WEBVTT

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 Good morning.

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 My name is Matthew Capone, and I'm the pastor here at Cheyenne Mountain Presbyterian Church,

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 and it's my joy to bring God's word to you today.

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 If you are new or visiting with us, welcome.

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 We're glad that you're here.

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 And we're glad that you're here not because we are trying to fill seats,

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 but because we are following Jesus together as one community.

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 And as we follow Jesus together, we've become convinced that there's no one so good that they don't need God's grace,

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 and no one so bad that they can't have it.

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 Which means that when we come to look at God's word, which is what we're about to do,

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 we're convinced that God has something to say to everyone.

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 He has something to say to people who have been Christians their entire lives.

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 He has something to say to people who have been Christians for a short amount of time,

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 and maybe even people who would not consider themselves Christians,

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 who have doubts and questions and objections about Christianity.

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 God speaks to all of those things in his word, and so that's why we come to it together.

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 If you have been with us, you know that we're going through the book of Psalms,

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 and I've been telling you a variety of things about the book of Psalms.

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 One of the things I've told you every time is that it's the hymn book and the prayer book of the people of God in the Old Testament,

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 and so it was a guide for how to worship God,

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 and it's continued to be used by people in the New Testament because, of course, it's still relevant and helpful for us,

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 as everything in the Old Testament is.

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 And I've also told you it's hard to talk about the Psalms because there's not just one thing that I could say that would sum it all up.

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 It would be as if you took out a hymnal and said,

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 I want you to summarize this hymnal for me.

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 Well, it's full of songs, right?

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 And those songs talk about all sorts of different things.

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 And so what I'm going to do each week is tell you something,

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 a different kind of angle or facet of the diamond of the Psalms.

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 So last week I told you that the Psalms are poetry, and as poetry they make complicated things simple.

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 And that's what we looked at with Psalm 2.

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 To understand another element of the Psalms, I'm going to tell you a story.

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 So many of you know that I grew up on the East Coast right outside Washington, D.C.,

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 and I happened to be born to a mother who had a passion and a love for art history and art appreciation.

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 In fact, she loved art history and art appreciation so much, I'm going to brag on her a little bit,

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 that she was recruited at one point.

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 I grew up right outside Washington, D.C.

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 She was recruited at one point to be a docent for the National Art Gallery in Washington, D.C.,

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 to be a volunteer who's trained over several years that would give tours and explain to people

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 the complexities and the love and the joy that comes from looking at famous artworks.

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 Now, it didn't work out at that time.

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 It wasn't the right time in our lives, and so that ultimately didn't happen.

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 But the point is that I went many, many times to the art gallery, sometimes willingly, sometimes unwillingly.

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 I have good memories.

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 I also have memories of having some meltdowns, times where I'd been looking at paintings for too long.

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 But it gave me a love and an appreciation and an eye as well to kind of walk into various art museums

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 and have some idea of what I'm looking at and what's going on.

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 And if you're someone who loves art and you know about art galleries, you know that when you go in,

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 there are some art galleries that are more important than others.

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 And you can tell the caliber of an art gallery by the value and the caliber of the paintings in it.

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 So if you're in an art gallery and there's a Leonardo da Vinci, you know this is a serious art gallery.

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 And size matters as well.

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 So in the National Gallery in D.C., they only have a small Leonardo da Vinci.

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 But if you go to the art museum in Paris, they have the Mona Lisa.

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 And so there's different gradations of value and relevance.

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 Now, if you don't know a lot about art but you know just a little bit,

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 you're probably familiar with a lot of Impressionist painters.

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 And there's one painter you'll probably recognize, and that's Monet.

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 Monet.

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 And Monet is famous for covering the same theme over and over again.

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 He's famous for painting water lilies in different shades and different colors.

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 In fact, it's estimated there are about 250 different paintings of water lilies.

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 He also decided at one point that he was going to paint this one specific cathedral in France,

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 and there are about 30 paintings of that cathedral.

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 Different times of day, different shades, different variations.

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 And if you go to a new art gallery, you're going to want to make sure you see the hits.

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 So when I moved to St. Louis, Missouri for seminary, there's a St. Louis art gallery, and it's free.

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 So, of course, I went multiple times, being trained well by my mother.

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 And in it, there's a Monet.

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 And you know what I didn't think?

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 I didn't think, man, I've seen the water lilies before.

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 That's so boring.

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 I'm going to make sure I don't visit that room in the art gallery.

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 No, I'm at the art gallery.

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 I want to see the highlights.

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 I want to see the greatest parts of the collection.

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 And the Monet in the St. Louis art gallery is almost 14 feet long.

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 And so, of course, that's one of the things I'm going to make sure I see over and over again.

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 And if I go to any other art gallery that I've never been to before,

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 I'm going to make sure I go and I look at the Monet.

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 Even if it's water lilies that I've seen before.

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 And so, no one in their right mind would say, I've seen this before.

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 I know this.

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 I'm just bored by it.

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 There's nothing new for me to see.

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 In fact, it's the repetition that partially makes this fascinating.

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 People will work to bring these collections together

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 so that you can look at this same cathedral over and over in different variations of different shades.

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 And so, I tell you this long story to say this.

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 The Psalms, if we want to understand them,

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 we have to know that they're a lot like paintings by Monet.

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 They will focus on the same themes over and over again,

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 but with different shades and different colors.

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 And so, one of those themes that we're going to see,

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 in fact, the theme, the shade that shows up more than any other,

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 the water lilies, if you will, of the Psalms are the Psalms of Lament.

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 And these are the Psalms that help us understand

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 how it is that we can have hope in the midst of difficulty.

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 What do we do when we see life's challenges and difficulties?

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 What do we do when we're in situations that feel overwhelming?

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 We looked at the big picture of the Psalms in Psalm 1 and 2.

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 Psalm 2, we saw the King is going to come back.

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 He's going to make everything right.

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 And yet, we're still waiting.

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 And everything is not right yet.

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 And so, as the Psalms give us Psalms of Lament over and over,

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 as they repeat these Psalms over and over,

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 they remind us of the importance of repetition,

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 that the Bible does not exist for us to simply extract

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 some kind of abstract theological truth,

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 but it's meant for us to live in it.

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 It's meant for us to come to it over and over again.

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 It's what we talked about in Psalm 1,

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 that there's a model that we run our hands along over and over

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 that we could learn it.

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 God is not as interested in efficiency as we are.

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 God is not an American.

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 And so, he gives us the same themes over and over.

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 He forces us to see them over and over because that's the way that we learn.

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 It's a slow process.

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 The Psalms sort of model the Christian life for us.

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 So, Psalm 1 and 2, we see the introduction.

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 Psalm 150, we see the end.

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 It ends in praise.

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 And everything between is all the agonies and joys of the Christian life.

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 And many of those are joys, but also many of them are agonies.

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 And so, that's why God provides us over and over again, Psalms of lament.

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 Psalms where the psalmist cries out and says,

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 this is the situation I'm in.

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 It feels overwhelming, and I need your help.

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 And it's interesting because we have the introduction in Psalm 1 and 2,

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 and the very first prayer in the Psalms,

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 because Psalms 1 and 2 are not prayers,

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 the first prayer is Psalm 3, which we're about to come to.

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 The very first prayer,

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 after we've been reminded that there are two ways to live,

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 and after we've been taught that the King is going to come back

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 and make everything right,

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 the first prayer is a prayer of lament.

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 Not a prayer of victory from Psalm 2,

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 but a prayer of crying out to God.

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 And so, it's with that that we're going to turn to Psalm 3.

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 You can follow along with me.

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 It's printed in your worship guide near the end.

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 You can follow along in your Bibles,

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 or you can also follow along on your phones.

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 But I would ask that you read with me,

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 because this is God's Word.

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 And God tells us that His Word is a lamp to our feet,

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 and a light to our path.

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 In other words, God has not left us alone to stumble in the dark,

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 but instead, He's given us His Word to show us the way to go.

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 And so, because of that, we're going to read now,

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 starting at verse 1.

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 O Lord, how many are my foes!

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 Many are rising against me.

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 Many are saying of my soul,

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 there is no salvation for Him in God.

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 Verse 3.

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 But you, O Lord, are a shield about me,

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 my glory and the lifter of my head.

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 I cried aloud to the Lord,

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 and He answered me from His holy hill.

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 Verse 5.

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 I lay down and slept.

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 I woke again, for the Lord sustained me.

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 I will not be afraid of many thousands of people

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 who have set themselves against me all around.

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 Verse 7.

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 Arise, O Lord.

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 Save me, O my God.

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 For you strike all my enemies on the cheek.

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 You break the teeth of the wicked.

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 Salvation belongs to the Lord.

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 Your blessing be on your people.

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 Please pray with me as we come to this portion of God's Word.

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 Dear Father in Heaven, we thank You for Your Word,

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 that You've given it to us.

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 That You know that we face challenging

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 and sometimes overwhelming situations in this life.

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 that as we're surprised by it, You're not.

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 And You have packed our bags.

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 You've given us what we need

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 to face those things when they come.

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 We ask that You would help us this morning,

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 that You would help us to understand

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 and see

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 and to believe and trust

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 everything that You've written for us in this psalm.

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 And we ask these things

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 in the name of our King, Jesus.

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 Amen.

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 When we talked about Psalm 2,

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 the psalm that comes before this,

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 I mentioned that this is a psalm that,

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 first of all,

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 talks about King David.

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 So it looks forward to Jesus,

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 but it is first about King David.

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 That's what the people of the Old Testament would have known.

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 He was the model king, the great king.

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 And there's a superscript to Psalm 3

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 that tells us that this comes from an event

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 in King David's life.

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 He was the greatest king of Israel.

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 He was the model that's pointed to

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 throughout the Old Testament

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 as a man after God's own heart.

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 And yet he was not a man without sin.

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 And he was not a man without difficulty and challenges.

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 And this psalm tells us that it comes

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 at a very specific time in David's life.

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 So David had periods of success

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 at the very beginning of his time as a king.

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 He was able to bring all of Israel under his control.

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 But there was a later time in his life

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 when he faced many troubles.

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 Now these troubles, if you're familiar with the story,

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 know, you know that they start with his affair with Bathsheba.

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 And it was at that point that things in his family

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 start to turn south.

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 And there comes one point where things get so bad

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 that David's son,

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 and this is in 2 Samuel chapters 15 and 16,

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 if you're interested in reading the story later,

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 David's son, who's named Absalom,

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 decides that he's going to revolt

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 and rebel against David.

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 And so he builds this coalition around him

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 of people who are going to join him.

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 He tells them his grievances against David.

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 He builds a group slowly by complaining

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 and talking about how good his kingship is going to be.

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 And then ultimately he revolts.

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 And so David has to, as the king of Israel,

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 leave his own city.

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 He has to flee from Jerusalem.

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 He's fleeing from Jerusalem for his life

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 with just a few people.

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 And rather than praising him when they see him,

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 people in other places curse him.

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 And so while David has been familiar with being chased,

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 remember before he was king,

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 Saul spent plenty of time chasing him.

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 It's now after so much victory

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 that he faces this great challenge,

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 not from some enemy from another country,

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 not from a political rival,

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 but from his own son.

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 And it's with that that he writes Psalm 3,

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 this Psalm of Lament.

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 If you were with us in December,

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 you know we looked at another Psalm of Lament.

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 We looked at Psalm 13,

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 and the flavor, the timbre,

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 the color of that psalm was slightly different.

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 That was a psalm for when we feel

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 that God has forgotten us and abandoned us.

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 And this psalm, Psalm 3,

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 it's not a psalm for when we feel like

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 God has abandoned us or forgotten us.

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 He doesn't say how long, O Lord,

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 like he does in Psalm 13.

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 But instead, it's a psalm

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 for an overwhelming situation,

00:13:07.639 --> 00:13:10.220
 where the psalmist knows

00:13:10.220 --> 00:13:12.600
 that he desperately needs God's intervention.

00:13:15.720 --> 00:13:17.759
 And so this psalm answers for us,

00:13:17.840 --> 00:13:20.440
 how do we function in an emergency?

00:13:22.259 --> 00:13:24.560
 How do we function when life's circumstances

00:13:24.560 --> 00:13:25.419
 are overwhelming

00:13:25.419 --> 00:13:27.580
 and seem to surround us from every side?

00:13:28.539 --> 00:13:30.539
 David tells us that he has many foes

00:13:30.539 --> 00:13:31.779
 that are rising against him.

00:13:31.779 --> 00:13:34.039
 And in verse 6,

00:13:34.240 --> 00:13:36.299
 thousands of people have surrounded him.

00:13:39.740 --> 00:13:42.100
 Psalm 2 tells us that God's going to deliver.

00:13:43.279 --> 00:13:45.659
 Psalm 3, we still wait for that deliverance.

00:13:46.699 --> 00:13:47.959
 Now, I just want to name up front,

00:13:48.059 --> 00:13:48.720
 most of us,

00:13:49.720 --> 00:13:50.779
 hopefully all of us,

00:13:50.839 --> 00:13:52.620
 do not have a son who's trying to kill us.

00:13:52.620 --> 00:14:00.500
 And most and many of the Israelites

00:14:00.500 --> 00:14:03.379
 who sang this song over and over again

00:14:03.379 --> 00:14:04.299
 in the Old Testament

00:14:04.299 --> 00:14:06.899
 did not have a son trying to kill them.

00:14:08.500 --> 00:14:09.759
 At the same time,

00:14:10.080 --> 00:14:11.139
 many Israelites,

00:14:11.960 --> 00:14:13.220
 God's people in the Old Testament,

00:14:13.759 --> 00:14:15.039
 and many Christians,

00:14:15.440 --> 00:14:16.899
 God's people in the New Testament,

00:14:17.220 --> 00:14:19.600
 have come to this psalm over and over again

00:14:19.600 --> 00:14:21.159
 for help and wisdom.

00:14:23.220 --> 00:14:25.860
 Even if we do not have a son trying to kill us,

00:14:25.980 --> 00:14:28.259
 God has given us this psalm as a guide

00:14:28.259 --> 00:14:30.200
 to help us know how to walk

00:14:30.200 --> 00:14:32.420
 when we face those kinds of situations.

00:14:32.600 --> 00:14:33.000
 And so,

00:14:33.159 --> 00:14:34.840
 one of the ways that we use the psalms

00:14:34.840 --> 00:14:35.899
 is we use them as templates.

00:14:37.060 --> 00:14:38.620
 This is a general prayer

00:14:38.620 --> 00:14:41.600
 that we can apply to specific situations.

00:14:41.600 --> 00:14:43.879
 It's a general prayer

00:14:43.879 --> 00:14:46.519
 that we use when we face situations,

00:14:46.899 --> 00:14:48.500
 maybe not as severe as David faced,

00:14:48.580 --> 00:14:49.980
 but situations that are overwhelming

00:14:49.980 --> 00:14:51.580
 where we feel under attack.

00:14:52.180 --> 00:14:54.080
 Maybe we're specifically under attack.

00:14:54.200 --> 00:14:55.659
 This is the kind of prayer that we could use.

00:14:55.740 --> 00:14:57.759
 Maybe you're a Christian of the early reign,

00:14:57.940 --> 00:14:59.519
 Christian Covenant Church in China,

00:15:00.440 --> 00:15:01.580
 and you're under attack.

00:15:01.720 --> 00:15:02.840
 Your leaders are being put in prison.

00:15:04.019 --> 00:15:05.580
 Maybe you've been accused

00:15:05.580 --> 00:15:07.259
 of something falsely at work,

00:15:07.920 --> 00:15:10.460
 and you're afraid you might lose your job

00:15:10.460 --> 00:15:11.680
 over something that's not true.

00:15:13.740 --> 00:15:14.840
 Maybe someone's brought

00:15:14.840 --> 00:15:16.940
 a frivolous lawsuit against you,

00:15:17.540 --> 00:15:20.019
 and you know that it's going to waste

00:15:20.019 --> 00:15:21.840
 enormous amounts of your time and your money.

00:15:23.340 --> 00:15:25.259
 Maybe you've been deployed overseas,

00:15:25.600 --> 00:15:27.920
 and someone is actually trying to kill you,

00:15:28.519 --> 00:15:30.500
 like David faces here.

00:15:31.759 --> 00:15:33.040
 Maybe you're like David,

00:15:33.100 --> 00:15:34.080
 and you have a family member

00:15:34.080 --> 00:15:36.139
 who is actively trying to destroy you.

00:15:36.139 --> 00:15:40.379
 Maybe it's not in your family.

00:15:40.460 --> 00:15:41.439
 Maybe outside of your family,

00:15:41.539 --> 00:15:42.460
 you have a personality

00:15:42.460 --> 00:15:43.679
 who has it out for you.

00:15:44.580 --> 00:15:45.860
 They long to see your end.

00:15:47.699 --> 00:15:49.379
 We can pray this prayer specifically

00:15:49.379 --> 00:15:50.740
 when we face situations

00:15:50.740 --> 00:15:51.960
 that we're under attack.

00:15:52.480 --> 00:15:53.699
 It's general enough, though,

00:15:53.720 --> 00:15:54.559
 if you follow along,

00:15:54.840 --> 00:15:55.620
 that we can apply it

00:15:55.620 --> 00:15:56.439
 to any situation

00:15:56.439 --> 00:15:57.519
 where we need faith

00:15:57.519 --> 00:15:59.840
 in the midst of overwhelming circumstances.

00:16:00.879 --> 00:16:02.519
 So maybe someone isn't attacking you.

00:16:02.519 --> 00:16:03.840
 Maybe you don't have enough money

00:16:03.840 --> 00:16:05.000
 to pay your bills.

00:16:05.920 --> 00:16:07.040
 And you look at Psalm 2,

00:16:07.100 --> 00:16:08.180
 and you say the king's coming back

00:16:08.180 --> 00:16:09.160
 to make everything right,

00:16:09.700 --> 00:16:10.200
 and yet that's not

00:16:10.200 --> 00:16:11.440
 what I'm experiencing right now.

00:16:12.620 --> 00:16:13.800
 Maybe you do have enough money

00:16:13.800 --> 00:16:14.780
 to pay your bills,

00:16:14.879 --> 00:16:16.000
 and you realize that doesn't matter

00:16:16.000 --> 00:16:17.480
 because the problems that you face

00:16:17.480 --> 00:16:18.620
 can't be solved with money.

00:16:22.280 --> 00:16:23.700
 Maybe your job situation

00:16:23.700 --> 00:16:24.780
 is getting worse and worse,

00:16:24.899 --> 00:16:26.820
 and you can't seem to find a way out.

00:16:28.440 --> 00:16:29.540
 Maybe you don't have a job,

00:16:30.480 --> 00:16:31.800
 and it feels like nothing

00:16:31.800 --> 00:16:33.280
 that you do is working.

00:16:34.500 --> 00:16:35.680
 Maybe no one in your family

00:16:35.680 --> 00:16:36.879
 is trying to destroy you,

00:16:37.379 --> 00:16:39.320
 but the needs that you are facing

00:16:39.320 --> 00:16:40.180
 are overwhelming.

00:16:41.060 --> 00:16:42.399
 The needs of your relatives,

00:16:43.180 --> 00:16:44.620
 the needs of your children,

00:16:45.019 --> 00:16:46.320
 it feels like the world

00:16:46.320 --> 00:16:47.740
 is closing in on you.

00:16:51.000 --> 00:16:52.379
 People inside of the church

00:16:52.379 --> 00:16:54.139
 and people outside of the church

00:16:54.139 --> 00:16:55.899
 face overwhelming circumstances.

00:16:57.840 --> 00:16:58.600
 And those of us

00:16:58.600 --> 00:16:59.580
 who are inside of the church

00:16:59.580 --> 00:17:00.220
 and those of us

00:17:00.220 --> 00:17:01.500
 who are outside of the church

00:17:01.500 --> 00:17:03.179
 have ways of dealing

00:17:03.179 --> 00:17:04.539
 with those circumstances,

00:17:04.539 --> 00:17:05.960
 and even for those of us

00:17:05.960 --> 00:17:06.519
 in the church,

00:17:06.640 --> 00:17:08.160
 often our way of dealing with them

00:17:08.160 --> 00:17:09.519
 has nothing to do with God.

00:17:13.920 --> 00:17:15.119
 And so this psalm,

00:17:15.319 --> 00:17:15.799
 Psalm 3,

00:17:15.839 --> 00:17:17.000
 is going to give us a template.

00:17:17.140 --> 00:17:18.400
 It's going to help us understand

00:17:18.400 --> 00:17:20.200
 how it is that we walk.

00:17:21.039 --> 00:17:22.059
 What do we do

00:17:22.059 --> 00:17:23.559
 if we want to have faith

00:17:23.559 --> 00:17:24.779
 and trust in God

00:17:24.779 --> 00:17:26.680
 in the midst of overwhelming circumstances?

00:17:26.680 --> 00:17:31.220
 First, we see in verses 1 and 2,

00:17:32.299 --> 00:17:33.460
 the psalmist just lays it out.

00:17:34.140 --> 00:17:35.259
 He just talks about

00:17:35.259 --> 00:17:36.440
 what is going on.

00:17:36.680 --> 00:17:38.000
 Oh Lord, how many are my foes?

00:17:38.080 --> 00:17:39.259
 Many are rising against me.

00:17:39.779 --> 00:17:41.180
 Many are saying of my soul,

00:17:41.360 --> 00:17:42.900
 there is no salvation for him in God.

00:17:43.720 --> 00:17:44.880
 He is honest about

00:17:44.880 --> 00:17:46.140
 bringing the situation to God.

00:17:47.700 --> 00:17:49.580
 And the psalms remind us

00:17:49.580 --> 00:17:50.640
 that God knows

00:17:50.640 --> 00:17:51.740
 that there are times

00:17:51.740 --> 00:17:53.180
 we're going to face circumstances

00:17:53.180 --> 00:17:54.720
 that feel very overwhelming.

00:17:54.720 --> 00:17:57.819
 God's not surprised by that.

00:17:59.039 --> 00:18:00.460
 He's not alarmed by that.

00:18:01.259 --> 00:18:02.480
 He's so aware of it

00:18:02.480 --> 00:18:04.200
 that he has given us psalms

00:18:04.200 --> 00:18:06.180
 for when those situations come.

00:18:09.000 --> 00:18:10.100
 God also knows

00:18:10.100 --> 00:18:11.000
 that there are times

00:18:11.000 --> 00:18:11.960
 when people will believe

00:18:11.960 --> 00:18:13.600
 that our faith in him is foolish.

00:18:14.460 --> 00:18:15.440
 That's what we see in verse 2.

00:18:15.519 --> 00:18:16.559
 Many are saying of my soul,

00:18:17.120 --> 00:18:18.660
 there is no salvation for him in God.

00:18:19.559 --> 00:18:21.180
 And perhaps, if we're honest,

00:18:21.360 --> 00:18:22.680
 at times we are tempted

00:18:22.680 --> 00:18:24.079
 to believe that our faith in God

00:18:24.079 --> 00:18:24.839
 is foolish.

00:18:26.679 --> 00:18:28.179
 And yet the psalmist refuses

00:18:28.179 --> 00:18:29.799
 fear on the one hand

00:18:29.799 --> 00:18:31.339
 and self-reliance on the other.

00:18:31.939 --> 00:18:32.559
 And instead,

00:18:32.740 --> 00:18:33.519
 he comes to God

00:18:33.519 --> 00:18:34.899
 in overwhelming circumstances.

00:18:37.659 --> 00:18:38.740
 And so what do we do

00:18:38.740 --> 00:18:39.480
 when we're facing

00:18:39.480 --> 00:18:40.519
 overwhelming circumstances

00:18:40.519 --> 00:18:41.279
 and we want

00:18:41.279 --> 00:18:43.039
 to face them with faith in God?

00:18:43.099 --> 00:18:44.099
 The first thing is simple.

00:18:44.159 --> 00:18:45.319
 We just come to God.

00:18:47.079 --> 00:18:48.379
 We don't stop talking.

00:18:48.380 --> 00:18:50.040
 We start talking.

00:18:53.200 --> 00:18:54.200
 We tell God

00:18:54.200 --> 00:18:55.520
 the situation that we're in.

00:18:55.600 --> 00:18:56.560
 We don't shut down,

00:18:57.300 --> 00:18:59.820
 but instead we talk to him.

00:19:00.380 --> 00:19:01.240
 We tell him

00:19:01.240 --> 00:19:01.980
 what's on our hearts,

00:19:02.040 --> 00:19:03.280
 what's going on in our lives.

00:19:03.279 --> 00:19:09.279
 Now this may sound too simple.

00:19:10.440 --> 00:19:10.579
 Right?

00:19:10.619 --> 00:19:11.240
 We're facing,

00:19:11.660 --> 00:19:12.519
 David's facing someone

00:19:12.519 --> 00:19:13.259
 trying to kill him.

00:19:13.339 --> 00:19:14.240
 Maybe you're facing someone

00:19:14.240 --> 00:19:15.180
 trying to destroy you

00:19:15.180 --> 00:19:16.339
 and the pastor has just told you.

00:19:16.980 --> 00:19:18.180
 The first thing I want you to do

00:19:18.180 --> 00:19:18.980
 is just tell God

00:19:18.980 --> 00:19:19.700
 what's going on.

00:19:22.379 --> 00:19:23.079
 Maybe you think,

00:19:23.180 --> 00:19:24.059
 that is so little

00:19:24.059 --> 00:19:25.000
 compared to the challenges

00:19:25.000 --> 00:19:25.519
 that I'm facing.

00:19:25.599 --> 00:19:27.059
 It has almost nothing

00:19:27.059 --> 00:19:28.660
 to do with what I need

00:19:28.660 --> 00:19:29.180
 to get done.

00:19:29.180 --> 00:19:32.060
 And if that's what you're thinking,

00:19:32.140 --> 00:19:33.120
 I want you to think about this.

00:19:34.279 --> 00:19:35.440
 This sounds too simple.

00:19:36.380 --> 00:19:37.440
 I recently spoke

00:19:37.440 --> 00:19:38.180
 with a friend of mine

00:19:38.180 --> 00:19:38.799
 and this friend

00:19:38.799 --> 00:19:40.620
 is currently actively involved

00:19:40.620 --> 00:19:42.100
 in a recovery program

00:19:42.100 --> 00:19:43.000
 for an addiction

00:19:43.000 --> 00:19:43.840
 that he's been facing.

00:19:44.560 --> 00:19:45.460
 And as I talked to him,

00:19:45.539 --> 00:19:46.259
 he was sharing

00:19:46.259 --> 00:19:46.779
 some of the things

00:19:46.779 --> 00:19:47.380
 that he's been learning

00:19:47.380 --> 00:19:48.039
 in this program

00:19:48.039 --> 00:19:49.180
 and one of the most profound

00:19:49.180 --> 00:19:50.200
 insights for him

00:19:50.200 --> 00:19:51.640
 was he said,

00:19:51.740 --> 00:19:52.200
 this is what's been

00:19:52.200 --> 00:19:52.940
 most helpful for me

00:19:52.940 --> 00:19:53.580
 is that I've learned

00:19:53.580 --> 00:19:55.259
 that the opposite

00:19:55.259 --> 00:19:56.039
 of addiction

00:19:56.039 --> 00:19:57.480
 is not sobriety.

00:19:59.180 --> 00:20:01.400
 The opposite of addiction

00:20:01.400 --> 00:20:02.900
 is connection.

00:20:05.080 --> 00:20:06.340
 The opposite of addiction

00:20:06.340 --> 00:20:07.279
 is not sobriety.

00:20:07.980 --> 00:20:08.960
 The opposite of addiction

00:20:08.960 --> 00:20:10.100
 is connection.

00:20:12.779 --> 00:20:13.539
 Now don't hear

00:20:13.539 --> 00:20:14.279
 what I'm not saying.

00:20:14.740 --> 00:20:15.519
 I'm not saying

00:20:15.519 --> 00:20:16.080
 if you struggle

00:20:16.080 --> 00:20:17.100
 with a serious addiction,

00:20:17.360 --> 00:20:18.580
 it's going to be solved

00:20:18.580 --> 00:20:19.580
 simply and easily

00:20:19.580 --> 00:20:20.480
 by beginning to pray.

00:20:22.420 --> 00:20:23.519
 What I am saying

00:20:23.519 --> 00:20:24.019
 is this.

00:20:24.779 --> 00:20:26.100
 When we live life

00:20:26.100 --> 00:20:27.620
 apart from our connection

00:20:27.620 --> 00:20:28.380
 with God,

00:20:28.380 --> 00:20:29.600
 it will show up

00:20:29.600 --> 00:20:30.180
 in our lives.

00:20:32.180 --> 00:20:33.280
 When we live life

00:20:33.280 --> 00:20:34.420
 apart from our connection

00:20:34.420 --> 00:20:35.000
 with God,

00:20:35.080 --> 00:20:35.860
 it will show up

00:20:35.860 --> 00:20:36.440
 in our lives.

00:20:38.040 --> 00:20:39.000
 We were not meant

00:20:39.000 --> 00:20:39.900
 to live lives

00:20:39.900 --> 00:20:40.880
 apart from God

00:20:40.880 --> 00:20:41.580
 and when we try,

00:20:41.720 --> 00:20:42.760
 we will have consequences

00:20:42.760 --> 00:20:43.320
 for it.

00:20:45.040 --> 00:20:46.120
 Maybe it's an addiction.

00:20:49.320 --> 00:20:50.420
 Maybe it's that we

00:20:50.420 --> 00:20:51.860
 numb ourselves

00:20:51.860 --> 00:20:52.480
 in that way.

00:20:53.480 --> 00:20:54.300
 Maybe it's something

00:20:54.300 --> 00:20:55.020
 that other people

00:20:55.020 --> 00:20:55.680
 find attractive.

00:20:55.820 --> 00:20:56.760
 Maybe we're extremely

00:20:56.760 --> 00:20:57.260
 competent,

00:20:57.259 --> 00:20:58.180
 we're extremely competent

00:20:58.180 --> 00:20:58.819
 because we know

00:20:58.819 --> 00:20:59.519
 how to control

00:20:59.519 --> 00:21:00.859
 and manage situations

00:21:00.859 --> 00:21:01.339
 and people

00:21:01.339 --> 00:21:03.720
 rather than trust God.

00:21:05.099 --> 00:21:05.920
 Maybe it's that

00:21:05.920 --> 00:21:06.460
 we've learned

00:21:06.460 --> 00:21:07.259
 to be stingy

00:21:07.259 --> 00:21:08.299
 and hoard resources

00:21:08.299 --> 00:21:09.420
 so that we'll never be

00:21:09.420 --> 00:21:10.079
 without the help

00:21:10.079 --> 00:21:10.579
 that we think

00:21:10.579 --> 00:21:11.160
 that we need.

00:21:14.740 --> 00:21:15.839
 Maybe it's controlling

00:21:15.839 --> 00:21:16.700
 people rather than

00:21:16.700 --> 00:21:17.140
 loving them.

00:21:17.220 --> 00:21:18.019
 Maybe it's scrolling

00:21:18.019 --> 00:21:18.759
 through image

00:21:18.759 --> 00:21:19.319
 after image

00:21:19.319 --> 00:21:20.059
 on social media,

00:21:20.160 --> 00:21:20.900
 not even thinking

00:21:20.900 --> 00:21:21.519
 or realizing

00:21:21.519 --> 00:21:21.940
 the images

00:21:21.940 --> 00:21:22.500
 that we're looking

00:21:22.500 --> 00:21:22.900
 through because

00:21:22.900 --> 00:21:23.400
 it's a way

00:21:23.400 --> 00:21:23.880
 to turn off

00:21:23.880 --> 00:21:24.340
 our minds.

00:21:27.820 --> 00:21:28.500
 The opposite

00:21:28.500 --> 00:21:29.019
 of addiction

00:21:29.019 --> 00:21:29.880
 is connection

00:21:29.880 --> 00:21:31.180
 and God

00:21:31.180 --> 00:21:32.019
 is telling us

00:21:32.019 --> 00:21:32.640
 here in his word

00:21:32.640 --> 00:21:33.519
 that when we face

00:21:33.519 --> 00:21:34.420
 these things

00:21:34.420 --> 00:21:35.040
 that feel like

00:21:35.040 --> 00:21:35.680
 they're too big

00:21:35.680 --> 00:21:36.080
 for us,

00:21:36.120 --> 00:21:36.680
 the first thing

00:21:36.680 --> 00:21:37.140
 he wants us

00:21:37.140 --> 00:21:37.940
 to do is come

00:21:37.940 --> 00:21:39.160
 and talk to him

00:21:39.160 --> 00:21:41.400
 to tell him

00:21:41.400 --> 00:21:42.080
 what it is

00:21:42.080 --> 00:21:42.920
 that's going on.

00:21:43.000 --> 00:21:43.540
 Verse 1,

00:21:43.620 --> 00:21:44.060
 O Lord,

00:21:44.160 --> 00:21:45.220
 how many are my foes?

00:21:45.560 --> 00:21:46.440
 Many are rising

00:21:46.440 --> 00:21:47.019
 against me.

00:21:47.019 --> 00:21:52.099
 And so we start

00:21:52.099 --> 00:21:53.539
 by talking to God.

00:21:55.519 --> 00:21:55.940
 Thankfully,

00:21:56.039 --> 00:21:56.480
 that's not where

00:21:56.480 --> 00:21:57.059
 we stop.

00:21:58.099 --> 00:21:59.440
 Verses 3 through 6

00:21:59.440 --> 00:22:00.559
 take us to the next step.

00:22:02.139 --> 00:22:02.960
 Not only do we begin

00:22:02.960 --> 00:22:03.660
 our conversation

00:22:03.660 --> 00:22:04.059
 with God,

00:22:04.119 --> 00:22:04.740
 but we have to

00:22:04.740 --> 00:22:05.720
 remind ourselves

00:22:05.720 --> 00:22:06.779
 over and over again

00:22:06.779 --> 00:22:07.660
 of what is true

00:22:07.660 --> 00:22:08.339
 about God

00:22:08.339 --> 00:22:09.059
 and his character

00:22:09.059 --> 00:22:11.259
 and also what's true

00:22:11.259 --> 00:22:12.480
 about his faithfulness

00:22:12.480 --> 00:22:13.460
 to us in the past.

00:22:13.539 --> 00:22:14.339
 So verse 3,

00:22:14.900 --> 00:22:15.279
 the psalmist

00:22:15.279 --> 00:22:16.160
 reminds himself

00:22:16.160 --> 00:22:16.680
 what's true

00:22:16.680 --> 00:22:17.220
 about God.

00:22:17.360 --> 00:22:18.299
 God is a shield.

00:22:19.519 --> 00:22:20.200
 God's the one

00:22:20.200 --> 00:22:21.100
 who protects him.

00:22:23.000 --> 00:22:24.039
 It's not his military

00:22:24.039 --> 00:22:25.100
 ability or power.

00:22:25.220 --> 00:22:25.900
 It's not his financial

00:22:25.900 --> 00:22:26.519
 resources.

00:22:26.519 --> 00:22:27.299
 That's his shield,

00:22:27.440 --> 00:22:28.039
 but it's God.

00:22:29.019 --> 00:22:30.160
 God's also the glory

00:22:30.160 --> 00:22:30.799
 and the lifter

00:22:30.799 --> 00:22:31.340
 of his head.

00:22:31.519 --> 00:22:32.180
 God is the one

00:22:32.180 --> 00:22:33.200
 who gives him victory.

00:22:34.180 --> 00:22:34.700
 God's the one

00:22:34.700 --> 00:22:35.240
 where he finds

00:22:35.240 --> 00:22:35.799
 his dignity

00:22:35.799 --> 00:22:36.560
 and his purpose

00:22:36.560 --> 00:22:37.299
 and his meaning.

00:22:39.019 --> 00:22:40.259
 So he reminds himself

00:22:40.259 --> 00:22:41.220
 of the truth

00:22:41.220 --> 00:22:41.860
 about God.

00:22:43.000 --> 00:22:43.940
 That what's true

00:22:43.940 --> 00:22:44.500
 about God

00:22:44.500 --> 00:22:45.560
 is more true

00:22:45.560 --> 00:22:46.620
 than his circumstances.

00:22:46.680 --> 00:22:49.480
 Second,

00:22:49.580 --> 00:22:50.380
 he lists the ways

00:22:50.380 --> 00:22:51.019
 that God has been

00:22:51.019 --> 00:22:51.860
 faithful to him

00:22:51.860 --> 00:22:52.560
 in the past.

00:22:53.160 --> 00:22:54.060
 We go back in time

00:22:54.060 --> 00:22:55.160
 in verses 4 and 5.

00:22:55.240 --> 00:22:55.880
 I cried aloud

00:22:55.880 --> 00:22:56.340
 to the Lord

00:22:56.340 --> 00:22:57.060
 and he answered me

00:22:57.060 --> 00:22:57.840
 from his holy hill.

00:22:57.880 --> 00:22:58.420
 In other words,

00:22:58.660 --> 00:22:59.600
 I have been in bad

00:22:59.600 --> 00:23:00.640
 situations before.

00:23:01.420 --> 00:23:01.960
 And if you know

00:23:01.960 --> 00:23:02.720
 the story of David,

00:23:02.820 --> 00:23:03.960
 you know he certainly has.

00:23:04.580 --> 00:23:05.519
 And when I was in

00:23:05.519 --> 00:23:06.500
 those bad situations,

00:23:06.500 --> 00:23:07.240
 you know who came

00:23:07.240 --> 00:23:07.799
 and helped me?

00:23:09.220 --> 00:23:10.200
 It was God

00:23:10.200 --> 00:23:11.060
 who came and helped me.

00:23:11.740 --> 00:23:12.580
 God showed up.

00:23:12.579 --> 00:23:16.159
 Verse 5,

00:23:16.199 --> 00:23:17.119
 I lay down and slept.

00:23:17.240 --> 00:23:17.939
 I awoke again

00:23:17.939 --> 00:23:18.439
 for the Lord

00:23:18.439 --> 00:23:19.199
 sustained me.

00:23:20.099 --> 00:23:20.619
 In other words,

00:23:20.659 --> 00:23:21.279
 there have been times

00:23:21.279 --> 00:23:21.859
 in the past

00:23:21.859 --> 00:23:22.919
 where without God

00:23:22.919 --> 00:23:23.579
 and his strength

00:23:23.579 --> 00:23:24.039
 and his help,

00:23:24.099 --> 00:23:24.559
 I would have been

00:23:24.559 --> 00:23:25.119
 sleepless.

00:23:28.399 --> 00:23:29.159
 Another way to think

00:23:29.159 --> 00:23:29.659
 about this

00:23:29.659 --> 00:23:30.720
 outside of the category

00:23:30.720 --> 00:23:31.139
 of addiction

00:23:31.139 --> 00:23:31.759
 would be to think

00:23:31.759 --> 00:23:32.720
 about it in sleeplessness.

00:23:32.839 --> 00:23:33.439
 What keeps you up

00:23:33.439 --> 00:23:33.779
 at night?

00:23:33.779 --> 00:23:37.980
 And if something

00:23:37.980 --> 00:23:38.839
 keeps you up at night,

00:23:39.139 --> 00:23:40.420
 what do you do

00:23:40.420 --> 00:23:41.700
 to go to sleep?

00:23:44.879 --> 00:23:45.660
 Maybe you don't.

00:23:47.220 --> 00:23:48.099
 Maybe you stay up

00:23:48.099 --> 00:23:48.819
 working through the night.

00:23:51.359 --> 00:23:52.180
 Maybe you're like

00:23:52.180 --> 00:23:53.279
 some friends of mine,

00:23:53.319 --> 00:23:53.819
 the only way

00:23:53.819 --> 00:23:54.220
 that you know

00:23:54.220 --> 00:23:54.839
 to fall asleep

00:23:54.839 --> 00:23:55.619
 is to smoke a bowl.

00:23:59.119 --> 00:24:00.079
 Maybe the only way

00:24:00.079 --> 00:24:00.700
 that you know

00:24:00.700 --> 00:24:01.559
 to fall asleep

00:24:01.559 --> 00:24:02.500
 is to congratulate

00:24:02.500 --> 00:24:03.079
 yourselves

00:24:03.079 --> 00:24:03.599
 for the ways

00:24:03.599 --> 00:24:04.279
 that you've succeeded

00:24:04.279 --> 00:24:05.019
 in the past

00:24:05.019 --> 00:24:06.919
 and to numb yourself

00:24:06.919 --> 00:24:07.579
 to the pain

00:24:07.579 --> 00:24:09.539
 of what you're facing.

00:24:11.199 --> 00:24:12.199
 The psalmist here,

00:24:12.279 --> 00:24:12.419
 though,

00:24:12.500 --> 00:24:13.419
 lays down and sleeps

00:24:13.419 --> 00:24:14.059
 for the Lord

00:24:14.059 --> 00:24:14.939
 sustained him.

00:24:16.480 --> 00:24:17.219
 In other words,

00:24:17.279 --> 00:24:18.500
 he's able to fall asleep

00:24:18.500 --> 00:24:19.399
 because he's reminding

00:24:19.399 --> 00:24:21.579
 himself of who God is

00:24:21.579 --> 00:24:22.559
 and what God has done

00:24:22.559 --> 00:24:23.159
 for him.

00:24:24.159 --> 00:24:24.519
 And therefore,

00:24:24.659 --> 00:24:25.079
 verse 6,

00:24:25.139 --> 00:24:25.919
 I will not be afraid

00:24:25.919 --> 00:24:26.740
 of many thousands

00:24:26.740 --> 00:24:27.480
 of people who have

00:24:27.480 --> 00:24:28.759
 set themselves against me

00:24:28.759 --> 00:24:29.639
 all around.

00:24:29.640 --> 00:24:36.040
 many of you know

00:24:36.040 --> 00:24:36.940
 that I was

00:24:36.940 --> 00:24:38.500
 out of town last week

00:24:38.500 --> 00:24:39.480
 and part of the week

00:24:39.480 --> 00:24:40.540
 I was in Lake George

00:24:40.540 --> 00:24:41.660
 with some friends

00:24:41.660 --> 00:24:42.620
 of mine from seminary.

00:24:42.720 --> 00:24:43.940
 We spent time together

00:24:43.940 --> 00:24:44.640
 to reconnect

00:24:44.640 --> 00:24:46.100
 and share our joys

00:24:46.100 --> 00:24:46.780
 and our heartbreaks

00:24:46.780 --> 00:24:47.440
 and also to pray

00:24:47.440 --> 00:24:47.980
 for each other

00:24:47.980 --> 00:24:49.140
 and have fun

00:24:49.140 --> 00:24:50.100
 with each other.

00:24:50.780 --> 00:24:51.400
 And one of the things

00:24:51.400 --> 00:24:51.759
 that we did

00:24:51.759 --> 00:24:52.560
 was we cooked together.

00:24:53.160 --> 00:24:53.920
 So we put together

00:24:53.920 --> 00:24:55.080
 a meal schedule

00:24:55.080 --> 00:24:55.680
 and each person

00:24:55.680 --> 00:24:56.280
 was responsible

00:24:56.280 --> 00:24:56.860
 for a meal.

00:24:56.859 --> 00:24:58.559
 and one of my friends

00:24:58.559 --> 00:24:59.099
 was responsible

00:24:59.099 --> 00:25:00.039
 for breakfast one morning

00:25:00.039 --> 00:25:01.000
 so he made French toast

00:25:01.000 --> 00:25:02.240
 and he decided

00:25:02.240 --> 00:25:03.039
 we were also going

00:25:03.039 --> 00:25:03.859
 to have whipped cream

00:25:03.859 --> 00:25:04.779
 with this French toast.

00:25:06.399 --> 00:25:07.179
 So we made up

00:25:07.179 --> 00:25:08.240
 this fancy whipped cream.

00:25:08.379 --> 00:25:08.859
 We put in,

00:25:08.899 --> 00:25:09.299
 you know,

00:25:09.359 --> 00:25:10.059
 vanilla extract

00:25:10.059 --> 00:25:11.399
 and some other things in it

00:25:11.399 --> 00:25:12.439
 but it wasn't already

00:25:12.439 --> 00:25:13.039
 whipped for us

00:25:13.039 --> 00:25:13.759
 and so he was sitting

00:25:13.759 --> 00:25:14.299
 there at the kitchen

00:25:14.299 --> 00:25:15.179
 just whipping over

00:25:15.179 --> 00:25:15.919
 and over and over.

00:25:16.500 --> 00:25:16.959
 If you know anything

00:25:16.959 --> 00:25:17.539
 about whipped cream,

00:25:17.599 --> 00:25:18.240
 it's easy to buy,

00:25:18.299 --> 00:25:19.079
 it's hard to make, right?

00:25:20.740 --> 00:25:21.740
 And if you want to make it,

00:25:21.779 --> 00:25:22.199
 you have to have

00:25:22.199 --> 00:25:22.759
 this diligence

00:25:22.759 --> 00:25:23.659
 and this persistence

00:25:23.659 --> 00:25:25.000
 moving back and forth

00:25:25.000 --> 00:25:25.639
 over and over

00:25:25.639 --> 00:25:26.279
 and over again.

00:25:26.859 --> 00:25:27.219
 Now,

00:25:27.419 --> 00:25:29.619
 I helped him a few times.

00:25:29.679 --> 00:25:30.379
 I offered that I would

00:25:30.379 --> 00:25:31.479
 be happy to jump in

00:25:31.479 --> 00:25:32.199
 and do a little whipping

00:25:32.199 --> 00:25:32.799
 for him.

00:25:33.299 --> 00:25:34.159
 I didn't want to do that

00:25:34.159 --> 00:25:34.839
 too much though

00:25:34.839 --> 00:25:35.699
 because I really wanted him

00:25:35.699 --> 00:25:36.799
 to be able to use his gifts.

00:25:39.059 --> 00:25:39.859
 So I let him do

00:25:39.859 --> 00:25:40.500
 most of the whipping.

00:25:42.559 --> 00:25:43.399
 But if you know anything

00:25:43.399 --> 00:25:44.099
 about whipping cream,

00:25:44.139 --> 00:25:44.859
 if you've ever done it,

00:25:44.899 --> 00:25:46.259
 you know that it is long

00:25:46.259 --> 00:25:47.879
 and excruciating

00:25:47.879 --> 00:25:48.859
 and hard.

00:25:49.859 --> 00:25:50.859
 And if you want

00:25:50.859 --> 00:25:51.740
 hard peaks,

00:25:52.779 --> 00:25:54.319
 you have to whip it

00:25:54.319 --> 00:25:56.399
 over and over again.

00:25:56.859 --> 00:26:00.579
 If we want

00:26:00.579 --> 00:26:02.679
 to have the hard peaks

00:26:02.679 --> 00:26:04.119
 of faith

00:26:04.119 --> 00:26:05.719
 and confidence

00:26:05.719 --> 00:26:06.839
 and trust

00:26:06.839 --> 00:26:07.939
 in God

00:26:07.939 --> 00:26:08.919
 in the midst

00:26:08.919 --> 00:26:09.599
 of trials,

00:26:10.000 --> 00:26:12.979
 then we have to

00:26:12.979 --> 00:26:14.959
 over and over again

00:26:14.959 --> 00:26:16.459
 remind ourselves

00:26:16.459 --> 00:26:17.719
 of who God is

00:26:17.719 --> 00:26:19.039
 and what he has done

00:26:19.039 --> 00:26:20.000
 for us in the past.

00:26:20.000 --> 00:26:24.720
 faith and hope

00:26:24.720 --> 00:26:25.339
 and confidence

00:26:25.339 --> 00:26:25.680
 in God

00:26:25.680 --> 00:26:26.140
 are not things

00:26:26.140 --> 00:26:27.140
 that happen magically.

00:26:28.140 --> 00:26:28.700
 They're things

00:26:28.700 --> 00:26:29.559
 that God gives to us

00:26:29.559 --> 00:26:30.279
 by his grace,

00:26:30.380 --> 00:26:31.259
 but he's given us

00:26:31.259 --> 00:26:32.380
 ways that we grow.

00:26:32.500 --> 00:26:32.799
 We call these

00:26:32.799 --> 00:26:33.660
 the means of grace.

00:26:35.160 --> 00:26:35.940
 So one of the reasons

00:26:35.940 --> 00:26:36.920
 that there are so many

00:26:36.920 --> 00:26:37.559
 water lilies

00:26:37.559 --> 00:26:38.440
 in the book of Psalms,

00:26:39.500 --> 00:26:40.339
 one of the reasons

00:26:40.339 --> 00:26:41.059
 we have so many

00:26:41.059 --> 00:26:41.740
 Psalms of lament

00:26:41.740 --> 00:26:42.900
 is that God wants us

00:26:42.900 --> 00:26:44.380
 over and over again

00:26:44.380 --> 00:26:45.619
 to remember

00:26:45.619 --> 00:26:46.359
 and retell

00:26:46.359 --> 00:26:46.940
 and recount

00:26:46.940 --> 00:26:47.980
 what he has done

00:26:47.980 --> 00:26:48.559
 in the past.

00:26:50.860 --> 00:26:52.160
 There are many Psalms

00:26:52.160 --> 00:26:52.720
 where the psalmist

00:26:52.720 --> 00:26:53.539
 talks about

00:26:53.539 --> 00:26:53.940
 the things

00:26:53.940 --> 00:26:54.759
 that God has done.

00:26:56.900 --> 00:26:57.779
 If we want

00:26:57.779 --> 00:26:58.920
 to face trials

00:26:58.920 --> 00:26:59.599
 with fate

00:26:59.599 --> 00:27:00.480
 in our lives,

00:27:01.420 --> 00:27:02.240
 then we have to

00:27:02.240 --> 00:27:02.779
 sit down

00:27:02.779 --> 00:27:03.480
 as families

00:27:03.480 --> 00:27:05.420
 and talk about

00:27:05.420 --> 00:27:05.900
 the ways

00:27:05.900 --> 00:27:06.799
 that God has delivered

00:27:06.799 --> 00:27:07.620
 us in the past.

00:27:10.319 --> 00:27:11.460
 We have to meditate

00:27:11.460 --> 00:27:12.160
 on the ways

00:27:12.160 --> 00:27:13.000
 God's provided

00:27:13.000 --> 00:27:13.519
 for us

00:27:13.519 --> 00:27:14.240
 in the past.

00:27:15.500 --> 00:27:16.599
 We have to remind

00:27:16.599 --> 00:27:17.779
 ourselves of Psalm 2

00:27:17.779 --> 00:27:18.440
 that God

00:27:18.440 --> 00:27:19.680
 is the great king.

00:27:21.420 --> 00:27:22.539
 And it's as we do

00:27:22.539 --> 00:27:23.259
 that over

00:27:23.259 --> 00:27:24.379
 and over again

00:27:24.379 --> 00:27:26.279
 that God

00:27:26.279 --> 00:27:27.180
 builds the kind

00:27:27.180 --> 00:27:27.700
 of faith

00:27:27.700 --> 00:27:28.319
 and hope

00:27:28.319 --> 00:27:29.079
 and trust

00:27:29.079 --> 00:27:30.279
 that we need

00:27:30.279 --> 00:27:30.639
 to be

00:27:30.639 --> 00:27:31.740
 verse 5 people.

00:27:32.420 --> 00:27:33.339
 People who are able

00:27:33.339 --> 00:27:34.079
 to lay down

00:27:34.079 --> 00:27:34.700
 and sleep

00:27:34.700 --> 00:27:36.059
 and then wake up

00:27:36.059 --> 00:27:36.619
 again because

00:27:36.619 --> 00:27:38.240
 God sustains them.

00:27:42.000 --> 00:27:43.160
 It's by remembering

00:27:43.160 --> 00:27:44.220
 God's faithfulness

00:27:44.220 --> 00:27:44.920
 over and over

00:27:44.920 --> 00:27:45.619
 and over again

00:27:45.619 --> 00:27:47.000
 that we get

00:27:47.000 --> 00:27:48.259
 the hard peaks

00:27:48.259 --> 00:27:50.239
 of trust

00:27:50.239 --> 00:27:51.000
 and hope.

00:27:53.019 --> 00:27:53.819
 And so it's Christians

00:27:53.819 --> 00:27:55.159
 are people of the past

00:27:55.159 --> 00:27:56.059
 who are always remembering

00:27:56.059 --> 00:27:56.959
 what God has done

00:27:56.959 --> 00:27:57.479
 for us.

00:27:58.459 --> 00:27:59.259
 We can look back

00:27:59.259 --> 00:27:59.799
 as a church

00:27:59.799 --> 00:28:00.500
 as we face

00:28:00.500 --> 00:28:01.419
 trials

00:28:01.419 --> 00:28:03.399
 and see what God

00:28:03.399 --> 00:28:03.779
 has done,

00:28:03.859 --> 00:28:04.539
 how he's provided

00:28:04.539 --> 00:28:05.859
 for us in the past,

00:28:06.259 --> 00:28:07.159
 how he's been faithful

00:28:07.159 --> 00:28:08.019
 to this congregation.

00:28:08.019 --> 00:28:08.739
 We can look back

00:28:08.739 --> 00:28:09.359
 as families.

00:28:09.859 --> 00:28:10.559
 And most importantly,

00:28:10.679 --> 00:28:11.319
 we look back

00:28:11.319 --> 00:28:12.739
 as a people of God

00:28:12.740 --> 00:28:13.500
 around the world.

00:28:14.359 --> 00:28:15.059
 We look back

00:28:15.059 --> 00:28:16.019
 to God's faithfulness

00:28:16.019 --> 00:28:16.599
 to the church

00:28:16.599 --> 00:28:17.299
 throughout history.

00:28:18.180 --> 00:28:19.299
 And most of all,

00:28:19.359 --> 00:28:19.900
 we look back

00:28:19.900 --> 00:28:21.200
 to God's great act

00:28:21.200 --> 00:28:22.059
 of faithfulness,

00:28:22.140 --> 00:28:23.079
 his faithfulness

00:28:23.079 --> 00:28:23.720
 to us

00:28:23.720 --> 00:28:24.620
 through Jesus.

00:28:26.579 --> 00:28:27.700
 While it's encouraging

00:28:27.700 --> 00:28:28.420
 and helpful

00:28:28.420 --> 00:28:29.019
 and important

00:28:29.019 --> 00:28:29.700
 for us to remember

00:28:29.700 --> 00:28:30.519
 what God has done

00:28:30.519 --> 00:28:31.740
 for us in our lives,

00:28:32.079 --> 00:28:33.759
 it is of most importance

00:28:33.759 --> 00:28:34.319
 to remember

00:28:34.319 --> 00:28:35.500
 what he did for us

00:28:35.500 --> 00:28:36.500
 before we were born,

00:28:37.120 --> 00:28:39.019
 which is that

00:28:39.019 --> 00:28:40.220
 he sent his son

00:28:40.220 --> 00:28:41.880
 as a man

00:28:41.880 --> 00:28:42.440
 who lived

00:28:42.440 --> 00:28:43.360
 as a real person

00:28:43.360 --> 00:28:44.380
 on this earth.

00:28:46.579 --> 00:28:47.839
 He lived a life

00:28:47.839 --> 00:28:49.160
 where he had many foes

00:28:49.160 --> 00:28:49.980
 and many people

00:28:49.980 --> 00:28:51.120
 were rising against him.

00:28:52.100 --> 00:28:53.240
 He didn't deserve it.

00:28:54.100 --> 00:28:55.360
 He was without sin.

00:28:55.480 --> 00:28:56.740
 He lived a perfect life.

00:28:58.360 --> 00:28:58.579
 And yet,

00:28:58.640 --> 00:29:00.200
 because of God's faithfulness,

00:29:01.059 --> 00:29:02.480
 because he's a shield

00:29:02.480 --> 00:29:03.059
 about us

00:29:03.059 --> 00:29:03.700
 and a lifter

00:29:03.700 --> 00:29:04.360
 of our head,

00:29:05.640 --> 00:29:06.740
 when Jesus went

00:29:06.740 --> 00:29:07.299
 to the cross,

00:29:07.380 --> 00:29:08.100
 he refused

00:29:08.100 --> 00:29:09.480
 to lift Jesus' head.

00:29:10.220 --> 00:29:15.900
 He abandoned

00:29:15.900 --> 00:29:17.019
 Jesus

00:29:17.019 --> 00:29:18.920
 so that he could

00:29:18.920 --> 00:29:19.660
 be with us.

00:29:22.360 --> 00:29:23.039
 The psalmist

00:29:23.039 --> 00:29:23.920
 didn't know this

00:29:23.920 --> 00:29:24.640
 when he wrote it.

00:29:24.720 --> 00:29:25.920
 David didn't know

00:29:25.920 --> 00:29:27.059
 exactly how God

00:29:27.059 --> 00:29:27.700
 was going to redeem

00:29:27.700 --> 00:29:28.200
 his people.

00:29:30.480 --> 00:29:30.759
 And so,

00:29:30.839 --> 00:29:31.900
 as we face trials,

00:29:32.000 --> 00:29:32.360
 first of all,

00:29:32.400 --> 00:29:33.039
 we probably face

00:29:33.039 --> 00:29:34.299
 a much less trial.

00:29:35.240 --> 00:29:36.019
 My guess is

00:29:36.019 --> 00:29:36.420
 you don't have

00:29:36.420 --> 00:29:37.059
 thousands of people

00:29:37.059 --> 00:29:37.620
 surrounding you.

00:29:37.720 --> 00:29:38.120
 You could.

00:29:38.119 --> 00:29:40.599
 And while we face

00:29:40.599 --> 00:29:41.459
 a less trial

00:29:41.459 --> 00:29:42.199
 than David faced,

00:29:42.259 --> 00:29:42.959
 we also face

00:29:42.959 --> 00:29:44.019
 a greater hope.

00:29:45.159 --> 00:29:46.579
 We have a greater thing

00:29:46.579 --> 00:29:47.219
 in the past

00:29:47.219 --> 00:29:47.799
 to remember,

00:29:48.639 --> 00:29:49.419
 which is that

00:29:49.419 --> 00:29:49.779
 for people

00:29:49.779 --> 00:29:50.500
 who have faith

00:29:50.500 --> 00:29:51.199
 in Christ,

00:29:51.759 --> 00:29:52.699
 Jesus has died

00:29:52.699 --> 00:29:53.299
 and risen

00:29:53.299 --> 00:29:54.179
 that we would have

00:29:54.179 --> 00:29:54.959
 life with him.

00:29:54.960 --> 00:29:57.559
 Now,

00:29:57.600 --> 00:29:58.000
 as I mentioned

00:29:58.000 --> 00:29:58.519
 last week,

00:29:58.640 --> 00:29:59.740
 faith is not

00:29:59.740 --> 00:30:00.140
 something that

00:30:00.140 --> 00:30:00.960
 everyone has.

00:30:01.740 --> 00:30:02.500
 Some people have

00:30:02.500 --> 00:30:02.980
 faith and some

00:30:02.980 --> 00:30:03.539
 people do not.

00:30:04.140 --> 00:30:04.799
 And faith has

00:30:04.799 --> 00:30:05.680
 three components

00:30:05.680 --> 00:30:06.059
 to it.

00:30:06.420 --> 00:30:06.940
 First,

00:30:07.100 --> 00:30:07.680
 it's knowledge.

00:30:08.180 --> 00:30:08.720
 It's knowing

00:30:08.720 --> 00:30:09.640
 the facts about

00:30:09.640 --> 00:30:09.980
 Jesus,

00:30:11.039 --> 00:30:11.900
 the fact that he

00:30:11.900 --> 00:30:12.559
 came and lived

00:30:12.559 --> 00:30:13.360
 a perfect life,

00:30:13.759 --> 00:30:15.019
 that he died

00:30:15.019 --> 00:30:15.759
 for our sins,

00:30:15.759 --> 00:30:16.720
 that he rose again

00:30:16.720 --> 00:30:17.519
 from the dead.

00:30:17.600 --> 00:30:18.519
 He was actually dead

00:30:18.519 --> 00:30:19.200
 and he was actually

00:30:19.200 --> 00:30:19.620
 alive.

00:30:20.199 --> 00:30:21.019
 But it's not just

00:30:21.019 --> 00:30:21.439
 knowledge.

00:30:21.659 --> 00:30:22.419
 Many people know

00:30:22.419 --> 00:30:22.699
 that,

00:30:22.759 --> 00:30:23.099
 but they don't

00:30:23.099 --> 00:30:23.579
 believe it.

00:30:23.679 --> 00:30:24.139
 And so faith

00:30:24.139 --> 00:30:25.079
 is also belief.

00:30:26.119 --> 00:30:26.599
 It's believing

00:30:26.599 --> 00:30:27.379
 that those things

00:30:27.379 --> 00:30:28.019
 are true,

00:30:28.799 --> 00:30:29.299
 that what God

00:30:29.299 --> 00:30:30.139
 tells us is true,

00:30:30.219 --> 00:30:30.839
 that we're sinners,

00:30:30.959 --> 00:30:32.139
 that we have no hope

00:30:32.139 --> 00:30:33.619
 outside of Jesus'

00:30:33.819 --> 00:30:34.419
 death for us,

00:30:34.439 --> 00:30:35.419
 that outside of his

00:30:35.419 --> 00:30:35.699
 death,

00:30:35.759 --> 00:30:36.579
 we are going to face

00:30:36.579 --> 00:30:37.479
 God's full and

00:30:37.479 --> 00:30:38.359
 final justice.

00:30:39.859 --> 00:30:40.679
 And then finally,

00:30:40.799 --> 00:30:41.219
 it's not just

00:30:41.219 --> 00:30:42.259
 knowledge and trust,

00:30:42.399 --> 00:30:42.839
 but it's also,

00:30:43.019 --> 00:30:43.919
 not knowledge and

00:30:43.919 --> 00:30:44.239
 belief,

00:30:44.359 --> 00:30:45.279
 but it's also trust

00:30:45.279 --> 00:30:46.739
 that we live our

00:30:46.739 --> 00:30:47.539
 lives as if these

00:30:47.539 --> 00:30:48.179
 things are true.

00:30:48.180 --> 00:30:49.940
 And so we live

00:30:49.940 --> 00:30:50.860
 our lives following

00:30:50.860 --> 00:30:51.620
 Jesus' commands,

00:30:51.720 --> 00:30:52.240
 not to earn

00:30:52.240 --> 00:30:53.039
 something from him,

00:30:53.519 --> 00:30:54.560
 but in gratitude

00:30:54.560 --> 00:30:55.600
 for the sacrifice

00:30:55.600 --> 00:30:56.080
 that he's made

00:30:56.080 --> 00:30:56.560
 for us.

00:30:59.060 --> 00:31:00.220
 So we look back,

00:31:00.279 --> 00:31:01.240
 we remind ourselves

00:31:01.240 --> 00:31:01.980
 of what's true,

00:31:02.380 --> 00:31:03.400
 we remind ourselves

00:31:03.400 --> 00:31:04.100
 of what God has

00:31:04.100 --> 00:31:04.940
 done in the past,

00:31:04.980 --> 00:31:05.519
 and more than

00:31:05.519 --> 00:31:05.840
 anything,

00:31:05.980 --> 00:31:07.039
 we remind ourselves

00:31:07.039 --> 00:31:08.160
 of his faithfulness

00:31:08.160 --> 00:31:09.539
 to us in Jesus.

00:31:13.120 --> 00:31:14.160
 This is the path

00:31:14.160 --> 00:31:15.140
 that God's given us

00:31:15.140 --> 00:31:16.120
 as we walk through

00:31:16.120 --> 00:31:17.279
 trials in this life.

00:31:18.180 --> 00:31:19.000
 We talk to him,

00:31:19.060 --> 00:31:19.900
 we cry out to him.

00:31:22.060 --> 00:31:23.400
 We remind ourselves

00:31:23.400 --> 00:31:24.440
 over and over again

00:31:24.440 --> 00:31:25.080
 of the truth.

00:31:28.700 --> 00:31:29.460
 And then we see

00:31:29.460 --> 00:31:30.440
 our last step

00:31:30.440 --> 00:31:31.500
 in verses 7 and 8,

00:31:31.820 --> 00:31:33.180
 we cry out to God

00:31:33.180 --> 00:31:33.799
 for help.

00:31:35.900 --> 00:31:36.660
 This is what the

00:31:36.660 --> 00:31:37.400
 psalmist does here,

00:31:37.460 --> 00:31:38.299
 Arise, O Lord,

00:31:38.420 --> 00:31:39.279
 save me, O my God,

00:31:39.340 --> 00:31:39.820
 verse 7,

00:31:39.900 --> 00:31:40.620
 for you strike all

00:31:40.620 --> 00:31:41.320
 my enemies on the

00:31:41.320 --> 00:31:41.580
 cheek,

00:31:41.840 --> 00:31:43.060
 you break the teeth

00:31:43.060 --> 00:31:43.500
 of the wicked.

00:31:44.500 --> 00:31:45.460
 It's not enough

00:31:45.460 --> 00:31:46.360
 to talk to God,

00:31:46.359 --> 00:31:46.919
 it's not enough

00:31:46.919 --> 00:31:48.179
 to list his faithfulness

00:31:48.179 --> 00:31:48.539
 to us,

00:31:48.579 --> 00:31:50.119
 but he longs for us,

00:31:50.159 --> 00:31:50.899
 he asks us,

00:31:50.939 --> 00:31:51.919
 he commands us

00:31:51.919 --> 00:31:53.779
 to pray to him

00:31:53.779 --> 00:31:55.519
 and to tell him

00:31:55.519 --> 00:31:56.359
 what we need

00:31:56.359 --> 00:31:57.839
 to ask for his help.

00:31:58.619 --> 00:31:59.579
 Whatever situation

00:31:59.579 --> 00:32:00.079
 we're in,

00:32:00.119 --> 00:32:00.859
 that we come to God

00:32:00.859 --> 00:32:01.439
 and we ask

00:32:01.439 --> 00:32:02.419
 for his deliverance,

00:32:03.759 --> 00:32:05.119
 God promises us

00:32:05.119 --> 00:32:05.679
 that prayer

00:32:05.679 --> 00:32:06.639
 changes things.

00:32:07.939 --> 00:32:08.819
 One of the things

00:32:08.819 --> 00:32:09.539
 that the psalms do

00:32:09.539 --> 00:32:10.379
 is they teach us

00:32:10.379 --> 00:32:10.899
 how to pray.

00:32:10.900 --> 00:32:13.680
 If you don't know

00:32:13.680 --> 00:32:14.060
 how to pray,

00:32:14.160 --> 00:32:14.900
 you can take a psalm

00:32:14.900 --> 00:32:15.660
 like Psalm 3

00:32:15.660 --> 00:32:17.720
 and you can make

00:32:17.720 --> 00:32:18.160
 it your own.

00:32:18.259 --> 00:32:18.780
 You can say,

00:32:20.000 --> 00:32:20.280
 O Lord,

00:32:20.360 --> 00:32:21.259
 how many are my foes?

00:32:24.000 --> 00:32:25.019
 My friend,

00:32:25.540 --> 00:32:27.019
 I thought was my friend,

00:32:27.060 --> 00:32:27.920
 is trying to destroy me.

00:32:29.540 --> 00:32:30.360
 Sometimes I think

00:32:30.360 --> 00:32:30.980
 it's foolish

00:32:30.980 --> 00:32:32.180
 to have faith in you

00:32:32.180 --> 00:32:34.060
 and sometimes

00:32:34.060 --> 00:32:34.560
 other people

00:32:34.560 --> 00:32:35.480
 think it's foolish too.

00:32:36.980 --> 00:32:37.660
 Verse 2.

00:32:38.640 --> 00:32:39.340
 Verse 3.

00:32:39.339 --> 00:32:41.500
 But you're the God

00:32:41.500 --> 00:32:42.399
 of the universe.

00:32:43.639 --> 00:32:45.119
 You're the Psalm 2 king

00:32:45.119 --> 00:32:46.439
 and you're coming back

00:32:46.439 --> 00:32:46.740
 one day

00:32:46.740 --> 00:32:47.599
 to make everything right.

00:32:49.099 --> 00:32:50.599
 I remember another time

00:32:50.599 --> 00:32:51.240
 in my life

00:32:51.240 --> 00:32:51.879
 when I faced

00:32:51.879 --> 00:32:52.619
 a circumstance,

00:32:52.759 --> 00:32:53.699
 not this exact one

00:32:53.699 --> 00:32:54.539
 but a similar one.

00:32:55.039 --> 00:32:55.819
 That other time,

00:32:55.879 --> 00:32:56.599
 maybe it was the time

00:32:56.599 --> 00:32:57.339
 I was without a job.

00:32:58.819 --> 00:32:59.939
 And I prayed to you

00:32:59.939 --> 00:33:00.559
 for months

00:33:00.559 --> 00:33:01.759
 and you worked

00:33:01.759 --> 00:33:02.339
 through your people

00:33:02.339 --> 00:33:02.959
 and you provided.

00:33:04.139 --> 00:33:04.779
 And I remember

00:33:04.779 --> 00:33:05.459
 another time

00:33:05.459 --> 00:33:06.259
 when I was having

00:33:06.259 --> 00:33:07.199
 difficulty sleeping.

00:33:07.200 --> 00:33:10.220
 But my trust

00:33:10.220 --> 00:33:10.700
 in you

00:33:10.700 --> 00:33:11.319
 was what was able

00:33:11.319 --> 00:33:12.480
 to get me through.

00:33:14.700 --> 00:33:15.100
 So,

00:33:15.779 --> 00:33:16.259
 verse 6,

00:33:16.360 --> 00:33:17.279
 I will not be afraid

00:33:17.279 --> 00:33:18.539
 of this friend

00:33:18.539 --> 00:33:19.059
 who's coming up

00:33:19.059 --> 00:33:19.559
 against me.

00:33:21.539 --> 00:33:21.940
 Finally,

00:33:22.240 --> 00:33:22.779
 verse 7,

00:33:23.660 --> 00:33:24.840
 I ask that you'd help me.

00:33:25.799 --> 00:33:26.380
 Vindicate me

00:33:26.380 --> 00:33:27.200
 in this situation.

00:33:28.259 --> 00:33:28.960
 Whether it means

00:33:28.960 --> 00:33:29.860
 revealing the truth

00:33:29.860 --> 00:33:31.100
 about the lies

00:33:31.100 --> 00:33:31.819
 that are being told.

00:33:33.759 --> 00:33:34.580
 Whether it means

00:33:34.580 --> 00:33:35.400
 taking this friend

00:33:35.400 --> 00:33:36.280
 and bringing the justice

00:33:36.280 --> 00:33:36.960
 that he needs

00:33:36.960 --> 00:33:37.420
 and deserves

00:33:37.420 --> 00:33:38.280
 if he's not willing

00:33:38.280 --> 00:33:38.800
 to repent.

00:33:40.420 --> 00:33:40.940
 And then finally,

00:33:41.060 --> 00:33:41.420
 verse 8,

00:33:41.480 --> 00:33:42.380
 salvation belongs

00:33:42.380 --> 00:33:42.920
 to the Lord.

00:33:42.980 --> 00:33:43.580
 In other words,

00:33:43.820 --> 00:33:44.580
 you are the one

00:33:44.580 --> 00:33:45.200
 who saves.

00:33:45.420 --> 00:33:46.060
 Not armies,

00:33:46.580 --> 00:33:47.259
 not people,

00:33:47.740 --> 00:33:48.759
 not bank accounts,

00:33:49.300 --> 00:33:50.340
 not competencies,

00:33:50.580 --> 00:33:51.220
 not degrees,

00:33:51.580 --> 00:33:52.360
 not resumes.

00:33:54.420 --> 00:33:55.300
 It's God

00:33:55.300 --> 00:33:57.320
 that has our salvation.

00:33:59.500 --> 00:33:59.940
 And so that's

00:33:59.940 --> 00:34:00.440
 what Psalm 3

00:34:00.440 --> 00:34:01.019
 teaches us.

00:34:01.100 --> 00:34:01.540
 It teaches us

00:34:01.540 --> 00:34:02.019
 how to pray.

00:34:02.800 --> 00:34:03.380
 It teaches us

00:34:03.380 --> 00:34:04.440
 how to face trials

00:34:04.440 --> 00:34:05.120
 in our lives

00:34:05.120 --> 00:34:05.860
 with faith.

00:34:06.740 --> 00:34:08.460
 Not with pie-in-the-sky faith,

00:34:09.380 --> 00:34:10.260
 but with the faith

00:34:10.260 --> 00:34:10.760
 that comes from

00:34:10.760 --> 00:34:11.659
 the hard work

00:34:11.659 --> 00:34:12.360
 of praying

00:34:12.360 --> 00:34:13.460
 and crying out to God.

00:34:14.139 --> 00:34:14.820
 Faith that comes

00:34:14.820 --> 00:34:15.860
 from the hard work

00:34:15.860 --> 00:34:18.420
 of reminding ourselves

00:34:18.420 --> 00:34:19.360
 over and over again

00:34:19.360 --> 00:34:19.920
 of how God's been

00:34:19.920 --> 00:34:20.960
 faithful in the past.

00:34:21.780 --> 00:34:22.720
 And faith that comes

00:34:22.720 --> 00:34:23.440
 from the hard work

00:34:23.440 --> 00:34:24.139
 of asking God

00:34:24.139 --> 00:34:24.679
 to intervene.

00:34:28.380 --> 00:34:28.820
 Now,

00:34:28.860 --> 00:34:29.420
 this is challenging

00:34:29.420 --> 00:34:31.200
 for many reasons.

00:34:31.980 --> 00:34:32.900
 One of the reasons

00:34:32.900 --> 00:34:33.579
 it's challenging

00:34:33.579 --> 00:34:34.760
 is that we're not

00:34:34.760 --> 00:34:35.599
 always sure

00:34:35.599 --> 00:34:37.059
 exactly how God

00:34:37.059 --> 00:34:38.420
 is going to answer.

00:34:40.180 --> 00:34:40.660
 So,

00:34:40.880 --> 00:34:41.599
 salvation belongs

00:34:41.599 --> 00:34:42.079
 to the Lord,

00:34:42.360 --> 00:34:42.539
 right?

00:34:42.660 --> 00:34:43.099
 Psalm 2,

00:34:43.200 --> 00:34:43.960
 God is coming back

00:34:43.960 --> 00:34:44.940
 to make everything right.

00:34:46.039 --> 00:34:47.119
 It's on the one hand.

00:34:48.280 --> 00:34:49.320
 On the other hand,

00:34:49.400 --> 00:34:50.440
 we do not experience

00:34:50.440 --> 00:34:51.360
 God's salvation

00:34:51.360 --> 00:34:52.700
 fully in this life.

00:34:52.940 --> 00:34:53.680
 In other words,

00:34:54.200 --> 00:34:55.740
 there are some things

00:34:55.740 --> 00:34:56.639
 in this life

00:34:56.639 --> 00:34:57.780
 that we are walking

00:34:57.780 --> 00:34:58.720
 through right now

00:34:58.719 --> 00:35:00.439
 that we want

00:35:00.439 --> 00:35:01.759
 God's deliverance from

00:35:01.759 --> 00:35:03.639
 that we will walk

00:35:03.639 --> 00:35:04.579
 with for the rest

00:35:04.579 --> 00:35:05.419
 of our lives.

00:35:07.459 --> 00:35:08.739
 There are some things

00:35:08.739 --> 00:35:09.480
 that we are walking

00:35:09.480 --> 00:35:10.480
 through right now

00:35:10.480 --> 00:35:11.779
 that we will walk

00:35:11.779 --> 00:35:12.879
 with through the rest

00:35:12.879 --> 00:35:13.500
 of our lives.

00:35:14.599 --> 00:35:15.659
 David experienced

00:35:15.659 --> 00:35:16.739
 physical salvation

00:35:16.739 --> 00:35:18.019
 in this specific situation.

00:35:18.179 --> 00:35:18.779
 He was saved

00:35:18.779 --> 00:35:19.359
 from Absalom.

00:35:19.519 --> 00:35:19.679
 If you know

00:35:19.679 --> 00:35:20.319
 the end of the story,

00:35:20.419 --> 00:35:21.079
 Absalom dies.

00:35:22.659 --> 00:35:24.219
 We will not experience

00:35:24.219 --> 00:35:25.559
 that same physical

00:35:25.559 --> 00:35:26.199
 deliverance

00:35:26.199 --> 00:35:27.399
 in every situation.

00:35:27.400 --> 00:35:31.059
 And this is part

00:35:31.059 --> 00:35:31.660
 of what's hard

00:35:31.660 --> 00:35:32.260
 about faith.

00:35:33.660 --> 00:35:34.420
 What do we do

00:35:34.420 --> 00:35:34.780
 with that?

00:35:35.260 --> 00:35:36.160
 What do we do

00:35:36.160 --> 00:35:37.200
 with Psalm 3

00:35:37.200 --> 00:35:38.980
 if the enemies

00:35:38.980 --> 00:35:39.760
 don't disappear?

00:35:43.559 --> 00:35:44.280
 What do we do

00:35:44.280 --> 00:35:44.820
 with Psalm 3

00:35:44.820 --> 00:35:45.780
 if we pray to God

00:35:45.780 --> 00:35:46.599
 and the situation

00:35:46.599 --> 00:35:47.180
 that we want

00:35:47.180 --> 00:35:48.079
 deliverance from

00:35:48.079 --> 00:35:48.740
 we are not

00:35:48.740 --> 00:35:49.460
 delivered from?

00:35:51.400 --> 00:35:52.200
 How do we have

00:35:52.200 --> 00:35:53.280
 faith then?

00:35:53.280 --> 00:35:57.220
 This is one

00:35:57.220 --> 00:35:57.500
 of the most

00:35:57.500 --> 00:35:58.540
 challenging questions

00:35:58.540 --> 00:36:00.680
 about being a Christian,

00:36:00.940 --> 00:36:01.920
 living life in this world.

00:36:02.000 --> 00:36:02.860
 There's lots of

00:36:02.860 --> 00:36:03.940
 clinical theological

00:36:03.940 --> 00:36:05.220
 answers I could give you.

00:36:06.380 --> 00:36:07.320
 But the most helpful

00:36:07.320 --> 00:36:08.140
 way of understanding

00:36:08.140 --> 00:36:09.660
 it comes in a story

00:36:09.660 --> 00:36:10.580
 from a friend of mine

00:36:10.580 --> 00:36:12.420
 that I come back to

00:36:12.420 --> 00:36:13.440
 as a way to help me

00:36:13.440 --> 00:36:14.380
 walk in this world

00:36:14.380 --> 00:36:14.800
 when I know

00:36:14.800 --> 00:36:15.580
 that God will not

00:36:15.580 --> 00:36:16.320
 always bring

00:36:16.320 --> 00:36:18.120
 the physical deliverance

00:36:18.120 --> 00:36:19.460
 that we long for.

00:36:19.460 --> 00:36:21.699
 So this friend of mine

00:36:21.699 --> 00:36:22.500
 he's I believe

00:36:22.500 --> 00:36:23.440
 in his mid-40s now

00:36:23.440 --> 00:36:24.039
 he was probably

00:36:24.039 --> 00:36:24.800
 maybe he's in his

00:36:24.800 --> 00:36:25.639
 yeah mid-40s

00:36:25.639 --> 00:36:26.039
 and he was

00:36:26.039 --> 00:36:27.539
 early to mid-40s

00:36:27.539 --> 00:36:28.179
 when this happened.

00:36:28.519 --> 00:36:29.220
 He was diagnosed

00:36:29.220 --> 00:36:30.920
 with cancer unexpectedly.

00:36:31.199 --> 00:36:31.679
 He felt like he was

00:36:31.679 --> 00:36:32.539
 very young for this

00:36:32.539 --> 00:36:32.960
 to happen.

00:36:34.579 --> 00:36:36.079
 And he had three kids.

00:36:36.480 --> 00:36:37.119
 He had a

00:36:37.119 --> 00:36:38.059
 seven-year-old daughter

00:36:38.059 --> 00:36:39.300
 and then he had

00:36:39.300 --> 00:36:40.340
 two twins who were four.

00:36:41.820 --> 00:36:42.720
 And he had the

00:36:42.720 --> 00:36:43.599
 kind of conversation

00:36:43.599 --> 00:36:44.380
 with his children

00:36:44.380 --> 00:36:44.960
 that no parent

00:36:44.960 --> 00:36:45.539
 wants to have.

00:36:45.619 --> 00:36:46.360
 He sat them down

00:36:46.360 --> 00:36:47.000
 and he felt that

00:36:47.000 --> 00:36:47.720
 he needed to

00:36:47.720 --> 00:36:48.960
 explain to them

00:36:48.960 --> 00:36:49.840
 in ways that they

00:36:49.840 --> 00:36:50.360
 could understand

00:36:50.360 --> 00:36:51.119
 what was going on

00:36:51.119 --> 00:36:51.679
 with their father.

00:36:52.840 --> 00:36:53.820
 And as a good

00:36:53.820 --> 00:36:54.740
 and faithful shepherd

00:36:54.740 --> 00:36:55.460
 of his family

00:36:55.460 --> 00:36:56.360
 he wanted to

00:36:56.360 --> 00:36:57.079
 help them

00:36:57.079 --> 00:36:58.340
 know how to pray.

00:36:59.639 --> 00:37:00.360
 And so as he

00:37:00.360 --> 00:37:00.960
 talked with his

00:37:00.960 --> 00:37:01.519
 seven-year-old

00:37:01.519 --> 00:37:01.900
 and his two

00:37:01.900 --> 00:37:02.440
 four-year-olds

00:37:02.440 --> 00:37:02.800
 he said

00:37:02.800 --> 00:37:03.840
 you can pray

00:37:03.840 --> 00:37:05.699
 to your heavenly

00:37:05.699 --> 00:37:06.119
 father

00:37:06.119 --> 00:37:07.639
 that he would

00:37:07.639 --> 00:37:08.320
 heal your earthly

00:37:08.320 --> 00:37:08.699
 father.

00:37:10.840 --> 00:37:11.519
 He wanted to

00:37:11.519 --> 00:37:12.000
 prepare them

00:37:12.000 --> 00:37:12.659
 for what might

00:37:12.659 --> 00:37:13.179
 come ahead

00:37:13.179 --> 00:37:13.760
 for their family.

00:37:13.880 --> 00:37:14.300
 You can pray

00:37:14.300 --> 00:37:14.840
 to your heavenly

00:37:14.840 --> 00:37:15.280
 father

00:37:15.280 --> 00:37:17.139
 about your earthly

00:37:17.139 --> 00:37:17.519
 father.

00:37:17.519 --> 00:37:17.559
 father.

00:37:18.480 --> 00:37:19.079
 And he told

00:37:19.079 --> 00:37:19.440
 them that they

00:37:19.440 --> 00:37:19.900
 should pray

00:37:19.900 --> 00:37:20.380
 that God

00:37:20.380 --> 00:37:21.039
 would heal

00:37:21.039 --> 00:37:21.699
 their earthly

00:37:21.699 --> 00:37:22.059
 father.

00:37:22.159 --> 00:37:22.480
 That he would

00:37:22.480 --> 00:37:23.139
 have many more

00:37:23.139 --> 00:37:23.719
 years with

00:37:23.719 --> 00:37:23.920
 them.

00:37:25.199 --> 00:37:26.019
 He also

00:37:26.019 --> 00:37:26.659
 reminded his

00:37:26.659 --> 00:37:27.179
 children that

00:37:27.179 --> 00:37:28.340
 God may not

00:37:28.340 --> 00:37:28.940
 answer their

00:37:28.940 --> 00:37:29.739
 prayer in the

00:37:29.739 --> 00:37:30.259
 way that they

00:37:30.259 --> 00:37:30.579
 wanted.

00:37:32.019 --> 00:37:32.420
 So he was

00:37:32.420 --> 00:37:32.860
 teaching them

00:37:32.860 --> 00:37:33.219
 to pray.

00:37:33.300 --> 00:37:33.699
 He was also

00:37:33.699 --> 00:37:34.380
 preparing them.

00:37:35.980 --> 00:37:36.759
 But he told

00:37:36.759 --> 00:37:37.559
 them God wants

00:37:37.559 --> 00:37:38.840
 you to come to

00:37:38.840 --> 00:37:40.099
 him with the

00:37:40.099 --> 00:37:40.920
 desires of your

00:37:40.920 --> 00:37:41.500
 heart because

00:37:41.500 --> 00:37:42.300
 he's your father.

00:37:42.460 --> 00:37:43.099
 He's your heavenly

00:37:43.099 --> 00:37:43.480
 father.

00:37:43.480 --> 00:37:46.039
 And he said

00:37:46.039 --> 00:37:46.940
 no matter what

00:37:46.940 --> 00:37:48.300
 God answers us

00:37:48.300 --> 00:37:49.019
 when we pray

00:37:49.019 --> 00:37:49.679
 for this as a

00:37:49.679 --> 00:37:50.019
 family.

00:37:52.000 --> 00:37:52.860
 It's ultimately

00:37:52.860 --> 00:37:53.719
 for our good

00:37:53.719 --> 00:37:55.659
 and he loves

00:37:55.659 --> 00:37:56.039
 us.

00:37:56.480 --> 00:37:57.360
 He's going to

00:37:57.360 --> 00:37:58.380
 provide for us

00:37:58.380 --> 00:37:59.320
 and he will

00:37:59.320 --> 00:38:00.440
 always be with

00:38:00.440 --> 00:38:00.780
 us.

00:38:02.679 --> 00:38:03.579
 And finally he

00:38:03.579 --> 00:38:04.059
 told them there

00:38:04.059 --> 00:38:04.559
 are things that

00:38:04.559 --> 00:38:05.280
 we can pray for

00:38:05.280 --> 00:38:06.000
 that we know

00:38:06.000 --> 00:38:06.579
 that God will

00:38:06.579 --> 00:38:06.900
 answer.

00:38:08.159 --> 00:38:09.000
 God wants us

00:38:09.000 --> 00:38:09.619
 to grow in

00:38:09.619 --> 00:38:10.699
 faith and grace

00:38:10.699 --> 00:38:11.519
 and love so we

00:38:11.519 --> 00:38:12.219
 as a family can

00:38:12.219 --> 00:38:12.840
 pray for that.

00:38:14.099 --> 00:38:14.820
 He wants us

00:38:14.820 --> 00:38:15.539
 to trust him

00:38:15.539 --> 00:38:15.820
 more.

00:38:16.860 --> 00:38:17.420
 So we can pray

00:38:17.420 --> 00:38:18.099
 for that knowing

00:38:18.099 --> 00:38:18.579
 that he will

00:38:18.579 --> 00:38:19.139
 cause us to

00:38:19.139 --> 00:38:19.800
 trust him more.

00:38:20.940 --> 00:38:21.780
 And we can pray

00:38:21.780 --> 00:38:22.380
 for the fruit of

00:38:22.380 --> 00:38:23.059
 the spirit because

00:38:23.059 --> 00:38:24.019
 God has made it

00:38:24.019 --> 00:38:25.559
 clear that that's

00:38:25.559 --> 00:38:26.219
 something that he

00:38:26.219 --> 00:38:26.719
 wants.

00:38:26.920 --> 00:38:27.619
 He wants that

00:38:27.619 --> 00:38:28.340
 fruit to be born

00:38:28.340 --> 00:38:28.940
 in our lives and

00:38:28.940 --> 00:38:29.240
 he's going to

00:38:29.240 --> 00:38:30.260
 grow us in those

00:38:30.260 --> 00:38:30.619
 ways.

00:38:31.860 --> 00:38:32.480
 And so I want

00:38:32.480 --> 00:38:32.920
 you to pray to

00:38:32.920 --> 00:38:33.320
 your heavenly

00:38:33.320 --> 00:38:34.039
 father about your

00:38:34.039 --> 00:38:34.579
 earthly father.

00:38:35.099 --> 00:38:35.519
 Your heavenly

00:38:35.519 --> 00:38:36.280
 father may not

00:38:36.280 --> 00:38:36.719
 answer your

00:38:36.719 --> 00:38:37.219
 prayer in the

00:38:37.219 --> 00:38:37.579
 way that you

00:38:37.579 --> 00:38:37.860
 want.

00:38:38.480 --> 00:38:39.199
 But whatever way

00:38:39.199 --> 00:38:39.880
 he answers it

00:38:39.880 --> 00:38:40.340
 is ultimately

00:38:40.340 --> 00:38:41.639
 for our good.

00:38:41.639 --> 00:38:44.299
 he loves us.

00:38:44.980 --> 00:38:45.619
 He's going to

00:38:45.619 --> 00:38:46.139
 continue to

00:38:46.139 --> 00:38:46.900
 provide for us

00:38:46.900 --> 00:38:48.000
 and he's with

00:38:48.000 --> 00:38:48.339
 us.

00:38:49.539 --> 00:38:50.139
 And he didn't

00:38:50.139 --> 00:38:50.819
 say this but he

00:38:50.819 --> 00:38:51.359
 could have added

00:38:51.359 --> 00:38:52.359
 and we can also

00:38:52.359 --> 00:38:53.259
 recount the ways

00:38:53.259 --> 00:38:53.879
 that God has been

00:38:53.879 --> 00:38:55.039
 faithful to our

00:38:55.039 --> 00:38:55.699
 family in the

00:38:55.699 --> 00:38:56.079
 past.

00:38:58.900 --> 00:38:59.579
 Brothers and

00:38:59.579 --> 00:39:01.699
 sisters, we

00:39:01.699 --> 00:39:02.859
 have a heavenly

00:39:02.859 --> 00:39:03.639
 father.

00:39:03.639 --> 00:39:03.699
 father.

00:39:05.279 --> 00:39:06.379
 When we face

00:39:06.379 --> 00:39:07.539
 difficult circumstances,

00:39:08.039 --> 00:39:09.839
 he wants us to

00:39:09.839 --> 00:39:10.679
 come to him with

00:39:10.679 --> 00:39:12.219
 our fears and

00:39:12.219 --> 00:39:14.779
 our doubts and

00:39:14.779 --> 00:39:15.539
 the desires of

00:39:15.539 --> 00:39:16.039
 our heart.

00:39:17.699 --> 00:39:18.719
 He wants us to

00:39:18.719 --> 00:39:19.679
 grow in our faith

00:39:19.679 --> 00:39:20.920
 and our grace and

00:39:20.920 --> 00:39:21.779
 our love and our

00:39:21.779 --> 00:39:22.699
 trust in him.

00:39:24.559 --> 00:39:25.579
 He wants us to

00:39:25.579 --> 00:39:26.179
 grow and no

00:39:26.179 --> 00:39:27.019
 matter what happens

00:39:27.019 --> 00:39:27.739
 we know that what

00:39:27.739 --> 00:39:28.239
 he does is

00:39:28.239 --> 00:39:29.059
 ultimately for our

00:39:29.059 --> 00:39:29.299
 good.

00:39:29.300 --> 00:39:33.460
 he loves us.

00:39:34.080 --> 00:39:35.039
 He will provide

00:39:35.039 --> 00:39:36.440
 it for us and

00:39:36.440 --> 00:39:37.480
 he is always with

00:39:37.480 --> 00:39:37.840
 us.

00:39:38.920 --> 00:39:39.400
 And so it's with

00:39:39.400 --> 00:39:40.340
 that hope and

00:39:40.340 --> 00:39:41.200
 that guarantee that

00:39:41.200 --> 00:39:42.360
 we can cry out to

00:39:42.360 --> 00:39:44.400
 God, telling him the

00:39:44.400 --> 00:39:45.220
 situations that we're

00:39:45.220 --> 00:39:47.260
 in, remembering his

00:39:47.260 --> 00:39:48.780
 faithfulness to us in

00:39:48.780 --> 00:39:49.800
 the past and asking

00:39:49.800 --> 00:39:50.600
 for his intervention

00:39:50.600 --> 00:39:51.820
 now because we know

00:39:51.820 --> 00:39:52.440
 what the psalmist

00:39:52.440 --> 00:39:53.260
 tells us in verse

00:39:53.260 --> 00:39:53.539
 eight.

00:39:54.420 --> 00:39:56.180
 Salvation belongs to

00:39:56.180 --> 00:39:56.600
 the Lord.

00:39:56.599 --> 00:39:59.239
 Lord, please pray

00:39:59.239 --> 00:39:59.619
 with me.

00:40:03.480 --> 00:40:04.319
 Dear Father in

00:40:04.319 --> 00:40:05.579
 heaven, we thank

00:40:05.579 --> 00:40:06.659
 you that we're your

00:40:06.659 --> 00:40:07.699
 children and you are

00:40:07.699 --> 00:40:08.400
 our Father and that

00:40:08.400 --> 00:40:09.860
 you care for us and

00:40:09.860 --> 00:40:10.559
 you love us.

00:40:11.639 --> 00:40:12.440
 We ask that you'd

00:40:12.440 --> 00:40:14.460
 grow our faith, that

00:40:14.460 --> 00:40:15.739
 you would help us to

00:40:15.739 --> 00:40:17.099
 be Psalm 3 people,

00:40:17.719 --> 00:40:19.259
 people who trust you

00:40:19.259 --> 00:40:20.099
 and cry out to you

00:40:20.099 --> 00:40:20.779
 no matter what.

00:40:21.860 --> 00:40:22.460
 We ask that you'd

00:40:22.460 --> 00:40:23.119
 grow us in those

00:40:23.119 --> 00:40:23.440
 ways.

00:40:24.239 --> 00:40:25.000
 And most of all, we

00:40:25.000 --> 00:40:26.019
 ask you these things

00:40:26.019 --> 00:40:27.699
 not because we earn

00:40:27.699 --> 00:40:28.539
 them or deserve them

00:40:28.539 --> 00:40:29.480
 but because salvation

00:40:29.480 --> 00:40:30.440
 belongs to you and

00:40:30.440 --> 00:40:31.039
 you've given it

00:40:31.039 --> 00:40:31.639
 through your son.

00:40:32.280 --> 00:40:33.019
 And so we ask these

00:40:33.019 --> 00:40:33.840
 things in his name.

00:40:34.500 --> 00:40:34.739
 Amen.

00:40:34.739 --> 00:40:34.860
 Amen.

00:40:34.860 --> 00:40:34.900
 Amen.

00:40:34.900 --> 00:40:34.940
 Amen.

00:40:34.940 --> 00:40:34.960
 Amen.

00:40:34.960 --> 00:40:35.000
 Amen.

00:40:35.000 --> 00:40:35.019
 Amen.

00:40:35.019 --> 00:40:35.079
 Amen.

00:40:35.079 --> 00:40:35.119
 Amen.

00:40:35.119 --> 00:40:35.139
 Amen.

00:40:35.139 --> 00:40:35.199
 Amen.

00:40:35.199 --> 00:40:35.239
 Amen.

00:40:35.239 --> 00:40:35.320
 Amen.

00:40:35.320 --> 00:40:35.400
 Amen.

00:40:35.400 --> 00:40:35.460
 Amen.

00:40:35.460 --> 00:40:35.500
 Amen.

00:40:35.500 --> 00:40:35.519
 Amen.

00:40:35.519 --> 00:40:35.559
 Amen.