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Looking to God in difficult times

Last Sunday I had the privilege of sharing from Psalm 3, as we begun a four part series looking at some of our most beloved psalms. The question we were asking is : where do you go when you have problems? Where do you turn when your life is out of control?


King David shows us in Psalm 3 how we are to respond in difficult times. When his son Absalom came after his home and work, King David responded to the situation by declaring in Psalm 3v8 - “From the Lord comes deliverance”. Throughout the Psalm he teaches us an important principle : When life is out of control we must look to the God who controls everything!

But that is easier said than done. So how do we do it practically? There are three practical things King David teaches that we must always do!

We need a REALITY check (v1-2)

We all have a tendency to deceive ourselves about our true circumstances (“cognitive biases”). We tend to underestimate our problems. This where King David is so helpful. When David faced problems from Absalom, he admitted three things: He has many problems (1b); problems are getting worse (1a); and, the problems are getting to him (2).

David teaches us that looking to God for help starts with being honest about our true circumstances! This is hard due to our sinful nature. So having a grip on reality starts by first accepting that we are sinful people living in a sinful and broken world! But it crucially also requires us to accept that God has sent Jesus to be broken for us on the Cross! Only by looking at our broken Saviour who died for us on Calvary can we accept our own brokenness!

We need a REFOCUS on God (v3-5)

Problems in life make can make us feel “surrounded” and "powerless". And such situations can assault our confidence in God! We ask quietly, “Where is God when I need him most? When King David faced the problems from his son Absalom, he did not allow doubts to control him! David refocused his attention on God by remembering three things about God : Who God is (3); What God has already done in his life (3, 4) ; What God is doing now (5). The God of David is not silent. He is at work in the lives of His children!

David teaches us looking to God requires remembering that God is at work in all situations! If you are a follower of Christ, take courage God is at work in every detail of your life! God has already cleansed you from sin! And He now lives inside you. And has glorious future ahead! So re-focus on him and him alone! Keep looking to Him! And enjoy the blessing of his relationship

We need a RESOLVE to go on trusting God (6-8)

David’s refocus on God was a new resolve to go on trusting God for everything. Trusting God means having the fear of God and not the fear of people and circumstances (6). Trusting God means letting God stand up for you! (7). Trusting God means looking to God’s justice and not to looking to your own justice. Trusting God means even praying for your enemies (8). The story of Rose Mapendo perfectly illustrates how Christians can forgive their enemies!

David teaches us looking to God requires us to endure in our trust in God. And this God is the Lord Jesus Christ. So trusting in Jesus is rooted in the knowledge who Jesus is and what He has accomplished for us! Jesus has died for us! The more we appreciate His death, the more we trust God! Unless the cross of Jesus shapes your trust in God, you will go through life without peace & very bitter. You will outwardly claim that you love Jesus, but inside you will beset by doubts and loneliness! Only by looking to God through the lens of the cross of Christ can we face our struggles!

So in short : we need to fix our eyes on Jesus!

Copyright © Chola Mukanga 2013
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