1 00:00:00,120 --> 00:00:03,120 Thank you, Nathan, and honor Nathan for leading us into the 2 00:00:03,120 --> 00:00:06,520 Psalms last week. And it's encouraging. 3 00:00:06,520 --> 00:00:08,360 I think it was that was his first sermon. 4 00:00:08,360 --> 00:00:10,960 And so here's to many more to come. 5 00:00:10,960 --> 00:00:12,840 And it was really a blessing to hear from you. 6 00:00:12,840 --> 00:00:17,680 His life is certainly one that's marked by sacrifice and, and 7 00:00:17,680 --> 00:00:20,440 uncomfortableness and being comfortable. 8 00:00:20,440 --> 00:00:23,200 I don't know if that that really makes sense, but that's 9 00:00:23,200 --> 00:00:25,720 something that I really admire about him and something that you 10 00:00:25,720 --> 00:00:28,800 can really get from him when you speak to him too, is never 11 00:00:28,800 --> 00:00:32,080 getting comfortable in here on earth or within our nation, but 12 00:00:32,080 --> 00:00:34,320 always looking to what God has next for us. 13 00:00:34,320 --> 00:00:39,200 And so, yeah, just as you, as we saw from the video, the purpose 14 00:00:39,200 --> 00:00:42,320 of the Psalms is to is to strengthen ourselves in the 15 00:00:42,320 --> 00:00:43,680 Lord, and they're doing that there. 16 00:00:43,680 --> 00:00:47,480 And I loved the examples that John gave and the stories that 17 00:00:47,480 --> 00:00:50,200 he gave. I think they fit right in with 18 00:00:50,440 --> 00:00:53,440 what we're what really what we're going after. 19 00:00:54,160 --> 00:00:58,160 And it's really to prepare us with a deep relationship with 20 00:00:58,160 --> 00:01:02,760 God so that we can actually be more effective in our workplaces 21 00:01:02,760 --> 00:01:05,440 in the city and all that God's calling us to do. 22 00:01:07,240 --> 00:01:08,880 But yeah, summers are super interesting. 23 00:01:08,880 --> 00:01:10,720 There's this paradox that I love. 24 00:01:10,720 --> 00:01:13,760 It's like the troops are being mobilized and people are coming 25 00:01:13,760 --> 00:01:17,040 in and out and all over the place and taking and, and taking 26 00:01:17,040 --> 00:01:18,920 land. But it's like once you go out, 27 00:01:18,920 --> 00:01:21,640 you come back and you're strengthening and recovering for 28 00:01:21,640 --> 00:01:24,560 the next for the next battle and next hill. 29 00:01:25,040 --> 00:01:27,280 And so we're going to be continually getting these 30 00:01:27,280 --> 00:01:30,320 updates. I'm sure the videos may get 31 00:01:30,560 --> 00:01:33,320 longer as we go. I could tell that John was 32 00:01:33,320 --> 00:01:35,880 talking really fast to try and get as many of these testimonies 33 00:01:35,880 --> 00:01:38,960 just because there's so much richness and happening. 34 00:01:38,960 --> 00:01:42,960 It was even cool to be able to see that we're reaching other 35 00:01:42,960 --> 00:01:45,520 nations. Like the like there was a guy 36 00:01:45,520 --> 00:01:47,680 that was from Japan, I think that they said that he was 37 00:01:47,680 --> 00:01:50,160 studying opera. So hopefully it's kind of cool. 38 00:01:50,160 --> 00:01:52,680 That's like, Oh yeah, we've got friends in Japan as well, and 39 00:01:52,920 --> 00:01:54,440 maybe there can be a connection there. 40 00:01:56,320 --> 00:01:59,880 But yeah, so I'm super excited for this series. 41 00:01:59,880 --> 00:02:03,800 And I don't really recall a time where we did, where we've been 42 00:02:03,800 --> 00:02:06,440 able to do a deep dive specifically into the Psalms. 43 00:02:06,440 --> 00:02:09,919 Maybe we've done, maybe John has taken a break and done one or 44 00:02:10,120 --> 00:02:12,680 one here, one there. But it's really cool that we get 45 00:02:12,680 --> 00:02:15,480 to really uncover more of the psalmist hearts. 46 00:02:15,720 --> 00:02:20,040 And there's such a deep, rich theology and understanding that 47 00:02:20,040 --> 00:02:23,280 we can get through God through the Psalms that helps us in the 48 00:02:23,280 --> 00:02:28,280 good times and in the bad. And so it's, it'll be fun to see 49 00:02:28,280 --> 00:02:31,240 how the Psalmist pen leads us to understanding more about our 50 00:02:31,240 --> 00:02:34,760 amazing God. But we'll be looking at one of 51 00:02:34,760 --> 00:02:38,600 the most well known and most beloved Psalms of all. 52 00:02:38,960 --> 00:02:42,720 And that's none other than Psalm 23 for many. 53 00:02:42,720 --> 00:02:46,400 And I know John did this last year, but I'm sure we could 54 00:02:46,480 --> 00:02:49,960 preach on Psalm 23 every month and we would all be edified and 55 00:02:49,960 --> 00:02:52,080 built up for it. And there's something that I 56 00:02:52,080 --> 00:02:55,360 think the Lord wants to bring specifically this morning for 57 00:02:55,360 --> 00:02:58,640 each and every single one of us. But for many people that don't 58 00:02:58,640 --> 00:03:04,120 even know their Bibles, a lot of people know Psalm 23, and it's 59 00:03:04,120 --> 00:03:07,800 been etched on gravestones. It's provided comfort in the 60 00:03:07,800 --> 00:03:10,960 midst of grief and loss and death. 61 00:03:11,160 --> 00:03:14,640 It's been solitude for those that are that are on their sick 62 00:03:14,640 --> 00:03:17,040 bed. And for many it was, it's, it's 63 00:03:17,040 --> 00:03:20,600 been their last words even before even as they were saying 64 00:03:20,600 --> 00:03:22,920 this Psalm, even before they died and went to see the Lord. 65 00:03:22,920 --> 00:03:26,800 And so it's very, it's a Psalm that's very close to me 66 00:03:26,800 --> 00:03:31,120 personally. It even has a place even in, in, 67 00:03:31,320 --> 00:03:33,440 in me coming to this church and coming to the Lord. 68 00:03:34,240 --> 00:03:36,040 But we'll go ahead and dive right into it. 69 00:03:36,040 --> 00:03:39,000 And so those of you that have your Bibles, some of you might 70 00:03:39,000 --> 00:03:42,640 not even need your Bibles, but I'll go ahead and we'll go ahead 71 00:03:42,640 --> 00:03:45,040 and preach it. So, yeah, the Lord is my 72 00:03:45,040 --> 00:03:46,920 shepherd. I shall not want. 73 00:03:47,680 --> 00:03:49,800 He makes me to lie down in green pastures. 74 00:03:50,560 --> 00:03:52,400 He leads me besides still waters. 75 00:03:53,280 --> 00:03:58,280 He restores my soul. He leads me in the path or He 76 00:03:58,280 --> 00:04:00,680 guides me in the path of the righteousness for His name's 77 00:04:00,680 --> 00:04:03,400 sake. Even though I walk through the 78 00:04:03,400 --> 00:04:06,640 valley of the shadow of death, I shall fear no evil, for He is 79 00:04:06,640 --> 00:04:09,480 with me. His rod and His staff, they 80 00:04:09,480 --> 00:04:12,840 comfort me. He prepares. 81 00:04:12,880 --> 00:04:15,720 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. 82 00:04:16,279 --> 00:04:18,040 You have anointed my head with oil. 83 00:04:18,240 --> 00:04:22,200 My cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy will 84 00:04:22,200 --> 00:04:24,920 follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the 85 00:04:24,920 --> 00:04:27,720 House of the Lord forever. Amen. 86 00:04:29,200 --> 00:04:34,880 So just kind of zooming out and taking a a high level view. 87 00:04:35,760 --> 00:04:39,320 It's believed to have been written by David with his 88 00:04:39,320 --> 00:04:41,320 attribution to God as a shepherd. 89 00:04:41,320 --> 00:04:44,920 David was also a shepherd. He also talks about dwelling in 90 00:04:44,920 --> 00:04:47,280 the House of God towards the end of the sermon, which you see 91 00:04:47,280 --> 00:04:50,080 that theme through many of the Psalms that he's written. 92 00:04:50,600 --> 00:04:52,800 And so it's no surprise that this is where a lot of the 93 00:04:52,800 --> 00:04:58,800 theologians have landed landed. But that the that first, that 94 00:04:58,800 --> 00:05:02,480 first kind of part of the first verse, the Lord is my shepherd. 95 00:05:03,520 --> 00:05:07,320 I can go on for so long just in this one sentence. 96 00:05:07,320 --> 00:05:11,640 And when we look at God as a shepherd, the verse, there's 97 00:05:11,640 --> 00:05:15,320 many verses all throughout this that nod to Jesus Christ. 98 00:05:16,160 --> 00:05:19,480 And remember, this was written before Jesus actually came on 99 00:05:19,480 --> 00:05:23,280 the scene in John 1011. Jesus says, I am the Good 100 00:05:23,280 --> 00:05:25,800 Shepherd. The Good Shepherd lays his life, 101 00:05:26,360 --> 00:05:27,880 lays down his life for his sheep. 102 00:05:28,360 --> 00:05:31,120 And so I love those parallels just back and forth that you can 103 00:05:31,120 --> 00:05:36,840 draw between the two. Another note is that about the 104 00:05:36,840 --> 00:05:39,280 Psalm is that we are, that we're the sheep. 105 00:05:39,280 --> 00:05:42,400 And I think it's funny specifically that the Lord chose 106 00:05:42,400 --> 00:05:45,520 this example because sheep aren't the smartest animals in 107 00:05:45,520 --> 00:05:48,720 the world. They're very difficult to manage 108 00:05:48,720 --> 00:05:50,440 because they're and they're so needy. 109 00:05:50,440 --> 00:05:53,200 They get into trouble easily and fast. 110 00:05:53,200 --> 00:05:56,320 And it's oftentimes it's a full time job just taking care of a 111 00:05:56,320 --> 00:05:58,080 flock. And, you know, right when they 112 00:05:58,080 --> 00:06:00,520 get out of one thing, they get into something else. 113 00:06:00,520 --> 00:06:02,120 I found this. I found a funny video. 114 00:06:02,120 --> 00:06:04,400 Maybe we can put it up on the screen. 115 00:06:20,080 --> 00:06:25,400 Yeah, So you can. So does anyone relate as a 116 00:06:25,400 --> 00:06:27,480 follower of Christ? Yeah. 117 00:06:27,520 --> 00:06:31,880 So it's no, it's kind of it's kind of funny. 118 00:06:31,880 --> 00:06:34,440 Sometimes I'm like, is it kind of it's it's a it's a perfect 119 00:06:34,440 --> 00:06:37,080 example, but I feel like God's got some humor in it. 120 00:06:37,080 --> 00:06:39,040 And like that he's like, Oh yeah, you guys are my sheep. 121 00:06:39,240 --> 00:06:41,360 And then I see videos like that and I'm like, oh, OK. 122 00:06:42,080 --> 00:06:44,160 But yeah, it definitely is humbling. 123 00:06:45,240 --> 00:06:49,160 But there are only they're one of the only animals in the 124 00:06:49,160 --> 00:06:52,720 animal Kingdom that actually need human intervention and 125 00:06:52,720 --> 00:06:55,840 guidance in order to stay alive. They can find themselves 126 00:06:55,840 --> 00:06:59,760 wandering and getting stuck. Their coats, if they're not kept 127 00:06:59,760 --> 00:07:01,920 trimmed, it can become heavy and matted. 128 00:07:02,800 --> 00:07:06,040 They can die easily from exhaustion if they get caught up 129 00:07:06,040 --> 00:07:11,040 in something through stress. Some cases they can easily roll 130 00:07:11,040 --> 00:07:14,320 over to one side lopsided, kind of like a turtle on its back, 131 00:07:14,680 --> 00:07:17,160 and then it can't get up and the gas will build up and they can 132 00:07:17,160 --> 00:07:20,040 die from that. And so there's, there's like 133 00:07:20,160 --> 00:07:22,960 1000 ways. There's like 10,000 ways for a 134 00:07:22,960 --> 00:07:24,880 sheep to die. Maybe there's a something out 135 00:07:24,880 --> 00:07:27,160 there like that, but it's a yeah. 136 00:07:27,320 --> 00:07:30,480 But David demonstrates his love for the sheep because he was 137 00:07:30,480 --> 00:07:33,680 doing it for God. And a shepherd was not 138 00:07:33,680 --> 00:07:37,400 necessarily the most favored because it, it required being 139 00:07:37,400 --> 00:07:41,720 around these kind of stinky, smelly animals for like 24/7. 140 00:07:42,400 --> 00:07:45,600 And it just it when I was thinking more about like this 141 00:07:45,600 --> 00:07:49,320 sacrifice many of us in America, I just want to bring to the 142 00:07:49,320 --> 00:07:52,360 forefront, just to, to all of your minds, the mission field 143 00:07:52,360 --> 00:07:55,600 that there are those even even today that are laying their life 144 00:07:55,600 --> 00:07:59,400 down. They're not gathering in, in AC 145 00:07:59,680 --> 00:08:03,200 in a freezing cold building in Oviedo, but they're out in the 146 00:08:03,200 --> 00:08:05,680 field risking their lives each and every single day. 147 00:08:05,680 --> 00:08:10,960 And I was even just thinking, you know, of anything in my life 148 00:08:10,960 --> 00:08:13,760 that I could think of, of anything that hit close to home 149 00:08:13,760 --> 00:08:16,120 with missionaries. And I remember it was a while 150 00:08:16,120 --> 00:08:20,480 ago, I think it was with TMAI, we were getting updates from the 151 00:08:20,680 --> 00:08:23,640 like some Ukrainian missionaries and pastors that were out there. 152 00:08:23,960 --> 00:08:27,720 And when the war first started, we were getting like, we were 153 00:08:27,720 --> 00:08:29,480 getting updates and prayer updates. 154 00:08:29,480 --> 00:08:31,480 And then the updates stopped coming. 155 00:08:31,800 --> 00:08:35,960 And I never, I never, I never heard from that or if they if 156 00:08:35,960 --> 00:08:40,440 they kept coming in, But I think I think it's safe to assume that 157 00:08:40,440 --> 00:08:44,039 they probably have been missing ever since or, or they want to 158 00:08:44,039 --> 00:08:47,200 be with the Lord. And so I just want to keep that 159 00:08:47,440 --> 00:08:50,600 on the forefront that that is what at the end of the day, if 160 00:08:50,600 --> 00:08:54,200 it came down to it, we are to risk our lives for one another, 161 00:08:54,440 --> 00:08:57,400 just as Christ laid his life down for the church. 162 00:08:57,400 --> 00:09:02,920 And so, yeah, So coming back to it, I think one of the 163 00:09:03,480 --> 00:09:06,800 weightiest things is that that word, my in the first sentence, 164 00:09:06,800 --> 00:09:10,720 my, the Lord, the Lord is my shepherd. 165 00:09:11,120 --> 00:09:14,480 There's something so sweet when you see that the possessiveness 166 00:09:14,480 --> 00:09:17,200 of that word, and it's probably the weightiest word in the whole 167 00:09:17,480 --> 00:09:21,320 song is because when anytime we talk about someone close to us, 168 00:09:21,320 --> 00:09:27,280 we say my, we say my friend, my wife, my son, my daughter, my 169 00:09:27,280 --> 00:09:29,880 mom, my dad. And it just shows that we are 170 00:09:30,400 --> 00:09:34,200 built for relationship. And then the next part of that 171 00:09:34,240 --> 00:09:38,440 verse, just the I shall not want shows that you know that we're 172 00:09:38,440 --> 00:09:42,120 we're not in wanting we're not to be discontent and that God 173 00:09:42,120 --> 00:09:45,640 really is the provider of everything that we need to go 174 00:09:45,640 --> 00:09:51,440 through this life. And so moving on to through 175 00:09:51,440 --> 00:09:54,920 through the verse 2, he makes me lie down in green pastures. 176 00:09:54,920 --> 00:09:56,560 He leads me besides still waters. 177 00:09:57,120 --> 00:09:59,760 When I was praying, the first thing that came to mind is how 178 00:09:59,880 --> 00:10:03,360 cry, there's a there's a physical laying down, but 179 00:10:03,360 --> 00:10:06,200 there's the physical and spiritual are always together, 180 00:10:06,200 --> 00:10:08,840 right? So the thing that came to mind 181 00:10:08,840 --> 00:10:14,080 was when in Mark 437, when the when Jesus calmed the storm, it 182 00:10:14,080 --> 00:10:17,320 says, and there arose A fierce Gale of wind and the waves were 183 00:10:17,320 --> 00:10:20,600 breaking over the boat so much that the boat was already 184 00:10:20,600 --> 00:10:23,880 filling up. Jesus himself was in the stern 185 00:10:24,160 --> 00:10:26,920 asleep on the cushion. And they woke him up and said to 186 00:10:26,920 --> 00:10:29,360 him, Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing? 187 00:10:29,800 --> 00:10:32,560 And he got up and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, Hush, 188 00:10:32,560 --> 00:10:35,000 be still. And the wind died down, died 189 00:10:35,000 --> 00:10:38,280 down and became perfectly calm. And he said to them, why are you 190 00:10:38,280 --> 00:10:40,160 afraid? Do you still have no faith? 191 00:10:40,600 --> 00:10:43,680 They became very much afraid and said to one another, who then is 192 00:10:43,680 --> 00:10:46,760 this, that even the wind and the sea would obey him? 193 00:10:47,160 --> 00:10:51,440 It shows that he, that God, Jesus Christ, he has the power 194 00:10:51,440 --> 00:10:54,640 to bring peace to our hearts even in in the midst of life's 195 00:10:54,640 --> 00:10:58,080 greatest turmoil. And it could be, you know, 196 00:10:58,080 --> 00:11:00,880 inner, inner sin, anxiety, these other things. 197 00:11:00,880 --> 00:11:04,720 It could be external in this in this sense, it was very 198 00:11:04,720 --> 00:11:07,880 external. But we we need to have this 199 00:11:07,880 --> 00:11:12,680 belief that he can be the one that saves your brother or your 200 00:11:12,680 --> 00:11:15,800 in laws, your family, your friends, your neighbors, that he 201 00:11:15,800 --> 00:11:18,640 has the power to save. He can provide a way out of that 202 00:11:18,640 --> 00:11:22,400 difficult work situation. And maybe he's inviting you this 203 00:11:22,400 --> 00:11:25,760 morning if you have, if you've had a hard week, or maybe if 204 00:11:25,760 --> 00:11:28,960 you're concerned or uncertain about the future, maybe you just 205 00:11:28,960 --> 00:11:33,560 need to hear him say, hush, be still to your anxious and 206 00:11:33,560 --> 00:11:37,040 stirring heart. And so his immense power is 207 00:11:37,040 --> 00:11:38,880 enough for what we're believing for. 208 00:11:40,120 --> 00:11:45,520 And we should do ode to Christ to go and get time with him in 209 00:11:45,520 --> 00:11:48,480 the morning, for Him to speak into those things in our lives. 210 00:11:48,480 --> 00:11:51,680 Go on walks with Him, pour out your heart to Him, and you'll be 211 00:11:52,000 --> 00:11:56,080 surprised at what you'll hear as you Mull over His word and pray 212 00:11:56,080 --> 00:11:58,200 and what He speaks to you through prayer. 213 00:11:59,400 --> 00:12:02,240 He restores my soul. He guides me in the path of the 214 00:12:02,240 --> 00:12:04,040 righteousness for His name's sake. 215 00:12:04,960 --> 00:12:08,960 So He restores us, but He also shows us the right way to go. 216 00:12:08,960 --> 00:12:13,120 Psalm 119, it says Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to 217 00:12:13,120 --> 00:12:16,520 my path. And so there's many others all 218 00:12:16,520 --> 00:12:18,560 around the world that are saying we need a new way, we need 219 00:12:18,560 --> 00:12:20,720 something new, we need something fresh. 220 00:12:20,760 --> 00:12:26,680 We need some newly packaged way of doing therapy or we need a 221 00:12:26,680 --> 00:12:31,480 new way of, of explaining things or here's a new perspective and 222 00:12:31,800 --> 00:12:34,440 coming trying to come up with all these different ways to help 223 00:12:34,440 --> 00:12:36,680 people, which is, which is good and its intention. 224 00:12:37,000 --> 00:12:39,400 But what we need is we need the ancient way and we need the 225 00:12:39,400 --> 00:12:44,040 ancient paths. And so this is we need to point 226 00:12:44,040 --> 00:12:47,880 people to, hey, we don't need the new way, we need the old 227 00:12:47,880 --> 00:12:49,040 way. And it's kind of funny. 228 00:12:49,040 --> 00:12:51,520 There's like these trends that are happening right now amongst 229 00:12:52,080 --> 00:12:53,920 Gen. Z and everything where 230 00:12:54,120 --> 00:12:58,880 everything is kind of going back to traditional because they're 231 00:12:58,880 --> 00:13:04,360 tired of the this progressive jargon and these ideas and all 232 00:13:04,360 --> 00:13:07,960 these new things because there's such so much information with 233 00:13:08,120 --> 00:13:12,520 everything online between social media and AI, we're in a, we're 234 00:13:12,520 --> 00:13:16,320 in information overload. And so like getting rid of your 235 00:13:16,320 --> 00:13:19,040 phone, finding blockers and all these things are kind of all the 236 00:13:19,040 --> 00:13:21,320 rage because people want that personal connection. 237 00:13:21,320 --> 00:13:25,520 Again, Praise God that he's leading a lot of the, a lot of 238 00:13:26,040 --> 00:13:27,640 Gen. Z and all these newer 239 00:13:27,640 --> 00:13:30,120 generations closer and coming back to him. 240 00:13:30,840 --> 00:13:34,040 But I think they're just tired of, they're tired of lies. 241 00:13:34,040 --> 00:13:36,440 They're tired of their trust being broken. 242 00:13:36,760 --> 00:13:39,880 And so there's a great opportunity for us as a church 243 00:13:39,880 --> 00:13:42,440 to be able to bring them the truth that to be able to bring 244 00:13:42,440 --> 00:13:44,600 them the truth. But even as John has mentioned 245 00:13:44,600 --> 00:13:48,320 before, it's extremely hard because they're, there's been so 246 00:13:48,320 --> 00:13:52,320 much trust broken that it's hard to mentor someone that doesn't, 247 00:13:52,720 --> 00:13:55,120 that doesn't have that first level of trust. 248 00:13:55,120 --> 00:13:58,920 So we need to be praying, continuously praying and even 249 00:13:58,920 --> 00:14:03,040 praying while they're over there in Bologna talking to college 250 00:14:03,040 --> 00:14:04,800 students and reaching out to college students. 251 00:14:04,800 --> 00:14:08,360 That there would be a soft soil and that the word would land. 252 00:14:10,120 --> 00:14:15,560 And so going through, coming into the valley of the shadow of 253 00:14:15,560 --> 00:14:18,960 death, I shall fear no evil, for you're with me. 254 00:14:18,960 --> 00:14:20,960 Your rod and your staff, they comfort me. 255 00:14:21,880 --> 00:14:25,840 When the shepherd would lead his sheep throughout many different 256 00:14:25,840 --> 00:14:29,080 seasons and theologians will give you something different 257 00:14:29,080 --> 00:14:31,840 depending on what you read. Some are saying, most of them 258 00:14:31,840 --> 00:14:34,480 are always saying like yes, the valley of the shadow of death is 259 00:14:34,480 --> 00:14:36,560 bad. But what's an interesting 260 00:14:36,560 --> 00:14:39,480 perspective that I heard is that the that the valley is actually 261 00:14:39,480 --> 00:14:42,560 a low lying area. And usually in low lying areas, 262 00:14:42,560 --> 00:14:44,160 there's a lot of water that will gather. 263 00:14:44,160 --> 00:14:49,360 And so you'll have streams and rivers and these areas and the 264 00:14:49,360 --> 00:14:52,800 sometimes the sheep could possibly get swept away or flash 265 00:14:52,800 --> 00:14:54,400 floods or these different things. 266 00:14:54,560 --> 00:14:57,320 But it's also really rich. There's a lot of grass there. 267 00:14:57,520 --> 00:15:00,760 And so it's a place where the sheep can get really fed and 268 00:15:00,760 --> 00:15:03,440 nourished. And so they kind of akin it to 269 00:15:03,720 --> 00:15:07,520 going through like a hard season of rapid growth in your life. 270 00:15:07,520 --> 00:15:10,600 And that's how how many of us know that that's when we usually 271 00:15:10,600 --> 00:15:13,440 grow greatest in God in relationship with him is when he 272 00:15:13,440 --> 00:15:16,120 takes us through something hard. And the dangers are all still 273 00:15:16,120 --> 00:15:18,760 there because there's an increased water flow and 274 00:15:18,760 --> 00:15:21,120 increased foliage. There are more shadows, there's 275 00:15:21,120 --> 00:15:23,160 more places for predators to hide. 276 00:15:23,160 --> 00:15:26,480 And so it's even harder work for the shepherd to be able to make 277 00:15:26,480 --> 00:15:29,520 sure that the that the sheep are caught are kept safe. 278 00:15:29,520 --> 00:15:33,920 So it kind of reminds me of like the valley kind of reminds me of 279 00:15:33,920 --> 00:15:37,080 like, oh, this sweet, lush place, kind of like America, 280 00:15:37,080 --> 00:15:40,240 where you have all your needs met, but there's like even more 281 00:15:40,240 --> 00:15:42,640 dangers and things that can grasp you and pull your soul 282 00:15:42,640 --> 00:15:44,320 away. And so I thought that that was 283 00:15:44,320 --> 00:15:48,000 kind of an interesting thing as I was reading the rod in the 284 00:15:48,000 --> 00:15:49,760 staff. You guys probably heard before 285 00:15:49,760 --> 00:15:54,920 the rod some some say that the rod is or the rod is meant is 286 00:15:54,920 --> 00:15:57,160 like a bludgeon. It's like a weapon that's used 287 00:15:57,160 --> 00:16:01,360 to fend off bears and wolves and all these things. 288 00:16:01,360 --> 00:16:05,320 And the staff has a hook on it so that the shepherd can easily 289 00:16:05,680 --> 00:16:08,520 wrangle the sheep, either pull it and guide it in the right 290 00:16:08,520 --> 00:16:11,600 direction or by the leg. And these different things. 291 00:16:12,760 --> 00:16:16,640 And sometimes the the bludgeoned would they would fashion things 292 00:16:16,640 --> 00:16:20,440 to it, make it more dangerous. But the main thing to take away 293 00:16:20,440 --> 00:16:26,760 is that that God is a God. God protects us as as sheep, but 294 00:16:26,760 --> 00:16:29,560 he also guides us and leads us in the right way. 295 00:16:30,240 --> 00:16:34,200 And he does that because, and that's one of the greatest 296 00:16:34,200 --> 00:16:36,840 things of the mystery of God's love is like, why would he love 297 00:16:36,840 --> 00:16:40,040 us? I mean, and that's why this idea 298 00:16:40,040 --> 00:16:43,000 of the sheep is like, they don't really, it's like you put so 299 00:16:43,000 --> 00:16:45,360 much work, how much do you get back from them? 300 00:16:45,840 --> 00:16:48,240 I mean, I don't know. I mean, it was, it was helpful 301 00:16:48,240 --> 00:16:50,480 for them, for their wool and for clothing and different things 302 00:16:50,480 --> 00:16:52,520 like that. But it's a tremendous amount of 303 00:16:52,520 --> 00:16:55,520 work and you get nothing back. And it's the same thing with, 304 00:16:55,520 --> 00:16:57,720 like with the Lord. He loves us unconditionally. 305 00:16:57,720 --> 00:16:59,960 David loved the sheep unconditionally. 306 00:17:01,640 --> 00:17:04,839 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. 307 00:17:04,920 --> 00:17:06,760 You have anointed my head with oil. 308 00:17:07,079 --> 00:17:11,880 My cup overflows. This one is probably could 309 00:17:11,880 --> 00:17:15,359 probably be the most offensive verse in the entire entire Psalm 310 00:17:15,359 --> 00:17:20,720 because there's this idea of almost like the Lord is boasting 311 00:17:20,720 --> 00:17:24,640 in his people like you prepare a table before me in my enemies. 312 00:17:25,040 --> 00:17:28,680 And some scholars say that in the ancient E, the host was 313 00:17:28,680 --> 00:17:31,880 required to protect the guests at all costs, even with their 314 00:17:31,880 --> 00:17:34,800 life. And so in this God is preparing 315 00:17:34,800 --> 00:17:38,360 a table for us. And so he's our host and it's 316 00:17:38,360 --> 00:17:41,400 the preparation in front of your enemies is key is because even 317 00:17:41,400 --> 00:17:46,120 in the midst of pressure and even in the midst of hardship of 318 00:17:46,200 --> 00:17:47,760 maybe those that want to destroy you. 319 00:17:47,760 --> 00:17:50,920 God is saying that he will he will not only protect us, but 320 00:17:50,920 --> 00:17:54,000 he'll continue to bless us even in the midst of that. 321 00:17:54,360 --> 00:17:59,320 And I was just reminded of Matthew 1618. 322 00:18:00,080 --> 00:18:02,920 Jesus says, I say to you that you are Peter and upon this 323 00:18:02,920 --> 00:18:07,680 rock, the rock being the big rock, which is him Christ, I 324 00:18:07,680 --> 00:18:10,200 will build my church and the gates of Hades will not 325 00:18:10,200 --> 00:18:14,080 overpower it. And it's, it just it's amazing 326 00:18:14,080 --> 00:18:17,640 that God uses humble small churches and he puts them in 327 00:18:17,640 --> 00:18:20,040 some of the hardest places on earth that he's building 328 00:18:20,280 --> 00:18:24,600 churches and small areas of light at the at the at the gates 329 00:18:24,600 --> 00:18:26,320 of hell and that they won't be overcome. 330 00:18:26,320 --> 00:18:28,960 And I think God does that on purpose because he wants to show 331 00:18:29,200 --> 00:18:33,200 his greatness and his immense power over over evil and 332 00:18:33,200 --> 00:18:37,360 darkness. And so people will mock us 333 00:18:38,000 --> 00:18:40,480 verbally. They may punish us physically 334 00:18:40,800 --> 00:18:44,760 right liable online, spew all sorts of lies and half truths 335 00:18:44,760 --> 00:18:49,160 and evil against you, but he'll continue to uphold, support and 336 00:18:49,160 --> 00:18:51,520 and bless. It's just what he loves to do. 337 00:18:52,160 --> 00:18:56,320 Psalm 3712 through 15 it says the wicked plots against the 338 00:18:56,320 --> 00:18:58,680 righteous and gnashes at him with his teeth. 339 00:18:59,240 --> 00:19:02,080 The Lord laughs at him, for he sees his day is coming. 340 00:19:02,520 --> 00:19:06,000 The wicked have drawn the sword and bent their bow to cast down, 341 00:19:06,480 --> 00:19:10,000 to cast down the afflicted and the needy, to slay those who are 342 00:19:10,000 --> 00:19:13,640 upright and conduct their sword will enter their own heart, and 343 00:19:13,640 --> 00:19:16,760 their bows will be broken. And I just want to prophetically 344 00:19:16,760 --> 00:19:20,600 speak even over our own church that because His word says so 345 00:19:20,960 --> 00:19:24,320 and the enemy that the enemy won't, well, it's not going to 346 00:19:24,320 --> 00:19:28,800 rain and draw close as we draw close to the Lord, the close 347 00:19:28,800 --> 00:19:32,000 range attacks will, they'll will ensnare them in their own net 348 00:19:32,000 --> 00:19:34,600 and the long range attacks will be useless. 349 00:19:34,600 --> 00:19:38,560 And so we mustn't be afraid in this hour, especially because 350 00:19:38,560 --> 00:19:41,120 God's doing so much through our church and through our city 351 00:19:42,200 --> 00:19:45,000 through I mean, we had that Easter outreach not too long 352 00:19:45,000 --> 00:19:46,840 ago. And it's just so encouraging, 353 00:19:47,080 --> 00:19:50,440 just the footprint that we have all over the place in our city 354 00:19:50,440 --> 00:19:52,120 and God's just continuing to grow it. 355 00:19:52,560 --> 00:19:58,280 And so and Jesus said in Matthew 1342 that the enemies of God 356 00:19:58,280 --> 00:20:01,800 will be thrown into the furnace with the weeping and gnashing of 357 00:20:01,800 --> 00:20:06,840 teeth. An apologist I remember told a 358 00:20:06,840 --> 00:20:12,800 story once about how he had a couple of family members who 359 00:20:12,800 --> 00:20:16,880 were brothers and. They were his uncles, and he 360 00:20:16,880 --> 00:20:21,000 remembered a time, I think he was in when he was in high 361 00:20:21,000 --> 00:20:22,880 school. He went to a wedding and he 362 00:20:22,880 --> 00:20:25,520 could look at the two of them. He knew that there was animosity 363 00:20:25,520 --> 00:20:27,520 between them. But he said that he couldn't 364 00:20:27,520 --> 00:20:31,240 describe anything more than the disdain and the hatred that they 365 00:20:31,240 --> 00:20:33,960 had for one another, than the weeping and gnashing of teeth. 366 00:20:33,960 --> 00:20:37,360 They didn't even want to be in the same room with one another. 367 00:20:37,680 --> 00:20:44,000 And he said that it's this, this feeling of such a vitriol and 368 00:20:44,000 --> 00:20:47,600 violence and hatred and intolerance to someone that you 369 00:20:47,600 --> 00:20:50,160 know that you should have a good relationship with. 370 00:20:50,720 --> 00:20:53,800 They know that they should be in good relationship with one 371 00:20:53,800 --> 00:20:56,520 another, but they, they refuse to do that. 372 00:20:57,480 --> 00:21:03,040 Enemies of God and his people. They, they gnash their teeth in 373 00:21:03,040 --> 00:21:06,760 hell because of a couple reasons. 1 is that they 374 00:21:07,440 --> 00:21:10,400 recognize that once they bow their knee, I mean, they, they 375 00:21:10,400 --> 00:21:14,760 know it now, but once they bow their knee to the great throne 376 00:21:14,760 --> 00:21:16,840 that they know that they deserve to be there. 377 00:21:17,120 --> 00:21:20,800 And they're, they're full of the, the regret for not saying 378 00:21:20,800 --> 00:21:23,120 yes and accepting the sacrifice of Jesus. 379 00:21:23,120 --> 00:21:26,040 And now they have, they, they know that they have, they're 380 00:21:26,040 --> 00:21:29,080 duly being punished for what they deserve by Christ for all 381 00:21:29,080 --> 00:21:32,160 of eternity. And two, they are actively being 382 00:21:32,160 --> 00:21:34,320 judged by Christ for all of eternity. 383 00:21:34,840 --> 00:21:38,480 And they are, while in active judgment, they know that they 384 00:21:38,480 --> 00:21:40,440 should have perfect relationship with him. 385 00:21:41,040 --> 00:21:43,680 I can't think of something more tormenting and awful than that. 386 00:21:43,760 --> 00:21:46,760 And that's what they feel. That's what people feel when 387 00:21:47,400 --> 00:21:50,360 when you're living righteously, when you're living above 388 00:21:50,360 --> 00:21:54,720 reproach, when you're living for God and others see that. 389 00:21:54,720 --> 00:21:58,120 And God continues to bless you even when you keep a humble and 390 00:21:58,120 --> 00:22:05,520 gracious mindset towards them. And so it's, it's amazing that 391 00:22:05,520 --> 00:22:09,480 we, that we live in this state or in this story. 392 00:22:09,680 --> 00:22:12,720 And sometimes I have to remind myself that, hey, we, we win in 393 00:22:12,720 --> 00:22:14,280 the end. Like God is going to make 394 00:22:14,280 --> 00:22:15,840 everything right. He's going to come back. 395 00:22:16,080 --> 00:22:17,800 He's going to set everything straight. 396 00:22:18,080 --> 00:22:20,920 And so we don't need to go and, and act vengeance. 397 00:22:20,920 --> 00:22:24,400 We just need to wait for him to show up and wait for him to work 398 00:22:24,400 --> 00:22:29,320 it out and be patient. And so and then this final 399 00:22:29,320 --> 00:22:34,440 verse, surely goodness and loving kindness will follow me 400 00:22:35,440 --> 00:22:38,520 all the days of my life and I will dwell in the House of the 401 00:22:38,520 --> 00:22:43,040 Lord forever. An interesting thing, and this 402 00:22:43,040 --> 00:22:48,360 is what I learned is that the word follow might not even be 403 00:22:48,360 --> 00:22:51,680 the best word to use in this situation because digging more 404 00:22:51,680 --> 00:22:56,320 into it, it actually means pursuit that God, that or like a 405 00:22:56,320 --> 00:23:01,680 chasing that even as you, you may blow it, you may you know, I 406 00:23:01,680 --> 00:23:04,880 tend to be someone that beats myself up even more than than 407 00:23:04,880 --> 00:23:06,800 others do. I'm like, man, why can't I just 408 00:23:06,800 --> 00:23:10,720 like get it straight? And I just have to remind myself 409 00:23:10,720 --> 00:23:14,840 that that this loving kindness, this mercy and this grace, God 410 00:23:14,840 --> 00:23:19,760 chases you. He it's like a it's like it's 411 00:23:19,760 --> 00:23:21,960 consuming, it's unfathomable love. 412 00:23:22,760 --> 00:23:26,800 And those that don't know the Lord or those, those of you that 413 00:23:26,800 --> 00:23:30,520 do know the Lord understand that even if you drift, God's always 414 00:23:30,520 --> 00:23:33,640 pulling you back in. It's like that song that talks 415 00:23:33,640 --> 00:23:37,040 about the, the fetter. The fetter is the, the chain, 416 00:23:37,040 --> 00:23:40,600 the kind of the ball in chain. I've felt that where it's like 417 00:23:40,600 --> 00:23:43,000 I've, I've drifted, but it's like no matter. 418 00:23:43,240 --> 00:23:45,000 And even sometimes I'll like look at the world. 419 00:23:45,000 --> 00:23:47,280 I'll look at how other people are living the amount of time 420 00:23:47,280 --> 00:23:48,960 and the things that they can do for themselves. 421 00:23:49,320 --> 00:23:52,360 And every time I entertain that thought and in my mind, I'm 422 00:23:52,360 --> 00:23:56,240 like, I, I feel, I feel like I, I just can't. 423 00:23:56,240 --> 00:23:59,200 Like God is like, no, I'm, you're, you're mine. 424 00:23:59,200 --> 00:24:00,600 You know, it's, it's a good feeling. 425 00:24:00,600 --> 00:24:04,960 It's that feeling that he is my, my secure salvation and, and 426 00:24:04,960 --> 00:24:08,960 savior. And of course we're always like 427 00:24:08,960 --> 00:24:12,520 looking at our faith and, and, and reviewing and, and growing 428 00:24:12,520 --> 00:24:14,800 and growing. But no matter how far we drift 429 00:24:14,800 --> 00:24:17,480 off, God is always there to chase us and bring us back with. 430 00:24:17,760 --> 00:24:19,760 And it's, and it's not like, Oh, I got you. 431 00:24:19,760 --> 00:24:22,040 It's like a come here. I'm going to, I'm going to wrap 432 00:24:22,040 --> 00:24:24,840 my arms around you. I'm, I'm going to feel, feel my 433 00:24:24,840 --> 00:24:28,240 embrace, my love, my grace, even in the midst of your failure, 434 00:24:28,240 --> 00:24:31,320 even in, in, in the midst of you not measuring up. 435 00:24:31,960 --> 00:24:37,960 And so the final section of the verse is the statement of David 436 00:24:37,960 --> 00:24:41,280 saying, I will dwell in the house, O Lord forever. 437 00:24:41,600 --> 00:24:44,680 And so he, he not only understands that it's God that 438 00:24:44,680 --> 00:24:48,880 secures him with the with how God chases us with his grace, 439 00:24:49,120 --> 00:24:52,520 but he understands that it's a it's a personal commitment too. 440 00:24:52,520 --> 00:24:57,520 He's saying I will do, I will stay in the game, I will remain 441 00:24:57,800 --> 00:25:00,240 in Christ and he and he will never give up. 442 00:25:00,240 --> 00:25:01,640 He will never throw in the towel. 443 00:25:01,920 --> 00:25:05,000 He may have his rough days. We can see him emptying out his 444 00:25:05,000 --> 00:25:09,040 emotions through the Psalms, but he understands that it's God who 445 00:25:09,040 --> 00:25:13,520 keeps and sustains him. And so it's a little bit of a 446 00:25:13,520 --> 00:25:17,520 shorter message today. I'll go ahead and have the band 447 00:25:17,520 --> 00:25:24,080 come on up. But God, I said before that this 448 00:25:24,080 --> 00:25:29,280 Psalm was very is is very close and very personal to me. 449 00:25:29,280 --> 00:25:33,200 And I think personally, I've always had this, I guess, 450 00:25:34,880 --> 00:25:37,600 disrespect towards the Lord, but I never really understood my 451 00:25:37,600 --> 00:25:39,440 brokenness until I got into college. 452 00:25:39,720 --> 00:25:42,160 So my parents were, I want to honor my parents and the fact 453 00:25:42,160 --> 00:25:44,280 that they raised me up in the way that I should go. 454 00:25:45,640 --> 00:25:48,320 And I would say around 18, it was kind of weird. 455 00:25:48,320 --> 00:25:49,840 It was kind of like 1/2 conversion. 456 00:25:50,040 --> 00:25:52,000 It was like, OK, Lord, I believe you. 457 00:25:52,280 --> 00:25:58,280 I know that you're real and, and, and that it was kind of 458 00:25:58,280 --> 00:26:02,800 like an atheist to theist. But then I didn't understand how 459 00:26:02,800 --> 00:26:05,280 broken I was until I got into college. 460 00:26:05,280 --> 00:26:09,800 And I remember I was many of you know, I was pursuing a degree in 461 00:26:09,800 --> 00:26:12,160 character animation. Everything was perfect on the 462 00:26:12,160 --> 00:26:17,440 outside, friends, success finances were fine, but I felt 463 00:26:17,440 --> 00:26:20,480 like I was gaining the world but losing my my soul. 464 00:26:20,480 --> 00:26:24,640 And so I would even, you know, in order I would have trouble 465 00:26:24,640 --> 00:26:29,120 sleeping at night. I had really bad insomnia and I 466 00:26:29,120 --> 00:26:32,560 found I was like, well, my family typically has struggled 467 00:26:32,560 --> 00:26:35,560 with alcoholism. And so there was a part of me 468 00:26:35,560 --> 00:26:38,360 that was, I guess a little prideful in the sense I was 469 00:26:38,360 --> 00:26:40,680 like, well, I'm not going to do what they do. 470 00:26:40,760 --> 00:26:42,800 I'm not going to give myself over to alcoholism. 471 00:26:43,040 --> 00:26:46,600 I'm actually going to do something else, which wasn't 472 00:26:46,600 --> 00:26:49,840 healthy at the heart level, but I would work out and exhaust 473 00:26:49,840 --> 00:26:52,680 myself because that was the only way that I could fall asleep at 474 00:26:52,680 --> 00:26:55,040 night and get the, the, the thoughts and the anxious 475 00:26:55,040 --> 00:26:58,440 thoughts out. And so I remember I was at one 476 00:26:58,440 --> 00:27:01,720 of the apartment complexes, one of the student apartment 477 00:27:01,720 --> 00:27:05,800 complexes on Alafaya and I would run like 30 minutes to the UFC 478 00:27:05,800 --> 00:27:08,000 gym. I would work out for an hour 479 00:27:08,120 --> 00:27:09,920 like heavy, pretty heavy lifting. 480 00:27:10,080 --> 00:27:13,040 And then I would run, I would, I would do, I would run like 481 00:27:13,040 --> 00:27:16,080 Sprint all the way back to the apartment complex and then like 482 00:27:16,440 --> 00:27:19,360 knockout. And so I was, I was literally 483 00:27:19,360 --> 00:27:23,480 running from my heart and the condemnation and mainly the 484 00:27:23,480 --> 00:27:28,600 uncertainty is because I had all these desires like, and I, and I 485 00:27:28,600 --> 00:27:31,720 was, I would say I was actively praying, but I was not God. 486 00:27:31,720 --> 00:27:34,120 I was not God. I would not say I was God's. 487 00:27:34,120 --> 00:27:38,760 I was, I was going to God in prayer and saying God either 488 00:27:38,760 --> 00:27:41,680 take my life or do something with it because I can't keep 489 00:27:41,680 --> 00:27:44,600 living like this. There's no trajectory for me. 490 00:27:44,600 --> 00:27:48,480 I'm going to probably move somewhere, have my name at the 491 00:27:48,520 --> 00:27:51,400 in black and white at the credits of a movie that no one 492 00:27:51,400 --> 00:27:54,640 will ever see, and then that'll be all that I have to show for 493 00:27:54,640 --> 00:27:57,480 the world. And I wanted a wife. 494 00:27:57,920 --> 00:28:02,280 I didn't see anyone with the character and or the heart of 495 00:28:02,280 --> 00:28:03,920 God. I didn't have any concept of 496 00:28:03,920 --> 00:28:06,480 grace. I felt like I was pretty like I 497 00:28:06,480 --> 00:28:09,240 was a pretty condemning person or a pretty critical person as 498 00:28:09,240 --> 00:28:11,160 well. So, you know, between the 499 00:28:11,160 --> 00:28:14,520 inefficiencies and my pride that I saw in other people and even 500 00:28:14,520 --> 00:28:18,520 myself, I was like, Lord God, I don't this is impossible. 501 00:28:18,520 --> 00:28:22,680 I don't see any way out of this. And so I gave myself over to 502 00:28:22,680 --> 00:28:26,480 pornography and I was deep into pornography addiction. 503 00:28:26,720 --> 00:28:32,520 Between that and the working out thing, I was lonely, but on the 504 00:28:32,520 --> 00:28:36,200 outside I looked good. I looked, I was, I was dead in 505 00:28:36,200 --> 00:28:40,760 an empty tomb. And I just remember being broken 506 00:28:40,760 --> 00:28:45,800 and weeping one night and I said God, like I, I don't know what 507 00:28:45,800 --> 00:28:50,200 to do like anymore, like either take me or change me. 508 00:28:50,240 --> 00:28:56,560 And so I looked up, I, I researched on Google and I, and 509 00:28:56,560 --> 00:29:00,040 I looked up what is, are there any Bible verses that can help 510 00:29:00,040 --> 00:29:03,880 me sleep? And I came across Psalm 23 and I 511 00:29:03,880 --> 00:29:07,160 opened my Bible on my phone for the first time in probably 512 00:29:07,160 --> 00:29:09,720 years. And I, and I started reading it 513 00:29:09,880 --> 00:29:12,560 and I read it over and over and over again until I fell asleep. 514 00:29:13,160 --> 00:29:15,480 And eventually I didn't need the Bible because I had it written 515 00:29:15,480 --> 00:29:20,000 on my heart. And so just really helped me 516 00:29:20,000 --> 00:29:23,840 during a really hard time. And, and I believe I don't maybe 517 00:29:23,840 --> 00:29:27,080 not all of you this morning, but I think some, maybe a couple of 518 00:29:27,080 --> 00:29:30,280 you need to feel that again this morning is that you need to feel 519 00:29:30,280 --> 00:29:32,800 the closeness of God and you need to feel the peace of God to 520 00:29:32,800 --> 00:29:36,920 be able to study, to study your, your anxious heart and soul. 521 00:29:36,920 --> 00:29:41,360 And so I believe that God wants to show you that this morning. 522 00:29:41,360 --> 00:29:43,360 And so I'm just going to pray for all of us. 523 00:29:43,360 --> 00:29:47,560 If, if God is tugging on your heart this morning, I'm going to 524 00:29:47,560 --> 00:29:49,880 pray that you that he gives you the courage to be able to put 525 00:29:49,880 --> 00:29:53,800 your hand on someone next to next to you and ask for prayer. 526 00:29:54,440 --> 00:29:56,320 And feel free to come up as well. 527 00:29:58,000 --> 00:29:59,640 And so, yeah, I'll go ahead and pray. 528 00:30:01,160 --> 00:30:03,720 Yeah. Lord, thank you so much for your 529 00:30:03,720 --> 00:30:06,240 word. Thank you for this Psalm that 530 00:30:06,240 --> 00:30:10,240 has affected me and so many other people. 531 00:30:10,800 --> 00:30:14,400 And Lord, there's so many. Your scripture is rich. 532 00:30:15,240 --> 00:30:19,400 The poetry and just the way that it reaches our hearts is 533 00:30:19,400 --> 00:30:23,840 supernatural and unmatched. And Lord, I pray that if there 534 00:30:23,840 --> 00:30:27,880 is any of us in here this morning that is feeling the tug 535 00:30:27,880 --> 00:30:32,080 on our hearts and any areas of repentance or maybe where we 536 00:30:32,080 --> 00:30:34,600 feel like that we've gotten off track with you or maybe our 537 00:30:34,600 --> 00:30:37,400 lives, or maybe we're on the fence. 538 00:30:37,400 --> 00:30:41,160 Maybe we've been walking. Maybe we say with our mouths 539 00:30:41,280 --> 00:30:44,760 that we love you. But Lord, that there is that 540 00:30:44,760 --> 00:30:47,320 there is an emptiness and that there is a lack of 541 00:30:47,320 --> 00:30:50,920 transformation. And so, Lord, I pray that right 542 00:30:50,920 --> 00:30:54,720 now that that would be broken and once and for all, or that we 543 00:30:54,720 --> 00:31:00,240 would be able to be commissioned to I to living for you and to 544 00:31:00,240 --> 00:31:03,200 being able to enjoy this marvelous relationship and the 545 00:31:03,200 --> 00:31:09,880 peace that only you can bring to an anxious and unsettled heart 546 00:31:10,520 --> 00:31:11,880 in Jesus name, Amen.