Hey everybody. Come on, welcome to Valley Creek. Let's do this, let's go ahead and give a hand for every single one of our campuses together. Come on. Come on, give it up. Give it up. Let's go. Last week, we kicked off a brand new series called 60 Days: Songs of Life. But we said that for the next 60 days, the entire church, we're going to read through the entire Book of Psalms, picking one verse every single day to meditate on. So if you haven't started with us, don't worry about it, you can jump on ValleyCreek+ today, find our reading plan. I want to invite you to join us because it's going to be a great summer. See, we believe the psalms, they are songs of life. So we genuinely believe that the psalms, they contain songs about weddings and worship and beauty and amazement and they also contain songs about pain and sadness and frustration.

See, the psalms, they contain the entire range of human emotion including disappointment. See, all of us know what it's like to deal with disappointment in our lives. And so what we're going to do today is we're going to have three communicators come up and we're going to talk about Psalms 11, 12 and 13. They're all psalms written by David who dealt with all kinds of disappointment in his life. And we're going to learn together as a family what do we do with our disappointments. See, my wife and I, we bought a home in the fall of 2020. It was perfect timing if you ask me because it was right before homes became very hard to find and nearly impossible to afford. But we found just the right little house for our growing family and we loved it. The only problem was I was sitting in the bedroom and I started to notice up in my ceiling there was a crack starting to form in the ceiling. And then there was another one in the kitchen and then all of a sudden there was a really big one across our entryway.

And anyone that has a home or has a little bit of wisdom on what happens to homes and cracks and ceilings knows what the problem is, right? It's the foundation. I, however, looked up at the cracks in my ceiling and you know what I said? I was like, I bet you I could fix that. And don't we do that with our lives? Don't we do that with our disappointments? Like with that job, with your school, with your marriage, with your work. Don't we look at the disappointments our lives? And honestly we don't know what to do with them. See, David felt the same way. When he wrote Psalm 11, he wrote this, "When the foundations are being destroyed, what can the righteous do?" I bet you none of y'all picked this verse as your meditation verse that week. But I love this. This is so honest. Like when the foundations of my life, when I'm so disappointed in the circumstances around me, God what do I do? Because I know what the world teaches us to do. They teach us to cover it up. Like if no one else notices it, maybe we don't have to deal with our own disappointments.

Or they teach us to try to fix it ourselves, where are my fixers at, like -- and we look as foolish as me with drywall in my hand looking at crack in my ceiling when the problem is the foundation of my life. Or worse yet we do nothing. Like somewhere along the way, we decided that if we just don't care about anything then we'll actually never have to deal with the disappointments of those things when they let us down. But David's question is not what the world can do, it's what can the righteous do. See, if you have put your faith in Jesus then you are now included in Christ which means you are the righteousness of God. And that means that we don't have to live down to the world, we can live up to the kingdom of God even with our disappointments. So what can the righteous do? That's a great question. And when sometimes you're stumped in Scripture, the best thing to do is to just keep reading. See, the very next verse, David answers, "But the Lord is in his holy temple, the Lord still rules from heaven."

Pause. So the first thing that David speaks over himself is that when the foundations of my life feel like they're falling apart, I need to remember God is in control and I am not. And you know this one but it's to experience it -- see, it's this word surrender, To surrender your disappointments. We think sometimes that surrender just means letting go of, moving on from forgetting about, but surrender has more to do with inviting someone in than it has to do with just letting something go. See, with my house, to surrender my disappointment wouldn't have been to forget or pretend like the cracks didn't exist, it'd be to actually call a foundation company to come do for me what I could not do for myself. And so maybe the first thing we need to do with our disappointments and our circumstances is just invite a God who's great at building our lives into our disappointment, not just into the circumstance, into the disappointment with our circumstances.

He continues, "He watches everyone closely." I wonder when you're disappointed in the circumstances, what are you watching? Like I think we watch our circumstances, right? Like these are the moments where we go, God don't you see this? Don't you see these bills that keep piling up? Don't you see this medical diagnosis? Don't you see what's happening around me in my world? Or I think we watch our neighbors' houses. Like why did I get the cracked up house and they got the beautiful, perfect, amazing house? Why is she so naturally talented at math and I keep failing? Why did he get the promotion and I didn't? Why is that couple pregnant and we're still waiting? Our disappointments, they're so real but they reveal where our foundation really lies. It's not as much on God as we'd like, it's sometimes so set on our circumstances. But where's God's eyes? In the middle of your foundations crumbling, it says, God's eyes, they're on you.

See, I wonder if the disappointment or circumstances, these are the moments where Jesus sits down with us and grabs us by the face and he wants to look us in the eye and he wants to say so vulnerably, do you still trust me? Not just when everything goes right, but even when it feels like everything's going wrong, will you make me your foundation? Because I'm still holy, I'm still ruling and I still see you right where you are. See, these are the moments where we put our faith into action. Our eyes are always on our circumstances, but God's eyes are always on us. So if you feel like today, you're looking around the house and you're just so disappointed with what you see, can I encourage you? My greatest seasons of disappointment have also become my greatest experiences of Jesus.

Perhaps what they don't tell you is that great homes, they've never been built off of white picket fences and great children and no cracks in the ceiling. A great home is built when you just lost your oldest brother out of nowhere to a heart attack and your friend shows up. It's when you've completely given up on yourself and your marriage, and your wife chooses to forgive you and says I still believe in you. It's when you lost the only job you ever really wanted and the Holy Spirit's whispering, you're still mine, you're still my son, you're still my daughter. See, the foundations of our hearts, they're not looking to rest on perfect circumstances, they're looking to rest on the perfect love of our Father. So when the foundations are being destroyed, what can the righteous do? Man, we can sing a completely different song. One that say, God, I invite you into the circumstances of my life because by faith I still believe that you are holy, you are ruling and you see me right here.

So if you're disappointed in the circumstances of your life, remember God is your foundation.

Okay. So now we know what to do when we are disappointed in circumstances, but what do we do when we're disappointed in people? One of my experiences with disappointment in the season has come from a very specific season, soccer season, And not just any soccer season, four and five-year-old soccer season. Yeah, you guys know. So my son Judah, he's five, he played soccer for the very first time this year and I might be a little bit biased but he is so amazing. He's so fun.

He's pretty fast for a five-year-old. I think he's competitive. And so I expected this soccer season to be incredible. I expected that even if he didn't know what he was doing he was going to be out there chasing after the ball, having so much fun. But instead what I found is that it seemed like every time I looked out there, not only did he not know a game was going on or that there was a ball or other players, but he was staring off into space, picking grass and honestly had no idea what was going on. Seriously, just like out of a movie. So disappointing, right? I know that's a silly example but I think we've all been there. We've all experienced what it's like when our expectations for people or for the relationships in our lives, they're just not met. We've all been disappointed in people. So for you, maybe your disappointment in this season has come from something as simple as being hurt by someone's words.

Maybe you've been sent a harsh text or gossiped about. Maybe you've been torn down on social media. Maybe you're sitting here today feeling unappreciated or taken advantage of. Maybe in this season friends or even family have let you down. You might be sitting here today almost halfway through the year thinking, I never expected things to turn out this way. Maybe the people closest to you that you expected to be standing by your side, maybe they're gone. Or maybe you're just looking around at the world around you thinking, how can people act this way? Can I ask you a tough question? Have you felt your heart getting hard or maybe even numb because of your disappointment in people in this season? I know, me too.

All soccer season jokes aside, this season with people has been hard for me too. And you know, when we look at Psalm 12, we see we aren't alone in these feelings. In fact, David cried out to God for the very same reasons. Look with me in Psalm 12 verse 1, it says, "Help, Lord, for no one is faithful anymore; those who are loyal have vanished from the human race." It's a good verse. Help, Lord. This is David saying, God, help, it seems like everyone has gone crazy. The world is falling down around me and I can't trust anyone. See, if we were to look at anyone in God's word who understands disappointment in people, it would be David. You can read a story in first and second Samuel. And if you do, you'll see that he was lied to, he was cursed, he was betrayed. We open up his story and his brothers are belittling and accusing him. And then the very next story, we see his dad forgetting him.

All the while, David is serving and honoring the current king of the time, Saul, who hates him, plots against him and tries to kill him, several times. Several times he tries to kill him. And then after David finally is crowned king, his own son tries to take the throne from him. So you name it, David experienced it. Knowing David's story helps us as we read Psalm 12 because we see that David models for us what to do when we are disappointed in people. See, the first two words of his song are "help Lord". Help Lord, he starts off his song this way and we know these words aren't random, right? They were written by David, but they were inspired by the Holy Spirit in him. And so when we see these words "help Lord", David shows us it matters what we do with our disappointment in people. He cries out for help. He's so grieved, he's so troubled that he cries out to God for help.

So for us in our disappointments, when we're let down, are we crying out for help or are we just trying to be strong, trying to move on, trying to push through? And not just help, but help Lord, right? David shows us it matters who we take our disappointments to. So maybe we are grieving what's happening, maybe we are lamenting and crying out in our disappointments the way we've been let down, but are we just doing that on social media or are we just commiserating with others around us who we know we can get on our side? You see, David shows us in help Lord that God wants us to cry out and bring our hurts to Him. So for you, whatever you've got going on, whatever this past season has looked like for you, will you cry out to God?

Will you allow Him into your disappointments, the ways that you've been let down? When it feels like no one can be trusted, how will I ever let another person in? Will you allow him in? See, when we read this song of life in God's word, it's awesome because we can relate to it and we can see what to do when we are feeling the same way. But can I tell you there's so much more than that. If you've been reading the Psalms with us, you know that the Psalms aren't just about the hurt, the pain, the death of humanity. No, they're also about the power and the strength and the divinity of God. We see in Psalm 12, this contains great theology or truth about who God is. You see, Psalm 12, it's actually the first of all the Book of Psalm where we see an answer from God. So David starts by crying out to God and we see His words in response to David. Look with me in verse 5. It says, "The Lord replies, 'I have seen the violence done to the helpless, and I have heard the groans of the poor. Now I will rise up to rescue them, as they have longed for me to do.'"

So David starts his song by crying out, by singing to God for help. And God now responds to David, He starts singing back to him. And what does He say? He says, I've seen you, I've heard you, now I will rise up to rescue them. Notice that God doesn't tell David how to handle the people in his life or how to deal with the problems that he has. He doesn't tell David to do anything. No, he says I will rise up. We know that God is the same today as he was then and his word to us, this word it's living and active. So what that means is that just as God responded to David, He responds to us.

In the midst of our pain, in our disappointment, the way that we've been hurt by people, God says to us, I will rise up. He says, I see you, I've heard you crying out. And I think for some of you guys in here today, maybe even as I've been talking, the faces of people who have hurt you in this past season are coming to mind. And so I believe that God wants to say to you today, I will rise up. I will rise up to comfort you, to heal you in your pain. I will rise up to be a friend, to be a father to you. I will rise up to defend you, to bring justice. And I will rise up to build your trust again. See guys, this is the truth about who God is. He is our help. Help is who He is. Whether we believe it or not, He says, I am what you need.

So if we know that God has seen us and He has heard us crying out, I think the only question we can ask ourselves now is, will we let Him be our help? In the midst of our pain, in our disappointment, can we let God be who He says He is, protector, refuge, rescuer, the one that's worthy of all of our trust? You see, I think that we often over rely on people. We expect them to meet our needs when that's never what they were created to do. God cares about our hearts too much. And so is it possible that what you and I have really needed in this season is to be let down, to be disappointed by people, so that like David we would cry out to God? He would rise up to be the help we need. So Psalm 12, it's a song to sing, it's a prayer to pray, it's a cry to cry out to God when we have been disappointed in people.

So if you've been disappointed in this season, remember God is our help.

Well, David dealt with disappointment over and over again in his lifetime and he was not afraid to write it down. So check out Psalm 13, "How long, Lord?" This is David writing a song to the Lord. "How long, Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and day after day have sorrow in my heart? How long will my enemy triumph over me?" You see, this is David in the midst of dealing with the disappointment of life. His disappointments of life.

You see, David, he was already anointed king. He thought he would be ruling at this time in his life. He defeated the bear and the lion and he took care of goliath. I mean he was -- he followed after God with all of his heart and yet here he is thinking to himself, how in the world did I end up in this place? How in the world did I end up here? You know, how did my life end up in this spot? You know, how did I get here? God, if you anointed me and you called me then why is my life crumbling all around me? Have you ever felt like this before? You know, my marriage, it isn't where it's supposed to be. And my job, I don't even know if I'm supposed to be there. And the city that I'm living in, I never imagined me being here.

My life isn't where I'm supposed to be at this point. How long, Lord, will you forget me? You see, David, he was running for his life for like 10 years. He was hiding in caves, people were trying to kill him over and over again. You see, we think COVID is long. Man, this is David running for his life for 10 years, it almost feels like it's never ending and yet he loved God. Here's what I want to tell you, just because you become a Christian and you place your faith in Jesus doesn't mean that the enemy just goes away. It doesn't. But I will tell you this, life is from God, disappointment is from Satan. Let me look at this in John chapter 10. He says, "The thief comes to steal, to kill and to destroy. I have come that they may have life and have it to the full."

In other words, the enemy, his only agenda is to steal, to kill and destroy. All the killing, all the stealing and all the destruction that's happening in your life it's not from God, it's from the enemy. That's his agenda all day long. But Jesus says, in the midst of chaos there is life. There is life. The enemy cannot take away what he doesn't have authority over. He can't take away your joy, he can't take away your peace, your salvation, your freedom. If the world didn't give it, then the world can't take it away. And so how did David respond to life's disappointments? Well, he began the song with how long. How long is this going to last? And those are real feelings and it's okay to say that to the Lord because that's real disappointment.

But yet he ended the song like this. He says, "But I trust in your unfailing love. My heart rejoices in your salvation. I will sing the Lord's praises for He has been good to me." He never stopped trusting in the unfailing love of God because David was a beloved son. He never stopped rejoicing in God's salvation. Let me ask you this, have you lost the joy of your salvation? Have you lost sight that if you believe in Jesus and you've placed your faith in him, then your enemies have already been defeated? And he never stops singing the Lord's praise. Why? Why? Because God has been good to me. He has been good to me.

He's not good to me because I'm so good or because I deserve it, He's good to me because God is good. And if He's been good to me in the past, He's going to be good to me today and He'll continue to be good to me in the future. So let me ask you a question, what song are you singing? What song are you singing? Are you singing songs that are rooted in the pain of disappointment? You know, the songs, the soundtracks that come into your mind, you know, when you're real lonely and you're all by yourself and you start singing that soundtrack, "Lonely, I'm Mr. Lonely." Or you go through that bad breakup, you go to your favorite artist and you want revenge and you're saying, "Cry me a river. Oh, you know what I'm saying. Or when your friends all leave you and you feel, you know, lonely and you go to the best Canadian vocalist of all time and you start singing, "All by myself."

Oh come on, you know what I'm saying. It's like are you singing songs -- are you singing songs that are rooted in the pain of disappointment or are you singing songs that are rooted in the goodness of God, songs that builds your faith, builds you up, speaks truth into your life and in the midst of disappointment you can say, but God has been good to me? Are you singing those songs? Can you imagine David, he's in a cave, he's running for his life, the enemies are all around him and he begins to sing his praises to God and he just lifts up his voice and he begins to sing, you are good, you're good. Oh, you are good, you're good, oh.

And he says to himself, you're never going to let, you're never going to let me down. You're never going to let, you're never going to let me down. And his heart gets encouraged and he lifts up his head and he begins to be encouraged by God, he reminds himself again, all my hope is in you, God. I am steadfast, I will not be moved. And with his enemies all around him, in the midst of his troubles, when it feels impossible, he lifts his head to heaven and says, even when I don't see it, you're working. Even when I don't feel it, you're working.

You never stop, you never stop working. You never stop, you never stop working. See, this is David in the midst of his disappointments. He didn't lose hope in God because he believed in the goodness of God and he reminded himself of that. And how about you? Are you singing songs of disappointment? Are you rooted in the pain of disappointment or are you reminding yourself of the goodness of God and how he's been good to you, and how he sent his son Jesus for you to cleanse you and wash you and make you right with God, give you right standing with God and then he gave you the Holy Spirit to live inside of you, that the same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead now lives inside of you? This is my story, this is my song, praising my savior all the day long.

And so what songs are you singing? If you've ever been disappointed with the circumstances, then can you just remember that God is your foundation? And if you've ever been disappointed with people, can you just remember that God is your help? And if you've ever been disappointed with life or maybe even disappointed with God, can you just remember that God is good and He'll be good to you. Can you close your eyes? I just want to ask, what's the Holy Spirit speaking to you today?

Some of you, when you came in and you heard the word disappointment, it just resonated in your hearts. It resonated in your life. And it was like the Holy Spirit wanted you to be here today to encourage you, to build you up, to lift you up, to get your head out of the dirt and to get your eyes on Him. So whatever disappointment that you've been facing, God is here to lift up your head. He is here to give you courage, He's here to lift you and to say, I am with you, I love you, I will never leave you nor forsake you, I am your help, I am your foundation and I am good and I'll continue to be good to you.

So Holy Spirit, we invite you to come and to do the work in our hearts that only you can do. Would you come and meet us exactly where we're at? And in the midst of disappointment, God, we want to look back to you and say, God, you are faithful and you are good and you'll continue to be good. So Lord, we love you. Do the work in our hearts, in Jesus' name we pray, amen.