Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and every day have sorrow in my heart? How long will my enemy triumph over me? Look on me and answer, O Lord my God. Give light to my eyes or I will sleep in death. 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 to the Lord, for he has been good to me. So far, the reading God's holy word. Dear brothers and sisters in the Lord Jesus Christ. Does it appear to you that some Christians are always cheerful? They always seem to be happy, they always seem to be smiling whenever you bump into them, they appear to be joyful in the Lord. You know, someone like that. There are many verses in the Bible that speak of Christian joy, Paul said, rejoice in the Lord always. Again, I will say rejoice when you read his epistle to the Philippians, you find repeated references to joy, rejoicing and gladness in the Lord. Paul mentions that at least 19 times in four chapters. Our Lord Jesus said in John 15, these things, I have spoken to you that my joy may remain in you and that your joy may be full. The Psalms also contain many references to joy. Psalm five, let them never shout for joy. Psalm 16, in your presence is fullness of joy. Psalm 27, I will offer sacrifices of joy. Psalm 32, be glad in the Lord and rejoice you righteous and shout for joy. Psalm 35, let them shout for joy and be glad. As you make your way through the Psalms, you find numerous verses in which the joy of the Christian is expressed. What a blessing it is, brothers and sisters, to know the joy of the Lord. What a blessing it is to rejoice in his love, his salvation, his faithfulness. He has rescued us from death, he has rescued us from hell, and he has filled us with songs of deliverance. The congregation, while the Bible frequently speaks about Christian joy. It also speaks of those seasons in the life of God's people that can be very dark and dreary. A Christian can have moments of deep discouragement. A Christian can have moments where the joy of salvation seems to evaporate altogether. There are times when Christians feel as though God has forsaken them completely. They feel as though God does not care. God has abandoned them and left a dark cloud hanging over their head. The sunshine has disappeared and you are left in a dark, dreary, foggy, miserable existence. Have you ever felt that way? Have you ever felt abandoned by God? Have you ever felt empty, alone and forsaken? King David knew what that was like. In many ways, David is portrayed in scripture as a man of deep faith in the Lord. He fought the enemies of the Lord bravely. He ruled wisely. He had a great desire to build a temple for the Lord. David is described in the Bible as a man after God's own heart. And yet, David, this man of faith, experienced times in his life when it seemed as though God had left him entirely. It was as though there was an impenetrable barrier between him and his Lord. This morning, we want to consider one of those seasons in the life of this great king of Israel. Psalm 14 describes the sorrow of a man who feels separated from the loving kindness of God. Congregation, what do you do when God hides his face? When God hides his face? As we walk through this song, I want to point out to you three things. Number one, the pit of discouragement. Number two, the prayer of dependence. Number three, the peace of deliverance. The pit of discouragement. The prayer of dependence. The peace of deliverance. The psalm begins with these words. Would you look with me please to verse 1. Verse 1. How long, O Lord, will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and every day have sorrow in my heart? How long will my enemy triumph over me? This is a man in great anguish, a man filled with grief. This is a man who has spent a considerable amount of time in a state of discouragement. The expression how long is repeated four times in the first two verses. How long, oh Lord, how long will you hide your face? How long must I wrestle? How long will my enemy triumph? The impression that we get here is that this is not a momentary or fleeting state of dismay. This is not a short term frustration. This is a prolonged struggle. This is something that has continued for quite a while, David said, will you forget me forever? He began to wonder whether the end would ever come. Psalm 13 does not give us any information about the historical setting. One commentator suggested that perhaps it was written when David was being hunted by King Saul and he didn't know which way to go. He didn't know which way to turn. He went to the Moabites. He went to the wilderness of Ziph. He had to hide himself in the cave of Adullam and he sought refuge among the Philistines. At one point when David was fleeing from Saul, he said, Now I shall perish someday by the hand of Saul. It was indeed a very difficult time for David, fleeing from one place to the next as though he was a criminal. It is possible that David penned this song during this period, a time of affliction. However, we cannot say with any certainty, all we know is that David felt like he was in a dark pit sinking in the mud and there was no one on top to pull him out. So it seems. John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress, we read in the opening pages of how Christian fled from the city of destruction to the promptings of a man named Evangelist. He fled from the wrath to come. But shortly thereafter, as Christian began his journey to the celestial city, he fell into a miry slough. It was called the slough of despond. There he wallowed for a time in the dirt and he began to sink in the mire. The slough of despond represents those discouraging fears that sometimes trouble new Christians. Bunyan was describing some of the struggles of new converts. But brothers and sisters, there is a slough of discouragement that more mature Christians can also fall into. One which causes the believer great pain. That is what David experienced. The darkness overwhelmed him. He was sinking as it were in the mud. There seemed to be no one to rescue him. David felt as though God had removed his blessing. Verse one says, How long will you hide your face from me? For God to hide his face is for God to remove his blessing. The benediction recorded in Numbers chapter six, we find these words, the Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make his face shine upon you. The shining of God's face upon us implies his blessing rests upon us. For God to hide his face is for God to remove his blessing. Congregation, what would cause a believer to fall into this kind of discouragement? What would cause a believer to feel abandoned and forsaken by God in this way? What would cause a prolonged struggle such as this? There are a number of possible reasons a person can lose the sense of God's presence because of unconfessed sin. Because of unconfessed sin, when there is sin in our life and we refuse to confess it, we erect a barrier between us and God. Unconfessed sin drives a wedge between us and God. David expressed that when he wrote Psalm 32, when he refused to confess his iniquities before the Lord, he became a spiritual wreck. A person can also lose the sense of God's presence and blessing because of a sloppy and undisciplined devotional life. Because of a sloppy and undisciplined devotional life, when we neglect prayer, when we neglect to read and study the word, when we neglect times of meaningful worship, when we fail to meditate on his promises, we become spiritually weak. When you neglect the word and prayer and Lord's Day worship and the sacraments, brothers and sisters, you shouldn't be surprised when you lose the sense of God's blessing, when it seems as though God's face is hidden. Moreover, you can also lose the sense of God's presence because of the circumstances of life. Because of the circumstances of life, when a loved one dies, as happened last night. When a serious tragedy strikes us, as happened last night. Or when our health fails. When we suddenly lose our jobs. When a son or daughter becomes seriously ill, when we feel as though we are a complete failure in life. Any of these difficult circumstances can cause us to feel as though God is far away. When you read about the persecuted church where thousands and thousands of people have died for their faith, you sometimes read of Christians in those situations saying, where are you, God? Why has he removed his blessing from us? Will he forget us forever? How long will my enemy be exalted over me? The church in Cambodia in the early 1970s was severely persecuted. Ninety percent of the church perished and virtually all the leaders and pastors perished. Those Christians who were spared sometimes cried out in agony, Will you forget us forever? How long, O Lord? You see, the circumstances of life can cause us to lose the sense of God's blessing. Trouble at home. Trouble in marriage. Trouble in the family. Trouble at work. Trouble at school. Trouble in society. Trouble in the church. Whatever it may be. And then we can also lose the sense of God's presence because of demonic attacks. Because of demonic attacks, the Bible teaches that Satan is always busy tempting and leading God's people astray. He tries to lead us away from the Lord, he tries to sever our relationship with him, he tries to sever our fellowship, rob us of joy. The devil is the enemy of our souls and he does whatever he can to make us waver in our commitment to the Lord to trip us up. And so, congregation, there are many things that may cause us to lose the sense of God's presence and blessing, unconfessed sin, a sloppy and undisciplined devotional life. Difficult circumstances, demonic attacks, you could add to the list. The question is. How do we get out of the past, how do we get out of that slump? How do we get over the discouragement, how do we recover a sense of God's presence? When we come, secondly, from the pit of discouragement to the prayer of dependence, the prayer of dependence, how did David overcome the terrible feeling of abandonment? He turned to the Lord in prayer. David knew in his heart that even when God seemed to be far away, he was still able to hear his prayers. God was not deaf. God was not plugging his ears. Regardless of the situation, God is able to hear the cries of his people who trust in his son, Jesus Christ. We need to remember that, brothers and sisters, regardless of our feelings, Regardless of our feelings, even when we feel terribly forsaken, God's ears are open to your cries. That is, if you know and love Jesus Christ. Look at David's prayer in verse three, please follow along with me in verse three. Look on me and answer, oh, Lord, my God, give light to my eyes or I will sleep in death. My enemy will say, I have overcome him and my foes will rejoice when I fall. David said, Look on me and answer me, O Lord, my God. Oh, Lord, hear my prayer. Consider my affliction. Congregation, when you were in the depths of despair. When you feel as though you are at the end of your rope, when everything seems to be against you, turn to the throne of grace. It is not a throne of judgment. It is a throne of grace. Ask the Lord to enlighten your eyes. O Lord, give light to my eyes. O Lord, help me to see your involvement in my life. Give me eyes of faith so that in the midst of my darkness I may see you by faith once again. Lord, consider my terrible plight. Let me know your nearness. Let me know your love. Let me know your mercy. Let me know your covenant faithfulness. Let me know that even in my darkest moments, you are with me. Lord, if you do not hear me and if you do not enlighten my eyes, then I will sleep the sleep of death. I will be utterly destroyed. I will be overcome with despair. Lord, it seems as though your face has been hidden from me. And so I ask that you would turn in my direction so that your face would shine upon me once again. Dear friends, when you feel forsaken by God, remember that Jesus Christ was forsaken in your place. When you feel as though God has withdrawn his blessing, remember that Jesus Christ was cursed in your place. When you feel as though God's face is hidden from you, remember that God's face was hidden from Christ as he hung from the cross. When you feel as though the enemy is against you, trying to destroy you, remember that the enemy is defeated through the suffering and death of Christ. If ever, brothers and sisters, if ever there was someone truly forsaken by God, it was Jesus Christ at Calvary. He even cried out with a loud voice, my God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Jesus was in the pit of misery. Jesus was forsaken. He was abandoned. Jesus was separated from the loving presence of his Father. Jesus endured the agony of hell as the Father turned away from him in wrath. Jesus cried out to His Father, but His Father would not hear. His Father, as it were, turned His face away. If there was ever someone in the depths of despair, it was our Lord Jesus Christ. During those three hours of darkness, as He hung from the cross, our Lord Jesus was utterly forsaken. Congregation, this morning you have the privilege of coming to the Lord's table. You have the opportunity of participating in the bread and the wine as a remembrance of the broken body and shed blood of the Savior. As we come to the table, we confess that Christ was forsaken for us. Christ was rejected and despised for us. Christ was filled with sorrow for us. Christ faced the enemy for us. When we come to the table of the Lord, we are reminded that our Savior endured the most terrible suffering so that sinners, so that sinners will not be forever forsaken. At the cross, Christ was abandoned as the one who bore our sin. The Father would not look upon Christ because our sins were laid upon him. God is too holy to look upon sin. And therefore, our Lord Jesus was utterly forsaken. Psalm 22, which is a messianic psalm, a psalm predicting the suffering of Christ, says this, My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from helping me and from the words of my groaning? Oh, my God, I cried in the daytime, but you do not hear and in the night season and am not silent. Psalm 22 is the psalm of the cross. There we see our Lord in a state that is beyond our comprehension. He is cast aside by God and men. He is in a state of complete despair. He calls out to God, but he receives no answer. Why are you so far from helping me? And from the words of my groaning, what a suffering he endured. Congregation, the next time you feel as though God has departed from you, remember the suffering of our Lord Jesus Christ. He experienced the agonies of hell as he hung from the cross. And now, when you feel alone and forsaken, you may approach the throne of grace and you may be assured that the Lord hears your supplication. He will not ignore you. He will not turn away. He will not allow the enemy to prevail. He will listen and respond to your cries. In his time of discouragement, David turned to the throne of grace. Consider and hear me. Oh, Lord, my God, enlighten my eyes. Let's I sleep the sleep of death. Let's my enemy say I have prevailed against him. As David turned to the throne of grace, so you need to turn to the throne of grace, he won't leave you on your own in the pit of despair. As you come to him through Jesus Christ, he will reassure you of his loving kindness. He will send away the dark clouds. He will lift you from the pits and he will set your feet on solid ground. That is what we see in verses five and six. Of Psalm 13, the Lord enabled David to regain a sense of God's presence, so he's able to sing of the goodness of the Lord. In verses five and six, we see the psalmist moving from the pit of discouragement and the prayer of dependence to the peace of deliverance. From the pit of discouragement and the prayer of dependence to the peace of deliverance. Please follow along at verse five, verse five. But I trust in your unfailing love, my heart rejoices in your salvation. I will sing to the Lord, for he has been good to me. The first two verses of this song are like a raging storm. David's anxious, he's troubled, he's in an emotional whirlwind, the wind is blowing, the waves are tossing him up and down and there seems to be nothing but darkness. But when you come to these last two verses, everything changes. In verses 5 and 6, a storm is abated. There is a wonderful calm. Peace is restored. The darkness is lifted. The discouragement is passed. The fog has rolled away. David says, verse 5, I trust in your unfailing love or I trust in your mercy. That word unfailing love also translated mercy in verse five is a word that describes God's covenant faithfulness. I have trusted in your covenant faithfulness, Lord, you have bound yourself to your people, you have entered into a relationship with your people, you have committed yourself to your people, and I trust your promises. I will not be forgotten forever. You will not continue to hide your face from me. You will not leave me forever in sorrow. You will not allow my enemies to be exalted over me. People of God, it was through prayer that David was able to move from the confusion at the beginning of this song to the confidence expressed at the end. David's recovered trust in God came by means of prayer. The fog lifted, the storm ceased and the terrible feelings of abandonment were taken away. He was able to see that God is indeed faithful. My heart rejoices in your salvation, verse five, you see those words. My heart rejoices in your salvation, he was reminded of the gospel. He was reminded that God has a power to save sinners. He was assured of the Lord's saving grace. Congregation, that is what we need in our times of sorrow and affliction. We need to have our minds fixed on the gospel, the gospel, the gospel. The Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. We need to have our mind fixed on the covenant faithfulness of our Lord. We need gospel saturated minds. He does not leave his people. He does not forsake us, even though we may feel as though he has forsaken us at times. He is always present. Those who are purchased with the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ can never perish. Jesus said in John chapter 10, I give them eternal life and they shall never perish. Neither shall anyone snatch them out of my hand. My father who has given them to me is greater than all and no one is able to snatch them out of my father's hand. In our times of spiritual discouragement, we need to pray that the Lord would enlighten our eyes to the preciousness of the gospel. Christ does not forsake his sheep. Christ does not forsake those for whom he died. When circumstances drag us down and the trials of life seem to be more than we can bear, the Lord continues to be with us. The Apostle Paul was able to say, Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? In all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that nothing, nothing shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. When we focus on Christ, when we focus on the gospel, when we focus on the promises of scripture, then we can say, my heart rejoices in your salvation. I will sing to the Lord because he has dealt bountifully with me. He has been good to me. The Lord removes the clouds of discouragement and he enables his people to praise him. David says, I will sing to the Lord. I will use my voice for the praise of his excellent name. I will use the voice that he has given me to worship. To worship. Brothers and sisters, this morning you have before you a visible sign of God's covenant faithfulness. He provides for you a table in the wilderness. He provides for you the sacrament of the Lord's Supper by which He says, I have not forgotten you. I have not forsaken you. I have not hidden my face from you. I have not left you to wallow in the mud. I have not left you to be devoured by the enemy. I have not left you to sleep the sleep of death. The bread represents my body. The cup represents my blood. Through the bread and the wine, I remind you that I've given my life for you. I was cursed for you. I entered the darkness of hell for you. I was forsaken for you. And now through this sacrament, I declare to you the forgiveness of sin. Through faith in me, all your sins are forgiven and you will behold my face forever in the kingdom of God. You will behold my glory and you will never, ever lose the sense of my presence and blessing. Brothers and sisters, the Lord's Supper is God's pledge to his people that he will never forsake us. He will never leave us. We may come to his table and be fed and refreshed. We may come to be strengthened in our faith. If you're spiritually weary this morning, the Lord says, come and I will strengthen you. If you're spiritually low, the Lord says, come and I will lift you up. If you're spiritually discouraged, the Lord says, come and I will comfort your soul. Look to your Savior, congregation, trust in his mercy. And as David said, my heart shall rejoice in your salvation. I will sing to the Lord because he has dealt bountifully with me. He has been good to me. The mercies of the Lord are great, his loving kindness never fails. If there is anyone here this morning who is suffering what David suffered in verses one and two, if there is anyone here who feels forsaken by God, know that the Lord can bring you to verses five and six. He can move you from verses one and two to verses five and six. He can fill your heart and mouth with songs of deliverance. The Lord is able to bring you from despair to praise. He is able to turn your darkness into light. He can pull you out of the pit and give you peace. Praise be to God that we have a Savior who loves the sheep. Trust in Him. Pour out your heart before Him. Bring your sorrows to Him. And He will lift you up. For He is a God of abundant mercy. Let us pray.