WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:03.580 Lord, we've not come to church just to check something off our schedule. 00:00:03.720 --> 00:00:06.500 We've come together to meet with you. 00:00:07.040 --> 00:00:08.980 And we pray that you would meet with us. 00:00:09.900 --> 00:00:12.939 Lord, we pray that you would speak through your word today. 00:00:13.060 --> 00:00:16.120 Speak powerfully by the power of your Holy Spirit. 00:00:16.780 --> 00:00:18.039 Would you speak through your word? 00:00:18.460 --> 00:00:19.480 Would you speak through me? 00:00:20.420 --> 00:00:22.300 And would you convict our hearts? 00:00:22.620 --> 00:00:23.719 Would you encourage us? 00:00:24.039 --> 00:00:25.820 Would you help us to get to know you more? 00:00:25.820 --> 00:00:29.420 That we might more perfectly love you and be more completely devoted to you. 00:00:29.520 --> 00:00:31.320 In Jesus' name, amen. 00:00:33.060 --> 00:00:36.700 So please be seated and please turn, if you have your bowels with you, to Psalm 88. 00:00:39.579 --> 00:00:44.420 A couple months ago, I had the privilege of meeting up with a neighbor to talk about how he's doing. 00:00:44.520 --> 00:00:46.120 He's going through some really hard stuff. 00:00:46.620 --> 00:00:52.240 And he shared with me that it's been a whole bunch of months, maybe even a few years since he's prayed. 00:00:52.680 --> 00:00:59.040 Because when he was trying to pray, the words would come out angry, dark, despairing. 00:00:59.420 --> 00:01:10.299 And so, as he would try to start out with happy prayers and they would turn dark, his voice grew quiet, his words became few, and he stopped praying altogether. 00:01:10.299 --> 00:01:16.640 And I sat there at the coffee shop in my neighborhood with him, thinking about how to reply, how to encourage him. 00:01:17.120 --> 00:01:19.659 I could have shared with him Jeremiah 29, 11. 00:01:20.140 --> 00:01:22.140 You know, for I know the plans I have for you to declare to the Lord. 00:01:22.259 --> 00:01:25.019 Plans of, you know, plans of, et cetera. 00:01:25.799 --> 00:01:27.420 Out of context, but we can do that. 00:01:27.560 --> 00:01:29.759 Or I could try to share Proverbs 3, verse 5 and 6. 00:01:30.019 --> 00:01:31.259 Trust in the Lord with all your heart. 00:01:31.479 --> 00:01:32.659 Lean not on your own understanding. 00:01:33.679 --> 00:01:34.099 Et cetera. 00:01:34.099 --> 00:01:39.859 We all have these verses, some of them out of context, some of them in context that can be encouraging. 00:01:40.579 --> 00:01:43.099 But in God's goodness, that morning I read Psalm 88. 00:01:43.879 --> 00:01:45.479 And so, that is what I shared with him. 00:01:46.000 --> 00:01:50.859 And we proceeded to wrestle through what we can learn from this dark psalm. 00:01:51.780 --> 00:01:56.000 And what emerged from our conversation is the basis of the sermon today. 00:01:56.459 --> 00:02:01.259 And just as I read it with him that morning, so also we'll read it again right now. 00:02:01.260 --> 00:02:07.719 Psalm 88, a song, a psalm of the sons of Korah to the choir master, according to Mahalak Lenoth, 00:02:07.800 --> 00:02:09.860 a mascal of Haman the Ezraite. 00:02:11.740 --> 00:02:15.659 O Lord God of my salvation, I cry out day and night before you. 00:02:15.939 --> 00:02:17.300 Let my prayer come before you. 00:02:17.580 --> 00:02:19.040 Incline your ear to my cry. 00:02:19.480 --> 00:02:22.580 For my soul is full of troubles, and my life draws near to Sheol. 00:02:22.980 --> 00:02:25.300 I am counted among those who go down to the pit. 00:02:25.460 --> 00:02:27.159 I am a man who has no strength. 00:02:27.740 --> 00:02:29.240 Like one set loose among the dead. 00:02:29.300 --> 00:02:30.560 Like the slain that lie in the grave. 00:02:30.560 --> 00:02:32.300 Like those whom you remember no more. 00:02:32.680 --> 00:02:34.420 For they are cut off from your hand. 00:02:34.900 --> 00:02:37.020 You have put me in the depth of the pit. 00:02:37.319 --> 00:02:38.960 In the regions dark and deep. 00:02:39.360 --> 00:02:41.319 Your wrath lies heavy upon me. 00:02:41.680 --> 00:02:43.740 And you overwhelm me with all your waves. 00:02:43.960 --> 00:02:44.360 Selah. 00:02:44.840 --> 00:02:46.840 You have caused my companions to shun me. 00:02:47.120 --> 00:02:48.860 You have made me a whore to them. 00:02:49.319 --> 00:02:51.140 I am shut in so that I cannot escape. 00:02:51.599 --> 00:02:53.140 My eyes grow dim through sorrow. 00:02:53.599 --> 00:02:55.640 Every day I call upon you, O Lord. 00:02:55.879 --> 00:02:57.159 I spread with my hands to you. 00:02:57.640 --> 00:02:59.199 Do you work wonders for the dead? 00:02:59.199 --> 00:03:01.119 Do the departed rise up to praise you? 00:03:01.359 --> 00:03:01.759 Selah. 00:03:02.379 --> 00:03:04.839 Is your steadfast love declared in the grave? 00:03:04.919 --> 00:03:06.280 Or your faithfulness in Abaddon? 00:03:06.579 --> 00:03:08.399 Are your wonders known in the darkness? 00:03:08.560 --> 00:03:10.459 Or your righteousness in the land of forgetfulness? 00:03:11.060 --> 00:03:12.699 But I, O Lord, cry to you. 00:03:12.859 --> 00:03:14.679 In the morning my prayer comes before you. 00:03:15.060 --> 00:03:16.780 O Lord, why do you cast my soul away? 00:03:17.000 --> 00:03:18.739 Why do you hide your face from me? 00:03:19.399 --> 00:03:21.479 Afflicted and close to death from my youth up. 00:03:21.699 --> 00:03:23.039 I suffer your terrors. 00:03:23.159 --> 00:03:23.799 I am helpless. 00:03:24.339 --> 00:03:25.739 Your wrath has swept over me. 00:03:25.740 --> 00:03:27.340 Your dreadful assaults destroy me. 00:03:27.560 --> 00:03:30.020 They surround me like a flood all day long. 00:03:30.100 --> 00:03:31.240 They close in on me together. 00:03:31.740 --> 00:03:34.140 You have caused my beloved and my friend to shun me. 00:03:34.400 --> 00:03:36.100 My companions have become darkness. 00:03:36.740 --> 00:03:37.879 This is the word of the Lord. 00:03:40.240 --> 00:03:42.280 There are 150 psalms. 00:03:42.780 --> 00:03:44.200 One third of them are laments. 00:03:44.640 --> 00:03:46.460 And in all of those lament psalms, 00:03:46.640 --> 00:03:47.960 as dark as they may be, 00:03:48.219 --> 00:03:50.460 as frustrated and even angry as they may be, 00:03:50.660 --> 00:03:52.400 there's always this positive twist. 00:03:52.400 --> 00:03:54.920 You'll have David in Psalm 22 crying out, 00:03:55.260 --> 00:03:57.439 My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? 00:03:57.760 --> 00:03:59.760 But then by the end he is praising God 00:03:59.760 --> 00:04:02.780 and declaring how the nations will remember 00:04:02.780 --> 00:04:03.719 and know the Lord. 00:04:04.300 --> 00:04:05.379 In psalm after psalm, 00:04:05.420 --> 00:04:06.819 in all the lament psalms, 00:04:07.240 --> 00:04:08.719 indeed in all 150 psalms, 00:04:08.780 --> 00:04:10.180 there's always this praise. 00:04:10.300 --> 00:04:12.120 In all of them, but this one. 00:04:13.060 --> 00:04:14.300 In all of them, but this one. 00:04:14.520 --> 00:04:15.420 And as a result, 00:04:16.019 --> 00:04:17.240 for a lot of us, 00:04:17.280 --> 00:04:19.960 we don't really know how to handle this psalm, 00:04:20.060 --> 00:04:20.639 Psalm 88. 00:04:20.639 --> 00:04:23.019 I remember when I was 12 or 13, 00:04:23.139 --> 00:04:24.159 I was reading through the psalms, 00:04:24.399 --> 00:04:25.120 one psalm a day, 00:04:25.199 --> 00:04:26.139 and I'd read it as a prayer. 00:04:26.659 --> 00:04:27.740 I'd read it aloud to the Lord. 00:04:27.779 --> 00:04:29.419 And that works for like Psalm 27. 00:04:30.159 --> 00:04:31.680 The Lord is my light and my salvation. 00:04:31.800 --> 00:04:32.500 Whom shall I fear? 00:04:32.719 --> 00:04:34.560 It's a beautiful, uplifting psalm. 00:04:34.899 --> 00:04:36.240 As a young man, and still today, 00:04:36.360 --> 00:04:37.019 Psalm 144, 00:04:37.860 --> 00:04:40.300 you train my hands for war 00:04:40.300 --> 00:04:41.300 and my feet for battle. 00:04:41.399 --> 00:04:42.120 As a young man, 00:04:42.419 --> 00:04:43.779 I love praying those prayers. 00:04:43.899 --> 00:04:44.500 It's strong. 00:04:44.620 --> 00:04:45.219 It's uplifting. 00:04:45.439 --> 00:04:46.019 It's courageous. 00:04:46.879 --> 00:04:48.219 But then I'd get to a lament psalm, 00:04:48.279 --> 00:04:49.319 especially Psalm 88, 00:04:49.319 --> 00:04:53.060 and my words would all of a sudden drop. 00:04:53.139 --> 00:04:53.980 My voice would drop 00:04:53.980 --> 00:04:55.500 and my voice would grow silent. 00:04:56.500 --> 00:04:57.779 I felt so uncomfortable, 00:04:58.000 --> 00:04:59.219 so even embarrassed 00:04:59.219 --> 00:05:00.819 to say these words aloud to God. 00:05:00.920 --> 00:05:01.819 They're so dark, 00:05:02.159 --> 00:05:02.560 brooding, 00:05:02.879 --> 00:05:03.360 and angry. 00:05:05.240 --> 00:05:07.120 And I believe that for a lot of us, 00:05:07.180 --> 00:05:08.839 we have this pressure as Christians, 00:05:09.139 --> 00:05:10.100 as Canadian Christians, 00:05:10.539 --> 00:05:11.519 that we're polite people. 00:05:11.600 --> 00:05:12.480 As Canadians, we're polite. 00:05:12.800 --> 00:05:13.279 As Christians, 00:05:13.439 --> 00:05:14.339 we're supposed to be happy. 00:05:14.339 --> 00:05:15.719 So we're these polite, 00:05:15.799 --> 00:05:16.719 happy, clappy people. 00:05:17.079 --> 00:05:17.979 And we don't have a grid 00:05:17.979 --> 00:05:19.500 through which we can say a prayer 00:05:19.500 --> 00:05:20.379 like this out loud. 00:05:20.839 --> 00:05:21.879 And so, so often, 00:05:22.539 --> 00:05:24.479 you and me and our friends 00:05:24.479 --> 00:05:26.560 will be like my neighbor, 00:05:27.120 --> 00:05:28.939 where we have these prayers 00:05:28.939 --> 00:05:30.879 from our heart to God 00:05:30.879 --> 00:05:31.879 that come out angry, 00:05:32.039 --> 00:05:33.419 and so we just don't pray them. 00:05:33.879 --> 00:05:34.899 There's parts of our lives 00:05:34.899 --> 00:05:36.559 where we just won't go with God 00:05:36.559 --> 00:05:38.639 because we don't want to be rude to Him. 00:05:39.479 --> 00:05:40.779 But as we look at Psalm 88, 00:05:41.800 --> 00:05:44.120 we see that this psalmist, 00:05:44.360 --> 00:05:45.259 Haman the Ezraite, 00:05:45.620 --> 00:05:47.979 is very real and very honest with God. 00:05:48.039 --> 00:05:48.519 Verse 3, 00:05:48.919 --> 00:05:50.560 For my soul is full of troubles, 00:05:50.560 --> 00:05:52.379 and my life draws near to Sheol. 00:05:52.759 --> 00:05:54.500 Sheol is a Hebrew word for hell. 00:05:54.839 --> 00:05:55.259 He's saying, 00:05:55.379 --> 00:05:57.079 God, I'm going through hell. 00:05:57.699 --> 00:06:00.000 He's being very real and very honest. 00:06:00.500 --> 00:06:01.519 As we read these words, 00:06:01.719 --> 00:06:03.039 there can be this feeling of embarrassment, 00:06:03.159 --> 00:06:04.500 like, how did this get in the Bible? 00:06:04.620 --> 00:06:05.319 Who let this in? 00:06:06.379 --> 00:06:08.319 But as we're honest with this passage, 00:06:08.639 --> 00:06:09.959 we remember that what is true 00:06:09.959 --> 00:06:11.399 of the rest of the scriptures 00:06:11.399 --> 00:06:13.180 is true about this. 00:06:13.599 --> 00:06:15.360 The 2 Timothy 3.16 says 00:06:15.360 --> 00:06:18.159 that all scripture is breathed by God, 00:06:18.459 --> 00:06:20.539 and it's profitable for teaching, 00:06:20.779 --> 00:06:21.819 for rebuke, for correcting. 00:06:22.699 --> 00:06:23.459 It's profitable, 00:06:24.099 --> 00:06:25.139 and it's God-breathed. 00:06:25.939 --> 00:06:27.539 And so I want to invite you today 00:06:27.539 --> 00:06:29.399 to open up your hearts with me 00:06:29.399 --> 00:06:31.039 as we study and plunder 00:06:31.039 --> 00:06:32.939 the depth of Psalm 88, 00:06:33.560 --> 00:06:35.259 these words that are God-breathed 00:06:35.259 --> 00:06:36.860 and included in the scriptures 00:06:36.860 --> 00:06:38.639 by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, 00:06:38.720 --> 00:06:39.520 by God himself, 00:06:39.960 --> 00:06:40.860 for you and for me, 00:06:41.280 --> 00:06:43.020 that we might know God more completely. 00:06:44.580 --> 00:06:47.020 So Haman the Ezra is crying out to God, 00:06:47.120 --> 00:06:47.360 saying, 00:06:47.759 --> 00:06:49.080 I feel like I'm going through hell. 00:06:49.340 --> 00:06:50.319 I have no strength. 00:06:50.800 --> 00:06:52.560 I'm like one who's among the dead. 00:06:53.259 --> 00:06:54.819 He's being very real and very honest. 00:06:55.379 --> 00:06:56.540 And so the first truth 00:06:56.540 --> 00:06:58.439 that we can learn from this today 00:06:58.439 --> 00:07:00.639 is that our God is a God 00:07:00.639 --> 00:07:01.759 who's not easily offended. 00:07:01.759 --> 00:07:03.699 Our God is a God 00:07:03.699 --> 00:07:04.899 who's not easily offended. 00:07:05.779 --> 00:07:06.439 And as a result, 00:07:06.560 --> 00:07:07.399 we can be real, 00:07:07.779 --> 00:07:08.599 we can be honest, 00:07:08.680 --> 00:07:09.980 we can be raw with him. 00:07:11.759 --> 00:07:12.959 Our God is a God 00:07:12.959 --> 00:07:13.939 with a big heart 00:07:13.939 --> 00:07:14.719 and thick skin. 00:07:14.819 --> 00:07:15.339 He is a God 00:07:15.339 --> 00:07:16.240 not easily offended. 00:07:16.819 --> 00:07:17.360 We can bring 00:07:17.360 --> 00:07:18.459 a real and raw, 00:07:18.719 --> 00:07:19.539 honest prayers to him. 00:07:21.300 --> 00:07:22.579 Haman the Ezra height continues. 00:07:22.699 --> 00:07:23.199 Verse 6, 00:07:23.199 --> 00:07:35.240 He's speaking these real 00:07:35.240 --> 00:07:36.759 and honest words to God, 00:07:37.379 --> 00:07:37.599 saying, 00:07:37.759 --> 00:07:38.439 God, this, 00:07:38.980 --> 00:07:40.579 my broken condition, 00:07:40.719 --> 00:07:41.439 this is on you. 00:07:43.360 --> 00:07:44.439 And I believe this is worship. 00:07:44.939 --> 00:07:45.639 And here's why. 00:07:46.860 --> 00:07:48.300 Who you complain to 00:07:48.300 --> 00:07:49.539 tells you a lot about 00:07:49.539 --> 00:07:51.120 who you think is in charge 00:07:51.120 --> 00:07:51.719 and in control. 00:07:51.720 --> 00:07:53.920 A lot of us have worked jobs 00:07:53.920 --> 00:07:55.680 where people will come to you 00:07:55.680 --> 00:07:56.240 and they'll complain 00:07:56.240 --> 00:07:56.980 about the prices, 00:07:57.480 --> 00:07:58.620 they'll complain about the product, 00:07:58.900 --> 00:07:59.660 they complain to you 00:07:59.660 --> 00:08:00.640 as if you actually have 00:08:00.640 --> 00:08:02.180 any say in the matter. 00:08:02.660 --> 00:08:03.420 My first job 00:08:03.420 --> 00:08:03.960 when I was a teen 00:08:03.960 --> 00:08:04.720 was McDonald's. 00:08:04.980 --> 00:08:05.560 People would complain 00:08:05.560 --> 00:08:06.200 about the prices. 00:08:06.440 --> 00:08:06.820 I'm just like, 00:08:07.120 --> 00:08:07.420 well, you know, 00:08:07.440 --> 00:08:08.360 thank you for your complaints. 00:08:08.440 --> 00:08:09.320 But the reality is 00:08:09.320 --> 00:08:10.520 if you have a complaint, 00:08:10.680 --> 00:08:11.360 talk to the manager. 00:08:11.480 --> 00:08:12.440 They're actually in charge. 00:08:12.840 --> 00:08:13.600 They actually have 00:08:13.600 --> 00:08:14.940 some type of voice 00:08:14.940 --> 00:08:16.080 in what we serve. 00:08:16.500 --> 00:08:17.260 I, as a cashier, 00:08:17.420 --> 00:08:17.880 I don't. 00:08:18.260 --> 00:08:18.480 Okay? 00:08:19.000 --> 00:08:19.880 Who you complain to 00:08:19.880 --> 00:08:20.640 says a lot about 00:08:20.640 --> 00:08:21.700 who you think is in charge. 00:08:22.720 --> 00:08:23.800 Haman the Ezraite 00:08:23.800 --> 00:08:25.320 is complaining to God 00:08:25.320 --> 00:08:26.280 because he knows 00:08:26.280 --> 00:08:27.380 that God is in charge. 00:08:27.740 --> 00:08:28.960 If you were one of his friends 00:08:28.960 --> 00:08:30.040 or a neighbor of his, 00:08:30.100 --> 00:08:31.320 you would see that his friends 00:08:31.320 --> 00:08:32.100 were abandoning him. 00:08:32.200 --> 00:08:32.899 You would see that 00:08:32.899 --> 00:08:34.160 he had no strength, 00:08:34.220 --> 00:08:35.120 that he was physically weak. 00:08:35.139 --> 00:08:36.000 You would see these things. 00:08:36.940 --> 00:08:37.940 But Haman sees 00:08:37.940 --> 00:08:39.660 that this is on God 00:08:39.660 --> 00:08:40.440 because he's the one 00:08:40.440 --> 00:08:41.120 that's in control. 00:08:42.139 --> 00:08:43.440 There is no direct line 00:08:43.440 --> 00:08:44.220 to show that God 00:08:44.220 --> 00:08:45.139 was removing his friends 00:08:45.139 --> 00:08:45.519 from him. 00:08:45.680 --> 00:08:46.180 But he knows, 00:08:46.300 --> 00:08:47.420 God, you're sovereign. 00:08:47.740 --> 00:08:48.660 God, you're the king 00:08:48.660 --> 00:08:49.259 of the universe. 00:08:49.460 --> 00:08:50.279 God, you're in control 00:08:50.279 --> 00:08:51.000 and I'm going 00:08:51.000 --> 00:08:51.579 through darkness. 00:08:51.919 --> 00:08:52.279 Ultimately, 00:08:52.519 --> 00:08:53.539 this is on you. 00:08:54.439 --> 00:08:55.519 There's various reasons 00:08:55.519 --> 00:08:55.980 that we'll go 00:08:55.980 --> 00:08:56.480 through darkness. 00:08:56.799 --> 00:08:57.600 A friend of mine 00:08:57.600 --> 00:08:59.000 gave birth to a baby 00:08:59.000 --> 00:08:59.500 and went into 00:08:59.500 --> 00:09:00.500 postpartum depression. 00:09:01.120 --> 00:09:02.980 Her hormones were off 00:09:02.980 --> 00:09:03.939 and there was a chemical 00:09:03.939 --> 00:09:05.179 imbalance in her 00:09:05.179 --> 00:09:05.799 and as a result, 00:09:05.919 --> 00:09:06.459 she was going through 00:09:06.459 --> 00:09:07.759 a time of depression, 00:09:07.879 --> 00:09:08.399 of darkness. 00:09:08.980 --> 00:09:09.659 Sometimes we're going 00:09:09.659 --> 00:09:10.159 through darkness 00:09:10.159 --> 00:09:10.879 because someone 00:09:10.879 --> 00:09:12.839 is making very evil decisions 00:09:12.839 --> 00:09:13.939 and they're exploiting us. 00:09:14.360 --> 00:09:15.039 Sometimes we're going 00:09:15.039 --> 00:09:15.399 through darkness 00:09:15.399 --> 00:09:15.919 because we've done 00:09:15.919 --> 00:09:17.279 some very foolish things. 00:09:17.799 --> 00:09:18.579 There's various reasons 00:09:18.579 --> 00:09:19.480 why we go through darkness 00:09:19.480 --> 00:09:20.759 and there'll be various ways 00:09:20.759 --> 00:09:21.379 through which to deal 00:09:21.379 --> 00:09:21.899 with the darkness, 00:09:22.019 --> 00:09:23.299 whether we need medication 00:09:23.299 --> 00:09:24.360 or we need forgiveness 00:09:24.360 --> 00:09:25.220 or to ask for forgiveness. 00:09:25.500 --> 00:09:26.240 Different reasons 00:09:26.240 --> 00:09:27.159 why we go through darkness 00:09:27.159 --> 00:09:28.679 but in Haman's case, 00:09:28.759 --> 00:09:29.659 he understands that 00:09:29.659 --> 00:09:31.339 regardless of the reason 00:09:31.339 --> 00:09:31.740 that he's going 00:09:31.740 --> 00:09:32.220 through darkness, 00:09:32.399 --> 00:09:32.779 ultimately, 00:09:33.120 --> 00:09:34.120 God's in control. 00:09:34.639 --> 00:09:35.360 And so when he, 00:09:35.480 --> 00:09:35.980 in his lament, 00:09:36.079 --> 00:09:36.899 is bringing his complaint 00:09:36.899 --> 00:09:37.339 to God, 00:09:37.419 --> 00:09:38.079 he is actually 00:09:38.079 --> 00:09:39.500 worshiping God by that, 00:09:39.559 --> 00:09:39.899 by saying, 00:09:39.959 --> 00:09:41.259 God, this is on you. 00:09:41.339 --> 00:09:42.039 You're the king. 00:09:42.179 --> 00:09:42.779 You're sovereign. 00:09:43.539 --> 00:09:43.720 You know, 00:09:43.759 --> 00:09:44.799 the people of Israel, 00:09:44.980 --> 00:09:45.459 as they're going 00:09:45.459 --> 00:09:46.039 through the wilderness 00:09:46.039 --> 00:09:47.639 after they exited 00:09:47.639 --> 00:09:48.139 from Egypt, 00:09:49.279 --> 00:09:50.939 they're grumbling 00:09:50.939 --> 00:09:51.659 and they're complaining. 00:09:51.799 --> 00:09:52.500 They're lamenting. 00:09:53.519 --> 00:09:55.059 And Moses also laments. 00:09:55.419 --> 00:09:55.639 And yet, 00:09:55.740 --> 00:09:56.659 the people of Israel, 00:09:56.779 --> 00:09:57.719 a whole bunch of them 00:09:57.719 --> 00:09:58.299 are swallowed up 00:09:58.299 --> 00:09:58.980 in the ground, 00:09:59.679 --> 00:10:00.860 whereas Moses is blessed 00:10:00.860 --> 00:10:01.339 by God, 00:10:01.379 --> 00:10:02.399 a man after God's own heart. 00:10:02.459 --> 00:10:03.199 What's the difference? 00:10:03.799 --> 00:10:04.799 Well, the people of Israel 00:10:04.799 --> 00:10:05.379 in this case, 00:10:05.439 --> 00:10:05.899 many of them 00:10:05.899 --> 00:10:06.519 were complaining 00:10:06.519 --> 00:10:07.139 and lamenting 00:10:07.139 --> 00:10:07.819 to each other, 00:10:08.240 --> 00:10:09.439 whereas Moses complained 00:10:09.439 --> 00:10:10.379 and laments to God. 00:10:11.039 --> 00:10:11.659 And if you read 00:10:11.659 --> 00:10:12.179 the scriptures, 00:10:12.439 --> 00:10:13.199 you'll see that 00:10:13.199 --> 00:10:14.959 the men and women of God 00:10:14.960 --> 00:10:15.740 throughout the Old 00:10:15.740 --> 00:10:16.400 and New Testament 00:10:16.400 --> 00:10:17.400 through history 00:10:17.400 --> 00:10:18.220 and even today 00:10:18.220 --> 00:10:19.300 are men and women 00:10:19.300 --> 00:10:20.019 who understand 00:10:20.019 --> 00:10:20.660 that our God 00:10:20.660 --> 00:10:21.040 is a God 00:10:21.040 --> 00:10:21.940 not easily offended 00:10:21.940 --> 00:10:22.759 and our God 00:10:22.759 --> 00:10:23.139 is a God 00:10:23.139 --> 00:10:23.920 who's in control 00:10:23.920 --> 00:10:24.900 and so they bring 00:10:24.900 --> 00:10:25.700 their complaints, 00:10:25.920 --> 00:10:26.500 not grumbling 00:10:26.500 --> 00:10:27.019 one to another, 00:10:27.100 --> 00:10:27.740 but they bring 00:10:27.740 --> 00:10:28.460 their complaints 00:10:28.460 --> 00:10:29.180 to God. 00:10:30.139 --> 00:10:31.200 The second truth 00:10:31.200 --> 00:10:31.639 we can learn 00:10:31.639 --> 00:10:32.400 from Psalm 88 00:10:32.400 --> 00:10:33.900 is that it is worship 00:10:33.900 --> 00:10:35.379 to say these words, 00:10:35.480 --> 00:10:36.139 even sometimes 00:10:36.139 --> 00:10:37.060 these angry words, 00:10:37.320 --> 00:10:37.960 because we're saying, 00:10:38.019 --> 00:10:38.259 God, 00:10:38.420 --> 00:10:38.940 you're the one 00:10:38.940 --> 00:10:39.600 that's in control. 00:10:40.820 --> 00:10:41.220 Now, 00:10:41.259 --> 00:10:42.280 as he continues, 00:10:42.279 --> 00:10:43.939 first talking about 00:10:43.939 --> 00:10:44.480 how he feels 00:10:44.480 --> 00:10:44.939 like he's going 00:10:44.939 --> 00:10:45.399 through hell, 00:10:45.980 --> 00:10:47.139 second with these words, 00:10:47.259 --> 00:10:48.139 complaining to God, 00:10:48.639 --> 00:10:49.519 then in verse 10 00:10:49.519 --> 00:10:50.899 he begins questioning God, 00:10:51.179 --> 00:10:52.299 cross-examining God. 00:10:52.799 --> 00:10:53.539 Do you work wonders 00:10:53.539 --> 00:10:54.159 for the dead? 00:10:54.299 --> 00:10:54.899 Do the departed 00:10:54.899 --> 00:10:55.980 rise up to praise you? 00:10:56.379 --> 00:10:57.220 Is your steadfast love 00:10:57.220 --> 00:10:58.019 declared in the grave 00:10:58.019 --> 00:10:58.779 or your faithfulness 00:10:58.779 --> 00:10:59.319 in Abaddon? 00:10:59.500 --> 00:11:00.199 Are your wonders 00:11:00.199 --> 00:11:01.279 known in the darkness 00:11:01.279 --> 00:11:02.039 or your righteousness 00:11:02.039 --> 00:11:02.620 in the land 00:11:02.620 --> 00:11:03.259 of forgetfulness? 00:11:04.699 --> 00:11:05.360 And it's one thing 00:11:05.360 --> 00:11:05.879 to be like, 00:11:06.000 --> 00:11:06.240 God, 00:11:06.319 --> 00:11:06.959 this is on you, 00:11:07.019 --> 00:11:07.439 I'm going through 00:11:07.439 --> 00:11:08.000 brokenness 00:11:08.000 --> 00:11:08.980 and you're sovereign, 00:11:09.100 --> 00:11:09.620 you're in control, 00:11:09.699 --> 00:11:10.360 you're doing this, 00:11:10.620 --> 00:11:11.379 I feel upset, 00:11:11.379 --> 00:11:12.279 but then he has 00:11:12.279 --> 00:11:12.820 the audacity 00:11:12.820 --> 00:11:13.879 to question God, 00:11:13.980 --> 00:11:14.919 to confront God. 00:11:15.600 --> 00:11:16.539 And as I sat there 00:11:16.539 --> 00:11:17.059 with my neighbor 00:11:17.059 --> 00:11:18.159 wrestling through this, 00:11:18.700 --> 00:11:19.620 through this section, 00:11:20.379 --> 00:11:21.279 I was brought back 00:11:21.279 --> 00:11:22.279 to last year, 00:11:22.399 --> 00:11:23.299 just about exactly 00:11:23.299 --> 00:11:23.899 a year ago. 00:11:24.000 --> 00:11:25.299 I was on a big 00:11:25.299 --> 00:11:25.840 epic road trip 00:11:25.840 --> 00:11:26.759 with my brother Josh. 00:11:27.580 --> 00:11:28.179 Josh is one 00:11:28.179 --> 00:11:29.240 of my closest friends. 00:11:30.080 --> 00:11:30.939 I was going to be 00:11:30.939 --> 00:11:31.639 a best man 00:11:31.639 --> 00:11:32.039 at his wedding 00:11:32.039 --> 00:11:32.899 the very next week 00:11:32.899 --> 00:11:34.279 and we had driven down 00:11:34.279 --> 00:11:34.679 all the way 00:11:34.679 --> 00:11:35.740 to St. Louis non-stop 00:11:35.740 --> 00:11:36.980 and about at 00:11:36.980 --> 00:11:38.000 the third kilometer 00:11:38.000 --> 00:11:38.500 from Ottawa, 00:11:38.700 --> 00:11:39.240 he did something 00:11:39.240 --> 00:11:40.120 that offended me 00:11:40.120 --> 00:11:41.419 and I decided 00:11:41.419 --> 00:11:42.000 that I'm the younger 00:11:42.000 --> 00:11:42.279 brother, 00:11:42.360 --> 00:11:42.899 I'll be the bigger 00:11:42.899 --> 00:11:43.200 brother, 00:11:43.340 --> 00:11:43.840 I'll be the bigger 00:11:43.840 --> 00:11:44.139 guy, 00:11:44.779 --> 00:11:45.220 the bigger man 00:11:45.220 --> 00:11:46.080 and so I decided 00:11:46.080 --> 00:11:46.899 to just keep it 00:11:46.899 --> 00:11:47.259 inside, 00:11:47.580 --> 00:11:48.060 just let it go. 00:11:48.700 --> 00:11:49.360 We kept driving, 00:11:49.480 --> 00:11:49.899 something else 00:11:49.899 --> 00:11:50.519 he did really 00:11:50.519 --> 00:11:51.039 frustrated me, 00:11:51.080 --> 00:11:51.779 I kept it inside. 00:11:52.060 --> 00:11:52.600 By the time 00:11:52.600 --> 00:11:53.220 we drove all the way 00:11:53.220 --> 00:11:53.740 to St. Louis, 00:11:53.840 --> 00:11:55.840 I was so frustrated 00:11:55.840 --> 00:11:56.740 and by the time 00:11:56.740 --> 00:11:57.100 we eventually 00:11:57.100 --> 00:11:57.940 got back to Ottawa, 00:11:58.279 --> 00:11:58.720 I didn't want 00:11:58.720 --> 00:11:59.399 to be in a conversation 00:11:59.399 --> 00:11:59.960 with him, 00:12:00.019 --> 00:12:00.360 I didn't want 00:12:00.360 --> 00:12:00.919 to be in a car 00:12:00.919 --> 00:12:01.240 with him, 00:12:01.299 --> 00:12:02.139 I just wanted out 00:12:02.139 --> 00:12:03.879 and so I got out 00:12:03.879 --> 00:12:05.460 frustratingly, 00:12:05.500 --> 00:12:06.200 so I was fuming, 00:12:06.379 --> 00:12:07.779 I was just angry 00:12:07.779 --> 00:12:08.899 and I met up 00:12:08.899 --> 00:12:09.299 that day 00:12:09.299 --> 00:12:09.759 with a friend 00:12:09.759 --> 00:12:10.519 of mine named Sid 00:12:10.519 --> 00:12:11.220 and I said, 00:12:11.299 --> 00:12:11.439 Sid, 00:12:11.500 --> 00:12:11.759 I don't know 00:12:11.759 --> 00:12:12.199 what to do, 00:12:12.360 --> 00:12:12.860 he's one of my 00:12:12.860 --> 00:12:13.500 best friends 00:12:13.500 --> 00:12:14.439 and I'm supposed 00:12:14.439 --> 00:12:15.079 to give a best man 00:12:15.079 --> 00:12:15.819 speech at his wedding 00:12:15.819 --> 00:12:16.720 next week but I just 00:12:16.720 --> 00:12:18.139 am so frustrated 00:12:18.139 --> 00:12:19.279 and I'm trying 00:12:19.279 --> 00:12:20.220 to be a godly man 00:12:20.220 --> 00:12:20.339 here, 00:12:20.439 --> 00:12:22.720 I'm not getting 00:12:22.720 --> 00:12:23.279 mad at him 00:12:23.279 --> 00:12:24.399 and my friend 00:12:24.399 --> 00:12:25.319 Sid said, 00:12:25.399 --> 00:12:25.679 Daniel, 00:12:25.819 --> 00:12:26.319 when you're dealing 00:12:26.319 --> 00:12:26.919 with conflict, 00:12:27.039 --> 00:12:28.159 when there is a 00:12:28.159 --> 00:12:28.819 problem between you 00:12:28.819 --> 00:12:29.519 and someone else, 00:12:30.000 --> 00:12:30.939 you have two choices, 00:12:31.399 --> 00:12:31.959 either you can do 00:12:31.959 --> 00:12:32.659 exactly what you're 00:12:32.659 --> 00:12:33.620 doing and keep it 00:12:33.620 --> 00:12:34.059 inside, 00:12:34.339 --> 00:12:35.339 don't deal with it, 00:12:35.720 --> 00:12:36.299 move on, 00:12:36.299 --> 00:12:37.620 or you can go 00:12:37.620 --> 00:12:38.379 through the mess 00:12:38.379 --> 00:12:39.339 and the headache 00:12:39.339 --> 00:12:40.099 and even sometimes 00:12:40.099 --> 00:12:40.759 the heartache 00:12:40.759 --> 00:12:41.959 of confronting him 00:12:41.959 --> 00:12:42.859 and being honest 00:12:42.859 --> 00:12:43.439 with him and dealing 00:12:43.439 --> 00:12:45.099 with it and both 00:12:45.099 --> 00:12:45.959 have their places, 00:12:46.179 --> 00:12:47.459 the reality you need 00:12:47.459 --> 00:12:47.779 to know, 00:12:47.859 --> 00:12:48.059 Daniel, 00:12:48.120 --> 00:12:48.719 he said to me, 00:12:48.759 --> 00:12:49.639 is that if you 00:12:49.639 --> 00:12:50.299 choose to keep it 00:12:50.299 --> 00:12:50.939 inside like you're 00:12:50.939 --> 00:12:51.839 doing and not deal 00:12:51.839 --> 00:12:52.240 with it, 00:12:52.500 --> 00:12:53.039 you're going to 00:12:53.039 --> 00:12:55.059 inevitably go apart 00:12:55.059 --> 00:12:55.579 from each other, 00:12:55.659 --> 00:12:56.019 you'll go your 00:12:56.019 --> 00:12:56.639 separate ways, 00:12:56.959 --> 00:12:57.519 you just won't want 00:12:57.519 --> 00:12:58.139 to be in the same 00:12:58.139 --> 00:12:58.699 room as him, 00:12:59.879 --> 00:13:00.799 you'll be apart, 00:13:01.539 --> 00:13:02.059 but if you go 00:13:02.059 --> 00:13:02.819 through the headache 00:13:02.819 --> 00:13:03.959 and the mess 00:13:03.959 --> 00:13:05.039 of confronting him, 00:13:05.039 --> 00:13:06.000 know that there's 00:13:06.000 --> 00:13:06.939 actually hope 00:13:06.939 --> 00:13:07.839 for reconciliation, 00:13:08.480 --> 00:13:09.279 the question is, 00:13:09.319 --> 00:13:09.740 he said, 00:13:10.379 --> 00:13:11.139 do you value 00:13:11.139 --> 00:13:11.919 this relationship 00:13:11.919 --> 00:13:12.639 enough to go 00:13:12.639 --> 00:13:13.620 through the mess? 00:13:14.139 --> 00:13:14.819 If this isn't a 00:13:14.819 --> 00:13:15.319 very important 00:13:15.319 --> 00:13:16.039 friendship to you, 00:13:16.279 --> 00:13:17.059 just keep it in, 00:13:17.139 --> 00:13:17.579 don't go through 00:13:17.579 --> 00:13:18.019 the mess, 00:13:18.399 --> 00:13:18.719 you'll go 00:13:18.719 --> 00:13:19.439 your separate ways, 00:13:19.899 --> 00:13:20.519 but if this 00:13:20.519 --> 00:13:21.439 friendship matters 00:13:21.439 --> 00:13:21.819 to you, 00:13:22.159 --> 00:13:23.179 deal with the mess, 00:13:23.620 --> 00:13:24.500 go through that, 00:13:24.959 --> 00:13:25.480 for there's hope 00:13:25.480 --> 00:13:26.139 of reconciliation. 00:13:27.480 --> 00:13:28.620 Lament is worship, 00:13:28.959 --> 00:13:32.379 even these questions, 00:13:32.579 --> 00:13:33.599 these rhetorical questions, 00:13:33.600 --> 00:13:34.720 these angry questions 00:13:34.720 --> 00:13:36.300 to God are worship, 00:13:36.680 --> 00:13:37.480 because it's actually 00:13:37.480 --> 00:13:37.820 saying, 00:13:37.940 --> 00:13:38.259 God, 00:13:38.500 --> 00:13:39.759 you matter so much 00:13:39.759 --> 00:13:40.080 to me, 00:13:40.159 --> 00:13:40.820 my friendship 00:13:40.820 --> 00:13:42.279 matters so much 00:13:42.279 --> 00:13:43.440 to me, 00:13:44.040 --> 00:13:44.960 that I will confront 00:13:44.960 --> 00:13:45.220 you, 00:13:45.460 --> 00:13:47.120 I feel like you're 00:13:47.120 --> 00:13:47.840 crushing me, 00:13:48.000 --> 00:13:48.960 I feel like you are 00:13:48.960 --> 00:13:50.000 indifferent to me, 00:13:50.600 --> 00:13:52.060 I feel so far from you, 00:13:52.279 --> 00:13:54.139 and I will not take 00:13:54.139 --> 00:13:55.100 the status quo 00:13:55.100 --> 00:13:56.120 happily, 00:13:56.240 --> 00:13:57.340 I will come to you, 00:13:57.399 --> 00:13:58.060 and I will complain 00:13:58.060 --> 00:13:58.379 to you, 00:13:58.440 --> 00:13:58.860 and I'll go through 00:13:58.860 --> 00:13:59.440 the mess, 00:13:59.840 --> 00:14:00.519 I'll go through 00:14:00.519 --> 00:14:00.939 all that, 00:14:01.419 --> 00:14:01.980 because, 00:14:01.980 --> 00:14:04.179 because he loves God. 00:14:04.679 --> 00:14:05.319 Look at these 00:14:05.319 --> 00:14:05.939 questions again, 00:14:05.980 --> 00:14:06.419 he's saying, 00:14:06.740 --> 00:14:08.720 is your steadfast love 00:14:08.720 --> 00:14:09.559 declared in the grave? 00:14:10.439 --> 00:14:10.939 Are your wonders 00:14:10.939 --> 00:14:11.779 known in the darkness? 00:14:12.259 --> 00:14:12.720 Even though it's 00:14:12.720 --> 00:14:13.840 coming out very angrily, 00:14:13.919 --> 00:14:14.480 what he's ultimately 00:14:14.480 --> 00:14:14.939 saying is, 00:14:15.000 --> 00:14:15.079 God, 00:14:15.179 --> 00:14:16.159 I want to know 00:14:16.159 --> 00:14:17.019 your steadfast love, 00:14:17.079 --> 00:14:17.980 I want to declare 00:14:17.980 --> 00:14:19.279 your goodness again. 00:14:20.100 --> 00:14:20.860 These words that 00:14:20.860 --> 00:14:21.759 seem so angry 00:14:21.759 --> 00:14:22.899 are the best 00:14:22.899 --> 00:14:23.879 Haman has right now, 00:14:23.939 --> 00:14:24.460 he doesn't have the 00:14:24.460 --> 00:14:25.340 strength to try to 00:14:25.340 --> 00:14:26.360 put on a happy face, 00:14:26.579 --> 00:14:27.779 he's being real knowing 00:14:27.779 --> 00:14:28.759 that our God is a God 00:14:28.759 --> 00:14:29.659 not easily offended, 00:14:29.980 --> 00:14:30.939 he's confronting God 00:14:30.939 --> 00:14:31.659 knowing that God 00:14:31.659 --> 00:14:32.519 is the one in control, 00:14:32.659 --> 00:14:33.639 your sovereign God, 00:14:33.759 --> 00:14:34.899 and he's confronting 00:14:34.899 --> 00:14:35.700 him and questioning 00:14:35.700 --> 00:14:36.059 him, 00:14:36.519 --> 00:14:37.539 expressing hope 00:14:37.539 --> 00:14:38.399 for reconciliation 00:14:38.399 --> 00:14:39.100 with God, 00:14:39.500 --> 00:14:40.319 a desire to be 00:14:40.319 --> 00:14:41.299 close with God again. 00:14:42.139 --> 00:14:42.960 Notice that he's 00:14:42.960 --> 00:14:44.159 praying day and night, 00:14:44.319 --> 00:14:44.819 he's not, 00:14:45.620 --> 00:14:47.080 he will not be silenced, 00:14:47.279 --> 00:14:48.100 he will not take 00:14:48.100 --> 00:14:49.019 the separation, 00:14:49.559 --> 00:14:50.679 he will fight for 00:14:50.679 --> 00:14:52.080 being reconciled 00:14:52.080 --> 00:14:52.559 with God. 00:14:54.879 --> 00:14:56.059 Now as he continues 00:14:56.059 --> 00:14:56.879 from these questions, 00:14:56.879 --> 00:14:58.899 verse 16, 00:14:59.899 --> 00:15:01.100 the psalm wraps up, 00:15:01.700 --> 00:15:02.399 your wrath has swept 00:15:02.399 --> 00:15:02.879 over me, 00:15:03.200 --> 00:15:04.100 your dreadful assaults 00:15:04.100 --> 00:15:04.720 destroy me, 00:15:05.240 --> 00:15:05.919 they surround me 00:15:05.919 --> 00:15:06.759 like a flood all day 00:15:06.759 --> 00:15:07.120 long, 00:15:07.419 --> 00:15:08.259 they close in on me 00:15:08.259 --> 00:15:08.639 together, 00:15:09.120 --> 00:15:10.299 you have caused my 00:15:10.299 --> 00:15:10.860 beloved and my 00:15:10.860 --> 00:15:11.580 friend to shun me, 00:15:11.919 --> 00:15:12.860 my companions have 00:15:12.860 --> 00:15:13.939 become darkness. 00:15:14.740 --> 00:15:16.240 The final word is 00:15:16.240 --> 00:15:16.919 darkness, 00:15:17.919 --> 00:15:18.580 and unlike these 00:15:18.580 --> 00:15:19.419 other psalms we have 00:15:19.419 --> 00:15:19.919 in the Bible, 00:15:21.059 --> 00:15:22.379 from beginning to end, 00:15:22.600 --> 00:15:23.919 the psalm is dark, 00:15:24.360 --> 00:15:25.480 with the very last word 00:15:25.480 --> 00:15:26.519 being darkness. 00:15:27.480 --> 00:15:28.580 That's no mistake, 00:15:28.679 --> 00:15:29.220 it's intentional, 00:15:29.659 --> 00:15:30.100 darkness. 00:15:31.980 --> 00:15:33.179 And this feature of 00:15:33.179 --> 00:15:34.059 the psalm which makes 00:15:34.059 --> 00:15:37.039 it an anomaly and 00:15:37.039 --> 00:15:38.399 makes it so 00:15:38.399 --> 00:15:39.759 disconcerting at first, 00:15:40.179 --> 00:15:41.139 I think is one of the 00:15:41.139 --> 00:15:42.460 most precious features 00:15:42.460 --> 00:15:43.200 of the psalm. 00:15:43.700 --> 00:15:44.600 Because one of the 00:15:44.600 --> 00:15:45.600 darkest things about 00:15:45.600 --> 00:15:46.460 going through darkness 00:15:46.460 --> 00:15:48.779 is that feeling that 00:15:48.779 --> 00:15:49.919 the darkness is going 00:15:49.919 --> 00:15:51.120 on too long. 00:15:51.120 --> 00:15:55.659 say you're going through 00:15:55.659 --> 00:15:56.600 a time that you feel 00:15:56.600 --> 00:15:57.460 so dark inside, 00:15:57.600 --> 00:15:58.720 and you go for a jog 00:15:58.720 --> 00:15:59.500 through your head, 00:15:59.539 --> 00:16:00.299 and you come back home, 00:16:00.419 --> 00:16:01.080 it's still dark, 00:16:01.659 --> 00:16:02.240 you're still feeling 00:16:02.240 --> 00:16:03.060 turmoil inside, 00:16:03.179 --> 00:16:04.159 and so you go and you 00:16:04.159 --> 00:16:05.080 hang out with positive 00:16:05.080 --> 00:16:06.019 people, encouraging 00:16:06.019 --> 00:16:07.299 people, people of God, 00:16:07.940 --> 00:16:08.840 and even in the midst 00:16:08.840 --> 00:16:09.419 of being with these 00:16:09.419 --> 00:16:11.179 people, and they're such 00:16:11.179 --> 00:16:11.919 wonderful people, 00:16:12.299 --> 00:16:13.220 inside you still feel 00:16:13.220 --> 00:16:14.560 so isolated, so alone. 00:16:15.560 --> 00:16:16.480 You go to church, 00:16:16.480 --> 00:16:17.360 or maybe you go to 00:16:17.360 --> 00:16:18.539 your own bedroom for 00:16:18.539 --> 00:16:19.680 devotions, and you go 00:16:19.680 --> 00:16:20.420 through the right things, 00:16:20.500 --> 00:16:22.460 you worship God, you sing 00:16:22.460 --> 00:16:24.159 songs of worship, you say 00:16:24.159 --> 00:16:25.720 prayers of gratitude, you 00:16:25.720 --> 00:16:26.720 read the Bible, you're 00:16:26.720 --> 00:16:27.980 doing all the right stuff, 00:16:28.220 --> 00:16:29.480 yet the darkness remains. 00:16:30.300 --> 00:16:31.700 So often, as you already 00:16:31.700 --> 00:16:33.700 know, so often you have 00:16:33.700 --> 00:16:36.480 the darkness and the trauma 00:16:37.259 --> 00:16:38.399 that you're going through, 00:16:38.480 --> 00:16:39.100 and then you have this 00:16:39.100 --> 00:16:40.600 added darkness that you're 00:16:40.600 --> 00:16:41.200 going through darkness, 00:16:41.320 --> 00:16:42.039 like this guilt, I 00:16:42.039 --> 00:16:42.639 shouldn't be going through 00:16:42.639 --> 00:16:43.600 darkness, I'm a Christian, 00:16:44.139 --> 00:16:44.920 I should be a happy 00:16:44.920 --> 00:16:46.420 person, and so it's this 00:16:46.419 --> 00:16:47.659 added darkness upon 00:16:47.659 --> 00:16:48.099 darkness. 00:16:49.079 --> 00:16:50.479 Psalm 88 is a gift to us 00:16:50.479 --> 00:16:52.199 because it shows us that 00:16:52.199 --> 00:16:54.179 the children of God do go 00:16:54.179 --> 00:16:55.120 through dark times. 00:16:56.500 --> 00:16:57.740 Haman was one of the 00:16:57.740 --> 00:16:58.699 worship leaders in the 00:16:58.699 --> 00:16:58.979 temple. 00:16:59.439 --> 00:17:00.360 He's one of the priests 00:17:00.360 --> 00:17:01.419 whose job it was to lead 00:17:01.419 --> 00:17:04.079 the nation of God in 00:17:04.079 --> 00:17:04.480 worship. 00:17:04.940 --> 00:17:05.980 This is a man who knows 00:17:05.980 --> 00:17:06.899 God, and he wrote a lot 00:17:06.899 --> 00:17:08.240 of other psalms too, he 00:17:08.240 --> 00:17:10.000 knows God, and yet his 00:17:10.000 --> 00:17:12.399 darkness extends so long 00:17:12.399 --> 00:17:14.279 that his prayer begins and 00:17:14.279 --> 00:17:15.279 ends in a place of 00:17:15.279 --> 00:17:15.639 darkness. 00:17:16.420 --> 00:17:17.700 Again, this isn't the only 00:17:17.700 --> 00:17:20.800 psalm he wrote, but in this 00:17:20.800 --> 00:17:22.340 prayer, in this song, from 00:17:22.340 --> 00:17:23.080 beginning to end, there's 00:17:23.080 --> 00:17:23.400 darkness. 00:17:24.720 --> 00:17:26.480 And so I want to encourage 00:17:26.480 --> 00:17:27.700 you, my brothers and 00:17:27.700 --> 00:17:29.960 sisters in the Lord, that 00:17:29.960 --> 00:17:30.700 when you're going through 00:17:30.700 --> 00:17:31.680 darkness, whether that's now 00:17:31.680 --> 00:17:32.800 or in the future, or if 00:17:32.800 --> 00:17:33.740 you're walking with a friend 00:17:33.740 --> 00:17:35.660 through a dark time, that 00:17:35.660 --> 00:17:37.480 God understands that he's 00:17:37.480 --> 00:17:39.360 included this prayer, this 00:17:39.360 --> 00:17:40.940 song in the Bible, Psalm 88, 00:17:40.940 --> 00:17:43.960 on purpose, to let us know in 00:17:43.960 --> 00:17:46.220 part, that sometimes our 00:17:46.220 --> 00:17:48.700 prayers will end where we're 00:17:48.700 --> 00:17:49.640 still in a place of 00:17:49.640 --> 00:17:51.120 frustration, and God gets 00:17:51.120 --> 00:17:51.420 that. 00:17:51.840 --> 00:17:52.920 God understands that. 00:17:53.220 --> 00:17:55.539 God is okay with that, that 00:17:55.539 --> 00:17:56.279 he's for us. 00:17:57.279 --> 00:17:58.380 Now, as we're wrestling through 00:17:58.380 --> 00:18:01.240 these words, one of the things 00:18:01.240 --> 00:18:03.220 we must ask ourselves is, are 00:18:03.220 --> 00:18:06.220 these words expressing an 00:18:06.220 --> 00:18:07.660 objective truth or a 00:18:07.660 --> 00:18:08.420 subjective truth? 00:18:08.420 --> 00:18:10.600 When Haman is saying to 00:18:10.600 --> 00:18:12.039 God, my companions have 00:18:12.039 --> 00:18:12.759 become darkness. 00:18:13.580 --> 00:18:15.019 Darkness is a better friend 00:18:15.019 --> 00:18:16.080 than you, God. 00:18:16.440 --> 00:18:17.200 When he's saying these 00:18:17.200 --> 00:18:18.120 things, is it true? 00:18:18.220 --> 00:18:19.539 Is he really, really alone? 00:18:20.000 --> 00:18:21.120 Or is this just an expression 00:18:21.120 --> 00:18:21.940 of how he's feeling? 00:18:22.640 --> 00:18:23.680 To answer that question, we 00:18:23.680 --> 00:18:24.640 must look at the whole 00:18:24.640 --> 00:18:25.840 Bible, the whole cancel of 00:18:25.840 --> 00:18:27.120 scripture, and what we see 00:18:27.120 --> 00:18:28.620 is that we know that God has 00:18:28.620 --> 00:18:30.880 said in various passages that 00:18:30.880 --> 00:18:32.240 he's with us in our 00:18:32.240 --> 00:18:33.539 brokenness, that he is near 00:18:33.539 --> 00:18:35.460 the brokenhearted, that he'll 00:18:35.460 --> 00:18:36.700 never leave us nor forsake 00:18:36.700 --> 00:18:36.980 us. 00:18:36.980 --> 00:18:38.759 We know that God is a 00:18:38.759 --> 00:18:40.079 better friend than darkness, 00:18:40.339 --> 00:18:41.120 that darkness will never 00:18:41.120 --> 00:18:42.120 actually be our closest 00:18:42.120 --> 00:18:42.480 friend. 00:18:43.579 --> 00:18:45.559 And the primary way we know 00:18:45.559 --> 00:18:47.079 that is something that Haman 00:18:47.079 --> 00:18:48.440 would have only ever seen in 00:18:48.440 --> 00:18:50.240 part, and that is that these 00:18:50.240 --> 00:18:51.740 words he says about darkness 00:18:51.740 --> 00:18:53.960 being his closest friend are 00:18:53.960 --> 00:18:56.000 actually true, objectively true 00:18:56.000 --> 00:18:56.819 for someone else. 00:18:57.360 --> 00:18:57.960 That was Jesus. 00:18:58.839 --> 00:19:00.960 We see in Matthew 27, as the 00:19:00.960 --> 00:19:02.120 crucifixion is taking place, 00:19:02.220 --> 00:19:03.240 darkness descending on the 00:19:03.240 --> 00:19:03.720 whole earth. 00:19:03.720 --> 00:19:06.460 And Jesus experiences this 00:19:06.460 --> 00:19:09.700 darkness and isolation that 00:19:09.700 --> 00:19:11.059 no one else will ever fully 00:19:11.059 --> 00:19:11.740 experience. 00:19:12.160 --> 00:19:14.940 That Jesus on the cross, as the 00:19:14.940 --> 00:19:16.839 world became actually dark, 00:19:17.100 --> 00:19:18.220 there was more than just a lack 00:19:18.220 --> 00:19:19.400 of light, though that was also 00:19:19.400 --> 00:19:21.940 present, and that was dark. 00:19:22.600 --> 00:19:24.299 But that he experienced the full 00:19:24.299 --> 00:19:26.480 and complete wrath of God. 00:19:27.480 --> 00:19:29.319 Full and complete isolation and 00:19:29.319 --> 00:19:29.680 darkness. 00:19:29.680 --> 00:19:33.100 darkness as he took and conquered 00:19:33.100 --> 00:19:34.460 death with his own body. 00:19:36.220 --> 00:19:38.220 And as Jesus in Matthew 26 is in 00:19:38.220 --> 00:19:39.460 the Garden of Gethsemane, and the 00:19:39.460 --> 00:19:41.299 darkness is descending on him, and 00:19:41.299 --> 00:19:42.779 he knows what's about to happen, and 00:19:42.779 --> 00:19:44.460 he's praying earnestly and 00:19:44.460 --> 00:19:45.779 struggling and even sweating 00:19:45.779 --> 00:19:48.200 blood, he says, not my will but 00:19:48.200 --> 00:19:48.880 yours be done. 00:19:49.460 --> 00:19:52.060 And if Jesus would not abandon us in 00:19:52.060 --> 00:19:54.519 his time of objective darkness, of 00:19:54.519 --> 00:19:56.759 utter and complete darkness, then you 00:19:56.759 --> 00:19:59.000 and I can have confidence that even in 00:19:59.000 --> 00:20:01.420 those seasons where life seems so 00:20:01.420 --> 00:20:05.200 dark, and it will feel so dark, you 00:20:05.200 --> 00:20:08.319 and I can know objectively that he 00:20:08.319 --> 00:20:10.460 will not abandon us in our darkness. 00:20:10.960 --> 00:20:12.839 If Jesus did not abandon us in his 00:20:12.839 --> 00:20:14.799 complete and utter darkness, he will 00:20:14.799 --> 00:20:17.420 not abandon us in our partial darkness. 00:20:18.200 --> 00:20:19.079 He will be faithful. 00:20:20.799 --> 00:20:23.299 Haman the Ezraite, even as his words 00:20:23.299 --> 00:20:25.059 are so dark and so brooding and so 00:20:25.059 --> 00:20:27.900 angry, is crying out day and night to 00:20:27.900 --> 00:20:30.200 God, saying, God of my salvation. 00:20:31.320 --> 00:20:33.040 In doing so, in lamenting to him, he's 00:20:33.040 --> 00:20:34.840 saying, God, you're my hope. 00:20:36.360 --> 00:20:37.340 I want out. 00:20:37.860 --> 00:20:39.140 I want this to be dealt with. 00:20:39.800 --> 00:20:40.640 He's crying out. 00:20:40.860 --> 00:20:43.380 And he counters a reality of God, which 00:20:43.380 --> 00:20:45.400 I think is best expressed by C.S. 00:20:45.440 --> 00:20:46.820 Lewis and the Magician's Nephews. 00:20:46.980 --> 00:20:48.280 Two weeks ago, I read, I've been 00:20:48.280 --> 00:20:49.840 preparing the sermon, and I was reading 00:20:49.840 --> 00:20:51.060 through the Magician's Nephew with my 00:20:51.060 --> 00:20:51.800 little sister, Abby. 00:20:52.800 --> 00:20:54.240 The Magician's Nephew, one of the 00:20:54.240 --> 00:20:55.759 Chronicles of Narnia, begins with the 00:20:55.759 --> 00:20:58.059 little boy, Diggory, crying, in C.S. 00:20:58.059 --> 00:21:00.059 Lewis' words, blubbering, because his 00:21:00.059 --> 00:21:01.680 mother is sick and dying. 00:21:02.240 --> 00:21:03.359 And isn't it true that for a lot of 00:21:03.359 --> 00:21:04.559 us, at times, the greatest darkness 00:21:04.559 --> 00:21:06.559 will be not only our own pain, but the 00:21:06.559 --> 00:21:08.859 pain of someone we love, out of our 00:21:08.859 --> 00:21:09.299 control. 00:21:09.519 --> 00:21:10.140 So he's crying. 00:21:10.640 --> 00:21:11.900 By the time you get to the 12th 00:21:11.900 --> 00:21:13.980 chapter, a lot has already happened, and 00:21:13.980 --> 00:21:15.700 his mother is still sick. 00:21:16.039 --> 00:21:18.799 The darkness seems even darker, if that's 00:21:18.799 --> 00:21:19.240 possible. 00:21:20.200 --> 00:21:22.279 And Diggory is standing before the lion, 00:21:22.400 --> 00:21:24.039 Aslan, who in these books represents 00:21:24.039 --> 00:21:27.079 Jesus, and he's been looking down, and 00:21:27.079 --> 00:21:27.680 he's silent. 00:21:28.139 --> 00:21:29.879 And then finally, he opens his mouth, and 00:21:29.879 --> 00:21:32.180 he speaks to the lion, to Aslan. 00:21:32.680 --> 00:21:33.579 And this is what he says. 00:21:35.139 --> 00:21:37.420 He, Diggory, thought of his mother, and 00:21:37.420 --> 00:21:39.019 he thought of the great hopes he had 00:21:39.019 --> 00:21:40.659 had and how they were all dying away. 00:21:41.139 --> 00:21:42.759 And a lump came in his throat, and 00:21:42.759 --> 00:21:44.319 tears in his eyes, and he blurted out, 00:21:44.559 --> 00:21:46.740 But please, please, won't you? 00:21:47.079 --> 00:21:47.579 Can't you? 00:21:47.819 --> 00:21:48.899 Give me something that will cure 00:21:48.899 --> 00:21:49.220 mother. 00:21:50.099 --> 00:21:51.519 Up till then, he had been looking at the 00:21:51.519 --> 00:21:54.139 lion's great feet and the huge claws on 00:21:54.139 --> 00:21:54.319 them. 00:21:54.660 --> 00:21:56.819 Now, in his despair, he looked up at its 00:21:56.819 --> 00:21:57.259 face. 00:21:57.900 --> 00:21:59.519 What he saw surprised him as much as 00:21:59.519 --> 00:22:00.980 anything in his whole life, for the 00:22:00.980 --> 00:22:02.759 tawny face was bent down near his own. 00:22:03.119 --> 00:22:04.819 And wonder of wonders, the great, 00:22:05.139 --> 00:22:07.339 shining tears stood in the lion's eyes. 00:22:08.879 --> 00:22:11.059 Diggory's darkness did not evaporate 00:22:11.059 --> 00:22:13.680 when he saw the tears of the lion. 00:22:14.480 --> 00:22:15.759 But something did change. 00:22:16.259 --> 00:22:18.480 He knew that he was no longer alone. 00:22:18.480 --> 00:22:21.319 And there's something about when you're 00:22:21.319 --> 00:22:23.140 silent and you're looking down. 00:22:23.759 --> 00:22:25.740 When you cry out to someone for help, 00:22:25.839 --> 00:22:27.380 you instinctively look at their face. 00:22:28.839 --> 00:22:30.980 Haman the Ezraite, unlike my neighbor, 00:22:32.860 --> 00:22:35.299 refused to grow silent in his despair. 00:22:36.140 --> 00:22:38.440 But he, knowing our God is not a God who 00:22:38.440 --> 00:22:40.559 is easily offended, knowing that God is 00:22:40.559 --> 00:22:41.819 the one who is in control and that his 00:22:41.819 --> 00:22:46.279 darkness is ultimately on God who's 00:22:46.279 --> 00:22:49.240 sovereign, expressing to him as a 00:22:49.240 --> 00:22:50.799 worship that he wanted reconciliation, 00:22:51.079 --> 00:22:52.379 even though it was angry prayer, 00:22:52.940 --> 00:22:55.359 knowing that the darkness may last 00:22:55.359 --> 00:22:57.039 longer than a psalm or a prayer. 00:22:57.740 --> 00:22:59.019 He's crying out to God. 00:23:01.119 --> 00:23:03.059 And he knows, as it says in verse one, 00:23:03.160 --> 00:23:04.980 that God, you're the God of my 00:23:04.980 --> 00:23:05.559 salvation. 00:23:06.119 --> 00:23:08.339 He's looking to him knowing that God is 00:23:08.339 --> 00:23:09.399 the one who saves. 00:23:09.400 --> 00:23:12.920 A couple of years ago, a friend of mine 00:23:12.920 --> 00:23:14.320 was horrifically abused. 00:23:14.540 --> 00:23:16.100 She was sexually abused. 00:23:16.320 --> 00:23:18.620 And I remember being in my bedroom 00:23:18.620 --> 00:23:19.060 praying. 00:23:19.580 --> 00:23:21.800 I was praying a Psalm 88 type prayer, 00:23:21.920 --> 00:23:23.560 angry, brooding, dark prayer. 00:23:24.080 --> 00:23:26.140 I was saying, God, like, I wish I could 00:23:26.140 --> 00:23:28.820 have been there to fight away, to fight 00:23:28.820 --> 00:23:29.500 away the rapist. 00:23:29.560 --> 00:23:30.560 I wish I could have been there. 00:23:31.320 --> 00:23:33.759 And even if I couldn't have fought him 00:23:33.759 --> 00:23:36.080 away, like, I wish that I at least could 00:23:36.080 --> 00:23:38.340 have taken the rape in my flesh, that it 00:23:38.339 --> 00:23:39.639 would have been me and not my friend. 00:23:40.000 --> 00:23:41.319 I was so frustrated. 00:23:42.099 --> 00:23:45.279 As I prayed, I remembered one of the 00:23:45.279 --> 00:23:48.199 names of God, Emmanuel, God with us. 00:23:48.579 --> 00:23:49.839 And you'd think that'd be comforting, 00:23:49.980 --> 00:23:51.299 but actually in this context, it was 00:23:51.299 --> 00:23:51.839 not comforting. 00:23:52.299 --> 00:23:53.740 My prayers turned even more 00:23:53.740 --> 00:23:55.339 confrontational. 00:23:55.539 --> 00:23:57.119 God, you're with us. 00:23:57.279 --> 00:23:57.879 You're with me. 00:23:57.980 --> 00:23:58.679 You were with her. 00:23:58.859 --> 00:23:59.519 You were there. 00:24:00.000 --> 00:24:01.419 What on earth were you doing? 00:24:02.220 --> 00:24:03.480 Like, what on earth were you doing 00:24:03.480 --> 00:24:04.839 that you would be there and this would 00:24:04.839 --> 00:24:05.500 still happen? 00:24:05.500 --> 00:24:08.339 Psalm 88, confrontational prayer. 00:24:09.460 --> 00:24:12.339 And then in God's mercy, he brought me 00:24:12.339 --> 00:24:15.140 to Isaiah 53, which says, by his wounds, 00:24:15.579 --> 00:24:16.319 we are healed. 00:24:17.319 --> 00:24:19.359 And that day in my bedroom, my view of 00:24:19.359 --> 00:24:20.579 the cross expanded. 00:24:21.440 --> 00:24:23.240 My view of what Jesus did on the cross 00:24:23.240 --> 00:24:24.700 became more complete. 00:24:25.480 --> 00:24:27.240 You and I both know that on the cross, 00:24:27.319 --> 00:24:29.200 Jesus took the punishment for our sins. 00:24:29.799 --> 00:24:31.660 But Jesus did more than that on the cross. 00:24:31.660 --> 00:24:34.080 He took our woundedness in his flesh. 00:24:35.259 --> 00:24:38.100 What I came to see that day is that 00:24:38.100 --> 00:24:41.340 that Jesus did for my friend what I had 00:24:41.340 --> 00:24:42.440 wished I could have done. 00:24:42.820 --> 00:24:45.000 That he took her woundedness. 00:24:45.060 --> 00:24:46.779 He took the rape in his flesh. 00:24:48.220 --> 00:24:50.840 And that doesn't mean that my friend 00:24:50.840 --> 00:24:51.560 wasn't hurt. 00:24:52.540 --> 00:24:53.440 My friend was hurt. 00:24:53.900 --> 00:24:55.380 But Jesus took that hurt in himself, 00:24:55.580 --> 00:24:58.660 which means that darkness no longer has 00:24:58.660 --> 00:24:59.340 the final word. 00:24:59.880 --> 00:25:01.440 That woundedness no longer has 00:25:01.440 --> 00:25:01.880 the final word. 00:25:01.960 --> 00:25:03.300 That our brokenness no longer has 00:25:03.300 --> 00:25:03.840 the final word. 00:25:03.960 --> 00:25:05.820 Because Jesus has taken it, 00:25:06.040 --> 00:25:07.840 and he's overcome it on the cross, 00:25:08.100 --> 00:25:10.300 in his death, and in his resurrection. 00:25:11.480 --> 00:25:13.180 And so you and I can have the confidence, 00:25:13.440 --> 00:25:15.340 as a result, that when we're going 00:25:15.340 --> 00:25:16.900 through broken times, and we're going 00:25:16.900 --> 00:25:19.380 through darkness, that Jesus has 00:25:19.380 --> 00:25:21.720 actually taken it, that he's with us, 00:25:21.720 --> 00:25:22.759 and he's overcome it. 00:25:23.640 --> 00:25:26.079 When it says that his name is Emmanuel, 00:25:26.160 --> 00:25:27.400 God with us, it doesn't mean like 00:25:27.400 --> 00:25:28.400 when someone's talking to you, 00:25:28.720 --> 00:25:30.839 and you're talking to someone, 00:25:31.039 --> 00:25:32.339 and they say, I'm with you. 00:25:32.400 --> 00:25:33.400 It means that they understand 00:25:33.400 --> 00:25:34.079 what you're saying. 00:25:34.359 --> 00:25:35.539 Maybe they have sympathy for what 00:25:35.539 --> 00:25:35.980 you're saying. 00:25:36.579 --> 00:25:38.140 When the scriptures tell us that 00:25:38.140 --> 00:25:39.660 God is with us, it doesn't just mean 00:25:39.660 --> 00:25:41.400 that he understands, or that he gets it, 00:25:41.440 --> 00:25:42.200 or that he has sympathy. 00:25:42.480 --> 00:25:43.700 It means he's with us. 00:25:44.019 --> 00:25:46.299 That he's in the chaos, and the darkness, 00:25:46.299 --> 00:25:47.980 and the madness with us. 00:25:48.440 --> 00:25:50.500 And so we can have the freedom to pray 00:25:50.500 --> 00:25:52.079 these very raw prayers. 00:25:52.680 --> 00:25:54.059 And our prayers don't always need 00:25:54.059 --> 00:25:56.059 to end happy-clappy, like a lot 00:25:56.059 --> 00:25:56.720 of prayers do. 00:25:56.880 --> 00:25:58.380 They can actually end even with 00:25:58.380 --> 00:26:00.859 the word darkness, as Psalm 88 does. 00:26:01.160 --> 00:26:02.480 But we can have the confidence 00:26:02.480 --> 00:26:04.819 that Haman had, that God is the God 00:26:04.819 --> 00:26:06.619 of our salvation, and that he's with us 00:26:06.619 --> 00:26:07.180 in the chaos. 00:26:07.339 --> 00:26:09.039 Because of the death and resurrection 00:26:09.039 --> 00:26:11.599 of Jesus, nothing, nothing can 00:26:11.599 --> 00:26:12.519 separate us from God. 00:26:13.359 --> 00:26:14.259 We can have that confidence. 00:26:14.519 --> 00:26:16.259 And you'll find that as you cry out 00:26:16.259 --> 00:26:18.140 to God, that like diggory, it doesn't 00:26:18.140 --> 00:26:19.200 mean that darkness will disappear 00:26:19.200 --> 00:26:20.460 right away, but that you will 00:26:20.460 --> 00:26:22.059 encounter the tears of God. 00:26:22.420 --> 00:26:23.940 You may not be able to feel it right 00:26:23.940 --> 00:26:26.319 away, but that God's with you in it. 00:26:26.819 --> 00:26:27.880 And that's an objective truth. 00:26:29.299 --> 00:26:30.799 I was sitting there with my friend 00:26:30.799 --> 00:26:32.200 at the coffee shop, and we wrestled 00:26:32.200 --> 00:26:34.059 through these truths from Psalm 88. 00:26:34.819 --> 00:26:38.200 And as we wrapped up, I got to have 00:26:38.200 --> 00:26:40.019 the privilege of hearing my friend, 00:26:40.120 --> 00:26:41.640 my neighbor, pray for the first time 00:26:41.640 --> 00:26:43.120 in a whole bunch of months, maybe 00:26:43.120 --> 00:26:44.000 even a few years. 00:26:44.779 --> 00:26:46.720 It was a real, it was a raw, it was 00:26:46.720 --> 00:26:47.740 an uncomfortable prayer. 00:26:47.740 --> 00:26:50.299 But it was grounded on the reality 00:26:50.299 --> 00:26:51.799 that God is not easily offended. 00:26:52.460 --> 00:26:53.799 It was grounded on the reality that 00:26:53.799 --> 00:26:55.319 God is the one who's ultimately in 00:26:55.319 --> 00:26:57.000 control, and so he brought his pain to 00:26:57.000 --> 00:26:58.740 God, saying, God, you're the one who's 00:26:58.740 --> 00:27:00.000 sovereign, and I'm going through this, 00:27:00.059 --> 00:27:01.519 and I don't understand how if you're 00:27:01.519 --> 00:27:02.960 king and you're good, I can go through 00:27:02.960 --> 00:27:04.339 this, but God, I'm looking to you. 00:27:04.680 --> 00:27:07.339 And in doing so, he was expressing hope 00:27:07.339 --> 00:27:10.019 for reconciliation with God. 00:27:10.500 --> 00:27:11.960 I got to sit there and witness it. 00:27:12.720 --> 00:27:14.380 And he understood that just because he 00:27:14.380 --> 00:27:16.340 is praying that the darkness might 00:27:16.340 --> 00:27:17.980 continue longer than he wants it to, 00:27:18.100 --> 00:27:19.520 but just because he's praying that 00:27:19.520 --> 00:27:20.960 might not change that right away, 00:27:21.060 --> 00:27:22.720 but that's okay. 00:27:23.920 --> 00:27:25.840 But I also got to see in my friend's 00:27:25.840 --> 00:27:28.560 own face and hear in his own words 00:27:28.560 --> 00:27:31.480 that he understood once again that God 00:27:31.480 --> 00:27:33.520 is the God of his salvation, that God 00:27:33.520 --> 00:27:35.880 is with him in it, that he's with us in it, 00:27:36.880 --> 00:27:39.160 that darkness is no longer the final word, 00:27:39.660 --> 00:27:41.440 that the final word is Jesus. 00:27:41.440 --> 00:27:43.820 Jesus, would you stand with me in prayer? 00:27:50.440 --> 00:27:53.660 Heavenly Father, I stand before you right 00:27:53.660 --> 00:27:57.100 now feeling like diggory before the lion, 00:27:57.279 --> 00:27:59.820 saying, can't you, won't you give me 00:27:59.820 --> 00:28:01.820 something to help my friends? 00:28:02.600 --> 00:28:04.580 Lord, would you be with us and our loved 00:28:04.580 --> 00:28:05.880 ones in our darkness? 00:28:07.120 --> 00:28:09.440 Would your presence be with us in a 00:28:09.440 --> 00:28:10.380 tangible way? 00:28:11.779 --> 00:28:13.759 Would you show us that you are God 00:28:13.759 --> 00:28:15.019 who's with us, Emmanuel? 00:28:16.380 --> 00:28:17.880 Lord, would you do more than that? 00:28:18.299 --> 00:28:20.080 Do more than just be with us in our 00:28:20.080 --> 00:28:20.380 darkness. 00:28:20.539 --> 00:28:22.779 Lord, lead us out of the darkness into 00:28:22.779 --> 00:28:25.180 your glorious light, that we might 00:28:25.180 --> 00:28:27.940 again be able to declare your praise 00:28:27.940 --> 00:28:29.220 and your steadfast love. 00:28:29.900 --> 00:28:33.460 We want to know you evermore completely. 00:28:34.460 --> 00:28:36.259 Lord, would you help those of us who 00:28:36.259 --> 00:28:38.320 have conversations we need to have with you 00:28:38.319 --> 00:28:40.679 and share prayers and parts of our lives 00:28:40.679 --> 00:28:42.539 with you that we are, that we're 00:28:42.539 --> 00:28:43.879 shying away from because it's 00:28:43.879 --> 00:28:45.519 uncomfortable, because we're afraid 00:28:45.519 --> 00:28:46.919 those prayers might come out angry. 00:28:47.419 --> 00:28:50.579 Help us to go there with you, being 00:28:50.579 --> 00:28:53.179 real, being honest with you, because you 00:28:53.179 --> 00:28:54.139 are in control. 00:28:54.720 --> 00:28:55.619 You are sovereign. 00:28:56.139 --> 00:28:58.000 You are the God of our salvation. 00:28:58.619 --> 00:29:00.359 In Jesus' name, amen. 00:29:00.359 --> 00:29:00.480 Amen. 00:29:00.480 --> 00:29:00.579 Amen. 00:29:00.579 --> 00:29:00.599 Amen. 00:29:00.599 --> 00:29:00.639 Amen. 00:29:00.639 --> 00:29:00.679 Amen. 00:29:00.679 --> 00:29:00.700 Amen. 00:29:00.700 --> 00:29:00.759 Amen. 00:29:00.759 --> 00:29:02.639 Amen. 00:29:02.639 --> 00:29:04.639 Amen. 00:29:04.639 --> 00:29:04.700 Amen. 00:29:04.700 --> 00:29:04.759 Amen. 00:29:04.759 --> 00:29:04.779 Amen.