Why We Do Not Lose Heart

So if you have a copy of God's word, you can turn to 1 Samuel in the Old Testament.

! About a quarter of the way in the beginning of the book, the Old Testament.

And it's also okay if you just listen along, and I'll be reading it for us.

I'll read it trusting that it's God's inspired, inerrant, infallible, clear, sufficient word.

It's God's word for us, his people.

1 Samuel chapter 30.

1 Samuel 30 · chapter mention

Now it happened when David and his men came to Ziklag on the third day,

that the Amalekites had invaded the south and Ziklag, attacking Ziklag, and burned it with fire.

And they had taken captive the women and those who were there from small to great.

They did not kill anyone, but carried them away and went their way.

So David and his men came to the city, and there it was, burned with fire.

And their wives, their sons, and their daughters had been taken captive.

Then David and the people who were with him lifted up their voices and wept,

until they had no more power to weep.

And David's two wives, Ahinoam, the Jezreelites, and Abigail, the widow of Nabal, the Carmelite,

had been taken captive.

Now David was greatly distressed, for the people spoke of stoning him,

because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and daughters.

But David strengthened himself in the Lord his God.

Then David said to Abiathar the priest, Ahimelech's son,

Please bring the ephod here to me.

And Abiathar brought the ephod to David.

So David inquired of the Lord, saying,

Shall I pursue this troop? Shall I overtake them?

And he answered him,

Pursue, for you shall surely overtake them,

and without fail recover all.

So David went, he and the six hundred men who were with him,

and came to the brook Bezor,

where those stayed and were left behind.

But David pursued, and he and four hundred men,

for two hundred had stayed behind,

who were so weary that they could not cross the brook Bezor.

Then they found the Egyptian in the field and brought him to David,

and they gave him bread and he ate,

and they let him drink water,

and they gave him a piece of cake of figs

and two clusters of raisins.

So he had eaten, and his strength came back to him,

for he had eaten no bread nor drunk water

for three days and three nights.

Then David said to him,

To whom do you belong, and where are you from?

And he said,

I am a young man from Egypt,

servant of an Amalekite,

and my master left me behind

because three days ago I fell sick.

We made an invasion of the southern area of the Cherethites

in the territory which belongs to Judah,

and in the southern area of Caleb,

and we burned Ziklag with fire.

And David said to him,

Can you take me down to this troop?

So he said,

Swear to me by God that you will

neither kill me nor deliver me

into the hands of my only master,

and I will take you down to this troop.

And when he had brought him down,

there they were,

spread out over all the land,

eating and drinking and dancing,

because of all the great spoil

which they had taken

from the land of the Philistines

and from the land of Judah.

Then David attacked them

from twilight until the evening of the next day.

Not a man of them escaped

except 400 young men

who rode on camels and fled.

So David recovered all that the Amalekites

had carried away,

and David rescued his two wives,

and nothing of theirs was lacking,

either small or great,

sons or daughters,

spoil or anything

which they had taken from them.

David recovered all.

Then David took all the flocks and herds

they had driven before those other livestock

and said,

This is David's spoil.

Now David came to the 200 men

who had been so weary

that they could not follow David,

whom they had also made

to stay at the brook Bezor.

So they went out to meet David

and meet the people who were with him.

And when David came near to the people,

he greeted them.

Then all the wicked and worthless men

of those who went to David

answered and said,

Because they did not go with us,

we will not give them

any of the spoil that we have recovered,

except for every man's wife and children,

that they may lead them away and depart.

But David said,

My brethren,

you shall not do so

with what the Lord has given us,

who has preserved us

and delivered us into our hands,

the troop that came against us.

For who will heed you in this matter?

But as his part is

who goes down to the battle,

so shall his part be

who stays with the supplies.

They shall share alike.

So it was from that day forward

that he made a statute

and an ordinance for Israel to this day.

Now when David came to Ziklag,

he sent some of the spoil

to the elders of Judah,

to his friends, saying,

Here is a present for you

from the Lord,

the spoil of the enemies of the Lord.

To those who were in Bethel,

those who were in Ramoth,

in the south,

those who were in Jatir,

those who were in Aorel,

those who were in Sifmoth,

those who were in Eshtimoah,

those who were in Rakhal,

those who were in the cities

of the Jeremilites,

those who were in the cities

of the Kenites,

those who were in Hormah,

those who were in Korashan,

those who were in Atak,

those who were in Hebron,

into the places

where David himself and his men

were accustomed to rove.

The word of God

for the people of God.

Thanks be to God.

Please be seated.

The grass withers,

the flower fades,

but the word of the Lord

stands forever.

Let's pray.

O Lord,

may your word stand.

We pray that you will please

speak through the preacher,

despite the preacher's limits

and brokenness, Lord.

We pray that your word,

the word of God,

through Jesus Christ,

of hope and salvation,

of a coming kingdom,

of this better king,

whose kingdom has been inaugurated

and who is coming again, Lord.

We pray that this,

you will minister

to your people today.

We pray that you'll

encourage us, Lord.

You'll strengthen us,

that the power of the Holy Spirit

will breathe life

and hope

into your people today.

For your glory we ask.

Amen.

Amen.

To lose heart,

it means to faint

or to give up.

A coach might have used

that expression with you

at halftime

when you're down three to zero

or maybe a jujitsu teammate

after you lost.

Don't lose heart.

David and his 600 men

had just gotten great news.

If you remember back

a couple weeks,

they were not going to have

to be put in that

impossible dilemma

of fighting on the side

of the Philistines

against the Israelites,

fighting their own nation.

God in his providence

had used even the captains

of the Philistines

to send David

and his 600 men

back to their temporary home

in Ziklag,

which was controlled

by the Philistines,

but it was land promised

by God to his people.

They get to go home,

but quickly as they arrive

at home,

all of them,

including David,

lose heart.

When it comes to our faith,

our walks,

and our life as a church,

losing heart

is always a temptation.

In a spiritual sense,

losing heart

means caving in to evil

or losing your spiritual will

to take another step

or to continue standing.

The enemy wants to attack

God's people,

especially when we're

about to faint

and tell us that we have

no reason to press on,

no reason to hope.

The sermon title today

is why we do not lose heart.

Why we do not lose heart.

I'll walk us through

about five reasons

using this passage.

Number one,

we do not lose heart

because the enemy

is only a temporary parasite.

We do not lose heart

because the enemy

of God's people

is only a temporary parasite.

Look at verse one.

Now it happened

when David and his men

came to Ziklag

on the third day

that the Amalekites

had invaded the south

and Ziklag,

attacked Ziklag,

and burned it with fire.

You know what

the Amalekites were?

They were nomads.

This means they travel around.

They don't have

permanent dwellings

or farms.

And they were parasites.

This means that they live

by draining another source.

So they were nomadic parasites

on the move

that you could say

as you look across the land,

land of Israel

and of the Philistines.

It was like an infection

on their system.

Nobody liked the Amalekites.

They survived

by draining the resources

of these established societies

rather than farming

for themselves.

And after taking a cheap shot

and attacking,

they would ride off

like we just saw in camels.

They're really always ready

to go into the desert

and they would hide

in the ravines

and in caves

and be really hard

to hunt down

and they wouldn't face you

head on in a battle

like a decent civilization.

They had mastered this

over generations.

How to be predatory opportunists.

In Deuteronomy 25, 17 and 18,

they targeted the stragglers

coming out of Egypt

on the Exodus.

Remember that?

Then in Judges 6,

chapter 6, verses 3 and 4,

it describes them

like a swarm of locusts

trying to hijack

the harvest of the Israelites.

This is the Amalekites.

And now they've struck in again

following their modus operandi.

Verse 2 says,

they took captive

the women

and those who were there

from small to great.

See, what they do

is when the army,

the whole army is gone.

They've just left their homes

and the women and children back.

That's when the Amalekites move in.

They're awful.

They're predators.

But there's an interesting comment

in verse 2.

It says,

they did not kill anyone.

And even in this first verse in 2,

we can see that God

is limiting

and even ordering

all things,

including these wicked Amalekites.

Even in their sinful acts of men,

and he will use it

for his own holy end,

even if we don't understand it

or see it fully.

The Amalekites intended

total destruction

everywhere they go.

That's why they set it on fire.

But see, in this case,

God's mighty hand

was superintending theirs.

They took the captives

and carried them along with them

as slaves

instead of executing them.

They carried them away

and they went on their way,

it says.

Literally,

it says they drove them away.

That's the same word

used to how you would

move cattle

from one place to the other.

This is bad treatment

for these women

and these children

being driven

by these horrible Amalekites

like cattle.

They specialized

in low-risk,

high-reward strikes.

They only attack

the vulnerable

and they live off

the work of others.

They don't do anything

constructive on their own.

Think about how

in this world

there's either

constructive work,

destructive work,

or restorative work.

It's only those three.

And the enemy of God,

God creates.

God does the constructive work.

New creation.

The enemy destroys.

God recreates.

God reconstructs.

In God's enemy,

the devil

is like these Amalekites.

Revelation 12, 12

gives this encouragement.

The devil has come down

to you,

inhabitants of the earth,

full of great wrath

because he knows

that he only has

a short time.

See, the devil

is a temporary destroyer,

a temporary parasite,

seeking to be like

a locust with a swarm

of demons

to do damage

to the good

that God creates.

So brothers and sisters,

we do not lose heart

because the enemy

is only a temporary parasite.

Number two,

we do not lose heart

because grief

does not mean

God has departed.

We do not lose heart

because though we do

grieve in this life,

it does not mean

that God has departed.

He is near those

who grieve.

Look at verse 3.

So David and his men

came to the city

and there it was

burned with fire

and their wives

and their sons

and their daughters

had been taken captive.

Then David

and the people

who were with him

lifted up their voices

and wept

until they had

no more power

even to weep.

Imagine those 600 men.

The last time

they had been

in Ziklag,

everything was

full of life,

color,

sound,

smell.

They said goodbye

to their families

and they went off

to fight their brothers

and cousins

so they thought

in this great confrontation.

They didn't know

anytime you go to battle

you never do

whether the Lord

would let them

come back home again.

Would the Lord

deliver them

and bring them back

to their families again?

They got that great news

that they were released

and could go back home

and they could go be

with their wives

and children

but now they find

their artifacts

that were once

in their homes

just as charcoal.

Each thing

they pick up

like it would for us

if our house burnt down

it would remind you

of a relationship

or a memory

with a loved one,

with a family member.

Their town burned.

Their loved ones

taken captive.

Their fellow

brothers in battle

crying aloud

bitter of soul

exhausted

from weeping

till they had

no more strength

to weep

and the army

that was marching

after David

seeing God

take them in

and out

and have victory

now wants to stone

the anointed king

that they had left

everything to follow.

I paused on this.

Why did they want

to stone David

specifically?

These are warriors.

They're carrying

all kinds of different

blades and instruments

you can use

to kill other people.

Why would they

leave all those aside

and pick up stones?

Under the Mosaic law

the success of the people

was tied

to the faithfulness

of the leader.

The men may have

viewed

the destruction

as Ziklag

as a sign

of God's judgment

against David.

See the camp

was to be kept holy

because God

walked among them.

Deuteronomy 23

14 says that.

God is with

his people

among their camp

and is to be kept

holy.

And the preservation

of the family

and the home

was each man's

primary duty.

By allowing

their wives

and children

to be taken captive

and their king

was now

the greatest failure.

He had let

the enemy

intrude

and violate

the home front.

the total loss

at their camp

in Ziklag

suggested that

perhaps the presence

of God

had departed

from among them.

The men

in their grief

viewed David

like their generation's

version of Achan

from the book

of Joshua.

One man

whose poor judgment

has brought a curse

on the entire group.

And so by stoning David

everyone would have

a part in killing

what they believe

is the cause

of all their bitter

trouble.

Stoning

would give each man

that opportunity

to experience

a cathartic

sense of justice

and vengeance.

If we crush

this man

that we followed

then our souls

will feel

less bitter.

We read in verse 6

that David

was greatly distressed

for the people

spoke of stoning him

because all

the soul

of the people

was grieved.

Literally

they were bitter

of soul.

Every man

for his sons

and daughters.

But the encouragement

without getting

any details

is that

God

was with David.

He

is in grief.

His army

is in grief.

He's despairing.

In Psalm

Psalms 139:7

139

verses 7

and 8

cries out

with these questions

to God.

Where can I go

from your spirit

or where can I

flee from your presence

if I make my bed

in hell?

The grave,

the depths,

behold,

even there

you are.

We do not lose heart

because our grief

does not mean

that God

has departed.

number three,

we do not lose heart

because our distress,

in our distress,

God is our strength.

We do not lose heart

because in our distress,

God himself

is our strength.

Look at the rest

of verse 6.

We read that

David strengthened

himself

in the Lord

his God.

He strengthened

himself

in the Lord.

For who is God

except the Lord?

Psalm

1831.

And who is a rock

except our God?

It is God

who arms me

with strength,

the psalmist

cries out,

and makes

my way perfect.

He says,

you have also

given me

the shield

of your salvation

and your right hand

has held me up.

Your gentleness

has made me

great.

We do not have

any indication

that David wrote

a new psalm

for this occasion

but it is a

wonderful comfort

in those old truths,

those old psalms,

singing them

at the time

when he needed

it most.

David strengthened

himself in the Lord,

we read,

in verse 8.

And he also

inquired

of the Lord.

Think about this

and David

in this moment

of worst peril

and darkness

and despair

goes to the Lord.

He's reminded

of the Lord's

presence

and it's the presence

of the Lord

that strengthens him.

And as we've lined up

all of these events,

remember how

two chapters ago

it skips back,

it's like a flashback

for Saul

going to consult

with the witch?

the timeline

has it,

at least how

some have put it

together,

how the very moment

when David is

seeking strength

in the Lord

is when Saul

within that same

24-hour period

is going to

speak with a witch.

as goes the king,

so goes the kingdom.

Saul consulting

the realm of the dead

and David consulting

the living God.

See the contrast

between these two kings,

these two men.

It's a new pattern

being set

for the nation,

a new direction,

a new hope

for God's people.

even without

any good news,

he's finding

his strength

in God.

David then

receives from God

the promise

of a total recovery.

They go

and they pursue

those raiders,

but on their way

200 of their soldiers

reach their point

of exhaustion.

They've been weeping.

It says they wept

until they were already

exhausted and powerless.

Now they go marching

and they get to a point

and they've lost heart.

They are fainting.

They cannot go anymore.

And they just say,

I'm going to stay right here

in the coolness

of this ravine.

We're done.

The word of the ravine,

the brook Bezor,

it means just that,

coolness or refreshing

for the body.

It also has a second meaning,

which I'll give you

in a bit.

So they leave them behind

and as they're traveling

the direction they think

the caravan

of the Amalekites

has gone,

they come across

a starving,

abandoned Egyptian slave

and we read that

they revive this man,

they give him food

and water and bread

and calories

and then he's able

to talk.

And then they ask him,

where are you from?

In other words,

they didn't have

any information

that would lead them

to show kindness

to this person in need

right here,

this injured slave

that's been abandoned

because he was sick.

It wasn't necessarily

a transaction.

Here these men

that are desperate

themselves

are simply showing

kindness

to a slave

that's been left

for dead

because it's the right

thing to do.

And in God's providence,

think about that.

He got sick

three days ago

and as a sick man

being abandoned

and left right there,

this is also the path

they're traveling.

They happened to find him

and prepared him

in the right moment

to be able to give them

the information they need

to now go carry out

what God has decreed.

See God's providence

in every little detail

as it unfolds.

Verse 16,

And when they had

brought him down,

there they were,

spread out over

all the land,

eating and drinking

and dancing

because of the great spoil

which they had taken

from the land

of the Philistines

and the land of Judah.

These Amalekites

had gained a lot.

They had amassed

a great bounty.

All the spoil,

not only from Ziklag

and the Judeans there,

but also from the Philistines.

And it's all there

and here they are

with the slave

being left for dead,

starving without water

and here they are

just enjoying wine

and feasting

and dancing.

So in verse 17,

what God promised David

comes true.

David attacked them

from twilight

before the sun

was even rising,

get a jump on it

until the evening

of the next day

fighting over the night.

Not a man of them

escaped.

escaped.

I like that statement

because God was true

to his promise.

Now at the same time,

400 young men

rode on camels

and fled.

But God is always true

to his word

and to his promise.

And if we keep reading

later on

and take the whole

counsel of God's word,

1 Chronicles 4.42

says that

all of those

that escaped

get wiped out.

It says 500 men

of the sons of Simeon,

so Israelites

later on,

a different point,

they go and they

defeat the rest

of the Amalekites

who had escaped

and possessed

that land forevermore.

So eventually

the Amalekites

do get their final justice.

We do not lose heart

because in our distress,

God is our strength.

I'm sure David

was distressed

and exhausted

and wanting to stop

at the brook Bezor himself.

But God was his strength.

God made him press on

and God gave him

the great victory.

It wasn't David's energy.

It wasn't David's power.

It was God

being his supply,

being his strength.

Colossians 1.29

reminds us,

Paul cries this out

after all his persecution

and suffering.

He says,

I labor,

striving according to

God's working

which he

mightily works

in me.

We press on.

We do not lose heart

because in our distress

it is God

who is our strength.

Number four,

we do not lose heart

because God sets

the boundaries

for the enemy.

We do not lose heart

because God himself

sets the boundaries

for the enemy.

In verse 18 we read,

So David recovered

all that the Amalekites

had carried away

and nothing of theirs

was lacking

either small or great,

sons or daughters,

spoil or anything

which they had taken

from them.

David recovered

all.

Evil goes exactly

as far as God

permits it

and no further.

Think of

how horrible

it could have been.

Even if it

was horrible enough,

they grieved,

they were distressed,

but it could have been

so much worse.

When Job

experienced evil,

it was not a punishment

for his sin.

Beginning of Job

makes that clear,

but it was by God's

permission.

And Job

understandably

questioned

God's goodness,

God's power,

and God's

justice.

And God

answered Job

in chapter 38

with these questions.

Job

says God,

who shut in the sea

when it burst

forth

at creation?

I fixed

my limit

for it.

I said,

this far

you may come,

but no further.

And here

you proud

waves

must stop.

Evil

will rage

and cause

genuine grief,

but it cannot

cross the boundary,

it cannot cross

the line

that God

himself

draws.

From the

perspective of the

women and children,

they got

driven away.

They could have

cried out with

these New Testament

words that we have

in 2 Corinthians 4,

which we read

earlier.

Yes,

we were

captives

of these horrible

people driven

away.

We were hard

pressed on every

side,

yet not

crushed.

We were

perplexed,

but not in

despair.

Persecuted,

but not

forsaken.

Struck down,

but not

destroyed.

God sets

the boundaries

for the

enemy.

Remember

in Jesus,

his own

words in

Luke 22,

31,

he looked at

Peter in the

eyes,

Simon,

Simon,

indeed,

Satan has

asked for

you that

he may

sift you

as wheat,

but I

have prayed

for you

that your

faith should

not fail,

and when

you have

returned to

me,

strengthen your

brethren.

God sets

the boundaries

on the

enemy.

Jesus

prays for

his people.

The enemy

cannot

invade

what Christ

is protecting.

Well,

the fifth

and final

reason for

today of

why we do

not lose

heart,

it's because

our king

shares

the spoils

of his

victory

with the

weak and

weary.

Our king

shares his

victory with

us who are

weary and

weak.

Look at

verse 20,

then David

took all

the flocks

and herds

that they had

driven out

before them

that belonged

to the

Amalekites,

and now he

won and he's

the leader of

this group

from Ziklag,

so all the

people say

this is

David's

spoiled.

He's the

one who

gets to

distribute

it however

he sees

fit.

And as

they go

back to

those 200

men who

stayed back

at the

brook and

the coolness

of the

ravine,

those who

did go and

fight say

we don't

want to

share with

those men,

even though

he said

it's yours

David to

decide we

don't want

to share

with them,

that's not

right.

They didn't

even go

fight,

they should

have no

share in

the prophet,

give them

their families

and that's

all.

And David

rebuked

those men

who followed

him and

who fought

but were

refusing to

share the

plunder.

And here's

the second

meaning of

this brook

where these

200 waited

back to

cool off.

The brook

Bezor can

also mean

good news

or glad

tidings.

So while it

may have

refreshed the

body in the

coolness of

the shade,

it's a place

where a

gospel refreshes

the soul.

David said

in verse 23,

my brethren,

you shall

not do

so with

what the

Lord has

given us,

who has

preserved us

and delivered

us into

our hand.

All shall

share alike,

he says in

verse 24.

Verse 25,

so it was

from that

day forward.

See, this

becomes now

a decree

at the

brook

Bezor,

a rule

for the

whole

kingdom

going

forward

as long

as David

is king.

Here's the

gospel

decree.

There's an

ordinance for

all Israel

that all

will share

in the

spoil.

All will

receive

alike

because it's

the Lord

who gives.

And so

he sent

these gifts

to all the

elders of

Judah,

to all

those

different

places,

and he

said,

here is a

present for

you from

the spoil

of the

enemies

of the

Lord.

It's

God's

battle.

It's

God's

enemies.

It's

God's

victory.

It's

God's

glory.

It's

God's

blessings

that he

distributes

now through

his servant

David.

And he

gave those

to all

the places

where David

himself,

verse 31

says,

and his

men were

accustomed

to

rove.

while the

Philistines

will very

soon defeat

Saul and

Israel's

army,

God is

still

distributing

the spoils

of the

Philistines

to Judah

as if they

had won

without David

even having

to go and

fight the

Philistines

for their

own spoils.

You see

God's

sovereignty

over all

of this.

David saw

God's

sovereignty

first hand.

God is

using these

wicked

Amalekites

and this

new king

who God

has humbled.

God has

shown him

again and

again,

it's not

you David,

it's all

of me.

And this

is God's

pleasure in

bringing in

his kingdom.

What a

contrast we

have.

Saul lost

most of

his battles.

He taxed

God's

people.

He took

and took

and took

more from

them.

Now we

see with

David a

new king,

a new

hope.

God wins

the battles.

God gives

bountifully.

God spreads

his blessings

to all

the people

through his

servant,

his anointed

one.

As goes

the king,

so goes

the kingdom.

Our Lord

Jesus in

Matthew 20

declared this,

for the

kingdom of

heaven is

like a

landowner who

went out early

in the

morning to

higher labors

for his

vineyard.

And they

all work and

people start at

different times

of the day and

he gets to

the end of

the work

day.

And he

gives

generously

all the

same blessings

no matter

whether you

labored all

day or

barely any

at the

very end.

Everyone

receives

the reward

because it's

his to

give.

He is the

owner of

the vineyard

and he is

the king

of the

kingdom.

In

Ephesians 4

8 we read

that when

Jesus Christ

had ascended

on high.

Last week

we saw the

glorious truth

of his

resurrection

and he

not only

rose and

walked on

the earth

with all

the eyewitnesses

and teaching

his disciples

but he also

ascended

and he

seated in

session

ruling from

heaven.

We read

that he

led

captivity

captive

and gave

gifts

to men.

He sits

on his

throne

in heaven

our Lord

Jesus

blessing

all his

people

his

church

with

gifts.

1 Corinthians

1 26

God has

chosen

the foolish

things of

the world

to put

to shame

the wise.

God has

chosen

the weak

things of

the world

to put

to shame

the things

that are

mighty

and the

base

things of

the world

the things

which are

despised.

God has

chosen

and the

things

which are

not

to bring

to nothing

the things

that are.

So we

do not

lose heart

brothers and

sisters

because King

Jesus

shares the

blessings of

his victory

with us

who are

weak

and weary.

Amen.

Romans 8

reminds us

Romans 8 17

we are

heirs of

God.

We receive

freely the

blessings that

Christ secured.

We are

joint heirs

with Christ

if indeed

we suffer

with him

that we

may also

be glorified

together

with him.

So where

are we in

this story

church?

We've seen

God's

providence

we've seen

his sovereignty

his power

we've seen

his kingdom

what he is

about.

I think we

have to be

like the

women and

children.

We are in

enemy territory

we are not

of this

world.

Here we

are exiles

and sojourners

and we

are longing

for King

Jesus

God's

anointed

one who

is coming

again

like the

groom

like those

wives longing

for their

husband to

come and

rescue.

We know

Jesus will

come for us

his people

he calls

the church

his bride

we trust

that he

will

he will

deliver us

once and

for all.

We put

ourselves

there

they look

back at

the smoke

going up

from the

city of

Ziklag

and that

could be

like our

life on

this earth

it's a

vapor

it's a

smoke

but there's

an eternal

weight of

the kingdom

of God

that he's

working

into us

it's the

certain

promise

that our

king will

restore

everything

that the

enemy

has stolen

he will

make it

all right

one day

2 Corinthians

4 16

therefore

we do

not

lose

heart

even

though

outwardly

our

man

the

outer

man

is

perishing

yet

the

inward

man

is

being

renewed

day

by day

for our

light

affliction

the sufferings

of this

life

which are

but for a

moment

is working

for us

a far

more

exceeding

and eternal

weight

of glory

we do

not look

at those

things

that are

seen

but at

those

things

that are

not

seen

for the

things

that are

seen

are

temporary

but the

things

that are

not

seen

are

eternal

brothers

and sisters

because

Jesus

is our

king

we

do

not

lose

heart

amen

let's

pray

oh

lord

we are

so weak

we are

so helpless

you are

so mighty

you are

sovereign in

your providence

lord over

everything

help us

to trust

you more

to follow

you more

closely

to not

depend on

ourselves

to depend

on you

will you

please build

your church

lord

may your

kingdom

come here

and lord

we long

for the

day

where your

kingdom

of heaven

will cover

the whole

heavens

the whole

new earth

lord

we long

for this

day

until then

we trust

that you'll

use everything

that you allow

in each of our

lives to prepare

us for yourself

we trust

lord that

you are true

to your promises

you will come

for your loved

ones

amen

you