Participants:
Series Code: WHO
Program Code: WHO210060S
|
00:27 Hello, I'm Jill Morikone
00:28 and welcome to another 3ABN Worship Hour. 00:31 I love this hour that we have together 00:33 where we can open up the Word of God, 00:35 we can study together. 00:36 Have you ever experienced the silence of God? 00:40 Have you ever gone through a trial 00:42 or walked through a circumstance 00:44 or just been in some situation where you wondered, 00:47 where are You God? 00:48 I'm not hearing You talk back. 00:50 I'm not sensing Your presence. 00:53 Where are You? 00:55 I'm going through a silent time, as it were. 00:58 I was driving once and saw, 01:00 you know, the little marquee outside of a church 01:03 and it said, the teacher is always silent 01:05 when the test is given. 01:08 Are you going through a testing time? 01:10 Does it seem like the teacher meaning God 01:13 is silent right now in your life? 01:17 This message today is entitled, The Silence of God, 01:21 what we are to do and what God does 01:25 when we think He's apparently silent. 01:28 He's not silent at all. 01:29 He's actually working in our behalf. 01:32 That's where we're gonna look at today. 01:34 You know, God has always desired connection 01:36 with His people. 01:37 From the very beginning in the Garden of Eden, 01:40 we have Adam and Eve, what? 01:42 God walked with them and talked with them 01:46 through the cool of the day, every evening, 01:49 He met with them as His children. 01:52 He always desired to dwell with His people. 01:54 Of course, sin entered this world 01:56 and brought a disconnection. 01:58 There was that disconnection 01:59 God could no longer be in the presence 02:02 of sinful human beings 02:03 because sin cannot be in the presence of God. 02:06 And so God said, 02:07 "I still want to dwell with My people, 02:09 I love My people, I want to be with them." 02:12 We read in Exodus 25:8, 02:14 "Let them make Me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them." 02:19 As you look at the Old Testament 02:21 all the way through to the New 02:22 you see this concept of God desiring to dwell 02:26 with His people. 02:28 In Hebrew, the word is Shakan, it just means to dwell, 02:33 to settle down, to abide. 02:35 God wants to settle down with us, 02:37 He wants to abide with us. 02:39 We see the same word in Exodus 29:46, 02:42 "They should know that I am the Lord their God, 02:45 who brought them out of the land of Egypt," why? 02:47 "That I may dwell among them." 02:50 Shakan. God wants to abide. 02:52 He wants to settle down. 02:54 He wants to take up residence with us. 02:57 We see the same word in 1 Kings 6:13, 03:01 "I will dwell among the sons of Israel, 03:05 and will not forsake My people Israel." 03:07 The same word dwell, Shakan. 03:10 We have the same word in Zechariah 2:10, 03:13 "'Sing for joy, and be glad, O daughter of Zion! 03:16 For behold, I am coming 03:18 and I will dwell in your midst,' 03:21 says the Lord." 03:22 Then we jump over to the New Testament. 03:24 Remember, in the Old Testament, 03:25 God actually dwelt with His people 03:27 with Adam and Eve physically, 03:29 and then sin brought that separation, 03:31 and God dwelt with His people through the sanctuary, 03:34 His presence was there, 03:35 but we get to the New Testament in the Book of John 03:38 and we discover that Jesus came in flesh 03:42 that He could physically dwell with His people again. 03:46 We see then in John 1:14. 03:48 Now it's not the Hebrew word. 03:49 Now it's the Greek word skenoo, but it means the same thing, 03:52 to have one's tent to dwell, to reside. 03:57 John 1:14, 03:59 "And the Word it became flesh and dwelt among us." 04:03 There's our word dwelt. 04:05 "And we beheld His glory, 04:06 as of the only begotten from the Father, 04:09 full of grace and truth." 04:11 Now, of course, Jesus ascended to heaven, 04:13 and the Holy Spirit was sent to dwell with you and I, 04:18 we know in 1 Corinthians 6:19 04:20 that the Holy Spirit dwells in us, 04:22 we are the temple of God 04:23 through the power of the Holy Spirit. 04:26 Again, Christ wants to dwell in our hearts through faith. 04:31 And then we get all the way to the end of the Bible, 04:34 Revelation 21. 04:35 And we're going to dwell with God for all eternity. 04:38 Revelation 21:3, 04:39 "I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, 04:42 'Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, 04:45 and He will dwell with them," 04:48 there's a word dwell, 04:49 "they shall be His people 04:50 and God Himself will be among them." 04:53 God has always wanted to be with His people. 04:56 God has always had a people 04:57 that He has a special relationship with. 05:01 Think of Enoch, 05:02 he had such a special relationship with God, 05:04 what happened to him? 05:05 Enoch walked with God 05:07 and he was not for God took him. 05:10 He had such a special relationship with God 05:12 that he was translated to heaven. 05:13 Think of Noah, 05:15 he had an incredibly special relationship with God. 05:17 Now you might say, 05:18 "Well, then, what about all the other inhabitants 05:21 of the antediluvian world? 05:22 Was God's singling out?" No, not at all. 05:25 Everyone was invited to be on the ark, 05:28 everyone was invited to safety, 05:29 but only eight people made that choice, 05:32 that they wanted God to be their God too. 05:35 And they wanted to dwell with Him. 05:37 Think of Abraham or Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, 05:41 these are people throughout the Old Testament 05:43 that God had a special relationship with. 05:45 God wants a special relationship with you, 05:48 but what if you can't find Him? 05:50 What if you can't feel His presence? 05:54 What if you can't sense His favor? 05:57 What then? 05:58 What are we to do as Christians? 06:01 As people who have accepted God, 06:03 what do we do with the silence of God? 06:06 Let's pray. 06:08 Holy Father, we come before You in the name of Jesus. 06:10 And we thank You that 06:12 even in the apparent silence of You, 06:16 when it seems like we can't see You, 06:18 or sense You or hear You, 06:20 we thank You that 06:21 You are even then working in our behalf. 06:26 Would You open up our minds and hearts to see You, 06:29 to experience You in a new way through the power of Your Word, 06:34 and the anointing of Your Holy Spirit, 06:37 and we thank You in Jesus' name. 06:39 Amen. 06:40 Greg and I were in Phoenix, Arizona. 06:42 And we were there, 3ABN, 06:45 we were doing an evangelistic series. 06:46 This was several years ago. 06:48 And right at the end of the church service, 06:52 we came out 06:54 and we were kind of at the back of the church 06:55 and a woman came up to me, and she said, 06:57 "You know what, Jill?" 06:58 She said, "I really want to talk to you." 07:00 And I said, "Oh, that's great." 07:01 Because I love to talk to people. 07:03 And I said, 07:04 "Yeah, let's step over here. 07:05 So we kind of went to this alcove 07:07 at the side of the church." 07:08 And she said, 07:09 "I read an article that you wrote 07:11 in the Adventist Review 07:13 about you and your husband's infertility." 07:17 And instantly, my mind went to something 07:20 that had happened fairly recently at 3ABN 07:22 just before this time. 07:25 A woman called in, she was from New York. 07:27 Now that's nothing against New York, 07:29 it just happened to be where she was from. 07:32 And she called in and she said, 07:33 "Jill," she said, 07:35 "I understand you and your husband 07:37 would like to have children." 07:38 Because Greg and I have been very open 07:40 about our infertility journey for the last 19 years. 07:44 She said, "I understand you and your husband 07:46 would like to have children, 07:47 I want you to know, 07:49 if you made my recipe for beef stew, 07:53 you're gonna have a baby." 07:55 And I said, "Okay, thank you, ma'am." 07:57 And she said, "No, no, are you writing down the recipe?" 08:00 And I said, "Okay, I'll write down the recipe." 08:03 So I remember scribbling I'm at my desk at work, 08:06 scribbling down two pounds of beef, 08:07 and so much celery, and so many onions. 08:11 And then she said, 08:12 "Now, I want to make sure that 08:13 you make this recipe 08:15 because if in three months, 08:16 I watch 3ABN, 08:18 and there's nothing happening with your tummy, 08:20 I'm going to come to 3ABN, 08:23 and I'm going to cook beef stew for you." 08:25 And so when this lady in Phoenix said, 08:28 "I read the article that you wrote 08:29 about your journey with infertility." 08:31 And I thought, 08:32 "Oh, please, God, are we going to get 08:33 another recipe for beef stew." 08:35 But it had nothing to do with that at all. 08:37 She said, 08:39 "My husband and I had a journey. 08:42 I'd like to tell you about it." 08:43 And I said, "Of course." 08:45 She said, "We tried for 10 years 08:47 to have children, 08:48 and we could not have children. 08:50 And then we decided we're going to adopt, 08:53 we were going to adopt two little girls from overseas. 08:57 We got their pictures. 08:58 We put their pictures on the fridge. 09:01 We named them." 09:03 And I forget the names. 09:04 We can call them Sara and Mary, I don't remember. 09:07 "We named them. 09:09 We prayed for them. 09:11 For the day they were already our girls in our hearts. 09:14 We're just waiting for the paperwork. 09:16 They would come from overseas, 09:18 and they would be our girls forever. 09:20 We prayed every day over their lives. 09:23 Their pictures were on the fridge. 09:25 We paid a great deal of money for this adoption. 09:31 And then one day we got the news that the two girls 09:35 who were going to be ours, 09:37 the two girls that we already considered our daughters 09:41 have been sold in the sex slave trade." 09:47 And she began to cry. 09:48 And she said, 09:49 "Everyday, Jill, every day, 09:51 I live with the knowledge that the girls 09:54 who were supposed to have been mine are being abused, 09:58 and they might even be dead, I don't know. 10:00 And it had been several years since that experience." 10:06 She said, 10:07 "What if I cried at God? 10:09 But He's not hearing me. 10:11 He is silent. 10:13 Is He even listening right now to what I am going through." 10:19 You know the children of Israel, 10:20 they experienced the silence of God. 10:23 Turn with me to the Book of Exodus. 10:26 After Joseph died, 10:28 they increased in numbers that they multiplied supernaturally. 10:32 They're in Egypt 'cause they were there in Egypt 10:33 for 400 years. 10:35 And in Exodus 1:7 10:37 we have five verbs that describe 10:39 the supernatural multiplication of the children 10:42 of Israel and Egypt. 10:44 Exodus 1:7, it says, 10:46 "But the children of Israel were fruitful," 10:48 that's verb number one, 10:49 "and increased abundantly," 10:51 number two, 10:52 "multiplied and grew exceedingly mighty, 10:57 and the land was filled with them." 10:59 Now the new king who arose did not know Joseph, 11:02 and he began to feel threatened by the children of Israel. 11:06 The first thing he decided to do 11:08 was to force them into servitude. 11:10 They had to make bricks in cities 11:12 and service in the land of Egypt, 11:14 and they became slaves in bondage in Egypt. 11:19 The second thing he decided to do 11:20 when he thought this forced slave labor was not enough. 11:23 He decided to kill all the newborn baby boys 11:27 who were born to the Israelites. 11:30 They were in slavery, they were in bondage. 11:33 They cried out to God, for how long? 11:36 Four hundred years. 11:38 God promised to deliver them. 11:40 Yet it could have appeared as if for 400 years, 11:45 they were left in slavery. 11:46 They were left to languish. 11:48 I want to tell you right now when it seems God is silent, 11:52 He is not absent. 11:53 When it seems God is silent, He is not still. 11:57 When it seems God is silent, He is not finished. 12:01 You know Job cried out the same anguished cry, 12:04 where are You God? 12:06 We see this in Job 30:20. 12:09 "I cry out to You," he's talking to God, 12:11 "I cry out to You, but You do not answer me. 12:14 I stand up, and You regard me." 12:18 It says in the NIV, 12:19 "I cry out to you, God, but you do not answer. 12:23 I stand up, but you merely look at me." 12:27 It says in the New Living Translation, 12:28 "I cry to you, O God, but you don't answer. 12:33 I stand before you, but you don't even look." 12:38 Have you ever felt like that? 12:40 Have you felt like God I'm crying out to You? 12:43 Where are You? Are You answering me? 12:46 Are You just merely looking at me? 12:48 Or are You not even seen the difficulty I'm in, 12:52 the trouble I'm in. 12:54 What I am experiencing right now? 12:57 Jesus did the same thing. We see this in Psalm 22. 12:59 This is a messianic Psalm speaking of Jesus on the cross. 13:04 Psalm 22:1-2, He's crying, 13:06 "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me? 13:11 Why are You so far from helping Me, 13:14 and from the words of My groaning? 13:16 O My God, I cry in the daytime, but You do not hear. 13:22 I cry in the night season, and am not silent." 13:27 When it seems God is silent. 13:29 We are called to trust the promise, 13:33 not the perception. 13:35 We are called to trust Him in the storm, 13:37 as well as in the sunshine. 13:38 We're called to trust Him by faith, 13:42 not by how we feel inside. 13:46 I want to talk to you today about seven things that God 13:49 is doing when it appears that He is silent. 13:53 You see that you and I it might seem 13:55 that He's not doing anything. 13:56 It might seem that He's walked away. 13:58 It might seem that He has neglected us 14:01 or is ignoring you, but He's not. 14:04 There are seven things that He is doing 14:06 even in the midst of these seemingly silent times. 14:12 Number one, He hears. 14:15 Let's go back to Exodus. 14:16 Exodus 2, this is the children of Israel. 14:18 Remember, they are in bondage slave labor for 400 years. 14:22 They're in Egypt, their newborn baby boys are being killed 14:26 and murdered by the Pharaoh. 14:27 They're in Egypt. 14:29 And yet in the midst of their fire, 14:30 in the midst of when it seemed that God might be silent, 14:34 He was actually listening. 14:36 God hears. 14:37 Exodus 2:23, 14:38 "Then the children of Israel groaned because of the bondage, 14:42 and they cried out, and their cry came up to God 14:45 because of the bondage. 14:46 So God heard their groaning." 14:48 What's that word? God hears. 14:50 "He heard their groaning, and God remembered 14:53 His covenant with Abraham, 14:55 with Isaac, and with Jacob." 14:58 I want to tell you today when it seems like God 15:00 is not listening, when it seems like God 15:02 is silent in your life, He hears you. 15:06 Exodus 3:7, 15:08 "The Lord said, 15:09 'I have surely seen the oppression 15:12 of My people who are in Egypt, 15:14 and I have heard their cry 15:16 because of their taskmasters, 15:18 for I know their sorrows.'" 15:21 Psalm 34:15, David tells us the same thing, 15:24 "The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, 15:26 and His ears are open to their cry." 15:30 So I want to tell you today, 15:31 if you are walking in a silent time, 15:33 if you are going through a time 15:35 when it appears that God is silent, 15:38 He's listening. 15:40 God hears you. 15:41 Anytime you open up your heart, 15:44 anytime you cry out to God, He hears you. 15:47 What's the second thing He's doing? 15:49 He cares. 15:51 I don't know if you've ever experienced this, 15:55 but there have been times, and I've actually been guilty 15:58 of this myself, I have my cell phone here, 16:00 someone might be talking with me, 16:01 might be in a meeting visiting in my office, 16:04 and I'm listening to them, I'm looking them in the eye. 16:07 I'm hearing them. 16:10 And then all of a sudden, a text comes in something 16:12 urgent happens, and my eyes shift from the person 16:15 and I look down here, 16:17 "Oh, I got to take care of this." 16:18 Oh, this is happening. 16:19 Has that ever happened to you? 16:21 Where maybe you're distracted 16:22 from the conversation you're involved in. 16:24 When it happens to you, what do you feel like? 16:27 I don't know about you, but I kind of feel like 16:28 maybe that person doesn't care so much. 16:30 Or maybe they're not really interested. 16:33 Or maybe they're not really focused 16:36 or paying attention, 16:37 but God doesn't just hear us. 16:39 God cares. 16:40 God is focused and pays attention. 16:43 Matthew 10, Jesus tells us the story 16:45 of not even a sparrow falls to the ground, 16:49 but God notices. 16:50 Now you think about the sparrows, 16:51 who are the sparrows? 16:53 They're not beautiful, like the bluebirds 16:55 and the cardinals and all of that. 16:56 And we say, it's a common everyday sparrow, 17:00 not even a sparrow falls to the ground, 17:03 but that God does not see and hear and care about that. 17:09 Psalm 34:18, 17:10 "The Lord is near the brokenhearted, 17:13 and saves those who are crushed in spirit." 17:16 So when it seems that God is silent in your life, 17:20 He hears, He cares. 17:22 Number three, He understands. 17:26 You know, if you're going through a difficult time, 17:27 sometimes you might not need advice. 17:29 You just want a listening ear or need to know that someone 17:31 cares or someone understands, or just hears 17:35 where you're coming from, you know what? 17:37 Jesus does. 17:38 Hebrews 4:14-16, I love this. 17:43 There's an inherent need in all of us to be understood. 17:46 And you might say, "Well, my spouse doesn't understand 17:48 or my kids don't understand, my boss doesn't understand, 17:51 Jesus understands. 17:53 Hebrews 4:14-16, 17:57 "Seeing then we have a great High Priest 18:00 who has passed through the heavens, 18:02 Jesus the Son of God, 18:03 let us hold fast to our confession. 18:06 For we do not have a High Priest 18:08 who cannot sympathize 18:10 or be touched with our weaknesses, 18:13 or the feelings of our infirmities, 18:16 but was in all points tempted like as we are, 18:19 yet without sin. 18:21 Let us therefore come boldly before the throne 18:24 of grace that we may obtain mercy 18:27 and find grace to help in our time of need." 18:30 What does Jesus understand? 18:31 Jesus clearly understands temptation. 18:34 Turn with me to the Book of Luke. 18:35 We look at the temptation of Jesus. 18:38 This is right after baptism. 18:40 Remember, he went out, 18:41 the spirit led him into the wilderness, 18:43 and he was tempted of the devil for 40 days. 18:46 Luke 4:1 and the first part of verse 2, 18:49 "Then Jesus, being filled with the Holy Spirit, 18:52 returned from Jordan and was led by the Spirit 18:56 into the wilderness, being tempted for," 18:58 one day, two days, five days, 19:01 "forty days by the devil." 19:04 Can you imagine going through something like that? 19:06 Forty days of temptation. 19:10 Unrelenting, consistent, Jesus understands temptation. 19:15 Are you going through an experience 19:17 where you feel you're being tempted 19:18 beyond your strength to endure? 19:20 Are you wrestling with addictions? 19:23 Are you going through that and saying, 19:25 "Well, no one understands the trouble I'm in, 19:27 no one understands this temptation 19:30 is so strong for me." 19:32 Jesus, He understands temptation. 19:35 Not only that, He understands hunger. 19:37 If you keep reading in verse 2, 19:38 we're in Luke 4 the second half of verse 2. 19:40 "He was there forty days tempted by the devil. 19:43 And in those days He ate nothing, 19:47 and afterward, He was hungry." 19:49 Now I don't know about you. 19:51 If you've ever fasted, 19:52 I have gone a meal without any food. 19:56 I've gone a day without any food. 19:59 I've gone a couple of days. 20:01 I have never gone a week without food. 20:02 Never. 20:03 I've never gone a month, 40 days with no food. 20:08 Anytime you think, but I'm hungry, 20:10 but I'm tempted. 20:12 Jesus understands that. 20:13 He also understands poverty. 20:15 Matthew 8:20. 20:17 Matthew 8:20, 20:18 "And Jesus said to them, 20:20 'Foxes they have holes 20:21 and birds of the air have nests, 20:23 but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.'" 20:27 Are you homeless? 20:28 Do you not have enough money to put food on the table? 20:32 Do you not have enough money to make it 20:34 through the week? 20:35 Are you in poverty? 20:37 Jesus understands poverty. 20:39 He also understands weariness. 20:41 We're in John Chapter 4. 20:43 This is, of course, the woman at the well Jesus experience 20:45 with a woman of Samaria there. 20:47 John 4:6, 20:48 "Now Jacob's well was there. 20:50 Jesus therefore, being wearied from His journey, 20:55 sat by the well. 20:57 It was about the sixth hour." 20:58 Now John kind of clearly said Jacob's well was there 21:00 and Jesus came to the well, 21:02 the disciples went in to buy food, 21:03 and then the woman came out, 21:05 but I find it interesting that he said 21:07 Jesus was wearied by His journey. 21:11 Jesus understands weariness. 21:14 If you feel overworked, or overtaxed, 21:17 or going through certain circumstances, 21:19 you say, "Boy, I am weary." 21:21 I just spoke yesterday with a new father. 21:23 And I said, "I'm so proud of you 21:25 'cause we actually know this person." 21:26 And I said, 21:28 "I'm so proud of you being a dad and all of that." 21:29 And he said, 21:31 "I'm just lucky to get sleep. 21:32 I am so tired. 21:35 Every time the baby sleeps, I can take a nap." 21:38 Jesus, He understands weariness. 21:40 Not just that, Jesus, He understands disappointment. 21:43 Luke 13:34. 21:46 Luke 13:34, 21:48 Jesus is speaking, He says, 21:49 "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, 21:51 the one who kills the prophets 21:53 and stones those who were sent to her! 21:56 How often I wanted to gather your children together, 22:00 as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, 22:04 but you would not, 22:06 or it says you were not willing." 22:09 Do you think about it? 22:11 The children of Israel were God's chosen possession. 22:14 If you read in Deuteronomy, 22:15 if you read in Exodus 19, 22:17 they were a chosen people, 22:20 above all the people on the earth 22:22 and they weren't chosen because they were rich, 22:24 or because they were intelligent, 22:25 or because they were good looking, 22:26 or strong, or anything. 22:28 They were chosen because God loved them. 22:30 And because they were to be His special people. 22:34 They were to be a light set on a hill, 22:36 they were to spread the message of the one God, 22:40 Jehovah, to the entire world. 22:44 And yet they had failed in that mission. 22:46 And not only that, when Jesus came, 22:48 most of them, some people recognize, 22:50 but most of them failed to recognize 22:53 that He was the Messiah, 22:54 that He was there long looked for deliverer. 22:59 You think Jesus understands disappointment. 23:01 He wanted these people to accept Him. 23:04 He wanted, He came to die for them. 23:08 And yet, He wanted to gather them together. 23:11 He wanted to save them. 23:13 And they would not allow that. 23:14 Jesus understands disappointment. 23:18 Jesus understands rejection, John 6. 23:20 John 6:66-67. 23:23 Now before this time, remember, the popularity 23:26 of Jesus was so strong, I think about the healing 23:29 of the paralytic, just before then Jesus 23:31 healed that leper. 23:33 And it said, the fame of Jesus spread abroad 23:35 throughout Galilee and the entire region. 23:38 And He was so popular that people flocked from all 23:42 over to see Him, to hear Him, to be healed by Him. 23:46 Remember, when the paralytic was healed, 23:48 it was so many people in the house 23:50 that they had to open up the roof and let Him down. 23:53 So before this time, many people are following Jesus, 23:56 He's hailed as the coming King. 23:58 And yet what happens in John 6? 24:00 John 6:66, 24:03 "From that time many of His disciples went back 24:06 and walked with Him no more. 24:09 Then Jesus said to the twelve, 24:11 'Are you also going to leave me? 24:13 Will you also go away?'" 24:14 And of course, Simon Peter, the first one to always speak. 24:17 What did he say? 24:18 Lord, to whom will we go? 24:21 You have the words of life. 24:23 So Jesus, He understands rejection, 24:25 He understands what it's like to have people walk with You. 24:29 People love You. 24:30 People be part of Your inner circle, 24:33 and then turn around and walk away. 24:36 Jesus also understand sorrow. 24:38 Matthew 26:38. 24:40 Now this is, of course, right before the crucifixion. 24:44 This is the garden of Gethsemane experience. 24:46 And he says, 24:48 "He said to them, 24:49 'My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, 24:51 even to death. 24:52 Stay here and watch with Me.'" 24:56 Jesus understands death. 24:58 Remember Mary, Martha, and Lazarus 24:59 were His special friends and companions. 25:03 And Lazarus died. 25:05 And it says in John 11:35, that "Jesus wept." 25:08 Now did He weep because of their hardness of heart? Yes. 25:11 Did He weep because they did not understand 25:14 that He was the Messiah, 25:15 and He was the resurrection and the life? 25:17 Yes. 25:18 But I believe He also wept because they were His friends, 25:21 and their grief was His grief as well. 25:25 Jesus also understood loneliness, 25:28 and the silence of God. 25:29 We see this in Matthew 27. 25:31 This is, of course, Jesus on the cross. 25:33 Matthew 27:46, 25:35 "About the ninth hour 25:37 Jesus cried out with a loud voice 25:39 saying, 'Eli, Eli, lama,' 25:42 I can't pronounce that, 25:43 "that is, 'My God, My God, 25:46 why have you forsaken Me?'" 25:48 So anytime you go through a silent time, 25:52 when it feels that God is apparently silent, 25:55 and you say, but I'm tempted, Jesus was, 25:58 but you say, but I'm hungry, Jesus was, 26:01 but you say I don't have, I'm weary 26:03 and I'm worn out and I'm tired with a fight, 26:05 Jesus was, you say, but I've encountered rejection 26:08 and disappointment. 26:10 And there was all these trials against me, 26:12 that happened to Jesus. 26:14 You say, but I'm dealing with sorrow, 26:15 or someone I love dearly has just died. 26:18 Or I'm dealing with loneliness. 26:20 Jesus understands because He went through all of that. 26:25 What else does He do? 26:26 He hears, He cares, He understands, He comforts. 26:31 How does He comfort us? 26:32 He comforts us by His Word. 26:34 Psalm 119. Turn with me there. 26:36 Psalm 119:49-50, 26:39 "Remember the word to Your servant, 26:41 upon which You have caused me to hope. 26:45 This is my comfort in my affliction, 26:49 Your word it has given me life." 26:52 So when you walk through a silent time, 26:55 when you say, but God, I can't see You. 26:57 He's listening. 26:58 But God, I can't hear You. 27:00 He cares for you. 27:02 But God, do you even know what I'm going through. 27:04 He understands. 27:05 But not only that, He wants to bring you comfort. 27:08 And how does He bring us comfort in those silent times? 27:11 How does He bring us comfort in those dark times? 27:14 Open up the Word of God. 27:15 Discover the promises in His Word. 27:19 His Word brings life. 27:21 His Word brings power. 27:23 His Word brings peace. 27:25 2 Corinthians 1:20, 27:27 "All of His promises are Yes and Amen in Christ Jesus." 27:31 I just talked to a woman 27:33 a couple of weeks ago on the phone, 27:35 she called the office. 27:36 And she said, "Jill, I just I'm so alone, 27:38 and nobody loves me. 27:39 And my life is miserable. 27:41 And I just really, I don't know, 27:44 I read the Bible, and I'm not getting anything. 27:46 I just need help. I need hope. 27:48 I need encouragement." 27:50 I said, "How are you reading the Word of God?" 27:52 'Cause you and I can open up the Bible. 27:54 And we can read and say, 27:56 "Okay, I'm supposed to read a chapter today 27:57 because that's what good Christians do." 27:58 So this is what I'm supposed to do. 28:00 And I'm going to open up. 28:01 And I'm going to start reading Ezekiel. 28:03 "The Word of the Lord came to me again, saying, 28:04 'Son of man, say to the prince of Tyre. 28:06 Thus says the Lord God." 28:07 Okay, are you going to get anything 28:10 from that study of the Word? 28:12 Maybe not. 28:13 First things when we go to the Word, 28:15 we ask God for the anointing of His Holy Spirit 28:18 to enlighten our mind and understanding. 28:20 The second thing, open up and find 28:23 where Jesus is speaking to you. 28:25 Find those promises in the Word of God, 28:29 claim them over your life, I love to write them down. 28:32 And I've pulled them out and I read them 28:35 and read them again, 28:36 when I need them the most. 28:38 The Word of God has power to bring comfort. 28:42 Pray the Word of God back to Him. 28:44 Read those scriptures aloud. 28:47 Romans 4:17. 28:48 It says, 28:50 "That he calls those things that are not 28:52 as though they already were." 28:53 So you might feel like, 28:55 "Well, I'm not accepted, and I'm not beloved, 28:57 and I'm not chosen, and I'm not forgiven." 29:00 Look at what the Word of God says about you. 29:03 And then claim those promises over your life. 29:06 So He comforts us by His Word, He comforts us by His Spirit. 29:10 That's in 2 Corinthians 1:3-4. 29:14 And there's actually five words 29:17 that are used here five times, sorry, 29:19 the word comfort is used here. 29:21 And it's used in reference to the Holy Spirit. 29:24 2 Corinthians 1:3-4, 29:26 "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 29:29 the Father of mercies and God of all comfort," 29:32 there's the first time we see the word comfort, 29:34 "who comforts us," 29:36 there's the second time, 29:38 "in all our tribulation, 29:40 that we may be able to comfort 29:44 those who are in trouble, with the comfort 29:48 which we ourselves are comforted by God." 29:53 Now all of those words for comfort, 29:56 come from the word parakletos or derivative of that word. 30:01 And parakletos, of course, 30:02 is used to refer to the Holy Spirit, 30:05 someone who calls to one's aid, who comforts, 30:09 who brings encouragement. 30:11 We see that in John 16:7. 30:13 "Nevertheless I tell you the truth." 30:15 Jesus is speaking here. 30:17 He says, "I tell you the truth. 30:19 It is to your advantage that I go away, 30:23 for if I don't go away, the Helper," 30:24 the parakletos that is the Holy Spirit, 30:27 "will not come to you, 30:29 but if I depart, I will send Him to you." 30:33 So how does God comfort us? 30:34 He comforts us by the power of His Word, 30:36 claim those promises over your life. 30:38 He comforts us by the power of His Holy Spirit. 30:41 He also comforts us by His presence. 30:44 Psalm 23:4, 30:47 "Yea, though I walk 30:49 through the valley of the shadow of death, 30:51 I will fear no evil, for You are with me, 30:56 Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me." 31:00 He comforts us by His presence. 31:03 So God hears, God understands, God cares, God comforts. 31:06 Number five, God accompanies. 31:09 Do you feel like you're alone? 31:11 You feel like, 31:12 "Well, I have the Word. 31:13 Well, I do have the Holy Spirit, 31:15 but I'm still not really sure about this God." 31:17 He walks with us in the midst of the difficulty. 31:22 Isaiah 43. I love the Book of Isaiah. 31:24 We have the Book of Judgment, 31:26 which would be like the first 39 chapters, 31:28 and then jumping into Chapter 40 to Chapter 66, 31:31 we have the Book of Comfort. 31:34 There's incredible promises in the second half 31:36 of the Book of Isaiah. 31:38 We're in Isaiah 43:1, 31:40 "But now, thus says the Lord, 31:44 who created you, O Jacob." 31:47 You can put your name in there. 31:48 "And He who formed you, O Israel, 'Fear not.'" 31:51 Why do we not have to be afraid? 31:53 "For He has redeemed us. 31:56 He has called us by name, we belong to Him." 31:59 Now here it comes the verse 2, 32:00 "When you pass through the waters, 32:02 when you walk through the silent times, 32:03 when you have difficulties, I will be with you. 32:08 When you pass through the waters, 32:11 I will be with you, 32:13 and through the rivers, 32:15 they shall not overflow you. 32:16 When you walk through the fire, 32:19 you will not be burned, 32:20 nor will the flame scorch you." 32:22 So what is He saying to us? 32:24 What is God saying to us? 32:26 He's saying when you enter the fiery furnace, 32:29 you might not be delivered from the fiery furnace, 32:32 but I will walk with you in the midst of the fiery furnace. 32:37 I love that. 32:38 In Hebrews 13:5, He says, 32:40 "I'll never leave you nor forsake you." 32:42 Joshua 1:9, remember, 32:43 Joshua took over the leadership of the children 32:46 of Israel after the death of Moses, 32:49 and he's given this promise, 32:51 "The Lord your God will go with you wherever you go." 32:56 So it does not mean 32:57 that you and I will not have silent times, 32:59 it does not mean that we will not encounter grief and pain, 33:04 maybe death, trouble and tribulation, 33:07 but it means that God walks with us 33:11 in the midst of that circumstance. 33:13 Let's look at number six. 33:15 What does He do? 33:16 He answers. 33:18 Now the answer is not maybe always what we want, 33:21 or what we pray for, or what we expect, 33:26 but He always answers. 33:28 Now when I was growing up, 33:30 I'm gonna take a little diversion here. 33:31 When I was growing up, I was always taught. 33:33 There were three answers to prayer. 33:35 I don't know if you were taught that. 33:37 Yes. 33:38 Maybe? 33:40 No. 33:42 Were you taught that? 33:43 God sometimes says yes, 33:45 sometimes says maybe, sometimes says no. 33:48 In my study, I think there's actually 33:50 four answers to prayer. 33:51 The first answer is way over here. 33:54 This is no, not yet. 33:57 This is very similar to the maybe here or the wait, 34:00 it just simply means it might be a yes, 34:03 but the yes is not right now. 34:04 It is a time of waiting. 34:07 And I don't know about you, but I'm not very good 34:09 at waiting when I wait in line at the grocery store. 34:12 I think, can they not hurry up? 34:15 When I go through the grocery store, people sometimes laugh, 34:19 strangers come up and say, why are you in such a rush? 34:21 'Cause I can actually run in the grocery store. 34:24 So it just seems like I don't like to wait. 34:28 And yet there are times in the life of a Christian 34:31 when we are called to wait. 34:34 The answer is no, not yet. 34:38 And during that waiting time, 34:41 we have opportunity to petition the throne of grace. 34:45 We have opportunity to grow in grace in our own characters. 34:50 We have opportunity to trust our Heavenly Father, 34:54 and to bloom where He has planted us 34:57 with what He has put in our hands right then, 35:01 not pining for what we don't have, 35:03 not wishing for something else, but just being thankful 35:06 and grateful for what God has given us then. 35:09 So that's number one is no, not yet. 35:11 This is the waiting answer. 35:14 The second answer to prayer is no 35:18 because I love you too much. 35:21 This is the anguish of the no 35:22 because it's already been given. 35:23 It's not the waiting. 35:25 Oh, it might be a yes, it might be a no, 35:27 I'm not sure, this is the no. 35:29 And it's been given. 35:31 And the answer might go against your deepest prayer. 35:33 It might go against your heart's desire. 35:36 It might go against everything you ever wanted, 35:39 or ever hoped for and dreamed. 35:41 So I want to ask you, how can love be a no? 35:44 How can this answer to prayer be from God no? 35:48 I love you too much. 35:50 How is that even possible? 35:52 I think there's at least three reasons why love says no. 35:54 The first reason is protection. 35:57 Love creates boundaries for our safety. 36:02 Those of you who have children, 36:03 if your child were to go up and were to touch up 36:06 stove that was super hot, what would you say? 36:08 Oh, honey, just do whatever you want. 36:10 You wouldn't say that. 36:11 You would say no, when you would run 36:13 to pull their hand back. 36:14 Why? Because love is protection. 36:18 Sometimes no is to protect you and I from being burned. 36:22 Or you and I from being hit in the street 36:25 if we were to run out in front of a car. 36:27 That's another time where you would yell at your child to say 36:30 no get back from the street because no is protection. 36:35 No is also ownership. 36:39 Love is protection. 36:41 Love is ownership. 36:43 Now what do I mean by that? 36:45 There's two types of jealousy. 36:47 I used to always believe that jealousy was only ungodly, 36:49 but I don't believe that because God is jealous 36:52 over you and I as His children. 36:55 Ungodly jealousy is jealous of, 36:59 this would be I'm jealous of someone else's position, 37:02 or someone else's spouse, 37:05 or someone else's looks, or someone else's car, 37:08 or money, or what at friends 37:12 that would be jealous of something 37:13 that we don't have ownership over does not belong to us, 37:16 that is ungodly jealousy. 37:19 Godly jealousy is the jealousy God has over you and I, 37:22 this is jealous for, meaning, God owns us. 37:27 We belong to Him. 37:29 He created us, He redeemed us. 37:32 We are His children. 37:34 This godly jealousy is when you belong to someone. 37:39 They have a godly jealousy over you. 37:40 So they want nothing between you and them 37:45 or the object of that love. 37:47 So in other words, this means sometimes love is a no 37:52 because of ownership. 37:53 Sometimes God says no in my own heart and life 37:57 to something I want, something I've asked for 38:00 because He says Jill if it were a yes, that yes, 38:05 would lead to separation between you and Me. 38:07 And I love you so much. 38:10 I will not give anything into your life 38:13 that could pull us apart 38:15 or separate us from each other. 38:19 Love is a no because of protection. 38:21 Love is sometimes a no because of ownership. 38:23 Love is also sometimes a no because of sacrifice. 38:27 What do I mean by that? 38:28 Think about Jesus, before He went to the cross 38:31 in the garden of Gethsemane falling prostrate 38:35 before the Father, what did He cry out? 38:38 Please God, if it's possible, let this cup pass from Me. 38:43 What does that mean? 38:44 He did not want to go to the cross. 38:46 His humanity shrank from the sacrifice, 38:50 shrank from going to the cross, 38:54 shrank from the separation from His father. 38:57 And yet what did God say? 38:59 He said, "No." Why? 39:02 Because He wanted you and I to be saved. 39:06 Sometimes love is a no because that sacrifice 39:11 involves someone else's salvation 39:15 as in Jesus' sacrifice involved salvation for the entire world. 39:20 So we have those four answers to prayer. 39:22 No, not yet. 39:23 This is the waiting time where we learn to wait on God. 39:27 Then we have no because God loves us too much 39:31 to allow it to be a yes. 39:33 And sometimes that's because of protection for us. 39:35 Sometimes it's because of ownership. 39:37 And He wants to make sure there's no idols in our heart 39:40 between Him and us. 39:42 Sometimes the sacrifice, I think of the missionaries. 39:47 Jim Elliot, Elisabeth Elliot, if you think about that 39:50 incredible story of sacrifice, giving their lives 39:55 so that the gospel could go forward to the native people, 40:00 that is a sacrifice. 40:02 The third answer to prayer is yes. 40:06 I thought you would never ask. 40:07 You know, James 4:2 says what? 40:10 "You have not because you ask not." 40:13 So ask and seek and find. 40:15 How many times does God want to bless your life? 40:17 How many times does He want to open up doors for ministry? 40:20 How many times does He want to do a new thing in your life 40:24 and we never ask? 40:26 You know, every time I read Psalm 2:8, 40:28 I'm reminded of that. 40:30 Psalm 2:8 says, 40:32 "Ask of Me, and I will give You the heathen 40:35 for Your inheritance, 40:36 and the uttermost parts of the earth 40:38 for Your possession." 40:40 What does that say to you? I don't know. 40:42 I can't say what it says to you because I don't know, 40:44 but I can tell you what it says to me. 40:46 It says to me, 40:49 that there might... 40:53 Not be someone in the kingdom 40:56 because I neglected to pray 40:58 because I neglected to ask for their salvation. 41:02 If you and I are challenged here to ask God, 41:05 for the heathen for our inheritance, 41:07 if we are challenged to ask God, 41:10 for the salvation of our family and our friends 41:12 and our neighbors and our enemies and our co-workers. 41:16 That's our responsibility. 41:18 He says, yes, you have not because you ask not. 41:21 What do we ask for? 41:22 We ask for the conversion of family and friends, 41:25 neighbors, enemies. 41:27 We ask for the conversion of the world. 41:28 We ask for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, 41:32 for revival and reformation to spring forth 41:34 for a new heart, a heart of flesh. 41:38 We ask that God would write His law in our hearts, 41:41 and in our minds. 41:42 We ask to become a new creation in Christ Jesus. 41:46 We ask that He could be glorified in our lives. 41:48 We ask for spiritual blessings in Christ Jesus 41:51 to have His name written in our forehead, 41:54 to have our name written in the Lamb's Book of Life, 41:57 to be transformed into His image, 41:59 to have strength to endure and grace to overcome, 42:02 to have victory from sin and deliverance from bondage, 42:06 to have freedom in Christ, 42:07 to have the peace that passes all understanding. 42:10 And then we thank Him that all those things 42:13 I just mentioned, all those promises are ours, 42:16 they belong to you and I, 42:17 they are ours who say yes and amen in Christ Jesus. 42:22 So there's so many blessings 42:24 that God wants to pour out into your life. 42:26 There are so many answers to prayer 42:27 that He wants to give to you. 42:29 There are so many times He wants to answer 42:31 in the midst of a silent time. 42:34 And yet, you and I, we might not ask. 42:37 So answer number three is yes. 42:41 I thought you would never ask. 42:43 So that's what I want to tell you today is ask. 42:46 Every spiritual blessing that God has promised 42:49 is yours in Christ Jesus. 42:50 All you have to do is ask. 42:54 And what is the fourth answer? 42:55 This is really similar to the third, 42:56 but I just like it, that's why I separated out. 42:59 It says yes, and so much more. 43:01 God wants to do Ephesians 3:20, 43:03 "Exceedingly, abundantly 43:05 above all that you could ask or think." 43:09 The plans God has for your life, 43:11 Jeremiah 29:11, 43:13 "Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, 43:15 plans to give you a future and a hope." 43:18 Are you wallowing in addiction? 43:19 Do you want to be set free? 43:22 Are you dealing with the silence 43:24 or the apparent silence of God? 43:26 And you say, but God, I'm just, I'm a victim. 43:30 I don't even know what to do next. 43:32 God wants you to open up your heart 43:35 and to ask Him, 43:37 ask for those blessings, 43:39 ask for Him to come in 43:41 and to transform and to change you. 43:44 So number seven, 43:45 what's the seventh thing that God does 43:47 when it appears to you and I that He is silent? 43:52 He delivers. Let's go back. 43:54 We started with the children of Israel. 43:55 We're going to end there. 43:56 Let's go back to Exodus Chapter 3 now 43:59 verses 7 and 8. 44:01 What does He deliver us from? 44:03 He delivers us from bondage. 44:04 Exodus 3:7-8, 44:07 "And the Lord said, 44:08 'I have surely seen the oppression 44:11 of My people who are in Egypt. 44:13 I've heard their cry 44:14 because of their taskmasters, 44:18 for I know their sorrows. 44:20 I have come down to," what's that word? 44:23 "I've come down to deliver them 44:26 out of the hand of the Egyptians, 44:27 and to bring them up from that land 44:30 to a good and large land, 44:32 to a land flowing with milk and honey." 44:35 That word deliver 44:37 literally means to snatch away in Hebrew 44:39 to recover, to deliver. 44:42 Do you want deliverance in your life? 44:44 Do you feel that 44:45 you are walking in a silent time 44:47 and you might say, 44:48 "Okay, well, Jill, I understand that God can hear me. 44:51 I understand that He cares for me 44:53 and He can comfort me." 44:54 But God, He wants to deliver you, 44:57 He wants to deliver you from bondage. 44:59 Are you walking in bondage to sin? 45:02 Are you walking in addiction, in slavery? 45:06 God wants to set you free. 45:08 John 8:36, it says, 45:10 "If the Son makes you free, 45:12 you shall be free indeed." 45:15 He doesn't just deliver us from bondage. 45:17 God delivers us from trouble. 45:19 Psalm 34:17, 45:23 "The righteous they cry, 45:25 and the Lord hears," 45:26 there's a word hears, 45:28 "and delivers them out of all their trouble." 45:31 Are you going through a troublest time? 45:33 Are you going through a time where you say, 45:35 but you don't know the troubles I'm dealing with? 45:37 You don't know what's going on in my life right now. 45:40 God wants to deliver you from trouble. 45:42 God can set you free. 45:45 God can deliver you from bondage. 45:46 He doesn't just deliver us from bondage. 45:48 He doesn't just deliver us from trouble. 45:50 He delivers us from fear. 45:52 We see this in Psalm 34, 45:53 the same psalm we're going back to verse 4. 45:57 Psalm 34:4, 45:59 "I sought the Lord, and He heard me, 46:03 and delivered me from all my fears." 46:09 Are you going through a fearful time? 46:10 Are you walking in fear? 46:12 And sometimes fear takes many different forms. 46:14 We can clearly be afraid of things around us. 46:17 We can be afraid of other people, and what they think. 46:21 We can be afraid of, are we really going to be saved 46:24 and afraid for salvation? 46:26 We can be afraid of death or fear what's going to happen 46:29 to a loved one or fear of the future. 46:31 There are so many fears, but God says, 46:34 "I sought the Lord, and He heard me, 46:37 and delivered me from all my fears." 46:41 I love 1 John 4:18, 46:42 "There is no fear in love 46:44 because perfect love, it casts out fear." 46:47 So God does not just deliver us from bondage and addiction, 46:51 He does not just deliver us from trouble or from fear. 46:54 He also delivers us from sin. 46:56 Matthew 1:21, 46:59 "He shall save His people from their sins." 47:03 Let's turn to the Book of Romans. 47:05 Romans 6, you know, I love the Book of Romans, 47:07 it's probably my favorite all time book. 47:10 If you look at Romans Chapter 6, 47:12 we have this whole analogy of death to sin, 47:17 death to the old man or old woman, 47:21 that death and the symbolism of the burial with baptism 47:25 into that watery grave, 47:27 and then you and I rise up to newness of life. 47:32 We can live in the Spirit by the power of the Spirit. 47:37 Romans 6:16. 47:40 "Do you not know that to whom you present yourself 47:42 slaves to obey, 47:44 you are that one's slaves to whom you obey, 47:46 whether of sin leading to death, 47:48 or of obedience leading to righteousness?" 47:50 That just means every morning and every moment 47:53 of the day. 47:54 You and I have a choice. 47:56 Are we going to follow Jesus? 47:57 Are we going to say yes to Him when He calls for our hearts? 48:00 Are we going to choose to walk in our own way, 48:03 which is by default, walking in the way of the enemy? 48:07 Verse 17, 48:08 "But God be thanked 48:10 that though you were slaves of sin, 48:11 yet you obeyed from the heart 48:13 that form of doctrine to which you were delivered." 48:14 Verse 18, 48:16 "Having been set free from sin, 48:20 you became slaves of righteousness." 48:22 Having been set free from sin. 48:25 Do you want to be set free from sin? 48:27 Is sin binding you in its clutches? 48:31 Jesus came that you and I 48:33 could be set free. 48:37 It was a hot day, 48:39 Greg and I had come home from work. 48:41 And we had to go out and visit some church members. 48:43 And at the end of the day, 48:44 we opened up the door going into the garage, 48:48 and the heat in the garage just hit me in the face. 48:52 I looked at the little temperature gauge 48:54 know the garage door open 48:55 and it has a little temperature gauge. 48:56 And it said it was 100 degrees in the garage. 48:58 Now 100 degrees in California might not feel so bad 49:01 or in Phoenix, Arizona 'cause it's a dry heat, 49:03 but 100 degrees in Southern Illinois is hot, 49:08 humid, sticky. 49:10 And we were just about ready to get in the car. 49:14 And I heard this noise fluttering kind of at the roof. 49:18 So I looked up and there was a hummingbird, 49:21 itty-bitty hummingbird right at the peak of the roof. 49:25 And if it was 100 degrees where we were there, 49:29 I know, it had to be hotter at the peak 'cause heat rises. 49:33 And so we open up the garage door, 49:35 and I thought maybe he's gonna be smart 49:40 and fly out because he would die, 49:43 if he stayed in the garage he was gonna die. 49:46 So maybe he's gonna fly out and recognize 49:48 that the doors open, recognize there's an easy way out. 49:51 All he has to do is come down a bit from the rafters 49:54 and fly out to the open door, but he didn't do that. 49:58 And so then I ran outside and I tried plan number two, 50:01 and I grabbed the hummingbird feeder which is bright red 50:04 and I carried it in the garage, and I held it up and I thought, 50:07 well, maybe he's gonna see the red and be attracted 50:10 and come down and then when he lands on it, 50:12 I can pull him outside, but that failed too. 50:16 So Greg tried plan three. 50:18 He grabbed the ladder, opened it up, 50:21 pulled on some old work gloves, 50:23 and he climbed up the ladder to the top of it, 50:26 and then he stepped down to the rafters. 50:29 And I kind of held my breath 'cause I'm afraid of heights 50:31 as he stepped from rafter to rafter 50:34 until he got right underneath where the hummingbird was. 50:38 He reached up his gloved hands and he caught her. 50:42 And she began to squawk in a way I have never heard 50:45 hummingbird squawk. 50:47 He wasn't crushing her. So it wasn't from pain. 50:49 I don't know if it was fear, 50:50 I don't know, but it was a loud squawk. 50:52 And then he's holding the hummingbird, 50:54 stepping from rafter to rafter until he got right over 50:59 where the ladder was. 51:01 And then he stepped and started walking down 51:03 the rungs of the ladder. 51:05 I'm holding the ladder. 51:06 He comes down, walks outside the garage, 51:11 and I'm there with a hummingbird feeder. 51:12 He opens up the gloved hands. 51:15 And the bird was so tired. 51:18 It was so worn out. 51:21 It didn't try to fly. 51:22 It didn't try to fight. 51:24 It did nothing, but just lay there. 51:27 And I could see his little eyes. 51:29 And so I held the hummingbird feeder 51:30 as close as I could to Greg's gloved hands, 51:34 and picked out its little beak. 51:36 And it began to drink. 51:38 And we just watched in wonder 'cause when do you have 51:41 the opportunity to be that close to a hummingbird? 51:44 We just watched in wonder is it drank, 51:46 and drank, and drank. 51:49 Pretty soon it got just enough strength. 51:52 And it lifted off. 51:54 And it flew away. 51:57 And we got in the car, it was really hot, 52:00 started driving over to see the church member. 52:04 And I was reminded of how many times 52:08 I have walked in the ways of my own choosing. 52:12 I've gotten stuck at the peak of the roof, 52:16 stuck in some sort of sin, 52:18 stuck in some sort of addiction. 52:22 And I couldn't figure out how to get out. 52:25 I refused the easy way. 52:28 Jesus opened the garage door and said just come to Me. 52:31 It's great, come, forgiveness, 52:34 healing, acceptance, deliverance. 52:38 It's right here. 52:39 And I continued my dance with sin, 52:43 my dance with death 52:47 at the very top of the roof. 52:49 And so Jesus had gotten out the ladder. 52:55 How often had he climbed the ladder of my stubbornness 53:00 and pride reaching out scarred hands 53:05 to pick me up, exhausted from my battle, 53:09 desperate to find a way out. 53:13 And the strange thing is, how often had I cried out 53:19 against the very thing he was using to bring me home? 53:22 You see, it was those scarred hands 53:23 that He used to bring me home. 53:25 It was those scarred hands that He was using. 53:28 He wanted to bring redemption. 53:30 He wanted to bring healing. 53:32 He wanted to bring forgiveness. 53:36 And yet I squawked out against the very thing 53:41 that He used to bring me home. 53:46 When I got outside the garage, 53:51 he opened up His hands again because that's who our God is. 53:56 He gives you and I freedom to choose. 53:59 He gives you and I the ability, He saves us. 54:04 And then He opens up His hands. 54:05 And He says, 54:07 "You're free My daughter, Jill, 54:09 you're free, My son, whatever your name is. 54:12 You're free. 54:14 You can make a choice. 54:15 You can go back in the garage, you can dance with sin, 54:19 you can die, or you can be free. 54:21 You have a whole world out here. 54:24 I died to set you free, 54:26 but it is still your choice." 54:30 I don't know where you are in your walk with God. 54:34 Does it feel as if God is silent? 54:37 Does it feel as if He is far away? 54:41 Does it feel as if He doesn't hear? 54:43 I want to tell you today that our God He hears 54:47 that our God He cares, 54:50 that our God He understands, 54:54 that our God He comforts, 54:56 that our God accompanies you, 54:59 walks with you through anything, 55:02 that our God He answers, 55:05 most importantly, our God delivers. 55:09 Do you want to be set free from bondage? 55:11 Do you want to be set free from sin? 55:12 Do you want to be set free from trouble? 55:15 Do you want to be set free from fear? 55:18 Open up your heart to Him. 55:20 He says, "Whoever the Son sets free is free indeed." 55:25 Let's pray. 55:26 Holy Father, we come before You 55:28 in the name of Jesus. 55:30 And we are so grateful for the gift of Jesus. 55:33 We're so grateful that in You, we have hope of eternal life. 55:39 And right now I just want to say a special prayer. 55:41 For my brothers and sisters who are watching, 55:43 God, those who are in difficulty, 55:45 those who are in trouble, 55:47 those who walk in poverty, 55:50 those who are struggling with temptation, 55:53 those who walk in loneliness, and fear, 55:56 and addiction. 55:59 God, would You reveal Yourself in their silent time? 56:05 Would You reveal who You are? 56:09 Would You reveal that You are a God who cares, 56:11 and You are a God who understands, 56:13 and You are a God who comforts? 56:15 Would you speak to them through Your Word, God, 56:18 through the anointing of Your Holy Spirit? 56:22 Thank You for coming to set us free. 56:26 And we give You praise and glory 56:27 because of who You are, 56:29 and what You have done. 56:31 And what You will do in our lives 56:34 and we ask all this, 56:36 in the precious and holy name of Jesus. 56:38 Amen. 56:40 What a gift 56:41 that you and I have the opportunity 56:44 to spend time in God's Word. 56:46 What a gift that you and I have been granted 56:49 not only the gift of salvation, 56:52 but the hope of eternal life 56:54 and the anointing of the Holy Spirit. 56:58 So I just want to encourage you to write to us here at 3ABN. 57:03 We love to hear from you. 57:04 We love to hear what you are going through 57:06 and how we can pray for you. 57:08 We love to hear the victories that God has given you 57:12 in your life. 57:14 And we want to be able to share those as well. 57:16 We want to pray with and for you. 57:19 No matter where you are, no matter what you have done, 57:22 you are not alone. 57:24 God is with you. 57:25 He loves you and He wants to deliver you. |
Revised 2021-09-28