For Your Name’s Sake, O Lord

Amen.

Please take your Bibles and open them up this morning to the book of Psalms.

And we are today in Psalm chapter 25.

Psalms 25 · chapter mention

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Open a copy of God's Word.

Open and read along with me as I read.

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Psalm chapter 25.

Psalms 25 · chapter mention

David says,

To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul.

O my God, in you I trust.

Let me not be put to shame.

Let not my enemies exult over me.

Indeed, none who wait for you shall be put to shame.

They shall be ashamed who are wantonly treacherous.

Make me to know your ways, O Lord.

Teach me your paths.

Lead me in your truth and teach me.

For you are the God of my salvation.

For you I wait all the day long.

Remember your mercy, O Lord, and your steadfast love,

for they have been from of old.

Remember not the sins of my youth or my transgressions,

according to your steadfast love.

Remember me for the sake of your goodness, O Lord.

Good and upright is the Lord.

Therefore, he instructs sinners in the way.

He leads the humble in what is right

and teaches the humble his way.

All the paths of the Lord are steadfast love and faithfulness

for those who keep his covenant and his testimonies.

For your name's sake, O Lord, pardon my guilt, for it is great.

Who is the man who fears the Lord?

Him will he instruct in the way that he should choose.

His soul shall abide in well-being,

and his offspring shall inherit the land.

The friendship of the Lord is for those who fear him,

and he makes known to them his covenant.

My eyes are ever toward the Lord,

for he will pluck my feet out of the net.

Turn to me and be gracious to me,

for I am lonely and afflicted.

The troubles of my heart are enlarged.

Bring me out of my distresses.

Consider my affliction and my trouble,

and forgive all my sins.

Consider how many are my foes,

and with what violent hatred they hate me.

O guard my soul and deliver me.

Let me not be put to shame,

for I take refuge in you.

May integrity and uprightness preserve me,

for I wait for you.

Redeem Israel, O God,

out of all of his troubles.

The grass withers, the flower fades,

but the word of the Lord endures forever.

Lord, we praise you for this psalm of confidence,

for this prayer of trust and dependence on you.

We pray, Lord, as we read it,

that you would shape in our hearts,

trust and dependence on you.

We pray this in Jesus' name.

Amen.

That you may be seated.

Everyone knows what it's like to face trouble,

but not everyone knows where to turn

when we face trouble.

In fact, I think that you would agree,

most people tend to respond in one of four ways.

I wonder if you could place yourself

in any of these four responses.

One way that people tend to respond

when trouble comes,

when storms arise,

when they face trials,

when life gets hard,

they respond by looking to a different day.

Maybe it was yesterday.

All my troubles seemed so far away.

Maybe it's a day sometime in the future.

Maybe things will get better.

This too shall pass.

They just kind of hunker down.

If they are a ship in a storm,

then their ship has no rudder.

The storm blows.

The wind blows.

They just kind of float

and hope that eventually someday

the storm will pass

and they will wind up on a beach somewhere.

That's one response.

Another response,

another way people tend to respond to trial

is with distraction.

Maybe this is you.

They're going through some sort of hard time,

and so instead of dealing with it,

they distract themselves in some way.

Maybe they turn to some sort of vice.

Maybe they distract themselves with alcohol

or pornography

or food

or television

or entertainment.

They do whatever it takes

just to take their mind off of the situation.

They're in the storm,

but they don't want to look up at the storm,

and so they just duck down.

Maybe they start polishing the boat instead.

Or a third way,

people tend to respond.

Some of you are wired this way

is that you respond with determination.

Things get hard around you,

and so you say,

I'm just going to get through this.

I'm going to try harder.

I'm going to push harder.

I'm going to push my way through.

They see the storm coming,

and so they just row and row

and row and row

harder and harder and harder

until eventually what happens?

They wear out.

Or still another way.

People tend to respond.

A trial is in defeat.

A trial comes.

The affliction hits.

Everything gets hard,

and they say,

this is just how things are for me.

I can never catch a break.

I always get the short end of the stick.

They respond with this sense of defeat.

They see the storm coming,

and they just toss their oars into the water,

and they give up.

I wonder which one of these sounds like you.

David, here in Psalm chapter 25,

Psalms 25 · chapter mention

he shows often afflicted people like us

a better way to respond in times of trial.

In the midst of affliction,

David responds in dependence upon the Lord.

This psalm is an expression of deep-rooted dependence

that is based on the character

and the covenant of the Lord.

Here's the big idea for us this morning

from Psalm 25.

God's people can depend on the Lord

because of his character and his covenant.

I'll say that again.

That's our main message this morning.

If you get this, then I'm satisfied.

God's people can depend on the Lord

because of his character and his covenant.

So let's take a look this morning.

We'll see it in two parts this morning.

First, we see the cry of the afflicted.

And second, we'll see the character

and the covenant of God.

First, we see here the cry of the afflicted.

Psalm 25 is an interesting psalm to study.

It's very intentionally arranged.

It's really creative the way that David composed it.

It's actually, it's an acrostic poem.

In the Hebrew, each line begins

with the next letter of the Hebrew alphabet.

It's almost a complete acrostic

except it's missing just a couple of letters

for some unknown reason, unbeknownst to me.

But it's also composed in such a way

that it has the main idea right in the middle

and it's sort of like a sandwich.

Both the beginning and the end of the psalm,

we have David crying out to the Lord and his affliction.

But right there in the middle is the why.

And that's the main idea.

That's the main point.

He cries out because of the covenant

and the character of the Lord.

And so we're gonna take those two parts,

but it's gonna be a little bit different

because we're gonna do the beginning

and the end together

with the cry of the afflicted.

And then we'll focus in on the character

and covenant of God.

Why is David crying out to the Lord?

He does this a lot, doesn't he?

All through the Psalms,

David is crying out to the Lord.

Let's look and see why.

For one, it seems clear he's crying out

for physical protection.

David has enemies, doesn't he?

We see that in verse two.

He cries out,

let me not be put to shame.

Let not my enemies exalt over me.

And again, in verse 19 at the end,

he says, consider how many are my foes

and with what violent hatred they hate me.

David has enemies.

And maybe you know what it's like to have enemies.

Maybe people at work really don't like you too much.

Homeowners associations make your lives miserable.

Well, here in the month of June,

maybe in pride month,

you have enemies that hate you

because of your refusal to participate

in things that are going on around you.

Christians throughout the world

and in more dangerous places

than where we live here,

who live in oppressive and dangerous places,

they face enemies who want them dead.

It's dangerous for them to do

what we're doing right now.

We all need physical provision and protection.

And so here, David cries out for this protection.

Lord, help me from my enemies.

But it's not only physical protection he wants.

He also cries out for comfort.

David has real emotional needs here as well, doesn't he?

David is in emotional distress.

He's in turmoil.

Verses 2 and 3,

he's worried about being put to shame.

He doesn't want his enemies to exalt over him

and gloat over him.

In verse 16,

it says he's lonely.

He's afflicted.

The troubles of his heart are enlarged.

He cries out,

bring me out of my distress.

And I know you've felt like this before.

How many of us have felt lonely and afflicted?

You've probably felt this weighed down heart

that David feels here.

This is normal experience here on this side of the fall.

We live in a world that's weighed down

by the effects of sin in the world.

We feel often emotional distress.

We feel often lonely and afflicted.

And we all need,

sometimes more than others,

we all need comfort,

relief,

rest,

encouragement.

David takes these emotional experiences,

these emotional needs to the Lord as well,

independence.

Lord, help me.

But not only that,

a third reason he cries out.

Here in verses 4 through 6,

David cries out for guidance.

David cries out for direction from the Lord.

Look there to verse 4.

He says,

Make me to know your ways,

O Lord.

Teach me your paths.

Lead me in your truth and teach me.

For you are the God of my salvation.

For you I wait all the day long.

It seems like David needs some direction here,

doesn't he?

He is not sure what to do.

He's not sure where to go.

He's in this situation

and he doesn't really know how to proceed.

And I'd be willing to bet,

again,

that each one of us has faced this before.

Sometimes we need direction.

And we wrestle with this.

How do we know what God wants from us?

Now,

I want to just camp out here for a minute

because this is important.

For one thing,

if you want to know the paths of the Lord,

if you want to know the will of the Lord,

if you want to know the ways of the Lord,

you must open up your Bible

and come to the Word of the Lord

in a posture of humble dependence,

saying,

Lord,

teach me.

Lord,

help me to understand.

Lord,

by the power of your Spirit,

would you illuminate your Word for me

so that I can walk in your ways

and understand your paths

and trust what you've written in your Word.

We believe that the Word of the Lord

is sufficient

for all faith and practice,

for all life and godliness.

This is how the Lord speaks to us.

This is how the Lord guides His people.

Some people are just sitting around

waiting for God to speak to them

and to guide them

and tell them what to do,

but their Bibles are somewhere on a shelf

collecting dust.

That is not how this works.

We seek the will of the Lord

with an open Bible.

The Word is a lamp to our feet

and a light to our path.

It is sufficient.

And yet,

here's our problem,

it is not exhaustive,

is it?

The Word of God is sufficient,

and yet,

it is not exhaustive.

You will not find anywhere in your Bible

telling you who you should date,

what college you should go to,

what job you should apply for,

what shirt you should wear to church this morning,

and what you should cook for dinner tonight.

We seek the will of the Lord in all things, right?

And we want to follow the ways of the Lord

in all ways,

in all things,

and yet,

the Word does not specifically address

particular instances,

particular specific decisions

that we all have to make every single day.

So what do we do?

We do as David does here.

We pray,

God,

would you lead me?

God,

would you show me the next step?

God,

would you teach me?

I don't know what to do,

so I pray that you would make it clear.

Ultimately,

this is a prayer for wisdom.

James tells us,

God is pleased to give wisdom

to those who ask.

And what is wisdom?

Wisdom is being so shaped by the Word of God

that you are able to go live it out

in your day-to-day situations.

You know by the grace of God,

by the power of His Spirit at work in you,

how to take what is clear in His Word

and apply it to what is often unclear in your life.

That's what wisdom is.

Church,

we need to pray daily for wisdom

and direction and guidance from the Lord.

I'll give you an example.

Four years ago,

I did not know where all in all South Carolina was on a map.

I couldn't tell you where it was,

but now,

here I am.

Right?

How did that happen?

I knew that God had spoken clearly,

several clear truths in His Word.

He has promised to build His church.

He has promised to use the preaching of His Word to do it.

He has promised to spread His glory to the ends of the earth,

even to all in all South Carolina.

I knew that as a Christian,

I was called to be a part of this work in some way.

Those are the clear truths, right?

That's what God has said in His Word.

What's less clear over here is,

how am I in particular called to be a part of that?

How does this clear truth play itself out in my life?

That requires wisdom.

I had this desire in me,

bubbling desire to pastor,

a desire to preach,

a desire specifically to replant a church.

And where does that come from?

I believe that came from the Lord.

But that desire doesn't necessarily mean that it's God's will.

And our desires,

our intuitions,

our feelings are not authoritative.

God's Word is authoritative.

I had this desire,

and so what do I do?

I call others around me.

Others who have the Spirit of God in them as well.

Others who are also seeking the wisdom of the Lord,

and they speak into the situation,

and they affirm those desires.

That still doesn't mean,

I know what I'm doing,

where I'm going,

but we pray,

and we ask,

Lord, would you guide?

Lord, would you direct?

Lord, would you show us your paths,

open up the right doors,

open up the right conversations,

and then we took a step forward.

As the time seemed right,

we opened the door to have conversations.

God never once spoke outside of His Word

to say, yes, this is it.

God never once spoke clearly, audibly,

to say, no, don't go there,

no, don't go there.

God never once spoke to me,

once during the entire process,

and yet,

through the counsel of others,

through providential opportunities

that He put in front of us,

through the shaping and changing

of my own desires,

through the Word of God,

and the wisdom of God,

He guided our steps,

brought us here.

Friend, if you are seeking

the will of the Lord

for some particular issue,

particular circumstance,

particular decision,

let me just encourage you

to do a few things.

For one,

open up the book.

Read His Word.

Shape your life

around the Word of God.

Conform your mind to the Word.

Romans tells us,

do not be conformed

to the patterns of this world,

but be transformed

by the renewal of your mind.

Then you will be able

to test and discern

what is the will of God,

His good and pleasing

and perfect will.

Let the Word,

by His Spirit,

shape your thinking.

Let every decision

flow from there.

And then pray.

Seek counsel.

Pray.

Seek counsel.

Pray.

Seek counsel.

And then take a step forward.

And trust that the Lord

is in control.

David seeks guidance

from the Lord.

That's not all.

One more here.

David cries out

for forgiveness.

Look there to verse 6.

He says,

Remember your mercy,

O Lord,

and your steadfast love,

for they have been

from of old.

Remember not the sins

of my youth

or my transgressions.

According to your steadfast love,

remember me

for the sake of your goodness,

O Lord.

Don't remember my sin.

Remember your mercy.

Don't remember my sin.

Remember me

and your steadfast love.

Remember me.

Verse 11,

he says,

Pardon my guilt,

for it is great.

David stands in need

of forgiveness.

King David,

just like you and me,

is a sinner.

And would you notice

just how quickly

he moves here

from physical issues,

physical needs,

to spiritual issues

in prayer?

In fact,

I think this seems

to be primary for him.

Doesn't it seem

primary to you?

He has enemies

wanting him dead

over here.

He feels lonely

over here.

But what seems

more pressing to him?

It's his sin.

It's his need

for guidance.

This seems to be

the bigger issue

for David.

David cries out

to the Lord

for forgiveness.

Lord,

don't remember

my sin.

David recognizes

his own guilt.

He remembers

the sins of his youth.

David remembers

how sinful

he has been.

He remembers them well.

But he prays,

Lord,

you don't remember them.

You remove them

from me as far

as the east

is from the west.

Church,

I wonder,

do you pray like this?

Do you ever

cry out to the Lord

for protection

and comfort

and guidance

and forgiveness?

Some of you,

I'd be willing to bet,

tend to respond

to your troubles

by looking forward

to a different day,

by distracting yourself,

by determining

just to get through it

or just by giving up

in defeat.

David shows us

that we must

depend fully

on the Lord.

To you,

O Lord,

I lift up my soul,

he says in verse 1.

Oh my God,

in you

I trust.

I take refuge

in you,

he says,

verse 20.

I wait for you,

he says in verse 21.

And in our second point

this morning,

I just want to ask,

why?

Why does he do this?

Why does David

depend on the Lord?

And maybe that you've

gone through something

in your life

and you have

other friends,

family members,

non-believers around you

see how you respond

in dependence

on the Lord

and they say,

why?

What is it about

the Lord

that leads you

to trust in him?

David

answers by

pointing us

to his character

and his covenant.

So second,

second,

we see the character

and the covenant

of the Lord.

You all know

that we've been

in the process

of fostering

and we had to

go through training

and watch

a lot of videos

and go to classes

in order to become

licensed foster parents

and one thing

that we learned

during the training

process was that

children who have

been neglected

sometimes don't

cry out

as often as

other children

may

and people tend

to think,

well man,

these babies are just,

they're just great

sleepers

but really,

what it is

is that they have

been conditioned

not to cry out

because when they do,

nobody comes

to their help.

So what's the point

of crying?

It's tragic,

isn't it?

David shows us here

in the rest of the psalm

that God's people

cry out to him.

Why?

Because of who he is,

his proven goodness,

his proven faithfulness

to them

and because he's brought

us into this

abiding,

everlasting,

covenant relationship

with him.

And notice here

how David roots

his prayers

in the character

of God.

He is the God

of his salvation,

verse 5.

So that's why

he prays for protection

and deliverance

from his enemies.

He is a God

of mercy

and steadfast love

and so that's

why he prays,

God remember

your mercy

not my sin.

He is a God

who is good

and upright,

therefore he instructs

sinners in the way.

That's why David

prays for guidance,

verse 8.

David roots

his requests,

he roots

his prayers,

he roots

his cries

out in God's

character.

Why cry out

if God isn't

a good God

of salvation?

Why cry out

if God is not

a God of mercy

and steadfast love?

We're wasting

our time

if he's not

who he says he is.

In fact,

David seems

to be reflecting

on God's own

self-revelation

to Moses

in Exodus

Exodus 34 · chapter mention

chapter 34.

You remember

what God

said to Moses

in Exodus 34

as he revealed

himself.

It says,

The Lord

descended in the

cloud and stood

with him there

and proclaimed

the name of the

Lord.

The Lord

passed before him

and proclaimed,

The Lord,

the Lord,

a God merciful

and gracious,

slow to anger

and abounding

in steadfast love

and faithfulness,

keeping steadfast love

for thousands,

forgiving iniquity

and transgression

and sin,

but who will

by no means

clear the guilty,

visiting the iniquity

of the fathers

on the children

and the children's

children to the

third and the

fourth generation.

It's like David

looks at this

text on one

hand,

and then he looks

at his circumstance

in the other hand,

and he says,

God,

I believe what

you have said

about yourself.

I believe

that you are

merciful.

I believe

that you are

forgiving,

and so now

I'm asking you

to show yourself

to be merciful

to me.

I'm asking you

to be forgiving

to me.

I believe it

because you said

it in your word.

I believe

that you are

gracious

and slow

to anger,

and I believe

that you are

abounding

in steadfast love.

I believe

that you are

faithful.

you have

said it

about yourself,

and so now

would you

be slow

to anger

with me?

Would you

abound

in steadfast

love

to me?

David is

asking God

to act

in accordance

with who

he has said

that he is.

I wonder

if we pray

this way,

church.

Don't you

just love

to hear

somebody pray

who you can

just tell

is saturated

with the word

of God?

It's like

that's just

the language

they speak.

They slip

in and out

of quoting

scripture

as they pray.

Their requests

are rooted

in who God

has said

that he is

and what God

has promised

that he will

do.

That is how

we ought

to pray.

We anchor

our prayers

in his character.

God,

you are good.

God,

you are merciful.

God,

you are patient.

God,

you love

to show

sinners the way.

God,

you lead

the humble

in what

is right.

And so,

God,

would you

do this

for me?

Would you

lead me?

Would you

make me

humble?

Would you

show your

steadfast love

to me?

Would you

make me

obedient?

All the

paths of

the Lord

are steadfast

love and

faithfulness

for those

who keep

his covenant

and his

testimonies.

We call

out to

God

because of

who he

is.

Not only

this,

David also

cries out

to the

Lord because

of his

covenant.

I want you

to think

back to

Exodus 34

again with

me,

just for a

moment.

Let me

read it

again.

The

Lord,

the

Lord,

a God

merciful and

gracious,

slow to

anger and

abounding in

steadfast love

and faithfulness,

keeping

steadfast love

for thousands,

forgiving iniquity

and transgression

and sin,

but who

will by no

means clear

the guilty,

visiting the

iniquity of

the fathers

on the

children and

the children's

children to

the third

and the

fourth

generation.

That second

part is a

big problem

for us,

isn't it?

That second

part is just

as much a

part of the

character of

God as the

first part.

God is just

as much full

of wrath and

holiness and

will not clear

the guilty as

he is full

of steadfast

love and

mercy and

slow to

anger.

How can

we be

certain that

God will

remember mercy

and steadfast

love and

not remember

our sins?

You see the

issue?

How can

David pray

this way,

say,

God,

remember your

steadfast love,

don't remember

my sins?

It is only

because God

by his own

doing has

brought David

into covenant

with himself

and has

promised of

his own

initiative to

bless David

and to be

David's covenant

God and to

wipe away his

sins and to

be his Lord.

That's the only

confidence David

has to pray

this way.

Look there,

starting in

verse 10.

says,

all the paths

of the Lord

are steadfast

love and

faithfulness for

those who

keep his

covenant and

his testimonies.

For your

name's sake,

O Lord,

pardon my

guilt,

for it is

great.

Who is the

man who

fears the

Lord?

Him will he

instruct in

the way that

he should

choose.

His soul

shall abide

in well-being

and his

offspring shall

inherit the

land.

The friendship

of the Lord

is for those

who fear

him and he

makes known

to them his

covenant.

My eyes are

ever toward

the Lord for

he will pluck

my feet out

of the net.

This is

covenant

language.

All of these

prayers of

David,

everything he's

asked for,

protection from

his enemies,

comfort in

his affliction,

guidance in

his indecision,

forgiveness of

sin,

these are all

blessings of

being in

covenant with

God.

His steadfast

love,

his mercy,

his patience,

his kindness,

his goodness

towards us,

these are all

covenant blessings.

Not everyone

gets to

experience these

blessings.

Because not

everyone is in

covenant with

the Lord.

David prays

this way because

he is in

covenant with

the Lord and

he knows that

the Lord has

brought him into

covenant with

him.

The Lord has

promised these

good things,

these good

blessings to

David.

God's covenant,

his promise has

brought David and

his people into

covenant relationship

with the Lord.

And so,

David prays.

In fact,

he calls to mind

God's covenant

promises to

Abraham in

Genesis 15.

Did you notice

that?

Verse 13,

he adds,

the one who is

humble,

who fears the

Lord,

who walks in

covenant faithfulness,

his soul will

abide in

well-being and

his offspring

will inherit

the land.

Ask yourself

who that might

be.

Does anybody

you know fit

this description?

one that perfectly

fears the

Lord,

is perfectly

humble?

Anybody you

know that

perfectly walks

in all his

ways?

Certainly it

wasn't David,

not perfectly.

It wasn't

Abraham or

Moses,

not perfectly.

the only

one to

perfectly

fulfill

God's

covenant

and to

perfectly

walk in

humble

dependence

all the

days of

his life,

to walk in

all his

ways and

all his

paths,

is none

other but

the Lord

Jesus Christ.

Christ

Jesus

is the

true and

better son

of David.

He is the

true and

better Israel.

He is the

one,

only one,

to perfectly

keep God's

covenant and

he's the only

one who by

right has

earned all

of these

covenant

blessings that

David prays

for and by

grace he

gives them

freely to

sinners like

us.

As Christ

prepared to

give his

life in

place of

covenant

breakers like

you and

I,

he lifted

his glass

and instituted

a new

covenant

saying this

cup is the

new covenant

in my

blood

so that

now any

who are

in him,

Jew and

Gentile alike,

any who are

in him by

faith are

now brought

into covenant

with the

Lord.

Lord.

How can

you know

for certain

that God

is for

you and

not against

you in

your sin?

There is

but one

way.

Come to

Christ Jesus

by faith.

How can

you know

for certain

that God

will protect

you ultimately

from all

your enemies?

There is

but one

way.

come to

the Lord

Jesus

in faith

who died

to save

us from

all our

enemies.

How can

you know

for certain

that God

will guide

you and

lead you

all the

days of

your life?

Come to

Christ who

is himself

the way

and the

truth

and the

life.

No one

comes to

the Father

but by

him.

Where do

we look

to find

comfort

in our

affliction?

It is by

coming to

Christ Jesus

by faith.

How do

we know

that God

will forgive

you of

every sin?

There is

but one

way.

What can

wash away

my sin?

Nothing

but the

blood of

Jesus.

What can

make me

whole again?

Nothing

but the

blood of

Jesus.

Nothing

can for

sin

atone.

Nothing

but the

blood of

Jesus.

Not of

good that

I have

done.

Nothing

but the

blood

blood of

Jesus.

If you

are in

Christ by

faith

we trust

for his

name's sake

he will

lead us

safely home

to the

true promised

land.

In the

new heavens

and the

new earth

who is

it that

is in

covenant

with the

Lord?

Galatians

3 tells

us it

is those

of faith

who are

the sons

of Abraham.

So then

those who

are of

faith are

blessed

along with

Abraham the

man of

faith.

in Christ

Jesus the

blessing of

Abraham might

come to

the Gentiles

so that we

might receive

the promised

spirit through

faith.

Church as

his covenant

people

we can cry

out to him

in full

dependence and

confidence in

every circumstance

in every

affliction trusting

that the Lord will

teach us and

lead us and

forgive us and

protect us in

Christ Jesus

our Lord.

But not

just us

individually.

I want you

to look there

to the end of

the psalm in

verse 22 and

notice how he

finishes this

psalm.

It almost seems

out of place

doesn't it?

You would

expect after

all of these

individual requests

of David that

maybe he would

finish by saying

something like

redeem me out of

all my troubles

God.

Would you

come and

help me

redeem me?

What does

he say?

Redeem Israel

oh God

out of all

his troubles.

This is not

just a prayer

for himself.

He extends

it as a

prayer for

all those

who are in

covenant with

the Lord.

All his

covenant

people.

In church as we

think about how

to apply this

psalm each and

every one of us

ought to be

encouraged.

If you are in

Christ by faith

you ought to be

encouraged to

cry out to him

individually for

all of the many

problems that you

face every single

day but not

just for yourself.

Are you crying

out on behalf

of the church?

Are you crying

out on behalf

of all of God's

covenant people

those who are in

Christ by faith?

Are you so

invested in one

another's lives

that you know

what each other

needs and what

the afflictions of

one another's heart

is?

What's weighing

one another down?

Are you praying

for one another

for protection

for comfort

for guidance

for forgiveness?

forgiveness?

David shows us

here how to cry

out to the Lord

in dependence

not just for your

own troubles

but for one

another's troubles

rooting our cries

and our comfort

in both the

character and the

covenant of God.

So listen to this

from 2 Corinthians

2 Corinthians 1 · chapter mention

chapter 1 as we

close.

Paul writes

blessed be the

God and Father

of our Lord

Jesus Christ

the Father of

mercies and God

of all comfort

who comforts us

in our affliction

so that we may be

able to comfort

those who are in

any affliction

with a comfort

with which we

ourselves are

comforted by God

whereas we share

abundantly in

Christ's sufferings

so through Christ

we share abundantly

in comfort too.

If we are

afflicted

it is for your

comfort and

salvation

and if we are

comforted

it is for your

comfort

which you experience

when you patiently

endure the same

sufferings that we

endure.

Our hope for you

is unshaken

for we know that

as you share in

our sufferings

you will also

share in our

comfort.

As you look

around and

you hear the

needs around

you the

troubles that

each other

goes through

throughout our

lives.

For those who

are prone to

just hunker

down and wait

for a different

day to come

would you point

them to the

present faithfulness

of the Lord

with them now?

For those who

are prone to

turn to

distractions

prone to

wonder

would you

point them to

their need for

the Lord above

all else?

For those who

are prone to

just grit

through it and

be determined

and be strong

and push their

way through

would you point

them to the

Lord's strength

on their behalf?

For those who

just feel defeated

ready to toss in

the towel

would you point

them to the

Lord's victory

on their behalf

in the coming

day when he

will return and

wipe away every

tear from every

eye?

Let's pray.

Lord

we want to be

a people who

walk in

complete

dependence on

you.

We have more

needs than we

can count and

even the ones we

can count are

just the beginning

Lord of our

true state our

true need.

Father we need

forgiveness we

need comfort we

need protection we

need guidance we

need your presence

with us but

Lord we pray

asking for these

things in confidence

because you've

promised them to

us in Christ.

We praise you

for the gospel of

Jesus that that

brings us sinners

like us into

covenant with you

and gives us full

access to the

blessing of knowing

you and walking

with you in this

life.

We love you Lord

we pray this in

Jesus name.

Amen.