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Speaker 1: Life audio. Hi there, and welcome to another prayer through

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Speaker 1: the Psalms episode of the Praying Christian Women podcast. I'm

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Speaker 1: Jamie and I am so happy you're here today. Welcome

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Speaker 1: if this is your first time, welcome here. The more

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Speaker 1: the merrier, and I won't even say the more the

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Speaker 1: marrier that sounds so trite. The more people we have praying,

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Speaker 1: the more powerfully God is going to work. And that

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Speaker 1: is fundamental to Alana and me our tagline. It's Praying

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Speaker 1: Christian Women changing the world, one prayer at a time.

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Speaker 1: And it's not just a clever tagline. We legitimately believe

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Speaker 1: that there are times when we don't pray and God

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Speaker 1: doesn't work because of the way He has we don't understand,

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Speaker 1: it's a mystery, but because of the way he has

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Speaker 1: ordained things, because of the way he has created the

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Speaker 1: laws of the universe and the laws that govern the

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Speaker 1: spiritual world. We are part of His work on this planet,

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Speaker 1: and when we aren't praying, something is missing. I truly

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Speaker 1: believe that I just want to take an aside. I

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Speaker 1: want to go over to Ezekiel twenty two thirty to

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Speaker 1: thirty one. I looked for someone among them who would

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Speaker 1: build up the wall and stand before me in the

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Speaker 1: gap on behalf of the lord, so I would not

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Speaker 1: have to destroy it. But I found no one, So

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Speaker 1: I will pour out my wrath on them and consume

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Speaker 1: them with my fiery anger, bringing down on their own

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Speaker 1: heads all they have done, declares the sovereign Lord. What

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Speaker 1: this says to me is that the people had done

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Speaker 1: things that in the natural order of things, what they

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Speaker 1: had sown reaped certain consequences, and there was a full

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Speaker 1: measure of consequence for what they had done that was

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Speaker 1: coming back on them. But what God implies in the

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Speaker 1: verse before is that he wanted someone to build up

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Speaker 1: the wall and to stand before him in the gap

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Speaker 1: on behalf of the land, so he would not have

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Speaker 1: to destroy it. So that's basically God saying, there's a

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Speaker 1: natural order of things. There's reaping and sewing, which is

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Speaker 1: a law that I have established, And yet I wanted

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Speaker 1: someone to ask me to override that to rescue, and

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Speaker 1: no one was there. And that's pretty clear. And I

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Speaker 1: know it's dangerous taking verses in microdoses, right, just taking

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Speaker 1: verses out of context, because you know, this is Ezekiel,

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Speaker 1: it's prophecy, it's talking about a specific instance, but you've

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Speaker 1: got in the New Testament, I think it's James James

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Speaker 1: chapter four, and I'm going to read verses two and three,

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Speaker 1: So this is James chapter four. You desire but do

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Speaker 1: not have, so you kill, you covet but you cannot

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Speaker 1: get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You

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Speaker 1: do not have because you do not ask God. And

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Speaker 1: then verse three goes on to say when you ask,

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Speaker 1: you do not receive because you ask with wrong motives.

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Speaker 1: That you may spend what you get on your pleasures.

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Speaker 1: And so it's just very clear here that he's saying

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Speaker 1: you don't have because you don't ask God. So there's

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Speaker 1: something lacking because you haven't asked God for it. And

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Speaker 1: then there can be something lacking also when you ask

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Speaker 1: with wrong motives, when you ask out of greed or

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Speaker 1: out of selfish ambition or whatever, when you're not connected,

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Speaker 1: when you're not rooted in God, if you're not connected

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Speaker 1: to the vine and praying with his purposes in mind.

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Speaker 1: And that the Bible also says, delight yourself in the Lord,

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Speaker 1: and He will give you the desires of your heart.

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Speaker 1: Delighting in him. We're also allowing our will and our

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Speaker 1: desires to be conformed into His own, and so therefore

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Speaker 1: it helps us to pray more powerfully. I do not

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Speaker 1: know how I got off on this tangent, other than

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Speaker 1: to prove to you through scripture that it's not just

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Speaker 1: a one off. That there are several places that say

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Speaker 1: there are things that are not accomplished on earth because

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Speaker 1: we do not with prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present

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Speaker 1: our requests to God. And so I just really encourage

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Speaker 1: you to lean into prayer. If you didn't believe in

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Speaker 1: it before, if you've never experienced a conversation with God,

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Speaker 1: or if you've prayed and you've felt like it's kind

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Speaker 1: of just been met with silence, don't give up. Keep praying,

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Speaker 1: keep asking, keep seeking, keep just approaching God with an

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Speaker 1: open heart and an open mind, and you just I

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Speaker 1: know that He will meet you there. And I'm just

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Speaker 1: so happy that we can all collectively, across time zones,

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Speaker 1: across continents, and across the world, that we can be

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Speaker 1: praying in agreement for God's kingdom to come. His will

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Speaker 1: be done on earth as it is in heaven, and

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Speaker 1: we need that more now than ever. You know, let's

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Speaker 1: just say it. We are like on the brink of

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Speaker 1: World War three. We have a lot going on right

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Speaker 1: now in the world. And whether that were the case

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Speaker 1: or not, the enemy is at work in the world.

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Speaker 1: But God, he who is in you, he who is

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Speaker 1: in me, is greater than he who is in the world.

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Speaker 1: And we have a privilege and a responsibility and really

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Speaker 1: a hope of partnering with God because he invites us

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Speaker 1: into the process of prayer, which sets the state for

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Speaker 1: him working in ways that he could not and would not.

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Speaker 1: I won't say could not, because God can do anything,

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Speaker 1: but he will not in some cases, I believe, according

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Speaker 1: to scripture, work without us approaching him and asking. So

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Speaker 1: let's pray. We're going to be talking about and praying

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Speaker 1: through Psalm fifty seven, and before we do, let's pray,

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Speaker 1: Almighty God, we praise you for being the King of

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Speaker 1: kings and Lord of lords, for being on the throne.

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Speaker 1: Even when the world is just chaotic and crazy. There

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Speaker 1: are so many people that are suffering. There is so

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Speaker 1: much darkness in the world, and we just lift it

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Speaker 1: all up to you, all of our burdens, whether it's

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Speaker 1: things happening in our own lives personally, whether it's things

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Speaker 1: we see on the news that are time zones and

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Speaker 1: continents away. Whatever it is, Lord, we just we lift

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Speaker 1: it up to you, and we just know that you

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Speaker 1: are capable to work in it in ways that are

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Speaker 1: more creative, more outrageous, more unbelievable than we could ever

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Speaker 1: craft with our own imaginations or with our own intellect.

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Speaker 1: And so we are so glad that you are on

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Speaker 1: the throne, that you are God and we are not.

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Speaker 1: And we acknowledge you as being all knowing and all wise,

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Speaker 1: with a knowledge and a wisdom higher than anything we

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Speaker 1: could ever fathom with our human minds. And we do

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Speaker 1: pray for your kingdom. Come Your will be done on

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Speaker 1: earth as it is in heaven, that what the enemy

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Speaker 1: has intended for evil, that you would reclaim and redeem

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Speaker 1: and rework for your good and for your glory. Show

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Speaker 1: us ways we can be part of that, whether it's

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Speaker 1: things to pray or things to do. And let us

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Speaker 1: never ever forget what Jesus told us, that the greatest

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Speaker 1: of all of the commandments can be boiled down into

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Speaker 1: loving you with all of our hearts, all of our minds,

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Speaker 1: all of our souls, all of our strength, and to

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Speaker 1: love one another, to love our neighbor, as ourself, give

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Speaker 1: us the grace to do that. Help us to get

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Speaker 1: out of our own way as we navigate opinions and

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Speaker 1: emotions and feelings in all the different things that are

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Speaker 1: going on in the world right now. Just help us

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Speaker 1: to display the love of Jesus. Help us to love

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Speaker 1: what is good and what is pure. Help us to

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Speaker 1: do justly, to love mercy, to walk humbly with you.

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Speaker 1: You just have a way of making it seem so simple.

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Speaker 1: So as we stand here in the throne room approaching you,

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Speaker 1: recognizing you as both awesome and terrible, as a glorious

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Speaker 1: God that we are unworthy of approaching, and yet also

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Speaker 1: as our loving father, as our friend, as our advocate,

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Speaker 1: teach us how to pray. And as we read this Psalm,

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Speaker 1: we just pray that you would just allow Holy Spirit

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Speaker 1: to teach us what you have for each of us

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Speaker 1: in it. Amen. All right, So let's read Psalm fifty

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Speaker 1: seven from the Nasby nineteen ninety five. This is a

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Speaker 1: prayer for rescue from persecutors. Poor David for the music director.

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Speaker 1: So it's set to the tune of al tosh Heth,

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Speaker 1: which is translated as do not destroy. So I'm guessing

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Speaker 1: that kind of like today, where like certain you know,

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Speaker 1: like a lot of the old hymns were actually sung

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Speaker 1: to the tunes of like bar tunes, like drinking songs,

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Speaker 1: and they were done in a way that people were

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Speaker 1: already familiar with the songs, and then they would overlay

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Speaker 1: the words of worship songs, you know, of these hymns

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Speaker 1: to tunes that people already knew, to kind of make

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Speaker 1: them catchy and make people like to sing them. I

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Speaker 1: don't know for sure, I haven't validated primary sources to

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Speaker 1: make sure that that's true, but it sounds like they

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Speaker 1: used to do that back in David's day too, so

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Speaker 1: they would set it to the tune of a song

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Speaker 1: that they already knew. So this is a Mick Tom

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Speaker 1: of David. So we've had a few different types of

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Speaker 1: songs that we've become familiar with, but this one is

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Speaker 1: possibly an epigrammatic poem or an atonement song. So epigrammatic

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Speaker 1: apparently is a short, witty, concise, or poignant song, which

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Speaker 1: this psalm is one of the shorter ones, and it's

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Speaker 1: just kind of, you know, maybe more whimsical. I don't know,

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Speaker 1: I just find it fascinating that all of these notes

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Speaker 1: are preserved for us. So the topic is definitely not

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Speaker 1: funny or witty. I mean, it might have been presented

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Speaker 1: in that way, but it was definitely some heavy material

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Speaker 1: because this was during a time most scholars think is

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Speaker 1: when David was hiding in caves, so he was fleeing

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Speaker 1: for his life. First Samuel twenty two or twenty four.

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Speaker 1: David is hiding in these caves while Saul was hunting him.

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Speaker 1: So definitely not anything to joke about or you know,

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Speaker 1: be witty or whatever. But yeah, let's just read this.

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Speaker 1: Psal I'm fifty seven. Be gracious to me. God, be

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Speaker 1: gracious to me, for my soul takes refuge in you,

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Speaker 1: and in the shadow of your wings. I will take

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Speaker 1: refuge until destruction passes by. I will cry to God

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Speaker 1: most High, to God who accomplishes all things for me.

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Speaker 1: He will send from heaven and save me. He rebukes

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Speaker 1: the one who tramples upon me Selah. God will send

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Speaker 1: his favor and his truth. My soul is among lions.

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Speaker 1: I must lie among those who devour, among sons of mankind,

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Speaker 1: whose teeth are spears and arrows, and their tongue is

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Speaker 1: a sharp sword. Be exalted above the Heaven's God. May

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Speaker 1: your glory be above all the earth. They have prepared

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Speaker 1: a net for my steps. My soul is bowed down.

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Speaker 1: They dug a pit before me. They themselves have fallen

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Speaker 1: into the midst of it. Selah, my heart is steadfast, God,

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Speaker 1: my heart is steadfast. I will sing, Yes, I will

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Speaker 1: sing praises. Awake my glory. Awake, harp and liar, I

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Speaker 1: will awaken the dawn. I will praise you Lord among

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Speaker 1: the peoples. I will sing praises to you among the nations.

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Speaker 1: For your goodness is great to the heavens, and your

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Speaker 1: truth is to the clouds. Be exalted above the Heaven's God.

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Speaker 1: May your glory be above all the earth. So I

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Speaker 1: might have noted like a hint of cleverness where it's

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Speaker 1: talking about, you know, all of these people that are

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Speaker 1: trying to devour him and whose teeth are spears and arrows,

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Speaker 1: and then it's they've prepared a net for my steps,

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Speaker 1: my soul is bowed down. They dug a pit before me,

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Speaker 1: and then the punchline, they themselves have fallen into the

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Speaker 1: midst of it. Maybe that was kind of the clever

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Speaker 1: I don't know. I have no idea, but this is

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Speaker 1: a theme we see over and over again, is like

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Speaker 1: imprecatory prayers often involve Dear God, allow my enemies, David

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Speaker 1: praise these allow my enemies to fall into the very

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Speaker 1: traps that they've laid for me. And it's kind of

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Speaker 1: like the ultimate justice. It's this ultimate Okay, they've tried this,

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Speaker 1: and they're going to fall into their own trap. And

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Speaker 1: I just think that's kind of what he's talking about

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Speaker 1: here is you know what God is preserving me. He

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Speaker 1: will not let me be overcome and destroyed by these people,

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Speaker 1: my enemies. The part that I love the most about

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Speaker 1: this is the very beginning. Be gracious to me, God,

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Speaker 1: be gracious to me, for my soul takes refuge in you,

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Speaker 1: and in the shadow of your wings. I will take

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Speaker 1: refuge until destruction passes by. And just as we are

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Speaker 1: just dealing with the reality, I mean, there are wars

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Speaker 1: going on all the time, and many of us are

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Speaker 1: protected from those wars, and some of us are not.

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Speaker 1: Some of us listening, you know, some of you listening

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Speaker 1: are in some very hostile situations where you're experiencing all

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Speaker 1: kinds of difficult things. On a daily basis. And if

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Speaker 1: you are, I want to pray for you today. And

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Speaker 1: if you are not, consider yourself blessed for as long

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Speaker 1: as God allows you to be in a place of

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Speaker 1: relative peace and take that opportunity of being having that

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Speaker 1: I don't know, mental space that comes with safety and

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Speaker 1: use it to help those who don't have that luxury.

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Speaker 1: And so as I think about the war's going on

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Speaker 1: now and just the conflicts going on across the globe,

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Speaker 1: I just know there are people that are really struggling

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Speaker 1: and really suffering, and they are living the reality of

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Speaker 1: David's experience of hiding, being in terror, fearing for his life.

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Speaker 1: And what I just feel led to do today is

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Speaker 1: to join with you, for us all to join together

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Speaker 1: in prayer that God would allow them to take refuge

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Speaker 1: in Him if they don't know him, that God would

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Speaker 1: reveal himself to them in a profound way. There's a

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Speaker 1: saying and it's there are no atheists in foxholes something

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Speaker 1: like that, which means that when you are fearing for

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Speaker 1: your life, most people turn to Okay, Universe, God, whatever

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Speaker 1: you are, whoever you are, if there's some higher power,

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Speaker 1: I am desperate and I need you if you're with

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Speaker 1: me right now and we're praying, you probably believe in God.

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Speaker 1: You probably believe that Jesus was the son of God

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Speaker 1: and is the son of God. And you believe that

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Speaker 1: God has the power to do incredible things through our prayers.

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Speaker 1: And so let's pray for those who don't have that

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Speaker 1: belief that God will meet them in miraculous ways and

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Speaker 1: in profound ways. I have heard anecdotes of and I

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Speaker 1: also know of one individual that I know of I

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Speaker 1: know personally who is in the Islam faith who has

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Speaker 1: had a dream that revealed Jesus. And I can't validate

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Speaker 1: the truth of the claims that other people have made,

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Speaker 1: but this person that I know personally, I trust this

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Speaker 1: person to tell the truth. And her life is drastically

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Speaker 1: changed when that happened. When she had the dream, she

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Speaker 1: went to someone that she knew, a professor that she

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Speaker 1: knew was a believer, and there were some words that

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Speaker 1: were in the dream that she wasn't familiar with, and

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Speaker 1: he said, oh, that yeah, that's Jesus, and she became

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Speaker 1: a Christian. So I have heard anecdotes that that is

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Speaker 1: happening across the world now and in the decades you

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Speaker 1: know last couple of decades that that has been happening

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Speaker 1: more and more, that Muslims are having dreams involving Jesus.

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Speaker 1: Whether it's a dream, whether it's a Christian in their life,

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Speaker 1: whether it is a peace they can't explain that comes

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Speaker 1: upon them, whether it's coming across a Bible. I don't

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Speaker 1: know how God will choose to reveal himself, and not

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Speaker 1: just to Muslims, to atheists, to people on the fence

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Speaker 1: who are suffering right now, but to meet them in

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Speaker 1: their place of deepest, darkest need, in the foxhole, in

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Speaker 1: the cave like David, that he would meet them where

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Speaker 1: they are and reveal his son Jesus to them. And

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Speaker 1: for those who are believers who do know Jesus, that

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Speaker 1: he would absolutely allow them to take refuge in the

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Speaker 1: shadow of His wings until destruction passes by. Let's pray,

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Speaker 1: Father God, we just lift up anyone today, whether they're

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Speaker 1: in a war zone or even in the comfort of

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Speaker 1: a safe place. But someone who is despairing, someone who

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Speaker 1: is afraid, someone who feels like their soul is among lions,

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Speaker 1: like their enemies are surrounding them with teeth like spears

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Speaker 1: and arrows. Lord we just lift them up to you

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Speaker 1: in Jesus' name, meet them in their place of despair

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Speaker 1: and darkness. We pray that you would surround them with

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Speaker 1: your love and with your spirit like wings of refuge,

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Speaker 1: that they would feel a tangible sense of safety, that

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Speaker 1: they would not be able to explain it, but they

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Speaker 1: would know that you are God, and you are good,

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Speaker 1: and you are real, and that you would reveal your

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Speaker 1: Son Jesus to them, whether it's through a Bible that

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Speaker 1: they come across, whether it's a person, whether it's a pamphlet,

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Speaker 1: whether it's a dream or a vision, however you choose

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Speaker 1: to show up. We know that people in desperate situations

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Speaker 1: are often the most open to your help and your love.

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Speaker 1: We just pray for them God, that in the shadow

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Speaker 1: of the wings of a living God, that they will

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Speaker 1: take refuge until destruction passes by. In Jesus name. Amen.

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Speaker 1: We'd like to take just a quick second to thank

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Speaker 1: the team at Life Audio for their partnership with us

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Speaker 1: on the podcast. If you go to lifeaudio dot com,

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Speaker 1: you will find dozens of other faith centered podcasts in

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Speaker 1: their network. They've got shows about prayer, Bible study, parenting,

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Speaker 1: and so much more. That's lifeaudio dot com