The Confusing Experience of Faith

Good morning everybody at all of our campuses here at the summit church across the triangle before we dive in this morning. I wanted to make sure that all of you are aware of and excited about and planning to attend our night of worship and prayer that we have come in this Monday night from time to time we get together all of the people at all of our locations and we come together in one place just to be a body of people were we see God and that that's what happens on Monday night and are sometimes yes Kate, you have had people ask is this a spirit filled church and always it well.

I certainly hope so let's come out of our night of worship and prayer because we always say that we're charismatics with a seatbelt. That's how we describe our church so on the night of worship and prayer. The seatbelt gets loose a little bit. It still in place. But is this a time we really come. The presence of God. So I hope that you will be there. It will be a highlight of your year. I promise you, and a chance for us to be together as one church so I hope that I will see you there, Psalm 73. If you have your Bibles. Have you ever Bibles of you take them out and open them to the 73rd Psalm as you're turning there.

I will tell you that when I got married one of the many things many things that Veronica my wife made fun of me about was that I attempted to clean everything in our house with Windex every cleaning problem that I encountered. I thought had one solution is there a spot there on the counter allowed can fix that with Windex you have something on your close let me get a little Windex on that.

Your teeth need whitening, then why not brush with Windex and she is help me see over the years that that most cleaning problems around the house need different, shall we say, more specialized solution so now I feel like we are at the opposite extreme. We got so many bottles in different kinds of brushes for different kinds of materials and do not even get me started on the amount of things that we have in our shower to clean our bodies with before I got married I lived with four guys and we had one bar of soap between all of us and we cleaned everything with it are here. Our bodies our teeth our wounds, our close all of it was fixed with a bar so now we got bottles and tubes and sponges and volcano rocks in his aloof waffle of things or whatever you call them, but evidently that's what you need for a total cleaning experience.

A lot of people think that when we were talking about questions of faith they thought got a have a bunch of different solutions. Different kinds of answers, depending on whether you talk into believers or unbelievers. Whether you talk and the mature believers are immature believers, but here's what I have found over the years, after having many many conversations with many people at different stages of maturity about these questions. Here is believers and unbelievers, mature believers and immature believers have essentially the same questions and struggles with how God runs the world and the answers that we need are basically the same as Cheryl that because Psalm 73 that you should be open to their new Bible is a song about the universal problem of doubts.

Doubt affects us all. Whether you're a believer or nonbeliever. People say to me sometimes faster do you doubt and always looking right in the eye and I say no I never doubt only sinners doubt. No, I don't really say that I doubt all the time why did God do a certain thing or whitening not do something right your ass visit to seem so obvious and easy to you. You needed this and you done everything you were supposed to do you abate everything in the Bible and you checked off all the boxes but but he didn't come through.

You didn't get the job. She said no. The pregnancy test came back negative, or that cancer screen came back positive for you.

Look around the world and you thought God, I don't mean to criticize but I just don't think you're doing that good of a job running the world and out like I do a much better job seems like a reward system is all out of whack because you got bad people are here Zynga get away with murder, sometimes literally in the good people over here that seem to get smacked unfairly at every turn we will ask those same questions I've asked him all my life and for many people it's made him wonder if it is God was even there.

Even Bible writers. In fact, the majority of them had doubts. They invite John the Baptist who was Jesus's cousin a few years into Jesus's ministry is like I am not so sure. You're the guy that I thought you were the apostles doubted how the apostles got one of them even got the name doubting Thomas at the crucifixion, even evidencing all the miracles they were like. I don't know me. They fed the 5000. But is this enough. He's not doing we thought he do Matthew even says Matthew 28 that even after Jesus had resurrected and as he was ascending into the air. Matthew 20 is is and some doubted. He's floating in the air basis for any like I don't know maybe is not. Why is because what he was doing was so strange to them and he just does so many things they thought that the Messiah was supposed to do that God should've done that they had done so it made them doubt. Doubt is a part of a thinking life and I write this down before we even get started now happens when the superficialities of your faith meet the realities of the world. This would tell you some of you got a superficial faith. And if you never doubted it's a real good chance you're not really a thinking person and your faith is not that deep and you never really asked him many questions and that's not a good thing and so what God wants to do is he uses doubt.

Doubt like a divinely sent messenger to drive you deeper into him. He's trying to break up that shallow child is spoonfed nature of your faith and bring you to a place where you really knowing doubt it when my favorite analogy for this are illustrations now like a foot that is poised to go forward or backwards.

It's true that you can pick up your foot and walk backwards. Doubt can drive you backwards into unbelief but is also true. You'll never walk forward and you pick up your foot in doubt is asking the question.

It's a got. I don't understand and that's what God uses to drive you deeper into him. That's what you're gonna see if Psalm 73 this message. By the way, in case your new is part of a year-long series that we been doing call the whole story which we been going to the whole Bible. And this Psalm is in many ways I think indicative of the entire book of Psalms which is why we chose this particular one, I'm going to be reading today mostly from the NIV translation, which is different for me with an occasional sampling even from the new living translation, which always makes me feel greasy when I do that but I dislike some of the language was so clear, the new living translation. So I'm asking for forgiveness in advance but here we go. A Psalm of Asaph Ace affidavit worship pastor, verse one. Surely God is good Israel to those who are pure in heart. That's his statement of faith. That's what he believes, with his mind. But now he's about to tell you in the next several verses what he feels with his heart is not always the same thing. Verse two but as for me, I came so close to the edge of the cliff. The cliff upon believe my feet were slipping and I was almost gone right NBD arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.

The psalmist confesses that his doubt began within the which is almost always the case in the years of course when you want somebody else's life you want their possessions you want there opportunities you want.

Their looks. You want their talents and this Psalm helps you label MB for exactly what it is doubt in the goodness of God toward you. You see, before envy is expressed as a horizontal feeling you got a vertical problem which is a belief about the goodness of God. Namely, you don't believe that God is good, which leads you to feelings of envy all around you know MB is so pervasive in the human heart that it made even the garden of Eden seem unsatisfactory, it has nothing to do with the conditions or read it has to do with the conditions of your heart Adam and Eve are literally in a perfect place where they get the runaround make it all day and they are still like to know. I think I probably hold not on us. They had what we now call with our kids phone mode know that term, fear of missing out. Hello, the really good stuff is in that tree right there. The gotchas began at not all these trees that he gave that one tree that's where it's really at the give my kids eat a cookie. I promise you, the more they get to cooking her hander checking out the other cookies I could under sure that we get a bigger cookie to somebody else.

The better cookie it's it's a fear of missing out.

That's what they think God told not on them so they doubt God's goodness. So let me just ask you who or what are you envious of today this weekend. What you envious of you somebody's body somebody's husband somebody's style somebody's owing to their car there the way they dress, how they live their house today.

Why don't you call that for what it is a challenge to your belief in God's goodness in your life. What makes it worse for the psalmist is that these people that is envious of are not good people because I'm wicked but still even other wicked they get to be the social elites of the day's description of the social elites is timeless. It's something someone is talking about them today. Verse four.

They have no struggles, their bodies are healthy and strong. Their beautiful they dress off Sunday there there there and say they got front row seats to all the games they fly first class everywhere they go there free from common human burdens.

Verse five they got housecleaners and assistance and they wear designer clothes and the kids go to school in scholarship and then they get awesome jobs because they know people therefore verse six. Pride is their necklace.

What really galling is that they take credit for it all. As of the reason they have all the stuff is because they're just more awesome than the rest of us. They don't seem to be aware of the fact that it's is because their parents are rich and is not because they're smart and we are just opportunity to clothe themselves them with violence, their pride makes them hateful disdainful toward others.

They really fly there better than everybody like they deserve all the perks like they deserve their status they thought they should get the make all the decisions for everybody else and then they oppressed people. They trample people just because they get away with it. Nobody stops them. Verse eight.

They saw they speak with malice with arrogance. They threaten oppression where malls lay claim to have been in their tongues take possession of the earth does God even realize was going on. They ask, they assume that whatever is out there.

Even if there is a heaven belongs to them because only get first dibs on everything. They don't know any other posture any other posture that at the top, looking down. Truth is I don't really see a need for God. All my to have a God and be like oh yeah were religious and we go to church but but but truth is there fully sufficient in themselves. Verse 12 this is what the wicked are like always, free of care.

Minutes go on amassing well that's the only thing that they're worried about is how to how to get more for lightness before we get too self-righteous and say I hate all those arrogant elites are.

We just like this to ask yourself when you get blessed with good things don't usually assume that it's due primarily to what you have done. Often you find yourself naturally and instinctively just looking back upward to God and say God is all a gift from you is that women are not me. I work for everything that I have okay word you get that talent and that intelligence that you use to accomplish or stop. Probably the majority of it, if not all of it is in your genes, which means that if you know anything about science.

You have no part in that all and you really feel like if you had been born in a poor village in Liberia that you will succeed in the way that you have your in the United States.

What you have is given and enabled by God, all of its and you have been surrounded by multiple levels of grace is what is it that you have all said that you did not receive.

And if you received it.

Why do you both assume an income from God anyway just like the rich when we are doing well, don't we, like the wicked tend to forget our need for God to did not why we all tend to pray a lot less when things are going well and when things are going bad anything to Abaddon what he tells you to pray. You just do it. Things one well you like I got it all under control. I was like I need God that much, does not get too high and mighty. Yes, this is what the wicked are like, but it's what our hearts are like to. Tim Keller says that every human society that is ever existed.

Whether it's a nation at church race of people.

A basketball team, a group of eighth grade girls sit around the lunch table. All of them have been characterized by pride in the top and in the of the bottom so he says I'm the one that's envious.

Verse 13 about and waste my time. Why even take the trouble to be pure. All I get out of this trouble him well all the day long every day all day all the stuff I've done for God to try to obey him. I mean your true love waited still get difficult difficult marriage went all the parenting stuff. My kids are ones that are causing me problems. We tied them in and were still not rich like a thought that we were supposed to be.

I did everything according to prescription maybe maybe maybe all the stuff that I believed about God is not true after all.

Never select that I have verse 15 but if I'd spoken out like that I would betray your children the something something something about verbalizing that statement that woke him up. That's one of the values I'll add of praying out loud writing your prayers out in a journal because sometimes you don't really realize what you think until you write it out you say when you hear yourself say you like I did was is what I actually thought so he hears himself verbalizing this statement and realizes he hears himself admit that the reason that he had been serving God was so that God would make his life easy in the spirit of God very quietly whispered to him, why are you serving me you serving me because of what you think you can get from me or are you serving me because you want more of me because those are two entirely different reasons. I've use this analogy or illustration with you before it's gone.

Like when I was a college graduate, you had to take an elective in the arts. Not like art, like academic art, select arts arts and I had to choose between classical music, drama, theater or painting now know since you artist.

I really admire what you do, but I didn't have any desire for any of those three things, and I thought well theater looks like it. We, the least damaging and so it was awful. It was the worst class I ever had, and I'm just here hi music teacher, etc. read books about French guys dance around the stage in tights all the time about this is the worst experience I've ever had. Well I work hard and I class I really did, and I mastered all the other guard, you know, kind of stuff about the good I wanted. I did a great because I didn't want to blow my GPA on a theater class and so I I worked hard, mastered of the person for that I could denigrate and the reason I want to get a great was so that I can have you know a good resume. That would give me a good job which would give me a lot of money right and that's on the goal.

Use theater to get the job.

Not now vessel the clock many years later. Here's my wife and I and we have decided at times like hey we should go see a play of the Durham performing arts Center, which is the theater right and it's a lot cost a lot of money minutes does not cheat to you to save up your money for. And then it occurs to me while I'm selling out the money to go to one of these plays. Unlike the irony of this in college I studied drug fee so that I could get a job so I could have money. And now I use the money to compacted up the to the difference though is that here I found theater wherever you pronounce it.

I found it useful for something else now I feel weird.

Even sin is now I find it beautiful in itself. Here it was a means to an end.

Here it is the end itself. Does that make sense to, here's my question for you which one better characterizes your approach to God to the question is not, are you working hard for God. The question is, is God a good means to an end for you or is God the Indian himself because if he's a means to in the end it's going to radically affect how you deal with disappointment in your life and what the psalmist realizes is I've been serving God. Not because I find him beautiful. I've been serving him because I found them useful and what was worse, I started to communicate to others just by my attitude that this is why serve God hi Sir, because he make my life easy because he is the best way to my best life now a good marriage and in great prosperity. That's why you serve God know when our attitude toward life is that way when our joy in God is less when things are not going well in our lives.

What kind of message are we sending about the beauty of God himself.

See how I was watching him theater from the channels and I came across a television evangelist and he was working on the camera and he says he said on is that if you will give a minimum of $1500 to this ministry then God has told me he will cut whatever debt you have in half within six months I was in France.

These are some of you out there listening right now have some pretty severe credit card debt if you will use what is remaining in your if you got $1500 if you will put it on the credit card you will be amazed as a six-month gobble of cut that credit card debt in half and I'm sitting there thinking Lord Whitney is simply to flat on the Texas for this guy is and punch him in the throat is artisan Felix and right now, then he goes on he says he says. And when you're credit card bill has been cut in half and you're driving that new Mercedes-Benz.

Your neighbors will be amazed of the smile on your face has a marvel of the goodness of God toward you and my first thought is what you should probably wait for your credit card bills more than half before you purchase the Mercedes-Benz just say it but number two is no, I don't look like your neighbors are to be amazed at the smile on your face when your bra the new Mercedes-Benz anybody smiles when I have a new Mercedes-Benz is just part of the package would really major neighbors is when you got a smile on your face you drive in the same erratic car.

You always drove right because then you're able to tuck your neighbors.

I got a joint income from the car I drive net income from how good I feel that cover my body and come from a God's presence is always with me, and in 1993 Honda Civic with no AC about the presence of God is better than 10,000 Mercedes-Benz of always.

I've always loved the way John Wesley described this John Wesley like 300 years ago to let me update his analogy and he said the Christian life is like hearing that there's an uncle. You did know that you had died and left you millions upon millions upon millions of dollars. Untold amount of riches and so the bank summons you to come to the bank to pick up all your money and so is your drive into the bank to get about a half-mile from the bank and in your car breaks down what you do when your car breaks down, you jump out of the car and kicked the car and cursed God, you don't enter look around and indeed everybody else nice car when you got this piece of junk right you just get out of the car and you you know leave the car in the dirt, you skip the rest away to the bank right that's the customer's joy is half-mile journey you've ever been on, because what weight or you just down the road is when you go through pain as a Christian. Yes, the pain is real, he said, but it's most joyous walk you've ever taken, even when it's fraught with disappointment and pain what's waiting for you. Just on the other side just on the other side. You see, listen, listen your walk with God is not supposed to be it will not be absent of all dangers which was be able to say through many dangers, toils and snares I have already gone, his grace, his presence that brought me safe thus far and brace gracefully known verse 17 he continues. So one day I went into God's sanctuary to meditate and then I thought about the future of these evil men in the midst of his doubt, he comes into the presence of God in this is what he sees. He sees two things. First, verse 18. What a slippery path they are on. Suddenly God will send them sliding over the edge of the cliff and down to their destruction and instant end. It's all their happiness and eternity of terror their present life is only a dream, they will awaken to the truth as one awakens from a dream of things and never really were.

Here's number one eternity he says is going to restore the balance in really quickly. Scripture presents this life is so quick it's like a dream. You know when you have a dream. It seems so real that I may be just a curiosity. All campuses like vivid dreamers and you have dreams often is not true. May I have been proud about one every six weeks that I remember and double what I do. It is a do seek let me tell you and the other night my wife and I had a watch my wife and I have a dream I had a dream, is not the movie inception, weight, my wife wife was laying there but I had a dream and the dream my wife and I were being chased by like this while group of Native Americans back 300 years ago like cowboys and Indians and it seemed so real was genuinely scared, and he asked in my dream as it was like it lasted a month and it's one of those deals.

You have this when you wake up out of the dream and it takes you a good 1015 seconds to figure out like okay I'm not really being chased by Indians on modulator my bed and it's all going to be okay right but it seemed so real in the moment that the writer Asaph is like. That's what life is like the is you is for those outside of God. Debt is can be a sudden awakening from their illusion of success and power like suddenly awake about a dream and what seemed so real was all just an illusion. And it's over. And the way one guy says that the rich without God are on their way to being eternally poor celebrities without God are on their way to being eternally ignored. Here's what I thought of this and I apologize, in advance for using this example is like that awful scene that we saw just a few months ago where Steve Harvey crowned the wrong Miss universe. Remember this thing now.

I read about in the news, which meant when I watch the YouTube video I knew what was coming in and using the premise using as you watch it yet. I was like 15 times is like a train wreck like I cannot look away and you're watching this poor girl who gets crowned Miss you. This is her lifelong dream she told me Miss universe and you're watching is the elation on her face and you're just finishing her head one, don't be happy. This is not real, it's a just a minute to turn in the worst moment your life gets Steve arm is walking back on stage with that goofy look on his face and he's going to be like a chrome room person cool Michael and he should take it off your head and put it on his other girl said in your joyous, trying to disaster. What this writer.

Asaph is saying is Steve Harvey starting on the stage and all is joy you think you God is going to just disappear because if you had to choose be the second Miss universe, not a verse one because the first one it last for just a second and then that crown is golf. Why don't you labor for the crown that does not fade and never taken away you see on the flipside for the believer. All the pain they go through is going to seem meaningless compared to the joy that they experience one minute into eternity. One minute. One minute into eternity is a verse I give you a lot that I would just have to disperse on your heart deftly should have it memorized. Romans 818 I consider me as I thought about it I thought about our present sufferings are not even worth comparing bowls of varsity sufferer told you this right to his suffering is not like he was like a shipwreck a bunch and got beaten and forsaken and I got stoned a bunch of times.

At one time I was like those sticks in a Byron or 20 guys and Viper gems on latches on Monahans. There is something to make you feel unlucky or 20 guys standing there and the bite was hanging off your arm in Paul's account unit those off is that I consider that all that is not even worth comparing input in the same category with the glory that's going to be revealed in knots. I can't even say that this is work that I bought in the same sentence. The global home in the same sentence.

I got a friend.

Father of three young children was diagnosed with a rare very aggressive form of brain cancer doctor say his chances of survival. Not good is story is absolutely heartbreaking.

And of course he, along with many of us are praying for complete and total healing.

But he said something the other day. The just really struck me was quoting CS Lewis said you know when we get to heaven. It's not the will to look back and see the reasons that certain bad things happen and say hello.

That's why that happen. Oh I get it now, rather he said will look back and will say what bad things what that things are you even talking about because in that moment will be so consumed with God's finished product that will scarcely even remember the process that he used, and even the things that were painful in our lives that brought us closer to God will actually find the kind of joy in them because while it hurt us and it took from us things that we love the gate was something that we learn to love even more, you'll realize how short life is. If you think your farm without God, you realize that this life. James 414 says is like a vapor like that. The breath comes out of your mouth on a cold morning that appears for just a minute and then it's gone. Life as I walk around with a backpack that has a time bomb minute that you have no idea what is going to walk but you know that it is going off is that's what life is like death is coming at certain is appointed unto you one time to die. God knows the day that is going to be you don't know is appointed for you.

And after that there can be a judgment.

The dream is going to be over. Are you prepared to awake to reality believer you might not see it now that all this pain is just temporary and is going to be over soon. God is more real than the ground that you're standing on and you're already more rich than if you possessed all the jewels that lie beneath our feet in the earth in the caves. We haven't discovered yet there already yours and you're just seconds away from saying what you talking about for the believer, the brief pain of this world is the closest to hell. They will ever come in for the unbeliever, the brief pleasure of this world is the closest to heaven, they will ever come and it's just seconds away. Only when you learn the brevity of life. Are you ever going to look at life the right way, which is why why Moses and the song that he wrote said Psalm 90 verse 12.

Teach us to number our days, and teach us to think about how short life is because only then will we become wise. It is only when you think about the brevity of life is only think about the brevity of life that you ever develop the right perspective on on life itself. It's only when you think about how short life is that you can gain wisdom, here's what I've noticed almost all the questions and the doubts we have about the goodness of God are predicated on the assumption that life is long. When you realize that you think about life being a vapor that last for just a few seconds and scope of eternity in all these questions about the goodness of God the disorder disappear because your life this is like a dish. Is it just it just 7089 here's and then there's eternity and it just seems like nothing and so what Moses says what Asaph says is deliver the dream live for real things live for eternal things so he says, verse 22. I was senseless and ignorant. I was a brute beast before you, always review you hold me now, but my right hand.

You guide me with your counsel afterward you will take me into glory. I was like a beast before you beast don't think much about future they think about the present is giving beast don't typically love you for you they love you because what you do for them menacingly with dogs that really offend you, but you know it's a bit typically a dog or any animals, mortgages, and what you can do for them than there are in your personality. What he says is I've been treating God in ways I would hate to be treated as a person. What if you found out what her dad was like really rich and people are kind of becoming your friend in summations romantic interest in you. You find out it really has nothing to do with you. It's that they want your dad to do something for them.

He was so used youthful rightly angered and Asaph says that's exactly how been treating God is not of been beautiful to me. He's been useful to me on them like a beast to him so he begins to pray who I really haven't heaven, but you who I haven't heaven, but you and then there's nothing I desire besides you, the riches that I want and I need her and you. It's not just that I'm excited that one day I want to get my Mercedes-Benz know it's that when I get to heaven I will be with you is what makes heaven heaven is not a Mercedes will make haven't heaven is my merciful father and already got you here on earth, which means that already on earth. I got the best part heaven in my heart even if I'm not fully in his presence, yet, and that's the secret of the Christians joy. Yes life is fraught with pain. Yes, there's lots of disappointment, but I got something that's better than anything like to give in a death can't take away. Here's the question do you believe Jesus really is better than anything else like to give or do you believe you something is better than whatever death can take away because it's so you start to look at pain in your life differently. I told you the story before but Joni Erickson totter.

A quadriplegic who lost complete control of her arms and her legs in a diving accident.

She had when she was a teenager she said now is a much older lady. She said I am okay with losing the use of my hands and my feet for the last 60 years and not listen to this I would not change. Think because that accident brought me nearer to God. Can you say that from your wheelchair. Can you say thank God that I lost the use of all this because it gave my heart.

Something that was better than anything else like to give this can be said that when your kids in a wheelchair. Can you say you know what if God can use this to teach them more about his grace and his mercy them will learn to even give thanks for the things in our life that are painful because they are gateways for us to know him suffering drives you like a hammer on a nail deeper into God's love somehow free will drive you like a hammer on a nail deeper into God's love in the anger at God can reveal to you how dissatisfied you are with him and Ellen believing you are about his goodness. Here's the summary of the Psalm. To quote John Piper. Jesus really is better than anything life gives us is better than anything the desk and take away from us. Do you believe that you believe that Commissioner named Alan Gardner lived in the early 1800s. Now, long time ago but does an island off the coast of South America that was on evangelizing one to carry the gospel to them. So he with one other guy went on a ship down to this island and they were supposed to be followed by only two days by a ship that had all their supplies and so they arrived on this island with the other ship never showed up. And so essentially they starve to death about three months later they found Alan Gardner's body and beside his starved body.

He was his journal, open Journal and the last entry he had written into his journal how to reference Psalm 3410 and he had written out. I am overwhelmed with a sense of the goodness of God. Can you say that when your ship does not show up. Can you say I am still convinced of the goodness of God because the goodness of God is not given to me, primarily as a ship that comes in its given to me in the presence of himself and the promises that he will never take away seemingly on answered prayer can be God's invitation, the press more deeply into him, we sometimes look bewildered and evidence a God letting you answer this prayer. But let me use a story from the kind of that were the heroes of prayer Georgie or anybody that's in the prayer will talk about George Mueller back in 1800s, the guppy's stunning remarkable answers to prayer just to be truly bizarre to read his biography, but am I even ran the orphanage more than once he went on in front of the orphanage would say not having food for the orphans and he would stand up with them on the yard around the table with nothing on the table. He's I will thank God for third is not here because God promises him a supply and he would think God and before the prayer was over more than once might knock at the door. It was a Baker with Brad or your smooth milk like a week just one can give us the just amazing.

Everybody knows their stories about George, you're the one I don't know is that when he was in his late 40s early 50s. His wife contracted rheumatic fever and so he prayed for God to do a miracle that God would heal her rheumatic fever because she was his number one I can't help in the ministry that he did. He prayed earnestly that God didn't heal her. She died but the last mercy read to her and her deathbed was Psalm 8411 no good thing will he ever withhold from those whose walk is blameless, so we said, sweetheart. If God's good plan included you getting healed and he would give it, but if not that I know that he's got a better plan and my trust in your trust in God is not conditional what he gives or doesn't gives in terms of the physical health are trust in him is gifted are built on the fact that he gave himself to us in the cross of Jesus Christ and he will never take that away. You see, at some point life is gonna let you wander back if it has not already and were lying there in your back, you can have to ask, is God really good or is he not when the job done come through right wing the body to get better when the cost doesn't go away, you can say, do I really trust them to say is his presence and his promise. Are they enough for me when what I thought was going to happen didn't happen.

Do I really trust that he's got a knee with his right hand.

His right hand badly needs his hand of strength that promised he will guide you with his right hand is on the hundred and 66 times in the Bible, will you believe that God is guiding you with his right hand in every situation that there's not one strain molecule that is out of place that he will sustain you.

He will never let you fall, you will never let you perish. You know why the Psalm says he believes it. I think the answer hinges on one little word to rewrite over top of that you got a got a notice back in verse 22 verse 22.

I was senseless and ignorant. I was approved these for you yet.

That's it.

That's the word yet I am always with you. You hold me by my right hand yet, even after I was beastly toward you.

Somehow you did leave me you help me even when I didn't trust you. When I think you were good enough. You kept holding on with your right hand of strength even when I put a nail through it because he would rather go to the cross and be humiliated and tortured and lose you.

That's how great his love is for you see, that makes it more desirable to you than anything else on earth could he says what else am I going to go on earth, the finite, love poured off on a catalog that would never be taken away or router I have in heaven but you there's nobody loves me this like there's nobody on earth that loves me this way. So nothing I desire is more than you. You really are better than anything else like to give to me your more secure than anything the death could take away from me. As it turns out to be NOT in the endowments again of the same thing is going to be two things that you see in the song, the answer to Indian doubt is faith and humility. Faith means you believe the extravagant goodness of God which was demonstrated at the cross. Humility realizes how unworthy and how undeserving you are about love and when you are overwhelmed with humility and when you believe in the God that revealed himself on the cross and Indian doubt will disappear like a morning mist notices conclusion usually ends the Psalm verse 27. Those were far from you will perish, you destroy all who are unfaithful, you he ends the song basically by asking this question was the end by basically saying is not Jesus who where you can return at St. Augustine 15 years ago, the Psalm he said if you like.

God's answers in the song, but sometimes you don't like I want it now okay will turn your God for deliverance and have trouble, you say Gus is L you say I don't have a God I am around on God turn yourself in the day of calamity that you know is coming because death comes for us all, and in that day. Once you turn to yourself to deliver you the way I described it to you before like this is, like him when you go into that hospital room and your line on that gurney undertaking you in for open heart surgery and we your family and friends were going to gather around your bed material before they will you in the room and were alive to you.

You know were lying to you and we know you're lying to you because were to look at you and were to say were with you, and you know that's not true… Little mask you and you wonder were all staying up drinking coffee in the waiting room and it was a nice mixer to cut to your chest and cut in arch after cutting yours and in that moment, unless you have a God that is bigger than life, a God that is stronger than death alive in your heart and in your soul, and in that moment, you are utterly and totally alone. So the Psalm says where else am I gonna go because there's nowhere I can go. You're the one you're the only one stronger than death away reminded me of when Jesus gave a very unsatisfactory answer to his disciples, their estimates, questions, and she's given answer and I would like that answer. You want some left.

Jesus turned to the 12 is like you go away. Also, the apostle Peter in one of his few shining moments in the life of Jesus look to Jesus and was like where else we can ago. You don't want to the words of eternal life. I like your answer chemically mad. I wish you did differently. Nowhere else to go there because only you have the power to overcome death unit in the Council walking on the way you walk in the ways you can raise people from the dead. I'm sticking with you. That's the question you got as well as you can attorn where else you seen a God love you like that where else did you see the got raise himself from the dead, if not Jesus, and who, what, you can attorn to where you can ago on the day of trouble.

Psalm says doubt doubt has driven me to you to follow Jesus.

The meaning ceased to doubt it means you can explain everything to follow Jesus simply means that you come to the conviction that it's worth it, but there's no other alternatives in the one day. Here's what faith is. Faith is acting in a way today but you know one day you'll be glad that you did means you don't understand everything now. But one day you will and you're doing things now because of the treasure, the got is given you.

That's the invitation of Psalm 73