The Hope Cycle(Holly Furtick)

0:00:01.560 --> 0:00:04.120 Hey, this is Stephen Ferdick. I'm the pastor of Elevation 0:00:04.360 --> 0:00:06.600 Church and this is our podcast. I wanted to thank 0:00:06.640 --> 0:00:09.920 you for joining us today. Hope this inspires you. Hope 0:00:09.960 --> 0:00:12.000 it builds your faith. Hope it gives your perspective to 0:00:12.039 --> 0:00:14.720 see God is moving in your life. Enjoy the message. 0:00:16.360 --> 0:00:18.200 In just the moment, we're going to welcome Holly to 0:00:18.239 --> 0:00:20.520 the stage. She's going to share God's word with us today. 0:00:20.880 --> 0:00:22.960 My wife come right now. As a matter of fact, 0:00:23.520 --> 0:00:25.720 come on, let's thank God for her as she comes. 0:00:32.479 --> 0:00:34.640 What I wanted to say, just by way of introduction 0:00:35.240 --> 0:00:38.559 to her sermon today is that as the world becomes 0:00:38.600 --> 0:00:42.480 more and more artificial, the authentic becomes more and more attractive. 0:00:43.280 --> 0:00:45.600 And what we love about you I speak on behalf 0:00:45.640 --> 0:00:48.480 of all of these people, the ones who have good 0:00:48.479 --> 0:00:52.960 sense to appreciate a woman of God who is comfortable 0:00:53.080 --> 0:00:56.200 being who she is. I remember when we first started 0:00:56.200 --> 0:00:58.200 the church, and there were so many questions that you 0:00:58.280 --> 0:01:00.840 had about what is a pastor's wife to do and be? 0:01:01.400 --> 0:01:04.319 And there's so many different templates, models and bolts. But 0:01:04.440 --> 0:01:06.800 you had the courage to play the role that God 0:01:06.800 --> 0:01:09.240 had given you. And when people come up to us 0:01:09.280 --> 0:01:11.080 in the mall, and they come up to us at 0:01:11.120 --> 0:01:13.440 Red Lobster and they come up to us and say, 0:01:13.480 --> 0:01:16.360 thank God for your ministry. Usually they just push me 0:01:16.440 --> 0:01:19.160 out of the way to get straight to you. And 0:01:19.400 --> 0:01:22.600 there's something that they know that they're very correct and assessing, 0:01:23.120 --> 0:01:25.280 is that for so many times that you could have 0:01:26.680 --> 0:01:30.000 grabbed a spotlight, you chose to be a servant and 0:01:30.040 --> 0:01:33.080 a support system for me and our three children. So 0:01:33.120 --> 0:01:37.880 I thank God for you. What they usually say is 0:01:38.520 --> 0:01:41.600 thank you for giving me permission to be real. And 0:01:41.640 --> 0:01:43.760 I want you to be assured today there are thousands 0:01:43.760 --> 0:01:46.839 of people in our physical locations all over the world 0:01:46.920 --> 0:01:50.440 with our EFAM who are excited and expected to hear 0:01:50.480 --> 0:01:52.120 the word of hope that God has given you for 0:01:52.280 --> 0:01:55.760 us today. So do your thing. I love you. Let's 0:01:55.800 --> 0:02:08.960 thank God for Pastor Holly Burn. Well, Happy Mother's Day 0:02:09.560 --> 0:02:12.880 for me, And we already welcomed all of our campuses, 0:02:12.880 --> 0:02:15.080 so you can go ahead and be seated. I do 0:02:15.200 --> 0:02:19.040 want to say, oh, there's my table like magic. I 0:02:19.080 --> 0:02:21.120 do want to say welcome to all of our campuses 0:02:21.160 --> 0:02:23.200 because I don't get to say it very often, and 0:02:23.320 --> 0:02:26.160 I just want everyone to know how much I love you, 0:02:26.280 --> 0:02:29.079 and I appreciate you. And I love our church. Do 0:02:29.120 --> 0:02:34.680 you love our church? I love our church? And of course, 0:02:34.760 --> 0:02:37.120 Happy Mother's Day to my own mother. And it's a 0:02:37.160 --> 0:02:39.720 special day, like Pastor Stephen said, it's her birthday. Can 0:02:39.720 --> 0:02:46.200 we give her one more hand? Happy birthday, Mom. I'm 0:02:46.200 --> 0:02:48.880 really excited to be able to bring the word of 0:02:48.919 --> 0:02:51.359 God to you today. But first, I have a secret. 0:02:51.680 --> 0:02:53.760 And I kind of didn't want my husband to know this, 0:02:53.840 --> 0:02:55.799 but now he knows because he's heard me preach this 0:02:55.880 --> 0:03:00.960 sermon twice already. But here's my secret. Unfortunate that he 0:03:01.000 --> 0:03:04.400 knows this. But I don't mind doing the dishes. I 0:03:05.919 --> 0:03:10.400 actually kind of love loading the dishwasher because to me, 0:03:11.600 --> 0:03:13.720 tell me, if you agree to me, it's kind of 0:03:13.760 --> 0:03:20.400 like playing Tetris, and Tetris Tetris is the only video 0:03:20.440 --> 0:03:23.880 game I have ever been even remotely good at. My 0:03:24.000 --> 0:03:26.240 kids are like, mom, Tetris. I don't know. I just 0:03:26.320 --> 0:03:29.000 I love puzzles, and so to me, loading the dishwasher 0:03:29.040 --> 0:03:31.840 is like a challenge, how many dishes can I get 0:03:31.880 --> 0:03:36.840 in this dishwasher. My husband doesn't like loading the dishwasher. 0:03:36.840 --> 0:03:39.400 In fact, he usually chooses to just hand wash everything. 0:03:39.440 --> 0:03:41.640 I don't know. He's not good at puzzles, so maybe 0:03:41.640 --> 0:03:44.360 that's one reason. But also he grew up in one 0:03:44.400 --> 0:03:47.560 of those houses where they had a dishwasher, but they 0:03:47.600 --> 0:03:51.080 didn't use it anybody, something about his dad not wanting 0:03:51.120 --> 0:03:53.120 to wear it out, or they didn't think it cleaned 0:03:53.160 --> 0:03:55.360 as good, or I don't know anybody else. You grew 0:03:55.440 --> 0:03:58.040 up in a house where you okay, okay, Well, there's 0:03:58.080 --> 0:04:00.520 this thing that happens to me. I don't know when 0:04:00.520 --> 0:04:03.160 I'm going to learn my lesson, but I will load 0:04:03.200 --> 0:04:05.800 the dishwasher after dinner, and I will know in my 0:04:05.920 --> 0:04:08.800 heart this dishwasher is full enough, and you need to 0:04:08.840 --> 0:04:11.680 go ahead, put this oapen and run the cycle. But 0:04:12.280 --> 0:04:17.240 inevitably I will decide, no, I'm gonna wait till bedtime, 0:04:17.400 --> 0:04:19.960 because there are a couple of boys that live in 0:04:20.000 --> 0:04:23.960 my house, and they always come in after dinner and 0:04:24.000 --> 0:04:25.919 they have a bowl of cereal or they have a 0:04:25.920 --> 0:04:28.599 bowl of Ramen noodles, And I just want all the 0:04:28.640 --> 0:04:30.680 dishes to be in the dishwasher and all of them 0:04:30.680 --> 0:04:34.599 to get clean, right. But I always forget, and the 0:04:34.640 --> 0:04:37.520 next morning I will open up the dishwasher, and always 0:04:37.520 --> 0:04:40.080 on that night when we had salmon, you know, and 0:04:40.120 --> 0:04:42.080 I'll open up the dish and it will smell so 0:04:42.279 --> 0:04:44.320 bad and I'll be so mad at myself. When am 0:04:44.360 --> 0:04:46.960 I going to learn to just run the cycle? I 0:04:47.000 --> 0:04:48.760 know this is silly, and you're probably going like, where's 0:04:48.800 --> 0:04:51.479 she going with this? Pastor Steven is way funnier. And 0:04:51.560 --> 0:04:55.040 if your first time guest just come back next week, 0:04:55.440 --> 0:04:59.080 he'll be here and it'll be amazing. Okay, But I 0:04:59.120 --> 0:05:01.120 do have a point. I do. I want to talk 0:05:01.120 --> 0:05:03.680 about a different kind of cycle today. And so the 0:05:03.720 --> 0:05:07.360 title of my message is the hope cycle. So if 0:05:07.400 --> 0:05:09.640 you have a Bible, would you turn with me to 0:05:09.920 --> 0:05:13.799 Romans chapter five, and I want to read a passage 0:05:13.800 --> 0:05:19.240 of scripture Romans chapter five. Starting in verse one, it says, Therefore, 0:05:19.800 --> 0:05:23.080 since we have been justified through faith, we have peace 0:05:23.160 --> 0:05:26.120 with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we 0:05:26.200 --> 0:05:29.640 have gained access by faith into this grace in which 0:05:29.680 --> 0:05:32.880 we now stand. And we boast in the hope of 0:05:32.920 --> 0:05:36.000 the glory of God. Not only so, but we also 0:05:36.080 --> 0:05:41.920 glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance, perseverance, 0:05:42.160 --> 0:05:46.160 character and character hope, and hope does not put us 0:05:46.200 --> 0:05:49.679 to shame, because God's love has been poured out into 0:05:49.720 --> 0:05:52.680 our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given 0:05:53.000 --> 0:05:55.560 to us. Will you pray with me? Lord? We thank 0:05:55.600 --> 0:05:58.760 you for your word. We thank you that you speak 0:05:58.800 --> 0:06:01.800 to us, and so today I ask that we would 0:06:01.839 --> 0:06:04.159 open up our hearts to hear what you have to say. 0:06:04.200 --> 0:06:07.600 Would you speak through me in this moment in Jesus name, Amen. 0:06:08.839 --> 0:06:10.880 I thought I would teach a little bit today. Some 0:06:10.920 --> 0:06:12.640 of you may not know that I have a degree 0:06:12.640 --> 0:06:14.680 in elementary ed and so I thought it would be 0:06:14.680 --> 0:06:17.200 fun if I brought out a blackboard. Now, this is 0:06:17.240 --> 0:06:20.159 not the blackboard that I used fifteen years ago in 0:06:20.200 --> 0:06:22.640 public school. It's actually kind of a fancy one. But 0:06:23.279 --> 0:06:26.839 I want to draw out for you this hope cycle 0:06:27.080 --> 0:06:29.720 that just leapt off the page for me when I 0:06:29.760 --> 0:06:33.279 was reading Romans five. So Paul gives us this hope cycle. 0:06:33.279 --> 0:06:35.480 I have some little girly ass and give me some 0:06:35.520 --> 0:06:38.280 gurly colors up here. So Paul tells us that we 0:06:38.800 --> 0:06:44.000 hope in the glory of God. And then he says, 0:06:44.480 --> 0:06:55.080 not only this, but you also glory in your sufferings. Sorry, 0:06:55.080 --> 0:06:56.960 if my handwriting is a little bad, you would be 0:06:57.000 --> 0:06:58.680 nervous if you were doing this in front of all 0:06:58.720 --> 0:07:11.840 these people too. And our sufferings produce perseverance. I've spelled 0:07:11.880 --> 0:07:25.840 it right every time. Perseverance, character, and character. Hope. This 0:07:25.880 --> 0:07:29.640 is the hope cycle. All of us, as believers, we 0:07:29.800 --> 0:07:32.680 have this hope, Romans five tells us. And this is 0:07:32.720 --> 0:07:35.960 not just a generic hope. Generic hope is good. Generic 0:07:36.000 --> 0:07:38.920 hope is that, like I hope my situation will get better, 0:07:39.040 --> 0:07:42.320 or I hope that my spouse will change, or I 0:07:42.400 --> 0:07:44.520 hope that my help will improve. I hope that my 0:07:44.680 --> 0:07:47.880 children write me a card for Mother's Day. You can 0:07:47.920 --> 0:07:50.680 always hope for these sort of things, But that's not 0:07:50.760 --> 0:07:53.800 the hope that Romans five is talking about. Romans five 0:07:53.880 --> 0:07:56.680 is talking about a special hope. Paul tells us that 0:07:56.760 --> 0:08:00.560 our hope is in the glory of God. This is 0:08:00.600 --> 0:08:03.760 that Romans eight twenty eight hope. Do you know that verse? 0:08:03.800 --> 0:08:06.080 It says God works all things to the good of 0:08:06.120 --> 0:08:10.160 those who love him. This is the belief that God 0:08:10.280 --> 0:08:16.240 takes everything that happens to me, every suffering, every disappointment, 0:08:16.600 --> 0:08:20.400 every mistake, and he works it for his good. Now 0:08:20.400 --> 0:08:22.680 it may not be my good, but he works it 0:08:22.800 --> 0:08:24.480 for his good. It may not turn out the way 0:08:24.760 --> 0:08:26.880 I thought it would turn out. I may not even 0:08:27.120 --> 0:08:31.040 ever get to see the good, but I can hope 0:08:31.320 --> 0:08:34.400 that He is working all of these things in my 0:08:34.559 --> 0:08:40.000 life for his glory. We all believe that deep down somewhere, 0:08:40.040 --> 0:08:43.040 but then we kind of forget because we head into 0:08:43.120 --> 0:08:48.280 a season of suffering. Now, unfortunately, one thing that is 0:08:48.320 --> 0:08:52.400 guaranteed in life is suffering. Being a follower of Christ 0:08:52.679 --> 0:08:55.680 does not exempt me from suffering. Being a good person, 0:08:56.040 --> 0:08:59.040 or a nice person, or following all of the rules 0:08:59.280 --> 0:09:04.520 does not exempt you from suffering. Suffering is a part 0:09:04.840 --> 0:09:08.160 of life. But remember, as followers of Christ, we have 0:09:08.440 --> 0:09:11.760 this hope. So we operate out of the assumption that 0:09:12.360 --> 0:09:14.640 God is working all of these things for our good. 0:09:14.640 --> 0:09:16.920 And Paul tells us that part of that good is 0:09:16.960 --> 0:09:22.959 that our suffering produces perseverance. Perseverance is when you keep 0:09:23.000 --> 0:09:26.360 going even when you don't think that you can. Have 0:09:26.440 --> 0:09:29.080 you ever been in a situation where you just had 0:09:29.120 --> 0:09:31.840 to keep putting one foot in front of the other 0:09:32.080 --> 0:09:34.440 and you have no idea how you were doing it, 0:09:34.480 --> 0:09:37.520 but you were able to keep going. I feel like, moms, 0:09:37.559 --> 0:09:40.920 we know a lot about perseverance, right, I mean, we 0:09:40.920 --> 0:09:45.319 can operate under very little sleep, and when we're sick, 0:09:46.000 --> 0:09:51.160 we have to keep going. Not everybody has to do that, 0:09:51.400 --> 0:09:54.520 but moms, we have to keep going. And and you know, 0:09:54.600 --> 0:09:57.600 for me, this week, I went through a lot of things. 0:09:57.640 --> 0:09:59.800 I was preparing this sermon and the sort of a 0:09:59.840 --> 0:10:05.000 time was suffering for me, and it's something abnormal that 0:10:05.040 --> 0:10:07.440 I don't normally do. And then on top of that, 0:10:07.520 --> 0:10:11.280 it just felt like things were not going so well 0:10:11.320 --> 0:10:13.320 in my family with my kids. I had a meeting 0:10:13.720 --> 0:10:16.680 at school for one of my children, and then another 0:10:16.720 --> 0:10:21.200 one of my children just randomly threw up all over 0:10:21.240 --> 0:10:25.280 the bathroom floor. I was I was downstairs exercising and 0:10:25.440 --> 0:10:29.280 Abby came to me and she said, Mom, Graham just 0:10:29.320 --> 0:10:32.240 threw up all over the bathroom floor and it's gross. 0:10:32.920 --> 0:10:36.440 It's like awesome. And I get up there and it 0:10:36.480 --> 0:10:43.760 was gross, like our air vents are on the floor. Yeah, 0:10:43.800 --> 0:10:47.520 it was gross. And then another one of my kids 0:10:47.600 --> 0:10:49.920 like it was just really good. Can I get a 0:10:49.920 --> 0:10:52.280 break here? Another one of my kids are having breathing issues. 0:10:52.280 --> 0:10:55.160 So I'm doing breathing treatments and I'm working on my message. 0:10:55.160 --> 0:10:57.480 And you, as moms, we had to push through a lot. 0:10:57.520 --> 0:11:00.360 But It's not only moms who have to push through. 0:11:00.400 --> 0:11:04.200 We all have to keep going to work every day 0:11:04.520 --> 0:11:07.319 when we're sick, when we're struggling, because how many of 0:11:07.360 --> 0:11:11.280 you know your bills don't just pay themselves. This is perseverance. 0:11:11.400 --> 0:11:14.679 Life does not just stop because you're going through a 0:11:14.720 --> 0:11:18.120 difficult season. But the beauty of perseverance is that you 0:11:18.160 --> 0:11:21.880 get to find out how strong you really are. You 0:11:21.960 --> 0:11:24.480 tap into that strength that you didn't know you had, 0:11:24.720 --> 0:11:31.280 and then perseverance leads us to character. So just as 0:11:31.280 --> 0:11:34.160 you get on the other side of this trial, you 0:11:34.240 --> 0:11:37.560 start to realize that you're stronger now than you ever 0:11:37.640 --> 0:11:41.319 were before, because before that's suffering, and you're wiser now, 0:11:41.480 --> 0:11:44.920 and you're kinder now, and you're more compassionate because God 0:11:45.160 --> 0:11:49.000 has sustained you through something He got you through, and 0:11:49.160 --> 0:11:54.000 now you have more hope. This is the hope cycle. 0:11:56.559 --> 0:12:01.679 Several years ago, I endured one of these major cycles 0:12:01.760 --> 0:12:05.800 when the local news started running a series of stories 0:12:06.120 --> 0:12:09.320 on my husband and our church here in Charlotte, and 0:12:10.000 --> 0:12:13.320 I was so hurt because the things that they were 0:12:13.400 --> 0:12:17.040 reporting about us were exaggerated and a lot of it 0:12:17.120 --> 0:12:20.880 was just simply not true. And these stories would run 0:12:20.920 --> 0:12:25.240 on and off for months, and I remember waking up 0:12:25.280 --> 0:12:28.800 in the morning and just opening my eyes and realizing 0:12:28.840 --> 0:12:31.800 that this nightmare was still going on, that it wasn't 0:12:31.800 --> 0:12:34.240 a bad dream, that this was a reality. Do you 0:12:34.320 --> 0:12:36.880 know that feeling when you open your eyes in the 0:12:36.920 --> 0:12:40.640 morning and immediately the anxiety just sets in because you 0:12:40.760 --> 0:12:44.440 remember the situation that you're going through. And just when 0:12:44.480 --> 0:12:46.960 I would think they cannot have any more news or 0:12:47.040 --> 0:12:49.240 your stories to make up about us, they would run 0:12:49.240 --> 0:12:52.679 another story and the paper would pick it up, and 0:12:52.720 --> 0:12:58.199 then the comments would start and the comments, the freaking comments, 0:12:58.320 --> 0:13:03.880 they were so terrible. Don't recomments, don't comment. Just my 0:13:03.960 --> 0:13:06.280 mom always said, if you can't say something nice, don't 0:13:06.280 --> 0:13:10.560 say something at all. Right, Sorry, it's very raw. It's 0:13:10.600 --> 0:13:14.280 coming back for me. So I remember right around my 0:13:14.360 --> 0:13:18.719 husband's birthday, we were watching the opening ceremony for the Olympics, 0:13:19.559 --> 0:13:22.920 and the local news kept running this commercial, this teaser 0:13:22.960 --> 0:13:25.600 to get you to stay on and watch the eleven 0:13:25.600 --> 0:13:28.280 o'clock news, and I will never forget it. And they 0:13:28.320 --> 0:13:30.600 did it like twelve times, and it just was seered 0:13:30.600 --> 0:13:34.320 into my brain. And here's what they kept saying. Steven Ferdick, 0:13:34.960 --> 0:13:38.920 pastor of local mega church and New York Times best 0:13:39.000 --> 0:13:47.080 selling author or is he? The story was suggesting that 0:13:47.160 --> 0:13:49.880 he had cheated his way onto the Times list, and 0:13:50.080 --> 0:13:53.000 I was so hurt. I was hurt for our church 0:13:53.080 --> 0:13:55.959 members who were hearing these things and having to sort 0:13:56.040 --> 0:13:59.440 out what the truth was. I was hurt for my husband, 0:13:59.679 --> 0:14:03.680 who not only did he not cheat to get onto 0:14:03.720 --> 0:14:06.560 this list, but he actually gave up sales so that 0:14:06.679 --> 0:14:08.960 his book could be sold to our church members at 0:14:08.960 --> 0:14:12.880 our church for a discounted rate. It was absolutely crushing 0:14:12.920 --> 0:14:17.359 for me, as his wife, to watch my husband's integrity 0:14:17.720 --> 0:14:21.360 come into question. And he never defended himself. He just 0:14:21.480 --> 0:14:25.280 kept ministering to people week after week, this is your 0:14:25.360 --> 0:14:34.800 pastor so. At different points during this season, I remember 0:14:35.480 --> 0:14:39.800 driving to church and just wondering if people were even 0:14:39.840 --> 0:14:43.080 going to come. And I remember not wanting to walk 0:14:43.120 --> 0:14:46.600 my children into school because they didn't know what people 0:14:46.640 --> 0:14:49.320 had heard or read or commented or what they thought 0:14:49.320 --> 0:14:51.400 about me. And I remember not wanting to go play 0:14:51.520 --> 0:14:55.280 tennis with my tennis team. I was suffering, But you 0:14:55.360 --> 0:14:58.280 know what I did. I walked my kids into school 0:14:58.320 --> 0:15:00.080 with my head held high. I don't know how I 0:15:00.000 --> 0:15:02.240 I did, but I did. And I kept playing tennis, 0:15:02.240 --> 0:15:03.960 although not very well, but that had nothing to do 0:15:04.000 --> 0:15:08.840 with the situation. And I kept coming to church and 0:15:08.920 --> 0:15:13.880 you did too, right. I just kept going, and I 0:15:14.000 --> 0:15:19.240 remember feeling God's presence almost as if it was tangible. 0:15:19.320 --> 0:15:22.120 I mean, even in this moment, I can remember the 0:15:22.240 --> 0:15:25.960 promises that God spoke to me. There was a source 0:15:26.160 --> 0:15:30.160 of strength there that I experienced that I had never 0:15:30.280 --> 0:15:34.720 before known in my life. Did God cause that reporter 0:15:35.200 --> 0:15:39.160 to do those stories on us? No? But did God 0:15:39.440 --> 0:15:45.600 use it to build endurance in me? Absolutely? He was 0:15:45.720 --> 0:15:51.280 building my character. The situation forced me to place my 0:15:51.520 --> 0:15:56.720 church and our ministry and our reputation in his hands. 0:15:56.960 --> 0:15:59.880 And I'm stronger for it today, and I'm wiser for 0:16:00.200 --> 0:16:07.600 it today. And I never read newspaper comments. So there's 0:16:07.680 --> 0:16:12.080 this thing that each time I go through this cycle, 0:16:12.480 --> 0:16:16.040 my hope gets stronger. Where's my pen? It's like this, 0:16:16.600 --> 0:16:20.400 Every time that I cycle, my hope it gets bigger, 0:16:20.840 --> 0:16:25.160 it gets stronger because I've experienced it and I felt it, 0:16:25.440 --> 0:16:27.400 and I know that God was with me, and I 0:16:27.440 --> 0:16:30.240 know He's gonna be with me. There's a newer translation 0:16:30.320 --> 0:16:32.720 of the Bible, the Passion translation, and it actually says, 0:16:33.000 --> 0:16:38.200 and proven character leads us back to hope. So here's 0:16:38.240 --> 0:16:41.920 the thing. When the cycle begins again, because it will, 0:16:42.640 --> 0:16:48.440 I go into it stronger, I go into it more hopeful. Now, 0:16:49.160 --> 0:16:51.960 wouldn't it be nice if we only had to deal 0:16:52.000 --> 0:16:56.360 with one cycle at a time, But the reality is 0:16:56.720 --> 0:17:00.360 that we have many cycles going on simultaneous, and they 0:17:00.400 --> 0:17:03.840 can be all different sizes. So this large one might 0:17:03.880 --> 0:17:07.280 be an ongoing issue for you. Maybe you have a 0:17:07.320 --> 0:17:10.159 health issue, or maybe you have something going on in 0:17:10.200 --> 0:17:13.960 your marriage or whatever. It's an ongoing it's a big one. 0:17:14.320 --> 0:17:18.600 But then we also have these smaller ones. So maybe 0:17:19.000 --> 0:17:22.600 over here you have a bill that you don't know 0:17:22.640 --> 0:17:26.919 how you're going to pay. And then maybe one of 0:17:26.960 --> 0:17:31.200 your children is just struggling in school this year. They're 0:17:31.240 --> 0:17:33.920 having a hard time clicking with their teacher. Their grades 0:17:33.920 --> 0:17:37.000 aren't good, So maybe that's an issue that you're going through. 0:17:37.160 --> 0:17:39.679 And then maybe you have just a little one, like 0:17:39.720 --> 0:17:42.640 a one that happens all in one day and your 0:17:42.840 --> 0:17:46.600 child throws up in the air conditioning vent. That's gonna 0:17:46.680 --> 0:17:50.399 right yuck. Just a little one. And then maybe you 0:17:50.480 --> 0:17:53.480 have one that's you know, a little bit bigger, that 0:17:53.720 --> 0:17:57.639 is a relationship issue, maybe something that you have going 0:17:57.720 --> 0:18:00.840 on with a friend in your life. And then maybe 0:18:00.880 --> 0:18:03.320 you're a student and you have a class that you're 0:18:03.359 --> 0:18:07.080 taking and you have no idea how you are going 0:18:07.280 --> 0:18:10.920 to pass this class. I have no idea how I 0:18:10.960 --> 0:18:13.280 passed physical science in college, as it was a miracle 0:18:13.280 --> 0:18:19.560 of God. So remember, each trial, each problem, each suffering 0:18:20.119 --> 0:18:24.520 is running the cycle. And each cycle is not only 0:18:24.560 --> 0:18:28.520 building up your perseverance and your character, but they are 0:18:28.680 --> 0:18:33.119 feeding into one another, and they're feeding into this big 0:18:33.160 --> 0:18:36.120 situation that's going on in your life. So maybe from 0:18:36.160 --> 0:18:42.520 this situation you learned from this bill, you learned self control. 0:18:42.800 --> 0:18:45.159 Like you just you have to budget. There was no 0:18:45.200 --> 0:18:47.560 way you could pay that bill if you didn't cut 0:18:47.560 --> 0:18:49.960 some things out. So you learned self control in that fit. 0:18:50.080 --> 0:18:53.000 And maybe in this situation you learn to pray, and 0:18:53.040 --> 0:18:55.639 maybe you learn when to speak up and when to 0:18:55.680 --> 0:18:58.480 keep your mouth shut. So that's building into that situation. 0:18:58.720 --> 0:19:00.800 And maybe from this one just learn, you know what, 0:19:00.880 --> 0:19:03.720 I can do gross things without complaining. It wasn't that bad. 0:19:03.760 --> 0:19:06.280 I got it done, So that's building into that. Maybe 0:19:06.280 --> 0:19:09.080 with your friend, you learn the power of an apology 0:19:09.440 --> 0:19:13.120 and how that major relationship better. Maybe in this class 0:19:13.200 --> 0:19:15.760 you're learning discipline, You're learning that you're gonna have to 0:19:16.400 --> 0:19:20.240 work and study and ask for help. So here I 0:19:20.280 --> 0:19:23.760 am in this big one, but my hope is being 0:19:23.880 --> 0:19:25.840 built up and I don't know how I'm gonna make 0:19:25.880 --> 0:19:28.720 it through this one, but I know that I made 0:19:28.760 --> 0:19:33.360 it through before, and this time my hope is stronger. 0:19:34.560 --> 0:19:36.680 I almost called this sermon thank you next. You know, 0:19:36.720 --> 0:19:38.840 my husband always has multiple titles. I thought that might 0:19:38.840 --> 0:19:41.199 have been a good one. What I want you to 0:19:41.240 --> 0:19:44.920 know today is that you have got to run the cycle. 0:19:45.680 --> 0:19:50.320 Don't get stuck in the suffering stage. The more that 0:19:50.359 --> 0:19:53.720 you lean into this process, the more that you will 0:19:53.720 --> 0:19:55.760 be able to gain from it. There are a few 0:19:55.800 --> 0:19:58.960 things that will get you stuck in this in this 0:19:59.040 --> 0:20:01.560 suffering stage that will like break up your cycle. And 0:20:01.560 --> 0:20:02.840 I don't want to spend a lot of time talking 0:20:02.880 --> 0:20:05.439 about it because I don't like negative things, but we should, 0:20:05.480 --> 0:20:08.200 you know, actually talk about them. Sometimes one of those 0:20:08.200 --> 0:20:14.800 things is comparison. Nobody understands, nobody's ever felt this way before, Nobody, 0:20:15.000 --> 0:20:18.240 nobody can has felt the pain that I feel. Or 0:20:18.280 --> 0:20:21.800 maybe we complain and we think, why is this happening 0:20:21.840 --> 0:20:26.199 to me? I mean me, why again, God, you know 0:20:26.440 --> 0:20:29.840 I can't do this. Or maybe we blame because there's 0:20:29.840 --> 0:20:32.840 something in our minds that wants to have a reason 0:20:33.280 --> 0:20:35.679 for our pain and a reason for our suffering. So 0:20:35.720 --> 0:20:37.600 the easiest thing to do is just say, well, if 0:20:37.600 --> 0:20:40.200 my husband hadn't have done what he did, I wouldn't 0:20:40.240 --> 0:20:43.560 be in this position. Or if my parents had fed 0:20:43.640 --> 0:20:48.240 me healthier food, then I wouldn't be overweight, or whatever 0:20:48.359 --> 0:20:51.440 your situation is. It's so easy to blame. And then 0:20:51.440 --> 0:20:54.280 sometimes we just get angry. If you've ever been angry 0:20:54.320 --> 0:20:58.440 with God, just like, God, why did you let this 0:20:58.840 --> 0:21:03.080 happen to me? These things are all valid ways to feel, 0:21:03.359 --> 0:21:06.879 and some days you have to feel all of these things. 0:21:07.160 --> 0:21:09.719 Some days you can't get out of the bed, and 0:21:09.760 --> 0:21:13.160 you're hurt and you're angry, and you're blaming because your 0:21:13.200 --> 0:21:16.720 pain is real, and you will want to numb. But 0:21:16.920 --> 0:21:22.160 I'm telling you be very careful, don't stay here too long, 0:21:22.440 --> 0:21:26.400 because these thoughts and these attitudes will get you stuck, 0:21:26.800 --> 0:21:29.960 and then you'll become a resentful person, and then you'll 0:21:30.000 --> 0:21:33.080 become a bitter person, and then you're gonna smell like 0:21:33.119 --> 0:21:38.480 that dishwasher because you got stuck. Don't prolong the process 0:21:38.640 --> 0:21:43.240 of what God wants to do in your life. Yes, 0:21:43.400 --> 0:21:47.840 it hurts, but did you know that complaining? I know 0:21:47.920 --> 0:21:52.119 you know this complaining costs Israel forty years in the desert. 0:21:52.320 --> 0:21:55.239 It was supposed to be a two week journey and 0:21:55.320 --> 0:21:58.800 they ended up being there forty years because of complaining. 0:21:59.359 --> 0:22:02.439 I know it hurts. I know what it feels like 0:22:02.720 --> 0:22:05.560 to not want to get out of bed and continue 0:22:05.800 --> 0:22:09.560 fighting this situation that seems like it's never going to end. 0:22:09.840 --> 0:22:12.160 I know what it feels like to have a wave 0:22:12.200 --> 0:22:14.800 of anxiety hit you so hard that you have to 0:22:14.840 --> 0:22:18.119 sneak into the bathroom just to make it through the moment. 0:22:18.320 --> 0:22:21.879 I know, I know what it feels like to not 0:22:22.080 --> 0:22:24.879 want to come to church because I don't want to 0:22:24.920 --> 0:22:27.159 look anyone in the eyes. I don't want them to 0:22:27.240 --> 0:22:29.960 see my pain. And I know that Pastor Stephen is 0:22:30.000 --> 0:22:31.960 going to make me look at my neighbor and say 0:22:32.000 --> 0:22:37.920 something to them. But I know from experience that stopping 0:22:38.480 --> 0:22:42.440 only delays the process and keeps me from what God 0:22:42.720 --> 0:22:47.280 has for me. So just like there are some things 0:22:47.440 --> 0:22:50.119 that will slow your cycle down, there are also some 0:22:50.240 --> 0:22:53.639 things that will give you momentum. One of those things 0:22:53.680 --> 0:22:58.600 for me is church. You're here, This is the best 0:22:58.640 --> 0:23:01.919 place that you can be when you're suffering. Maybe I 0:23:01.920 --> 0:23:05.680 shouldn't have told you it's so true. Maybe I shouldn't 0:23:05.720 --> 0:23:08.040 have told you that as a pastor's wife that I 0:23:08.119 --> 0:23:10.879 have days where I don't want to come to church. 0:23:11.160 --> 0:23:13.720 But I hope that that encourages you to know that 0:23:13.800 --> 0:23:17.280 it is totally normal that when you're hurting, you are 0:23:17.320 --> 0:23:19.560 and you're struggling, that you're not gonna want to come 0:23:19.560 --> 0:23:21.840 to church. The pool is always going to be for 0:23:21.920 --> 0:23:25.240 you to stay home, don't get dressed, you can't see people. 0:23:25.520 --> 0:23:28.440 This is your only day to rest, But it is here. 0:23:28.600 --> 0:23:32.800 Can anybody anybody agree with me that here is where 0:23:32.880 --> 0:23:37.360 God meets with me, and God will speak to you 0:23:37.680 --> 0:23:41.560 if you can just get here. I know that sometimes 0:23:41.240 --> 0:23:44.520 the best you got is to open up your computer 0:23:44.600 --> 0:23:46.840 and just watch online. I get it, and I know 0:23:46.920 --> 0:23:48.720 that some of you that watch online every week you 0:23:48.760 --> 0:23:51.439 don't have an elevation location that you can come to. 0:23:51.560 --> 0:23:54.639 But I got to tell you there is something special 0:23:55.000 --> 0:23:58.919 about coming together with a body of believers and getting 0:23:59.000 --> 0:24:03.440 in this faith environment and being able to pull from 0:24:03.480 --> 0:24:06.800 her faith and from his faith and God will just 0:24:06.960 --> 0:24:10.080 give you a word that will get you through the 0:24:10.119 --> 0:24:13.720 next moment, that next step. You know, another thing that 0:24:13.760 --> 0:24:17.199 will give you momentum is having the right voices in 0:24:17.240 --> 0:24:21.639 your life. Sometimes the last thing you want to do 0:24:21.720 --> 0:24:24.640 when you're suffering is to tell someone else what you're 0:24:24.680 --> 0:24:27.560 going through. I know how that feels. Maybe sometimes you 0:24:27.720 --> 0:24:31.000 just you feel shame over what's happening, where you just 0:24:31.040 --> 0:24:33.200 feel to her you can't even talk about it, or 0:24:33.240 --> 0:24:36.919 maybe you feel like nobody could possibly understand. But I 0:24:37.000 --> 0:24:40.760 have been through some situations where the words and the 0:24:40.840 --> 0:24:44.160 prayers and the encouragement of some of my friends were 0:24:44.200 --> 0:24:47.840 just life to me. And I know that it's counterintuitive 0:24:48.080 --> 0:24:52.879 that when you're here the instinct is to withdraw. But 0:24:53.000 --> 0:24:57.399 when you are here and you open yourself up and 0:24:57.440 --> 0:25:00.320 you're vulnerable with a person that you trust and you 0:25:00.400 --> 0:25:05.679 say i'm hurting, I need help, you experience an intimacy 0:25:05.880 --> 0:25:09.720 in this place with that friendship that you cannot experience 0:25:09.760 --> 0:25:14.280 when everything is awesome. It's a special place when you 0:25:14.320 --> 0:25:18.800 have the right people. Another thing that's small, but it's 0:25:19.040 --> 0:25:20.760 huge for me, and I don't know if it is 0:25:20.800 --> 0:25:22.720 for you too, But have any of you ever had 0:25:22.880 --> 0:25:26.440 a song that just got you through a worship song. 0:25:28.600 --> 0:25:32.760 We're so blessed to be able to have a church 0:25:33.080 --> 0:25:35.640 that the songs that come out of this church, they're 0:25:35.760 --> 0:25:40.560 just life giving for me. Unstoppable God was an anthem 0:25:40.880 --> 0:25:43.240 for me during that time where the news media was 0:25:43.320 --> 0:25:47.360 running all of those stories that I still to this day. 0:25:47.440 --> 0:25:50.920 How many times have we sang Unstoppable God at Elevation Church? 0:25:51.040 --> 0:25:53.560 And still every time they sing it, even if they 0:25:53.600 --> 0:25:56.680 just do a little tag, I tear up because when 0:25:56.680 --> 0:26:01.520 I sing that song, I remember the promises that God 0:26:01.560 --> 0:26:04.240 spoke to me during that time. I can almost. It's 0:26:04.280 --> 0:26:06.920 funny because songs they're kind of like smells. Have you 0:26:06.960 --> 0:26:08.960 ever And all of a sudden, when they started playing 0:26:08.960 --> 0:26:12.239 that song, you put yourself back in that moment and 0:26:12.280 --> 0:26:15.200 you feel the pain, but then you feel the joy 0:26:15.240 --> 0:26:18.200 and you feel the presence of God all at that time. 0:26:19.920 --> 0:26:22.760 Get you a song, Get you a song that will 0:26:22.800 --> 0:26:24.880 get you through this time. Do it again. I mean 0:26:24.920 --> 0:26:29.400 that one works every time for every situation. A couple 0:26:29.440 --> 0:26:31.800 of weeks ago, we sang the song this is how 0:26:31.800 --> 0:26:33.240 I Fight My Battles. I don't know if that's the 0:26:33.240 --> 0:26:36.040 title of it. It was exactly what I needed in 0:26:36.080 --> 0:26:38.080 that moment. There are some things that you can do 0:26:38.119 --> 0:26:40.639 that will give you momentum so that you can run 0:26:40.920 --> 0:26:45.760 the cycle. Now, there's this story in John chapter nine 0:26:46.040 --> 0:26:49.000 that I loved, the story of Jesus healing the man 0:26:49.080 --> 0:26:50.680 who was born blind. I don't know if you've ever 0:26:50.680 --> 0:26:55.600 read it before. I love John because John gives so 0:26:55.720 --> 0:26:58.000 many details. The story is so long, and even when 0:26:58.000 --> 0:26:59.760 I was preparing for this message, my husband was like, 0:26:59.760 --> 0:27:02.240 you've be careful because that's a really long story. I 0:27:02.320 --> 0:27:05.080 love long stories. I love details. John gives us details 0:27:05.080 --> 0:27:07.280 that a lot of the other Gospels don't give. In fact, 0:27:07.320 --> 0:27:10.480 my dream, I just have this dream that my husband 0:27:10.520 --> 0:27:14.080 will look me in the eyes and he'll say, Holly, 0:27:14.920 --> 0:27:17.600 please do not leave one detail out of this story. 0:27:17.840 --> 0:27:26.960 Tell me everything still waiting Enneagram experts say it's called 0:27:27.040 --> 0:27:29.720 epic talk style. That's what I have, epic talk style. 0:27:30.119 --> 0:27:32.200 So I don't worry. I'm not going to read the 0:27:32.240 --> 0:27:34.600 whole story. John also has a little bit of epic 0:27:34.600 --> 0:27:37.399 talk story, but talk what did I say, talk style? 0:27:38.560 --> 0:27:40.080 I'm just going to start out and read a couple 0:27:40.160 --> 0:27:43.919 verses for you. In John nine, verse one, it says, 0:27:44.280 --> 0:27:47.360 as he went along this talking about Jesus, he saw 0:27:47.400 --> 0:27:51.280 a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, Rabbi, 0:27:51.560 --> 0:27:54.919 who's sin this man or his parents that he was 0:27:54.960 --> 0:27:57.600 born blind? You see, we are just like the disciples. 0:27:57.720 --> 0:28:01.680 We immediately ask the wrong question because we want an answer. 0:28:01.840 --> 0:28:04.879 Whose fault is this Jesus? And Jesus looks back at 0:28:04.920 --> 0:28:08.439 them and he says, neither this man nor his parents sinned, 0:28:08.720 --> 0:28:12.160 said Jesus. But this happened so that the works of 0:28:12.280 --> 0:28:18.360 God might be displayed in him. Jesus is saying, stop 0:28:18.720 --> 0:28:23.680 trying to explain it. God will not be constrained by 0:28:23.720 --> 0:28:28.320 our formulas. God is so much bigger than cause and effect. 0:28:30.119 --> 0:28:32.719 And so Jesus is telling them this is not a 0:28:32.760 --> 0:28:35.879 cause and effect situation. Take your eyes off of the 0:28:35.920 --> 0:28:39.480 suffering of this man. And because I am doing something 0:28:39.600 --> 0:28:42.160 so much bigger, he said, this happens so that my 0:28:42.320 --> 0:28:46.400 glory might be displayed through this man. And Voss can't 0:28:46.400 --> 0:28:49.680 put it like this, She said, my darkness becomes a 0:28:49.800 --> 0:28:55.720 canvas for his light. So Jesus bends down and he 0:28:55.880 --> 0:29:00.160 spits in the dirt and he makes some mud. So 0:29:00.320 --> 0:29:04.800 much in this story. One tradition says that when people 0:29:04.800 --> 0:29:07.320 would walk by this man, they would spit on the 0:29:07.320 --> 0:29:10.400 ground because they believed that to be born with a 0:29:10.440 --> 0:29:12.680 deformity meant that you were cursed, you had some kind 0:29:12.720 --> 0:29:16.400 of curse. So by spitting, they were rejecting that curse 0:29:16.760 --> 0:29:19.880 from them. And so here comes Jesus and he makes 0:29:19.920 --> 0:29:24.360 that familiar sound. He hears that familiar spitting, but Jesus 0:29:24.400 --> 0:29:27.840 is not rejecting him. Jesus is accepting him. And Jesus 0:29:27.920 --> 0:29:30.360 is about to heal him. And he takes the spit 0:29:30.400 --> 0:29:31.960 and he makes the mud and he puts it on 0:29:32.000 --> 0:29:36.320 the man's eyes, and he says, go and wash, and 0:29:36.360 --> 0:29:39.040 so the man does. And the Bible says that he 0:29:39.160 --> 0:29:44.920 went home seeing cycle ended man healed. Everyone parties, God's glorified, right, 0:29:46.560 --> 0:29:51.560 not exactly. So the man comes home seeing. Just remember 0:29:51.680 --> 0:29:54.360 this man has been born blind, and the Bible tells 0:29:54.400 --> 0:29:56.280 us he's a man, so he's at least, you know, 0:29:56.520 --> 0:29:59.920 thirty years old. He comes home seeing and his neighbors 0:30:00.000 --> 0:30:03.880 aren't questioning him, and they say, who opened your eyes? 0:30:04.800 --> 0:30:07.280 And then they say, is this really the man that 0:30:07.520 --> 0:30:09.840 was born blind? And the man says to them, he says, 0:30:10.400 --> 0:30:13.320 the man they called Jesus healed me, and they say 0:30:13.760 --> 0:30:17.520 where is he? And the man says, I never saw him. 0:30:17.520 --> 0:30:22.240 I was blind. Remember the Bible's funny, there's some great 0:30:22.280 --> 0:30:26.320 details in the Bible. But the people were upset because 0:30:26.680 --> 0:30:30.280 Jesus had healed him on the Sabbath. So never mind 0:30:30.560 --> 0:30:33.880 that the poor guy he was born blind and now 0:30:33.920 --> 0:30:36.840 he can see. It's not good enough because he was 0:30:36.920 --> 0:30:39.880 healed on the wrong day. So they take him to 0:30:39.920 --> 0:30:43.760 the Pharisees because really the people were afraid because the 0:30:43.760 --> 0:30:46.560 Pharisees had been throwing people out of the synagogue who 0:30:46.560 --> 0:30:49.400 believed in Jesus, and so they didn't want to be 0:30:49.440 --> 0:30:51.840 associated with this healing because if you got thrown out 0:30:51.840 --> 0:30:53.400 of the synagogue, that meant you were thrown out of 0:30:53.440 --> 0:30:54.959 the community. And they didn't want to be cast out 0:30:54.960 --> 0:30:57.800 of the community. And so they just take him to 0:30:57.880 --> 0:31:01.160 the Pharisees. And then the Pharisees evenquestion the man's parents, 0:31:01.200 --> 0:31:03.360 and the man's parents don't even stand up for him. 0:31:03.520 --> 0:31:06.280 They say, ask him, we don't know he's a grown man. 0:31:07.200 --> 0:31:10.840 Have you ever felt like you came out of one 0:31:10.960 --> 0:31:13.600 victory and then you just like you went right back 0:31:13.640 --> 0:31:18.000 in to another trial. I mean, the man was blind 0:31:18.920 --> 0:31:22.520 and he deserved a party, but they're not partying. They're 0:31:22.560 --> 0:31:26.320 giving him an inquisition. And so the man I'm telling 0:31:26.320 --> 0:31:28.000 you got to read the story. It's really cool. He 0:31:28.000 --> 0:31:30.000 starts to get an attitude with the Pharisees, like they're 0:31:30.000 --> 0:31:32.960 asking him all of these questions, and he says at 0:31:32.960 --> 0:31:37.000 one point, he says, look, I don't know if he 0:31:37.040 --> 0:31:38.840 was a sinner or not. All I know is I 0:31:38.960 --> 0:31:43.040 was blind, and now I see. And so the Pharisees 0:31:43.920 --> 0:31:47.000 casts him out from the community again. They throw him out, 0:31:47.240 --> 0:31:51.040 but guess who finds out Jesus and he comes to 0:31:51.160 --> 0:31:57.200 him and he asks him this question because sometimes we 0:31:57.320 --> 0:32:01.040 have to stop asking so many quess questions and we 0:32:01.080 --> 0:32:04.640 have to let Jesus do the asking. Jesus asked some 0:32:04.680 --> 0:32:07.480 really cool questions in the Bible, and so look what happens. 0:32:07.600 --> 0:32:10.840 In verse thirty five, it says Jesus heard that they 0:32:10.840 --> 0:32:14.160 had thrown him out, and when he found him. Isn't 0:32:14.200 --> 0:32:16.200 it great that we serve a god who finds us, 0:32:16.560 --> 0:32:19.440 who comes to us right where we are. He doesn't 0:32:19.520 --> 0:32:23.520 leave us wandering around blind physically spiritually, but he comes 0:32:23.520 --> 0:32:26.640 to us and he asks us a personal question. And 0:32:26.760 --> 0:32:30.400 Jesus says to him, do you believe in the Son 0:32:30.440 --> 0:32:34.280 of Man? Now? I was reading a commentary this week 0:32:34.480 --> 0:32:36.960 about this verse. I have this computer program that you 0:32:37.000 --> 0:32:39.520 click on the verse and it gives you some extra information, 0:32:39.600 --> 0:32:44.000 and so what I read just blew me away, and 0:32:44.040 --> 0:32:48.920 it said this. It said, Jesus wasn't asking the man 0:32:49.280 --> 0:32:52.120 the question do you believe that I am the Messiah? 0:32:52.640 --> 0:32:57.120 What he was really asking was do you trust me? 0:32:58.600 --> 0:33:01.680 And I believe that that's the question that God wants 0:33:01.680 --> 0:33:05.160 to ask you today. He wants you to stop asking 0:33:05.240 --> 0:33:07.959 all of your questions and he wants you to answer 0:33:08.000 --> 0:33:14.720 his Do you trust me? My husband says it this way. 0:33:15.160 --> 0:33:20.320 He says, do you trust that even when God doesn't 0:33:20.360 --> 0:33:25.240 fix it, that He's going to fix something in you, 0:33:25.920 --> 0:33:30.040 and He's going to do something through you. Remember, as 0:33:30.080 --> 0:33:33.600 believers of Christ, we're not exempt from suffering, but we 0:33:34.080 --> 0:33:38.520 have a hope. Hebrews six's eighteen says, to take hold 0:33:38.760 --> 0:33:42.240 of this hope because it is an anchor for your soul. 0:33:42.760 --> 0:33:46.400 Paul says in Colossians one twenty seven, he saysys to them, 0:33:46.720 --> 0:33:49.360 God has chosen to make known among the gentiles the 0:33:49.360 --> 0:33:53.760 glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, 0:33:54.520 --> 0:33:58.320 the hope of glory. See. I may not be able 0:33:58.360 --> 0:34:00.880 to hope that people will change, and I may not 0:34:00.960 --> 0:34:03.120 be able to hope that I will get a new job, 0:34:03.240 --> 0:34:05.800 or that my suffering or my situation is going to 0:34:05.840 --> 0:34:09.239 get any better. It's not a question of can God 0:34:09.400 --> 0:34:14.120 change the situation? That's just the wrong question. The question 0:34:14.320 --> 0:34:19.240 is do I trust him? He's never failed me yet. 0:34:24.320 --> 0:34:27.040 As I was thinking and praying about this message, I 0:34:27.080 --> 0:34:29.520 was thinking about a friend of mine who is walking 0:34:29.640 --> 0:34:34.240 through the big one. I mean, she is just in pain. 0:34:34.320 --> 0:34:38.240 Her pain is raw right now, and I was wondering 0:34:38.680 --> 0:34:42.360 would this message be encouraging for her, because you know, 0:34:42.400 --> 0:34:45.960 when someone is suffering, they don't want to hear Oh, 0:34:46.000 --> 0:34:50.200 you just need to trust God. When you are in 0:34:50.320 --> 0:34:53.520 intense pain, you don't want to be told you just 0:34:53.560 --> 0:34:56.760 need to persevere. Don't You want God to build your character? 0:34:59.320 --> 0:35:02.279 And I get it. I know what it feels like 0:35:02.719 --> 0:35:05.840 when you just can't see how anything good could possibly 0:35:05.920 --> 0:35:08.280 come from this situation. And if you're in that place, 0:35:08.360 --> 0:35:12.600 it's okay. Sometimes it does hurt so bad that you 0:35:12.719 --> 0:35:16.920 cannot imagine how you're going to get through. And if 0:35:16.920 --> 0:35:19.480 you're in this place, and I could look you in 0:35:19.520 --> 0:35:21.319 the eyes like I would my friend. I would say 0:35:21.320 --> 0:35:26.920 to you, I'm sorry, I'm sorry that you're hurting. I 0:35:26.960 --> 0:35:29.279 can't even imagine the pain that you're in and I 0:35:29.320 --> 0:35:34.680 would not wish this situation on anyone. But I do 0:35:34.840 --> 0:35:38.920 know that God is going to get you through. God 0:35:39.000 --> 0:35:43.600 is going to be with you every step of this process. 0:35:44.280 --> 0:35:49.440 He will never leave you. Never, no, never remember on Easter, 0:35:50.040 --> 0:35:53.160 never no, never. When you don't feel him, and when 0:35:53.200 --> 0:35:56.320 you do feel him, he comes to you right there 0:35:56.440 --> 0:35:59.560 in your pain. He is the hope that you can 0:35:59.600 --> 0:36:02.759 cling too when you have nothing else to hold on to. 0:36:02.800 --> 0:36:07.759 You just don't let go of that He's here with 0:36:07.840 --> 0:36:10.960 you in this moment. Will you stand so I can 0:36:11.000 --> 0:36:14.799 pray for you. I know that there are so many 0:36:14.920 --> 0:36:17.239 people that are hurting today. I know that Mother's Day 0:36:17.640 --> 0:36:20.759 is a really painful day for some people. Maybe you've 0:36:20.760 --> 0:36:23.680 lost your mother or maybe you can't be a mother. 0:36:23.760 --> 0:36:27.080 And I know that it's a painful that so many 0:36:27.160 --> 0:36:30.879 people in this size, in a church this size, there 0:36:30.920 --> 0:36:33.520 is so much pain. And I just want to pray 0:36:33.600 --> 0:36:36.719 for you. If you just lift your hands to the 0:36:36.760 --> 0:36:44.960 Lord today, God, we thank you that You are our hope, 0:36:45.080 --> 0:36:48.680 and that our hope builds, and that you are with us, 0:36:49.480 --> 0:36:53.319 and that you are here in this moment comforting us. 0:36:53.920 --> 0:36:57.879 You are the great comforter. And I just pray right now, 0:36:57.920 --> 0:37:03.920 in this moment, that you would just whisper words of 0:37:04.040 --> 0:37:09.680 encouragement to your people, that you would tell us that 0:37:09.760 --> 0:37:15.520 your grace is sufficient for this season. And Lord, I 0:37:15.560 --> 0:37:20.840 pray for those that are hurting today, God, would you 0:37:20.960 --> 0:37:27.640 just comfort them. I pray for those that are weary, 0:37:28.320 --> 0:37:31.680 that just those feel like I can't do this anymore. 0:37:31.719 --> 0:37:34.480 I pray that you would just give them a breath 0:37:34.520 --> 0:37:38.560 of fresh air, a second wind today. Thank you God, 0:37:38.640 --> 0:37:42.840 that you are our hope, you are our anchor. You're 0:37:42.880 --> 0:37:45.920 the one that we can cling to. We love you, Lord, 0:37:45.960 --> 0:37:50.280 you are so amazing. Thank you. It'send Jesus Name. I pray, Amen, 0:37:54.640 --> 0:37:57.200 thank you for joining us. Special thanks to those of 0:37:57.239 --> 0:38:00.279 you who give generously to this ministry. Is because of 0:38:00.280 --> 0:38:03.200 you that this ministry is possible. You can click the 0:38:03.239 --> 0:38:06.960 link in the description to give now or visit Elevationchurch 0:38:07.120 --> 0:38:10.400 dot org slash podcast for more information and if you 0:38:10.480 --> 0:38:13.680 enjoyed the podcast, you can subscribe. You can share it 0:38:13.719 --> 0:38:16.040 with your friends, you can click the share button, take 0:38:16.040 --> 0:38:18.400 a screenshot and share it on your social stories and 0:38:18.440 --> 0:38:21.319 tag us at Elevation Church. Thanks again for listening. God 0:38:21.360 --> 0:38:40.799 bless you.