[0:00] Turn with me to your Bible, if you would, to Psalm 13 and verse 1. I am so glad you're here, whether you're online or whether you're here in the car. This is better than it was.
[0:10] It may not be all that we want it to be, but one day you'll tell stories about this and you'll tell your grandkids and so on, if Jesus doesn't come back, how you were here in a service like this.
[0:20] And so we will make the best of whatever God gives us to do. Turn in your Bibles to Psalm 13, verse 1. Let me read the chapter to you. The Bible says, Father God in heaven, I praise you for saving us, and I praise you for what you've done in our lives.
[1:17] I praise you for how you've drawn your people to be here, whether online or in person in their car. I praise you because you are at work in our midst. I pray, God, that this psalm would come alive to us, that we would be rejoicing in you, and God, that you would help.
[1:32] And we'll give you praise for all you do in Jesus' name. Amen. The title of the message is Victory Over Discouragement or Depression. Kind of fitting for a time like this. David is very likely on the run from Saul when he writes this psalm.
[1:46] He's been on the run for years, and he has lived in fear for a long time. In 1 Samuel chapter 20 and verse 3, he says, There is but a step between me and death.
[1:59] David, for 15 years, doesn't know if he'll live or die. He is discouraged. He is feeling defeated. He's at the end of his rope. He is tired of living in caves.
[2:09] He wants to get to where God promised him. But in this time, God is building David's character, and he is more interested in David's character than David's crown.
[2:22] In 2 Corinthians 1-3, that's what's going on with us. Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble by the comfort wherein we ourselves are comforted.
[2:43] God is at work in David's life even in those times. He is more interested in developing David's character and my character than getting me out of uncomfortable situations.
[2:54] 15 years. But God knows what you're going through. We will live praising God because of who he is. So let me go through how to overcome depression and discouragement from David's psalm right here.
[3:09] Number one, tell God what you're feeling. Tell God what you're feeling. Cast all your care on him. David feels like God has left him and abandoned him. He says, how long?
[3:20] How long? How long? Forever? How long? Even tribulation saints will feel that in the book of Revelation when they cry and say, how long, God, before you'll judge those that are mistreating us?
[3:32] But here's what we want to remember. Has God forgotten David? Absolutely not. In Numbers chapter 6, the goal that David had, what David wanted more than anything was for God's face to shine on him.
[3:45] In Numbers 6, 23, the nation of Israel, the leaders, the spiritual leaders were commanded to use this blessing on God's people. The Lord bless you and keep you and make his face to shine upon you and be gracious unto you.
[3:59] The Lord lift up his countenance. So God, shine on us, look at us and smile on us. And that's what David's wanting. God's not hiding. David's just missing seeing God's face and the blessing that he wanted to get from that.
[4:15] The Bible says in Psalm 17, 15, that David said, As for me, I will behold thy face in righteousness. I shall be satisfied when I wake in thy likeness.
[4:27] God, help me. So David's dealing with fear. He's living in a cave and you're dealing with maybe financial issues or health issues or boredom. And you're dealing with all of that.
[4:38] And you would say, how long? But here's all we can do. We must lean on the Lord and not ourselves. Proverbs 3, 5, and 6 says, Trust in the Lord with all thine heart.
[4:50] Lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him and he shall direct thy paths. You see, I think one of the most beautiful things in this Psalm is this, that God doesn't hide that David's feeling like you feel, that David's feeling like I feel.
[5:05] God puts the whole story out there and he lets us hear how David says, How long? I would like to pause in the story and remind you of some things about our God. He had promised David that he would be king.
[5:18] He anointed David to be king. It'll be almost 15 years before that arrives. And he says to David, that's what I'm going to do. And I want you to know every promise of God in the Word of God is true.
[5:30] Our God cannot lie. Titus 1, 2. He will not abandon us. He will not, Deuteronomy 31, 6. He will not fail you nor forsake you.
[5:41] In Matthew 28, 20, at the end of the Great Commission, he said, Lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. When God was discussing with his people through his prophet how he felt about his people, he said in Isaiah 49, 15, Can a woman forget her baby that's on the breast, a sucking child?
[6:01] He said, Surely a woman couldn't forget that, but they would forget their children before I would ever forget you. Yea, they may forget, yet I will not forget you.
[6:11] You serve a God that loves you and knows you and is with you right wherever you are right now. Whatever junk you're going through, whatever you're feeling, our God loves you and our God is with you.
[6:23] The only thing our God forgets is what he promised to forget. In Isaiah 43 and verse 25, He blots out our transgressions and he doesn't remember them. That's a great promise.
[6:35] In Psalm 103, 12, He has separated our sin from us as far as the east is from the west. He's removed our sin. In 2 Corinthians 5, 17, He has made us a new creature.
[6:45] He gave us a new past, a new present, and a new future. That's the word of God. In 2 Corinthians 5, 21, He took God's, or Jesus Christ's righteousness and put it on us and took our sin and put it on him.
[6:57] We have victory. The Bible says in Romans 8, 37, that we are more than conquerors. And I want to remind you that the Lord is not unto them that call on him.
[7:09] The Lord is not unto all them that call on him. Psalm 145, 18, The Lord is not unto all them that call unto him, to all that call upon him in truth.
[7:21] So the story starts off, or the song that they're singing in their church starts off saying, God, where are you? God, help me. God, will you forget me? God, have you abandoned us?
[7:31] God, will we ever get out of this? God, when's the end of this? And our tribulation at this present time is a few months old. David's been on the run for 15 years.
[7:42] That's longer than the church has been in existence. And he seems to be pretty discouraged and pretty depressed. And he seems to have his emotions running wild, which is a normal thing to have happen.
[7:55] And God knows that. And God lets us see that his man, a man after his own heart, did exactly that. But he calmed down. And he went to God in prayer. And he expressed his frustration to the Lord.
[8:08] The Bible says in Psalm 13, 3, God, consider and hear me. Oh, Lord, lighten mine eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death, lest mine enemies say I have prevailed against him, and those that trouble me rejoice when I am moved.
[8:24] God, I know I was saying, how long? I know I was saying, how long? How long? He said that over and over. I know I said that. But now I come to you, God, and I say to you, think about me.
[8:35] Consider me. Consider what's happening in my life. Let me remind you that we are not worthy of him thinking about us. We are just a creation. But David knows that God knows you and cares about you and loves you.
[8:50] And David is saying, God, please pay attention to me. David is saying, now, Lord, you need to think about this. You gave me a promise. And if you gave me a promise and it doesn't come true, that's going to make you look bad.
[9:03] You anointed me king, and it looks like Saul is going to kill me. And then your promises won't be true. If I die, the enemy will have won. If God doesn't answer David's prayer, then God will not get the glory.
[9:19] And David brings it to God and says, God, consider this. God, consider this. What David does is get his emotions under control. He comes to God in prayer using scriptural promises.
[9:31] God said it, so God will do it. When you and I pray, this is a lesson for us in prayer. When we pray, and we ought to pray, we ought to get down petitions of prayer, prayer requests, and things that we want to say to God.
[9:45] And when you pray, you can pray with confidence. 1 John 5.14 says, this is the confidence that we have in him, that if we ask anything according to his will, we will know that he hears us.
[10:00] If you ask God what he told you you already wants, you can mark it down. He will hear you. And if he will hear you, he will answer you. 1 John 5.15. David knew, God, this is what you want.
[10:13] I can pray this because I'm praying what you want, not what I want. And so he prayed that. When we pray, we must believe God. It's a time to step out in faith and say, God, how long?
[10:25] How long? God, think about what you said. How long? In Matthew 21.22, he said, ask in prayer, believing, and you shall receive it. Ask in prayer and believe and you'll receive it.
[10:38] The last thing I'd remind you of is that David's prayer request was God's will. And when we pray, we have to pray what God wants. And we don't always know what God wants unless it's written in the pages of Scripture.
[10:52] And what we're told in James chapter 4 and verse 2, that there are many things we don't have because we do not ask. But we're also told that we ask amiss, that we pray selfish prayers, which goes against much of the prosperity gospel and much of what people might think about or want today.
[11:14] We don't pray those prayers. Go with me if you would to Psalm 13.5 for the third and last point. Before you finish praying, you've got to get to God in prayer.
[11:27] So David starts off with, man, I am frustrated. How long? How long? How long? I'm upset. Are you never going to hear me? Are you never going to remember me? And then it seems like David settles down and says, God, think about what you've said.
[11:42] And by the end of the psalm, David is saying, God, I want to think about you and not about me. He got his mind off of himself. He got his mind off of his own being upset.
[11:53] And he put his mind on God. We pray saying thank you. We focus on God above our problem. God has a will that's bigger than me.
[12:04] It may be to take me to heaven right now. It may be to help me grow in my faith. It may be to help me prove I love him to a world that doesn't believe that. Psalm 13.5. I wish you'd circle the word but.
[12:17] It's like the central word of the chapter or the song. It is how long? How long? Think about me lest I die. Think about me. Think about me.
[12:27] And then he goes, but. Look at that. But I have trusted in thy mercy. My heart shall rejoice in thy salvation. I will sing unto the Lord because he has dealt bountifully with me.
[12:40] The whole psalm turns. Because all of a sudden, David got off of a me focus to a him focus. I live too much of my life thinking about me and how it relates to me and how it affects me.
[12:54] And most of us would have a little bit of that problem. Maybe not to my extent. Maybe not to David's extent. But you'd have some of that. And what God is saying is stop the how long for you. Stop that and focus on me and who I am.
[13:07] The Bible says in Psalm 28 7, the Lord is my strength and my shield. My heart trusts in him and I am helped.
[13:19] When I trust God, I am helped. My heart trusts in God and I am helped. And my heart greatly rejoices. And with my song will I praise him.
[13:31] David focused and trusted. David focused and trusted. He now turns to the Lord, to God in his thoughts. He's off of himself and he's on to the Lord.
[13:45] He has decided to make a commitment. I will praise. Would you look at those verses? It will be chapter 13. He says in 13, 4, I have prevailed.
[13:57] Excuse me, 5, I have trusted and my heart shall rejoice. I will sing unto the Lord. My heart shall, I will sing. He has made a decision.
[14:08] He has made a commitment. It may be a bad time and we may be in jail and the shackles may be on our legs, said the apostles, but we will sing praise. And when they sang praise, God moved in.
[14:19] God understands our fears and our dilemmas. God is calling all of us to get out of ourselves and to get into him. He remembers what God has done in his life.
[14:30] It's beautiful in the verse. If you look at chapter 13, verse 6, he says, because he hath dealt faithfully or bountifully with me. You know what he was saying? That's a past tense.
[14:41] God has already been good to me. No matter where I am, no matter what I'm going through, no matter how much I want to say, how long, how long, think about me. I got to remember something.
[14:52] God has been good to us. God saved us. God gave us eternal life. God gave us the Holy Spirit. God gave us the Word of God. God gave us salvation.
[15:03] God saved our family. God blessed us with a family. God's been good. And David says, I remember what God has done. I have seen God work. I may be running for my life, but I one time killed Goliath.
[15:14] I may be running for my life, but I have been used of God. I may be discouraged and depressed, but when I think about God and when I think about what he's done, I can be encouraged. He has dealt bountifully with me.
[15:29] By the end of the Psalm, the circumstances have not changed. The circumstances have not changed, but David is a growing man. David needed to learn some lessons.
[15:42] He needed to learn that he wasn't sufficient. He knew it, but he had to be reminded of it. We remember when we got saved. We understood that we didn't deserve it, but he saved us anyway.
[15:52] We remember that when he's done everything in our life, it's always been his goodness to us. We didn't deserve it. But somewhere along the way, we start saying, God, take care of me. How long? How long?
[16:02] How long? Consider me. But we need to get back to God. I mean, God has a will for my life. God wants to do a work in me.
[16:16] I think I got a dying microphone. So anyway, we'll see if I can get this one going. But God knows what he wants to do in my life. So this is what we do today. We bring our hurts to the Lord.
[16:29] We cry out. You have every privilege to say to God this morning, because God allowed David. This is Holy Spirit scripture. We don't believe this is what David wrote. This is what the Holy Spirit told David to write, which is a big difference.
[16:43] And David, you can tell him, tell him you were hurting. Tell him you were hurting. Tell him you were crying. Tell him you didn't understand. Because someday in 2020, some Christians won't understand.
[16:53] Some Christians will not know what's going on. And they'll want to cry out how long. So tell them they can. Tell them I'm willing to listen to them. I'm a loving father. And I will hear them. Tell them to beg me to listen.
[17:05] Tell them to beg me to listen. But tell them I want them to get it under control. I want them to get it under control. And I want them to learn to think on the right things. Because what happens is I get scared.
[17:17] And when I get afraid, when I'm full of fear, I start being crazy and irrational and doing things I shouldn't do. And I got to say not how long. I got to say but I will.
[17:29] Praise the Lord. I will go back to the promises of the word of God. I will go back to the testimony of what God has done in my life. I will think on these things. I need to get through this time.
[17:39] Not considering what the government's going to do. Not considering what science is going to do. But I got to get through this knowing God saved me. God leads me. God guides me. And God will get me through this.
[17:50] I want to meditate on the character of my God. And then I would like to end this morning message with this. It says in verse 5, My heart shall rejoice in your salvation.
[18:03] God, I will praise you when you get me out of this. But I will praise you more because of what you did to save me. I will praise you because of who you made me. I will think about who I would be without you and who I am with you.
[18:16] And then he said, I will sing unto the Lord. I will sing unto the Lord. And I miss that so much about our church. I miss singing together. I miss praising the Lord together. And I thank God for these young people suffering the cold and leading us in a song.
[18:30] But soon we'll be together. But wherever you are, sing unto the Lord. Sing unto the Lord. And remember this. He has dealt bountifully with you.
[18:41] He has been good to you. If God's been good to you, blow your horn. Then bring your heart and mind into that.
[18:53] Consider our God. Go back through your life. Count your many blessings. Name them one by one. And we will see what the Lord has done. Go back through your life. Think of all God has done.
[19:05] Magnify him. Spend the afternoon praising God. And saying thank you to God because God has been and God is good to every one of us. I need to say to you, because some may be watching via the internet.
[19:17] Or somebody might be here, even in one of the cars that doesn't know Jesus. These promises are not for you till you trust Christ. Unless you have trusted Christ as your Lord and Savior, you have no guarantee of all these things.
[19:31] You see, the first prayer he hears from you is a prayer admitting you've sinned against the Holy God. It's a prayer when you realize, I need God. And you turn from yourself and you turn to him.
[19:41] He loves you. He has done all for you to go to heaven. He has already paid your sin debt. You are forgiven by the blood of Jesus Christ shed on the cross. You are.
[19:52] You have salvation as a gift extended to you to accept it. Right now, God loves you. But God commended, God showed, God proved, God demonstrated his love toward us.
[20:04] And while we were still yet sinners, Christ died for us. Trust Christ as your Savior.