The Church in Noble - Cornerstone
March 8, 2026
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      • Psalms 42:2NASB95

  • We Have An Anchor
  • God Is Good All The Time
  • Doxology
  • Hold On To Me
  • I Know Who Holds Tomorrow
  • It Is Well With My Soul
  • When you feel alone - like maybe God abandoned you
    LLUST: Aloneness - I think of Noah - laughed at, mocked, out to sea (literally) due to no fault of his own
    Sure, his family was with him…I can see him awake at night, out on this tiny floating box, the whole world was ocean - “What are we going to do?”
    People didn’t listen to him, literally thousands of people he knew just died, he probably heard them screaming - utter despair
    What could help?
    Genesis 8:1 NASB95
    But God remembered Noah…
    God never “forgot” - He called Noah to mind, knowing everything
    Noah was allowed to endure this time of potential despair
    Noah felt alone; He wasn’t, yet that is how he felt…
    Other examples - Joseph, Rachel, Hannah, Abraham with Lot...
    READ - Psalm 13
    ASIDE: In our culture, we have made depression as something you “have” instead of something you experience
    “I have depression” >>> more accurate “I feel depressed”
    Not minimizing this, but the world has no idea how to manage this experience
    Also, there is more to it than just saying “read a bible verse, pray, and suck it up”
    You can be surrounded by people, and feel alone…

    Navigating Despair

    Sense of complete loss
    Context here - not a brief, sudden setback
    This is feeling of prolonged struggle, what some would classify as depression
    Nothing has gone right
    The world is against me
    What’s the use?
    I give up…
    Psalms like Psalm 13 - lament psalms, so genuine, real, honest
    These are not polished prayers
    These are “pouring out a heart” in a dark time
    Unfiltered, not edited - complaints of frustration and distance
    Maybe you have faced a lengthy bout of depression, distance from God
    Maybe you are there now
    Let’s look at a REAL option of dealing with this
    This psalm breaks in down into three “phases”

    1) Personalizing

    This is often, usually, typically, our initial and primary response
    VV 1-2 - Psalmist feels abandoned, even feeling that God is the cause of this trouble
    Why me, God?
    What did I do?
    Where are you, God?
    Have you forgotten about me, LORD?
    What did I do to cause this?
    How long?
    Will this ever get better?
    Our solution: What can I do? I need to figure this out. Really, what can I do?
    You can do…nothing…on your own, that is
    It’s understandable, believers do not want to feel distant from God
    During times like these, common to sense…
    Lack of apparent blessing
    Dark thoughts
    What happened? How did this happen? How did I get here? Nobody understands.
    Uncontrollable emotions
    These are good to recognize and acknowledge
    Enemies, opposition will seem more numerous, more active, and “winning”
    (Truth, enemy is always there)
    This is not selfish, it’s just real and raw
    The psalmist knows God, knows God values His name, knows God values His people…

    2) Prayer

    This is where you turn the corner
    VV 3-4
    “Consider me, answer me, enlighten me…”
    Maybe even a hint of “I’m not even sure You hear me, Lord…”
    “…but I don’t know where else to turn.”
    “I KNOW I should turn to you, I mean You have told me…”
    He believes that God has hidden His face
    “Show yourself!” (like You do for others)
    Moses, believing God would take action, declared over the Red Sea - Ex 14:13
    Exodus 14:13 NASB95
    But Moses said to the people, “Do not fear! Stand by and see the salvation of the Lord which He will accomplish for you today…”
    Joshua, Samuel…
    REAL CONVERSATION
    Prayer turns more genuine when you MEAN it
    Not just when you have your routine prayer time
    “God, I feel like I’m going to die if you don’t help me!”
    “And if I die, God, my enemies will be happy. Is that what You want?”
    Part of the life of faith is pain, loss, grief, disappointment
    This psalmist is praying TO God; not running or moving away FROM God
    Turns the corner by not giving up, not giving in
    We have discussed God’s blessings, given as He sees fit
    Relieved from troubles?
    The inner peace shows in the outward expression
    Experiencing anguish?
    The inner turmoil shows in the dimness of eyes
    Anguish is real, concerned about falling spiritually
    “God, this load is too heavy”
    Again - depression, anxiety - if “death” here is “falling spiritually”
    THIS psalmist’s anxiety is directly tied to one thing - fear of his faith wavering
    Losing confidence in God…
    …Which would give enemies an easy win
    “God, keep me in the fight!”

    3) Promise (of God)

    There is genuine faith here, there is no pretending
    The only rescue is the mercy of God
    And the psalmist’s trust in that
    NOTE: God has not acted yet in this case, specifically
    God has merely and simply remained GOOD
    NOTE: The psalmist expresses trust
    Not because God has taken away the trouble
    God is merely known for mercy, deliverance, salvation
    God has been good to him
    Deliverance will come, soon, or later, but it will come
    God will show up (He never left)
    And the psalmist rejoices
    The psalmist sings
    Rejoices - “delights in” - decides to make up his mind to trust in God, or to continue to trust
    Sings - praises, worships
    Because God had dealt bountifully - generously given His grace - PERSONALLY
    Psalm 150:6 NASB95
    Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord!
    God has given this psalmist breath - PRAISE GOD!
    God has always been good to him, and that goodness will continue
    And that goodness is not always measured in the present mood or state of mind
    What keeps the psalmist going? What does he need?
    He needs the assurance that God actually cares
    He needs healing in his thoughts - anguish, self-pity
    God’s enemies (which are the enemies of His people)…
    Rejoice in the seeming absence of God
    “Why would a good God allow…?”
    Psalm 42:3 NASB95
    My tears have been my food day and night, While they say to me all day long, “Where is your God?”
    “Yeah, what will you do with that, faithful psalmist??”
    Psalm 42:8 NASB95
    The Lord will command His lovingkindness in the daytime; And His song will be with me in the night, A prayer to the God of my life.
    Day and night, all the time - God will be right there with me, where He always is
    Maybe this is the best promise to remember:
    Psalm 34:18 NASB95
    The Lord is near to the brokenhearted And saves those who are crushed in spirit.
    That’s a promise, and the psalmist, despite present anguish, knows it
    REMEMBER
    God knows
    In the Hebrew descending intensity (verses 1-2 are energetically written, verse 3-4 begin to settle down, and verse 5-6 express calmness, calm confidence
    ILLUST: Picture a storm at sea, progressing to calm stillness
    Rough waves - then continually lessening - then calm
    (READ the psalm??)
    I’m done, I quit, I can’t do this any more..
    God, help me, hear me answer me…
    I trust You, Lord
    CHALLENGE
    How can God calm you, right now?
    He’s done it before
    We’ve all experienced seasons of doubt, worry, anxious and dark thoughts
    I’m talking about situations that you did not bring on yourself
    This type of anguish is not your fault
    It is understandable, to God
    That you might feel alone, without His presence
    He will also hear you, when you turn the corner and cry out
    When you decide to trust Him
    When you fall on your knees and beg Him for help
    He will remind you of His goodness
    And you can rejoice
    And you can sing
    I pray you never feel this despair, and yet, when you do
    Don’t hold back - Cry out - Then rejoice!
    REMINDER - God wins
    Revelation 6:10 NASB95
    and they cried out with a loud voice, saying, “How long, O Lord, holy and true, will You refrain from judging and avenging our blood on those who dwell on the earth?”
    Revelation 22:7 NASB95
    “And behold, I am coming quickly….
    Revelation 22:12 NASB95
    “Behold, I am coming quickly…..
    The reply is our reply, the reply of the believer:
    Revelation 22:20 NASB95
    …Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.

      • Genesis 8:1NASB95

      • Exodus 14:13NASB95

      • Psalm 150:6NASB95

      • Psalm 42:3NASB95

      • Psalm 42:8NASB95

      • Psalm 34:18NASB95

      • Revelation 6:10NASB95

      • Revelation 22:7NASB95

      • Revelation 22:12NASB95

      • Revelation 22:20NASB95

  • His Eye Is On The Sparrow
  • Goodness Of God

      • Psalms 13:6NASB95

The Church in Noble - Cornerstone
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618-723-2779
https://cccnoble.faithlifesites.com
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