The Price of Obedience

We often hope that following God will make life easier. But the Bible shows the opposite. Obedience does not guarantee comfort. The good news is that God meets us right in the middle of it. In Exodus 6, when everything feels like it is falling apart, God reminds His people who He is. Before He changes their situation, He reminds them of His character.

Transcript

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Thrilled to be with you guys as we continue through our series, going through the book of Exodus together. If you haven't been here, you've come out of good week because a lot of what we're talking about today is Moses' first day on the job, his first time really going to begin doing this work of the Exodus, of leading the people out, or having God use him to lead the people out. And uh it is a terrible first day on the job for Moses. I'm sure we've all had really bad first days of starting a new job, or maybe a first date that we've experienced, or your first day at a new church, or your first day, just the first day can be a lot. And uh, I think Moses here might take the cake on the worst first day of work uh anybody has ever had. Um but we'll read about that in just a bit. I was thinking, though, about my first day when I when I started working construction, and you just show up and you have no idea what to expect, right? And I'm probably like 17, 18 years old, and so I got boots that are probably too big for my feet. They're really heavy, they're really cheap, and they were brand new. And there's nothing more uh humiliating than being ridiculed by everybody on the job side about the new boots and how clean they are and how dorky you look, and you know, I just remember just being so ill-equipped, and uh, you're like, I guess I bring a screwdriver today, I don't know what I'm doing, and uh, they pretty much just work you to the ground, make fun of you the whole way, and then you make it through your first day. So I'm sure many of you have had similar first day experiences, and uh, we're gonna be looking at Moses's first day here. So uh if you haven't been with us in the story, Moses has already had the burning bush encounter where the Lord has spoken to him that he is going to use Moses to speak to Pharaoh, to let his people go, and he had a word for him of what it's gonna look like and what he's to say and how it's going to happen to an extent. He gives them a rough draft, sort of uh big picture timeline. And the first step is to go and tell the people of Israel, uh, those that are enslaved in Egypt, that this is what's going to happen. And so, of course, these people have been enslaved. And Moses comes back from being in the wilderness with Aaron and he says, Hey, the Lord has spoken to me. We're getting out of here. I'm gonna lead you out of Egypt. And of course, if you're enslaved, you're like, This is great news, right? So they receive it with joy and excitement and are appreciative of the promise that that Moses is bringing of what is going to take place. And so uh chapter five now picks up where Moses is going to now speak to Pharaoh. He's already spoken to the to the slaves, the Hebrew slaves. Now he's going to Pharaoh. In Exodus 5, starting in verse 1, it reads this It says, Afterwards, that's after speaking to the Israelites. Moses and Aaron went and said to Pharaoh, Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, let my people go, that they may hold a feast for me in the wilderness. So they go into this courtroom of Pharaoh, and they say, The Lord has spoken, the God of Israel has spoken that you are to let those people go that they might go hold a feast, that they might have a labor day weekend, they're gonna get a three-day weekend, there'll be a little bit of extra traffic, a slight delay on the labor force, but hey, we're gonna hold a feast in the wilderness for a few days. But Pharaoh says back to them, Who is the Lord? What a great question, right? Who is the Lord? Who is your God? Why should I obey his voice and let Israel go? I do not know the Lord, right? From Pharaoh's perspective, I haven't seen him work. You've been enslaved here for a long time. I don't really think I have to listen to your God if your God has allowed you to be in slavery for X amount of years, right? Here in Egypt, we worship the gods of the Egyptians, and the Egyptian gods have been in power for a long time here. So who is your God? Why should I listen to him? What I'm not afraid, essentially, right? I don't care because if you look at the language that that Moses and Aaron are using, it's pretty strong. It says, Thus says the Lord, let my people go. It's not a request, it's not a question, it's Pharaoh. God said, Let the people go. And he's like, I don't care. Whoever says that, you're in Egypt, and the Egyptian gods have not said, Let your people go, so get back to work. He says, I do not know the Lord, and moreover, I will not let Israel go. And then they said, The God of the Hebrews has met with us. Let's pause right there. I I want to go back and look at Exodus 3 real quickly. This is what uh Moses has the knowledge of in Exodus 3:18. This is what the Lord says to him. He says, Uh, they will listen to your voice. This is uh the people of Israel, and you and the elders of Israel shall go to the king of Egypt and say to him, This is what God told Moses to say to Pharaoh, the Lord, the God of the Hebrews, has met with us, and now please let us go on a three-day journey into the wilderness that we may sacrifice to the Lord our God. That's what the Lord told Moses to do. Then he says in verse 19, But I know that the king of Egypt will not let you go unless compelled by a mighty hand. So I will stretch out my hand and strike Egypt with all the wonders that I will do in it. After that he will let you go, and I will give this people favor in the sight of the Egyptians, and when you go, you shall not go empty. The reason I we have to go back to that is because Moses, walking into this conversation with Pharaoh, already has the understanding that I'm gonna walk in, I'm gonna say, Pharaoh, let us go. Our Lord has called us to, but he knows that Pharaoh is gonna reject it because God already told him that. But what he also knows or believes, right, at this point, is that God is gonna stretch out his mighty hand and he's gonna do miraculous works and wonders on their behalf. And so Moses, with some level of confidence here, right? He's gone up to Pharaoh, he said, let our people go. And he hears back from Pharaoh, no, and Moses is an Aaron, and they talk about they go, Okay, what did God exactly say? God said to say, please, let's try saying please this time. They go, please. The God of the Hebrews and Methodist, please let us go a three days' journey into the wilderness that we may sacrifice to the Lord our God, lest this is kind of interesting because this isn't what God said, lest he fall upon us with pestilence or with sword. Instead of, you know, signs and wonders and miraculous works being done against the Egyptians, they put it on us that evil might come upon us or destruction might come upon us if we do not go and do this. And so Moses here, he knows that there's going to be some level of rejection from Pharaoh. But it's interesting to see the phrasing that he chooses to use or not use and how he works all of that out. But I feel like Moses is still kind of shell-shocked that he's getting a no, even though God already told him there was going to be a no. But I would like to believe that Moses has still some level of confidence that even with this no, God is going to show his mighty hand, he's gonna do the miraculous works, they're gonna get sent out with riches, and and and Pharaoh is gonna push them out, like he said in Exodus 3. So he asks Pharaoh from this different point of view, instead of God coming down and telling him to let him go. Moses asks a little bit more kindly, he says, please can we go on a three-day journey for for our sake instead of just from what the Lord says? I don't know about you guys, but I got a kid that's persistent, and they will ask the same question five different ways. Anybody else? Yeah, finding a new way to phrase things and why it will work out and why it's a good idea, and why ice cream at 8 30 is an acceptable last you know minute thing. It is for me and my wife, but not for you, so go to bed. So Moses asks again, but he asks from a new, more kind sort of angle on this thing. Uh, but the king of Egypt says to him, Moses and Aaron, why do you take the people away from their work? Get back to your burdens. And Pharaoh said, Behold, the people of the land are now many, and you make them rest from their burdens. Pharaoh has this question, Why are you trying to do this? What is your angle on this? Because I don't believe it's that God's called you to this. I I'm sorry, Moses, I'm having a hard time that a burning bush met you in the wilderness and told you that everybody gets to be free. Why are you trying to you know bring the people to this lazy state of getting out of their work? Get back to work. Maybe your work has been too light on you, that you guys have had enough time to talk to burning bushes, your burdens will now be raised, right? So, in verse 6, the same day, Pharaoh commanded the taskmasters of the people and their foremen, and he says, This, you shall no longer give the people straw to make bricks as in the past. Instead, let them go and gather straw for themselves. But the number of bricks uh that they made in the past you shall impose on them. You shall by no means reduce it, for they are idle. They got enough time to talk to burning bushes, they have enough time to make bricks. Therefore, they cry, let us go and sacrifice to our God. Let heavier work be laid on the men, that they may labor at it and pay no regard to lying words, or in other words, the words of Moses. Now, could we just put ourselves in the position of Moses? You've heard from God that you're gonna lead these people out of Egypt. You went and you told all your brothers and sisters, you told all of these slaves, guys, God has spoken to me, we're getting out of here. They're like, Yeah, yeah. He's like, I'm gonna go talk to Pharaoh right now. Yeah, yeah. I talked to Pharaoh. Our work is now doubled. Um, some of you are gonna go to the other part of the country and collect straw, they're no longer gonna provide that for us. We have to make the same amount of bricks with less people. What? That is a bad first day at work, right? And you can imagine the anger and the frustration from the people. Uh, just hypothetically, imagine there was some sort of political revolutionary leader that came forward and promised things, but then didn't come through on them. Can you imagine how frustrating that would be? There's a lot of jokes I can make right here. I gotta be really careful that if I offend somebody right now, I do it equally, you know. But I won't say it. I won't say it. I won't say it. Should I say it? No, this is the recorded one. I won't say it. I won't say it. All right. Dang. Come back for third service, and I'll tell you what I was thinking. But um Moses promised to get them out of there, and now their work is doubled, it's increased. There, that some of them are being pulled off the job site to go work other parts, and and they have to produce the same amount. So you could imagine the grind on this, right? That the days are now longer because they're trying to accomplish the same amount of work. And if they're not accomplishing the same amount of work, then there's repercussions for not accomplishing that amount of work. And so that might be fine for one day, but one day turns into two days, three days, four days. You start working week after week after week like this. The the hatred and animosity towards Moses is growing and increasing at this point in time. And so uh the task masters, they're they're relaying this information. So you know there's there's sort of Pharaoh, and then there's these task masters, and there's these foremen who are actual uh Israelites, and then there's the actual workers beneath them. So they sort of have this nice little pyramid scheme going on in Egypt. Um you'll get that one in the car. Thus uh says Pharaoh, I will not give you straw. Go get your straw yourselves wherever you can find it, but your work will not be reduced in the least. So the people were scattered throughout the land of Egypt to gather uh stubble for straw, and the taskmasters were urgent, saying, Complete your work, your daily task each day, and when as when there was straw. And the foremen of the people of Israel, whom Pharaoh's taskmasters had set over them, were beaten. And they were asked, Why have you not done all of your task of making bricks today and yesterday, as in the past? So they're beginning to fall behind on this workload. They just cannot keep up with this new task of going and gathering, you know, the extra resources and materials and losing people off the job. Uh, they they've lost the straw, and so the brick quality is down, they're breaking more. Anyways, um, they begin to get beaten. And so the intensity uh and animosity, I imagine, towards Moses is growing at this point in time. And so it reaches a point where finally the foreman, the people's union, is rising up, and the foremen of the people of Israel, they came and they cried to Pharaoh, Why do you treat your servants like this? It's funny that that question, why will pop up. Pharaoh says, Why are you like this? The the foremen are asking Pharaoh, why are you doing this to us? No straw is given to your servants, yet you're telling us to make bricks. We need the resources. Uh verse 17, but he said, You are idle, you are idle. That is why uh you say, Let us go and sacrifice to the Lord. Go now and work. No straw will be given to you, but you must still deliver the same number of bricks. And the the foremen of the people of Israel saw that they were in trouble. They saw that Pharaoh wasn't going to budge from this, they saw that the number of bricks was not going to be reduced, that there is nothing they can do about this. And so, where does their heart turn? It doesn't turn in frustration towards Pharaoh. Instead, verse 20, they met Moses and Aaron, who were waiting for them as they came out from Pharaoh, and they said to them, The Lord look on you and judge you, because you have made us stink in the side of Pharaoh and his servants, and have put a sword in their hand to kill us. Look what you've done, Moses. Way to go, Aaron. We could potentially die because of your words. I thought you heard from the Lord. Why is it that you've done this, right? That's their question that they ask again. Why have you done this to us? Why did you come here, Moses, just to ruin our lives? And what's funny is if you look at Exodus 3, what God told Moses to say, and what Moses did in fact say, Moses didn't do anything wrong. Moses said exactly what he was supposed to say. Moses is in Egypt, right where he's supposed to be. It's not that Moses has done anything wrong, but the question is, why is all this happening? If God was supposed to be so good and if God was supposed to lead us out, why? It's funny. That with Christ there's no longer troubles. Can I tell you that that couldn't be more wrong? That following Christ, living according to the call that He's placed on your life, means trials and troubles, and testing of your faith and difficulty, and moments where you're going, what is happening right now? Moses is doing all the right things at this point. And he's hated by everybody. Daniel did nothing wrong, yet he still finds himself in a lion's den. David, called by God, still has to stand before a giant. Paul, he's a pretty good guy. He did some great things, wrote two-thirds of the New Testament. Uh I would say he was used by God pretty powerfully. In 2 Corinthians 11, 24, this is what being called by God looks like. Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the 40 lashes, less one, or 39 lashes. I don't know why I didn't say it that way, but, anyways. Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned, not recreationally, with true rocks. Three times I was shipwrecked. A night and a day I was adrift at sea, on frequent journeys in danger from rivers, dangers from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from the Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers, in toil and hardships through many a sleepless night and hunger and thirst, often without food and cold and exposure, and apart from other things, there is the daily pressure of me, of my anxiety for all the churches. That's being called by God. I didn't sign up for this. I have enough of this without God. I don't need more of this. We have it in our minds where to be blessed and to be called means that things are gonna go good, and anytime there's something wrong or bad, there's a lot of really bad teaching that that people are then in sin, or that people don't have enough faith. That you must be doing something wrong, and that's why bad things are happening. We guys, we do not believe in Christian karma. That's not a thing. It's sad to see it's this has been going on uh since the beginning of time. Uh I'll read quickly to you. In John 9, there's a story of a man who's born blind, and and Jesus has this interaction with him. As he passed by, he saw a man blind from birth, and his own disciples, they say, Rabbi, who sinned this man or his parents, that he was born blind? Jesus is like, what? Uh neither. Yeah. We have it in our minds that if we are following God's call in our life, that things will always be easy and smooth and going well. That is just simply not the case. There is hardship and challenges and difficulty and pain and following Christ and following the call that he has on our life. The difference is that he redeems it and there's purpose behind every bit of pain and challenge and heartache and trial. It's that he's working through it and using it to accomplish something. That is the difference between pain as a Christ follower and pain that we just bring upon ourselves as consequences for our actions. There's no better example of this than Jesus Himself and the greatest thing that has ever happened to any of us. We are all set free, have newness of life, the forgiveness of our sins. That does not come free. That came through the obedience of Christ. Obedience to the Father through death on a cross. Was that painful? Was that disastrous? Was that agonizing? Was that brutal? Yep, and that was what was set for Christ. That's what he was destined to do. And the difference is that pain just isn't in vain. It's not just for no reason, it accomplishes something, it accomplishes the purpose and the work and the will of God. And so everybody in here who has received that blessing of salvation through Christ Jesus, we are thankful for the pain that Christ went through. Amen. We are thankful that God can redeem broken, hard, difficult circumstances and situations for a greater good, for a beautiful purpose. But man, when we are in the midst of it, when it is a disaster around us, it is so easy for us to come up with these things that I must have I must have failed God. Maybe I wasn't called to this. And please understand the distinction between just the hardships of circumstances and situations and and pain and agony that comes from following Christ and the pain of doing stupid things and having consequences. There is a difference, right? Just so we're on the same page. Sometimes we bring our own stupidity into the situation, and then there's pain, and then we're like, God, it's like, no, dude, that's you. That's you. You are the culprit of that one. But being obedient to Christ, it comes at a cost and it comes with consequences. And for Moses here, he's done what the Lord has asked him to do. And now he has yes, the pressure from Pharaoh, yes, the pressure from the other Israelites. But I think of it too from his perspective, we're in in Exodus 3, he knows that Pharaoh is going to disagree. But God said, God said this. I will, he will not be compelled unless a mighty hand, I will stretch out my hand and strike Egypt with all the wonders that I will do in it. He's promising that he's going to let him go, that God is going to show up now. And I just picture Moses in this moment where he's just the Israelites hate him. Hate him. And Pharaoh is calling them lazy. And he's like, okay, this is where God was supposed to show up now. Like, God, you didn't produce any magic bricks. God, you didn't give us just incredible strength to get all of this done. God, where are you in this? You didn't say in Exodus 3 that this was going to happen. Where does this pain come from? And so Moses has this moment where Pharaoh's asked him why are you doing this? The foreman are asking why. They're asking Moses why. Verse 22, Moses turned to the Lord and said, O Lord, why have you done evil to this people? Why did you ever send me? For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in your name, he has done evil to this people, and you have not delivered your people at all. That man is crushed right now. He's questioning everything. Lord, why are you the way you are? Lord, why did you ever pull me into this? I was pretty happy as a little traveler in the desert. I had my wife, I had the sheep, I had a good little life out there. Why did that burning bush ever talk to me? I knew I wasn't qualified for this. I knew I shouldn't have done this. God, why? I'm sure many of us in here have felt like we heard surely from God on something, and then we do it, and we're like, God, why? Where are you in this? You are so confident. God, would you please send me a spouse? And he sent you a spouse, and you're like, but why this one? Lord, we want kids. And then you're like, why these kids? We're gonna move. God's calling us to move, right? Statistically, right? All of Menaphy has come from San Diego and Orange County and LA, and they're priced out. And so you move out here and it's 110, and you're like, why, God? Why? You felt like God was telling you to share your faith, and you're like, they didn't receive it. Why? God, you told me to forgive this person. And I'm sure you've done this because I've done this too. You're like, I'm gonna be the bigger person. I'm gonna go apologize to them because you hope that they're gonna apologize to you, right? And you're like, hey, I'm really sorry for what I did. And they're like, okay, thanks. And you're like, anything you would like to say now? They're like, no, I'm good. And you're like, God, why? Why? I thought I was doing the right thing. I I apologize. God, I I I I confessed to something I did wrong, and it doesn't seem like there's anything good that's come out of it now. Why? Well, there's an incredible cost to following him, and it's easy to get sucked into the trap to just wonder why. Wonder why. To begin to question the goodness of God, to question, is he even working, to question is he ever going to come through? I mean, this statement, you have not delivered your people at all. You have done nothing for us, you have abandoned us. That is pretty brutal in the way that Moses speaks to God. Luckily for you guys, we get to go in the chapter six, and it's God's response now to Moses. Okay, so notice a couple things here uh with me as we read this. It says, But the Lord said to Moses, You shall see what I will do to Pharaoh. For with a strong hand he will send them out. He will send out the people, right? And with a strong hand he will drive them out of his land. God spoke to Moses and said to him, I am the Lord. That's a popular statement that's going to happen in this whole book. I am the Lord. For some of you, for all of us actually, that freak out in the midst of circumstances and situations and hardships, and it feels like everybody and everything is going against you. Can I remind you that you are not the Lord and that there is a Lord? And it is the Lord God that is in this scripture here, that is in this passage. He is the Lord. He is the God. And he's going to remind Moses specifically that he's the God of this situation. He's the God that promised them this land to leave Egypt and to go to a new land. He says, I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob as God Almighty. But by my name, the Lord, I did not make myself known to them. I also established my covenant with them to give them the land of Canaan, and the land in which they lived as sojourners. Moreover, I have heard the groaning of the people of Israel, whom the Egyptians hold as slaves, and I have remembered my covenant. So therefore, to the people of Israel I am the Lord. This is what he reminds Moses that he's going to do. He's going to have seven I will statements here. He says, I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. I will deliver you from slavery to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm, and with great acts of judgment. I will take you to be my people, and I will be your God, and you shall know that I am the Lord your God, who has brought you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. I will bring you into the land that I swore to give to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. I will give to you for a possession. I am the Lord. That's a strong response from the Lord. It's like Moses, let me remind you who I am. Let me remind you who you are talking about. These people that you say I have not done anything for, those are my people. I have not abandoned them. I will do these seven different things. Moses, you will not lead the people out. I will lead the people out. Let that serve as a great reminder that the Lord is the Lord and we are not. What he has promised, he will do. And some of these promises here, we read it, and they may not make sense to us of like what is the value in that? Like, I'm not looking to get any new land. Maybe you are, but you're like, the Lord's not promising land to me. But there are some things that he has promised us that we can take to the bank. The Lord has promised to be near to the brokenhearted. He's promised you life beyond this life. He's promised you life abundantly for those who would come and rest in him and abide in him. He says, Come ask wisdom, and I'll give you wisdom. God does not leave us out to dry. If we are his people, he sees you. And so I if you get anything out of today, I would hope that you're reminded of the character of God. That no matter the circumstance, the situation, if you are his, he's got you. He always has. He promises to restore things, to work things together for good, to be moving and doing things, to perfect you through hardships and trials. He promises to redeem that which is broken. To have all of this make sense. And this stands out to me because Moses then turns in verse nine and he spoke thus to the people of Israel. He goes to all of them. And it says, but they do not listen to Moses because of their broken spirit and harsh slavery. Man, that's sad. God is reminding them what he's gonna do, who he is, the favor he has for them. But their circumstance is so big in their mind. Their situation is so large, they're so broken by the circumstances around them that they can't hear who God is and how much he's for them, and his desire to work in them and through them and provide for them. They've magnified this circumstance so big, they can't see anything else besides that. I can't tell you how many times I've been through a passage like this, and somebody will come up to me afterwards and they'll go, You're talking a lot about trusting God with circumstances and situations, but you don't understand my life and what's going on in my world. You don't understand how bad my finances are. They go, you're just like a young little preacher boy, and you don't really know hardship. I have gotten that one. And I'm gonna take that for as long as I can get it. Because there's gonna be a day when I'm not so young. But what we can do is we can magnify so big our circumstance, our situation, the noise of our fellow Israelites, and the noise of Pharaoh, and the noise of the slavery, and we do not hear who God is and what he's wanting to do. And so I cannot stress this enough that every bit of hardship and trial can have purpose and meaning and be redeemed to be useful by God in your life. He did not put you on this earth that you might just suffer for 65, 75, 85, 105 years. He wants to accomplish an incredible work in your life. Do not let the noise crowd out the truth of what God has promised you and who he wants to be to you and for you and do with you. Some of us, our thought life just is consumed with whatever our biggest problem is. It is nonstop from the moment we rise till we go to bed. It is just anxious thoughts. And it just depends on pick pick the person in the room. How am I ever gonna afford this? Is my is my spouse cheating on me? Is my 19-year-old gonna turn out okay? That is a really questionable time in everybody's life, right? Am I gonna lose my job? Right? Whatever it is, am I enough? Does God really love me? Whatever it is, man, we can just play that thing on a loop, like a broken record that just goes and goes and goes and goes. And I see this passage, and I'm just like, they can't receive from God because they've just allowed their spirit to be broken instead of be restored. They they're not allowing the promise of God to ring true in their life. It's brutal, it's it's it's horrendous, it's harsh slavery here. But regardless of the noise, he's telling them, I am your Lord. And so, could I ask you, what noise is the loudest in your mind? What sounds and phrases and words and things are we listening to? Have the circumstances of our world taken hold of our minds and our hearts? Or do we see it for what it is? That, yeah, this situation is really bad. But in this testing and trial, God is refining me and building something new in me. God is doing a work that I can't see or understand. Guys, I get it when you're in it, it's hard to see it. But maybe, could you try this with me? Could you look back on maybe some of the worst things that have happened? Is there anything good that has come out of that? Because I look back at my absolute lowest moments. And I'm thankful, not for what happened, but I'm thankful for what it did in me. You're like, that situation made me a man. That situation pushed me closer to God than anything else ever. If he could redeem that one, then he could redeem the next one. And I get that when you're in it, it's really hard to see it. It's hard to see what he's gonna do. But I think we have a decision to make. Uh will we be the people of Israel who, because of their broken spirit, do not receive this word of just the Lord reminding them of who he is. Or there's the other option. Moses will be reminded of who the Lord is. He has some back and forth with God, I'll tell you that. But ultimately, Moses does find himself, right, in the coming chapters, standing before Pharaoh yet again, saying, Let my people go. Returning back to the calling that he knew was placed on his life, realizing that this is just gonna be the cost of it. It's gonna be hard, it's gonna be difficult, but this is what God's called me to. I'm gonna trust him with everything in this, and I'm just gonna move forward, anyways. And that's really the decision we have to make. We will wallow in the hardship, or we will press forward in faith that, yep, this is gonna be costly, but it's worth it, and I want it, and I'm doing it. I will not let my circumstance dictate the faith that I have in my Lord. And so I want to close up our time uh and just have us put this into practice in as real as a way as possible. I want you to think for a moment what is the thought that stresses you out the most? What situation, circumstance is just it it lives there rent-free in your mind. Typically the thing we stress out about the most is probably what we trust God with the least. I want us to take time, if you have that thing, just have us go before the Lord. Hand that thing off, hand that burden over. Quit carrying it. Because it wants to break you. So would you bow your heads with me? Deavenly Father, I thank you for this reminder of who you are, that you are the Lord, you are the God of the universe, and you are the one that can redeem all things. I thank you that you you've given me new life through the pain and sacrifice of Christ. But Lord, I want to hand some things over to you. Jesus, I pray for the worry that filled with anxious minds. God, if we are stressed out, if we are overwhelmed by family, finances, a sense of not being enough, our own doubts and fears. God, we hand those things over to you. God, we hand over to you worries and concerns and fears that are on a large global scale. We hand that over to you. God, we hand over to you our kids, our relationships, our workplaces. Jesus, we choose to trust you today. We're removing this off of us. We know that you're gonna work in it. We know that you're the Lord of the universe. And so, God, we just want to put ourselves in the right place and put you in the right space. You are Lord. You are God. We trust you with everything. We pray this in Jesus' name. Amen. Amen.