WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:10.640 Turning to Psalm 121, and along with Psalm 23, this is probably the two most familiar Psalms in the Bible. 00:00:10.900 --> 00:00:13.560 We're very, very familiar with them. 00:00:13.640 --> 00:00:22.920 And sometimes our familiarity is such that we maybe lose, because we're so used to them, so used to singing them, 00:00:22.920 --> 00:00:29.379 and we have memorized them, and I'm sure everybody here can sing this with their eyes closed and repeated. 00:00:30.000 --> 00:00:33.759 Certainly from the metric, because we're so used to it. 00:00:33.799 --> 00:00:37.039 But it's always worth going over these again and again. 00:00:38.480 --> 00:00:44.019 As we know, it's a pilgrim psalm from Psalm 120 through to Psalm 134. 00:00:44.539 --> 00:00:46.480 They're termed a song of ascent. 00:00:46.480 --> 00:00:54.379 And these psalms were sung by the people as they made their way up to Jerusalem for the various feasts. 00:00:54.960 --> 00:00:57.780 That's why they're termed songs of ascent. 00:00:57.780 --> 00:01:04.120 And the great theme in this psalm is the idea of being kept. 00:01:04.920 --> 00:01:09.180 Very recently, a prayer meeting, just maybe the last one I did one before, 00:01:09.799 --> 00:01:15.299 we're also looking at that theme where we saw in 1 Peter chapter 5, 00:01:16.079 --> 00:01:18.680 1 Peter chapter 1, verse 5, 00:01:19.120 --> 00:01:24.980 where we're kept by the power of God unto salvation, ready to be revealed at the last time. 00:01:24.980 --> 00:01:30.880 And here again, we have this great idea and this great theme of being kept. 00:01:31.520 --> 00:01:39.460 And you and I know it is the one thing, it is one of the things above all that we constantly pray for, to be kept. 00:01:39.780 --> 00:01:45.680 Every day, we might pray for many things, and we do pray for many things, and about many things. 00:01:45.680 --> 00:01:55.300 But we always pray to be kept, to be kept safe, to be kept from falling, to be kept from danger. 00:01:56.020 --> 00:02:06.480 We pray to be kept from hurt, from committing grievous sin, to be kept from shame, to be kept. 00:02:06.480 --> 00:02:07.980 The list is endless. 00:02:08.740 --> 00:02:12.659 Every day we pray, and we might not be conscious of the fact we do, 00:02:12.740 --> 00:02:19.460 but it is almost an automatic part of our prayer life that we pray in order to be kept. 00:02:20.620 --> 00:02:24.319 And so, this is a really wonderful psalm. 00:02:24.319 --> 00:02:32.419 It is such an encouragement to us, because we live in such an uncertain, such a difficult world, such a threatening world, 00:02:32.959 --> 00:02:38.579 a world that is just so full of surprises, and often not good surprises, 00:02:39.579 --> 00:02:42.099 that sometimes we fear, what will happen to me? 00:02:43.159 --> 00:02:45.939 The Lord assures us of his keeping. 00:02:45.939 --> 00:02:49.620 In this psalm, really, you could say that there are two aspects to it, 00:02:50.159 --> 00:02:59.159 that the Lord, it proclaims that he is the keeper, and he promises to keep. 00:03:00.759 --> 00:03:04.579 Now, the opening verse here, verse 1, is not really clear, 00:03:05.120 --> 00:03:08.740 because it just says, I lift up my eyes to the hills. 00:03:08.740 --> 00:03:14.040 And it doesn't, in a sense, expand on that, 00:03:14.620 --> 00:03:18.300 because we don't know exactly what was in the psalmist's mind. 00:03:19.120 --> 00:03:22.700 It could very well be that the hills were in his view. 00:03:23.659 --> 00:03:28.219 Maybe he was nearing Jerusalem, and he was seeing the hills all around. 00:03:28.379 --> 00:03:28.960 I don't know. 00:03:30.120 --> 00:03:36.400 Maybe the psalmist felt oppressed, and that he wanted to run away. 00:03:36.400 --> 00:03:41.300 You know, sometimes you feel hemmed in, feel claustrophobic, 00:03:41.840 --> 00:03:43.340 and you feel you want to get away. 00:03:43.460 --> 00:03:45.920 You feel everything is in on top of you. 00:03:46.860 --> 00:03:51.939 And we know that David, like in Psalm 11, he says, 00:03:52.540 --> 00:03:56.980 he expressed the desire that he might, like a bird, flee to the mountains. 00:03:57.280 --> 00:03:58.200 That's the way he felt. 00:03:59.599 --> 00:04:03.099 And I'm sure there are times that we felt like that as well. 00:04:03.159 --> 00:04:04.420 I wish I could just fly away. 00:04:04.419 --> 00:04:07.239 I wish I could just get away for a little, 00:04:07.739 --> 00:04:11.019 because everything is pressing down upon you. 00:04:12.099 --> 00:04:15.659 And, of course, again, the hills and mountains, they're great places. 00:04:17.879 --> 00:04:21.259 I'm sure we've all, at different times, gone up into the hills. 00:04:22.479 --> 00:04:25.339 And when you get up into the hills or into the mountains, 00:04:26.019 --> 00:04:28.199 your perspective on life changes, 00:04:28.199 --> 00:04:31.519 because you see things from a different perspective. 00:04:31.519 --> 00:04:33.899 You're looking down on things. 00:04:35.339 --> 00:04:37.779 And quite often, your whole, 00:04:37.979 --> 00:04:41.180 it's not just that the vision of what you're seeing changes, 00:04:41.879 --> 00:04:45.480 but sometimes it's almost therapeutic to your mind, 00:04:45.519 --> 00:04:47.519 because you begin to see things, 00:04:48.360 --> 00:04:50.339 maybe even issues and problems that you had. 00:04:50.379 --> 00:04:52.240 You begin to see things more clearly. 00:04:52.240 --> 00:04:56.759 And it's interesting how often, in fact, in Scripture, 00:04:56.960 --> 00:04:59.840 we find God's people in the hills and in the mountains. 00:05:00.340 --> 00:05:04.439 We find Jesus himself, that he used to go up into the mountain. 00:05:04.579 --> 00:05:08.160 He would go apart into the mountain in order to pray. 00:05:09.280 --> 00:05:11.439 It was in a mountain that he was transfigured. 00:05:12.439 --> 00:05:15.980 It was in a mountain that Moses met with God. 00:05:15.980 --> 00:05:18.860 And he met with God in such a powerful way 00:05:18.860 --> 00:05:20.220 that when he came back down, 00:05:20.319 --> 00:05:25.640 his face shone so brightly from being in the presence of God 00:05:25.640 --> 00:05:28.319 that he had to wear a veil on his face. 00:05:28.780 --> 00:05:29.980 The people couldn't look at him. 00:05:30.340 --> 00:05:32.300 His face was shining so brightly. 00:05:33.580 --> 00:05:35.580 It was on a mountain we find that Elijah 00:05:35.580 --> 00:05:38.360 had his great prayer battle with the Lord. 00:05:38.860 --> 00:05:41.160 It was in the mountain again that Elijah 00:05:41.160 --> 00:05:44.920 discovered through the still, small voice 00:05:44.920 --> 00:05:46.580 the presence of God. 00:05:47.540 --> 00:05:48.920 And right throughout the Bible, 00:05:49.060 --> 00:05:52.319 you will find the huge part that mountains and hills 00:05:52.319 --> 00:05:55.759 have to play in the lives of God's people. 00:05:56.800 --> 00:05:59.160 But when the psalmist is looking to the hills, 00:05:59.680 --> 00:06:01.560 he's not looking to the hills 00:06:01.560 --> 00:06:04.379 as his place of help and strength. 00:06:04.879 --> 00:06:08.500 Now, we know that there is an element of what you would say 00:06:08.500 --> 00:06:11.600 the hills are strong in the sense that 00:06:11.600 --> 00:06:14.060 if you went away for 30 or 40 years, 00:06:14.060 --> 00:06:17.459 supposing you went to live in Australia or Canada or somewhere 00:06:17.459 --> 00:06:18.360 and you came back, 00:06:19.120 --> 00:06:22.060 you would see massive change here in Stornoway. 00:06:22.740 --> 00:06:23.879 But if you went around the island, 00:06:24.019 --> 00:06:24.839 you would say, well, you know, 00:06:25.620 --> 00:06:26.939 there's so many changes, 00:06:27.100 --> 00:06:28.259 so many new houses, 00:06:28.740 --> 00:06:30.340 places that were used to be there, 00:06:30.399 --> 00:06:31.459 they're no longer there. 00:06:31.939 --> 00:06:33.199 Gallows Hill is the same. 00:06:34.040 --> 00:06:35.459 And the Oog Hills are the same. 00:06:35.519 --> 00:06:37.060 And the Harris Hills are the same. 00:06:37.459 --> 00:06:40.019 These are the things that are always foundational. 00:06:40.019 --> 00:06:41.639 They're unchanging. 00:06:43.959 --> 00:06:47.659 But again, the first psalm that we sang, 00:06:47.859 --> 00:06:49.000 Psalm 125, 00:06:50.180 --> 00:06:52.099 again talks of the hills. 00:06:53.319 --> 00:06:55.299 Remember how it says there, 00:06:55.419 --> 00:06:59.039 that as the mountains surround Jerusalem, 00:06:59.539 --> 00:07:01.479 so the Lord surrounds his people 00:07:01.479 --> 00:07:04.500 from this time forth and forevermore. 00:07:04.500 --> 00:07:07.939 But as a psalmist looks to the hills, 00:07:08.579 --> 00:07:10.860 he's looking way beyond the hills 00:07:10.860 --> 00:07:13.220 to where his help comes from. 00:07:13.339 --> 00:07:14.740 His help doesn't come from the hills. 00:07:15.160 --> 00:07:16.600 And he's not making any statement 00:07:16.600 --> 00:07:18.519 that his help comes from the hills. 00:07:18.720 --> 00:07:19.959 But it's quite possible 00:07:19.959 --> 00:07:23.180 as he lifted up his eyes to the hills 00:07:23.180 --> 00:07:27.160 and he saw the creative power of God 00:07:27.160 --> 00:07:29.660 in the formation of these hills. 00:07:30.600 --> 00:07:33.120 That his mind went out 00:07:33.120 --> 00:07:37.340 and he began to think of the creator God. 00:07:37.900 --> 00:07:39.819 Because it is God. 00:07:39.920 --> 00:07:43.079 We read in Jeremiah in chapter 10, 00:07:44.019 --> 00:07:44.920 verse 11, 00:07:45.759 --> 00:07:47.220 Thus shall you say to them, 00:07:48.100 --> 00:07:50.340 The gods who did not make the heavens 00:07:50.340 --> 00:07:52.579 and the earth shall perish from the earth 00:07:52.579 --> 00:07:54.120 and from under the heavens. 00:07:54.959 --> 00:07:58.500 It is he who made the earth by his power, 00:07:59.099 --> 00:08:01.719 who established the world by his wisdom, 00:08:02.379 --> 00:08:05.680 and by his understanding stretched out the heavens. 00:08:07.620 --> 00:08:08.159 And you know, 00:08:08.560 --> 00:08:10.639 I'm sure there are many times as a Christian 00:08:10.639 --> 00:08:12.620 that we stop because 00:08:12.620 --> 00:08:14.860 the Bible makes it very clear to us 00:08:14.860 --> 00:08:17.319 that the special revelation that we have 00:08:17.319 --> 00:08:18.339 is in the word of God. 00:08:19.299 --> 00:08:21.740 But there is a general revelation 00:08:21.740 --> 00:08:23.500 that is given to us in the creation. 00:08:24.360 --> 00:08:26.259 And we see God's power 00:08:26.259 --> 00:08:28.019 and we see God's handiwork 00:08:28.019 --> 00:08:29.160 in the sky. 00:08:29.420 --> 00:08:31.699 It tells us from the Psalms as well 00:08:31.699 --> 00:08:33.220 very clearly 00:08:33.220 --> 00:08:35.460 that when we look up into the sky 00:08:35.460 --> 00:08:36.500 on a starry night 00:08:36.500 --> 00:08:37.159 and we see 00:08:37.159 --> 00:08:40.820 the way that his fingers framed. 00:08:40.820 --> 00:08:42.360 God's handiwork in the sky 00:08:42.360 --> 00:08:43.640 and there's nothing random. 00:08:43.800 --> 00:08:45.560 Whatever people will tell you today 00:08:45.560 --> 00:08:46.540 about explosions 00:08:46.540 --> 00:08:47.540 and this and that 00:08:47.540 --> 00:08:48.660 and just coming together, 00:08:49.300 --> 00:08:50.780 God had a deliberate plan. 00:08:52.080 --> 00:08:53.360 God is a God of wisdom 00:08:53.360 --> 00:08:55.160 and a God of order. 00:08:56.200 --> 00:08:57.760 And he ordered and planned 00:08:57.760 --> 00:08:59.280 and structured this world, 00:08:59.379 --> 00:09:00.500 this whole universe. 00:09:01.640 --> 00:09:03.680 And it is there as a great display 00:09:03.680 --> 00:09:05.720 of his creative power. 00:09:05.720 --> 00:09:08.000 And that's why there is such an attempt made 00:09:08.000 --> 00:09:11.100 to undermine the creative power of God. 00:09:11.340 --> 00:09:12.500 Because when we do that, 00:09:12.800 --> 00:09:14.240 we take God out of the picture. 00:09:15.000 --> 00:09:15.460 And of course, 00:09:15.580 --> 00:09:18.560 it's been one of the most powerful weapons 00:09:18.560 --> 00:09:20.340 in Satan's toolbox 00:09:20.340 --> 00:09:23.840 where there's this attack upon the creation 00:09:23.840 --> 00:09:26.139 of God as a creator God. 00:09:27.279 --> 00:09:28.820 And when we look at the power 00:09:28.820 --> 00:09:29.600 and the majesty 00:09:29.600 --> 00:09:31.300 and the glory of our creation 00:09:31.299 --> 00:09:33.740 and then we see the wisdom, 00:09:33.899 --> 00:09:35.199 the intricacy of everything, 00:09:35.299 --> 00:09:36.599 just go to the human body. 00:09:37.519 --> 00:09:38.559 And we look at ourselves 00:09:38.559 --> 00:09:40.199 and we marvel at 00:09:40.199 --> 00:09:43.500 just how everything works. 00:09:43.659 --> 00:09:45.240 It's quite extraordinary. 00:09:46.740 --> 00:09:48.539 And so the psalmist 00:09:48.539 --> 00:09:50.240 is realizing 00:09:50.240 --> 00:09:51.599 as he's thinking about 00:09:51.599 --> 00:09:53.939 the great wisdom that planned 00:09:53.939 --> 00:09:55.639 and the great power 00:09:55.639 --> 00:09:56.959 that brought into being. 00:09:57.959 --> 00:09:58.439 He says, 00:09:58.440 --> 00:10:01.540 that's where my help comes from. 00:10:02.160 --> 00:10:03.420 And that's where your help 00:10:03.420 --> 00:10:05.540 and my help comes from as well. 00:10:06.360 --> 00:10:07.040 And I suppose 00:10:07.040 --> 00:10:08.780 we've always got to ask ourselves 00:10:08.780 --> 00:10:10.400 this question. 00:10:11.060 --> 00:10:12.480 Is this God, 00:10:12.600 --> 00:10:13.160 the God 00:10:13.160 --> 00:10:14.680 that I lean upon 00:10:14.680 --> 00:10:16.040 every single day 00:10:16.040 --> 00:10:17.580 in all the situations 00:10:17.580 --> 00:10:18.420 in my life? 00:10:19.260 --> 00:10:20.660 Or do I depend 00:10:20.660 --> 00:10:21.920 often on others? 00:10:22.640 --> 00:10:24.660 Or do I depend on myself, 00:10:24.800 --> 00:10:25.620 my own wisdom, 00:10:25.760 --> 00:10:26.720 my own structures, 00:10:26.880 --> 00:10:27.780 my own plans, 00:10:27.779 --> 00:10:28.659 my own guidance? 00:10:29.000 --> 00:10:29.740 And it's only when 00:10:29.740 --> 00:10:30.899 I'm completely stuck 00:10:30.899 --> 00:10:32.939 that I turn to the Lord. 00:10:34.379 --> 00:10:34.779 You know, 00:10:34.839 --> 00:10:35.480 all the time, 00:10:35.659 --> 00:10:36.500 every day, 00:10:36.600 --> 00:10:37.579 we should begin the day 00:10:37.579 --> 00:10:38.199 with the Lord 00:10:38.199 --> 00:10:39.980 and ask him 00:10:39.980 --> 00:10:41.059 as a great, 00:10:41.240 --> 00:10:41.720 wise, 00:10:41.860 --> 00:10:42.620 altogether, 00:10:43.139 --> 00:10:44.179 wonderful God 00:10:44.179 --> 00:10:45.240 who loves us. 00:10:45.319 --> 00:10:46.600 Let's not forget that. 00:10:47.279 --> 00:10:48.600 The Lord loves us 00:10:48.600 --> 00:10:49.419 more than ever 00:10:49.419 --> 00:10:50.659 we could ever begin 00:10:50.659 --> 00:10:51.480 to understand. 00:10:52.059 --> 00:10:52.220 You know, 00:10:52.279 --> 00:10:53.919 sometimes we find it difficult 00:10:53.919 --> 00:10:55.339 to understand 00:10:55.339 --> 00:10:56.819 how much the Lord loves us 00:10:56.820 --> 00:10:57.900 because sometimes 00:10:57.900 --> 00:10:59.120 we have real difficulty 00:10:59.120 --> 00:11:00.040 loving ourselves 00:11:00.040 --> 00:11:01.100 because of our sin. 00:11:02.580 --> 00:11:03.700 Sometimes when we look 00:11:03.700 --> 00:11:04.840 in at our own lives 00:11:04.840 --> 00:11:06.940 and we see the failure 00:11:06.940 --> 00:11:08.160 and we see all 00:11:08.160 --> 00:11:09.260 that we've done wrong 00:11:09.260 --> 00:11:10.780 and all these things 00:11:10.780 --> 00:11:11.840 and sometimes we say, 00:11:11.960 --> 00:11:12.240 oh, 00:11:12.540 --> 00:11:15.220 what an awful person I am. 00:11:16.460 --> 00:11:17.260 But we've got to remember 00:11:17.260 --> 00:11:19.760 that we are his treasure 00:11:19.760 --> 00:11:21.000 in this world. 00:11:21.000 --> 00:11:23.220 We are his possession. 00:11:23.759 --> 00:11:24.519 He's going to take 00:11:24.519 --> 00:11:26.179 nobody and nothing else 00:11:26.179 --> 00:11:27.500 out from this world 00:11:27.500 --> 00:11:28.679 but you and me. 00:11:29.340 --> 00:11:30.080 All his people. 00:11:31.080 --> 00:11:32.320 And we mustn't lose sight 00:11:32.320 --> 00:11:32.840 of that. 00:11:33.700 --> 00:11:35.019 And it's important 00:11:35.019 --> 00:11:35.720 to the Lord 00:11:35.720 --> 00:11:38.480 because he is our keeper 00:11:38.480 --> 00:11:39.620 because of that. 00:11:39.720 --> 00:11:40.659 So we should every day 00:11:40.659 --> 00:11:42.299 depend upon him. 00:11:42.779 --> 00:11:44.419 And he is our covenant God. 00:11:44.500 --> 00:11:45.700 He has entered into covenant 00:11:45.700 --> 00:11:48.120 with us through his son. 00:11:48.120 --> 00:11:51.000 With us an ending faithfulness. 00:11:52.340 --> 00:11:53.340 Despite the fact 00:11:53.340 --> 00:11:54.340 we disappoint him. 00:11:54.480 --> 00:11:55.259 Despite the fact 00:11:55.259 --> 00:11:56.139 we let him down. 00:11:57.500 --> 00:11:59.399 And the Bible is full 00:11:59.399 --> 00:12:01.120 of God's people 00:12:01.120 --> 00:12:02.019 who let him down. 00:12:03.019 --> 00:12:04.139 And you see your Davids 00:12:04.139 --> 00:12:06.019 and you see your Peters 00:12:06.019 --> 00:12:06.860 and all these. 00:12:07.379 --> 00:12:07.980 And yet the Lord 00:12:07.980 --> 00:12:09.120 brings them back. 00:12:10.019 --> 00:12:10.960 And then in verse 3 00:12:10.960 --> 00:12:12.039 after saying, 00:12:12.200 --> 00:12:13.500 where my help comes 00:12:13.500 --> 00:12:14.060 from the Lord 00:12:14.060 --> 00:12:15.960 who made heaven and earth. 00:12:15.960 --> 00:12:17.480 And then he says, 00:12:17.519 --> 00:12:18.680 he will not let your foot 00:12:18.680 --> 00:12:19.379 be moved. 00:12:19.580 --> 00:12:20.500 He who keeps you 00:12:20.500 --> 00:12:21.519 will not slumber. 00:12:22.180 --> 00:12:23.360 And then in verse 4, 00:12:23.480 --> 00:12:23.860 behold, 00:12:24.000 --> 00:12:25.060 he who keeps Israel 00:12:25.060 --> 00:12:26.440 will neither slumber 00:12:26.440 --> 00:12:27.040 nor sleep. 00:12:27.759 --> 00:12:28.600 And in a sense, 00:12:28.639 --> 00:12:29.259 if you could hear 00:12:29.259 --> 00:12:30.400 people singing this, 00:12:30.700 --> 00:12:31.560 it's almost like 00:12:31.560 --> 00:12:32.620 verse 3 is making 00:12:32.620 --> 00:12:33.300 a statement. 00:12:34.100 --> 00:12:35.160 He who keeps you 00:12:35.160 --> 00:12:36.180 will not slumber. 00:12:36.180 --> 00:12:37.180 And then the affirmative 00:12:37.759 --> 00:12:38.740 is coming back 00:12:38.740 --> 00:12:39.480 in verse 4. 00:12:39.840 --> 00:12:41.139 How right you are. 00:12:41.940 --> 00:12:43.120 He who keeps Israel 00:12:43.120 --> 00:12:44.180 will neither slumber 00:12:44.179 --> 00:12:46.000 nor sleep. 00:12:47.719 --> 00:12:48.839 And so we are promised 00:12:48.839 --> 00:12:54.259 this constant assurance 00:12:54.259 --> 00:12:56.699 that we are being kept 00:12:56.699 --> 00:12:57.539 by a God 00:12:57.539 --> 00:12:59.479 who is constantly on guard, 00:12:59.699 --> 00:13:01.179 constantly watching us, 00:13:01.819 --> 00:13:02.479 never sleeps. 00:13:04.439 --> 00:13:06.979 We know that a sentry, 00:13:08.019 --> 00:13:09.859 when they were put on guard, 00:13:10.120 --> 00:13:12.759 a sentry had to remain vigilant, 00:13:12.759 --> 00:13:14.399 had to stay awake back, 00:13:14.819 --> 00:13:15.639 in the way back, 00:13:15.700 --> 00:13:16.439 in the old days, 00:13:16.919 --> 00:13:18.139 if you slept on duty, 00:13:18.200 --> 00:13:18.980 you would be shot. 00:13:19.980 --> 00:13:22.399 It was such because 00:13:22.399 --> 00:13:24.159 the whole camp 00:13:24.159 --> 00:13:25.799 depended upon 00:13:25.799 --> 00:13:27.419 your vigilance, 00:13:27.759 --> 00:13:28.960 upon you being alert, 00:13:29.080 --> 00:13:30.019 on you being awake. 00:13:31.240 --> 00:13:32.179 And so the watchman, 00:13:32.759 --> 00:13:33.960 wherever the watchman is, 00:13:33.960 --> 00:13:35.340 it's an extraordinarily 00:13:35.340 --> 00:13:36.720 important duty. 00:13:37.480 --> 00:13:38.080 You've got to be, 00:13:38.120 --> 00:13:39.980 you've got to be alert, 00:13:40.179 --> 00:13:41.519 you've got to be watching. 00:13:41.519 --> 00:13:44.220 And often the watchman's place 00:13:44.220 --> 00:13:45.240 can be very difficult. 00:13:46.199 --> 00:13:47.079 I remember my father 00:13:47.079 --> 00:13:48.259 telling me during the war, 00:13:48.860 --> 00:13:50.460 he was on the destroyers 00:13:50.460 --> 00:13:52.600 and up above the bridge, 00:13:52.679 --> 00:13:54.100 it wasn't like the crow's nest 00:13:54.100 --> 00:13:54.779 as such, 00:13:54.860 --> 00:13:56.439 like in the old sailing boats, 00:13:56.759 --> 00:13:58.299 but it was something similar. 00:13:58.860 --> 00:14:00.279 And he used to take turns 00:14:00.279 --> 00:14:02.439 of watch up there, 00:14:03.000 --> 00:14:03.620 irrespective. 00:14:03.679 --> 00:14:05.319 And he was telling me like that 00:14:05.319 --> 00:14:06.259 in the North Atlantic, 00:14:06.340 --> 00:14:06.919 he was involved 00:14:06.919 --> 00:14:08.159 in the Arctic convoys. 00:14:08.419 --> 00:14:09.519 And you say sometimes, 00:14:09.620 --> 00:14:11.019 and that would be a fearful day, 00:14:11.019 --> 00:14:12.659 and you'd be up there, 00:14:13.120 --> 00:14:14.539 the rain and the wind 00:14:14.539 --> 00:14:15.399 and the ice 00:14:15.399 --> 00:14:16.419 and everything like that. 00:14:16.480 --> 00:14:17.699 But you had to be, 00:14:17.819 --> 00:14:19.460 because you on that spot 00:14:19.460 --> 00:14:21.240 were able to see beyond 00:14:21.240 --> 00:14:22.340 what anybody else 00:14:22.340 --> 00:14:23.939 would be able to see. 00:14:25.939 --> 00:14:26.699 There's a, 00:14:28.019 --> 00:14:29.100 in a sense, 00:14:29.220 --> 00:14:29.720 almost a, 00:14:30.199 --> 00:14:30.740 quite a, 00:14:31.019 --> 00:14:32.159 when I say that, 00:14:32.480 --> 00:14:33.679 I remember him telling me, 00:14:33.679 --> 00:14:35.959 and this was earlier on 00:14:35.959 --> 00:14:38.359 in the war, 00:14:38.779 --> 00:14:39.719 when he was up there, 00:14:39.779 --> 00:14:41.259 the first time he had been up there, 00:14:41.319 --> 00:14:42.059 it was a really, 00:14:42.219 --> 00:14:43.099 really wild night. 00:14:43.859 --> 00:14:46.159 And when he was coming down 00:14:46.159 --> 00:14:47.620 or an evening, 00:14:48.259 --> 00:14:49.679 the other sailor 00:14:49.679 --> 00:14:51.539 who was going up to relieve him 00:14:51.539 --> 00:14:51.839 said, 00:14:52.639 --> 00:14:53.979 Captain wants to see you. 00:14:54.819 --> 00:14:55.759 So we thought, 00:14:55.839 --> 00:14:56.839 what I wonder what this is. 00:14:56.840 --> 00:14:58.500 So he went to the bridge 00:14:58.500 --> 00:15:00.259 and the captain said to him, 00:15:00.440 --> 00:15:01.220 you were up there 00:15:01.220 --> 00:15:02.700 these last four hours, 00:15:02.879 --> 00:15:03.100 yes? 00:15:04.060 --> 00:15:04.759 Well, he said, 00:15:05.000 --> 00:15:05.899 in future, 00:15:06.399 --> 00:15:07.840 stop that screeching. 00:15:07.840 --> 00:15:10.120 And you see, 00:15:10.200 --> 00:15:10.680 there was a, 00:15:10.680 --> 00:15:12.540 like a tannoy or whatever, 00:15:13.000 --> 00:15:14.379 where you could get in touch 00:15:14.379 --> 00:15:14.960 from there 00:15:14.960 --> 00:15:16.100 down to the bridge. 00:15:18.040 --> 00:15:19.519 And what would happen was, 00:15:19.899 --> 00:15:20.340 my father, 00:15:20.460 --> 00:15:21.320 to pass the time, 00:15:21.960 --> 00:15:24.259 was presenting to himself 00:15:24.259 --> 00:15:25.399 in Gaelic. 00:15:26.060 --> 00:15:27.740 And he was putting out the line 00:15:27.740 --> 00:15:29.399 and he was never the best singer, 00:15:29.519 --> 00:15:31.580 but he would give full volume. 00:15:32.660 --> 00:15:34.060 So for these four hours, 00:15:34.900 --> 00:15:36.300 the captain was getting this, 00:15:36.820 --> 00:15:37.540 blasting. 00:15:38.320 --> 00:15:39.000 And he said, 00:15:39.040 --> 00:15:39.860 I forbid you, 00:15:39.899 --> 00:15:40.240 he said, 00:15:40.580 --> 00:15:41.019 again, 00:15:41.100 --> 00:15:42.139 to ever do that. 00:15:43.160 --> 00:15:44.080 And my father said to him, 00:15:44.120 --> 00:15:44.240 well, 00:15:45.000 --> 00:15:45.540 I'm sorry, 00:15:46.080 --> 00:15:46.620 but he said, 00:15:46.639 --> 00:15:47.720 I was singing psalms 00:15:47.720 --> 00:15:49.480 and the psalms I was singing 00:15:49.480 --> 00:15:50.660 were actually prayers, 00:15:51.399 --> 00:15:52.960 asking for God's protection. 00:15:54.820 --> 00:15:55.740 And the captain said, 00:15:55.860 --> 00:15:56.080 oh, 00:15:56.440 --> 00:15:56.759 right, 00:15:57.360 --> 00:15:57.899 in future, 00:15:58.000 --> 00:15:58.759 do it quietly, 00:15:58.759 --> 00:15:59.340 he said. 00:16:00.360 --> 00:16:00.379 So, 00:16:00.840 --> 00:16:01.420 and it was, 00:16:01.480 --> 00:16:02.720 it was also interesting 00:16:02.720 --> 00:16:04.100 that from that point, 00:16:04.340 --> 00:16:05.519 and I'm totally digressing, 00:16:06.280 --> 00:16:07.060 before the war, 00:16:07.059 --> 00:16:08.119 my father felt 00:16:08.119 --> 00:16:08.779 being called 00:16:08.779 --> 00:16:09.579 into the ministry, 00:16:09.579 --> 00:16:10.559 he had never preached. 00:16:11.959 --> 00:16:13.139 And he thought 00:16:13.139 --> 00:16:14.299 to himself, 00:16:14.399 --> 00:16:14.539 well, 00:16:15.039 --> 00:16:16.679 if I go forward 00:16:16.679 --> 00:16:17.759 and present myself, 00:16:18.119 --> 00:16:18.819 people will think 00:16:18.819 --> 00:16:19.839 I'm trying to 00:16:19.839 --> 00:16:21.099 get out of going 00:16:21.099 --> 00:16:21.559 to the war. 00:16:21.559 --> 00:16:22.579 So he said to the Lord, 00:16:22.659 --> 00:16:22.859 Lord, 00:16:22.959 --> 00:16:24.619 and nobody knew then 00:16:24.619 --> 00:16:25.919 how long the war would last. 00:16:26.019 --> 00:16:26.319 If you, 00:16:26.500 --> 00:16:28.319 if you mean me to come through, 00:16:28.799 --> 00:16:29.839 to go into the ministry, 00:16:30.039 --> 00:16:31.019 take me through this war. 00:16:31.079 --> 00:16:32.119 So he asked the captain, 00:16:32.619 --> 00:16:33.139 he said, 00:16:33.799 --> 00:16:34.959 would it be all right 00:16:34.959 --> 00:16:38.179 if we're quiet 00:16:38.179 --> 00:16:39.459 on the Lord's day, 00:16:39.459 --> 00:16:40.619 if I take some of the 00:16:40.619 --> 00:16:42.299 Lewis or Island men 00:16:42.299 --> 00:16:43.039 who have Gaelic 00:16:43.039 --> 00:16:44.579 and do a wee service? 00:16:44.719 --> 00:16:45.439 And the captain said, 00:16:45.559 --> 00:16:46.120 that's all right. 00:16:46.199 --> 00:16:46.939 So he got his permission. 00:16:47.099 --> 00:16:47.620 So that's where he, 00:16:48.259 --> 00:16:50.000 where he first started preaching, 00:16:50.860 --> 00:16:51.860 or as he said, 00:16:51.919 --> 00:16:52.699 trying to preach 00:16:52.699 --> 00:16:54.199 on the destroyer. 00:16:54.240 --> 00:16:55.319 So it all came from 00:16:55.319 --> 00:16:56.480 that night on, 00:16:56.539 --> 00:16:57.819 on watch with, 00:16:58.099 --> 00:16:59.399 what the captain termed, 00:16:59.459 --> 00:16:59.899 screeching. 00:17:00.559 --> 00:17:01.559 But the thing is that 00:17:01.559 --> 00:17:02.339 it was, 00:17:02.419 --> 00:17:03.199 it was a vital, 00:17:03.299 --> 00:17:05.460 it was such an important place, 00:17:05.720 --> 00:17:06.460 the watchman. 00:17:07.340 --> 00:17:08.019 And even, 00:17:08.180 --> 00:17:09.340 the thing is a watchman 00:17:09.340 --> 00:17:12.220 might be very alert, 00:17:13.360 --> 00:17:14.700 but might also 00:17:14.700 --> 00:17:16.360 not be observant. 00:17:16.799 --> 00:17:18.460 But here we have 00:17:18.460 --> 00:17:20.460 the greatest watchman of all, 00:17:20.779 --> 00:17:21.440 the Lord, 00:17:22.380 --> 00:17:22.920 who, 00:17:23.019 --> 00:17:25.039 who misses nothing. 00:17:25.880 --> 00:17:27.140 Nothing will ever come 00:17:27.140 --> 00:17:28.100 into your life. 00:17:28.660 --> 00:17:30.120 Nothing will ever threaten you. 00:17:30.279 --> 00:17:32.400 Nothing will ever come near you, 00:17:32.460 --> 00:17:34.480 but he knows exactly what it is. 00:17:34.840 --> 00:17:36.279 And nothing will touch you. 00:17:36.460 --> 00:17:37.980 But by divine permission. 00:17:38.460 --> 00:17:39.259 Just as the Lord 00:17:39.259 --> 00:17:41.180 was the cloud of fire by day 00:17:41.180 --> 00:17:42.039 and the cloud of, 00:17:42.360 --> 00:17:43.620 pillar of fire by night 00:17:43.620 --> 00:17:44.259 in the desert 00:17:44.259 --> 00:17:45.380 with his people, 00:17:45.559 --> 00:17:47.000 so he is still 00:17:47.000 --> 00:17:48.360 with us as well. 00:17:49.400 --> 00:17:51.279 And so he is this watchman 00:17:51.279 --> 00:17:53.299 who protects us constantly. 00:17:54.400 --> 00:17:54.940 And then it says, 00:17:55.019 --> 00:17:55.980 the Lord is your keeper. 00:17:56.640 --> 00:17:57.740 The Lord is your shade 00:17:57.740 --> 00:17:58.759 on your right hand. 00:17:59.160 --> 00:18:00.600 The sun shall not strike you 00:18:00.600 --> 00:18:01.059 by day, 00:18:01.100 --> 00:18:02.480 nor the moon by night. 00:18:02.480 --> 00:18:05.579 And again, 00:18:05.779 --> 00:18:07.980 it's a beautiful idea 00:18:07.980 --> 00:18:09.339 because we're not, 00:18:10.339 --> 00:18:12.039 well, it's very timely 00:18:12.039 --> 00:18:14.860 because the doctor, 00:18:14.960 --> 00:18:17.440 Dr. Mosley, 00:18:18.000 --> 00:18:18.980 he died. 00:18:19.680 --> 00:18:20.339 And there's probably, 00:18:20.539 --> 00:18:21.559 I don't know exactly, 00:18:21.700 --> 00:18:23.039 but it's reckoned 00:18:23.039 --> 00:18:24.099 it could be heat stroke 00:18:24.099 --> 00:18:25.480 that contributed 00:18:25.960 --> 00:18:27.500 to his death. 00:18:27.500 --> 00:18:29.240 We sometimes don't hear, 00:18:29.400 --> 00:18:30.420 do not understand 00:18:30.420 --> 00:18:32.920 the intensity of the heat 00:18:32.920 --> 00:18:35.400 that can be elsewhere. 00:18:36.640 --> 00:18:37.339 But the Lord is, 00:18:38.000 --> 00:18:39.160 the Psalm is saying, 00:18:39.700 --> 00:18:40.279 and it's not, 00:18:40.859 --> 00:18:42.279 I will make you a shade. 00:18:42.799 --> 00:18:44.500 Like the Lord made Jonah. 00:18:44.779 --> 00:18:46.380 Remember how he made a shade 00:18:46.380 --> 00:18:48.279 for Jonah outside Nineveh. 00:18:48.279 --> 00:18:49.920 The Lord is saying, 00:18:50.139 --> 00:18:51.220 I won't make you a shade. 00:18:51.359 --> 00:18:52.379 I am your shade. 00:18:52.839 --> 00:18:53.639 I'm your shelter. 00:18:55.279 --> 00:18:56.339 And when it says 00:18:56.339 --> 00:18:57.420 the sun and the moon, 00:18:58.299 --> 00:18:59.440 it really is talking 00:18:59.440 --> 00:19:00.180 about everything. 00:19:00.819 --> 00:19:01.759 It means daytime 00:19:01.759 --> 00:19:02.639 and nighttime 00:19:02.639 --> 00:19:04.619 and everything in between. 00:19:04.759 --> 00:19:05.399 But we could almost, 00:19:05.500 --> 00:19:05.680 you know, 00:19:05.740 --> 00:19:06.759 we use the expression 00:19:06.759 --> 00:19:08.059 24-7. 00:19:08.779 --> 00:19:09.359 And at my, 00:19:09.500 --> 00:19:10.639 at your right hand, 00:19:10.639 --> 00:19:11.619 that is a place 00:19:11.619 --> 00:19:12.399 of protection, 00:19:13.259 --> 00:19:14.399 the place of defense. 00:19:15.000 --> 00:19:15.839 And that's where the Lord 00:19:15.839 --> 00:19:16.960 is saying that 00:19:16.960 --> 00:19:18.620 he positions himself. 00:19:19.759 --> 00:19:20.660 And the Lord will, 00:19:20.779 --> 00:19:23.059 will keep you from all evil. 00:19:23.759 --> 00:19:25.319 He will keep your life. 00:19:26.059 --> 00:19:26.079 Now, 00:19:27.299 --> 00:19:31.100 sometimes it's translated as soul. 00:19:31.360 --> 00:19:32.180 I'll keep your soul 00:19:32.180 --> 00:19:33.059 or keep your life. 00:19:33.940 --> 00:19:35.840 But both in a sense 00:19:35.840 --> 00:19:36.380 are the same 00:19:36.380 --> 00:19:38.700 because life involves everything. 00:19:39.180 --> 00:19:41.120 Body, mind and soul. 00:19:42.240 --> 00:19:43.140 And as somebody said, 00:19:43.660 --> 00:19:44.759 if the soul is kept, 00:19:44.860 --> 00:19:45.819 then all is kept. 00:19:45.819 --> 00:19:46.980 Because as we know, 00:19:47.059 --> 00:19:47.679 there is nothing 00:19:47.679 --> 00:19:49.359 more precious to us 00:19:49.359 --> 00:19:50.240 than our soul. 00:19:50.960 --> 00:19:52.319 You might have a bodyguard 00:19:52.319 --> 00:19:53.480 and you might have 00:19:53.480 --> 00:19:54.720 the best bodyguards. 00:19:54.859 --> 00:19:55.399 They might have been 00:19:55.399 --> 00:19:58.720 the best SAS soldiers 00:19:58.720 --> 00:20:00.980 and who went into, 00:20:01.700 --> 00:20:02.500 as we know, 00:20:02.579 --> 00:20:03.139 many of them 00:20:03.139 --> 00:20:04.139 go into security 00:20:04.139 --> 00:20:06.119 and work as bodyguards 00:20:06.119 --> 00:20:06.759 for people. 00:20:06.879 --> 00:20:07.700 And you'd say to yourself, 00:20:07.839 --> 00:20:08.019 wow, 00:20:08.119 --> 00:20:09.879 this will be the best bodyguard 00:20:09.879 --> 00:20:10.519 in the world. 00:20:11.319 --> 00:20:11.559 Yes, 00:20:11.599 --> 00:20:12.559 he may keep your body, 00:20:12.559 --> 00:20:14.159 but he can't keep your soul. 00:20:14.779 --> 00:20:15.319 There's nobody 00:20:15.319 --> 00:20:17.419 that can protect your soul 00:20:17.419 --> 00:20:18.460 but the Lord. 00:20:19.299 --> 00:20:20.619 And so he is the protector 00:20:20.619 --> 00:20:21.220 of body, 00:20:21.359 --> 00:20:22.220 mind and soul. 00:20:22.539 --> 00:20:24.319 He's protecting everything 00:20:24.319 --> 00:20:24.819 with us 00:20:24.819 --> 00:20:26.200 that we have. 00:20:27.419 --> 00:20:29.500 The Lord will keep you 00:20:29.500 --> 00:20:31.299 from all evil. 00:20:32.299 --> 00:20:32.740 In other words, 00:20:32.839 --> 00:20:33.839 keep you from evil 00:20:33.839 --> 00:20:35.399 and keep evil from you. 00:20:35.599 --> 00:20:35.720 Now, 00:20:35.759 --> 00:20:36.379 that doesn't mean 00:20:36.379 --> 00:20:38.039 that we live a cushioned life. 00:20:39.000 --> 00:20:39.700 We all know 00:20:39.700 --> 00:20:40.659 that we have struggles 00:20:40.659 --> 00:20:41.119 in it. 00:20:41.680 --> 00:20:42.879 But whatever struggles 00:20:42.879 --> 00:20:43.519 we go through, 00:20:43.619 --> 00:20:44.920 it is by divine permission 00:20:44.920 --> 00:20:46.980 with holy end in view. 00:20:48.159 --> 00:20:48.799 And then it says, 00:20:48.879 --> 00:20:49.779 the Lord will keep you 00:20:49.779 --> 00:20:50.319 going out 00:20:50.319 --> 00:20:51.279 and you're coming in 00:20:51.279 --> 00:20:52.639 from this time forth 00:20:52.639 --> 00:20:54.379 and forevermore. 00:20:55.720 --> 00:20:56.579 You and I know 00:20:56.579 --> 00:20:57.259 that our life 00:20:57.259 --> 00:20:58.220 is filled with 00:20:58.220 --> 00:20:58.940 going out 00:20:58.940 --> 00:20:59.680 and coming in. 00:21:00.200 --> 00:21:01.099 Going out to work, 00:21:01.539 --> 00:21:02.659 coming home afterwards. 00:21:03.599 --> 00:21:04.680 Going out on holiday, 00:21:05.240 --> 00:21:05.940 coming back. 00:21:06.559 --> 00:21:07.339 Going to school, 00:21:07.339 --> 00:21:08.079 coming back. 00:21:08.159 --> 00:21:08.899 Wherever it is, 00:21:08.939 --> 00:21:10.079 our life is involved 00:21:10.079 --> 00:21:11.099 in constants, 00:21:11.579 --> 00:21:13.399 constantly going out 00:21:13.399 --> 00:21:14.299 and going in. 00:21:15.240 --> 00:21:15.779 And again, 00:21:15.919 --> 00:21:17.039 it really is this idea 00:21:17.039 --> 00:21:18.559 of encapsulating everything. 00:21:19.319 --> 00:21:19.939 Every day, 00:21:20.139 --> 00:21:20.939 going out and in. 00:21:21.059 --> 00:21:21.679 Every month, 00:21:21.799 --> 00:21:22.659 going out and in. 00:21:23.339 --> 00:21:24.319 It means that the Lord 00:21:24.319 --> 00:21:25.419 is with you at work, 00:21:25.639 --> 00:21:26.619 he's with you at home. 00:21:26.939 --> 00:21:28.159 He's with you during the day, 00:21:28.439 --> 00:21:29.559 he's with you at night. 00:21:30.119 --> 00:21:31.500 It means that he's with you 00:21:31.500 --> 00:21:32.419 wherever you go, 00:21:32.839 --> 00:21:33.759 whenever you go. 00:21:34.659 --> 00:21:36.459 It's this constant idea 00:21:36.460 --> 00:21:37.799 of his presence, 00:21:38.279 --> 00:21:38.940 his help, 00:21:39.340 --> 00:21:39.980 his keeping, 00:21:40.360 --> 00:21:41.120 his support. 00:21:41.519 --> 00:21:43.240 It governs everything 00:21:43.240 --> 00:21:44.799 from the dawn of our life 00:21:44.799 --> 00:21:45.700 to the dusk, 00:21:46.160 --> 00:21:47.059 from our birth 00:21:47.059 --> 00:21:48.160 to the grave, 00:21:48.519 --> 00:21:49.799 all the time, 00:21:49.900 --> 00:21:50.799 all the way through. 00:21:51.440 --> 00:21:52.600 And the beauty of this psalm 00:21:52.600 --> 00:21:53.980 is that it deals 00:21:53.980 --> 00:21:54.880 with our past, 00:21:55.279 --> 00:21:56.860 it focuses on our present, 00:21:57.480 --> 00:21:58.980 and it is also speaking 00:21:58.980 --> 00:21:59.840 about the future, 00:21:59.839 --> 00:22:02.319 not just to the end of time, 00:22:03.139 --> 00:22:05.319 but time without end. 00:22:06.500 --> 00:22:07.819 That's the Lord we have. 00:22:08.199 --> 00:22:09.519 That's the keeper we have. 00:22:10.539 --> 00:22:13.220 And we're doing tonight, 00:22:13.319 --> 00:22:13.859 all we're doing 00:22:13.859 --> 00:22:15.879 is refreshing our mind, 00:22:17.159 --> 00:22:18.359 helping us to remember 00:22:18.359 --> 00:22:19.359 who it is 00:22:19.359 --> 00:22:21.000 who is keeping us. 00:22:21.819 --> 00:22:22.779 Nobody in the world 00:22:22.779 --> 00:22:23.899 has a greater keeper. 00:22:24.859 --> 00:22:25.619 Nobody in the world 00:22:25.619 --> 00:22:26.839 has a greater protector. 00:22:26.839 --> 00:22:29.859 Nobody in the whole wide world 00:22:29.859 --> 00:22:31.179 has a security 00:22:31.179 --> 00:22:32.799 like the Christian. 00:22:33.299 --> 00:22:34.059 Let us pray. 00:22:35.639 --> 00:22:36.679 Lord our God, 00:22:36.839 --> 00:22:38.159 we give thanks again 00:22:38.159 --> 00:22:39.159 for your word 00:22:39.159 --> 00:22:40.459 and for reminding us 00:22:40.459 --> 00:22:42.480 so simply 00:22:42.480 --> 00:22:44.459 of just the marvel 00:22:44.459 --> 00:22:45.500 of who you are 00:22:45.500 --> 00:22:46.299 and what you do 00:22:46.299 --> 00:22:47.539 in us and for us. 00:22:48.419 --> 00:22:49.599 And we give thanks 00:22:49.599 --> 00:22:51.119 that you preserve us, 00:22:51.199 --> 00:22:52.039 that you keep us. 00:22:53.039 --> 00:22:53.879 And even when we 00:22:53.879 --> 00:22:55.139 can't keep ourselves, 00:22:55.319 --> 00:22:56.519 and how often that is, 00:22:57.119 --> 00:22:58.180 you still keep us. 00:22:58.859 --> 00:22:59.879 And we give thanks, 00:23:00.039 --> 00:23:00.200 Lord, 00:23:00.279 --> 00:23:00.900 for the fact 00:23:00.900 --> 00:23:02.000 that you renew us 00:23:02.000 --> 00:23:03.200 and you restore us. 00:23:03.839 --> 00:23:05.379 And even when we wander off, 00:23:05.460 --> 00:23:06.400 you bring us back. 00:23:06.879 --> 00:23:07.940 You are the good shepherd, 00:23:08.559 --> 00:23:09.259 the good shepherd 00:23:09.259 --> 00:23:09.900 who knows 00:23:09.900 --> 00:23:11.019 and loves his sheep. 00:23:11.740 --> 00:23:12.420 So we pray 00:23:12.420 --> 00:23:13.019 your blessing 00:23:13.019 --> 00:23:14.319 upon each one of us 00:23:14.319 --> 00:23:15.420 tonight here. 00:23:15.920 --> 00:23:16.160 Again, 00:23:16.220 --> 00:23:17.579 we pray for Norman McKenzie, 00:23:17.720 --> 00:23:18.339 remember him 00:23:18.339 --> 00:23:19.400 as he goes to hospital 00:23:19.400 --> 00:23:20.099 in Aberdeen. 00:23:20.559 --> 00:23:21.299 Pray that you'll be 00:23:21.299 --> 00:23:21.940 with surgeon 00:23:21.940 --> 00:23:23.440 and give him healing 00:23:23.440 --> 00:23:24.500 and restoration. 00:23:24.500 --> 00:23:25.980 We pray for Annabelle 00:23:25.980 --> 00:23:27.299 and Angelbraith, 00:23:27.400 --> 00:23:27.640 Lord, 00:23:27.740 --> 00:23:28.339 and we pray 00:23:28.339 --> 00:23:30.119 that your healing hand 00:23:30.119 --> 00:23:31.480 will be upon both of them 00:23:31.480 --> 00:23:32.359 and bring them home 00:23:32.359 --> 00:23:33.220 soon again. 00:23:34.160 --> 00:23:34.420 Lord, 00:23:34.480 --> 00:23:35.059 we remember 00:23:35.059 --> 00:23:36.880 Christine McMillan 00:23:36.880 --> 00:23:38.440 and the boys, 00:23:38.540 --> 00:23:39.380 Andrew and John 00:23:39.380 --> 00:23:40.900 and respective families. 00:23:41.000 --> 00:23:41.260 Lord, 00:23:41.360 --> 00:23:42.600 we commit to your care 00:23:42.600 --> 00:23:43.200 and keeping 00:23:43.200 --> 00:23:44.680 and we're reminded 00:23:44.680 --> 00:23:45.820 just as we heard 00:23:45.820 --> 00:23:47.240 how suddenly 00:23:47.240 --> 00:23:49.300 our lives can change, 00:23:49.360 --> 00:23:50.900 how uncertain life is. 00:23:51.260 --> 00:23:52.100 Help us to live 00:23:52.100 --> 00:23:52.920 in preparation 00:23:52.920 --> 00:23:54.680 for the great change 00:23:54.680 --> 00:23:56.060 that will come one day. 00:23:57.060 --> 00:23:58.200 Grant us your grace 00:23:58.200 --> 00:23:58.940 and be with us 00:23:58.940 --> 00:23:59.740 as we will soon 00:23:59.740 --> 00:24:00.720 make our way home. 00:24:01.280 --> 00:24:02.600 Part us with your blessing, 00:24:02.740 --> 00:24:03.100 O Lord, 00:24:03.220 --> 00:24:03.680 we pray. 00:24:04.240 --> 00:24:05.440 Take away our every sin 00:24:05.440 --> 00:24:06.320 in Jesus' name. 00:24:06.640 --> 00:24:06.940 Amen. 00:24:08.680 --> 00:24:10.279 We're going to sing this psalm 00:24:10.279 --> 00:24:11.440 in the Scottish Psalter.