
• Suffering and Divine Care [01:03:45 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor encourages believers to look to Psalm 13 and Jesus when facing suffering, emphasizing that God sees and cares.
• Pastoral Counsel [01:04:14 ▶️ 📄]
  > An invitation for individuals to seek personal guidance, counseling, or prayer support from the pastor.
• Prayer and Trust [01:04:29 ▶️ 📄]
  > A call to actively cry out to God despite uncertainty, followed by a congregational prayer affirming God's attentiveness and strength.

• Sermon Illustration [00:38:27 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor shares a personal anecdote from 2019 where he shattered his face, broke his jaw, cheekbone, and orbital socket during a basketball game. He describes the immediate aftermath, the hospital visits, the maxillofacial surgery, and the subsequent year of healing and anxiety, using this story to illustrate how suffering can come out of nowhere and turn life upside down.
• Sermon Illustration [00:56:27 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor shares a personal anecdote about shattering his face seven years prior, noting that while it is easy to praise God in hindsight, the challenge is praising God when the pain continues or answers don't come as expected.
• Sermon Illustration [00:55:01 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor references the book 'Dark Clouds Deep Mercy' and describes how adult connect groups studied the biblical pattern of lament, where believers cry out in raw pain but then turn to praise.
• Sermon Illustration [01:00:36 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor describes believers who 'audibly sing through the pain' and use their sickness as an opportunity to witness to medical teams, demonstrating a determined faith that admits fears and anxieties.
• Sermon Illustration [01:03:45 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor references David's experience in Psalm 13 as a parallel road of suffering and a model for rejoicing in God's character even before seeing the outcome.

• Pastoral Charge [00:34:13 ▶️ 📄]
  > Listen to previous sermon messages from the 'Who Am I?' series on social media or YouTube.
• Pastoral Charge [00:35:21 ▶️ 📄]
  > Join the daily Gospel of John reading plan (5-6 minutes a day) via video/audio.
• Pastoral Charge [00:49:01 ▶️ 📄]
  > Schedule a personal meeting with the pastor for counseling and support regarding suffering.
• Pastoral Charge [01:04:14 ▶️ 📄]
  > Request pastoral guidance, counseling, or prayer support.
• Pastoral Charge [01:04:14 ▶️ 📄]
  > Invite individuals to meet with the pastor for counseling, prayer, or guidance.

[00:00:00] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]
[00:00:00] Eastside I'm glad that you can get a peek into one of our services and join us in this way. My name is Tom I'm the pastor here at Eastside and I am so looking forward to our service this morning. We're a gathering of Christ followers and we want to make Jesus known the the glories of our God known in everything that we do and I hope that you can catch some of that in this service. If there's anything that
[00:00:30] that we can do to help you, please reach out.
[00:00:34] Our service will begin shortly.

[00:00:36] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_03]
[00:00:36] Let's all stand together.
[00:02:35] We're going to begin singing.

[00:02:37] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_05]
[00:02:37] Good morning, everyone.

[00:04:53] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]
[00:04:53] My name is Caleb, and I'm the youth director.
[00:04:55] I just have a couple of announcements.
[00:04:57] The first one is this Tuesday from 9 to 11 o'clock.
[00:05:02] We have our last Tuesday morning to find coffee Bible studies.
[00:05:05] So if you're a teen or a young adult looking for a way to get plugged in, I would love to have you join me on Tuesday from 9 to 11 at Define Coffee. It will be a great time of fellowship, great time of Bible study and
[00:05:17] getting to know each other on Tuesday from 9 to 11. Also tonight, there will be youth group here at Eastside from 5 to 7 as well. So if you're a teen and want to get plugged in, we do have youth
[00:05:28] tonight from 5 to 7 p.m. And lastly, on Thursday morning from 11 to 12 o'clock, we have a open gym time for teens and kids. So if you are a teen or a kid in here that would love to be a part
[00:05:44] of our open gym time on Thursday from 11 to 12, we would love to have you. It'll be a great time. We're going to have ice cream. We're going to play some games and it's just
[00:05:53] going to be a wonderful time. If you are a kid and you do want to come, we do ask that a parent is present with you, but we would love to have you be a part of this amazing

[00:06:01] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]
[00:06:01] open gym time on Thursday as well. Good morning and welcome. I will say for that Thursday game time, we've had some families from our neighborhood next door here that have been coming to that. So that's been a wonderful opportunity. I encourage you, bring your kids
[00:06:17] out before they start back into school, have some fun, and run around the gym. That would be a great time. A few more announcements, and then we will continue with our singing and our praise to God.
[00:06:27] We have a wonderful day today for many reasons, but one of those is that we get to have a potluck lunch right after this service. So maybe you knew about it, maybe not. I hope that you plan to stick
[00:06:41] around with us. It is a bittersweet time because Brian and Michelle are getting ready to move to Tennessee. They will be here for another week or two, so they're not going to disappear today. But
[00:06:52] we're going to do a lunch. Brian and Michelle have been here with us at Eastside for, I believe it was 18 years or so, and have served in so many different ways. No, so many, so many different
[00:07:05] ways and so we're sad to see them go but we're also excited to send them out and to see what God's going to do for them in the future in and through them so this afternoon right after the
[00:07:16] service we have two things we're going to go over and have a potluck lunch we're going to have plenty of food so if you weren't aware of that but you want to stick around please do there's
[00:07:25] no cost it's all free it's a great chance to celebrate them getting to move closer to family not celebrating leaving us but celebrate them getting sent out and then also get to know some more people and that will be a great chance to do that also right before the lunch we're going to
[00:07:43] celebrate another baptism so at the end of the service even if you don't stick around and eat with us i would ask you and encourage you we'll remind you at the end but go out walk around the
[00:07:54] corner join us in the gymnasium for that baptism that will be a wonderful sweet time as well and it looks like the sun is coming out and I think the rain might be done. So you don't even have
[00:08:04] to worry about dodging the rain drops on your way over there. So that's a good thing. So let's see, this morning, 10 o'clock, we did start our next steps class as we look at who Eastside is, who we
[00:08:18] are as a church, where God is taking us. If you're interested in this, if you're interested to know more about who we are as a church, what God is doing and where we're going, whether you're a
[00:08:30] new attender or maybe you've been here for a long time and you just want to jump in there and meet some of our new attenders and build some relationships, I would encourage you to join us
[00:08:38] next Sunday, 10 a.m. We meet over in the education building, which is over behind me. And it was a blessing this morning. We had a great group and we've got three more weeks for that class. And
[00:08:50] then we do have our marriage conference, September 25th and 26th. Dr. Chris Nanakin is coming. He's a professor at Liberty University in the graduate school there. Very, very good speaker. He loves God and a wonderful wealth of knowledge and experience in both life and then also in God's
[00:09:11] word. And I know that he will be a wonderful blessing. So we have the signup sheet out in the lobby. We're going to be at the Dogwood Retreat Center on the shores of Lake Norman.
[00:09:21] It is beautiful. And so I encourage you, go ahead and sign up now. Lock yourself in. That way it's on your calendar and you start saving now, this will be a blessing. If you've gone in our past
[00:09:33] years, you know how much fun it is, how big of a spiritual blessing it is, and a relational blessing.
[00:09:39] And if you haven't gone, then this year is your chance. So maybe you're newly married, or maybe you've been married a long time. Maybe your marriage, you would say, is going really well.
[00:09:50] And maybe you would say your marriage is struggling. This is a great opportunity, no matter where you are in your relationship with your wife or your spouse, husband or wife, to intentionally take some time away to invest in your relationship. So I would encourage you,
[00:10:06] $200 per couple. So only $200. That covers lodging and food and the retreat, $200. I would encourage you to go out there, sign up September 25th and 26th. And then just a reminder every once in a
[00:10:21] why I love to give this reminder. Eastside is doing very well. You have been so faithful in your giving, but if this is your church home and you'd like to give towards what God is doing here
[00:10:31] and in our community and around the world, you can do that either on our website or there's a box in the lobby in the back. And thank you so much for your faithfulness in that. Let's come

[00:10:43] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_03]
[00:10:43] back and let's sing some more. Probably the most well-known passage of scripture is John 3 16 that says, for God so, what?
[00:10:54] Loved you, me, loved the world that He gave His only Son.
[00:10:58] This next song is How Deep the Father's Love for Us.
[00:11:02] Let's sing together.
[00:13:33] Salvation, we are certainly in need of Christ.
[00:13:36] We can't work enough.
[00:13:37] We can't attend church enough.
[00:13:39] We can't do anything to gain our salvation.
[00:13:42] It's only through Jesus Christ.
[00:13:43] We are in need of Him.
[00:13:44] We're also in need of Him on a daily basis, are we not?
[00:13:47] Let's sing together.

[00:13:48] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_05]
[00:13:48] in the month of august we're going to do something a little a little different

[00:16:55] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_03]
[00:16:55] um in in our church we have a pastor tom and i have talked a little bit and thought it would be good to give something a try about us reading through scripture ourselves if you look at the
[00:17:08] church as a whole statistics will show that a third of the people sitting in this group today are the only ones that read Scripture on a daily basis or even at all during the week.
[00:17:21] That's churchgoers.
[00:17:23] When you look at the world as a whole, less than 1% even touch Scripture during the week.
[00:17:33] And that's tough when you think through that.
[00:17:38] and what really hits me is that a third of us never touch scripture during the week that's hard and immediately i'll say this um some of the young adults are going to hear a lot of this
[00:17:52] that i spoke on last week in our in our time before in our bible study time so forgive me if you would if you're in there but i'm going to be honest with you all throughout my christian
[00:18:02] life I have struggled reading scripture on a consistent daily basis now if you miss a day it's not like you're going you're going to hell or anything right it's not it's it's it's the consistency of being with Christ but I have struggled my my entire life to be quite honest
[00:18:20] with you no no doubt um and it has been one of those things that as I've gone through as I've gone through life i i've i've gone um i've been in church my whole life i've been in christian
[00:18:33] schools my whole life and i have walked away from church and school sometimes having this horrible guilt and i do not want to guilt trip you today that does nothing because it never helped me to
[00:18:47] say ricky you're an idiot because you haven't been reading scripture i feel guilty i feel bad i know it. And that only works for the next day or two. And then I just go back to my same pattern,
[00:18:58] right? Anybody relate to me? Please tell me you do, because I don't want to be the only one.
[00:19:02] I don't want to guilt trip you today into reading scripture. What I want to talk about, and we're going to take about five to 10 minutes here. What I want to talk about before I announce
[00:19:12] what we're doing is talk about why we should be reading scripture. It isn't a duty. It is not a checklist item that I have to do to please God and all of a sudden he's going to be smiling and
[00:19:25] help my day because I read through a passage of scripture no clue what I read but I hey God I did my duty bless me right that's not what this is when we go to scripture why should we read it all
[00:19:38] when we go to scripture first of all we go to scripture to see him psalm 119 18 says open my eyes that I may behold wondrous things out of your law. Open my eyes that I might behold,
[00:19:54] that I might see. First of all, we go to scripture to see God. How many of you fall into the same trap that I do? I go to scripture to see what I can get, to see what will fix my day and fix my
[00:20:09] problems that's a benefit but that's not the primary purpose if i go to scripture for me it's just pure pride and selfishness right anybody with me on that that is me but we go to scripture
[00:20:23] to behold god and see who he is that's that's the first that's the first reason we should go to scripture second of all we should go to savor him psalm 19 10 says more to be desired are they than
[00:20:38] gold, even much fine gold, sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb. What's savor mean? Savor means that I relish in it. I sit there and I just taste it and I just want to dwell on it. And I love it. Yesterday, my grandson was over at the house and we were eating
[00:21:01] and we laid out on his high chair his food.
[00:21:06] It had noodles in there and it had some peas.
[00:21:13] He is a man after my own heart.
[00:21:15] I hate peas.
[00:21:16] So he'd take that pea and he stuck it in his mouth and he'd taste it and he'd yank that out and throw it down for the dog.
[00:21:24] And my dog was loving it.
[00:21:25] But he'd throw it down for the dog.
[00:21:27] He was not savoring peas.
[00:21:29] But he would grab that noodle, sticking it in his mouth and he was all over it.
[00:21:33] There was two or three or four on there.
[00:21:35] He's just ramming them.
[00:21:36] He's savoring that, right?
[00:21:37] Terrible illustration for Scripture, but you get the point.
[00:21:40] When we go to Scripture, we behold who God is.
[00:21:44] And when we behold who God is, we just relish in who He is.
[00:21:50] Look how awesome my God is.
[00:21:53] While we were yet sinners, Christ died for me.
[00:21:56] I'm amazed and and and just stunned at who this God is so we go to scripture to see him to savor him and then to be changed here's where it comes to God fix me right I don't go initially to see
[00:22:13] that I go to see who God is and savor that but then to be changed 2nd Corinthians 3 18 says And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another.
[00:22:29] We go, we see God, and when we behold God's glory, we are changed.
[00:22:37] How many of you that struggle like me, reading on a consistent basis, when you go back to Scripture, and you are in it, and you are there, and you start seeing who God is, you behold his glory, and it changes you.
[00:22:54] Does it not? I guarantee you that you can tell when your spouse or your kids have been reading scripture, because it changes people. Does it not? So when we go to scripture, we see him,
[00:23:09] we see who he is, it changes us. Matthew 4, 4 says, but he answered, it is written, man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that comes out of out of the mouth of God
[00:23:21] this is our diet it is not our snack it is not our once in a while I love ice cream and candy and I have it every once in a while this is our life it is our food it is our nourishment
[00:23:36] if you come on Sunday and this is all the nourishment you get you're a hurting Christian we need to be in scripture because we need god just like we sing in need we need god now here's
[00:23:51] here's what here's what um bugs me about a lot of a lot of times when people go to um how many of you version on your phone probably most people in here right okay there's lots of bible plans on
[00:24:03] there get in there and get into one right that's awesome the problem i have with a lot of bible plans is that it's a nibble of scripture and then a whole documentary on that that is from somebody
[00:24:13] writing something I don't consider that a scripture reading plan I consider that a that it is a help it definitely is but if you want to read scripture get a scripture reading plan where you're actually
[00:24:23] reading scripture and there's no right or wrong here as far as how much of that diet do I get whether it's a verse whether it's chapters whether it's a whole book in a sitting right but we go to
[00:24:36] scripture to see God for who he is. What we want to do in the month of August, we're going to go through the book of John together, and I'm inviting you to go through the book of John with us. I'm
[00:24:47] going to be recording a chapter a day of John, and we're going to read through it. It'll be on our Facebook page. It'll be on YouTube, and just read through the book. It's going to be very little
[00:25:01] commentary. There will be some commentary. I'll give you some things to challenge you to dig back in to go look at some things to say hey go back and read this again look at these things look at
[00:25:13] these other passages so there's gonna be very little commentary but we want to read through scripture so i'm inviting you to read through scripture so what we're going to do all the way through the book of john is going to take us into september so we'll read monday through thursday a
[00:25:28] book of john and then on friday we're going to read a psalm that is related to what we just read that week. So we're going to do that starting August 3rd, I think it is. August 3rd is when
[00:25:40] we'll start that. It'll be on Monday, and then we'll go through the rest of the time.
[00:25:46] Two things. I invite you to read along. Come to it, Bible in hand, sit down and read it. Or if you're riding to work and you just want to listen, you want to hear my stupid voice along the way,
[00:25:57] then cool, you can do that. I can't listen to myself talk. I have a YouTube channel for my business. I can't listen to what I record on there. I don't like listening to myself, so I'm sorry you
[00:26:06] have to listen to me. But if you want to listen to it on the way to work, cool. Listen to it on the way to work. Get something, but then go back to it and sit down at some point with your Bible
[00:26:16] and read through it. So come, be involved. Second of all, invite somebody else. Faith comes by hearing, and hearing is by the Word of God. You want to help your family, your friends that don't know Christ, you want to help them know Christ, you got to get them in Scripture. So
[00:26:34] invite them just, hey guys, this is going to take five minutes of your day. Come listen to this, listen to it on your way to work, sit down, watch it, but invite somebody to watch this.
[00:26:43] It's not for advertising for Eastside. We don't care. This is to spread Scripture. This is to help encourage Christians. So come read Scripture, dig into it, talk to each other about it.
[00:26:58] this is another good thing iron sharpens iron talk with each other what did you get out of that what did you what did you hear in that passage this week and go through it with us if you would
[00:27:08] I'm going to lay in the back the whole schedule of all of of every day that what we're going to be reading read ahead if you want but read ahead stay with us stick with us that's going to be
[00:27:20] coming in the book in the month of August through the month of September as well so we invite you to read with us so just a short break on that on why we should read scripture so we're going to
[00:27:30] begin we're going to continue singing if everybody would come back up we're going to continue singing with if i had to pick my favorite hymn some of you know what i'm going to pick it is it is well
[00:27:42] with my soul stand with me if you would we're going to sing it is well with my soul

[00:27:47] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_05]
[00:27:47] scriptures psalm 13 how long oh lord will you forget me forever how long will you hide your

[00:32:42] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_00]
[00:32:42] face from me how long must i take counsel in my soul and have sorrow in my heart all the day how long shall my enemy be exalted over me consider and answer me oh lord my god light up
[00:32:58] my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death. Lest my enemies say, I have prevailed over him. Lest my foes rejoice because I am shaken. But I have trusted in your steadfast love. My heart shall
[00:33:13] rejoice in your salvation. I will sing to the Lord because he has dealt bountifully with me.

[00:33:25] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]
[00:33:25] Thank you, Tim. We are going to be there in Psalm 13. So if you have your Bible, if you've got it on your phone, if you have your physical copy of God's word, I encourage you open up to Psalm
[00:33:36] 13. It will also be on the screen, but I encourage you always bring scripture. Just as Ricky was saying earlier, we need God's word. And so read it throughout the week, bring it with you. And
[00:33:48] as I walk through God's word, as we walk through God's word together, have it there in front of you. We just finished up our summer series. I know many of you, most of you were with us for that
[00:34:01] series, Who Am I? I've heard so many people say it was a blessing and encouragement and help. I'm grateful for that. If you missed any of those weeks, I encourage you to go back on our social
[00:34:13] media or on our YouTube. Go back and find those messages and listen through them. Connecting our identity, that's kind of a modern word, a modern concept, but connecting our identity with scripture and with God's truth.
[00:34:28] It was a powerful, powerful series.
[00:34:31] And I can say that because I wasn't the one that preached the whole thing.
[00:34:33] We had some wonderful guest speakers come in and help us with some various areas, various places in life where we're tempted to find our self-worth, to find our identity, to find our purpose, when rather God gives us
[00:34:48] a deeper and a better direction, better guidance.
[00:34:52] This morning, we're gonna spend some time here in psalm 13 and then starting next week we're going to jump back into our series through the gospel of mark so the gospels overlap each other and so we're preaching through we're studying
[00:35:09] through the gospel of mark throughout 2026 and then this month as ricky was saying just a few minutes ago he's going to be reading through the gospel of john i do encourage you do that it'll
[00:35:21] be five six minutes a day it'll be a video you can listen to it you can watch it that really is going to be an awesome a wonderful tool to help us dive into god's word so i do encourage you to
[00:35:32] join us in that but starting next sunday we're going to jump back into our mark series to see jesus we so often walk into church or walk through life with these preconceived ideas about who god
[00:35:47] is but we want to know him from scripture we want to know jesus as he reveals himself his self revelation in god's word not what i think about him not what somebody else says about him not
[00:36:02] what some popular bestseller says about jesus but rather who jesus is in scripture so starting next week we'll jump back into that series and finish that out. But this morning, as you see in front
[00:36:18] of you, I want to take some time and consider life when it doesn't look like what I thought it would look like. When life takes a turn, when life starts to hurt, when suffering comes. This
[00:36:41] could be physical, this could be spiritual, this could be relational, this could be so many different things financial but but when when life looks like that picture in front of you you had a plan
[00:36:54] you knew where you were going or you you kind of thought you did but it was kind of it was kind of moving forward and then a mess appears when suffering enters life it usually turns into
[00:37:10] not just a physical suffering, not just a mental, but it really turns into a whole life issue. It's both physical and spiritual. Spiritual struggles bleed out into physical problems as stress begins to change the way our bodies work and physical problems pour into our spiritual lives. So what
[00:37:35] happens when life changes. Let me pray, and then we're going to spend some time considering.
[00:37:47] Lord, I am so grateful that we can come to your word and that you have so much grace and help and truth for us. And Lord, I pray that as we step into this topic, as we consider the unplanned
[00:38:04] moments of life, Lord, I pray that you would help us, encourage us, strengthen us, prepare us, comfort us as we see you. Work through your word this morning, and I pray this in Jesus' name.
[00:38:20] Amen. Some of you know my story already, and some of you probably have not heard it before.
[00:38:27] back in 2019 i shattered my face i was playing basketball um with some with some friends i ran an open gym ministry we had people from the community coming in most of these guys we'd
[00:38:43] been playing together for years there's an opportunity to exercise opportunity to have some fun play some basketball but also a chance to share the good news of jesus to pour into people's lives to get to know them and so we're there playing basketball we usually would play
[00:38:57] for roughly the basketball season. So maybe September or October, and then we go through maybe May. And this was the last night of basketball. And we're out there playing. I'm a somewhat competitive person, to put it mildly. And it was a close game. It was the very beginning
[00:39:19] of the night, the last night, the very beginning of the night. It was a close game. Great guys, been playing together for years. Somebody shot the ball. It came off. It was on the ground and
[00:39:29] I'm running towards it. And it's like, it's like a two point game. And I just know if I can get that ball, then my team's going to win because that's what's most important, right? So I'm going
[00:39:39] for it. I'm running. And I, there's another guy coming and I see him out of the corner of my eye and it's, it's, it's close. And I know if I just, if I just give it a little bit more, I'll get it.
[00:39:50] and I did. I got it all right. Complete freak accident. It was not on purpose at all. I know the guy we'd been playing for years and I've talked to him many times since. It was not malicious at
[00:40:04] all, but his shoulder found my cheekbone right here and completely destroyed the whole right side of my face. It broke my jaw. It broke my cheekbone. It broke the orbital socket around my eye in multiple places. The, the orbital socket around my eye broke off into a point and began
[00:40:26] drifting towards my eyeball. No, no skin was broken, but it was, it was all the bones were gone. It was all swollen out. It was, it was a mess. My wife is a very strong lady. She actually
[00:40:39] drove me to the hospital. She said when she arrived, she could have put her hand inside of my face, not because it was an open wound. It was just so disfigured. I was a pastor. I was
[00:40:54] running a basketball outreach. I was at my peak physical fitness. I'm not a superman by any stretch, but I was in shape. I was doing well. I was healthy. And then in a split second, everything
[00:41:09] changed. I go to the hospital. We were in a more rural community. Go to the hospital. They run some x-rays. They had me checked out. They were worried about that point that was moving towards my
[00:41:24] eyeball. They throw me in an ambulance and they rushed me up to the state capitol and the trauma unit up there. This was on a Monday evening. They sedate me. They do more x-rays. They check
[00:41:37] everything. And then that next morning, they send me home. It's like, what are you, my mind is going crazy. I can't sleep. I'm high on pain medicine, but it still hurts. I can't touch this side of
[00:41:54] my face. It was all gone, bone fragments inside floating around. I'm laying in a chair all night long with thoughts swirling. I don't share this story to set up like a suffering comparison or to set up some kind of suffering competition, but I want us to understand, some of you understand
[00:42:17] this better than I do, that sometimes suffering just comes out of nowhere, completely unexpected, and it completely turns life upside down. Later that week, Thursday, I met with the surgery team.
[00:42:32] They had sent me home because they're smarter than I am. Imagine that. And they knew that it would take several days for the swelling to kind of settle and for them to really be able to see
[00:42:42] what was going on. So I went back, met with the surgery team, and then that Saturday morning, less than a week later they went in and did maxillofacial surgery and put my face back together
[00:42:53] and my wife says i look just as i did before praise the lord they're good at what they do i have some plates in my face and then for the next year had to go through just continued
[00:43:05] treatment and healing and then had other issues along with that you all understand this because every single one of us can look at periods in our life, and whether it's physical or whatever it is,
[00:43:19] all of a sudden, life changes. Why? Is God oblivious? Is God powerless? Is God judging us for our sins? Is he just clueless? I learned and grew much during this time. In fact, I'm a
[00:43:48] different person today than I was before that. And you could talk with my wife and she could share even more. And again, I don't tell this story to say that you have to be like me or I'm
[00:44:01] a perfect person. In fact, I did not go through this season of suffering well. In fact, I look around at others that I know and I see so much more grace and strength and praise for God as
[00:44:16] they walk through difficult circumstances. But can I remind us that there is a God who is bigger than we are? Every person has unique struggles. And I'm not naturally an anxious person, but for those months, my life was filled with anxiety. The nights were long. The medicine
[00:44:48] was strong, but not strong enough, and the sleep would elude me, and what happens if I can no longer work? What if I can no longer preach, or sing, or do any of these other things? What happens if
[00:45:03] my vision is affected? What if, what if, what if? I don't know every reason God allowed that to happen some seven, seven and a half years ago, and it's not what I would have chosen, and I still
[00:45:19] probably wouldn't go back and say, hey, let's do that again. But God was not attacking me.
[00:45:28] God was not oblivious to what was going on. He was not powerless. Rather, God was at work using the fallenness, using the suffering of this present world to work good and glory in me.
[00:45:47] Romans 8, 28. You probably, if you've been around the Bible, if you've been around church for some period of time, you've probably heard this verse. But guys, can we get that slide? Romans 8.28 tells
[00:46:00] us that we know, that we know that for those who love God, he is working all things together for our good, to those who are called according to his purpose. The passage continues on that it's
[00:46:18] both for our good and also it's for his glory as we are being continually transformed, conformed into the image of Jesus.
[00:46:27] So every single thing that enters my life, whether I see it as good or bad or just, I don't even know what's going on, God is at work in all of that.
[00:46:39] Today, we're gonna spend time in Psalm 13.
[00:46:43] We're gonna see David as he confronts suffering.
[00:46:46] Men, can we get that next slide?
[00:46:48] What about you and I?
[00:46:52] What about the sleepless nights?
[00:46:57] Maybe it's not in a recliner because you can't lay down in your bed.
[00:47:00] Maybe it's because the thoughts are so swirling, just echoing in your mind and you can't find an answer.
[00:47:07] You don't know what the next step should be.
[00:47:10] My thoughts were churning.
[00:47:12] The pain was still there.
[00:47:15] But what if you're here?
[00:47:18] What if you know someone that the pain continues?
[00:47:23] their diagnosis is chronic or perhaps terminal what then sometimes the questions surrounding suffering are are used by by men or women struggling with God and sometimes these questions are used to attack God perhaps God isn't good perhaps God isn't real perhaps God doesn't care
[00:47:54] and that is not my my emphasis this morning but I do want to take a moment because that's so prevalent and this is so helpful I do want to take a moment and just touch on that a quote from
[00:48:08] author Tim Keller and a man named Peter Kreef will perhaps help as you consider this is God good is God at work philosopher Peter Kreef points out that the Christian God came to earth to
[00:48:22] deliberately put himself on the hook of human suffering. In Jesus Christ, God experienced the greatest depths of pain. Therefore, though Christianity does not provide the reason for each and every experience of pain, it does provide deep resources for actually facing suffering with
[00:48:42] hope and courage rather than bitterness and despair. We're going to move on. We're going to step into Psalm 13, but if this is something that you've wrestled with, as my life hurts, as suffering interrupts, as the unplanned transforms, why is God doing this? What is God
[00:49:01] doing? Is God who he claims to be? I would encourage you and entreat you, come talk with me.
[00:49:08] I would love to weep with you. I would love to show you who God is. But let's look at Psalm 13 as David takes six verses and he walks through a period of suffering. The Psalms are well-loved.
[00:49:26] In fact, they're famous because they encapsulate so much of our current existence, don't they?
[00:49:32] If you've read the Psalms, you know this. It's like the rawness, the realness, the joys and the lows are wrapped up in such beautiful ways by the Psalmist. Psalm 13, Tim read it for us
[00:49:47] a little bit ago. There's three main sections, six verses. So there's two verses, two verses, and two verses. Psalm 13 verse 1. How long, O Lord, will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? Four times in these first two verses, David is going to cry out
[00:50:16] say, how long? God, how long? God, where are you? Have you abandoned me? Are you coming back for me?
[00:50:25] How long are you going to wait? Dane Ortlund, in a book on suffering, he says, perhaps it isn't sin so much as sufferings that cause some of us to question the perseverance of the heart
[00:50:42] of Christ. As pain piles up, as numbness takes over, as the months go by, at some point the conclusion seems obvious we have been cast out surely this is not what life would feel like for
[00:50:56] one who has been buried in the heart of a gentle and lowly savior psalm verse 2 psalm 13 verse 2 how long must i take counsel in my soul and have sorrow in my heart all the day how long
[00:51:14] shall my enemy be exalted over me. Four times in Psalm 13, verse 1 and 2, David says, how long, God, how long? Where are you? When are you coming back? Have you forgotten about me? David obviously
[00:51:28] feels abandoned and forgotten. He is all alone. He has no guidance and no hope. He's by himself.
[00:51:36] What was external, we'll see a little more detail in verse 3 and 4, but what was going on outside of him has now moved inside have you felt that before the external issue the external suffering
[00:51:50] comes so deeply into your soul it affects your mind and heart so much that that was what was once out here now churns within i'm sure that every one of us has experienced that and david
[00:52:09] cries out to God as he seeks to find hope and meaning. Maybe God isn't the most powerful. Maybe the enemies of God truly will win. Here in verse one and two, you see those words, will you forget
[00:52:28] me? How long will my enemy be exalted over me? Are you hiding your face from me? These phrases, these words could really emphasize God perhaps withholding very practical help. So maybe you're like, okay, God, God, I know you exist. God, I know you're like a spiritual being. Like I can't,
[00:52:52] I can't see you. So maybe God, maybe, maybe you just don't care about me in a practical real life way. David wrestles with who is God and what is God going to do? But then he continues on, verse
[00:53:09] three, consider and answer me, oh Lord, my God, light up my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death.
[00:53:18] Lest my enemies say I have prevailed over him, lest my foes rejoice because I am shaken. So David here in verse three and four, he kind of talks about a sickness that's leading him into death,
[00:53:28] but then also in verse four, he talks about his enemies who are rejoicing because of his suffering.
[00:53:34] This is a side note.
[00:53:36] This is kind of a rabbit trail, but let me say this quickly.
[00:53:38] If you're in a place in your life where you're rejoicing over the suffering of another person, it's a very dangerous and bitter place to be.
[00:53:52] But David here, we see first that he cries out, telling God what's going on, seeking God.
[00:54:00] How long, oh Lord?
[00:54:02] And now he comes to God and he pleads even more.
[00:54:05] God are you going to let this continue God David David sees God and he sees the issue but he doesn't just stop there he doesn't just say okay I know both of these exist and now can I solve this on my own but rather he understands he's convinced even in the midst of
[00:54:28] the suffering David is convinced that God has the answer he doesn't see God he doesn't feel God he's not experiencing God at the moment, but he understands that he needs God. He doesn't see it
[00:54:42] yet, but he knows he needs it. He doesn't fully understand what's going on, but that doesn't stop him from crying out to God. Then he steps into these last two verses, verse five and verse six.
[00:55:01] A few months ago, several of our adult connect groups worked through a book titled dark clouds deep mercy this book is a powerful study of suffering and of the the biblical pattern of lament throughout scripture we see god's people cry out to him in raw pain not pretending
[00:55:27] not perfect but not silent they they cry out to god at every moment they know god hears they may not understand, but they call for him with hearts full of need, full of sorrow. But then
[00:55:50] there's a corner. And every time in God's word, God's people turn and they begin in the final stages of lament, turn into praise. How does that work? Praise that comes both before and after deliverance. It's now been seven years since I shattered my face. And by God's grace
[00:56:27] and kindness to me, I look back and the effects are very minimal. So in some ways, it's easy for me to look back and praise God. But then what if God doesn't answer the way that I wanted? Or what
[00:56:48] if the pain the suffering continues david in psalm 13 shows us his response can you look at verse 5 with me psalm 13 verse 5 but so he doesn't say god you've answered and now he says with everything
[00:57:15] going on how long oh lord how long will you hide your face from me god my enemies are rejoicing over me. They see my deep suffering and they rejoice. God, where are you? God, I need your
[00:57:28] help. God, please. But I have trusted in your steadfast love. But in this moment, while I wait deliverance, my heart shall rejoice in your salvation. I will sing to the Lord because he has dealt bountifully with me. What a statement that is. David here is in the midst of suffering
[00:57:59] and yet he looks back at who God is and all that God has done. And here at this moment, David confidently cries out, truly he sings out that David, that God, you have dealt, you have dealt
[00:58:13] bountifully with me. Bountifully, that word can be translated multiple ways. If you've studied more than one language, you know that translation is not an exact science. And this word bountifully from the Hebrew here, bringing it into English, that is a beautiful, good translation. It could
[00:58:33] also be translated completeness. God has given David exactly everything, completely everything that david needs so so the psalmist entrusts himself to this pledged love david turns his attention not to the quality or the quantity of his own faith david doesn't look more at himself
[00:59:04] david doesn't reach deeper inside of himself but instead he turns his attention to its object and its outcome, which he has every intention of enjoying. Do you notice that? Psalm 13, verse 5 and 6, he says, but with everything going on, but I will praise you. David is confident that he will
[00:59:30] have a song to offer when he looks back at the whole way he has been led. As I look back, 2019, 2020, the years that followed, I was not good at suffering. And if I'm honest, I'm still not
[00:59:51] good at suffering. That's not something we're naturally good at. But David reminds us that the goodness of God remains. Perhaps you've heard stories of other Christians, other believers that have walked through times of suffering and perhaps you've heard the impact. Your own heart was
[01:00:14] encouraged spiritually, was drawn closer to God, was your heart was drawn to praise God as you watched a brother or sister in Christ walk faithfully through suffering with what could only be described as the power of God inside of them. Men and women who literally audibly sing
[01:00:36] through the pain. Believers who use their sickness as an opportunity to consistently witness to the medical care team that gathers around them and tells them of the goodness of God even as they're going through infusions or surgeries or whatever it may be. Christians,
[01:00:58] believers whose families are astounded and humbled by your determined faith to admit their fears. They're willing to admit their anxieties while crying out to God for help.
[01:01:12] The people that know you the best, they're amazed that you don't pretend to be perfect because you have a God who already is. If you're here today, if your life has changed, if something unplanned has entered
[01:01:33] and that line that was roughly straight has turned into a jumbled mess?
[01:01:41] If you're unsure of the goodness, the power, the wisdom of God, if you're unsure what comes next, can I call you back to cry out to God?
[01:01:55] Like David, he doesn't know what's coming next.
[01:01:58] In fact, he doesn't see God and yet he cries out and all of the raw emotion, all of the fear and all of the uncertainty, he cries out to God and then he rejoices in who he knows his God to be.
[01:02:18] We're gonna finish here in one moment, but let me give us one last quote that I believe is helpful.
[01:02:24] Paul David Tripp in another book on suffering, he writes this, scripture never looks down on the sufferer.
[01:02:33] It never mocks his pain, it never turns a deaf ear to his cries, and it never condemns him for his struggle. It presents to the sufferer a God who understands, who cares, who invites us
[01:02:48] to come to him for help, and who promises one day to end all suffering of any kind once and forever.
[01:02:57] men and women scripture does point us towards deep truth guys we can put that last slide up there points us towards deep truth god does not always give us the why of sufferings periodically scripture shows us gives us a glimpse behind the curtain to help encourage us that god
[01:03:25] does understand god does see and in those moments where god is at work he knows what he's doing and it's for our good but even if we never see behind the curtain we can cry out to a God who sees
[01:03:45] he knows he cares and he answers church I would encourage you as you see people around you suffering or even those here who are walking through struggles can I point you first to Psalm 13, as David walks a similar road, and then time and time again to see the person of Jesus Christ.
[01:04:14] If you would love to talk more, if you would love to cry together, pray together, if you would love guidance or counsel, I would rejoice to sit down with you. But church, even in the unplanned moments,
[01:04:29] cry out to God. Don't let your fears, don't let your uncertainty silence you, but rather cry out to a God who hears. Let's pray together. Lord, I am grateful that you don't look down on
[01:04:46] us and ridicule us with our struggles. You don't shake your head and walk away when we're confused or uncertain. God, I'm grateful that you do see, you do know, you do care. And even as David rejoices
[01:05:06] at the end of Psalm 13.
[01:05:08] He has not yet seen you, but He knows who you are.
[01:05:12] He knows what you're doing.
[01:05:15] And you have dealt bountifully with us.
[01:05:19] God, give us the strength to cry out.
[01:05:24] Lord, and I pray that we would suffer well for your glory, even as we rest on your strength.
[01:05:35] And I pray this in Jesus' name.
[01:05:37] Amen.

[01:05:37] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_03]
[01:05:37] There's always hope when we look at Jesus Let's stand, we're going to end with Turn your eyes upon Jesus Look full in His wonderful face Let's stand as we sing

[01:05:47] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_05]
[01:05:47] His wonderful face Oh, straight is glory Our child is a son And our measureless Was He Lift our eyes Jesus, our glory We adore our Savior ever true We turn our eyes to You you have another opportunity to rejoice and that is to walk out these doors and go around and

[01:10:30] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]
[01:10:30] rejoice in the baptism as another person richard testifies of his obedience his worship his faith in Jesus Christ. So I encourage you, if you're able to join us in the gymnasium, take these doors, turn and follow the sidewalk around, and then stick around and join us for lunch. I don't care
[01:10:55] if you brought food. I don't care if you were planning on it. Stick around and celebrate with us. If you have to slip away, I understand you're going to miss out on a wonderful time.
[01:11:05] But as you leave, go and cry out to God and let's show Jesus as we live, imperfectly, but as we live for him this week because God is worth it.
[01:11:21] Let me pray quickly and then we'll be dismissed.
[01:11:23] Lord, thank you for the time together today.
[01:11:26] Thank you for the singing of God's people.
[01:11:29] Thank you for the power of your word.
[01:11:32] Thank you for church.
[01:11:35] Help us to love you, help us to live for you, and help us as we walk through life that is beyond our control, but as we cry out to you.
[01:11:48] I pray this all in Jesus' name. Amen.
[01:11:52] Thank you. You are dismissed.
[01:11:54] Thank you for joining us online today, and I hope the service was a spiritual blessing to you.
[01:12:01] If we can be a help in any way, please reach out to us.
[01:12:06] And if you would love to learn more about our church, you can find us online at visitebc.org.
[01:12:16] Visitebc.org.
[01:12:17] You'll find our website.
[01:12:18] You can also find us on social media and on YouTube.
[01:12:21] And then also, if you're in the Mooresville area, I would love to invite you to come join us in person next week, and we can worship the Lord together.
[01:12:30] God bless.
[01:12:31] I forgot one thing, and I apologize.
[01:12:39] Pause for one second.
[01:12:40] I forgot.
[01:12:40] I apologize. We have a picture, a verse picture in the lobby. We're also going to take it over to the gym. That is a gift for Brian and Michelle.