Well, it's good to be here. Good morning, everyone. A young preacher got up to he was preaching on the Sunday morning, and before Sunday, he went to his senior pastor and he said, I'm looking forward to preaching, but I get so nervous. And when I get nervous, I get so forgetful, and I just like my heart is racing, and any tips for me? And the senior pastor said, sure, son, sure you speak to people like that, Andrew. Sure, son. What you need is an icebreaker. And once you get the icebreaker right, uh people will be in sync with what you're saying. So he said, say something like this on Sunday. Get up and say, before I start, I have a confession to make. He said, that'll get people's attention, eyes will widen and people will sit up straight. Say, before I start, I have a confession to make. Yesterday, in the evening, I found myself in the arms of another man's wife. I'm telling you, people will start listening. Wives will know to their husbands, they'll wake up and it'll be all ears. And then say, it was my mother. So the young fellow said, Okay, I'll give it my best shot. But he's very, very nervous. Sunday morning comes, he stands up, and he says, Um, before I start, I have a confession to make. Everyone listened. He said, Yesterday, in the evening, I found myself in the arms of another man's wife. Wow, people were wide-eyed. And then he said, Oh my goodness, for the life of me, I can't remember who it was. Okay, here's my icebreaker. Here's my icebreaker. If you live long enough, you'll suffer from heart disease. And go, well, that's not a very good icebreaker. That's my warm opening line. If you live long enough, you'll suffer the pain of arthritis. If you live long enough, you'll be bereaved, or you'll die first and bereave someone else. If you live long enough, more than once, you will find yourself in a circumstance that you have no idea how you got yourself into, no idea how to get out of, and you'll say, Oh my goodness, how did this happen? If you live long enough, you will experience seasons of discouragement and confusion and perplexity that will leave you scratching your head in bewilderment. And God invariably does his best work in the midst of that kind of mess. Just gonna get my bearings for a minute. I break my shoulder a year ago, and every now and again I have a nerve pain that leaves me very, very dizzy. Just hang on one tick. I think I'm gonna be okay. I don't want to fall over in front of you. Really, I don't want to break the other shoulder. That's my biggest concern. God invariably does his best work in the midst of mess. For me, there's nothing more discouraging than when I meet someone who says, Well, I never get discouraged. And then I think, am I just a shallow person? Am I just not as spiritual as you? But I don't think it's that. God has made us complex beings. We are spiritual, emotional, physical, neurological, psychological beings. And when we're stretched in one domain, we're stretched in other domains. So that if we're physically tired, if I get exhausted, well, I don't sleep very well. And when I don't sleep very well, I find that I have aches and pains. And when I don't sleep very well, I find that my relationships are stretched and I get moody. And you can ask my wife about this sometimes. She says, you're not sleeping well because you're not yourself, because you're stretched in that domain. And when I'm tired, I can't be bothered reading the Bible, and I can't be bothered spending time in prayer, and other domains are stretched, and so on. Today I want us to look at a psalm written by a man named Asaph who helps us understand what happens to us at times like that. He helps us understand what happens to us in times of perplexity or times of confusion or times of discouragement. It's Psalm 77, it's a wonderful psalm, it's a song, a song for times of perplexity. Asaf was one of the great musicians of his day. I suppose there were three. Three musicians who rose to great prominence at that time in Israel, and he was quite the phenomenon. Oh, thanks, brother. That's very, very kind. Thank you. Not that I can actually bend down and pick it up because of my shoulder, but at least I know it's there. If I do fall over, at least I'll get a lick it or something. It's like really thanks. I'll call on you to pass it to me if I need it, and thank you very much. So he's a musician, he's one of the three great musicians of his day. He reaches phenomenal prominence, and here's why it's good to hear from him this morning. Because he's an artist. And arty people, generally speaking, wear their hearts on their sleeve. I'm not one of those people. I'm stiff upper lip. We were British. I'm British born and raised by very British parents in the northern suburbs of Adelaide, where Jimmy Barnes comes from. That's my side of town. I'm born on the I'm living on the wrong side of the tracks. It's my but what happens around the kitchen table stays at the kitchen table, you don't share with other people. But ASAP is an artist. And generally speaking, arty people say it like it is. They're capable of great heights and vulnerable to great depths. That's helpful for the rest of us because they say it like it is. And here, we don't know if he's writing on the basis of some national problem that is affecting him personally or if it's a personal crisis in his life, but either way, you wait and see what ASAF has in store for you this morning. It's a wonderful psalm. It's divided neatly into two halves, and the first half, ASAF shares three things that happened to us in a season of confusion or a season of perplexity and discouragement. It goes like this three things that happen to us in times of discouragement, I guarantee you will relate to at least one of them, maybe all three. Here's the first thing that happens, he says, You can't get through to God. Look at verses one to three. I cried out to God for help. I cried out to God to hear me. When I was in distress, I sought the Lord. At night I stretched out untiring hands, and I would not be comforted. I remembered you, O God, and I groaned. I meditated, and my spirit grew faint. Here's the first thing that happens in seasons of discouragement. You can't get through to God. At least that's how it feels. Now we know that God is the consummate listener. His ears are attentive to the cries of his children all the time. There is never a time when God will turn away from you and say, I'm not interested in how you're doing and what you have to say. But in seasons of discouragement, when life is perplexing, when things aren't going the way you think they should go, it can feel as if you can't get through to God. You dial heaven and there's no answer. And so he says, I remembered you, O God, and I groaned. You're not meant to groan when you remember God. But that's how it feels sometimes. And there are different causes for that kind of feeling. Let me give you a few examples. Let's take Christian kids. Christian kids, for example. As they grow up, initially they believe what we want them to believe. They're our kids. We're their parents. We're stamping them with our beliefs and our habits and our lifestyle. That's a good thing. But there comes a day when we release them. That's why we're raising them. In order to release them into adulthood and we release them into university settings or into a job, out of the home, unprotected as it were, and sometimes things don't go the way we hope they will. Now it's incumbent upon them to make decisions for themselves. What do I actually believe? Is that just because mum and dad believe it, or do I own this thing? And they have to wrestle with what they believe for themselves. And sometimes things don't go the way their parents hope they will go. If you're a parent, you know that no one cares about your kids more than you do. You're a grandparent like I am. I became a grandparent for the third time two weeks ago. Yeah, I know, I'm so happy. We have a four and a half-year-old and a two-year-old, and now a newborn. They're siblings. In fact, Francesca Joy was born on my birthday two weeks ago. I know. I said to my daughter, I can't wait to see what you get me next year. It's gonna be great. I'm going for twins. No one cares about our kids more than we do. How many parents have put their head on their pillow crying out to God for their kids? Lord, do you care? They're not walking the path I long for them to walk. Or take differing worldviews. So that if you meet someone whose worldview believes there is no absolute truth, that all that is in the world is matter and energy and nothing else, well, when those people are confronted by the astonishing claims of Christ, they have no framework through which to filter those claims. So when the Lord Jesus says, I tell you the truth, you have to be born a second time before you can see the kingdom of God. They're saying, What? That makes zero sense. Or Jesus says, before Abraham was, I am. He's claiming to exist before any other human being existed, and not only exist at that point in time, but for all eternity. Before Abraham was born, I eternally existed. People go, that makes zero sense. They have no spiritual framework by which to evaluate those claims. Jesus says, This gospel of mine will be preached as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come. They're saying, What do you mean the end will come? What are you talking about? Jesus is speaking about spiritual realities. And for those people to come to Christ, they have to abandon their entire worldview. It's very difficult for those people to grasp something spiritual when they don't think in that space. And you're desperate for them to come to know Jesus. And so you're lying in bed, I cried out to God for help, I cried out for God to hear me. In the middle of the night, I'm saying, Are you there, Lord? If I care about those people, what about you? Sometimes discouragement can be generated by something as simple as lack of sleep. Anyone relate? Working too hard, three little kids at home, the rat race, the excessively fast pace of life, getting everyone to every event on time through the taxi service you run, or elusive milestones for those of us who are studying, the study load, just not getting enough sleep. And sometimes the most godly thing in all the world you can do is to get a good night's sleep. Lord, I'm at my wit's end, I'm exhausted. Hello. Just feel like I can't get through to God. Sometimes an experience like this, discouragement is simply the byproduct of a thousand little choices. Nobody wakes up in the morning and says, I think I'll be discouraged today. Oh, you know what I'm gonna do today? I'm gonna have a lousy day today. Nobody wakes up saying that. Instead, what happens, she just stops reading her Bible. Or he just stops praying. Or they never have a serious conversation with anyone about anything, or they make nasty little choices at tax time, but financial integrity goes down the drain. Or they never allow anyone to speak into their lives. It's just a thousand little choices, starts playing around with pornography, just a little thing, denies the right of others to advise them on anything, and they end up confused and discouraged and even in despair. I stretched out untiring hands and my soul refused to be comforted. Sometimes discouragement can be the result of shattered expectations. Ever had that one? Where you believe something will happen and that thing doesn't happen, well, it can change the way you look at things. And if what you believe will happen is for what you believe are biblical reasons and that thing doesn't happen, it can be very discouraging, very perplexing. I remembered you, oh God, and I groaned. First thing that happens in a season of discouragement, you can't get through to God. Silence. Nothing tests your faith more than nothing. Of course God hears. Of course he is attentive, but it doesn't feel like that at times like this. Here's the second thing that happens in seasons of discouragement. You retreat into a shell. It's the next lot of three verses. Verse 4, you kept my eyes from closing. I was too troubled to speak. I thought about the former days, the years of long ago, I remembered my songs in the night, my heart meditated, and my spirit in quiet. You retreat into a shell. See what happens in those verses? He says, You lose your sleep, you kept my eyes from closing. You lose your friendliness, I was too troubled to speak. Not to God, you already gave up on God in verses 1 to 3. Now we can't even be bothered speaking to each other. You lose your friendliness and you lose your perspective. I thought about the former days, the years of long ago. Remember the good old days? Remember how good it was back then? If only it was like that now. How many of you remember the good old days? When the kids were screaming all night? Before microwave ovens, before air conditioning in a car. The good old days, we we think they were so good and we long for them again. Before Brisbane won three in a row. The good old days. Now feeling discouraged is not a sin, but it can lead to sin. And here you you kind of just like retreat into a shell. You're like, I just can't be bothered with people anymore. We lose our sleep, we lose our friendliness, we lose our perspective. Here's the third thing that happens. He says, You begin to question God. This is very interesting. Have a look at verse 7. Will the Lord reject forever? Will he never show his favor again? Has his unfailing love vanished forever? Has his promise failed for all time? Has God forgotten to be merciful? Has he in anger withheld his compassion? Look at the emphasis. Forever, never again, forever, for all time. Third thing that happens, you begin to question God. Here's a question for you. Is it wrong to ask God questions? Is it wrong to say, Lord, I thought you wanted me to pursue this relationship and it's gone belly up? Lord, can you help me understand what's happening? What's going on? Is that wrong to ask God that? Lord, I thought you wanted me to pursue this course in life, but now you've got me heading in this direction, then that's not how I planned it. In fact, everything I studied and everything I worked for was for that, and you've got me over here, Lord. What are you doing? Is it wrong to ask God questions? No. So what's the problem? The problem is questions can very easily become accusations. And I think that's what our friend Asaph has a problem with here. Will the Lord reject forever? Has his unfailing love vanished forever? Has his promise failed for all time? Is God forgotten? His questions easily become accusations. God, you are fickle. God, you are forgetful. God, you are furious. And all of a sudden, he finds himself accusing God of things God is not. And that's the slippery slope we find ourselves on in seasons of discouragement. It's thin ice. We can easily transition from asking questions to blaming God. And then the psalm turns on a hinge right in the middle in verse 10. And here Asaf gives us three things we can do, three steps we can take to begin to come out of a series a season of discouragement. Three simple little things. I'm gonna ask you at the end to think about which one of these can you put into place, or which two of these, or which three of these can you put into practice when you find yourself in a season of discouragement or Perplexity, confusion, uncertainty. Very practical psalm. Here it is, verse 10. Then I thought. So the psalm now turns on this hinge. Three steps you can put in place to come out of a season of discouragement. Here's the first one: put your will in charge, not your emotions. Here's what he writes. Then I thought, to this I will appeal. The years when the Most High stretched out his right hand, I will remember the deeds of the Lord. Yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago. I will consider all your works and meditate on all your mighty deeds. Four times. I will, I will, I will, I will. Put your will in charge, not your emotions. In times of struggle, we tend to operate in the realm of the emotions and not the realm of the will. And here ASAF says, put your will in charge, not your emotions. A few months ago, Sally was preaching and she referred to the Olympic Games. Do you remember that wonderful talk you gave, Sally? She said, not one of those gold medalists got there by accident. Do you remember her saying that? It was the Olympic Games. We were the winners. In fact, we got more than double the gold medals of the next closest rival, which is England. Commonwealth Games. They invented the Commonwealth. Turns out they're not very good at it. We doubled, doubled their score. We're very good at it. She said no one runs a hundred meters in under 10 seconds by accident. No one lifts the heaviest weights by accident. Nobody swims faster than every other swimmer by accident. It's an act of the will. She talked about the early morning training sessions. Summer, autumn, winter, or spring, rain, hail, or shine. 4 a.m. day after day, week after week. I will, I will, I will, I will put your will in charge, not your emotions. Had a phone call from a lady a few years ago into the office and she said, Hi Simon, my name's Julie. We've never met, but I know God has put mission on my heart. And I've come across a group of people in the world who've never heard of Jesus. And I'd like to go there and tell them the gospel of Jesus Christ. I said, Julie, that's amazing. Tell me your story. She said, Well, she said, Well, it's been a rough old story, actually. I um I'm an Aussie. I grew up, I wasn't brilliant at school, but I gained an education. I married, I married the wrong man. We had kids, I was very abused, so were my children. It was a very, very difficult season. Eventually, after many years, we divorced, but I still never felt free. I just didn't feel free to remarry. I didn't feel free to pursue mission as a Christian. Somehow that held me back. But I knew that this is what God had for me ultimately. One day my ex-husband died, and then I felt free. And so I went to Bible college, I did a year of study, and now I'm approaching you. Can I serve in mission? I said, Oh my goodness. Can you serve in mission? You've got to be kidding. Sounds amazing. I said, tell me more. She said, I just took a step and then another step and another step until God opened the door and made the way clear for me. I will, I will, I will, I will. By the way, she just finished with us as a missionary after she had six or seven years. Guess how old she was when she made that phone call? 75? I know, unbelievable. She said, I will, I will, I will, I will, until God made it happen. So here's the first thing, it's a very practical thing. Put your will in charge, not your emotions. Here's the second thing to do in a season of discouragement or perplexity. Start praising the Lord. Now Asaph, as opposed to the first half of the Psalm, is speaking to God. Before he was speaking about God, now he's speaking to God, and he says this your ways, God, are holy. What God is as great as our God? You are the God who performs miracles. You display your power among the peoples. With your mighty arm you redeemed your people, the descendants of Jacob and Joseph. Put your will in charge, not your emotions. Secondly, start praising the Lord. You say, wait a minute. Is this hypocrisy? You can't get through to God, you retreat into a shell, you begin to question God, and now you're saying, just like, Praise God? Is this hypocrisy? No. Where do you read in the Bible, praise the Lord? As long as you feel like it. Bless the Lord, O my soul, when everything's going your way. It doesn't read like that, does it? Paul says, rejoice in the Lord always. And again, for emphasis' sake, I'll say it. Rejoice when the sun is out and when it's dark outside, rejoice. When the kids are tucked away safe in bed, but you're not sure, or when you're not sure where they are, praise the Lord. Praise the Lord. Start praising the Lord, whether you feel like it or not. We just sang it this morning. If Andrew were here, he'd sing it again for us because he's got a wonderful voice. I do not, but we just sang, as long as God gives me breath, as long as I have breath, I will praise the Lord. I do what is right, even when it doesn't feel right, because it is right and it will eventually feel right. Praise the Lord, even when it's counterintuitive. That's what He's teaching us here. Just would you do me a little favor? Turn, look, look around at a few people nearby. Oh, watch your heads turning. Look at somebody, it might be a family member or a friend, someone you know really well, or a complete stranger, just look around. They're a bit weird, aren't they? And that's what they're thinking about you. Yeah, Christians are a bit odd. If you're a Christian, listen to this. You feel supreme love for someone you've never met. You talk intimately every day to someone you can't see. You expect to go to heaven because of what someone else has done. You empty yourself in order to be full. You admit you're wrong so that you can be declared right. You go down in order to go up. You're strongest when you're weakest, you're richest when you're poorest, you're the happiest when you feel the worst, you die so you can live, you forsake in order to have, you give away so you can keep, you see the invisible, hear the inaudible, and know something that human minds on their own cannot know. Everything is turned upside down when you know Jesus. Everything is on its head. The world is topsy-turvy. It's actually right way up when you know Jesus. So even if it feels counterintuitive and a bit weird, start praising the Lord. He's worthy of your praise. If you're discouraged or confused or not quite sure what tomorrow holds, start praising the Lord. Trust me, you wait and see what God will do if you do. Here's the final thing. So first put your will in charge, not your emotions. Start praising the Lord. And here's the third thing. Remember some great thing that God has done in the past. These are the last five verses. The waters saw you, God. The waters saw you and writhed. The very depths were convulsed. You tell me after what's he talking about? The clouds poured down water, the heavens resounded with thunder, your arrows flashed back and forth, your thunder was heard in the whirlwind, your lightning lit up the world, the earth trembled and quaked. Here it comes. Your path led through the sea. Your way through the mighty waters, though your footprints were not seen. You led your people like a flock by the hand of Moses and Aaron. What's he talking about? The crossing of the Red Sea. Some remarkable thing that God had done in the past, and he recalls it. Remember some great thing that God has done. You know, the Psalms are largely poetry, and so it's difficult to know if he's expounding on the experience, or if we have here a record of what it might have been like when those warders parted and the children of Israel escaped from Egypt. Either way, it's about the crossing of the Red Sea, some great thing that God had done. And if you're feeling a little on the discouraged side, or a bit confused, a bit uncertain about what to do next, if you're discouraged or perplexed, remember some great thing that God has done, either throughout history or in your own life. Why? Because Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. What God was, he still is. What he's done, he can do. Remember some great thing God has done. It will anchor your soul, it will restore your heart that Andrew was speaking of earlier today. Remember what God has done. There are several characteristics that belong to God and only to God, and they've been rehearsed many times from this platform. For example, God is omniscient, he knows everything at the same time, all the time. There's nothing our God does not know. He is omnipotent, he can do anything and everything without ever depleting his own energy source, his own strength. He's not tired after he's done something. He's omniscient, he's omnipotent, he's omnipresent. It means he's everywhere at the same time. You can go anywhere. The psalmist, other psalmists speak of this: heaven, hell, left, right, east, west, north, south, up, down, the oceans, the land, doesn't matter where you go, God is there. But here's another characteristic that belongs only to God. It's what makes him God. He is immutable. He cannot be mutated. He says of himself, I am the Lord, and I do not change. So remember something great God has done in the past. Don't just think about the negative side of things. Remember who God is because he never changes. It's a very practical psalm, isn't it? A psalm for practical living. All of us experience times of perplexity and discouragement. Where we can't get through to God, or at least that's how it feels, and we retreat into ourselves and we just can't be bother with others. We begin to question God and wonder if he knows what he's doing. But then we can put our will in charge, not our emotion. Start praising the Lord and remember who our great God is. I wonder if one of those three very practical tips resonate with you. What could you put in place from today on? I'm gonna do I'm gonna do this from now on when I'm feeling that way, and see what God does. Or maybe all three of those things. And be amazed at what God will do. Let's pray.