1 00:00:00,880 --> 00:00:06,640 Speaker 1: Mark chapter five, verse twenty one. When Jesus had again 2 00:00:06,920 --> 00:00:09,280 Speaker 1: crossed over by boat to the other side of the lake, 3 00:00:09,680 --> 00:00:12,520 Speaker 1: A large crowd gathered around him while he was by 4 00:00:12,600 --> 00:00:15,960 Speaker 1: the lake. Then one of the synagogue leaders named Jyrus came, 5 00:00:16,160 --> 00:00:19,440 Speaker 1: and when he saw Jesus, he fell at his feet. 6 00:00:19,760 --> 00:00:23,720 Speaker 1: He pleaded earnestly with him. My little girl is dying. 7 00:00:24,360 --> 00:00:28,639 Speaker 1: Please come put your hands on her so that she 8 00:00:28,840 --> 00:00:36,600 Speaker 1: will be healed and live. Let's pray. Lord, we come 9 00:00:36,640 --> 00:00:39,519 Speaker 1: to you this morning. We come here just want to 10 00:00:39,560 --> 00:00:43,600 Speaker 1: say you're worthy. God, if you never do another thing 11 00:00:43,640 --> 00:00:48,760 Speaker 1: in our lives. Lord, you're worthy. You're holy, and we 12 00:00:48,880 --> 00:00:53,040 Speaker 1: worship you. And we come together today and we ask 13 00:00:53,159 --> 00:00:57,640 Speaker 1: that you would speak to us. We're gathered here in 14 00:00:57,720 --> 00:01:03,400 Speaker 1: many rooms, in many homes, expecting to hear from you. 15 00:01:03,560 --> 00:01:07,880 Speaker 1: We want to touch from you today. God. Would you 16 00:01:07,959 --> 00:01:13,000 Speaker 1: protect us from any distractions now as we focus our 17 00:01:13,080 --> 00:01:18,039 Speaker 1: minds and our hearts and our attention on you. We 18 00:01:18,160 --> 00:01:22,440 Speaker 1: love you, Lord and Jesus name. I pray Amen, you 19 00:01:22,520 --> 00:01:30,640 Speaker 1: may be seated. Does anyone remember a time when you 20 00:01:30,720 --> 00:01:36,360 Speaker 1: wanted something really bad and someone else got it. I 21 00:01:36,400 --> 00:01:39,800 Speaker 1: remember the Christmas that I was twelve and my neighbor 22 00:01:39,880 --> 00:01:43,000 Speaker 1: Tricia got the thing that I wanted most in the world. 23 00:01:43,680 --> 00:01:48,040 Speaker 1: She got her own telephone line in her bedroom, complete 24 00:01:48,360 --> 00:01:51,040 Speaker 1: with an answering machine. Now I know half of you 25 00:01:51,120 --> 00:01:53,400 Speaker 1: here today don't know even what that would look like, 26 00:01:53,560 --> 00:01:56,480 Speaker 1: but I knew exactly. I can remember exactly what it 27 00:01:56,520 --> 00:02:02,640 Speaker 1: looked like. And it's hard to watch someone else get 28 00:02:03,000 --> 00:02:07,760 Speaker 1: the thing that you want. I wish I could say 29 00:02:07,760 --> 00:02:09,880 Speaker 1: that that was the last time that I felt like 30 00:02:09,960 --> 00:02:14,080 Speaker 1: someone got what I wanted. One time, Stephen and I 31 00:02:14,160 --> 00:02:17,880 Speaker 1: were trying to sell our house during a buyer's market. 32 00:02:17,960 --> 00:02:20,480 Speaker 1: It was two thousand and nine and pretty much no 33 00:02:20,560 --> 00:02:24,280 Speaker 1: one's houses were selling, and so I was really nervous 34 00:02:24,320 --> 00:02:27,040 Speaker 1: about it, and I just prayed constantly, God, would you 35 00:02:27,160 --> 00:02:30,880 Speaker 1: sell our house? But what I did was I was 36 00:02:30,960 --> 00:02:37,880 Speaker 1: praying mature, unselfish prayers, like God, you know exactly who 37 00:02:37,960 --> 00:02:42,160 Speaker 1: needs this house, would you send them this way in 38 00:02:42,280 --> 00:02:49,840 Speaker 1: your perfect timing this weekend. Well months went by, we 39 00:02:49,919 --> 00:02:52,359 Speaker 1: didn't have an offer or a bite or anything. And 40 00:02:52,440 --> 00:02:54,920 Speaker 1: one morning I was at my women's Bible study and 41 00:02:54,960 --> 00:02:56,800 Speaker 1: one of the ladies, a friend of mine, she had 42 00:02:56,840 --> 00:03:01,000 Speaker 1: a prayer request and she said, y'all, we're putting our 43 00:03:01,040 --> 00:03:04,320 Speaker 1: house on the market this weekend and we're going out 44 00:03:04,320 --> 00:03:06,919 Speaker 1: of town and I've got it all stage perfectly, So 45 00:03:07,240 --> 00:03:12,720 Speaker 1: would y'all just pray that it sells this weekend? And 46 00:03:12,760 --> 00:03:17,720 Speaker 1: I thought to myself, well, good luck with that. You 47 00:03:17,760 --> 00:03:22,360 Speaker 1: know my opinion, God doesn't hear prayers about houses. I've 48 00:03:22,400 --> 00:03:26,440 Speaker 1: tried that one. And so we come back to group 49 00:03:26,680 --> 00:03:33,200 Speaker 1: the following week. Guess who had a praise report? Her 50 00:03:33,240 --> 00:03:36,800 Speaker 1: house sold in one weekend and I went home and 51 00:03:36,880 --> 00:03:41,320 Speaker 1: I had some words to say with God. I was like, Lord, 52 00:03:42,720 --> 00:03:48,280 Speaker 1: I am a pastor's wife, and now I do know 53 00:03:48,360 --> 00:03:51,280 Speaker 1: that her house is in a better location than mine, 54 00:03:51,440 --> 00:03:54,080 Speaker 1: But don't I get bonus points for being in the ministry? 55 00:03:55,200 --> 00:03:58,600 Speaker 1: And for that matter, I have been waiting longer than her. God, 56 00:03:58,640 --> 00:04:01,800 Speaker 1: do we even care about the people who need our house. 57 00:04:03,720 --> 00:04:07,280 Speaker 1: It's hard to watch someone else get the very thing 58 00:04:07,360 --> 00:04:10,720 Speaker 1: that you have been asking God for. And that's what 59 00:04:10,760 --> 00:04:12,440 Speaker 1: I want to talk to you about today. The title 60 00:04:12,480 --> 00:04:18,400 Speaker 1: of my message is Waiting on My Miracle, and I 61 00:04:18,440 --> 00:04:21,680 Speaker 1: want to talk to you about when you are believing 62 00:04:21,800 --> 00:04:25,720 Speaker 1: God for something in your life and it seems like 63 00:04:25,920 --> 00:04:30,120 Speaker 1: God isn't hearing your prayer, or that maybe he's even 64 00:04:30,279 --> 00:04:35,599 Speaker 1: just pressed pause on your situation. And in our scripture, 65 00:04:35,680 --> 00:04:39,520 Speaker 1: we have this father named Gyris, and he has a 66 00:04:39,560 --> 00:04:45,560 Speaker 1: lot bigger problem than his house selling. His little daughter 67 00:04:46,560 --> 00:04:51,600 Speaker 1: is dying. He is a father in desperation and he's 68 00:04:51,680 --> 00:04:55,520 Speaker 1: running out of time. It's funny what a dad will 69 00:04:55,520 --> 00:04:58,560 Speaker 1: do for his kids. I always found that Stephen was 70 00:04:58,600 --> 00:05:03,040 Speaker 1: way more sympathetic to are kids then. I was like, 71 00:05:03,120 --> 00:05:05,600 Speaker 1: you know, whenever they would have some kind of injury, 72 00:05:05,600 --> 00:05:08,920 Speaker 1: they'd bump their head or whatever, and they'd come to me. 73 00:05:09,040 --> 00:05:11,359 Speaker 1: I would always downplay it. I feel like, you're fine, 74 00:05:11,880 --> 00:05:15,520 Speaker 1: go play it's all right. Very quickly, my children learn 75 00:05:15,600 --> 00:05:20,080 Speaker 1: who to go to for sympathy, their father, because he 76 00:05:20,160 --> 00:05:23,800 Speaker 1: made up this thing. Every time they would come to him, 77 00:05:24,000 --> 00:05:28,640 Speaker 1: he would say, Oh, you hate your head? Did you 78 00:05:28,640 --> 00:05:32,800 Speaker 1: know I went to head school? Oh you hurt your finger? 79 00:05:33,200 --> 00:05:37,000 Speaker 1: Let me see, did you know I went to finger school? 80 00:05:37,520 --> 00:05:40,680 Speaker 1: Back me up. This man went to paper cut school, 81 00:05:41,400 --> 00:05:45,800 Speaker 1: stub toe school, skin me school. And I used to 82 00:05:45,839 --> 00:05:48,920 Speaker 1: think they really believed him too. And I used to think, 83 00:05:49,000 --> 00:05:51,760 Speaker 1: God help this man if his kids ever really get hurt. 84 00:05:52,880 --> 00:05:55,719 Speaker 1: You know, dads have this tough exterior, but when their 85 00:05:55,880 --> 00:06:01,000 Speaker 1: child is hurting, they want to alleviate their pain. So 86 00:06:01,040 --> 00:06:03,760 Speaker 1: in our story we have Gyros. He's a synagogue leader, 87 00:06:03,800 --> 00:06:08,000 Speaker 1: he's a man of means, and yet his daughter is dying. 88 00:06:08,520 --> 00:06:10,919 Speaker 1: And we can assume that he has tried every doctor, 89 00:06:11,320 --> 00:06:15,480 Speaker 1: that he has tried, every concoction that every neighbor has suggested, 90 00:06:15,560 --> 00:06:19,800 Speaker 1: and nothing is working, and he is running out of time. 91 00:06:20,640 --> 00:06:24,200 Speaker 1: And so he comes in. He finds Jesus and he 92 00:06:24,400 --> 00:06:27,120 Speaker 1: falls at his feet and he begs. He says, please 93 00:06:27,320 --> 00:06:30,000 Speaker 1: come put your hands on her, so that she will 94 00:06:30,000 --> 00:06:32,240 Speaker 1: be healed and lived. And you know what Jesus says 95 00:06:32,279 --> 00:06:36,120 Speaker 1: to him, He says, let's go. It's interesting to me 96 00:06:36,960 --> 00:06:41,880 Speaker 1: how specific Gyros was with his request. He says, please 97 00:06:42,000 --> 00:06:45,400 Speaker 1: come put your hands on her, so that she will 98 00:06:45,440 --> 00:06:50,560 Speaker 1: be healed and live. And as I was preparing this message, 99 00:06:50,600 --> 00:06:55,560 Speaker 1: I was thinking, it's not necessarily a bad thing to 100 00:06:55,800 --> 00:07:00,159 Speaker 1: be specific with God. Philippians four tells us that we 101 00:07:00,240 --> 00:07:05,280 Speaker 1: can present our requests to God. He wants you to 102 00:07:05,400 --> 00:07:10,280 Speaker 1: pray about everything, even the dumb stuff like the houses 103 00:07:10,360 --> 00:07:13,200 Speaker 1: and the little things. He wants you to come to him. 104 00:07:13,200 --> 00:07:15,720 Speaker 1: He wants to have a relationship with you. But I 105 00:07:15,800 --> 00:07:18,920 Speaker 1: think sometimes, at least in my life, I don't know 106 00:07:18,960 --> 00:07:22,520 Speaker 1: about yours. But in my life, I let the list 107 00:07:23,680 --> 00:07:27,720 Speaker 1: my expectation of the how I want God to work 108 00:07:27,720 --> 00:07:30,880 Speaker 1: in my situation and the when I think He needs 109 00:07:30,880 --> 00:07:34,200 Speaker 1: to work in my situation. I let that become front 110 00:07:34,240 --> 00:07:38,559 Speaker 1: and center, and I miss out on the more important part, 111 00:07:39,360 --> 00:07:46,720 Speaker 1: which is that Jesus is with me. Jesus went with Jyris. 112 00:07:47,720 --> 00:07:50,600 Speaker 1: And God is not this magic fairy in the sky 113 00:07:50,880 --> 00:07:55,320 Speaker 1: who waves his wand and grants our wishes. But you 114 00:07:55,440 --> 00:07:59,640 Speaker 1: know what, he is a very present help in times 115 00:07:59,800 --> 00:08:04,720 Speaker 1: of trouble. And if we pray believing that God is 116 00:08:04,760 --> 00:08:08,000 Speaker 1: working all things for our good, we have to realize 117 00:08:08,080 --> 00:08:11,960 Speaker 1: that He is doing so much more than just sitting 118 00:08:12,040 --> 00:08:16,120 Speaker 1: up in heaven deciding if and when he's gonna grant 119 00:08:16,280 --> 00:08:19,240 Speaker 1: our request. Yes, he is healer, but you know what 120 00:08:19,320 --> 00:08:23,120 Speaker 1: else he is. He's the Prince of peace, He's the comforter, 121 00:08:23,640 --> 00:08:28,520 Speaker 1: he's our guide, he's faithful, and he's so much more. 122 00:08:29,000 --> 00:08:31,880 Speaker 1: He is a God who is with us in our 123 00:08:32,160 --> 00:08:42,200 Speaker 1: very darkest hour Verse twenty four. So Jesus went with him. 124 00:08:43,520 --> 00:08:46,760 Speaker 1: A large crowd followed and pressed around him, And a 125 00:08:46,840 --> 00:08:51,120 Speaker 1: woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for 126 00:08:51,200 --> 00:08:54,080 Speaker 1: twelve years. She had suffered a great deal under the 127 00:08:54,080 --> 00:08:56,920 Speaker 1: care of many doctors and had spent all she had. 128 00:08:57,400 --> 00:09:00,480 Speaker 1: Yet instead of getting better, she grew worse. When she 129 00:09:00,600 --> 00:09:03,600 Speaker 1: heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the 130 00:09:03,640 --> 00:09:06,320 Speaker 1: crowd and touched his cloak because she thought, if I 131 00:09:06,559 --> 00:09:10,679 Speaker 1: just touch his clothes, I will be healed. Immediately, her 132 00:09:10,679 --> 00:09:13,679 Speaker 1: bleeding stopped, and she felt in her body that she 133 00:09:13,800 --> 00:09:17,679 Speaker 1: was freed from her suffering. And at once Jesus realized 134 00:09:17,679 --> 00:09:19,600 Speaker 1: that the power had gone out from him, and he 135 00:09:19,679 --> 00:09:22,079 Speaker 1: turned around in the crowd and he asked, who touched 136 00:09:22,120 --> 00:09:25,680 Speaker 1: my clothes? You see all the people crowding against you. 137 00:09:25,880 --> 00:09:28,600 Speaker 1: His disciples answered, and yet you asked who touched me? 138 00:09:29,200 --> 00:09:32,600 Speaker 1: But Jesus kept looking around to see who had done it. 139 00:09:32,840 --> 00:09:35,560 Speaker 1: Then the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came 140 00:09:35,840 --> 00:09:39,360 Speaker 1: and fell at his feet, and, trembling with fear, told 141 00:09:39,440 --> 00:09:42,480 Speaker 1: him the whole truth. He said to her, daughter, your 142 00:09:42,640 --> 00:09:46,200 Speaker 1: faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed 143 00:09:46,440 --> 00:09:51,000 Speaker 1: from your suffering. Okay, so there are so many things 144 00:09:51,000 --> 00:09:54,520 Speaker 1: happening in this part of the story. And if you 145 00:09:55,040 --> 00:09:56,680 Speaker 1: have never I have to put paws on this and 146 00:09:56,720 --> 00:09:58,840 Speaker 1: just say, if you have never heard Stephen's message on 147 00:09:58,920 --> 00:10:02,360 Speaker 1: this woman where he tells us that this is the 148 00:10:02,360 --> 00:10:06,160 Speaker 1: only person in the entire Bible that Jesus called daughter. 149 00:10:07,360 --> 00:10:09,560 Speaker 1: I just have to say, put that on your to 150 00:10:09,600 --> 00:10:11,880 Speaker 1: do list for this week. Go and find that sermon 151 00:10:11,920 --> 00:10:13,920 Speaker 1: and listen to it. It It is like a shot of 152 00:10:14,040 --> 00:10:17,040 Speaker 1: encouragement straight to your heart. I promise you you got 153 00:10:17,040 --> 00:10:18,280 Speaker 1: to go find it and listen to it. I'm not 154 00:10:18,320 --> 00:10:20,160 Speaker 1: going to really talk about the woman because I'm not 155 00:10:20,200 --> 00:10:22,959 Speaker 1: going to be able to even remotely touch that the 156 00:10:23,040 --> 00:10:24,520 Speaker 1: way that he did. So I'm gonna let you go 157 00:10:24,559 --> 00:10:28,320 Speaker 1: listen to that, and we're gonna focus on Gyros. Where 158 00:10:28,400 --> 00:10:32,040 Speaker 1: is he in this moment and what is he thinking? 159 00:10:32,520 --> 00:10:35,800 Speaker 1: So go with me here. This man is desperate. He's 160 00:10:35,840 --> 00:10:39,760 Speaker 1: found Jesus, He's gotten the attention of the Christ, the 161 00:10:39,760 --> 00:10:43,360 Speaker 1: Son of God, and Jesus is going with him to 162 00:10:43,440 --> 00:10:46,800 Speaker 1: heal his dying daughter and she doesn't have much time left, 163 00:10:46,920 --> 00:10:50,920 Speaker 1: and all of a sudden, Jesus stops to heal someone else. 164 00:10:52,200 --> 00:10:55,240 Speaker 1: Isn't it funny how there's no line to wait on God, 165 00:10:55,840 --> 00:10:59,000 Speaker 1: Like God doesn't use a take a number system. And 166 00:10:59,040 --> 00:11:02,240 Speaker 1: this can be really frustrating because often it feels like 167 00:11:02,360 --> 00:11:07,440 Speaker 1: God's answering some people's prayers immediately, but mine are going unheard. 168 00:11:08,160 --> 00:11:11,560 Speaker 1: And here we have Gyros and he's making progress. He's 169 00:11:11,679 --> 00:11:15,840 Speaker 1: taking the healer to his daughter, and then Jesus stops, 170 00:11:16,840 --> 00:11:22,880 Speaker 1: and for ten verses, Gyrus isn't even mentioned. Where did 171 00:11:22,880 --> 00:11:26,960 Speaker 1: he go? What is he doing while he's waiting for 172 00:11:27,120 --> 00:11:31,880 Speaker 1: his miracle? The Bible doesn't say. Now, I can tell 173 00:11:31,920 --> 00:11:36,520 Speaker 1: you what I would have done. I would have had 174 00:11:36,520 --> 00:11:38,480 Speaker 1: some words to say with God. I would have said, 175 00:11:38,520 --> 00:11:43,360 Speaker 1: excuse me, Jesus, please, we don't have time. My daughter 176 00:11:43,640 --> 00:11:46,480 Speaker 1: is dying. You said you would put your hands on 177 00:11:46,600 --> 00:11:49,559 Speaker 1: her and heal her and she would live. Even though 178 00:11:49,559 --> 00:11:52,120 Speaker 1: that's what Gyros said, that's not what Jesus said. But sometimes, 179 00:11:52,160 --> 00:11:55,440 Speaker 1: you know, we mix things up, and I would say, please, Jesus, 180 00:11:55,520 --> 00:11:57,520 Speaker 1: we gotta keep moving. You can come back to this woman. 181 00:11:57,720 --> 00:12:04,199 Speaker 1: This isn't fair. It's not fair. In my house, there 182 00:12:04,200 --> 00:12:06,400 Speaker 1: are a couple of phrases that my children are not 183 00:12:06,600 --> 00:12:09,720 Speaker 1: allowed to say. They're forbidden phrases. Off the top of 184 00:12:09,720 --> 00:12:11,640 Speaker 1: my head, there are two. I'm sure there is more. 185 00:12:12,120 --> 00:12:16,199 Speaker 1: The first one is I hate you, not allowed to 186 00:12:16,240 --> 00:12:20,520 Speaker 1: say that. The second one is that's not fair. First 187 00:12:20,559 --> 00:12:22,679 Speaker 1: of all, you're not allowed to say that's not fair, 188 00:12:22,720 --> 00:12:25,320 Speaker 1: because life isn't fair, and the sooner you find that out, 189 00:12:25,320 --> 00:12:31,120 Speaker 1: the better. Second of all, I am trying my absolute 190 00:12:31,200 --> 00:12:34,480 Speaker 1: hardest to do my best for everyone here, So don't 191 00:12:34,480 --> 00:12:39,320 Speaker 1: tell me it's not fair. When we come to God 192 00:12:40,200 --> 00:12:44,480 Speaker 1: with our it's not fair. We have to remember that 193 00:12:44,720 --> 00:12:50,960 Speaker 1: he is our heavenly father, and he is perfect. He's 194 00:12:51,000 --> 00:12:55,600 Speaker 1: not doing his best. He knows what is best for us. 195 00:12:57,920 --> 00:13:01,440 Speaker 1: And if he doesn't answer my pray when I want 196 00:13:01,600 --> 00:13:04,800 Speaker 1: him to in the time that I think that he should, 197 00:13:05,440 --> 00:13:10,040 Speaker 1: I have to trust that he is a good father 198 00:13:10,600 --> 00:13:14,760 Speaker 1: and he is with me, and he will not fail me. 199 00:13:17,000 --> 00:13:21,079 Speaker 1: Let me show you where Gyrus was, because sometimes when 200 00:13:21,120 --> 00:13:23,440 Speaker 1: you read the Bible, you have to look at the 201 00:13:23,480 --> 00:13:27,280 Speaker 1: clues and draw some conclusions. So let me show you 202 00:13:27,280 --> 00:13:29,600 Speaker 1: some of the clues. Look back at verse twenty four. 203 00:13:30,360 --> 00:13:35,400 Speaker 1: It says, so Jesus went with him, A large crowd 204 00:13:36,040 --> 00:13:39,120 Speaker 1: followed and pressed around him. Now skipt of verse thirty. 205 00:13:39,760 --> 00:13:42,600 Speaker 1: At once Jesus realized that the power had gone out 206 00:13:42,640 --> 00:13:46,200 Speaker 1: from him. He turned around in the crowd and asked, 207 00:13:46,280 --> 00:13:50,200 Speaker 1: who touched my clothes? You see the people crowding against you. 208 00:13:50,320 --> 00:13:53,520 Speaker 1: His disciples answered, and yet you ask who touched me? 209 00:13:54,200 --> 00:14:00,760 Speaker 1: So imagine this situation. This is a legit crowd. Okay, 210 00:14:00,800 --> 00:14:03,640 Speaker 1: this is like Disney World on the fourth of July. 211 00:14:03,960 --> 00:14:08,679 Speaker 1: Have you In some translations it actually uses the describes 212 00:14:08,800 --> 00:14:12,480 Speaker 1: the crowd as crushing. Have you ever been in a 213 00:14:12,520 --> 00:14:17,679 Speaker 1: crushing crowd? It's scary. For my birthday, which was just 214 00:14:17,720 --> 00:14:23,720 Speaker 1: a couple days ago, Stephen took me to see Sir 215 00:14:24,200 --> 00:14:29,400 Speaker 1: Paul McCartney. It was an amazing night nineteen seventy two. 216 00:14:29,840 --> 00:14:33,160 Speaker 1: You know, we just like it. It was amazing, except 217 00:14:33,240 --> 00:14:36,520 Speaker 1: the only problem was we weren't the only people who 218 00:14:36,600 --> 00:14:39,760 Speaker 1: wanted to hear Paul sing. And when I tell you, 219 00:14:39,840 --> 00:14:44,640 Speaker 1: the crowd was crushing. We were shuffling to our seats 220 00:14:45,280 --> 00:14:48,280 Speaker 1: and just people were everywhere. It was like the hold 221 00:14:48,320 --> 00:14:52,120 Speaker 1: your purse kind of crowded. And I turn around to 222 00:14:52,200 --> 00:14:57,520 Speaker 1: say something to Stephen, and there was another man, and 223 00:14:58,200 --> 00:15:01,520 Speaker 1: I panicked for a second, and I had to look 224 00:15:01,560 --> 00:15:06,560 Speaker 1: around and push through and reach back and grab his hand, 225 00:15:07,000 --> 00:15:10,280 Speaker 1: because the only way to get through a crowd like 226 00:15:10,400 --> 00:15:17,720 Speaker 1: that is to stay close. So picture Gyrous moving through 227 00:15:17,880 --> 00:15:23,200 Speaker 1: this pressing, crushing crowd with Jesus. And when you are 228 00:15:23,360 --> 00:15:28,200 Speaker 1: waiting on a miracle. You have two choices. You can 229 00:15:28,240 --> 00:15:33,040 Speaker 1: stay close or you can be carried away. And the 230 00:15:33,160 --> 00:15:41,280 Speaker 1: interesting thing here Gyrus wasn't following Jesus. Mark tells us 231 00:15:41,560 --> 00:15:47,120 Speaker 1: Jesus went with Gyros. And when you're desperate, the number 232 00:15:47,160 --> 00:15:50,600 Speaker 1: one tool that the enemy is going to use in 233 00:15:50,640 --> 00:15:53,160 Speaker 1: your life is he's going to try and get you 234 00:15:53,480 --> 00:15:58,920 Speaker 1: away from Jesus. Jesus is still with you. And the 235 00:15:59,080 --> 00:16:02,160 Speaker 1: easy thing Gyros to do would be to drift away 236 00:16:02,640 --> 00:16:06,880 Speaker 1: from the crowd, to go home. Maybe he could get 237 00:16:07,040 --> 00:16:10,480 Speaker 1: a few last moments to tell his daughter that he 238 00:16:10,520 --> 00:16:16,360 Speaker 1: loves her before she passes. But something in him fought 239 00:16:16,760 --> 00:16:22,760 Speaker 1: to stay close. People were pressing to touch Jesus, and 240 00:16:22,920 --> 00:16:27,520 Speaker 1: Gyros had to fight with everything that was in his 241 00:16:27,760 --> 00:16:31,720 Speaker 1: power to help his daughter, and that meant that his 242 00:16:32,000 --> 00:16:35,960 Speaker 1: only hope was to stay close to the one that 243 00:16:36,160 --> 00:16:40,960 Speaker 1: he had faith in, the one that he believed could 244 00:16:41,040 --> 00:16:45,040 Speaker 1: heal his daughter. How do you stay close to Jesus 245 00:16:45,280 --> 00:16:50,360 Speaker 1: when your mind becomes so crowded with fear and anxiety? 246 00:16:50,760 --> 00:16:53,840 Speaker 1: I know, I know it's like some days to just 247 00:16:54,000 --> 00:16:57,080 Speaker 1: feel like the farthest thing from your mind is Jesus. 248 00:16:57,160 --> 00:17:00,440 Speaker 1: And obviously there's practical things that we can do. I 249 00:17:00,480 --> 00:17:03,320 Speaker 1: know that I'm biased, but I believe that we sit 250 00:17:03,520 --> 00:17:07,639 Speaker 1: under a once in a generation preacher every single week, 251 00:17:08,240 --> 00:17:11,439 Speaker 1: and the things that God speaks through this man, I 252 00:17:11,600 --> 00:17:15,200 Speaker 1: promise you you lean in every single week. It will 253 00:17:15,280 --> 00:17:18,760 Speaker 1: encourage your faith faith faster than anything else. And so 254 00:17:18,880 --> 00:17:21,879 Speaker 1: I know the things that I need to prioritize every 255 00:17:21,960 --> 00:17:24,159 Speaker 1: week in my life. I know what I need to 256 00:17:24,200 --> 00:17:27,040 Speaker 1: be playing in my car and in my home, and 257 00:17:27,080 --> 00:17:31,119 Speaker 1: I know I need to be journaling and fighting to 258 00:17:31,240 --> 00:17:34,760 Speaker 1: keep my mind focused on Jesus. We know what we 259 00:17:34,920 --> 00:17:38,480 Speaker 1: need to do, but do we do it? You have 260 00:17:38,560 --> 00:17:42,760 Speaker 1: to push through the crowd. You have to fight through 261 00:17:43,160 --> 00:17:48,280 Speaker 1: the crowd to stay close to Jesus. You also have 262 00:17:48,400 --> 00:17:51,879 Speaker 1: to make a conscious effort to build your faith on 263 00:17:52,080 --> 00:17:58,280 Speaker 1: other people's answered prayers. Jyrus had another choice when Jesus 264 00:17:58,320 --> 00:18:01,320 Speaker 1: stopped to heal that woman. Choice was he could stay closer. 265 00:18:01,320 --> 00:18:04,640 Speaker 1: He could drift away. The second choice was he could 266 00:18:04,680 --> 00:18:12,359 Speaker 1: get angry and jealous and turn away. He could say, Jesus, 267 00:18:12,400 --> 00:18:17,880 Speaker 1: you're gonna heal her. God, You're gonna do that for them. God, 268 00:18:17,920 --> 00:18:20,280 Speaker 1: I got I've been praying for a baby. You gave 269 00:18:20,359 --> 00:18:22,200 Speaker 1: her one. She doesn't take a care of her dog. 270 00:18:25,840 --> 00:18:31,720 Speaker 1: The other option that he had was to tell himself, well, 271 00:18:31,760 --> 00:18:35,240 Speaker 1: if he can do it for her, then he can 272 00:18:35,280 --> 00:18:41,439 Speaker 1: do it for me. Stephen and I were talking the 273 00:18:41,480 --> 00:18:43,480 Speaker 1: other day about a situation that we went through a 274 00:18:43,480 --> 00:18:47,120 Speaker 1: couple of years ago, and it was a really hard season, 275 00:18:47,200 --> 00:18:50,159 Speaker 1: particularly for me. And without going into detail because it 276 00:18:50,200 --> 00:18:53,280 Speaker 1: involves other people, you should just know that I was 277 00:18:53,400 --> 00:18:56,560 Speaker 1: praying and I was pleading with God, and I was 278 00:18:56,680 --> 00:19:01,000 Speaker 1: frustrated that our situation wasn't improving. And I just got 279 00:19:01,040 --> 00:19:04,320 Speaker 1: to tell you, I wasn't handling it that well. And 280 00:19:04,359 --> 00:19:07,159 Speaker 1: I actually used my very own forbidden phrase and I 281 00:19:07,200 --> 00:19:11,439 Speaker 1: told God, this isn't fair. And I would have days 282 00:19:11,480 --> 00:19:15,720 Speaker 1: where I would feel so frustrated because I felt like 283 00:19:17,520 --> 00:19:21,399 Speaker 1: other people were living in the things that I was 284 00:19:21,440 --> 00:19:24,479 Speaker 1: praying for. And I know you've been there before. You 285 00:19:24,560 --> 00:19:27,879 Speaker 1: just wonder, like, God, are you even listening to me? 286 00:19:28,920 --> 00:19:33,520 Speaker 1: And when I look back on that season, the thing 287 00:19:33,600 --> 00:19:38,800 Speaker 1: that I remember the most is I can remember the 288 00:19:38,840 --> 00:19:43,000 Speaker 1: feeling of the presence of God. It's what got me 289 00:19:43,160 --> 00:19:47,520 Speaker 1: through in those times of me staying close and crying 290 00:19:47,520 --> 00:19:53,360 Speaker 1: out to Him and expressing my frustration. I felt his presence. 291 00:19:53,359 --> 00:19:56,280 Speaker 1: And if you've ever experienced what it feels like to 292 00:19:56,320 --> 00:19:59,520 Speaker 1: cling to God during a season like that. It's almost 293 00:19:59,520 --> 00:20:02,960 Speaker 1: impossib to describe, except to say I was trying to 294 00:20:03,000 --> 00:20:07,480 Speaker 1: think it's it's like it's like putting on an oxygen 295 00:20:07,520 --> 00:20:13,840 Speaker 1: mask when you can't breathe. And the situation it lasted 296 00:20:13,880 --> 00:20:16,719 Speaker 1: for about a year, And now that I'm on the 297 00:20:16,760 --> 00:20:21,720 Speaker 1: other side of it, I realize that even though God 298 00:20:21,760 --> 00:20:25,200 Speaker 1: didn't answer my prayers the way I thought he would, 299 00:20:26,280 --> 00:20:29,880 Speaker 1: he did a work in me, and he did work 300 00:20:29,920 --> 00:20:34,000 Speaker 1: in my family that was better than I could have 301 00:20:34,160 --> 00:20:38,920 Speaker 1: ever imagined or even asked for. And sometimes the things 302 00:20:38,920 --> 00:20:41,800 Speaker 1: that God uses the most in our lives to draw 303 00:20:41,880 --> 00:20:45,160 Speaker 1: us closer to Him are the things that we wouldn't choose. 304 00:20:49,200 --> 00:20:53,880 Speaker 1: But what I said to Stephen was looking back, if 305 00:20:53,920 --> 00:20:56,840 Speaker 1: I had known it would be that short, and a 306 00:20:56,920 --> 00:21:00,240 Speaker 1: year is not short, but the place is my mind 307 00:21:00,240 --> 00:21:02,879 Speaker 1: had gone, I just gotta tell you it wasn't. It 308 00:21:02,920 --> 00:21:04,840 Speaker 1: was longer than me. I don't know how long this 309 00:21:04,920 --> 00:21:07,240 Speaker 1: is gonna last. But if I had known he was 310 00:21:07,240 --> 00:21:09,400 Speaker 1: gonna be that short, I wouldn't have been so anxious 311 00:21:09,400 --> 00:21:13,520 Speaker 1: and afraid. And sometimes I just wonder, why doesn't God 312 00:21:13,600 --> 00:21:16,720 Speaker 1: just give us a timeline. Like when I'm on my 313 00:21:16,840 --> 00:21:20,520 Speaker 1: peloton bike. The only thing that keeps me on that 314 00:21:20,600 --> 00:21:24,840 Speaker 1: bike is knowing exactly what time down to the second 315 00:21:24,840 --> 00:21:27,919 Speaker 1: that I have left to be on this bike. And 316 00:21:28,240 --> 00:21:31,560 Speaker 1: every time I literally will tell myself I have twelve 317 00:21:31,640 --> 00:21:35,000 Speaker 1: minutes left. I can do anything for twelve minutes. If 318 00:21:35,040 --> 00:21:37,040 Speaker 1: I were on my phone, twelve minutes would fly by. 319 00:21:37,600 --> 00:21:40,760 Speaker 1: I can do twelve more minutes. But God doesn't tell 320 00:21:40,840 --> 00:21:43,520 Speaker 1: us how long it's gonna last, and he doesn't give 321 00:21:43,600 --> 00:21:46,520 Speaker 1: us any indication if the end is in sight. That's 322 00:21:46,560 --> 00:21:53,080 Speaker 1: why you have to just stay close. I love DoorDash 323 00:21:53,400 --> 00:21:56,640 Speaker 1: because anybody love DoorDash. Wouldn't it be nice if God 324 00:21:56,760 --> 00:22:00,640 Speaker 1: was like DoorDash? Like anytime I'm too busy to cook dinner, 325 00:22:00,680 --> 00:22:03,520 Speaker 1: I just go on this life changing app and I 326 00:22:03,640 --> 00:22:05,720 Speaker 1: decide what my family's gonna eat, And I could pick 327 00:22:05,720 --> 00:22:09,240 Speaker 1: anything from McDonald's to Morton's, depending on how I'm feeling. 328 00:22:09,840 --> 00:22:12,160 Speaker 1: And then the best part is you get to track 329 00:22:12,200 --> 00:22:17,600 Speaker 1: your food. Does anyone else do this? I obsessively check it. 330 00:22:17,680 --> 00:22:21,080 Speaker 1: After I've placed my order, you say, oh, you're preparing 331 00:22:21,119 --> 00:22:27,280 Speaker 1: my order. My door dasher has picked it up, and 332 00:22:27,320 --> 00:22:31,040 Speaker 1: he's headed my way and then the guy's The best 333 00:22:31,040 --> 00:22:34,160 Speaker 1: part is the little map and you can see can 334 00:22:34,200 --> 00:22:37,119 Speaker 1: see the little car. Oh, they just turned it to 335 00:22:37,200 --> 00:22:40,040 Speaker 1: my neighborhood. I'm so hungry this is Wouldn't it be 336 00:22:40,040 --> 00:22:44,000 Speaker 1: awesome if there was a heaven app and you could 337 00:22:44,040 --> 00:22:48,280 Speaker 1: just go on and select the things that you need, Like, 338 00:22:48,400 --> 00:22:52,400 Speaker 1: let's see, I need a new job, and while I'm 339 00:22:52,400 --> 00:22:54,760 Speaker 1: doing this, I might add on that my child behaves 340 00:22:54,800 --> 00:22:57,960 Speaker 1: in school today. And then how amazing would it be 341 00:22:57,960 --> 00:23:01,320 Speaker 1: if you could see your order is being and will 342 00:23:01,400 --> 00:23:06,800 Speaker 1: arrive in approximately thirty seven minutes. Are there any single 343 00:23:06,840 --> 00:23:11,320 Speaker 1: women here today? Every campus? Raise your hand online, let 344 00:23:11,320 --> 00:23:14,440 Speaker 1: yourself be known. Don't be shy. This is a good 345 00:23:14,480 --> 00:23:20,960 Speaker 1: place to find a Christian guy. Wouldn't it be amazing 346 00:23:22,040 --> 00:23:24,960 Speaker 1: if you were asking God for a man and you 347 00:23:25,000 --> 00:23:32,840 Speaker 1: could track his progress, if you could see that God 348 00:23:33,000 --> 00:23:38,000 Speaker 1: has heard your prayer and he's preparing your man. He 349 00:23:38,080 --> 00:23:42,240 Speaker 1: lives in Columbus, but he just got a job transfer 350 00:23:42,680 --> 00:23:46,560 Speaker 1: and he's coming to Charlotte next month and he's gonna 351 00:23:46,560 --> 00:23:49,520 Speaker 1: attend uptown campus, So I better switch my volunteer role 352 00:23:49,520 --> 00:23:56,359 Speaker 1: over there. Wouldn't it be nice? That's not how God works. 353 00:23:58,200 --> 00:24:03,800 Speaker 1: He doesn't give us a timeframe, and imagine Gyros standing there, 354 00:24:04,400 --> 00:24:08,840 Speaker 1: not knowing how long Jesus was going to be stopped. 355 00:24:09,400 --> 00:24:12,600 Speaker 1: What if he stops again. This is a crowd of people. 356 00:24:12,840 --> 00:24:16,040 Speaker 1: They're pressing in. They want to get to Jesus, and 357 00:24:16,200 --> 00:24:20,000 Speaker 1: every second counted for his daughter. Look what happens in 358 00:24:20,080 --> 00:24:27,240 Speaker 1: verse thirty four. He Jesus said to her daughter, your 359 00:24:27,240 --> 00:24:29,920 Speaker 1: faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed 360 00:24:29,960 --> 00:24:34,000 Speaker 1: from your suffering. While Jesus was still speaking, some people 361 00:24:34,119 --> 00:24:37,120 Speaker 1: came from the house of Gyros, the synagogue leader. Your 362 00:24:37,160 --> 00:24:41,520 Speaker 1: daughter is dead. They said, why bother the teacher anymore? 363 00:24:43,119 --> 00:24:47,400 Speaker 1: Overhearing what they said, that's how close he was to Jesus. 364 00:24:48,280 --> 00:24:54,879 Speaker 1: Jesus told him, don't be afraid. Just believe. Now we 365 00:24:55,000 --> 00:24:58,800 Speaker 1: know the end to this story. But pretend that you don't. 366 00:24:59,520 --> 00:25:04,040 Speaker 1: Why did you, Jesus? Why didn't Jesus say, don't worry, 367 00:25:04,080 --> 00:25:08,960 Speaker 1: I'm going to heal your daughter too. He was doing 368 00:25:09,000 --> 00:25:15,239 Speaker 1: a work in Jyrus's heart. God doesn't give us a 369 00:25:15,280 --> 00:25:22,119 Speaker 1: timeline because he's doing something so much bigger. Jesus wasn't 370 00:25:22,160 --> 00:25:25,280 Speaker 1: messing with him when he stopped to speak to the 371 00:25:25,320 --> 00:25:28,919 Speaker 1: woman that he had just healed. He wasn't being passive aggressive. 372 00:25:29,440 --> 00:25:32,800 Speaker 1: He was doing something bigger. There were lots of people watching. 373 00:25:32,840 --> 00:25:35,080 Speaker 1: He had Peter, James and John. He was teaching them, 374 00:25:35,359 --> 00:25:38,920 Speaker 1: He was showing them. And if God gave us everything 375 00:25:39,040 --> 00:25:42,920 Speaker 1: that we asked for, we would become spoiled brats who 376 00:25:43,040 --> 00:25:46,080 Speaker 1: only went to him when we needed something from him 377 00:25:46,200 --> 00:25:50,359 Speaker 1: that we couldn't do on our own. And God is 378 00:25:50,600 --> 00:25:55,080 Speaker 1: so much more concerned about our hearts than he is 379 00:25:55,400 --> 00:26:00,480 Speaker 1: about our situation. One word from Jesus and the the little 380 00:26:00,520 --> 00:26:02,479 Speaker 1: girl could have been healed. He didn't have to go 381 00:26:02,520 --> 00:26:05,840 Speaker 1: to Jyrus's house. In Luke seven, there was a centurion 382 00:26:05,880 --> 00:26:10,000 Speaker 1: whose servant was dying, and he wanted Jesus to heal 383 00:26:10,080 --> 00:26:12,080 Speaker 1: his servant because the servant meant a lot to him, 384 00:26:12,560 --> 00:26:14,880 Speaker 1: But he didn't feel worthy of Jesus to come into 385 00:26:14,920 --> 00:26:18,520 Speaker 1: his home. So the man comes to Jesus and he says, Lord, 386 00:26:18,640 --> 00:26:21,320 Speaker 1: just say the word, and I know that my servant 387 00:26:21,320 --> 00:26:24,960 Speaker 1: will be healed. And Jesus, the Bible says, was amazed 388 00:26:25,000 --> 00:26:27,760 Speaker 1: at the man's faith, and he healed the servant right 389 00:26:27,800 --> 00:26:34,040 Speaker 1: there on the spot. God can do anything, but he's 390 00:26:34,200 --> 00:26:39,840 Speaker 1: doing something bigger in your life. He's working something in 391 00:26:39,880 --> 00:26:45,080 Speaker 1: your heart, and he says to you, don't be afraid, 392 00:26:45,720 --> 00:26:50,240 Speaker 1: just believe, Just hang on, just stay close, don't give up, 393 00:26:50,480 --> 00:26:55,720 Speaker 1: don't walk away. How do we do that? How do 394 00:26:55,800 --> 00:26:59,000 Speaker 1: we not be afraid? This is a scary situation. When 395 00:26:59,040 --> 00:27:01,080 Speaker 1: you don't know if you're Mayria is gonna make it. 396 00:27:01,080 --> 00:27:04,080 Speaker 1: It's scary. Well, you don't know if your teenager is 397 00:27:04,119 --> 00:27:08,000 Speaker 1: gonna make the right choices. It's scary. When you get 398 00:27:08,040 --> 00:27:10,040 Speaker 1: diagnosed with cancer and you don't know if you're gonna 399 00:27:10,040 --> 00:27:14,159 Speaker 1: live or die. That's scary. And when we're faced with 400 00:27:14,280 --> 00:27:18,960 Speaker 1: these situations, we can either focus on our fear, where 401 00:27:19,000 --> 00:27:22,840 Speaker 1: we can focus on the one who is with us. 402 00:27:25,080 --> 00:27:29,440 Speaker 1: Fear will cause you to flee and we can get 403 00:27:29,480 --> 00:27:32,200 Speaker 1: all caught up in all the things that could happen 404 00:27:32,359 --> 00:27:34,800 Speaker 1: if God doesn't come through. Or we could choose to 405 00:27:34,840 --> 00:27:38,000 Speaker 1: stay close and fix our focus on the God that 406 00:27:38,080 --> 00:27:43,560 Speaker 1: we believe in, the God that we serve. Don't be afraid, 407 00:27:44,000 --> 00:27:47,280 Speaker 1: just believe. You gotta look up when your mind gets crowded, 408 00:27:47,400 --> 00:27:50,440 Speaker 1: you gotta look up. The Psalma says in Psalm one, 409 00:27:50,480 --> 00:27:53,560 Speaker 1: it says, I will lift up my eyes to the hills. 410 00:27:53,840 --> 00:27:57,320 Speaker 1: Where does my help come from? My help comes from 411 00:27:57,359 --> 00:28:00,720 Speaker 1: the Lord the maker of heaven and on earth. I 412 00:28:00,800 --> 00:28:03,399 Speaker 1: have placed my faith in a God who is so 413 00:28:03,680 --> 00:28:08,200 Speaker 1: big he created the heavens and the earth. He goes 414 00:28:08,320 --> 00:28:12,000 Speaker 1: before me, he comes behind me, and he is with 415 00:28:12,200 --> 00:28:15,879 Speaker 1: me in the middle of the greatest moment of my fear. 416 00:28:16,000 --> 00:28:19,960 Speaker 1: Don't walk away now, don't lose hope. Now you gotta 417 00:28:20,040 --> 00:28:25,720 Speaker 1: stay close and watch what Jesus does for thirty six 418 00:28:25,960 --> 00:28:29,000 Speaker 1: overhearing what they said, Jesus told him, don't be afraid, 419 00:28:29,680 --> 00:28:34,920 Speaker 1: just believe. He did not let anyone follow him except Peter, 420 00:28:35,280 --> 00:28:37,679 Speaker 1: James and John, the brother of James. I don't have 421 00:28:37,720 --> 00:28:39,680 Speaker 1: time to tell you what he was trying to show 422 00:28:40,080 --> 00:28:42,680 Speaker 1: James and John. You have to go find a sermon 423 00:28:42,720 --> 00:28:45,640 Speaker 1: from Pastor Stephen on that. It's in the Book of Acts. 424 00:28:45,720 --> 00:28:48,840 Speaker 1: But when they came to the home of the synagogue 425 00:28:48,840 --> 00:28:53,320 Speaker 1: of the leader Gyrus, Jesus saw commotion with people crying 426 00:28:53,360 --> 00:28:56,200 Speaker 1: and wailing loudly, and he went in and he said 427 00:28:56,200 --> 00:28:59,560 Speaker 1: to them, why all this commotion and willing The child 428 00:28:59,640 --> 00:29:03,440 Speaker 1: is not dead but asleep. But they laughed at him, 429 00:29:03,720 --> 00:29:07,160 Speaker 1: and he put them all out. He took the child's 430 00:29:07,160 --> 00:29:11,880 Speaker 1: father and mother and the disciples who were with him, 431 00:29:12,360 --> 00:29:16,200 Speaker 1: and he went in where the child was. When you 432 00:29:16,280 --> 00:29:19,680 Speaker 1: are waiting on God for a miracle, you got to 433 00:29:19,720 --> 00:29:23,760 Speaker 1: stay close, you got to look up, and you got 434 00:29:23,800 --> 00:29:28,600 Speaker 1: to watch out. Because who you allow in your life 435 00:29:29,200 --> 00:29:35,840 Speaker 1: will make or break your faith. And even Jesus knew 436 00:29:35,880 --> 00:29:40,600 Speaker 1: that this situation was not for everyone. And I want 437 00:29:40,600 --> 00:29:42,080 Speaker 1: to hear you say I want you to hear me 438 00:29:42,120 --> 00:29:47,880 Speaker 1: say this today. You do need people in your life. 439 00:29:48,040 --> 00:29:50,640 Speaker 1: You're not meant to go through this life alone. But 440 00:29:50,680 --> 00:29:56,040 Speaker 1: they have to be the right people. And here's a 441 00:29:56,120 --> 00:30:01,040 Speaker 1: little pro tip. The people that you will into your 442 00:30:01,280 --> 00:30:06,600 Speaker 1: darkest moments, they need to be people of faith, of course, 443 00:30:07,560 --> 00:30:10,800 Speaker 1: but they also need to be someone who has been 444 00:30:11,600 --> 00:30:18,000 Speaker 1: here before. What's the number one rule of sobriety. Go 445 00:30:18,040 --> 00:30:21,120 Speaker 1: to meetings and find a sponsor who has been in 446 00:30:21,160 --> 00:30:26,120 Speaker 1: your place. So if you get diagnosed with cancer, you 447 00:30:26,160 --> 00:30:30,560 Speaker 1: need to find someone of faith who's also been through chemo. 448 00:30:32,040 --> 00:30:36,040 Speaker 1: If you're dealing with an infidelity in your marriage, find 449 00:30:36,040 --> 00:30:39,680 Speaker 1: a couple who has struggled with that as well and 450 00:30:39,760 --> 00:30:42,520 Speaker 1: come out on the other side, not a couple that 451 00:30:42,880 --> 00:30:47,280 Speaker 1: seemingly has the perfect marriage. Those people are great, but 452 00:30:47,280 --> 00:30:49,480 Speaker 1: they may not be for this situation. If you have 453 00:30:49,480 --> 00:30:52,360 Speaker 1: a child who struggles in school. Find someone who is 454 00:30:52,480 --> 00:30:56,479 Speaker 1: also walking that path, who can pray with you and 455 00:30:56,640 --> 00:31:00,840 Speaker 1: believe with you and empathize with you. I know it's hard, 456 00:31:01,040 --> 00:31:05,440 Speaker 1: you can do it. Stay close, watch out because well 457 00:31:05,520 --> 00:31:10,000 Speaker 1: meaning people who have not been through your situation can 458 00:31:10,080 --> 00:31:14,680 Speaker 1: hinder your faith. And not everything in your life is 459 00:31:14,760 --> 00:31:22,000 Speaker 1: for Facebook. Amen, You're not under look your pastor's wife 460 00:31:22,040 --> 00:31:24,600 Speaker 1: is giving you permission. You are not under any obligation 461 00:31:24,960 --> 00:31:27,360 Speaker 1: to let the world know what you are going through. 462 00:31:28,280 --> 00:31:30,640 Speaker 1: But you do need to find a few people who 463 00:31:30,720 --> 00:31:33,880 Speaker 1: can empathize with you and who can encourage you through 464 00:31:33,920 --> 00:31:36,800 Speaker 1: your situation. I know it's hard to show up to 465 00:31:36,880 --> 00:31:39,600 Speaker 1: your E group because you don't want everybody asking you 466 00:31:39,720 --> 00:31:43,680 Speaker 1: how you're doing, But sometimes that's part of staying close, 467 00:31:44,120 --> 00:31:47,440 Speaker 1: is pushing in and leaning in to the people that 468 00:31:47,520 --> 00:31:50,239 Speaker 1: God has placed in your life, who love you, who 469 00:31:50,320 --> 00:31:53,200 Speaker 1: are praying for you, who've been there before, and they 470 00:31:53,280 --> 00:31:55,479 Speaker 1: want to help you when they want to walk this 471 00:31:55,600 --> 00:32:00,360 Speaker 1: road with you. Let's read the rest of the story. 472 00:32:01,280 --> 00:32:03,560 Speaker 1: So after he put them all out, he took the 473 00:32:03,640 --> 00:32:06,400 Speaker 1: child's father and mother and the disciples who were with them, 474 00:32:06,440 --> 00:32:08,880 Speaker 1: and they went in where the child was. He took 475 00:32:08,920 --> 00:32:12,880 Speaker 1: her by the hand and said to her talitha coomb, 476 00:32:13,400 --> 00:32:18,080 Speaker 1: which means little girl, I say to you, get up. Immediately, 477 00:32:18,160 --> 00:32:20,360 Speaker 1: the little girl stood up and began to walk around. 478 00:32:20,800 --> 00:32:24,720 Speaker 1: She was twelve years old. At this they were astonished. 479 00:32:25,480 --> 00:32:27,840 Speaker 1: He gave strict orders not to let anyone know about this, 480 00:32:28,320 --> 00:32:33,840 Speaker 1: and then he told them to give her something to eat. 481 00:32:34,480 --> 00:32:37,440 Speaker 1: Gyros didn't get what he originally asked Jesus for, did he. 482 00:32:39,480 --> 00:32:44,520 Speaker 1: What he asked for was healing. What he got was resurrection. 483 00:32:46,720 --> 00:32:51,480 Speaker 1: I stole that from my husband. It's too powerful not 484 00:32:51,560 --> 00:32:55,160 Speaker 1: to say. One of the greatest things that I'm learning 485 00:32:55,200 --> 00:33:00,000 Speaker 1: about prayer is that I have to hold my lift 486 00:33:01,240 --> 00:33:03,080 Speaker 1: the things I want God to do how I want 487 00:33:03,120 --> 00:33:05,440 Speaker 1: him to do it, when I want him to do it. 488 00:33:05,920 --> 00:33:10,680 Speaker 1: I hold my list with a light grip because sometimes 489 00:33:10,680 --> 00:33:14,040 Speaker 1: God's gonna ask me to let go of my list, 490 00:33:15,240 --> 00:33:20,440 Speaker 1: but hold firm to my faith. May not happen the 491 00:33:20,440 --> 00:33:23,840 Speaker 1: way you thought it would, But my faith is not 492 00:33:24,000 --> 00:33:29,520 Speaker 1: in the list. My faith is in my God, who 493 00:33:29,680 --> 00:33:34,280 Speaker 1: I believe is working all things for my good. My 494 00:33:34,480 --> 00:33:38,520 Speaker 1: faith is in the God who knows the number of 495 00:33:38,720 --> 00:33:43,880 Speaker 1: hairs on my head. My faith is in my perfect Father, 496 00:33:44,400 --> 00:33:48,360 Speaker 1: who knows me better than I know myself. All I 497 00:33:48,400 --> 00:33:52,600 Speaker 1: have to do is stay close to him no matter 498 00:33:52,880 --> 00:33:58,080 Speaker 1: how dark it gets, and remember that he is with me. 499 00:34:00,400 --> 00:34:05,040 Speaker 1: You know that there is no darkness you can experience 500 00:34:06,160 --> 00:34:12,879 Speaker 1: that Jesus has not already felt. Hebrews four tells us, 501 00:34:15,960 --> 00:34:19,560 Speaker 1: look at this, I love this passage of scripture. Therefore, 502 00:34:20,360 --> 00:34:24,760 Speaker 1: since we have a great high priest who has ascended 503 00:34:24,760 --> 00:34:29,320 Speaker 1: into heaven, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold 504 00:34:29,760 --> 00:34:34,560 Speaker 1: firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not 505 00:34:34,680 --> 00:34:37,960 Speaker 1: have a high priest who is unable to empathize with 506 00:34:38,080 --> 00:34:42,160 Speaker 1: our weaknesses. But we have one who has been tempted 507 00:34:42,480 --> 00:34:46,359 Speaker 1: in every way just as we are. Yet he did 508 00:34:46,400 --> 00:34:51,120 Speaker 1: not sin. Let us then approach God's throne of grace 509 00:34:51,560 --> 00:34:56,600 Speaker 1: with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find 510 00:34:56,640 --> 00:35:01,800 Speaker 1: grace to help us in our time of need. Jesus 511 00:35:01,960 --> 00:35:08,920 Speaker 1: experienced every grief and every temptation. He is the true friend, 512 00:35:09,560 --> 00:35:16,160 Speaker 1: the true empathizer, our heavenly Father. He actually went to 513 00:35:16,200 --> 00:35:22,319 Speaker 1: all the schools. He went to betrayal school, he went 514 00:35:22,400 --> 00:35:26,200 Speaker 1: to raise a child with special needs school, he went 515 00:35:26,239 --> 00:35:45,719 Speaker 1: to loneliness school. And you can you can come to him. 516 00:35:45,800 --> 00:35:50,319 Speaker 1: I'm telling you now, you can come to him with confidence, 517 00:35:52,160 --> 00:35:55,840 Speaker 1: and while we wait for him to give us an answer, 518 00:35:56,640 --> 00:36:02,839 Speaker 1: we find so much more. We find grace and we 519 00:36:02,920 --> 00:36:07,200 Speaker 1: find mercy in our time of need. It's in the 520 00:36:07,239 --> 00:36:12,720 Speaker 1: waiting that we get to know him better. We find 521 00:36:12,760 --> 00:36:16,920 Speaker 1: out that he's not just a god who heals, but 522 00:36:17,040 --> 00:36:20,239 Speaker 1: he is a God who is with us in our 523 00:36:20,320 --> 00:36:24,759 Speaker 1: pain and in our confusion, and in our frustration and 524 00:36:24,960 --> 00:36:29,520 Speaker 1: in our disappointment. And he stands by. He never left. 525 00:36:29,840 --> 00:36:34,320 Speaker 1: He's with you. He stands by, ready with the grace 526 00:36:34,680 --> 00:36:41,879 Speaker 1: that you need for each moment. And when I think 527 00:36:41,920 --> 00:36:46,120 Speaker 1: of the darkest seasons in my life, the seasons of 528 00:36:46,160 --> 00:36:49,440 Speaker 1: my life when you wake up in the morning and 529 00:36:49,520 --> 00:36:53,279 Speaker 1: for a brief second, you forget everything that you're going through. 530 00:36:53,280 --> 00:36:55,440 Speaker 1: Have you ever been there? And then all of a sudden, 531 00:36:55,480 --> 00:36:58,160 Speaker 1: the pain and the realization of what's going on and 532 00:36:58,200 --> 00:37:03,680 Speaker 1: the fear sets in. In those moments, what I remember 533 00:37:03,800 --> 00:37:09,360 Speaker 1: most from those seasons is the tangible presence of God. 534 00:37:11,040 --> 00:37:12,759 Speaker 1: If I didn't stay close to him, I wouldn't have 535 00:37:12,800 --> 00:37:15,920 Speaker 1: gotten out of bed. If I didn't stay close to him, 536 00:37:15,920 --> 00:37:20,080 Speaker 1: I wouldn't have made it through the day. I know 537 00:37:20,160 --> 00:37:25,520 Speaker 1: I wouldn't have chosen those situations and those seasons. But 538 00:37:25,600 --> 00:37:29,120 Speaker 1: I'm here to tell you today, if you stay close, 539 00:37:30,280 --> 00:37:42,279 Speaker 1: you'll come out stronger on the other side. So if 540 00:37:42,280 --> 00:37:48,399 Speaker 1: you would stand with me, I want to close by 541 00:37:48,440 --> 00:37:53,680 Speaker 1: speaking over you one of my favorite passages of Scriptures, 542 00:37:54,320 --> 00:37:59,200 Speaker 1: a passage that I memorized when I was in high school. 543 00:38:00,080 --> 00:38:03,240 Speaker 1: But it's one of those passages that God just brings 544 00:38:03,280 --> 00:38:07,520 Speaker 1: back to my mind over and over again throughout my life. 545 00:38:07,640 --> 00:38:09,480 Speaker 1: And I want to speak the words of the prophet 546 00:38:09,520 --> 00:38:16,160 Speaker 1: Isaiah over you today, and Isaiah forty says, have you 547 00:38:16,239 --> 00:38:21,720 Speaker 1: not seen? Have you not heard? The Lord, your God, 548 00:38:22,920 --> 00:38:27,880 Speaker 1: everlasting Father, creator of the ends of the earth. He 549 00:38:27,920 --> 00:38:32,040 Speaker 1: will not grow tired or weary, and is understanding no 550 00:38:32,200 --> 00:38:36,920 Speaker 1: man can fathom. He gives strength to the weary, and 551 00:38:37,000 --> 00:38:40,720 Speaker 1: he increases the power of the week. Don't read along 552 00:38:40,719 --> 00:38:43,480 Speaker 1: with me, because I might be quoting it a little 553 00:38:43,480 --> 00:38:47,719 Speaker 1: bit different. Even youth grow tired and weary, and young 554 00:38:47,760 --> 00:38:51,520 Speaker 1: men stumble and fall. But those who wait on the 555 00:38:51,600 --> 00:38:56,799 Speaker 1: Lord will renew their strength. They will mount up on 556 00:38:56,960 --> 00:39:00,520 Speaker 1: wings like eagles. They will run and not be weary, 557 00:39:00,920 --> 00:39:04,640 Speaker 1: they will walk in not fake. That's you today. So 558 00:39:04,800 --> 00:39:07,840 Speaker 1: all over this room, let's lift our hands and let's 559 00:39:07,920 --> 00:39:16,040 Speaker 1: receive strength from the Lord today. God, I asked today 560 00:39:16,080 --> 00:39:19,440 Speaker 1: before I got up here, that you would just whisper 561 00:39:19,560 --> 00:39:25,879 Speaker 1: to someone's heart that you're here, that you're with us, 562 00:39:26,760 --> 00:39:31,400 Speaker 1: You never left, and all we have to do is 563 00:39:31,440 --> 00:39:37,719 Speaker 1: stay close, turn around, look up, and right now, in 564 00:39:37,760 --> 00:39:41,920 Speaker 1: this moment, Lord, we receive your grace. I thank you 565 00:39:41,960 --> 00:39:45,000 Speaker 1: for your mercy not giving us the things that we deserve, 566 00:39:45,480 --> 00:39:48,839 Speaker 1: for your patience every time that I've ever said it's 567 00:39:48,880 --> 00:39:51,799 Speaker 1: not fair. Thank you God for just staying there with me. 568 00:39:55,440 --> 00:39:58,160 Speaker 1: Would you strengthen this Lord, is we pressing close to you. 569 00:39:58,920 --> 00:40:01,040 Speaker 1: Let us not grow weary, let us not lose hope. 570 00:40:01,239 --> 00:40:06,040 Speaker 1: We cling to the promise that you are doing so 571 00:40:06,239 --> 00:40:11,520 Speaker 1: much more than we could ever ask or imagine. Even 572 00:40:11,520 --> 00:40:13,800 Speaker 1: in the places that we can't see. God, we believe 573 00:40:13,920 --> 00:40:19,279 Speaker 1: now that you are working. We love you. Send Jesus name, 574 00:40:19,320 --> 00:40:27,920 Speaker 1: I pray Amen. Well. If you enjoyed today's podcast, there 575 00:40:27,920 --> 00:40:29,920 Speaker 1: are a couple things I'd love for you to do. 576 00:40:30,000 --> 00:40:34,360 Speaker 1: Make sure to subscribe, rate, and review this podcast. You 577 00:40:34,400 --> 00:40:36,839 Speaker 1: can also help us reach others by investing today at 578 00:40:36,840 --> 00:40:40,840 Speaker 1: Elevationchurch dot org. Slash give and thanks again for joining 579 00:40:40,920 --> 00:40:42,520 Speaker 1: us on the Elevation Podcast