Faithful Waiting: Trusting God's Goodness in Trials

1) "We find ourselves often in seasons of waiting, waiting for healing, waiting for answers, waiting for breakthrough. I'm in a season of waiting. I'm in a season of waiting for a healing, trusting that whatever the Lord's will are, He will have His way. I know my God is good. I know my God is faithful. So for the past six or seven weeks, I've been going through a new season, one that makes me look a little funny. I don't feel as rounded anymore, and I enjoy it. Unfortunately, while everything else looks good, the numbers that they're working on are worse. So I'm in a season of waiting. What's it going to take, Lord? Where are we going? Where are we going? What has to happen next?" [04:03] (61 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


2) "Nothing should want to keep us from his presence. Nothing should want to keep us from basking in his glory. What he has brought us through, he deserves everything that we could offer up to him. I don't care if he answers another prayer request for us. He has been faithful, and he will remain faithful, and I will do all that I can to honor him. Do you understand? Until the day I die. Why? Because I know in this life, it's just a visitation I'm making now. I got an eternal life. One that I want to make sure is being lived out for Him." [06:32] (47 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


3) "But today, what if the breakthrough doesn't come as we expect? I want to shift our focus from focusing on until my healing, until my answers, until my breakthrough. And I want us to focus on just a little quote I had written on Facebook a few days ago to focusing on even still. Even still, my God is good. I want you to say that with me. Even still, my God is good. Whether He answers another prayer, my God is good. Whether He resolves our financial woes, whether He resolves our physical woes, whether He resolves anything else that we're suffering through, my God is good. And He is faithful." [07:33] (68 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


4) "Habakkuk isn't saying he'll rejoice when things improve that's our problem we're bartering with God saying God if you'll do this and you'll make this happen then I'll serve you more God if you'll just work out all my time constraints I'll go to church more God if you'll just work out all my financial issues I'll be able to give more God if you'll just do all these things then I'm going to serve you I'm going to work in children's ministry I'm going to work with the youth I'm going to work in the nursery and I'm going to teach Sunday school but God you're going to have to work all these other things out we're looking for God to improve a situation when listen it shouldn't require God doing anything for us to serve him he's already done the greatest thing by saying that he sent his son to this earth because he loved you so much and that his son died for you and that should be the answer that says from now on I will do whatever I can to serve you Lord I know what your word says and I will be obedient and I will follow whether I fully understand why or whether I fully think that this is right I'm going to serve you and I'm going to search for why you are right God because see this is the thing that too often we go looking to prove our own points and our own right ways so that we can not have to do certain things in the word of God when in reality we need to follow after the things of God because it's when we're following him and being obedient to him that the light bulbs start kicking on and start going ah now I know why I'm giving like I give oh I know why I go to church every Sunday I know why I pray every day and read the Bible every day I know why I listen to worship music and magnify his name because it's in his presence that things change I promise you have a bad day turn the radio on to worship music here you go let's have a little you do a little test for me and then you can come tell me how it works maybe you have two bad days this week alright and the first day you have a bad day you turn on the worship music and you give God ten minutes of time of your time in prayer seek him and you tell me how you feel after about 30 -40 minutes in the presence of the Lord and then you have another bad day this week now brother Ryan you prophesying bad stuff don't do this I don't want bad days I know it to have another bad day Greg's already getting mad at me over there because he's like if I have a breakdown or the tire blows out it's on him and I'm calling him day two there you had to turn something else on besides worship turn you on some country music or pop music or whatever garbage you listen to and listen I'm there okay I listen to all kinds of stuff as long as it ain't foul you turn something else on and I promise you in the midst of that bad day it'll be no better at the end of the day you'll have the blues thinking about how lonely you are and how worried you are and how horrible life is and you'll have a headache afterwards there's something about being in the presence of God but listen I want to say this as well that regardless of if my day gets any better after that 30 -40 minutes in his presence I'm still going to love him and I'm still going to serve him and I'm still going to worship him and I'm still going to magnify him because it's when I continue to keep him in front of everything that my life begins to change I'm not worried about anything that's going on physically I literally told the doctor Wednesday I'm about as happy as I have ever been I have joy and it's not related to physical health I got the joy before then God was doing something for Ryan" [16:49] (60 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


5) "You can be as healthy as you want to be. You can be that picture, perfect example of health and still spend eternity in hell. You can be the best person that you have ever been and still spend eternity in hell because you didn't accept Jesus Christ as a person. Lord and I go back to what I said a few weeks ago Lord means he has ownership means you have no possession means that as stewards of this life we don't own it I don't own this life I don't own anything stewards don't own anything stewards don't have any possessions stewards are only controlling and monitoring and dealing with the things that are already the Lord's and I am the Lord's and all that I have is the Lord's I'm just a steward of these things for a moment and how I am using them for his glory is how Ryan's going to be judged even in pain God remains good, and our hope is anchored in His eternal faithfulness. The sufficiency of Christ is another profound truth from this passage." [26:25] (85 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


6) "I, you, will make it. I promise you today, you. You will make it. You will get through this life, because it is Jesus Christ who is helping you. That should bring hope to us. That should bring joy to us. That should bring happiness. No matter what problems we're dealing with, no matter what our circumstances are, no matter what you're dealing with this morning, no matter what's going on in your life, my God is still good. Is He not still good? Even still. And I know you're going through all your problems. And I know your problems are bigger than mine. You know why they're bigger? Because you're closer to it. My problems are bigger than yours, because I'm closer to my problem. I know what I'm dealing with. Brother Ryan, you don't know my suffering. I do know your suffering. But I also know my God." [28:13] (65 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


7) "Choosing worship is an act of spiritual defiance against the lies that say God isn't present or that God isn't good did you hear me choosing to worship is an act of spiritual defiance that in the midst of all our despair in the midst of all of our problems I will praise you what's that song say I will praise you in the storm in your life when facing trials Or waiting? How can you cultivate even still faith? It begins with worship and declaring God's goodness even in our hardships." [38:03] (52 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


8) "No matter our circumstance whether in lack loss or uncertainty we are called to declare even still even still God is good even still walking with Christ is enough this faith looks beyond temporary to the eternal finding strength not in outcomes but in God's unchanging character what's your even still God even if you don't I'll still love you I'll still serve you what's your even still today maybe you don't have an even still maybe it's time that you find one that says today's the day that I commit to serve you Jesus Christ for the rest of my life I never want to turn back I want to try this I want to commit my whole life to you Lord everything I have physically, spiritually, financially everything I have I want to turn it over to you I just want to steward it as you've instructed because I want to tell you what when we're in the vineyard of the Lord man I'll tell you only God's vineyard produces some of the greatest grapes some of the greatest wine only God's garden produces some of the greatest plants because it's in the good soil only God's houses are built great strong and mighty because they're built on the foundation of the Lord if you don't know him this morning come find him it's not hard to simply say Jesus come into my heart change my life help me to commit my ways and my life to you from this day forward make that recommitment to you serve you God this altar's open and I ask you to pray for me Would you find a place of prayer where you can just allow him to have his way in your life? And know, sure up that foundation. Whatever storm comes, whatever storm happens, I'm going to serve you. Because I know you'll see me. Will you join me? Let's go." [42:30] (136 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)