WEBVTT 00:00:00.920 --> 00:00:08.759 Good evening, everybody. As Tommy said, my name is Clay, and my wife Rachel and I were 00:00:08.759 --> 00:00:14.560 members of this church for about, I guess, close to five years, and up until about three 00:00:14.560 --> 00:00:19.580 years ago. So, have you been in existence for eight years now? Going on eight years? 00:00:19.879 --> 00:00:28.000 Wow. That's amazing. Yeah, and I just want to acknowledge that this community was a huge 00:00:28.000 --> 00:00:34.119 part of our growth. It's where we met as a couple, and just individually and as a couple. 00:00:35.119 --> 00:00:40.960 It was a place of healing for us, and we've often liked to say that Advent was a place where we felt 00:00:40.960 --> 00:00:47.460 like we were welcomed in as we are, but always challenged to grow and move beyond where we were 00:00:47.460 --> 00:00:53.439 at that particular point, which is really a picture of the gospel. And I certainly hope that that's 00:00:53.439 --> 00:00:58.219 still the ethos of this community, and I have no reason to think otherwise. But it's just fantastic 00:00:58.219 --> 00:01:03.079 to be with you all, and I look forward to chatting afterwards. But let's go ahead and pray before we 00:01:03.079 --> 00:01:11.459 begin. Lord, I ask your Holy Spirit to cause the words of your scripture that were just read to 00:01:11.459 --> 00:01:18.159 ring in our ears, and take them and place them in our hearts, and do with them what you will in our 00:01:18.159 --> 00:01:23.060 lives. And may the words of my mouth and the meditation of all of our hearts be acceptable 00:01:23.060 --> 00:01:27.599 in your sight, O Lord, our rock and our redeemer. Amen. 00:01:30.479 --> 00:01:38.859 So, prayer. Prayer is in many ways at the heart of what it means to be a Christian. The basic definition 00:01:38.859 --> 00:01:44.340 of prayer is talking to God, and if we're thinking about having a relationship with God, communication 00:01:44.340 --> 00:01:50.840 is pretty basic, pretty foundational to relating to Him. And for those of us who desire this 00:01:50.840 --> 00:01:57.640 relationship where we are known by and we know the God of the universe, the idea of being able to talk 00:01:57.640 --> 00:02:05.379 to God is both, it's exciting, it's attractive, and I imagine that many of us have had experiences at 00:02:05.379 --> 00:02:11.180 one point or another where we just are caught up into this intimate moment with God. And it's sweet, 00:02:11.180 --> 00:02:20.280 it's precious, it's even maybe exhilarating. But my guess is that for a lot of us, those moments are 00:02:20.280 --> 00:02:28.740 relatively few and far between. And a lot of time prayer involves feeling like we're taking some time 00:02:28.740 --> 00:02:34.680 to say the right things, maybe things that are theologically correct. Maybe it feels kind of formal. 00:02:34.680 --> 00:02:41.460 But when we're done, we go back to real life, and there seems like there's this enormous emotional 00:02:41.460 --> 00:02:49.140 disconnect between what we've been doing in prayer and our daily lives. And we can kind of end up going 00:02:49.140 --> 00:02:55.540 through the motions, but not really entering into that experience that we long for. Or actually, 00:02:55.800 --> 00:03:00.080 we can get to the point where we don't end up going through the motions all that often because 00:03:00.080 --> 00:03:06.500 prayer ends up leaving us feeling unsatisfied, and we can't really see what the relevance is to our 00:03:06.500 --> 00:03:14.500 lives. Well, if this describes you, you should know that you are not alone. Most Christians experience 00:03:14.500 --> 00:03:20.060 this. I definitely experience this. And you should know that God definitely wants a deeper, richer 00:03:20.060 --> 00:03:26.960 relationship with you. And the good news is that the scriptures offer us a very clear antidote to this 00:03:26.960 --> 00:03:32.840 kind of anemic prayer that we sometimes experience. And that is that we learn to wrestle with God. 00:03:34.340 --> 00:03:40.600 A few minutes ago, we read the story of Jacob wrestling. He had this mysterious encounter. He was 00:03:40.600 --> 00:03:47.780 the founder of the people of Israel. And at this crucial moment in his life, he had an encounter with 00:03:47.780 --> 00:03:54.680 some sort of incarnation of God himself in the middle of the night. And the interesting thing about this 00:03:54.680 --> 00:03:59.900 encounter, what's notable about it is that it was anything but polite and surfacy and formal. 00:04:01.020 --> 00:04:10.400 They were wrestling, of all things. It was this intense, gritty experience. And this God and this 00:04:10.400 --> 00:04:17.280 particular individual were having a formative moment in their relationship. And this encounter that they 00:04:17.280 --> 00:04:24.399 had has become, in many ways, a model for prayer. Where prayer is not a bunch of empty platitudes that we say, 00:04:24.399 --> 00:04:30.379 but it's a similarly intense experience with the God with whom we have a relationship. 00:04:31.779 --> 00:04:36.779 And there are examples all over the Bible of people of faith wrestling with God in prayer. 00:04:38.019 --> 00:04:43.039 And one of the great examples that we have is the psalm that we just read together, Psalm 10. 00:04:43.939 --> 00:04:48.120 And so I want to spend a little bit of time with you looking at this psalm. And I want to offer you 00:04:48.120 --> 00:04:56.000 three principles for how to wrestle with God in prayer. Be bold, know who you're dealing with, 00:04:56.620 --> 00:05:07.639 and don't let go. All right. So first, be bold. Wrestling is not a passive sport at all. You're not 00:05:07.639 --> 00:05:12.259 going to get anywhere simply by having good defensive techniques. No, you're always looking for that 00:05:12.259 --> 00:05:17.599 opportunity to go on the offensive. And I should say at the outset that I feel kind of sheepish talking 00:05:17.599 --> 00:05:22.539 about anything sports related, because anybody who knows me knows that I'm the least sporty person 00:05:22.539 --> 00:05:28.420 ever. But I've been to a few high school wrestling matches, and may or may not have looked up a few 00:05:28.420 --> 00:05:35.899 Wikipedia articles this past week. But boldness is one very clear thing about wrestling. And when 00:05:35.899 --> 00:05:43.399 Jacob has this encounter with God, he was evidently a pretty formidable opponent. It says that this God 00:05:43.399 --> 00:05:49.219 figure could not get the better of Jacob at the human level, and he actually resorts to the 00:05:49.219 --> 00:05:53.959 supernatural. He plays the supernatural card and nails him in the hip and then permanently injures him. I'm 00:05:53.959 --> 00:05:59.759 not sure if that's really fair fighting, but there you have it. Jacob is a bold fighter, and we see the 00:05:59.759 --> 00:06:05.179 same boldness reflected in the writer of Psalm 10. When he comes to God in prayer, he's 00:06:05.180 --> 00:06:11.879 he's brimming over with emotion, and he just lets it rip. He's filled with rage, because he sees 00:06:11.879 --> 00:06:16.680 oppression of the poor happening around him, and he knows that the perpetrators of this oppression are 00:06:16.680 --> 00:06:22.460 getting away with it. We started reading in verse 12, but there's 11 verses that go before where he 00:06:22.460 --> 00:06:28.379 gives a detailed description of what's going on, how these awful people prey on the helpless. They take 00:06:28.379 --> 00:06:35.019 advantage of the poor. They're violent, and they disregard God in this equation. And he pleads with 00:06:35.019 --> 00:06:41.699 God in verse 1. Why? Why, O Lord, do you stand far away? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble? 00:06:42.859 --> 00:06:46.839 And then in verse 12, where we started, he gets really fired up and demands of God, 00:06:47.199 --> 00:06:53.120 arise, lift up your hand, don't forget the afflicted, break the arm of the evildoer, 00:06:53.560 --> 00:06:57.219 call his wickedness to account until you see him no more. 00:06:57.220 --> 00:07:04.980 Look at how this writer operates in his relationship with God. This isn't some lame, 00:07:05.100 --> 00:07:10.700 nice-sounding thing that a religious person would say. No, it's coming from the core of his being, 00:07:10.900 --> 00:07:18.800 because he's willing to be bold. It could be that one of the reasons that your prayer life isn't as 00:07:18.800 --> 00:07:26.140 energized as you'd like it to be is because you rarely speak your mind with God. Now, God desires all 00:07:26.139 --> 00:07:30.360 kinds of emotions to be expressed in prayer, and actually our liturgy helps us to create that 00:07:30.360 --> 00:07:35.500 balance with thanksgiving and confession and bringing supplications and that sort of thing. 00:07:36.219 --> 00:07:41.360 But if you want to inject a little fervor into your prayer life, start with what makes you really 00:07:41.360 --> 00:07:47.439 angry. Because maybe like the psalmist, you see oppression around you, and it just makes you sick. 00:07:48.740 --> 00:07:53.060 Or you look at the violence in the world, like what's happening with ISIS in Syria. There's just 00:07:53.060 --> 00:07:59.199 unspeakable things that are happening, and it grieves you. Or maybe something's happening in 00:07:59.199 --> 00:08:08.300 your personal life that's wrong or just really sad. Well, tell God about it. Be specific. Describe in 00:08:08.300 --> 00:08:15.120 detail what's going on, and tell him that you want him to act and change what's happening. And you 00:08:15.120 --> 00:08:23.459 wonder, why do we hesitate anyway? What holds us back? If we think that prayer is not the appropriate 00:08:23.459 --> 00:08:30.100 time to express that kind of emotion, then we've completely misunderstood what prayer is. It's exactly 00:08:30.100 --> 00:08:36.240 the kind of venue where God wants us to pour out our hearts to him. And here's the thing. Those kind 00:08:36.240 --> 00:08:41.340 of emotions that we feel are not just going to go away. We'll either end up taking them out on somebody 00:08:41.340 --> 00:08:48.879 in our life, or we'll hold them here, maybe for years on end. But God invites us to cast our anxieties 00:08:48.879 --> 00:08:56.300 on him. He can handle it. He already knows what's going on, and he just wants us to articulate those 00:08:56.300 --> 00:09:01.660 feelings to him. And when we come with our concerns, he wants us to be bold, because when we're being bold, 00:09:01.780 --> 00:09:06.100 we're being real. And that's the kind of relationship that God wants with us. 00:09:06.100 --> 00:09:13.240 So in prayer, we have the luxury of being able to speak our minds. 00:09:15.279 --> 00:09:20.779 But our thoughts in prayer are not just supposed to be formed by what we're experiencing at a given 00:09:20.779 --> 00:09:28.259 moment, but also by who we're talking to. And so that takes us to our second principle in wrestling, 00:09:28.720 --> 00:09:34.860 which is you should always know who you're dealing with. In any kind of sport, a big part of your 00:09:34.860 --> 00:09:41.220 strategy is going to be able to understand your opponent, their temperament, their signature moves, 00:09:41.580 --> 00:09:47.740 how good their stamina is. And as Jacob wrestles with this character in the night, he slowly realizes 00:09:47.740 --> 00:09:54.200 that he is up against no ordinary wrestling partner. And we see this awareness in Psalm 10. 00:09:54.759 --> 00:09:57.800 The psalmist is completely aware of who he's talking to. 00:09:57.799 --> 00:10:06.179 And the most important thing that's on his mind is that God is good. He has an unshakable conviction 00:10:06.179 --> 00:10:13.240 in the goodness of God. He's able to distinguish between the evil and oppression that he sees around 00:10:13.240 --> 00:10:19.099 him and the character of the God that he's talking to. In verse 14, he says, 00:10:19.100 --> 00:10:23.600 God, you do see the evil that's going on so that you can deal with it. 00:10:24.860 --> 00:10:30.300 Then in verse 16, you are king. You have the power to do something about these things. 00:10:30.960 --> 00:10:36.540 And he goes on to say that you hear the desire of the afflicted and you will incline your ear to do justice 00:10:36.540 --> 00:10:38.740 to the fatherless and the oppressed. 00:10:38.740 --> 00:10:48.220 So listen to how things kind of come into focus for this writer of this psalm as he reflects on God's goodness 00:10:48.220 --> 00:10:50.560 vis-a-vis what's going on. 00:10:51.879 --> 00:10:56.759 And as the people of God, we can be brutally honest about the stark realities of this world, 00:10:57.240 --> 00:10:59.360 but it's never without hope. 00:11:01.019 --> 00:11:03.919 And it's not just a general hope, a kind of positive outlook. 00:11:04.039 --> 00:11:06.600 Well, maybe things will turn out for the best. We'll see. 00:11:06.600 --> 00:11:13.080 Now, it's a hope that's rooted in the belief that there is a good God who cares about us and who acts in history. 00:11:14.279 --> 00:11:22.399 We don't always, we have, we don't come close to understanding how he does things and why he chooses to do the things the way he does. 00:11:23.620 --> 00:11:29.040 But we can allow that knowledge that God is good to pierce through the darkness that we're experiencing 00:11:29.040 --> 00:11:33.800 and allow us to give it to give us some perspective and some hope, 00:11:33.799 --> 00:11:37.059 even when it's incredibly hard to believe that. 00:11:38.399 --> 00:11:43.319 One of my favorite books in the series, The Chronicles of Narnia, is The Silver Chair. 00:11:43.579 --> 00:11:45.699 And I feel like it's kind of an underappreciated one. 00:11:46.399 --> 00:11:48.319 So if you haven't read it, take a look at it. 00:11:49.439 --> 00:11:52.799 But there's this amazing scene where three of the main characters, 00:11:53.000 --> 00:11:54.759 Jill, Eustace, and Puddleglum, 00:11:54.759 --> 00:11:58.960 are on a quest to rescue the lost prince. 00:11:59.960 --> 00:12:03.620 And they've been captured by the evil ruler of the underworld, 00:12:03.720 --> 00:12:05.439 who also is holding the prince captive. 00:12:06.039 --> 00:12:07.939 And she's trying to make them believe 00:12:07.939 --> 00:12:12.279 that nothing good that they've ever known outside of her kingdom exists. 00:12:13.100 --> 00:12:16.439 And they might as well give up on the idea of getting back to the things that they love. 00:12:16.440 --> 00:12:20.780 And in turn, this will cause them to give up on their quest 00:12:20.780 --> 00:12:22.340 and just throw up their hands and say, 00:12:22.520 --> 00:12:23.680 it's not worth it. 00:12:24.980 --> 00:12:29.500 But the response of the good guys in this story is just so profound. 00:12:29.800 --> 00:12:32.560 Because they turn to each other and they keep reminding each other 00:12:32.560 --> 00:12:33.740 that there is goodness. 00:12:34.420 --> 00:12:35.320 There is the sun. 00:12:35.440 --> 00:12:37.120 There is warmth and beauty. 00:12:37.300 --> 00:12:41.440 And most of all, there is Aslan, the god figure in this series. 00:12:41.440 --> 00:12:44.320 They know that they've experienced him. 00:12:45.600 --> 00:12:46.600 They felt his presence. 00:12:46.720 --> 00:12:47.440 They've seen him. 00:12:48.040 --> 00:12:51.820 And he has sent them to this place for a purpose. 00:12:52.000 --> 00:12:55.500 And he's working to bring about an end to the evil in this world. 00:12:57.140 --> 00:13:00.920 And that knowledge is exactly what gives them enough hope 00:13:00.920 --> 00:13:04.360 to withstand the ploys of this force of evil 00:13:04.360 --> 00:13:06.020 and to get through this situation. 00:13:08.000 --> 00:13:10.320 So it could be that one of the reasons are 00:13:10.320 --> 00:13:14.800 our prayers lack emotional intensity 00:13:14.800 --> 00:13:17.260 is that we're not really sure. 00:13:17.360 --> 00:13:18.720 We don't have those deep convictions 00:13:18.720 --> 00:13:21.060 that there is a good God who's going to act. 00:13:23.400 --> 00:13:25.860 And so why bother reciting all these bad things 00:13:25.860 --> 00:13:26.780 that are going on to God 00:13:26.780 --> 00:13:28.800 if it's not going to change anything? 00:13:30.480 --> 00:13:33.040 But one of the reasons that we come to God in prayer 00:13:33.040 --> 00:13:34.700 is so that we can encounter him 00:13:34.700 --> 00:13:36.000 and encounter his goodness 00:13:36.000 --> 00:13:37.860 and allow it to pierce through the darkness. 00:13:38.860 --> 00:13:40.260 So when you get on your knees, 00:13:40.420 --> 00:13:42.580 think about who it is that you're talking to. 00:13:43.020 --> 00:13:43.980 And look in the scriptures 00:13:43.980 --> 00:13:45.760 for descriptions of God's character 00:13:45.760 --> 00:13:47.540 that come to bear on your situation. 00:13:48.060 --> 00:13:50.100 The God of peace who hates those wars 00:13:50.100 --> 00:13:51.460 that you've been reading about 00:13:51.460 --> 00:13:53.780 or maybe even have experienced. 00:13:54.320 --> 00:13:55.520 Or the God of reconciliation 00:13:55.520 --> 00:13:58.820 who has the power to heal relationships in your family. 00:14:00.260 --> 00:14:01.400 Look at the scriptures 00:14:01.400 --> 00:14:03.000 and even throughout history 00:14:03.000 --> 00:14:05.120 and see the ways that God has acted. 00:14:05.120 --> 00:14:08.720 It's often in the most counterintuitive ways. 00:14:10.019 --> 00:14:12.639 And then bring that to bear on your situation 00:14:12.639 --> 00:14:14.560 and have hope that he will act. 00:14:16.940 --> 00:14:18.240 We can only have hope 00:14:18.240 --> 00:14:19.759 if we can encounter this God 00:14:19.759 --> 00:14:20.919 who's the source of hope. 00:14:21.539 --> 00:14:23.279 And the only way that we can encounter him 00:14:23.279 --> 00:14:24.919 is by spending time with him 00:14:24.919 --> 00:14:26.580 in these intense encounters 00:14:26.580 --> 00:14:27.720 that we've been talking about. 00:14:27.720 --> 00:14:33.460 So as we wrestle with God, 00:14:34.259 --> 00:14:36.580 we've got two sides of the equation 00:14:36.580 --> 00:14:37.860 in this conversation. 00:14:38.920 --> 00:14:40.720 And we know that we can be 00:14:40.720 --> 00:14:42.060 we can be 00:14:42.060 --> 00:14:43.519 we can be frank 00:14:43.519 --> 00:14:44.800 about what we're experiencing 00:14:44.800 --> 00:14:47.040 and we know that we can come 00:14:47.040 --> 00:14:49.080 to see God more clearly 00:14:49.080 --> 00:14:50.920 in how he comes to bear on the situation. 00:14:51.639 --> 00:14:53.420 And so the remaining question for us this evening 00:14:53.419 --> 00:14:55.799 is how do we respond 00:14:55.799 --> 00:14:57.620 when it seems like God 00:14:57.620 --> 00:14:59.500 is taking at least a really long time 00:14:59.500 --> 00:15:01.500 to act in this situation? 00:15:02.799 --> 00:15:04.259 And so that takes us to our third principle 00:15:04.259 --> 00:15:06.240 which is don't let go. 00:15:08.559 --> 00:15:09.319 In wrestling, 00:15:09.979 --> 00:15:12.139 sometimes there are these long periods of time 00:15:12.139 --> 00:15:13.740 where not a whole lot is happening. 00:15:14.299 --> 00:15:16.179 And the two opponents are locked together 00:15:16.179 --> 00:15:16.620 and they're 00:15:16.620 --> 00:15:18.019 they've got 00:15:18.019 --> 00:15:19.059 they both had their best 00:15:19.059 --> 00:15:20.299 hold on each other 00:15:20.299 --> 00:15:21.299 and they're starting to shake 00:15:21.299 --> 00:15:22.959 and they're both getting really exhausted 00:15:22.960 --> 00:15:24.240 and you wonder 00:15:24.240 --> 00:15:25.660 if they're both just sort of going to 00:15:25.660 --> 00:15:26.780 give up after a while. 00:15:26.980 --> 00:15:28.139 But the worst thing that one of them 00:15:28.139 --> 00:15:28.920 can do in that moment 00:15:28.920 --> 00:15:29.680 is to let go 00:15:29.680 --> 00:15:31.660 because the other one's going to get the upper hand. 00:15:33.080 --> 00:15:34.920 And Jacob and God get to that point. 00:15:36.200 --> 00:15:37.019 And Jacob says, 00:15:37.120 --> 00:15:38.720 I'm not going to let you go 00:15:38.720 --> 00:15:40.200 until you bless me. 00:15:43.320 --> 00:15:44.780 It wrestled all through the night. 00:15:44.860 --> 00:15:46.180 This has been a long time. 00:15:48.080 --> 00:15:49.220 And maybe you feel like 00:15:49.220 --> 00:15:50.940 you've been in an experience 00:15:50.940 --> 00:15:52.260 for a very long time 00:15:52.260 --> 00:15:53.560 and you're getting tired. 00:15:54.780 --> 00:15:56.640 And it can be really difficult to know 00:15:56.640 --> 00:15:57.980 how to interact with God 00:15:57.980 --> 00:16:00.240 when it seems like a bad situation 00:16:00.240 --> 00:16:01.560 is dragging on and on. 00:16:02.060 --> 00:16:03.560 It can seem like he's not paying attention 00:16:03.560 --> 00:16:06.920 or he doesn't want to change things 00:16:06.920 --> 00:16:08.640 or worse, he can't change things. 00:16:09.780 --> 00:16:11.460 How do you believe in God's goodness 00:16:11.460 --> 00:16:12.140 and his power 00:16:12.140 --> 00:16:13.900 when he allows something bad 00:16:13.900 --> 00:16:15.280 to happen in the first place 00:16:15.279 --> 00:16:17.039 and then he allows it 00:16:17.039 --> 00:16:18.240 to keep on persisting? 00:16:23.000 --> 00:16:24.899 We can end up pulling away from God 00:16:24.899 --> 00:16:27.980 either by lashing out in anger 00:16:27.980 --> 00:16:29.279 and shaking our fist at him 00:16:29.279 --> 00:16:32.139 or by just kind of disengaging 00:16:32.139 --> 00:16:33.720 because we're not really sure what to say. 00:16:37.720 --> 00:16:38.539 I have a sister 00:16:38.539 --> 00:16:39.679 who's very sick at the moment. 00:16:39.679 --> 00:16:44.259 She has cancer all through her body. 00:16:46.379 --> 00:16:48.620 She is fairly young. 00:16:49.939 --> 00:16:50.679 She's got a husband 00:16:50.679 --> 00:16:52.500 and two pretty young kids, 00:16:52.799 --> 00:16:54.539 four-year-old and five months old. 00:16:59.539 --> 00:17:01.399 And when we first got this news, 00:17:03.259 --> 00:17:04.519 not quite a year ago, 00:17:04.519 --> 00:17:07.740 my initial response 00:17:07.740 --> 00:17:08.779 was to get on my knees 00:17:08.779 --> 00:17:10.460 and have intense prayer with God 00:17:10.460 --> 00:17:12.339 for healing and deliverance 00:17:12.339 --> 00:17:15.259 for a breakthrough in this situation. 00:17:17.119 --> 00:17:18.980 But as the months have worn on, 00:17:20.180 --> 00:17:21.200 nothing has changed. 00:17:21.519 --> 00:17:22.539 Actually, things have changed. 00:17:22.599 --> 00:17:23.299 They've devolved 00:17:23.299 --> 00:17:25.680 and the situation's getting worse and worse. 00:17:28.299 --> 00:17:29.279 And I want to confess 00:17:29.279 --> 00:17:31.039 that my biggest temptation at this point 00:17:31.039 --> 00:17:32.660 is towards disengagement. 00:17:32.660 --> 00:17:35.420 Just resignation. 00:17:36.140 --> 00:17:36.940 Throwing up my hands 00:17:36.940 --> 00:17:38.600 and pulling away from God 00:17:38.600 --> 00:17:40.920 because the pain is too great sometimes 00:17:40.920 --> 00:17:42.560 and the questions about 00:17:42.560 --> 00:17:44.360 why God isn't acting differently 00:17:44.360 --> 00:17:45.800 are too hard. 00:17:46.580 --> 00:17:47.400 And there's a part of me 00:17:47.400 --> 00:17:47.960 that's afraid 00:17:47.960 --> 00:17:49.019 that my view of God, 00:17:49.100 --> 00:17:50.320 the way I've kind of put him in a box 00:17:50.320 --> 00:17:52.200 and the way he's supposed to relate to the world, 00:17:52.880 --> 00:17:53.840 is going to be challenged 00:17:53.840 --> 00:17:56.759 in ways that are beyond what I can bear. 00:17:59.580 --> 00:18:00.980 And there's just so many things 00:18:00.980 --> 00:18:01.680 that I don't know. 00:18:01.680 --> 00:18:03.160 I don't know what's going to happen. 00:18:03.960 --> 00:18:05.400 I don't know how to understand 00:18:05.400 --> 00:18:06.539 this situation. 00:18:08.120 --> 00:18:09.960 And it's a struggle to relate to God 00:18:09.960 --> 00:18:11.039 in the midst of all this. 00:18:19.500 --> 00:18:21.019 There's so many things in this life 00:18:21.019 --> 00:18:22.019 that we hold on to. 00:18:23.779 --> 00:18:24.660 Good things, 00:18:24.759 --> 00:18:25.880 like our jobs, 00:18:26.320 --> 00:18:26.900 our health, 00:18:27.019 --> 00:18:27.779 our family, 00:18:27.779 --> 00:18:29.379 our very lives. 00:18:31.259 --> 00:18:32.420 But the reality is 00:18:32.420 --> 00:18:33.839 we have no assurance 00:18:33.839 --> 00:18:37.240 that these beautiful parts of our life 00:18:37.240 --> 00:18:37.940 are going to remain. 00:18:39.599 --> 00:18:40.279 And in fact, 00:18:40.339 --> 00:18:41.700 the only promise that we're given 00:18:41.700 --> 00:18:45.079 is that even if those things pass away, 00:18:46.059 --> 00:18:47.940 nothing can separate us 00:18:47.940 --> 00:18:48.980 from the love of God. 00:18:50.119 --> 00:18:51.539 And so it's a great tragedy 00:18:51.539 --> 00:18:52.779 when in those circumstances 00:18:52.779 --> 00:18:54.299 circumstances where we feel like 00:18:54.299 --> 00:18:55.700 those things that we hold dear 00:18:55.700 --> 00:18:57.019 are slipping through our fingers, 00:18:58.019 --> 00:18:59.599 when we decide to pull away from God, 00:18:59.720 --> 00:19:01.500 we're pulling away from 00:19:01.500 --> 00:19:03.879 the one assurance that we truly have, 00:19:04.379 --> 00:19:05.779 this relationship with a God 00:19:05.779 --> 00:19:07.559 who loves us. 00:19:07.559 --> 00:19:10.480 And instead, 00:19:10.559 --> 00:19:11.179 He calls us 00:19:11.179 --> 00:19:12.559 to hold on to Him 00:19:12.559 --> 00:19:13.559 through the mystery 00:19:13.559 --> 00:19:14.480 and the chaos 00:19:14.480 --> 00:19:15.799 and the pain 00:19:15.799 --> 00:19:18.299 as difficult as it is. 00:19:18.339 --> 00:19:19.859 Because it's the only way. 00:19:19.899 --> 00:19:21.299 It's the only way for us to have hope 00:19:21.299 --> 00:19:22.759 and it's the only way for us 00:19:22.759 --> 00:19:23.740 to live. 00:19:28.379 --> 00:19:29.960 And I can't think of a better example 00:19:29.960 --> 00:19:31.019 of how to do this 00:19:31.019 --> 00:19:33.099 than the story that we read 00:19:33.099 --> 00:19:34.839 of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. 00:19:34.839 --> 00:19:38.480 We have this vivid example 00:19:38.480 --> 00:19:41.379 of God coming 00:19:41.379 --> 00:19:42.839 and entering into our suffering. 00:19:44.819 --> 00:19:45.899 And Jesus is there 00:19:45.899 --> 00:19:47.619 on His knees in the garden 00:19:47.619 --> 00:19:48.379 and He's preparing 00:19:48.379 --> 00:19:50.119 for what God the Father 00:19:50.119 --> 00:19:51.539 is calling Him to experience. 00:19:51.679 --> 00:19:54.819 One of the most terrifying 00:19:54.819 --> 00:19:56.519 and painful things 00:19:56.519 --> 00:19:58.559 that one could be called to experience. 00:20:00.939 --> 00:20:02.839 And He's incredibly emotional. 00:20:03.879 --> 00:20:04.819 But the interesting thing is 00:20:04.819 --> 00:20:07.179 He's not shaking His fist at God 00:20:07.179 --> 00:20:09.059 in rebellion. 00:20:09.319 --> 00:20:10.059 No, He's saying, 00:20:10.740 --> 00:20:11.559 Your will be done. 00:20:12.819 --> 00:20:14.919 But He's also anything but resigned. 00:20:16.059 --> 00:20:17.359 He's pleading with the Father 00:20:17.359 --> 00:20:18.659 to change the situation. 00:20:18.879 --> 00:20:20.099 Take this cup away from me. 00:20:20.179 --> 00:20:21.579 Don't make me go through this. 00:20:21.819 --> 00:20:23.000 Even at the 11th hour 00:20:23.000 --> 00:20:23.619 when He knows 00:20:23.619 --> 00:20:24.500 that this has been coming 00:20:24.500 --> 00:20:25.539 for years. 00:20:26.839 --> 00:20:28.159 Take this away from me. 00:20:28.439 --> 00:20:29.859 He's pouring His heart out to God 00:20:29.859 --> 00:20:30.859 in such an emotional way 00:20:30.859 --> 00:20:32.839 that He's sweating profusely. 00:20:32.839 --> 00:20:36.659 But at the end of this conversation, 00:20:37.279 --> 00:20:40.279 it's through this intense encounter 00:20:40.279 --> 00:20:41.480 that He's able to face 00:20:41.480 --> 00:20:42.639 whatever is going to come 00:20:42.639 --> 00:20:44.359 in the next several hours 00:20:44.359 --> 00:20:45.500 and coming days. 00:20:46.500 --> 00:20:47.599 And He emerges 00:20:47.599 --> 00:20:49.119 at one with His Father 00:20:49.119 --> 00:20:50.799 as He embraces suffering 00:20:50.799 --> 00:20:51.859 as the only way 00:20:51.859 --> 00:20:53.980 to bring transformation 00:20:53.980 --> 00:20:54.919 to this world. 00:20:54.920 --> 00:21:00.060 So as we press into prayer, 00:21:01.200 --> 00:21:02.820 we do so not knowing 00:21:02.820 --> 00:21:04.080 how God is going to act 00:21:04.080 --> 00:21:05.120 in this situation. 00:21:06.440 --> 00:21:08.279 There could be a huge breakthrough. 00:21:08.460 --> 00:21:10.140 There could be a dramatic miracle. 00:21:12.300 --> 00:21:13.820 Or maybe your view 00:21:13.820 --> 00:21:14.539 of the situation 00:21:14.539 --> 00:21:16.220 will be dramatically transformed 00:21:16.220 --> 00:21:17.740 and it's really you 00:21:17.740 --> 00:21:19.180 that changes in the situation. 00:21:19.180 --> 00:21:21.580 Or you might discover 00:21:21.580 --> 00:21:22.259 that your suffering 00:21:22.259 --> 00:21:23.940 is going to bring life 00:21:23.940 --> 00:21:25.100 and transformation 00:21:25.100 --> 00:21:26.320 to people around you. 00:21:26.680 --> 00:21:27.600 Or it could be a combination 00:21:27.600 --> 00:21:28.480 of all of those. 00:21:29.299 --> 00:21:30.140 But the fact is, 00:21:30.220 --> 00:21:30.940 brothers and sisters, 00:21:31.039 --> 00:21:32.140 that we don't know. 00:21:34.000 --> 00:21:34.740 There's so much 00:21:34.740 --> 00:21:35.340 that we don't know 00:21:35.340 --> 00:21:36.400 and it's a huge part 00:21:36.400 --> 00:21:37.320 of being human. 00:21:39.480 --> 00:21:41.000 And that's an incredibly 00:21:41.000 --> 00:21:41.880 humbling thing, 00:21:41.980 --> 00:21:42.960 but in a way 00:21:42.960 --> 00:21:43.980 it's also freeing. 00:21:44.500 --> 00:21:45.460 Because we don't have to have 00:21:45.460 --> 00:21:46.100 all the answers. 00:21:46.940 --> 00:21:47.700 And our main role 00:21:47.700 --> 00:21:49.059 is to hold on to the one 00:21:49.059 --> 00:21:49.920 who does. 00:21:52.180 --> 00:21:53.140 So I want to close 00:21:53.140 --> 00:21:53.920 by calling you 00:21:53.920 --> 00:21:55.180 to play that role. 00:21:55.960 --> 00:21:56.559 I want to call you 00:21:56.559 --> 00:21:57.380 to hold on, 00:21:57.680 --> 00:21:59.160 to keep pouring out 00:21:59.160 --> 00:22:00.080 your heart to God 00:22:00.080 --> 00:22:00.559 in prayer, 00:22:00.759 --> 00:22:01.880 speaking your mind to Him, 00:22:02.080 --> 00:22:02.779 keep hoping, 00:22:03.279 --> 00:22:04.720 keep wrestling with Him 00:22:04.720 --> 00:22:06.240 until when all is said and done 00:22:06.240 --> 00:22:06.900 you are locked 00:22:06.900 --> 00:22:07.840 in an embrace 00:22:07.840 --> 00:22:08.400 with the one 00:22:08.400 --> 00:22:09.000 who has promised 00:22:09.000 --> 00:22:10.220 to never let you go. 00:22:12.480 --> 00:22:13.380 And I want to close 00:22:13.380 --> 00:22:13.880 with the words 00:22:13.880 --> 00:22:14.319 that we read 00:22:14.319 --> 00:22:15.120 from St. Peter. 00:22:15.119 --> 00:22:18.000 Humble yourselves, 00:22:18.159 --> 00:22:18.479 therefore, 00:22:19.539 --> 00:22:20.539 under the mighty hand 00:22:20.539 --> 00:22:21.059 of God, 00:22:21.819 --> 00:22:22.939 so at the proper time 00:22:22.939 --> 00:22:24.179 He may exalt you, 00:22:25.039 --> 00:22:26.259 casting all your anxieties 00:22:26.259 --> 00:22:26.839 on Him 00:22:26.839 --> 00:22:28.259 because He cares for you. 00:22:29.959 --> 00:22:30.859 And after you have 00:22:30.859 --> 00:22:31.779 suffered a little while, 00:22:32.739 --> 00:22:33.839 the God of all grace 00:22:33.839 --> 00:22:34.639 who has called you 00:22:34.639 --> 00:22:35.839 to His eternal glory 00:22:35.839 --> 00:22:36.479 in Christ 00:22:36.479 --> 00:22:37.699 will Himself 00:22:37.699 --> 00:22:38.299 restore, 00:22:38.799 --> 00:22:39.219 confirm, 00:22:39.759 --> 00:22:40.099 strengthen, 00:22:40.099 --> 00:22:41.219 and establish you. 00:22:42.159 --> 00:22:43.459 To Him be dominion 00:22:43.460 --> 00:22:44.340 forever and ever. 00:22:45.140 --> 00:22:45.579 Amen. 00:22:46.660 --> 00:22:47.700 In the name of the Father, 00:22:47.779 --> 00:22:48.200 the Son, 00:22:48.720 --> 00:22:49.579 and the Holy Spirit. 00:22:50.860 --> 00:22:51.200 Amen.