Dwelling Place

Al Pittman: Look at the 43 years of God's faithfulness. Isn't it amazing how when we get into trouble we have spiritual amnesia, every one of us? God could deliver you right now. He's delivered you. You came this morning because you're excited God delivered you. And next week you'll be facing another trial and you'll go, "God, God, where are you?" That's when you need to sit down and be still and know that He is God and feed on His faithfulness, not on the problem.

Amen. Aren't you glad that God knows your voice? When you cry, your voice is not lost in the crowd somewhere but God distinctly knows your voice. My mother used to tell me, she said when you were a baby and you were born and they had you in the, I forget what they call it, the baby room, with a bunch of other babies and all the babies would be crying, she could always hear my voice. I have kind of a baritone voice. And so she said I could hear your voice above all the rest. Yeah, that's my baby.

And mothers, you know when your baby cries, you know that voice. You can be in a room full of babies crying but when you hear your baby's voice, something perks up. You know it. That's the way God is. Your voice is impressed upon His own heart. He remembers our voice. He knows you have a certain cry, a tone that He responds to. So David says, "Hear, Lord, my voice when I cry to You." He said, "Have mercy also upon me and answer me."

Verse 8. When You said, "Seek My face," my heart said to You, "Your face, Lord, I will seek." Do not hide Your face from me. Do not turn Your servant away in anger. You have been my help. Do not leave me nor forsake me, O God of my salvation. Verse 10. When my father and my mother forsake me, the Lord will take care of me.

Even if my mother and father would forsake me, Lord, You would take care of me. Some of us have mother and father issues in our lives. They have forsaken you. They haven't been the greatest. But God hasn't forsaken you. You have a heavenly Father. Some of us may not even know who your father was or whatever, but you have a heavenly Father. Even when our parents can forsake us and our parents are not perfect, and we who are parents are not perfect either, but when our parents fail us, God will take care of us.

David is rejoicing in that. That's where his hope lies. David is responding to God's love and God's faithfulness. What's his response to? God's love and God's faithfulness in his life. He has a history with God.

There's a phenomenon today in the workplace and maybe you read about it called quiet quitting. It's kind of interesting. Maybe you've done that on your job. If you have, you should repent. That is you show up to work. You're there in body but not in mind. You don't want to be productive. You're halfway doing your job and all of that. Don't do that. In fact, the Bible says whatever we find to do, let's do it unto the Lord. You don't like your job? I hate my job but I love Jesus, so I do a good job. Amen.

But sometimes people enter into this place of quiet quitting. They show up but they've quit within their hearts. They're not productive or anything. And I thought, Lord, that happens sometimes in the spiritual sense in the church. We stop responding to You. We've quietly quit. We show up on Sunday but we're no longer moved by Your word. We're not moved by the Holy Spirit. We're not sensitive to Your touch anymore. And we all kind of maybe go through seasons like that. But Lord, help us to respond to You in faith, to not just grow cold or allow our hearts to become stone, because God desires to give you a heart of flesh.

So God wants us to respond to Him. Bible says that we must respond to Him. Why? Because faith without works is dead and we cannot come to God unless we believe He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. And we have to diligently seek the Lord because we believe that He is worthy. We respond to Him because we believe He is worthy.

David did not allow trouble to steal his voice. Notice it says that he offered the sacrifice of joy and praise. Psalm 34:19 says, "Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers them out of them all." David knew that deliverance would come from the Lord, so he offers to the Lord a sacrifice of joy and of praise. Thus David's response by faith is this. He says, "And now my head shall be lifted up above my enemies." That's faith.

He backs up that declaration by responding to God by offering Him a sacrifice. It's a sacrifice called the sacrifice of joy and praise for a good reason, because your flesh hates it. Your flesh doesn't feel like offering God joy or expressing joy to God or praise to God when you're going through trouble. It's the last thing that in your mind you want to do because it's an offense to your mind to worship the Lord.

The devil is sitting there saying, "Why? You can't find any reason." But oh, we can find reason in Him because He's always worthy. No matter what I'm going through, He's always worthy. Whether on my sickbed or I'm in health or whatever the situation is, employed, unemployed, You are worthy of praise. That's when the atmosphere in your life spiritually speaking begins to change, when you find it within yourself and something rises up within you and says, "I will praise Him anyhow." In the face of my trouble, I will give Him the sacrifice of my joy and praise.

That's when things change in your life. Well, I'll praise God when the check gets here. That's not faith and it's not a sacrifice. But what God responds to is when we respond to Him in faith that, "God, I believe that You're a rewarder and I will praise You because You are worthy." It goes against the grain of our flesh.

Philippians chapter 4:4 Paul the apostle says, "Rejoice in the Lord always." And then just in case some of us are hard of hearing, turn up your hearing aid, "Rejoice in the Lord always, turn it up. And again I say rejoice." Just in case we missed it the first time, Paul felt compelled to say it twice. Amen. Rejoice in the Lord always and again I say rejoice.

It's more than just a feeling. It's a decision. To rejoice is a choice. It's just like marriage. All these illustrations about marriage. I've been married all my life. Amen. But I learn a lesson in marriage and that is that you have to choose to love each other. Oh, some of you remember your honeymoon. Come on. You remember when you got married. I've married a lot of people over the years and I'm always amazed how the guy is so emotional. He's reading his little written prepared statement. "When I look in your eyes, I just love you." Dude, man up.

But some of you probably cried. But that's okay. That's good. That's love. That's love. And I'm always amazed how the women are so together. "And I just want you to make sure you make enough money every year and also..." They have a list of demands. No, I'm kidding. Anyway, it's just, but the women's thing is always so succinct and so in order. The guy's crying. And then you're so in love and then you go on that honeymoon and, "Oh, it's going to be like this all the time." No, it's not.

One day you wake up and in the famous words of that prophet B.B. King... Some of you get this. Young people Google it. B.B. King was a blues singer but he had that song back in the day called "The Thrill Is Gone." You wake up that one morning and you realize thrill packed up and moved to Chicago. Thrill ain't around no more. Amen.

And what do you do then? You have to choose to love each other. Not because you feel like it, not because of anything else but the fact that I choose to love you. And for 50 years, I've chosen to love one woman and she's right here. Amen. She never had to choose to love me because she just loved me all the time. I'm so good. I'm just like that. Amen. No, the truth is that she's chosen to love me four or five times in one day. Amen. But you have to choose to love. Love is a choice. To rejoice is a choice when you're going through trouble.

Verse 8 says David says, "I'm going to choose to respond to God." He says, "Because Lord, when You said seek My face, I said to You, Lord, Your face, Lord God, I will seek." He's not hiding from God and God's not hiding from him. Jeremiah 29:13, the word of God says, and the Lord God says, "And you will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all of your heart."

Could it be that haven't been able to really commune with God because I've been seeking Him with half of my heart? Or I've been holding my joy and my praise for God until the check comes in? He said you'll seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with what? With all of your heart.

That means right now today, God is here with us. Trouble did not diminish God's sovereign power in David's life. God is waiting for our response, a response of faith. And the scripture says, "Let the redeemed say so." You've been redeemed by the blood of the Lamb. Open your mouth and praise and respond to Him. Say yes, Lord, inside your heart. God, give me the strength to do it. I can't do it on my own but I want to respond to You, not put God on ignore, but respond to Him.

The fourth aspect of faith that I find here in David's response in trouble times is teachable faith, because when you're going through trouble times, it's a time for teaching. It's a time when God wants to teach us and show us things within our lives. In verses 11 and 12, we find these words in Psalm 27. David says, "Teach me Your way, O Lord." Teach me, Lord, right now in the middle of my troubles. "Teach me Your way, O Lord, and lead me in a smooth path because of my enemies. Do not deliver me to the will of my adversaries for false witnesses have risen against me and such as breathe out violence." Lord, teach me. Teach me when? When I'm in trouble.

When you're in trouble, it's a time to learn some of the greatest lessons of life. I wish I could stand here and say, "Well, you know, I've learned some great lessons at seminars and let me recommend this seminar." I've learned some things in seminars. But you know what? The greater lessons in life that have changed me and molded the character of my life have been in times of trouble. Have been in times of trouble. And David is saying, "Lord, teach me. I'm not going to run from this or whatever. I just, some things I need to learn."

You know, they say that a tree grows in two different directions at the same time, which is pretty obvious because there's something called the phototropic above ground and it grows toward the sun. And then there is what is called the gravitropic which is below ground, which is the root system that the gravity pulls down. And you know, the most important part of the tree is the one that you don't see. People like the fruit in your life. They love to say, "Oh man, this guy's doing all these wonderful things." They see the fruit in your life.

But the only reason you're able to bear that kind of fruit is because your roots have gone down deep. And the thing that brings your roots down deep and drives them down deep is trouble. And so when God sends us through times of trouble, He's causing our roots to go down deeper. Because if it's a shallow tree or shallow root system and a strong wind comes along, it can uproot that tree.

So we always glory in the things that we see. I mean, your pastor, for instance, He's Pastor Tim and many others who have prayed with him and labored in prayer for this fellowship. The reason God is blessing this fellowship so much is because the root system's been driven down deep but it's been driven down with trouble. They've been crying out and seeking God. And so the root system, because it's deep, fruit has been borne in the phototropic above the surface where everybody can see it and they go, "Oh wow, that fellowship is doing wonderful." Yeah, because there's some people in it with some deep roots that are willing to stand the test of time and trouble to watch God do a mighty work.

It comes at a price. And so it is with our own lives that we're going to learn and be taught by the Lord. I'm taught not where people can see me standing on the stage. I'm taught below the surface. It's in your prayer closet. It's where people don't see you in the deep dark recesses of the earth is where we grow so that we can bear fruit to the glory of God. Amen.

Well, James put it this way in James chapter 1:2 to 4. I'm going to ask James about this one when I get to heaven. He says, "My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials." I'm still working on that one. Count it all joy when you're in trouble, you're going through trials knowing—this is what we've got to know—that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work so that you may be perfect and complete lacking nothing.

Let patience have its perfect—oh, it takes patience to endure with other people, to stay married. And while you're being patient, God is working on you. See, we want God to change the situation but God wants to change you for the situation. Chew on that for a little bit. Amen.

The lesson God is teaching you is custom-made for you that you may not lack anything. Now we can look at other people and we can see their lack. Isn't it amazing how we can easily see what other people lack until it comes to our own lives? We can't see it. You're sitting in church with your wife and some of you men right now might have sore ribs because you're getting this one. "I hope you're listening to this. I'm so glad I came today because he really needed this." And God is saying what do you really need?

He wants to change you. He wants to change our lives. We can easily point out someone else's faults but what did Jesus say? Take the beam out of your own eye first so that you may be able to take the speck out of your brother's eye. There's some things, Lord, in my life that need to change within my own life. And so God knows what we lack. David understood that when he prayed, "Lord, search me, O God, and try me and know my thoughts. See if there be any wicked way in me and lead me in the way everlasting."

Because the mirror is not your husband or your wife or your brother or sister in Christ or the world, the mirror is Jesus. He's the standard. And when I look at Him, I always see where I'm lacking. Not to condemn me, but to help me to grow more, to help the fruit in my life to even ripen even further.

So God allows me to go through troubles so that He might fill up within me that which is lacking which only He knows and I can't even see. But He knows. He continues to teach me and to teach us that we might produce fruit to the glory of the Father. Jesus said by this the Father is glorified that you bear what? A little fruit? No, He said much fruit. So you go, "Lord, I got enough fruit. I think I'm okay. I think I'm good, Lord. I'm good." No, He wants you to bear more fruit because it's much fruit that brings glory to the Father.

The fifth and final evidence that we find here in David's life manifested in trouble times is what I call expectant faith. David has an expectation in God, not in men but in God alone. Verse 13 says David says, "I would have lost heart unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living." Verse 14, "Wait on the Lord and be of good cheer and He shall strengthen your heart. Wait, I say, on the Lord." Wow. Wait on the Lord.

Hebrews chapter 11:6 says but without faith it's impossible to please God and that we must believe that He is a rewarder. Amen. God is a rewarder. He wants to reward us but we must wait upon Him. We must put our expectation in Him and Him alone, not in other people but in Him.

And what do we do while we're waiting? Well, we take on what I call the diet of faith. The diet of faith. This is a good diet for everybody. Amen. And every believer, every disciple of Christ should have this diet. And it's described to us in Psalm chapter 37:3 where it says, "Trust in the Lord and do good, dwell in the land and feed on His faithfulness." What does that mean?

That means that when I'm going through trouble times and the devil's in my ear and whatever and I feel like, "Oh, I'm not going to make it," whatever, look at God's past faithfulness in your life and feed on that. Saying the same God that delivered me yesterday will deliver me today. He's the same God yesterday, today and how long? Forever. Amen.

Feed on His faithfulness. My wife and I were ministering to a couple that's going through a difficult time in their marriage, they've been married 43 years. And I said to them the other day, I think it was just the Lord speaking through me and just encouraging them and saying, "Listen, don't write off the last 43 years of your life. Look at the 43 years of God's faithfulness."

Isn't it amazing how when we get into trouble we have spiritual amnesia, every one of us? God could deliver you right now. He's delivered you. You came this morning because you're excited God delivered you. And next week you'll be facing another trial and you'll go, "God, God, where are you?" That's when you need to sit down and be still and know that He is God and feed on His faithfulness, not on the problem.

Feed on His faithfulness. And if, Lord, You delivered me then, You'll deliver me now. You did not bring me this far to fail me now. He who began a good work in you will also complete it. Amen. Psalm 62:5 and 6, "My soul waits silently for God alone." Stop waiting on people. Stop waiting on the political landscape to change. Yeah, do your part, vote, be involved. But my expectation must be in the Lord or I'm going to be bummed out.

If your expectation is other people, you're going to have a rollercoaster of faith. One day they love you, next day they hate you. One day they're doing right, next day they're doing—no, let your expectation be in the Lord so despite all this stuff, you're just continually trusting in God. Your expectation is in Him.

He says, "For my expectation is from Him. He only is my rock and my salvation. He is my defense. I shall not be moved." So many people are moved by other people. Why is that? Because their expectation is in people, not the Lord. In conclusion, in God we trust. Is it just printed on our money? Is it just a motto or is it embedded and imprinted, impressed upon our heart? Is it the desire of our heart?

In God we trust can be manifested by our assurance in God, our intimacy with God, our responsiveness to God, our willingness to be teachable in God, and our expectation in God. May it truly be just not a slogan but a truth that is in our heart and our minds that we might truly glorify God in these troubled times.

Guest (Male): Thank you for listening to the Dwelling Place, a radio ministry from Pastor Al Pittman of Al Pittman Ministries. The purpose of this radio program is to encourage you, strengthen your walk with the Lord, and grow. To support this program financially or learn more about the ministry, visit us online at alpittmanministries.com. That's alpittmanministries.com. Thank you for partnering with us. Now, here is Pastor Al.

Learn more about Pastor Al and his ministry by visiting alpittmanministries.com. Also consider supporting us financially. You can send a check to Al Pittman Ministries at PO Box 50584, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 80949 or visit us online. Thank you for your prayers and your support. Your generosity keeps this radio ministry going. Lastly, we would love to hear from you. You can contact us by emailing info@alpittmanministries.com. That's info@alpittmanministries.com. We look forward to hearing from you. Again, thank you for joining us and we'll see you next time on the Dwelling Place. God bless.

Guest (Male): Have you been wanting to hear Pastor Al teach live? Well, now's your chance.

Al Pittman: Your sanctification is under the Father's authority. How God's going to provide for you is under His authority. How God is going to strengthen you and all, it's under His authority. Faith is trusting God for His part while doing my part.

Guest (Male): Join Pastor Al at Legacy of Faith Church in Denver, Colorado on Palm Sunday, March 29th. There Pastor Al will be teaching a dynamic Palm Sunday message that you don't want to miss. Doors open at 9:15 AM, service begins at 10:30 AM. Head to legacyoffaithchurch.com to get directions or get more information. That's legacyoffaithchurch.com. We'll see you there.