I Know The Way (Holly Furtick)

0:00:02.000 --> 0:00:04.519 Hey, this is Stephen Ferdeck. I'm the pastor of Elevation 0:00:04.800 --> 0:00:07.040 Church and this is our podcast. I wanted to thank 0:00:07.040 --> 0:00:10.400 you for joining us today. Hope this inspires you. Hope 0:00:10.400 --> 0:00:12.440 it builds your faith. Hope it gives your perspective to 0:00:12.440 --> 0:00:17.599 see God is moving in your life. Enjoy the message. Well, 0:00:17.640 --> 0:00:20.799 we bring you greetings today. You know it's weird. I 0:00:20.840 --> 0:00:24.040 can't see you. I can't see your face, but I 0:00:24.040 --> 0:00:26.280 can see you in the chat. And I just want 0:00:26.320 --> 0:00:28.400 to welcome a few of you. Let me know where 0:00:28.400 --> 0:00:32.160 you're watching from today. This ministry is reaching all over 0:00:32.200 --> 0:00:35.800 the world today. We pray that wherever you are, that 0:00:35.920 --> 0:00:39.599 this time of worship will reach you. So right now 0:00:39.640 --> 0:00:42.760 I'm looking on my YouTube feed and I'm looking to 0:00:42.800 --> 0:00:46.720 see who you are and where you're from. So that 0:00:46.760 --> 0:00:50.839 way we can just have one big choir today. I 0:00:50.880 --> 0:00:54.800 see Donna from Harrison, Arkansas. It's good to see you, Donna. 0:00:56.240 --> 0:01:03.640 I see Chris, Chris from London. I see Patty from Valentine. 0:01:03.720 --> 0:01:06.479 This is the building I'm in Valentine. Let me tell 0:01:06.480 --> 0:01:10.000 you something, Patty. It looks really different here today. It 0:01:10.040 --> 0:01:12.640 looks like the rapture happened and we missed it today. 0:01:13.640 --> 0:01:16.800 I'm telling you, it's just really something to get used to. 0:01:18.080 --> 0:01:22.640 I wish we'd all been ready, Chris, did the rapture 0:01:22.680 --> 0:01:25.959 happen and we missed it? Well, God's presence is still 0:01:25.959 --> 0:01:30.120 in the place wherever you're watching from, whether that's Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 0:01:30.200 --> 0:01:37.360 I see you, Jakarta, Indonesia. Wow, Vermont is joining us today. 0:01:37.800 --> 0:01:40.840 You don't see Vermont in the chat al lot. I 0:01:40.920 --> 0:01:42.640 just want to. I want to put out a campaign 0:01:42.680 --> 0:01:46.640 for Vermont to come a little stronger next week all 0:01:46.720 --> 0:01:50.400 right on Easter. Hey, we're having Easter next weekend. Did 0:01:50.440 --> 0:01:54.800 you hear that the resurrection wasn't canceled? Say that again, 0:01:55.000 --> 0:02:00.400 Pastor Vernick. The resurrection passing not bit castled, and it 0:02:00.480 --> 0:02:06.840 will be televised. Thank you Lord. The resurrection has not 0:02:07.000 --> 0:02:09.560 been canceled. I might use that for the title of 0:02:09.560 --> 0:02:14.359 my sermon for Easter. The Resurrection has not been canceled. 0:02:14.440 --> 0:02:16.400 Put it in the chat if you know that's true. 0:02:17.040 --> 0:02:21.600 God is still raising up the dead things in our life. 0:02:22.200 --> 0:02:24.840 When we speak the name of Jesus and believed in faith, 0:02:25.400 --> 0:02:30.280 miracles still happen, Miracles still happen, bodies are still being healed. 0:02:30.800 --> 0:02:33.280 How does that song go. Bodies are still being raised. 0:02:34.000 --> 0:02:37.920 Bodies are the resurrection has not been canceled. Aymen, we 0:02:37.960 --> 0:02:40.680 can't go into that again. Brandon starts speaking in tongues 0:02:40.720 --> 0:02:42.560 and all the Baptists people log off the stream, so 0:02:42.600 --> 0:02:46.000 we can't do it. India's here, New York City is here, 0:02:46.360 --> 0:02:49.280 praise the name of the Lord. New Jersey is here. 0:02:49.400 --> 0:02:54.640 That's right, the resurrection has not been canceled. I'm still here, Devil. 0:02:54.960 --> 0:02:58.840 I'm still here from Kansas. I'm still here from Romania. 0:02:59.160 --> 0:03:04.000 I'm still here from Kingsville, Texas. The resurrection has not 0:03:04.200 --> 0:03:07.320 been canceled. I see you. So we're going to see 0:03:07.320 --> 0:03:11.120 you next weekend. We're not closing. The sermons about to 0:03:11.160 --> 0:03:13.280 happen in a minute, but I'm going to I'm going 0:03:13.360 --> 0:03:16.600 to just put out a word that Easter, this Easter 0:03:17.200 --> 0:03:20.000 is going to be magnificent. And what we're going to do, 0:03:20.919 --> 0:03:24.040 We're going to bring resurrection to your home. We're going 0:03:24.080 --> 0:03:27.680 to bring resurrection to your home, resurrection power to your home. 0:03:28.240 --> 0:03:31.040 And how many of you could use some resurrection power 0:03:31.120 --> 0:03:34.399 right now, just even for your energy, or your emotions, 0:03:34.480 --> 0:03:39.440 or your patience, or your or your checking account. I 0:03:39.480 --> 0:03:43.320 don't mean to get personal. God is so good and uh, 0:03:43.720 --> 0:03:46.320 what we're really deciding in this season. I was telling 0:03:46.400 --> 0:03:49.240 the church a few weeks ago. I gathered some of 0:03:49.240 --> 0:03:52.640 our leaders online. These are people who serve and give 0:03:52.840 --> 0:03:56.080 and make such a difference, and I was showing them 0:03:56.720 --> 0:04:00.680 that because they continue to honor God, especially in the 0:04:00.760 --> 0:04:04.880 area of finances, this ministry is positioned for a miracle, 0:04:05.680 --> 0:04:08.120 position for a miracle, and a lot of times I 0:04:08.160 --> 0:04:10.400 think when we say a miracle, we're thinking about the 0:04:10.400 --> 0:04:13.400 miracle that we want to see, But what about the 0:04:13.440 --> 0:04:17.080 miracle that we need to be That's important right now, 0:04:17.480 --> 0:04:20.080 that's important. So if you've been following, we've been trying 0:04:20.120 --> 0:04:22.440 to show you as a church family, I'm like stuck 0:04:22.480 --> 0:04:25.520 on this one camera. Let me give this camera some love. Yeah, 0:04:25.520 --> 0:04:28.040 I feel like I'm really really like these other two 0:04:28.120 --> 0:04:30.640 cameras are probably feeling really left out. Hello, other camera. 0:04:30.960 --> 0:04:34.679 So I was sharing with them how when we trust God, 0:04:34.760 --> 0:04:37.719 we crown him as king by the decisions that we make. 0:04:38.520 --> 0:04:41.880 And so this is the season of our lives, my life, 0:04:41.920 --> 0:04:46.400 your life, Chet's life, Holly's life. Where we decide is 0:04:46.560 --> 0:04:49.960 Jesus king and not like a Burger king, you know, 0:04:49.960 --> 0:04:52.760 Burger King is like, have it your way. Burger King 0:04:52.880 --> 0:04:55.680 is the Jesus who was feeding the five thousand and 0:04:55.720 --> 0:04:59.799 then when he said eat my flesh and drink my blood, 0:04:59.800 --> 0:05:03.120 eye and the bread of life. Then many followed him 0:05:03.160 --> 0:05:05.920 no more, and they decided they didn't want that kind 0:05:05.960 --> 0:05:09.520 of king. And that's kind of what happened leading up 0:05:09.520 --> 0:05:12.520 to Easter Week. We call this Palm Sunday all around 0:05:12.560 --> 0:05:17.600 the world, and it represents the triumphant entry. We call 0:05:17.640 --> 0:05:20.720 it when Jesus came into Jerusalem, but he was riding 0:05:20.720 --> 0:05:25.000 on a donkey, which is such a crazy transportation means 0:05:25.000 --> 0:05:28.640 for a king. It's a prophecy in Zechariah nine to 0:05:28.720 --> 0:05:30.400 nine it said that your king will come, but he's 0:05:30.440 --> 0:05:32.200 going to be riding on a donkey or a cold 0:05:33.200 --> 0:05:37.280 And so when he came into Jerusalem, they were like, Hosanna, hosanna, 0:05:38.120 --> 0:05:42.720 you know, which means save now help us, and they 0:05:43.160 --> 0:05:46.680 threw their cloaks on the road for their king. But 0:05:46.720 --> 0:05:48.440 you know, by the time he got to the cross 0:05:48.480 --> 0:05:53.680 on Friday, they had kind of decided maybe that they 0:05:53.720 --> 0:05:56.960 didn't want this kind of king. Maybe they wanted the 0:05:57.040 --> 0:06:00.640 kind of king that always met their expectations, that liberated 0:06:00.680 --> 0:06:03.960 them from everything oppressive. But the way into his kingdom 0:06:04.040 --> 0:06:06.880 was through suffering, And sometimes we don't like to think 0:06:06.880 --> 0:06:10.240 about that, but it doesn't make it any less true. 0:06:10.320 --> 0:06:12.400 And in a time like this, where there is so 0:06:12.480 --> 0:06:15.880 much suffering and so much uncertainty, and so much confusion, 0:06:15.920 --> 0:06:18.640 and so much despair, and I'm not talking about what's 0:06:18.640 --> 0:06:20.200 going on in the world, I'm talking about what's going 0:06:20.200 --> 0:06:23.279 on in my heart and your heart. And we're praying 0:06:23.320 --> 0:06:26.080 for those who are on the front lines and those 0:06:26.120 --> 0:06:29.640 who are putting their own bodies and lives at risk 0:06:30.160 --> 0:06:33.480 to help us through this time. And we're praying for them, 0:06:33.720 --> 0:06:36.039 but we also have to make a decision who's on 0:06:36.080 --> 0:06:38.680 the throne in our hearts. And what I thought was 0:06:38.720 --> 0:06:44.040 so cool Chunks, I copied the text that you showed 0:06:44.080 --> 0:06:46.520 me from. I'm not going to say his name, but 0:06:47.800 --> 0:06:53.400 one of our og elevators, original glorifiers, that's what OG 0:06:53.600 --> 0:06:57.640 stands for. In this pulpit. He has been in the 0:06:57.760 --> 0:06:59.880 church for I want to say a decade or more. 0:07:00.839 --> 0:07:03.360 He's not some fly by night click online. Oh, I'm 0:07:03.360 --> 0:07:05.800 gonna check out five different churches on YouTube and see 0:07:05.800 --> 0:07:07.480 which one I like. Oh, he's saying something I don't like. 0:07:07.520 --> 0:07:09.600 I'm gonna skip that one. He's not that kind of 0:07:09.720 --> 0:07:13.120 church member. He's in it all the way, and so 0:07:13.160 --> 0:07:15.400 I copied this. Let me find it real quick what 0:07:15.520 --> 0:07:20.040 he texted to his campus faster listen to this. This 0:07:20.080 --> 0:07:21.960 is such a great message for us as a church, 0:07:22.680 --> 0:07:26.560 as we are positioned to be a miracle, as we 0:07:26.600 --> 0:07:29.760 are positioned to reach people during this time. He was 0:07:29.760 --> 0:07:32.760 sharing after our leadership event. He said, I'm so thankful 0:07:33.240 --> 0:07:36.520 for this message. He said, I have gotten caught up 0:07:36.720 --> 0:07:39.680 into doing what I say I will never do, and 0:07:39.720 --> 0:07:42.200 that is listen to a lot of news and opinions 0:07:42.640 --> 0:07:47.000 that are negative that draw you into dark places. Funny 0:07:47.000 --> 0:07:49.960 how addicting it is, and once you start, it's hard 0:07:49.960 --> 0:07:55.240 to quit, like eating carbs. It's so cool to see 0:07:55.280 --> 0:07:58.760 how we at Elevation have been able to help other 0:07:58.880 --> 0:08:02.560 churches and even increase our outreach and grow in a 0:08:02.600 --> 0:08:06.560 time everyone else is shrinking. It made me very excited 0:08:06.560 --> 0:08:09.680 to know we have been a part of this. Somebody 0:08:09.720 --> 0:08:12.320 put it in the chat on position for a miracle. 0:08:13.440 --> 0:08:15.920 And then he goes on to say, I have questioned 0:08:15.960 --> 0:08:20.960 my giving decisions at times. Who wouldn't you know? The 0:08:21.000 --> 0:08:23.120 first thing that you want to do when things are 0:08:23.200 --> 0:08:27.520 unstable is try to hold on tighter. And so he says, 0:08:27.640 --> 0:08:31.120 I have invested a whole lot into elevation. I started 0:08:31.120 --> 0:08:35.000 to think it wasn't very prudent, but I realize now 0:08:35.080 --> 0:08:39.480 I have a diverse giving portfolio. I like that he's 0:08:39.520 --> 0:08:41.599 watching the dal Jones go down, but he's watching the 0:08:41.640 --> 0:08:44.960 Kingdom of God move forward. He said, I have a 0:08:45.000 --> 0:08:49.800 diverse giving portfolio, heavily loaded with growth stocks. And then 0:08:49.800 --> 0:08:52.040 he spells it out in case in case we're slow, 0:08:52.120 --> 0:08:56.600 I mean elevation and not so much in investments on 0:08:56.640 --> 0:08:59.640 this earth. Last night, he said, seeing what the church 0:08:59.679 --> 0:09:02.560 has done and uplifted my spirits knowing that I had 0:09:02.679 --> 0:09:06.840 zero regrets in my giving. It's truly a high growth, 0:09:06.920 --> 0:09:12.000 high yield investment with a great err eternal rate of return. 0:09:12.960 --> 0:09:15.679 I just made that up, he says in parentheses. Now 0:09:15.720 --> 0:09:17.160 listen to this. This is what I want to say 0:09:17.160 --> 0:09:20.800 to you. Cash is king is the mantra right now 0:09:20.840 --> 0:09:24.320 in business. It is the oxygen to get you through 0:09:24.360 --> 0:09:28.599 this uncertain time. Delay payable, stay on top of receivables, 0:09:28.600 --> 0:09:33.880 and liquidate slow moving inventory. Get and keep cash. The 0:09:33.920 --> 0:09:36.880 next ninety days will be extremely tough and many won't survive. 0:09:37.160 --> 0:09:38.880 We know if we can survive, we will drive. On 0:09:38.920 --> 0:09:42.760 the other end, he says, I believed and have focused 0:09:42.800 --> 0:09:45.840 on cash is King, and it hit me I was 0:09:45.920 --> 0:09:53.640 being a heretic. Christ is King. Christ is King. Right 0:09:53.679 --> 0:09:56.959 here on the verge of Easter Sunday, we declare Christ 0:09:57.000 --> 0:09:59.520 is King. That's what you ought to type right now 0:09:59.600 --> 0:10:03.360 in the chat. Christ is King and my rock and 0:10:03.360 --> 0:10:07.160 where my refuge is. Yes, cash is extremely important, and 0:10:07.200 --> 0:10:10.120 we will focus on cash flow management. But there can 0:10:10.200 --> 0:10:14.760 only be one king. He hasn't failed me yet, and 0:10:14.800 --> 0:10:18.160 we especially need to remember that now. He said, I 0:10:18.200 --> 0:10:21.160 should write a song about that. A crazy thought hit me, 0:10:21.520 --> 0:10:24.080 and this really blessed me because you know, we sing 0:10:24.120 --> 0:10:27.120 songs to God, but where our treasure is, that's where 0:10:27.160 --> 0:10:29.960 our heart is. So listen what he said. A crazy 0:10:30.040 --> 0:10:33.840 thought hit me. What if I give a big check 0:10:33.920 --> 0:10:38.160 now in a time of uncertainty and everyone and everything 0:10:38.240 --> 0:10:41.319 is saying that would be stupid in a time when 0:10:41.320 --> 0:10:44.120 we are losing money and should reduce or eliminate giving. 0:10:44.320 --> 0:10:48.679 What if I wrote the single largest check that I've 0:10:48.720 --> 0:10:51.600 ever written to the church. And then he asked how 0:10:51.679 --> 0:10:53.920 much is that because he didn't have the record and 0:10:53.960 --> 0:10:57.640 then he did it. And I just think that's awesome 0:10:58.920 --> 0:11:01.559 because the man who's that text is watching right now. 0:11:01.600 --> 0:11:06.560 And because of you and your faithfulness to Jesus Christ, 0:11:06.640 --> 0:11:10.480 we're positioned for a miracle because you crown Christ as king, 0:11:10.559 --> 0:11:14.360 not just with your lips, Hosannah, Hosanna, Hosannah, but with 0:11:14.400 --> 0:11:17.040 your life. And I want to thank God for the 0:11:17.240 --> 0:11:20.640 thousands of you who do that. You pray, you give, 0:11:21.120 --> 0:11:24.760 you serve, and we're not stopping. Christ is King. If 0:11:24.760 --> 0:11:27.120 you believe it, put it in the chat, and don't 0:11:27.160 --> 0:11:31.120 just put it in the chat. Tell your checkbook, come on, 0:11:31.280 --> 0:11:34.120 tell your you got to tell your emotions. Christ is 0:11:34.320 --> 0:11:37.720 King and everything that comes against him must bow in 0:11:37.760 --> 0:11:40.160 the name of Jesus. If you believe it, give me 0:11:40.240 --> 0:11:44.360 about nineteen twenty second praise break right now, just to 0:11:44.440 --> 0:11:51.000 declare Christ is King. Christ is King, Christ is King. 0:11:52.800 --> 0:11:54.839 Come on, you don't have to be contye ain't to know. 0:11:55.679 --> 0:12:01.520 Jesus Christ is King of kings. We crowned kings. So 0:12:01.679 --> 0:12:06.040 thank you, Thank you for your continued generosity positioning us. 0:12:06.320 --> 0:12:09.480 We've reached record numbers of people during this time, and 0:12:09.520 --> 0:12:12.640 we're gonna keep on reaching. So join me this Friday, 0:12:13.080 --> 0:12:17.360 remember seven pm Eastern Time, with a rebroadcast at ten 0:12:17.640 --> 0:12:20.199 Eastern time, and you can do the math on your 0:12:20.200 --> 0:12:23.120 time zone. We're gonna be having a special Good Friday 0:12:23.160 --> 0:12:26.240 time of communion, prayer and worship with me and Holly 0:12:26.280 --> 0:12:29.760 and our team. And then on Easter Sunday we're going 0:12:29.880 --> 0:12:34.240 to add a special extra service for two pm Eastern Time. 0:12:34.520 --> 0:12:36.040 We're just gonna have church all day. We're gonna have 0:12:36.120 --> 0:12:38.800 church until Jesus comes back again. If you didn't already 0:12:38.800 --> 0:12:41.680 come and we missed it, We're gonna keep being here 0:12:41.920 --> 0:12:45.400 showing up. Jesus Christ is King of Kings and Lord 0:12:45.440 --> 0:12:49.360 of lords. I'm excited about it. Are you excited about 0:12:49.400 --> 0:12:54.959 the Word of God? Thank you Jesus. Well, I'm bringing 0:12:55.000 --> 0:12:58.400 out the secret weapon today. Holly Ferdick is preaching the 0:12:58.400 --> 0:13:03.320 Word of God. Everybody, say hey, Holly, come on, say 0:13:03.320 --> 0:13:06.640 it in a chat so she can see it. Say 0:13:06.679 --> 0:13:11.280 it from Whales and where else from. Welcome her from 0:13:11.280 --> 0:13:14.640 all over the world. This is my wife, this is 0:13:14.679 --> 0:13:18.360 the love of my life. This is my partner. This 0:13:18.440 --> 0:13:25.320 is Somebody said that Holly was their favorite verdict and 0:13:25.360 --> 0:13:27.960 they were like, no, offense, but Hally's my favorite verdict. 0:13:28.360 --> 0:13:30.719 I was like, hey, man, I'm the president of the 0:13:30.760 --> 0:13:33.920 fan club. I am the president of your fan club. 0:13:34.360 --> 0:13:38.160 You live what you teach. You're a better woman than 0:13:38.200 --> 0:13:40.679 even you are a minister. But today, as you look 0:13:40.720 --> 0:13:43.640 into that camera and welcome the world into the presence 0:13:43.679 --> 0:13:47.400 of God, I pray that God would use you. Thank 0:13:47.440 --> 0:13:54.200 you to bring comfort, healing, hope and perspective. Thank you 0:13:55.120 --> 0:13:57.720 to each and every one of us. God, thank you 0:13:57.800 --> 0:14:01.000 for your servant, for this woman of God. Bless it 0:14:01.559 --> 0:14:04.240 as she who comes in the name of the Lord 0:14:04.600 --> 0:14:09.040 in Jesus' name. Amen. Amen, Come on, receive Holly, not 0:14:09.120 --> 0:14:19.160 with a kiss, but just tell her hello. I love you, babe. 0:14:19.360 --> 0:14:21.640 Did you just get choked up while you were praying 0:14:21.640 --> 0:14:24.960 for me? I think he did. I really think he did. 0:14:25.120 --> 0:14:30.200 That touches me. I just want to say welcome to 0:14:30.320 --> 0:14:34.440 everyone who's joining us this morning, Happy Palm Sunday. My 0:14:34.560 --> 0:14:37.480 kids have been doing online school, as I know many 0:14:37.520 --> 0:14:41.040 of yours are too, and my kids actually have daily 0:14:41.200 --> 0:14:43.720 check ins where their teachers take role and they type 0:14:43.720 --> 0:14:46.720 in the chat here. So I thought I could take 0:14:46.800 --> 0:14:49.040 roll this morning. I used to be a teacher, so 0:14:49.440 --> 0:14:51.720 let me know if you're here, where you're watching from 0:14:52.120 --> 0:14:55.040 give me some love. Maybe tell me who's watching with you. 0:14:55.840 --> 0:14:58.680 I have my daughter Abby here this morning. She's sitting 0:14:58.720 --> 0:15:03.280 with her dad in my very small cheering section. And 0:15:04.520 --> 0:15:07.640 you know, speaking of Abby's dad who got choked up 0:15:07.960 --> 0:15:12.240 praying for me. There is no way to begin to 0:15:12.400 --> 0:15:16.480 describe the gifting and the anointing that is on my 0:15:16.600 --> 0:15:22.200 husband's life. It can truly only be experienced. And he 0:15:22.320 --> 0:15:25.120 has helped us through so many tough seasons and this 0:15:25.200 --> 0:15:29.960 one is no exception. I wish you could see the 0:15:30.000 --> 0:15:34.200 way he is leading our staff, our teams, our church. 0:15:34.840 --> 0:15:38.520 We are on the move and we have a general 0:15:38.600 --> 0:15:41.160 who is leading the charge. And I don't know if 0:15:41.200 --> 0:15:44.320 you're grateful for him, but I'm grateful for him. So 0:15:44.360 --> 0:15:46.920 when you type in the chat, we love you, Pastor Stephen, 0:15:47.360 --> 0:15:51.800 his messages have just been as always. They inspire me 0:15:52.000 --> 0:15:54.680 and they encourage me, and they challenge me and they're 0:15:54.720 --> 0:15:57.120 relevant all at the same time. And I really don't 0:15:57.160 --> 0:16:00.120 know how he does it. And also I want to 0:16:00.160 --> 0:16:03.480 say I am so proud of our church. I know 0:16:03.560 --> 0:16:07.120 that my husband just read that amazing text message and 0:16:07.160 --> 0:16:10.920 we have gotten to see every week how our church 0:16:11.040 --> 0:16:14.640 is giving back to our communities all around. And I 0:16:14.760 --> 0:16:17.840 just want to encourage you and invite you to be 0:16:18.120 --> 0:16:21.760 involved in our church more now, more than ever. Our 0:16:21.800 --> 0:16:26.120 campus pastors at all of our campuses, our EPAM, they 0:16:26.200 --> 0:16:30.160 are available, They're praying for people. Get involved on your 0:16:30.200 --> 0:16:34.480 campus Facebook page. God is moving and God is working 0:16:34.600 --> 0:16:37.480 and he is ministering to us during this time. And 0:16:37.600 --> 0:16:39.840 our staff. I am so proud of our staff, from 0:16:40.040 --> 0:16:43.280 e kids to outreach to all of our pastoral staff. 0:16:43.320 --> 0:16:46.440 So I just want to encourage you. Don't draw back 0:16:46.520 --> 0:16:50.880 during this time, move forward, get more involved and allow 0:16:51.000 --> 0:16:53.760 us to speak over you and encourage you and pray 0:16:53.800 --> 0:16:57.720 for you. And retweet. I'm not even on Twitter. I 0:16:57.760 --> 0:17:01.320 don't know why I'm saying retweet, but share the things 0:17:01.360 --> 0:17:03.520 that are going on with our church and invite your 0:17:03.600 --> 0:17:06.760 friends to join in what's going on. I feel like 0:17:07.000 --> 0:17:11.240 people are thirstier than ever right now, and they're more 0:17:11.359 --> 0:17:15.080 open because I mean, in reality, they're home and they're bored. 0:17:15.200 --> 0:17:18.359 And so if this message and these the messages of 0:17:18.400 --> 0:17:22.399 this church are speaking to you, share it personally, share it, 0:17:22.480 --> 0:17:25.040 text someone and say this really helped me. I think 0:17:25.040 --> 0:17:27.760 that you'll like it. There's so much content coming out 0:17:27.800 --> 0:17:31.040 of our church right now, and I am so proud 0:17:31.280 --> 0:17:34.159 of to be a part of this movement and to 0:17:35.640 --> 0:17:39.920 be included among the generous people of Elevation Church. It's 0:17:40.040 --> 0:17:43.240 just such an amazing time to be to be a 0:17:43.240 --> 0:17:47.440 part of the family of God. So, Okay, I am 0:17:47.840 --> 0:17:50.359 really excited to get to speak to you this morning 0:17:50.480 --> 0:17:54.320 because God has been speaking so much to me over 0:17:54.359 --> 0:17:57.080 the past few weeks, and I truly I'm bursting. I 0:17:57.119 --> 0:17:59.800 cannot wait to share it with you. I believe that 0:17:59.840 --> 0:18:02.800 you are going to be blessed by this today. So 0:18:02.840 --> 0:18:05.680 would you do me a favor, And wherever you are, 0:18:05.960 --> 0:18:08.680 just turn your hands up in a posture of receiving, 0:18:08.960 --> 0:18:12.080 and I'm going to pray for us. So, Lord, we 0:18:12.200 --> 0:18:15.480 join our hearts together. We join our faith together, all 0:18:15.520 --> 0:18:19.280 across this world, from people who are in their living rooms, 0:18:19.440 --> 0:18:23.320 in their bedrooms, in their kitchens, in their workplaces. God, 0:18:23.640 --> 0:18:27.280 we join our faith together, and we collectively ask that 0:18:27.440 --> 0:18:31.280 you would speak to us. Our hands are open as 0:18:31.320 --> 0:18:34.320 a symbol that we want to receive a word from 0:18:34.400 --> 0:18:38.280 you today. Would you speak to us God, We are listening. 0:18:38.359 --> 0:18:42.959 It's in Jesus name. I pray amen. All right, So 0:18:43.920 --> 0:18:47.480 several weeks ago back when our children went to this 0:18:47.640 --> 0:18:51.479 place called school, my husband and I decided to go 0:18:51.520 --> 0:18:54.760 on a hike on his day off. And here in Charlotte, 0:18:54.800 --> 0:18:57.800 you can drive about an hour to find a decent hike. 0:18:57.920 --> 0:19:00.679 So this particular day, I did a little bit of research, 0:19:00.720 --> 0:19:02.280 and I decided that we were going to go to 0:19:02.880 --> 0:19:06.520 Morol Mountain State Park. And I looked on the park 0:19:06.560 --> 0:19:09.600 website because I wanted to find the most challenging hike, 0:19:09.680 --> 0:19:11.360 and so I decided that we were going to hike 0:19:11.640 --> 0:19:15.440 sugar Loaf Trail. Now, I don't know if you've ever 0:19:15.480 --> 0:19:17.800 tried to hike the state park trails. I don't even 0:19:17.920 --> 0:19:20.959 know if the state parks in other states are different 0:19:20.960 --> 0:19:23.480 than the ones here in North Carolina. But I personally 0:19:24.000 --> 0:19:27.680 have found in my limited experience that the maps make 0:19:27.880 --> 0:19:32.199 everything look so easy on paper. Sugar Loaf Trail is 0:19:32.280 --> 0:19:35.200 the orange triangles. All you have to do is follow 0:19:35.200 --> 0:19:38.800 the orange triangles. But it's a totally different story when 0:19:38.840 --> 0:19:42.719 you actually get on the trail because the trails overlap 0:19:43.240 --> 0:19:45.720 and it can be tricky to stay on the one 0:19:45.720 --> 0:19:48.040 that you want. You would think follow the orange triangles 0:19:48.119 --> 0:19:52.280 is easy, but it's just not not for us. So 0:19:52.520 --> 0:19:55.440 almost every time that we go hiking, which really isn't 0:19:55.480 --> 0:19:58.879 that much, we start on one trail and then we 0:19:58.960 --> 0:20:01.240 finish on another, and it usually isn't that big of 0:20:01.280 --> 0:20:03.800 a deal as long as you end up at your car, right, 0:20:04.320 --> 0:20:07.760 I mean, look, the verdicts we aren't the most skilled 0:20:07.760 --> 0:20:10.000 when it comes to hiking. We're a little bit better 0:20:10.040 --> 0:20:14.199 at Netflix, but sometimes we have to force ourselves to 0:20:14.240 --> 0:20:16.480 go outdoors and when we do, we don't regret it. 0:20:16.560 --> 0:20:20.399 So anyway, this particular time, I am determined that we 0:20:20.440 --> 0:20:24.000 are going to stay on sugar Loaf Trail because I 0:20:24.040 --> 0:20:27.320 wanted to count as my exercise for the day, and 0:20:27.720 --> 0:20:31.640 the park information said sugar Loaf had the best incline. 0:20:31.680 --> 0:20:34.560 It actually described it as strenuous. But don't get excited 0:20:34.600 --> 0:20:37.600 if you live in Colorado. Don't picture free solo. This 0:20:37.680 --> 0:20:41.480 is the foothills of North Carolina. Okay. So I told Stephen, 0:20:42.000 --> 0:20:44.840 because maybe I should back up and explain to you 0:20:45.200 --> 0:20:48.320 that my husband doesn't have a very good sense of direction. 0:20:50.440 --> 0:20:52.240 I hope he doesn't get mad at me for telling 0:20:52.240 --> 0:20:58.840 you this, But this very morning, this very morning, he 0:20:58.920 --> 0:21:03.000 told me that he got lost coming to Valentine from 0:21:03.080 --> 0:21:06.600 our house and he says, he just missed the turn. 0:21:06.680 --> 0:21:08.879 The thing is, he had so much on his mind. 0:21:09.640 --> 0:21:12.840 He's just so brilliant and so creative that he can't 0:21:12.880 --> 0:21:15.760 pay attention to the turn. So when anyway, that's not 0:21:15.840 --> 0:21:18.240 the point. When we go on a hike, I'm in 0:21:18.359 --> 0:21:21.679 charge of where to go, and so I said to him. 0:21:21.720 --> 0:21:23.760 I was like, this is gonna be The problem is 0:21:23.800 --> 0:21:25.920 I don't have the greatest sense of It's not my 0:21:26.040 --> 0:21:28.840 sense of direction, it's more of my ability to stay 0:21:28.840 --> 0:21:31.439 on track and pay attention. But I'm in charge, and 0:21:31.520 --> 0:21:33.280 so I said, this is going to be so easy. 0:21:33.359 --> 0:21:35.320 All we have to do is follow the orange triangles. 0:21:36.160 --> 0:21:39.640 So everything starts off great. We're walking at a nice pace, 0:21:39.800 --> 0:21:43.199 and we're talking without being interrupted. I think we are 0:21:43.240 --> 0:21:45.840 even holding hands at one point, and the trail is 0:21:45.840 --> 0:21:49.320 so peaceful, and we even walk through this really cool 0:21:49.400 --> 0:21:52.520 tunnel of like baby pine trees that were growing up. 0:21:52.520 --> 0:21:54.680 I think I have a picture here. We are, aren't 0:21:54.680 --> 0:21:57.439 we cute? Don't we look like we're enjoying the great outdoors? 0:21:58.320 --> 0:22:02.440 So we're weaving our way down the trail, and just 0:22:02.480 --> 0:22:06.520 like I expected, we start getting blue squares and white 0:22:06.640 --> 0:22:10.399 circles along with our orange triangles. And I get to 0:22:10.480 --> 0:22:16.320 talking and like I always do, and I realized at 0:22:16.320 --> 0:22:19.199 one point I haven't seen an orange triangle in a 0:22:19.200 --> 0:22:22.000 little while, and so I keep talking and acting like 0:22:22.040 --> 0:22:24.639 everything's okay, and we continue on and I keep thinking 0:22:24.680 --> 0:22:27.240 the orange triangles are going to reappear, but they don't, 0:22:27.480 --> 0:22:30.880 and it doesn't feel right because the trail is getting easier, 0:22:30.920 --> 0:22:37.040 and I started I saw a picnic table, so I remembered, okay, 0:22:37.440 --> 0:22:40.240 a while back, we passed the split in the trail, 0:22:40.720 --> 0:22:43.400 so I think we need to double back and take 0:22:43.440 --> 0:22:46.560 the other path. And I can start to feel pastor 0:22:46.680 --> 0:22:51.560 Steven tense up because he does not like to be lost. 0:22:52.000 --> 0:22:54.560 He doesn't want to be lost in a car, he 0:22:54.600 --> 0:22:56.879 doesn't want to be lost walking in a city, and 0:22:56.920 --> 0:22:59.879 he certainly does not want to be lost hiking in 0:23:00.000 --> 0:23:04.639 the woods. Remember we're Netflix people, so some of you 0:23:04.720 --> 0:23:06.320 might be thinking, what's the big deal of me being 0:23:06.359 --> 0:23:09.640 lost as an adventure, not to him. So we're on 0:23:09.680 --> 0:23:14.240 the second path and we come to this tunnel of 0:23:14.400 --> 0:23:17.800 baby pine trees, and I realized that now we're walking 0:23:17.920 --> 0:23:21.960 back to our car, and so I say, okay, I 0:23:21.960 --> 0:23:24.280 think we need to turn around again, and Stephen looks 0:23:24.320 --> 0:23:27.840 at me. I swear he looks at me and he says, Holly, 0:23:28.200 --> 0:23:31.359 I'm not going to be lost much longer. And I said, 0:23:31.520 --> 0:23:35.920 don't worry. I know exactly where we are now, I 0:23:36.000 --> 0:23:40.720 know the way. I totally lied, thankfully. When we circle 0:23:40.760 --> 0:23:44.040 back one more time, I finally spotted the little orange 0:23:44.080 --> 0:23:47.439 triangle on a tree off in the distance, on a 0:23:47.560 --> 0:23:49.439 very small trail, and we were back on track, and 0:23:49.480 --> 0:23:52.480 we had a great day today. I want to talk 0:23:52.520 --> 0:23:55.080 to you about what you should do when you feel 0:23:55.080 --> 0:23:58.080 like pastor Stephen, and you're thinking, I can't be lost 0:23:58.160 --> 0:24:04.200 for much longer. So my sermon is, I know the way. 0:24:04.800 --> 0:24:07.920 Have you ever noticed that when you start to feel 0:24:08.200 --> 0:24:11.760 lost at first, you coach yourself. You say things like 0:24:11.840 --> 0:24:15.240 everything's fine, orange triangles are going to start to appear 0:24:15.400 --> 0:24:19.200 very soon. You start telling yourself phrases I love idioms. 0:24:19.280 --> 0:24:22.840 I always misuse them, but I just love them so 0:24:23.200 --> 0:24:25.920 and I'll start telling myself phrases like things are off 0:24:25.960 --> 0:24:28.960 to a rocky start, or it's just a bump in 0:24:28.960 --> 0:24:31.480 the road and I just need to stay the path. 0:24:31.600 --> 0:24:35.720 And then maybe you progress to the phase of questioning 0:24:35.760 --> 0:24:39.160 your decisions. I thought this was what I was supposed 0:24:39.200 --> 0:24:41.520 to do. I thought I was supposed to take this 0:24:41.560 --> 0:24:44.640 new job. I felt like the Lord was leading us here, 0:24:44.680 --> 0:24:48.679 but now I'm not so sure. Maybe I heard wrong, 0:24:49.000 --> 0:24:53.200 maybe I did the wrong thing. And then the next 0:24:53.240 --> 0:24:57.120 phase for me is disappointment, and I start to tell 0:24:57.160 --> 0:25:00.359 myself things like this is not how I I thought 0:25:00.440 --> 0:25:03.600 this hike would be. I thought we would just hold 0:25:03.680 --> 0:25:06.840 hands and stay on the trail and climb to the 0:25:06.880 --> 0:25:13.680 top and see the beautiful view. But here I am circling, frustrated, lost, 0:25:14.440 --> 0:25:19.560 And then I start to worry because I realized that 0:25:20.400 --> 0:25:24.520 I can't continue to live in this place, this feeling 0:25:24.960 --> 0:25:28.280 of being lost. I can't be here much longer. I 0:25:28.280 --> 0:25:32.320 can't keep acting like everything's okay. I can't keep pretending 0:25:32.520 --> 0:25:35.679 like I know the way to go. I thought that 0:25:35.760 --> 0:25:37.840 God was leading me here, but now I'm not so sure. 0:25:37.880 --> 0:25:40.520 And now I can't hear him and I can't feel him, 0:25:40.720 --> 0:25:43.199 and I don't know the way anymore. And then I 0:25:43.280 --> 0:25:46.640 tell God, God, I just I don't know how much 0:25:46.720 --> 0:25:49.920 longer I can last. Today. I want to look with 0:25:49.960 --> 0:25:54.000 you at Psalm seventy seven, because this passage of Scripture. Sorry, 0:25:54.040 --> 0:25:57.280 that's kind of a a loud. This passage of scripture is 0:25:57.320 --> 0:25:59.720 about a man who has lost his way and he 0:25:59.760 --> 0:26:02.800 can't feel God anymore. And I feel like he has 0:26:02.880 --> 0:26:06.760 so much to teach us. So I've got the verses 0:26:06.760 --> 0:26:09.280 coming up. Let's look at Psalm seventy seven, Verse one. 0:26:09.480 --> 0:26:11.640 I thought I might try sitting for a while, because 0:26:11.680 --> 0:26:13.880 you know, I used to be a teacher, and teachers 0:26:14.840 --> 0:26:19.760 they sit. Psalm seventy seven says I cried out to 0:26:19.840 --> 0:26:23.000 God for help. I cried out to God to hear 0:26:23.080 --> 0:26:25.800 me when I was in distress. I sought the Lord 0:26:26.080 --> 0:26:30.879 at night. I stretched out untiring hands, and I would 0:26:30.880 --> 0:26:36.399 not be comforted. The man is having trouble sleeping. He 0:26:36.400 --> 0:26:40.879 he's in distress and his mind won't let him rest. 0:26:40.960 --> 0:26:45.080 And I have had so many conversations with friends lately 0:26:45.160 --> 0:26:49.400 telling me that they're having trouble sleeping. We're all worried. 0:26:50.480 --> 0:26:53.520 What's keeping you up at night might not be the 0:26:53.560 --> 0:26:56.440 same thing that's keeping me up. Well, I'll just tell 0:26:56.440 --> 0:26:58.040 you what's keeping me up. I'm just going to be 0:26:58.080 --> 0:27:01.120 honest and have a little honest moment here. I keep 0:27:01.160 --> 0:27:05.560 worrying that I have the virus and to the point where, 0:27:05.640 --> 0:27:07.800 about a week ago, I had a really bad allergy 0:27:07.840 --> 0:27:09.440 attack and I woke up in the middle of the 0:27:09.520 --> 0:27:12.119 night coughing, and I couldn't go back to sleep because 0:27:12.119 --> 0:27:14.840 I started making a case. Am I am I alone 0:27:14.880 --> 0:27:17.160 in this? Can somebody please tell me in the chat 0:27:17.200 --> 0:27:19.760 if this has happened to me. I keep making the 0:27:19.800 --> 0:27:22.760 case that I'm in the early stages of the virus, 0:27:23.200 --> 0:27:26.840 and I started thinking, I'm laying awake at night, my 0:27:26.920 --> 0:27:30.320 eyes are wide open, and I'm thinking of all the 0:27:30.359 --> 0:27:33.600 people that I've been in contact with, and what if 0:27:33.640 --> 0:27:36.080 I exposed people, you know, I went to the grocery store. 0:27:36.240 --> 0:27:39.639 What if I got some person sick? And then I 0:27:39.680 --> 0:27:43.320 start worrying about what about my family? Who will take 0:27:43.320 --> 0:27:45.400 care of my family if I get really sick? And 0:27:45.720 --> 0:27:47.720 what if my kids get sick? What if Pastor Stephen 0:27:47.760 --> 0:27:50.480 gets sick and he can't preach to anyone anymore? Anybody 0:27:50.760 --> 0:27:53.120 help me out? Have you been there? Have you been 0:27:53.240 --> 0:27:58.840 awake at night worrying about your finances? Losing sleep because 0:27:59.000 --> 0:28:02.960 I'm afraid? And the Psalmist goes on to say, I 0:28:03.119 --> 0:28:07.840 remembered you, God, I grown I meditated. He's trying to 0:28:07.920 --> 0:28:10.840 do all the right things, but my spirit grew faint. 0:28:11.200 --> 0:28:14.520 You kept my eyes from closing. I was too troubled 0:28:14.520 --> 0:28:17.720 to speak. I thought about the former days, the years 0:28:17.720 --> 0:28:20.400 of long ago. I remembered my songs in the night, 0:28:20.520 --> 0:28:25.720 nighttime questions. They're so dark. They keep you on this 0:28:26.000 --> 0:28:28.960 loop that takes you nowhere, and you can't get your 0:28:29.000 --> 0:28:32.879 mind subtled, and you can't get rest, he says, my 0:28:33.119 --> 0:28:37.320 heart meditated. He's trying to get a hold of himself, 0:28:37.560 --> 0:28:42.719 but then he starts asking crazy questions. Listen to this, 0:28:42.800 --> 0:28:46.640 he says, Will the Lord reject forever? Will he never 0:28:46.800 --> 0:28:51.480 show his favor again? Has his unfailing love vanished forever? 0:28:51.840 --> 0:28:55.920 Has his promise failed for all time? Has God forgotten 0:28:55.960 --> 0:28:58.920 to be merciful to me? Has he and his anger 0:28:59.000 --> 0:29:03.560 withheld his compassion? Is God mad at me? Can you 0:29:03.680 --> 0:29:07.200 relate to this? Because I can. When I get anxious, 0:29:07.280 --> 0:29:11.120 I start to jump to these crazy conclusions, and then 0:29:11.280 --> 0:29:14.000 I start to search for an answer for everything. So 0:29:14.400 --> 0:29:18.520 I plan out these elaborate, if then scenarios, and then 0:29:18.560 --> 0:29:22.000 I find myself worried about problems that don't even exist. 0:29:22.800 --> 0:29:25.800 What do you do when you find yourself in this place? 0:29:25.840 --> 0:29:28.040 I want to share with you today some of the 0:29:28.040 --> 0:29:30.600 things that God has been showing me about how to 0:29:30.680 --> 0:29:34.240 break this cycle in my mind. And the Psalmist is 0:29:34.280 --> 0:29:36.800 about to show you. Don't you love the Bible? I 0:29:36.880 --> 0:29:40.600 love the darkness and the humanity in this psalm. I 0:29:40.680 --> 0:29:44.280 love knowing that I'm not the only one who goes 0:29:44.280 --> 0:29:48.120 through periods where God feels far away. He says, God, 0:29:48.400 --> 0:29:51.280 can you are you hearing my cry? I am crying 0:29:51.360 --> 0:29:54.360 out to you? So I want to show you what 0:29:54.480 --> 0:29:57.880 he does next. But spoiler alert, He's not gonna show 0:29:57.960 --> 0:30:01.520 us the way out. We actually ever know who even 0:30:01.560 --> 0:30:04.400 wrote this psalm, what he was going through, or how 0:30:04.440 --> 0:30:06.880 he got out of it. In the end, he's going 0:30:06.960 --> 0:30:13.600 to show us how to shift our perspective. Perspective is everything, 0:30:14.240 --> 0:30:18.440 because I found that my initial response to every situation 0:30:18.600 --> 0:30:21.200 in my life one hundred percent of the time is 0:30:21.520 --> 0:30:24.640 how does this affect me? What if I get sick? 0:30:25.200 --> 0:30:27.960 What about my canceled plans? This is not the way 0:30:28.120 --> 0:30:32.200 I thought this would go. And then after I do that, 0:30:32.520 --> 0:30:35.160 I turn it on God, just like the Psalmist, and 0:30:35.200 --> 0:30:38.479 I think I know why It's easier to blame God 0:30:38.960 --> 0:30:41.720 than to take responsibility for my own heart and my 0:30:41.800 --> 0:30:44.800 own attitude, So it's easier for me to say, God, 0:30:44.840 --> 0:30:48.560 are you hearing me? What about your promises? God? You 0:30:48.640 --> 0:30:53.040 must be angry with me. But thankfully the psalmist doesn't 0:30:53.080 --> 0:30:57.000 stop there, and we won't either. Do you remember my 0:30:57.120 --> 0:30:59.720 husband's sermon from a few weeks ago called There's a 0:30:59.760 --> 0:31:02.800 whole in your story. If you miss that sermon, you 0:31:02.920 --> 0:31:05.640 have to go back and watch it because he said this, 0:31:05.760 --> 0:31:09.560 and it's forever in my mind. He said, don't let 0:31:09.760 --> 0:31:13.600 doubt and self centeredness cut you off in the middle 0:31:13.600 --> 0:31:17.480 of your story. It's okay to feel the doubt. It's 0:31:17.520 --> 0:31:21.720 okay to think about how you're being affected by this situation. 0:31:21.920 --> 0:31:24.720 But realize that we are in the middle of the 0:31:24.800 --> 0:31:27.800 story right now, and you can feel those feelings. But 0:31:27.840 --> 0:31:31.000 you can't stop there. You can't lose faith. You can't 0:31:31.120 --> 0:31:35.600 keep circling in this loop of making up stories. You 0:31:35.800 --> 0:31:39.760 have to get to the next part. So part one 0:31:39.800 --> 0:31:45.360 of this psalm is my worries, Part two is his ways, 0:31:45.560 --> 0:31:49.320 and verse ten is the shift, the shift from going 0:31:49.400 --> 0:31:55.960 from myself to my God. Look at this, says then 0:31:56.040 --> 0:32:00.560 I thought to this, I will appeal in the years 0:32:00.640 --> 0:32:04.200 when the most high stretched out his right hand. Watched 0:32:04.200 --> 0:32:07.400 this because he's about to go from what if to worship. 0:32:07.880 --> 0:32:11.959 He's going to shift his focus from self what if 0:32:12.000 --> 0:32:15.440 God has forgotten me, to the character and the nature 0:32:15.720 --> 0:32:19.360 of God. He says, I will remember the deeds of 0:32:19.400 --> 0:32:23.440 the Lord. I will remember your miracles of long ago. 0:32:23.520 --> 0:32:28.200 He's forcing himself to remember. He says, I will consider 0:32:28.600 --> 0:32:31.840 all of your works and meditate on all of your 0:32:31.920 --> 0:32:36.200 mighty deeds. Your ways, God are holy. What God is 0:32:36.240 --> 0:32:40.480 as great as our God. He's reminding himself about who 0:32:40.680 --> 0:32:44.200 his God is. You are the God who performs miracles. 0:32:44.760 --> 0:32:48.120 You display your power among the people with your mighty arm. 0:32:48.440 --> 0:32:51.680 You redeemed your people, the descendants of Jacob and Joseph. 0:32:52.080 --> 0:32:56.400 Your thunder was heard in the whirlwind. Your lightning lit 0:32:56.480 --> 0:33:00.440 up the world. The earth trembled and quaked. He serve 0:33:00.560 --> 0:33:05.240 a big God, he says. Your path led through the sea, 0:33:05.560 --> 0:33:09.840 your way through the mighty waters. Though your footprints were 0:33:09.880 --> 0:33:13.960 not seen. You led your people like a flock by 0:33:14.000 --> 0:33:19.920 the hand of Moses and Aaron. Sometimes the only way 0:33:20.040 --> 0:33:25.640 forward is to circle back. This is so beautiful to me. 0:33:26.480 --> 0:33:28.880 What do you do when you're awake in the night 0:33:29.520 --> 0:33:33.360 instead of circling on all of those questions, in all 0:33:33.440 --> 0:33:37.880 of those stories, you stop and you remember how great 0:33:38.280 --> 0:33:42.920 and how powerful our God is. He's a good God. 0:33:43.240 --> 0:33:47.480 He's a miracle working God. He's a deliverer. He is 0:33:47.560 --> 0:33:50.800 the God who makes himself known to his people and 0:33:50.840 --> 0:33:55.600 his promises. Do stand What has God done for you? 0:33:56.040 --> 0:33:59.560 Can you take a second and look back over your life? 0:33:59.720 --> 0:34:03.160 Because He's been there for you, He's provided for you. 0:34:03.280 --> 0:34:06.880 And what makes you think that he's going to stop now? 0:34:09.120 --> 0:34:11.200 I don't know about you, but this is not my 0:34:11.360 --> 0:34:15.279 first dark night. The problem is when you're in the 0:34:15.320 --> 0:34:19.280 middle of the night, it's hard to remember the things 0:34:19.280 --> 0:34:21.440 that you have come through. For some reason, it always 0:34:21.480 --> 0:34:24.839 feels like it's never been this bad before. But if 0:34:24.880 --> 0:34:29.839 you can just force yourself to remember, he was with 0:34:29.920 --> 0:34:34.319 me the last time, he will be with me all 0:34:34.400 --> 0:34:38.600 the way through this one. I love the part where 0:34:38.600 --> 0:34:45.240 he says your way was through the sea. You're digging deep. 0:34:45.600 --> 0:34:49.239 You've got to remember how God parted the Red Sea 0:34:49.600 --> 0:34:52.880 and he brought his people through on dry land. What 0:34:52.920 --> 0:34:56.440 does the song say, We just sing it. You made 0:34:56.600 --> 0:35:01.480 seas into highways. Instead of worrying about well, what is coming, 0:35:02.000 --> 0:35:05.000 You've got to use all of that energy, all of 0:35:05.040 --> 0:35:09.759 that fear, and rechannel it to recall the times where 0:35:09.800 --> 0:35:12.160 He was with you in the past, the times where 0:35:12.200 --> 0:35:15.400 He made a way through for you. I wish we 0:35:15.440 --> 0:35:18.120 could shout about all the times that He was with us. 0:35:18.160 --> 0:35:20.400 I wish we could play popcorn. We used to do 0:35:20.440 --> 0:35:22.239 that when I was a teenager in youth group, and 0:35:22.280 --> 0:35:24.320 you would just shout out things. And I wish you 0:35:24.320 --> 0:35:26.880 would shout out in the chat that when you were sick, 0:35:26.960 --> 0:35:29.200 that He healed you in your body, when you were 0:35:29.200 --> 0:35:31.960 going through a divorce, he was with you all along 0:35:32.000 --> 0:35:35.719 the way. When you lost your job, he provided for you. 0:35:36.080 --> 0:35:38.160 Tell me the ways that God has been with you, 0:35:38.280 --> 0:35:42.240 because I know that we serve a God who makes 0:35:42.520 --> 0:35:46.600 a way for us, though his footprints were not seen 0:35:46.840 --> 0:35:48.960 at the time. When I look back look at the 0:35:49.040 --> 0:35:53.680 verse again, it says your path made away through the 0:35:53.920 --> 0:35:58.520 mighty waters, though your footprints were not seen. Even when 0:35:58.760 --> 0:36:03.560 you don't see it, He's working. And the Psalm closes 0:36:03.640 --> 0:36:07.480 by telling us that he leads us like a flock. 0:36:09.840 --> 0:36:13.600 I love all of the metaphors in the Bible that 0:36:13.719 --> 0:36:17.800 remind us about the Lord being our shepherd. It's truly 0:36:17.840 --> 0:36:20.919 throughout the Bible, but my favorite one, and probably yours too, 0:36:21.600 --> 0:36:25.560 is Psalm twenty three. The Lord is my shepherd. I 0:36:25.600 --> 0:36:29.640 shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. 0:36:29.960 --> 0:36:33.480 He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. 0:36:33.960 --> 0:36:38.320 He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake. 0:36:38.640 --> 0:36:42.280 What a comfort it is to know that our shepherd 0:36:42.680 --> 0:36:46.880 is leading his flock, and he knows where the green 0:36:47.000 --> 0:36:51.600 pastures are. He leads us to the water when we're thirsty. 0:36:52.160 --> 0:36:57.080 He is with us every step of the way. And 0:36:58.800 --> 0:37:01.279 when I think about God being our guide, I think 0:37:01.320 --> 0:37:05.280 about a few years ago, we got to go to Israel, 0:37:05.960 --> 0:37:08.279 and of course we hired a guide, because that's what 0:37:08.320 --> 0:37:10.239 you do when you go to Israel. Otherwise you would 0:37:10.320 --> 0:37:13.240 just roam around and wonder what things were. Our guide 0:37:13.239 --> 0:37:17.839 his name was Aria, and it was Aria's job as 0:37:17.880 --> 0:37:21.160 our guide to take us around to all of the 0:37:21.200 --> 0:37:24.000 famous sites in the Bible that we could squeeze into 0:37:24.000 --> 0:37:26.120 our ten day trip. So of course you want to 0:37:26.200 --> 0:37:29.320 hit the Garden of gessimone and the tomb and Mount 0:37:29.400 --> 0:37:32.279 Carmel where Elijah called down the prophets, and the Mount 0:37:32.320 --> 0:37:35.239 of Olives where Jesus fed the five thousand and the 0:37:35.320 --> 0:37:38.799 Jordan River in the upper room, and we wanted to 0:37:38.880 --> 0:37:40.719 see all of these sites. We had a list of 0:37:40.760 --> 0:37:42.480 the things we wanted to do. But while we were 0:37:42.600 --> 0:37:47.239 driving from place to place, our guide were a microphone, 0:37:47.840 --> 0:37:51.400 and he was constantly pointing things out to us along 0:37:51.440 --> 0:37:54.879 the way from within the bus. He would say, this 0:37:54.920 --> 0:37:57.040 is an olive grove. Look out to the left, this 0:37:57.080 --> 0:37:59.000 is an olive grove. And then he would teach us 0:37:59.000 --> 0:38:01.759 and he would say, olive trees are stable enough to 0:38:01.800 --> 0:38:05.120 live thousands of years through droughts and through storms, and 0:38:05.640 --> 0:38:09.200 the oil that comes from olives is what represents the 0:38:09.239 --> 0:38:12.160 Holy Spirit. And he would just teach us all along 0:38:12.200 --> 0:38:14.560 the way. I remember one particular day we were on 0:38:14.600 --> 0:38:17.360 our way to the Sea of Galilee and he pulled 0:38:17.360 --> 0:38:20.040 the bus over to the side of the road and 0:38:20.080 --> 0:38:22.400 he said, we got out here. I'm telling you. We 0:38:22.760 --> 0:38:25.000 were literally on the side of the road, the highway 0:38:25.040 --> 0:38:28.640 with cars going past, and we walked up this rocky 0:38:28.760 --> 0:38:31.960 hill and he said, I want to show you. This 0:38:32.040 --> 0:38:34.440 is a cistern. This is what a cistern looks like. 0:38:34.480 --> 0:38:37.759 A cistern is where Joseph's brothers threw him when they 0:38:37.760 --> 0:38:41.239 were about to throw throw what did they sell him 0:38:41.239 --> 0:38:45.560 into slavery? And then he began to teach us about shepherds, 0:38:46.000 --> 0:38:48.759 and he told us he said the shepherds would live 0:38:48.960 --> 0:38:51.719 just outside of town right here. See how you can 0:38:51.760 --> 0:38:53.839 see the town off in the distance. And he'd say, 0:38:53.840 --> 0:38:56.480 they would live right here, And they would while the 0:38:56.520 --> 0:38:59.040 sheep were having babies and the lambs were young, they 0:38:59.080 --> 0:39:01.319 would stay just out side of the city so that 0:39:01.400 --> 0:39:04.040 the sheep could drink from these cisterns. But as soon 0:39:04.080 --> 0:39:06.759 as the lambs were old enough to travel, they would 0:39:06.800 --> 0:39:09.560 go up to two hours away from the city and 0:39:09.719 --> 0:39:14.920 lead the sheep to graze in greener pastures near the springs. 0:39:15.800 --> 0:39:19.600 The things that he showed us along the way were 0:39:19.640 --> 0:39:23.080 as memorable to me as the famous sights that we 0:39:23.120 --> 0:39:25.880 had come to see. And I think about if I 0:39:25.880 --> 0:39:28.600 had gotten on the bus each day and put my 0:39:28.680 --> 0:39:33.000 headphones in and taken a nap and gotten to the destination, 0:39:33.760 --> 0:39:36.239 I would have missed out on so much of the 0:39:36.600 --> 0:39:41.719 experience of seeing and taking in everything around me. And 0:39:42.080 --> 0:39:45.160 it has opened up my eyes when I read a 0:39:45.200 --> 0:39:48.320 passage like he guides. He guides us in paths of 0:39:48.440 --> 0:39:51.880 righteousness for his name's sake. I can picture the shepherds 0:39:52.000 --> 0:39:57.279 leading their sheep to the greener grasp. God is your guide, 0:39:58.080 --> 0:40:02.640 and he's revealing himself to you all along the way. 0:40:03.320 --> 0:40:07.280 Every day he's trying to show you. This is my grace, 0:40:07.920 --> 0:40:12.240 here's my joy. And sometimes I think that I miss 0:40:12.480 --> 0:40:15.880 what's right in front of me because I'm worried about 0:40:16.200 --> 0:40:19.920 what's down the road. He guides me in paths of 0:40:20.000 --> 0:40:23.799 righteousness for his namesake. Goes on to say, even though 0:40:23.840 --> 0:40:26.320 I walk through the valley of the shadow of Death, 0:40:26.520 --> 0:40:29.520 I will fear no evil, for you are with me. 0:40:29.680 --> 0:40:33.279 It comforts me to know that as we walk through 0:40:33.280 --> 0:40:37.799 the valley the shadow of death, my shepherd is with 0:40:37.920 --> 0:40:42.920 me the whole way. And by the way, it's not death, 0:40:43.480 --> 0:40:47.680 it's just a shadow. And as you walk through the valley, 0:40:48.480 --> 0:40:52.399 just make sure to keep going. And when you're up 0:40:52.400 --> 0:40:56.279 at night and the shadows are so scary, if you 0:40:56.360 --> 0:41:01.440 can shift your focus, you'll find that the shepherd, your shepherd, 0:41:01.719 --> 0:41:05.560 is right there leading you through. He's your guide. He's 0:41:05.600 --> 0:41:10.160 not your uber driver. You're rod in your staff. They 0:41:10.200 --> 0:41:13.600 comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the 0:41:13.640 --> 0:41:16.480 presence of my enemies, And this is my favorite verse 0:41:16.920 --> 0:41:20.120 in Psalm twenty three. It says you anoy my head 0:41:20.160 --> 0:41:23.960 with oil my cup overflows. A couple of years ago, 0:41:24.239 --> 0:41:27.839 I came across this book. It's called A Shepherd looks 0:41:27.840 --> 0:41:30.440 at Psalm twenty three. It's by a man named Philip Keller, 0:41:31.080 --> 0:41:34.160 who was an actual shepherd, and in this book he 0:41:34.320 --> 0:41:38.520 takes you through verse by verse explaining the Psalm from 0:41:38.560 --> 0:41:42.279 a shepherd's perspective. Isn't it amazing how God can take 0:41:42.360 --> 0:41:45.640 a passage of scripture that's so familiar, like Psalm twenty three. 0:41:45.680 --> 0:41:47.640 I memorize it when I was a little girl in kindergarten. 0:41:47.680 --> 0:41:50.080 I have a very vivid memory of my kindergarten teacher 0:41:50.480 --> 0:41:53.120 having our class recite it. But then He can use 0:41:53.160 --> 0:41:56.800 that same passage of scripture and bring you comfort throughout 0:41:56.920 --> 0:42:00.959 your life if you'll just go back to Sometimes when 0:42:01.120 --> 0:42:05.759 I am in a season of feeling lost, I go 0:42:06.000 --> 0:42:09.760 back to the passages of scripture where God has already 0:42:09.800 --> 0:42:13.200 spoken to me before. And God used this book in 0:42:13.239 --> 0:42:15.319 my life a couple of years ago to just make 0:42:15.400 --> 0:42:18.839 this passage come alive. And a couple of weeks ago, 0:42:19.080 --> 0:42:22.640 right before everything started shutting, down. God just brought Psalm 0:42:22.719 --> 0:42:25.360 twenty three. He led me back to this passage of scripture, 0:42:25.440 --> 0:42:27.960 and I pulled out this book and I went to 0:42:28.000 --> 0:42:30.560 my favorite chapter, and it's the chapter on this verse. 0:42:30.600 --> 0:42:33.560 He anoints my head with oil and he talks about 0:42:34.040 --> 0:42:37.719 nose flies. Now, I know that you did not turn 0:42:37.760 --> 0:42:42.520 on church today to hear about nose flies, but I 0:42:42.560 --> 0:42:44.759 have to tell you about this, and I promise you 0:42:45.360 --> 0:42:47.680 it's going to help you. So I'm sorry it's a 0:42:47.719 --> 0:42:49.920 little bit gross, but just stick with me. Nose flies 0:42:50.239 --> 0:42:54.080 attack sheep in the summertime, and what happens is they'll 0:42:54.200 --> 0:42:59.120 land on the sheep's moist nose, and sometimes they'll crawl 0:42:59.160 --> 0:43:02.920 inside and lay eggs in the sheep's nose cavity. And 0:43:03.400 --> 0:43:05.319 let me just read to you from the book. It 0:43:05.360 --> 0:43:10.320 says this their attacks the flies on animals can readily 0:43:10.360 --> 0:43:14.239 turn the golden months of summertime into a time of 0:43:14.400 --> 0:43:18.280 torture for the sheep and drive them to almost distraction. 0:43:19.560 --> 0:43:23.760 For this, for relief from this agonizing annoyance, he tells 0:43:23.840 --> 0:43:27.680 us that the sheep will deliberately beat their heads against 0:43:27.719 --> 0:43:31.480 trees and rocks and posts or brush, And then he 0:43:31.520 --> 0:43:33.919 goes on to say, because of all of this, when 0:43:33.920 --> 0:43:37.400 the nose flies hover around the flock, some of the 0:43:37.480 --> 0:43:42.279 sheep will become frantic with fear and panic in their 0:43:42.520 --> 0:43:47.120 attempt to escape their tormentors. Some may run so much 0:43:47.320 --> 0:43:51.120 that they drop from sheer exhaustion. And on some occasions 0:43:51.280 --> 0:43:54.720 they may refuse to graze in the open at all. 0:43:55.000 --> 0:43:57.279 And when I pulled this out and I read this, 0:43:57.440 --> 0:44:01.719 I was like, this is me right now. I'm afraid 0:44:01.800 --> 0:44:05.480 of the flies that have not even landed on me yet, 0:44:05.719 --> 0:44:09.480 and I'm running around getting groceries, stalking my pantry and 0:44:09.560 --> 0:44:12.840 my freezer like the world is over, watching the news 0:44:13.040 --> 0:44:16.680 and the numbers and making up scenarios, and unable to rest, 0:44:17.000 --> 0:44:20.960 unable to graze, exhausted with worry, irritated with my kids. 0:44:21.200 --> 0:44:24.799 But listen to this. At the first sign of the 0:44:24.840 --> 0:44:29.120 flies among the flock, he will apply an antidote of 0:44:29.320 --> 0:44:34.240 oil to their heads. Once the oil has been applied 0:44:34.239 --> 0:44:38.759 to the sheep's head, there was an immediate change in behavior. 0:44:39.360 --> 0:44:43.399 Gone was the aggravation gone, the frenzy, gone, the irritability 0:44:43.400 --> 0:44:46.439 and the restlessness. Instead, the sheep would start to feed 0:44:46.520 --> 0:44:51.600 quietly again, and then soon lie down in peaceful contentment. 0:44:52.239 --> 0:44:56.520 He anoints my head with oil. He anoints your head 0:44:56.719 --> 0:45:01.080 with oil. So maybe sitting down and tuning in and 0:45:01.120 --> 0:45:05.640 watching church today may have been that breath of fresh 0:45:05.640 --> 0:45:08.160 air that you needed, a time for you to recenter 0:45:08.280 --> 0:45:13.800 your focus. But one hour a week is not enough oil. 0:45:14.920 --> 0:45:17.520 The book says that the sheep have to have the 0:45:17.560 --> 0:45:22.680 oil applied regularly to protect them from the flies throughout 0:45:22.719 --> 0:45:26.560 the summer, and so do you. He anoints my head 0:45:26.560 --> 0:45:31.600 with oil, my cup overflows. My cup cannot overflow if 0:45:31.680 --> 0:45:36.160 my head is not first anointed. So when I feel 0:45:36.200 --> 0:45:39.760 myself getting irritated with everyone around me, when I feel 0:45:39.760 --> 0:45:42.680 the frenzy and the fear creeping in, when I start 0:45:42.760 --> 0:45:47.640 spiraling into my what if scenarios, I need a fresh 0:45:47.920 --> 0:45:52.280 anointing for me. This could come in several different ways. 0:45:52.600 --> 0:45:55.359 It might mean that I turn the TV off and 0:45:55.400 --> 0:45:58.200 turn on a sermon, or I turn on some worship music. 0:45:58.239 --> 0:46:00.799 It might mean that I get off of Instagram and 0:46:00.840 --> 0:46:03.080 I open up my Bible app And I don't just 0:46:03.200 --> 0:46:05.399 open it up randomly and try to find a random 0:46:05.440 --> 0:46:07.919 passage of scripture, but I select a Bible study plan 0:46:08.200 --> 0:46:10.520 and a passage of scripture that I can read through, 0:46:10.840 --> 0:46:12.880 and that every time I pick up my Bible and 0:46:12.920 --> 0:46:14.920 I pick up my phone, I know where I'm going 0:46:14.960 --> 0:46:18.400 in the scripture. It may mean that in the morning 0:46:18.480 --> 0:46:22.239 when I wake up, that I listen to a scripture 0:46:22.360 --> 0:46:25.759 reading rather than checking the number of confirmed cases that 0:46:25.880 --> 0:46:32.320 happened overnight. Sometimes for me, it's just a moment alone 0:46:32.760 --> 0:46:36.840 when I feel myself becoming overwhelmed and I feel myself 0:46:37.560 --> 0:46:41.880 getting irritated with everyone around me. I just take a 0:46:41.920 --> 0:46:45.160 step back, and I take a moment, and I take 0:46:45.840 --> 0:46:49.000 a couple of deep breaths, and I say a prayer 0:46:49.000 --> 0:46:53.640 for help, And as I'm breathing, I just inhale God's grace, 0:46:53.719 --> 0:46:58.120 and then I exhale a prayer of gratitude. God, Thank 0:46:58.160 --> 0:47:02.280 you that you are with me in this moment. God 0:47:02.400 --> 0:47:06.600 help me. It's a cry for help. As believers in Jesus, 0:47:06.880 --> 0:47:10.960 we have access to the Holy Spirit who stands by 0:47:11.560 --> 0:47:16.360 ready to give us exactly what we need moment by moment. 0:47:16.600 --> 0:47:20.279 But he will not compete. He will not compete with 0:47:20.400 --> 0:47:25.960 CNN and Netflix and Facebook. He anoints my head with oil. 0:47:26.280 --> 0:47:29.920 My cup overflows. They're in that order for a reason. 0:47:30.400 --> 0:47:34.440 You can't overflow and help those around you until you 0:47:34.520 --> 0:47:39.400 are first anointed with oil. I know you don't know 0:47:39.520 --> 0:47:42.960 the way. I know some days that you're faking it. 0:47:43.480 --> 0:47:46.719 I know right now that we are all taking this 0:47:46.920 --> 0:47:50.280 day by day, sometimes minute by minute. Don't wear a mask, 0:47:50.480 --> 0:47:53.880 wear a mask. It's a scary time when our entire 0:47:54.000 --> 0:47:57.840 world is collectively facing an obstacle where we cannot see 0:47:58.080 --> 0:48:01.319 a way through, and we have no idea how much 0:48:01.440 --> 0:48:03.719 longer it's going to last. But you know what we 0:48:03.760 --> 0:48:06.520 do have. We have God's word and it is a 0:48:06.600 --> 0:48:09.160 lamp unto our feet, and it is a light unto 0:48:09.239 --> 0:48:12.560 our paths when we're lost. It is our light. And 0:48:12.600 --> 0:48:16.840 if you will meditate on the words in this book, 0:48:17.120 --> 0:48:22.160 God will speak to you and he will calm your heart. 0:48:22.680 --> 0:48:26.000 I want to close with Jesus's words to his disciples 0:48:26.040 --> 0:48:30.400 because I believe Jesus has something that he wants to 0:48:30.440 --> 0:48:34.239 say to us today. These are God's words for us 0:48:34.320 --> 0:48:39.840 during our time together. This is John fourteen, and Jesus 0:48:39.880 --> 0:48:45.200 is talking to his disciples and he says, do not 0:48:45.400 --> 0:48:50.400 let your hearts be troubled. That's a word for me today. 0:48:51.040 --> 0:48:55.000 Don't let your hearts be troubled. He says, you believe 0:48:55.040 --> 0:48:59.279 in God, believe also in me. My father's house has 0:48:59.360 --> 0:49:02.400 many rooms. If that were not so, would I have 0:49:02.560 --> 0:49:05.400 told you that I'm going there to prepare a place 0:49:05.480 --> 0:49:08.320 for you. And if I go and prepare a place 0:49:08.360 --> 0:49:11.120 for you, I will come back and take you to 0:49:11.160 --> 0:49:14.439 be with me, so that you may be where I am. 0:49:15.400 --> 0:49:18.319 You know the place where I am going. And then 0:49:18.400 --> 0:49:21.680 Thomas speaks up, bless his heart, thank you Thomas for 0:49:21.800 --> 0:49:24.920 asking what everybody is thinking. Don't you love the person 0:49:24.920 --> 0:49:29.200 who asks the question that everybody's thinking. So Thomas says, Lord, 0:49:30.360 --> 0:49:33.200 we don't know where you were going, so how can 0:49:33.239 --> 0:49:37.560 we know the way? And Jesus answered to him, I 0:49:37.680 --> 0:49:43.080 love Jesus's answer to him, Jesus said, I am the way, 0:49:43.560 --> 0:49:47.799 the Truth, and the life. I don't have to know 0:49:47.920 --> 0:49:52.600 the way because I know the way. He is the 0:49:52.600 --> 0:49:56.439 one who was with you in the past. He's the 0:49:56.480 --> 0:49:59.839 one who is with you on this journey right now, 0:50:00.080 --> 0:50:02.680 in this moment today, And like I said, he stands 0:50:02.680 --> 0:50:06.160 by with the oil that you need for each moment. 0:50:06.400 --> 0:50:10.320 And we can find comfort that He has gone before 0:50:10.440 --> 0:50:14.319 us into our future to prepare a place for us. 0:50:15.719 --> 0:50:19.000 What if what God is doing for you in this time, 0:50:19.200 --> 0:50:22.880 is giving you an opportunity for you to know Him deeper, 0:50:23.520 --> 0:50:27.440 for you to truly know Him as your Prince of peace, 0:50:28.160 --> 0:50:30.279 for you to come out on the other side of 0:50:30.320 --> 0:50:37.360 this trial knowing Emmanuel God with us. Thomas was completely 0:50:37.400 --> 0:50:40.120 missing the point, just like we all do. He was like, Lord, 0:50:40.719 --> 0:50:44.640 we don't know the way. He was concerned about the destination. 0:50:45.200 --> 0:50:49.040 He was concerned about the end, and Jesus is saying, 0:50:49.480 --> 0:50:53.840 you don't need to know the end because you know me. 0:50:55.239 --> 0:50:58.760 I am the way. I am with you right here, 0:50:59.440 --> 0:51:04.239 right down, in this very moment. You're not lost. You 0:51:04.320 --> 0:51:10.440 may feel lost, but you know the way. So tonight, 0:51:10.960 --> 0:51:14.960 when you wake up worried, just whisper to yourself, I 0:51:15.040 --> 0:51:19.680 know the way. Tomorrow, when you're tired of being alone 0:51:19.960 --> 0:51:23.960 in your house day after day after day, maybe you 0:51:24.040 --> 0:51:26.680 only have your pets to keep you company, you say 0:51:26.680 --> 0:51:31.960 this out loud, I am not alone. I know the way. Moms, 0:51:32.560 --> 0:51:36.759 when you're wondering how you're going to make it to bedtime, 0:51:37.680 --> 0:51:46.880 take a breath inhale God's peace, exhale, I know the way. 0:51:47.360 --> 0:51:52.120 If you're tired of feeling lost, if you're tired of 0:51:52.400 --> 0:51:56.239 just I can't feel this way much longer. Just remember 0:51:57.120 --> 0:52:04.720 you know the way. I know the way. What a word. Wow. 0:52:05.840 --> 0:52:08.880 I just got home and I just wanted to record 0:52:08.880 --> 0:52:12.480 a video and just pray with you. I thought what 0:52:12.520 --> 0:52:18.560 Holly said today was so personal and so powerful and 0:52:18.600 --> 0:52:20.879 so appropriate for the season that we're in that many 0:52:20.920 --> 0:52:24.960 of us just feel confused and maybe even aimless, restless, 0:52:25.680 --> 0:52:27.960 But we know the way, the way, the truth and 0:52:28.000 --> 0:52:32.359 the life. That's what Jesus called himself. So right now, 0:52:32.440 --> 0:52:35.920 let me just agree with you in prayer. God, would 0:52:35.920 --> 0:52:39.839 you lead us like the shepherd that you are, each 0:52:39.920 --> 0:52:43.879 moment of the days ahead, and help us to hear 0:52:44.000 --> 0:52:47.479 your still small voice as you call us the green 0:52:47.560 --> 0:52:52.080 pastures of your presence. I pray for my brother or 0:52:52.120 --> 0:52:55.879 my sister, whatever their need is today, I know you're 0:52:55.920 --> 0:52:59.840 able to meet it according to your glorious richest in Christ. 0:53:00.960 --> 0:53:04.960 Thank you that your wisdom and your peace are ours 0:53:05.000 --> 0:53:10.520 in abundance in Jesus' name. Amen, thank you so much 0:53:10.680 --> 0:53:14.520 for your love, for your support, those of you who 0:53:14.600 --> 0:53:17.759 give to support this ministry, just so we can keep 0:53:17.800 --> 0:53:20.720 the gospel coming to people, so we can keep telling 0:53:20.760 --> 0:53:23.440 them about who Jesus is and what God is able 0:53:23.480 --> 0:53:26.560 to do. Holly and I love you, our Elevation Church family. 0:53:26.600 --> 0:53:30.920 We're standing strong. We're here for you. Don't forget to subscribe. 0:53:31.040 --> 0:53:32.560 Let us know how we can be praying for you. 0:53:33.040 --> 0:53:35.920 See you real soon, Okay, love you, God bless