A Holy Contradiction: Wisdom in an Age of Information

Welcome to the Awakening Church podcast.

We exist to awaken this generation to new life in Christ.

Thanks for tuning in.

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I want to invite you to grab a Bible if you got one.

In your living room, we've got them here.

If you've got them in your dorm room or your apartment, wherever you're at, and open to James chapter one.

I want to remind you that as we started this live stream, you know, God is with you.

And I know this week, like it's been crazy.

There's been a lot of chaos.

And sometimes I know when I come to church, when I physically come to church, like I'm I'm reminded that God is with me just because I'm at church.

And it's gonna take another step of maybe imagination and effort for us to realize we actually don't need to step foot anywhere.

God is with us.

And sometimes church just makes it more obvious.

And so we need that moment right now to remind yourself, man, God is with you.

And as you open your Bible, as you open the Word, as you listen here this morning, I just want to remind you to turn your attention to the fact that God is very near to you.

And that to me might be just the thing we need during this season is a reminder that God's with us, that God's present no matter where we are.

As Ryan talked, we're in the middle of a series that actually is really sovereign, we believe.

We believe maybe God led us to this series and we wrestled with do we do this?

Do we take a different route entirely?

And just looking over this passage, I believe God has something for us in the book of James.

And so that's where we are today.

If you've got a Bible, you can turn there to James chapter 1.

James 1 · chapter mention

And we're in the middle of this series called A Holy Contradiction.

And James is a book in your New Testament, and so it's gonna be kind of deep into your New Testament.

If you go to the Peters, you're gonna be a little too far.

Go past Hebrews, and you'll find James sitting in the middle of Hebrews and 1st and 2 Peter.

And you know, this is an interesting subject we come to today because as Ryan mentioned, the subject is wisdom.

And we have really been processing information this whole week, right?

All of us, even, man, as a staff, we've been like emailing articles and updates, and like, did you see what Southwest Airlines did?

And did you see what I mean, companies, other churches?

It's like we're inundated with information.

But one thing I've loved that we've done this week that's been actually a discipline and something really hard to do, but I think a worthwhile discipline, is take in that information and then go, what's the wise thing to do?

Where's wisdom in the midst of this?

And that's where we want to lead you guys, church, is wherever you're at, I I think we don't we don't always think that a ton of information is gonna do us good.

A ton of information sometimes fills us with anxiety.

Maybe that's where you're at today.

Like you've you've just been receiving the Twitter updates, the Google alerts, the push notifications from CNN or wherever you're getting your news from the New York Times, whatever.

It's coming at you.

And instead of it leading you to wise decision making, it's led you to maybe be fearful and filled with anxiety.

And what we hope today is to not inundate you with more information.

We hope to actually give you a way of wisdom.

I think that's kind of the central question we have to think about today.

Is like, is a life of wisdom possible today in the midst of information overload?

In the midst of tons of content coming our way?

Is a life of wisdom possible?

And that's where I think James uh is really, really helpful for us today.

James chapter 1, verse 5.

James 1:5

This is what the scriptures say.

It says, is if any of you lacks wisdom, and in right there, let's just pause and realize we lack wisdom.

We actually have tons of maybe anxiety, and I think one funny thing about this passage is it if we think we don't lack wisdom, we actually lack wisdom.

It's kind of like humility.

It's one of those funny things where it's like, if we say, I'm good on humility, actually we're then filled with pride at that very moment.

And with wisdom, it's the same thing.

It's like, man, if if I think I don't lack wisdom, actually that's the beginning of foolishness.

And so if you're thinking, I I lack wisdom and I'm filled with fear, join join me, because I'm with you.

I I have tons of anxiety through this week.

I've had chaotic information coming through my brain, and I've looked at this and go, if any of you lack wisdom, oh, I'm listening in.

I'm I'm tuning into this passage.

It says, let him ask God if you ask lack wisdom.

This is verse 5.

Who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given to him.

But let him ask in faith, with no doubting.

For the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind.

For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord.

He's double-minded, unstable in all his ways.

This verse is kind of a one-two punch.

It's like the first thing is like this encouraging word.

If you lack wisdom, ask God.

And then the second half is like, oh, and don't doubt because you'll be unstable, double-minded, really, really strong words.

I want to give you three thoughts that will lead us to wisdom today.

I want to talk about the founder of wisdom, the enemy of wisdom, and the key to wisdom.

The founder, the enemy, the key.

First, the founder of wisdom.

I love that this passage starts out.

It says, if you lack wisdom, like we said, we're all raising our hands.

It says, ask God.

Ask God.

So I love when Bible verses, it's like, let's just stop there and we can just obey that for today.

Like that in and of itself, we could sign off here and all of us could maybe grow, right?

All of us could kind of take a step forward in our faith.

If we just ended the broadcast by going, we lack wisdom, let's ask God.

There's enough for us just there.

Now keep tuning in because we have more to talk about.

But man, that should give us enough to chew on.

Is that God is the founder of wisdom.

When we look at who's the author, who's the perfecter, who's the one, who's the all-wise one, we have that to our advantage.

We can ask God.

We are free to ask him for wisdom.

Wherever you're at today, you can ask God for wisdom.

I think this is especially prevalent in our time because I think most of us are asking Google.

Most of us are asking Twitter.

Most of us are asking our push notifications.

We're looking at our phone and we're going, give me wisdom.

How do I handle this virus?

How do I handle my family?

My kids, I just got a push notification.

My kids' school is canceled for a couple weeks.

What do I do?

Google that.

What do you do for with your kids for three weeks while they're stuck at home?

Like these are the things we want to search, these are the things we want to, we want to seek wisdom from an algorithm.

Or we want to seek wisdom from ourselves.

We kind of go into our own spiral of a panic, right?

We're like, okay, think through plan A, B, C, D, E.

And by the time we're at E or F, then we go, maybe I should pray, or maybe I should consult a wise friend.

But by the time we're down that road, we've lost who the founder of wisdom is.

And James says, if today you lack it, right now what you can do is actually say, God, it's very simple prayer.

God, grant me wisdom.

It's that simple.

God, grant me wisdom.

Give me the wisdom I need.

Look at what Proverbs 9:10 says.

Proverbs 9:10

It says, the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.

That's a famous passage you may have heard before.

And you might think, what does that mean?

Well, it means a reverence beneath the Lord.

It's an ability to put yourself under the Lord and say, I respect you, and I actually want your ways more than my ways.

And same way that like uh you look at somebody who's really wise or somebody more experienced in your profession, you have a kind of fear around them, a reverence before them that you would seek their wisdom.

And Proverbs says, right when you do that, when you submit yourself under God, you look at that and you go, that's the beginning of wisdom.

Like you're just starting wisdom right there.

Proverbs 2, 6 says, the Lord gives wisdom.

From his mouth comes knowledge and understanding.

From his mouth comes knowledge and understanding.

He is the author, he's the founder of wisdom.

That's why James tells you to ask him, instead of asking Google, instead of going to your phone, simply take that step before you get yourself informed and take the wisdom from God and then approach the information.

I remember somebody telling me a long time ago, Chris, seek the face of God before you seek the face of man.

Just get that order first.

Say, God, I need wisdom, and then look at the news.

God, I need wisdom, and then check the email.

Because when we check the email and we get in the spiral of our Twitter feeds and the algorithms, we we get lost and we get filled with anxiety.

I think when we come to that with a heart of wisdom, we'll be found to be blessed.

James was writing to a predominantly Jewish audience.

We talked about this last week in our sermon series.

He was writing to the dispersion, which was mainly Jewish Christians.

Although he was writing to all Christians, he was a pastor in Jerusalem, tons of Jewish people.

And the Jewish people were saturated with the Old Testament, right?

And as Christians, we should be as well.

And so they not only thought about Proverbs with these verses I shared with Proverbs, but I can almost guarantee that when a Jewish reader would have read this, if you lack wisdom, let him ask God.

He actually would have thought of Solomon.

Because Solomon was the person in the Old Testament who asked God for wisdom.

Actually, he was granted the beginning of his reign as king.

He's the son of David, David, the most famous Old Testament figure, probably, one of the most famous Old Testament figures, a king.

His son is Solomon.

He's about to start his reign as king.

God says, Ask me for anything.

And Solomon chooses wisdom.

He says, I need wisdom.

He says in 1 Kings 3 9, at the beginning of his reign, it says, Give your servant therefore an understanding mind to govern your people.

That I may discern between good and evil, for who is able to govern this, your great people.

You know, on our own little level here at Awakening, I found us practicing this, even though we're not in government, we're in leadership.

And we were praying verses like this, going, God, who can lead this church?

We need your wisdom for how to navigate these chaotic times.

What are you over?

Your family?

Maybe you have influence at your work?

Do you pray like Solomon and say, man, of all the things you could ask for from God, or could you ask for wisdom?

Solomon is widely considered the wisest man who ever lived.

He published works of wisdom like Proverbs and Ecclesiastes that are classics in and of themselves, let alone holy scripture.

They're classics of wisdom literature.

And he started the biggest moment of his life, stepping into the biggest season of leadership, and he said, I need wisdom.

And so again, the simple question is, do you need wisdom?

And have you ever asked God for wisdom?

Because I think for some of us we could quickly skirt over this and go, Yeah, I've asked God for wisdom.

But I actually don't want to assume that some of you out there have never even turned to God and made this specific request.

Maybe you've asked for a relationship, maybe you asked for a career, maybe you've asked for provision, all great things to ask God.

Ask God for all the things that you need.

But I wonder if in our asking of God, we've actually missed this and we just haven't actually stopped and said, God, grant me wisdom.

We need God in the chaos of information, in the chaos of trouble, we need God's wisdom.

But, you know, right then, again, James says, he uh in verse, in the next verse in verse 6, he says, but let him ask in faith.

And he actually approaches this and says, I want you to ask God, but beware.

There's an enemy of wisdom.

That's the second thing.

Founder of wisdom, and then the enemy of wisdom.

There's actually kind of a barrier to entry.

James says, let him ask in faith with no doubting.

He has these strong words.

I told you this is kind of a one-two punch of a passage.

He said, calls the person who would doubt double-minded, unstable in all his ways.

Gives the metaphor of somebody being tossed to and fro like waves.

You know, I'm convinced a lot of us want to be wise.

And if I were to ask you straight up, like, do you want wisdom?

You would say yes.

But James says, beware of lying to yourself.

Beware of asking for something that you are closing yourself off to at the same time.

Doubt, when we think about it, you think about that word, I think modern Americans and modern Western people, we often think it's like intellectual doubt.

It's the intellectual uncertainty that is God real or is God not real?

And that's one level of doubt for sure.

But when the Bible talks about this, the word is more about an inner conflict.

I would define it as the inner conflict of loyalty resulting in a lack of trust in God.

It's an inner conflict of our loyalties.

In fact, the word itself in the Greek is Diacrino, and the the Greek scholar Douglas Mu, he says he would actually decide uh kind of use the translation to dispute within oneself.

Have you ever disputed within yourself?

You almost feel like you have two minds.

This is what he's talking about.

This is what he's talking about, this doubt.

And maybe that's where you're at today is like you want to believe God is good.

You want to believe God will be with us through this chaos of this virus, but there's this other side of you that's like, I don't know if he'll be there.

And I want to say, if that's that's you, that's okay.

And while these are strong words, I think that there's a moment for us to reflect on learning from this passage and going, how can we move from this double-mindedness, this dispute from within oneself, and move from what James would call doubt to faith.

You know, the Bible, it's really beautiful.

Uh, in Jude 1.22, it says, have mercy on those who doubt.

Have mercy on those who doubt.

And so I think if if you're doubting, the Bible's saying, yes, it's double-mindedness, it's unstable, but the Bible's also saying there's mercy for you.

You know, and even when Jesus was um giving his great commission, it actually reports that some were worshiping and some were doubting.

And he gave his great commission, go and make disciples to the people worshiping and raising their hands and the people going, I don't know, I have this inner conflict.

And Jesus says to both of those people, go and make disciples.

That's not an intellectual uncertainty, that's a divided loyalty, and Jesus has grace for that, and the church has grace for that, and we have to have grace for that because we've all been there.

I myself this week have wrestled, even studying this passage, with an inner conflict of loyalty.

Like this is where we live as human beings.

And have you ever been there?

Have you ever been double-minded with God?

Have you ever been unstable?

Well, I love that James kind of shows us that there's a route out of that, there's a route towards faith, but I want to give a couple of things I know I've wrestled with in my life when it comes to double-mindedness with God.

Like kind of signs where I've seen that conflict of loyalty that'll kind of help you maybe navigate some of this.

The first is that I tend to do one-sided prayers.

And I think maybe some of you have experienced this before.

You pray and then you don't listen.

You just speak to God and you don't receive from God.

Maybe that's been you this week, right?

I'm driving, you're realizing your school, your kids' school's canceled, your classes are canceled to college, and you're throwing up prayers left and right, but you're not taking the time to pause and to receive and to listen.

And I just wonder, you know, could there be the two-sided prayers that we move towards?

The one-sided prayer, we tend to not want to know the answer, right?

We're just like, God, I need this, I need that, but I'm gonna shut myself off.

Uh, I'm not gonna sit in silence.

Remember, silence is a discipline uh in Christianity.

It's actually this beautiful like way that we just pause, we we try to just fill our minds with God's word and allow him to speak to us.

And so, how this week, maybe even as we worship in the close of this passage, um, in the close of this broadcast, like maybe you just need to pause and say, Lord, I just want to listen to you.

Because I don't want to have a one-sided prayer.

Another way I see this is like a God as a consultant.

I treat God as a consultant.

That that makes me think I'm double-minded or that I'm doubting.

What I mean by that is he's a consultant, he's not a Lord.

So he sits on my board, right?

Maybe he has two votes or something like that.

I give him like a little bit more, but also on my board is my my my career aspirations, right?

My fear.

I have fear is a good board member.

You know, he governs and helps me make decisions, right?

And we have this board, and Jesus is one of those, and his word is one of those, but he's a consultant, he's a board member of many votes, as opposed to what he claims to be for us, which is Lord, Master, King, that his way is the way we follow.

And to be single-minded in our obedience is to listen to the word of God and to practice it and to do it and to receive it.

And I know I tend to do this when I already know the answer.

Do you know what I mean?

I already I'm praying to God and I already know what he wants to say to me, but I I isolate him as a board member so that I can have the other voices speak, and then I can kind of weigh it and be like, uh, it's looking like fear and my, you know, family life and all these other things.

They they want to govern a different way than Jesus, so I'm gonna take their votes instead of Jesus' vote.

Not realizing this, that Jesus wants your good for all of those areas, right?

It's not like he's in opposition to these areas, it's actually that in following his loving kindness and his word will lead us into a life abundant, he calls it, right?

A life that is truly, truly abundant.

I think the last way I see doubt surface is through hesitant obedience.

It's second guessing what God clearly commands.

And I've spoken a little bit about this before and written about it, but it's just putting a question mark where God has placed a period.

And I think that's when I feel doubt.

Again, this is doubt that scripture's talking about that's not intellectual uncertainty.

It's doubt that's talking about a lack of trust.

And I think when I think about that kind of doubt, that unstableness, that double-mindedness, it's when I hear God say something and there's a period at the end of it, and I just draw that question mark just right above it, right?

Where have you done that, right?

God says, forgive one another, period.

All I have to do is just go, forgive him?

Really, him?

And just put the question mark, right?

God says, pray.

God says, ask me for wisdom.

We say, ask God for wisdom?

The one I can't see, the one I can't always hear, the one that is hard to know sometimes, because like it's way easier for me to just type it into my phone.

To just, well, that hesitancy, I think, is is a common trick our mind does, but I I legitimately believe God's enemy does that to us so much.

He just wants us to speak like, did God really say that?

He did this in Genesis 3.

If you've read the the fall, he just did God really mean that?

Does God really say that?

And that can, I think, especially this week, that's a moment a lot of us have maybe had is we're not doubting God's existence, maybe.

Maybe some of you are, but we're really doubting God's goodness.

And it's hard to fill be filled with faith in a time like right now because we see everything happening and we're like, yeah, God's real, but where is he right now?

Or God's real, but how is he being active in life and faith right now?

How is he helping this virus?

How is he helping our leadership of the world?

Like, that's what we're struggling.

That's the double-mindedness.

And when we give one-sided prayers, when we see God as a consultant, these hesitant obedience moments, we're actually moving further and further into doubt.

And this is actually where the right the readers of James would still be thinking about Solomon, strangely.

Is like, I told you, Solomon was this king, he asked for wisdom, God granted him wisdom, and he had moments of incredible wealth and prosperity.

And a couple chapters into his wealth and prosperity, it says that people were coming from all over.

He's visited by a foreign queen from Sheba who praises him, people are bringing him gifts, and all of a sudden he starts to realize things are going pretty well for me right now.

Um, and it's at that moment he turns it, the scriptures say it turns his heart away from the Lord.

It says this in 1 Kings 11 4.

When Solomon was old, uh uh when what for when Solomon was old, his wives turned away his heart after other gods.

When I read about doubt and I read about Solomon in parallel to that, and I see Solomon turn his heart away, as a pastor, I'm concerned for how we might turn our hearts away from the Lord right now and not turn our hearts towards the Lord.

The beauty of this passage is while it may be harsh, to go back to the start of this verse is to see the hope that there is actually a route, not away like Solomon turning his heart away from the Lord.

There's a route to turn our hearts back to the Lord.

And that's the key to wisdom.

That's the final point here is the key to wisdom is the fear of the Lord, like Proverbs 9 says.

The fear of the Lord is the key to wisdom, faith is the key to wisdom.

What Solomon did was not uh have this moment of wisdom and then he just became foolish.

He had this moment of wisdom and he turned his heart away from the Lord and then he became foolish.

And my pastoral kind of heart for us this morning is that we would not see this season and this incredibly chaotic time as a season to turn away our hearts from the Lord, but to see it as a season to turn our hearts towards the Lord.

Look at what James says in in back at that first verse, James chapter 1, verse 5, if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, and look at this who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given to him.

James 1:5

Wherever you are, in whatever season you are, if you are doubting, if you have intellectual uncertainty, if your heart is divided against God, or if you're holding on to hope and you're holding on to faith, wherever we're at, our move today as Christians is to turn our hearts back to God in faith and realize the battle for our souls today is not about God's existence so much as it is about God's trustworthiness, his goodness.

And what will separate Christians right now, I believe, is not people who say God exists, but who say God is good.

God is good and he's trustworthy.

And things may not go better from here on out.

We don't know.

Things may be more chaotic from here on out.

We we actually don't know.

We're uncertain about those things.

But we are certain that God will be with us, God will give us wisdom, God will provide for us, and God will be present in the midst of our pain.

That's what we hang our hat on.

That's what's absolutely certain right now.

And to me, that's actually the key to wisdom is that faith.

When James says, but let him ask in faith, see, we think faith means really, really believing something.

And doubt means really, really not believing in that thing.

That's not how the Bible categorizes faith and doubt.

Faith is not really super duper believing something, and doubt being really super duper not believing in something.

Faith is actually the opposite of the doubt I talked about earlier.

Faith is the wholehearted trust and loyalty to God and his commands.

It's taking the double-mindedness and going to God with it.

So here's what I mean.

Here's an act of faith today.

An act of faith today is telling God that you're doubting.

An act of faith today, the key to wisdom, is to go to God with your double-mindedness, to go to God with your two-heartedness, to go to God with a divided soul and tell him.

Say, God, I'm having trouble trusting you.

Strangely, see, we wouldn't think that to be faith, but that is biblical faith, is going to God with the condition of our life.

And if the condition of your life is anxiety, doubt, double-mindedness, don't ignore James's command.

Ask God.

God graciously gives.

Faith is rewarded.

This is the passage in Hebrews that I love.

It says that he, God, rewards those who earnestly seek him.

I just think that that's a word for us right now is that whatever the condition of our heart is, is to go back to God.

Because again, the story of Solomon unfortunately ends with a man who turns his heart away in doubt, spirals down into continual mistrust of God and his ways.

And what is on my heart above anything else is for us to be people of faith.

And again, hear me carefully.

I don't mean super duper believing something and being the Christians who are like, everything's gonna be great.

That's actually not wisdom.

Wisdom sits and goes, you know, things can get really bad in this world.

And we can quote Jesus who said, like, in this life you will have trouble.

He says, but take heart, because I have overcome the world.

Christians do not live completely ignorant of terrible things.

Christians do not discard terrible things.

Christians say, in this world you have trouble, and Jesus has overcome the world.

And we live with both of those things in our hands.

We live with faith and doubt.

And we don't just have this idea that we have to be perfect and present ourselves perfect to God.

A moment of faith, a move of faith for you right now, a turning of your heart towards Jesus would be God, I'm wrestling, I'm struggling, I'm divided, I need your wisdom.

I need your wisdom and I need faith right now.

God can be trusted.

God is trustworthy with your heart.

That might be the most revolutionary thing that Christians can do during this time of the virus is to simply be people who say, God can be trusted.

Here's where I want to end.

Because when I say that, I still believe there's a lot of us that go, Well, how can I be sure about that?

How can I be sure that God can be trusted?

I want to say that.

I can make that move to tell God I'm not trusting him, but how can I trust God with my doubt?

How can we be sure that God will give us wisdom?

There's this strange but comforting answer in the New Testament that I love.

One of my favorite passages.

It's in 1 Corinthians chapter 1.

1 Corinthians 1 · chapter mention

And Paul is writing to this church in Corinth that is a messy church.

Certainly doubters in this church, certainly divided hearts in this church, just like awakening.

You know, there's there's divided hearts among us right now.

And Paul uses the word wisdom in connection to the gospel.

He says this in 1 Corinthians 1.

Where is the w one who is wise?

Where is the scribe?

Where's the debater of this age?

Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?

For since in the wisdom of God the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe.

Jewish the Jews demand signs, Greeks seek wisdom, but we, Christians, preach Christ crucified.

A stumbling block to Jews and folly to the Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ, the power of God, and the wisdom of God.

For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, the weakness of God is stronger than men.

This passage reminds me that God does not give us wisdom as a principle, but wisdom as a person.

The reason you and I can sit on sure ground today and know that you and I have wisdom from God is not because we will ask him and he'll fire out wisdom principles to us and we'll hear them and then enact them.

He has done that in his word.

We should live wisely in that.

But actually, the security is not in the dictates of God being thrown down from heaven and us receiving tweetable phrases from God and being wise people.

No.

The reason we are sure that God has given us wisdom is because God has given us Jesus.

And Jesus in 1 Corinthians is called the wisdom of God.

Isn't that cool?

It's wisdom personified.

Therefore, the reason you and I have wisdom is not because we filled our minds with Proverbs.

We are wise people because we filled our hearts with the presence of Christ.

Jesus Christ, in relationship with us, through the power of his cross, through the work of his son Jesus, makes God knowable, makes God approachable.

Meaning when we are in chaos like we are right now, we have the presence of Christ in us to help us know what it is we gotta do.

We want information from God sometimes.

We just want him, God, tell me what to do.

And what God has done instead is far better.

And it's better for you, it's better for me.

God has not given us information to enact, he's given us a person to know.

And he's given us Jesus Christ, and he dwells in you if you confess his name.

And this is where some of you might not be Christians today, and you may have never heard of Christianity, or this is your first time experiencing Christianity.

I want you to know that this is what Christianity is.

Christianity is not wise sayings, Christianity is not religious doctrine, Christianity is the reality of Jesus Christ alive in the hearts of all people, that who confess his name, receive him as Lord, and now live with this new guiding person in their life.

Not a guiding principle, but a guiding person who sits above us, enthroned on high, who gives us everything we need for life and godliness and faith, leads us to righteousness and leads us to human flourishing.

And if you do not know Jesus, it's my invitation to you that during this time to make this simple prayer your reality.

God, give me Jesus.

Because when we say, God, give me Jesus, we confess that we need a Lord and a master.

We rid ourselves of our pride and our sin, and we say, God, I can't live life on my own, and I need you.

And by asking God, give me Jesus, strangely, mysteriously, powerfully, God will give you wisdom because he's given you Jesus.

And so let me pray for us right now.

I want you to just pause to reflect on this, to consider what God might have for you.

Wherever you are, just maybe close your eyes and receive from Jesus the wisdom and power of God.

Heavenly Father, we come to you and we ask for Jesus in our midst.

We thank you for providing the cross for us, for providing Jesus for us.

And Father, I pray if there's anyone listening and tuning in who does not know you, that right now, God, you would work in their hearts, and that they, God, would confess they need you, Jesus.

And Father, through this strange new world of digital church, that your spirit would enliven their heart, transform them by the power of your Holy Spirit, God.

Work and will in their life.

God, I pray for those of us that are a divided mind, a divided heart, that in the chaos of information overload, we are doing one-sided prayers, we're hesitantly obedient, obeying you, we're struggling.

God, give us wisdom.

Give us Jesus.

Give us the wisdom from you, God, that comes through the person of Jesus Christ.

And may we be aware that you are with us now, guiding us, protecting us, helping us as we navigate very difficult, difficult times.

We trust you now.

Even in the midst of our doubts, we move our heart towards you with the step of saying, God, help.

God, we need you.

In Jesus' name.

Amen.