Finding Light and Hope in Darkness Through Faith
Devotional
Sermon Summary
Sermon Clips
God put a new song in my mouth. A song of praise to our God. Many will see and fear and put their trust in the Sovereign One. Happy are those who make the Sovereign their trust. Who do not turn to the proud. To those who go astray after false gods. [00:04:36] (19 seconds)
I have told the glad news of deliverance in the great congregation. See, I have not restrained my lips, as you know, O Sovereign. I have not hidden your saving help within my heart. I have spoken of your faithfulness and your salvation. I have not concealed your steadfast love and your faithfulness from the great congregation. [00:05:27] (23 seconds)
Some of us have loved ones who are struggling with strokes and heart attacks with cancer with dementia some of us have bad knees and hips and shoulders and we just can't do the things that we want to do anymore but some of us the future has changed because our relationships changed sometimes we have broken relationships and we don't have the the time together with children and grandchildren with siblings with spouses with friends with co-workers because our relationships are broken. [00:06:20] (34 seconds)
The Psalms are a place where our emotions have been collected together. There are Psalms of fear, of despair, of sadness, of grief, but there are also Psalms of joy and celebration, Psalms of worship and praise. I encourage you to read through the Psalms with a pencil or pen and actually write in at the top. [00:08:43] (23 seconds)
Someone else has felt this. God knows this feeling. God hears what I am saying. Our psalm today reminds us that God always gives us an open ear to hear what it is that we are going through. [00:09:18] (17 seconds)
God knows, the psalmist knows, you are not alone. Other people have gone through what you are going through. There are other people that are willing to stand with you, to listen to you, to hold your hand, to give you a hug, to support you. God has given us God's steadfast love and God has given us companions in life to stand with us. In joy and in sorrow. [00:10:36] (27 seconds)
For me, the translation called the message is the one that is easiest for me to connect with the emotion. motions of the psalms so i encourage you if you have a translation of the bible and it's not really working for you when you're reading through the psalms try another translation if you go to biblegateway .com you can go to like psalm 23 and you can read it in i don't know 20 30 40 different translations until you find the translation that connects for you. [00:11:23] (28 seconds)
Music also has the ability to lift us up and help us rise above the darkness that we are in. So I want you to listen to what we are feeling. When my kids were in middle school, there were times that they were really struggling with all sorts of feelings, all at the same time. And I think most of us, as we went through adolescence, had times where we were feeling everything all at once, everywhere. [00:14:41] (27 seconds)
All the happy songs that I could find. And we would get in the car and I would just turn on that playlist without saying anything. And you know what? The kids got happier as we were driving in the car, listening to happy music. It helped draw them out of some of the places where they were struggling. [00:15:30] (18 seconds)
There is an app, a website called Spotify. Some of us use it already. And it's like the biggest jukebox of humanity. It's got just about every song in the universe that we know of on there. So on our website, if you go to the homepage, suamacoumc .org, and you scroll down where it says current worship series, there's a little box and it has a white arrow. And if you click on that arrow, it is a free player. [00:16:21] (26 seconds)
So please send me your ideas and we will add them to the playlist. I guarantee none of us are going to like every song in this playlist. That's the way it is. So I'm going to give you a little minute here to listen. And there we go. This is our gift to you. If you want, make your own playlist. Maybe you've got a favorite radio station, a favorite CD or record that you enjoy playing. But turn to the music that lifts you up. [00:17:38] (28 seconds)
I have told the glad news of deliverance in the great congregation. See, I have not restrained my lips, as you know, O Sovereign. I have not hidden your saving help within my heart. I have spoken of your faithfulness and your salvation. I have not concealed your steadfast love and your faithfulness from the great congregation. [00:05:27] (23 seconds)
Some of us have loved ones who are struggling with strokes and heart attacks with cancer with dementia some of us have bad knees and hips and shoulders and we just can't do the things that we want to do anymore but some of us the future has changed because our relationships changed sometimes we have broken relationships and we don't have the the time together with children and grandchildren with siblings with spouses with friends with co-workers because our relationships are broken. [00:06:20] (34 seconds)
The Psalms are a place where our emotions have been collected together. There are Psalms of fear, of despair, of sadness, of grief, but there are also Psalms of joy and celebration, Psalms of worship and praise. I encourage you to read through the Psalms with a pencil or pen and actually write in at the top. [00:08:43] (23 seconds)
Someone else has felt this. God knows this feeling. God hears what I am saying. Our psalm today reminds us that God always gives us an open ear to hear what it is that we are going through. [00:09:18] (17 seconds)
God knows, the psalmist knows, you are not alone. Other people have gone through what you are going through. There are other people that are willing to stand with you, to listen to you, to hold your hand, to give you a hug, to support you. God has given us God's steadfast love and God has given us companions in life to stand with us. In joy and in sorrow. [00:10:36] (27 seconds)
For me, the translation called the message is the one that is easiest for me to connect with the emotion. motions of the psalms so i encourage you if you have a translation of the bible and it's not really working for you when you're reading through the psalms try another translation if you go to biblegateway .com you can go to like psalm 23 and you can read it in i don't know 20 30 40 different translations until you find the translation that connects for you. [00:11:23] (28 seconds)
Music also has the ability to lift us up and help us rise above the darkness that we are in. So I want you to listen to what we are feeling. When my kids were in middle school, there were times that they were really struggling with all sorts of feelings, all at the same time. And I think most of us, as we went through adolescence, had times where we were feeling everything all at once, everywhere. [00:14:41] (27 seconds)
All the happy songs that I could find. And we would get in the car and I would just turn on that playlist without saying anything. And you know what? The kids got happier as we were driving in the car, listening to happy music. It helped draw them out of some of the places where they were struggling. [00:15:30] (18 seconds)
There is an app, a website called Spotify. Some of us use it already. And it's like the biggest jukebox of humanity. It's got just about every song in the universe that we know of on there. So on our website, if you go to the homepage, suamacoumc .org, and you scroll down where it says current worship series, there's a little box and it has a white arrow. And if you click on that arrow, it is a free player. [00:16:21] (26 seconds)
So please send me your ideas and we will add them to the playlist. I guarantee none of us are going to like every song in this playlist. That's the way it is. So I'm going to give you a little minute here to listen. And there we go. This is our gift to you. If you want, make your own playlist. Maybe you've got a favorite radio station, a favorite CD or record that you enjoy playing. But turn to the music that lifts you up. [00:17:38] (28 seconds)
