Finding Good News in Hard Times

This was the title of a sermon series we went through at our church last month. You can hear the entire Upside Series on line at http://www.westportchurch.org/ Click on the listen tab and search for the series by name. Pastor Shane Fookes spoke on 4/19/19 and his sermon really hit home with me. He was talking about difficult times and waiting. For me personally, I thought of this adoption process and how difficult it can and has been and how the waiting is excruciating at times! I wanted to pass along the notes I took on the outline Shane gave us. I hope this is an encouragement to you in whatever difficult time you find yourself in. The application of his sermon is at the bottom of the notes. At the end of the sermon our Worship Pastor sang a song that really hit home with me on where I was at on that given Sunday and many times since then. It is called Alright by Paul Ramey. You can go to Paul's website as http://www.paulramey.com/ and you can download a free MP3 copy of this song by simply clicking on the box toward the top of the webpage that says "spread the word button". It really touched my heart and still does in those down times. The 2nd verse of the song is what I try to focus on, it says

"I'm trying to trust you
but I feel abandoned.


Please help me remember
this is how you planned it."

Then it breaks into the chorus of

EVERYTHING WILL BE ALRIGHT.........................

The Sermon -

DIFFICULT TIMES CAN DEEPEN OUR DEVOTION

We deepen our devotion in difficult times by learning the language of lament. (Psalm 13)

1) We COMPLAIN to God.

Psalm 13:1-2 "How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and every day have sorrow in my heart? How long will my enemy triumph over me?"

2) We CRY OUT to God for HELP

Psalm 13:3-4 "Look on me and answer, O Lord my God. Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death: my enemy will say, "I have overcome him." and my foes will rejoice when I fall."

3) We WAIT

Psalm 5:3 "In the morning, O Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and WAIT in expectation."

Psalm 27:14 "WAIT for the Lord; be strong and take heart and WAIT for the Lord."

Psalm 33:20 "We WAIT in hope for the Lord; he is our help and our shield."

Psalm 37:7 "Be still before the Lord and WAIT patiently for him; do not fret when men succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes."

Psalm 38:15 "I WAIT for you, O Lord; you will ANSWER, O Lord my God."

Psalm 40:1 "I WAITED patiently for the Lord; he turned to me and heard my cry."

Psalm 130:5 "I WAIT for the Lord, my soul WAITS, and in his word I put my hope."

4) We PRAISE

Psalm 13:5-6 "But I trust in your unfailing love: my heart rejoices in your salvation. I will sing to the Lord, for he has been good to me."


APPLICATION-

1) Learn to say OUCH! God knows we are hurting. Cry out to him and tell Him.

2) Take the time to understand the hurt.

3) Turn to God with the hurt as an act of worship.

4) WAIT for God.

5) PRAISE Him!!

I liked this saying


GODISNOWHERE = God is nowhere

BECOMES

GODISNOWHERE - God is now here


GOD IS FAITHFUL!!! WE MUST HOLD ON TO THAT PROMISE EVEN WHEN THINGS SEEM IMPOSSIBLE!!