How God Heals A Wounded Soul

it's been humbling and refreshing

to put ourselves under one psalm each week.

Amen.

And so the psalm for today is Psalm 13.

For the choir director, another psalm of David.

I want to give you something to listen for

as I read our sermon text for today.

I want you to figure out who it is

in David's life, from what you know,

that is most likely causing him this severe pain.

As I prepared and tried to understand the context

and our best guesses at David's context,

there are two men in David's life

who inflicted the most intense personal pain on David.

One was early in his life,

and you know who that was, who was it?

King Saul.

In the psalms where David is bold about his righteousness

and the vileness of men within Israel,

that's a very likely guess that Saul is the one causing this deep personal pain.

But much later in David's life,

when he's an old man,

after he sinned,

he committed the sin with Bathsheba.

He neglected to use his office as king to execute justice on his own son.

Another son of his led a rebellion from within Jerusalem against David.

Do you remember his name?

Absalom.

So as we're reading Psalm 13,

try to decide from the tone

and the way David talks about his own standing before God,

do you think it's earlier in his life or later in his life?

As I read our sermon text,

we read it receiving it as God's inspired, inerrant, infallible, clear, and sufficient word.

It's God's very own word for you, his people.

When I'm done reading, I'll say this is the word of God.

If you receive it that way, please respond with confidence.

Thanks be to God.

Psalm 13.

For the choir director, a Psalm of David.

How long, O Lord, will you forget me forever?

How long will you hide your face from me?

How long will I store up anxious concerns within me?

Agony in my mind every day?

How long will my enemy dominate or be exalted over me?

Verse 3.

Consider me and answer, Lord my God.

Restore brightness to my eyes,

otherwise I will sleep in death.

My enemy will say, I have triumphed over him,

and my foes will rejoice because I am shaken.

Verse 5.

But I have trusted in your faithful or steadfast love.

My heart will rejoice in your deliverance.

I will sing to the Lord because he has treated me generously.

This is the word of God.

Amen.

Thanks be to God.

You may be seated.

The grass withers and the flower fades,

but the word of the Lord endures forever.

Amen.

Let's pray.

Amen.

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Amen.

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to new life that bears fruit.

We pray that you will do all of this, Lord,

in your timing,

according to the means that you have ordained

for your people.

For your glory alone we ask.

Amen.

Imagine that it's your first day on a new job.

You're working in the emergency room.

You've donned your PPE.

You put on your personal protective equipment.

And you see the fire lights coming

and the EMTs rush this person

on a cot with wheels through the doors.

And you just hear more experienced staff say,

this one is probably not going to make it.

The charge nurse does some triage quickly,

sends this patient right on through to the doctor.

And you're amazed at watching the doctor

take these steps.

Diagnosing,

providing a swift, intense treatment,

stitching up layer of layer of tissue,

taking all the steps and precautions

so that infection won't develop inside,

and then programming out

what are all the steps

to the deepest level of healing

and rehabilitation.

There was an old pastor

that lived in the 4th century,

so the 300s,

named John Chrysostom.

And he used a wonderful metaphor

about the church

that shows the influence

of Christ on the apostles

and the tone that set

for hundreds of years,

and it should be the tone

of every generation.

And it's this.

Chrysostom said,

the church is not a courtroom for souls.

It's a hospital for souls.

Amen?

The church,

you and me,

we're here as patients

that God has healed

and he's healing and rehabilitating,

and he brings in more sick

and wounded souls

into his hospital.

And we get to be a very small part of that

and watch him,

the great physician,

work on one soul after the other.

And bear witness,

great is his faithfulness

for you,

for you,

for you,

for you.

Great is his faithfulness.

In Psalm 13,

David is the patient.

He comes in

and the description,

it's a wounded,

a severely wounded man.

He's not wounded on the body this time.

I think he's old.

He's contrite.

He's aware of God's

abounding grace to him.

And he's conflicted internally,

probably because he still is wrestling

with his own guilt.

And he's a wounded soul

that needs the doctor to heal him.

And so that's my invitation to you

this morning

as we walk through Psalm 13.

Let's watch God work.

Let's see how God heals

a wounded soul.

Number one,

symptoms of a severely wounded soul.

Symptoms of a severely wounded soul.

Verses two and three.

It's a big word.

So kids,

what is a symptom?

It's a sign,

something we can see

that's pointing to something.

And it's a sign of illness,

a manifestation of a problem,

an ailment,

a malady,

or a disorder.

Something that needs fixing.

It needs treatment.

Look at verse two.

David cries out,

how long must I take counsel in my soul

and have sorrow in my heart all the day?

David is deeply cut.

Have you been deeply cut before in your life?

You can only be deeply cut

by those about whom you care deeply,

those whom you have loved deeply.

They're the ones who can cut so deeply.

So those you know best

and those who know you best

are the ones positioned

to make you hurt the worst.

In David's heart,

as every father here knows,

he had to have been full of joy

watching Absalom grow.

As Absalom learned to talk

and take a few steps,

eventually grow up

and learn to ride a horse,

what a joy that brings a father.

Parents feel that the days go too fast

with their little ones.

But now David says,

how long must I have sorrow in my heart?

All the day.

David has been deeply cut

by someone within his own family.

In verse 2 he says,

how long must I take counsel in my soul?

So David as king,

he's got councilmen,

he's got generals and financial advisors

and all kinds of counsel

about running an empire.

That's not what he's talking about in this case.

It has nothing to do with

the outward blessings he's looking for.

He is cut on the inside.

And he's taking counsel with his own soul.

You're taking counsel with your own soul

when you feel stuck.

In your mind, in your heart, your spirit,

you're spinning.

You picture a tire in the mud

or snow where it's not even getting traction,

it's just spinning.

There's nothing for it to grip onto,

to move you out of that.

He's consumed by the complications

of this conflict.

If, in fact,

Psalms 13 comes at the end of David's life

because he says,

Lord, you have dealt bountifully with me.

Then David, at this point,

had lost his moral high ground.

He couldn't be taken seriously

by anyone in the kingdom.

He had disqualified himself

as a spiritual leader.

His sin was horrible,

hurtful,

and public.

To be more specific,

David's firstborn son,

who was the crown prince,

the one who was supposed to become

the next king of Israel,

had violated

Absalom's sister, Tamar.

From Absalom's perspective,

David did nothing about it.

So Absalom goes to the gates

and stirs up others to say,

if I were king,

I would deal justly.

I would do everything

that my dad's done wrong correctly.

And David is taking counsel

in his own soul.

He's consumed

because this is complicated.

There's no easy way out of this one.

In verse 3,

we have Hebrew poetry

that's concise,

so I don't want to read more into it

that's there.

But in verse 3,

he says,

Light up my eyes,

Lord,

lest I sleep,

the sleep of death.

Lord,

my soul

is going to go to sleep.

I'm going to die.

Maybe he's contemplating,

how can I even escape this situation?

And if I can't escape this in body,

maybe my soul can escape my body.

I can't take it any longer.

How long,

oh Lord?

These are symptoms

of a severely wounded soul.

How can a severely wounded soul

get out of that?

What makes it even more complicated

is being wounded so deeply,

it changes how you feel

about two different parties.

How you feel about God changes,

and how you feel toward your abusers

also changes.

Notice how a severely wounded soul

in Psalm 13

feels toward God.

You feel like God

is making you endure

more than you can bear.

He says,

How long,

oh Lord?

You feel like God

does not care

that you continue to suffer.

In verse 1 again,

Will you forget me forever?

God,

it feels like you have forgotten me

right now.

Are you going to never bring me

back into your mind

and do something?

You feel like God

has made himself

distant from you.

Verse 1 again,

How long will you hide

your face from me?

And you feel like God,

if he is good,

then he must be powerless.

In verse 3 he says,

Consider,

look at my situation, God,

and answer me.

Because if you really look

at what I'm in right now

and consider this,

how could you not act?

So if you are good

and you're considering this,

then act.

If you don't act,

I'm going to feel like

you're powerless.

A severely wounded soul,

it's changed

in the way you feel about God.

And also,

a severely wounded soul

has strong,

intense feelings

that you can't shake

about the one

who is hurting you

or who has hurt you.

a severely wounded soul

feels differently

toward those enemies.

He says,

It's like they've taken

a God-like place

over my mind.

They're above me.

In verse 2,

How long shall my enemy

be exalted over me?

To be exalted,

that's the place of God.

And they have pushed me

so low with their power.

They've taken

a God-like place

in my mind,

in my heart.

It's consuming

all my thoughts.

He's concerned

with what

that abuser

or that enemy

will say

or think about him.

In verse 4,

he says,

Answer me,

O Lord,

my God,

lest my enemy say

I have prevailed

over him.

That's the worst thing

that could happen.

They'll brag

about this position

they've got over me.

They've got more power

and they're going

to brag about it.

Obsessing,

thinking about

how that person

is going to talk

about them.

And in verse 4,

he says,

Lest my foes rejoice

because I am shaken.

His main reason

for wanting God

to act,

to bring revenge,

it seems to be

to protect

his own pride.

He's been wounded.

He's felt

the injustice.

And he wants

to protect

his own pride

and so he's calling

on God

because to be wounded

in this way,

it changes how you feel

about the enemy.

Well,

we see a turn

in verse 5.

What's the first word

in verse 5

in your translation

of God's word?

But,

but I have trusted

in your steadfast love.

We don't get

more context,

we don't get more hints

of how this came about,

but we do see

another safe center

bearing witness.

When I was

so severely wounded,

God caused me

once again

to trust

in his

steadfast love.

Lord,

I feel like

you are making me

endure

more than I can bear,

but I am trusting

in your steadfast love.

are you needing

some healing?

Are you needing

God

to heal you

in a deeper way

to undo

some of the wounds

you've had to suffer

in your life

with the sin

all around us?

All of that suffering

was his providence

for you

so that he can

heal you

and you can bear witness

of his steadfast love.

1 Corinthians 10,

13,

God is faithful.

He is true

to who he is

and he will not

let you be tried

or tested

beyond what you can bear,

but when you are tested,

he will also provide

a way out

so that you can

stand up

under the testing.

In Psalm 13,

it's like David

was praying,

Lord,

I feel

that you don't care

whether I continue

to suffer,

but I am trusting

in your steadfast love.

We see this

steadfast love

in Hebrews 2,

18,

how our Lord Jesus Christ,

he suffered,

was tried,

and so he is able

to help those

who are tried now.

In Hebrews 13,

12,

our Lord Jesus Christ

was taken to suffer

outside of the gate

so that he might

sanctify you,

his people,

through his own blood.

Lord,

Lord,

I feel like

you made yourself

distant from me,

you've hidden

your face from me,

that's how it feels,

but I am trusting

in your steadfast love.

You,

Lord,

in the person

of the Son,

you took on

the role of mediator,

you accomplished

what your own

justice requires,

and now as representative

of your people,

you turn around

and you mediate

grace,

the grace of God

to me.

Our Lord Jesus

stands like the

high priest in heaven

and he blesses you.

In the words of

Numbers 6,

he blesses you

for God to bless you

and keep you

and make his face

to shine upon you

and be gracious to you

and that God will lift

up his countenance

upon you

and give you

his own peace.

So trust in his

steadfast love.

David cries out,

Lord,

it feels like

if you are good,

then you are powerless,

but I am trusting

in your steadfast love.

2 Thessalonians 1,

8 and 9,

God one day

will punish

all those

who don't know him,

not for your pride

and mine,

but he will do it

for his own glory.

All those who reject

the good news

of Jesus Christ,

they will pay

the penalty,

which is

eternal destruction.

destruction.

And 2 Thessalonians

says that this

eternal destruction,

it comes from

the very face

of the Lord

and from the glory

of his might.

That's how God

healed this

severely wounded soul.

And when a soul

is healed

by the grace of God,

it changes how

you feel

toward God.

How does a healed

soul feel

toward God?

In the words

of Psalm 13.

Look at verse 6.

I will sing

to the Lord.

He was crying out,

desperate,

lamenting,

and now he's

singing to the Lord.

And why?

Verse 6,

because God

has dealt

bountifully,

abundantly,

graciously

with me.

David had

prayed,

how long

will you

hide your

face?

And God

has shown him,

David,

if I were

to approach

you

in all

the splendor

of my holiness

and my glory,

by the gracious

blood of the

covenant,

without that

blood to protect

you,

you'd be like

a snowflake

thrown onto

a massive

bonfire.

You would

melt

before the

face of God.

I've not

hidden my

face from

you,

David.

I've covered

you with

my grace.

You don't

want what

you deserve.

I don't

want what

I deserve.

But God,

he deals

abundantly,

graciously,

bountifully with

his people.

And it

changes how

we feel.

We sing

to one

another,

come,

oh sinner,

come and

mourn,

for he calls

your sin

his own.

Do you

feel the

weight of

justice

served?

He suffered

the wrath

that you

deserve.

So David

says,

I trust

in your

steadfast

love.

I do

long for

your presence,

for your

deliverance,

your free,

gracious face

shining on

me.

I long

for that.

Your

countenance

lifted up

and welcoming

me.

And the

Lord heals

him with

that cry.

would you

turn a few

pages forward

to Psalm

Psalms 30:2

30,

verse 2.

Psalm

Psalms 30:2

30,

verse 2.

Another

Psalm of

David.

A similar

cry coming

from his

lips.

And listen

to his

testimony in

Psalm 30,

Psalms 30:2

verse 2.

Oh Lord,

my God,

I cried

to you

for help

and you

have

healed me.

Oh Lord,

my God,

you have

healed me.

If this

resonates with

you, I

encourage you

to memorize

that short,

powerful little

verse.

When we

memorize God's

word, we

hide it in

our heart.

The spirit

draws it up

in those

moments where

our emotions

are too

weak.

He ministers

it to us

over and

over again.

David said,

my heart

shall rejoice

in your

salvation.

What was

David reflecting

on?

God promised

to save

his people.

God promised

also to

heal his

people.

In Exodus

15, 26,

God said,

I am

Yahweh

who heals

you.

Do you

want to know

who is this

God who's

redeeming you

from slavery

to be his

people?

It's the

God who

heals you.

When our

Lord Jesus

Christ came

to the

earth, God

the Son took

on flesh.

We read in

the four

Gospels of

37 miracles.

And John

says there's

so many more

that can't

even be

recorded.

24, no,

26 of the

37 miracles

recorded in

the four

Gospels are

God healing

people.

Our Lord

Jesus Christ

healed an

official's

fatally sick

son in

Luke 4.

And he

cleansed the

soul of a

demon-possessed

man in

Mark 1.

To show

us, I

am Yahweh

who heals

you.

Trust in

my steadfast

love.

Our Lord

Jesus Christ

cleansed a

man with

leprosy,

Mark 1.

A man with

a withered

hand, Luke

6.

And he

healed Peter's

mother-in-law

in Matthew

8.

To show

us, I

am Yahweh

who heals

you.

Trust in

my steadfast

love.

Our Lord

Jesus Christ,

he healed

the centurion's

paralyzed servant

in Luke

7.

When the

sun was

setting in

Luke 4,

our Lord

Jesus Christ

healed all

the sick

with various

diseases and

those oppressed

by demons so

that you would

trust in his

steadfast love.

Our Lord

Jesus Christ

healed the

paralytic who

was let down

through the roof

in Mark 2.

to show you,

I am

Yahweh who

heals you.

A widow's

son in Luke

7,

Jairus'

daughter Luke

8,

Lazarus in

the tomb,

they were

all already

sleeping the

sleep of

death.

And our

Lord Jesus

Christ lit

up their

eyes.

He brought

them back

to life to

show how

great the

power of

his might.

Our

Lord Jesus

heals.

through the

person of

Jesus Christ

God will

heal you.

He will

heal your

soul.

He will

prepare your

soul for

eternity with

him.

We read in

1 Peter 2

23-25

this is

quoting Isaiah

53-5

how Jesus

Christ himself

bore our

sins in his

body on the

tree that we

might die to

sin and live

to righteousness

by his

wounds you

are healed.

Amen.

Beloved

congregation of

our Lord Jesus

Christ, my

exhortation for

you today is

trust in his

steadfast love.

He is God

who heals

you.

The church is a

hospital for

souls.

If you're

wounded today,

go to God

through Jesus

Christ.

If your soul

feels sick

today, go

again to God

through Jesus

Christ.

If you need

deeper and

deeper healing,

go to God

through Christ.

Trust in his

steadfast love.

That's the

simple message,

the simple

melody, that's

the sound your

soul needs over

and over again.

to illustrate

this on a super

simple level, I've

learned recently

about a type of

treatment for deep

scar tissue called

shockwave.

It's a sound, a

blast, and that

never changes.

But it has an

effect on that scar

tissue below the

skin, below the

surface, and that

same shockwave, the

same message, the

same sound, it

works over time,

months, years, but it

brings about healing

by God's grace.

Why would God have

designed our bodies

to heal in these

powerful ways if it

wasn't to teach us a

deeper truth that he

is God who heals

his people?

Only God can heal

your wounded soul.

Go to God through

Christ and trust in

his steadfast love.

Amen?

Let's spend some time

in prayer, receiving

this truth, and

praising God for his

faithfulness.

Thank you.