WEBVTT

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 It was on the 25th of January 1736.

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 John Wesley, the founder of what came to be known as the Methodist movement,

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 wrote this in his diary.

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 This was the most glorious day that I have yet seen.

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 It's quite a thing to say.

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 Particularly from somebody who saw quite a lot of things in his lifetime in his ministry.

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 What was it that was so glorious about that particular day that he saw?

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 Well, let me tell you what it wasn't.

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 Nobody, in at least the context of what he was commenting on in his diary,

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 became a Christian that day, as far as we're aware.

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 It wasn't any kind of miraculous healings that took place.

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 No bringing anybody back from the dead or anything like that.

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 And yet, Wesley said that this was the most glorious day that he had seen yet.

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 Well, it was a storm.

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 In fact, it was the third storm in the middle of the Atlantic that Wesley had experienced.

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 You know, if we ever get nervous or fearful about travelling,

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 we need to rewind a couple of hundred years

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 and think what it was actually like for that generation of people.

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 Wesley and many others set sail from Gravesend to Georgia in the autumn of 1735.

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 It took them several months.

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 It wasn't until February that they actually made it right the way across the Atlantic.

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 And the journey was fraught with storm.

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 Remember, they didn't have any of the communications to get help

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 or anything that we would have today.

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 And it was on the second of the storms that Wesley was actually out on deck

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 and the storm was so violent that he was swept right off his feet.

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 So you can imagine by the time they had the third dose of this,

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 they were all absolutely terrified,

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 particularly when on this particular third occasion,

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 the wind actually completely ripped the sails in half.

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 And so everybody was in chaos, except not everybody was panicking.

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 Because as Wesley made his way across the boat,

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 he noticed that all the English people that he was with were panicking,

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 they were crying and screaming.

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 Understandably, they thought they were going to die.

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 But then he came across a group of Moravian Christians,

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 men, women and children.

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 And there, in the midst of the storm,

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 they were singing Christian songs and smiling.

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 And throughout the journey,

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 Wesley had noticed that there was something about these people

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 that was different.

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 They seemed surprisingly differently calm.

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 They were outstandingly kind and generous

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 and compassionate in their everyday actions.

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 And so in the middle of that storm,

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 as Wesley saw the way that they reacted to it,

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 he knew that he wanted what they had.

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 Fear is a part of life.

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 Let's not pretend it's not.

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 Every single one of us is afraid of something or other,

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 whether it's heights we saw at the beginning,

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 whatever it may happen to be.

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 Something will make each of us fearful,

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 part of our humanity.

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 And probably we'd be in trouble

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 if we didn't have some sense of fear in us.

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 But as we move towards the end of this series

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 where we're thinking about growing older and wiser,

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 in other words, what it is to grow more mature spiritually,

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 what we see in the story that I've just shared

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 is a story that actually seems to repeat itself

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 time and time again throughout history,

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 where people discover that

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 although they may still feel afraid about different things,

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 whether it's a storm or whatever,

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 faith makes a difference in the way that fear

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 is handled and processed and reacted to.

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 In some parts of the world,

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 they have a way of training and conditioning elephants.

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 And what they do is they take a chain,

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 a very strong chain,

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 and they put one end of the chain

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 around a very strong tree

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 and the other end around one of the elephant's feet.

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 And then they put some fruit

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 near to the elephant

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 but just outside of the elephant's reach.

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 And the elephant sees and smells the fruit

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 and as it does so,

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 it tries to get near to it.

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 It tugs on this train,

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 on this chain.

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 It pulls away.

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 But after a few days,

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 it realises that no matter how hard it tries,

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 it's not going to get to the fruit.

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 And so it gives up.

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 It accepts its limitations

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 and has been trained and conditioned accordingly.

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 And when that happens,

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 apparently you can then remove the chain

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 and replace it with a rope.

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 Now, the elephant is strong enough

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 to snap that rope any time it would wish to,

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 but by now it's become trained and conditioned

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 to accept its limitations.

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 So it doesn't try.

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 But apparently there's one exception,

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 and that is if ever fire breaks out

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 near where the elephant is.

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 Because when that happens,

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 then the elephant's fear of fire

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 will instinctively overtake its fear of pain

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 and it will just bolt

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 and the rope will snap.

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 When that happens,

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 apparently you can never ever

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 train or condition that elephant again.

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 And I hold that image before you

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 because I think it's a really helpful one

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 for understanding this relationship

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 between Christian maturity and fear

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 and the way we handle fear.

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 Because when we come to absorb

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 a sense of healthy respect for God,

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 when we understand his presence,

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 when we understand his lordship,

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 when we understand his power

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 and his authority over all other things,

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 it puts other things into perspective.

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 Sure enough, those fears,

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 those concerns may still sort of lurk

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 a little bit around,

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 but they're held in check.

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 They're put in perspective

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 as we encounter the reality of God

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 and his authority and his power in our life.

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 So let's have a look at the psalm

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 that we have before us.

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 And I just want to pick out

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 one little bit of that psalm.

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 And it's verses five and six.

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 For you, O Lord, are my hope,

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 my trust, O Lord, from my youth.

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 Upon you I have leaned from my birth.

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 It was you who took me from my mother's womb.

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 I think there's something really,

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 really intriguing and really important there

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 that the psalmist makes reference

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 to being born.

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 I've never stopped and thought about that.

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 You know, I doubt we remember it.

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 But every single one of us was born.

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 And according to our Christian faith,

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 we're not just here by random fluke.

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 We're here by design, by God's design.

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 But it was his desire

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 that we be brought into this world.

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 And we can say more than that.

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 Our existence doesn't just have to do

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 with God's desire

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 whenever it was when we were born.

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 It has to do with God's desire every day.

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 As long as you are in this world,

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 you're in this world

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 because God desires you to be in this world.

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 Your existence is part of God's plan and purpose.

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 Now, we might not always understand that.

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 There will be times when we'll find that

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 very, very difficult to make sense of

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 when things are getting difficult.

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 But the psalmist here is calling us to,

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 when times are tough, to reflect on that,

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 to remember that you're not here by accident

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 or by random chance,

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 that you're here by God's design.

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 And so he's brought you this far.

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 He continues to sustain you right now.

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 And whatever may fear you about what lies ahead,

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 know this, you are here now

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 by virtue of the reality that God,

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 God, the author, not just of you,

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 but of the whole universe,

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 desires you to be here.

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 But then the psalmist takes that even further

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 because he says,

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 I have relied upon you.

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 Or as I think it's a better translation,

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 the NRSV,

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 it says,

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 I leaned upon you.

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 That he puts this image of how from his youth

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 he had learned gradually to lean on God.

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 Now, we all lean on something.

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 Whether we are Christians or not,

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 whether we believe in God or not,

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 everybody leans on something.

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 You know, occasionally people will pull out this criticism

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 and say, you know,

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 Christianity is just a crutch for weak people.

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 Well, of course it is,

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 because everyone's weak

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 and everyone leans on something.

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 It's just that we don't always recognise

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 that we're leaning on something.

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 But look into any human life.

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 Sooner or later,

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 you will realise that every human being in history

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 leans on something for strength and for support.

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 The question is,

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 is that thing that we lean on a reliable source?

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 Probably most of the time,

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 we're not even conscious of what we choose

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 to actually rely on,

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 what we lean on,

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 what we lean into,

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 particularly when we're feeling afraid of things.

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 There's a verse in Proverbs 3

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 that says,

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 Trust in the Lord with all your heart

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 and lean not on your own understanding.

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 Don't lean on your own understanding.

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 And this is where I think it's very subtle.

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 We probably, an awful lot of the time,

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 don't recognise

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 how much we actually do lean

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 on our own understanding.

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 Let me tell you a story.

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 I think we can probably all,

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 probably this will resonate with all of us

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 to some extent.

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 There's a story about a guy who was

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 not a Christian,

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 but he had a lot of friends who were.

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 And he found that he was always

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 getting into conversation

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 and discussion with them

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 about Christian faith.

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 Weeks went on, months went on,

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 when they were gradually, gradually

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 challenging him

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 as he found that the questions

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 that he was asking

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 about why they believe in God

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 they actually seemed to be able

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 to put forward, to his surprise,

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 some pretty plausible answers.

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 And he was gradually, gradually, gradually

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 beginning to think

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 maybe there's something in this.

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 And so they were starting

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 to challenge him more and more

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 and say,

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 why don't you do something about this?

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 Why don't you just take a step of faith?

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 Why don't you just try,

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 just try God.

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 Come along to church with us

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 sometime if you like.

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 That's not what it's about,

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 but try and see.

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 Just give it a go.

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 Just say a prayer

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 and give God a chance.

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 Why don't you try it?

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 Well, this guy was climbing up

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 the career ladder gradually

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 and he happened to apply for a job

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 that he desperately wanted.

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 It was a big job.

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 It was a very, very important job

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 and one that he'd been after

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 for a long time.

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 And he was invited for interview.

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 So the morning came

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 where he was ready to go

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 for his interview.

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 He drove, he left early,

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 but he knew that parking

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 was going to be a challenge.

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 And as he drove

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 into the multi-storey car park,

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 and that was the only option

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 that he had for parking

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 for the purposes of this interview,

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 he looked at his watch

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 and he realised that he was beginning

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 to cut it rather fine.

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 And as he began to drive

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 around the car park,

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 which was beginning to fill up,

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 he was feeling really rather anxious.

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 And so he began to think

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 about some of the conversations

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 he'd had with his friends

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 about prayer.

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 And he did something

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 which I don't know

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 whether any of us

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 are going to own up to.

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 I will own up to, okay?

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 He prayed what I would call

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 a parking space prayer.

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 Has anyone done that?

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 I do it all the time.

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 And I'm not going to try

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 and be all pious and holy with you

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 and say,

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 I only do it when I'm working,

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 I'm visiting somebody in hospital.

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 I don't!

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 I do it all the time.

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 The reason I think it's okay to do that

00:13:21.560 --> 00:13:23.019
 is because I think God's interested

00:13:23.019 --> 00:13:23.960
 in every area of our life.

00:13:24.019 --> 00:13:24.820
 So long as that's not

00:13:24.820 --> 00:13:25.940
 the only kind of prayer

00:13:25.940 --> 00:13:27.240
 or the main type of prayer

00:13:27.240 --> 00:13:28.399
 that we pray,

00:13:28.700 --> 00:13:29.759
 I think that's okay.

00:13:30.000 --> 00:13:31.000
 Because life is an ongoing

00:13:31.000 --> 00:13:32.120
 conversation with God.

00:13:32.200 --> 00:13:32.840
 He's there in everything.

00:13:33.039 --> 00:13:33.360
 So I...

00:13:33.360 --> 00:13:35.460
 Anyway, this was the first time

00:13:35.460 --> 00:13:36.360
 that he'd done it.

00:13:36.800 --> 00:13:37.900
 And he found himself

00:13:37.900 --> 00:13:39.280
 clutching this wheel

00:13:39.280 --> 00:13:41.180
 with very, very sweaty palms,

00:13:41.560 --> 00:13:43.360
 knowing that you only have minutes to go

00:13:43.360 --> 00:13:45.320
 before this job interview.

00:13:45.840 --> 00:13:48.040
 And he prayed out loud

00:13:48.040 --> 00:13:48.440
 because he thought,

00:13:48.519 --> 00:13:48.780
 that's safe,

00:13:48.820 --> 00:13:49.660
 there's no one else in the car

00:13:49.660 --> 00:13:50.620
 and the windows all wound up.

00:13:51.180 --> 00:13:51.560
 God,

00:13:51.920 --> 00:13:53.780
 I don't know if you're there or not,

00:13:53.779 --> 00:13:56.579
 but if you can just give me

00:13:56.579 --> 00:13:58.459
 this car parking space,

00:13:58.679 --> 00:14:00.459
 which I need,

00:14:01.379 --> 00:14:02.620
 give me this space,

00:14:03.939 --> 00:14:06.679
 then I will become a Christian.

00:14:11.000 --> 00:14:12.259
 It goes round,

00:14:12.539 --> 00:14:14.079
 circles round one more time,

00:14:14.179 --> 00:14:15.319
 there's still nothing there,

00:14:15.339 --> 00:14:16.179
 so he prays even loud,

00:14:16.279 --> 00:14:16.879
 Lord God,

00:14:17.740 --> 00:14:18.579
 if you are Lord,

00:14:18.639 --> 00:14:19.259
 if you are God,

00:14:19.319 --> 00:14:20.059
 if you're real,

00:14:20.980 --> 00:14:22.279
 please hear my prayer,

00:14:22.279 --> 00:14:23.699
 just give me that space

00:14:23.699 --> 00:14:25.679
 and I will completely

00:14:25.679 --> 00:14:27.279
 commit myself to you.

00:14:27.399 --> 00:14:28.639
 The moment he said,

00:14:28.799 --> 00:14:29.179
 Amen,

00:14:29.679 --> 00:14:31.179
 he saw a car,

00:14:32.579 --> 00:14:33.159
 bearing in mind

00:14:33.159 --> 00:14:34.259
 this was early in the morning,

00:14:34.399 --> 00:14:35.259
 he wouldn't expect people

00:14:35.259 --> 00:14:36.120
 to be leaving,

00:14:36.919 --> 00:14:37.759
 he saw a car

00:14:37.759 --> 00:14:39.259
 flash its reversing lights on

00:14:39.259 --> 00:14:41.339
 and it started to back out.

00:14:42.139 --> 00:14:43.399
 Space provided.

00:14:45.459 --> 00:14:46.399
 So he closed his eyes

00:14:46.399 --> 00:14:46.860
 and he said,

00:14:47.620 --> 00:14:48.240
 it's all right,

00:14:48.319 --> 00:14:48.480
 Lord,

00:14:48.519 --> 00:14:49.220
 I've found one.

00:14:49.220 --> 00:14:54.220
 Seriously,

00:14:55.060 --> 00:14:55.800
 do we ever do

00:14:55.800 --> 00:14:56.620
 that sort of thing,

00:14:56.700 --> 00:14:57.800
 that kind of dynamic,

00:14:59.259 --> 00:15:00.100
 where we want God

00:15:00.100 --> 00:15:00.940
 on our terms?

00:15:02.639 --> 00:15:02.820
 Now,

00:15:02.879 --> 00:15:02.980
 well,

00:15:03.019 --> 00:15:03.639
 this sort of thing,

00:15:03.720 --> 00:15:04.600
 these circumstances

00:15:04.600 --> 00:15:05.660
 happened because,

00:15:05.779 --> 00:15:05.920
 well,

00:15:06.000 --> 00:15:07.680
 it was because I did that

00:15:07.680 --> 00:15:10.000
 or because that person

00:15:10.000 --> 00:15:10.560
 did that.

00:15:10.960 --> 00:15:11.820
 There's an explanation

00:15:11.820 --> 00:15:12.580
 behind that.

00:15:12.820 --> 00:15:14.279
 It's not really God

00:15:14.279 --> 00:15:16.600
 involved in my life,

00:15:16.680 --> 00:15:17.000
 surely.

00:15:17.000 --> 00:15:17.100
 Surely.

00:15:17.100 --> 00:15:20.680
 wanting God

00:15:20.680 --> 00:15:22.000
 in our own terms

00:15:22.000 --> 00:15:23.800
 is about

00:15:23.800 --> 00:15:24.420
 leaning

00:15:24.420 --> 00:15:26.340
 on our own

00:15:26.340 --> 00:15:27.440
 understanding,

00:15:27.680 --> 00:15:28.620
 which thousands

00:15:28.620 --> 00:15:29.720
 of years ago,

00:15:30.720 --> 00:15:31.759
 the writer of Proverbs

00:15:31.759 --> 00:15:32.560
 knew

00:15:32.560 --> 00:15:34.120
 was a possibility,

00:15:34.279 --> 00:15:35.080
 that we can choose

00:15:35.080 --> 00:15:36.139
 to lean on our own

00:15:36.139 --> 00:15:36.680
 understanding

00:15:36.680 --> 00:15:37.680
 instead of

00:15:37.680 --> 00:15:39.180
 leaning on God.

00:15:41.019 --> 00:15:42.279
 Listen to this poem.

00:15:42.279 --> 00:15:44.879
 It's about

00:15:44.879 --> 00:15:47.379
 leaning on our own

00:15:47.379 --> 00:15:47.959
 understanding

00:15:47.959 --> 00:15:48.699
 and having God

00:15:48.699 --> 00:15:49.519
 on our own terms.

00:15:49.980 --> 00:15:51.000
 I would like to buy

00:15:51.000 --> 00:15:52.100
 three dollars worth

00:15:52.100 --> 00:15:52.659
 of God,

00:15:53.819 --> 00:15:54.339
 please.

00:15:55.740 --> 00:15:56.600
 Not enough to

00:15:56.600 --> 00:15:57.819
 explode my soul

00:15:57.819 --> 00:15:59.639
 or disturb my sleep,

00:16:00.639 --> 00:16:01.980
 but just enough

00:16:01.980 --> 00:16:03.339
 to equal a cup

00:16:03.339 --> 00:16:04.220
 of warm milk

00:16:04.220 --> 00:16:05.339
 or a snooze

00:16:05.339 --> 00:16:06.039
 in the sunshine.

00:16:06.039 --> 00:16:09.379
 I want ecstasy,

00:16:09.480 --> 00:16:10.379
 not transformation.

00:16:11.759 --> 00:16:12.919
 I want the warmth

00:16:12.919 --> 00:16:13.759
 of the womb,

00:16:13.919 --> 00:16:15.219
 not a new birth.

00:16:16.519 --> 00:16:17.639
 I want a pound

00:16:17.639 --> 00:16:18.500
 of the eternal

00:16:18.500 --> 00:16:19.699
 in a paper sack.

00:16:21.219 --> 00:16:22.559
 I would like to buy

00:16:22.559 --> 00:16:23.899
 three dollars worth

00:16:23.899 --> 00:16:24.379
 of God,

00:16:24.659 --> 00:16:25.000
 please.

00:16:27.719 --> 00:16:29.419
 To lean on God

00:16:29.419 --> 00:16:31.639
 rather than our

00:16:31.639 --> 00:16:32.179
 understanding

00:16:32.179 --> 00:16:33.179
 is about vulnerability.

00:16:33.179 --> 00:16:33.379
 vulnerability.

00:16:34.579 --> 00:16:35.079
 I'm not going to

00:16:35.079 --> 00:16:36.039
 pretend that's easy,

00:16:36.839 --> 00:16:38.019
 but the psalmist

00:16:38.019 --> 00:16:39.039
 knew that

00:16:39.039 --> 00:16:40.179
 when the psalmist

00:16:40.179 --> 00:16:41.120
 described

00:16:41.120 --> 00:16:42.699
 God as the one

00:16:42.699 --> 00:16:43.959
 that we can lean on

00:16:43.959 --> 00:16:44.699
 like a rock,

00:16:44.839 --> 00:16:45.939
 like a fortress.

00:16:47.179 --> 00:16:48.299
 But that involves

00:16:48.299 --> 00:16:49.099
 being willing

00:16:49.099 --> 00:16:51.000
 to lean

00:16:51.000 --> 00:16:52.659
 and to trust

00:16:52.659 --> 00:16:54.339
 when we're

00:16:54.339 --> 00:16:55.079
 feeling afraid.

00:16:58.120 --> 00:16:59.120
 A boy was in

00:16:59.120 --> 00:16:59.919
 a burning building.

00:17:00.099 --> 00:17:00.859
 He was terrified.

00:17:01.459 --> 00:17:02.120
 Everybody else

00:17:02.120 --> 00:17:02.699
 had escaped,

00:17:02.700 --> 00:17:03.420
 but he was there

00:17:03.420 --> 00:17:04.039
 standing on the

00:17:04.039 --> 00:17:04.660
 window ledge.

00:17:05.700 --> 00:17:06.319
 He was quite

00:17:06.319 --> 00:17:07.920
 some way up

00:17:07.920 --> 00:17:08.819
 in this building

00:17:08.819 --> 00:17:10.279
 and he was terrified

00:17:10.279 --> 00:17:11.640
 about how he was

00:17:11.640 --> 00:17:12.160
 going to get out

00:17:12.160 --> 00:17:12.680
 of this house.

00:17:12.799 --> 00:17:13.279
 There was smoke

00:17:13.279 --> 00:17:14.080
 everywhere and then

00:17:14.080 --> 00:17:14.640
 through the smoke

00:17:14.640 --> 00:17:15.620
 he heard his

00:17:15.620 --> 00:17:16.400
 father's voice

00:17:16.400 --> 00:17:17.279
 shout out to him,

00:17:17.360 --> 00:17:17.920
 just jump,

00:17:18.279 --> 00:17:18.620
 jump.

00:17:21.059 --> 00:17:21.539
 Understandably

00:17:21.539 --> 00:17:22.360
 he didn't want to

00:17:22.360 --> 00:17:23.559
 and he shouted out

00:17:23.559 --> 00:17:24.799
 to his dad,

00:17:25.220 --> 00:17:27.380
 I can't see you.

00:17:29.180 --> 00:17:30.299
 His dad shouted

00:17:30.299 --> 00:17:30.680
 back,

00:17:30.680 --> 00:17:31.000
 no,

00:17:32.000 --> 00:17:33.660
 but I can see you

00:17:33.660 --> 00:17:35.539
 and that's all

00:17:35.539 --> 00:17:36.160
 that matters.

00:17:39.940 --> 00:17:40.880
 Sometimes we can be

00:17:40.880 --> 00:17:41.799
 in those situations

00:17:41.799 --> 00:17:43.980
 where all we can do

00:17:43.980 --> 00:17:44.539
 is trust.

00:17:46.080 --> 00:17:46.740
 I'm not saying

00:17:46.740 --> 00:17:47.820
 for a moment

00:17:47.820 --> 00:17:48.799
 those are situations

00:17:48.799 --> 00:17:51.180
 where we desire

00:17:51.180 --> 00:17:51.620
 to be

00:17:51.620 --> 00:17:52.180
 or we should

00:17:52.180 --> 00:17:53.060
 seek out

00:17:53.060 --> 00:17:53.420
 or we should,

00:17:54.500 --> 00:17:54.920
 but sometimes

00:17:54.920 --> 00:17:55.480
 they happen.

00:17:55.480 --> 00:17:58.220
 but God

00:17:58.220 --> 00:17:58.920
 does

00:17:58.920 --> 00:17:59.940
 call us

00:17:59.940 --> 00:18:01.059
 to seek out

00:18:01.059 --> 00:18:03.319
 opportunities

00:18:03.319 --> 00:18:03.980
 to trust.

00:18:03.980 --> 00:18:05.380
 and our

00:18:05.380 --> 00:18:06.120
 temptation

00:18:06.779 --> 00:18:07.339
 to get

00:18:07.559 --> 00:18:08.000
 to

00:18:22.000 --> 00:18:22.220
 hope