Pastor Elwin Ahu
May 7, 2006 - W0619

How many of you are parents? God Bless you all! How many of you are parents of toddlers like 3 year olds? Double anointing on you! Parents can easily relate to giving their all for their children they love so dearly. We give so much in our workplace or our marriages. At times, we begin to wonder if we are valued or even if it is worth the effort. It can be frustrating to be a parent, worker, or spouse. And frustration can sometimes make us ask: Is God really there? You are not alone because a study shows that over eighteen million Americans a year suffer through depression. In fact, even the Bible is filled with stories of people going through periods of struggle and frustration. Imagine Moses leading two million on the exodus. He must have been frustrated along the way. If you recall, Jesus Himself became frustrated as He overturned the tables of the money changers. He probably was even more annoyed with His disciples because they seemed to be missing His message and never fully understood until He died.

So we can be assured we too will be frustrated at times. Yet how can we turn that around and be encouraged through Him in the midst of those dark times? One of the greatest examples from the Bible of a person who demonstrates the ability to turn struggles around is King David. His story begins with him being anointed as Israel’s next king when only a teen. Now even though Saul was the present King, because of Saul’s disobedience God begins to remove His hand from him. As David became more popular, King Saul is jealous and attempts to murder David. However, David escaped and though he had at least two opportunities to kill Saul, he chose not to out of respect for God’s chosen. In desperation, David escapes to Philistine country and settles in Ziklag. Later he even joined with the Philistine army until they finally rejected him out of fear David would turn on them. After all David was once an officer in King Saul’s army. So David and his men were forced to go back to Ziklag, but found it completely destroyed and their families kidnapped by the Amalekites.

Remember that God instructed King Saul to destroy the Amalekites, but Saul disobeyed by allowing them to live. And because of his disobedience, David was faced with that situation. Not only that, David’s own men turned on him and threatened to stone him because they were bitter over the loss of their families. The amazing thing is that though David was completely blameless, he did not blame God and remained ever faithful.

“Moreover David was greatly distressed because the people spoke of stoning him, for all the people were embittered, each one because of his sons and his daughters.  But David strengthened himself in the Lord his God.” (1 Sam. 30:6) Instead of being angry with God, David found strength and encouragement in God and went on to wipe out the Amalekites and rescue their families. So how can we begin to move beyond our struggles and frustrations as David did? Here are three steps we can follow. The first is…

1.     FOCUS FIRST ON GOD, NOT YOUR CIRCUMSTANCES.

Even though David was blameless, he suffered loss and some would say had every right to be angry with God. Instead he chose to focus on God. “Then David said to … the priest…‘Please brings me the ephod.’ So [he] brought the ephod to David.” (1 Sam. 30:7) In those days, the ephod was an ornamental vest the priests would wear when the people wanted a word from God. So David brought himself before the presence of God before doing anything else. He allowed God to check his motives before pursuing the Amalekites. Not only that, it allowed him to settle his spirit and receive God’s instruction. The same is true for us. When we are in trouble, we need to take time to sit before God and ask Him to check our motives. Is it clean? Is it something that will bring glory to His name or is it something we want out of our own desires? Coming before Him helps us to settle our spirits when the circumstances around us are so chaotic.  

I counseled a woman whose friend had committed suicide. She was depressed, confused, and frustrated; she couldn’t understand why this happened.  The only way I could answer her was to bring her back to the Lord. We too may face circumstances that are so overwhelming that it causes us to freeze. We don’t know what to do or where to turn. I call it paralysis by analysis which simply means we tend to focus on our circumstances rather than God. It is like a technique lion tamers uses to distract a lion. Lions cannot focus on too many things at once so when a lion tamer points a four-legged stool at a lion, it is distracted and paralyzed. In the same way, people become paralyzed when there are too many details to contend with.

The Bible shows us an incident in Martha and Mary’s life as an example. Martha was busy cleaning her house in preparation for the Lord and Mary was sitting at the feet of Jesus. Martha was frustrated and upset so she complained to the Lord and asked Him to tell Mary to help her: “But the Lord answered and said to her, ‘Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many things; but only a few things are necessary, really only one, for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her.” (Luke 10:41-42)

Mary chose to focus on the Lord. In other words, never mind about the minor details or circumstances for the moment. We must first focus on Him because His word brings order out of chaos and then we are able to move forward without distraction. So the first thing to do when everything seems chaotic and frustration is to focus on God. Allow Him to check our motives and when He knows that your motives are pure and good, He will give you further instructions. The second step to moving beyond our frustration is…

2.     SEEK GODLY SOLUTIONS NOT SCAPEGOATS.

The blame game has no winners. David’s men blamed him for their troubles. Yet, while focusing on the circumstances, the fires of their burning homes were not put out nor their families rescued. Nothing constructive was being done while they faulted David. On the other hand, David’s response instead of getting caught up in the circumstances was to turn to the Lord for solutions. “And David inquired of the Lord, saying, “Shall I pursue this band? Shall I overtake them?’ And He said to him, “Pursue, for you shall surely overtake them, and you shall surely rescue all.”’ (1 Sam. 30:8) David was not interested in finding fault not even with God. Instead he sought God’s instructions.   

I think people tend to blame others because they feel they’ll lose control if they seek God’s counsel and His word is not what they wanted to hear. Yet when we blame others or God, we essentially block Him from revealing any more to us. Instead, the Bible says: “As pressure and stress bear down on me, I find joy in Your commands.” (Ps. 119:143 NLT) and “Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.” (Ps. 37) When we delight in the Lord no matter what we are facing, it shows that we are willing to obey and thus He is able to show us our next step. Applying God’s word is wisdom. Therefore, moving beyond our frustrations …

·        REQUIRES WISDOM.

Wisdom is following through on God’s word. It’s not just about knowing His word, it requires action. The Bible says: “If you need wisdom … to know what God wants you to do, ask Him, and He will gladly tell you … but when you ask Him, be sure that you really expect Him to answer, for a doubtful mind is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. People like that should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. They can’t make up their minds. They waver back and forth in everything they do.” (Jas. 1:5-8 NLT) Someone once said, “The most miserable person is the one who is habitually indecisive”. It is like being seasick – constantly tossed back and forth. We sometimes wonder why we are in the same place or rut. We read our devotions, we seek Godly counsel, and God speaks to our hearts, yet if we don’t follow through with His instruction, how can we expect to receive anything from the Lord if we cannot make up our minds. So when God gives counsel, do it! David was willing to obey God even though everything was going wrong for him. Why? It was because David had…

3.     TRUST IN GOD’S FAITHFULNESS.

David was alone against all odds. Nevertheless, though his own men turned against him he was still willing to follow God’s instructions even if it meant going forward alone. He wasn’t sure if anyone would follow him, but he was willing to obey the Lord. And the cool thing about following the Lord and trusting in His faithfulness is that when we do, people who may have been a part of our frustrating moments will change as was true in this case. The story continues with all 600 of his men following him and retrieving everything that was lost. Furthermore, in the midst of it all David experienced even more setbacks when 200 of his men were so tired they were unable to continue with him. Still David followed God unquestioningly because he trusted God’s faithfulness. He remembered God’s faithfulness to him in the past and never allowed his emotions to take over. “Will the Lord reject forever? And will He never be favorable again? Has His lovingkindness ceased … [and] His promise come to an end forever? Has God forgotten to be gracious? …Then I said, ‘It is my grief, that the right hand of the Most High has changed.’ I shall remember the deeds of the Lord; surely I will remember Thy wonders of old.” (Ps. 77:7-11) In other words, in those frustrating moments of our lives when we feel as if God has abandoned us, it is usually our emotions, attitudes, or doubt that make it seem God has removed His hand from our lives. But remember, God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. So how do we counter those feelings of doubt? Just recall His faithfulness to us in the past.

My wife Joy faced a difficult time when our newly adopted son continued to reject. Jared was going through a process of being removed from everything he knew to something totally unfamiliar. And no matter how much Joy loved him, Jared continually pushed her away as he adjusted to his new life. Yet Joy held on to God’s promises which sustained her because she remembers His faithfulness in the past. It was what she depended on and that sustained her. You see, when we are faithful we find strength in the Lord. We are so overjoyed today because Jared is growing to love Joy as much as she loves him.

God gives us His instructions that help us move beyond those frustrating seasons by focusing first on God and not our circumstances. Then when we seek Godly solutions we will be able to resolve issues without blaming others or even blaming God. And once God shows us what to do, we must follow through for that is the essence of wisdom. Otherwise, we cannot experience all God has for our lives because essentially we block Him from revealing any more to us. Finally, trust in God’s faithfulness. Remember what He has done in the past for it will give you strength to overcome those times of struggle and thus receive His blessings.

Discussion Questions

1. Recall a time when you were frustrated. Were you focused on the Lord or your circumstance?
2. When you inquired of God, did you follow through with the Lord’s instruction? How did you know it was God’s instruction?
3. Or did you blame your situation on others or on God? How has your decision or indecision affected your life?
4. Have you moved beyond a frustrating season or are you still stuck not knowing what you should do?
5. Psalm 77 reminds us to trust in God’s faithfulness. Remember how God was faithful to you in the past. How has that sustained you even during the most difficult moments?
6. What most impacted you about today’s lesson and how will you begin to apply it to your life?