Psalm 95 - Pastor Scott Silcox

We explore Psalm 95 as a guide for the in‑between days, turning worship into a compass and trust into our way of life. We name three postures—look up, look back, look forward—and bless families to lead with vision, peace and expectation.

• Psalm 95 as a framework for transition
• Worship as a corporate declaration of reality
• Trust pictured through Corrie ten Boom’s ticket
• The in‑between of past faithfulness and future unknowns
• Three postures: look up, look back, look forward
• Anticipation over anxiety for the coming year
• Family leadership, vision and spoken blessing

Chapters

• 0:00 Setting The Scene
• 0:20 Psalm 95 In Transition
• 1:13 Trust Like A Train Ticket
• 2:25 Reflection In The In‑Between
• 4:49 Corporate Worship And Who God Is
• 6:12 Identity As God’s People
• 8:04 Between Faithfulness And Uncertainty
• 9:45 Don’t Freeze In The Past
• 12:06 Anticipation Not Anxiety
• 14:24 Enter 2026 With Expectation
• 15:49 Three Postures From Psalm 95
• 19:19 Look Up: God’s Presence Today
• 22:00 Look Back: Find His Faithfulness
• 25:20 Look Forward: Trust Over Striving
• 28:08 Family Vision And Leadership

Transcript

SPEAKER_00: 0:03

Welcome to the Rock Family Sermon of the Week. For more information about our church, please visit therockfamily.tv. Now join us for a message from Pastor Scott Silcox.

SPEAKER_01: 0:20

Psalms 95 is an important passage of scripture. And because it is a passage of scripture that's kind of stuck in the middle between 93 and 99, and those seven passages through there are all like essential passages that the ancient Jews would have read and meditated on in the place of transition. When the people of Israel began to reflect on what and who God was compared to where it is that they were actually going. Who is the God of today? Would have been the question. What am I facing today? What have I got to deal with today? And how am I actually going to get through it? How is it possible that God can provide for me what I need today? Cori Tin Boom has a great story about this. She went to her father one day and she said to her father, She says, How can I trust that God will give me what I need when I need it? Of course, that's a very big question for a parent, and as any good parent does, they pause for you know reflection and desperation for an answer. Her dad doesn't miss a beat though. He reaches his hand in his pocket and he turns around and he shows her a train ticket and he says, When do I give this train ticket to you? Corey then returns the answer. She says, You actually give that to me just before we get on the train. He said, Exactly. He said, You want to know how you can trust? Because God will give you what you need just as you need it. Now, what she doesn't understand is years later, through imprisonment, through Holocaust, through all of the things that she's gonna have to survive, this one phrase, this one message rings clear. You can trust God for the day. This is an important message for us because, as in the people of Israel, they've got to put their heart and their mind around what is it. And in fact, I would just dare say, if we just fast forward to where we are today, as Christian mentioned earlier, we're sitting in the in-between. We're also in a place of transition. What is that, you might ask? I I sat I sat in my backyard for the first time in a while, and it was awesome. I don't know what you're doing for Christmas, but I wasted an entire day doing a puzzle and looking at a fire. And it was awesome. It was so awesome. Now, I wish I had a picture of the chaos around me at the time, but somehow I was able to escape into this just getting away. There was 400 kids in my yard during that time. It didn't matter. I was just able to steal away. And in that time, I spent a lot of time just reflecting, listening, asking the Lord to show me how to better prepare myself for where I am, where I'm going. In the next couple of days, every single person will actually sit in that place. You'll sit right in the middle and you'll look past, back to the past, and you'll say, look at what God's done. In fact, I'd encourage you, as a family, at some point over the next few days, to sit back and reflect on who he's been, who he is today, and then plan for what he's going to do in the future. But the problem with that sometimes is worry and unrest starts to set in. It starts to unsettle you because there are times in your looking back where you say, I wish things would have been different. Maybe you might even reflect on where you're at presently and say, man, I really wanted this outcome, but I'm sitting in something different today. And you can actually lean over into looking to the future and actually start trying to move the pieces so that you can accomplish what's in your heart. But can I tell you the thing that the people of Israel came to find out through this passage is how to settle themselves. This is very, very important. So let's let's go through this. I want to read through the passage with you. And it's Psalms 95. We'll start, excuse me, at verse 1. It says, Oh, come, let us sing to the Lord. Let us shout joyfully to the rock of our salvation. This is a good start. Let me just say that these psalms are not psalms that were actually privatized. They're not things that we sit back and do privately. In fact, I'm doing it specifically in this room because it's a corporate declaration. These are meant for us to come alongside and declare who God is. Now, this is critical because we can't be in a position to prepare for the future if we don't understand who He is now. And so he says this. This is the, if you could just imagine, declaration in this idea that the ancient Jews are dealing with a Babylonian overthrow, right? There's so much bondage, so much heaviness, but when it comes time to celebrate, where is God, they would recite these. Oh, come, let us sing to the Lord. Let us shout what? Joyfully to the rock of our salvation. Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, and let us shout joyfully to him with psalms. For the Lord is the great God and the great King above all gods. In his hand are the deep places of the earth, the heights of the hills are his also. The sea is his, for he made it. And his hands formed the dry land. Oh, come, let us worship and bow down. Let us kneel before the Lord our Maker, for He is our God. And we are the people of His pasture and the sheep, right? Of His hand. The song we sang a few minutes ago, that holy song, when it talks about hear your people cry. I I don't know about you, but every time I hear that phrase, I just am undone. There's something in that phrase, that declaration that I am his. And this exchange of all that I hoped, wanted, and wished I was. And in that moment, all of a sudden gets turned to him and it's something totally different. It's like it doesn't matter because he doesn't love me for those things. He doesn't accept me for those things. He accepts me for this honesty that says, I'm yours. I choose you. And he in return says back to us, I chose you from the beginning of a time. This is a declaration important. Now there's a posture in where these people are at and why I want to talk about it with you for just a second. And then I'm going to release you. I promise you, really fast today. I know your kids are here. Right? I mean, some of y'all are sweating in here right now. I'm looking at you just like, you better not say a word. Let them babies do what they do. They're fine. Right? Let them sleep, let them do what they're doing. Check this out. This is what's happening. They are in between. Between what? Between past faithfulness and future uncertainty. This is the in between. The next few days is going to feel like the in between. What is 2026? What was 2025? And what is these three days in between? What is this weirdness that I'm dealing with? There's the reflection. There's the hope. They're in between. The people of Israel, what do we do? They're asking themselves, I am stuck between he's been faithful and what? The uncertainty of what's to come. I say this to let you know that you're not alone. This is not just happening to the Jewish people. This happened all the way in the New Testament in Hebrews. Hebrews 3 and 4 outlines this very passage, reflecting on this. For the church, the early church, thinking the same way. Now fast forward to the Rock Family Worship Center, family service. Here, God meets us with this message today, and we're in the in-between. Between what? Memory and movement. The memory of what was but the call to move forward. Some of you are so afraid of what 2026 is going to hold, but can I tell you, if you will just move towards where he's at, there is an unlocking, there is a blessing, there is a care, there is a hope that you may be missed in 2025, but it's available for you today and onward through 2026. Simply turn and start to move. Don't get paralyzed and monument. Don't get so stuck in where you're at just to say, well, I'm fine here and this is enough. Or you just get content with just being reflective on what was. And can I tell you, there isn't a that I don't know anybody that couldn't look back and say, I wish it was a little different. And if you're not careful, you could stay there too long. You could stay there too long and to the point where it brings you to a place where you don't see hope for the future. I wish it could have been more. I wish I had made this. I wish I had done that. I wish you can do that, and it's good to look back as long as it's pushing you forward. But it's not meant for you to look back. The idea is we want to stay in the tension. I used to hear that phrase early on, the tension is good. And some people would disagree with that. There's like, I don't want any tension. But how many know the tension is good? That balance is good. Why? They're stuck in between. We're stuck in between what? What God has done, what he's about to do. Come on, get that language. What he has done and say it with me. What he is. Say it again. What he's about to do. What he's about to do. I wish I had taken this picture and put it up on the screen. Uh Jackson had some friends invite him to be a part of something. They were just going out and doing family shopping or something, but it's two buddies of his that have uh been living out of town for a while. They've come back in town. They got in call. Hey, do y'all want to hang out with us? And literally, from the call that came in, we'll be there in 10 minutes. There was an internal clock that was going off to my kids. They're running around the house. How much time? How much time? It's like, hey, they just called, guys. Just called. They're on their way. Right? Five minutes pass. Has it been 20 minutes? No, it's it's it's been it's been five minutes. The longest 10 minutes that I have been in in a while, just every 30 seconds, just trying to decide, are we there yet? And then at some point it does go beyond 10 minutes. And can I tell you that's the worst thing that can happen to a kid who's waiting around for something they're anticipating? If it goes 10 minutes, one second, then then what creeps in? Can I tell you what creeps in? Doubt. Doubt and fear. They forgot. They forgot. Call them, call them. They forgot. It's like they didn't forget. We just talked to the mom and dad. No, they went by our house. They totally forgot us. I'm devastated. And then at some point, Jackson finally just opens up the front windows, all of them, sits a chair to where he can see directly as far down the street as possible, and he will not move until he has caught a glimpse of his friend who's coming. Anticipation. I laughed. I got behind him. He doesn't even know this. I have a picture of you, son, and it's great. And I'm going to keep it forever because it gives me an image of the anticipation of the arrival of what he said he will offer us. And where we're getting busy or we have seen delay in 2025, you're already doubting 2026. But this word, he is a about to do. What he's about to do. That word about turns around and infuses in this phrase, in this scripture, in this passage, hope. Real hope. This is what he's about to do. Oh, I know I can reflect on the last 10 minutes because they've been tough ones. And I didn't see him in 10 minutes. In 1001, I didn't see him. But what is he about to do? What's about to happen in your life? We get to step into 2026 hopeful. We get to step into 2026 expectant. What are we expecting for, Pastor Scott? Oh, I don't know. For God to show up. I don't know about you, but I am anticipating his arrival. They're like, yeah, it's really hard out there. No, no, no, no. I'm not looking at it as in like save us from this misery. I'm looking out the window with expectation to be with him. It's a totally different posture. I'm not prepping to stay here for an undisclosed amount of time. I am prepping to see him face to face. Two people are doing that. That's great. It's fine. The only need to. Two or three are gathered. We got it. Done. You guys will catch up. 2026 is coming. What does all this have to do with today as we are in the in-between? Some of you are headed back to college. Some of you are headed back to families and jobs and cities that are not Huntsville. We welcome you as guests here today, but I want you to leave hope-filled. I want you to leave with Psalm 95 on your heart. I want you to step into the next few days with your family, not in regret or resentment, even. As if you didn't get what you asked for for Christmas. I want you to step into the next few days, and there's three postures that this presents to us, and it looks like this. Psalms 95 was spoken to God's people at a moment of transition when they needed what? To remember who God is, to humble their hearts, and to listen carefully. Why? Because what comes next depends on how you respond today. What you're hoping in 2026, it's critical how you treat this moment. Because if you just slide up into 2026 saying, I'm just going to carry everything I had in 2025 with me, can I tell you that will slow you down for what God's about to do? Three postures that they take. And I think it's interesting. Go back and read this in Psalm 95. I want you to just go back and read it this week, reflect on it, pray through it. But there's three postures, and it's real simple. There is stop and look up. When you pray over the next few days, when you get in preparation, I want you to pause and thank God for his presence today. He's here today. He's not the God of just tomorrow. He's not the God of yesterday. He's the God of all of it, but he is present for you to access today. He is with you today, Barry. He's with you. He is present with you. He has everything you need today to fulfill his promise on your life. You may be here today and you say, Well, I need, you don't need anything other than an anticipation of his presence in your life. You really don't. No, but if I had more money, yeah, well, yeah, all of us would would love more money. But that's not the pursuit. That's not the pursuit. Not as a believer, when we give our heart to Christ, it shifts to saying, God, you know what I need more than I need it. More than I know. And you posture yourself and say, I recognize that you are present. Last night, sitting out there by that fire, I stayed up way too late, looking at the fire. But I felt compelled to just sit with him and just say, I see you today. I know what I want. I know what I want to see. I know who I'm not. I know who I haven't been, but you're with me today. He sees me today. Second posture is they reflect back. I would say this. It's important for you to look back, just not stay. I said that earlier, but I want to just reiterate this. In your prayer time, I want you to look back. This is what I want you to look back for, though. Don't look back at who you weren't. Look back at who he's been. Our constant look back is to say, oh, oh, this was so hard. It was so the grief, anger, fear, all those things that were crept in this year in certain areas to reflect on that. That's not what I'm saying. I want you to see his footprint, his fingerprint, his hand on your life as you look back. What that should look like is this. God, I should be dead, but I'm not. God, I should be, I should be broke, but I'm not. I should be divorced, but but we're not. I should be out on the streets. I should be without a home, but I'm not. Come on, somebody. You you you have to understand the importance of looking back is to see his hand. That's the confidence that Israel's getting. Israel's looking back, not not in who they aren't, but who God has been faithfully. He is the deliverer, he has brought us out, he has been the fire, he has been the come on, the cloud. He has been all of these things. So we can have confidence today. Amen. So you have to look back. It's not not to regret, it's to look back and see faithfulness. If you can find his faithfulness, here's what's beautiful. If you can find his faithfulness, you will not despair and worry about the future. You won't, you Get nervous. Come on, somebody. How many of you guys have been checking them finances? And what are we doing? Close of the year round, and I don't have enough. I don't know what we need. And there's that worry. Like, what's the coming? Will I have a job? Will I not have a job? Will the government shut down? There's all the things that start to run through your head. Will we have another round of that? But when you go back and find his faithfulness, it compels me for the third movement is to look forward. And to say, I don't look forward in what I can do in my own strength. See, this is the difference. That's the pivot here. It's like when you turn to the future, it's not like, well, I'm gonna be better, I'm gonna do better, I'm gonna strive harder, I'm gonna January's coming, I got my resolutions already started, they're already penciled in right now. Notice I said penciled. Right? How many, how many have been good at penciling in resolutions? So that those mysteriously get erased. Change. Right? Right, I'm gonna do all of that stuff. I'm gonna be a better man. I'm saying if you'll recognize his faithfulness when you weren't who you wanted to be, you won't strive and overstretch in the future of what God has for you. You will lean into trust. He's got it. He's got it. You follow today. This is the call today. This is the call. Umbody's playing today, we're gonna close. Something to reflect on, something to think about. I want to do something. Would you stay with me this morning? That'd be some kind of record, right? Huh? Merry Christmas to you guys. Right? And don't get used to it. Because I've already looked. I've already expected what he is about to do in 2026 and it's longer services. Amen? Hallelujah. He's about to do it. Won't he do it, Lord? No, I'm just kidding. Just kidding. Joking, not joking. I want you to do something real quick. If it's okay with you, I know you have your kids near you. I ask that you just gather your family close to you if you can, if you're near them. If you're not, don't worry. Don't stress out. Young people up there. You're one big happy youth family up there. There's your spiritual mom and dads, they're all up in there. They got you. Just put your arm around them. And we're gonna pray. We're gonna pray. We're gonna pray. I just love seeing these families. So cool. So cool. I'm just gonna pray over our families today. Amen. Psalm 95. Don't forget it. Put it on your heart. Go back and reflect on it. You spend the next few days finding the presence. First posture. Look up. Look back and then look forward. I want you to jot all those things down. And this is why I'm doing this as a family, because I want to just talk to dads for just a second. I know that there are moms, single moms, and dads in this room, and I want you to hear me. You're leading the household, then lead. Right? Then lead. God knows He'll give you the grace and the strength to do it. Amen? But listen to me. Whoever's leading the household, if that's a grandparent, that's in whoever's leading it. I want you to have a vision for your family this year. I want you to have a vision over the next few days as you get in preparation for a new coming, upcoming year. I want you to have a vision. I want you to learn how to stop and give the Lord glory for his presence today. He's making you the lead of the house enough for the hour. You don't need more for tomorrow. Stop trying to figure out what you can do more tomorrow. Live faithfully today. Lead well today. Lead with conviction today. Lead with authority today. Lead with passion today. Lead with a vision for your family today. See him in this present state. Show your family how to look back and find faithfulness in the Father. Take time with them and speak about how God has. I don't care if it means you being vulnerable. You need to be vulnerable with your family and your kids. This is what God has saved us from. This is what God has kept us from. This is where God has brought this blessing to us. This is how we honor Him because of what He's done. I want you to do this. And then lastly, I want you to, I want you to be able to put your hands on your kids and give a vision for what's to come. You are blessed. You are favored. You are cared for, loved, you are spoken over, you are thought of. There is a destiny and a purpose for you. And it looks like fill in the blank. I want you to do this in your family. It's important. You say, I don't have any kids. Do this for your marriage. Do this for your life. Do this for what you're building. Single person, listen to me. Do this for the direction God's taking you today. And I promise you, if you'll have that, it'll be a working plan for God to come in and show you what He's about to do. Amen. Heavenly Father, we love you today. I lift up our families to you. I bless them. I pray gray, ah gosh, I pray grace over them. A fresh anointing to lead their families well. A fresh anointing to fall on every person in the household, God. From mom, dad, children, God, from aunt, uncle to grandparent, God, the extended families of those in this room, God, we bless them today. God, we pray for a grace to lead in this season. God, I pray that they wouldn't live in the past of reflecting on what wasn't, but who you are, God. Your faithfulness. God, I pray that you would bring back to remembrance every area that you showed up. For every area where you were faithful, God, I pray that those memories start to flood in like a river. And God, I pray that it will cause them to be thankful today. Grace filled with the way they treat one another. God, I pray for a peace in their home like they've never felt or sensed before. God, I pray right now, God, that there's a fresh anointing to lead their homes. God, we bless our children today. We thank you for their destiny. We thank you, God, that you've given them to us, entrusted them to us. God, we're thanking you, God, for the gift that they are. They're such a gift. God, I pray that they would feel it every single day. God, that in that that level of um care, God, that you give towards us as your children. God, teach us how to do this for our own kids. God, we anoint them afresh and anew to be ready to face, God, what 2026 is gonna hold. We don't go in with fear and trepidation. We don't go in with worry. We go in with surrender. We step in with surrender. Lead, O leader. You be the shepherd. You be the shepherd. We won't get in front of you, Father. We don't want to get in front of you. We don't want to lag behind in fear, but God, we want to come alongside your guidance, your teaching, your care, your love, your grace. God, I pray for a renewed mercy and grace for the children towards their parents and the parents towards their kids. God, I thank you that this will be the best year yet. Not because we claim anything, but God, we come into alignment with Psalm 95. God, we look back and we say, You are faithful then, you'll be faithful now. And you'll be faithful when. You were faithful then, now, and when, and we're gonna trust you. We align our hearts, our homes, our walk, our faith, all of it. And we ask you, Father, would you anoint us a fresh and anew to walk out of what you have already, God, you've already spoken life over us. You've already given it. You've made a way where there was no way. And you did it for us. We give you the glory, we give you the honor, we give you the praise. Heavenly Father, we thank you for today. Magnificent, Lord, kind and generous in every way. You are faithful. You are faithful. You are faithful. Would you do me a favor? Just lift your hands. All of us, just lift our hands and just pray this blessing over you. The Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord make his face shine upon you. Be gracious to you. The Lord lift up his countenance upon you. Give you peace. We receive peace today. Supernatural peace. Peace that can only come through a Father who sees us. Yahweh. Yahweh. Yahweh, you are with us. Yahweh, we celebrate you, King Jesus. And we thank you. We thank you for the peace that comes with following you in Jesus' name. Everyone said, Amen, amen, amen.

SPEAKER_00: 30:30

We hope and pray this message was encouraging and impactful. Join us live on our website or Facebook on Sundays at 9 and 11 a.m. You can stay connected with us on Facebook and Instagram at the Rock Family. Have a Jesus.