What is Easter All About?

Encouraging prayer God offers an open invitation for his people to talk with him at any time about anything urgent prayer. Dr. James Banks fall through the best-selling and many other books on prayer provides weekly biblical insight help you learn to love and valve. But here we are pastor. You have a treat for us. Out of the 62nd song you know Rob you think about how we here we are celebrating Good Friday confined and celebrating Easter confined and there are so many things that were not able to do that we normally would love to do. Being with family and no being in the regular great worship service and all that stuff. And in this really causes us to to not just hunker down and focus in on on what matters most.

What is Easter all about and I got to looking at Psalm 62, which is really in an Easter Psalm but it it begins with with these words, verses five through eight. Yes, my soul find rest in God my hope comes from him. Truly he is my rock and my salvation. He is my fortress, I will not be shaken my salvation and my honor depend on God. He is my mighty rock, my refuge, trusting him at all times. You people pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge.

The King James says that that we should should find rest in God alone. III love that that phrasing of this is well and it's there that I want to emphasize today how how all we need to just find our strength in him alone, nothing else. None of the trappings of Easter just on Jesus and and our heavenly father and the Holy Spirit and what they have done for us in setting us free. At the cross.

That's the hunger that we are experiencing, especially in these times, it is because you know so many other things can cause us to depend on ourselves. You know we we get used to it to going in our own strength even even in our faith. I was reading the sum the letters from my John Newton who is one of my heroes. Of course, the author of amazing grace and this this amazing man of God who earlier in his life was. It was a slave trader and he had such a humble heart after he came to the Lord and one of the things he said in this letter to Mrs. Wilberforce, who was actually I think the the aunt of William Wilberforce, who God used in you know in the abolition movement, and in Britain. Anyhow, he said, I believe Satan is never nearer to us than that.

Sometimes when we think ourselves nearest the Lord what he meant by that is, sometimes you know we can think were so close to God. But if were not being humble were not, and were just really full of ourselves and kind of this new" holy zeal we need to do is just rest in him alone in his cross, and in what he's done for us, recognizing all where we would be without him desperately we need him here no grief in our sins grieving our sinfulness and praising God that he sets us free assets, childlike face, and no were I really don't have any of the stuff figured out. I know you got it before you know that's where David is going at Psalm 62 trust in him at all times. Pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge and what a good time. This is for us to pour out our hearts to him to say things like Lord, I believe, help my unbelief to pray Lord, let me know in my soul that you are risen and let me share that with someone in a way that really counts for them and what we can't do this in our own strength and and were left with all of that stuff aside and just to rely on him, but actually that's a really good place to be now and you know that my desire is to figure out a way to help my family get there as well. In such awkward setting you yeah and again I think that's where you come into this place of just prayerful dependence before we went on the air. I was telling you about my grandson and how I was praying for him, Lord, please. You gotta help us. They were seized just five years old five years old and knowing to push your buttons like a fighter old but II was brought back again to that moment by moment all Lord help us help us to love and move in in your strength because it is his word says it's in him that we live and move and have our being. So you know how unless he orders the steps of the dance were tripping all over herself and I really even need a picture Mary at the town in that same like I got nothing without you. Where are you.

That's where she was now and but again that's such a good place to be because his strength is made perfect in weakness.

That's the beauty of you know that that as we come to him and as we say all Lord, I need you I want nothing more and nothing less than you, you alone on the resting in you alone. He is our rock and he is our salvation. And he will meet us in that place.

How could you close us. Along those lines, pastor yeah let's pray Lord, all you alone. Help us, help us to look to you, Lord, thank you for this opportunity to do that.

We look forward to being together with her brothers and sisters on Easter and in the future, but this time with this is special.

Help us help us. You alone.

You alone.

In Jesus name, amen, hear more from Pastor James by visiting our website. James Banks.org or by visiting these church in Durham, North Carolina.

May God bless you and encourage you as you pray