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Reading Psalm 125. Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion, which cannot be moved, but abides forever. As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the Lord surrounds his people from this time forth and forevermore. For the scepter of wickedness shall not rest on the land allotted to the righteous, lest the righteous stretch out their hands and do wrong. Do good, O Lord, to those who are good, and to those who are upright in their hearts. But those who turn aside to their crooked ways, the Lord will lead away with evildoers. Peace be upon Israel.

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You'll see the faces of presidents from American history. You'll see the faces of other famous men from American history who were not presidents, Washington and Jefferson and Hamilton and Franklin. You'll also see the denomination of the currency, in other words, how much it's worth. But one of the things that you'll see on all of our currency these days is this four-letter phrase, this four-word phrase. In God we trust. Now, for us in the 21st century, especially as Christians, seeing that phrase on our currency, it just seems normal. It's supposed to be there. It would be kind of weird to us if we picked up a coin or a bill and that phrase wasn't on there, but has it always been there? Where did that phrase come from and how did it end up on our currency? The years between 1861 and 1865 were years of very deep division in our nation. It was the Civil War. And toward the beginning of the Civil War in 1861, Reverend Mark Watkinson, a pastor, wrote to the Treasury Secretary at the time and asked that the Treasury Secretary would put the phrase, in God We Trust, on our currency, because Reverend Watkinson wanted to call our nation back to and renew our nation's trust in the Lord. And so for the first time in 1864, the phrase, in God We Trust, was printed on a two-cent coin in 1864. For about a hundred years, In God We Trust was kind of an unofficial, informal motto of our nation that people used here and there as they saw fit until about a hundred years later, in the middle of the 20th century, when our nation was in yet another time of deep division. Historians typically say that the Civil Rights Movement began in 1954 and it went on for quite a while until the 60s when the Civil Rights Act and the Fair Housing Act and the Voting Rights Act and some different things were signed in the 60s. But in 1956, Representative Charles Bennett from Florida, which by the way, go Florida, Representative Bennett proposed a resolution in Congress to say that In God We Trust should become our official and legal national motto. And it didn't take long to pass through Congress. And then the president at the time, President Eisenhower, signed it into law that In God We Trust would be our national motto. And for the past 70 years, since 1956 until 2026, In God We Trust has been our official legal national motto, and it has been printed on all pieces of U.S. currency, coins and bills, since 1956. It's a reminder that in the good times we should trust in God. But church also, if not especially, in times of deep division, we should trust in God. The historical context surrounding Psalm 125 was a time of deep division. At this time, it was divided in the land. The people of God themselves weren't necessarily divided, but the land was divided. Psalm 125 is one of 15, what we refer to as songs of ascents. These songs of ascent, they're 15 consecutive Psalms. It's from Psalm 120 until Psalm 134. 15 consecutive songs of ascens. And in our Songs of the Summer sermon series this year, we're only studying one of these songs of ascent, Psalm 125 today. And so some context around this block of scripture is really, really important. These were called songs of ascens because the Jews would sing these 15 songs as they made their pilgrimage to the temple in Jerusalem three times a year. The Jews would go to the temple in Jerusalem in the spring for Passover, in the summertime for Pentecost, in the fall for the feast of booths. And every time as they would go to Jerusalem, make their pilgrimage to the temple in Jerusalem, they would sing these songs of ascent. And it was it was quite literally an ascension. Because you've heard it said of Jerusalem, that Jerusalem is a city on a hill. It's physically elevated. And so as the Jews would ascend to the temple in Jerusalem, they would sing these fifteen songs of ascent. Now you might be thinking to yourself, Pastor Garrett, nothing you've said so far makes it sound like the people of God were experiencing a time of deep division. And you'd be right, but here's the catch. These 15 psalms were assembled and sung during a time, an era known as Second Temple Judaism. If you could put your thinking caps on with me for just a moment, Second Temple Judaism is really important context for this psalm. You'll remember that King Solomon built the first temple. The son of King David, King Solomon, he built the first temple. But as a result of the Babylonian conquest, the first temple was destroyed, Jerusalem was destroyed, and the people of God were exiled from their lands. And then when the Persians conquered the Babylonians, the Persians allowed the people of God to return to their land, rebuild the temple, rebuild the city, and live and worship in their land once again. Think of Old Testament books like Ezra and Nehemiah and Haggai and Zachariah, this time of return, this post-exilic period, this time of Second Temple Judaism. So they rebuilt the temple, they rebuilt Jerusalem, and they were living and worshiping in the land, but now they were doing so under hostile occupation. Again, the people of God themselves were united, but the land was divided. The Persian government did not like the Jews very much. Persian neighbors didn't like their Jewish neighbors. The land was divided. But nonetheless, three times a year, the Jews would make a pilgrimage to the second temple in the city of Jerusalem, and they would sing these songs of ascent on their way up to the temple, reminding themselves to trust in the Lord, not only in the good times, but also in times of deep division. Also in times when people like the Persians are opposing and oppressing them. We should trust God not only in the good times, but also in times of deep division. Now here's the thing, church. The phrase, in God we trust, was adopted as our national motto in a time of deep division. Psalm 125 was written, and these songs of ascent were assembled and sung during a time of deep division. But division does not always have to be national and political. Sometimes division is within us and it's all around us. Think about it. Maybe some of you in the room are teachers. Maybe you told your students this week, can I please have your undivided attention? Division doesn't have to be political or national. Sometimes division is within us and it's all around us. Maybe you're here this morning and you have a divided mind. You need to make a big decision, but you can't decide what to do. Maybe you have a divided heart this morning. You know that you need to let go of a habitual sin, but you keep returning to it. Maybe you have a divided household. Maybe there's some tension in your marriage or in your parenting or your grandparenting or your extended family. Maybe you have a divided neighborhood, some tension with a neighbor, a divided workplace, some tension with a coworker. Division can take place within you and all around you. And the truth from God's word today is that we should trust in the Lord in the good times, but also and especially in times of deep division. The question this morning is why? Why is it best to trust in the Lord in the good times and in the bad times? Why is it best to trust in the Lord at all times? Well, let's answer that question from the text of God's Word today. Church, if you're taking notes this morning, number one on your notes is this. One A is this. Because he promises to secure us. We trust in the Lord because God promises to secure us. Look with me in verse 1 of Psalm 125. In verse 1, the psalmist says, Trust in the Lord, and you will be like Mount Zion. You cannot be moved, you will abide forever. When I see that phrase, trust in the Lord, really more so that word trust, it carries a lot of weight to it. The verse does not say, those who know about God, those who are aware of the evidence for God, they are like Mount Zion. No, it's not a it's not a simple intellectual awareness. The verse also does not even say those who believe God exists. Those who have the facts and believe the facts are true. No, check out what verse 1 says. It says, Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion. Those who surrender their lives to the Lord, they are like Mount Zion. That idea of trust has a weight to it that's more than just awareness and belief. It's surrender. When I see the phrase trust in the Lord, I also can't help but think of two of my favorite verses in the Bible, Proverbs chapter 3, verses 5 and 6. Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding, but in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your path. Trust in the Lord, and you will be like Mount Zion. Mount Zion is it's less of a precise geographic location, and it's more of a poetic phrase that refers to different things depending on the context. Sometimes Mount Zion refers to the mount on which the temple sits, and so you may hear Mount Moriah referred to as Mount Zion. Sometimes Mount Zion refers to the city of Jerusalem itself. Sometimes Mount Zion refers to the people of God themselves. We think in the context of Psalm 125, Mount Zion refers to the city of Jerusalem itself. And there's a beautiful poetry in verse 1 when the psalmist says that if you trust in the Lord, you are like Mount Zion. And the poetry is beautiful when you read it through a second temple lens. Remember how we talked about Second Temple Judaism? Check this out. These Jews are singing this song on the way up to the Second Temple in Jerusalem, and they're singing it on the way up to a restored, rebuilt temple. The first temple was destroyed and broken. And then God allowed his people to return and rebuild and restore the temple, rebuild and restore the city. And in verse 1, the psalmist is saying that if you trust in the Lord, you are restored. Your relationship with God was broken. You were living in brokenness, but if you trust in the Lord, you have been restored. In that way, you are like Mount Zion. And your restored relationship with God, your restored faith is immovable, verse one. You will abide in Christ forever. Verse 1, your salvation is secure. We trust in the Lord because he promises to secure us. You know, I can think of uh several occasions recently where my family, we were walking through a busy parking lot. My wife and I, we have three young kids, many of you know that. And when we walk through a busy parking lot, I always tell the kids, hey, hey, grab a hand. And most recently, I think about last Saturday, eight days ago, we were uh leaving the flea market right here at Brown Farm, just a mile up the road, and we had all three of our kids with us, and I said, Hey, everybody, grab a hand. And sometimes when I do this, my youngest Gunner, he'll say, Okay, I'm gonna grab Piper's hand. Piper's my middle child, but I have to remind my kids that one vulnerable toddler grabbing the hand of another vulnerable toddler doesn't really help anybody. I need all the kids to grab mom's hand or or dad's hand. And here's the thing, when I'm holding Gunner's hand, Gunner's my youngest, when I'm holding his hand in the middle of a busy parking lot, here's what I'm not inviting him to do. I'm not inviting him to hold on to my hand as tightly as he can and hope that his grip strength is strong enough when danger comes. That's not what I'm inviting this two-year-old to do. Instead, I'm inviting him to trust my grip on his hand. And I'm inviting him to trust that if a car comes speeding around the corner and they don't see this little two and a half foot guy standing here with me, that I'm gonna pull him out of harm's way. He's never gonna slip out of my grip and I'm never gonna let him get hurt. The Lord is inviting you into a similar relationship with him, but on a far more significant, a far more deep level. The Lord is not inviting you to grab a hold of him as tightly as you can and hope that your grip strength is strong enough when times get tough. No, you're not holding on to God. God is holding on to you. You're not relying on your own grip strength for your salvation, you're relying on the Lord's grip strength for your salvation. And for that reason, your salvation is secure. For that reason, you are like Mount Zion, immovable, unshakable, abiding forever. I mean, just look at what verse one says. Check this out, church. Verse one does not say, When the Lord trusts in you, you'll be like Mount Zion. No, verse one says, When you trust in the Lord, then you are like Mount Zion, immovable, unshakable, abiding forever. Then your salvation is secure. And so maybe you're here this morning and you are you're doubting your salvation. You're wondering if you're still saved. Would you renew your trust in the Lord? Would you renew your confidence in your eternal security? We can trust in God because he promises to secure us. Really, one B on your notes is this. Because he promises to surround us. One B, we trust in God because He promises to surround us. Look with me now in verses two and three of Psalm 125. In verse 2, the psalmist says that just as the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the Lord surrounds his people with his presence. You know, we talked already about how, in the context of Psalm 125, Mount Zion in verse 1 is likely synonymous with Jerusalem in verse 2. But here in verse 2, the psalmist is explicitly referring to the city of Jerusalem. And we talked about how the city of Jerusalem is a city on a hill. By other mountain peaks, 360 degrees around it. Mountain peaks like the Mount of Olives, for instance. And as the Jews are making their pilgrimage to the second temple in Jerusalem, they have to travel through these mountains to get to Jerusalem. And their feet are literally treading on trails through these mountains that surround Jerusalem as they sing Psalm 125, verse 2. As these mountains that we're walking on right now surround the city on a hill, so the Lord surrounds us with his presence. We trust in the Lord because he not only promises to secure us with his power, we trust in the Lord because he also promises to surround us with his presence. In verse three, the psalmist goes on to say that the scepter of wickedness will not rest on the land allotted to the righteous, lest the righteous reach out their hand and stretch out their hand to do wrong. A scepter is a symbol of royal authority, and the Lord is promising his people that the scepter of wickedness will not rest on their land forever. At the time, 2,500 years ago, the scepter of wickedness resting on the land was the Persians. They were resting on the promised lands. And at the time, the promised land was a small section of property in the Middle East, and the Lord was saying, the Persians will not have authority, they will not rule here forever. And that promise came true. Eventually the Persian government was overthrown. You and I, we are the people of God today. And you and I, the land allotted to us, the land promised to us, is not only a small section of property in the Middle East, but is also the whole earth. When Jesus returns for a second time, Jesus will make all things new. He will establish the new heavens and the new earth. We will inherit the earth. You and I are the people of God, and the land allotted to us is the new heavens and the new earth one day. But in the meantime, there are principalities and powers of this age ruling over this land, ruling over the earth that has been allotted to us. And the good news is, brothers and sisters, the scepter of wickedness will not rest on this earth forever. The devil and his his team of demons, they will not rule over this earth forever. One day their rule will come to an end. Their rule has an expiration date. The scepter of wickedness on the land that has been allotted to us will not rest on this land forever. It will not last forever. You know what scepter will last forever? Is the scepter of the Lord. Hebrews chapter 1, verse 8, you don't have to turn there right now, but in Hebrews 1 8, the writer, the author of Hebrews says that the scepter of the Lord will reign forevermore. The scepter of wickedness will not, but the scepter of the Lord will reign forever in the new heavens and the new earth. The psalmist here goes on in verse 3 to talk about how after the scepter of the wickedness will not will not rest on this land forever. He goes on to uh to talk some more. The scepter of the wickedness will not uh rest on the land forever. He talks about how lest the righteous stretch out their hand to do wrong. I don't want to give you too much of a grammar lesson here, but there is a significant difference between the word unless and the word lest. Okay, this is really important. Verse 3 is not a conditional. Verse 3 does not say the scepter of wickedness has an expiration date unless my people start doing wrong. Then I'm gonna let the scepter reign forever. It's not a conditional. Instead, verse three reads more like this the scepter of wickedness will not rest on the land forever, so that, so that the righteous will not stretch out their hand and do wrong. God is giving his people hope. Because he knows that if we think the scepter of wickedness will last forever, we will likely give up and give in. But if we have hope that the scepter of wickedness has an expiration date, we will persevere. We will keep fighting the good fights. And so God makes a promise to us in verse 3 that the scepter of wickedness has an expiration date, so that we will persevere, so that we will not stretch out our hands of righteousness to do wrong. God's scepter will reign forever, not the scepter of wickedness. But ultimately, what we learn in verses two and three is that we can trust in the Lord because he promises to surround us with his presence. Not only does he promise to secure us with his power, he promises to surround us with his presence. You know, just this past uh Thursday night, we we put the kids down to bed. Our kids go to bed pretty early, like 7 30 p.m. ish on the dot. Our kids go to bed pretty early every night. And on Thursday night we had bathed them and we we got them in bed. And then Hannah and I we convened in the living room, and Hannah said, I think I'm gonna go get some ice cream. It was one of those days, you know, you just gotta cap it off with some ice cream, and that and that for me is every day that ends in Y. But Hannah on Thursday, she wanted to go get some ice cream, and so I stayed home for obvious reasons. There's kids in the house, there's a dog roaming around. I gotta be the adult in the house. But Hannah went to get ice cream. Now, she she goes in the garage, opens the garage, starts the car, pulls out, closes the garage. It's not a very noisy process, but it was noisy enough because just as Hannah leaves the neighborhood, I hear some crying down the hallway. And my girls share a bedroom, and so I I open the door to my girls' room and I said, Maylin, what is going on? And Maylin was crying, and she said, I thought you guys left us. I said, Maylin, we would never do that. Like, that's that shouldn't even be a thought that crosses your mind. I'm here, your mom went to the store. Now, I didn't specify which store mom went to, because Maylin would be a little upset that she's missing out on the ice cream, but Hannah went to the store. Maylin doubled down. She's like, I know, but I thought you both went to the store. I thought you both left us. She was very upset. And I wasn't even thinking about Psalm 125, although maybe subconsciously I was, because I just I said to May, I said, Listen, May, you're in your bed, you're in my house, you're safe, and I'm right here. I'm in the living room. You can lay down and go to sleep. And she heard that and she laid down and went to sleep. And I think the Lord is saying something very similar to you this morning. The Lord is saying to you, You're in my hands. You're safe. You're secure. And I'm right beside you. I'm with you. Not only can we trust in the Lord because he promises to secure us, we can trust in the Lord because he promises to surround us with his presence. You're not only safe, God is with you. And I think there's probably somebody who wandered in here this morning and you're feeling alone. You're feeling abandoned. You're feeling like God has treated you unfairly. It's okay to feel that way sometimes. But you shouldn't feel that way for long. You should remind your soul, the truth from the scriptures, that God not only surrounds, not God not only secures you with his power, but he also surrounds you with his presence. You're not only safe, but the God of the universe is with you. You can trust in the Lord because of that. Really 2A is this. 2A on your notes is this. We can trust in the Lord because God providentially does good to those who do good. God rewards those who do good. Look with me now in verse four of Psalm 125. Verse 4 is kind of unique in Psalm 125 because it's the only verse that's that truly takes the form of a prayer. Here's what I mean: it's a prayer of petition, and the psalmist is calling upon the Lord. Hey, do good to those who do good, please. He's calling upon the Lord to do something. The other four verses in the Psalm, verses 1, 2, 3, and 5, they talk about God. They talk about God's people, they talk about the wicked, but only in verse 4 does the psalmist talk to God. And I think that's really significant. And the psalmist says, God, do good to those who do good. Reward those who do good. Now, to be very clear, what we're not talking about here in verse 4 is any kind of works-based salvation. You did not earn your way into the kingdom, and so you're not trying to earn your keep. We're not talking here in verse 4 about works-based salvation, but there is a really important life principle from verse 4, and it's this. If we believe that God created the universe, which we do, then why wouldn't we live in his universe by his design? Why wouldn't we live according to God's design for the universe? You see, here's the thing. When you deviate from God's design and try to live life according to your design, there are generally and naturally negative consequences for that deviation. But conversely, when you are disciplined to live life according to God's design, there are generally and naturally rewards for living life according to God's design, the way we were meant to do it. And this isn't any kind of abstract concept of karma. This is a sovereign God rewarding those who do good, doing good to those who do good. You're never going to be promised health, wealth, and prosperity. You won't be perfect. Life won't always be easy, but life will always be better when you live according to God's design. There are negative consequences for deviating, and there are rewards for disciplining yourself to God's design. This is exactly why Paul says in Galatians chapter 6, verse 9, do not grow weary in doing what? Do not grow weary in doing good, for in time you will reap a harvest. In time the Lord will reward you in his sovereignty and in his providence. You know, in our house, uh we've been trying to do a better job of not just punishing bad behavior, but also rewarding good behavior. We're trying to do a little bit of positive reinforcement in our house. And so on the wall in our living room, we now have three uh starboards, one per child. And the way a starboard works in our house is if a kid does something good, and they they can't ask for a star, okay? If you ask for a star, no star. But if a kid does something good, if it just flows out of them, then they get a star on their starboard. And with enough stars that it that accumulate, they can cash in those stars for a prize, and we're we're trying to do more positive reinforcement rather than just a bunch of punishing negative bad behavior. And it's kind of funny because I'll do I'll do something normal around the house. Like I'll be taking out the trash, and Gunner will say to Hannah, hey, mom, dad deserves a star. And I have to tell him, like, hey, buddy, I don't I don't have a starboard, okay? I'm just, uh, I yeah, I'm I live in this house. You'll understand one day, Gunner. But here's the thing that we don't do with these starboards is if a child goes throughout an entire day and earns zero stars, what we do not do is put them up for adoption and kick them out of our house. That would be insane. We put them to bed just like we do every night. We tell them we love them just like we do every night, and we tell them to try better tomorrow. Those are always going to be my children, no matter how many stars they earn on a given day. But there's also a reality that if they earn some stars, there's a reward for those stars. Something similar is very true in the kingdom of God. If you are in Christ, you are a child of God. That will never change. Point number one, A, your salvation is secure, and it's secure forevermore. You are immovable, unshakable, you will abide in Christ forever. But within the kingdom of God, there are rewards for doing good. Life is always better when you live life according to God's design. We trust in the Lord because he providentially rewards those who do good. And so this morning, is there any area of your life where you have deviated from God's design and you're experiencing natural negative consequences for that deviation? Would you, by the power of the Holy Spirit and God's word, recalibrate your life to God's design? Life is always better when you live life according to God's design. And number four, on your notes, really to be this morning. 2B is this because he providentially repays those who do evil. We trust in the Lord because he providentially repays those who do evil. Look with me now in verse five of Psalm 125, our last verse today. The psalmist says, Some turn aside to their crooked ways, and for those the Lord will lead them away with the rest of the evildoers. But peace be upon Israel. That idea of crooked, it's really an idea and a concept that only exists in contrast to the idea and the concept of straight. Here's what I mean. You cannot define crooked without using the word straight. Crooked is not straight. Crooked is something that used to be straight and is now bent. Crooked is something that used to be straight and is now twisted. Crooked is a deviation from that which is straight. Crooked is a deviation from God's design. And those who turn aside to their crooked ways, those who deviate from God's design, the penalty and the punishment for that is God will lead you away with the rest of the evildoers. Here's the reality this morning, brothers and sisters. All of us have participated in crooked behavior. All of us have sinned and fallen short of God's glory. Romans chapter 3, verse 23, for all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. You do not have to fall far in order to fall short. But Romans chapter 6, verse 23, says that the penalty for our sin, the wages of our sin, is eternal death. All of us have participated in crooked behavior. All of us have sinned and fallen short of God's design. All of us deserve eternal death. All of us deserve to be led away with the evildoers to a real place the Bible calls hell. But if you are in Christ this morning, there is good news for you. Someone innocent was led away on your behalf. And his name is Jesus. In Isaiah chapter 53, verse 7, Isaiah was prophesying about the Messiah to come. This side of the cross, it's a prophecy that has already been fulfilled. But in Isaiah 53, 7, Isaiah says, one day, Messiah will come, and he will be, check this out, he will be like a spotless lamb led away to the slaughter. The reality is all of us have sins, and all of us have a sin debt to pay. And we can either pay for it ourselves, which won't go very well, or we can let someone innocent pay for it on our behalf. We all deserve to be led away with the evildoers, or someone innocent can be led away on our behalf, and if you are in Christ, Jesus was led away for you. We trust in the Lord because he providentially repays those who do evil, but we also trust in the Lord as Christians because he sovereignly paid our debt for us when his son died on the cross in our place. We trust in the Lord that that sacrifice was enough. It was complete, it was sufficient, and that it is it is finished. We trust in the Lord for that. Yesterday we took our kids to uh Hannah's dad's house. We wanted to hang out with my in-laws, but they also have a pool. We wanted to swim in their pool. And so we took the kids over there to go swimming. It was hot yesterday, man. We swam, we had some burgers, came home and took some naps. And my kids are they're they're getting better at swimming, especially my oldest, Maylin. So she doesn't wear the floaty anymore. She's got her goggles on, she's diving down, uh, getting stuff off the bottom of the pool. And I don't think my in-laws were really ready for this. All their toys float on the top. They didn't have anything that you could you could dive down and get off the bottom of the pool. They didn't know how advanced of a swimmer Maylin is at her age of five years old. And so Maylin had her goggles on, and and um Hannah's stepmom went inside and got a bunch of coins and just threw a bunch of coins into the pool. And Maylin had a great time just diving down and getting these coins off the bottom, and she would bring one up and put it on the edge of the pool deck and dive down and get another one. And when she collected all those coins, uh Gigi, that's her grandma name, Gigi told Mae, hey, you can keep all that money. And May was so excited. She started telling her siblings about how much money she has, and she was telling Hannah, and she was telling me about how much money she has. And so I asked Maylin, I said, Maylin, what are you gonna buy with your money? And you'll never guess what she said. May said, I'm gonna buy some ice cream. Are you noticing a theme this morning? And I said, May, where are you gonna buy ice cream? And she said, From the ice cream truck. About twice a month, we have an ice cream truck that comes around our neighborhood. The problem is, I don't know if you've seen ice cream truck prices recently, okay? It costs like $4.50 to get an ice cream sandwich. I'm not that old, but it didn't cost that much when I was a kid. Now I think May collected a total of like 27 cents from the bottom of the pool yesterday. And so when that ice cream truck comes driving around and she walks up to purchase an ice cream sandwich, she will have insufficient funds. But as her dad, what I will not let her do is walk away without an ice cream sandwich. I will pay the balance. Something similar is true of your Heavenly Father. If you try to pay for your own crooked ways, you will get to the judgment seat and you will have insufficient funds. And you will spend forever separated from God in a real place the Bible calls hell. But God paid our debt for us. Someone innocent was led away on our behalf, and his name is Jesus. He paid our debt in full. It is complete, it was sufficient, it is finished. And that is good news this morning. You know, I was thinking about this yesterday as May was scooping those coins off the bottom of the pool. Every time she would put a coin on the on the side of the pool deck, each one of those coins said, In God we trust. And each time she would scoop a coin off the bottom of the pool, she would drop it on the side of the pool deck, and it would say, Clink, in God we trust. And she'd go get another one and bring it up and just clink, in God we trust. And I was thinking about you guys yesterday morning. Because this morning, in Psalm 125, it's clink in God we trust. We trust in God because he will providentially repay those who do evil. But as Christians, we also trust in God because he has sovereignly paid our debt for us. Someone innocent was led away with the evildoers on our behalf, and his name is Jesus. Praise God for that. Well, this morning, church, we've talked all about why we should trust in the Lord. We should trust in the Lord not just in the good times, but in the bad times. We should trust in God, not when things are just going smoothly, but also in times of deep division. But why? Why should we trust in God? We should trust in him because he promises to secure us, he promises to surround us, he providentially rewards those who do good, and he providentially repays those who do evil. But hey, maybe you're here with us this morning and you're not a Christian. I want you to know that we are so glad that you're here this morning. God has you here today for a reason. But maybe you're here today and you don't need to renew or recalibrate your trust in the Lord. Maybe you've never trusted in the Lord at all. And you want to make today the day of your salvation. You're living life by your own design instead of God's design, and you recognize how poorly that's going for you, and you're ready to trust in the Lord, trust in Christ, and start living by his design today and forevermore. Well, hey, if that's you today, if you're here today and you're you're not a Christian, but you want to become a Christian, we want to extend an invitation to you right now to join the family. Here's what's about to happen. In just a moment, I'm going to pray to ask God's blessing on our Bible study. And when I say amen, we'll sing one more song of worship. As we sing, everyone in the room will stand and sing, and you'll see some Christians praying and reflecting from their pews. You'll see other Christians praying and reflecting all across the altar. But myself and some other members of our team will be standing across the front. And as we sing, if you want to become a Christian today by trusting the Lord for the first time, trusting in Christ for the first time, then as we sing, you walk forward and you talk to one of us. We would love nothing more than to talk and pray with you about becoming a Christian today. Would you pray with me? Father in heaven, God, we love you and we praise you. We're grateful today for your words in the Bible that are clear and understandable and applicable to our lives. I pray for myself and my brothers and sisters in the room that you would renew our trust in you. We should trust in you at all times, not just when times are good, but also when our mind is divided, our heart is divided, our household is divided, our nation is divided. We should trust in you at all times. It's always worth it. It's always the best way to live. But God, I pray for that one person that you've brought into the room today. You've orchestrated circumstances such that they would be here today and they don't have a relationship with you through Jesus. Would you make today the day of their salvation? As we sing in just a moment, would you compel that person to walk forward and place their faith in Jesus? We pray all these things in the name of Jesus. Amen.