Sorrow in My Heart

I'm sick of sickness at my house, and I know it's sickness that has been going around the different congregations with congestion and those kind of things. Even in the London, no, even in the Kingsport congregation, there's a case of pneumonia as well. Mr. Coy Moore, you could add him to your prayers. Mr. Coy Moore is a faithful member there in Kingsport. What started off as congestion and those kind of things has led to pneumonia. That's always the fear and the risk.

If you feel yourselves coming down with anything, take it seriously and build your body up in any way you can and get enough rest. We did have a wonderful trampoline activity last Sunday. There was quite a number of us. I think over 20, 25-ish? Somewhere in there.

I don't know if you've ever been to a trampoline arena or park. It's just a ton of trampolines. You always have a vision that you're in better shape than you are. I was wiped out afterwards. Adam and I took a few rounds at a jousting thing that you do. It was an exercise of comedy. One of us would go for the other, and that caused us to fall. I think we'll call it a draw. It was a lot of fun.

Then we came back here. Some of the teens danced. We had a cookout, so it was very enjoyable. We'll look to do that again in the near future. Winter Family Weekend is coming upon us. It's a great theme this year. The theme is our Creator God. We'll be looking into truths surrounding our Creator. I have the honor to have a Bible study Sabbath morning. I'm not sure if it's going to be Psalmocast or not, but we'll be looking into that very thing.

Proclaiming Christ in an age of ambiguity. We're in an age today where there is no absolute truth. Your truth is your truth. That's good. They say, my truth is my truth. That certainly is a risk in having ambiguity around the truth of Jesus Christ. The study I'm looking into is really amazing how that ambiguity has even crept into the Church of God. We need to deal with the truth. We're going to be looking into that. There are some other really great presentations that will be given.

I know. I'm looking forward to that. Of course, our prayers are with all of those experiencing loss at this time. I will miss you seeing you if you're not at Winter Family Weekend next Sabbath, but I believe I'll be back the following Sabbath there.

I'm looking forward to that. Our title today for our main message goes well with the sermonette. The title is, Sorrow in My Heart. If you'll turn with me to the 13th Psalm, Psalm 13, which is one of the passages of Scripture dealing with sorrow. There's a number of Psalms that we might turn to when you're delving into this whole matter of sorrow or depression. In beginning to look at this whole matter, we want to read together this 13th Psalm here. We're going to read the whole Psalm.

It's only six verses, actually. We're going to delve into a moment in a time of sorrow in the life of David. Psalm 13. Let's begin in verse 1. How long, the psalmist writes here, how long, O Lord, will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me?

How long shall I take counsel in my soul? Having sorrow in my heart daily? How long will my enemy be exalted over me? Consider and hear me, O Lord my God, enlighten my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death. Lest my enemy say I have prevailed against him, lest those who trouble me rejoice when I am moved.

Verse 5, But I have trusted in your mercy, my heart shall rejoice in your salvation. I will sing to the Lord, because he has dealt bountifully with me. Let's stop there. Now, before we begin, I want to make a few statements. These are statements to consider as we address these issues of deep sorrow and depression in our lives, or perhaps in the lives of our loved ones. So, to begin, I want to give three statements, three statements to consider regarding this topic.

Number one statement. Number one statement. We, as servants of God, unless you and I have a degree or a certification or training in the realm of extreme depression, we must realize that we're not qualified to address the subject of depression as a matter, as a clinical condition. In other words, most of us, as servants of God, are not qualified to address depression, which comes, for an example, as a chemical imbalance, let's say, or as a result of certain physical factors, because there is a depressive part of man which can be more in the realm of medicine than in the realm of theology.

That's not to say that theology has nothing to say to it, because we know, if it weren't for the fact, that we live in a sinful, fallen world, that none of us would know these kind of sicknesses, or these kind of imbalances, if you will. But, I want this morning, before we begin, to distinguish between that of a physical dimension in a clinical environment, in contrast to the experiences of the seasons of the soul, if you will.

And it is to the seasons of the soul in which David is expressing here, and that's what we're going to be addressing today, where there is sorrow, and it can appear in us, and it feels as if winter is in our hearts daily, and everything on the exterior may seem to be normal, but there is, in fact, a deadening sense that has gripped us.

We can't explain it. The sun is out, the sky is blue, but somehow deep inside of us we're unsettled, and we're deeply troubled. And it is a healing that is needed that goes beyond the physical realm. So that's statement number one. We want to distinguish between the physical dimension within a clinical environment and that of the expressions of the heart, which David is going to speak to.

Statement number two. Statement number two. Maybe an obvious one, but one to consider. Physical conditions can often induce depression. So, one of the best followers of Christ, when physically weak, may be prone to attacks of depression in any other time. Often it's when we fall into the trap of trying to do everything. Running here, running there, doing this, doing that, and we drive ourselves into the ground. And typically, the person who's in that mode and running themselves on the brink, often they're the last ones to realize, and it's usually the people around the individual, are the ones that become aware of the fact that the individual's not functioning normally, as they normally would.

There's something quite not right. And that deep sense of unsettlement, emptiness may be born out of nothing more than just needing a rest, needing a break, needing to go for a walk, needing to take time to breathe the air. You need to sort yourself out physically.

You know, you've driven yourself into the ground. And so, that's the number two statement to state, physical condition may make you vulnerable to depressive feelings. Number three statement, and final statement we'll make here at the beginning, number three is, spiritual warfare does, in fact, have to do with our experience of depression. Spiritual warfare does, in fact, have to do with our experience of depression. We won't take the time to turn there, but 1 Peter 5, 8 tells us a very familiar scripture, the devil is a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour.

Ephesians 6 tells us we have to put on the whole armor of God to fight against the fiery darts from the evil one. That's Ephesians 6. And the evil one, knowing us, may seek to penetrate the place of weakness in our armor. And he knows that those of us who are easily given to bouts of depression, he's going to attack us at that vulnerable part, at that vulnerable point. He knows if he can get us down, weighted down, he's going to effectively remove us from the battlefield, and the battle that we're waging for God, our usefulness.

So, with those three statements established, we want to take a look at this incredible, impactful Psalm, the 13th Psalm. David's focus is inward. He's at a moment of being introspective. It's a very personal indication of where he is in his heart and in his mind. And you'll notice right off the bat, right from the beginning, in just two verses, we have a phrase four times given. Two words, how long, how long, how long, how long. So, this is where his heart was. And if you take a look at the preceding Psalms, it may be, and you see that David is really preoccupied with an enemy and with the wicked just strutting about. And that which is being is vile, is being honored.

And nevertheless, you know, these things were buffeting David and these events deeply troubling him. There's, in my preparation, I sometimes get off track and I'll Google things and I'll try to think, where have I gone? I'm so far from where I started. But I usually Google songs. I found this one. Leo Sayer, in the 60s. How many of you recognize Leo Sayer? None of you? Good.

He writes a song, the sun is out, the sky is blue, there's not a cloud to spoil the view, but inside, it's raining in my heart. You didn't know you were going to get a song today. But that's true. In that verse, if you find it, it's misery's reoccurring. Oh, misery, he says. Oh, misery, what's become of me, he says. And that might be your song today. It's warm in here. It's comfortable. Inside, it's cold. You may have been walking around with this for a long time. And you may say, how does David capture where I am? And the fact is, God makes it possible for David to pen these words. God knows how we are. Martin Luther described this psalm as, quote, a prayer full of signs and groanings of an afflicted heart at an hour of darkness, a heart almost overwhelmed under that darkness, with extreme grief and sorrow driven to the greatest strait of the mind, end quote. And it's important for us to recognize that despite the contemporary approach of packaging Christianity, bundling it up in the brightest of packages, we acknowledge that the Bible doesn't do that. Churches of the world tend to package Christianity for a consumerist in a way. They've learned that if they can put marketing on the outside, and maybe that's even more important, they would say, than what's on the inside, all put forth something bright, attractive to fill the pews, and to think that life in Christ is always really terrific. They go to great pangs to suggest that Christianity is about sunshine, blue skies, green grass. There's no drought. There's no weeds. Everyone's happy, so come join us in our group. But in doing so, they're not putting forth a complete biblical truth because certain times we know clouds come into our experience. And if we had nowhere else to turn, the 13th Psalm certainly shows us. David expresses an expression here of God's people throughout the Bible, throughout the history. So let's trace a line through this psalm. Let's notice three things. Three things to notice here in this psalm. Three important things, I believe. I'm going to give you the three things up front here. The first thing to notice is David's approach to the depression. His approach. That's what we're going to notice first.

Then, second thing to notice, number two, is the type of cry he makes. The type of cry he makes. That's number two. Thirdly, we're going to notice the consolation he receives. The comfort or the consolation he receives. That'll be number three. So first, let's notice the approach here. His approach here. We're going to have three subpoints, if you will, to his approach. His first point will be the longest, I promise. First subpoint to his approach, you'll find is in verse one. So, 1a, if you will, 1a, we find in his approach that he's distant from God.

That's 1a. He's distant from God. This is in his approach. Verse one, again, how long, O Lord, will you forget me forever? How long will you hide my face, your face, from me? How long will you hide your face from me? So he feels distant from God. David, just to put it a little context, he longed for God's presence. He longed for God's countenance. He longed for God's face.

He longed to be close to God. This is one thing that you see a theme throughout David's writings in the Psalms. In fact, if you'll put your marker here, let's just turn over a few Psalms here and notice this. David's longing for God's presence. Look at Psalm 11, verse 7. Let's just turn there. Psalm 11, verse 7. You see this expression here of God's face, his countenance. Psalm 11, verse 7, it says, For the Lord is righteous, he loves righteousness, his countenance, so he shows his face, his countenance beholds the upright. So the Lord is righteous, he loves righteousness, God shows himself to those who are upright here, and David wanted to behold God's face, if he will.

Turn to Psalm 17, verse 15. A second verse, this reoccurring phrase. David longed to be that close to God. Psalm 17, verse 15. David writes, As for me, I will see your face in righteousness, and I will be satisfied when I awake in your likeness.

So, in other words, when David's life is finally over, his next conscious moment will be, I will see your face, I will awaken in your likeness. This is what was satisfying David. This is what kept him going in the lowest of times.

He would be with God. One more, for an example. Psalm 27, verse 8-9. Psalm 27, verse 8 and 9. Listen to this. Psalm 27, verse 8. When you said, seek my face, my heart said to you, your face, Lord, I will seek. Do not hide your face from me. Do not turn your servant away in anger. You have been my help. Do not leave me nor forsake me, O God of my salvation. See, this was his deep desire to see the face of God, to be close to him. So, to experience what it was to be seemingly forgotten by God four times here.

How long will you forget me? How long will you hide your face from me? This was extremely significant for David. And again, he longed to be in God's presence. For those of us, for those in the world who don't know God's presence, maybe this is not a big deal. They've never met God. But for those of us who have met God through the revelation of his Son, if you are in Christ, you know what it is to live under his graces. Then you can know what if David feels like here in his depression.

You'll know what it is. I've been there where you're praying, and there's just this tangible feeling that your words aren't even getting past the ceiling. It's just you feel isolated. You feel alone. That's where David was. He writes about his approach. He's distant from God here. It's not unique to David. If you've been feeling it, it's not unique to you. All of God's servants, in one way or another, I think I can confidently say, have felt distant from God at some point in their life.

Primary example, Job. Job, let's just turn to one more example of this. Job 29, in verses 2 and 3. This is so telling what Job speaks about here, about being distant from God. This was Job's experience, too. Job 29, verses 2 and 3. Job 29, verses 2 and 3. This was Job's experience. And very interesting how Job puts this here.

He knew this experience where it felt like God was distant from him. Was hiding his face, perhaps. Job 29, verses 2 and 3. He writes, Let's stop there. So he's saying, Oh, in those days and past I felt the warmth of God. I knew he was with me. Oh, if I were in those months past. Because there was, at this time, in the home of Job, an overriding sense that God's presence was gone. How I longed for that time when I was in my prime and the friendly counsel of God was over my tent.

You know, if you read the preceding chapters, Job says he's far removed from that enjoyment here. So why would it be that God would ever bring his servant Job, his servant David, his servant Jane, his servant Job? Job, why would he ever bring a servant, his servant, into an experience like this?

When we read in Scripture, in compared Scripture to Scripture, you realize, simply put, that God uses these times of his apparent absence in order to refine our lives. God uses these times of his apparent absence in order to refine our lives to teach us to walk by faith and not by sight. Walk by faith. When a father teaches his child to ride a bicycle, one of the first things he does after a period of time is he will remove the training wheels.

And then begin to take the son or the daughter out into the street, and they begin to move. And what does the father do? Well, he has his hand on the back of the seat, doesn't he? And he's running along with the child.

But he doesn't keep his hand on the back of the seat. He removes it. Why? So that the kid may crash all over the street? Well, that may happen. It usually does happen. But that's not the purpose. It's because he recognizes he can't be running around with his hand on the back of the seat when the kid is 18 years old. It's pretty obvious. And the neighbors look out and they say, I wonder when Joe's dad will ever let go of the seat.

Would it be kindness on the father to never let go? And in the experience of the child of God, God lets go. God may let go from time to time. And he may let go for what seems like a prolonged period of time. And we may wonder if he's ever forgotten us completely. That's where David is. But God's purpose in this is to refine us, to prepare us for the days in our lives which are coming that we'll need to ride our bicycle in the dark, perhaps. We need to pass this on and pass this on to our generations. It's an understanding that God's grace and the goodness of God in the face of darkness.

We'll get a little bit more into that here in a moment. So, 1a, in his approach to his depression, he feels distant from God. Maybe you can relate to David. 1b, sub-point in his approach, is you'll notice that David feels distant even from himself. That might be a familiar feeling to you. Look at his approach here. First part of verse 2 of Psalm 13. Let's go back there now. Psalm 13, if you're not there. Psalm 13, and we're going to pick up again back in verse 2 because we're going to see that David feels distant even from himself here. He's distant from God, but in some psychological way, he's distant even from himself. Psalm 13, look at the first part of verse 2 here. Psalm 13, first part of verse 2. How long shall I take counsel in my soul, having sorrow in my heart daily? So, telling words there in verse 2. How long shall I take counsel in my soul? In other words, I believe what he's saying is, how long should I have to wrestle with my own thoughts, my own sadness, churning, churning, churning inside of me? It never stops. It's like waves crashing. Whatever analogy might help you. We understand this. There's an Andre Crouch song. I won't sing this one. When trouble is in my way, and I can't tell my night from day, when I'm tossed from side to side like a ship on a raging tide. Tossed inside in his mind, inside of his heart, thinking about it things over and over again. Some of us have a horrible preponderance to have a real quick rewind button. So you play things in your mind, and then what do you do? You rewind it really quick so you can play it again. We do that. It reminds me when you give a young child a pill to take, and maybe it's a larger pill, and maybe it doesn't have the glaze on it. You tell them just to swallow it quickly. Get it over with. What they do is they end up kind of chewing on it, and it gets in the back of their molars, and their nose starts running, and their eyes are crying. They can't get it out of there. Just swallow it quickly. Swallow it quickly. No, they want to chew on it over and over again. Analogy has helped me. It sticks in my brain. David's chewing on this, bringing it. It's bringing them deeper and deeper into the depression here. He's feeling distant from God. He's feeling somehow even distant from himself. He doesn't know what to think. Is this ringing a bell with any of you? One C, the third sub-point in David's approach, one C we see here also is that he feels the notion that his enemies are winning. That's one C in his approach. He succumbs to the notion that his enemies are winning, as if somehow the enemy is bigger than God. But he feels distant from God. God's not there, so all of a sudden when God's not there, the enemy gets bigger, doesn't he?

Maybe the enemy's winning. That's the second half of verse 2, this notion that the enemy is winning. Second half of verse 2, how long will my enemy be exalted over me?

So at this point he looks around and it appears his enemy is triumphant over him. And of course it should be said that ultimately who David was up against, it's who we're up against today. We have a common enemy. It comes in different forms, manifestations, circumstances. We know our enemy. It's David's enemy. Satan the devil.

And certainly David had difficulties with his enemies, extreme difficulties, but the source is the same. Satan. It's been said that the laughter of our enemies grates dreadfully on the ears of sorrow. Then you begin to think about your enemies and they're getting bigger and bigger. God's distant from you. You're getting rewind. You know, we don't realize the fact that God permits his children to sometimes be under the power and the authority of cruel, tyrannical enemies. God sometimes permits his children to be under such evil power. I wonder if you thought about that. Well, you should think about it. You know, and our prayer should be that we don't experience this, but we shouldn't expect that we shouldn't experience this. Why should it only be, for example, an experience for David? Why should it only be an experience for Daniel and his friends? You name God's servant. Separated, taken into captivity, the enemy exalting themselves over the servant of God. Why should we think it's any different for us? And sometimes, when we seek to circumvent those things, we may be circumventing the very things that God is using to produce blessings in our lives. Maybe, if your enemy feels like he's succeeding over you, maybe change your prayer from that of, help me escape, you know, or whatever it might be. Remove this evil, this enemy against me. Maybe turn that prayer from that to show me your blessings within this difficult situation I'm in. Because there's true blessings that come even during the times that the enemy is winning, seemingly winning. And, in fact, it may be true to say that until we've learned how to make this fourfold cry of how long, until we've learned to make that fourfold cry, it may be until then that we've never wrestled with the deep implications of faith. Maybe this is the place God needs to take us. Maybe he wants us to get to this fourfold cry, how long, how long, how long, how long, because he's wanting us to deal with the true implications of faith. Deal with it. I'm here.

I'll see you through this. Faith. It's the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

Maybe God wants us to wrestle with some implications of faith. And you're here this morning. Morning. God may be distanced from you. Your mind may be churning. Your enemies are winning on all sides. They're claiming victory over you. If that's you, I'd like you to consider the possibility that you are where you are because God has taken you to a one stage deeper in your spiritual pilgrimage. You are where you are for that purpose. And He's teaching you to walk by faith and not by sight. He wants you to use your flight instruments, if you will. When you're tempted to fly by your feelings, He says, look at the instruments I've given you. Some of us want to fly our plane only under circumstances, certain conditions, daylight, sunshine, blue skies, only at a certain altitude. But if God wants us to go beyond that, He has to help us go beyond that. As a child of God, we're all going to have to learn to fly in the clouds and the storms, where you cannot see where you're going. You're forced to put your faith in the instruments provided. You have to learn how to fly exactly as the air control, the traffic controller directs you. You can't see, you got your instruments, and you got the air traffic controller in your ear, guiding you on the way.

Maybe God wants us to bring us to a deeper level of faith. So, that brings us from the first point, David's approach to the depression. That was the longest point. To our second thing to consider, these will go much faster. Our second thing to consider in this psalm is the type of cry he makes. That's number two, the type of cry he makes. This is found in verse 3 and 4, you'll notice. Psalm 13 again.

Verse 3 and 4, he says, here's the type of cry. Here's the cry. Consider and hear me, O Lord my God, enlighten my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death. Verse 4, lest my enemies say I have prevailed against him, lest those who trouble me rejoice when I am moved. The first thing to note, maybe, is simply that he does cry out. That's an important note.

Later on, David says, he writes, when I kept silent, my bones grew old through groaning all the day long. You can look that up later. It's Psalm 32.3. Psalm 32 verse 3. Again, he says, when I kept silent, when I didn't cry out, in other words, my bones grew old, he says. That's what happens. That's the feeling we get. So there's a place for crying out. God gave us the faculties to cry, the ability to cry out.

Perhaps we need to actually cry more. I don't know. I thought about that. I don't just naturally cry very much. But I wonder if perhaps I might be liberated from a few things by using those faculties a little bit more.

Often when I get teary-eyed, I resist it. That might be a man thing. I don't know. You push them back.

Use the faculties. Cry. Cry out. You'll notice to whom he cries out to. Verse 3. Consider and hear me. Notice, oh Lord, my God. So we're not just to cry to the air. We're not just to solely cry to one another. We're to cry to God. Oh Lord, my God. Consider me. Hear me. We can cry out to others, and we should. Others to help us. Brothers and sisters. Spiritual brothers and sisters when we're in a low condition. But if someone's crying out to you, if you're crying to someone, the other person will only help us in the condition of depression. Really, to the extent they help us get in touch with God. When you're crying to someone else, the measure of success that they will help you is to the extent they will help you get in touch with God.

You remember the statement I made earlier regarding a medical condition. We understand that consideration. But there is truth again that no one will ultimately be able to help us in depression, feelings of despair, except to the degree that they get us in touch back with God. God is here. He's not distant from you. Cry out to Him. Stop hitting the replay button. Stop being stagnant. Move forward. If you're receiving a cry, that's your response.

If you're the crier, this is what you need from that individual.

We need to get back in touch with God because ultimately, whether we realize it or not, in an extreme depressive state, it's a God issue. It's our Creator. It's a Creator issue. Because you may be right or wrong, but you may feel mad at God when you're depressed. You're mad. Why should it be that I'm like this way? Why did you make me this way, God? Why am I this way? Why is my life this way? God understands it. Take it to Him. Take it to Him. Cry out those words if you need to. Notice His cry. Notice His cry. What David is doing here, he says, Consider me, O Lord my God. I'd like you to turn your face to me. Get your attention to me. Bring me your countenance. Consider me. What He's doing here in this cry is He's praying. This is a prayer.

One of the first things that happens when a tidal wave of depression hits us, is the first thing that often goes. If you're like me, it's prayer. I just don't feel like praying. I just want to crawl into my hole and be there. I want to hit replay. I want to just let it churn inside of me. I'm distanced from God. I'm distanced from myself. You know, and you say, well, it's fine to say, cry out to God, but you don't know what I'm going through. That's true. No individual knows exactly what you're going through, but God does. So we've got to take Him our cry. But I can't pray big prayers. I'm not as eloquent as David or Job. No one said anything about deep, eloquent prayers. I've had the experience when you come before God and you may only be able to say one word, Father, that's all you can get out. I might not be the only one, you know. Maybe Father will do for that moment. That's a start.

And many of us are confronting this issue of depression, and we've missed the simple basic need to take it to God. That's number one. Take it to God. Because look here at David, in his experience of the waves washing over his soul, he cries to God. The next time you get down, if you're down now, take it to the Father.

Even if you don't feel like it. And what does he ask in his prayer? Well, of course, at first he asks, consideration, consider me. Please turn your face to me. In other words, give me your countenance. And then he asks for illumination, you'll see. Illuminate me. Verse 3, enlighten my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death. That's a good prayer. Enlighten my eyes.

You know, if you go to the doctor, what's almost inevitably, no matter what your physical problem is, what's the first thing they do? They look at your eyes, don't they? They take that light, and they enlighten, you know, and they look in there. And physically, spiritually, in the eyes, that's where the vigor of life resides. The vigor of life can be detected in the eyes. Enlighten my eyes, give light to my eyes.

Just begin to help me see. My enemy, verse 4, will say, they have prevailed against me, and rejoice when I am moved. Again, the Satan the Devil is our ultimate enemy. So essentially, ask God for the eyes of faith to see. So in our cry, ask God to turn the lights off, remove the darkness, give you insight as to what's happening. How are you moving me to a deeper level of faith? If it is your will not to remove the situation, let me see what you're doing inside of me. It's not a bargain with God. It's not, I'll start singing, I'll start praying as soon as you turn the lights on.

We've got to remember who God is in this scenario. We're not God. God is God. He'll decide. He says, I'll decide whether the lights are on or off. But no son, no daughter. I'm going to give you the grace to live. Whether in the lights, in the light or in the darkness. So come with this cry. It's a simple prayer. Don't overlook that fact. Because it's fascinating to see the prayer is the bridge which takes him from verse 1 to 4 to verse 5 and 6 to singing. So the prayer is the bridge that gets him there.

We may be forfeiting peace, needless pain, because we're not taking it to God. We've got to cast our burdens on to him in prayer. So that brings us to our third and final point to notice. The consolation he discovers, the comfort he discovers, that David finally reaches. Comfort. The prayer has got him here. Verse 5 and 6. Look at the comfort here. Verse 5 and 6. But I have trusted in your mercy, my heart shall rejoice in your salvation. I will sing to the Lord because he has dealt bountifully with me.

Bountifully, physically? In many ways, God deals with us bountifully. But this is ultimately dealing bountifully with us spiritually, isn't it?

So from great depression and despair, he's now this conjecting word here. Concluding the prayer, he's now trusting in God's mercy, rejoicing in his heart, singing to God. So did his circumstances change from verses 1 through 4 to verse 5 and 6? No. Circumstances didn't change. Your circumstances may not change. What changed?

Perspective. Outlook. From unenlightened eyes to enlightened eyes. How are you going to look at the situation? That's what changes. And he remembers and he discovers again his trust in God. I trust in your mercy. In other words, I trust in your unfailing love. So he rests now. He asks for, you know, enlighten my eyes, and God was able to remind him and allow him to see the character of God. And specifically, the fact that there's no way to quantify the enormity of God's mercy and love.

So when you're in a dreadful experience, no matter whatever it is, know this. Let me enlighten your eyes to this, of God's character. And he says, I will trust in your unfailing love.

Here I am, Father, neck deep in it all, but I believe your mercy will never fail. My heart will rejoice in your salvation, he says. So a huge thing that's happening here is he's not operating any longer in his feelings.

He's operating now in the realm of what he knows about God's character and what God's will is. And God's will is for him to be brought through all of this and enter into the riches of salvation. That's God's will. This is part of the enlightening of the eyes, the perspective.

And this perspective allows him to look at the shattered remnants and know that one day God's going to bring it all together in a beautiful, mosaic picture.

And David's doing this as a BC believer before Christ, rejoicing in salvation. How much more today as AD believers should we be able to say, my heart rejoices in your salvation?

So he's looking at what would be accomplished for him and what has been accomplished for him. Verse 6, again, I will sing to the Lord because he's dealt bountifully with me. That's the truth.

Spurgeon, writing many years ago, he wrote, quote, We are all prone to play on our worst string. We set up monumental stones over the graves of our joys. But who thinks of erecting monuments of praise for the mercies received? Unquote. That's true. So David is taking the present, gloomy, horrible situation, and he's framing it by looking at God's activity in the past in his life, and all that he trusts in the promise to come. So the anchor of the past, the hope of the future, allows him to live in the present. The anchor of the past, the promise of the future, allows us to live in the present.

But, again, you may say, I may say, God, I don't know why you're allowing me to go through this. I don't understand this. And I thought about that. You know, I don't want to have a God that I can fully comprehend, where my puny mind can fully comprehend. I want that God. I want his mysteries so big to be fully unraveled. I want a God so big I can't even fathom him. I want a God whose providential care in my life is so great I can't even understand. I want that God. And that's the God we have. Mercy's too big. Law of too big to understand, to fathom.

Well, let me conclude by saying this morning that David's God must be our God. And he is. God's character, his Son's work and grace provides the basis of our anchor. Let's not neglect the simple truths revealed here. May our life be anchored by God and Jesus Christ, who knows what tomorrow brings. And he truly understands what we're going through. And will enable us to see and see us through every attack of depression. May we trust in his mercy and have hearts rejoice in his salvation. And let's sing. Let's sing even in the depths of depression, because his love for us abounds greatly.