WEBVTT 00:00:01.520 --> 00:00:04.080 Welcome to the Awakening Church podcast. 00:00:04.240 --> 00:00:08.960 We pray this message encourages you and provides the hope and light of Jesus Christ. 00:00:09.199 --> 00:00:10.720 Thanks for tuning in. 00:00:12.480 --> 00:00:14.960 Hi, happy Thanksgiving weekend. 00:00:15.039 --> 00:00:16.000 Hi, youth group. 00:00:16.239 --> 00:00:16.719 Welcome. 00:00:16.960 --> 00:00:18.320 Our youth is here. 00:00:18.879 --> 00:00:19.519 Yes. 00:00:19.920 --> 00:00:21.280 So good to see you guys. 00:00:21.440 --> 00:00:25.920 I hope that your bellies are still full from Thanksgiving goodness. 00:00:26.160 --> 00:00:28.800 Who is still on leftovers today? 00:00:29.039 --> 00:00:29.679 I am. 00:00:29.839 --> 00:00:30.640 I think it's okay. 00:00:30.719 --> 00:00:32.000 I think today is the final day. 00:00:32.079 --> 00:00:34.240 It's the cutoff, but it's okay. 00:00:34.960 --> 00:00:37.200 If we haven't met, my name is Naseem. 00:00:37.280 --> 00:00:39.280 I am our connections director on staff. 00:00:39.359 --> 00:00:42.960 And I've been around Awakening for almost six years, which is crazy. 00:00:43.439 --> 00:00:45.359 And I love my job so much. 00:00:45.520 --> 00:00:50.479 And one of the things I love most about it is being able to meet people who are new to our church. 00:00:50.560 --> 00:00:54.399 So if that's you, if you're exploring, please come introduce yourself after. 00:00:54.479 --> 00:00:56.079 I'd love to meet you and get to know you. 00:00:56.240 --> 00:00:57.759 We're so glad you're here. 00:00:58.479 --> 00:01:06.239 Personally, for me, I just wanted to share just with fall and Thanksgiving, our family absolutely loves fall time. 00:01:06.319 --> 00:01:07.280 We love the holidays. 00:01:07.439 --> 00:01:15.920 And, you know, we being in a big Persian family that loves to eat and loves to have good food and have people over and host, the fall is really special for us. 00:01:16.079 --> 00:01:17.840 My birthday is the week before Thanksgiving. 00:01:17.920 --> 00:01:22.159 So it's like my birthday to Thanksgiving to setting up for Christmas and then going into the holidays. 00:01:22.319 --> 00:01:26.079 So it's just a fun vibe around the Khalili house, all around. 00:01:26.239 --> 00:01:28.719 So we love this time of year. 00:01:29.200 --> 00:01:33.599 But with that, I wanted to also address the reality that that's my lived experience. 00:01:33.760 --> 00:01:38.319 And I know that many people sitting here now or watching online, that might not be yours. 00:01:38.560 --> 00:01:45.599 And a holiday like Thanksgiving weekend might evoke a range of emotions and experiences and trauma even. 00:01:45.680 --> 00:01:51.920 And so I just want to say right off the bat that whatever you walked in here with this weekend, we see you, we love you. 00:01:52.159 --> 00:01:53.760 Most importantly, Jesus Christ loves you. 00:01:53.840 --> 00:01:54.799 And we're so glad you're here. 00:01:55.040 --> 00:01:55.519 Amen. 00:01:55.840 --> 00:01:56.239 Yeah. 00:01:56.400 --> 00:01:57.840 Thank you for being here. 00:01:58.079 --> 00:02:11.120 So no matter what your experience is with a holiday like Thanksgiving, I think we can all agree that Thanksgiving this time of year, it evokes a sort of conscious or subconscious just thoughts around the concept of gratitude, right? 00:02:11.199 --> 00:02:16.719 Like maybe it's November, you see on your calendar Thanksgiving coming up, and you're like, yeah, what am I thankful for? 00:02:16.879 --> 00:02:18.719 Like what should I be thankful for? 00:02:18.879 --> 00:02:28.879 Or maybe it's more of this like cherished tradition of sitting around a table Thanksgiving weekend or with friends giving and going around and sharing what you're thankful for, right? 00:02:29.520 --> 00:02:33.680 But this is not your typical Thanksgiving sermon. 00:02:34.000 --> 00:02:42.080 My aim here is not just a blanket statement of the importance of gratitude, no matter what, or you know, viewing the world through rose-colored glasses or anything. 00:02:42.240 --> 00:02:49.680 No, I know that for many people sitting here now or watching online that you might have walked in here with walking through a valley, right? 00:02:49.840 --> 00:02:54.159 Walking through maybe multiple mini valleys or maybe one long, dark valley. 00:02:54.319 --> 00:02:55.919 And that's the reality. 00:02:56.319 --> 00:02:58.400 I think about just Thanksgiving last year. 00:02:58.560 --> 00:02:59.759 Let's throw it back for a second. 00:02:59.919 --> 00:03:05.840 Can you think about like where you were and we were in lockdown and that had its own stressors of its own? 00:03:05.919 --> 00:03:12.960 And then a year later, I'm so grateful Thanksgiving kind of looked different this year, but pandemic or not, life has its own worries, right? 00:03:13.120 --> 00:03:17.680 Life has its own valleys and hardships and personal things we are all walking through. 00:03:18.000 --> 00:03:30.800 And this morning, I want to talk to us about how, as Christ followers, you and I are invited to walk in a posture of Thanksgiving every day of our lives, not just on Thanksgiving weekend. 00:03:30.960 --> 00:03:35.120 And I don't mean this as a posture of like insincere gratitude or fake it till you make it. 00:03:35.280 --> 00:03:37.599 No, I'm I'm personally not really bent that way. 00:03:37.680 --> 00:03:43.039 I admire my friends who are, but I am one of those people who I just feel everything deeply. 00:03:43.199 --> 00:03:48.879 And I my empathy radar is just so high that when my friends close to me are going through things, I carry that with me. 00:03:49.039 --> 00:03:50.639 I'm very affected by it. 00:03:50.960 --> 00:03:59.919 But what I mean by this is that God has given you and I an invitation to take part in a posture that produces a blessing. 00:04:00.240 --> 00:04:05.840 Spoiler alert, the blessing is not having your circumstances change or having your prayers answered the way you want. 00:04:06.000 --> 00:04:09.520 Maybe sometimes, but that's that's not the blessing I'm talking about here. 00:04:09.680 --> 00:04:19.759 Because the reality is our experiences are real, our emotions are valid, we feel them deeply, and the valleys in our lives can feel very dark and very lonely, right? 00:04:20.639 --> 00:04:23.519 I almost didn't give this sermon because of that. 00:04:23.759 --> 00:04:28.319 Because I'm currently in the process of trying to practice what I'm about to preach. 00:04:28.560 --> 00:04:32.399 So this one's coming at you very raw and very fresh and vulnerable. 00:04:32.560 --> 00:04:43.360 And there's a beautiful story in your Old Testament we're gonna study today about a life of one king and his kingdom, and how an unexpected blessing came out of a valley that they were walking in. 00:04:43.519 --> 00:04:44.879 So let's pray. 00:04:45.519 --> 00:04:50.639 God, we're so grateful for your word, and we're so grateful that we can gather this morning. 00:04:50.800 --> 00:04:52.879 Thank you for every single person in this room. 00:04:53.040 --> 00:04:59.680 And I just pray right now, Holy Spirit, that you would invade our minds and this space and this text and bring it to life. 00:04:59.920 --> 00:05:02.959 And I pray that we can just apply it to our lives and learn from you today. 00:05:03.120 --> 00:05:04.560 In your name, amen. 00:05:04.959 --> 00:05:05.439 Amen. 00:05:05.519 --> 00:05:10.079 So I want to invite you to open your Bible with me, if you have an actual Bible, to 2 Chronicles. 00:05:10.160 --> 00:05:12.959 And if you want to open up your phone, do it if it won't distract you. 00:05:13.120 --> 00:05:17.279 If not, the slides will be on the screens to my right and to your left and in your bulletin. 00:05:17.600 --> 00:05:23.519 This morning, we are looking at the book of 2 Chronicles in your Old Testament, chapter 20. 00:05:23.680 --> 00:05:26.079 We're looking at verses 1 through 30. 00:05:26.240 --> 00:05:27.279 And I, you're welcome. 00:05:27.360 --> 00:05:29.360 I'm not gonna read all 30 verses at you this morning. 00:05:29.439 --> 00:05:32.160 I'm gonna make this more kind of storytelling mode. 00:05:32.319 --> 00:05:36.319 And we're looking at a moment in the life of King Jehosaphat. 00:05:37.360 --> 00:05:43.040 Side note, I feel like every time I preach lately, it's the longest, hardest biblical name, but we're here for it. 00:05:43.120 --> 00:05:45.279 So King Jehoshaphat, let's do this. 00:05:45.519 --> 00:05:47.920 So I wanna just start off with a disclaimer. 00:05:48.079 --> 00:05:57.680 When I was younger, I would kind of in like my quiet time when I was reading the Bible, I would just opt for the New Testament, which just was like, old is kind of boring and hard to read and digest. 00:05:57.839 --> 00:05:59.120 I'm gonna stick to the new. 00:05:59.279 --> 00:06:07.920 And the older that I've gotten, the more I've dove in the Old Testament, what's helped me is I have now viewed the Old Testament like I would a drama series on HBO. 00:06:09.040 --> 00:06:10.240 I don't know about you guys. 00:06:10.319 --> 00:06:11.600 I love TV, I love film. 00:06:11.680 --> 00:06:19.040 So to me, it's just it is that because the Old Testament is that engaging and wild and unbelievable and action-packed. 00:06:19.199 --> 00:06:22.800 So I want to pick I want you to picture yourself, plop back on your black chair. 00:06:22.879 --> 00:06:28.800 I'm sorry, it's not like a comfy couch, but you're sitting back and you're tuning in to the latest episode in 2 Chronicles. 00:06:28.959 --> 00:06:30.560 Okay, let's dive in. 00:06:30.800 --> 00:06:32.480 So I want to set some context for us. 00:06:32.560 --> 00:06:40.079 So this is around 800 BC in Israel, and Israel is divided into two kingdoms, the north and the south, and we're looking at south, Judah. 00:06:40.160 --> 00:06:44.399 It's called Judah, and King Jehoshaphat is king of Judah. 00:06:44.639 --> 00:06:52.000 And just to give you some context into the type of king that Jehosaphat was, if you look back in chapter 19, we learn that he's a good king. 00:06:52.079 --> 00:06:54.399 He's a noble king, he's a good leader. 00:06:54.560 --> 00:07:02.319 He reminded people his people to think carefully before judging each other, to fear the Lord with reverence and faithfulness. 00:07:02.560 --> 00:07:05.120 He appointed judges with a heart for justice. 00:07:05.279 --> 00:07:06.560 So he's he's a good guy. 00:07:06.720 --> 00:07:08.959 That's just some context from chapter 19. 00:07:09.199 --> 00:07:13.839 And when we're plopped into chapter 20, what we learn is there's a war about to start. 00:07:14.079 --> 00:07:20.560 There's a war about to start, and there's three enemy nations, the Moabites, Ammonites, and the Edomites. 00:07:20.639 --> 00:07:25.040 And they have all collectively declared war on Judah, on King Jehoshaphat. 00:07:25.759 --> 00:07:30.000 And Jehosaphat is terrified by this news, as I'm sure you can imagine, right? 00:07:30.160 --> 00:07:35.839 The sheer anticipation and fear of we're about to be attacked by three enemy armies. 00:07:35.920 --> 00:07:36.560 What do we do? 00:07:36.720 --> 00:07:38.399 The pressure he's under is a leader. 00:07:38.480 --> 00:07:41.839 And then I think the pressure of all his people are looking to him, right? 00:07:42.000 --> 00:07:42.959 How is he gonna lead? 00:07:43.120 --> 00:07:44.319 What is he gonna do? 00:07:44.639 --> 00:07:45.519 So much pressure. 00:07:45.680 --> 00:07:46.800 How will he lead us? 00:07:46.959 --> 00:07:51.680 And I want us to start looking at the text in verse 3. 00:07:52.079 --> 00:07:59.120 King Jehoshaphat, it says it's in your notes, he was terrified by this news, and he begs the Lord for guidance. 00:07:59.519 --> 00:08:03.600 He also ordered that everyone in Judah to begin fasting. 00:08:05.360 --> 00:08:10.319 He prays, O Lord, God of our fathers, are you not God in heaven? 00:08:11.279 --> 00:08:14.319 You rule over all the kingdoms of the nations. 00:08:14.879 --> 00:08:20.000 In your hand are power and might, so none are able to withstand you. 00:08:20.240 --> 00:08:28.560 If disaster comes upon us, we will stand before this house and cry out to you in our affliction, and you will hear and you will rescue us. 00:08:28.879 --> 00:08:30.639 And I love how he ends this prayer. 00:08:30.959 --> 00:08:33.600 God, we're powerless against this great horde. 00:08:33.759 --> 00:08:36.879 We don't know what to do, but our eyes are on you. 00:08:37.200 --> 00:08:37.840 Amen. 00:08:38.399 --> 00:08:41.120 So look at this paragraph, look at this prayer. 00:08:41.759 --> 00:08:46.320 90% of Jehoshaphat's prayer is declaring who God is, right? 00:08:46.399 --> 00:08:52.720 It's declaring the character of what he knows to be true about God, and therefore how they will react in that knowing, right? 00:08:52.960 --> 00:08:55.679 And I love how it ends with so much humility. 00:08:55.840 --> 00:08:57.039 There's a desperation. 00:08:57.279 --> 00:08:58.879 God, we don't know what to do. 00:08:59.200 --> 00:09:00.399 Our eyes are on you. 00:09:00.799 --> 00:09:05.039 I love the NLT says, we don't know what to do, but we're looking to you for help. 00:09:05.600 --> 00:09:09.279 I want to pause right here before we continue reading this text. 00:09:09.600 --> 00:09:15.919 Friends, we're learning about a moment in history and how one king responds to calamity, right? 00:09:16.320 --> 00:09:24.240 In that, this provides an excellent lens through which we can view our own approach when it comes to the battles and valleys in our own lives. 00:09:24.480 --> 00:09:32.399 As I was writing this sermon, I was thinking about the word valley and how we use that word metaphorically, right, when talking about our struggles and things we're going through. 00:09:32.639 --> 00:09:43.759 And it makes sense because a valley, literally, is that long peak, that mass of land that kind of sits in the middle and is has like two peaks or two hills or mountaintops to the right and to the left, right? 00:09:43.840 --> 00:09:50.720 And like it's when we think about walking through a valley, I think about like how Psalm 23 says, walking through the valley of the shadow of death, right? 00:09:50.799 --> 00:09:54.639 There's it's dark, it's long, we're like en route. 00:09:55.200 --> 00:10:00.240 And we're waiting to get to that peak or that mountaintop where it's like, God, do I go right or do I left? 00:10:00.320 --> 00:10:01.440 Like what decision do I make? 00:10:01.600 --> 00:10:02.639 When are you gonna answer? 00:10:02.799 --> 00:10:03.840 God can feel distant. 00:10:04.000 --> 00:10:05.279 You're like, God, where are you? 00:10:05.440 --> 00:10:06.159 I need you. 00:10:06.320 --> 00:10:12.159 And and with that, I think of all the natural human reactions you and I might have in our valley moments, right? 00:10:12.320 --> 00:10:15.120 And and I listed like my top four in your bulletin. 00:10:15.200 --> 00:10:19.440 I think there's many more, but as I was pondering, I'm like, what do I feel in my valleys? 00:10:19.519 --> 00:10:20.799 And hope this resonates. 00:10:20.960 --> 00:10:23.360 The first thing I think of is fear, right? 00:10:23.519 --> 00:10:26.320 When we're faced with valleys, there's fear. 00:10:26.480 --> 00:10:29.600 When we're faced with unknowns in life, there's fear. 00:10:30.240 --> 00:10:34.080 That fear leads to grasping for control. 00:10:34.559 --> 00:10:36.159 We hate being out of control, right? 00:10:36.480 --> 00:10:39.039 Especially as Americans, we hate being out of control. 00:10:39.200 --> 00:10:40.399 We want to be in control. 00:10:40.559 --> 00:10:45.919 So that fear, there's a grasping for control, like God, what can I do to control this situation? 00:10:46.080 --> 00:10:47.840 And then a feeling of being hopeless. 00:10:48.399 --> 00:10:48.639 Right? 00:10:48.720 --> 00:10:55.279 If if God doesn't move the way we want him to, or we don't get an answer if and when we want it, we start to feel hopeless. 00:10:56.720 --> 00:11:00.080 And then I think about our reaction of feeling rattled, right? 00:11:00.159 --> 00:11:03.039 Like our faith starts to feel rattled or shaken. 00:11:03.360 --> 00:11:06.799 When when God again doesn't answer the way that we want, we start to question him. 00:11:06.960 --> 00:11:08.000 We're like, God, where are you? 00:11:08.159 --> 00:11:09.360 Are you even for me? 00:11:09.919 --> 00:11:11.919 And that's all natural. 00:11:12.080 --> 00:11:13.039 It's human, right? 00:11:13.120 --> 00:11:20.799 If you look at basic science, physiology tells us that when you are faced with a stressful stimulus, your natural reaction is fight, flight, or free. 00:11:20.879 --> 00:11:22.639 So all of this is natural. 00:11:22.879 --> 00:11:26.639 And yet today, church, I want to encourage us as we look at this story. 00:11:27.039 --> 00:11:28.240 Here's this truth. 00:11:28.480 --> 00:11:34.080 The reality of the valley you and I are walking in does not need to be the posture that we take as we walk through it. 00:11:34.559 --> 00:11:35.440 I'll say that again. 00:11:35.600 --> 00:11:43.120 The reality of our valleys, the reactions that we might have, does not need to be the same posture we take as we walk through that valley. 00:11:43.679 --> 00:11:51.440 When I look at this story, I see Jehosaphat, his posture is almost the exact opposite of what our natural reaction would be. 00:11:52.159 --> 00:11:56.879 His first response is not in reactivity to fear, it's a step of faith. 00:11:57.200 --> 00:11:58.960 Let's let's look at that text again. 00:11:59.200 --> 00:12:04.879 So in faith, he cries out to God and he says, first he prays, and then he fasts, right? 00:12:04.960 --> 00:12:05.919 We do that in desperation. 00:12:06.080 --> 00:12:08.960 We go into prayer mode and fasting mode, and then he prays God. 00:12:09.120 --> 00:12:13.440 We cry out to you in our affliction, you will hear and you will rescue. 00:12:13.600 --> 00:12:17.440 And I don't know if that's just me, but how often are we questioning if God actually hears us? 00:12:17.600 --> 00:12:20.000 How many prayers have we prayed, like, God, do you actually hear this? 00:12:20.080 --> 00:12:20.879 I hope so. 00:12:21.039 --> 00:12:27.039 And it's this reminder to me that faith is not just hope that our circumstances change. 00:12:27.279 --> 00:12:34.080 Faith is knowing who God is and that God said that he will do what he will do, and he will move because that's his character, right? 00:12:34.159 --> 00:12:35.360 Like he is who he says he is. 00:12:35.519 --> 00:12:36.799 That's unchanging, right? 00:12:36.960 --> 00:12:38.559 God is unchanging. 00:12:39.360 --> 00:12:43.759 And then we see surrender, a posture of surrender in Jehoshaphat. 00:12:44.080 --> 00:12:46.879 When he's praying, he prays, God, we're powerless. 00:12:47.120 --> 00:12:50.399 We don't know what to do, but we're looking to you for help. 00:12:50.559 --> 00:12:58.159 It reminds me of when we're worshiping, when we like raise our hands like this in worship, it's this surrender posture of like, God, forget me and my agenda right now. 00:12:58.240 --> 00:13:00.000 I just want to worship you for who you are, right? 00:13:00.080 --> 00:13:02.960 I'm proclaiming your character, I'm surrendering to you. 00:13:03.840 --> 00:13:07.039 And then I see a posture of thanksgiving in Jehoshaphat. 00:13:07.519 --> 00:13:08.559 He's rejoicing. 00:13:08.720 --> 00:13:10.639 Again, he knows what's true about the Lord. 00:13:10.720 --> 00:13:14.639 So in his prayer, he prays, God, in your hand are power and might. 00:13:14.799 --> 00:13:16.159 No one's able to withstand you. 00:13:16.320 --> 00:13:17.519 He knows this confidently. 00:13:17.600 --> 00:13:19.279 So he's thanking God for it. 00:13:19.519 --> 00:13:26.159 And if I if I were to kind of put that all together and tie it up, I would say there's an overall firmness in his faith. 00:13:26.320 --> 00:13:29.120 An overall firmness or being unshakable. 00:13:29.279 --> 00:13:32.559 And as I was thinking about this sermon, I was thinking of the word unshakable. 00:13:32.639 --> 00:13:38.399 And honestly, for me, that's not often a word I hear much when I'm thinking about like a good leader. 00:13:38.639 --> 00:13:40.240 I think it's so underrated, right? 00:13:40.320 --> 00:13:43.120 Like that is what makes a good leader, someone unshakable, right? 00:13:43.200 --> 00:13:45.440 You want to follow someone who's firm in their faith. 00:13:45.600 --> 00:13:48.960 And Jehoshaphat really models this beautifully for us. 00:13:49.759 --> 00:13:59.279 This is the posture, the positions you and I, even in our valley moments, to begin to experience a very rich kind of spiritual formation. 00:13:59.679 --> 00:14:05.279 The beautiful thing to note here is this is Jehoshaphat's reaction before we get to the end of the story. 00:14:05.440 --> 00:14:08.000 You might be wondering why I kind of paused this in a cliffhanger. 00:14:08.080 --> 00:14:08.960 That was intentional. 00:14:09.120 --> 00:14:10.799 I think context is so important. 00:14:10.960 --> 00:14:14.559 As you're reading this story, no, he has not walked through the valley yet. 00:14:14.639 --> 00:14:16.559 They haven't reached the battleground yet. 00:14:16.720 --> 00:14:19.039 This is his posture going into it. 00:14:19.440 --> 00:14:20.159 Hold on to that. 00:14:20.240 --> 00:14:21.360 That's important for us. 00:14:21.919 --> 00:14:23.120 So let's keep reading. 00:14:24.320 --> 00:14:28.240 Imagine this is like now we're tuned back into the season finale, starting, right? 00:14:28.320 --> 00:14:29.039 Like part two. 00:14:29.120 --> 00:14:29.759 Here we go. 00:14:30.000 --> 00:14:32.639 So Jehosaphat is done praying. 00:14:32.960 --> 00:14:36.080 And after he's done praying, immediately the Spirit of God speaks. 00:14:36.399 --> 00:14:41.039 The Spirit of God speaks through a prophet named Jezeel and he begins to prophesy from God. 00:14:41.120 --> 00:14:42.080 So this is what God says. 00:14:42.240 --> 00:14:43.039 Verse 15. 00:14:43.360 --> 00:14:47.759 The Lord says, Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed at this great horde. 00:14:48.159 --> 00:14:50.960 For the battle is not yours, but God's. 00:14:51.759 --> 00:14:53.679 Tomorrow, go down against them. 00:14:53.840 --> 00:14:55.919 You will not need to fight in this battle. 00:14:56.080 --> 00:14:56.720 Stand firm. 00:14:57.120 --> 00:14:58.080 There's that word firm. 00:14:58.720 --> 00:15:02.960 Hold your position and see the salvation of the Lord on your behalf, Judah. 00:15:03.360 --> 00:15:06.080 Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed. 00:15:06.720 --> 00:15:10.080 Tomorrow, go down against them, and the Lord will be with you. 00:15:10.879 --> 00:15:15.600 And then immediately Jehoshaphat bows his head again in thanksgiving and he just praises God. 00:15:16.799 --> 00:15:18.080 And so what happens next? 00:15:18.159 --> 00:15:21.120 In verses 20 through 30, I'll just summarize the story for you. 00:15:21.200 --> 00:15:29.759 What ends up happening is the next morning, before they head out into battle, Jehosaphat goes and addresses the town again, kind of like this, right? 00:15:29.919 --> 00:15:33.120 And he says one more time, Hear me, Judah. 00:15:34.159 --> 00:15:38.000 Believe in the Lord your God, and you will be established. 00:15:38.159 --> 00:15:42.559 Some translations in your Bible say, instead of established, you will be made able to stand firm. 00:15:42.720 --> 00:15:44.080 Again, that word firm, right? 00:15:44.240 --> 00:15:46.240 You will be made able to stand firm. 00:15:46.480 --> 00:15:57.600 And what ends up happening is as they go into battle, before they even send down the army, they send down like a worship brigade, like people who are singing and dancing and playing instruments. 00:15:57.759 --> 00:16:02.000 And I want you to picture this moment because it kind of sounds a little ridiculous, right? 00:16:02.080 --> 00:16:06.639 Like picture if we were about to go into battle and we'd be like, okay, Cole, Robbie, worship band, you guys lead us. 00:16:06.799 --> 00:16:10.000 You guys start leading and you guys start singing before the army goes out. 00:16:10.159 --> 00:16:18.159 It sounds weird and yet it's so powerful that that's their posture is before they even head into battle, they're led by worship, right? 00:16:18.480 --> 00:16:30.960 And what ends up happening is as they go down into this valley to meet the enemy army and fight them, what God ends up doing is he causes the three enemy armies to kill each other, to fight one another, and they literally kill each other. 00:16:31.120 --> 00:16:33.600 And I want to just again say HBO drama, right? 00:16:33.679 --> 00:16:35.360 That's a gruesome image to think about. 00:16:35.440 --> 00:16:37.759 All these dead bodies, that's a lot. 00:16:37.919 --> 00:16:40.720 And yet not one of the enemy survives. 00:16:40.879 --> 00:16:46.000 And the word says that it took Jehosaphat's army three days to collect their spoil. 00:16:46.159 --> 00:16:58.799 What that means is all of the weapons and equipment and it are uh all the like the good things that were like left behind by the people who died, it took them three days to collect all of it and take it back to Judah with them. 00:16:59.919 --> 00:17:03.360 And I love this last note in verse 25 and 26. 00:17:03.440 --> 00:17:08.799 As I was reading, it kind of felt like this aside from the writer to the reader. 00:17:09.039 --> 00:17:13.039 And it says, on the fourth day, they gathered in the valley of Baraka. 00:17:13.599 --> 00:17:14.799 That's Hebrew for blessing. 00:17:14.880 --> 00:17:22.960 So some of your Bibles say valley of blessing, which got its name that day because the people praised and thanked the Lord there. 00:17:23.200 --> 00:17:25.519 It is still called the Valley of Blessing to this day. 00:17:26.079 --> 00:17:27.119 Isn't that powerful? 00:17:28.160 --> 00:17:29.920 And the story ends in verse 30. 00:17:30.160 --> 00:17:33.279 The realm of Jehosaphat was quiet or still. 00:17:34.240 --> 00:17:36.400 For God gave him rest all around. 00:17:37.119 --> 00:17:42.640 Church, as I read this chapter as I sat with it, as I was preparing for this sermon, it God made it so clear to me. 00:17:42.799 --> 00:17:47.680 The blessing here is not simply that God brought them victory, that God brought them out of battle. 00:17:47.759 --> 00:17:49.440 No, it's so much more than that. 00:17:49.680 --> 00:18:00.960 It's called the Valley of Blessing, I believe, because of the transformation that took place in the lives of these people, in the lives of King Jehoshaphat with this posture before the battle was even won. 00:18:01.200 --> 00:18:04.319 In the valley itself, the blessing was in the valley. 00:18:04.480 --> 00:18:06.960 That's what I believe that God has for us today, church. 00:18:07.119 --> 00:18:11.519 And when you hear the words valley of blessing, it kind of sounds like a contradiction, right? 00:18:11.680 --> 00:18:17.920 Like those two words together, and that's purposely why I titled this message Valley of Blessing, because I wanted to strike that tension. 00:18:18.079 --> 00:18:21.839 And I don't mean this as some sort of prosperity gospel thing, right? 00:18:21.920 --> 00:18:25.599 Like if you have enough faith, then God will move this way or you know, do this and you'll get that. 00:18:25.759 --> 00:18:27.200 No, that's not God's character. 00:18:27.440 --> 00:18:35.839 But as we read, we see that the blessing is the spiritual formation and the growth that happens when you and I know God's true character. 00:18:36.000 --> 00:18:36.640 Amen. 00:18:37.039 --> 00:18:45.920 When this knowing of God's character, when that's expressed through a posture of thanksgiving, that posture becomes our weapon of confidence in the valley, right? 00:18:46.079 --> 00:18:48.880 That is our weapon of confidence in our valley moments. 00:18:49.119 --> 00:18:57.119 Our posture of thanksgiving is a spiritual tool and it points us back to what we know to be true of God despite our circumstances. 00:18:58.640 --> 00:19:03.440 And you might be thinking that sounds great, Nassim, but that's easier said than done, right? 00:19:04.400 --> 00:19:04.720 Sure. 00:19:05.279 --> 00:19:06.000 Absolutely. 00:19:06.559 --> 00:19:10.079 I want you to think about maybe you sitting here today or you watching this online. 00:19:10.720 --> 00:19:12.799 What valley are you walking in right now? 00:19:13.359 --> 00:19:17.440 It could be a series of mini valleys, it could be one long, dark valley. 00:19:17.680 --> 00:19:18.720 What valley are you in? 00:19:19.119 --> 00:19:20.799 I'm sure that's a loaded question. 00:19:22.720 --> 00:19:26.160 This story in particular ends with a neatly tied bow, right? 00:19:26.559 --> 00:19:28.559 We have resolution, there's a happy ending. 00:19:28.960 --> 00:19:32.559 For many of us, we are still walking in our valleys today. 00:19:33.200 --> 00:19:40.160 And I want to be really clear right off the bat in distinguishing between what I mean when I say valley and just plain suffering. 00:19:40.400 --> 00:19:50.880 And I want to distinguish that that there is suffering in this world that very often is just due to the fact that we live in a fallen world that is corrupt and dark and ruled by sin and the enemy, right? 00:19:51.039 --> 00:19:54.480 And that suffering breaks God's heart and it pains God's heart. 00:19:54.640 --> 00:19:58.720 This is not a sermon about thanking God for suffering by any means, absolutely not. 00:19:58.960 --> 00:20:08.960 When I refer to valley, I'm specifically talking about the moments that God allows us to walk through because he's walking with us in it, and there's something he wants to teach us through it, right? 00:20:09.039 --> 00:20:12.640 Just like this text in 2 Chronicles, the work he was doing with Jehosaphat. 00:20:13.119 --> 00:20:19.839 So not every suffering we go through is necessarily a valley, but the reality is some of our valleys involve some form of suffering, right? 00:20:19.920 --> 00:20:21.680 Especially the long valleys that we walk in. 00:20:21.759 --> 00:20:22.880 It's hard. 00:20:24.480 --> 00:20:28.720 And maybe you're wondering, okay, what does this chick know about valleys? 00:20:28.880 --> 00:20:30.319 She looks like she's 23. 00:20:30.559 --> 00:20:31.920 I get that a lot. 00:20:32.240 --> 00:20:34.160 I think I'll take it as a compliment in a few years. 00:20:34.240 --> 00:20:36.160 I actually just turned 32 last week. 00:20:36.400 --> 00:20:38.400 And so, thank you, I guess. 00:20:38.559 --> 00:20:38.880 Thank you. 00:20:39.599 --> 00:20:40.319 Okay, no. 00:20:40.960 --> 00:20:41.759 No, no, no. 00:20:41.920 --> 00:20:49.039 But as I share that because as I was writing this sermon, I knew I wanted to share a valley. 00:20:49.200 --> 00:20:51.039 It only makes sense in this sermon, right? 00:20:51.200 --> 00:20:53.440 And I knew the valley that I needed to share. 00:20:53.599 --> 00:20:56.319 And I don't, I didn't want to share it at all. 00:20:57.039 --> 00:21:06.720 Um, and normally, I uh before I dive into my valley, I wanted to make a really a great distinction between the words transparency and vulnerability that I recently learned. 00:21:06.799 --> 00:21:09.680 That's just paint such a beautiful picture of these two terms. 00:21:09.920 --> 00:21:17.920 Transparency is defined as sharing a moment that we have walked through when you've kind of already walked through it and processed it, right? 00:21:18.000 --> 00:21:19.759 You've learned the lessons that have come out of it. 00:21:19.839 --> 00:21:23.440 You kind of have a bird's eye view over it and then you're sharing it transparently, right? 00:21:23.920 --> 00:21:36.000 Vulnerability is sharing that same moment when you're still in process, when you haven't come up out of it, when you don't know the lesson or if there is one, you're kind of just in it, feeling it. 00:21:36.160 --> 00:21:37.920 This is vulnerable for me. 00:21:38.240 --> 00:21:53.599 And for me, one of my longest valleys is having a desire to be married, a desire to have kids, a desire in my 30s to kind of, for lack of a better word, move on with the next phase of my life that I feel like I'm ready for, right? 00:21:53.680 --> 00:21:55.519 And I'm like, come on, God, it's been so long. 00:21:55.680 --> 00:21:59.359 And God just feels silent and God just feels like nothing. 00:22:00.160 --> 00:22:05.279 And normally I'm very open in sharing this part of my journey because I know it's not just unique to me. 00:22:05.359 --> 00:22:08.480 There's many people sitting here right now, men and women, you understand. 00:22:08.960 --> 00:22:18.400 What makes it very vulnerable to share right now is because two and a half years ago, I preached my first sermon at Awakening in that cafeteria. 00:22:18.640 --> 00:22:23.759 And in that sermon, I had a point about our perspective in the moments that are dark. 00:22:24.000 --> 00:22:26.240 And I shared this valley. 00:22:26.640 --> 00:22:37.039 And so to stand here two and a half years later and to still be in the same valley, it feels embarrassing, honestly. 00:22:37.200 --> 00:22:42.079 It feels like in my pride, I don't want anyone to pity me or feel overexposed. 00:22:42.400 --> 00:22:44.000 It brings up a lot. 00:22:44.319 --> 00:22:48.400 And the older I get, the longer the valley goes, the harder it is. 00:22:48.480 --> 00:22:51.920 So it's that much harder to share it this morning than it was two and a half years ago. 00:22:52.160 --> 00:22:53.920 And it's a journey. 00:22:54.160 --> 00:22:57.440 And then I was like, how would I, why would I not share this? 00:22:57.599 --> 00:23:01.359 Because this is the very definition of what people are dealing with in their valleys, right? 00:23:01.519 --> 00:23:02.640 It's a long road. 00:23:02.880 --> 00:23:05.440 Many of us are still going through our valleys. 00:23:05.599 --> 00:23:06.960 We haven't reached the end yet. 00:23:07.119 --> 00:23:08.960 So I knew I needed to share it. 00:23:09.200 --> 00:23:16.240 And then I think about people in this very room who I get to walk with in ministry who have a desire for children. 00:23:16.480 --> 00:23:22.480 And that long desire has just been met with miscarriages or infertility or just nothingness. 00:23:22.799 --> 00:23:24.480 And that's a valley of its own. 00:23:24.720 --> 00:23:34.000 I think about parents who are praying for their kids to come back to Jesus, parents who are praying on their knees every morning for their kids to come back to God, and that's a valley, right? 00:23:34.240 --> 00:23:43.200 People who are living with chronic pain or a diagnosis and their new normal is walking through just the new normal of being diagnosed with something like cancer or whatnot. 00:23:43.359 --> 00:23:44.240 It's a valley. 00:23:44.400 --> 00:23:45.920 It's a long trek. 00:23:46.799 --> 00:24:02.319 And as I'm trying to put myself in this story, I felt so convicted because I'm trying, I'm wanting to try to adopt this posture of knowing that God's faithfulness, God's character is not dependent on him answering my prayer or not. 00:24:02.480 --> 00:24:06.000 No, God's faithfulness is how he views you and I. 00:24:06.160 --> 00:24:11.279 His character is that he calls you and I his special possession, his chosen people. 00:24:11.359 --> 00:24:14.079 That's who you and I are as his sons and daughters, church. 00:24:14.160 --> 00:24:14.960 That's his character. 00:24:15.119 --> 00:24:17.200 That's what we know to be true about God. 00:24:17.839 --> 00:24:27.759 And as I share my value and maybe you're thinking and reflecting on your own, I hope to encourage us by sharing a really sweet learning that I had from a friend of mine. 00:24:28.240 --> 00:24:35.279 Friend of mine who recently, very tragically and suddenly lost her dad in the last month and a half. 00:24:35.759 --> 00:24:43.359 And as I've been walking with her through this process, she's just been so graceful to just share openly her process. 00:24:43.599 --> 00:24:51.440 And as we were talking and as I was preparing this sermon, I took this to her and I was like, what is a posture of Thanksgiving even look like to you right now? 00:24:51.599 --> 00:24:52.559 Like, are you even there? 00:24:52.720 --> 00:24:55.759 Because if you aren't, I totally get, you know, like what does this sit with you? 00:24:55.920 --> 00:24:58.079 And not thanking God for the suffering. 00:24:58.240 --> 00:24:58.799 Absolutely not. 00:24:58.960 --> 00:25:01.039 Thanking God for who he is in it, right? 00:25:01.200 --> 00:25:03.119 Thanking God for who he is despite it. 00:25:03.359 --> 00:25:05.680 And what she shared with me blew my mind. 00:25:05.839 --> 00:25:11.839 And I just, with her permission, I'm so grateful to be able to share that with you today and hope that will encourage you. 00:25:12.079 --> 00:25:20.960 She shared, Nassim, for me, thankfulness or a posture of gratitude does not look like every day I wake up with a burst of joy and I'm like, God, thank you for this. 00:25:21.039 --> 00:25:21.599 Thank you for that. 00:25:21.680 --> 00:25:22.480 It's not that. 00:25:22.720 --> 00:25:27.119 It's also not this routine of a gratitude journal, right? 00:25:27.279 --> 00:25:30.640 Ten things I'm thankful for to make my mind, you know, automate. 00:25:30.960 --> 00:25:31.279 No. 00:25:31.839 --> 00:25:40.640 She said, for me, a posture of gratitude and thankfulness looks like every single day I'm trying to plant one seed of faith. 00:25:41.680 --> 00:25:45.519 Every day I'm trying to plant one seed of faith. 00:25:45.839 --> 00:25:51.599 Maybe that looks like reading one Bible verse that reminds her of God's character in this valley. 00:25:51.759 --> 00:25:58.400 Maybe it looks like one worship song that just lets the truth of God be this soothing balm over her soul. 00:25:58.640 --> 00:26:00.720 I thought that was so powerful. 00:26:00.880 --> 00:26:12.079 And as I've been sitting with that, like for me, and I know for her, learning that faith is trusting and knowing, friends, God's objective character, despite your subjective experience of him. 00:26:12.319 --> 00:26:12.880 Amen. 00:26:13.119 --> 00:26:14.160 That is the truth. 00:26:14.480 --> 00:26:22.079 God is not our view of him, he is his own objective character, and he wants us to get to know him. 00:26:24.160 --> 00:26:27.359 There's this trend right now on TikTok. 00:26:27.680 --> 00:26:28.799 Hang with me. 00:26:29.279 --> 00:26:29.920 Hang with me. 00:26:30.079 --> 00:26:31.200 Maybe our youth will know this. 00:26:31.279 --> 00:26:34.559 I'm not, I can't believe I'm even saying that phrase, but here we are. 00:26:34.960 --> 00:26:37.759 And it's called, can we skip to the good part? 00:26:38.079 --> 00:26:45.200 And I was just, I don't, I'm not a TikToker, so I my friend sent me this, and I thought it was a perfect addition to this message. 00:26:45.440 --> 00:26:55.279 Basically, what this compilation is, is people are making these 30-second videos where the first half is kind of a mundane, dry, sad moment. 00:26:55.359 --> 00:26:57.759 And then the music says, Can we just skip to the good part? 00:26:57.920 --> 00:27:00.720 And it snaps and it cuts to a good part. 00:27:00.880 --> 00:27:07.440 People are using it for baby announcements or engagements or pregnancies and so on, like the, you know, the typical good news things. 00:27:07.599 --> 00:27:11.279 And it's just like being sad, snap, got a wedding ring, or whatever, right? 00:27:11.359 --> 00:27:12.960 Can we just skip to the good part? 00:27:13.359 --> 00:27:20.079 And I kind of smiled as I looked at this, and then to be honest, I rolled my eyes because I was like, this is the problem. 00:27:20.480 --> 00:27:31.920 This is the problem with the world we're living in, is that we think that our valley moments can just be cut up and compilated into a 30-second video where we can just say, snap, let me skip to the good part. 00:27:32.079 --> 00:27:33.359 That's not life though, right? 00:27:33.519 --> 00:27:34.079 That's not. 00:27:34.240 --> 00:27:42.319 Many people sitting in this room, you've been walking through the bad part for years, or we don't know when or if the good part will come or what it will look like. 00:27:42.559 --> 00:27:44.319 Who knows what that good part will be? 00:27:44.480 --> 00:27:47.680 We're not necessarily even guaranteed that good part, this part of eternity, right? 00:27:47.839 --> 00:27:49.920 The good part is so much bigger than that. 00:27:50.319 --> 00:28:03.039 And so as I was just pondering this, I felt like the Holy Spirit was like, what if the good part or the blessing in the valley is the transformation that happens in the valley if we lean in? 00:28:03.279 --> 00:28:08.559 What if the good part is what happens as we get to know God more in his character as we're walking through the valley? 00:28:08.720 --> 00:28:12.240 What if the good part is walking in that posture of King Jehoshaphat? 00:28:12.319 --> 00:28:17.039 So we don't let the valley necessarily just shake our faith, but become firmer in our faith. 00:28:17.200 --> 00:28:18.640 That is the good part. 00:28:19.759 --> 00:28:23.200 It reminds me of this verse in Psalm 40, 11. 00:28:23.359 --> 00:28:27.039 It's been a little anchor for me in this season. 00:28:27.119 --> 00:28:31.920 It says, As for you, God, you will not restrain your mercy from me. 00:28:32.160 --> 00:28:36.319 Your steadfast love and your faithfulness preserves me. 00:28:36.559 --> 00:28:39.519 The word for preserve, other translations will be sustain. 00:28:39.599 --> 00:28:41.200 I was looking at that word sustain. 00:28:41.279 --> 00:28:41.920 I love that word. 00:28:42.000 --> 00:28:43.440 I was like, what does this actually mean? 00:28:43.599 --> 00:28:45.680 I was looking at the Hebrew definition of sustain. 00:28:45.759 --> 00:28:48.640 There's four definitions I want to share with you that are in your notes. 00:28:48.880 --> 00:28:56.799 To sustain means to uphold, to strengthen, to refresh, and to comfort. 00:28:57.279 --> 00:28:58.720 Do you believe that, church? 00:28:58.880 --> 00:29:05.200 Do you believe that you have a God and his love and his faithfulness, that his character in your valley moment sustains you? 00:29:05.359 --> 00:29:10.079 It refreshes you, it upholds you, strengthens, and comforts you. 00:29:10.240 --> 00:29:12.000 That is his faithfulness. 00:29:12.160 --> 00:29:18.880 And I read that, I'm like, wow, God, like this last month or so has been hard. 00:29:19.039 --> 00:29:20.640 It's been a journey for me personally. 00:29:20.799 --> 00:29:30.400 I mentioned my valley, which has its ups and down moments, but also just being in ministry, we walk with people in our church through very painful moments and it's been very heavy. 00:29:30.720 --> 00:29:40.160 And as I am writing this sermon and processing what I'm about to preach, I feel like God is refining my character and even working on my humility. 00:29:40.240 --> 00:29:45.680 And God's like, Nassim, you're gonna share with your church this time around what you are currently processing, what you're going through. 00:29:45.839 --> 00:29:53.759 And so I just humbly confess to you today, church, that I'm in process, that I am, this is hard to do and I'm in it with you. 00:29:53.920 --> 00:29:58.559 Yet in our valley moments, this is that promise that He sustains you and I. 00:29:58.799 --> 00:29:59.440 Wow. 00:29:59.680 --> 00:30:01.279 That is powerful. 00:30:02.240 --> 00:30:09.759 In his book, Disappearing Church, Mark Sayers talks about this concept of how we view our faith as solutionism. 00:30:10.000 --> 00:30:14.799 The fact that we're so quick to like solve an issue, a faith or a problem, like an equation. 00:30:15.359 --> 00:30:17.599 Like if I do X, God will give me Y, right? 00:30:17.680 --> 00:30:20.160 If I'm a good Christian, then this will happen. 00:30:20.799 --> 00:30:25.680 What he talks about is true faith is not a solution, it's a process. 00:30:26.160 --> 00:30:27.839 It's walking a path. 00:30:28.319 --> 00:30:31.599 He says solutionism is instant gratification. 00:30:31.759 --> 00:30:33.519 Just like that TikTok video, right? 00:30:33.759 --> 00:30:38.799 When the answer, what if the answer is a path of walking in Jesus' footsteps? 00:30:39.039 --> 00:30:41.519 That's how we grow as faithful disciples. 00:30:41.839 --> 00:30:44.720 I follow his path, which is a process. 00:30:45.039 --> 00:30:49.759 He concludes, instant solution requires no faith because the problem is solved in a moment. 00:30:50.000 --> 00:30:53.279 But a path requires faith and courage. 00:30:53.680 --> 00:30:59.759 And the good news is, friends, I don't think that God is like with a knife to our back saying, just have more faith, then I'll answer you, right? 00:30:59.839 --> 00:31:04.000 It's not a game, it's not a lesson to be learned, like he's trying to test our faith level. 00:31:04.240 --> 00:31:06.079 God is overflowing love. 00:31:06.400 --> 00:31:12.799 In the midst of our valleys, he's given us a gift in Jesus Christ who's in the valley with us. 00:31:13.039 --> 00:31:18.640 See, as Christians, we are not succumbed to having to manufacture resiliency or courage or faith. 00:31:18.720 --> 00:31:20.480 You don't have to be strong all the time. 00:31:20.640 --> 00:31:25.359 You have an advocate who is Jesus Christ who walks in that valley of shadow of death with you. 00:31:25.599 --> 00:31:27.039 He's walked it before, right? 00:31:27.279 --> 00:31:32.240 Every emotion you and I feel or have felt in our valleys, he's felt tenfold. 00:31:32.559 --> 00:31:39.119 And through the gift of his Holy Spirit, he deposits that peace, that faith, and that comfort to you and I. 00:31:39.359 --> 00:31:40.960 So we don't have to carry it on our own. 00:31:41.119 --> 00:31:47.680 And the best part is this is not anything that it's because of something you and I have done or could ever do, it's because of who he is. 00:31:47.839 --> 00:31:49.519 Because he's that righteous, right? 00:31:49.680 --> 00:31:51.200 And that that's a gift. 00:31:51.759 --> 00:31:55.119 And so if you're wondering, where do I tangibly start? 00:31:55.279 --> 00:31:57.920 Where how can I even begin to develop this posture? 00:31:58.000 --> 00:32:02.079 I want to give you just two quick next steps that are powerful. 00:32:02.319 --> 00:32:06.079 The first, reflect on who God is daily. 00:32:07.200 --> 00:32:08.400 I mentioned this earlier. 00:32:08.640 --> 00:32:12.799 God is not your view of his character, he's who he says he is in his word. 00:32:13.119 --> 00:32:15.680 Sorry if that sounds harsh, but not sorry, right? 00:32:15.759 --> 00:32:21.200 We we often have faulty images of God because of our own experiences, but God is who he says he is in his word. 00:32:21.519 --> 00:32:23.359 So if you don't know him, get to know him. 00:32:23.680 --> 00:32:24.480 Open your Bible. 00:32:24.640 --> 00:32:29.279 I know it sounds easy, but it's a discipline and it takes time and it's transformative. 00:32:30.319 --> 00:32:35.200 The second is in confession, in prayer, surrender to his control. 00:32:36.240 --> 00:32:36.559 Right? 00:32:36.720 --> 00:32:37.759 Pray that out loud. 00:32:37.920 --> 00:32:39.200 Like, God, we're dependent on you. 00:32:39.279 --> 00:32:40.720 Remember how King Jehoshaphat prayed? 00:32:40.880 --> 00:32:43.519 Like, God, the battle is not ours, it's yours. 00:32:43.759 --> 00:32:44.960 We're powerless. 00:32:45.200 --> 00:32:47.119 You will help, you'll answer. 00:32:47.680 --> 00:32:52.079 And friends, God is so good that even in something like this, there are byproducts. 00:32:52.319 --> 00:32:55.599 He's so gracious that he also gives us little gifts in the valley. 00:32:55.680 --> 00:32:58.640 And two of those byproducts, the first is peace. 00:32:58.799 --> 00:33:03.200 We're able to rest in a peace that surpasses all understanding. 00:33:03.440 --> 00:33:06.240 Remember, it says God gave him rest all around. 00:33:06.400 --> 00:33:08.799 Thanks to Jesus Christ, you and I have that peace. 00:33:08.960 --> 00:33:13.279 We have that Holy Spirit dwelling within us every day, even in our valley moments. 00:33:13.680 --> 00:33:16.319 And finally, we become firm in our faith. 00:33:16.480 --> 00:33:20.640 That firmness we talked about earlier, remember, you will be made able to stand firm. 00:33:20.880 --> 00:33:25.119 As we develop this posture like Jehoshaphat had, we become firm. 00:33:25.359 --> 00:33:26.799 Like what a gift, right? 00:33:26.880 --> 00:33:36.240 And so for you and I, as we walk through our valleys that are deep and good desires, even that we have, let's remember that he's our sustainer, right? 00:33:37.039 --> 00:33:46.079 And so as we are about to close in worship, I wanted to share with you a gift or a resource that I've included in your bulletin. 00:33:46.160 --> 00:33:48.240 This is another vulnerable thing for me to do. 00:33:48.319 --> 00:33:52.400 This is a page out of my journal that I've transcribed from me to you. 00:33:53.200 --> 00:34:00.160 And in a moment of me being in my valley moments, I was writing. 00:34:00.240 --> 00:34:04.000 And I was writing all the emotions and feelings that I was feeling. 00:34:04.319 --> 00:34:09.679 Feeling empty, feeling that God was silent, feeling doubtful and weak. 00:34:09.840 --> 00:34:14.719 And then I was like, okay, well, even in this, what do I know to be true about God? 00:34:15.039 --> 00:34:16.800 What do I know to be true about God? 00:34:16.960 --> 00:34:22.000 And I started just opening up my Bible and writing every single promise of his character that I know. 00:34:22.239 --> 00:34:27.519 And guys, I mentioned earlier my friend with her faith seeds, these are my faith seeds right now. 00:34:27.760 --> 00:34:29.840 These are the seeds that I'm planting. 00:34:30.079 --> 00:34:37.119 That my prayers right now, that's my posture of thanksgiving because this is who God is. 00:34:37.280 --> 00:34:41.840 Something I love saying is like when we're talking, even maybe you've heard me say it if we're close, is what can I bank on? 00:34:41.920 --> 00:34:43.519 Like, what do I know to be true about God? 00:34:43.679 --> 00:34:45.599 Friends, this is what we can bank on. 00:34:46.559 --> 00:34:50.880 So I pray that you use that as a resource, take it home with you, put it somewhere, whatever. 00:34:50.960 --> 00:34:52.480 That's a gift for you. 00:34:52.800 --> 00:35:00.320 And as Robbie leaves us in this next song, I just want to invite you to let the words wash over you and let the Holy Spirit move. 00:35:00.559 --> 00:35:02.480 I'm gonna ask you to close your eyes for a second. 00:35:02.559 --> 00:35:10.000 I'm gonna pray over us and just silence your mind from all the noise. 00:35:11.039 --> 00:35:13.599 Maybe even put out your hands in a posture of surrender. 00:35:13.679 --> 00:35:15.679 Let's practice what we just learned, right? 00:35:17.360 --> 00:35:28.639 God, we thank you that even in the darkest, loneliest, longest valleys, you're sustainer. 00:35:29.280 --> 00:35:33.119 God, you are near to the brokenhearted. 00:35:33.440 --> 00:35:37.199 God, even when we're insecure, God, you make us sure footed. 00:35:37.679 --> 00:35:42.800 God, when we feel lonely, your word says that you uphold us with your right hand. 00:35:44.239 --> 00:35:47.360 God, even in weakness, you are the strength of our hearts. 00:35:47.519 --> 00:35:48.400 I love that, God. 00:35:48.480 --> 00:35:50.159 You are the strength of our hearts. 00:35:50.239 --> 00:35:57.199 And I pray that over our church this morning that in weakness and whatever people walked in here with, Lord, this is what we know to be true of you, God. 00:35:57.440 --> 00:36:00.400 This is what we know we can bank on is your character, God. 00:36:00.559 --> 00:36:04.320 And so what more could we do but thank you, God, for your faithfulness? 00:36:04.639 --> 00:36:07.280 God, thank you that you are our sustainer and that you refresh us. 00:36:07.360 --> 00:36:09.599 And that's my prayer over my church this morning. 00:36:09.760 --> 00:36:12.320 As we're in process, would you refresh us? 00:36:12.559 --> 00:36:14.639 Refresh anyone who needs that this morning. 00:36:14.800 --> 00:36:19.519 Comfort the person that needs comfort, sustain the person that needs sustaining, God. 00:36:20.320 --> 00:36:22.079 We thank you for your character. 00:36:22.239 --> 00:36:25.039 We thank you that you're unchanging, even in the valley. 00:36:25.199 --> 00:36:27.199 So what else can we do but worship? 00:36:27.519 --> 00:36:28.159 Amen. 00:36:29.920 --> 00:36:32.320 We hope you are blessed by this message. 00:36:32.559 --> 00:36:37.519 Please subscribe to our podcast for access to every episode as they're uploaded. 00:36:37.760 --> 00:36:40.000 And hey, we'd love to connect with you. 00:36:40.239 --> 00:36:51.599 Take a next step by filling out our virtual connection card at awakeningchurch.comslash cards.