When God Seems Silent | Psalm 44’s Powerful Message for Hard Times | Psalm 44:1-26

You're listening to The Bible Guys, a podcast where a

couple of friends talk about the Bible in fun in

practical ways. Hey, everybody, welcome to the Bible Guys career.

My name is Tom.

Yeah, and we today are your Bible Guys because Jeff

is out of the town with Chad.

He's off serving Jesus and Morocco.

Oh, I'm not kidding, even Morocco, which is great, but

he really is truly on a missions trip that is

not a vacation for him. But anyway, he was not

available today. So what we're doing is having a different

guest every day of the week, which is really fun.

And today we have Pastor Tom Blount.

It's great to be here. I'm excited just to be

in the same room with the Bible Guys.

Stop.

So I was hoping you would sing for me today.

Really, Oh my gosh, my.

Wife and I love that.

Do you really?

Good morning? Mon Oh you do it?

Good to go, go go, come on.

Good moaning, good morning.

We talked the whole night through good moaning, good moaning

to you.

Hey, this is a privilege for me, gay, No, I'm

not kidding, because Jeff doesn't sing that and you sang it.

I got him to do it a little bit amazing.

I'm not as good as you, but no, no.

No, listen, now I know how Jeff feels.

That is pretty.

You did awesome.

Yeah, I know.

How to snap.

It's hot in here, by the way.

It is. It is, which is why I have a

T shirt.

On you anyways, But it's great. Man.

Hey listen, First of all, thank you for that. That

was a privilege. I forgot to tell people what you do.

You have been for a long time now our main

pastor of our Inly City campus for Heritage Church.

Yeah, we're gonna actually be there this September. Eight years

eight years we helped start the campus, but then we

went and served another place for a little time.

But yeah, eight years. So we're excited.

So tell our listeners who perhaps are in you know,

a driving distance away from your campus, what's happening on

April twenty fourth.

April twenty fourth, we're going to have the Bible Guys Live,

which is which is seven o'clock.

Jeff and myself, Jeff.

And you will be there.

There's only gonna be two hundred tickets, so you'll have

to get online. I think it's Heritage Church dot com

slash events and you can reserve a ticket. Anybody's invited,

and I know a lot of the listeners who watch

on the podcast or maybe listen in their car, they'll

want to come out and see.

It's going to be a fun time little snacks.

Yeah, we'll actually do an actual Bible Guys episode at

the Bible Guy yea, it's it's going to be straight

Bible Guys episode and then we're gonna do other stuff too,

So it'll be a lot of fun and if you

you know, if you care about that sort of thing

and you want to come out and see us live

Bible Guys Live event. It's the first one we've ever

really technically promoted with with through this venue. Right, we've

never advertised the Bible Guys Live event on this podcast.

We thought it would be a great time because you

guys are just we're just finishing up with the Bible

Guys in the study of First Timothy in groups.

Yeah yeah cool, Yeah, that's really great.

And so you're you're people of your church are going

to come out because it's sort of the culmination of

a group.

Study, yeah study.

But it's an open invitation because it's just going to

be this random fun time. Uh. We're all we're really

going to be doing is just you know, getting together

and just encouraging people and doing bibba guy study.

That's gonna be a baba guys. Lie.

Okay, So now that we've promoted that, let's jump into

our segment. Uh, Thomas, this is what Desiree has written

for you. I call this the Crazy Questions. Thomas the

pastor of our Ina City campus and the coolest motorcycle

rider out there. So here's today's question. Yes, if you

could only use one type of transportation for the rest

of your life, but it had to be completely impractical,

what would it be? What a crazy question?

Man, that's crazy, I got you know.

Oh that's I wish you could be my motorcycle because

we're getting ready to do a trip out west.

What it can be?

Because that is technical impractical as you're well, practical in

winter in Michigan. Yeah, true, maybe not so much.

I kind of thought about a unicycle because when I

was a kid, I wanted to ride a unicycle.

That'd be kind of it.

Have you ever ridden a unicycle?

I tried in the basement, kept crashing in and all

the time.

Can you imagine going to the grocery store in your unicycle?

I actually thought about a hot air balloon. Can you

imagine having that view?

It does say your only source of.

It's only only and that's why. Yeah, man, that's tough.

I'll just say a unicycle because if it's my only

form of transportation, then sooner or later I have to

learn how to ride or I got to walk.

Well and all that, But then your whole life would

be probably confined in the city right that you would

never make it down for another Bible guys, never never, never,

because you're not going to ride forty five minutes in

a car. How long would that be on a unicycle? Oh?

God, for me that don't know how to ride, it

be carried it on my shoulder.

Three days, maybe three days for me at least.

Oh man, that is I don't know. I guess I'll

say a unicycle. But I actually thought about a red

wagon that somebody had to pull me in the rest

of my life.

Who are you going deep on us now?

Red wagon, radio flyer, red wagon?

Wow, look at you pulling off the memories.

Right there telling you, Yeah, I think it'd be fun.

Yeah, thank you for entertaining us.

That was a thrill.

I'll bet, I'll bet, I'll bet the listeners are just

gonna well shock that on a star.

Don't you love knowing? Right now your wife's at home?

When did she listen to Bible?

Guys?

And we will know she'll listen to it if she's

cleaned the house. But we watch it at night together.

Do you really?

We watch it at night together and we love it.

You guys do a great job. I've learned a lot, which.

Means right now you're at home at night watching this

with your wife.

Oh that's right.

To yourself, Hi, how you doing?

No, No, I said, say to yourself.

Oh hey Tom, how you doing? Buddy? I wish I

could say hi to my mom?

But you did the right thing.

You said.

How did Judy first? That was the right thing.

You know she's taught me. Well did you.

Like doing buddy?

Hey? I got to tell you something though. We just

are getting ready to pick up a new car for Judy.

Yes, and she heard you in an episode that you

name all your cars.

She wants you to drive her car. That's crazy to

name it.

I'm looking forward to that. That would be a privilege

for me, Thanks right. My brother Chucky has me named

all of his cars. I've named all infect her. Whole

family names all of our cars.

Crazy.

So I've had like thirty cars if you consider all

the cars for my kids even and I was a

part of all the namings of them back when I

was sixteen up until now we've had I can name

you all of my cars, all their names.

I don't know if I could remember the cars I drove.

I did. My first car was a Chavette.

You could have paddled it like the flintstones because the

floorboards are rusted out. That was crazy, Yeah, buddy, it

was crazy.

Did you know the part of that song says with

the courtesy of Fred's two Feet.

Did you know that does say that? Yeah?

Yeah, yeah, because people don't really know that line of.

The courtesy of Fred's two Feet.

Yeah yeah, that's that's the line and the song that

nobody gets.

Wow, and you remember everything?

No, I do, not kidding me. All right, Hey, listen,

that's our time. We're at seven minutes, so let's move

into actual things. You know, speaking of feet.

That's a great transition.

We are about to walk through Psalm forty four. That's

a terrible, terrible shit.

I was trying to figure out one, but I just

couldn't do it, because you guys, when you do them,

they're bad.

When I said the word feet, I didn't even know

how I was going to use that, but I said.

Walk through to Psalm forty four.

I'm sort of proud myself, so.

Well, uh you want me to read, Uh, sure, I'll

read and do the best I can in Psalms forty four. So,

oh God, we have heard it with our own ears.

Our ancestors have told us of all you did in

their days and days long ago. You drove out the

pagan nation by your power and gave all the land

to your ancestors. To our ancestors, you crush their enemies,

their enemies, and set their ancestors free. They did not

conquer the land with their swords. It was not their

own strong arm that gave them victory. It was your

right hand and strong arm and the blinding light from

your face that helped them.

For you love them.

You are my king and my God. You command victories

for Israel. Only by your power can we push back

our enemies.

Only in the name.

Can we trample our foes. I do not trust in

my bow. I do not count on my sword to

save me. You are the one who gives us victory

over our enemies. You grace, disgrace, You disgrace those who

hate us. Oh God, we give you glory to you

all day long, and constantly praise your name. But now

you have tossed us aside in dishonor. You no longer

lead our armies to battle. You make us retreat from

our enemies and allow those who hate us to plunder

our land. You have butchered us like sheep and scattered

us among the nations. You sold your precious people for pittance,

making nothing on the sale. You let our neighbors mock us.

We are an object of scorn and derision to those

around us. You have made us the butt of their jokes,

and they shake their heads at us and scorn. We

can't escape the constant humiliation. Shame is written across our faces.

All we hear are the taunts of our markers. All

we see is our vengeful enemies. All this has happened

though we have not forgotten you. We have not violated

your covenant. Our hearts have not deserted you. We have

not strayed from your path. Yet you have crushed us

in the jackals desert home. You have covered us with

darkness and death. If we had forgotten the name of

our God or spread our hands in prayer to foreign

God's God would surely have known it, for he knows

the secrets of every heart. But for your sake, we

are killed. Every day, We are being slaughtered like sheep.

Wake up, Oh Lord, why do you sleep? Get up?

Do not reject forever us forever? Why do you look

the other way? Why do you ignore our suffering and oppression.

Collapse in the dust line, face down in the dirt,

Rise up, Help us, ransom us from our unfailing for

your unfailing love.

Yeah, that's crazy. There you go, there, you go, there

it is there, it is.

That is a crazy chapter.

It is. And so the context for that I'd love

to read from the note on some forty four application

to study Bible that says, this is a plea for

victory by the battle. Weary and defeated, when it seems

that God has let you down, don't despair. Instead, remember

God's past deliverance and be confident that He will restore you.

The author are the descendants of Korra, the Temple Assistance,

and and so yeah, it is a absolute desperate writing,

right because he said, he's saying, we are being defeated. Uh,

to the point to where they're mocking us. We're getting mocked,

We're getting ridiculed. We are we are like in the

jaws of jackals. We are at our lowest point. And God,

you have allowed this. We have we are faithful. God,

Please give us this victory. Why have you forgotten us?

And so they're praying, excuse me, they're praying for this victory.

It's amazing because like you just said, I mean, here

they are. They're saying, God, you know our hearts because

if you think about it, in the Old Testament times,

it always seems to have a pattern that flows that

when we are obedient to God and faithful to God

and have faith in God, he delivers them.

He fights the battles for them.

And they even said, we're not trusting in our own strength,

we're not trusting our bows.

We trust in you.

And so it's almost like we're examining our hearts and

we didn't really do anything wrong. What's going on here?

And I think that relates to us in our own lives?

What did I do to deserve? What's going on?

Right?

Let me read you another note too. It says this

psalm may have been sung at an occasion like the

one in Second Chronicles, chapter twenty, where the faithful Jehosephat

was surrounded by enemies and the Levites saying to the

Lord before the battle. So let's keep in mind that

psalms were always sung to music, which is why you

didn't say interlude. But there's a selah right after verse

number eight, which I wouldn't have said it either. But

the reason pause, Yeah, that's the reason why that's in

there is because that's a pause in the song. So,

believe it or not, this crazy wording in this chapter

was actually a song.

Actually, Yeah, it's actually interesting if I could just say this,

In those first eight verses, it's almost as if Israel's

looking back to the history and actually talking about the

very facts and how God has delivered them and the

forces by which he delivered them.

And then they almost pause, like.

Look, we're talking about this history, and then all of

a sudden, bang, we're in this helpless situation.

Yeah, because that's what verse nine starts with. But now

but now yeah, yeah, yeah.

Yeah, so so yeah, you are the king, you are there,

You are a god. You command victories over Israel. We

do not put our trust in our own selves or

our weapons. This other note said as and some forty

four one through three says you drove out the Pagan

nations refers to the conquest of Canaan, the promised land

described in the Book of Joshua, God gave us, who

gave the land to the Israelites. They were supposed to

enter and drive out anyone who was wicked and opposed

to God. Israel was told not to settle the land

and to be a witness to the world to God's

power and love. Surrounded by enemies, the Psalms writer remembered

what God had done for his people and took heart

we can have the same confidence in God when we

feel attacked.

But I mean, from.

Verse nine on to your point, it is definitely a

desperate prayer.

Hey Lord, wake up, Lord, don't reject us.

And we talked about this, I think yesterday because some

of the same discouragements happened in well, I don't know

if it was yesterday the day before in our podcast,

but one of the songs that we wrote read was

about discouragement and uh, and it's and it's okay to

be discouraged.

And so even though these are strong words, why has

God abandoned us? Forever? Has he rejected us? And all

these different.

Types of things? Uh, keep in mind that the God

has allowed the author to express all of these feelings.

And yet you know we're not condemned for it. Right,

So we think God has gone? You know you know

what I'm I was I wasn't gonna say this. I

almost made reference to it yesterday. But so we're this Easter,

we're teaching on Thomas. Okay, so not you, not you.

You put your hand to your jest me. It's all

about you, buddy, But doubting Thomas, right, and you know what,

you know what I just I think I think maybe

I've seen this before in the scriptures, but never before

has it become so vibrant and prominent. So think about this.

So if you know the story of the Bible, you know,

en I'm doing some cross referencing here. But so Jesus

appears to the ten disciples, Jesus is gone, Thomas is

not in the room. So there's ten left and along

with the women and who else he else was in there.

But Jesus appears to the other ten disciples. They see him,

they interact with him, they talk with him, and so

they're absolutely convinced that Jesus has risen from the grave,

and not on that. But he appears in their room,

a locked room, and then it says it goes out

of its way to say Thomas was not there. And

then Thomas comes back. They all say, Jesus has risen

from the grave. And what does he say.

I'm not going to believe it till I see it, right.

Which is our theme.

I believe when I see it, And he says he

but he says something very specific.

He says, not only not only do I have see.

For myself, I have to personally touch his wounds and

his hands and his side. Right. And he was all

alone when he said this, right, Jesus was. And then

it says Jesus didn't appear to him until eight days later.

Eight days later, and then Jesus appears in the room.

And the first thing he says out loud, he said, Thomas,

come and touch the wounds in my hands and my side,

which means this, and Thomas's lowest point, when he was

doubting the most, when he was literally throwing conditions out there. Hey, God,

show me a sign. I'm not going to believe it

until my prayers answered this way. I'm not going to

believe it until God shows up in such a miraculous way.

At our lowest point, we don't think that God's listening.

And yet Jesus responded to Thomas's direct doubts, and guess

what he didn't do. He didn't condemn him, he didn't

yell at him, he didn't address the fact that he doubted.

All he really.

Said is he said, blessed or you that you've seen

me and you believe, But blessed are those in the

future us who believe it and don't see.

Right.

So Jesus meets Thomas where he is, He meets him

in his doubts. He meets him and never condemns him.

But it's proof. So listen, you know what that means

for us. That means that, like if we are to

feel the same way as the Psalmist and we're saying

crazy things, wake up, Lord, why do you sleep? I

mean that's a pretty serious accusation, right, do not reject

us forever? Why do you look the other way? Why

do you ignore our suffering? These are feelings that they

have in the midst of fear and defeat, probably wondering

if God is even listening. And yet what we know

is every part about God is God. Nothing escapes him.

No.

God. God knows your fears, he knows your doubts, he

knows your discouragement right now, and so if you think

that he's not listening.

He is.

Yeah, I have to say that the way this passage

seems to unfold to me, and I love what you

said because we would say God's after you and angry

at you, because you even would say are you sleeping?

Like I don't have to prove myself to you. But

the bottom line is when you really look at they

did rehearse the history of all that went on there.

Then they get in this situation where you just feel helpless.

And I have felt helpless many times, and I don't

really think we have time to go into it with

all I went through here just recently.

But the thing I really love about it.

But let our listeners know, you went through a cancer school.

We went through Yeah, I had total knee replacement left me.

Nine days later, I ended up back in the emergency

room with a mass in my stomach that was bleeding inside.

And so therefore they came into the room, I remember,

and they're saying, you have cancer. Yeah, and Judy and

I were just like, okay, yeah, And it didn't really

kind of resonate and hit us till we got home.

But long story short, we went through all this. I

got it out December thirtieth. But on Friday night before

my Monday surgery, I can remember saying this. I said, Lord,

I don't really want.

To do this, and we were just kind of talking

back and forth, and he was meeting me right where

I was.

I was discouraged a little bit.

I was tired, but I'm like, Lord, I don't really

want to do this. And so I told Judy, I

said I'm going to go to bed. And so I

went to bed, and somewhere between the conversations that I

was having with the Lord, just repeating this again, she

must have came into bed and she said, are you

all right? I said no, it's dark, and I said,

but I'll be okay. And I remember telling the Lord,

I said, Lord, really, is there another way can we

just do this another way, and I'll never forget this

as long as I live. He said, you know, Tom,

I felt like it was Jesus is speaking almost audibly

to me. He says, look, I know how you feel,

because there was a time in my life or I

went to my father and said, look, I don't really

want to do this. Is there any other way we

can do this? But I trust you? And I remember

telling the Lord I said, I trust you, and he

just basically told me, he said, hey, I've got this,

and your daddy's got this.

You're going to be fine.

And I, honestly, God think I fell asleep right after her.

So what I'm saying is, we know the history. We

know where he's been in our lives. We've seen him

take care of us. We've seen him take care of

us and our finances and our marital relationships and our

children when maybe we're just just at odds, And then

all of a sudden, we find ourselves in that middle

ground where it's like, are you here, what's going on?

I mean, people are laughing.

At me because I stand for you, and people think

that oh you tied, you're incumberor whatever.

And then all of a sudden, what do they do?

They turn and they still go back to him who

is their hope, and say, look, would you just rise

up and help us? Yeah, and get us where we

need to be. It's an amazing passage. But I can

really relate to it and it's really helped me.

Yeah.

And you know the the other part, as you were

saying all that, you said, Hey, we've seen.

God work, We've seen God do this and do that,

and He's faithful.

And that is true, one hundred percent true, right, I mean,

so we're supposed to trust God for our future uncertainties

based on God's past faithfulness. Yes, and who he is too,

as you know, his characteristics and his attributes and who

we know him to be, and his desire and love

for us and all his promises and proclamations and everything else.

But at the same time, I do have to acknowledge,

we have to recognize the fact that there are people

who would say, yeah, I remember God's past history with me.

I went through a season in my life and guess what,

he didn't show up. He wasn't faithful, right, And we

think that we think that he wasn't faithful. The reality

is God's always with us. Right, there are definitely things

that come our way that our trials that we wouldn't

wish on our greatest enemy, and things that don't work out.

And we pray for things and we're like, God, take

this cup from me, and it does not go away,

and and uh, and and there are things that last

years and years and sometimes decades and sometimes a lifetime

and we and we do think, yeah, okay, you know,

why why did I get this hand?

Help to me?

Why did I get this lot in life? You know,

I'm praying for a job and and uh, you know,

and and and and I'm praying God will take care

of me. And and it's been two solid years and

I don't understand why I'm trying to be faithful and

God just won't give.

Me a secure job.

And you know, or or I prayed for a child,

and we prayed and prayed and prayed, and we've had

five miscarriages and and God never showed up. And you know,

and then something else tragic happens or something like this. Right, So,

so you know, we definitely have to acknowledge the fact

that we can't always say that God answers our prayers

the way that we want them.

And I believe that we live in a broken and messed.

Up world, and a lot of times what we do

is we try to lay at the feet of God

that which should not be laid at the feet of God,

because we live in a broken, sinful world that has consequences,

and there's you know, God will one day defeat all evil,

but evil does exist and sorrow exists, so we cant

acknowledge that.

But He's not a vending machine where I picked that

certain thing and ask him this and he always answers.

And that's what I've been asking the Lord.

How can I encourage other people yes that maybe their

prayer wasn't answer that way.

One of the things I think I've come.

To realize through these past few years is if I

want to live right, I need to believe right, and

I'll live out what I truly believe, not what I

just know. And I think it's a power of right believing.

And I think these people they knew God was sovereign

and majestic, but now it's God. You have mercy on me, Yeah,

well you have mercy on me. Don't give me what

I deserve. But I'm just trying to help other people

encourage them. Because I pray for my dad and he

passed away with cancer. I prayed for my best friend

Jimmy King, he passed away with cancer. So we don't

always get it. There's something in there that I'm saying. Lord,

I know we can help other people realize you can

be counted on, you can be counted. So the power

that right believing would be regardless of how I feel,

because that's kind of fickling fizzles away, right, sure, but

the true faith, trusting in Him is what gets us through.

That's right, it really does.

That's amazing. Hey, that's dude. I don't think we can

end any stronger than there. So that's great and that

is definitely our time. So what a great chapter. And

appreciate you being here. And I look forward to being

in La City. Bible guys live. Yeah, twenty fourth, Jeff

and I on the twenty fourth, So mark it down

and we'll have you drive Judy's car and oh yeah,

then I'll name the car. Hey, maybe we can announce

it live.

We'll lie.

We'll do lie, okay that.

Anybody that's a clips, if anybody cares, that's Someboddy.

We'll have three people there yeah, okay, all right, way, well,

we'll see you tomorrow with a brand new guest, hopefully

on the babble Gush