1 00:00:12,400 --> 00:00:13,040 Let's pray. 2 00:00:13,840 --> 00:00:15,840 Lord God, we want to thank you for your. 3 00:00:16,400 --> 00:00:17,280 For your word. 4 00:00:17,280 --> 00:00:21,040 Lord, we want to thank you that it is timeless. 5 00:00:21,120 --> 00:00:24,880 And, Lord, we pray that as we open it now, your spirit would speak 6 00:00:24,960 --> 00:00:25,920 to each of us. 7 00:00:26,110 --> 00:00:29,470 Lord God, wherever we are at, and Lord God, that you would help 8 00:00:29,470 --> 00:00:32,030 us to remember your wonderful works. 9 00:00:32,030 --> 00:00:34,750 We pray these things in Jesus name, amen. 10 00:00:37,390 --> 00:00:42,189 I'm sure you have all encountered fog of some shape or 11 00:00:42,189 --> 00:00:42,390 another. 12 00:00:42,390 --> 00:00:46,310 Maybe you've been driving towards Hilltown and you've come 13 00:00:46,310 --> 00:00:51,710 up through the mountains, and the fog has been thick on the mountains, 14 00:00:51,710 --> 00:00:53,310 and it's been hard to see where you're going. 15 00:00:54,180 --> 00:00:58,260 Well, I was reading about something that went really far, far 16 00:00:58,260 --> 00:01:01,580 beyond that, and it was in London in 1952. 17 00:01:01,580 --> 00:01:05,460 There was a period of five days which was known as the great 18 00:01:05,540 --> 00:01:06,020 fog. 19 00:01:06,580 --> 00:01:08,580 Now, this wasn't an ordinary fog. 20 00:01:08,660 --> 00:01:10,580 This was a thick, poisonous. 21 00:01:10,660 --> 00:01:13,620 A poisonous fog that settled over London. 22 00:01:13,620 --> 00:01:18,620 And it was caused by a combination of coal smoke in the 23 00:01:18,620 --> 00:01:23,530 air and unusually cold weather and still air. 24 00:01:24,410 --> 00:01:29,250 It said that the fog was so thick that people couldn't see their 25 00:01:29,250 --> 00:01:29,850 own feet. 26 00:01:30,810 --> 00:01:35,730 And this fog was so intrusive that it was even coming into people's 27 00:01:35,730 --> 00:01:36,170 homes. 28 00:01:36,329 --> 00:01:40,130 I'm sure the doors and the windows were shut, but it was coming 29 00:01:40,130 --> 00:01:42,730 in and it had massive repercussions. 30 00:01:43,050 --> 00:01:44,650 People couldn't see where they were going. 31 00:01:44,650 --> 00:01:45,850 Ambulances couldn't. 32 00:01:46,490 --> 00:01:48,250 Couldn't find people. 33 00:01:49,370 --> 00:01:51,250 And it lasted for five days. 34 00:01:51,250 --> 00:01:55,930 And they say between five and 10,000 people died as a result. 35 00:01:56,730 --> 00:02:00,730 Now you can imagine what it felt like in London at those times 36 00:02:00,730 --> 00:02:02,170 before the years of sat Nav. 37 00:02:02,170 --> 00:02:04,330 We never really have to think where we're going now. 38 00:02:04,330 --> 00:02:07,130 If we don't know, we just type it into our car. 39 00:02:08,090 --> 00:02:11,170 But in those times before sat Nav, what would it have felt like? 40 00:02:11,170 --> 00:02:15,080 Those usual and landmarks that you set your journey by, that you 41 00:02:15,080 --> 00:02:17,240 orientated yourself, all disappeared. 42 00:02:17,320 --> 00:02:20,520 Those things that you knew as familiar, that gave you confidence, 43 00:02:21,080 --> 00:02:22,040 they vanished. 44 00:02:22,040 --> 00:02:23,240 And what replaced it? 45 00:02:23,320 --> 00:02:24,200 Uncertainty. 46 00:02:25,000 --> 00:02:28,040 And sometimes in life, our lives can feel like that. 47 00:02:28,120 --> 00:02:32,480 We're not in a physical fog, but we're in a spiritual fog. 48 00:02:32,480 --> 00:02:36,280 We're in a fog caused by our circumstances. 49 00:02:37,240 --> 00:02:37,880 We may. 50 00:02:38,320 --> 00:02:41,840 We may believe in God, but we can't see God. 51 00:02:41,840 --> 00:02:43,080 We can't see his purposes. 52 00:02:43,080 --> 00:02:45,160 We don't understand what he's doing. 53 00:02:45,160 --> 00:02:47,280 We don't know what direction to take. 54 00:02:48,240 --> 00:02:51,520 We may know that God is there in a general sense, but our prayers 55 00:02:51,520 --> 00:02:55,120 seem to go unanswered, and the future is hidden. 56 00:02:56,320 --> 00:03:00,800 Well, Asaph, the writer of Psalm 77, is exactly where he finds 57 00:03:00,800 --> 00:03:01,360 himself. 58 00:03:01,360 --> 00:03:02,560 There's something going on. 59 00:03:02,800 --> 00:03:07,490 It may have been a personal problem to Asaph, but more likely 60 00:03:07,970 --> 00:03:12,610 it was something that the whole nation of Israel was experiencing. 61 00:03:12,610 --> 00:03:19,330 And it has thrown Asaph into a state of turmoil, of spiritual turmoil. 62 00:03:21,010 --> 00:03:25,050 Psalm 77 is a really helpful psalm because I don't know if you 63 00:03:25,050 --> 00:03:25,650 remember it. 64 00:03:25,650 --> 00:03:30,090 At school, when it came up to revision time, they used to say that 65 00:03:30,090 --> 00:03:31,810 that person is a duck. 66 00:03:32,090 --> 00:03:36,210 And what that meant was they looked calm and didn't care on the 67 00:03:36,210 --> 00:03:40,210 surface, but underneath, they were paddling really, really hard. 68 00:03:40,210 --> 00:03:42,410 Whenever they went home, they got straight into the books and they 69 00:03:42,410 --> 00:03:43,210 were working for hours. 70 00:03:43,210 --> 00:03:46,250 But then whenever they came into school, they pretended like 71 00:03:46,490 --> 00:03:47,850 they didn't care in the least. 72 00:03:48,730 --> 00:03:51,370 And our spiritual lives can sometimes be like that. 73 00:03:51,370 --> 00:03:55,770 We want to put on a brave face. 74 00:03:55,770 --> 00:03:58,690 Whatever is going on underneath, whatever we're dealing 75 00:03:58,690 --> 00:04:02,160 with in our own lives, in our own home, whatever somebody asks, 76 00:04:02,160 --> 00:04:04,000 we say, we're fine. 77 00:04:04,160 --> 00:04:07,200 That's just the culture that we live in. 78 00:04:07,200 --> 00:04:11,400 But Asaph, he blows that wide open. 79 00:04:11,400 --> 00:04:15,480 He gives us this raw account of what it's like to really wrestle 80 00:04:15,480 --> 00:04:20,400 with our faith in difficult times and a path out of that, even 81 00:04:20,400 --> 00:04:24,160 when our circumstances don't appear to have changed. 82 00:04:24,800 --> 00:04:27,680 Now, as we come to this psalm, it can be broken down into two very 83 00:04:27,680 --> 00:04:29,120 clear sections. 84 00:04:30,080 --> 00:04:30,880 One to nine. 85 00:04:31,280 --> 00:04:33,120 We can call it Restless Faith. 86 00:04:33,200 --> 00:04:34,240 Restless Faith. 87 00:04:34,400 --> 00:04:38,080 And then in 10 to 20, we have reassuring remembrance. 88 00:04:38,160 --> 00:04:40,680 Restless faith in the first nine verses. 89 00:04:40,680 --> 00:04:41,840 And then 10 to 20. 90 00:04:42,080 --> 00:04:43,840 Reassuring remembrance. 91 00:04:44,640 --> 00:04:49,280 Now, before we get into it, let's take away a moment to think 92 00:04:49,280 --> 00:04:51,280 about what we know of Asaph. 93 00:04:51,440 --> 00:04:54,650 Asaph was quite an important character. 94 00:04:54,650 --> 00:04:59,090 He wrote 12 of the Psalms, and all of them kind of are very raw 95 00:04:59,090 --> 00:05:00,330 and emotional. 96 00:05:01,370 --> 00:05:06,970 But he was a Levite, he was a musician, and King David had asked 97 00:05:06,970 --> 00:05:11,050 him to play and worship in front of the Ark of the Covenant. 98 00:05:11,050 --> 00:05:14,050 So he was an important figure in the nation of Israel. 99 00:05:14,050 --> 00:05:16,810 He wasn't just a songwriter, but he was a worship leader. 100 00:05:16,810 --> 00:05:19,610 He was a theologian and he was a teacher. 101 00:05:21,330 --> 00:05:22,850 Well, why is this important? 102 00:05:22,850 --> 00:05:26,170 Well, it's important just to remember at the outset that even 103 00:05:26,170 --> 00:05:29,690 somebody who has known great spiritual height, somebody who has 104 00:05:29,690 --> 00:05:34,410 encountered a lot of God's presence, he was right beside the 105 00:05:34,410 --> 00:05:37,530 physical manifestation of God's presence in the Ark of the 106 00:05:37,530 --> 00:05:38,050 Covenant. 107 00:05:38,930 --> 00:05:42,290 He can still feel deep seasons of discouragement. 108 00:05:42,690 --> 00:05:46,610 Doesn't mean he's a sinner, just something that naturally occurs, 109 00:05:47,050 --> 00:05:48,250 and we see that throughout history. 110 00:05:48,410 --> 00:05:50,730 Charles Spurgeon, I'm sure many of you will know him. 111 00:05:50,810 --> 00:05:53,610 His nickname is the Prince of Preachers. 112 00:05:54,490 --> 00:05:57,570 But you may not Know that he battled depression for much of his 113 00:05:57,570 --> 00:06:01,290 life, and he had illnesses that really got him down. 114 00:06:01,530 --> 00:06:05,050 Martin Luther, who we think of from the Reformation, well, he endured 115 00:06:05,210 --> 00:06:07,770 periods of deep spiritual struggle. 116 00:06:08,330 --> 00:06:12,290 Don't know if any of you have heard of David Brainerd, but he was 117 00:06:12,290 --> 00:06:15,070 a pastor and he had a real heart for world mission. 118 00:06:15,070 --> 00:06:18,590 And people like Jim Elliot and lots of other people were deeply 119 00:06:18,590 --> 00:06:20,870 inspired by David Brainerd. 120 00:06:21,590 --> 00:06:22,630 But he was a young man. 121 00:06:22,630 --> 00:06:24,790 He died at the age of 27. 122 00:06:25,270 --> 00:06:30,390 And in his 27 lives, he experienced periods of crushing loneliness. 123 00:06:30,870 --> 00:06:35,110 And even Jesus himself, we know how nobody walked closer to 124 00:06:35,430 --> 00:06:36,950 God than the Son of God. 125 00:06:36,950 --> 00:06:39,590 But in the garden of Gethsemane, with the weight of what 126 00:06:39,590 --> 00:06:43,510 was going to happen to him, he sweat drops of blood at the thought 127 00:06:43,510 --> 00:06:43,950 of it. 128 00:06:44,910 --> 00:06:48,470 No matter where we come from, no matter how strong our faith, no 129 00:06:48,470 --> 00:06:54,829 matter how obedient we are to God, we can still experience times 130 00:06:54,829 --> 00:06:57,950 of struggle, times of real depression and things that really, 131 00:06:58,030 --> 00:06:59,230 really challenge us. 132 00:06:59,630 --> 00:07:03,750 And Asaph here, he gives us a look what that's like when you're 133 00:07:03,750 --> 00:07:06,720 in it, and a potential road out of it. 134 00:07:07,120 --> 00:07:10,000 So restless, restless faith again. 135 00:07:10,000 --> 00:07:13,960 We don't know what Asaph's problem was, but we see that he is 136 00:07:13,960 --> 00:07:15,120 in clear distress. 137 00:07:16,000 --> 00:07:19,640 Verses one to three, it says, I cry aloud to God, aloud to God, 138 00:07:19,640 --> 00:07:20,719 and he will hear me. 139 00:07:20,960 --> 00:07:23,200 In the day of my trouble, I seek the Lord. 140 00:07:23,440 --> 00:07:26,840 In the night, my hand is stretched out without worrying, My 141 00:07:26,840 --> 00:07:28,400 soul refuses to be comforted. 142 00:07:28,560 --> 00:07:30,720 When I remember God, I moan. 143 00:07:31,000 --> 00:07:33,000 When I meditate, my spirit faints. 144 00:07:35,720 --> 00:07:38,840 Asaph is struggling with what God is doing. 145 00:07:39,160 --> 00:07:43,400 He's struggling with what God is not doing by not answering his 146 00:07:43,400 --> 00:07:45,720 prayers, not removing this situation. 147 00:07:46,360 --> 00:07:50,440 But he's continuing to reach out and seek for God. 148 00:07:51,560 --> 00:07:53,560 I heard a great bit of advice recently. 149 00:07:53,560 --> 00:07:57,160 It said, if you have time to worry, you have time to pray. 150 00:07:57,400 --> 00:07:59,720 If you've time to worry, you have time to pray. 151 00:08:00,680 --> 00:08:03,120 And that's the direction of Asaph here. 152 00:08:03,120 --> 00:08:05,960 Though he's struggling, he's reaching out to God. 153 00:08:06,200 --> 00:08:08,520 He's crying out to God on a daily basis. 154 00:08:09,400 --> 00:08:10,840 Even his voice is going. 155 00:08:11,000 --> 00:08:16,600 He's moaning, but he's still continuing to turn his heart towards 156 00:08:16,600 --> 00:08:17,000 God. 157 00:08:17,160 --> 00:08:20,920 As life is pressing in on Asaph, he's pressing into God. 158 00:08:21,160 --> 00:08:23,960 And that's one of the distinguishing marks of genuine faith. 159 00:08:25,040 --> 00:08:29,360 See, one of the marks of unbelief is it's quiet, it turns 160 00:08:29,360 --> 00:08:33,920 away from God, it walks away, it lets go without much fuss. 161 00:08:34,080 --> 00:08:38,880 And we might think that faith is about keeping quiet and staunchly 162 00:08:39,200 --> 00:08:42,000 holding on and not just grinning and bearing it. 163 00:08:42,000 --> 00:08:44,800 But that's not the pattern that the Psalms give us at all. 164 00:08:44,880 --> 00:08:48,360 Genuine faith is often expressed in wailing. 165 00:08:48,360 --> 00:08:49,680 It's often expressed in. 166 00:08:49,980 --> 00:08:53,340 In moaning, not in a form of complaining like we use it, but in 167 00:08:53,340 --> 00:08:56,540 a way where you have no words left, only sounds. 168 00:08:57,420 --> 00:09:02,540 It's often expressed loudly and filled with questions. 169 00:09:04,620 --> 00:09:07,460 The important thing is that it's directed towards God. 170 00:09:07,460 --> 00:09:08,780 God is big enough to hold it. 171 00:09:08,780 --> 00:09:11,660 God can deal with it when we direct these things. 172 00:09:12,060 --> 00:09:15,060 Perhaps somebody is listening online or has come into church today. 173 00:09:15,060 --> 00:09:17,180 And you, you come to church every Sunday. 174 00:09:18,140 --> 00:09:22,460 You read your Bible, you pray, but it feels like you read your Bible 175 00:09:22,460 --> 00:09:25,140 and the words aren't leaping off the page like they used to. 176 00:09:25,140 --> 00:09:28,700 You feel like you're praying, but your prayers aren't going any 177 00:09:28,700 --> 00:09:29,540 higher than the ceiling. 178 00:09:29,540 --> 00:09:33,300 You feel like you're coming and singing these marvelous words 179 00:09:33,300 --> 00:09:36,700 of praise on a Sunday, but your heart and how you're feeling 180 00:09:37,580 --> 00:09:39,100 isn't matching up to them. 181 00:09:40,220 --> 00:09:41,420 Well, that's not a sign of. 182 00:09:41,650 --> 00:09:42,290 Of unbelief. 183 00:09:42,290 --> 00:09:44,530 That's a sign of restless faith. 184 00:09:44,770 --> 00:09:49,370 Somebody who keeps coming even when the circumstances seem to be 185 00:09:49,370 --> 00:09:50,050 saying different. 186 00:09:50,850 --> 00:09:54,130 Don't know if many of you were at Castlewell and show this year, 187 00:09:55,170 --> 00:09:58,250 if you were and you were over at the park with the children, you 188 00:09:58,250 --> 00:10:01,690 would have seen one of those bulls that you get on and ride that 189 00:10:01,690 --> 00:10:05,170 spins you around and you have to hold on for as long as you can. 190 00:10:06,130 --> 00:10:08,210 This was the first year that I didn't have a go on it. 191 00:10:08,210 --> 00:10:09,570 I think that's a sign of maturity. 192 00:10:10,870 --> 00:10:14,950 But you know those things, you get on and there's a strap and you're 193 00:10:14,950 --> 00:10:18,110 holding on and it's flailing you around and you're trying to hold 194 00:10:18,110 --> 00:10:19,190 on for as long as possible. 195 00:10:19,590 --> 00:10:22,670 The reality is that sometimes as a Christian, that's what life 196 00:10:22,670 --> 00:10:23,430 can feel like. 197 00:10:23,670 --> 00:10:24,870 We're just holding on. 198 00:10:25,270 --> 00:10:29,350 Our hands aren't clasped in prayer, but they're like this. 199 00:10:29,350 --> 00:10:31,030 Like you're hanging on to the edge of something. 200 00:10:31,350 --> 00:10:33,430 And that's reality. 201 00:10:33,990 --> 00:10:36,390 Asaph takes us deeper. 202 00:10:37,350 --> 00:10:39,190 He says that he can't be comforted. 203 00:10:39,190 --> 00:10:42,710 Only God himself will be able to comfort him. 204 00:10:43,510 --> 00:10:46,750 And he says he's seeking out God earnestly, sincerely. 205 00:10:46,750 --> 00:10:49,190 I cried to God and knew that God heard me. 206 00:10:50,070 --> 00:10:54,750 Even when God, even when Asaph prayers prays, he knows that his 207 00:10:54,750 --> 00:10:56,870 prayers aren't changing the situation. 208 00:10:56,870 --> 00:11:02,310 He believes that God is hearing him, but God isn't answering 209 00:11:02,310 --> 00:11:03,430 in the way he is asking. 210 00:11:03,670 --> 00:11:06,430 And so in the short term, that's not bringing encouragement 211 00:11:06,430 --> 00:11:07,070 to Asaph. 212 00:11:07,070 --> 00:11:09,190 That's bringing more questions. 213 00:11:09,270 --> 00:11:12,670 God I know you're there, but why won't you help me out the way 214 00:11:12,670 --> 00:11:13,750 I need to be helped? 215 00:11:13,750 --> 00:11:15,750 God, I'm asking you to do this. 216 00:11:16,070 --> 00:11:18,350 But why are you not answering? 217 00:11:18,350 --> 00:11:19,190 Because I know that. 218 00:11:19,429 --> 00:11:20,790 I know that you can hear me. 219 00:11:22,390 --> 00:11:22,910 Mostly. 220 00:11:22,910 --> 00:11:26,910 Whenever we cry out to God and we know that God hears us, it brings 221 00:11:26,910 --> 00:11:28,470 a sense of assurance. 222 00:11:28,470 --> 00:11:30,390 But for Asaph, that wasn't his. 223 00:11:31,350 --> 00:11:32,630 That wasn't his testimony. 224 00:11:33,270 --> 00:11:39,510 In this time, he could understand that he was praying, but 225 00:11:39,990 --> 00:11:41,310 he wasn't hearing from God. 226 00:11:41,310 --> 00:11:44,950 And so it was bringing more frustration, not less. 227 00:11:47,270 --> 00:11:50,150 The situation that Asaph is in is affecting him. 228 00:11:50,150 --> 00:11:53,190 It says really vivid language. 229 00:11:53,190 --> 00:11:54,950 It says, you hold my eyelids open. 230 00:11:54,950 --> 00:11:57,610 I am so troubled that I cannot speak. 231 00:11:58,250 --> 00:12:00,370 Many of you will know that personally. 232 00:12:00,370 --> 00:12:03,330 You know, you think about the things all day, and then you go to 233 00:12:03,330 --> 00:12:07,210 bed and the sleep, as much as you need, it still won't come. 234 00:12:07,290 --> 00:12:09,250 You're thinking about that diagnosis. 235 00:12:09,250 --> 00:12:11,170 You're thinking about that conversation. 236 00:12:11,170 --> 00:12:16,330 You're thinking about whatever the trouble the trouble will be. 237 00:12:16,970 --> 00:12:23,940 And then Asaph, he comes and he asks six hard questions of a situation. 238 00:12:24,420 --> 00:12:26,740 You can read them in seven to nine. 239 00:12:27,940 --> 00:12:31,940 He says, will the Lord spurn forever and never again be favorable? 240 00:12:32,500 --> 00:12:35,060 Has his steadfast love forever ceased? 241 00:12:35,620 --> 00:12:38,100 Are his promises at an end for all time? 242 00:12:38,660 --> 00:12:40,580 Has God forgotten to be gracious? 243 00:12:40,580 --> 00:12:42,980 Has he shut up his compassion? 244 00:12:46,100 --> 00:12:50,330 In verse eight, it says, has his steadfast love forever ceased? 245 00:12:52,330 --> 00:12:57,490 Asaph would have known that steadfast was a Greek word that meant 246 00:12:57,490 --> 00:13:00,690 chesed, and it meant secure and eternal. 247 00:13:00,690 --> 00:13:02,530 Like the mountains. 248 00:13:02,530 --> 00:13:05,050 It would have been used for mountains, things that do not move. 249 00:13:05,290 --> 00:13:09,050 But even in the midst of it, he knew that God's love doesn't move. 250 00:13:09,130 --> 00:13:12,570 But he was still questioning if it had come to an end. 251 00:13:14,930 --> 00:13:15,810 We might ask a question. 252 00:13:15,890 --> 00:13:19,330 We might say, what's the difference between Asaph asking these 253 00:13:19,330 --> 00:13:21,410 questions in the Psalms and it being okay. 254 00:13:21,810 --> 00:13:25,890 And the Israelites, whenever they were in the desert, they came 255 00:13:25,890 --> 00:13:28,610 to a place called Rephidim where there was no water. 256 00:13:29,810 --> 00:13:34,290 And they went to Moses and they said, why has God? 257 00:13:34,530 --> 00:13:35,970 Why has God forgotten us? 258 00:13:35,970 --> 00:13:38,850 Did God just bring us out into the desert to die? 259 00:13:39,250 --> 00:13:40,570 On the surface of it, we. 260 00:13:40,720 --> 00:13:44,000 What the Israelites were saying and what Asaph is asking here, 261 00:13:44,000 --> 00:13:45,520 they don't seem too different. 262 00:13:45,520 --> 00:13:46,320 Sure they don't. 263 00:13:47,360 --> 00:13:51,840 The difference is that Asaph hasn't made up his mind. 264 00:13:52,320 --> 00:13:54,800 He's bringing these things as questions to God. 265 00:13:54,800 --> 00:13:59,440 He wants to bring them before the Lord and seek his assurance. 266 00:13:59,680 --> 00:14:02,640 The Israelites, on the other hand, they weren't coming to God 267 00:14:02,640 --> 00:14:03,240 prayerfully. 268 00:14:03,240 --> 00:14:04,880 They had Already made up their mind. 269 00:14:05,040 --> 00:14:08,980 They weren't talking to God, they were talking about God. 270 00:14:08,980 --> 00:14:09,980 There's a big difference. 271 00:14:10,300 --> 00:14:14,860 Whenever we face trials, it doesn't matter what our trials are, 272 00:14:15,180 --> 00:14:16,780 but we're to bring them to God. 273 00:14:17,420 --> 00:14:20,860 The Israelites problem was that they talked about God, they 274 00:14:20,860 --> 00:14:23,100 gossiped about God, they said, oh, this is what God is doing. 275 00:14:23,100 --> 00:14:24,220 He doesn't care about us. 276 00:14:24,300 --> 00:14:28,060 Without bringing their fears and concerns directly directly to 277 00:14:28,060 --> 00:14:28,380 him. 278 00:14:31,340 --> 00:14:36,230 See, we can assume from these verses that it's affecting the nation 279 00:14:36,230 --> 00:14:41,270 of Israel because Asaph is using lots of covenantal terms here. 280 00:14:41,270 --> 00:14:42,950 He's calling them chosen people. 281 00:14:43,190 --> 00:14:45,030 He's talking about the promises of God. 282 00:14:45,030 --> 00:14:47,030 He's talking about God's own people. 283 00:14:47,350 --> 00:14:50,790 And you see the entire nation of Israel was in a covenant with 284 00:14:50,790 --> 00:14:51,190 God. 285 00:14:51,510 --> 00:14:58,150 And Asaph was asking if God had broken his promise. 286 00:14:58,400 --> 00:15:02,360 If God had made these promises, but then God had broken 287 00:15:02,360 --> 00:15:02,640 them. 288 00:15:05,600 --> 00:15:07,360 We can do that as well, can't we? 289 00:15:07,600 --> 00:15:11,920 We can know that we have made a commitment to Christ that we are 290 00:15:11,920 --> 00:15:15,040 saved, but then we question our salvation. 291 00:15:16,240 --> 00:15:17,400 We lack that assurance. 292 00:15:17,400 --> 00:15:20,480 You think of somebody like John the Baptist who was put in prison 293 00:15:20,960 --> 00:15:25,390 and he sent a message asking Jesus, are you the Christ, or should 294 00:15:25,390 --> 00:15:27,750 we expect someone else? 295 00:15:27,750 --> 00:15:30,710 We can all lack that conviction at times. 296 00:15:30,710 --> 00:15:32,950 We can all lack that assurance. 297 00:15:35,190 --> 00:15:40,070 We all lack to press into those covenant promises of God. 298 00:15:40,870 --> 00:15:44,790 We know what God has done in the past, but we experience a tension 299 00:15:44,790 --> 00:15:46,630 in that in the present. 300 00:15:48,150 --> 00:15:49,830 Is God still gracious to me? 301 00:15:51,200 --> 00:15:55,040 You see, Asaph understood that these questions. 302 00:15:55,040 --> 00:15:56,960 He knew that these were important questions. 303 00:15:57,280 --> 00:16:01,080 He isn't about pretending to be fine, but he wanted to come directly 304 00:16:01,080 --> 00:16:04,080 to God and ask these questions and seek the Lord. 305 00:16:05,680 --> 00:16:10,240 Asaph in verses 1 to 9 is a Christian. 306 00:16:10,880 --> 00:16:14,800 He loves the Lord, but he's struggling with the circumstances 307 00:16:15,360 --> 00:16:17,370 that he finds himself in. 308 00:16:19,530 --> 00:16:22,930 The end of verse nine and the beginning of verse ten, we don't 309 00:16:22,930 --> 00:16:25,290 get any indication that there are. 310 00:16:26,410 --> 00:16:28,330 That there is a change of circumstances. 311 00:16:29,770 --> 00:16:34,210 But one of the themes that you will notice in verses 1 to 9 is how 312 00:16:34,210 --> 00:16:36,650 many times Asaph talks about himself. 313 00:16:36,810 --> 00:16:39,370 He says, my struggles. 314 00:16:39,610 --> 00:16:40,490 I did this. 315 00:16:40,570 --> 00:16:44,740 I reached out my hand, I meditated on all of these things. 316 00:16:45,700 --> 00:16:49,460 It's almost like Asaph has a pair of binoculars. 317 00:16:49,460 --> 00:16:52,140 And if you've ever had a pair of binoculars, but you turn them 318 00:16:52,140 --> 00:16:52,980 around the wrong way. 319 00:16:53,060 --> 00:16:56,620 So rather than looking through the small ends that makes everything 320 00:16:56,620 --> 00:16:59,940 big, you're looking through the large ends that makes everything 321 00:17:00,020 --> 00:17:00,420 small. 322 00:17:01,220 --> 00:17:02,980 That's what Asaph was doing. 323 00:17:04,260 --> 00:17:09,180 There's no indication that this was because of sin or that he 324 00:17:09,180 --> 00:17:09,980 was sinful. 325 00:17:09,980 --> 00:17:13,220 Beyond what we all are in this building, people who have fallen 326 00:17:13,220 --> 00:17:14,460 short of God's standards. 327 00:17:14,700 --> 00:17:20,380 But he's focusing too much on his own situation. 328 00:17:21,420 --> 00:17:25,420 So in verses 10 and on, he decides to turn the binoculars round. 329 00:17:26,380 --> 00:17:28,060 He says this in verse 10. 330 00:17:28,060 --> 00:17:33,100 This is where we transfer from restless faith to reassuring remembrance. 331 00:17:33,750 --> 00:17:37,990 You see, it all changes, even though the situation doesn't change. 332 00:17:38,150 --> 00:17:43,190 Asaph has decided that rather than seeking a change in his circumstances, 333 00:17:43,910 --> 00:17:48,310 he's going to find comfort and rest in the fact that the Lord does 334 00:17:48,310 --> 00:17:48,870 not change. 335 00:17:49,190 --> 00:17:53,390 His circumstances might not change, but either does God. 336 00:17:53,390 --> 00:17:55,110 And that's what he's taking comfort in. 337 00:17:55,270 --> 00:17:56,390 7710. 338 00:17:56,550 --> 00:18:01,240 Then I said, I will appeal to this, to the years of the right hand 339 00:18:01,240 --> 00:18:02,160 of the Most High. 340 00:18:02,720 --> 00:18:05,520 This word appeal has a legal context. 341 00:18:05,520 --> 00:18:07,200 We know what an appeal does. 342 00:18:07,760 --> 00:18:11,560 Somebody is up in court and there's a judgment and they don't 343 00:18:11,560 --> 00:18:16,600 feel that it's right, so they appeal it to a higher court, to somebody 344 00:18:16,600 --> 00:18:18,880 with more authority to look at it again. 345 00:18:19,360 --> 00:18:24,520 Asaph is saying, here I let my heart be the judge, but my heart 346 00:18:24,520 --> 00:18:26,830 didn't consider all of the evidence. 347 00:18:26,910 --> 00:18:28,590 I am appealing it to a higher court. 348 00:18:28,830 --> 00:18:30,750 I'm appealing it to a higher authority. 349 00:18:31,310 --> 00:18:32,910 And what is that higher authority? 350 00:18:33,150 --> 00:18:35,710 To the years of the right hand of the Most High. 351 00:18:36,270 --> 00:18:39,390 I'm going to look at all of those times when I did know God's 352 00:18:39,390 --> 00:18:43,110 blessing, when I did know God's presence, when I saw time and 353 00:18:43,110 --> 00:18:48,550 time again how God moved and worked and was visibly for his people. 354 00:18:48,550 --> 00:18:50,830 That's what I'm going to take comfort in. 355 00:18:51,540 --> 00:18:54,100 He's not going to look only at circumstances, but he's going to 356 00:18:54,180 --> 00:18:58,900 consider the much greater body of evidence from before this and 357 00:18:59,220 --> 00:19:00,740 through this and who God is. 358 00:19:02,180 --> 00:19:06,380 Note in verse 11 and 12 how active asaph is. 359 00:19:06,380 --> 00:19:09,380 He says this, I will remember the deeds of the Lord. 360 00:19:09,380 --> 00:19:11,540 Yes, I will remember your wonders of old. 361 00:19:11,620 --> 00:19:15,540 I will ponder all your work and meditate on your mighty deeds. 362 00:19:17,230 --> 00:19:18,870 This isn't passive remembrance. 363 00:19:18,870 --> 00:19:21,910 This isn't whenever you meet somebody in the street and you can't 364 00:19:21,910 --> 00:19:22,910 remember their first name. 365 00:19:23,070 --> 00:19:24,750 So you say, hello, how are you? 366 00:19:25,310 --> 00:19:26,670 Without any specifics. 367 00:19:26,990 --> 00:19:30,750 And then you are about 200 yards down the street and you say, 368 00:19:30,750 --> 00:19:34,790 Margaret, and it just comes into your head, this isn't the case. 369 00:19:34,790 --> 00:19:38,270 This is more a case of Asaph has lost his keys. 370 00:19:38,670 --> 00:19:40,630 I'm sure we've all been in that situation as well. 371 00:19:40,630 --> 00:19:43,410 You know they're in the house, you know they're there, but you physically 372 00:19:43,410 --> 00:19:45,850 have to go out and lay your hands on them. 373 00:19:45,930 --> 00:19:50,010 That's the kind of remembrance that Asaph is doing here. 374 00:19:50,650 --> 00:19:54,810 He knows that the evidence of God's goodness and safety and security 375 00:19:54,890 --> 00:19:55,450 are there. 376 00:19:55,530 --> 00:19:59,290 He just has to go out and look for them because they're not right 377 00:19:59,290 --> 00:20:00,810 before his eyes at this time. 378 00:20:02,410 --> 00:20:05,850 You see, he actively chooses to do this. 379 00:20:07,770 --> 00:20:09,930 And that's what Paul commands us to do in. 380 00:20:10,150 --> 00:20:11,230 In Colossians 3. 381 00:20:11,230 --> 00:20:14,830 As Christians, if we want to have that reassurance in our own 382 00:20:14,830 --> 00:20:18,790 faith, if we want to know the hope and the love of Christ, in times 383 00:20:18,790 --> 00:20:20,710 of trouble, we have to do that. 384 00:20:20,710 --> 00:20:22,070 We have to remember these things. 385 00:20:22,070 --> 00:20:25,190 This is what Paul advises the church in Colossae. 386 00:20:25,430 --> 00:20:28,750 If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that 387 00:20:28,750 --> 00:20:32,270 are above, where Christ is seated, seated at the right hand 388 00:20:32,270 --> 00:20:32,790 of God. 389 00:20:33,670 --> 00:20:38,550 Set your minds or remember on things that are above, not on things 390 00:20:38,550 --> 00:20:39,390 that are on earth. 391 00:20:40,110 --> 00:20:43,870 For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 392 00:20:44,030 --> 00:20:47,950 When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you will also appear 393 00:20:47,950 --> 00:20:49,470 with him in glory. 394 00:20:51,150 --> 00:20:57,430 Asaph moves on from recounting God's mighty works to recounting 395 00:20:57,430 --> 00:20:58,670 who God is. 396 00:20:58,750 --> 00:21:02,530 God's actions lead him into thinking about who, about who God 397 00:21:02,680 --> 00:21:03,160 God is. 398 00:21:05,160 --> 00:21:07,080 Psalm 77, 13, 15. 399 00:21:07,160 --> 00:21:08,680 Your way, O God, is holy. 400 00:21:08,680 --> 00:21:10,240 What God is like our God? 401 00:21:10,240 --> 00:21:12,160 You are the God who works wonders. 402 00:21:12,160 --> 00:21:14,440 You have made known your might among the peoples. 403 00:21:14,600 --> 00:21:18,160 You with your arm redeemed your people, the children of Jacob 404 00:21:18,160 --> 00:21:18,759 and Joseph. 405 00:21:20,280 --> 00:21:25,360 You might be one of these people who are perfectly pleasant 406 00:21:25,360 --> 00:21:29,880 and nice, but you maybe get a bit tired and you get a bit snappy, 407 00:21:30,340 --> 00:21:32,580 or you're a different. 408 00:21:32,660 --> 00:21:33,780 Like the Snickers advert. 409 00:21:33,940 --> 00:21:37,900 You're not you when you're hungry or sometimes somebody will 410 00:21:37,900 --> 00:21:41,060 do something and you'll say, oh, well, that was out of character 411 00:21:41,060 --> 00:21:41,940 for them. 412 00:21:44,340 --> 00:21:47,220 Who we are and our actions don't always match up. 413 00:21:47,860 --> 00:21:54,340 But Asaph takes comfort in God's actions and who he is because 414 00:21:54,340 --> 00:21:56,220 they work perfectly together. 415 00:21:58,220 --> 00:22:03,820 You see, we can take comfort in God because we can ask these questions. 416 00:22:05,660 --> 00:22:08,900 You see, God's ways are holy and perfect because he is holy and 417 00:22:08,900 --> 00:22:09,340 perfect. 418 00:22:10,140 --> 00:22:12,380 Can anything have the ultimate victory over us? 419 00:22:12,620 --> 00:22:15,500 No, because there are no gods like our God. 420 00:22:15,500 --> 00:22:16,940 This is what Asaph is saying. 421 00:22:18,060 --> 00:22:20,860 Is this situation too big for God? 422 00:22:21,990 --> 00:22:22,230 No. 423 00:22:23,590 --> 00:22:25,910 Because is anything too hard for the Lord? 424 00:22:26,790 --> 00:22:27,150 No. 425 00:22:27,150 --> 00:22:28,870 You're the God who works wonders. 426 00:22:29,350 --> 00:22:32,310 Is anyone somebody who's currently outside Christ? 427 00:22:32,710 --> 00:22:34,470 Are they beyond the reach of God? 428 00:22:35,190 --> 00:22:35,590 No. 429 00:22:35,990 --> 00:22:39,510 Because with your outstretched arm you redeemed your people. 430 00:22:40,310 --> 00:22:43,030 Don't know how many of you enjoyed Pythagoras at school. 431 00:22:43,750 --> 00:22:47,850 It's where you have A triangle, you know, two of the sides. 432 00:22:47,850 --> 00:22:49,450 But you don't know this middle bit. 433 00:22:49,530 --> 00:22:51,610 Well, what do you do when you don't know that middle bit? 434 00:22:51,930 --> 00:22:53,610 You use the things that you do know. 435 00:22:53,690 --> 00:22:55,450 That's what Asaph is doing here. 436 00:22:55,450 --> 00:22:57,290 He's doing spiritual Pythagoras. 437 00:22:57,370 --> 00:23:00,090 He doesn't know why this is happening, but he knows two things. 438 00:23:00,330 --> 00:23:03,930 He knows what God has done and he knows who God is. 439 00:23:05,050 --> 00:23:05,930 And that's enough. 440 00:23:07,130 --> 00:23:12,330 Asaph then goes on to talk very clearly about one particular 441 00:23:13,080 --> 00:23:16,760 image, probably the high point of the people of Israel. 442 00:23:16,760 --> 00:23:19,880 It's the Exodus, and particularly their journey through 443 00:23:19,880 --> 00:23:20,760 the Red Sea. 444 00:23:21,720 --> 00:23:26,200 And Astaph uses all of this really, really vivid, powerful language. 445 00:23:26,680 --> 00:23:29,840 He says, when the waters saw you, O God, when the waters saw you, 446 00:23:29,840 --> 00:23:31,040 they were afraid indeed. 447 00:23:31,040 --> 00:23:32,120 The deep trembled. 448 00:23:32,360 --> 00:23:33,760 The clouds poured out water. 449 00:23:33,760 --> 00:23:35,640 The skies gave forth thunder. 450 00:23:35,640 --> 00:23:37,800 Your arrows flashed on every side. 451 00:23:37,880 --> 00:23:40,000 The crash of your thunder was in the whirlwind. 452 00:23:40,000 --> 00:23:41,870 And your lightnings lighted up the world. 453 00:23:41,870 --> 00:23:43,950 The earth shook and trembled. 454 00:23:45,230 --> 00:23:48,190 So this is just a picture of God's awesome power. 455 00:23:48,270 --> 00:23:52,670 God's power over creation, God's power over his enemies. 456 00:23:53,630 --> 00:23:56,509 Nothing can stand against God. 457 00:23:56,990 --> 00:24:00,190 When God moves, the whole of creation follows. 458 00:24:00,350 --> 00:24:02,590 Nobody can stand against God. 459 00:24:03,310 --> 00:24:06,110 But notice the last two verses, and I want to quickly pull 460 00:24:06,110 --> 00:24:09,070 out a couple of thoughts just to finish this. 461 00:24:10,350 --> 00:24:13,430 It says this, Psalm 77, the last two verses. 462 00:24:13,430 --> 00:24:18,310 It says, your way was through the sea, your path through the great 463 00:24:18,310 --> 00:24:21,470 waters, yet your footprints were unseen. 464 00:24:22,430 --> 00:24:26,750 You led your people like a flock by the hand of Moses and Aaron. 465 00:24:27,550 --> 00:24:31,310 There are three truths to draw out of these last two verses. 466 00:24:31,310 --> 00:24:34,640 First of all, Asaph is focusing. 467 00:24:34,640 --> 00:24:39,560 He could have focused on the cloud of fire or the pillar of fire 468 00:24:39,560 --> 00:24:42,520 that led them, a very visible sign of God's presence. 469 00:24:42,840 --> 00:24:46,840 Rather, he's focusing on those times when God was in control. 470 00:24:46,920 --> 00:24:49,960 God led them, but there was no evidence. 471 00:24:50,680 --> 00:24:55,240 It says that God was there, but you couldn't see his footprints. 472 00:24:55,400 --> 00:24:56,520 That's the reality. 473 00:24:56,520 --> 00:24:59,640 We worship a God whose ways are higher than our ways. 474 00:25:00,770 --> 00:25:03,450 God is the only God who can walk through the sea. 475 00:25:03,450 --> 00:25:06,610 But that will mean that he will lead us through very deep, very 476 00:25:06,610 --> 00:25:10,130 challenging places that only God will bring us into and only God 477 00:25:10,130 --> 00:25:11,090 can lead us out of. 478 00:25:12,050 --> 00:25:14,610 As Christians, we're not going to understand everything. 479 00:25:14,770 --> 00:25:19,530 Job, who suffered greatly, he came to terms with the fact that 480 00:25:19,530 --> 00:25:21,090 God's ways are not his ways. 481 00:25:21,410 --> 00:25:25,250 He is higher and greater and deeper than he will ever understand. 482 00:25:25,920 --> 00:25:28,080 And so where he leads, I will follow. 483 00:25:29,920 --> 00:25:33,000 God may be leading you somewhere, and you may not see his 484 00:25:33,000 --> 00:25:36,720 footprints at this time, but Please know that he is with you. 485 00:25:37,440 --> 00:25:42,280 The second thing, it says you led your people like a flock by the 486 00:25:42,280 --> 00:25:43,520 hand of Moses and Aaron. 487 00:25:43,680 --> 00:25:46,400 There's a lesser truth here and there's a greater truth. 488 00:25:48,480 --> 00:25:49,760 God wasn't with his people. 489 00:25:50,960 --> 00:25:53,760 God was with his people, but he wasn't visibly there. 490 00:25:54,920 --> 00:25:56,520 But who did he lead the people through? 491 00:25:56,760 --> 00:25:57,880 Moses and Aaron. 492 00:25:59,560 --> 00:26:01,880 Moses and Aaron are a picture of the local church. 493 00:26:02,200 --> 00:26:06,760 We may be suffering, we may be crying out, but as fellow believers, 494 00:26:06,920 --> 00:26:09,640 as a church, we can be Moses and Aaron. 495 00:26:09,640 --> 00:26:11,080 We can take people by the hand. 496 00:26:11,080 --> 00:26:14,520 We can love people and lead them, lead them through. 497 00:26:14,520 --> 00:26:18,080 I pray that you would be a congregation that does that. 498 00:26:18,080 --> 00:26:23,200 That we would be God's hands, feet and heart and mouth on earth. 499 00:26:25,360 --> 00:26:30,760 That's to a lesser extent, but to a much, much greater extent, it 500 00:26:30,760 --> 00:26:34,120 says you led your people like a flock by the hand of Moses and 501 00:26:34,120 --> 00:26:34,560 Aaron. 502 00:26:35,280 --> 00:26:38,240 You see, whenever we think back in times of trouble, we don't. 503 00:26:39,120 --> 00:26:42,600 The Exodus is a brilliant story, but we don't have to go that 504 00:26:42,600 --> 00:26:45,040 far back because the Exodus is only a. 505 00:26:45,370 --> 00:26:48,650 A small foretaste of Calvary. 506 00:26:49,450 --> 00:26:54,370 You see, Moses and Aaron led people like a flock, but Jesus is 507 00:26:54,370 --> 00:26:55,930 the good shepherd that we have. 508 00:26:58,170 --> 00:27:02,570 Moses led the people out of exile, but Jesus is the true and 509 00:27:02,570 --> 00:27:03,290 better Moses. 510 00:27:03,290 --> 00:27:05,930 Moses is only a pointer to Jesus. 511 00:27:06,730 --> 00:27:11,500 If you're here today and you're suffering and you're finding 512 00:27:11,500 --> 00:27:16,980 it hard to lift your eyes beyond your current circumstances, 513 00:27:17,540 --> 00:27:20,500 I would encourage you today to look to Jesus. 514 00:27:20,900 --> 00:27:22,900 Jesus, life, death and resurrection. 515 00:27:23,220 --> 00:27:26,020 It's a reality, it's a historical fact that took place, 516 00:27:26,420 --> 00:27:30,660 but the ramifications of it are eternal. 517 00:27:31,460 --> 00:27:37,660 Jesus death is evidence that Christ loves you, that Christ is 518 00:27:37,660 --> 00:27:41,550 with you, that he would go to the cross for your sake and that 519 00:27:41,550 --> 00:27:44,350 he is interceding at the right hand of God for you. 520 00:27:44,350 --> 00:27:46,710 Now, whatever your circumstances, whatever's happening, 521 00:27:47,110 --> 00:27:49,590 Christ's death shows that he is for you. 522 00:27:50,470 --> 00:27:54,910 Christ's resurrection shows that he is with you. 523 00:27:54,910 --> 00:27:55,990 He is the first fruits. 524 00:27:57,830 --> 00:28:02,470 Whatever loss you have suffered, whatever pain you are currently 525 00:28:02,550 --> 00:28:03,230 experiencing. 526 00:28:03,230 --> 00:28:05,350 There is an end point in that there is a full stop. 527 00:28:06,060 --> 00:28:08,900 And after that there is the hope of eternal glory. 528 00:28:08,900 --> 00:28:11,260 Because Christ has already made it possible. 529 00:28:12,380 --> 00:28:15,660 Let me read these words of a beautiful hymn. 530 00:28:15,660 --> 00:28:19,340 It's from City Alight and it's called Jesus is Alive. 531 00:28:20,060 --> 00:28:21,100 Listen to these words. 532 00:28:23,980 --> 00:28:26,780 There is a hope that lasts beyond our days. 533 00:28:27,180 --> 00:28:29,900 For the one that once was buried lives again. 534 00:28:30,300 --> 00:28:32,230 Now the tomb is barren, empty and. 535 00:28:32,300 --> 00:28:33,580 And the stone is rolled away. 536 00:28:33,820 --> 00:28:36,460 Praise the risen one who overcame the grave. 537 00:28:37,660 --> 00:28:41,580 All you broken hearted, all you worn and weak Come find living 538 00:28:41,580 --> 00:28:46,140 water everlasting streams to the wandering spirit Lost and searching, 539 00:28:46,460 --> 00:28:51,100 wanting something more Find the risen king who overcame the world 540 00:28:51,260 --> 00:28:56,300 in times of trouble Fix your eyes on the risen king who overcame 541 00:28:56,620 --> 00:29:00,070 the world Let me finish with one final question. 542 00:29:01,670 --> 00:29:06,350 Asaph was going through a period of trials and suffering, and 543 00:29:06,350 --> 00:29:07,670 that's going to come to us all. 544 00:29:08,070 --> 00:29:10,950 Whether you're here and you have known Christ for years, whether 545 00:29:10,950 --> 00:29:14,270 you're listening online and you haven't made that commitment 546 00:29:14,270 --> 00:29:16,310 to follow Jesus in your own personal life. 547 00:29:16,550 --> 00:29:21,990 Those times when we cry out are going to come when we're moaning 548 00:29:21,990 --> 00:29:23,270 because we have no words left. 549 00:29:24,480 --> 00:29:28,840 Asaph gives us a very clear picture that he is reaching out to 550 00:29:28,840 --> 00:29:29,200 God. 551 00:29:30,320 --> 00:29:32,920 When those times come in your life, who are you going to be reaching 552 00:29:32,920 --> 00:29:33,360 out to? 553 00:29:33,680 --> 00:29:35,840 Who do you expect to hold you? 554 00:29:36,640 --> 00:29:40,360 We can never fully carry somebody else's burdens because we 555 00:29:40,360 --> 00:29:41,360 have our own to carry. 556 00:29:41,440 --> 00:29:45,600 We can never fully deal with another person's sin because we have 557 00:29:45,600 --> 00:29:46,560 plenty of our own. 558 00:29:47,680 --> 00:29:51,320 The only one who can is somebody who's holy enough, loving 559 00:29:51,320 --> 00:29:55,520 enough, and strong enough to reach out and hold you in those times. 560 00:29:56,080 --> 00:29:57,640 Christ wants to do that for you. 561 00:29:57,640 --> 00:30:01,960 He's inviting you to put your hand into his hand today, and I pray 562 00:30:01,960 --> 00:30:05,600 that you would do that so that you would know his peace and comfort. 563 00:30:06,240 --> 00:30:06,760 Amen. 564 00:30:06,760 --> 00:30:07,360 Let's pray. 565 00:30:11,600 --> 00:30:14,360 Holy God, you're good Lord. 566 00:30:14,360 --> 00:30:16,950 Your ways may not always be understandable, Lord. 567 00:30:16,950 --> 00:30:17,390 They would. 568 00:30:19,070 --> 00:30:22,510 They may not be what we have chosen, but Lord God, if you have 569 00:30:22,510 --> 00:30:26,110 led us into them, they are good because you, Lord God, are good, 570 00:30:27,150 --> 00:30:27,550 Lord. 571 00:30:27,550 --> 00:30:28,830 Your ways are good, Lord. 572 00:30:30,110 --> 00:30:33,230 What you do can never be separated from who you are, Lord 573 00:30:33,230 --> 00:30:36,190 God, your ways are holy because you are holy, Lord. 574 00:30:36,190 --> 00:30:38,910 We know that you entered into suffering, Lord. 575 00:30:39,070 --> 00:30:43,530 You came in need of nothing, but you became as a man to die on 576 00:30:43,530 --> 00:30:46,050 the cross and be raised to life for us. 577 00:30:46,850 --> 00:30:50,530 We pray, Lord God, that we would be able to lift our eyes beyond 578 00:30:50,530 --> 00:30:54,770 our circumstances, Lord God, that we would be people who remember, 579 00:30:55,330 --> 00:30:59,050 who daily go back to the gospel, who daily go back to what 580 00:30:59,050 --> 00:31:02,050 you have done and what you have guaranteed for us, Lord, that 581 00:31:03,810 --> 00:31:06,850 that may be a hope, Lord God, that lasts beyond our days. 582 00:31:07,490 --> 00:31:10,490 And we pray, Lord God, for those who don't know you, God, we 583 00:31:10,490 --> 00:31:15,010 ask that they would come to put their hands, that they would 584 00:31:15,010 --> 00:31:18,210 reach out their hands because, Lord, you're a loving God and you 585 00:31:18,210 --> 00:31:23,010 will be there to hold them, to take them into your heart, Lord God, 586 00:31:23,010 --> 00:31:26,210 to become their personal Lord and Savior. 587 00:31:26,210 --> 00:31:29,810 And we pray, Lord God, for anyone listening online or in church 588 00:31:29,810 --> 00:31:33,610 today who hasn't done this that they would reach out and know 589 00:31:33,610 --> 00:31:35,680 you as their savior for the first time. 590 00:31:36,150 --> 00:31:40,310 We pray all these things in Jesus holy and mighty name, Amen.