https://www.bible.com/events/49505375
Church of the Nazarene – East Rockingham Campus
Grace is Greater Part 6
Grace is greater than despair.
Today, we are continuing our Teaching series called “Grace is Greater”
This series keys off a book by the same title, and it is written by Pastor and author Kyle Idleman.
Throughout this series, we want to be reminded of God’s grace in our lives. To understand that His grace is greater than any sin, any brokenness, any failure or regret in my life, and the lives of others around us. We want to experience that great grace in our own lives and see how that grace serves to change our world.
We don’t want ever want to forget God’s grace.
Today we want to experience the greatness of God’s grace in the places of our despair.
Despair. The complete loss or absence of hope.
Characterized by a loss of faith and trust in God’s promises.
Perhaps an overwhelming feeling that God has forgotten about you, or that everything has been taken away. Marked by a complete loss of desire to do…anything
Psalms 13:1-2
How long, Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and day after day have sorrow in my heart? How long will my enemy triumph over me?
This is King David, who lived about 1000 years before Jesus, he was the King of Israel.
As a boy, he had fought wild beasts defending his fathers sheep. He was a mighty warrior who took down literal giants. He had his flaws and battles with sin, and yet, the still bible calls him a man after God’s own heart.
This great man of God and fearless leader, was not immune to feelings of despair. His life got messy on more than a few occasions.
In his younger days, before he was king, His boss king Saul tried to kill him several times. Many years later, even His own son would turn on him.
We know that David dealt with despair, because we have some entries from his prayer journal. Prayers like Psalm 13.
As David prays in this Psalm, he says that he feels as if God has forgotten him. Like he couldn’t see the Lord, as if he was hiding.
That’s what despair does. It takes our minds and our focus off of the faithfulness and goodness of God.
How long do I have to wrestle with these thoughts, how long do I have to carry this sorrow God? God how long are you going to hide from me?
How long is this anxiety, these run-away thoughts, this grief in my heart- God how long do I have to stay in this place.
These are questions of despair.
That you experience despair, is not necessarily a reflection of a lack of faith, it doesn’t automatically mean we have done something wrong. It simply means that we are here, where life is hard, and the battles are real.
The greatest men and women of faith in the bible delt with it too.
We might not be able to control the thoughts or the feelings that come into our mind, but friends, we do have a choice in what we do with them.
The reflection of our faith in the Lord, our confidence in his grace, comes in what we choose to do with those feelings.
We can choose to believe that God’s grace is greater than that despair.
The Lord is working all things together for the good of those who love him and are called according to his purpose. The Lord is doing that, and he doesn’t want you to miss it.
Don’t allow despair to become your destination. Press on to hope.
HOPE- From Psalm 13
H-Honest with your struggles. (Vs. 1-2)
O-Open up to God. (Vs. 3-4)
P-Preach to yourself.(Vs. 5)
E-Engage in worship. (Vs. 6)
God’s grace is greater than despair!
Psalms 13:1-6
How long, Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and day after day have sorrow in my heart? How long will my enemy triumph over me? Look on me and answer, Lord my God. Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death, and my enemy will say, “I have overcome him,” and my foes will rejoice when I fall. But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation. I will sing the Lord’s praise, for he has been good to me.