Sunday Morning Worship
November 11, 2012
Series: “Ways of Praise”
Today: “Praise Him in our Dismay”
Scripture: Psalm 30:1-7 I will exalt you, O Lord, for you lifted me out of the depths and did not let my enemies gloat over me. 2 O Lord my God, I called to you for help and you healed me. 3 O Lord, you brought me up from the grave; you spared me from going down into the pit. 4 Sing to the Lord, you saints of his; praise his holy name.
5 For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime; weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning. 6 When I felt secure, I said, “I will never be shaken.” 7 O Lord, when you favored me, you made my mountain stand firm; but when you hid your face, I was dismayed. 
Intro: The question of pain and suffering has been around almost from the beginning.
Psalm 30:7 O Lord, when you favored me, you made my mountain stand firm; but when you hid your face, I was dismayed. 
I. OUR DISMAYS ARE ONLY DELAYS .
A. Psalm 30:5 – “…weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning.”
B. For Christ followers, our joy is coming .
Colossians 1:12 giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light. 
II. OUR DISMAY HIDES BUT DOES NOT DESTROY GOD’S PRESENCE .
* God allows times in our life when we feel God is hiding, but He never leaves us.
III. IN OUR DISMAY GOD DESIGNS US.
Hebrews 12:7 Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father?
Hebrews 12:11 No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.
Conclusion: Does the Bible say it is easy to praise God in our dismay?
Hebrews 13:15 Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise–the fruit of lips that confess his name.