1 00:00:00,640 --> 00:00:05,120 Psalm 23 The Lord is my shepherd. 2 00:00:05,280 --> 00:00:09,880 I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green 3 00:00:09,880 --> 00:00:14,480 pastures. He leads me beside quiet waters. 4 00:00:14,480 --> 00:00:19,920 He refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right 5 00:00:19,920 --> 00:00:25,480 paths for His name's sake. Even though I walk through the 6 00:00:25,480 --> 00:00:30,720 darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me. 7 00:00:30,720 --> 00:00:33,440 Your rod and your staff, they comfort me. 8 00:00:35,760 --> 00:00:39,640 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. 9 00:00:39,840 --> 00:00:43,720 You anoint my head with oil. My cup overflows. 10 00:00:44,320 --> 00:00:49,160 Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of 11 00:00:49,160 --> 00:00:53,640 my life, and I will dwell in the House of the Lord forever. 12 00:00:56,240 --> 00:00:59,240 Which bit of the Bible do you think is probably the best known 13 00:00:59,360 --> 00:01:01,880 in like around your friends and your family and your culture? 14 00:01:01,880 --> 00:01:04,920 If there was a bit of the Bible that you thought was the best 15 00:01:04,920 --> 00:01:12,440 known, have a think what it might be any other than this 16 00:01:12,440 --> 00:01:14,960 bit, Any bits of the Bible people think are really well 17 00:01:14,960 --> 00:01:18,280 known in culture? Yes, yeah, yeah, yeah. 18 00:01:18,280 --> 00:01:19,920 The Golden Rule as it's called in it, Yeah. 19 00:01:19,920 --> 00:01:24,560 Probably quite well known, yes. Yeah, sort of in the beginning 20 00:01:24,560 --> 00:01:25,600 and all that jazz. Yeah. 21 00:01:25,600 --> 00:01:28,240 OK. I think let's probably feel like 22 00:01:28,240 --> 00:01:29,400 John three. Oh, yeah, go on. 23 00:01:30,600 --> 00:01:32,720 The Lord's Prayer might be pretty well known for certain 24 00:01:32,720 --> 00:01:35,440 generations, particularly I think my generation and younger 25 00:01:35,440 --> 00:01:39,040 less so, I suspect. I think John 316 has always held 26 00:01:39,040 --> 00:01:41,640 upon cards at sporting events in it, at least the references 27 00:01:41,640 --> 00:01:43,120 here. People don't know what it says, 28 00:01:43,480 --> 00:01:48,160 but I think this there, the Bible is probably the best known 29 00:01:48,160 --> 00:01:51,600 in our culture, especially in the Western world of all of the 30 00:01:51,600 --> 00:01:55,160 Bible. It was the theme tune to the 31 00:01:55,160 --> 00:01:58,160 Vicar of Dibley. No one remembers watching that. 32 00:01:58,440 --> 00:02:01,720 The priest reads it out in the film Titanic as the ship sinks. 33 00:02:01,720 --> 00:02:06,040 Spoiler alert, although if you don't know the ship sinks, why 34 00:02:06,040 --> 00:02:10,039 are you watching the film? It's not a documentary. 35 00:02:10,039 --> 00:02:12,840 It was read at the funeral of Whitney Houston and it was read 36 00:02:12,840 --> 00:02:15,440 at the memorial service for 911 by George Bush. 37 00:02:16,400 --> 00:02:19,800 Artists like Coolio, Duke Ellington, Pink Floyd, Tupac, 38 00:02:19,800 --> 00:02:23,040 The Offspring have all used it in their music and their songs 39 00:02:23,040 --> 00:02:26,120 at some point. It's a really, really well known 40 00:02:26,440 --> 00:02:31,320 bit of the Bible and it begins with a really beautiful picture 41 00:02:31,960 --> 00:02:35,240 of what it looks like to be a sheep and the flock of an 42 00:02:35,240 --> 00:02:39,160 extraordinary shepherd. And in the first 3 verses, 43 00:02:39,160 --> 00:02:42,520 David, the person who wrote this Psalm, paints a fantastic 44 00:02:42,520 --> 00:02:45,920 picture of what it is like to be a sheep that's being cared for 45 00:02:45,920 --> 00:02:51,040 by the Lord as their shepherd. And in verse one to three, 46 00:02:51,040 --> 00:02:55,680 exactly what we want life to be like, like God personally caring 47 00:02:55,880 --> 00:03:00,120 and providing for his flock where we can just eat and we can 48 00:03:00,120 --> 00:03:02,800 lie down. Sheep apparently never ever lie 49 00:03:02,800 --> 00:03:04,160 down. They're really skittish animals. 50 00:03:04,160 --> 00:03:06,840 They never rest. So it's quite rare for sheep to 51 00:03:06,840 --> 00:03:09,440 lie down. But this shepherd sheep can lie 52 00:03:09,440 --> 00:03:12,360 down. That sounds brilliant, don't it? 53 00:03:13,520 --> 00:03:15,960 First one to three just sound beauty. 54 00:03:18,200 --> 00:03:21,640 But then there's a plot twist in verse 4. 55 00:03:23,640 --> 00:03:28,040 Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no 56 00:03:28,080 --> 00:03:31,760 evil, for you are with me, Your rod and Your staff, they comfort 57 00:03:31,760 --> 00:03:36,000 me. Verse 4 is a really horrible 58 00:03:36,000 --> 00:03:38,480 plot twist and what seems a beautiful Psalm so far. 59 00:03:38,480 --> 00:03:40,760 And even more shockingly, if you look at the trance, see that 60 00:03:40,760 --> 00:03:43,960 between verse 3 and verse 4, you see that full stop at the very 61 00:03:43,960 --> 00:03:46,600 end of verse 3. That's not there in the 62 00:03:46,600 --> 00:03:50,040 original. So actually, you could read it. 63 00:03:50,040 --> 00:03:52,880 He guides me along the right path for His name's sake. 64 00:03:52,880 --> 00:03:57,240 Even though I walk through the darkest valley, sometimes the 65 00:03:57,240 --> 00:03:59,640 dark valleys are exactly where the Lord is leading us. 66 00:04:00,920 --> 00:04:04,720 There's a purpose in it. We don't like that, do we? 67 00:04:06,360 --> 00:04:08,480 So we're going to base ourselves, though, in verse 4 68 00:04:08,480 --> 00:04:11,000 this morning to help us see a bit of a flow of the rest of the 69 00:04:11,000 --> 00:04:15,360 Psalm, hopefully to encourage us, to encourage us all as sheep 70 00:04:15,360 --> 00:04:17,480 following this shepherd. Let me pray. 71 00:04:17,920 --> 00:04:20,360 And then we'll spend some time seeing four different things 72 00:04:20,399 --> 00:04:22,600 from this together. Let's pray. 73 00:04:22,600 --> 00:04:26,000 Lord, this is your word. And so as we look at it, we want 74 00:04:26,000 --> 00:04:28,280 it to speak to us rather than us speaking about it. 75 00:04:29,240 --> 00:04:32,520 And so Father, we pray that you would help me to speak truth. 76 00:04:33,240 --> 00:04:35,360 Please help us to hear what you want to say to us. 77 00:04:35,360 --> 00:04:37,720 Please encourage us, please challenge us, please correct us. 78 00:04:37,720 --> 00:04:40,960 We pray, Lord, would you use the word of God with the Spirit of 79 00:04:40,960 --> 00:04:43,400 God to make the people of God look like the Son of God? 80 00:04:43,400 --> 00:04:49,720 We pray, Amen. OK, so 4 things for us to see 81 00:04:49,720 --> 00:04:52,600 from particularly verse 4. But the whole Psalm really will 82 00:04:52,600 --> 00:04:54,920 get the flow of it if you if you catch the drift. 83 00:04:54,920 --> 00:04:58,520 So first one is the valley is dark. 84 00:05:00,280 --> 00:05:03,640 The valley is dark. Now, I grew up in a small town 85 00:05:03,640 --> 00:05:06,560 in the north of England after we moved from Wales, and it was a 86 00:05:06,560 --> 00:05:09,600 pretty rubbish town. There's not a lot going for 87 00:05:09,600 --> 00:05:12,120 Barton upon Humber. I think there's a church there 88 00:05:12,120 --> 00:05:15,240 that's mentioned in the Doomsday Book and one of the artists from 89 00:05:15,240 --> 00:05:16,920 the Beano lived there at some point. 90 00:05:17,120 --> 00:05:19,640 That's about it. But just past the end of the 91 00:05:19,640 --> 00:05:21,880 street where I lived, because it was in the middle of rural 92 00:05:21,880 --> 00:05:26,000 Lincolnshire, there were miles and miles of empty roads and 93 00:05:26,000 --> 00:05:30,280 empty fields, which meant you could go and ride your bike 94 00:05:30,280 --> 00:05:34,040 there and kick a football about there all day long, perfectly 95 00:05:34,040 --> 00:05:35,920 safe. It was a child's dream. 96 00:05:35,920 --> 00:05:38,080 I remember just going out for a whole days at a time with my 97 00:05:38,080 --> 00:05:43,680 mates to just play for the day. But to get to those incredible 98 00:05:43,680 --> 00:05:46,600 fields, you'd have to go through this tunnel. 99 00:05:47,560 --> 00:05:50,880 This subway tunnel looks appealing, right? 100 00:05:51,160 --> 00:05:56,080 I hated this tunnel. It's stank of we, I don't know 101 00:05:56,080 --> 00:05:59,280 why, the bigger boys, the bigger boys would hang out in there and 102 00:05:59,280 --> 00:06:02,680 smoke and do naughty stuff. And it was always dark. 103 00:06:02,680 --> 00:06:04,520 By the way, I've checked every bit of this graffiti. 104 00:06:04,520 --> 00:06:06,000 There was nothing that's inappropriate to show in a 105 00:06:06,000 --> 00:06:09,680 church. The lights, despite being on in 106 00:06:09,680 --> 00:06:12,720 this picture, never ever seemed to work whenever I wanted to go 107 00:06:12,720 --> 00:06:15,560 through it, which meant that even though it's only about 100 108 00:06:15,560 --> 00:06:18,480 meters long, it felt like it went on for miles. 109 00:06:19,160 --> 00:06:21,760 So I would Sprint through this tunnel, or I'll pedal through it 110 00:06:21,760 --> 00:06:23,920 as quickly as I could to just try and get through it. 111 00:06:24,560 --> 00:06:27,000 And you had to go through it because frustratingly, there's a 112 00:06:27,000 --> 00:06:30,680 motorway above it. So if I wanted to get to those 113 00:06:30,680 --> 00:06:35,040 fields, you can't go over it. You can't go under it. 114 00:06:35,400 --> 00:06:38,600 Oh, no, you have to go through it. 115 00:06:38,600 --> 00:06:42,320 And I hated this dark tunnel particularly because it was so 116 00:06:42,320 --> 00:06:43,760 dark. Like, none of us like dark 117 00:06:43,760 --> 00:06:46,280 places, do we? No one thinks, great, I get to 118 00:06:46,280 --> 00:06:48,080 spend some time in the dark. We don't need to cheat. 119 00:06:48,080 --> 00:06:51,080 Teach children to be afraid of the dark. 120 00:06:51,920 --> 00:06:55,280 It comes naturally. Darkness means we don't quite 121 00:06:55,280 --> 00:07:00,000 know how safe we are in it. Nasty things, dangerous things 122 00:07:00,280 --> 00:07:05,560 can hide in darkness. And that's David's experience 123 00:07:05,840 --> 00:07:07,080 right in the middle of this Psalm. 124 00:07:07,080 --> 00:07:09,160 In this verse. He feels like he's in a dark 125 00:07:09,160 --> 00:07:15,120 valley, and he does not like it, and he doesn't tell us what his 126 00:07:15,120 --> 00:07:18,720 specific dark valley is or was. But that's because he's 127 00:07:18,720 --> 00:07:21,640 deliberately written this Psalm so that we put ourselves into 128 00:07:21,640 --> 00:07:23,520 this Psalm as if we were writing it with him. 129 00:07:24,360 --> 00:07:28,320 And we bring our own dark valleys with us, whatever they 130 00:07:28,320 --> 00:07:31,280 may be today. And we do have dark valleys, 131 00:07:31,280 --> 00:07:36,600 right? Sickness, looming diagnosis, or 132 00:07:36,600 --> 00:07:38,920 just the fear of a looming diagnosis. 133 00:07:39,960 --> 00:07:45,920 Relationship breakdowns or breakups, loneliness, abuse, 134 00:07:46,360 --> 00:07:50,200 worries about family members, financial stresses, work 135 00:07:50,200 --> 00:07:53,120 worries, mental health struggles. 136 00:07:55,320 --> 00:07:57,680 And then behind all of those dark valleys, there's that 137 00:07:57,680 --> 00:08:02,960 constant shadow of death. Death of nature and the world 138 00:08:02,960 --> 00:08:06,520 and the environment around us, or death of friends or family or 139 00:08:07,320 --> 00:08:10,840 ourselves. There's no escape from it. 140 00:08:10,840 --> 00:08:14,320 It's going to happen. We try and live like death isn't 141 00:08:14,320 --> 00:08:15,640 going to happen to us, but it will. 142 00:08:17,280 --> 00:08:19,160 It's coming. And the Bible's clear that 143 00:08:19,160 --> 00:08:24,000 behind all of those darknesses is the underlying cause of sin. 144 00:08:25,600 --> 00:08:29,320 Ever since the very first humans rejected, God chose to rule 145 00:08:29,320 --> 00:08:31,160 their own lives, which is what sin is. 146 00:08:31,600 --> 00:08:34,799 They set everything on a one way journey to an appointment with 147 00:08:34,799 --> 00:08:39,440 death that has cast its shadow over every bit of life ever 148 00:08:39,440 --> 00:08:43,000 since. The valleys are dark. 149 00:08:44,880 --> 00:08:53,040 The Bible never, ever tries to downplay that, which means that 150 00:08:53,040 --> 00:08:57,240 we don't need to either. If you're going through a dark 151 00:08:57,240 --> 00:09:00,080 valley when you go through a dark valley, because it'll come 152 00:09:00,080 --> 00:09:04,280 if it hasn't yet, you and I don't need to pretend that we're 153 00:09:04,280 --> 00:09:07,160 not in a dark valley. In fact, the Bible will tell us 154 00:09:07,160 --> 00:09:12,040 that we should be honest about our dark valleys to each other. 155 00:09:12,800 --> 00:09:15,880 They exist and they're real. If David is stiff up, elliptic, 156 00:09:15,880 --> 00:09:17,880 we'd never have the comfort of this Psalm, right? 157 00:09:18,160 --> 00:09:20,600 If he'd been British, this Psalm would not be as great. 158 00:09:21,840 --> 00:09:24,720 I'll say that if he was English, this Psalm would not be as 159 00:09:24,720 --> 00:09:26,120 great. We're good at whinging as Welsh. 160 00:09:27,400 --> 00:09:30,680 The Bible, and the Psalms especially, are honest about the 161 00:09:30,680 --> 00:09:34,520 dark valleys of life. Nearly half of the Psalms are 162 00:09:34,520 --> 00:09:39,600 lament, crying out in pain and sadness to God. 163 00:09:39,600 --> 00:09:43,080 Nearly half of the Psalms the Bible doesn't try and gloss over 164 00:09:43,080 --> 00:09:45,600 pain or tell us to have a stiff upper lip and pretend 165 00:09:45,600 --> 00:09:47,880 everything's OK so we don't lose face. 166 00:09:49,120 --> 00:09:55,080 And if we try and deny that we have dark valleys when we have 167 00:09:55,080 --> 00:09:59,040 them, then we're trying to live our life in a way that we were 168 00:09:59,040 --> 00:10:03,240 never designed to live. And worse, we're acting like 169 00:10:03,240 --> 00:10:08,320 we're better than Jesus because he never denied dark valleys 170 00:10:08,320 --> 00:10:10,280 when he went through them on the night he was betrayed, for 171 00:10:10,280 --> 00:10:14,840 example, knowing what was about to happen, He didn't hide his 172 00:10:14,840 --> 00:10:17,280 dark valley and his fears from his friends, and in fact, he 173 00:10:17,280 --> 00:10:22,160 showed them in an unflinching honesty how scary his dark 174 00:10:22,160 --> 00:10:27,800 valley was. Which means it is good for us to 175 00:10:27,800 --> 00:10:32,240 do the same as well. And it is bad for us and for 176 00:10:32,240 --> 00:10:35,760 people around us when we hide our pain and hurt and fears and 177 00:10:35,760 --> 00:10:38,720 dark valleys because we're missing out on getting and other 178 00:10:38,720 --> 00:10:42,560 people are getting out, missing out on showing what Jesus wants 179 00:10:42,560 --> 00:10:44,440 from his people. If you read the later bit of 180 00:10:44,440 --> 00:10:46,600 John's gospel, when he's speaking to his disciples just 181 00:10:46,600 --> 00:10:49,320 before his dies, he dies. Jesus says, I'm going to go 182 00:10:49,320 --> 00:10:52,560 away, but you'll keep seeing me. And the disciples, 183 00:10:52,560 --> 00:10:54,360 understandably, are quite baffled. 184 00:10:55,680 --> 00:10:57,840 But if you read that, the way the disciples are going to keep 185 00:10:57,840 --> 00:11:00,680 seeing Jesus, the way that we and I will come to Jesus as we 186 00:11:00,680 --> 00:11:03,560 sang in our second song, is by telling each other. 187 00:11:04,280 --> 00:11:08,880 You get to be Jesus to suffering people when they come to you and 188 00:11:08,880 --> 00:11:10,360 talk about their dark valleys with you. 189 00:11:11,040 --> 00:11:15,400 You get to be ministers for and of Jesus to each other when 190 00:11:15,400 --> 00:11:17,160 people are in their dark valleys. 191 00:11:17,920 --> 00:11:22,160 It is really good for us to be honest about our dark valleys. 192 00:11:22,160 --> 00:11:26,320 And the Bible would say it is bad for us to hide it because 193 00:11:26,320 --> 00:11:30,960 the valley is dark. Be honest about that. 194 00:11:30,960 --> 00:11:34,360 Don't lie about it. And there are loads of really 195 00:11:34,360 --> 00:11:36,680 good reasons along with all this why it's good for us to be 196 00:11:36,680 --> 00:11:38,800 honest. But this Psalm has got a 197 00:11:38,800 --> 00:11:43,800 particular reason it wants us to see, and it's David's focus not 198 00:11:43,800 --> 00:11:47,240 just in this verse, but actually the focus in the whole Psalm, 199 00:11:47,240 --> 00:11:53,560 because we need to be reminded of a truth in Hebrew poetry, 200 00:11:53,640 --> 00:11:57,800 which is what this Psalm is. The middle of the poem is very 201 00:11:57,800 --> 00:11:59,920 often the main point of the whole poem. 202 00:12:00,240 --> 00:12:02,600 Like in English poetry, we start with our theme and maybe end 203 00:12:02,600 --> 00:12:04,480 with the theme, and the stuff in between is that fluff. 204 00:12:04,760 --> 00:12:07,640 But that's not the literal way of describing it. 205 00:12:07,760 --> 00:12:11,440 But in Hebrew poetry, often everything builds up to the 206 00:12:11,440 --> 00:12:14,320 middle, which is the main point, and then everything flows out of 207 00:12:14,320 --> 00:12:17,440 it towards the very end. The middle line is the most 208 00:12:17,440 --> 00:12:21,120 important one, and the exact middle of Psalm 23 tells us our 209 00:12:21,120 --> 00:12:25,720 second encouragement. The shepherd is close. 210 00:12:27,560 --> 00:12:31,760 The shepherd is close. This is the middle line of the 211 00:12:31,760 --> 00:12:36,800 poem in the original Hebrew For you are with me. 212 00:12:38,440 --> 00:12:42,200 This is what David wants us to focus on more than any valley. 213 00:12:43,000 --> 00:12:50,200 For you are with me. Scary situations are much less 214 00:12:50,200 --> 00:12:51,840 scary when we're not on our own right? 215 00:12:53,320 --> 00:12:56,720 And in this dark valley, David's comfort is that he is not alone. 216 00:12:56,720 --> 00:13:03,720 The shepherd is close, which means David can not be afraid 217 00:13:04,760 --> 00:13:06,440 because he knows he isn't walking alone. 218 00:13:06,560 --> 00:13:09,360 The shepherd is close. In fact, the darkness has 219 00:13:09,360 --> 00:13:11,560 brought the shepherd closer. Have a look down. 220 00:13:11,560 --> 00:13:15,520 In verses 1 to 3, David talks about the shepherd, doesn't he? 221 00:13:15,520 --> 00:13:19,960 In verses one to three, he, he, he four times he talking about 222 00:13:19,960 --> 00:13:22,400 the shepherd. But now in verse 4, what 223 00:13:22,400 --> 00:13:25,800 happens? He starts talking directly to 224 00:13:25,800 --> 00:13:30,360 the shepherd. You are with me, Your rod, your 225 00:13:30,360 --> 00:13:33,040 staff, come for me. He's not just telling himself 226 00:13:33,880 --> 00:13:36,000 no, he's speaking directly to the shepherd. 227 00:13:36,000 --> 00:13:39,600 The darkness has brought the shepherd closer. 228 00:13:40,760 --> 00:13:43,680 Thanks to the darkness, he doesn't just know the good news 229 00:13:43,680 --> 00:13:46,720 of being part of the shepherd's flock, although that is good 230 00:13:46,720 --> 00:13:49,600 news now. He now knows the shepherd 231 00:13:49,800 --> 00:13:53,280 personally. It's like in this valley it's 232 00:13:53,280 --> 00:13:57,280 just him and the shepherd, and his greatest comfort is that his 233 00:13:57,280 --> 00:14:02,360 shepherd is with him personally. Now, just to be really clear, 234 00:14:02,560 --> 00:14:06,240 David is not saying now that the darkness is good. 235 00:14:07,840 --> 00:14:11,520 David is not saying that at all. Saying you are with me doesn't 236 00:14:11,520 --> 00:14:14,920 somehow make the valley filled with light and a happy place to 237 00:14:14,920 --> 00:14:16,560 be. No, it's genuinely A terrifying 238 00:14:16,560 --> 00:14:20,240 and dark valley. The Psalm is not telling us that 239 00:14:20,240 --> 00:14:23,520 dark valleys are good things. Now. 240 00:14:23,560 --> 00:14:27,880 Evil is evil. Cancer, abuse, relationship 241 00:14:27,880 --> 00:14:30,920 breakdowns, war, depression, death, They are bad things. 242 00:14:30,920 --> 00:14:32,640 They are not good things in themselves. 243 00:14:32,640 --> 00:14:34,360 And it's OK to be honest about that. 244 00:14:34,880 --> 00:14:40,960 David is not saying that the darkness is good, but he is 245 00:14:40,960 --> 00:14:44,560 saying that the reason we don't need to fear this very scary and 246 00:14:44,560 --> 00:14:48,120 horrible darkness is because of who's with us. 247 00:14:48,120 --> 00:14:51,280 Because you, the sovereign, powerful, covenant God of the 248 00:14:51,280 --> 00:14:55,040 universe, because you are with me, I don't need to be afraid of 249 00:14:55,040 --> 00:14:58,600 the very real darkness and the very real evil that I'm facing, 250 00:14:58,960 --> 00:15:03,560 whatever it is. The comfort is the presence of 251 00:15:03,560 --> 00:15:07,320 the Shepherd in the darkness, not the removal of darkness. 252 00:15:08,040 --> 00:15:12,760 And sometimes the only good thing that we can see in dark 253 00:15:12,760 --> 00:15:16,000 valleys we're LED through is that the Shepherd is right with 254 00:15:16,000 --> 00:15:19,560 us every single step of the way. And in those dark valleys, He 255 00:15:19,560 --> 00:15:21,680 reminds us of just how close He is. 256 00:15:23,080 --> 00:15:27,160 It is not possible for a sheep to go through a dark valley that 257 00:15:27,160 --> 00:15:31,840 is outside of God's leading and His loving care and presence. 258 00:15:32,840 --> 00:15:36,880 He is always with us in every single dark valley. 259 00:15:39,680 --> 00:15:44,600 So if you feel in the dark right now, please be encouraged that 260 00:15:44,600 --> 00:15:46,760 your Shepherd isn't scratching his head wondering what to do 261 00:15:46,760 --> 00:15:49,480 with you or where you are. No, he's with you. 262 00:15:49,520 --> 00:15:51,920 He's not ahead of you, leading you from a distance, saying, 263 00:15:51,920 --> 00:15:54,800 hurry up, children, come on. He doesn't drop you off at the 264 00:15:54,800 --> 00:15:56,320 scary bit and say, I'll see you later. 265 00:15:57,400 --> 00:16:00,960 Now he's with you. He's next to you every single 266 00:16:00,960 --> 00:16:05,000 step of the way. And that changes everything. 267 00:16:05,000 --> 00:16:08,040 And we're meant to see that it always has changed everything in 268 00:16:08,040 --> 00:16:10,400 the Bible. I am with you is one of the 269 00:16:10,400 --> 00:16:13,240 great repeated promises that you find in the Bible. 270 00:16:13,240 --> 00:16:16,080 As you read it, look out for it. You'll see it all over the place 271 00:16:16,080 --> 00:16:18,680 in different ways or other. Here's just a few examples for 272 00:16:18,680 --> 00:16:22,400 us for this morning in Joshua, one on the edge of the promised 273 00:16:22,400 --> 00:16:23,720 land with their enemies ahead of them. 274 00:16:23,720 --> 00:16:26,800 God says do not be afraid, do not be discouraged. 275 00:16:26,800 --> 00:16:30,920 For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go. 276 00:16:32,640 --> 00:16:35,640 A few 100 years later, facing exile, being taken to foreign 277 00:16:35,640 --> 00:16:40,280 lands, terrified, God says to his people, do not fear, for I 278 00:16:40,400 --> 00:16:43,160 am with you. When Jeremiah doubts whether 279 00:16:43,160 --> 00:16:46,640 he's able to do what God's asked him to do, God says, do not be 280 00:16:46,640 --> 00:16:49,720 afraid of them, for I am with you. 281 00:16:50,720 --> 00:16:53,600 When Jesus sends out his followers in Matthew 28, he 282 00:16:53,600 --> 00:16:57,120 sends them out with the promise. And surely I'm with you always 283 00:16:57,120 --> 00:17:02,000 to the very end of the age, in Acts 18, when the apostle Paul 284 00:17:02,000 --> 00:17:05,160 faced threats and attack and potential death, God says to 285 00:17:05,160 --> 00:17:08,520 him, do not be afraid, keep on speaking, do not be silent, for 286 00:17:09,040 --> 00:17:14,839 I am with you. God with us is the great hope of 287 00:17:14,839 --> 00:17:17,560 the whole Bible. That's the massive promise the 288 00:17:17,560 --> 00:17:19,240 whole Bible is looking to answer. 289 00:17:19,319 --> 00:17:21,960 How can sinful people make it through life? 290 00:17:21,960 --> 00:17:25,480 Because God is with them. Whatever dark valleys, wherever, 291 00:17:25,480 --> 00:17:29,160 in whatever situation makes your chest tighten right now in your 292 00:17:29,160 --> 00:17:32,720 mind race. God says to you today what he 293 00:17:32,720 --> 00:17:35,280 said to his people throughout all time. 294 00:17:35,840 --> 00:17:42,240 I am with you. That's why Christmas is such a 295 00:17:42,240 --> 00:17:45,520 big deal. Remember the name for Jesus that 296 00:17:45,520 --> 00:17:47,480 we think about Emmanuel Christmas a lot. 297 00:17:47,480 --> 00:17:51,880 Emmanuel, what does that mean? God with us, it's a big deal, 298 00:17:51,880 --> 00:17:53,920 right? That is the story of the Bible 299 00:17:53,920 --> 00:17:58,920 that in Jesus God has come to us so that we can now say you are 300 00:17:58,920 --> 00:18:02,360 with me. Like Psalm 23 verse 4 manages to 301 00:18:02,360 --> 00:18:05,920 summarise the whole Bible that Jesus our shepherd, King and 302 00:18:05,920 --> 00:18:09,720 Saviour is with us in every valley and he will never leave 303 00:18:09,720 --> 00:18:13,920 us or abandoned us. And not just some future better 304 00:18:13,920 --> 00:18:17,520 version of you in the valley in the future you go through right 305 00:18:17,520 --> 00:18:20,120 now. And not just a past cleaner, 306 00:18:20,120 --> 00:18:22,080 nicer version of you that used to exist. 307 00:18:22,280 --> 00:18:24,760 Whatever valley you're in right now, your shepherd is with you. 308 00:18:24,960 --> 00:18:27,600 He's with you now as you sit in that chair. 309 00:18:27,600 --> 00:18:30,400 If you are a Christian here today, that means you can 310 00:18:30,400 --> 00:18:33,560 confidently say if I die tomorrow, I'll go and be with 311 00:18:33,640 --> 00:18:36,520 Jesus. And if I don't, he'll be with 312 00:18:36,520 --> 00:18:42,320 me. But only if you are one of his 313 00:18:42,320 --> 00:18:48,040 sheep. If, as verse one says, the Lord 314 00:18:48,040 --> 00:18:53,480 is your shepherd, and that is far more important than any 315 00:18:53,480 --> 00:18:58,240 valley you're walking through, do you know the Lord is your 316 00:18:58,440 --> 00:19:02,840 shepherd? Do you know that he's with you? 317 00:19:04,280 --> 00:19:07,880 Are you following him? Are you obeying him not just as 318 00:19:07,880 --> 00:19:09,480 your shepherd but also as your king? 319 00:19:11,400 --> 00:19:13,200 Can you call yourself part of this flock? 320 00:19:13,200 --> 00:19:17,360 If not, then the Bible says that the dark valleys you walk 321 00:19:17,360 --> 00:19:20,840 through are actually invitations to see just how dark your valley 322 00:19:20,840 --> 00:19:23,720 is and to see your need to follow a better shepherd. 323 00:19:23,880 --> 00:19:26,960 Because we're all following some shepherd or other, only one of 324 00:19:26,960 --> 00:19:29,280 them is a comfort to be with us in the valley. 325 00:19:31,000 --> 00:19:33,760 So your dark valley, if you're not yet today a Christian, is an 326 00:19:33,760 --> 00:19:38,200 invitation to come and join a better flock, to ask for the 327 00:19:38,200 --> 00:19:41,960 forgiveness only God can give, and then follow the sheep of the 328 00:19:41,960 --> 00:19:43,280 shepherd with the rest of the sheep. 329 00:19:43,280 --> 00:19:46,640 If you can say you've done that, then whatever valley you are 330 00:19:46,640 --> 00:19:52,640 ever in, you can fear no danger because our shepherd is with us. 331 00:19:52,800 --> 00:19:56,880 And that is even better news than it might feel, because as 332 00:19:56,880 --> 00:19:59,720 well as being close, David also wants us to see that our 333 00:19:59,720 --> 00:20:03,600 shepherd is strong. The shepherd is strong. 334 00:20:05,920 --> 00:20:08,680 If you walk out of here and you meet somebody and they're 335 00:20:08,680 --> 00:20:12,040 wearing scrubs and a stethoscope, who are they and 336 00:20:12,040 --> 00:20:14,880 what do they do? Yeah. 337 00:20:14,880 --> 00:20:16,280 So I don't do rhetorical questions yet. 338 00:20:16,280 --> 00:20:17,720 Who are? They're a doctor or a nurse, 339 00:20:17,720 --> 00:20:18,200 right. OK. 340 00:20:18,200 --> 00:20:21,560 And they, they're in the medical profession because who they are 341 00:20:21,640 --> 00:20:24,480 and what they do is shown by how they're dressed, right. 342 00:20:24,720 --> 00:20:26,720 And the the tools they're carrying with them. 343 00:20:27,080 --> 00:20:28,960 And the same is true of our shepherd. 344 00:20:29,880 --> 00:20:34,480 Our shepherd carries a rod and a staff, two different things 345 00:20:34,480 --> 00:20:37,880 which show us that he is perfectly equipped for even the 346 00:20:37,880 --> 00:20:40,040 darkest of valleys. Now, I don't know about you, but 347 00:20:40,040 --> 00:20:42,640 my view of shepherds has been far too tarnished by primary 348 00:20:42,640 --> 00:20:45,520 school nativities and kids with tea towels on their head. 349 00:20:46,320 --> 00:20:49,040 And so I often it's easy to picture a shepherd as like a 350 00:20:49,040 --> 00:20:51,400 little child or gentle and oh, that's nice. 351 00:20:52,520 --> 00:20:54,960 But somebody met some Middle Eastern shepherds, described 352 00:20:54,960 --> 00:20:58,760 them like this, as like warriors marching to the battlefield with 353 00:20:58,760 --> 00:21:04,440 guns and daggers and pistols and battle axes or iron headed clubs 354 00:21:04,640 --> 00:21:07,840 and prepared to use their weapons at any moment. 355 00:21:09,680 --> 00:21:11,560 That paints a very different picture of a shepherd, doesn't 356 00:21:11,560 --> 00:21:14,520 it? Like the shepherd who's with us 357 00:21:14,640 --> 00:21:15,720 is great. But you know what? 358 00:21:16,000 --> 00:21:18,760 He's not a weakling, he's a warrior. 359 00:21:19,640 --> 00:21:23,040 Our shepherd's not a weakling. He is a warrior, as all 360 00:21:23,040 --> 00:21:27,640 shepherds had to be, and that is shown by the tools he carries, 361 00:21:27,640 --> 00:21:31,360 the rod and the staff. The rod would be the shepherd's 362 00:21:31,360 --> 00:21:34,160 weapon to protect his sheep from wild animals or thieves. 363 00:21:34,400 --> 00:21:37,480 It'd be about 2 1/2 feet long with a big ball on the end of 364 00:21:37,480 --> 00:21:39,920 it, and there'd have bits of iron or metal like buried into 365 00:21:39,920 --> 00:21:42,440 it to smack things with. It was a perfect weapon. 366 00:21:43,120 --> 00:21:45,720 So good, in fact, that David himself, when he talks about his 367 00:21:45,720 --> 00:21:47,960 own experience of being a shepherd, said he's able to 368 00:21:47,960 --> 00:21:50,240 fight off lions and bears with them. 369 00:21:51,040 --> 00:21:54,760 It's quite a good weapon, but they were also used a bit like a 370 00:21:54,760 --> 00:21:57,400 car park barrier when they were bringing their sheep in at night 371 00:21:57,400 --> 00:22:00,000 to count the sheep in because the shepherd would know exactly 372 00:22:00,000 --> 00:22:02,520 how many sheep they had and so they count them in at night to 373 00:22:02,520 --> 00:22:05,160 make sure they're all there so if anyone missing they could go 374 00:22:05,160 --> 00:22:09,040 off and find them. The weapon to fight was also a 375 00:22:09,040 --> 00:22:14,480 symbol of protection and care for the sheep, and our shepherd 376 00:22:14,960 --> 00:22:20,200 is equipped and strong enough to both defeat our enemies and 377 00:22:20,200 --> 00:22:24,440 protect us sheep, which means there will be things that try 378 00:22:24,440 --> 00:22:27,040 and attack us. That's why he needs the weapon. 379 00:22:27,040 --> 00:22:30,680 But we don't need to be afraid because the weapon's shaping 380 00:22:30,680 --> 00:22:34,560 ourselves in our the weapon is safe in our shepherd's hands. 381 00:22:37,120 --> 00:22:39,560 Maybe some of you feel quite bad today. 382 00:22:41,160 --> 00:22:45,800 Well please let verse 4 remind you that the rod really is in 383 00:22:45,800 --> 00:22:51,080 Jesus hands, not yours. So you don't need to confuse his 384 00:22:51,080 --> 00:22:56,880 tenderness for weakness or his care for you for carelessness 385 00:22:56,880 --> 00:23:01,320 about things that threaten you. That is not what our shepherd is 386 00:23:01,320 --> 00:23:04,920 like. So you can join this psalmist 387 00:23:04,920 --> 00:23:09,120 today in saying to the shepherd, I will fear no evil, for your 388 00:23:09,120 --> 00:23:11,680 rod is in your hand to protect me. 389 00:23:14,720 --> 00:23:17,680 But he's also got a staff and the staff was used to direct and 390 00:23:17,680 --> 00:23:20,640 round up the sheep and to give him a bit of a slap and a tap 391 00:23:20,640 --> 00:23:22,240 and pull them along when they went the wrong way. 392 00:23:22,240 --> 00:23:24,600 It's a bit like a lead for a dog. 393 00:23:25,080 --> 00:23:27,200 It's our dog Remy, just an excuse to show pictures. 394 00:23:27,440 --> 00:23:29,960 And he's really great when we go for walks. 395 00:23:29,960 --> 00:23:32,880 He doesn't really need a lead unless there's some dirty water 396 00:23:32,880 --> 00:23:36,120 we don't want him to go in, then he needs a lead because he'll 397 00:23:36,120 --> 00:23:37,840 try and go in it. We only really put the lead on 398 00:23:37,840 --> 00:23:41,560 him to keep him on the right path and away from the bad 399 00:23:41,560 --> 00:23:44,560 places. And that's how a shepherd would 400 00:23:44,560 --> 00:23:47,880 use a staff like a lead for a dog for correcting them and 401 00:23:47,880 --> 00:23:49,840 stopping them from going the wrong way. 402 00:23:50,640 --> 00:23:53,680 The rod will be for defending and a staff will be for 403 00:23:53,680 --> 00:23:57,760 correcting and leading. And the truth is, as sheep of 404 00:23:57,760 --> 00:24:02,080 this shepherd, we need both. We need our shepherd to protect 405 00:24:02,080 --> 00:24:05,400 us from our enemies with his rod, but we also need him to 406 00:24:05,400 --> 00:24:08,200 protect us from ourselves with his staff. 407 00:24:09,760 --> 00:24:13,960 Because you're my biggest enemy is our own stupid, sinful 408 00:24:13,960 --> 00:24:19,880 hearts, our love of ourselves and our own comfort, our self 409 00:24:19,880 --> 00:24:23,920 pity, our belief in the lies, that the grass is greener 410 00:24:23,920 --> 00:24:26,640 somewhere else. That this dark valley is clearly 411 00:24:26,640 --> 00:24:31,360 a mistake and we all need our shepherd staff to continually 412 00:24:31,360 --> 00:24:36,560 pull us back to him. Maybe this morning you've 413 00:24:36,560 --> 00:24:40,160 wandered off. Yeah, you know, you're a sheep 414 00:24:40,160 --> 00:24:42,200 of the shepherd. But you've realised you've 415 00:24:42,200 --> 00:24:44,120 wandered away. Maybe the valley was too dark, 416 00:24:45,080 --> 00:24:47,640 so actually you're grazing in fields that you really know you 417 00:24:47,640 --> 00:24:52,040 shouldn't be in. Maybe you've prioritised easier, 418 00:24:52,560 --> 00:24:54,600 less dark paths. And actually you can feel a 419 00:24:54,600 --> 00:24:57,800 distance between you and the shepherd, and between US and the 420 00:24:57,800 --> 00:25:00,240 other sheep. Because actually we've been 421 00:25:00,240 --> 00:25:03,680 slowly but surely putting ourselves beyond the reach or 422 00:25:03,680 --> 00:25:06,200 beyond the sound of our shepherd's staff. 423 00:25:08,520 --> 00:25:10,600 And the sound is important because in dark valleys, 424 00:25:10,760 --> 00:25:12,840 shepherds would walk along ahead because they're often quite 425 00:25:12,840 --> 00:25:15,560 narrow, and they'd bang their Staffs against the wall as they 426 00:25:15,560 --> 00:25:18,600 went so that the sheep knew he was still there by the sound of 427 00:25:18,600 --> 00:25:22,560 his staff. Maybe we've stopped listening to 428 00:25:22,560 --> 00:25:27,320 our shepherd's staff in his word, or maybe we're ducking and 429 00:25:27,320 --> 00:25:30,840 diving to try and keep ourselves out of reach of the hook and the 430 00:25:30,840 --> 00:25:33,400 sound of the shepherd's staff. Well, today this verse is an 431 00:25:33,400 --> 00:25:39,200 invitation as well, to stop that, to reset, to restart, to 432 00:25:39,200 --> 00:25:43,640 come home, to look up and see how far off from the shepherd 433 00:25:43,640 --> 00:25:47,200 you've wandered, but also to see the shepherd who's waiting to 434 00:25:47,200 --> 00:25:49,160 walk right close next to you again. 435 00:25:51,080 --> 00:25:54,600 Maybe it's time for somebody here to speak to someone else 436 00:25:55,360 --> 00:25:58,520 and to start listening to His voice and belonging to the flock 437 00:25:58,600 --> 00:26:03,120 again. Or maybe this is just a reminder 438 00:26:03,880 --> 00:26:06,880 to keep on going, but what we're doing is the right thing. 439 00:26:06,880 --> 00:26:09,800 It's hard, the Valley's dark, and I'm tired, but this is the 440 00:26:09,800 --> 00:26:11,680 right thing. Keep listening to God's Word, 441 00:26:11,840 --> 00:26:15,520 keep obeying, keep following even when it looks scary. 442 00:26:15,520 --> 00:26:18,840 With the shepherd walking with us every step. 443 00:26:20,280 --> 00:26:24,920 Because in the dark valley, our shepherd is close, but he's also 444 00:26:24,920 --> 00:26:27,760 strong, which is even better news. 445 00:26:29,240 --> 00:26:33,840 The only time I wouldn't dash through this subway was when I 446 00:26:33,840 --> 00:26:36,680 was with my dad. My dad at the time was bigger 447 00:26:36,680 --> 00:26:39,920 than me. Not now, but he was ripped. 448 00:26:39,920 --> 00:26:43,720 He was an athlete, he was strong, and he loved me. 449 00:26:44,640 --> 00:26:47,120 He'd look after me. So when we walk through this 450 00:26:47,120 --> 00:26:48,280 together, I wouldn't need to run. 451 00:26:49,840 --> 00:26:52,040 Even if the bigger boys were there, they'd be more afraid of 452 00:26:52,040 --> 00:26:55,320 him than I was of them. So I could freewheel on my bike 453 00:26:55,320 --> 00:26:58,280 or just stroll next to him. Because my dad was with me. 454 00:26:58,280 --> 00:27:02,240 He was close and he was strong and he cared about me. 455 00:27:02,760 --> 00:27:04,800 Still does. There wasn't many past tense 456 00:27:04,800 --> 00:27:06,480 there. We just don't live there anymore 457 00:27:06,480 --> 00:27:08,880 anyway. But that's why David can walk 458 00:27:08,880 --> 00:27:11,800 through this dark valley. You spot that in verse 4. 459 00:27:11,800 --> 00:27:15,480 Even though I walk through the darkest final, I'd be sprinting 460 00:27:15,480 --> 00:27:19,400 on my own. He can walk because his big 461 00:27:19,400 --> 00:27:22,160 strong shepherd is with him and near him. 462 00:27:22,600 --> 00:27:25,240 So he doesn't need to be afraid. And we can trust this shepherd 463 00:27:25,240 --> 00:27:29,560 in our dark valleys also because he's been there. 464 00:27:30,440 --> 00:27:33,680 You see, Jesus, our Good Shepherd, he walked straight 465 00:27:33,680 --> 00:27:36,600 into the darkest valley on the cross. 466 00:27:36,600 --> 00:27:39,320 He went through a darkness that you and I will never have to 467 00:27:39,320 --> 00:27:40,880 face. If we're his sheep, He's 468 00:27:40,880 --> 00:27:44,000 forsaken by his Father. He drank a cup of judgement that 469 00:27:44,000 --> 00:27:46,240 should have been ours. And he walked through death 470 00:27:46,240 --> 00:27:50,720 itself, so that for everybody who follows him, death has lost 471 00:27:50,720 --> 00:27:54,040 its sting. The Valley's been conquered from 472 00:27:54,040 --> 00:27:57,320 the inside, and we're following Him, and He knows the way out, 473 00:27:58,880 --> 00:28:01,320 which means that when we walk through our dark valleys, we're 474 00:28:01,320 --> 00:28:03,600 following a shepherd who's already been through the worst 475 00:28:03,600 --> 00:28:06,840 of it, and he's burst out the other side, victoriously alive. 476 00:28:07,840 --> 00:28:11,440 That's why we can fear no evil, not just because he's with us, 477 00:28:11,440 --> 00:28:12,760 but because he's already beaten it. 478 00:28:14,640 --> 00:28:17,520 And if you're not yet following the shepherd, he is calling you 479 00:28:17,520 --> 00:28:23,000 to follow him today. Which reminds us of the final 480 00:28:23,000 --> 00:28:24,440 comfort we're going to see very briefly. 481 00:28:24,440 --> 00:28:26,960 I promise that the valley isn't the end. 482 00:28:29,200 --> 00:28:31,440 It's not the end. The valley isn't a destination. 483 00:28:31,640 --> 00:28:36,200 Even death itself is not the destination, as Jesus proved by 484 00:28:36,200 --> 00:28:40,960 rising from the dead. Now there is only glory to come, 485 00:28:42,000 --> 00:28:44,160 which if we had time, we could see in the final few verses. 486 00:28:44,160 --> 00:28:46,880 But we don't, so we won't. But for now, please be 487 00:28:46,880 --> 00:28:49,280 encouraged that when you're going through dark valleys, do 488 00:28:49,280 --> 00:28:54,600 not forget and not the end. There is only brilliance and 489 00:28:54,600 --> 00:28:58,800 glory and wonder ahead, which doesn't mean you just grit your 490 00:28:58,800 --> 00:29:00,400 teeth and endure it until it comes. 491 00:29:00,400 --> 00:29:05,000 Now David says in verse 6 that all the days of his life, even 492 00:29:05,000 --> 00:29:08,920 in the valley, God's goodness and love will follow him, will 493 00:29:08,920 --> 00:29:10,760 pursue him like sheepdogs around him. 494 00:29:11,480 --> 00:29:14,640 Which is his way of saying that even in the darkest valley, God 495 00:29:14,640 --> 00:29:19,160 himself is still pursuing you and with you even when you can't 496 00:29:19,160 --> 00:29:22,160 see it. But it's all heading somewhere 497 00:29:22,160 --> 00:29:23,960 better than we could ever imagine. 498 00:29:24,440 --> 00:29:26,360 We sang about the cup overflowing and all that jazz 499 00:29:26,360 --> 00:29:27,080 again. I'd love to go into. 500 00:29:27,080 --> 00:29:29,760 I won't. But that means we're lending and 501 00:29:29,760 --> 00:29:33,120 unending peace and joy and happiness and glory. 502 00:29:33,320 --> 00:29:35,720 And if you hear about heaven in the New Testament, the way Jesus 503 00:29:35,720 --> 00:29:39,360 describes it, it's mainly a party, but a really good party, 504 00:29:41,000 --> 00:29:42,880 see. And when the Bible finishes, it 505 00:29:42,880 --> 00:29:45,640 describes the future of everybody who follows this 506 00:29:45,640 --> 00:29:47,360 shepherd. And the Book of Revelation 507 00:29:47,360 --> 00:29:50,440 describes it like this in Revelation 21, verse 3, showing 508 00:29:50,440 --> 00:29:53,520 us what is at the end of our valley, even if that lasts all 509 00:29:53,520 --> 00:29:55,800 the way till we die. It says this. 510 00:29:55,800 --> 00:29:59,520 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, look, God's 511 00:29:59,520 --> 00:30:03,120 dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with 512 00:30:03,120 --> 00:30:05,520 them. They'll be his people and God 513 00:30:05,520 --> 00:30:08,360 himself will be with them and be their God. 514 00:30:09,840 --> 00:30:13,440 No more distance, no more darkness clouding our vision. 515 00:30:13,560 --> 00:30:16,680 No, God will once and for all be with us in a way that we can 516 00:30:16,680 --> 00:30:19,800 never forget or never imagine. And the fact the chapter goes on 517 00:30:19,800 --> 00:30:22,680 to say that there won't be any sun or moon anymore because God 518 00:30:22,680 --> 00:30:26,800 himself will be the light, which means dark valleys are gone 519 00:30:27,800 --> 00:30:29,520 because God is there and he is the light. 520 00:30:30,000 --> 00:30:32,520 All suffering and all pain and everything that you feel 521 00:30:32,520 --> 00:30:38,520 threatens you today, gone. But God with us is not gone. 522 00:30:38,600 --> 00:30:42,160 It'll just carry on for eternity in a way we can't even imagine 523 00:30:43,360 --> 00:30:47,560 where we'll live with our Shepherd once and for all and 524 00:30:47,560 --> 00:30:53,160 forever. So this week, remember, the 525 00:30:53,160 --> 00:30:58,200 Valley's dark and it is OK and good and it is healthy to admit 526 00:30:58,200 --> 00:31:00,240 that. But remember, the Shepherd is 527 00:31:00,240 --> 00:31:05,320 close and he's strong, and the valley won't last forever 528 00:31:06,240 --> 00:31:08,960 because it's not the destination God is. 529 00:31:10,040 --> 00:31:11,920 And that's going to be far greater than we can even 530 00:31:11,920 --> 00:31:14,840 possibly imagine. Let's pray. 531 00:31:18,080 --> 00:31:20,800 The apostle Paul, when he's writing to the church in Rome in 532 00:31:20,800 --> 00:31:23,800 chapter 8, verse 18 says, I consider that our presence, 533 00:31:23,800 --> 00:31:27,560 present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that 534 00:31:27,560 --> 00:31:31,040 will be revealed in US. Lord, that feels really hard to 535 00:31:31,040 --> 00:31:32,440 imagine for some of us here today. 536 00:31:32,840 --> 00:31:36,960 Our valleys feel really dark, really horrible, and we can't 537 00:31:36,960 --> 00:31:41,040 imagine anything eclipsing it. And yet, Father, Your Word 538 00:31:41,040 --> 00:31:45,080 promises us that even in those dark valleys, you are with us. 539 00:31:46,360 --> 00:31:49,920 Please help us to remember that. Please help us to be honest 540 00:31:49,920 --> 00:31:52,760 about our dark valley so we can be reminded of just how close 541 00:31:52,760 --> 00:31:55,960 and strong you are to us, and we can be reminded that the valley 542 00:31:55,960 --> 00:31:58,160 is not the end. Please help us to be people 543 00:31:58,160 --> 00:32:02,000 who've got our eyes fixed on the glory at the end, but who also 544 00:32:02,000 --> 00:32:04,360 remember You're with us and you are strong, and you'll never 545 00:32:04,360 --> 00:32:08,160 leave us or forsake us. So please help us to help each 546 00:32:08,160 --> 00:32:12,360 other, to not fear any danger, but to trust in the God who's 547 00:32:12,360 --> 00:32:15,360 leading us all the way home. Amen.