Are you afraid, discouraged, disappointed, or depressed? Do you feel exhausted or alone? Have you found yourself dealing with self-pity and self-condemnation? Have you ever reached the point where you wondered whether life is worth living? In some form or another, the prophet Elijah dealt with these very issues, but he wasn’t the only one. God’s people have experienced these trials throughout Scripture and throughout history. In this message from David Platt from 1 Kings 19:1–18, we’ll see why we have reason for hope in every circumstance. The God who created us and sustains us also pursues his people, even in their darkest days. Regardless of our feelings, fears, or circumstances, those who are trusting in Christ can rest in God’s character and his promises.
Are you afraid, discouraged, disappointed, or depressed? Do you feel exhausted or alone? Have you found yourself dealing with self-pity and self-condemnation? Have you ever reached the point where you wondered whether life is worth living? In some form or another, the prophet Elijah dealt with these very issues, but he wasn’t the only one. God’s people have experienced these trials throughout Scripture and throughout history. In this message from David Platt from 1 Kings 19:1–18, we’ll see why we have reason for hope in every circumstance. The God who created us and sustains us also pursues his people, even in their darkest days. Regardless of our feelings, fears, or circumstances, those who are trusting in Christ can rest in God’s character and his promises.
You are listening to Radical with David Platt, a weekly podcast with sermons and messages from pastor, author and teacher David Platt. If you have a Bible and I hope you or somebody around you does that you can look on with. Let me invite you to open with me to First Kings, chapter 19. First Kings, chapter 19,. If you need to use the table of contents, feel free to do so and while you're turning, I want to welcome those of you in Arlington, moco, pw, loudon, as well as others online who are physically unable to be with us today. It's good to be together around God's word, and especially for those of you who are visiting with our church family today. I want to welcome you. My name is David Platt, I'm one of the pastors and we are really glad you are here. We are in week four of a series that we are calling being With God. So in week one, pastor Mike walk us through John, chapter 15, verse nine, and reminded us that being with God is the goal of life, enjoying and abiding in God and his love for us. If you remember John 15, nine, say it out loud with me. Jesus said as the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. Yes, live every day, abiding in love, relationship with God. That then led to the next week, where we walked through Jesus' teaching in Matthew, chapter six to go into a room each day, close the door and pray to God with nobody else around, just you and God together, and we talked about how that practice will not just revolutionize your prayer life, it will revolutionize your entire life. And that day we kicked off 21 days of prayer and fasting as a church. You can still find resources for that, even if you're just joining in at this point in McLeanbibleorg slash. 21 days. That brought us to week three, where last Sunday, mike led us to think about being with God and the chaos and the busyness of life, how we can practice the presence of God amidst everything going on in our schedules. And all of that now leads us to week four, where we're gonna talk today about being with God in the dark, and I share that title with you in a sense to prepare you for the next few moments, because if we're gonna talk about being with God amidst dark days in our lives, then we need to be honest about what it's like to be there in the dark, and one of my hopes for today is that, when you think about being with God in the dark, that you will realize you are not alone. And I don't just mean that God is with you during dark days, although I hope and have prayed that you would see and feel that reality at a deeper level. Today, I want you to see that God is with you is not just a trite religious phrase. It is a sorrow, transforming joy, inducing death, defying life, giving rock like no other in this world to know that God is with you. But I also want you to see and feel that you're not alone. In the history of God's people, all throughout this book, we see men and women, worshipers of God, followers of Jesus, in really hard, dark places. And I want to show you one of them today, one of the heroes of the Bible, one of the heroes of faith Elijah. So here's the setup God's people had become idolatrous under the reign of King Ahab and they were worshiping the Canaanite rain, god Bale, believing that if they prayed to Bale, then Bale would bring the rain and fertility to the land and food to their tables. So God called Elijah to confront King Ahab and 450 prophets of Bale. That story is told in 1 Kings 18. And Elijah did it. Elijah prayed and fire fell from heaven. Then he prayed again and, though it hadn't rained in years, it started pouring. Talk about a spiritual high. When you pray and fire and rain fall from the sky, it's been a good day, amen. But then watch this as Ahab's wife, jezebel. Here's what had happened 1 Kings, chapter 19, verse one Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword. Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah saying so may the gods do to me, and more also, if I do not make your life as the life of one of them by this time tomorrow. So Jezebel, an evil woman with all the resources of the kingdom at her disposal, just said she's going to kill Elijah today, in verse three. So now we'll just read the whole story. Then Elijah was afraid and he arose and ran for his life and came to Beersheba, which belongs to Judah, and left his servant there, but he himself on a day's journey into the wilderness and came and sat down under a broom tree and he asked that he might die, saying it is enough. Now, o Lord, take away my life, for I am no better than my father's. And he lay down and slept under a broom tree and behold, an angel touched him and said to him arise and eat. And he looked and behold, there was at his head a cake baked on hot stones in a jar of water. And he ate and drank and lay down again. The angel of the Lord came a second time and touched him and said arise and eat, for the journey is too great for you. And he arose and ate and drank and went, in the strength of that food, 40 days and 49th, to Horeb, the Mount of God. There he came to a cave and lodged in it and behold, the word of the Lord came to him and said and he said to him what are you doing here, elijah? He said I've been very jealous for the Lord, the God of hosts, for the people of Israel have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars and killed your prophets with a sword and I, even I only, am left and they seek my life to take it away. And he said go out and stand on the Mount before the Lord. And behold, the Lord passed by and a great and strong wind tore the mountains and broke in pieces the rocks before the Lord. But the Lord was not in the wind. And after the wind, and earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. And after the earthquake, a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire, the sound of a low whisper. When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face and his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. And behold, there came a voice to him and said what are you doing here, elijah? He said I have been very jealous for the Lord, the God of hosts, for the people of Israel have forsaken your covenant, throw down your altars and killed your prophets with a sword, and I, even I only, am left and they seek my life to take it away. And the Lord said to him go, return on your way to the built wilderness of Damascus, and when you arrive, you shall anoint Haseel to be king over Syria, and Jehu, the son of Nimshi, you shall anoint to be king over Israel, and Elisha, the son of Shaffa, of Abel Mehalah, you shall anoint to be prophet in your place. And the one who escaped from the sword of Haseel shall Jehu put to death, and the one who escaped from the sword of Jehu shall Elisha put to death. Yet I will leave 7,000 in Israel, all the knees that have not bowed to Baal, in every mouth that has not kissed him. All right, so let's think together about this dark moment in Elijah's life. So we don't know all that was going on in his mind and heart, but we have some pretty clear clues to his physical, mental, emotional, relational and spiritual state at this point. I was studying this passage this week. I just I just listed out all the different descriptors that seemed to mark Elijah. So Elijah was clearly afraid. Verse three explicitly tells us that Elijah was discouraged. He had courage to stand against the king and 450 prophets the day before. Now he's running with no courage. He's discouraged, and not just discouraged, but disappointed and dejected. It sure seems like Elijah thought, Now the fires fallen from heaven and rain from the sky, surely the spiritual battle is over and all the people will turn back to God. But the next day the battle is still going on. Things are not working out the way Elijah thought they would. He's disappointed and dejected, and it seems like it's led Elijah to depression and despair. And I hesitate to use depression because it's not like we have enough in this text to offer a clinical diagnosis, the way this term is often used today, but I'm describing here a clear level of heaviness that leads Elijah to say it's enough, I don't even wanna go on. And not just I don't wanna go on in ministry or in this activity. Elijah is having thoughts about not wanting to go on in life. Lord, take away my life, I can't take it anymore. Yet he's conflicted, right, because the whole reason he's running from Jezebel is he wants to save his life, and that's just it. He's so conflicted with all these thoughts and emotions that he doesn't know what he wants. Maybe what he wants at one moment is different than what he wants at another moment. And in the end he's exhausted, he's physically tired, he's weary. As he lays down with all these thoughts and emotions overwhelming him and he falls asleep. And then, as we go on in the story, a couple of other realities we've seen Elijah he's alone. In one sense he makes sure he's alone by leaving his servant behind, and in the other sense he just feels alone. I'm the only prophet left, I, and I only am walking through this, which leads to two other pictures I'll point out here Self-pity and self-condemnation. Elijah's pretty focused on everything that's wrong in his life, in the world and how that's affecting him. And Elijah's pretty hard on a lot of people, including himself. I'm no better than my father, she says Elijah, essentially saying the prophets before me failed to see all they wanted to see among God's people, and now I'm a failure too. So you put all that together, this is a pretty dark spot, isn't it? And my point in bringing us to this passage today is, in part, to show you that, yes, this is a dark spot and it's a familiar spot for God's people, for worshipers of God, followers of Jesus, all throughout this book and all throughout this gathering today. So I wanna do something that brings all of our stories into this story. So here we go. There's eight questions total. We won't hit on all the things that Elijah experienced, that we might experience, but here's the first one, on a scale of one to five how much do you currently struggle with fear? So you'd put one if you'd say I'm not struggling with fear at all right now. You'd put five if you'd say I'm struggling a lot with fear right now or anywhere in between two, three or four. Then the second question, on a scale of one to five how much do you currently struggle with discouragement, either not at all or a lot or somewhere in between. Third, on a scale of one to five, how much are you currently struggling with exhaustion? I don't feel exhausted at all or I feel exhausted a lot or somewhere in between. Fourth, on a scale of one to five, how much are you currently struggling with physical pain? And just to be clear, we don't see evidence of physical pain beyond exhaustion in Elijah, but that's certainly something we see in similar stories throughout the Bible and I know it's represented in this gathering. So that's the fourth question. And number five, back to what we do see in Elijah, on a scale of one to five, how much do you currently struggle with loneliness, with feeling alone? And number six on a scale of one to five, how much do you currently struggle with self-pity or self-condemnation? And I realize that those two things are different, although they can often go together, but if you experience either one, indicate that for this question. So self-pity and or self-condemnation. Then number seven, two more and they're related. First, on a scale of one to five, how often does thoughts or does a thought cross your mind similar to what Elijah said about not wanting to go on? And I'm intentionally phrasing that question a certain way to be sensitive on a lot of levels when you think about what Elijah was saying in First Kings 19, four. How often does that thought cross your mind and then related to that? So not just this. Last question is a yes or no question and it looks at your entire life, so not just right now, but including your past. Has a thought like Elijah expressed about not wanting to go on ever entered your life at any point and enter your mind at any point in your life? Just yes or no? So, as you answer these questions, and thank you for your participation in this, what I wanna do now is to step back and just get a sense of where we are as a gathering, not just in this room, but in all the different locations. So in this gathering where we are hearing God speak to us through this word in this moment, what are we bringing in to this gathering? So let me pull up those results and you'll see them on the screen. On a scale of one to five, how much do you currently struggle with fear? And you'll see, basically at least over 60% of us in this gathering at some level. Three, four or five are struggling with some kind of fear. Second, on a scale of one to five, how much do you currently struggle with discouragement? And again, just doing the math, over 60% of us in this gathering are coming in with some level of discouragement. Number three how much of you are currently struggling with exhaustion? That's interesting For the 10% who are feeling really strong right now. Blessings upon you, praise God for his grace in that 10% and for basically 70% of us. There's some level of weariness and exhaustion we're bringing into this gathering right now and a very high percentage that are extremely exhausted About physical pain. Again, praise God for that. 40 and 30% at the same time, like that's 16, eight and four. You just think about all the different scenarios. That involves the people who are sitting around you right now struggling with physical pain and then with loneliness. There's close to 50%, close to half, with some level of struggling with loneliness in this large gathering of people. Number six self-pity, self-condemnation. Again, over half of the people in this gathering are struggling at some level three, four or five with self-pity or self-condemnation. Then, number seven how often the thoughts cross your mind similar to what Elijah said about not wanting to go on? I just wanna pause here and say, for those of you who put a high number on this. I wanna strongly encourage you to if you have not already share that with a trusted friend, mentor, family member, pastor, counselor, who can help you process that, and I wanna encourage you to do that today. It is not good and we'll talk about this for any of us to be alone as we walk through any of these things and especially these thoughts. Please reach out to somebody even before you leave today and if you don't know where to turn, we have pastors and leaders at all of our locations who can listen and pray with you, help you get connected to care. You can reach out to counseling at McLeanBibleorg. Please reach out to somebody today. It's no accident that you are hearing that encouragement in your life at this moment. And that leads to the last question. The reason I wanted to ask this question is because I want us to see how common this is, this thought, to so many people, most people's experiences, 65% of all ages. I remember the first time I had this thought when I was pretty young and I was scared by even having the thought. But there is a sense in which this thought is common among the majority of us in this fallen world and, without going into more detail here, there's even a sense in which this thought makes sense. In this fallen world, we long for another world, where sin and suffering and death will be no more. Paul himself said I desire to depart and be with Christ. That would be better by far, amen. But he obviously didn't let that thought lead him to take things out of God's hands or to do anything that would be dishonoring to God or others in the life that God had given to him. Which then leads us back to Elijah and the whole point of this exercise. I trust it's clear to us. Dark days are a reality in this world. Like I hope it changes your perspective on a gathering like this, to look around and you're not just sitting next to people who are filling a seat, you're sitting next to people who, right now, next to you, are walking through all kinds of fear, discouragement, loneliness, emotions, thoughts at deep levels, and so what does it mean to be with God alone in the dark? What do we learn from First Kings, chapter 19? And here's the one overarching truth I want you to hear God's saying to you today, amidst anything going on in your life, and if you're not walking through dark day right now in any way. Write this down and store it away in your heart and your mind for dark days that may be around the corner. So here's the truth. I'll put it up here on the screen In the dark. Don't forget that God is God, god is good and God is relentless in his pursuit of you and your good. Amen. Now, that is a loaded sentence that I wanna unpack, especially for those of you who are in the dark right now, and again for those of you who are not to hide this away. Store it in your heart for whatever lies ahead. So let's start from the end. God is relentless in his pursuit of you and your good. Is that not evident in Elijah's life? Elijah is running from God, from God's people, from God's land, from God's call and his life. It's almost Jonah-like, and like Jonah, elijah's saying I don't wanna go on. Yet where is God? Just like God was with Jonah, god is running after Elijah. He's right there with him, sends an angel to feed him. Here's something to eat, a jar of water to drink. Elijah eats and drinks from the nourishment that God provides, then goes back to sleep. This angel from God wakes him up again. Here's some more food and drink for you, and there's pretty good food and drink supplying strength for 40 days and nights, until Elijah comes to a cave and a mountain and God meets him there and speaks to him. This is exactly what David prayed in one of the most beloved Psalms in all the Bible. I'll put it up here Psalm 23. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil. Why? For you are with me there. You're with me in the valley. I'm not alone in the valley, you're rod and you're staff. They're comforting me in the valley. You are preparing a table before me, not just with me. You prepare a table for me in the presence of my enemies, anointing my head with oil, my cup overflowing surely. Without question, I know this Goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life. You see, that word follow, that word can be a bit misleading, because when we hear it we might have in our mind the Lord just kind of lagging behind us. If you're going to follow somebody, you stay behind them, maybe even keep a little difference distance between you and them, and I think that's many times how we think about God's love kind of lagging behind us, maybe a step behind, maybe even waiting for us to do something to earn it. That's not the imagery here. This word follow is all out active pursuit. It's like when I first saw Heather and decided I'm going to pursue her and there were obstacles in the way, most notably another guy, but that was not going to stop me from active, all out pursuit. I was not lagging behind, I was forging ahead so that whenever she turned around from him she would see me right there. And this Psalm 23 says is what God does in your life. He does not lag behind you, he relentlessly pursues you. Even if in our darkness we find ourselves running from God, god is running. Surely he is running after us. I know that in a gathering this size, there are many of you who are. If you're honest, you've been wandering from God. You're pretty distant from God right now, or maybe having a hard time trusting in God, maybe because of dark days. And I just want you to hear that right now, even in your running, god is relentlessly pursuing you with his goodness and mercy. You are not alone in the dark. God is right there with you and he is God Now you say. That seems like the most super obvious statement in the world. What do you mean by that? What are you saying here? Well, ironically, do you know what Elijah's name means? Elijah's name means the Lord is God. It's literally Yah or Yahweh is God, and I want you to think about this with me. Elijah has spent his life on the front lines fighting idolatry. Elijah spent his life saying, declaring there is only one true God. It's not Baal or any other God or idol or person or anything in this world. There's only one true God who is worthy of all our worship and worthy of all your trust. Baal doesn't sustain the land or your life. God is your sustainer. Baal doesn't provide for all you need. God is the provider of all you need. God alone is God. God alone is enough for all you need. But now do you see the irony here? Because these dark days are bringing to light idolatry in Elijah's life. Follow this Sure Elijah was not worshiping Baal. He wasn't looking to Baal for sustenance and provision. That's not where Elijah had put his hope. But Elijah had put his hope in things happening a certain way and people turning to God and him being the leader of this movement, and Elijah wanted so badly to be successful and safe in his ministry, that when it didn't happen like he wanted, his life came crashing down. And he came face to face with a question when my life doesn't work out the way I want, will God be enough for me? And it is the same question every single one of us will face multiple times in this fallen world. I'll put it up here on the screen when my life doesn't work out the way I want, will God be enough for me? Do you notice how many times the word enough is mentioned in this story? It's the question Elijah is facing and it's the question we all face. When life comes crashing down and things feel dark, will I trust that God is still God and God is enough? Think about all the questions we walk through that you answered. Will I trust that God is enough to comfort me in my fears and carry my sorrows? Will I trust that God is enough to strengthen me in my exhaustion, to sustain me in my pain and discouragement, to provide for my every need? Will I trust that God is enough to lead my life as the only one who is worthy of my worship? In other words, will I trust that God is God? Will I trust and worship God as enough, and dark days have a way of exposing idols in our lives. These dark days were in Elijah's life, exposing the fact that he wanted followed this a successful and safe ministry for God, more than he actually wanted God. And dark days in our lives have a way of exposing things, even good things, good circumstances, dreams people in this world that we actually want more than God? When our health fails, when we get that diagnosis, when we're in constant pain, do we actually want God more than health or healing or relief when we lose a person we love and we don't know how we can begin to go on? Do we trust that God is actually sufficient for us to go on? When your dreams for your life or your family or your children are not turning out the way you desire? Do you trust that God is God over unfulfilled dreams and even good desires? When people accuse you or attack you unjustly or unfairly, it's a good time to ask if you truly trust God as your defender and if you truly want God's glory more than you want your own reputation. Now, that thing, you want that health. You want that dream, you want that marriage, you want that child. You want that person. You want. All these things may be good, but none of them are God, Amen. And dark days bring to light the things we desire more than God, the things we trust in more than God, the things we cling to or hope in more than God, and follow this. God loves us so much that he will not ultimately let us hold on to hope or trust in circumstances or dreams or people that are not ultimately able to sustain and satisfy and provide for our deepest needs. God alone is sufficient to provide for all you need, and he will mercifully meet you in the dark and free you from idolatry, even idolatry of good things, so that your hope and your trust are grounded in the best thing, in God himself, not in the gifts we have in this world, but in the giver of every good gift, the God who loves you more than anyone or anything in this world, the God who loves you more than everyone and everything in this world put together in the dark. Do not forget that God is God, that God is the sustainer of your soul and the provider of all you need, that God is the all sufficient savior, deliverer, king and Lord of your life. Yes, yes, yes. Elijah needed to be reminded of this in the dark. He did not understand why this was happening or what God was doing. It made no sense to him. I don't understand. How is this good, god? Don't you want all these people to turn to you? Don't you want to protect me from these threats? And the only prophet left, god. What are you doing? Why is this happening? In the same way that you and I will find ourselves confused in the dark, in the same way that you and I will think I don't understand. How is this good? This makes no sense. Why did God let, or why is God letting, this happen? And Elijah needed to remember that God is God and God is not just God in the big, grandiose displays of glory, the world ends and the earthquakes and the fire. That God is God in the low whisper of his word. That when we don't see his glory in the grand displays, we desire to see whether it's bodies being healed or relationships being restored or enemies being stopped that God is still in the dark. And when we stop, that God is still God and his word is still true and rock solid, no matter how soft its whisper sounds, and that, as God, he is working. God gently says Elijah, you have no idea all that I'm doing. You have no idea that I actually have a lot of other people in prophets. Elijah, I'm in control. I am God and you are not, and I am working in ways you do not see and you can trust me. This is so important because some people will tell you when you're in the dark, it's okay to be angry with God. And I wanna say, be extremely cautious with that counsel. I don't have a lot of time for nuance now and it's certainly not wrong, when we're hurting, to ask God questions in faith amidst dark days. We see that all over the Bible. Just read the entire book of Habakkuk, or even Jesus himself on the cross as he asks my God, my God, why have you forsaken me? But Jesus is not. Jesus is never angry with God. Jesus is trusting in God. And don't forget that this is where sin actually starts with not trusting in God. Sin in this entire world started with a deceiving voice speaking to a created being saying you can't trust your creator. He doesn't know or want what's best for you. Look at what he's doing, look at what he's withholding from you. So whenever a voice whispers in your ear saying you should have all your heart's desires, including the good thing in front of you that God is keeping or taking away from you. You can't trust him. You can be sure that voice is coming from the pit of hell. Do not listen to that voice. It will take you to much darker places. Don't forget God is God, which means that you are not. God is worthy of all your trust, which means that you are not worthy of all your trust, and we need to remember this, and it's all the thoughts and emotions we have in dark days. We need to remember that we are created beings and we have a perfect, holy creator who does no wrong and who knows infinitely better than we do what is right and good. And that's the point In the dark. Don't forget that God is God and God is good, amen. So I'm running out of time, but you gotta see this Elijah had no idea how good God is and where all this was going. God says, elijah, this work in this world is gonna go on long after you. You can trust me with that and you can trust me with your life in this world and beyond this world. So when you fast forward, you might turn over to 2 Kings, chapter two, just a couple of chapters to the right. Elijah didn't see God's glory in the earthquake and the wind and the fire in 1 Kings 19. But look at what happened in 2 Kings, chapter two, verse 11, as he and Elijah, his successor, were walking along together, as they still went on and talked, behold chariots of fire and horses of fire separated the two of them and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven. And Elijah saw it and he cried my father, my father, the chariots of Israel and its horsemen. And he saw him no more. Amen, it's like God was saying in 1 Kings 19,. Elijah, just wait In the dark, just trust in the low whisper of my voice to sustain you until the day when the earth shakes beneath you and the wind swirls around you and horses and chariots of fire come and pick you up and bring you home to glory. Elijah, you have no idea all I have in store for you and you know what. Not even that is the end of Elijah's story. We read this when we walked through the book of Mark, mark, chapter nine, verse two, when one day, after six days, jesus took with him Peter and James and John, led them on a high mountain by themselves and he was transfigured before them. His clothes became radiant, intensely white, as no one on earth could bleach them, and there appeared to them who Elijah with Moses, and they were talking with Jesus. Elijah would one day find himself on another high mountain with Peter and James and John and Moses, and together they would see the glory of God in the face of Jesus himself. Elijah had no idea what God was doing in the dark of First Kings 19. He had no idea how God was working for his good, and I share this, because this is God's word for everyone in this gathering who trusts in God, for everyone who turns from your sin and yourself and trust in Jesus as the savior and Lord of your life. You have no idea how good he is and how he is working right now for your good, and you may not be able to see it or understand it right now. But just listen in this moment to God in the whisper of his word to all who trust in Jesus Romans 8, 18,. For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to you Romans 8, 28,. We know that for those who love God, all things, everything, even the hardest, darkest things. All things are working together for good for those who are called according to his purpose, for those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his son in order that he might be the firstborn of my many brothers and those that be predestined he also called. Those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also. He will glorify. First Corinthians 2, 9,. What know I has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man can even imagine what God has in store, prepared for those who love him. And one day, one day very soon, could be. Today, the earth is going to shake, and first Thessalonians 4, 16,. The Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, with the sound of the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise. We who are alive are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will always be with the Lord. And when that happens, revelation chapter 21, says he will wipe every tear from our eyes and death shall be no more. Neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things will have passed away. For all who trust that God is God and God is good. And God has relentlessly pursued your good by sending his own son to die for your sin and rise from the dead, you can know there is coming a day when fear will be no more, thank you, when discouragement, disappointment and dejection will be no more, when depression, disorders, diagnoses from doctors and disease itself will be no more, when cancer and tumors and physical pain and exhaustion will be no more, when loneliness and loss will be no more, when sin, condemnation and death itself will be no more. All that's left will be life, good, glorious, never ending, all satisfying life that we will experience forever with God, thank you. So don't run from God in the dark. Run to God in the dark. He is the light. On a purely practical level, this week, those of you who are walking in the dark do these things. I'm just going to list them out Get alone with God and honestly, faithfully, pray to Him. Go into your room, just like Jesus says, close the door, you and God, and cry out to Him Honestly, with all your hurts and all your questions and all your confusion, and faithfully, full of faith. Full of faith, trusting in Him as God and trusting that he hears you and he will help you in every way that you and others ultimately need. Jesus has made it possible for you to be on the mountainside with God in the darkness of your life. So go there with Him this week, with honesty and with faith, and then, second, listen to the whisper of His voice and His word. As you pray, you'll be asking for all kinds of things, so ask for healing, for restoration, for resolution, for an end to this or that, and as you speak, make sure to take time to stop and listen and write down verses, promises, truths from God and His word, reminders from God and His word, and take time to meditate on them, memorize them. God's word is the rock you need to stand on. I know from experience there is nothing in this world like getting alone with God in the dark and letting His word speak to the depth of your heart with comfort and strength and help. And feel free to ask others for help in finding verses, truths, promises in God's word that can be helpful for you, which leads to the third encouragement I would give share with others how they can be praying for or with you in the darkness. Do not do any of this, ultimately, alone. I cannot imagine walking through dark days without the help of brothers and sisters praying for me, encouraging me, weeping with me, rejoicing with me, ultimately walking with me through the darkness. I know beyond the shadow of a doubt, I would not be standing here if I didn't have brothers and sisters who've walked with me through dark days. Don't do it alone. And in all of this number four, don't forget that God is God, god is good and God is relentless in His pursuit of you and your good. So, as we close, I want to lead us, with all the things going on in each of our lives, to God. I want to give you a couple moments just between you and God With this question. Here it is what is God calling you to trust Him with in the dark today? Maybe in your life, maybe in somebody else's life? There's in the darkness that you're walking alongside them. I want to give you a moment to be with God in the dark and to say either God, I trust you with this, or maybe it's God to help me to trust you with this. I want to give you just a couple of moments with all that's going on in your heart and mind, life and family. It's a couple of moments alone with God, and then I or another location pastor will lead us from there. Just spend a couple moments with God in the dark. And what is he calling you to trust Him with as you continue in prayer? I do want to ask every person within the sound of my voice have you put your trust in God with your life? Have you trusted in Jesus, turned from your sin in yourself and said I trust in Jesus to save me from my sin, restore me to relationship with God and to be the Lord of my life? And through all of this it starts, and you've never done that. Think about one new brother in Christ I was talking with in the lobby in between gatherings. Today. He came up to me with tears in his eyes, saying today, for the first time, I trust in God with my life. I invite you, if that's you, to say right now, in this moment God, I trust that you are God and you are Lord of my life. Just to say I believe, jesus, that you died on the cross for my sins, rose from the dead so that I could be forgiven and, free of sin, brought into relationship with you as you put your trust in him, know that God has been relentless in bringing you to this point and his goodness and mercy will follow you from this point all the days of your life. Which leads to an opportunity I want us to take to pray for one another in this gathering, and so in just a minute, if you would say either I'm walking through some darkness and I would love for some people just to pray for me, or maybe there's somebody here that you're walking through darkness with and they're not able to be here and you want to stand on their behalf, either way, I'm going to invite you, either if you're walking through darkness or on behalf of somebody who's not able to be here. If you'd like for just some people to gather around, put a hand on your shoulders. Nobody asked you, is going to ask you all the details of what you're going through. You obviously can share that at any point after we've prayed, but I want us to have a moment where we just gather around each other in the darkness and remind each other you're not alone, you're not alone. I just want to lead us in prayer, praying God's word over each other. So all across this room and other locations. If you would say, yeah, I'm walking through some darkness and I'd love for people to pray over me. Just I need an extra measure of grace. Or if you would want to stand on somebody else's behalf, is not able to be here in that way, and can I invite you to stand right now all across this room? I hope I trust you know this is there's total freedom in this room. This is not just a gathering where we kind of sit in seats and watch what happens on the stage, like we're coming together with all these things going on in our lives. So we gather around each other, we pray for each other. So I hope you feel freedom, comfort, encouragement and don't think well, I don't know if what I'm walking through or this circumstance is as dark as some of these others. It's not about comparison. If you would just say I need an extra measure of grace in my life or on behalf of somebody else that I'm standing for, I just stand. Let me give you just a few more seconds. Anybody else? Still some folks standing, anybody else? Okay, I know there's folks standing across this room. I don't know what that looks like at every location, but so for those of you who are sitting. If you see anybody near you who's standing, I want to invite you to get up now and go gather around them. Let's just put hand on their shoulders and so everybody else stand, and if there's anybody near you, go toward them and I'm going to lead us, just in prayer. I'm going to voice a prayer for all of us. The way corporate prayer works, it's like one person praying on behalf of all of us and to the extent of which what I pray is something you agree with. Then just say amen or yes, god, and just we'll lift up our hearts together in unison before God, for each other. So let's pray right now. Oh God, our Father, we praise you as God, as the all powerful, all wise, all loving God, who is worthy of all our trust and all our worship and all our hope. You are our rock, our shield, our defender, our refuge, our fortress, and so we come before you right now, on behalf of those who are walking through dark days. God, we pray that, even in this moment, as we gather around them, that they would know and feel in a deep way that they are not alone. They would know we are with them and, ultimately, that you are with them, that you are a refuge and strength and an ever present help in trouble, that they would know Psalm 37, that you uphold them with your righteous right hand, all who trust in you. God, we pray for your strength over them, for supernatural strength in their weakness. God, we pray for your peace over them, peace that passes all understanding. Please guard their hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. With your peace, we pray for your comfort. We pray for the comfort of your Holy Spirit, for supernatural comfort amidst their hurts and pains. God, we pray for deliverance from all fear. We pray that you would remove fear through trust in you, even in this moment, that they would not worry or be anxious or afraid. They would hear your word in place, like Isaiah 43, fear not, I have redeemed you. I've called you by name and you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you. When you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through fire, you will not be burned, because I am the Lord, your God. You are precious and honored in my sight and I love you. God, may they feel that reality in this moment as they look to you and trust in you. You keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on you. God, we pray for your peace, like we sang earlier here in the middle of chaos, peace that makes no sense, we pray for joy. We pray for supernatural joy that transcends suffering. God, we pray for your help in every way they need. You are Jehovah Jireh. The Lord will provide. This is who you are. You show your glory as the provider for your people, so provide, we pray, the strength, peace, comfort, wisdom, help, hope and faith. God, we pray for their faith. We pray they would help them to be steadfast in faith. We pray for their faith on days when faith is hard to come by and moments when faith is hard to come by. We pray for grace, amidst all the questions and confusion. God, we pray that as they keep their eyes fixed on you, you would lead them, guide them, direct them and work all of this together for good in ways far beyond what we can ask or imagine, as we, together, look forward to the day when these things will be no more, when these dark days will be no more. We long for the day Come, lord Jesus, when there will be no more sin, no more suffering, no more crying and no more pain. Bring it about. We pray, we look forward to that day and we pray, god, help us to hold fast from this day until that day, working all these things for our good, for others' good for the spread of the gospel and your glory. And we pray that you would help us in the midst of dark days in this world, to point others to the hope that's found. And you, god, we pray that people would experience salvation from you as they see us walk through dark days with trust in you. We pray all of this in the powerful, matchless name of Jesus, our Savior, who died on the cross for our sins, our King, who has conquered death and the grave. We pray all of this in Jesus' name and all God's people said together amen, amen. We hope you've enjoyed this week's episode of Radical with David Platt. For more resources from David Platt, we invite you to visit radicalnet.