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Psalms Week 7 • Psalm 90

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  1. Hi, and welcome to the Willow Ridge Church weekly podcast.

  2. This is where you can find audio for our current and past sermons.

  3. We hope that you enjoy this week's installment, and be sure to check back next week to hear

  4. the latest message. Thanks for listening.

  5. Well, good morning. I'm glad you guys are with us today. If you've got your Bibles, go ahead

  6. and open up to Psalm 90 is where we are going to be. As you turn there, I want to remind everybody

  7. to come back this afternoon at 4 o'clock. We're going to be gathered in here together for

  8. a night about missions and prayer. And so it's going to be a wonderful time for us to gather

  9. together. We have one of the missionaries from one of our partnering agencies is going to be

  10. here with us to talk to us a little bit about what God is doing in the particular area where

  11. he and his wife have served for the last 16 years. And so we're going to celebrate all that

  12. God is doing here from them. Look at some other things that God's doing all over the world.

  13. And then we're going to have some time of prayer that we're going to be able to go back and pray

  14. for all of our missionary partners. But because of where this man and his wife serve, as they share

  15. that with you guys this evening, there might be some questions. And so after all of this is done,

  16. we're going to head over into building two tonight in room 200 and gather in there in a little

  17. smaller setting for a Q&A time with them. And so I want to ask you to be there, to be a part of this

  18. and hear all that God is doing. I'm sure you are going to be extremely blessed to hear all that God

  19. is working and that God is doing. I also hope as we go through, I think, I believe we're in our last

  20. two weeks of going through the Psalm series. I hope it's been a refreshing series for you. I want to

  21. share my thank you for Burger and the band and all those that each week are working really hard to

  22. take these Psalms and learn them and put them to music and to perform them and to lead us in worship

  23. and all those. It's been a wonderful blessing. I do want to put a little bit of pressure on him.

  24. I'll just say this. I've been waiting for this Psalm 90 song since we got started, right? One of my

  25. favorite songs of worship is found in this. And I heard them playing it this morning and it is,

  26. it is powerful. And so I'm looking, looking forward to that. My wife pointed out a bit of irony to me

  27. a couple of weeks ago, and I didn't realize this. She said, we were done with church service and we

  28. were getting ready to do what all Southern Baptists do after worship. We were headed to a Mexican

  29. restaurant. And she said, she said, how many more weeks are we in this series? And I gave her the wrong

  30. number. I don't remember what I told her, but it wasn't right. And so she said, oh, okay. And I said, why?

  31. And she said, it just feels like whatever Psalm you're preaching out of, we walk through that

  32. week. And I hadn't really realized that. And she's right. And this Psalm that we're going to look at

  33. this morning, Psalm 90, I'm just going to tell you, like, I feel like I've been up to my eyeballs

  34. in it this week. And in that, when we say that sometimes, that means it's been difficult and it's

  35. been difficult, but we're reminded of God's goodness in that. God's goodness in the difficulty.

  36. And so as we go through this morning, that's what we're here to celebrate. That's what we're here

  37. for all he is and all that he has done. And so as we look at this, so Psalm 90, a little bit of

  38. information about it, even though it is Psalm 90 and not Psalm one, it is the oldest Psalm that

  39. theologians believe that was written. And they believe it was the oldest Psalm because Psalm 90

  40. was written by Moses. If your Bible was like mine before verse one, you'll see a prayer of Moses,

  41. the man of God. And when we think of Moses, most of us don't think of Moses as the poet,

  42. Moses as the writer. But Moses was a great writer. He recorded Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers,

  43. and Deuteronomy as part of his leadership as working under the inspiration of God. And most

  44. people, as well as myself, believe that he wrote Job, which is a poetic themed book as you read

  45. through that. So Moses is a gifted author in what he is doing as he records God's word for his people

  46. and for us today. But this is the only Psalm that he recorded. And so it's significant. It's Moses.

  47. It stands out here. And so I'm excited. And I want to say this, preparing through this this week,

  48. I want to be honest with you, and maybe one day we'll do this, but we could land in an entire series

  49. for two months in Psalm 90 over all the things that Moses is going to work through in the pictures

  50. that he's going to paint for us to wrap our mind around this. So as you're reading through,

  51. I hope what the Holy Spirit is leading in your heart to say, well, why didn't he talk about that?

  52. Why didn't he talk about that? Why didn't he talk about that? Because we'd be here till tonight. All right.

  53. But it is a wonderful, wonderful Psalm. And I'm excited as we as we walk through this together. Now,

  54. there's going to be some kind of thematic drama that unfolds throughout Psalm 90. And what's going

  55. to kind of come into conflict and come into crashes is oftentimes what you and I maybe feel in our heart,

  56. but we don't know how to verbalize it. And what we're going to feel in this is, and in the life of

  57. a Christian, we should feel this, that you and I oftentimes live in a world where opposites collide

  58. in our faith. The practicality of the world that we live in and even the decisions and the choices

  59. that we make sometime coming to collide with the reality of who God is and what we believe to be true

  60. and what we know to be true. And some of those are like the eternal nature of God always was,

  61. always is, and always will be. And the finite nature and the finite being of you and I here on

  62. this earth, right? We all have a birthday. And we all have a day when we will pass.

  63. God's not going to be destroyed, but yet the frailty of you and I and who we are.

  64. Maybe even more importantly, and the one that we struggle with the most,

  65. the holiness of God and the sinfulness of man.

  66. Right? Even though we know what God has for us, we know what God has called us to,

  67. we know the standard, we know what Christ died for, and what the Holy Spirit is beginning to do in us,

  68. we still have that conflict that's within us that Paul writes about where he says like,

  69. I know what I need to do, but yet there's this peace that's in me that drives me to want to do

  70. something else that's not glorifying to the Lord. And so as you read through Psalm 90, you're going to

  71. see this conflicting peace that comes through of the eternal, holy, perfect nature of who God is,

  72. but yet this broken reality that you and I still live in as we navigate and go through this. So let's go

  73. ahead and dive on in. Let's start reading Psalm 90 verses 1 and 2. Moses writes, and he says,

    Psalms 90:1

  74. Well, we're not entirely sure when Moses wrote this, but we do think that it was looking back at a later

  75. year of his life and looking back, kind of like what we read about David a few weeks ago in the 23rd Psalm.

  76. And so we're kind of seeing this piece of a man who sought the Lord and was obedient to the Lord,

  77. but had his own struggles and his issues in looking back into life. And so again, there's that picture

  78. painted of the elderly, wisdom-filled follower of God looking at those that, and to impart some wisdom

  79. on what life looks at when it's lived with the Lord in a life that glorifies God. So this is what we

  80. begin to see here. And what I want us to look at or draw from this in Psalm 90 verses 1 and 2 is that

    Psalms 90:1

  81. in this life for you and I of what it means to walk with the Lord is this, travelers that abide.

  82. Travelers that abide. I love to go on trips. I love to go on vacations. I love to go on road trips.

  83. My wife, she's not necessarily a road trip kind of person. Like 45 minutes, she's ready to get out of

  84. the car. Maybe you're like that. Like, I like to get in and go, and we'll figure it out as we go.

  85. But I love to go on trips. Now, I got to think about this week, though. I've been on some really

  86. great trips, but I've been on some really bad trips too, right? Where everything seems to fall

  87. apart. So I ask myself, what's the worst road trip that I've ever been on? I want you to think,

  88. what's the worst road trip you've ever been on? I want to take you back to mind, my worst road trip

  89. I've ever been on was in 1992. My aunt and uncle lived in Miami, Florida, and we were going to go

  90. spend spring break down in Miami, Florida. And you're like, I don't know what's wrong with that at this

  91. point in time, right? Well, my grandparents were going. It was my grandparents, my aunt, my sister,

  92. myself, and their pet poodle, Ginger. And we all loaded up in North Augusta, South Carolina into my

  93. granddad's Cutlass and made the drive from North Augusta to Miami, Florida. Now, I think if you

  94. jumped on Google Maps right now, that trip is going to take you somewhere around 10, 11, 12 hours. We got

  95. in the car at North Augusta before the sun came up. And 15 hours later, we got to Miami, Florida, as my

  96. granddad refused to go over 50 miles an hour on the interstate with no radio, all right? That wasn't the

  97. worst. Do you remember that dog? Ginger was in the back seat. Ginger doesn't like to ride in cars.

  98. Ginger gets nervous riding in cars. And for 15 hours, that dog whined and whimpered and paced

  99. across that back seat. There was no taking a nap. There was no anything that was going to happen.

  100. And by the time we got out of that car, it was the begging for my parents to fly me back

  101. from Miami to North Augusta, right? Worst trip that I've ever been on, right? But I've been

  102. on a lot of good ones as well. And you and I, as we live this life, what scripture points us to

  103. is that we're on a journey. We're on a journey from birth to death. And then in Christ, we're on a

  104. journey from death to eternity. And the reality is that it's not an easy journey.

  105. It's got its ups and its downs and it's in-betweens. Moses is a guy who knows about journeys, amen, right?

  106. For 80 years of his life, he lived in a somewhat settled life. Can't jump back into all of the

  107. details. I'm going to spend 40 years leading a nation of people from slavery to wandered in the

  108. desert for 40 years. And I can imagine it was tough. I can imagine it was difficult. I can imagine it was

  109. frustrating. I can imagine as you read through his writing, you see the stories, you begin to

  110. understand that it was filled with depression and regrets and anxiety. But Moses, as he looks back

  111. on this in verse one, does not begin with a complaint, but he says, Lord, you have been our dwelling place

  112. in all generations. Now when Moses uses this word dwelling, it should bring us to a word or a thought

  113. that we've been using and we've been reading in the Psalms over the last few weeks, this word

  114. refuge, right? We've talked about that, that God is our tower, that he is our refuge, that he is a place

  115. that we can go in. And there seems to be some parallel nature in these two. And there are, but there's some

  116. differences as well. That in the refuge is a place to go and the difficulties. You didn't live in the

  117. tower, you would refuge in the tower. It's where you would go in hardships and it's where you would go

  118. in struggles. But the dwelling place is where you would go to find life and to live. That in the dwelling

  119. place is where home would be. John writes in 1 John chapter 2 verse 4, he says, whoever says I know him

    1 John 2:4

  120. but does not keep his commandments is a liar and the truth is not in him. But whoever keeps his word

  121. in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him. Whoever abides in him

  122. ought to walk in the same way in which he walked. This nature of dwelling, of finding life, of who we are,

  123. it is found in dwelling in the Lord. Now, John knows what he's talking about with this. He's seen this

  124. taught. He's heard this concept of abiding was important to Christ and it carries on in that

  125. meaning for John. And as he communicates for this, it's this concept of knowing Jesus is what it means

  126. to abide, but also remaining in Jesus is what it means as well. And John would have heard this in John

    John 15 chapter mention

  127. chapter 15. Jesus says, I am the true vine and my father is the vine dresser. Every branch in me that

  128. does not bear fruit, he takes away and every branch that does bear fruit, he prunes that it may bear

  129. more fruit. Already you are clean because of the word that I've spoken to you. Abide in me and I in you as

  130. the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you

  131. abide in me. I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that

  132. bears much fruit. For apart from me, you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in me, he is thrown

  133. away like a branch and withers and the branches are gathered thrown in the fire and burned. But if you

  134. abide in me and my words abide in you, whatever you wish and it will be done for you. By this my father

  135. is glorified that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples. As the father has loved me,

  136. so I've loved you. Abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love just as I

  137. have kept my father's commandments and abide in this in his love. These things I've spoken to you

  138. that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be full. Again, another passage of scripture we could

  139. we could spend weeks on. But the connection points are clear in here. But in this life, on this journey,

  140. drawing life from Jesus is essential. That the branches, where do they get life from? They

  141. get life from the vine. And a branch only bears fruit. It only finds purpose. It only bears what it

  142. needs to do when it's attached to the vine. So I want to ask you a question as you're going through this

  143. life as you're going through this life as you're going on this journey. As you hear the words of Moses that says,

  144. for generations, our dwelling is in you. And you hear Jesus abide in me as I abide in you.

  145. The question I want to ask is, what are you trying to draw life from?

  146. What are you trying to cling to and attach yourself in the hopes that from this can be where you find life and find hope

  147. and find meaning and find purpose and find satisfaction?

  148. Where are you trying to draw life from? Because here's what I find.

  149. That you and I oftentimes try to attach ourselves to things that look like they'll give life.

  150. But like us, they'll fade. Like us, they'll end. Like us, their time has been set. And in that life cannot

  151. be drawn from them. You know, I like to look at it this way.

  152. Things of this world can scratch itches. You know, you get that itch on your shoulder, that itch on your

  153. back. And you just need someone just to come in and get that for you. And you can't quite reach it.

  154. And so they do that for you. But then the next day, what happens? It comes back again.

  155. And it comes back again. And it comes back again. And you and I are constantly trying to

  156. attach ourselves and find life from something that just scratches an itch.

  157. But the next day we'll be right back where we were. And that can never offer the lasting satisfaction of

  158. Christ. Do you remember the largest complaint that the Israelites had to Moses and to God?

  159. That if God was just going to lead them into the desert to die, that we should have just stayed in

  160. Egypt. Even though God was providing, even though God was taking care, even though God was doing all

  161. that he said he would do in that world, they're only focused on the momentary afflictions that

  162. they're seeing and that they're experiencing. And in that, they're missing the whole peace that God is

  163. working and moving in his faithfulness. Because the truth is, God didn't lead them into the desert to die.

  164. And our tendency in your life and mine is to look around and to see the things of this world that

  165. create itches all over us, the things of this world that create the uncomfortable moments of

  166. suffering in this, and think, but I've done all of this. If I'm doing this, then God, what is the point?

  167. I should have stayed where I was. But just as God didn't lead them into the desert to die,

  168. God didn't bring you and lead you to where you are to die either. He brought them into the desert

  169. so that they could learn to abide. And he's taken you and I through this journey of life so that we

  170. could learn to abide in him, to trust him, to put our faith in him, and that in that we would know him

  171. and remain in him. Church, he provided for Israel and he provides for you too. And as he provides

  172. in the midst of the storm, as he provides in the midst of the journey, what he gives us in his grace and his

  173. kindness is not the reward in full that we can see here, but is the glimpses of it. And he's faithful.

  174. For Israel, it was the promised land. And for you and I, it's the eternity with Christ. And that's what it

  175. looks like to abide in him. Let's keep reading in verse 3 of Psalm 90. Moses continues on. He says,

  176. You return man to dust and say, return, O children of man. For a thousand years in your sight are but as

  177. yesterday when it is past, or as a watch in the night. You sweep them away as with a flood. You're

  178. like a dream, like grass that is renewed in the morning. In the morning it flourishes and is renewed,

  179. and in the evening it fades and withers. For we are brought to an end by your anger. By your wrath we are

  180. dismayed. You have set our iniquities before you, our secret sin in the light of your presence. For all our

  181. days pass away under your wrath. We bring our years to an end like a sigh. The years of our life are 70, or

  182. even by reason of strength 80. Yet their span is but toil and trouble. They are soon gone and we fly away.

  183. Who considers the power of your anger and your wrath according to the fear of you? So teach us to number

  184. our days that we may get a heart of wisdom. Next one that I want us to look at is this. It's being

  185. stewards of time. Being stewards of time. As we look at this passage of scripture, a complicated passage in

  186. these nine or ten verses, there's just some things I want us to be able to pull from. Reminders for

  187. most of us, if not all of us, but set in a context of who God is and what God has for you. And the first

  188. one is this, life is brief, make the best of it. Life is brief, make the best of it. Now this isn't a careless,

  189. reckless abandonment of responsibility, but this is making sure that we're investing and that we're doing in what

  190. matters in our life. Look at verse four. Moses writes, he says, for a thousand years in your sight are but as

  191. yesterday when it is past or as a watch in the night. So Moses gives two descriptions here to remind the people and to

  192. remind us that in the scope of humanity, our lives are brief. Your life's brief. My life is brief. The first one that he

  193. says, he says, he says, you know, like in the scope of eternity, that a thousand years are like a day.

  194. A day. But it's not enough. It's like he, he doubles down on it and he says, well, well, it's like this, that, that

  195. life, he says, like a thousand years is like a watch in the night, which was four hours.

  196. That's what it's like. That you and I, our life is here, but just for a moment. And what's brought

  197. into that is the harsh reality of death. Genesis 3, 19. In the description of this life, by the sweat

  198. of your face, you shall eat bread till you return to the ground, right? For out of it, you were taken

  199. for you are dust and to dust you shall return. Not really like the really feel good ones that you

  200. want to throw on your bumper sticker in your car, right? But Moses says that this is the reality for

  201. us, that this is coming, that our life is brief. It's but a moment. He says that when death comes,

  202. when this happens, it's like sweeping it away like a flood. It's like the grass that comes up in the

  203. morning, but then the cool coldness of, of night, it destroys it. And you'll have to come back the

  204. next day. That that is what it is. Believe this, when you leave your job, there will be someone there

  205. the next day. When you leave your house, there will be someone there the next day. But in the course of

  206. this, that our life is just moving from moment to moment, whether you live 10 years or a hundred years,

  207. it's like, but a second in the scope of eternity. So here's the challenging for this. End this with

  208. your life being brief. What are you doing with it? Are you making every moment count?

  209. Not this Moses, but this Moses over here, right? Make sure we're, we were talking this morning. If I

  210. told you that me and this Moses were talking this morning, we'd have some theological issues,

  211. right? So me and this Moses were, we're talking this morning and he was sharing with me about a

  212. friend of his that passed away this weekend. And we were talking about it and we were saying,

  213. we're talking about looking back on those who were there. And we, we sometimes think within this

  214. life there's always tomorrow, right? But tomorrow is not promised. So what are we doing with today?

  215. What are we doing with today? And what are we doing with today with things that matter?

  216. What are we doing today with things that mold and shape history and eternity? That put the ripples

  217. in the water that write the words onto the page for God's glory and for his kingdom. This life is brief.

  218. Are we doing what we can do to make the most of this for the glory of God? But also while life is brief,

  219. life is difficult. And maybe you're going through a season right now that feels like eternity. Amen?

  220. Life is difficult. Use it to grow. In verses 7 through 11, Moses reflects back on a time in Israel's

  221. journey when the nation refused to obey God and entered the promised land. A foolish decision that

  222. led to four decades of wandering in the desert. And you could look at that and say, what a waste of time.

  223. What a waste of useless difficulties that you had to walk through. But God said this,

  224. watch what I'm going to do that in this time, in this season of difficulty, that you're going to walk

  225. through and the consequences of what you've done and the consequences of what others done and the

  226. brokenness of this world. You're not ready. We're going to take you through this process. So those of

  227. you who were 20, when this happened, you'll be 60 when you walk into the promised land and watch what's

  228. going to happen in this. Then I'm going to use all of this time to take you and to use you and to grow you

  229. and to build you. Because for God, there's not a wasted moment.

  230. And we're living in that reality. Yesterday, we loaded up and we headed back to Jackson, South Carolina to get

  231. some family pictures taken. And the guy that was taking our pictures there with my wife's whole family used to

  232. serve on staff with him at another church. And as we were walking back, he's now into photography. He's really excited.

  233. The Associated Press just picked him up to do that. So now he literally gets paid to go to Carolina and

  234. Clemson athletic events and take pictures. Man, he's living his dream now, right? But as we're headed back to the car,

  235. we began to talk about our past together. We talked about the life that we lived when we worked together

  236. and ministered together. We talked about the good and the bad, the easy and the difficult. And then we had a journey

  237. back to Lexington. And I was thinking about those of all of that, the stuff we talked about, the stuff we shared,

  238. and the stuff that we didn't. And at the end of it, with Psalm 90 on my heart, reminded me of the goodness of

  239. God that he took all of those things. The good, the bad, the easy, the difficult to grow me. I'm going to borrow a

  240. cheesy illustration from our culture, but I think it rings true in our walk with the Lord. When difficulties of life

  241. come, when we face struggles, they're going to change us. We can either let them grow us and grow us bitter,

  242. or we can let them grow us and grow us better. To allow God to work and to move in them so that we're

  243. more like Christ. I love that last verse, verse 12 there, that when you and I, when we are reminded

  244. that our life is temporary, that it's brief, that we live this life to matter for the sake of the

  245. kingdom, Moses says, so teach us to number our days, that we may get a heart of wisdom. We may get a

  246. heart of wisdom. That God, when I'm reminded by that my time here is minimal, that my time here is but

  247. just for a moment, but I live it for your name and for your glory and for your goodness and the

  248. struggles and the good and the bad, that every day, every moment is another opportunity to glorify your

  249. name. Because it's not that tomorrow isn't promised. It's that this next moment is.

  250. So teach us to number our days, that we may get a heart of wisdom. Let's wrap up. Start in verse 13.

  251. Moses writes, I can hear the cry of my heart right now. Return, O Lord. How long have pity on your

  252. servants? Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.

  253. Make us glad for as many days as you have afflicted us and for as many years as we have seen evil. Let your work be shown to your servants and your glorious power to their children. Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us and establish the work of your hands upon us. Yes, establish the work of our hands.

  254. Lastly, we're going to close in this. As we move from moment to moment, day by day, as the seasons of life change,

  255. return, O Lord, how long have pity on your servants? Another cliche expression, right? Is the grass isn't always greener on the other side. Growing up, that was something my mom had to remind me of daily.

  256. Well, did you know so-and-so had this? Did you know so-and-so had this? And then I was that kid, right? Well, I wish I was their kid, right? And my mom, who always knew more than I knew, would throw it back to me.

  257. You know, the grass isn't always greener on the other side. And in this life, and in this life, there's no greater truth of that. But I want to say this. When it comes to eternity, the grass is greener.

  258. The grass is better. The grass is perfect. That in this, in the brokenness of this, so the cry of our heart and the brokenness of the world is, return, O Lord, as we go through this life.

  259. Paul writes in Romans 8, 18,

  260. For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.

  261. That as we walk through the struggles, as we walk through the pain, as we walk through the sufferings of this world, they pale in comparison to what awaits.

  262. This past week, it feels like it's becoming all too of a consistent pattern of my week.

  263. We had a funeral here.

  264. And as we were concluding the service, I said, I want you guys to think of something.

  265. And I would like for you this morning to think of this as well.

  266. I want you to think of the things of this world that bring you pain and hurt and suffering.

  267. And tears and anxiety and anger and hatred.

  268. I want you to think of them.

  269. All that's broken.

  270. All that's busted.

  271. All that is corrupted by sin.

  272. All the sufferings of this present time.

  273. And then in those things that conflict us from time to time because we can't fully wrap our minds around them.

  274. Wrestle with in eternity, they're gone.

  275. They're gone.

  276. There's no more abuse.

  277. There's no more hurt.

  278. There's no more death.

  279. There's no more sickness.

  280. There's no more loss.

  281. It's all gone.

  282. For I consider that the sufferings of this present time, Paul says, are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.

  283. Paul will write in 2 Corinthians chapter 4.

    2 Corinthians 4 chapter mention

  284. It's a reset for their mind.

  285. So we do not lose heart.

  286. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day.

  287. I love verse 17.

  288. For this light, momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison.

  289. As we look not to the things that are seen, but to the things that are unseen.

  290. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.

  291. What you're going through right now.

  292. Your loss, your hurt, your pain, your suffering, your sickness, your doubt, your brokenness.

  293. What you're going through right now.

  294. Scripture tells us.

  295. In the scope of eternity is light.

  296. I know it doesn't feel like it.

  297. I know it hurts.

  298. I know you're going through and you're like, man, I don't know how tomorrow I'm going to make it through.

  299. But God's word says it's light.

  300. And it's not wasted.

  301. It's doing something, God's word says.

  302. It's preparing something.

  303. So that sickness, that struggle, that pain, that death, it's working.

  304. And we can't see it.

  305. We can't understand it.

  306. But it's working.

  307. And it's doing something.

  308. And God's in it.

  309. And it's working for us.

  310. An eternal weight of glory that God's word said is beyond all comparison.

  311. So is it better than this?

  312. Yes, it's better than that.

  313. It's better than that thing that's scratching the itch.

  314. It's the eternal weight that is there.

  315. I'll maybe try to end a little wider.

  316. I love this week.

  317. I love this week.

  318. It's Thanksgiving.

  319. That's right.

  320. The week of the year that I'll get to wear stretchy pants.

  321. And I'm going to eat, and I'm going to eat, and I'm going to eat, and I'm going to eat.

  322. And I'll be honest with you, I just love the fact that on Thanksgiving Day, dressing, macaroni, and cheese, and deviled eggs are vegetables, right?

  323. Praise the Lord.

  324. And fried turkey is good white meat for our bodies, all right?

  325. Rejected with butter and hot sauce.

  326. That's just how we roll at the Bradbury house, all right?

  327. And here's what I'll do.

  328. I'll stop eating Wednesday at, like, five, right?

  329. And I'll just let my body condition itself for what's about to happen the next day, all right?

  330. I'll wake up.

  331. My wife will cook breakfast.

  332. It'll be good.

  333. I ain't eating none of it.

  334. It's coffee and water until two o'clock, and then it's on, right?

  335. It is on.

  336. And I'll have to repent for it later, right?

  337. But it is there.

  338. And what I like about it is this.

  339. I try to get as hungry as I can get so that I can understand what it means to be satisfied and full with that meal.

  340. Do you understand that in this life, if we didn't face suffering, we wouldn't understand hope?

  341. That in this life, if we didn't go through light momentary affliction, the eternal weight of glory would not register in us what God wants us to.

  342. And so as you're going through it, as what's creating within you is struggle, is pain, through your tears, through your brokenness, through the hurt, through the loss, through the affliction, cling to the goodness of the glory of God.

  343. And may verse 14 register in your soul, satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days because of him.

  344. Let's pray.

  345. Lord, we come to you this morning with joy in our hearts, not for what surrounds us, but because of what is in us and who we are in.

  346. Lord, I pray that we would cling to and abide in you to recognize that this life is but a journey that we're on.

  347. And what brings us hope, what brings us hope, what brings us hope, what brings us life, what brings us meaning, is not found in all the things that we want to attach ourselves to.

  348. Lord, teach us to count our days, to know that this life is both brief and this life is temporary.

  349. Lord, may from this life, what it create in us is to work for the goodness of your glory in your name.

  350. To make the most of every day that you've blessed us with.

  351. And that in the difficulty, Lord, that we would grow.

  352. That the struggle would produce in us a determination, a love for you.

  353. Lord, but may this world,

  354. can we see this place differently?

  355. Lexington is not our home.

  356. South Carolina is not our home.

  357. The United States is not our home.

  358. This world is not our home.

  359. You are.

  360. You are.

  361. And Lord, for everyone this morning

  362. who's going through affliction.

  363. Lord, it does not feel light.

  364. It feels heavy.

  365. It feels cumbersome.

  366. It feels like we can't take another step.

  367. It feels like it's consuming us.

  368. And Lord, remind us that as we live in this world

  369. filled with opposites,

  370. that as heavy as that feels,

  371. as insurmountable as it feels,

  372. as hurtful as it feels.

  373. Lord, what you are doing,

  374. what you are working,

  375. what you are preparing,

  376. is an eternal weight of glory

  377. beyond all comparison

  378. that makes cancer

  379. and criticism

  380. and death

  381. and destruction

  382. and slander

  383. look microscopic

  384. in the light of eternity.

  385. Lord, satisfy us.

  386. May we be satisfied with you.

  387. And it's in your name we pray.

  388. Amen.

  389. Amen.

  390. We've got prayer encouragers

  391. on either side of our auditorium.

  392. Hear my heart.

  393. I know your affliction

  394. doesn't feel light.

  395. And if you need somebody

  396. to pray with this morning

  397. and they'd love to pray with you,

  398. I'll be right here as well.

  399. I would love to pray with you

  400. as well.

  401. Also, if you're here this morning,

  402. and something is just kind of

  403. stirring in with you,

  404. Moses said whether this is

  405. your first time

  406. or 50th time

  407. or anywhere in between.

  408. Something's stirring.

  409. You don't know what it is.

  410. Something's drawing you

  411. to this Savior

  412. we've been talking about.

  413. We love to talk with you.

  414. We love to pray with you.

  415. We love to share more

  416. about who Jesus is

  417. and why our hope

  418. is found in Him

  419. and in Him alone.

  420. Thanks again for listening

  421. to the Willow Ridge Church

  422. weekly podcast.

  423. We hope that you enjoyed

  424. listening to this week's message.

  425. If you'd like to learn more

  426. about who we are

  427. or explore additional resources,

  428. visit us online

  429. at www.willowridgechurch.com

  430. or by searching

  431. for Willow Ridge Church

  432. on Facebook and Instagram.