How to Overcome a Tragedy
Psalm 34:19 “Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all.”
Tribulations and Trials
A. All believers will encounter afflictions at some point in their lives
B. Jesus said He would bring us through them
What Makes a Tragedy Different?
A. A tragedy makes no sense to the natural or spiritual mind
1. Knowing when to pray when a tragedy strikes is a problem for most people.
B. No one has to remind us of the time we came through a tragedy.
2. Once the tragedy is over, it can never be forgotten
3. It can’t be forgotten because it never is really over – it just ended
God Doesn't Answer Prayers Exactly Like We Think He Should
A. Many people can’t seem to move on after a tragedy
1. They retell the same story every day
2. They relive the tragedy over and over hoping to find closure
3. They want an explanation before they move on
4. God is waiting for them to begin moving in faith, then He will explain
A Season of Mourning is Permitted
Psalm 30:5 “Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning.”
A. Mourning is permitted by God
1. Israel was told to stop and mourn the death of Moses for forty days
2. Samuel mourned when God told him He was through with Saul
B. Tragedy is not a stop sign
1. We should yield-slow down or stop temporarily, get reoriented, then begin to move again
David and Bathsheba
A. Geographically out of God’s will
1. David was supposed to be in battle with his troops
2. He chose to stay home
a. David got out of bed in the evening. Evening is the time you go to bed
b. David was bored
B. Another Layer of Sin
1. Sin begins small and almost insignificant
2. Sin begins with an unrepentant thought and meditation
3. A thought gives you time to repent. Without repenting, sin becomes a fulfilled action
a. David had sex with Bathsheba
b. Bathsheba got pregnant
c. He tried to cover his sin through his own effort
C. Uriah the Patriot
1. Was brought home in the middle of battle
2. Did not go home to Bathsheba (his wife) but stayed with the soldiers
2 Samuel 11:11 “And Uriah said to David, ‘The ark and Israel and Judah are dwelling in tents, and my lord Joab and the servants of the Lord are encamped in the open fields. Shall I then go to my house to eat and drink, and to lie with my wife? As you live, and as your soul lives, I will not do this thing.'"
D. Let’s Try Again
1. David tried to get Uriah to go home to his wife, Bathsheba again
2. David got Uriah drunk
3. Uriah, again, did not go home
E. Only One Thing Left to Do
1. David murdered Uriah
Ministers Often Get the Worst Jobs
A. Nathan confronted the king
David’s Tragedy
A. His child died
How to Handle a Tragedy
A. We choose how to handle it
B. How David handled this tragedy became an example of how we too can handle tragedy
2 Samuel 12:20-24 “Then David arose from the ground, washed and anointed himself, and changed his clothes; and he went into the house of the Lord and worshiped. Then he went to his own house; and when he requested, they set food before him, and he ate. Then his servants said to him, “What is this that you have done? You fasted and wept for the child while he was alive, but when the child died, you arose
And he said, “While the child was alive, I fasted and wept; for I said, ‘Who can tell whether the Lord will be gracious to me, that the child may live?’ But now he is dead, why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me.”
Then David comforted Bathsheba his wife, and went into her and lay with her. So she bore a son, and he called his name Solomon. Now the Lord loved him.”
C. Learn to recover or bounce back after a tragedy
1. The first lesson David learned was not to give in to his problem
Eight Things David Did to Recover from His Tragedy
A. He arose
1. There comes a time to stop praying
2. Forgive yourself
a. Sin does not forfeit us from the race, it temporarily sidelines us
Hebrews 12:12-13 “Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees; and make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way; but let it rather be healed.”
B. He washed
1. How you look affects what you think of yourself and what others think of you
2. Repentance washes away sin
1 John 1:9 “"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness"
C. He anointed himself
1. David shaved and put on cologne
a. This was to show the world it was time to move on
D. He changed his clothes
1. He took off his grieving clothes
2. He put on his daily living clothes – he dressed for life again
E. He came into the house of the Lord
1. David worshipped
2. David did not run from church, he ran to it
F. He came to his own house
1. David surrounded himself with those he loved
G. David ate
1. Eating was a sign that his grieving was over and life goes on
2. Now was the time to eat and celebrate with the living
a. David was not celebrating the death of his child. He was celebrating the future, not the past
H. David made love to his wife and had another child
2 Samuel 12:24 “Then David comforted his wife, Bathsheba, and went in to her and lay with her, and she bore a son, and he called his name Solomon. And the Lord loved him.”
1. Bathsheba needed David more than anyone else
a. She committed adultery with David
b. She had to handle the grief of her husband, Uriah
c. She was in a new home
d. The child she carried was lost
It's Time to Get Up and Get Back to Life
A. Repent
B. Begin to trust God again
C. God’s plan for you will not fail if you get up and begin moving again
