Introduction

Good morning, everyone. We continue with the fifth sermon in the series "Seeking God," with the theme "Those who seek the Lord lack no good thing." I have observed the world around me, and although my perspective may not be so broad and my circle of contacts limited, I have noticed that the wealthy lack health, unable to enjoy their riches, which is a terrible thing—having money without health.

Having a good body but no money is also a tragedy. Having a good body and money but no joy, with a face as bitter as a gourd, is truly vexing. It seems life can never be complete, isn't it? Living quite happily every day, you might ask, "Teacher, what do you think I lack?" After observing, I would say, "You lack common sense." It seems people are always missing something.

Here is an excellent answer: those who seek the Lord lack no good thing. Will you lack money? No, you will not lack money. Will you lack health? No, you will not lack health. Will you lack joy? No, you will not lack joy. Our brothers and sisters may not understand what it feels like to lack something. Trusting in God is the best thing one can do. I often say, "How can one live without God?" Isn't it so? When one experiences trials and tribulations, you will lack nothing. When you experience hardships, you will find that God will surely save you and deliver you from these afflictions.

I have found that there are many immoral people in the world, and after people become immoral, they suffer many hardships. But will those who seek the Lord lack virtue? No, they will not lack virtue. Will those who seek the Lord lack money? No, they will not lack money. Will those who seek the Lord lack ability? No, they will not lack ability. Will those who seek the Lord lack wisdom? No, they will not lack wisdom. Those who seek the Lord, no matter what problems they encounter, will "lack no good thing." This is something everyone has experienced. Who can predict or control what one encounters in life? Isn't it so? With God, one can.

There was a sister who was usually lukewarm in her faith, inconsistent in her devotion. When you spoke to her, she would get annoyed. When her pastor advised her, she would argue with him. One day, she accidentally left her keys in the electrical box—not a mailbox or a key box, but an electrical box, which is full of electricity.

That day, when she went to open the door, she accidentally pushed the keys behind the electrical components with her finger. Oh my goodness! She reached out to grab them. Could she reach the keys? No, she touched the electricity and got shocked. The electricity kept flowing, sparking and buzzing. Oh my goodness! This sister remembered what I had said and quickly prayed to God.

Imagine, with the electricity flowing, her finger connected to the current, it would have been burnt to a crisp. She prayed to God, and at that moment, she remembered to seek God. After she prayed, do you know what happened? The circuit breaker tripped on its own. If the circuit breaker hadn't tripped, it would have been a disaster. She was very grateful to God and came to tell me about her testimony. I said, "What kind of testimony is this?" Later, she went to the hospital and had her finger amputated.

Now, you often see people in the world missing a finger, perhaps because they were carpenters and it was sawed off by a power saw. In her case, it was electrocuted off. Did she wake up? If you had sought God earlier and loved Him properly, would this have happened? Don't wait until your hand is in the electrical box to seek God. If you seek God properly in normal times, would you lose a finger?

We humans are so foolish. Can we seek God without experiencing something? Although I say this to everyone, I am the same way. Can we seek God properly without experiencing some suffering? We always think we are so great, so proud. Can brothers and sisters cultivate the habit of seeking God? Of course, if God arranges a little program for you to seek Him properly, that's normal.

A sister said that last week she was in an elevator, and after the doors closed, it went completely dark. Oh my goodness! She was startled and quickly prayed. The elevator doors opened, and she came out. This kind of seeking is also good. When something happens, people's seeking is genuine. When nothing is happening, seeking seems half-hearted.

Therefore, brothers and sisters, each time you experience a little program arranged by God, change your ways. You seek your own interests too much and seek God too little. Do you understand? We have too many things to change now. People are like this; without a little program, it is difficult to experience God. Look at the testimonies: "I put my hand in the electrical box, and after praying, although I didn't save my finger, I saved my life." "I entered the elevator, it went dark, and after praying, the elevator opened."

We have another sister who is quite interesting. You can't say she doesn't seek God, as she never misses a meeting. She takes notes diligently, but when you ask her to seek God, she seems to lack energy. Do you know what it means to lack energy? It means she comes to church and attends meetings, but she has no real needs.

One day, we had a long prayer session, and this sister had a need. Why? Because her mother was dying in the hospital. Oh my goodness! Her enthusiasm for prayer was unprecedented; I had never seen such great fervor. After this prayer, something happened: her mother recovered. Later, she led her mother to faith, and although her mother's faith isn't great, she is living well and is lively.

Later, when her family members had problems, this sister's pastoral enthusiasm was rekindled. Before long, everything was resolved. Oh, I am particularly moved. It turns out our God rarely holds things against us. A sister said, "Teacher, I also want to pray for my father to wake up." Actually, it's not difficult. If God wants him to wake up, it's really not too difficult. For the sake of your devotion, God will also let your father wake up.

I tell you, one never knows what one will encounter in life. One must seek God and seek Him with passion. My life has been quite interesting. In my middle age, my work was good, everything was good. I seemed to seek God, but it felt like I was busy with this and that first, and then giving the remaining time to God. As I went along, I lost my job.

People are particularly prone to experiencing a mid-life crisis in their forties. A mid-life crisis is truly a crisis because the children have not yet grown up and there is no income. The parents are still alive, and there are mortgage payments, car loans, and various installments. Suddenly, the income is gone.

At that time, seeking God is done with great enthusiasm. Who else can one rely on besides God? Relying on God is truly good. God saves us from these evils and delivers us from these disasters. Therefore, with God, living is a simple matter. Be a person who seeks God, and you will lack no good thing.

It is not because we are good enough that God has mercy on us. It is because we are bad enough that we need God so much. Brothers and sisters, lift up your faith. Never say, "Look, God, I have done so well." It is not like that. We have done very poorly. Thank God, from the time I believed until now, I have basically never felt that I was good. If you want to find fault, you can find a lot. So, until now, I am still pondering why this part is not right and that part is not right. There are many problems.

In the previous sermons, we talked about David, who, in his old age, told his son Solomon to seek God, to seek God, to seek God, to seek God, nagging like an old woman. Fortunately, Solomon said, "Father, I will seek God properly." Some children are foolish and would say, "Why are you still going on? You have said it many times. Is it interesting?" Solomon was not such a child.

Some people hear me talk about seeking God and think it's the same old stuff, nothing new. "As soon as you open your mouth, I know what you are going to say next." It doesn't matter if you know what I am going to say; whether you have sought God is the critical thing. A person tends to be verbose in old age. Where does this verbosity come from? Seeking God, seeking God, seeking God—it starts from their youth.

After David left the mountains, he no longer herded sheep. He went to Saul's camp and killed Goliath. Amazing, isn't it? He made a great contribution. Then his career was remarkable. Think about it, he married Saul's daughter, the son-in-law of the king. He was also handsome. The king's daughter loved David very much. Later, he became a commander of thousands, at least a major general.

His career was smooth sailing. Sitting in his big office chair, he could imagine his future, which was incredibly bright. Not only did the king's daughter marry him, but the king's son was also his good friend. Life was filled with wonderful hope.

Then, after returning from battle, some women in the streets shouted, "Saul has slain his thousands, and David his tens of thousands! Saul has slain his thousands, and David his tens of thousands!" When Saul heard this, he wanted to kill David. Saul's heart was not very generous. Perhaps Saul was passing by on the street and wanted to have a bowl of hot dry noodles, but when he heard the old women shouting, he couldn't eat the noodles.

What did David do? He did nothing, but Saul wanted to kill him. This was truly vexing for David. David had a lot of fans, and these old women's words pushed him onto the path of life's disaster. Where can you reason? You can't reason.

Saul issued an arrest warrant, seeking David throughout the country. David began to flee. Wasn't David confused? Can you outrun, can you escape the king's grasp? Let's not talk about anything else. If you were in a small place like Singapore, could you escape? How would you escape? If the king wants to catch you, you have nowhere to run. Maybe you can escape to Malaysia.

At this time, David did nothing but seek God. You have to say, David controlled his mouth very well. He didn't blame the old women, "What are you shouting? You have ruined me!" He ran and ran, and when he ran abroad, he went to Philistia. He had just killed Philistines not long ago, and now he ran to Achish, the Philistine.

I ask you, he had killed Philistines before, just a few months ago. He killed Goliath and many Philistines, and cut off two hundred Philistine foreskins. Did the Philistines know? When the Philistines heard David's name, they trembled. Then they saw, "Isn't that David?" David thought, "Oh no, oh no, how did I run to the Philistines?" But there was nowhere else to run. He couldn't run any further to Egypt.

David pretended to be insane there. Can pretending to be insane help him escape? Would people not know he was David if he pretended to be insane? Would people forget that he killed two hundred Philistines and took their foreskins? I tell you, because of God, this is called a miracle.

Everyone must know that I particularly love our God who performs miracles. If He didn't perform miracles, where could David run? How did the miracle happen? When the Philistines saw David coming, they wanted to take revenge. But as they approached, it was as if a large shield protected him, and they couldn't get close. So the Lord encamped around him and protected him. He pretended to be insane on the surface, thinking he escaped by pretending to be insane, but it wasn't.

How could you escape by pretending to be insane? It's impossible to escape that way. It doesn't make sense. So that was a miracle. I hope that many brothers and sisters among us, when encountering a sudden disaster like David, will not be afraid or worried. Those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.

What happened in the end? David walked away while pretending to be insane, thinking he escaped by pretending to be insane, but it wasn't. It was God who protected him. God is truly a God who performs miracles. I have experienced too many miracles. In my mid-life crisis, not long after, I suddenly realized that I was financially free. Why? The rent was much more than the mortgage. How wonderful! There were no problems in life.

There was a landlord who could not rent out his property, and he still had to pay the mortgage. As a result, seeing that the property could not be rented out, he sold it to me. But in my hands, it could be rented out. How can one reason with this? Moreover, it was rented out at a particularly high price. Actually, I don't need too many tenants; one is enough. God is truly amazing.

Therefore, with God, living is a simple matter. Do not worry or be afraid; God is the God who saves us. Do not think that you can get through this crisis by feigning madness. Now, this miracle-working God will manifest His works in you. No matter who you are, God will manifest His works in you. You must begin to learn to trust Him.

Scripture

I sought the Lord, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears. Those who look to him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame. This poor man called, and the Lord heard him; he saved him out of all his troubles. The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them. Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him. Fear the Lord, you his holy people, for those who fear him lack nothing. The lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing. (Psalm 34:4-10)

Prayer

O God, our God, You are the God who performs miracles, You are the God who protects us, You are the God who saves us, You are the God who heals us, You are the God who gives us peace. O God, save us from all troubles, save us from all fears. Because of You, we lack nothing. Because of You, the answers to all our problems in life are found in You. Now we come to seek You, to know You. O God, may You be gracious to us. We look to You, and we will not be put to shame. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Scripture Background

David fled, running across the border into the territory of Achish, the Philistine. These were two hostile nations. David saw that the people around him recognized him. David was so famous, to what extent? He was one of the ten outstanding youths of that era, and the only outstanding youth. If you were an ordinary person, running over there, no one would know. But this was David, very famous. So he feigned madness, and was brought to King Achish.

King Achish at that time might have been a bit strange. Perhaps that morning, King Achish woke up with a slight headache. He said, "Pastor, can you pray for me? I have a bit of a headache, I'm dizzy, and my eyesight is not very good. Why did you bring a madman here? Throw him out, throw him out." Maybe he drank too much last night, and his brain wasn't working well. He was dizzy, and threw David out.

Can you imagine the fear David felt when he came before Achish? "This man killed my Goliath, arrest him, behead him," wouldn't that be normal logic? Life and death hung in the balance. But David was thrown out. Ah, his heart finally settled down. God saved me from all my fears.

After being brought in and then thrown out, "Quick, leave, leave, leave," David ran away as fast as he could. Where did he run? He ran to the cave of Adullam. David wanted to calm down quickly, to find something to write down his feelings at that moment.

I will extol the Lord at all times; his praise will always be on my lips. I will glory in the Lord; let the afflicted hear and rejoice. Glorify the Lord with me; let us exalt his name together. I sought the Lord, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears.

Those who look to him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame. This poor man called, and the Lord heard him; he saved him out of all his troubles. The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them. Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him (Psalm 34:1-8).

As a result, he wrote down all his feelings at once. In his joy, he wrote a poem. But I guess David's handwriting must have been beautiful and elegant. If we could still collect David's original version from that time, it would be very valuable, but collecting these is not as good as seeking God.

The lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing (Psalm 34:10).

Why do I say this? Did David not know that he was a young lion? He knew. But my being a young lion is useless; only those who seek God lack no good thing. Let's not collect the original, let's collect the attitude of seeking God. What did he write about? God saved him from fear, saved him from shame.

Think about it, if he had been captured by the Philistines, oh my goodness, what great shame that would have been! Two hundred Philistine foreskins, two hundred families, plus all the relatives, wouldn't they have surrounded David? You cut off their foreskins, how would they treat David? Then David's foreskin would be in trouble. That would not be the foreskin that wrote Psalm 34. This foreskin is not that sheepskin. Can you imagine the shame he would have experienced? It would be a disgusting shame.

Wouldn't they have cut David's foreskin into a thousand pieces? The Philistines already hated him with gnashing teeth. So this matter is without shame. And a series of troubles were avoided for him. David said, "If you taste the goodness of the Lord, you will know that God is good." Now that we have tasted the goodness of the Lord, do we truly have David's attitude of fearing God?

David was very miserable when he was running away. He might have been muttering in his heart: "Hey, these people are chanting, how did I become like this today? God, did you make a mistake? What were you doing? Where were you? How did I end up in this situation today?" Isn't this a normal reaction? God, what were you doing? Where are you? How did I end up in this situation today?

But David did not say these words, so later David said a sentence in the Psalms.

Whoever of you loves life and desires to see many good days, keep your tongue from evil and your lips from telling lies. (Psalm 34:12-13)

David thought about it, this all has God's good intentions, and as a result, he rejected those negative thoughts. I tell you, that thing inside us that often feels justified is very bad. We feel that we are very justified, that others want to harm us, that is really bad. The tragedy of man is here, one speaks sourly, one feels justified.

David was too powerful, he knew that saying this would ruin himself. He knew that if he complained about this and complained about that, he would be captured by the Philistines and stripped naked, what would he do? So brothers and sisters, make up your mind to control your mouth, do not let your mouth say negative words.

Negative words are very bad, this is David's summary in Psalm 34, it is worth our learning. In fact, controlling the mouth is controlling the heart. What you mutter in your heart, your mouth will say. What is the logical system in your heart, what you say is what it is.

Seek God in Times of Fear

Remember, God is our answer. What do you do when you are afraid? When that feeling comes, people tremble, worrying about the future, what to do about this, what to do about that. I tell you, there is no other answer, the answer is in God. We must seek the Lord, as it says in the scriptures.

I sought the Lord, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears. (Psalm 34:4)

Think about it, David came before Achish, it was a moment between life and death. If David had forgotten to feign madness because he was afraid when he was brought before Achish, or even wet his pants with fear, wouldn't that have been troublesome? So God saved him from that feeling of fear at that time, this is the benefit of seeking God. Brothers and sisters should know that if you seek God well, God will save you from all fear, you do not need to be afraid of the future, and you do not need to be afraid of the present.

God will surely save you, surely save you from fear. Among us, there is a sister whose husband passed away. In the past, when her husband was with her, he could not leave her. She was afraid to sleep alone at night. After her husband passed away, she had to find friends to accompany her, but who can always have time to accompany her?

Later, she came among us, and after being ministered to, she can now sleep by herself. Not only can she sleep, but in fact, she was often encountered sleep paralysis and other messy things since she was a child due to family influence. The problem is, God saves us from fear, are we a person who continuously seeks God?

Maybe you seek at first, God saves you from fear, but once people are well, they no longer seek, and this is ruined. I want to tell everyone that if you have experienced a little bit of God's grace, at this time you must repent well. God saves us not just to save us and be done with it, but to teach us to learn to repent.

David's feeling of fear was gone at that time, but the feeling was very terrifying when it came. There is a disease called phobia, I once ministered to a patient who always felt that someone was going to kill him, that feeling was very real.

Look to God When Ashamed

When you are about to be ashamed and cannot control the situation, you must quickly look to God, and God will save you from this shameful situation.

Those who look to him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame. (Psalm 34:5)

You can imagine how heavy David's words were when he wrote this sentence. Looking to God and seeking God are the same thing, this is the benefit of seeking God. God saves you from a shameful situation, what great grace that is. At that time, David was thinking, "This time I'm done, I cut off two hundred foreskins, now they must cut mine?" David understood too well, he knew what shame he was about to experience, but God saved him. This is not just a matter of whether David loves face, but God's sovereignty and love.

Loving face is useless, this is really fatal. If it were not for God's miraculous salvation, how could he have reached this step? How could he have written Psalm 34? That really makes your head buzz when you think about it, shame.

Those who look to him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame. (Psalm 34:5)

This is the second benefit, remember if you especially care about your face and do not want to be ashamed, you must quickly seek God. Learn to seek God, those who seek God and look to Him will not be ashamed.

Call on God in Times of Trouble

Calling on God in times of trouble and seeking God are the same meaning, what did David say?

This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles. The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them. O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him. (Psalm 34:6-8)

Psalm 34 is a great testimony written by David, bearing witness to how God delivered him. How did God deliver him? Because he cried out to God. This poor man cried to the Lord, and God heard him. Did He hear? He did. If He hadn't heard, how would there be time to write Psalm 34? "This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles."

Saul wanted to kill him, the Philistines wanted to kill him. Where could he go? What could he do? It was basically a very difficult path. But the result was very simple: the angel of the Lord encamped around him and delivered him. The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him and delivers them. Did David get that by feigning madness? Or did the angel of the Lord encamp around him and deliver him? It was the angel of the Lord who encamped around him and delivered him.

The angel of the Lord made the Philistines think that way and let him go. You might say that's too divine. The angel of the Lord put some thoughts into Achish's mind. That's just a matter of minutes, maybe even moments. That's the key.

I think when people encounter troubles in life, it's not that you want troubles, it's not that David really wanted troubles. "Oh, I should go into troubles to train myself." It wasn't what David wanted. It was just a few old women shouting, "Saul has slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands," which messed things up, and that's how it turned out.

Experiencing those things we don't want, we can seek God. Seeking Him lacks no good thing: First, He saves us from fear. Second, He saves us from shame. Third, He saves us from troubles. What else do you lack? Nothing. So, brothers and sisters, seeking God is not just shouting slogans. You can't control much of what you encounter, but seeking God lacks no good thing.

When People Experience Injustice, They Must Fear God

I tell you, in times of injustice, you must fear God. David was really amazing. It wasn't just at this time that he was like this; he was like this his whole life. Throughout his life, when he encountered injustice, he didn't speak evil words. Why didn't he speak evil words? Because he sought God. He knew what kind of people God hated, he knew what kind of people God disliked. If I speak evil words, that will incur God's wrath. Originally, I was to be saved, but if I speak evil words, I won't be saved.

If you seek God, you will know God. If you know God, you will fear God. You will know what kind of people God likes and what kind of people He dislikes. Why do you fear God? Because you cannot do what God dislikes, so you don't speak evil words. Did Saul have a reason to pursue and kill him? No reason. It was just a group of old women shouting slogans, that's all.

Was it David's wish to run to Achish? As soon as he crossed the border, he went to Achish. What could he do? He was caught. "Oh, I'm so unlucky." What else can you do besides seek God? Brothers and sisters, you must, must, must learn to fear God. People don't fear God because they are bold. Why are they bold? Because they are ignorant.

They don't know how much loss negativity brings. Hearing and thinking about negativity is all negative. What is said is all establishing one's own righteousness. When you experience injustice, establishing your own righteousness still incurs God's wrath. If people haven't done anything to you, and you still want to establish your own righteousness and argue with them, how much more does that incur God's wrath? You just think you are right.

What David experienced was not reasonable, but he didn't speak evil words, he didn't complain. Some people, as soon as they experience something, say, "God, have you made a mistake?" God might say, "Have you made a mistake?" We must be careful. Once you feel you are very reasonable, that reason is all twisted and incurs God's wrath. That's called establishing your own righteousness. You can't speak evil words. When people speak evil words, they lose their blessings. When people experience injustice, they must fear God. This is the result of seeking God. If people don't know God, won't they be ruined?

God Is Near to the Brokenhearted and Saves Those Who Are Contrite in Spirit

If you seek God, you will have these benefits. To get these benefits, you must first not speak evil words. Second, you must learn to be contrite in spirit. When David reached this point, was he heartbroken? He was heartbroken. But when he was heartbroken, was he contrite in spirit? He was contrite in spirit. What was David contrite about?

The righteous cry, and the Lord heareth, and delivereth them out of all their troubles. The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit. Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the Lord delivereth him out of them all. (Psalm 34:17-19)

How did David come to the conclusion that God is near to the brokenhearted and saves those who are contrite in spirit? I tell you, David was appointed as a captain of thousands, married Saul's daughter, and became the king's son-in-law. The future was bright. With a bright future, sitting in his chair, with a big table in front of him, getting whatever he wanted, he began to dream of a bright future.

God said, "Little rascal, you're getting carried away, you're getting proud, you think you're great, you're starting to show off." David also showed off. He showed off, lying in his big chair, able to rock back and forth. As he rocked, he began to narrow his eyes and started to dream beautiful dreams. "How wonderful, I'm simply a winner in life, winning big."

David didn't think he was very great. He felt he deserved it, having offended God. This part isn't written in the Bible, but I have to tell you, this is really how it was. He felt he was amazing. Among all the generals in Israel, including his brothers, who could kill Goliath? No one could kill Goliath. He was the one who killed Goliath.

Who among the Philistines could compare to David? With his high martial skills, he was definitely a master in the martial arts world. David had the capital to be proud. He married the king's daughter, and then he looked in the mirror and thought, "Oh, what a pretty boy, so handsome." When David walked down the street, the eyes of the women on both sides followed David. "Wow," those women, I tell you, my goodness, can everyone imagine that? Even when David was not young, he was still so handsome, still the dream of many women, simply a dream lover.

Many people confessed their love to him, a winner in life, winning big, dreaming of a bright future. Now he found himself in a cave, having barely escaped from Achish's hands, having barely escaped Saul's pursuit, and still in shock. At this time, he was heartbroken and contrite in spirit. So, some of our brothers and sisters, as soon as they have a little achievement, their tails wag high, and they think they are amazing.

Our brothers and sisters must be careful. Chinese Mingding Doctrine is not that great. It's far from God's will. Don't wag your tails. We are not qualified to wag our tails. We are far from it. Look at our shepherding. I am very dissatisfied. Why? Our shepherding still solves people's problems in a piecemeal way. You say it's much better than other places, but can we compare with other places? We must compare with God's will.

If David hadn't wagged his tail back then, maybe the situation would have been better, right? Now, does everyone know why David said, "The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves those who are contrite in spirit"? This is called being contrite in spirit. We are far from it. Thank God for often allowing some things to come upon us. When we are too lazy to move forward, God kicks us forward. When we start to come loose, God twists us a bit. Haven't we all come this way?

So, sometimes the best cry is, "God, kick me, I'm about to come loose, about to fall behind." Often be contrite in spirit, don't think you're good. If some of us still think we're good, be careful, you'll soon be running to Achish. Never think you're good. If you ask me, what am I most proud of? I am most proud of the fact that I often feel I am far from it, so I am still striving to pursue until now.

Many Are the Afflictions of the Righteous, but the Lord Delivers Him Out of Them All

Have you noticed that eating delicious food and drinking spicy drinks, living a very comfortable life, and seeking God is a bit unreasonable? Living very comfortably every day, getting whatever you want, seeking God? It seems this thing is a bit difficult. If you feel that day after day you have no enthusiasm, you need some suffering. Why do the righteous have many afflictions? Because the righteous are those who believe, those who practice faith.

Why must there be suffering? Because God gives him a lesson to practice faith. Being pursued by Saul, running to Achish, how can you walk without faith? What is suffering for? It's not that suffering makes us suffer, it's that it allows us to practice faith. Some people have no faith in suffering, and that is a tragedy in life.

How did David come through? "Although I have suffering, I am a person of faith." What is a righteous person? A righteous person is a person of faith. He seeks God, knows God, and God delivers him out of all these. Practice faith throughout your life. If you don't practice faith, God will arrange an opportunity for you to practice faith. You have to take it whether you want to or not. It's not like saying, "God, I'm fine like this." God will give you an opportunity to practice faith.

If you listen to this and aren't afraid when you encounter something, God kicks you to let you practice faith. So, brothers and sisters, when you encounter some things, such as losing your job, I'm not worried. What am I worried about? I'm worried about whether you are a person who practices faith. A person who practices faith, a person who seeks God, lacks no good thing.

Suffering will also become an opportunity to practice faith. Was David always pursued later? No. Later, he became the king of Israel and became the greatest king in Israel's history. Many are the afflictions of the righteous. This suffering is not the same as the suffering of being cursed. Did David understand Saul's suffering? He understood.

Saul's suffering had no glory to speak of. It was the result of God's judgment on Saul. The suffering of the righteous and Saul's kind of suffering without glory are completely different. So, Saul died miserably, lived a miserable life, and lived in bondage. His suffering was the suffering of unbelief. David's suffering was the suffering of faith. The suffering of faith will eventually come to an end.

The suffering of faith is not endless until death. The suffering of faith will come to an end. When we have done the lesson of practicing faith well and handed in a perfect answer sheet, God will say, "Well done, good and faithful servant." Brothers and sisters, don't think that you will panic when you encounter something. When you encounter something, go to practice faith, go to seek God.

Drinking small coffees all day long, living a very petty-bourgeois life, you tell me you are seeking God, it sounds a bit fake to me. If you feel uncomfortable inside, that's right, that's what you want, that's what you want to be contrite in spirit, that's what you want that heartbroken feeling, that uncomfortable feeling. At this time, you seek God. Seeking God, you overcome everything in the practice of faith, and then you will declare, "Those who seek the Lord lack no good thing."

The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger: but they that seek the Lord shall not want any good thing. (Psalm 34:10)

Our sermon ends here. May God bless everyone.