THE MIDDLE OF YOUR STORY IS NOT THE END

The title of my message is “The Middle of Your Story Is Not the End.” We’ll begin with a psalm of David, the wonderful shepherd who was anointed to be king. Psalm 23 says: “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”

When David was young, his father put a portion of sheep in his care. David wholeheartedly embraced that calling, with overwhelming compassion for the animals. He found comfort in the idea of the Lord as his shepherd and saw God this way. David knew he would not lack strength or provision in God.

When I first got saved, as the scripture says, I saw new mercy morning by morning. Tears would pour down my face when I saw a new portion of scripture. It was like water washing away all those years of wrong-thinking. As I cried, those old voices that tried to crush me, from without and within, faded away. I knew I was reading the truth. The Holy Spirit brought me into a place of peace, just like the still waters of David. The Apostle Paul said there's a peace that passes understanding in Christ. It’s a sense of well-being that often has nothing to do with my environment or surroundings. God’s peace is a song that restores my soul.

Those early years are incredible. You're in love with Jesus, and church is all peaches, cream, and worship. You think, finally, a place with honest people. I was disappointed the first time I ran into a crook in church. Suddenly, I felt the hand of God wash over me, and He spoke to my heart, saying, “Carter, I'm not a hypocrite, and I'm not a crook. I went all the way for you. The life you're living, you're living for me. So, just serve me. Serve me because you only stand before me. I'm the only one that can say, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant.’” The beginning of David’s Psalm 23 is what it’s like for new believers.

In verses four and five of the psalm, there is a turn. David is walking through the valley of the shadow of death. He was haunted by a man jealous of his anointing and the insane King Saul. He knew his life was hanging on by a thread and didn’t know anyone he could trust. Without God’s provision, David wouldn’t make it. There are seasons of every Christian’s life when they run out of strength and don’t know how to move forward. Your thinking can get jaded when you're in the middle of your story. 1 Peter 4:12 says, “Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you.”

My oldest son was severely burned in a fire once, and we didn’t know if he’d lose a hand. We also lost our home twice—to a fire and a flood. I can tell you, through all of these hardships, God has been our strength. He's been our provision, help, and protector. I find no fault in the faithfulness of God. Everything we've been able to go through has been for a purpose. John 16:33 says, “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” Jesus Christ already lives inside of us. He said, you are the church, and I have built this church upon a rock, and the gates of Hell will not prevail against it.

I won't stand here and say the days ahead will be smooth sailing. No matter what comes, you will not be taken down. You have somebody inside you that's greater than anything the world can send. Listen to the words of the Apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians 1:8–10: “For we do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, of our trouble which came to us in Asia: that we were burdened beyond measure, above strength, so that we despaired even of life. Yes, we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves but in God who raises the dead, who delivered us from so great a death, and does deliver us; in whom we trust that He will still deliver us.”

Paul is the man that God sovereignly met and set apart to write much of the New Testament. You'd think maybe his life would be easier because of his commission. Yet, Paul speaks of so much burden that he couldn’t bear its weight. Everyone—including Paul—has a middle of their story. Many of you are in the middle of your story now. You've come out of the romance period that God gives us to learn to love and trust Him. He knows we will have a valley of the shadow of death, so He allows a foundation of love to be set beforehand.

David was anointed to reign by the prophet Samuel. Let’s look at the middle of his story. Psalm 18:4 says, “The pangs of death surrounded me, and the floods of ungodliness made me afraid.” All you need to do is read the news to see godlessness abound in our generation. Continuing in verses five and six, “The sorrows of Sheol surrounded me; The snares of death confronted me. In my distress I called upon the Lord, And cried out to my God; He heard my voice from His temple, And my cry came before Him, even to His ears.” I don't know what David's cry was, but it's similar to mine over the years: “Jesus, help me.” In verse 36, David says, “You enlarged my path under me, so my feet did not slip.” In other words, you led me. Remember, in Psalm 23:3, David says, “He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.” God made a way for David when there was no way. He gave him a bigger vision and showed him something beyond.

Verses 37–40 say, “I have pursued my enemies and overtaken them; neither did I turn back again till they were destroyed. I have wounded them, so that they could not rise; they have fallen under my feet, for You have armed me with strength for the battle, you have subdued under me those who rose up against me. You have also given me the necks of my enemies, so that I destroyed those who hated me.” Do you know the voices saying you won’t amount to anything? Jesus conquered them. You might come to the end of your strength, but as I have often said, “The end of me is the beginning of God.”

In Psalm 22, David was feeling overwhelmed. In verses 1–2, He said, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me? Why are You so far from helping Me, And from the words of My groaning? O My God, I cry in the daytime, but You do not hear; And in the night season, and am not silent.” Does it ever feel like you’re doing your part, and God is nowhere to be found? Continuing in verses 3–5: “But You are holy, Enthroned in the praises of Israel. Our fathers trusted in You; They trusted, and You delivered them. They cried to You, and were delivered; They trusted in You, and were not ashamed.” David wants to know why God isn’t doing for him what He has done for others. Do you ever come to church and feel like everyone else has a victory?

Verses 22–24 say, “I will declare Your name to My brethren; In the midst of the assembly I will praise You. You who fear the Lord, praise Him! All you descendants of Jacob, glorify Him And fear Him, all you offspring of Israel! For He has not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted; Nor has He hidden His face from Him; But when He cried to Him, He heard.” David said, God, even though my prayer was an accusation against your faithfulness, you still heard and answered.

In Psalm 31, David is struggling again. Verses 9–13 say, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I am in trouble; My eye wastes away with grief, Yes, my soul and my body! For my life is spent with grief, And my years with sighing; My strength fails because of my iniquity, And my bones waste away. I am a reproach among all my enemies, But especially among my neighbors, And am repulsive to my acquaintances; Those who see me outside flee from me. I am forgotten like a dead man, out of mind; I am like a broken vessel. For I hear the slander of many; Fear is on every side; While they take counsel together against me, They scheme to take away my life.”

Does that sound like a king to you? It does to me! That pathway to ruling and reigning is the Lord's message given to me to make today. It's not an easy journey that you're about to undertake, but it is eternal. It is with God. You will succeed in the end; you'll not be overcome. In verses 19–21, David says, “Oh, how great is Your goodness, Which You have laid up for those who fear You, Which You have prepared for those who trust in You In the presence of the sons of men! You shall hide them in the secret place of Your presence From the plots of man; You shall keep them secretly in a pavilion From the strife of tongues. Blessed be the Lord, For He has shown me His marvelous kindness in a strong city!” Thank God we’re in a strong city. Thank God that He surrounds us with His presence and shelters us.

Lastly, Psalm 38:1–6 says, “O Lord, do not rebuke me in Your wrath, Nor chasten me in Your hot displeasure! For Your arrows pierce me deeply, And Your hand presses me down. There is no soundness in my flesh Because of Your anger, Nor any health in my bones Because of my sin. For my iniquities have gone over my head; Like a heavy burden they are too heavy for me. My wounds are foul and festering Because of my foolishness. I am troubled, I am bowed down greatly; I go mourning all the day long.” Even though David had been the sweet psalmist of Israel, he had done the unthinkable. He sinned against God. He sinned against another man who was a faithful, loyal soldier in his army, and he sinned against his wife. David knew it and was overwhelmed with anguish. There are points in the Christian life where we falter and fail again. The old things come back and try to defeat us. The enemy is there, condemning, saying, “Give it up, throw in the towel.” We say, “God, it's over my head. It's too heavy for me.”

The end of David’s story is in Psalm 40. Verses 1–3 say, “I waited patiently for the Lord; And He inclined to me, And heard my cry. He also brought me up out of a horrible pit, Out of the miry clay, And set my feet upon a rock, And established my steps. He has put a new song in my mouth—Praise to our God; Many will see it and fear, And will trust in the Lord.” In the middle of David’s journey, he had to deal with jealousy, betrayal, threats of harm, feeling overwhelmed, fighting his failings and the criticism of others, and the anguish of his sin. God responded by giving him sure footing and the ability to praise even before victory. If the middle of your story looks like David’s, remember the middle of your story is not the end. You can believe God has the same victorious plans for you. In Hebrews 13:5, Jesus said, “I will never, never fail you nor forsake you.” Hallelujah!