Andrew & Anne Fountain - How We Should Bring our Complaints to God (Psalms 54, 142)

• A third of the book of Psalms is devoted to bringing complaints to God.
• But the form of these complaints is very specific.
• By giving us so many psalms in this form, God is telling us that he wants to hear the honest cries of our heart,
• but also teaching us how he wants us to bring complaints to him.

Sermon Outline - How We Should Bring our Complaints to God

A. Anne – Psalm 54

1. To the choirmaster: with stringed instruments.
   A Maskil of David, when the Ziphites went and told Saul, “Is not David hiding among us?”
   •  
   O God, save me by your name,
   and vindicate me by your might.
2. O God, hear my prayer;
   give ear to the words of my mouth.
3. For strangers have risen against me;
   ruthless men seek my life;
   they do not set God before themselves. Selah
4. Behold, God is my helper;
   the Lord is the upholder of my life.
5. He will return the evil to my enemies;
   in your faithfulness put an end to them.
6. With a freewill offering I will sacrifice to you;
   I will give thanks to your name, O LORD,
   for it is good.
7. For he has delivered me from every trouble,
   and my eye has looked in triumph on my enemies.

1 Samuel 23

19. Then the Ziphites went up to Saul at Gibeah, saying, “Is not David hiding among us in the strongholds at Horesh, on the hill of Hachilah…
    and our part shall be to surrender him into the king’s hand.”
21. And Saul said…
23. “See therefore and take note of all the lurking places where he hides, and come back to me with sure information. Then I will go with you. And if he is in the land, I will search him out among all the thousands of Judah.”
25. And Saul and his men went to seek him. And David was told, so he went down to the rock and lived in the wilderness of Maon. And when Saul heard that, he pursued after David in the wilderness of Maon.
    …

Psalm 54

•  
  1. To the choirmaster: with stringed instruments.
     A Maskil of David, when the Ziphites went and told Saul, “Is not David hiding among us?”

1. Aaargh! – cry out to God
   •  O God, save me by your name,
      and vindicate me by your might.
   2. O God, hear my prayer;
      give ear to the words of my mouth.
2. Because… – the problem
   
   3. For strangers have risen against me;
      ruthless men seek my life;
      they do not set God before themselves. Selah
3. Confidence – statement of trust
   
   4. Behold, God is my helper;
      the Lord is the upholder of my life.
4. Do… – the actual prayer: please God do this…
   
   5. He will return the evil to my enemies;
      in your faithfulness put an end to them.
5. End with thanks & praise
   
   6. With a freewill offering I will sacrifice to you;
      I will give thanks to your name, O LORD,
      for it is good.
   7. For he has delivered me from every trouble,
      and my eye has looked in triumph on my enemies.

1 Samuel 23 Cont’d

26. Saul went on one side of the mountain, and David and his men on the other side of the mountain. And David was hurrying to get away from Saul.
    As Saul and his men were closing in on David and his men to capture them,
27. a messenger came to Saul, saying, “Hurry and come, for the Philistines have made a raid against the land.”
28. So Saul returned from pursuing after David and went against the Philistines. Therefore that place was called the Rock of Escape.
29. And David went up from there and lived in the strongholds of Engedi.

B. Andrew – Psalm 142

Psalm 142

A skillful song of David, when he was in the cave.
A Prayer.

1. Aaargh! – cry out to God

With my voice I cry out to the LORD;
      with my voice I plead for mercy to the LORD.
I pour out my complaint before him;
      I tell my trouble before him.
When my spirit faints within me,
      you know my way!

2. Because… – the problem

In the path where I walk
      they have hidden a trap for me.
Look to the right and see:
      there is none who takes notice of me;
no refuge remains to me;
      no one cares for my soul.

3. Confidence – statement of trust

I cry to you, O LORD;
      I say, “You are my refuge,
           my portion in the land of the living.”

4. Do… – the actual prayer: please God do this…

Attend to my cry,
      for I am brought very low!
Deliver me from my persecutors,
      for they are too strong for me!
Bring me out of prison,
      that I may give thanks to your name!

5. End with thanks & praise

The righteous will surround me,
      for you will deal bountifully with me.

C. Anne – Psalms are organized

D. Andrew – Complaining to God

• The most important thing is we take our complaints to him and not just moan.
  • God never, ever repremands anyone for bringing complaints directly to him, and trusting that he has listened.
  • And some of the complaint Psalms are brutally honest about how upset the writer is, sometimes upset with God
    • Yet God wanted these very complaints to be preserved for us

E. Anne – Story of 142, plus my complaint

F. Andrew – closing prayer

• This does not have to be rigid!
• It is the principles that are important
• Many of the complaint Psalms are slight variations of this structure
• We want you to try it this week. Here are the steps:

Updated on 2020-05-24 by Andrew & Anne Fountain