Hope In The Midst Of Sorrow

Headlines can break your heart; Scripture can steady your hands. We open with praise and a raw story from the news, then move into prayer, seeking the God who meets the powerless and realigns our priorities. From there we walk through marriage teaching that confronts a consumer mindset with mutual authority, consent, and prayerful rhythms designed to protect trust and joy. It’s a counterculture vision that builds covenant strength instead of quick exits.

We read Matthew 27 and linger at the cross: the mockery, the darkness at noon, the torn curtain, the earthquake, and a centurion’s confession. The scene refuses to sanitize pain. Instead, it tells the truth about sin and love in the same breath, and it anchors our hope when loss, fear, and injustice hit home. Psalm 34 answers with a practice of praise, a call to fear the Lord, and a promise that those who take refuge in Him lack no good thing. That holy fear is not panic; it is reverent clarity about authority and consequence that guards families and communities from avoidable harm.

We press into practical wisdom from Proverbs: the wise welcome correction, mockers despise it. One soft answer can stop a feud before it starts. Then we zoom out to history and civic life, naming how ideologies form uneasy alliances against faith and liberty—and why spiritual renewal must lead cultural renewal. Noah Webster’s counsel lands hard and helpful: Scripture shapes character better than any other book, and a people formed by the Bible are equipped for freedom, justice, and mercy. We close with the hope of eternal life in Christ, praying the Lord’s Prayer and blessing families, marriages, and nations.

If this encouraged you, share it with a friend, leave a quick review, and subscribe so you never miss new episodes. Your notes and shares help more people find truth and hope when they need it most.

#NoahWebster #HistoryoftheUnitedStates #DailyScripture 

Transcript

Praise And Opening Prayer

SPEAKER_01 0:02

Psalm thirty four verses one through three I will praise the Lord at all times. I will constantly speak his praises. I will boast only in the Lord. Let all who are helpless take heart. Come let us tell of the Lord's greatness. Let us exalt his name together. 22nd of March 2024, Grand Rapids, Michigan. Ruby Garcia, 25-year-old woman, was shot multiple times and killed during an argument with her boyfriend, then left along a highway by Brandon Ortiz Vit Vite, illegal immigrant from Mexico who had been previously deported already in 2020. Hey folks, this is Jesse Cope, back with another episode of the American Soul Podcast. Glad you could join us. Sure do appreciate you giving me some of your time and attention, a little piece of your day. I will try and use it wisely for those of y'all who continue to share the podcast with others and tell others about it. Thank you for those of y'all who continue to pray for me and for the podcast. Thank you very much. Very grateful for your prayers. Father, thank you for today. Thank you for you, Father, and your Son Jesus Christ and your Holy Spirit. Thank you for your love and your mercy, your grace and your forgiveness of sins. Through the merit of your son Jesus Christ.

SPEAKER_00 1:31

Thank you that we can come to you, Father, when we feel powerless, helpless, overwhelmed, alone, sunken under the weight of our burdens, under the weight of our sins.

SPEAKER_01 1:48

That we can come to you through your Son Jesus Christ, whose burden is light, whose yoke is easy, and have forgiveness of all our sins because of his life and death and resurrection. Forgive us our sins, Father. Forgive us when we forget, forgive us when we get focused on other things, when we get our priorities in the wrong order, when we try and force you to be on our side instead of being worried about being on your side, because your side is always the right side. Help us to spread the gospel of your Son Jesus Christ. Help us to care for the widow and the orphan, the poor and the needy, and help us to care for those who defend us, Father.

SPEAKER_00 2:42

Our law enforcement, our firefighters, EMS, our military, and their families. And those who care for us spiritually, Father, our pastors and priests, and their families, their wives and their children.

SPEAKER_01 2:59

Guide our steps, Father, please. Guide my words here in your son's name. We pray.

unknown 3:05

Amen.

SPEAKER_01 3:09

Marriage verse for today.

SPEAKER_00 3:14

I think actually we're going to read this one again.

Reading The Crucifixion In Matthew 27

Trust And Fear Of The Lord In Psalm 34

Wisdom From Proverbs On Correction

Support, Reviews, And Book Mention

Terror, Ideologies, And Liberty

Medal Of Honor: William John Brewer

SPEAKER_01 3:20

Go a little out of order. 1 Corinthians 7 verses 2 through 6. But since sexual immorality is occurring, each man should have sexual relations with his own wife, and each woman with her own husband. The husband should fulfil his marital duty to his wife, and likewise the wife to her husband. The wife does not have authority over her own body, but yields it to her husband. In the same way the husband does not have authority over his own body, but yields it to his wife. Do not deprive each other except perhaps by mutual consent for a time, so that you may devote yourselves to prayer. Then come together again so that Satan will not tempt you because of your lack of self control. I say this as a concession, not as a command. Scripture for today, Matthew 27, verses thirty two through sixty-six. Along the way they came across a man named Simon, who was from Cyrene, and the soldiers forced him to carry Jesus' cross, and they went out to a place called Golgotha, which means place of the skull. The soldiers gave Jesus wine mixed with bitter gall, but when he had tasted it he refused to drink it. After they had nailed him to the cross, the soldiers gambled for his clothes by throwing dice. Then they sat around and kept guard as he hung there. A sign was fastened above Jesus' head, announcing the charge against him. It read, This is Jesus, the King of the Jews. Two revolutionaries were crucified with him, one on his right and one on his left. The people passed by, shouted abuse, shaking their heads in mockery. Look at you now, they yelled at him. You said you were going to destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days. Well then, if you are the Son of God, save yourself and come down from the cross. The leading priests, the teachers of religious law, and the elders also mocked Jesus. He saved others, they scoffed, but he can't save himself. So he is the king of Israel, is he? Let him come down from the cross right now, and we will believe in him. He trusted God, so let God rescue him now if he wants him, for he said, I am the Son of God. Even the revolutionaries who were crucified with him ridiculed him in the same way. At noon darkness fell across the whole land until three o'clock. At about three o'clock, Jesus called out with a loud voice. I'm not going to try that, folks. I've heard it a bunch of times, but which means, My God, my God, why have you abandoned me? Some of the bystanders misunderstood and thought he was calling for the prophet Elijah. One of them ran and filled a sponge with sour wine, holding it up to him on a reed stick so he could drink. But the rest said, Wait, let's see whether Elijah comes to save him. Then Jesus shouted out again and he released his spirit. At that moment the curtain in the sanctuary of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook, rocks split apart, and tombs opened. The bodies of many godly men and women who had died were raised from the dead. They left the cemetery after Jesus' resurrection, went into the holy city of Jerusalem, and appeared to many people. The Roman officer and the other soldiers at the crucifixion were terrified by the earthquake and all that had happened. They said, This man truly was the son of God. And many women who had come from Galilee with Jesus to care for him were watching from a distance. Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary, the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of James and John, the sons of Zebedee. As evening approached, Joseph, a rich man from Arimathea, who had become a follower of Jesus, went to Pilate and asked for Jesus' body. And Pilate issued an order to release it to him. Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a long sheet of clean linen cloth. He placed it in his own new tomb which had been carved out of the rock. Then he rolled a great stone across the entrance and left. Both Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were sitting across from the tomb and watching. The next day on the Sabbath the leading priests and Pharisees went to see Pilate. They told him, Sir, we remember what that deceiver once said while he was still alive. After three days I will rise from the dead. So we request that you seal the tomb until the third day. This will prevent his disciples from coming and stealing his body, and then telling everyone he was raised from the dead. If that happens, we'll be worse off than we were at first. Pilate replied, Take guards and secure it the best you can. So they sealed the tomb and posted guards to protect it. Psalm thirty four, verses one through ten. I will praise the Lord at all times. I will constantly speak his praises. I will boast only in the Lord, let all who are helpless take heart. Come, let us tell of the Lord's greatness, let us exalt his name together. Wonder how often, folks, I speak God's praises at all times, or I acknowledge my helplessness and my need for God's strength and the strength of Christ. I prayed to the Lord and He answered me. He freed me from all my fears. Those who look to Him for help will be radiant with joy. No shadow of shame will darken their faces. In my desperation I prayed, and the Lord listened. He saved me from all my troubles, for the angel of the Lord is a guard. He surrounds and defends all who fear him. Taste and see that the Lord is good. Oh the joys of those who take refuge in him. Fear the Lord, you his godly people, for those who fear him will have all they need. There's a lot of times we talk about this, folks, but there's a lot of times in the Bible where it talks about the fear of God. It's always a positive. So often today we look at being afraid of someone as a bad thing, but it's it's not. You should fear, for example, your parents as a child. Not in a horrible, abusive way, folks. And if you're already going there, you're you're not being genuine in the discussion. But as a positive, as people in authority, right? That care about you, that want to keep you out of trouble, that want to protect you. Right? There ought to be some fear, for example, that goes with law enforcement, with officers who uphold the law, who execute justice. And a positive, it's not a bad thing. When we don't have fear, that's when we get into trouble. That's when we end up doing the really stupid stuff. And of all things, God, who's perfect, who loves us so much that he gave his only son to die for our sins. There ought to be fear there for the consequences. Even strong young lions sometimes go hungry, but those who trust in the Lord will lack no good thing. Proverbs 9 verses 7 through 8. Anyone who rebukes a mocker will get an insult in return. Anyone who corrects the wicked will get hurt. So don't bother correcting mockers. They will only hate you. But correct the wise, and they will love you. Kind of says something about us, folks, doesn't it? If we can take constructive criticism, can take correction or not. And you know that from your own life. You look around at people that are able to take correction versus those that immediately start to resent it and make excuses, etc., etc. Ah, countryside. If you get a chance, if you're looking for a family-friendly middle-grade read, if you could check out Countryside, these are the first two books in the series. And if you enjoyed, if you would leave a review somewhere online, I would greatly appreciate it. Those help. And if you feel like you're getting something out of the podcast on a semi-regular basis, marriage versus daily scripture, medal of honor, little bits of history and heritage of America. If you have five or ten dollars a month you can spare, there's a sign up, the links in the show notes, and if you can leave a review somewhere, I would greatly appreciate both of those things. Let's see. February 5th, 1992, in Rum Kwai, the capital of Xinjiang Province in China. Uchur, Yukur, Yiger. I don't know how to say that, folks. Some of y'all do. Muslims, right? Uh coordinated bombings targeting two public buses and two buildings in the city center. It was during the Chinese New Year. Uh the buses were in commercial areas, and the bombings killed three people, injured more than 20, some of them seriously. It was, I think the group that took credit was the East Turkestan Islamic Party. I don't know if they took credit or if they were just suspected. But the point again, folks, is what do we go back to? Islam. And you see a real good example here of leftism, socialism, communism, Nazism, fascism, they all work hand in glove with Islam. And it falls under the category of the enemy of my enemy is my friend, right? It's a temporary alliance. It's not a permanent alliance. They're going to turn on each other eventually. Just like you see so many factions that are incompatible under the umbrella of leftism. But as long as they have Christians, people that follow the principles of Christ, people that stand for liberty to attack, they're going to work together to attack those people, to attack Christians, to attack those who love liberty in America, therefore, right, because of the principles of Christ. Medal of Honor for today, William John Brewer. Rank private, highest rank corporal, U.S. Civil War. Charlie Company, 2nd New York Cavalry, U.S. Army, April 4th, 1865. Apotomax. Oh, sorry. I don't know why I struggle with that. Appomattox Campaign. Virginia.

SPEAKER_00 14:47

Capture of Engineer Flag, Army of Northern Virginia. Newburgh, Orange County, New York.

Noah Webster On Scripture And Society

Hope, Salvation, And The Lord’s Prayer

SPEAKER_01 14:57

That was who it was accredited to. Not awarded posthumously. Presented May 3, 1865. Born 1843, Putnam County, New York. Died June 19, 1878, Cornwall, New York. Buried Quaker Cemetery, PM 84, Cornwall on the Hudson, New York, United States. William John Brewer. We're going to go back maybe one or two more times here for a little while into Noel Webster Advice to the Young. Kind of makes sense. We need all the advice we can get today. Out of his history of the United States, this was an appendix. We're going to read paragraph 51 and hopefully 52. For a knowledge of the human heart and the characters of men, it is customary to resort to the writings of Shakespeare and of other dramatic authors, and to biography, novels, tales, and fictitious narratives. But whatever amusement may be derived from such writings, they are not the best authorities for a knowledge of mankind. The most perfect maxims and examples for regulating your social conduct and domestic economy, as well as the best rules of morality and religion are to be found in the Bible. The history of the Jews presents the true character of men in all its forms, all the traits of human character good and bad, all the passions of the human heart, all the principles which guide and misguide men in society are depicted in that short history, with an artless simplicity that has no parallel in modern writings. As to maxims of wisdom or prudence, the proverbs of Solomon furnish a complete system, and sufficient if carefully observed, to make any man wise, prosperous, and happy. The observation that a soft answer turneth away wrath, if strictly observed by mid, would prevent half the broils and contentions that infect wretchedness on society and families. Huge proponent of Proverbs, by the way, folks. If you're looking for just a few minutes of the Bible to read each day, I would highly recommend Proverbs. Just read a chapter each day. There's 31 chapters, 31 days in the month. It's almost like it goes together. And this echoes, right, what the founding father Fisher Ames, who was a framer of the Bill of Rights and who actually worded the establishment clause, which has been used so erroneously over the last 80 years, give or take, to promote this idea that the founders wanted God kicked out of institutions, constitutions, courts, right? Fisher Ames actually said that the Bible should be the primary text in our schools, right? Because all these other books, if they teach these morals and fables, the Bible does it better. And that's what Webster, you hear him here talking about the fact that the most perfect maxims and examples, the best rules of morality and religion are to be found in the Bible. 52, paragraph 52, let your first care through life be directed to support and extend the influence of the Christian religion and the observance of the Sabbath. Folks, if we really want to save America, if we really want to turn America around, there's nothing we can do more than spread the gospel, whether it's reading the Bible, sharing the Bible, praying, praying with others, whatever it is, executing the principles of Christ in your day-to-day life, not just on Sunday, but Monday through Saturday too. Whatever way you can do it, there's nothing better to turn America back around toward liberty than spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ. This is the only system of religion which has ever been offered to the consideration and acceptance of men, which has even probable evidence of a divine original. It is the only religion that honors the character and moral government of the supreme being. It is the only religion which gives even a probable account of the origin of the world and of the dispensations of God towards mankind. It is the only religion which teaches the character and laws of God, with our relations and our duties to Him. It is the only religion which assures us of an immortal existence, which offers the means of everlasting salvation and consoles mankind under the inevitable calamities of the present life. Folks, if you're a Christian, when really rough things happen, we don't have to mourn as those without Christ do. Right? If you lose a father, mother, brother, sister, spouse, child, beloved friend, aunt, uncle, whatever it is, if you have financial calamities, heartache, illness, injury, we don't have to mourn as those without Christ do because we have hope. We know that because of Jesus Christ. And I don't say no in the sense of the scientific, like we can prove the theory of gravity or laws of thermodynamics. But God tells us, and he can't lie, that if we put our faith in Christ, confess Christ as a son of God, who died for our sins and was raised by God, then we're going to have eternal life. Sorry. And because of that promise, we know we can have hope in this life. Regardless, as Webster says here, consoles mankind under the inevitable calamities of this present life. And it's the only religion which offers the means of everlasting salvation, Jesus Christ.

SPEAKER_00 21:26

Right?

Closing Blessing

SPEAKER_01 21:28

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not to temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is a kingdom of the power and the glory forever and ever. Amen. God bless y'all. God bless your families. God bless your marriages if you're married. God bless your nation wherever you are around the world listening. God bless America. We'll talk to y'all again real soon, folks. Looking forward to it.