Okay, the one verse that I want us to look at
and hopefully memorize is Psalm 119, verse 28.
My soul is weary with sorrow.
Strengthen me according to your word.
One of the most annoying, irritating questions
in the whole world is the question,
how are you?
Now, sometimes it's irritating because of the person asking it.
So they ask you, how are you?
But by how they then kind of conduct themselves after that,
they reveal they don't give a toss about what your answer is.
They don't even listen to what you're saying.
So you could reply to the question, how are you, by saying,
my cat just got eaten by a badger
and my dad's in intensive care and my leg's just falling off
and they can go, oh, that's nice.
You know people like that?
They don't even listen to what you're saying.
Irritating.
But sometimes the people who are irritating
are the people who answer the question.
And normally because we verge on kind of two extremes of dishonesty.
So the question is asked, how are you?
And some people have had a lot going on in their life
so their cat might have just been eaten by a badger
and dad is in intensive care
and their leg has just fallen off.
But they reply by going, yeah, I'm good.
Fine.
Liar.
Christians are the worst, aren't we?
I'm fine.
Sometimes, though, there's other people who treat that question
as like a competition to try and win the kind of
whose day's been the crappiest competition.
And we're out for like maybe to manipulate emotions,
maybe to get something from the other person.
And so the response is, oh, my cat just got eaten by a badger
and my dad's in intensive care and my leg's just falling off.
When in reality, they've never had a cat.
Their dad's maybe got a wee tickly cough
and they've ripped their tights, but that's the extent of need.
But they're exaggerating for the sake of a little bit of empathy.
We're terrible at answering and asking the question, how are you?
But the reality is, every time you come to God's Word of the Bible,
God is asking you that question.
How are you?
And if the God of the Bible is real,
then dishonesty at that point is completely pointless.
He knows everything.
He sees everything.
All of my emotions, my motives, my thoughts, my past,
my scars, my nightmares, my fears, my relapses,
my darkness, my depression, my mania, my lies,
my prayers, my past, my future, everything.
It's like an open book to him.
And so, listen, that means church is not just an hour a week
where you turn up slightly smarter than you've been for the rest of the week.
And maybe with your kids encouraged to be slightly better behaved
than they have been the rest of the week,
to present some kind of disguise or mask.
It's about coming as you are to the God who already knows how you are.
And the hope that the Bible holds out for us depends on the extent
that we are honest with him.
And what we're going to see today is that when we are honest about how we actually are,
God gives us exactly what we need.
That's the first half of this verse.
Look at it again.
Psalm 119, verse 28.
It is this guy responding to the question, how are you?
And he answers, my soul is weary with sorrow.
Now, let me ask three questions just to kind of dig into this a little bit.
We're going to ask what, where, and why.
So question one, what's he feeling?
Answer, weary.
Ever been there?
The word that's used weary there is also used in the Bible to describe a leak in a house.
So the word is giving you a picture, conjuring up something in your mind
that weariness feels that life is leaking out of you.
It's a classic cartoon sketch.
You know when there's a leak in a pipe and you go,
and then suddenly it's just everywhere else.
You know that feeling of, it's just emptying out of me,
and I'm left with nothing.
I'm empty.
The same word is also used in the Bible to describe the eyes,
pouring out tears.
Here's a man who knows that crying is tiring.
He's done.
You can also translate the word as melting.
He feels like his life is just dissolving.
It's like a snowman in a sauna.
It's just disappearing from him.
Weary.
Some of us know what that is like intimately.
That's what.
Question two, where?
Where is he feeling this?
He says, my soul is weary.
Now we all know what it is to feel physically tired,
but that's not what he's talking about here.
We don't just have a body that grows and then gradually decays.
We have a soul that lives and lives on forever.
The soul is the life that God has breathed into us.
It is not so much that we have a soul,
but we are a soul.
It's what we are.
It's the precious inner constant,
despite all of our life's outward changes.
It's my longings and my feelings and my hurts.
It's everything on that scale from delight to depression.
It's that part of me that gets overwhelmed and overthinks.
It's the soul.
And it seems to be involved in everything we do in this world,
but it also seems to be unable to be satisfied by anything in this world.
My soul is weary.
Never felt that?
Now identifying the wear of his weariness is important
because the wear of the symptoms will impact the what of the treatment.
So if part of our weariness is physical,
you might need rest.
You might need physio.
That's true.
It might be that part of your weariness comes from some kind of chemical imbalance
in your brain.
So you might need medication.
But if part of your weariness is in your God-given soul,
then we need a remedy that is more than a physio's manipulation
or more than a doctor's medication.
The question is,
who can cure a soul?
That's what we're going to get to when we get to the second half of the verse.
What weary were the soul?
Question three, why?
My soul is weary with sorrow.
Now we don't exactly know what has been going on in this guy's life.
We don't know if he's in danger.
We don't know if folk are after him.
We don't know if someone close to him or something that belonged to him has gone.
It's possible that he's sorrowful because he's been sinful.
If you look at verse 25,
he talks about feeling stuck in the dust.
So maybe he's referring to that kind of sin curse of,
to dust you will return.
In verse 29,
he asks to be kept from deceitful ways.
So maybe he's been bang at it.
But we don't know.
Actually,
the fact that it's undefined
means that I can make this verse mine.
My soul
is weary with
my sorrow.
Been there?
You feel that?
Now we are going to get to the second half of the verse and go,
well, where does he find relief?
Where does he find escape?
Where does he find answer?
But before we get to that too quickly,
we need to acknowledge
that wherever he is going to go,
we've got places that we normally go.
Now,
in our sorrow,
it's often somewhere that we can get stuck.
We kind of get wedged
into our
weariness.
Maybe some of us in the room this morning are going,
I've only ever lived in the first half of this verse.
That's been my whole life.
My soul,
weary with sorrow.
And we've probably got
some ingrained habits
and kind of coping mechanisms
of where
our weary soul
has traveled
to try and find answers.
So maybe there's
well-traveled paths
from our weary souls
to
retail therapy
where we try and spoil ourselves
when we feel like
we are
spoiled.
Maybe
to the makeup counter
when our head is telling us
that we're ugly.
Maybe to
the dealer
to escape
what won't stop haunting us.
Maybe to the off-license
to try and numb
all of the noise.
Maybe to pornography
to try and escape
the boredom.
Maybe to the gaming
world
when reality
is just too overwhelming.
Maybe to self-harm
when life feels
out of control.
Or maybe
just to phone
Just Eat
because
it offers
comfort
amid
a world
that is
dissatisfying.
But there's
well-trodden paths
to all of these things
and the truth is
they have never
got us
out of the first half
of this verse.
They're well-trodden paths
because we have
walked them
often
but we are
still
stuck.
My soul
is weary
with sorrow.
And we need
to see these things
and say
a bit like the language
in 119
verse 32
they have promised
to make us
run
but in reality
they have
left us
stuck.
They promised
enjoyment
they have left
us
enslaved.
My soul
is still
weary
with sorrow.
So how do we
get out of the
first half
of the verse?
Well he says
Psalm 119
verse 28
My soul
is weary
with sorrow
strengthen me
according to your
word.
Let me ask
three more questions
just to try and
see what this
actually means
for us.
So first question
how?
How do you
get out of the
first half?
Answer
it begins
with prayer.
Prayer is
the 999
call
that connects
him to
the life
support that
God gives.
He
in the first
half of the
verse just
is kind of
describing his
feelings
but this
second half
of the verse
is the
desperation
of his
faith.
When he's
stuck
he acknowledges
that he
has to
look
beyond
himself
for help.
Now
we're not
good at
this but
we need
to own
this.
When
we need
an answer
the reason
why I am
often not
the answer
to my own
problems
is because
I am
the problem.
Or
sometimes
the reason
that I am
not the
answer to
my problems
is because
my problem
is way
bigger than
me.
And if
the sorrow
is deep
in our
soul
it is
not enough
to phone
a doctor
it is
not enough
to book
a counsellor
it is not
enough to
go to
a dealer
it is not
enough to
phone
Just Eat
you need
to cry
out to
God.
If your
soul is
created by
God then
your soul
can only
ever be
cared for
by God.
The one
who formed
it must
be the one
who fills
it.
and what
we are
being
modelled
here
from a
sorrow
wearied
soul
is that
the way
out of
this first
half of
the verse
the only
way out of
the first
half of
this verse
is to
cry out
to the
God of
the
universe.
You look
beyond
yourself.
Prayer
the 999
call of the
weary soul
to the
living God.
Okay,
question
two.
What?
What do
you pray
for when
your soul
is like
this?
Answer,
he prays
to God
for
strength.
Now that
is amazing
because what
does that
tell you?
You do
not need
to be
strong to
come to
God.
I think
we often
think that.
I need
to get
my life
together.
I need
to give
the
appearance
that
everything's
okay.
I need
to stop
crying.
I need
to have
some kind
of record
of good.
This
verse
says wrong.
The shape
of a
relationship
with God
as it's
pictured over
and over
again in
the Bible
is this.
We bring
our
weaviness
to him
and he
gives
his
strength.
to us.
See if
you're not
a Christian
that's the
shape of
a relationship
with God.
It's how
it starts
and how
it continues
and how
it ends.
It starts
by saying
God I am
weary in
my sin
and it's
the only
thing that
I've got
to offer
to you.
And we
bring our
sin to
him and
he gives
a strong
saviour
to us.
And if
you're at
that point
where you're
just
overwhelmed
with sorrow
the one
thing we
want you
to get
out of
this
service
today
is God
says you
do not
need to
come to
a place
or position
of strength
to meet
with me.
You just
bring your
weary soul
and you'll
hear the
Lord Jesus
say come
to me all
you who
are weary
and heavy
laden and
I will
give you
rest.
It's an
amazing thing.
You don't
need to be
strong.
But it's
also a
surprising
thing.
Right?
See if I
was writing
this,
this is
how I'd
finish it.
This would
be the
second half
of my
verse.
God,
my soul
is weary
with sorrow.
Take my
sorrow away.
Would that
not be what
you'd pray?
I want
easy life
and I want
quick fix.
God,
remove the
sorrow.
Is that
what he
asked for?
No,
he doesn't
ask for
his soul's
burden to
get lighter.
answer.
He asks
for his
soul to
get stronger.
He's not
asking to
escape the
sorrow, but
he's asking
for strength
to endure
the sorrow.
See, we
know the
only way to
escape this
sorrow-filled
world is to
leave this
world.
And that
is our
hope as
Christians,
isn't it?
That the
resurrection of
Jesus is
the steadfast
promise that
for someone
who trusts
in him,
the end
of this
life is
the end
of sorrow.
And it
is the
beginning of
forever
rest.
that is
better by
far.
We can
say,
to die
is gain.
But until
he saves
us from
that, we
need strength
for it.
And that's
what he
promises.
You just
bring your
soul
williness
to me,
and I
will give
my strength.
to you.
So, final
question.
How?
How will
God strengthen
us?
My soul
is weary
with sorrow.
Strengthen
me, what
does he
say,
according to
your word.
If prayer
is the
999 call
that cries
out to
God,
God's
word is
the life
support that
God provides
for weary
souls.
according to
God's word,
everything has
its origin
in God's
word.
If you remember
the first
pages of the
Bible say,
in the
beginning,
God
said,
let there
be light,
and there
was light.
Absolutely
everything in
this world
owes its
origin to
the word
of God.
God's
love.
And all of a
sudden,
you just
feel like
it's weary
and you're
weary.
What do you
need?
Plug
yourself in.
That's what
we need.
The Bible
is life
support for
sorrow-filled
souls.
others.
But it's not
only that
creation comes
through God's
word,
and it's
not just
that God
speaks to
us in
a book,
which he
does,
but it's
that he
sent his
son Jesus
into this
world as
the word.
That's what
he's called.
And I
know when
you are
weary with
sorrow,
the Bible
can feel
like a
clamp
that is
shut.
And when
your eyes
are full
of tears
and when
your whole
existence
feels like
it's
melting
and life
has leaked
out of you,
the hardest
thing in the
world sometimes
is to open
the Bible,
isn't it?
The good
news on
days like
that is
it's not
just a
book that
you can
come to,
but the
word of
God is a
person who
has come
to you.
And if I
do anything
today,
I want to
make sure
that you
know and
see and
hear today
that the
word of
God
strengthens
sorrowful
souls and
that comes
through having
a clear
sight of
your
Savior,
the Lord
Jesus
Christ,
the
word of
God,
strength for
weary souls
comes through
a sight of
Jesus the
word.
And I
want you to
see this
word that
weeps with
you in
your sorrow.
Remember that
moment when
Jesus is at
the gravesite
of one of
his good
friends called
Lazarus and
we get a
simple
statement,
Jesus
wept.
his eyes
are leaking
tears.
His life
is like
it's
melting
away from
him.
And the
beautiful
thing about
the closeness
of Jesus,
the word of
God,
is in that
moment he
is not just
full of
sorrow at
death,
but he is
also there
in sympathy
with you.
you need to
see the
strength comes
by seeing
this word
weeping.
But we
need also
to see,
and I'm
desperate for
you to see,
the word that
then goes from
weeping to
willingly
suffering for
you.
the night
before Jesus
was killed
on a
cross,
he enters
a garden
called
Gethsemane,
and like
the psalmist
cries out in
desperate
faith,
the Lord
Jesus says,
my soul
is overwhelmed
with sorrow
to the point
of death.
Sound familiar?
It's almost
like he's
speaking,
Psalm 119
verse 28,
my soul
is weary
with sorrow.
The eternal
word of God
that spoke
creation
into being
enters the
first half
of this
verse.
He willingly
takes on
your sorrow,
he willingly
bears your
burden,
he is
willingly
taking upon
himself
the suffering
and the
sorrow
and the
sin
that is
mine.
And he
takes that
burden the
next day
to a
hill called
Calvary
where we
are told
he bows
his head
and breathes
his last.
The eternal
word gives
his life
for you
so that
he can
give life
to you.
his strength
is gone
so that
he can
breathe
strength
into your
weary
soul.
And then
on the
third day
in what
is the
most
loud
communication
of
strength
God
to weary
people.
He rises
and do you
know the
word that
he speaks
almost more
often than
any other
word is?
He comes
to his
disciples and
he says
peace.
And in that
moment that
is not a
weak word.
That is a
word that
is strong
and it
is a
fighting
word that
says even
in the
moments where
your soul
is overwhelmed
with sorrow
even to the
point of
death
according to
the word of
God there
is peace
even now.
God.
And so I
want to
give you
this verse
as the
invitation of
God where
he comes to
you today
and says
you don't
need to be
strong.
You don't
need to
pretend.
You can
come exactly
as you
are and
my promise
to you
is that when
you bring
your weary
soul to
me my
word will
give you
strength.
And that's
what we've
been praying
for you
even just
in this
last week
from
Grace
Mount.
Shall I
pray?
Our
Father in
heaven
when our
souls are
weary
overwhelmed
with sorrow
please lift
our eyes
to see
your Son
the Word
of God
and in
seeing him
in hearing
him
may you
please
breathe
resurrection
strength
into our
sorrow
filled
souls.
And we
pray these
things in
the only
way we
can.
In
Jesus'
name.
Amen.