Worship In Hard Times

Alright so you know what I did when covert hit started reading a certain book in the Bible. Yeah you started reading Psalms "o". The funny thing is I didn't know I started before covert and then after I was like maybe God led me there because the book of Psalms was so emotive and it felt like I was reading Scripture of people that were going through a panda. I know I like I was, you know, and it just gave words to the feelings we had. I'm so glad that I was reading that during the pandemic shows how relevant God's word is everything that we go through welcome to family life today where we want to help you pursue relationships that matter most and Wilson Dave Wilson and you can find us if family life today.com or on our family life is family life today. I remember you doing and I read the Bible through every year will be driving down the road it in every dime or a like a road trip and read the book of Psalms.

Let me redo this all I really need you what I'm reading today you can allow that Dave doesn't like read out loud, so why reset all that I don't like that. I don't know why I should enjoy it. You pretend you yeah I just I IIII like when you read Scripture and today we got Courtney right sick with us today who wrote up talk about the Psalms called teach me to feel worshiping through the Psalms in every season of life. Even the covert season right right right knee even during Kevin Hardy. Welcome to family life today. Thanks for having learned glad to have you back back so you're a writer you're a teacher Bible teacher of the managing director risen motherhood, which is a phenomenal ministry. Most importantly though, your mother, for I am married how long I was 12 years while what a way as I opened up your book and you to read the first chapter about your sort of experience in the hospital which led you to the book of Psalms man what a compelling story me know when none of us want to live what you went through because you walk in one day thinking you're just going to go home that day and you end up almost a month hospital with this pregnancy and it was a tough time but I know let's restart the book sort of tell us your feelings going through that time the doctor on call came in, and then the contraction just kept getting worse and she was I think you're having a percent have option interruption.

If the full abruption means certain death for the baby within five minutes the other complexities. We have three other children and so on. You are there you help me care and then by they went from having me every day to three weeks of a steady stream of different people every day. I remember they were listless little boys.

They were they would cry didn't understand. My dad decided to go get them and drive them back to Florida with a parents live in so it took a lot of the frightening nature of what was happening to them out of the equation, but it was the worst experience of my life. What if they leave and I die what if I seen you get to say goodbye to them had to be monitored three times a day and thereby take me off my nurse and I look at my turn, I said his heart rate. Contraction and the doctor is like this is the last straw time… Maybe they start the procedure it takes a little while because I have some other issues from previous C-sections. Anyone screaming to start sobbing like we have no idea he's bringing you can hear them. This is a miracle baby.

Listen to abruption's don't stop for three weeks we feel God is like. I'm to make this placenta abrupt for a little bit and stop it so you'll feel the weight of your mortality and your son's mortality, but I'm not gonna let you die today.

Wow. I mean, I feel like I'm there.

Just cry with you and wiping your tears Courtney Ike that's intense yeah it was intense.

It was really intense and my older children still remember it. Yeah they do. We've been talking earlier about just what that was like for you and how the Psalms administered to you and that really did prompt you to write this book and even coming out of that. I love that you wrote feelings that you are experiencing when you felt let down. He talked about Psalm 55. Another chapter in your book is when you felt despair and then he talked about Psalms 88, forsaken and pain worthless like I'm hearing this. I'm thinking God's word relates to every one of those feelings.

So what jumped out to you initially give us a walk-through. You're one of the songs I got really used to help you feel, but to also minister to you.

I had hoped that by spending all that time, the Psalms for almost 3 weeks that when the moment of crisis came that I would then remember everything I had read and or at least had something with me that I would display may be resolute or that I would somehow, I don't know how like a glowing face. I don't know all the Scriptures to come to me because I've been pouring into me. Of course, is going to come out of crisis and like this. I think I would respond that way in a crisis.

Will you know if you don't know how you can respond in crisis to crisis.

And so, in the moment I literally couldn't remember anything that I'd read if you had said like tummy thing you've learned in last week.

That would've been like. I don't remember anything that I could ever Psalm 23 and iron were in the moment thinking this is a sign of weakness in someplace like I was in high school in the 90s and so I remember going to paradise. It talks about something. Three like even rap songs have some 23. Like I and here I am thinking all you can remember is felt lame lame like a like a weakling because your Bible scholar into my right and I didn't have any words to remember and that my Mexican were hearing people like like company. I can remember sure as hell this capture what he said like a cancer ward and anything during for many in the moment.

It was her. It was a crisis. It was really intense and I was like on the work of a panic attack that a lot of things going on in that moment, and for me. What was helpful later on was realizing that wasn't a sign of failure is a sign of kindness of the Lord that he was making me dig deep for anything he was showing me some 23 is Scripture to just well-known. It's not something I think all it's almost like God took all the other Scripture out because he wanted to see all yes 20 I did sit in it and was really comforted by it. But I'm happy to walk. Now it is so Psalm 23 the Lord is my shepherd have what I need. He lets me lie down in green pastures.

He leads me beside quiet waters. He renews my life. He leads me along the right paths for his namesake even when I got to the darkest Valley. I fear no danger for you are with me your rod and your staff they comfort me.

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies you anoint my head with oil my cup overflows only goodness and faithful level pursue me all the days of my life and I will dwell in the house the Lord as long as I live like you said it so familiar bright again hearing that it is so powerful words are loaded with meaning load again of a listener talk to the listener who is in the Valley right whatever reason, and they're just there struggling what is God saying through the song and also Courtney.

Why does that make you feel so much when you're reading it I mean by Scripture makes me cry. I don't know for me. A lot of it is. I've experienced this Psalm, Psalms, or poetry.

So even if you think like a song even a song thought about the Lord. A good song a good lyric does make us feel were feeling things God created us with a motion like he could create us a motion less than he didn't create us with emotions and as image bearers. We are created to feel God feels as well like you see when Jesus was on the earth.

He felt and said this is not wrong to feel it's good to feel but as a as a Christian we want to harness our feelings rightly in a way to honor the Lord but in this Psalm we think that the Lord is my shepherd I meet a guy. John 10 with. He's a good Shepherd in the context of John 10 it's right after John nine with a man born blind, healed, and then kicked out of the synagogue for basically being healed by Jesus. Here Jesus has, I'm the good Shepherd.

I'm the shepherd who doesn't leave you on the shepherd who doesn't devour the sheep on the shepherd who always cares for the sheep. And so she know my voice say no to hear him and there cared for by him and for the person who maybe feels abandoned by someone or feels like they've been taken advantage of by bad shepherds, the good Shepherd is so comforting because I think a fight shepherd sheep are so vulnerable they desperately need the shepherd and take care of everything for them and he'll leave the 99 to go find one. Yes yeah so and then I have what I need. He lets me lie down in green pastures and meeting beside quiet waters like he's taking care of everything that we need and so often, especially in its of suffering. It feels like what were experiencing is not what we need that we had this tremendous lack and what the psalmist is saying what David is saying is you have everything you need think about COBIT right good reminder hate yeah and what COBIT is brought to everyone.

Is there are people who are suffering deeply prior to coven and to that suffering was only made exponentially worse by coded Lakota has done is made us all sufferers because everyone has a story of some form of loss this year. Whether it's a loss of expectation, the loss of a job.

The loss of baby a marital relationship because it's been really hard and then there's like the real tremendous loss of people being hospitalized and being alone.

People dying alone so I think all of us are sufferers now and what Psalm 23 helps us with is we still have everything we need to have a good Shepherd. We still have the shepherd who is leading us beside green pastures and still waters and nourishing us in caring for us even when what were looking at with our eyes, doesn't feel like green pastures and still waters and feels really chaotic and hard, and when the things in first for something to eat. I go to the darkest Valley. I fear no danger in a dark valley is dangerous but say I don't fear the danger is not saying that were not going to be in suffering. It just says that I don't fear what it is because I have a could shepherd me. I love that because it one of the versions is for your close beside yes yes I think about our grandson, who is just really fearful of the dark right now right. He feels totally safe when his dad is beside you and not for us to, we could be going through anything when we have Jesus on the father walking beside us. He gives us a little more courage.

Some people know this but I actually diagnosed with cervical cancer in the middle of COBIT had to have struck me very quickly after, it was a really was a really long and quick crisis but I had to get all my appointments alone because it was COBIT so like my husband never let my oncologist. He could be in the hospital with me. I had to have instruct me by myself in the hospital.

He had to wait in the car and I spent a night in the hospital but when I have my pet scan. I remember they tailor the pet scan like to be calm while you're waiting for an jobsite.

I don't think me, like I said, I listen to music. Some people had sent me pilots in front of any of my lessons has listening to the music and it was one of those moments where I've been a medical crisis before, but this is the only moment Rodino could not be with me.

He's been by my side for everything that we've gone through and this is when those moments were like he could not be in the pet scan with me could not be in our waiting room with me. None of those things and I sent so clearly that the Lord was with me like Psalm 46 one like you're very present help in times of trouble, and I remember thinking I want to forget that the Lord showed up in a way like I'm not super like I feel the Lord type of person that I knew in that moment he was using. I'm not leaving here nobody else can be with you, but you can stop me from being with you and that which is incredibly comforting. It is your minds in John 14 where I will not leave you as orphans, I will come to you and he has come to us and in the Holy Spirit and not forever and always be. If you're trusting in Jesus we have the Holy Spirit residing inside of us that we are never alone and even when the darkest valleys yes with a situation very similar to that I was having an MRI checking for cancer in it so traumatic for you all yet you can be so gripped by fear and anxiety. And I'm thinking of listeners who've gone through so many circumstances where there just gripped with fear and anxiety.

And I can remember that in this thing weighs a so loud and banging and I can remember thinking I'm just going to go to another place with Jesus and I sure Psalm 23, I pictured myself walking beside a stream with Jesus in this Green Valley and that helped me to talk so Scripture it's almost like I went to another place in my head because this place you do go viciously seasoned guys like CCing Psalm 12 I allowed. We can use our imaginations are really terrible things like plywood and we use it to pictured yeah yeah one thing I thought of as you're talking about being with Jesus is that anything I experienced pales in comparison to what is already done for me at the cross. I can rest in assurance that he is forming of just thinking of the truth of I will fear no evil for you are with me that truth here he writes comforts me thinking of euros. A NFL chaplain for 33 seasons with the Lions. There were many situations where I would be one of the first people on the field to a player just got injured in the different responses in that moment by players. I can remember Kevin Glover break his leg and he knew snapped during a playoff game and by the way lines work vertically along to go walking towards him on the field in Tampa and he just little him :-) anyone happy buddies like okay losing control. I'm done buddies got me and walking of those guys who were yelling and cussing and screaming because this is their whole world.

They have no sensors or God with them. What a difference different you know others in a hospital room or in your marriage whatever to know that you could be comforted by the truth of what the psalmist is writing here you are with me to go yet.

This is good. One thing they think it's also helpful is when you see your rod and your staff they comfort me in the rod being like the staff like guiding us, but that also the rod is discipline to even the discipline of the Lord not like punishment. Suffering comes into our life as a way to harness us and discipline us safe to shape us yeah and that to be on the say that it comfort that I can say that on things on the back and say the Lord is done in that, but what the say that this suffering that Lord is brought into my life doesn't feel good and in the grand scheme of things it is going to work out for good but I want to go to say that I know that the comfort Nymex printing suffering. It's not a sign that he's Me it's a sign that he's for me because he is conforming more to the image of Christ in them. I love that verse six only goodness and faithful love will pursue me all the days of my life and I want to own the house the Lord as long as I live, and I love that only goodness because again in suffering. It doesn't feel like goodness and faithful what it feels like it feels like when I was agnostic and terrified God is kicking us over dynamic COBIT really you can give me cancer to them at the coven. It is like his kicking ass while you're down. I think a lot of people feel that yes at different time writer lives with their magic card that has meaning God like a really, really, yes.

Like how do you deal with wide and honest about it the worst you can do is to not be honest about how you are feeling because the Lord is. He knows what you're feeling anyway so it doesn't do any good to pretend like you're trusting when you're not. So I think being honest about that feeling and working that feeling out and I prayed that floor. I talked to has and I also told her what I think working is already like you have that you are not with us of your nice Psalm right then and one of the helpful things of processing through that is if you're pouring Scripture into your life eventually those things do work themselves out. It just takes time.

By God's grace I was able to get to a point where I realized he wasn't kicking us while we are down, he was showing up and shut up.

A number of ways of having people help us my pantry looking down and is a number of things to help, but I was honest, I didn't stuff it down where I was trying to put on a good face for like everyone who is waiting to see how we are going to respond and it's helpful. I always think like Joseph to Joseph at the end of Genesis says what you meant for evil God meant for good way and he said at the end of his life and he says at the very end.

And so we are given the process throughout all of what he endured me think of how long he endured injustice and suffering and difficulty.

Before he ever saw any fruit from what was going on and he could have been so bitter very with his family have a lad yes and the Lord worked in his life that he was able to have that perspective of that you meant it for evil but God intended it for good and what the Scriptures I think sometimes we build a theology of trust based on the end result of what we see in the Scriptures, but the Scriptures don't tell us all the process I got to that point we had to do a lot of a little bit of study to understand what that was like 2030 years that was going on like 7 to 10 years that was going on, and so when you think of the span of your life you get diagnosed on Monday and you guys somehow have a resolution trust by Friday. Let us know what happened. The Christian life is hard and life is complex and people are really complex and it sometimes I think if you're looking at even just counseling people and working through and just loving suffering people is giving them the breathing room to have those feelings that it's really hard and I don't feel like I trust right now letting them feel honest in that moment and not getting that quick.

What will Job trust into you know, he said, like bless you name the Lord but the Bible can be used like that it is not intended to be used like that. I'm thinking of talking to kids and to friends where they'll be suffering and they'll be they'll be lamenting like I feel so forgotten. I feel like this is unjust and I have this habit of hating that there in pain and so I try to fix their pain that I just now lab table kind word says and I I'm a pretty positive person and so I try to bounce them out of their negativity and are one son will only say to me. Mom let me just sit here right in the pain.

It's a good reminder for me like oh yeah, I need to fix him right that's God's job. I can just sit with him in it. Yes my hand on him. Pray for him understand and say I be so hard to do.

There is something that happens. I'm guessing you agree with me when you do go vertical when you're in danger in the struggle and the Psalms already do that. It's what even Psalm 73 when I can walk through it. But you know he's upset many times one of the evil prosper lead people to good things right. You know this almost as for most of that song is what we all get to and then I went into the issuer that it's like oh when I eyes with vertical right and then I got a different perspective and I think that's what your book does this with the Psalms do is when you when you say God I want your perspective. You read people going all their complaining tube here comes you are with me you got this God is my refuge and strength in time of trouble. It's such a good reminder that we can literally lift our chin and go can we walk into this year. Walk into this marriage walk into this hospital room.

Walk into this. You know, test, and know that God is with me and that's all I need to know. I don't know it's going to happen, but I know is with me and that is enough for all of those emotions can be sometimes confusing sometimes they blindside us that come out of nowhere. We think where did that come from is this even right or appropriate. Am I sending by fueling the way I feel and I think this conversation between David and Wilson and Courtney Rice because been so helpful as we look together at the book of Psalms and see the God's word tells us that we can bring our emotions to God. Emotions are not bad there given to us from God. We just need to know what to do with them when we feel them and some of us need to know how to fuel them more deeply. Courtney has written a book called teach me to feel it's a book we got our family life to the resource center, it's available online@familylifetoday.com or you can call to order your copy number is one 800 FL today given the title of Courtney's book is teach me to feel ordered from us on one family life today.com or call to order 1-800-358-6329 that's one 800 F as in family L as in life, and then the word today that we're excited about for events that are taking place this weekend. We will ask you to be praying with us for couples who will be attending weekend to remember marriage getaways in Cleveland Ohio Pittsburgh Pennsylvania Delray Beach Florida Little Rock Arkansas this weekend. We had to shut down weekends to remember back in March 2020 and since that time we've only had a handful of events. That's one of the reasons were excited that were able to have these events now and the couples are coming up to spend the weekend with us to strengthen their marriage, David Robbins, the person family life is here with us and David. Our listeners need to know that even though conferences had to be shut down for a season a lot of ongoing ministry has continued to happen here in family life.

You got a little sentimental.

Looking back and reflecting that as I keep getting appointments landing in November and December. Now my calendar just makes me think back to the last 18 months, and in a lot of ways a lot of things for people have been frozen or owned hold in particular ministry to marriages and families. There has not been appalls of anything there's been greater needs and there's been some pretty cool exhilaration of what's been happening and as I reflect back arches. First was a thank you for the ways you have come around us as a ministry for the ways you have given for your legacy partners continuing to give month in and month out for many of your special gifts to keep us as a ministry moving and ministering to families in this critical time and it allowed our ministry to be creative and whether it's a dates to remember box which that big boxes helped thousands of couples carve out time to be intentional with their marriage around God's word. There was a virtual cruise we did.

Who knows, you could have a cruise without a boat and over 10,000 couples in Latin America have gone through the vertical mirrored small group through Zoom small group and and those are just the tip of the iceberg.

God is been on the move in some powerful ways. I just want to say thank you for the ways you have given in order to keep ministry going strong and being created to keep pursuing our mission and our vision of every home a godly home. The last year and 1/2 is been so critical for so many couples and so many families and people have continued turning to us for help and hope because of blisters like you who donate to this ministry we been able to be here providing that ongoing hope and help. So thank you David, thank you for being here with us and again join us in prayer for the week and remember getaways that are happening this weekend and I hope you have a great weekend. Hope you and your family are able to worship together in your local church this weekend and I hope you can join us on Monday when were to talk about screen time if you don't think the amount of time you're spending looking at the screen is having an impact on your marriage and your family, your relationships, then you're just not paying attention. Tomorrow is going to join us to talk about how all of us are grounding and screen time and what we should do about that. So hope you can tune in for that on behalf of our host Steven and Wilson on Bobby Payne. We will see you on Monday for another edition of family life today like today is a production of family life accrue ministry helping you pursue the relationships that matter most