Finding Hope in Desperate Crises

You have heard of the proverbial “Out of the frying pan, into the fire!”  Just when you breathe a sigh of relief that you dodged that bullet…

In a crisis it is hard to find hope.  This week we take another look at David as he faced a crisis that took him to the brink of death at the hands of his own troops.  What he did next is a lesson for us in finding hope in a desperate crisis. 1 Samuel 30 is where you will find the account.  We need to seek to hear God’s voice to each of us, because another proverb reminds us that “As sparks fly upward, so man is born to trouble.”  Or the one that goes, “Mama said it was goin’ to rain!”

Where will you find hope in a desperate crisis?  Our focus this week will be on dealing with fear as followers of Christ.

Sermon Notes

Series: Finding Hope When Your Life is on Fire!
Message: Finding Hope in Desperate Crises
Pastor Roger Freeman
August 15, 2021
1 Samuel 30

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I Find Hope in Desperate Crises When I:

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1. Remember God’s Promises

1 Samuel 30:6

a) identity
b) experience
Psalm 56:4
Psalm 56:11
1 Samuel 30:6
c) relationship
‘The God of Israel’-that is wide, general; and a man might use it and yet fail to feel that it implied that each individual of the community stood by himself in a personal relation to God.
Alexander McLaren
Think, too, of the contrast of the thoughts and emotions suggested by ‘My God,’ and by ‘the God of Abraham, and of Isaac, and of Jacob.’ Great as that name is, it carries the mind away back into the past, and speaks of a historical relation in former days, which may or may not continue in all its tenderness and sweetness and power into the prosaic present. Alexander McLaren
Psalm 23:1
Psalm 73:23-26
Psalm 18:2
Psalm 27:1
Psalm 31:1-5
Psalm 27:14
Psalm 31:24
d) overcoming fear and anxiety
When anxiety strikes, we focus so much on the situation and our feelings that we lose focus on God, or we accept a skewed view of God.
Bob Kellemen
Ephesians 6:10
John 14:27
Psalm 23:1
1 Samuel 30:6

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2. Recognize God’s Direction

Finding God’s direction involves:
Command – “Do everything without grumbling or disputing.” (Phil. 2:14)
Principle – “Through love serve one another.” (Gal. 5:13)
Example – “It was not because we do not have that right, but to give you in ourselves an example to imitate.” (2 Thess. 3:9)
Wisdom - “A wise son hears his father’s instruction.” (Prov. 13:1)
Counsel – “Without counsel plans fail, but with many advisers they succeed.” (Prov. 15:22)
Choice – “The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps.” (Prov. 16:9)

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3. Reflect God’s Character

1 Samuel 30:23
1 Samuel 30:20
Philippians 2:1-2

Less a model for morality and more a mirror for identity.
Sidney Greidanus

When I find myself in a crisis, where do I find hope?
Remember God’s Promises. “The Lord is MY shepherd!” I belong to Christ!
Recognize God’s Direction. Our choices are made in the context of faith in Christ!
Reflect God’s Character. We are a community bound together by life in Christ!