SPEAKER_00: Good morning, friends.
SPEAKER_00: This is John Dunn.
SPEAKER_00: As we've watched events unfold in the Middle East in recent weeks, I'm certain we've all experienced moments of fear and uncertainty, as well as a growing sense that our world seems to be spinning out of control.
SPEAKER_00: In moments like this, I have found great comfort in the book of Psalms.
SPEAKER_00: For example, Psalm 56 tells us that the antidote for fear is trusting in God.
SPEAKER_00: Listen to these words of comfort from the psalmist.
SPEAKER_00: When I'm afraid, I put my trust in you, in God whose word I praise, in God whom I trust.
SPEAKER_00: I shall not be afraid.
SPEAKER_00: What can flesh do to me?
SPEAKER_00: There are so many examples like this where the writers of Psalms find themselves in fearful circumstances and cry out to the Lord, and God always answers.
SPEAKER_00: The biblical lesson for us is simple: take comfort, because the same God who calmed the psalmist in the Old Testament still controls our destiny today.
SPEAKER_00: This concept of God's control over people and events, past, present, and future, is called the sovereignty of God.
SPEAKER_00: It speaks to the fact that our powerful and purposeful God is in control of everything.
SPEAKER_00: The Psalms go on to assure us that God loves us more than we can ever imagine and that his love endures forever.
SPEAKER_00: Think about that.
SPEAKER_00: What could possibly give us greater comfort than the assurance that God loves us and that he is in absolute control of our eternal destiny?
SPEAKER_00: We can trust in that promise.
SPEAKER_00: But consider this: it's hard to trust someone we don't know.
SPEAKER_00: And there's only one way to really know God, and that's through his living word, the Bible.
SPEAKER_00: The Psalms speak frequently about the need to truly know God.
SPEAKER_00: Listen to this example from Psalm 9, verse 10.
SPEAKER_00: And those who know your name put their trust in you.
SPEAKER_00: For you, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek you.
SPEAKER_00: I think I'll close this message today with a quote from Reverend Graham that speaks eloquently to the fears many of us are feeling.
SPEAKER_00: Here's how he put it.
SPEAKER_00: I've read the last page of the Bible, folks, and it's all going to turn out all right.
SPEAKER_00: Billy Graham knew that God was in control, and we should rest on that same assurance.
SPEAKER_00: I hope you have a peaceful day.