My Times Are in Your Hands (Part 4 of 4)

There are many benefits that come to realize we can only trust God knows what he's doing today on Truth for Life Alastair big teaches us how we can foster a sense of personal responsibility for our choices and keep from wallowing in self-pity, we begin today in Psalm 31 for the final message in a series titled my times are in your hands statuses as only one place I can go. I can only say my times are in your hands for strategy must be the occasion of my pride. Uncertainty must be the occasion of panic and thirdly adversity must not become the occasion of self-pity. When David is subjected to abuse. First, from his own son and then from people around him. It's his confidence in the providence of God that gets in through one day he's walking down the street and I got called ship my approaches and he cursed as he came out and he began just a Carson abuse David and furthermore he pelted David and all the kings officials with stones, but the king said what do you and I have been calling you sons of zero. I know that I'm not thinking the same way you chaps if he is cursing because the Lord said to him, cursed David who can ask why do you do this, then David said to have a shine all his officials. My son who is of my own flesh is trying to take my life. How much more than this Benjamite leave them alone.

Let him curse for the Lord has told them to may be the Lord will see my distress repay me with good for the person I'm receiving today, but the fact is, it may not and whether it is for good or for ill. My times are in a sense I love when you know that in the years that have passed between us. We have lived with one another through cries of anguish and pools of tears and we sought to get to grips with this thought even in the middle of the storm.

The fact is that in the middle of the store making sound trite to say these things, although it isn't and all will be time the passage of time.

The change of circumstances that allow us to look back over our shoulders and began even with a whisper of a child to recognize that there is no trying or even tragic circumstance, but that God is sovereignly permitted it. See logically, there is no other choice. You either have to be a Deist of a pantheist. We believe in the providence of God, you, I have to say I am I am being buffeted by a blind impersonal force.

I am adrift on the sea of chance or is there if there is a providential God who orders the affairs of time.

If the providential God of orders.

All the affairs of time, then by his permissive will he allow those things to pass to through his hands, but they do not taken by surprise he sovereignly involved in the lifecycle of the sparrow and therefore he is profoundly involved in the circumstances of those whom he is made, the special objects of his love, and therefore with confidence even in the face of difficulty we can be assured that since the fatherly providence of God is permitted. These things he has done so for our good and his glory, and he will sustain us and he will watch over is in the midst of them, and even if it takes to heaven. He will then make clear to us what now we see through a glass darkly. I don't want to in any sense appear to be healing the pain of my people likely time is past. Now since Diane's or Sally went into the presence of Christ. I was thinking of Diane and what an illustration. She was to those who knew her best of a childlike trust in the providential care of God a bright and attractive youngster suddenly contracts this very debilitating disease which literally closes her down in terms of her ability to play the sports that she enjoyed to engage in the activities which have marked our earlier years and yet how long that pilgrimage of pain. She meets with Christ, she discovered the reality of his presence in her life. The nature of forgiveness and joy that passes human understanding.

She doesn't allow the uncertainty of her days and they were certainly uncertain to be occasion of panic.

She still even though her hands were debilitated by our disease made the meals for her dad and delighted to do so. She still enjoyed the company of for her family and her, particularly her nieces and nephews. She still labored hard to make them gifts and so on, and she even on 4 July 1995 found it in ourselves to write a letter to her parents and prospect of her passing. So they would know exactly what it was she desired is what she says her folks is difficult expressing all this life and my future eternal life mean to me.

This verse expresses a little of my feelings and my gratitude to God for the life of the family and the friends he has given me. And then she calls Job 1012 you gave me life and showed kindness and in your providence watched over my spirit and in your providence watched over my spirit.

I am increasingly convinced that the great issue of our day with paganism is the doctrine of God and there is nowhere that the doctrine of God is seen to challenge the godlessness of our age than in humble, bold affirmations of the doctrine of providence and the key to her lovely life was her willingness to say my times are in your hands and spend the majority of my time there I want just to tell you what the other three phrases are if you stayed with me what was said is that my times are in your hands. Therefore I'm not trapped in the grip of a blind force not tossed about on the notion of chance and being trained in the school of providence. My times are in your hands. Therefore, prosperity should not be the occasion of pride. Uncertainty should not be the occasion of panic and adversity should not become the occasion of self-pity. Finally, my times are in your hands, one there is a responsibility to be faced a responsibility to be faced. See this little phrase of Psalm 3115 does not relieve us of the need to accept personal responsibility for our lives if we were to treated in that way, then we would be fake lists, although the Lord is overruling all things according to his purpose. You and I are still responsible to him for all that we are and all that we do. Therefore, we must be sensible in our decision-making.

We must be righteous in our planning and we must recognize that while as this as the proverb say a man's heart devises is way the Lord directs his steps so we make realistic decisions. I think that I might move to Milwaukee. We sit down and weigh the circumstances out and then we make the move. We don't wait for something to fall from the sky, a package with Milwaukee written on it, not for sensible, nor do we rely on our own insight, but we take the events of our lives and we lay them out and we make sensible decision in a man's heart devises way and he looks over his shoulder and he discovers that the Lord directs his steps.

We do look ahead, we do make plans. We do put our affairs in order, but we do so always in submission to his will. Now Maia faces the challenge of the enemies in the building of the wall. He recognizes they have to do something and do something he will so they post a guard, but at the same time they pray to God. Second Samuel 10 word of exhortation is be strong and let us fight bravely for our people in the cities of our God, the Lord will do what is good in his sight till the time I meet people whose reaction to the events of life is to sit down on the big chair somewhere and say well the Lord will do what is good and right and what you want to do. Oh nothing I'm just going to sit here and wait till he doesn't.

Not a good plan. On the other hand, you have other people who are totally frantic in their in their endeavors trying to take care of everything, fix everything, move everything, do everything as if somehow or another the destiny of the world depended upon them, and then every so often you meet somebody who is grasp the wonder of this truth and that is about them, a fragrance and that is about them. A busy addressed fullness and that is above them a restful action because they recognize that the providence of God does not remove them from the realm of responsibility. Secondly, to the end.

My times are in your hands. Therefore, there is a humility to be fostered with the other side of the coin from the prosperity truth, prosperity shooting yield pride. Therefore, Provident should yield humility when Pharaoh calls Joseph and he says I've heard that you're pretty good at interpreting dreams. Everybody's talking about you, everybody's mentioning your name is that I had a dream last night and I like you to interpret what is Joseph saying I can't. But God can know who was doing the interpreting of the dreams. Joseph why would he say can't because he can't. But God can't use comes to the man with a withered hand sander strap by his side says stretch out your hand. So one thing the man couldn't do and needed to stretch it out him who made it possible God sojourning the man went around going hey look at me for what I did what I did know everybody. Many said see that Jesus of Nazareth.

You just see them go around the corner. There he came up to me and he said all people been saying to me is a joke for years. Kids are said to me in the street. Hey old man stretch out your hand and he said it and I couldn't but I did. I love that David and Goliath.

Goliath big smart guy big tall guy big tough guy David we guy five stones sling. Lotta shouting a lot of pre-match warm-up a lot of rhetoric, the big guy says to David Amaya dog you come to me with sticks in the Philistine cursed David by his gods community said no give your flesh to the birds of the air and the beasts of the field and David said to the Philistine, you come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. Listen to this. This day the Lord will hand you over to me and I will strike you down and cut off your head and today I will give your carcass and the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds there. The beasts of the field and the whole world will know about little David endlessly know in the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel to we want people to know about Oz in our sling and nobody knows about is in friendly nobody cares about us. We start again concerned about people knowing that there is a God in heaven that they might find out about Oz but it's only because God knows he can trust is enough to be small enough to give them all the glory until he gets is there, then we are going anyplace on Bobo Parkside church, Jesus told outbuildings over the building that is made with hands at every level in our lives are totally dependent upon God.

So instead of drawing attention to ourselves displaying pride in our power in our achievements. We had to humbly acknowledge our total trust in God's providential upholding room.

We have a real problem with this.

I have up. I have a problem with this. I think until we admit this. What were going nowhere until we until we quit being the generation with a bumper stickers on the back of our minivans that say I have an honor student here and I am an honest in their and I have an honor student everywhere were were in difficulty.

We really are in an earlier generation that was nothing other than blowing your own trumpet. We live in a generation of trumpet blowers, drawing attention to ourselves and our achievements and we can even speak, but for the providence of God. Finally, it is not only a humility to be fostered in a responsibility to be face, but there is a security to be found. This is the great security in life is Calvin ignorance of Providence is the ultimate of all miseries the highest blessedness lies in the knowledge of it. And if you think it out. It's true, instead of living in the fearful expectation of what fate may bring.

Instead of viewing the world as a tumbleweed blown in the wings of chance the humble believer fearlessly commits himself to God and again Calvin. His solace is to know that his heavenly father. Soul holds all things in his power's own rules by his authority and will soul governs by his wisdom that nothing can befall except he determined it. Now that's not to say that we like everything that befalls but it is to say that we need not be concerned that we pick something up that we were supposed to get here is the security dads got it under control its Corrie 10 boom and that lovely we book bridging terms about needing a railway ticket or somewhere.

She never made a journey before she was going on the train. She wondered what it would be like father said Cory I'll take care of it. She would go to memory. Nancy, did you take care of it. They say Cory is three months before you make the journey relax as you would go doing safe. Did you buy the tickets and he said yes I bought the tickets gzip can have the ticket he said why would you possibly be the ticket you don't go for nine weeks and she said the more I went to the more I asked him the more I continued against it, I realized that I never trusted my dad.

I didn't believe that he would take care of me. I do believe that if he had the ticket he would keep the ticket would lose that I can be sure that he would give it to me on the day and I learned in that lesson that God gives you the ticket on the day you make the journey and as I have observed people going through heartache in difficulty and to the limited agreement. I am my own pilgrimage I face that in the loss of loved ones, and in failure and examinations and disappointment in relationships and so on.

Isn't that the case law gives the ticket on the day we make the journey.

Therefore, we must trust and on the day that I make the journey from time to eternity I presume is going to give me the ticket on that day.

In effect today than the tickets on its way and if it isn't that why lie awake and look at the ceiling wondering if it might be my times short or long, rich or poor, sad or happy or in his hands tried to aid you touches you, touches the apple of my eye, 755 to cast your care upon the Lord, he will nourish you. Isaiah 4925 even though a mother may forget her children yet. I will not forget you. I'm not at the mercy of arbitrary, impersonal forces I'm in the hands of my heavenly father, and he who employed the words of the same Psalm Psalm 31 verse five when Jesus says to his father and into your hands I commend my spirit, he's quoting the very Psalm were looking at here that same one who use these verses is the one who says to us this morning to a group like this come to me all ye who are really and are heavy laden, come to me with all your burdens and only her fears and all your panics and all your anxieties and all your heart needs and all your disappointment. I want you to promise as I want you to come to me and take my yoke upon you, live underneath my jurisdiction live underneath my hand because my yoke is easy and my burden is light and you will find rest for your souls. I have self magazine lying on my floor ball issue is on spirituality why Buddhism is hip why meditation is helpful, and so on.

And the devil looks on it and says my department has done all wonderful job. Nobody would ever glean from it that our times are in God's hands. The last thing to say is simply this, just in case you're wondering, no, I do not have all my questions answered in my own life as I've told you before, I would still of light.

If I could write my own chapters to have had my mother see me graduate to have had her know that I married this American girl that came over to our house to have her see my kids to have her come to Park site to have her here for Christmas and there is a year passes, but I think down the exact same Avenue but that's just me. Where is sanity where is security. My times are in your in other words, father knows best simple reminder from Alastair Beck we can find confidence knowing that there is a God who holds us securely from a final message in our series. My times are in your hands listing to Truth for Life with Alastair Bragg. Perhaps that's simple reminder hits home more deeply than ever before. As we reflect on the difficulties all of a sudden faced over the last year. Alastair is with us today to talk briefly about some of these challenges and how they relate to our mission here at Truth for Life. Alastair will thank you Bob. Today we concluded our study in the doctrine of Providence finding God's hand in the midst of trials and difficulties that I think it would be hard to find anyone the end of this year has not regarded 2020 is a year of particular challenge in difficulty and so it's a wonder that we can turn again and again with confidence to the Bible and that's why we've been teaching it throughout the year. That's why we've made it our goal in life to try and teach the Bible in a way that is clear and helpful. The Bible turns, argues always towards the Lord Jesus. And when we see him we see him as a shepherd and the guy even the friend and the one who brings hope out of hopelessness and your partnership of course is what makes it possible for us to convey this message you are giving covers the cost of our daily programs.

So as we look to the end of the year to meet our financial obligations. We would ask you humbly and straightforwardly to reach out to us today with a generous year-end donation you're giving goes directly to the teaching you here on Truth for Life and I thank you for thank you Alastair could be part of the team that brings clear Bible teaching to listers around the world in the new year will you give a much-needed year-end gift today. You can donate right now but going to Truth for Life.org/donate or call us at 888-588-7884 and when you give. We want to invite you to request a new book titled exploring the Bible together. This is a family devotional plan that will take you through selected readings from Genesis to Revelation. In one year. Don't be intimidated even though the book includes a full year of devotional material. This plan calls for your family to read just a few verses a day.

It's perfect for busy parents who want to make sure that they're engaging with their children in worship and in Bible reading each day. Every entry in exploring the Bible together combines Scripture reading a discussion question or two key spiritual lessons and a closing prayer doesn't take a lot of prep you can help your kids actively read and respond to the Bible request a copy of this book. When you give by either tapping on the image you see on the mobile app by going online to Truth for Life.org if you prefer you can call us to request the book. Call 888-588-7884 and ask for exploring the Bible together while you're online, making a donation to commitment and visit our store where you will find the series.

My times are in your hands on USB as Alastair mentioned, this study is relevant for all of us as we reflect on 2020. So we've created along with the series a helpful study guide will find a great encouragement personally or you can use it in a group setting. Learn more. When you visit Truth for Life.org/store.

I'm Bob Lapine. Thanks for joining us to listen again tomorrow when we feature a special message from the book of Ecclesiastes, titled chasing the wind will learn how to deal with the kind of disappointment that inevitably comes when we focus on pursuing pleasure Bible teaching of Alastair Bragg is furnished by Truth for Life with a Learning is for Living