WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:04.780 Shall we open our Bibles? We're on page 553, Psalm 21. 00:00:07.100 --> 00:00:11.759 The King rejoices in your strength, Lord. How great is his joy in the victories you give. 00:00:12.519 --> 00:00:16.399 ! You've granted him his heart's desire and have not withheld the request to his lips. 00:00:17.199 --> 00:00:21.460 You came to greet him with rich blessings and placed a crown of pure gold on his head. 00:00:22.580 --> 00:00:27.039 He asked you for life and you gave it to him, length of days forever and ever. 00:00:27.039 --> 00:00:32.679 Through the victories he gave, his glory is great. You have bestowed on him splendor and majesty. 00:00:33.519 --> 00:00:38.640 Surely you have granted him unending blessings and made him glad with the joy of your presence. 00:00:39.280 --> 00:00:43.379 For the King trusts in the Lord through the unfailing love of the Most High. He will not be shaken. 00:00:44.480 --> 00:00:47.920 Your hand will lay hold on all your enemies. Your right hand will seize your foes. 00:00:48.679 --> 00:00:52.019 When you appear for battle, you'll burn them up as in a blazing furnace. 00:00:52.579 --> 00:00:55.280 The Lord will swallow them up in his wrath and his fire will consume them. 00:00:55.280 --> 00:00:59.060 You will destroy their descendants from the earth, their posterity from mankind. 00:00:59.700 --> 00:01:03.280 Though they plot evil against you and devise wicked schemes, they cannot succeed. 00:01:04.040 --> 00:01:07.799 You will make them turn their backs when you aim at them with drawn bow. 00:01:08.000 --> 00:01:11.040 Be exalted in your strength, Lord. We will sing and praise your might. 00:01:13.340 --> 00:01:18.000 Lord, we pray that you'd be here this morning as we look at your word and we consider what you have for us. 00:01:18.000 --> 00:01:26.579 Lord, we need you. We need you to speak. We need you to prick our hearts with what you have for us. 00:01:26.920 --> 00:01:35.060 Lord, we pray that you would work through the words that are said, not because they're particularly eloquent, 00:01:35.180 --> 00:01:37.280 but because you are behind them. 00:01:37.500 --> 00:01:39.680 Lord, and that they would be your words and not mine. 00:01:39.680 --> 00:01:45.600 Lord, we pray that you would give us attentiveness to hear what you have, 00:01:45.780 --> 00:01:50.720 to know you a little bit better, to understand what you're doing in the world and in our lives 00:01:50.720 --> 00:01:55.180 so that we might follow you more closely and more fervently today. 00:01:55.420 --> 00:01:56.440 In Jesus' name, amen. 00:01:58.960 --> 00:02:00.860 Well, we are looking at Psalm 21. 00:02:01.080 --> 00:02:03.000 Thank you, Rebecca, for reading it. 00:02:03.000 --> 00:02:10.340 Last week, we completed the kind of mini-series on creation, which is super helpful and encouraging. 00:02:10.900 --> 00:02:17.360 And we'll start in a couple of weeks' time the new series on Romans, which we're looking forward to. 00:02:18.039 --> 00:02:22.620 So we'll take a little one-week Sunday, one-Sunday detour into Psalms. 00:02:23.199 --> 00:02:29.900 And Psalms is a great option for that kind of thing because it's one of the things that makes Psalms great 00:02:29.900 --> 00:02:32.180 is that each of them kind of can stand on its own. 00:02:32.300 --> 00:02:37.780 And you can read one, and it's sort of complete in its ability to speak something to you 00:02:37.780 --> 00:02:44.960 and that you don't have to read a long passage different than some of the books and epistles 00:02:44.960 --> 00:02:47.420 where you've got a lot of content, right? 00:02:48.759 --> 00:02:53.300 That said, this psalm, the one we're looking at today, while it does stand on its own, 00:02:53.379 --> 00:02:56.460 it is connected to the previous one, Psalm 20. 00:02:56.460 --> 00:03:02.300 And Psalm 20, we all looked at a few weeks ago, if you were here, when Luis brought the message. 00:03:03.260 --> 00:03:04.879 And so these two, they're connected. 00:03:05.120 --> 00:03:06.420 It's Psalm 20 and Psalm 21. 00:03:06.560 --> 00:03:07.680 You can read them together. 00:03:08.219 --> 00:03:11.680 Both of them are written by David, and they have the same title. 00:03:11.760 --> 00:03:14.860 It says, for the director of music, a psalm of David. 00:03:16.719 --> 00:03:21.500 And so just to remind us a bit of what Psalm 20 had to say, 00:03:22.600 --> 00:03:23.460 if I can make that happen. 00:03:23.939 --> 00:03:24.840 Sorry if it's a bit small. 00:03:24.840 --> 00:03:28.259 Let me read this for you. 00:03:28.979 --> 00:03:30.140 In Psalm 20, David says, 00:03:30.140 --> 00:03:33.020 May the Lord answer you when you are in distress. 00:03:33.620 --> 00:03:36.259 May the name of the God of Jacob protect you. 00:03:36.900 --> 00:03:40.640 May he send you help from the sanctuary and grant you support from Zion. 00:03:40.840 --> 00:03:44.219 May he remember all your sacrifices and accept your burnt offerings. 00:03:44.980 --> 00:03:49.039 May he give you the desire of your heart and make all your plans succeed. 00:03:49.219 --> 00:03:53.680 And may we shout for joy over your victory and lift up our banners in the name of our God. 00:03:53.680 --> 00:03:56.300 May the Lord grant all your requests. 00:03:56.300 --> 00:04:02.360 Psalm 20 appears to be David before some sort of upcoming battle. 00:04:03.640 --> 00:04:05.219 He's praying to the Lord. 00:04:05.320 --> 00:04:06.560 He's praying for deliverance. 00:04:06.640 --> 00:04:09.360 He says, answer me in my distress. 00:04:09.360 --> 00:04:17.340 I'm praying to God for deliverance, for strength, for protection, for support, and for victory. 00:04:17.439 --> 00:04:18.020 You see it there. 00:04:18.560 --> 00:04:21.960 And then in Psalm 21, it's written after that battle. 00:04:22.080 --> 00:04:27.460 Psalm 21 is David's praise to God for the victory that's come. 00:04:27.459 --> 00:04:32.919 David is now coming back to praise him for delivering the nation from its enemy in battle. 00:04:33.699 --> 00:04:37.859 And so as we look at that again, look at these words in that context, right? 00:04:37.919 --> 00:04:38.099 It says, 00:04:38.100 --> 00:04:40.300 The king rejoices in your strength, Lord. 00:04:40.360 --> 00:04:44.080 How great is his joy in the victories that you give. 00:04:44.560 --> 00:04:49.220 You have granted him his heart's desire and have not withheld the request of his lips. 00:04:49.720 --> 00:04:53.960 You came to greet him with rich blessings and you placed a crown of pure gold on his head. 00:04:54.439 --> 00:04:58.660 He asked you for life and you gave it to him, length of days forever and ever. 00:04:59.379 --> 00:05:02.180 Through the victories you gave, his glory is great. 00:05:02.700 --> 00:05:05.280 You have bestowed upon him splendor and majesty. 00:05:05.279 --> 00:05:10.239 Surely you have granted him unending blessings and made him glad with the joy of your presence. 00:05:10.819 --> 00:05:15.059 For the king trusts in the Lord and through the unfailing love of the Most High, he will not be shaken. 00:05:17.119 --> 00:05:18.359 It reads on and on. 00:05:19.500 --> 00:05:21.000 Psalm 20, verse 1 says, 00:05:21.799 --> 00:05:23.659 Answer me, Lord, in my distress. 00:05:24.059 --> 00:05:25.719 He's a prayer in his distress. 00:05:25.879 --> 00:05:27.479 But Psalm 21, verse 1 says, 00:05:27.579 --> 00:05:29.539 I rejoice in your strength and victory. 00:05:31.000 --> 00:05:32.479 Psalm 20, verse 4 says, 00:05:32.479 --> 00:05:34.559 Give me the desires of my heart, Lord. 00:05:34.560 --> 00:05:36.420 And Psalm 21, verse 2 says, 00:05:36.519 --> 00:05:38.579 You have granted my desires. 00:05:40.519 --> 00:05:45.660 Psalm 21 is praising God for giving the king the victory and for vanquishing his enemies. 00:05:46.579 --> 00:05:48.300 What an amazing passage. 00:05:48.600 --> 00:05:55.399 What an amazing thing to see King David and the nation of Israel reveling in the victory and praising God for delivering it. 00:05:55.399 --> 00:06:00.339 Can I level with you? 00:06:00.859 --> 00:06:09.639 I have to be honest, as I read this psalm this week and the week before and was praying about how to teach it, 00:06:09.859 --> 00:06:11.620 and I've studied it and preparing for this, 00:06:12.359 --> 00:06:15.120 I really resonated with Psalm 20. 00:06:16.819 --> 00:06:18.019 Psalm 21 was a struggle. 00:06:18.019 --> 00:06:22.199 I can relate to the king in distress. 00:06:22.199 --> 00:06:24.459 I can relate to asking for strength. 00:06:25.539 --> 00:06:28.579 I can relate to pleading for deliverance. 00:06:29.159 --> 00:06:33.479 I can relate to wanting to succeed and not knowing if it will come. 00:06:34.699 --> 00:06:38.120 The struggle feels real and close. 00:06:38.799 --> 00:06:41.479 And victory of Psalm 21 feels far away. 00:06:41.480 --> 00:06:47.360 Sometimes it doesn't feel like I'm very victorious. 00:06:48.480 --> 00:06:50.720 Sometimes it feels like my enemies are winning. 00:06:52.700 --> 00:06:54.000 Maybe you're with me this morning. 00:06:55.680 --> 00:06:58.439 Maybe for you, as with me, the struggle is real today. 00:07:00.160 --> 00:07:02.360 But maybe you aren't in that at the moment. 00:07:02.520 --> 00:07:05.319 Maybe you don't feel the same way. 00:07:05.319 --> 00:07:11.279 But my years of life, and as I keep going on, they tell me that if you aren't feeling it now, 00:07:12.019 --> 00:07:16.560 you can count your blessings because you've either felt it in the past or you're going to feel it again, 00:07:16.620 --> 00:07:17.480 and probably both. 00:07:19.939 --> 00:07:25.399 And so today, I want to stay in Psalm 20, but we have to preach Psalm 21. 00:07:25.399 --> 00:07:31.399 And as I read over it again, as I read it this week and considered it further, 00:07:31.519 --> 00:07:37.060 I realized a few things that helped me receive Psalm 21 and its praise, 00:07:37.419 --> 00:07:38.959 and I want to share those with you. 00:07:39.319 --> 00:07:46.539 Because as I read the passage, I saw three missteps, three mistakes we can make in looking at a passage like Psalm 21. 00:07:48.019 --> 00:07:52.639 There are three ways that we can miss what God is trying to show us in a passage like this. 00:07:52.639 --> 00:07:57.039 Whether you've been reading and studying the Scriptures for your entire life, 00:07:57.120 --> 00:07:59.639 for your 50, 60, 70, 80 years, 00:07:59.899 --> 00:08:04.240 or you've never looked at the Bible before, and this is the first time you've heard it, 00:08:05.399 --> 00:08:08.379 these things should help each one of us. 00:08:09.060 --> 00:08:13.879 First, it's mistaken timing, mistaken priority, and mistaken identity. 00:08:15.680 --> 00:08:17.199 Let's start with mistaken timing. 00:08:17.579 --> 00:08:20.099 That Psalm 21, verse 9 says, 00:08:20.100 --> 00:08:25.020 When you appear for battle, you will burn them up as in a blazing furnace. 00:08:25.939 --> 00:08:28.040 When you, you being God the Father, 00:08:28.160 --> 00:08:31.120 when you appear for battle, you will burn them up as in a blazing furnace. 00:08:31.180 --> 00:08:32.759 The key word in that verse is when. 00:08:33.659 --> 00:08:36.120 When you appear for battle, you will burn them up. 00:08:37.379 --> 00:08:40.340 The New King James Version puts it slightly differently, 00:08:40.899 --> 00:08:43.519 and maybe helps it make a little clearer what we're talking about. 00:08:43.519 --> 00:08:47.039 I'll wait for the siren to go. 00:08:49.039 --> 00:08:51.019 But in the NKJV, it says, 00:08:51.179 --> 00:08:55.079 You shall make them as a fiery oven in the time of your anger. 00:08:56.000 --> 00:08:56.799 It's like he's saying, 00:08:56.860 --> 00:09:01.039 God, you do what needs to be done, but do it in your time. 00:09:01.039 --> 00:09:05.240 See, the reality is we often assume 00:09:05.240 --> 00:09:09.059 that our understanding of time and timing 00:09:09.059 --> 00:09:11.319 is the right one, the only one. 00:09:12.199 --> 00:09:13.199 And it's understandable. 00:09:13.360 --> 00:09:16.240 It would be weird for us to pray to God and say, 00:09:16.319 --> 00:09:17.879 God, would you deliver me from this thing 00:09:17.879 --> 00:09:19.620 in like two months' time? 00:09:20.919 --> 00:09:21.179 Right? 00:09:21.240 --> 00:09:22.659 I can live with it a little bit longer. 00:09:23.240 --> 00:09:24.819 Maybe you have a few more lessons for me. 00:09:25.819 --> 00:09:28.419 No, but we think now is best. 00:09:29.039 --> 00:09:31.079 We think now is the time, right? 00:09:31.659 --> 00:09:34.579 And interestingly, as I've gotten older, 00:09:34.659 --> 00:09:35.919 I've gotten more mature and wiser, 00:09:36.059 --> 00:09:39.819 I'd like to say the way I enjoy sport has shifted. 00:09:40.559 --> 00:09:40.819 Right? 00:09:40.839 --> 00:09:41.599 When I was a younger man, 00:09:41.659 --> 00:09:44.159 I would make sure I could watch each game 00:09:44.159 --> 00:09:48.539 or each match of my favorite club live when it's happening 00:09:48.539 --> 00:09:50.959 and make sure I could be in the arena 00:09:50.959 --> 00:09:53.279 or watching on the television as it happened. 00:09:53.279 --> 00:09:57.259 And I would watch the game play out 00:09:57.259 --> 00:10:00.659 and my emotions would rise and fall 00:10:00.659 --> 00:10:02.860 and I would live and die by every moment 00:10:02.860 --> 00:10:04.740 of good or bad for my team. 00:10:06.480 --> 00:10:08.879 And now, most often, 00:10:09.179 --> 00:10:11.220 because I'm too cheap to pay for Sky 00:10:11.220 --> 00:10:14.799 and a lot of the sports that I follow 00:10:14.799 --> 00:10:16.220 are in far-off time zones, 00:10:16.500 --> 00:10:18.700 I don't get to watch them live. 00:10:19.059 --> 00:10:22.039 And so what I find is that I check the score in the morning 00:10:22.039 --> 00:10:23.500 and if they won, 00:10:23.659 --> 00:10:25.439 I'll go back and watch the replay on YouTube. 00:10:27.919 --> 00:10:29.980 And so now I watch the same game, 00:10:30.719 --> 00:10:32.839 but I watch it with like a whole level of peace. 00:10:33.740 --> 00:10:33.980 Right? 00:10:34.039 --> 00:10:35.519 Anytime the tension gets heavy, 00:10:35.659 --> 00:10:37.719 anytime the situation seems dire, 00:10:38.139 --> 00:10:40.099 I remember that I know the outcome. 00:10:40.559 --> 00:10:41.740 I know who wins. 00:10:42.319 --> 00:10:43.740 So I can rest easy 00:10:43.740 --> 00:10:45.759 and enjoy the game 00:10:45.759 --> 00:10:47.759 in a way that I couldn't before. 00:10:48.580 --> 00:10:48.779 Right? 00:10:48.819 --> 00:10:50.720 And imagine the battle that David is in. 00:10:51.080 --> 00:10:51.840 He's fighting. 00:10:51.939 --> 00:10:53.799 The fighting is still going on in the field 00:10:53.799 --> 00:10:55.759 and the victory is not yet at hand. 00:10:56.819 --> 00:10:58.159 He wouldn't be singing the praises. 00:10:58.299 --> 00:10:59.700 He'd be still praying his heart out. 00:11:00.759 --> 00:11:02.539 Sometimes we struggle with Psalm 21 00:11:02.539 --> 00:11:03.319 and singing praises 00:11:03.319 --> 00:11:05.480 because we feel like we're still in the middle of the fight. 00:11:06.159 --> 00:11:08.480 And it might be the middle of some crisis 00:11:09.019 --> 00:11:09.919 that we're facing, 00:11:10.179 --> 00:11:11.960 some thing that feels real, 00:11:12.139 --> 00:11:14.000 or just the fact that we're still in the world 00:11:14.000 --> 00:11:16.440 and sin is still here 00:11:16.440 --> 00:11:18.740 and Jesus hasn't come to deliver that final victory. 00:11:19.179 --> 00:11:21.559 And we miss the forest for the trees. 00:11:22.460 --> 00:11:22.659 Right? 00:11:22.679 --> 00:11:24.460 All we can see is what's right in front of us 00:11:24.460 --> 00:11:27.480 and we can't imagine the ending 00:11:27.480 --> 00:11:30.500 because we're looking so closely at what's right here. 00:11:33.240 --> 00:11:35.559 The beauty of the biblical story 00:11:35.559 --> 00:11:37.779 is that we don't have to wait for the end 00:11:37.779 --> 00:11:38.960 to know who wins. 00:11:40.039 --> 00:11:41.899 Just like the game from last night 00:11:41.899 --> 00:11:43.319 where I already know the outcome, 00:11:44.139 --> 00:11:45.720 we can look forward to a victory 00:11:45.720 --> 00:11:46.860 that's already assured. 00:11:47.740 --> 00:11:49.120 We can look back on the cross 00:11:49.120 --> 00:11:50.399 and see the victor. 00:11:51.039 --> 00:11:52.519 And we can look forward to an eternity 00:11:52.519 --> 00:11:54.299 where he's crowned in glory. 00:11:55.819 --> 00:11:57.939 The problem is my view is often too limited. 00:11:58.519 --> 00:11:59.899 My timeline is too short. 00:12:00.600 --> 00:12:02.379 I've made the error of assuming 00:12:02.379 --> 00:12:03.939 that the deliverance I desire 00:12:03.939 --> 00:12:06.500 must happen now for God to be good. 00:12:06.500 --> 00:12:11.000 So if we're going to take this 00:12:11.000 --> 00:12:13.960 in looking to Christ's ultimate victory 00:12:13.960 --> 00:12:15.860 over sin and over death, 00:12:16.019 --> 00:12:18.679 we can take courage in our trials 00:12:18.679 --> 00:12:20.259 and our challenges in this life 00:12:20.259 --> 00:12:22.240 knowing the true end of the story. 00:12:23.379 --> 00:12:23.840 Right? 00:12:23.879 --> 00:12:25.460 It doesn't mean the trials go away. 00:12:26.059 --> 00:12:26.879 It doesn't mean, 00:12:27.580 --> 00:12:29.200 it may not mean that the battle's over, 00:12:29.840 --> 00:12:31.740 but we can endure the ups and downs 00:12:31.740 --> 00:12:34.019 knowing that the war has already been won. 00:12:34.019 --> 00:12:39.299 If you're sitting here 00:12:39.299 --> 00:12:41.740 and you're in the midst of a battle, 00:12:42.519 --> 00:12:45.120 you feel like you're in an absolute slog. 00:12:45.360 --> 00:12:46.740 You feel like there's no way out. 00:12:46.840 --> 00:12:49.399 You can't see out of what you're in at the moment. 00:12:50.259 --> 00:12:52.179 Jesus in Psalm 21 says, 00:12:52.340 --> 00:12:52.960 lift your head. 00:12:53.679 --> 00:12:54.299 I'm the winner. 00:12:54.939 --> 00:12:56.600 You can know the score now. 00:12:57.399 --> 00:12:59.120 And it may not make the battle go away, 00:12:59.600 --> 00:13:00.720 but you can have an inner peace 00:13:00.720 --> 00:13:01.659 as you walk through it 00:13:01.659 --> 00:13:03.539 that nothing else in the world can provide. 00:13:04.860 --> 00:13:06.139 Come to him, he says. 00:13:06.500 --> 00:13:08.600 His yoke is easy and his burden is light. 00:13:10.759 --> 00:13:12.960 So we can make a mistake of mistaken timing. 00:13:13.379 --> 00:13:15.419 We can miss what that is. 00:13:15.460 --> 00:13:17.639 We can also mistake the priority. 00:13:18.899 --> 00:13:20.579 Verse 2 of Psalm 21 says, 00:13:20.740 --> 00:13:22.639 you have granted him his heart's desire 00:13:22.639 --> 00:13:26.120 and you have not withheld the request of his lips. 00:13:26.120 --> 00:13:31.759 So the strength and the salvation of God came to David 00:13:31.759 --> 00:13:33.879 in response to the desire of his heart 00:13:33.879 --> 00:13:36.480 and his spoken prayers, right? 00:13:36.560 --> 00:13:37.779 Of Psalm 20, we read. 00:13:38.620 --> 00:13:40.980 Prayer, it's at the heart of Christian life. 00:13:41.100 --> 00:13:42.779 It's how we relate to God 00:13:42.779 --> 00:13:45.519 and how we exist in relationship with him, right? 00:13:45.580 --> 00:13:48.820 And communication is key to any relationship. 00:13:48.820 --> 00:13:52.120 And so prayer is our way to be that. 00:13:52.440 --> 00:13:56.340 And answered prayer is a particularly special thing, right? 00:13:56.379 --> 00:13:57.920 And that we feel God's presence. 00:13:58.080 --> 00:14:01.360 We feel and experience God interacting with us 00:14:01.360 --> 00:14:02.500 in a specific way. 00:14:03.180 --> 00:14:05.340 And every Christian should know the thrill 00:14:05.340 --> 00:14:07.560 of wonderful answers to prayer. 00:14:07.559 --> 00:14:10.339 But there are times when we feel like 00:14:10.339 --> 00:14:11.399 our prayers aren't being answered. 00:14:12.239 --> 00:14:14.239 So when we feel that way, 00:14:14.299 --> 00:14:16.799 when we feel like our prayers are not being answered, 00:14:16.919 --> 00:14:18.779 when God might not be listening, 00:14:18.959 --> 00:14:20.699 when we feel like we cannot say 00:14:20.699 --> 00:14:22.959 that God has granted us our heart's desire, 00:14:23.559 --> 00:14:25.459 we should look at our prayers. 00:14:26.519 --> 00:14:28.399 Is it because we are prayerless? 00:14:28.679 --> 00:14:30.819 It's possible that we aren't actually praying 00:14:30.819 --> 00:14:32.779 and bringing the things to God 00:14:32.779 --> 00:14:34.779 and including him in our situations, right? 00:14:34.799 --> 00:14:35.659 That might be a thing. 00:14:35.659 --> 00:14:37.740 If we're not praying, 00:14:37.860 --> 00:14:39.059 even if he is working, 00:14:39.139 --> 00:14:41.219 we may not recognize what he's doing. 00:14:42.159 --> 00:14:45.600 Or is it because we're praying wrongly, right? 00:14:45.620 --> 00:14:47.799 It could be that how and what we pray 00:14:47.799 --> 00:14:49.100 is off in some way. 00:14:50.839 --> 00:14:51.799 What is prayer? 00:14:51.939 --> 00:14:53.240 What does it do? 00:14:55.100 --> 00:14:56.740 Prayer is not asking God 00:14:56.740 --> 00:15:01.339 to move his will to match mine, right? 00:15:01.860 --> 00:15:03.959 Rightly ordered prayer is asking God 00:15:03.960 --> 00:15:08.500 to move my will to match his, right? 00:15:08.780 --> 00:15:11.000 Prayer is much more about reconfiguring 00:15:11.000 --> 00:15:13.900 our field of view to align with God's. 00:15:14.019 --> 00:15:16.340 Not to make what I'm looking at clearer, 00:15:16.500 --> 00:15:17.900 but to look at a different picture. 00:15:20.740 --> 00:15:22.340 And so then unanswered prayer 00:15:22.340 --> 00:15:24.100 should be a warning signal to us 00:15:24.100 --> 00:15:26.019 that there might be a problem 00:15:26.019 --> 00:15:27.220 with something in us. 00:15:27.720 --> 00:15:30.420 It's more likely that there's a problem with me 00:15:30.419 --> 00:15:31.979 than there is some problem with God. 00:15:33.399 --> 00:15:35.379 And there are abundant passages 00:15:35.379 --> 00:15:36.219 throughout the Bible 00:15:36.219 --> 00:15:37.779 where it speaks to why our prayers 00:15:37.779 --> 00:15:38.659 might not be answered 00:15:38.659 --> 00:15:39.759 the way that we want them to. 00:15:40.819 --> 00:15:42.919 Why they might be going unanswered. 00:15:43.259 --> 00:15:44.639 And I'm going to quickly list a bunch of them. 00:15:44.699 --> 00:15:44.819 Oop. 00:15:46.199 --> 00:15:46.599 That one. 00:15:46.740 --> 00:15:47.360 That's the one I want. 00:15:50.899 --> 00:15:52.159 Not abiding in Jesus, 00:15:52.299 --> 00:15:53.779 from John 15, 7. 00:15:54.559 --> 00:15:55.819 Unbelief, from Matthew 17. 00:15:56.220 --> 00:15:58.600 Failure to fast, also from Matthew 17. 00:15:59.300 --> 00:16:00.920 Not asking at all, from James. 00:16:01.060 --> 00:16:02.420 Selfish praying, from James. 00:16:03.140 --> 00:16:04.220 Disobedience, from one John. 00:16:04.320 --> 00:16:06.040 Not praying in God's will, from one John. 00:16:06.620 --> 00:16:07.840 Unconfessed sin, from James. 00:16:07.980 --> 00:16:09.360 Cold and passionless prayer, 00:16:09.460 --> 00:16:10.560 from James and two kings. 00:16:11.140 --> 00:16:12.860 Prayerlessness, or lack of persistence, 00:16:13.020 --> 00:16:13.840 from Luke and Psalm. 00:16:14.300 --> 00:16:15.700 Sin against others, from Matthew. 00:16:15.860 --> 00:16:17.120 Lack of unity, from Matthew. 00:16:17.640 --> 00:16:19.580 Not praying in the name of Jesus, from John. 00:16:19.780 --> 00:16:21.900 Pride, from James and one Peter in Proverbs. 00:16:22.300 --> 00:16:23.780 Lying and deceitfulness, from Psalm. 00:16:23.779 --> 00:16:26.120 Lack of Bible reading and Bible teaching, from Proverbs. 00:16:26.539 --> 00:16:28.579 And trusting in the length, or the form, 00:16:28.779 --> 00:16:31.399 of my prayer, from Matthew. 00:16:32.259 --> 00:16:33.299 Right, I put them on the screen, 00:16:33.579 --> 00:16:35.379 with the references, so you can go look them up. 00:16:35.620 --> 00:16:36.600 I'll give you the list later, 00:16:36.720 --> 00:16:38.100 but one danger, 00:16:38.480 --> 00:16:39.600 in making a list like this, 00:16:39.639 --> 00:16:40.659 is it feels like a checklist. 00:16:41.459 --> 00:16:42.360 It feels like if I just, 00:16:42.360 --> 00:16:43.319 tick these off, 00:16:43.399 --> 00:16:44.740 then God must answer my prayers. 00:16:46.019 --> 00:16:47.139 It's not how he works. 00:16:47.339 --> 00:16:49.319 He's not somehow in our debt, 00:16:49.720 --> 00:16:52.379 if we somehow come to him in the right way. 00:16:52.379 --> 00:16:55.080 But they can be a helpful clue, 00:16:55.080 --> 00:16:57.139 into where we might be getting off track. 00:16:57.360 --> 00:16:59.740 To where our heart has moved sideways. 00:17:05.380 --> 00:17:06.660 Almost exclusively, 00:17:07.240 --> 00:17:09.740 what each of these have in common, 00:17:10.480 --> 00:17:12.140 is that the error is us. 00:17:13.039 --> 00:17:14.319 Right, our prayers go wrong, 00:17:14.380 --> 00:17:15.940 because we're focused more on us, 00:17:16.000 --> 00:17:16.740 than we are on him. 00:17:17.339 --> 00:17:18.720 Right, not abiding in Jesus, 00:17:18.839 --> 00:17:20.220 is trying to do it on our own, 00:17:20.259 --> 00:17:21.519 rather than trusting in him. 00:17:21.519 --> 00:17:23.460 Unbelief is believing in ourselves, 00:17:23.599 --> 00:17:24.220 rather than God. 00:17:24.319 --> 00:17:25.119 Failure to fast, 00:17:25.180 --> 00:17:27.160 is trusting in the provision of food, 00:17:27.240 --> 00:17:28.319 rather than God's provision. 00:17:28.779 --> 00:17:29.460 Not asking, 00:17:29.619 --> 00:17:31.440 is not even considering God to intervene. 00:17:31.920 --> 00:17:32.619 Selfish praying, 00:17:32.720 --> 00:17:34.039 is thinking of ourselves first. 00:17:34.440 --> 00:17:35.900 Disobedience is going our own way, 00:17:35.940 --> 00:17:36.740 and disobeying God. 00:17:37.299 --> 00:17:37.960 Should I go on? 00:17:39.019 --> 00:17:39.639 Right, I could. 00:17:40.359 --> 00:17:40.839 Sometimes, 00:17:41.900 --> 00:17:43.279 often maybe I should say, 00:17:43.639 --> 00:17:45.079 our most fervent prayers, 00:17:45.180 --> 00:17:47.079 are around our present circumstances. 00:17:47.079 --> 00:17:49.199 We look out, 00:17:49.299 --> 00:17:49.639 and we say, 00:17:49.679 --> 00:17:50.519 God, I need you now. 00:17:51.319 --> 00:17:52.000 But here's the thing. 00:17:53.319 --> 00:17:54.679 In the early 20th century, 00:17:55.179 --> 00:17:57.059 at the dawn of the automobile age, 00:17:57.179 --> 00:17:57.799 Henry Ford, 00:17:58.259 --> 00:17:59.699 the founder of Ford Motor Company, 00:17:59.859 --> 00:18:01.419 and was responsible for bringing, 00:18:01.419 --> 00:18:02.399 the Model T, 00:18:02.659 --> 00:18:05.079 the first affordable car, 00:18:05.179 --> 00:18:05.740 to the masses. 00:18:06.839 --> 00:18:08.480 He has a famous quote, 00:18:09.000 --> 00:18:11.319 that he has said, 00:18:11.359 --> 00:18:12.119 I think it's this way, 00:18:12.119 --> 00:18:13.159 he says, 00:18:13.259 --> 00:18:14.339 if I had asked people, 00:18:14.519 --> 00:18:15.239 what they wanted, 00:18:15.959 --> 00:18:16.679 they would have said, 00:18:16.779 --> 00:18:17.459 faster horses. 00:18:19.719 --> 00:18:20.119 Right, 00:18:20.159 --> 00:18:21.099 and this is like our prayer. 00:18:21.759 --> 00:18:22.759 We see the world, 00:18:22.819 --> 00:18:24.000 and the things that are facing us, 00:18:24.039 --> 00:18:24.959 and we make a determination, 00:18:25.339 --> 00:18:26.479 of a preferred solution, 00:18:26.639 --> 00:18:27.679 or a preferred future. 00:18:28.399 --> 00:18:29.979 But if we could see the whole picture, 00:18:30.099 --> 00:18:30.559 we would know, 00:18:30.679 --> 00:18:31.259 that that vision, 00:18:31.339 --> 00:18:32.659 often pales in comparison, 00:18:32.839 --> 00:18:34.619 to what God has in store for us. 00:18:36.579 --> 00:18:38.199 Our God is good, 00:18:38.379 --> 00:18:40.459 and he does care, 00:18:40.459 --> 00:18:41.879 about your present circumstances. 00:18:42.119 --> 00:18:44.179 But he is so good, 00:18:44.439 --> 00:18:46.000 that he cares more, 00:18:46.279 --> 00:18:47.219 than delivering you, 00:18:47.319 --> 00:18:48.459 from your present circumstances. 00:18:51.699 --> 00:18:52.219 He, 00:18:52.500 --> 00:18:55.579 saw the ultimate, 00:18:56.119 --> 00:18:57.179 problematic circumstance, 00:18:57.479 --> 00:18:58.519 and he went to the cross, 00:18:58.719 --> 00:18:59.819 to deliver you from it. 00:19:00.339 --> 00:19:00.479 Right, 00:19:00.639 --> 00:19:02.639 he saw that you were separated from him, 00:19:02.979 --> 00:19:04.500 and he made way to fix that. 00:19:05.019 --> 00:19:06.039 He cared enough, 00:19:06.439 --> 00:19:07.579 for you and for me, 00:19:07.659 --> 00:19:08.619 to give his own life, 00:19:08.839 --> 00:19:10.299 to cure your greatest ill, 00:19:10.299 --> 00:19:12.399 to heal your primary ailment, 00:19:12.519 --> 00:19:13.339 to deliver you, 00:19:13.399 --> 00:19:14.619 from your fiercest enemy, 00:19:14.619 --> 00:19:15.859 to save you, 00:19:15.859 --> 00:19:17.079 from the very grasp, 00:19:17.079 --> 00:19:18.399 of death and destruction. 00:19:20.039 --> 00:19:20.759 And so my problem, 00:19:20.759 --> 00:19:21.960 is that my prayers, 00:19:22.039 --> 00:19:23.039 are often too focused, 00:19:23.279 --> 00:19:23.980 on my will, 00:19:24.579 --> 00:19:25.579 rather than God's. 00:19:26.240 --> 00:19:27.419 That my priority, 00:19:27.419 --> 00:19:28.039 is something, 00:19:28.460 --> 00:19:29.500 entirely different, 00:19:29.500 --> 00:19:30.099 from his. 00:19:30.099 --> 00:19:32.359 I want a faster horse. 00:19:33.379 --> 00:19:34.419 He wants to give me, 00:19:34.480 --> 00:19:35.259 a Rolls Royce. 00:19:37.119 --> 00:19:38.399 And his simple application, 00:19:38.559 --> 00:19:38.939 on this one, 00:19:40.379 --> 00:19:42.639 this Bible, 00:19:42.779 --> 00:19:43.599 this thing promises, 00:19:43.779 --> 00:19:44.639 whether you've known it, 00:19:44.699 --> 00:19:45.339 for your whole life, 00:19:45.459 --> 00:19:45.759 or, 00:19:46.319 --> 00:19:46.619 you've, 00:19:46.779 --> 00:19:47.759 hearing it for the first time, 00:19:47.759 --> 00:19:50.000 there's a promise here, 00:19:50.799 --> 00:19:51.940 that he, 00:19:52.660 --> 00:19:53.000 God, 00:19:53.119 --> 00:19:53.700 will, 00:19:54.359 --> 00:19:54.700 grant, 00:19:55.099 --> 00:19:56.359 my heart's desire, 00:19:56.579 --> 00:19:57.119 every, 00:19:57.660 --> 00:19:58.059 single, 00:19:58.400 --> 00:19:58.759 time, 00:19:59.480 --> 00:20:00.740 if I desire him, 00:20:00.799 --> 00:20:01.359 most of all. 00:20:04.799 --> 00:20:06.119 It's mistaken timing, 00:20:06.799 --> 00:20:07.759 mistaken priority, 00:20:08.599 --> 00:20:09.000 finally, 00:20:09.119 --> 00:20:09.900 mistaken identity. 00:20:10.119 --> 00:20:10.660 It's another way, 00:20:10.740 --> 00:20:11.000 that we, 00:20:11.079 --> 00:20:12.059 misread, 00:20:12.299 --> 00:20:12.879 Psalm 21. 00:20:15.359 --> 00:20:16.059 Verse 1, 00:20:16.119 --> 00:20:16.299 it says, 00:20:16.299 --> 00:20:18.079 the king rejoices, 00:20:18.079 --> 00:20:18.940 in your strength, 00:20:19.079 --> 00:20:19.240 Lord, 00:20:19.339 --> 00:20:20.119 how great, 00:20:20.200 --> 00:20:21.019 is his joy, 00:20:21.200 --> 00:20:22.500 in the victories you give. 00:20:24.579 --> 00:20:25.099 David, 00:20:25.480 --> 00:20:26.519 king of Israel, 00:20:26.619 --> 00:20:27.579 he writes this Psalm, 00:20:27.680 --> 00:20:28.659 just after a battle, 00:20:28.779 --> 00:20:29.440 a battle that, 00:20:30.220 --> 00:20:31.039 where the outcome, 00:20:31.279 --> 00:20:32.639 was victory for him. 00:20:34.039 --> 00:20:34.720 And rightfully, 00:20:34.839 --> 00:20:36.059 he comes back to the Lord, 00:20:36.119 --> 00:20:36.819 and praises him, 00:20:36.879 --> 00:20:37.819 for giving him strength, 00:20:38.200 --> 00:20:39.379 and delivering the victory. 00:20:39.919 --> 00:20:40.180 It says, 00:20:40.240 --> 00:20:41.619 he's filled with joy, 00:20:41.700 --> 00:20:42.579 knowing that God, 00:20:42.639 --> 00:20:43.379 has given him, 00:20:43.619 --> 00:20:44.059 the victory. 00:20:45.299 --> 00:20:46.279 And when we read, 00:20:46.299 --> 00:20:46.759 the Psalm, 00:20:47.319 --> 00:20:48.480 we read it, 00:20:48.519 --> 00:20:49.039 I read it, 00:20:49.099 --> 00:20:50.220 it's totally natural, 00:20:50.220 --> 00:20:51.139 to put ourselves, 00:20:51.220 --> 00:20:51.899 in the story, 00:20:52.299 --> 00:20:52.919 as David. 00:20:53.859 --> 00:20:54.099 Right? 00:20:54.579 --> 00:20:55.759 But if we look again, 00:20:56.599 --> 00:20:57.339 we see the Psalm, 00:20:57.440 --> 00:20:58.519 while written by David, 00:20:58.579 --> 00:20:59.539 and about true events, 00:20:59.579 --> 00:21:00.180 in his life, 00:21:00.879 --> 00:21:01.720 David is just, 00:21:01.859 --> 00:21:02.500 a type, 00:21:03.200 --> 00:21:04.139 of a future king. 00:21:04.919 --> 00:21:05.559 David is just, 00:21:05.599 --> 00:21:06.119 a symbol, 00:21:06.500 --> 00:21:07.180 for a king, 00:21:07.319 --> 00:21:07.859 that fulfill, 00:21:08.079 --> 00:21:09.759 that actually fulfills, 00:21:09.859 --> 00:21:10.879 each of these passages. 00:21:11.500 --> 00:21:12.159 And that king, 00:21:12.220 --> 00:21:12.680 is Jesus. 00:21:12.759 --> 00:21:13.399 Look at Psalm, 00:21:13.400 --> 00:21:14.120 Psalm 21, 00:21:14.280 --> 00:21:14.720 again with me, 00:21:14.740 --> 00:21:15.280 and I'll read them, 00:21:15.380 --> 00:21:15.680 this time, 00:21:15.740 --> 00:21:16.360 with perspective, 00:21:16.580 --> 00:21:17.259 that that king, 00:21:17.380 --> 00:21:18.180 is actually Jesus. 00:21:18.880 --> 00:21:19.100 Oh, 00:21:19.259 --> 00:21:20.120 I was supposed to go back here. 00:21:20.320 --> 00:21:20.620 Let me see. 00:21:23.759 --> 00:21:24.780 It's helpful to see it. 00:21:24.860 --> 00:21:25.240 Here we go. 00:21:25.740 --> 00:21:25.920 Right? 00:21:25.920 --> 00:21:28.700 Jesus rejoices, 00:21:28.700 --> 00:21:29.440 in your strength, 00:21:29.580 --> 00:21:29.740 Lord. 00:21:29.840 --> 00:21:30.600 How great is, 00:21:30.600 --> 00:21:31.900 Jesus' joy, 00:21:32.039 --> 00:21:33.279 in the victories you give. 00:21:33.880 --> 00:21:34.620 You have granted, 00:21:34.840 --> 00:21:35.120 Jesus, 00:21:35.340 --> 00:21:36.279 his heart's desire. 00:21:36.900 --> 00:21:37.980 You have not withheld, 00:21:38.120 --> 00:21:38.680 the request, 00:21:38.800 --> 00:21:39.640 from Jesus' lips. 00:21:40.200 --> 00:21:41.039 You greet Jesus, 00:21:41.180 --> 00:21:42.060 with rich blessings, 00:21:42.060 --> 00:21:43.279 as he ascended to heaven, 00:21:43.340 --> 00:21:44.180 and you put a crown, 00:21:44.279 --> 00:21:45.180 of pure gold, 00:21:45.180 --> 00:21:46.039 on Jesus' head, 00:21:46.120 --> 00:21:47.640 as our glorious, 00:21:47.960 --> 00:21:48.400 conqueror. 00:21:48.980 --> 00:21:49.860 Jesus has asked, 00:21:49.860 --> 00:21:50.380 for life, 00:21:50.420 --> 00:21:51.320 and you gave it to him, 00:21:51.360 --> 00:21:52.000 and delivered him, 00:21:52.000 --> 00:21:52.600 from the grave. 00:21:53.180 --> 00:21:54.120 Jesus' glory, 00:21:54.120 --> 00:21:54.820 is great, 00:21:54.880 --> 00:21:55.779 in your salvation, 00:21:56.240 --> 00:21:57.200 not in a battle, 00:21:57.560 --> 00:21:58.539 over people, 00:21:58.680 --> 00:21:59.400 but over sin, 00:21:59.480 --> 00:21:59.920 and death. 00:22:00.180 --> 00:22:00.940 You bestow, 00:22:01.060 --> 00:22:01.680 upon Jesus, 00:22:01.920 --> 00:22:02.580 splendor, 00:22:02.800 --> 00:22:03.640 and majesty, 00:22:03.880 --> 00:22:05.140 befitting a true king. 00:22:06.360 --> 00:22:07.000 You grant, 00:22:07.080 --> 00:22:07.380 Jesus, 00:22:07.580 --> 00:22:08.320 endless blessings, 00:22:08.539 --> 00:22:09.360 and made him glad, 00:22:09.460 --> 00:22:10.240 at your presence, 00:22:10.660 --> 00:22:11.620 at your right hand, 00:22:11.660 --> 00:22:12.220 even after, 00:22:12.600 --> 00:22:13.680 having to turn away, 00:22:13.840 --> 00:22:14.539 at the cross. 00:22:15.940 --> 00:22:16.900 The problem, 00:22:17.820 --> 00:22:19.220 when I read Psalm 21, 00:22:19.380 --> 00:22:20.500 is I've tried to put myself, 00:22:20.620 --> 00:22:21.120 as the king. 00:22:22.039 --> 00:22:22.759 But that's a case, 00:22:22.840 --> 00:22:23.960 of mistaken identity. 00:22:24.400 --> 00:22:24.980 I've missed, 00:22:25.060 --> 00:22:25.560 who the psalm, 00:22:25.559 --> 00:22:25.980 is about. 00:22:26.179 --> 00:22:27.259 I am not the king, 00:22:27.700 --> 00:22:28.440 Jesus is. 00:22:31.000 --> 00:22:32.059 It was more impactful, 00:22:32.200 --> 00:22:33.039 if I had the thing there. 00:22:36.220 --> 00:22:37.480 He has won the victory. 00:22:39.480 --> 00:22:40.559 He has defeated, 00:22:40.799 --> 00:22:41.899 our greatest enemy. 00:22:44.059 --> 00:22:44.980 He is the king, 00:22:45.059 --> 00:22:45.559 who is worthy. 00:22:46.720 --> 00:22:47.559 He is the one, 00:22:47.659 --> 00:22:48.119 who saves, 00:22:48.279 --> 00:22:49.419 even saves, 00:22:49.480 --> 00:22:50.079 those of us, 00:22:50.079 --> 00:22:50.939 who could, 00:22:50.939 --> 00:22:51.639 who could rightly, 00:22:51.639 --> 00:22:52.359 have been called, 00:22:52.359 --> 00:22:53.460 his very enemies. 00:22:54.460 --> 00:22:55.460 He makes us friends, 00:22:55.579 --> 00:22:56.519 but not only friends, 00:22:56.619 --> 00:22:57.279 he adopts us, 00:22:57.279 --> 00:22:58.019 as his children. 00:22:59.779 --> 00:23:00.339 So if, 00:23:00.500 --> 00:23:01.759 if I read Psalm 21, 00:23:01.919 --> 00:23:02.399 and I'm thinking, 00:23:02.500 --> 00:23:03.819 mostly about my victory, 00:23:03.960 --> 00:23:04.879 or lack thereof, 00:23:05.500 --> 00:23:06.299 if I read, 00:23:06.419 --> 00:23:07.139 this psalm, 00:23:07.179 --> 00:23:08.019 and I'm mostly concerned, 00:23:08.019 --> 00:23:09.059 about my request, 00:23:09.139 --> 00:23:09.740 being granted, 00:23:10.240 --> 00:23:10.899 and if I read, 00:23:11.000 --> 00:23:11.319 this psalm, 00:23:11.319 --> 00:23:12.139 when I'm mostly worried, 00:23:12.200 --> 00:23:13.299 about my blessings, 00:23:14.059 --> 00:23:15.099 I'm not going to be able, 00:23:15.139 --> 00:23:15.619 to say it. 00:23:16.179 --> 00:23:17.099 I won't be able, 00:23:17.159 --> 00:23:17.779 to read it, 00:23:18.179 --> 00:23:19.220 and praise God, 00:23:19.299 --> 00:23:20.419 the way that psalm reads. 00:23:21.740 --> 00:23:22.399 And I've missed, 00:23:22.480 --> 00:23:22.960 the beauty, 00:23:23.319 --> 00:23:24.039 and the glory, 00:23:24.139 --> 00:23:24.839 of what it's saying, 00:23:24.919 --> 00:23:25.659 because I've missed, 00:23:25.879 --> 00:23:26.939 who the main character, 00:23:27.059 --> 00:23:27.859 of the story is. 00:23:28.759 --> 00:23:29.799 I think it's me. 00:23:29.899 --> 00:23:30.539 It's not me, 00:23:30.619 --> 00:23:31.000 it's God. 00:23:31.059 --> 00:23:31.519 It's Jesus. 00:23:32.099 --> 00:23:33.099 He's the main character. 00:23:33.240 --> 00:23:33.919 He's the point. 00:23:37.939 --> 00:23:38.579 Here's the thing. 00:23:39.319 --> 00:23:40.099 Most of us, 00:23:40.099 --> 00:23:40.839 in London, 00:23:41.039 --> 00:23:42.439 all of us running around this city, 00:23:42.500 --> 00:23:43.619 we're trying to make something, 00:23:43.740 --> 00:23:44.259 of ourselves, 00:23:44.899 --> 00:23:46.919 trying to be someone, 00:23:47.099 --> 00:23:48.240 trying to be loved, 00:23:48.240 --> 00:23:48.919 by someone, 00:23:49.119 --> 00:23:49.879 we're trying to, 00:23:49.879 --> 00:23:51.219 win someone's approval, 00:23:51.379 --> 00:23:52.299 we're trying to win, 00:23:52.359 --> 00:23:53.500 in some myriad, 00:23:53.619 --> 00:23:54.219 of other ways. 00:23:55.619 --> 00:23:56.659 We're trying to be, 00:23:56.659 --> 00:23:57.240 the king, 00:23:57.539 --> 00:23:58.639 of our lives, 00:23:58.779 --> 00:23:59.339 the master, 00:23:59.500 --> 00:24:00.119 of our destiny. 00:24:00.579 --> 00:24:01.399 We want to win, 00:24:01.519 --> 00:24:02.079 the prize, 00:24:02.179 --> 00:24:02.379 right? 00:24:02.619 --> 00:24:03.259 We want to, 00:24:03.559 --> 00:24:04.419 wear the crown, 00:24:04.740 --> 00:24:05.259 if you will. 00:24:06.519 --> 00:24:07.639 Psalm 21 says, 00:24:07.740 --> 00:24:08.679 there's already a winner. 00:24:08.680 --> 00:24:10.920 He's Jesus. 00:24:11.480 --> 00:24:12.420 He's the winner, 00:24:12.680 --> 00:24:13.640 and he's the king. 00:24:14.440 --> 00:24:15.580 And here's the amazing thing. 00:24:15.700 --> 00:24:16.420 His victory, 00:24:16.420 --> 00:24:17.640 can be your victory. 00:24:18.759 --> 00:24:19.779 We can be, 00:24:19.779 --> 00:24:20.680 on his team. 00:24:22.039 --> 00:24:23.100 And when we do, 00:24:23.220 --> 00:24:23.740 we can stop, 00:24:23.820 --> 00:24:24.480 trying to wear, 00:24:24.539 --> 00:24:24.960 the crown, 00:24:25.039 --> 00:24:25.799 of our own life. 00:24:26.039 --> 00:24:26.700 And we can let, 00:24:26.820 --> 00:24:27.440 the only one, 00:24:27.539 --> 00:24:28.259 who is true, 00:24:28.460 --> 00:24:28.920 and good, 00:24:28.980 --> 00:24:29.680 and wise, 00:24:29.860 --> 00:24:31.320 be the rightful king, 00:24:31.460 --> 00:24:32.120 for us. 00:24:32.920 --> 00:24:33.920 And like David, 00:24:34.019 --> 00:24:34.820 we can rejoice, 00:24:35.019 --> 00:24:35.900 in his strength. 00:24:36.720 --> 00:24:37.840 We can have joy, 00:24:37.920 --> 00:24:38.780 in his victory. 00:24:41.400 --> 00:24:41.759 See, 00:24:41.860 --> 00:24:42.060 I was, 00:24:42.860 --> 00:24:44.200 came to, 00:24:44.340 --> 00:24:44.980 to this psalm, 00:24:45.019 --> 00:24:45.920 when I first started prepping, 00:24:45.960 --> 00:24:46.640 and I was looking at it, 00:24:46.680 --> 00:24:47.019 all wrong. 00:24:47.940 --> 00:24:48.820 I wanted to see, 00:24:48.820 --> 00:24:49.560 myself in it. 00:24:50.320 --> 00:24:51.040 I wanted it, 00:24:51.080 --> 00:24:52.060 to be on my timeline. 00:24:53.019 --> 00:24:53.460 I want, 00:24:53.600 --> 00:24:54.440 to be delivered, 00:24:54.620 --> 00:24:55.200 from my battles, 00:24:55.280 --> 00:24:55.800 and my enemies, 00:24:56.259 --> 00:24:57.180 when and how, 00:24:57.340 --> 00:24:58.280 I want them to be. 00:24:59.420 --> 00:25:00.440 But what I found, 00:25:00.820 --> 00:25:02.000 in reading Psalm 21, 00:25:02.220 --> 00:25:03.140 over and over again, 00:25:03.200 --> 00:25:04.019 until I figured out, 00:25:04.100 --> 00:25:05.060 what God was trying to say, 00:25:05.059 --> 00:25:05.440 is that, 00:25:05.679 --> 00:25:06.339 what was here, 00:25:06.399 --> 00:25:07.240 is so much better, 00:25:07.500 --> 00:25:08.480 than my version, 00:25:08.639 --> 00:25:09.200 of victory. 00:25:10.839 --> 00:25:11.559 Psalm 21, 00:25:11.679 --> 00:25:13.200 is a hymn of praise, 00:25:13.819 --> 00:25:14.859 but we can only sing, 00:25:14.899 --> 00:25:16.079 the praises of Psalm 21, 00:25:16.240 --> 00:25:17.419 if our hearts desire, 00:25:17.579 --> 00:25:18.119 is for Jesus, 00:25:18.240 --> 00:25:18.779 to be the king. 00:25:19.740 --> 00:25:20.659 We can only sing, 00:25:20.799 --> 00:25:22.240 the praise of Psalm 21, 00:25:22.379 --> 00:25:23.339 if what we want most, 00:25:23.419 --> 00:25:24.039 is for Jesus, 00:25:24.200 --> 00:25:24.980 to wear the crown. 00:25:26.460 --> 00:25:27.440 We can only sing, 00:25:27.440 --> 00:25:28.519 the praise of Psalm 21, 00:25:28.639 --> 00:25:29.220 if we revel, 00:25:29.220 --> 00:25:30.279 in his victory. 00:25:31.240 --> 00:25:32.079 We can only, 00:25:32.240 --> 00:25:33.240 sing the praises, 00:25:33.379 --> 00:25:34.039 of Psalm 21, 00:25:34.039 --> 00:25:35.440 if our greatest joy, 00:25:35.599 --> 00:25:36.879 is in his presence. 00:25:40.399 --> 00:25:41.399 Shall we pray together? 00:25:44.920 --> 00:25:45.399 Father, 00:25:45.400 --> 00:25:50.800 thank you for Psalm 21. 00:25:52.460 --> 00:25:53.340 Thank you for, 00:25:53.340 --> 00:25:54.620 opening our eyes, 00:25:54.700 --> 00:25:55.840 so that we could see you, 00:25:56.080 --> 00:25:56.340 clearly, 00:25:56.500 --> 00:25:57.180 for who you are, 00:25:57.220 --> 00:25:57.860 and what you've done. 00:25:59.140 --> 00:25:59.540 Lord, 00:25:59.620 --> 00:26:00.480 I confess, 00:26:00.600 --> 00:26:00.820 that, 00:26:01.360 --> 00:26:01.920 too often, 00:26:02.180 --> 00:26:03.560 I want to make myself, 00:26:03.660 --> 00:26:04.259 the main character. 00:26:05.580 --> 00:26:07.080 I want to see you move, 00:26:07.120 --> 00:26:07.820 in a way that, 00:26:08.080 --> 00:26:10.220 matches my version, 00:26:10.220 --> 00:26:10.820 of reality. 00:26:10.819 --> 00:26:13.240 what I think is best, 00:26:13.359 --> 00:26:15.019 what I want. 00:26:15.720 --> 00:26:15.980 And God, 00:26:16.019 --> 00:26:16.960 I recognize that, 00:26:17.179 --> 00:26:18.159 all I'm doing, 00:26:18.259 --> 00:26:19.279 is trying to put myself, 00:26:19.399 --> 00:26:20.139 in your position. 00:26:20.720 --> 00:26:21.579 I'm trying to be, 00:26:21.659 --> 00:26:22.399 God and king, 00:26:22.460 --> 00:26:23.339 over my life, 00:26:24.099 --> 00:26:24.599 when all, 00:26:24.759 --> 00:26:25.740 you ask of us, 00:26:25.799 --> 00:26:26.779 is to let you be king. 00:26:27.819 --> 00:26:29.240 And we can have the victory. 00:26:30.159 --> 00:26:30.799 We can, 00:26:30.939 --> 00:26:32.059 be with you forever. 00:26:34.119 --> 00:26:34.960 You make that, 00:26:35.099 --> 00:26:35.899 clearly available, 00:26:36.700 --> 00:26:37.500 and we just have to, 00:26:37.500 --> 00:26:38.000 accept it. 00:26:38.000 --> 00:26:40.299 Father, 00:26:40.400 --> 00:26:40.700 as we, 00:26:40.759 --> 00:26:41.900 look at the things, 00:26:42.019 --> 00:26:42.579 that are difficult, 00:26:42.579 --> 00:26:43.259 in our lives, 00:26:43.299 --> 00:26:43.920 as we look at, 00:26:44.119 --> 00:26:45.380 what's facing us, 00:26:45.420 --> 00:26:45.660 and we, 00:26:45.920 --> 00:26:46.619 it feels, 00:26:47.000 --> 00:26:47.740 insurmountable. 00:26:48.720 --> 00:26:49.940 We can look to the end, 00:26:49.960 --> 00:26:50.500 of the story, 00:26:50.559 --> 00:26:51.380 and know who wins. 00:26:52.019 --> 00:26:53.180 We can see you, 00:26:53.259 --> 00:26:53.720 in victory, 00:26:54.279 --> 00:26:55.880 the tree of life, 00:26:56.299 --> 00:26:56.779 standing there, 00:26:56.839 --> 00:26:57.539 that we can take, 00:26:57.599 --> 00:26:58.119 and we can eat, 00:26:58.180 --> 00:26:58.859 and we can have, 00:26:58.940 --> 00:26:59.660 forever and ever. 00:27:00.279 --> 00:27:00.579 Amen. 00:27:01.779 --> 00:27:02.180 God, 00:27:02.240 --> 00:27:02.680 would you, 00:27:03.200 --> 00:27:05.380 be king, 00:27:05.980 --> 00:27:06.619 of our lives. 00:27:06.680 --> 00:27:07.140 Would you, 00:27:07.140 --> 00:27:08.880 wear the crown, 00:27:09.100 --> 00:27:10.160 so that we don't have to. 00:27:10.680 --> 00:27:11.180 We pray, 00:27:11.460 --> 00:27:12.100 in Jesus name. 00:27:12.420 --> 00:27:12.660 Amen.