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Psalms of Summer – Week 4

ByEric Hood

May 24, 2026
From Cry to Confidence
Pastor Eric Hood

Sermon Notes

I. Cry Out To God In Distress

Psalm 28:1–2
To you, O LORD, I call; my rock, be not deaf to me, lest, if you be silent to me, I become like those who go down to the pit. Hear the voice of my pleas for mercy, when I cry to you for help, when I lift up my hands toward your most holy sanctuary.

Psalm 34:17
When the righteous cry for help, the LORD hears and delivers them out of all their troubles.

II. Trust God Before the Answer Comes

Psalm 28:6–7
Blessed be the LORD! For he has heard the voice of my pleas for mercy. The LORD is my strength and my shield; in him my heart trusts, and I am helped; my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to him.

Psalm 31:1
In you, O LORD, do I take refuge; let me never be put to shame; in your righteousness deliver me!

Faith is not believing God after He answers. Faith is trusting God while you wait for the answer.

III. Confess Sin and Receive Forgiveness

Psalm 32:5
I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not cover my iniquity; I said, ‘I will confess my transgressions to the LORD,’ and you forgave the iniquity of my sin. Selah

Psalm 38:3–4
There is no soundness in my flesh because of your indignation; there is no 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.

IV. Rest in God’s Care and Hope

Psalm 30:5
For his anger is but for a moment, and his favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning.

Psalm 33:18–19
Behold, the eye of the LORD is on those who fear him, on those who hope in his steadfast love, that he may deliver their soul from death and keep them alive in famine.

David teaches us that the first move of a believer in distress is not to fix it — it is to cry out.

Next Steps

  • I confess my sin and turn to Jesus as King for the first time.
  • I choose to trust God even while waiting for answers/direction.
  • I commit to being confident in the Lord even when the outcomes are unknown.

Deep Dive

  1. Where Are You Stuck? David moves through four seasons: distress, trust, confession, rest. Which one do you keep getting stuck in — and why?
  2. Belief vs. Behavior – Psalm 34:17 says the LORD hears. When distress hits, where does your behavior say He doesn’t?
  3. Character, Not Circumstance – What about God’s character — not His promised outcome, but God Himself — would make praise possible before the answer comes?
  4. Remorse vs. Confession – Where might you be calling unconfessed sin “stress” or “burnout”? What’s the difference between feeling bad about sin and agreeing with God about it?
  5. Knowing vs. Living the Morning – If you actually believed the night had a guaranteed end, what would be different about tomorrow?

Springboards

  1. What is the difference between “worry” and “concern”?
  2. What does fretting look like in your day-to-day life, and what triggers it most?
  3. When have you experienced that kind of inner fire in response to watching injustice or wrongdoing go apparently unchecked? What happened to you emotionally, spiritually, and relationally during that season?

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