1 00:00:00,500 --> 00:00:03,800 Greetings, welcome to reality Church. 2 00:00:03,800 --> 00:00:05,800 Glad that you're here with us today. 3 00:00:06,100 --> 00:00:08,400 Happy Father's Day. Happy Juneteenth. 4 00:00:08,700 --> 00:00:11,800 My name is Austin. I'm one of the pastor's here and 5 00:00:11,800 --> 00:00:14,900 I'm going to be continuing our Series in the Psalms of ascent 6 00:00:14,900 --> 00:00:19,800 that we started. Just last week these Psalms our 7 00:00:19,800 --> 00:00:23,900 a collection of 15 songs or poems. 8 00:00:23,900 --> 00:00:28,200 That pilgrims on their way up to Jerusalem for different Jewish 9 00:00:28,200 --> 00:00:31,600 feasts would sing together. Or site as they made their 10 00:00:31,600 --> 00:00:36,200 Journey up to the temple, to celebrate their Journey, songs 11 00:00:36,200 --> 00:00:38,400 are travel songs, think of it, like, maybe some time. 12 00:00:38,400 --> 00:00:41,900 Somebody wants burned. You a CD, for road trip with 13 00:00:41,900 --> 00:00:44,700 some driving tunes, right? Like, these are like the Bible 14 00:00:44,700 --> 00:00:48,500 version of your road trip music, but as with every good road 15 00:00:48,500 --> 00:00:50,700 trip, right? You need a destination, this 16 00:00:50,700 --> 00:00:54,000 journey has a destination. And when we think of the, our 17 00:00:54,000 --> 00:00:55,800 lives and the life of Faith, right? 18 00:00:55,800 --> 00:01:00,000 Is a destination in mind where we're some time. 19 00:01:00,200 --> 00:01:03,000 Herbs on this journey home towards God and we feel like 20 00:01:03,000 --> 00:01:04,000 they're smooth sailing. Right? 21 00:01:04,000 --> 00:01:06,500 There's clear skies, the sun is out. 22 00:01:06,500 --> 00:01:09,900 Things are going well, we know, kind of like, where God is that. 23 00:01:09,900 --> 00:01:12,300 How he's working? Things seem to be going well, 24 00:01:13,000 --> 00:01:15,700 but then other times, right? Like there's, there's clouds 25 00:01:15,700 --> 00:01:17,900 there, storms. There's Darkness, you're just 26 00:01:17,900 --> 00:01:19,600 like scrambling for anything in the dark. 27 00:01:19,600 --> 00:01:22,100 Just trying to find your way to a path. 28 00:01:23,400 --> 00:01:26,100 So the pilgrims on these original tricks up to Jerusalem, 29 00:01:26,100 --> 00:01:29,500 would have felt a lot like us all over the map depending on 30 00:01:29,500 --> 00:01:32,400 like where they were in their life fail, which what the year 31 00:01:32,400 --> 00:01:34,700 held for them? Leading up to these festivals? 32 00:01:34,700 --> 00:01:37,100 They sometimes would it come in Feeling Good, Feeling clear? 33 00:01:37,100 --> 00:01:39,700 Ready to worship God and sometimes they would have found 34 00:01:39,700 --> 00:01:42,800 themselves on their Journey feeling like, why are we even do 35 00:01:42,800 --> 00:01:45,400 the doing this? Like why are we making this 36 00:01:45,400 --> 00:01:46,600 track? Does God really care? 37 00:01:46,600 --> 00:01:50,200 Does God like, is he is he a part of this whole thing? 38 00:01:52,000 --> 00:01:53,600 There's a lot. The people aren't that different 39 00:01:53,600 --> 00:01:55,500 than us, right. You probably undertook, I mean, 40 00:01:55,500 --> 00:01:57,300 you at least had some sort of Journey to get here today and 41 00:01:57,300 --> 00:02:00,500 maybe walked, maybe you rode your bike, maybe took the train. 42 00:02:00,500 --> 00:02:03,000 Maybe you parked in the garage, right? 43 00:02:03,000 --> 00:02:05,500 You took some sort of Transit here. 44 00:02:05,600 --> 00:02:07,800 I don't think anybody lives on Newbury. 45 00:02:07,800 --> 00:02:09,500 Street. That would have right. 46 00:02:09,500 --> 00:02:11,200 Maybe maybe, maybe somebody's in a hotel here. 47 00:02:11,200 --> 00:02:14,600 I don't know, but on a bigger scale, right? 48 00:02:14,600 --> 00:02:17,600 Your life has been a journey to bring you to this point, right? 49 00:02:17,600 --> 00:02:20,700 Maybe you are surprised to find yourself sitting at a church in 50 00:02:20,700 --> 00:02:25,300 Boston in June of 2022 or maybe, you know, if I told you that 51 00:02:25,300 --> 00:02:27,000 five or ten years ago, I'm like, oh yeah, of course, I'm here. 52 00:02:27,000 --> 00:02:29,500 That's exactly what I would have expected, but for many of you, 53 00:02:29,500 --> 00:02:34,400 that's probably not the case. Our Journeys are full of ups and 54 00:02:34,400 --> 00:02:38,200 downs, twists and turns right bright spots, dark spots, 55 00:02:38,200 --> 00:02:41,900 successes failures delts. Assurances times of knowing 56 00:02:41,900 --> 00:02:44,100 where God is what he's up to and then times with having 57 00:02:44,100 --> 00:02:48,900 absolutely no clue. But what is certain is that you 58 00:02:48,900 --> 00:02:52,700 are here today and that matters, it matters that you are here 59 00:02:52,700 --> 00:02:56,100 today and I believe that God has a word for you today, but he has 60 00:02:56,100 --> 00:02:58,500 something that he wants to encourage you in a word of hope 61 00:02:58,500 --> 00:03:01,200 that he wants to speak to you. So, with this in mind, let's 62 00:03:01,200 --> 00:03:05,300 read our, some are some is 121. You can read along on the 63 00:03:05,300 --> 00:03:08,500 handout or if you'd like, to just listen and close your eyes. 64 00:03:09,200 --> 00:03:10,500 I'm going to read it over us here. 65 00:03:10,500 --> 00:03:13,300 So let's take a moment and ask God to speak to us. 66 00:03:18,400 --> 00:03:22,500 Psalm 121. I lift my eyes to the mountains. 67 00:03:23,300 --> 00:03:28,500 Where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord the 68 00:03:28,500 --> 00:03:33,400 maker of heaven and Earth. He will not let your foot slip. 69 00:03:34,200 --> 00:03:36,800 He Who Watches Over, you will not Slumber. 70 00:03:37,700 --> 00:03:41,700 Indeed, He Who Watches Over Israel, will neither slumber nor 71 00:03:41,700 --> 00:03:46,500 sleep the Lord Watches Over You. The Lord is your shade at your 72 00:03:46,500 --> 00:03:49,300 right hand. The sun will not harm you by 73 00:03:49,300 --> 00:03:53,700 day, nor the Moon by Night. The Lord will keep you from all 74 00:03:53,700 --> 00:03:56,200 harm. He will watch over your life, 75 00:03:56,700 --> 00:04:00,800 the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and 76 00:04:00,800 --> 00:04:03,700 forevermore. Amen. 77 00:04:05,100 --> 00:04:07,900 I think for us to begin to understand the words of the 78 00:04:07,900 --> 00:04:12,000 song, at the first start with the mountains, the mountains are 79 00:04:12,000 --> 00:04:14,400 the Hills. This is kind of where everything 80 00:04:14,700 --> 00:04:17,000 begins, right? The psalmist lifts, his eyes up 81 00:04:17,000 --> 00:04:19,200 to the hills, to the mountains. I'm gonna use those 82 00:04:19,200 --> 00:04:21,000 interchangeably. I think that the, she says 83 00:04:21,000 --> 00:04:23,000 mountains, but some chance rates, and see Hills. 84 00:04:23,000 --> 00:04:24,600 So, those are going to be the same thing. 85 00:04:25,300 --> 00:04:27,300 So when you think of mountains, right like what comes to mind, 86 00:04:27,300 --> 00:04:29,700 you're probably thinking, there's some picturesque 87 00:04:29,700 --> 00:04:33,800 Landscapes and sort of scenic view maybe like In the distance 88 00:04:33,800 --> 00:04:36,000 or maybe you hike them out and then you're like over looking at 89 00:04:36,000 --> 00:04:39,200 all of this beautiful Fall Foliage and seeing the valley 90 00:04:39,200 --> 00:04:42,500 below Catherine. I we weren't hikers before we 91 00:04:42,500 --> 00:04:46,200 came to New England, but now we do an annual Fall Foliage hike 92 00:04:46,200 --> 00:04:48,700 and in my book doing a hike once a year makes me a hiker. 93 00:04:49,200 --> 00:04:52,900 So we're now very Avid fall hikers. 94 00:04:54,100 --> 00:04:56,000 There's some pretty sweet spots around here, maybe if you 95 00:04:56,000 --> 00:04:58,400 haven't gone on a fall like you should totally do it but that's 96 00:04:58,400 --> 00:05:00,000 not what this song is talking about. 97 00:05:00,000 --> 00:05:02,500 It's not taking in the drink in the beauty. 98 00:05:03,000 --> 00:05:06,800 Of the mountains, the hills around Jerusalem, where places 99 00:05:06,800 --> 00:05:09,800 of danger, and a journey through the hill country of Palestine, 100 00:05:09,800 --> 00:05:13,200 was a treacherous task. These mountains are places where 101 00:05:13,200 --> 00:05:16,900 robbers and thieves are hiding out waiting to Ambush Travelers 102 00:05:16,900 --> 00:05:19,400 at times. If you think of Luke 10 and the 103 00:05:19,400 --> 00:05:21,900 Good Samaritan, The Good Samaritans right? 104 00:05:21,900 --> 00:05:23,700 He's coming from Jerusalem down to Jericho. 105 00:05:23,700 --> 00:05:27,000 He's on the mountain path when he is attacked by the robbers. 106 00:05:27,000 --> 00:05:30,500 That leave him for dead. so, when the psalmist is saying, I 107 00:05:30,508 --> 00:05:34,100 lift my eyes up to the mountains, he is looking at his 108 00:05:34,100 --> 00:05:39,200 present circumstances and feeling like Fear despair. 109 00:05:39,200 --> 00:05:41,900 What am I going to do? Like, what is going on? 110 00:05:42,500 --> 00:05:43,900 How am I going to get out of this? 111 00:05:44,400 --> 00:05:47,900 What's on the other side? I think a lot of us know that 112 00:05:47,900 --> 00:05:52,800 feeling And in his commentary on the Psalms ja my, your says this 113 00:05:52,800 --> 00:05:57,300 he says the question of where security can be found, could 114 00:05:57,300 --> 00:06:00,600 originally have been prompted by any number of situations but in 115 00:06:00,600 --> 00:06:04,200 its present, Pilgrim context at pictures and anxious gaze at 116 00:06:04,200 --> 00:06:08,100 Hills, which could shelter Marauders or a longing gaze. 117 00:06:08,100 --> 00:06:11,500 At the far-off hills of Zion house, shall I escape the 118 00:06:11,508 --> 00:06:14,400 dangers of the way and arrived home. 119 00:06:16,100 --> 00:06:19,200 So the psalmist is saying I lift my eyes up, I look around me 120 00:06:19,900 --> 00:06:24,100 things, don't look good. Where is God when I'm analyzing 121 00:06:24,100 --> 00:06:26,100 my situation forced to wonder even Corral. 122 00:06:26,100 --> 00:06:27,400 Where is my help going to come from? 123 00:06:27,400 --> 00:06:32,300 How will I make it through this? So once you think what are the 124 00:06:32,300 --> 00:06:35,300 mountains or the hills in your life right now? 125 00:06:35,800 --> 00:06:38,900 For all on this journey of life, right? 126 00:06:38,900 --> 00:06:41,200 We all have mountains and hills in our lines of sight. 127 00:06:41,300 --> 00:06:43,600 Some of us, the mountains, maybe a little more distant and some 128 00:06:43,600 --> 00:06:46,600 of them we might be like right at the foot of our Mount 129 00:06:46,600 --> 00:06:50,100 Everest, right? It could be a tough situation at 130 00:06:50,100 --> 00:06:51,800 work. It could be a looming. 131 00:06:51,800 --> 00:06:54,700 Rent hike, endless loan payments. 132 00:06:54,700 --> 00:06:57,800 Medical conditions family Dynamics, may be internal 133 00:06:57,800 --> 00:06:59,500 wrestling's with doubt and anxiety. 134 00:06:59,500 --> 00:07:04,000 A hidden addiction upcoming deadlines turning on the news 135 00:07:04,000 --> 00:07:05,700 and looking at the state of the world. 136 00:07:06,400 --> 00:07:08,800 Could even be your own feelings of Shame and guilt in an 137 00:07:08,800 --> 00:07:12,300 Aggregate adequacy and the list could go on and on and I could 138 00:07:12,300 --> 00:07:15,100 be any number of things, we all have our own hills and mountains 139 00:07:15,100 --> 00:07:20,100 that Loom large in our eyes. I think it's interesting here is 140 00:07:20,100 --> 00:07:22,400 that the psalmist. He doesn't try to like, shelter 141 00:07:22,400 --> 00:07:24,500 as eyes from the mountain. Like that's, that's what I would 142 00:07:24,500 --> 00:07:26,200 do. I would kind of be like, if I 143 00:07:26,200 --> 00:07:28,500 don't look at it, it's kind of like not there, right? 144 00:07:28,500 --> 00:07:30,300 I think a lot of us were may be tempted to do that. 145 00:07:30,300 --> 00:07:31,800 Like, I'm telling you think about your mountains, or like 146 00:07:31,800 --> 00:07:33,300 it's the last thing I want to think about, like I didn't come 147 00:07:33,300 --> 00:07:36,600 here to like think about the hard things in my life. 148 00:07:38,200 --> 00:07:41,200 The psalmist says telling us like look at them, but hold 149 00:07:41,200 --> 00:07:43,900 them. Where does my help come from? 150 00:07:45,400 --> 00:07:46,400 And then you declares this truth. 151 00:07:46,400 --> 00:07:50,600 He says, my help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and 152 00:07:50,600 --> 00:07:53,400 Earth. My help is from God, the one who 153 00:07:53,400 --> 00:07:56,800 created this world and everything in, it might help 154 00:07:56,800 --> 00:08:02,900 with the mountains is from the one who created mountains. one 155 00:08:02,900 --> 00:08:06,200 commentator also says, about Psalm 121 at the beginning of 156 00:08:06,200 --> 00:08:08,900 this song, the idea of lifting one's eyes to the mountains 157 00:08:08,900 --> 00:08:12,900 means to scan the Horizon, not searching out some place from 158 00:08:12,900 --> 00:08:16,300 which to seek help, but rather recognizing that, help comes 159 00:08:16,300 --> 00:08:21,600 from God, no matter where one is Help comes from God, no matter 160 00:08:21,600 --> 00:08:26,900 where one is, what if, when we looked at the things that Loom 161 00:08:26,900 --> 00:08:29,900 large in our life, the things I cast Shadows of doubt and fear 162 00:08:29,900 --> 00:08:33,299 and uncertainty suffering, and pain over our Journeys. 163 00:08:33,299 --> 00:08:36,400 What if we look them in the eye and knew that God was present to 164 00:08:36,400 --> 00:08:39,600 help us, which with every single step that we take? 165 00:08:41,799 --> 00:08:45,500 Help comes from God, no matter where one is, God doesn't call 166 00:08:45,500 --> 00:08:48,500 us out on a journey to follow him, in order to, then abandon 167 00:08:48,500 --> 00:08:53,000 us on the way. In preparing, for the Sunday, 168 00:08:53,200 --> 00:08:55,800 I've been reflecting on Juneteenth. 169 00:08:55,800 --> 00:09:00,100 And I think, particularly one of the most powerful testimonies of 170 00:09:00,700 --> 00:09:04,200 right of like people recognizing that God is there ever present 171 00:09:04,200 --> 00:09:07,900 help, no matter how big the Mounds which surround the Mars 172 00:09:07,900 --> 00:09:10,600 is, the testimony of the African-American church and the 173 00:09:10,600 --> 00:09:15,100 faith, especially those who were enslaved and writing about the 174 00:09:15,100 --> 00:09:18,700 story of many enslaved, Africans in the United States Cheryl 175 00:09:18,700 --> 00:09:23,500 Sanders wrote this She said in their clandestine prayer 176 00:09:23,500 --> 00:09:26,600 meetings, held late at night in the slave quarters and hush 177 00:09:26,600 --> 00:09:30,400 Harbors the slaves. Participated in the transforming 178 00:09:30,400 --> 00:09:34,600 power of the age for which they hoped by petitioning God for 179 00:09:34,600 --> 00:09:36,100 deliverance. From bondage. 180 00:09:36,500 --> 00:09:39,300 They believe that the same God, who transformed their sinful 181 00:09:39,300 --> 00:09:43,000 status of their souls in their conversion experience, would 182 00:09:43,000 --> 00:09:46,800 transform the sinful structures of society, The God Who had 183 00:09:46,800 --> 00:09:49,800 freed their souls from sin. Kurt could certainly free their 184 00:09:49,800 --> 00:09:53,300 bodies from slavery. The slaves knew better than to 185 00:09:53,300 --> 00:09:56,000 take seriously the white preachers who sought to use 186 00:09:56,000 --> 00:09:59,100 religion and biblical hermeneutics to justify and 187 00:09:59,100 --> 00:10:00,900 support the institution of slavery. 188 00:10:01,500 --> 00:10:04,400 Their ethic of Justice rested. Squarely on the theological 189 00:10:04,400 --> 00:10:07,700 presupposition that God would act to free the slaves. 190 00:10:08,100 --> 00:10:10,800 Based on the precedent set in scriptures, when Godfrey de 191 00:10:10,800 --> 00:10:14,900 Israel from bondage in Egypt, moreover, this ethic was closely 192 00:10:14,900 --> 00:10:17,200 connected with the slaves, affirmation of their own 193 00:10:17,400 --> 00:10:21,900 god-given Humanity. What a testimony this is that 194 00:10:21,900 --> 00:10:25,600 help comes from God no matter where one is when we think of 195 00:10:25,600 --> 00:10:27,700 Juneteenth. And we think of emancipation 196 00:10:27,700 --> 00:10:31,700 day, we would be remiss to overlook the testimony of the 197 00:10:31,700 --> 00:10:34,800 black church. The testimonies of an enduring 198 00:10:34,800 --> 00:10:37,900 hope in God. In a world that offered little 199 00:10:37,900 --> 00:10:41,800 Reason for Hope. So maybe think of the words of 200 00:10:41,800 --> 00:10:44,400 the hymn beams of heaven and it kind of sums this up. 201 00:10:44,400 --> 00:10:47,400 Well, it says harder yet, maybe the fight. 202 00:10:47,900 --> 00:10:49,700 Right? May often yield to might 203 00:10:50,300 --> 00:10:54,400 wickedness a while May rain Satan's cause may seem to gain. 204 00:10:54,900 --> 00:10:58,800 There is a God that rules above with hand of power and Heart of 205 00:10:58,800 --> 00:11:01,600 Love. If I am, right, he'll fight my 206 00:11:01,600 --> 00:11:04,100 battle. I shall have peace someday. 207 00:11:07,300 --> 00:11:09,200 I lift my eyes up to the mountains. 208 00:11:09,200 --> 00:11:12,900 Where does my help come from? My help comes from God, the 209 00:11:12,900 --> 00:11:18,000 maker of heaven and earth. And the one final thing about 210 00:11:18,000 --> 00:11:20,300 hills and mountains here before we kind of get into the rest of 211 00:11:20,308 --> 00:11:23,300 the some, I think this is important because we are so 212 00:11:23,300 --> 00:11:27,400 prone to comparison or are so prone to like compare our 213 00:11:27,400 --> 00:11:30,600 stories and our challenges with those around us. 214 00:11:31,300 --> 00:11:34,200 I think I kind of run the risk of using it right using the 215 00:11:34,200 --> 00:11:36,000 example of American slavery, right? 216 00:11:36,000 --> 00:11:39,000 It could give us all A chance to kind of step back and say, well, 217 00:11:39,600 --> 00:11:41,900 my mountains are basically meaningless and comparison to 218 00:11:41,900 --> 00:11:44,500 that one. But that's, that's not the point 219 00:11:44,500 --> 00:11:46,700 here. Just because someone else is 220 00:11:46,700 --> 00:11:49,500 mountainous killed differently than yours or appears different. 221 00:11:49,500 --> 00:11:53,300 The Arts, doesn't invalidate your own Journey, your own 222 00:11:53,300 --> 00:11:55,800 Journeys going to be different than anyone elses and context, 223 00:11:56,000 --> 00:11:59,300 matters, and comparison is destructive to Hope. 224 00:12:00,700 --> 00:12:03,500 I was in South Carolina for a conference a couple weeks ago 225 00:12:03,500 --> 00:12:06,800 and stay with one of my college roommates. 226 00:12:06,800 --> 00:12:09,500 And he took us, we were in Greenville and he was taking us 227 00:12:09,500 --> 00:12:11,600 on this tour of downtown, we're going to walk from one end of 228 00:12:11,600 --> 00:12:14,700 town to the other and he warned us before he left. 229 00:12:14,700 --> 00:12:17,900 I was with Mandy and he was like, you know, there's there's 230 00:12:17,900 --> 00:12:20,200 a big hill, like if we're going to make it to other side with 231 00:12:20,200 --> 00:12:22,500 the go up this hill. And we're like, all right, like 232 00:12:22,500 --> 00:12:24,300 whatever and he kind of kept bringing it up and kept bringing 233 00:12:24,300 --> 00:12:25,500 it up. If I brought up like half a 234 00:12:25,508 --> 00:12:27,800 dozen times and we were like, all right? 235 00:12:27,800 --> 00:12:29,700 Well like if we get to the hill and it's too much, we can kind 236 00:12:29,700 --> 00:12:31,700 of like a vandal. Check then, like change our 237 00:12:31,700 --> 00:12:34,100 plans and go somewhere else. We don't have to make it, I'll 238 00:12:34,100 --> 00:12:35,400 be okay. If I don't see the entire city 239 00:12:35,400 --> 00:12:40,100 of Greenville South Carolina, and we're kind of like we're 240 00:12:40,100 --> 00:12:42,400 almost done with our walk. We're close to the end and he's 241 00:12:42,400 --> 00:12:46,600 like, ah, like that was it. We made it and Romanian that 242 00:12:46,600 --> 00:12:49,100 were kind of like, What do you like? 243 00:12:49,100 --> 00:12:50,600 What was that? And he was like, that was the 244 00:12:50,600 --> 00:12:52,500 hill. And we were like, oh, okay. 245 00:12:54,800 --> 00:12:58,200 I didn't really notice it. It was, it was not Beacon Hill, 246 00:12:58,200 --> 00:13:00,100 right? Like it was I mean it was a hill 247 00:13:00,100 --> 00:13:01,600 to him, though. Like he mentioned it probably 248 00:13:01,600 --> 00:13:04,000 half a dozen times so he was like really serious about like. 249 00:13:04,600 --> 00:13:06,800 So I made fun of him for that, which is what you're not. 250 00:13:06,800 --> 00:13:08,100 This is what I don't want you to do. 251 00:13:08,100 --> 00:13:10,700 Like don't make they don't make fun of people for the hills, but 252 00:13:11,000 --> 00:13:13,600 this is the point of this. Like, when it comes to to the 253 00:13:13,600 --> 00:13:16,600 mountains that we face, right? Don't minimize your own Hill or 254 00:13:16,600 --> 00:13:19,500 the hills of others, just because they appear different 255 00:13:19,500 --> 00:13:22,700 scale or scope. We're going on a Sunday, stroll 256 00:13:22,700 --> 00:13:24,900 through the Newton Hills. It feels pretty different than 257 00:13:24,900 --> 00:13:28,500 if you're at like mile, 21 of the Boston Marathon, I got a big 258 00:13:28,600 --> 00:13:30,200 head nod from the marathoner up here. 259 00:13:30,600 --> 00:13:33,300 It feels a lot different. We're 20 miles in then if I'm 260 00:13:33,300 --> 00:13:35,800 just kind of like out and about roaming around with Watson. 261 00:13:37,300 --> 00:13:39,900 The same Hills can hit very differently at different times 262 00:13:39,900 --> 00:13:41,800 in our lives. Our journey is unique, in 263 00:13:41,800 --> 00:13:45,000 comparison, robs us of the ability to Journey well with 264 00:13:45,000 --> 00:13:46,900 others and to have people Journey with us. 265 00:13:49,100 --> 00:13:51,600 So let's move with a little more Pace here through the rest of 266 00:13:51,600 --> 00:13:53,200 the psalm keeping in mind, right? 267 00:13:53,200 --> 00:13:57,000 That God is our help in on the journeys of Y, through the 268 00:13:57,008 --> 00:14:00,000 mountains, the remainder of the song, kind of shows us, what all 269 00:14:00,000 --> 00:14:05,600 this and Compasses spoiler. God, God watches over us at all 270 00:14:05,600 --> 00:14:08,300 times. And in all places, let's reread 271 00:14:08,300 --> 00:14:12,800 verses 3 through 8 says, God will not let your foot slip. 272 00:14:12,900 --> 00:14:14,900 He Who Watches Over, you will not Slumber. 273 00:14:15,400 --> 00:14:18,200 Indeed, He Who Watches Over Israel and neither slumber nor 274 00:14:18,200 --> 00:14:21,000 sleep. The Lord Watches Over You, the 275 00:14:21,000 --> 00:14:22,900 Lord is your shade at your right hand. 276 00:14:23,500 --> 00:14:26,200 The sun will not harm you by day, nor the Moon by Night. 277 00:14:26,700 --> 00:14:28,200 The Lord will keep you from all harm. 278 00:14:28,600 --> 00:14:31,600 He will watch over your life. The Lord will watch over your 279 00:14:31,600 --> 00:14:34,300 coming and your going both now and forevermore. 280 00:14:36,400 --> 00:14:38,900 So the Hebrew word Shamar. It shows up six times in these 281 00:14:38,900 --> 00:14:41,000 six verses and it's translated as either. 282 00:14:41,000 --> 00:14:45,800 Watch keep observe guard and is always used in relationship 283 00:14:45,800 --> 00:14:50,200 between God and his people that God watches over us, that we are 284 00:14:50,200 --> 00:14:54,400 those whom God watches over. It's a very as a part of the 285 00:14:54,408 --> 00:14:57,700 very fabric of our identity that we're the people who God keeps 286 00:14:57,700 --> 00:15:00,500 watch over. But God is watching us. 287 00:15:00,500 --> 00:15:02,300 Really, what is this song? Like what does this include? 288 00:15:02,300 --> 00:15:04,200 This isn't like, is this like, you know, he sees you when 289 00:15:04,200 --> 00:15:05,900 you're sleeping, he knows when you're awake, right? 290 00:15:05,900 --> 00:15:12,000 This isn't like the Santa Claus idea of God but it's a part that 291 00:15:12,000 --> 00:15:13,700 God watches over us. But can I all this? 292 00:15:13,700 --> 00:15:16,600 He just like said that, you know, is how often does this is 293 00:15:16,600 --> 00:15:19,600 like a checks in once a day just to make sure we're doing all 294 00:15:19,600 --> 00:15:21,500 right? The rest of the song tells us, 295 00:15:21,500 --> 00:15:24,100 it says he will not let your foot slip. 296 00:15:24,900 --> 00:15:29,300 So includes every step that we take on our journey, every place 297 00:15:29,300 --> 00:15:32,500 that we go says that he will neither slumber nor sleep. 298 00:15:33,200 --> 00:15:36,500 So includes all times of day, every minute that we live. 299 00:15:37,300 --> 00:15:39,600 Then it says again, he is your shade from Sun and Moon 300 00:15:39,600 --> 00:15:41,600 confirming, right? That it must be all times of day 301 00:15:41,600 --> 00:15:45,400 and night. and then at last the says he will watch over your 302 00:15:45,400 --> 00:15:50,600 life, you're coming and you're going so that it will go in all 303 00:15:50,600 --> 00:15:52,400 the places that we get when we were out. 304 00:15:52,400 --> 00:15:56,500 And about more at home home in a way, God Is Watching Over Us at 305 00:15:56,500 --> 00:15:59,300 all times. So, where does this leave us? 306 00:15:59,300 --> 00:16:01,800 I think it leaves us in saying the point of the psalm, is that 307 00:16:01,800 --> 00:16:06,500 at all times and in all places, whatever one is doing that God 308 00:16:06,700 --> 00:16:11,500 provides protection. God is our constant Watchman. 309 00:16:11,500 --> 00:16:15,100 He does not Slumber over the totality of time, day and night 310 00:16:15,100 --> 00:16:18,400 and space coming and going. There's no time and no place 311 00:16:18,400 --> 00:16:22,900 where this isn't true. This reminds me of Psalm 139 312 00:16:22,900 --> 00:16:25,400 which is not a sum of a set, we're not going to make it all 313 00:16:25,400 --> 00:16:29,500 the way to Psalm 139. But David says this, when he 314 00:16:29,500 --> 00:16:32,900 thinks about the ever-present reality of God, says, where can 315 00:16:32,900 --> 00:16:35,700 I go from your spirit? And where can, I flee from your 316 00:16:35,700 --> 00:16:38,300 presence? If I go up to the heavens, you 317 00:16:38,300 --> 00:16:41,300 are there. If I make my bed in the depths 318 00:16:41,400 --> 00:16:45,400 you were there, if I rise on the wings of the Dawn, if I settle 319 00:16:45,400 --> 00:16:49,000 on the far side of the sea, even there, your hand will guide me. 320 00:16:49,300 --> 00:16:51,100 Your right hand will hold me fast. 321 00:16:51,700 --> 00:16:54,700 If I say surely the darkness will hide me in the light but 322 00:16:54,700 --> 00:16:57,500 come night around me. Even the darkness will not be 323 00:16:57,500 --> 00:17:00,000 dark to you. The night will shine like the 324 00:17:00,000 --> 00:17:02,700 day for darkness is as light to you. 325 00:17:05,500 --> 00:17:08,599 Even if no one knows if nobody else knows what you're going 326 00:17:08,599 --> 00:17:12,400 through event, what mountains that you're being faced by, what 327 00:17:12,400 --> 00:17:15,800 burdens that you brought in with you today, what I can tell you 328 00:17:16,500 --> 00:17:20,200 is that no matter where you find yourself, on this journey, that 329 00:17:20,200 --> 00:17:22,300 God is with you. In this very place at this very 330 00:17:22,300 --> 00:17:26,000 time. I want to encourage you. 331 00:17:26,000 --> 00:17:28,400 Can you trust this song that the words are true, even if you 332 00:17:28,408 --> 00:17:32,100 don't feel it, or what would it mean for you to trust these 333 00:17:32,100 --> 00:17:33,800 words? How would it change your 334 00:17:33,800 --> 00:17:35,600 perspective? If you knew that God was going 335 00:17:35,600 --> 00:17:37,700 with you and guarding every step of the way? 336 00:17:40,200 --> 00:17:41,900 I think in relation to the hills that we face. 337 00:17:41,900 --> 00:17:44,100 It means that like the continuing Journey that we face 338 00:17:44,100 --> 00:17:46,900 when we're surrounded by Hills. It's actually like an exercise 339 00:17:46,900 --> 00:17:51,100 in Hope, and exercise, and trusting and depending upon 340 00:17:51,100 --> 00:17:54,500 God's ever presence with us and his ever keeping of us. 341 00:17:56,400 --> 00:17:58,200 And with hope, right? So one of the things with hope, 342 00:17:58,200 --> 00:18:00,500 right? It sometimes we're feeling that, 343 00:18:00,500 --> 00:18:02,900 we're not feeling that we thinking in our head and 344 00:18:02,900 --> 00:18:05,300 sometimes it's helpful to just like literally like say it out 345 00:18:05,300 --> 00:18:08,600 loud. So we're going to do we're going 346 00:18:08,600 --> 00:18:11,100 to like declare Our Hope out loud together here. 347 00:18:11,100 --> 00:18:15,000 As we end, the maybe you're feeling like I don't feel like 348 00:18:15,000 --> 00:18:18,600 saying this, we're going to use the words of Psalm 121 but maybe 349 00:18:18,600 --> 00:18:21,900 you're like, I don't feel like saying this like I I'm not right 350 00:18:21,900 --> 00:18:26,300 there right now if that's okay because somebody around you is 351 00:18:26,300 --> 00:18:28,900 going to be saying it and like let their faith carry you up. 352 00:18:29,500 --> 00:18:32,200 If you if you're feeling like you can declare this today. 353 00:18:32,200 --> 00:18:34,700 Like let's let's say it out loud and if you're feeling like man, 354 00:18:34,700 --> 00:18:38,400 I'm not there right now. Listen to those around you the 355 00:18:38,400 --> 00:18:41,200 Clara because sometimes it's helpful to know, like somebody 356 00:18:41,200 --> 00:18:44,300 else believes this. Somebody else is in a spot where 357 00:18:44,300 --> 00:18:49,300 they can say this words. So our hope, our hope is that 358 00:18:49,300 --> 00:18:51,900 God is here, that he is working the he's present that he is Lord 359 00:18:51,900 --> 00:18:55,700 of creation and that there will be a better day to come. 360 00:18:56,800 --> 00:18:59,100 So let's declare Psalm 121 out loud together. 361 00:19:00,300 --> 00:19:03,300 Words are in your handout. We're going to use that, take 362 00:19:03,300 --> 00:19:10,100 that back out. All right, I lift up my eyes to 363 00:19:10,100 --> 00:19:13,700 the mountains. Where does my help come from? 364 00:19:14,400 --> 00:19:18,800 My help comes from the Lord the maker of heaven and Earth. 365 00:19:19,400 --> 00:19:24,200 He will not let your foot slip. He Who Watches Over, you will 366 00:19:24,200 --> 00:19:28,000 not Slumber. Indeed, He Who Watches Over 367 00:19:28,000 --> 00:19:33,700 Israel, will neither slumber nor sleep the Lord Watches Over You. 368 00:19:34,300 --> 00:19:40,200 The Lord is your shade here. Sun will not harm you by day, 369 00:19:40,800 --> 00:19:44,800 nor the Moon by Night. The Lord will keep you from all 370 00:19:44,800 --> 00:19:47,800 harm. He will watch over your life. 371 00:19:48,400 --> 00:19:52,800 The Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and 372 00:19:52,800 --> 00:19:55,000 forevermore and then let's pray.