In the picture above, Darrin explains,

They were asking me questions about the Trinity. [I was explaining a misconception that] as a man, I'm a pastor, husband, father, son, brother, friend...one person with different roles. Isn't that like the Trinity? (It is not.)

So I drew a pastor and listed all the roles to the side. They thought that was funny. Then I drew a triangle and explained that it was not the same as the Trinity and showed them why.

I think this has been my favorite group to teach.  They just can’t get enough, so gracious, kind, and eager to learn.

Just finished.  We went long today.  Lots of questions and they asked to keep going.

The pastor who Darrin and Rick and V_, the translator, are praying for is the one Darrin mentioned in the last update who sent men to minister in the area which would eventually be involved in the flooding and those same men lost their lives in the flood.

On the second day of teaching Darrin texted: 

I got to meet and encourage the pastor from the flood.  I prayed for him and he just cried and cried.  He went home last night after the session (not an easy travel route right now) to check on the survivors who are sleeping in his church and encourage them.  And [he] was back here first thing this morning for the sessions.  Such a humble man.

Later on, in a lesson on the last days, 

When I was talking about Revelation 21 and the new Heaven, the pastor from the flood just closed his eyes and cried [when he heard]...no sorrow, pain, death, etc.

Here is a bit more about the flooding:

When responding to a question about the apparent growth of the Church in Nepal, Darrin said,

Yes [it is growing]. Kevin said that they have really responded to the flood by taking victims in, feeding them, etc. There were houses that were sixty feet above the water. After the flood, the water is at house level. In other places the water went up three stories into people's homes. Many lost all of their livestock, and their farmland was devastated and covered in silt. It will be decades before they can farm the land again. Kevin's first trip out [after the flooding], he followed an army bulldozer which was making a new road.

Today, as the final teaching came to a close, they...

Taught the doctrine of the second coming of Christ and at the end, tied it to 2 Timothy 4 and pastoral ministry.

• Pray for the pastors as they return to their villages and families and churches.
• Pray that their ministries would be enriched by all that they've learned and experienced this week.
• Please pray for the churches and pastors who are suffering from the devastation of the floods.
• Please continue to pray for Kevin and his family as they must work quickly and with great wisdom to maintain their visas and solidify their presence in this area. 

• Please pray for our guys as they travel home. Their trip looks like this:

Thank you so much for your continued prayers for this entire endeavor.

I told Darrin that everyone I have talked to has told me they've been praying for them. He responded:

I can tell. The Spirit has been so present in the teaching.

.

Rick and Darrin have enjoyed reconnecting with Kevin and other friends from past trips who are dedicated to training these precious pastors. Kevin's right-hand man for years B_ told Darrin and Rick that they tell every group of pastors coming through their program that FBC Wheeling's work with pastor training in the country laid the foundation and for the past years, they've been bulding off of that foundation. 

The accomodations are some of the nicest our teams have enjoyed and for that we can be thankful but it is especially wonderful for the pastors who have traveled to be taught, many of whom have little experience in such locations. 

View of the capital city from hotel.

Street view from hotel. Don't miss the wiring situation!

There are 22 pastors who have come for training this week. 

Darrin reports of day one, 

We have had a good day.  I taught for almost 4 hours this morning…almost 60 pages of material.  And Rick is taking the afternoon.  We probably have about 45 more minutes to go for the day.

I had a great time this morning.  Was able to show them how the material in the book could be turned into sermons on God’s attributes and names, how they could apply this doctrine to their lives and ministries …etc.  they asked great questions. 

Used Spurgeon as a reference, and one pastor was familiar with him! Taught them how to pray and use the psalms.

The pastor from the flooding is here and Kevin said really struggling.  He mentored three young pastors and sent them to that area to plant churches and all three died.  He feels guilty.

There is a lay elder here from one of the churches.  His wife just died two weeks ago, and he is still here.

Kevin showed us pictures from the flood, it is worse than the earthquakes.

There are three really young pastors here as well.

Rick and Darrin have also learned that this group of pastors if the most diverse in age as any of the classes so far.  

As I type this tonight, day two of teaching has begun. Nepal is 9 hours and 45 minutes ahead of the Eastern Time Zone so they are nearly a half a day ahead of us. 

Please pray for these precious pastors as they learn doctrine in dense doses. 

Pray for energetic and enduring interpreters and teachers who are trying to adjust to the time difference and lack of sleep. 

Thank God for especially nice accomodations which will allow for the best learning conditions possible. When I asked if the pastors joined them for meals, Darrin said,

Yes. The restaurant in the hotel is where we all eat. You should see their plates! Kevin says they never get to eat like this or stay in a place like this.

Blessings on your Tuesday FBC family, thank you for praying!

Waiting becomes especially difficult when we cannot see what is happening.

We can endure a slow line if we can watch it move. We can tolerate a delay more easily when someone explains the reason and tells us how long it will last. But some of life’s hardest waits come with neither an explanation nor an estimated arrival time.

We wait for a strained relationship to heal, for grief to become bearable, for a child to return to the Lord, or for an answer to a prayer we have carried for years. As time passes, we begin to wonder whether anything is happening at all.

In Psalm 119:81–88, the psalmist knows that kind of waiting. His strength is fading, and his eyes are weary from watching for God’s help. He asks, “When will you comfort me?” and “How long must your servant endure?”

He is in God’s waiting room, and he is tired.

What We Cannot See

In The Path of the Darkest Night, we see a picture of a farmer planting seed. The farmer places it in the ground, covers it, waters it, and waits. He does not dig it up every morning to check whether it is growing.

The surface of the soil may look much the same from one day to the next. Beneath it, however, growth can be taking place beyond his sight. His inability to see that growth does not prove that nothing is happening.

That picture speaks to a temptation we face while waiting for God. We examine our circumstances repeatedly, looking for evidence that He has heard us. Has the situation improved? Has the burden become lighter? When we cannot identify progress, we may conclude that God is doing nothing.

Our field of vision is limited. We cannot see everything God is doing in our circumstances, in other people, or even within our own hearts.

 “The apparent delay of God’s promises does not mean the failure of God’s promises.”

That assurance rests on what God has actually promised. While the farmer’s illustration does not guarantee that every situation will develop into the outcome we desire, it does remind us that visible progress is an inadequate measure of God’s faithfulness.

Bring Your Questions into the Waiting Room

The paslmist doesn't hide his exhaustion. In the same verse, he says, "My soul longs for your salvation" and "I hope in your word" (Psalm 119:81).

Notice that his weariness and hope coexist.

We have this idea that trusting God will remove the ache of waiting. When that ache persists, we become discouraged that we aren't actually trusting God and also remain discouraged about our circumstances. This passage deals with both of those discouragements because it highlights this truth: 

Faith that is weary can at the same time be trusting God.

You can tell Him that you are tired. You can bring the same request again. When you have no strength for a longer prayer, you can use the psalmist’s words from verse 86: “Help me.”

Keep Tending What God Has Entrusted to You

Just like the farmer continues to care for the hidden seed, the psalmist continues to attend to God's Word while he waits for deliverance. He remembers God's statutes, trusts His commands, and refuses to ignore His precepts. 

This gives us a faithful example of what to do when we are in the waiting room:

• stay in the Word even when reading feels routine
• pray even when we have no new words
• ask God for strength to obey Him in the responsibilities and relationships that are in front of us today

These ordinary acts of dependence may feel ...ordinary and small.  But please realize, their value doesn't depend on producing immediate, measurable results. God is at work in His people even when we don't feel it.

Strength for Today

The psalmist ends the stanza by praying, "In your steadfast love give me life, that I may keep the testimonies of your mouth" (Psalm 119:88).

He asks for renewed strength so that he can continue walking with God. His hope rests in the steadfast love of the One to whom he prays. 

The sermon points us to the cross and resurrection of Jesus Christ as the greatest display of that love. Those who belong to Christ can face uncertain circumstances knowing that nothing in creation can separate us from God's love in Him.

You may still find yourself sitting in the waiting room tomorrow...still. The surface of the soil may look unchanged...still. But you can bring your need to God again, continue listening to His Word, and ask Him again for strength to take today's faithful step.

Watch or listen to The Path of the Darkest Night, from the Walking in the Word series on Psalm 119:81–88.

But the midwives feared God and did not do as the king of Egypt commanded them…  Exodus 1:17

Even in slavery, the people of God were flourishing and growing in numbers.  Pharaoh’s concern over the situation grew into a full-blown panic.  Eventually, he summoned the Hebrew midwives and gave a terrifying order:  Kill every newborn Hebrew boy!

A Life-or-Death Choice

The midwives faced a choice—a very real choice with life-or-death consequences.  Should they disobey Pharaoh and face a likely execution?  Or should they disobey God’s law?

Scripture tells us that the midwives “feared God” and refused to follow Pharaoh’s order.  God honored their choice.  He blessed them by showing them favor, protecting them from retribution and giving them families of their own.

When the World Conflicts with God

Just like the midwives, we too face choices every day.  True, Pharaoh is no longer on the throne and our choices may not lead to death.  But day by day the world bears down on us, telling us how to look, how to think, and how to act.  What the world says is often in direct conflict with what God says.

What Should We Do When We Face Hard Choices?

So what should we do when we face hard choices?

The answer is clear.  We should imitate the midwives.  We should “fear God” by reverencing Him and making His ways a priority.  Then He’ll give us the wisdom, courage, and strength to make the right choices.

Those prayers are understandable. Scripture never requires us to pretend that pain doesn't hurt or that relief doesn't matter. Yet Psalm 119:73–80 teaches us to ask God for something more than escape. The psalmist asks for help that reaches into his heart and changes the person he is becoming through the trial.

He begins by remembering whose hands hold his life:

“Your hands have made and fashioned me; give me understanding that I may learn your commandments.”

The God who made the psalmist has not abandoned His work. The hands that fashioned him are still governing his circumstances and holding him securely. Therefore, the psalmist asks for understanding, not necessarily a full explanation of why everything has happened, but the understanding he needs to obey God within it.

There's an important difference between asking, “God, why are You doing this?” and asking, “God, what do You want me to learn, and how can I remain faithful?” We may never receive every explanation we want, but God can always give us the wisdom needed for the next faithful step.

The psalmist then makes a difficult confession:

“I know, O LORD, that your rules are righteous, and that in faithfulness you have afflicted me.”

He cannot see everything God is doing, but he knows something about the God who is doing it. God is righteous, so He cannot act unjustly. God is faithful, so suffering is never evidence that He has carelessly abandoned His people. What the psalmist knows about God enables him to trust what he does not understand.

That trust leads him to five prayers that can give language to our own suffering.

Comfort Me

“Let your steadfast love comfort me according to your promise to your servant.”

Sometimes we want an explanation when what we most need is the assurance of God’s presence and love. A father comforting a frightened child does not begin with a detailed explanation of the storm. He draws near. The steadfast love of God reminds His children that difficult circumstances have not changed their relationship with Him or exhausted His promises.

Have Compassion on Me

“Let your mercy come to me, that I may live.”

We do not merely need mercy at the beginning of the Christian life. We depend on it every day. We need mercy when we are weak, when holiness feels difficult, when suffering lingers, and when we take our final breath. God’s greatest mercy is not the promise of an easy life. It is the gift of His Son, through whom spiritually dead sinners receive eternal life.

Contend for Me

The psalmist has been wronged by people who spread falsehood about him. He asks God to deal with them, while he returns his mind to God’s precepts.

This is a searching model for anyone who has been misunderstood or falsely accused. We cannot control what others say, but we can decide what we will rehearse. The psalmist refuses to let their sin become his sin. He entrusts justice to God and gives his attention to God’s Word rather than feeding bitterness or revenge.

Use Me

“Let those who fear you turn to me, that they may know your testimonies.”

The psalmist recognizes that his suffering is not only about him. Other believers are watching his hope, and God may use his endurance to strengthen them. The church carries burdens together, but it also rejoices when it sees God sustain and deliver His people.

This changes the way we view our stories. A trial can become a means of helping someone else know God’s faithfulness. We may not know who is watching or who will one day need the truth God is teaching us now.

Complete Your Work in Me

“May my heart be blameless in your statutes, that I may not be put to shame.”

The psalmist’s final concern is not simply that he survive the trial. He cares about who he will be when it is over. He asks God for a sound and faithful heart.

Sometimes we recognize God’s help only when the problem disappears. Psalm 119 shows us another form of help: God making His people holy in the middle of the problem. Relief matters, but so do our character, testimony, and communion with God.

The trial is not evidence that the Craftsman has abandoned His work. It may be one of the tools He is using to complete it.

When life hurts, ask God to change what needs to change. Ask Him for relief. Then let Psalm 119 enlarge your prayers. Ask for comfort, compassion, justice, usefulness, and a heart that remains faithful.

The God who made you is the God who holds you, and the God who holds you will faithfully lead you home.

Watch or listen to The Path of Trusting God, a sermon from the Walking in the Word Series on Psalm 119:73–80.

When life becomes painful, we may begin to interpret God through our circumstances.

If our prayers appear to be answered, we conclude that God is good. If suffering continues, we wonder whether He has stopped caring or whether He has turned against us.

Psalm 119:65–72 gives us another way to understand our circumstances. The psalmist is suffering, yet he begins with this remarkable testimony:

“You have dealt well with your servant, O LORD, according to your word.”

He does not say that God dealt well with him until life became difficult. His testimony includes the affliction.

This does not mean that the pain was imaginary or unimportant. The psalmist had been mistreated and smeared with lies. His suffering was real. Yet he interpreted it through what he knew about God rather than interpreting God through what he felt about his suffering.

You Do Not Have to Understand the Path

A sheep does not understand everything its shepherd knows about the terrain, the weather, the predators, or the safest place to find water. Its welfare does not depend on understanding the path. It depends on the wisdom and care of the shepherd.

In the same way, we will not always understand what God is doing. But Christians have been given something more dependable than an explanation for every painful circumstance. We have God’s revealed character, His promises, and the cross of Christ.

The cross is God’s definitive declaration that He is for His people. His providence may confuse us, but Calvary shows us what we must never doubt.

Affliction Can Bring Us Back

The psalmist recognized that suffering had changed his direction:

“Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I keep your word.”

Affliction exposed his wandering and reminded him how much he needed his Shepherd. It became a bridge between self-directed living and renewed obedience.

Not every hardship is the direct result of a particular sin. The Bible does not allow us to make that assumption. Yet suffering often reveals things comfort allowed us to overlook: misplaced confidence, neglected prayer, spiritual distraction, or dependence on something that could not sustain us.

The psalmist therefore asked God for more than relief. He prayed, “Teach me.”

That is a difficult but fruitful prayer: “Lord, do not let me pass through this without learning what You intend to teach me.”

What Is Affliction Producing?

Suffering does not automatically make us better. The same hardship may harden one person and soften another. Affliction reveals what is in us and shapes what we are becoming.

Is your suffering making you more prayerful or more bitter? More dependent upon God or more demanding? More tender or more cynical? More devoted to God’s Word or more distant from it?

The question is not only, “Why is this happening?” It is also, “What is God producing in me through this?”

A Treasure That Cannot Be Taken Away

By the end of the passage, the psalmist can say:

“It is good for me that I was afflicted, that I might learn your statutes.”

He is not calling pain pleasant. He is recognizing what God accomplished through it. His suffering taught him to value God’s Word more than thousands of pieces of gold and silver.

Affliction reminds us how fragile health, reputation, comfort, plans, and financial security can be. God’s Word speaks of a life, kingdom, and inheritance that suffering cannot destroy.

God’s goodness is not contradicted by our affliction. We may not yet see what He is accomplishing, but we can look to the cross and know that He is able to bring immeasurable good through profound suffering.

Perhaps the question is not merely, “How can God be good while I am suffering?”

Perhaps it is, “Will I trust the goodness of God while I am suffering?”

Listen to “The Path of Affliction and Goodness,” a sermon from the series Walking in the Word - Psalm 119:65–72.

Related Sermons:

• The Path Through Affliction — Finding hope and comfort in God’s Word when suffering lingers.
• When God Is Silent — Trusting God when you cannot see where He is or what He is doing.
• Hope for the Hopeless — Holding fast to the hope of our living Redeemer.

What would have to happen before you could finally say, I have enough? Perhaps you imagine better health, greater financial security, a restored relationship, children who are doing well, retirement, respect, or an important goal finally accomplished.

None of these desires is necessarily wrong, but Psalm 119 invites us to look beneath them. The psalmist begins Psalm 119:57 with a remarkable statement: “The Lord is my portion.”

In the Old Testament, a portion could refer to someone’s share of an inheritance, land, food, or the spoils of victory. By calling God his portion, the psalmist declares that his deepest security and treasure are found in God himself. He still has earthly desires, but none has a greater claim on his heart than the Lord.

If our hearts insist, I cannot be satisfied unless I have this, we have discovered something important about what we are truly depending upon.

Satisfaction Makes Honesty Possible

The psalmist continues, “When I think on my ways, I turn my feet to your testimonies.” Because his identity and security rest in God, he can examine his life honestly, recognize where he has wandered, and turn toward obedience.

That is why repentance can be described so simply: repentance always has feet. Regret wishes something had not happened, and remorse grieves it, but repentance changes direction.

Perhaps you already know what you need to make right—a sin to confess, forgiveness to extend, restitution to make, or a habit to abandon. The question may no longer be what you should do, but how long you will delay doing it.

Learning to Sing at Midnight

Although the psalmist is surrounded and ensnared by wicked people, he says, “At midnight I rise to praise you.” His circumstances are not satisfying, but God remains his satisfaction.

This allows Christians to speak honestly about suffering without pretending that pain is pleasant or disappointment does not matter. God’s goodness is not determined by whether today’s circumstances feel good.

The time to learn how to worship God at midnight is before midnight arrives. Ordinary habits of reading God’s Word, praying, singing, gathering with his people, and remembering what is true prepare us for seasons when those truths become harder to see.

Companions for the Journey

The psalmist also says, “I am a companion of all who fear you.” He is not walking alone. Christian friends do more than keep us company; they pray, encourage, correct, ask difficult questions, and remain with us through suffering.

Who provides that kind of friendship for you? Just as importantly, whose walk with Christ is stronger because you are their friend?

Surrounded by Steadfast Love

The stanza concludes, “The earth, O LORD, is full of your steadfast love.” This is an extraordinary declaration from someone still facing suffering and opposition. The psalmist has learned to see beyond his immediate circumstances to the faithful love of God.

Health, finances, relationships, and seasons of life will change, but the Christian’s relationship with God rests somewhere more secure. Christ suffered to bring us to God, and the greatest gift of salvation is God himself.

Psalm 119 therefore leaves us with a searching question: What would you have to possess or change before you could say you have enough?

Could you learn to answer with the psalmist, “The Lord is my portion”?

Adapted from Pastor Darrin Wright's sermon “The Path of Satisfaction,” from FBC Wheeling's Walking in the Word series on Psalm 119.

A general? 

A gifted orator? 

A visionary CEO?

A Different Picture of Leadership

Here’s an interesting twist:  Do you think of a shepherd?  God does!  Sounds strange, I know, but God has a different point of view when it comes to leadership, especially leadership in the church.

“Shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly; not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock.” 1 Peter 5:2-3

Shepherding isn’t exactly glamorous.  But the safety and welfare of the flock are literally in his hands.  It’s the shepherd’s job to guide the flock to water and good pastureland.  The shepherd must also protect the sheep from any threats, sometimes sacrificially.  Long, hard days and keeping vigil at night.  The sheep are the shepherd’s first priority.

A Shepherd's Heart

So what’s the point?  God is more concerned with a leader’s heart than his resume.  God wants a Christian leader to have a shepherd’s heart—loving, caring and courageous, having an attitude of selfless devotion to God and to the people He’s put under his charge!