Rejecting Hope No Longer // Day 23

Where Did You See God?
Where Did You See God?
Rejecting Hope No Longer // Day 23
Loading
/

Rejecting Hope No Longer: A 31 Day Devotional on Hope⁠ is now available! ⁠https://a.co/d/00kDyVeF⁠

In episode 230, we continue with 31 Days exploring 31 passages on hope. Each day I pray, pull out a mystery verse, and process live, so that I am not sharing as an “expert”, but one vulnerably exploring what hope is and how I may be rejecting it.

If this encourages you, or the Spirit reveals something to you, leave a comment to encourage other listeners!

Are you rejecting hope?

~

Paul creates this as part of his full-time volunteer ministry. If you appreciate what God is doing through this podcast, you can help keep it going through financial support. Gifts can be processed at  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://worldoutreach.org/707 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

~

“Something in the Froth” is available for pre-order:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.wheredidyouseeGod.com/something-in-the-froth⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

The “Year of Books”:

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.wheredidyouseeGod.com/year-of-books⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

~

Have a story to share? Hard questions to process? A desire for authentic, accessible space? You can leave a brief message at (804) 372-3836, or schedule a conversation (with a twist!) at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.wheredidyouseegod.com/conversation-with-a-twist⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

~

Check out our website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.WhereDidYouSeeGod.com ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

~

One of these books will be relevant to your life right now:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://amazon.com/author/paulgranger⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

~

Wear an amazing conversation-starter!

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.bonfire.com/store/where-did-you-see-god/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

~

The music in this episode is “You’ll walk, you’ll run” by Urban Doxology, from their amazing album “Bread for the Journey.”

~

Learn more about how God’s calling us:

Pray: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠tinyurl.com/GrangerPray⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Follow: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠tinyurl.com/GrangerList⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Give: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠worldoutreach.org/707⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

~

#authenticspace #dialogue #Godstillspeaks #WDYSG #conversation #invitation #Riversidefm #PodMatch #faith #stories #calling #invitation #faithfulness #ministry

1
00:00:00,600 –> 00:00:04,080
In 2025, I found myself
wrestling with frustration that

2
00:00:04,080 –> 00:00:08,520
God was not giving me joy.
And then God very patiently told

3
00:00:08,520 –> 00:00:11,200
me what was actually happening.
It wasn’t that he was

4
00:00:11,200 –> 00:00:14,080
withholding joy, it was that I
was rejecting it.

5
00:00:14,560 –> 00:00:18,200
What followed was an invitation
to spend 30 days looking at 30

6
00:00:18,200 –> 00:00:21,320
passages on Joy and turning it
into a devotional called

7
00:00:21,320 –> 00:00:24,800
Rejecting Joy No longer.
You’d think I would have learned

8
00:00:25,000 –> 00:00:28,160
that coming into 2026, I was
wrestling with hope.

9
00:00:28,840 –> 00:00:32,040
God, why are you making me so
hopeless?

10
00:00:32,640 –> 00:00:35,480
And God very patiently let me
know the reality.

11
00:00:36,080 –> 00:00:39,160
He wasn’t withholding hope.
I was rejecting it.

12
00:00:39,560 –> 00:00:43,520
And so now here I am, spending
30 days looking at 30 passages

13
00:00:43,560 –> 00:00:46,560
on hope.
And my hope is that this

14
00:00:46,560 –> 00:00:49,440
encourages you.
One thing that’s different this

15
00:00:49,440 –> 00:00:52,160
year is I felt like God was
inviting me to be publicly

16
00:00:52,160 –> 00:00:56,440
transparent with my processing.
To actually go live on social

17
00:00:56,440 –> 00:01:00,880
media, pull out a random verse,
and then read and process

18
00:01:00,880 –> 00:01:04,440
through it on camera.
This isn’t me coming to you as

19
00:01:04,440 –> 00:01:08,440
an expert on hope, but me coming
to you honestly as someone

20
00:01:08,440 –> 00:01:12,120
wrestling with hope.
And by witnessing that some of

21
00:01:12,120 –> 00:01:16,720
you might feel less alone, may
feel seen and understood, may

22
00:01:16,720 –> 00:01:19,880
end up being encouraged in a way
that is far deeper than the best

23
00:01:19,880 –> 00:01:23,240
platitude.
So join me as I spend 30 days

24
00:01:23,440 –> 00:01:27,560
navigating 30 passages on Hope.
This is day 23.

25
00:01:29,400 –> 00:01:33,080
You’re listening to episode 230
of the Where Did You See God

26
00:01:33,080 –> 00:01:48,760
podcast.
Good morning folks.

27
00:01:49,640 –> 00:01:54,600
One of the ways that I tried to
make this doable is by being

28
00:01:54,600 –> 00:01:57,600
flexible.
So I am in this alternate

29
00:01:57,600 –> 00:02:00,600
location again.
Got slightly better sleep.

30
00:02:00,960 –> 00:02:03,880
I had a friend praying for me
around my sleep.

31
00:02:03,880 –> 00:02:06,760
So you know, probably guys just
thinking that you are God and

32
00:02:06,760 –> 00:02:10,000
good and I thank you for the
ways that you work and move and

33
00:02:10,000 –> 00:02:13,400
right now I just pray for this
time and space here of getting

34
00:02:13,400 –> 00:02:17,200
into your living active word.
We think you have one singular

35
00:02:17,200 –> 00:02:20,560
verse can be enough for you to
speak profound truths.

36
00:02:20,560 –> 00:02:26,720
So Holy Spirit move one spirit
guide my thoughts give me and

37
00:02:26,720 –> 00:02:30,800
those listening ears to hear.
We thank You that there is a

38
00:02:30,840 –> 00:02:33,360
hope that you are inviting us to
pursue.

39
00:02:33,800 –> 00:02:35,280
That’s pretty much the only
name, Amen.

40
00:02:36,600 –> 00:02:40,720
We are remaining in Psalm, Psalm
71, five.

41
00:02:42,640 –> 00:02:48,800
For you, O Lord, are my hope, my
trust, O Lord, from my youth.

42
00:02:50,440 –> 00:02:56,760
For you, O Lord, are my hope, my
trust, O Lord, from my youth.

43
00:02:57,840 –> 00:03:03,240
Let’s go ahead and pull that up
just to see what we’re working

44
00:03:03,240 –> 00:03:04,960
with.
I like to go to Bible Hub

45
00:03:04,960 –> 00:03:07,760
because it shows you at a glance
the different versions.

46
00:03:08,560 –> 00:03:09,360
Interesting.
Yeah.

47
00:03:09,360 –> 00:03:13,960
So sometimes ESV, the wording of
it is like, not how we talk.

48
00:03:15,000 –> 00:03:18,640
For you, O Lord, are my hope, my
trust, O Lord, for my youth.

49
00:03:19,520 –> 00:03:24,360
Whereas the NIV says, for you
have been my hope, Sovereign

50
00:03:24,360 –> 00:03:27,520
Lord, my confidence since my
youth.

51
00:03:28,440 –> 00:03:31,960
There’s two focuses that it has
on who God is.

52
00:03:31,960 –> 00:03:35,520
But then there’s another piece
we’ll get into, but it is

53
00:03:35,840 –> 00:03:40,640
referencing the Lord as both
hope and confidence.

54
00:03:41,320 –> 00:03:45,400
Hope and trust, two things named
distinctly.

55
00:03:45,880 –> 00:03:49,160
We talked a lot about hope and
we talked about trust,

56
00:03:49,560 –> 00:03:53,280
confidence.
Yeah, God is 1 in whom we carry

57
00:03:53,280 –> 00:03:56,000
hopes and also that we are
trusting with our lives.

58
00:03:56,400 –> 00:03:59,920
But for the psalmist in
particular, and let’s see if it

59
00:03:59,920 –> 00:04:05,080
says who it is does not for the
psalmist in particular, God has

60
00:04:05,080 –> 00:04:09,760
been this for them from youth.
That’s the story for a lot of

61
00:04:09,760 –> 00:04:12,240
people and not the story for a
lot of people.

62
00:04:13,080 –> 00:04:14,800
And you, Lord, I have taken
refuge.

63
00:04:14,800 –> 00:04:17,600
Let me never be put to shame in
your righteousness.

64
00:04:17,600 –> 00:04:21,320
Rescue me and deliver me.
Turn your ear to me and save me.

65
00:04:21,640 –> 00:04:24,440
Be my rock of refuge to which I
can always go.

66
00:04:25,000 –> 00:04:28,920
Give the command to save me, for
You are my rock and my fortress.

67
00:04:29,640 –> 00:04:32,880
Deliver me, my God, from the
hand of the wicked, from the

68
00:04:32,880 –> 00:04:37,000
grasp of those who are evil and
cruel, for You have been my

69
00:04:37,000 –> 00:04:40,680
hope, Sovereign Lord, my
confidence since my youth.

70
00:04:41,200 –> 00:04:45,640
From birth I have relied on You.
You brought me forth from my

71
00:04:45,640 –> 00:04:48,080
mother’s womb.
I will ever praise You.

72
00:04:48,760 –> 00:04:51,680
I have become a sign to many.
You are my strong refuge.

73
00:04:52,000 –> 00:04:55,160
My mouth is filled with your
praise, declaring your splendor

74
00:04:55,160 –> 00:04:57,920
all day long.
Do not cast me away when I’m

75
00:04:57,920 –> 00:04:59,640
old.
Do not forsake me when my

76
00:04:59,640 –> 00:05:02,000
strength is gone and it keeps on
going.

77
00:05:02,520 –> 00:05:05,960
For this psalmist in particular,
he has been aware that God has

78
00:05:05,960 –> 00:05:07,520
been a part of his life from
birth.

79
00:05:07,520 –> 00:05:10,240
From birth I have relied on You.
You brought me forth from my

80
00:05:10,280 –> 00:05:12,280
mother’s womb.
So he was reliant on God.

81
00:05:12,840 –> 00:05:17,120
God was his hope even before he
had the capacity to think about

82
00:05:17,120 –> 00:05:18,480
that and understand what that
meant.

83
00:05:18,880 –> 00:05:23,800
Because he was a baby.
Obviously in his culture as an

84
00:05:23,800 –> 00:05:28,320
Israelite, he came into a
culture of being God’s people,

85
00:05:28,840 –> 00:05:33,160
of knowing who God is, of having
specific rhythms around

86
00:05:33,160 –> 00:05:36,360
worshipping God’s specific
passages that were memorized,

87
00:05:36,360 –> 00:05:41,400
specific feasts and festivals
and moments where they

88
00:05:41,400 –> 00:05:43,560
remembered things like the
Passover.

89
00:05:44,120 –> 00:05:48,880
And so he came into a space in
which God just was, and

90
00:05:48,880 –> 00:05:52,000
therefore that’s how we lived.
And as I mentioned, that is the

91
00:05:52,000 –> 00:05:54,560
case for a lot of people and it
was the case for me.

92
00:05:54,600 –> 00:05:59,000
I grew up going to church.
I was baptized as an infant.

93
00:05:59,520 –> 00:06:02,720
God was just always a part of my
life.

94
00:06:03,280 –> 00:06:06,560
And there was a point for me,
and I share this on various

95
00:06:06,560 –> 00:06:11,600
podcasts, where in middle school
I felt prompted in my mind, and

96
00:06:11,600 –> 00:06:14,000
I can recognize now that it was
the spirit prompted me ’cause I

97
00:06:14,000 –> 00:06:15,680
was, I was just a middle
schooler.

98
00:06:15,680 –> 00:06:19,200
I wasn’t having deep thoughts
like this, but I was prompted to

99
00:06:19,200 –> 00:06:22,520
really wrestle with this idea of
God and Christianity.

100
00:06:22,520 –> 00:06:25,240
I’m just default saying that I’m
a Christian.

101
00:06:25,240 –> 00:06:27,680
I’m just default saying that
there is a God because that’s

102
00:06:27,920 –> 00:06:30,760
what I’ve always known.
But what does that look like for

103
00:06:30,760 –> 00:06:36,320
me to own that personally?
And if I own that personally,

104
00:06:36,320 –> 00:06:39,320
what does that mean for my life?
If it doesn’t have any impact on

105
00:06:39,320 –> 00:06:41,600
my life, then what am I actually
believing?

106
00:06:42,120 –> 00:06:45,640
If I’m saying that there is a
God, but my life is lived

107
00:06:45,880 –> 00:06:49,960
whether or not he is real, then
what do I actually believe about

108
00:06:49,960 –> 00:06:51,360
Him?
If I’m saying I’m a Christian,

109
00:06:51,760 –> 00:06:54,880
but my life doesn’t look any
different than if I wasn’t, then

110
00:06:54,880 –> 00:06:56,560
what label am I putting on
myself?

111
00:06:56,560 –> 00:06:59,840
And so in middle school, I
wrestled with that and decided

112
00:06:59,840 –> 00:07:05,160
that I did want to live as
though God was real and I did

113
00:07:05,160 –> 00:07:08,880
want to live in such a way as to
for that to to shape my life.

114
00:07:09,200 –> 00:07:14,120
And here we are talking about
Psalm together so I can resonate

115
00:07:14,960 –> 00:07:18,680
with this verse for you, O Lord,
are my hope, my trust, O Lord,

116
00:07:18,680 –> 00:07:22,920
from my youth, or I do think I
like then I’d be a little more

117
00:07:22,920 –> 00:07:26,240
for our purposes today.
For you have been my hope,

118
00:07:26,240 –> 00:07:28,880
Sovereign Lord, my confidence
since my youth.

119
00:07:29,520 –> 00:07:35,400
From a young age I was choosing
to believe that God was real and

120
00:07:35,400 –> 00:07:39,200
that God worked and I could name
ways that I saw him working.

121
00:07:40,200 –> 00:07:43,200
I want to talk about two things.
So the first I want to talk

122
00:07:43,200 –> 00:07:46,600
about is that while this verse
resonates with my lived

123
00:07:46,600 –> 00:07:49,760
experience, it does not resonate
with a lot of people’s lived

124
00:07:49,760 –> 00:07:51,120
experiences.
There are a lot of people who

125
00:07:51,120 –> 00:07:54,080
did not grow up going to church,
did not grow up knowing who God

126
00:07:54,080 –> 00:07:57,800
was, that have come to know him
later in life.

127
00:07:58,480 –> 00:08:02,120
And so a verse like this can
feel like it doesn’t mesh.

128
00:08:02,120 –> 00:08:05,960
Not that it’s bad, but they
can’t relate with the exception

129
00:08:05,960 –> 00:08:09,760
of One Piece because again, the
psalmist says from birth, I’ve

130
00:08:09,760 –> 00:08:12,560
relight on you.
He is naming that from the very

131
00:08:12,560 –> 00:08:15,560
start God was his hope and his
trust.

132
00:08:16,320 –> 00:08:20,040
But what we know about human
nature and human reality is

133
00:08:20,640 –> 00:08:25,720
there’s a period between when
you’re born and when you really

134
00:08:25,720 –> 00:08:29,880
start to comprehend things, and
then also when you really can

135
00:08:29,880 –> 00:08:31,720
remember comprehending those
things.

136
00:08:31,720 –> 00:08:35,280
And so all I had to say, there’s
a gap at which he was

137
00:08:35,280 –> 00:08:37,919
functioning in this reality of
God being his hope and trust

138
00:08:37,919 –> 00:08:40,480
where he didn’t actually
understand that, didn’t actually

139
00:08:40,480 –> 00:08:44,320
recognize that there was a point
in his life where he was able to

140
00:08:44,560 –> 00:08:47,040
recognize it and name it.
There was some point where he

141
00:08:47,040 –> 00:08:49,440
said, Yep, God is my hope and my
trust, even if he didn’t use

142
00:08:49,440 –> 00:08:51,080
those words.
But there was a period before

143
00:08:51,080 –> 00:08:53,880
that of youth where the
comprehension just wasn’t there

144
00:08:54,680 –> 00:08:56,520
and God was still working in
that space.

145
00:08:56,920 –> 00:09:00,400
Why am I saying that?
Because if God was working from

146
00:09:00,400 –> 00:09:05,640
birth, for the psalmist, that is
also true for us, which means

147
00:09:05,640 –> 00:09:09,080
that God has been our hope and
trust even in the periods in

148
00:09:09,080 –> 00:09:12,600
which we didn’t understand it.
So if for me it was just a few

149
00:09:12,600 –> 00:09:16,400
years, but for you it was a few
decades, that doesn’t change the

150
00:09:16,400 –> 00:09:20,680
reality of this verse for us,
that God was and has been our

151
00:09:20,680 –> 00:09:24,240
hope and trust from our youth.
We just didn’t understand it.

152
00:09:24,360 –> 00:09:27,240
We just didn’t see it.
But He was those things.

153
00:09:28,040 –> 00:09:30,560
So that’s the first piece.
The second piece is this.

154
00:09:31,240 –> 00:09:37,240
It’s when we own that we try to
live into this reality, and then

155
00:09:37,240 –> 00:09:41,320
we live long enough to start
feeling like he’s not being

156
00:09:41,320 –> 00:09:43,960
that.
God is supposed to be my hope

157
00:09:43,960 –> 00:09:46,040
and my trust.
And he’s been so from a youth,

158
00:09:46,040 –> 00:09:50,480
but where is he now?
You get hints of this from the

159
00:09:50,480 –> 00:09:53,840
psalmist and you, Lord, I’ve
taken refuge.

160
00:09:54,800 –> 00:09:56,880
But then he says, let me never
be put to shame.

161
00:09:57,720 –> 00:10:01,760
He is acknowledging within
himself a questioning of how

162
00:10:01,760 –> 00:10:06,000
reliant this refuge is.
If he was fully confident that

163
00:10:06,000 –> 00:10:08,520
God was his refuge no matter
what, then he would never say,

164
00:10:08,520 –> 00:10:11,840
let me never be put to shame.
There’s a part of him that is

165
00:10:12,400 –> 00:10:14,240
naming that.
There’s a fear within him that

166
00:10:14,240 –> 00:10:16,880
he could be put to shame.
So it’s not that he’s

167
00:10:16,880 –> 00:10:20,640
necessarily not trusting God,
but he is owning that his mind

168
00:10:20,640 –> 00:10:23,320
still is deeply aware of that
and your righteousness.

169
00:10:23,320 –> 00:10:26,600
Rescue me and deliver me.
Turn your ear to me and save me.

170
00:10:26,600 –> 00:10:29,800
Be my rock of refuge to which I
can always go.

171
00:10:30,440 –> 00:10:33,760
Give the command to save me, for
you are my rock and my fortress.

172
00:10:33,760 –> 00:10:36,680
Deliver me, my God, from the
hand of the wicked, from the

173
00:10:36,680 –> 00:10:38,680
grasp of those who are evil and
cruel.

174
00:10:39,320 –> 00:10:40,680
For you have been my hopes,
Sophron.

175
00:10:40,680 –> 00:10:43,400
Lord, from my confidence since
my youth, from birth I have

176
00:10:43,400 –> 00:10:45,160
relied on you.
You brought me forth from my

177
00:10:45,160 –> 00:10:46,640
mother’s room.
I will ever praise you.

178
00:10:47,200 –> 00:10:49,920
I have become a sign to many.
You are my strong refuge.

179
00:10:49,920 –> 00:10:52,920
My mouth is filled with your
praise, declaring your slender

180
00:10:52,920 –> 00:10:55,640
all day long.
Do not cast me away when I’m

181
00:10:55,640 –> 00:10:57,720
old.
Do not forsake me when my

182
00:10:57,720 –> 00:11:00,560
strength is gone.
So again, he’s not saying that

183
00:11:00,560 –> 00:11:04,480
God is going to do these things,
but he is naming that he knows

184
00:11:04,480 –> 00:11:10,520
God has been his hope and trust,
his hope and confidence, but he

185
00:11:10,520 –> 00:11:11,840
doesn’t know what the future
holds.

186
00:11:13,160 –> 00:11:17,360
And his mind projects out
scenarios in which he is

187
00:11:18,000 –> 00:11:21,600
castaway, he is forsaken, he is
not delivered.

188
00:11:22,640 –> 00:11:25,400
He’s not saying that God’s going
to do that, but it’s hard for

189
00:11:25,400 –> 00:11:30,320
him to confidently know that God
will protect and sustain him.

190
00:11:32,000 –> 00:11:34,360
So that’s what hits me with this
passage.

191
00:11:35,000 –> 00:11:38,600
It’s those two parts, one that I
can resonate with it and that I

192
00:11:38,600 –> 00:11:42,760
can own that whether I resonate
or own it or not, understand it

193
00:11:42,760 –> 00:11:46,280
or not, God has served as a hope
and trust in my life.

194
00:11:46,480 –> 00:11:49,880
He has sustained me, He has
worked, He has moved, but I can,

195
00:11:50,040 –> 00:11:55,520
I can name certain ways, but the
second piece is I can name all

196
00:11:55,520 –> 00:11:59,120
the ways that God has shown up
before and I still have parts of

197
00:11:59,120 –> 00:12:01,360
me that wrestle with.
Will he continue to be that?

198
00:12:02,280 –> 00:12:07,120
It’s not that I want to overtly
question him, but in my humanity

199
00:12:07,880 –> 00:12:11,680
that self preservation is there.
There’s concerns and fears are

200
00:12:11,680 –> 00:12:14,440
there.
And I think particularly because

201
00:12:14,920 –> 00:12:19,160
there’s an absence of God
overtly promising certain

202
00:12:19,160 –> 00:12:21,120
things.
There’s promises in Scripture,

203
00:12:21,120 –> 00:12:26,000
but I’m taking these steps of
obedience towards God without

204
00:12:26,000 –> 00:12:29,600
him having said directly, if you
do this, then I’m going to do

205
00:12:29,600 –> 00:12:32,200
that.
And so when things start to get

206
00:12:32,200 –> 00:12:36,120
hard, when things seem to be
going in the opposite direction,

207
00:12:36,800 –> 00:12:39,920
it can leave me wondering, was
that God that invited me to

208
00:12:39,920 –> 00:12:42,040
this?
Or did I make it into God

209
00:12:42,040 –> 00:12:44,840
inviting me?
Or did God invite me to

210
00:12:44,840 –> 00:12:46,480
something but I misinterpreted
it?

211
00:12:46,520 –> 00:12:50,160
Did I get this wrong?
And so these are the spaces in

212
00:12:50,160 –> 00:12:55,800
which I want God to be my hope
and my trust and my confidence,

213
00:12:56,520 –> 00:13:01,400
but I don’t know what God’s plan
is for sure.

214
00:13:01,400 –> 00:13:05,800
Definitively, this verse invites
us to hold to who we have known

215
00:13:05,800 –> 00:13:09,160
God to be as we lean forward.
This whole Psalm.

216
00:13:09,160 –> 00:13:12,520
That’s what it is in you, Lord,
I have taken refuge.

217
00:13:13,000 –> 00:13:17,480
Let me never be put to shame.
It’s naming who God has been and

218
00:13:17,480 –> 00:13:22,200
how we have leaned into that in
the past and holding to that as

219
00:13:22,200 –> 00:13:27,040
we look to the future.
To say I want God to remain my

220
00:13:27,040 –> 00:13:30,520
hope, my trust and my
confidence, but I acknowledge

221
00:13:30,960 –> 00:13:32,800
that I am a mere human that
struggles.

222
00:13:33,840 –> 00:13:37,920
The psalmist goes on to continue
to praise God to name who he is.

223
00:13:38,560 –> 00:13:40,880
My mouth will tell of your
righteous deeds.

224
00:13:41,560 –> 00:13:45,320
I will praise you with the harp
for your faithfulness, my God.

225
00:13:46,280 –> 00:13:48,160
As for me, I will always have
hope.

226
00:13:48,440 –> 00:13:52,800
I will praise you more and more.
He is making a decision in this

227
00:13:52,800 –> 00:13:57,240
space that his way of leaning
into God, continuing to be his

228
00:13:57,240 –> 00:14:01,160
hope and his trust, he’s going
to use his mouth to proclaim it

229
00:14:01,160 –> 00:14:03,640
and name it.
My mouth is filled with your

230
00:14:03,640 –> 00:14:06,280
praise, declaring your splendor
all day long.

231
00:14:06,720 –> 00:14:10,760
How are we using our mouths to
declare who God is, particularly

232
00:14:10,760 –> 00:14:13,200
in the seasons where it’s hard
to see it, particularly when we

233
00:14:13,200 –> 00:14:16,480
are in the spaces where the
psalmist seems to either be or

234
00:14:16,480 –> 00:14:19,240
be aware of.
My enemies speak against me.

235
00:14:19,400 –> 00:14:21,920
Those who wait to kill me
conspire together.

236
00:14:22,240 –> 00:14:26,240
They say God has forsaken him,
pursue him and sees him, for no

237
00:14:26,240 –> 00:14:30,320
one will rescue him.
You know, he is clearly in a

238
00:14:30,320 –> 00:14:33,880
spot where things are hard
enough that those around him are

239
00:14:33,880 –> 00:14:36,000
looking and saying, well, God’s
clearly abandoned him.

240
00:14:36,640 –> 00:14:39,920
When we are in that space, can
we be like the psalmist to say,

241
00:14:40,080 –> 00:14:43,600
here’s what my situation is,
Here’s who I know God used to

242
00:14:43,600 –> 00:14:47,720
be, but I’m gonna go ahead and
name who I’m saying he is today

243
00:14:48,040 –> 00:14:49,360
and who he’s going to be
forever.

244
00:14:49,800 –> 00:14:52,560
So that’s our challenge today.
Whether God’s been a part of

245
00:14:52,560 –> 00:14:55,160
your life all your life and you
knew it, or God’s been a part of

246
00:14:55,160 –> 00:14:57,280
your life all your life, but you
didn’t know it until later.

247
00:14:57,600 –> 00:15:01,040
This verse is true and it’s
something that we can proclaim

248
00:15:01,080 –> 00:15:05,920
in our hardest seasons.
Psalm 71 five for you, O Lord,

249
00:15:05,920 –> 00:15:12,440
are my hope, my trust, O Lord,
from my you or for you have been

250
00:15:12,440 –> 00:15:17,440
my hope Sovereign Lord,
confidence since my spot of God.

251
00:15:17,440 –> 00:15:19,080
We just thank you that you were
God and you were good.

252
00:15:19,520 –> 00:15:21,280
We thank you for the ways you
work and move.

253
00:15:21,840 –> 00:15:25,920
And so right now we do just
acknowledge you have been God

254
00:15:26,520 –> 00:15:28,320
all our lives, whether we
realized it or not.

255
00:15:29,000 –> 00:15:31,480
We thank you for the ways that
we can recognize it now, but we

256
00:15:31,480 –> 00:15:34,440
also acknowledge that it’s hard
for us to project out that

257
00:15:34,440 –> 00:15:38,920
reality into the hardships that
we face into the unknowns ahead.

258
00:15:39,440 –> 00:15:42,240
Help us to learn what it looks
like to use our mouths for claim

259
00:15:42,240 –> 00:15:46,160
who you are, even when it’s hard
to believe it with our entirety.

260
00:15:46,720 –> 00:15:49,600
But we do thank you that you
remain true to who you are.

261
00:15:49,600 –> 00:15:53,040
You are faithful.
You are our hope and our trust

262
00:15:53,040 –> 00:15:55,520
and our confidence.
Nice parents only name.

263
00:15:55,840 –> 00:15:56,200
Amen.