Faithful Lament: Trusting God Amidst Suffering

Devotional

Day 1: Turning to God in Lament

In times of distress and suffering, the first and most vital step is to turn your attention away from your problems and direct your heart toward God, honestly bringing your pain and complaints before Him, trusting that He alone has the power to bring change and healing. [25:09]

Psalm 56:1-2 (ESV)
Be gracious to me, O God, for man tramples on me; all day long an attacker oppresses me; my enemies trample on me all day long, for many attack me proudly.

Reflection: When you are overwhelmed by trouble or pain, what would it look like for you to intentionally turn to God first, honestly naming your struggles to Him instead of bottling them up or venting elsewhere?

Day 2: Trusting God Above All Earthly Powers

Even when the threats and powers of this world seem more immediate and real, true security and courage come from trusting in God, whose power far surpasses anything that people or circumstances can do to us. [30:08]

Psalm 56:3-4 (ESV)
When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I shall not be afraid. What can flesh do to me?

Reflection: What is one fear or threat you are facing right now that feels overwhelming, and how can you actively choose to trust God with it today?

Day 3: God Sees and Remembers Every Tear

God intimately knows every sleepless night, every tear, and every injustice you endure; He keeps track of your pain and promises to bring justice and healing in His time. [33:07]

Psalm 56:8 (ESV)
You have kept count of my tossings; put my tears in your bottle. Are they not in your book?

Reflection: Can you recall a recent moment of pain or sorrow? Take a few minutes to bring it before God, trusting that He sees, remembers, and cares for every detail.

Day 4: Keeping Your Eyes Fixed on Jesus

The key to persevering through life’s distractions, temptations, and trials is to maintain a laser-focused pursuit of Jesus, refusing to let anything—good or bad—take your attention away from Him and the hope of His resurrection. [51:44]

Philippians 3:8-14 (ESV)
Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith—that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

Reflection: What is one distraction—whether a worry, a good thing, or a struggle—that tends to pull your focus away from Jesus, and how can you intentionally redirect your attention to Him today?

Day 5: Living Today in Light of Future Rescue

Our ultimate hope is not in temporary solutions or worldly success, but in the promised return of Jesus and the fullness of His kingdom; we are called to live today as if that future reality is already true, forgiving, reconciling, and loving in anticipation of what is to come. [01:01:40]

Hebrews 9:27-28 (ESV)
And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment, so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him.

Reflection: In what practical way can you live today as someone who is eagerly waiting for Jesus’ return—perhaps by forgiving, reconciling, or showing generosity in anticipation of His coming kingdom?

Sermon Summary

Psalm 56 gives us a window into the heart of David as he faces overwhelming danger and betrayal. Surrounded by enemies, abandoned by those he once served, David finds himself in a place where fear and anxiety are not just possibilities—they are his daily reality. Yet, in the midst of this, he models for us the practice of lament: turning to God with raw honesty, naming the pain and injustice, and refusing to sugarcoat the brokenness of life. Lament is not about wallowing in despair, but about bringing our complaints to the only One who has the power to change things. In doing so, we acknowledge both the reality of our suffering and the greater reality of God’s goodness and sovereignty.

David’s trust is not a denial of his fear, but a deliberate choice to look beyond the immediate threats to the ultimate power of God. He recognizes that while human power is visible and often feels more real, it is God’s unseen hand that is truly decisive. David’s faith is not a one-time act, but a continual returning—a cycle of fear, trust, and gratitude, even before deliverance comes. He prepares himself to thank God for salvation that has not yet arrived, speaking of God’s rescue in the past tense because he is so certain of God’s faithfulness.

This pattern finds its ultimate fulfillment in Jesus, the true Son of David. Jesus endured persecution, suffering, and death, entrusting himself to the Father who judges justly. Through his resurrection, the promise of deliverance from death becomes not just David’s hope, but ours as well. Yet, we are reminded that God’s rescue does not always look like immediate relief or worldly success. Instead, God delivers us through suffering, shaping us into the likeness of Christ and calling us to a laser-focused hope in the return of Jesus.

We are challenged to examine where our attention lies. Are we fixated on our pain, our enemies, or even good things like family and work, to the point that they distract us from Christ? The call is to fix our eyes on Jesus, trusting him to settle our accounts, to heal what is broken, and to bring about the final rescue we long for. In the meantime, we live as if that future is already true—practicing forgiveness, generosity, and reconciliation as signs of the coming kingdom.

Key Takeaways

1. Lament is a sacred practice that allows us to bring our honest complaints to God, acknowledging both the depth of our pain and the reality of God’s power. Turning to God in our frustration is itself an act of faith, declaring that only he can make things right and that the world’s brokenness is not as it should be. [25:09]
2. Trust in God is not a denial of fear or suffering, but a deliberate choice to look beyond what is visible and immediate. David’s example shows us that faith is a continual process of returning to God, even when deliverance has not yet come, and preparing our hearts to thank him for what he will do. [30:08]
3. The ultimate fulfillment of God’s promises is found in Jesus, who endured suffering and death, trusting the Father to bring justice and resurrection. Our hope is not in a pain-free life, but in the assurance that, through Christ, we will be delivered even from death itself. [39:34]
4. Distraction is one of the greatest dangers to our spiritual life. Whether it is the pain others have caused us, our own guilt, or even good things like work and family, anything that takes our eyes off Jesus can become an idol. The call is to cultivate an undistracted, laser-focused pursuit of Christ, letting everything else fall into its proper place. [49:25]
5. True faith entrusts all accounts—our hurts, our sins, and the wrongs done to us—to God, refusing to keep score or seek our own justice. Living as if God’s future promises are already true means practicing forgiveness, generosity, and reconciliation now, as signs of the kingdom that is coming. [54:21]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[19:47] - Introduction to the Psalms and Psalm 56
[21:07] - David’s Context: Fleeing Saul and Facing Enemies
[22:26] - Reading Psalm 56
[23:24] - The Pattern of Lament
[24:31] - Turning to God in Trouble
[25:53] - The Honesty of Complaint
[27:00] - Naming Injustice and Suffering
[28:06] - Innocence and Unjust Persecution
[30:08] - Trusting God Amid Visible Threats
[31:28] - Asking God to Intervene
[32:14] - God’s Intimate Care: Counting Our Tears
[35:12] - Past Tense Faith: Speaking of Future Rescue as Certain
[37:37] - Jesus as the True Fulfillment of the Psalm
[41:03] - Deliverance Through, Not Out of, Suffering
[44:07] - Where Are You Looking? The Danger of Distraction
[49:25] - Good Things as Distractions
[54:21] - Who Settles Your Accounts? Trusting God with Justice
[58:38] - What Is Your Rescue? Redefining Salvation
[61:40] - Living Today as If the Future Is Already True
[63:21] - Closing Prayer and Benediction

Bible Study Guide

Observation Questions

What specific emotions and experiences does David express in Psalm 56 as he faces danger and betrayal? ([22:26])
How does David describe his enemies and the actions they are taking against him? ([27:00])
In the psalm, what does David say about God’s awareness of his suffering and tears? ([32:14])
What shift do you notice in David’s language when he talks about God’s deliverance—does he speak in the future or past tense? ([35:12])

Interpretation Questions

Why is it significant that David brings his honest complaints and pain directly to God instead of hiding or sugarcoating them? How does this shape our understanding of lament? ([25:09])
David’s trust in God does not erase his fear. What does it mean for faith to be a “continual returning” to God, even when deliverance hasn’t come yet? ([30:08])
The sermon says that the ultimate fulfillment of Psalm 56 is found in Jesus. In what ways did Jesus model trust and lament, and how does his resurrection change the meaning of deliverance for us? ([39:34])
The sermon warns about the danger of distraction—even from good things like family or work. Why do you think these distractions can be so spiritually dangerous? ([49:25])

Application Questions

When you are overwhelmed by fear, anxiety, or betrayal, what is your first instinct—do you turn to God in honest prayer, or do you tend to hide your feelings? What would it look like to practice lament as David did? ([25:09])
David prepares himself to thank God for deliverance before it even arrives. Is there a situation in your life where you need to start thanking God in advance for what he will do? How might this change your attitude or actions this week? ([35:12])
The sermon challenges us to examine what we are most focused on—our pain, our enemies, our work, or even our family. Is there something in your life right now that is distracting you from a “laser-focused” pursuit of Jesus? What practical step can you take to shift your attention back to him? ([49:25])
Are there hurts, wrongs, or “accounts” you are still keeping against others or yourself? What would it look like to entrust these to God and practice forgiveness or reconciliation this week? ([54:21])
The sermon says that God’s rescue doesn’t always look like immediate relief or worldly success. How does this challenge your expectations of what it means for God to “save” you? ([58:38])
Living as if God’s future promises are already true means practicing forgiveness, generosity, and reconciliation now. Which of these is hardest for you, and what is one step you can take this week to live out the coming kingdom? ([01:01:40])
Think about a time when you were distracted from Jesus by something—even something good. What helped you refocus? How can your small group help each other keep your eyes on Christ? ([49:25])

Sermon Clips

But, verse 3, when I am afraid, so he is afraid here, when I am afraid, I put my trust in you. In God, whose word I praise. In God I trust, I shall not be afraid, for what can flesh do to me? So there is a clear delineation here of where his trust is. His trust is in God. And in light of what God can do, what does he have to be afraid of from a few piddly little people? [00:29:05] (36 seconds)

But a lament says, in the middle of this difficulty, I will continue to trust in the Lord. It doesn't require or it doesn't allow us to sit to dwell on our problem. but it intentionally turns our hearts to God. It also doesn't require that we just suck it up and deal with it, right? Stiff upper lip and all that. But rather he asks God to intervene. [00:31:10] (33 seconds)

Verse eight, especially, is one of the most beautiful pictures, I think, in all of scripture, where he says, you have kept count of my tossings. You ever had a sleepless night? Worried about something? You toss and you turn and the hours tick by and nothing's better but you're still tossing and turning in worry, in frustration. Have you kept count? You can. The Lord has kept count of your tossings. Those tears of anger and frustration, of sadness, of grief, of mourning. All of those tears have been caught and measured and kept track of. They're in his book. He knows them. Every last one of them. [00:32:01] (65 seconds)

Because as you read these words, all of these things that were true for David, they were even more true for Jesus. He was persecuted. underto death by the powers and principalities of this world. And he could have turned away. He could have turned away from what it was that the Lord had in store for him and sought after power, after personal safety. He could have called down legions of angels to deliver him from his persecutors. But in the face of this persecution, in the face of death itself, he continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly. [00:38:21] (43 seconds)

And it is through Jesus's fulfillment of it that we are able to lay hold of these promises. Because these things can be true for us, but they can be true for us only in and through Jesus. [00:40:00] (16 seconds)

``And in Jesus, we can face even the open maw of the grave with a simple and a calm assurance. Jesus died and rose again. And I'm with him. Jesus died and rose again. And I'm with him. I believe that he died and rose again. I believe that through his death and resurrection, I have been united to him. And that the future that he experienced is the future that I will experience as well. [00:41:19] (40 seconds)

To place our faith in Jesus is to trust him and him alone, not just for the forgiveness of our sin, but for the healing, the making right of all of what sin has broken in our lives. And we cannot trust him for one and not the other. It's a both and, not either or. [00:58:06] (21 seconds)

Because if your rescue looks like anything less, than Jesus returning and bringing the kingdom of God. kingdom of heaven here to earth, then you need to re -evaluate what it is that you are trusting in. See, as believers, we have to understand that our rescue doesn't always look like the way that the world rescues. And that's okay. It's not just okay, it's good. Because our rescue is not going to be fully realized until that day when Jesus comes back. [00:59:31] (35 seconds)

But in the end, we can, like David, speak of those things as if they have already happened. We can speak of it almost in the past tense. Because we are that certain, we are that sure, that God will fulfill his promises to us. And that is, in the end, what it means to live our lives by faith in Jesus. [01:01:14] (26 seconds)

Ask a question about this sermon

Chatbot

What is the purpose of lament in Christian faith?

How does trust in God override worldly power?

What emotional response do Psalms of lament aim to evoke?