When God Is Silent In The Storm

The title is when God is silent in the storm when God is silent in the storm Anybody been there? Well, if you haven't you're going to be there at some point and as they say you're either Going into a storm you're in a storm or you're coming out of a storm and that is really where you are tested My mom used to tell me remind me. I remember even as a little boy that You know, and I'm sure she got it from somewhere else, but she'd remind me that that ships are safest in the harbor But they're not made for the harbor They were made to to weather. That's the storms and I've seen so many Again, I've said before how many people have come through our doors over last we'll be celebrating 15 years You know thousands of people thousands of prayer requests thousands of situations and it's those people who weather the storm That really There's a joy of the Lord in their heart They can minister to people better.

They can pray with people They've got there's just a wisdom about that about them if you have you been around those people it's like they're just dropping Gold truth bombs here. I mean just that wisdom of going through the storm But it's when we back away from the storm We get discouraged is that where that word comes from you're taking away from courage Discouraged and you back away from the storm and you just say I'm throwing in the towel. I quit and A lot of people can stay in that place of spiritual immaturity right there and they don't grow Years go by because God wants us to grow in the storm and I wish I could give you a positive Feel-good Message that the Christian life is just man.

It's like the best thing since homemade sourdough coming out of the oven and It is sometimes I mean, but also it's challenging. I'm just promoting the men's breakfast We've got coming up with with dozens and dozens of loaves of fresh sourdough 300 eggs 110 guys have already signed up for it. I'm sure we're gonna even have more So make sure you're here for that ray I see you thank you for putting helping with that you guys keep this church going I'm just the loudmouth and then I let you guys handle everything else But let's talk about this when God is silent in the storm.

Have you ever been there when God is silent? is My prayers are not going anywhere. That's where that that saying comes from that the heavens are like brass You're not getting any clarity. You're not getting any direction Why am I even praying? I don't sense anything.

I'm not hearing from God. The word is not coming alive I'm in my in my in my strike in accord with anyone Well be encouraged. I live there often.

I Live there often. I want to I want to I'm actually working. I don't know if it'll ever develop into a chapter of a book But when God is silent and how to deal with this and and I'm working on an article Hopefully, I'll have out next week and when I work on articles I'm just sitting there in the morning and God will just start pouring into my heart as I'm reading scripture And it's about being tested and trusting the teacher and how when we go through tests and what God is actually doing in that when you realize it's a test It's a little bit easier to get through it because you know, God's not testing you in a mean way He's testing you in a spiritual growth way, and it's so important and we'll look at Psalm 89 Psalm 89 and so today's promise remember I'm gonna I'm gonna be talking more about standing on the promises of God We've got an image that we'll be sharing on social media soon Today's promise is there is nor no storm too great for God There's no storm too great.

You need to be reminded of that sometimes and I know it's hard We've counseled people who've lost Kids, have you ever you know experience that maybe some of you and it's it's heartbreaking It's there's some storms that we don't under anybody been in a financial storm and you're like what is going on? This is trying my patience. This is testing by My I have a custom a long time and this is this is testing that and and there's just all these in relational things You know, they used to warn us. I'll wait till their teenagers right when the kids and right now we have three and I'm like This is actually pretty exciting.

It hasn't been what everybody said was gonna be so bad Now maybe the future. I don't know but I'm still I'm still holding on to those promises that God will he's their kids really his he's their responsibility. I'm just a steward but so looking at these promises and and Listening and trying to because when God is silent, he's actually really teaching you and I recalled this morning as I was putting this together How often do we have to guide our little kids and there becomes a time where you don't guide anymore? Dad, why are you silent because now you know what to do? So when I'm not there my presence isn't there my words aren't there that's when they develop and they walk and they they walk out what they have learned and Even looking back.

I remember when I first came to the Lord, maybe some of you can You've been here to where he he guided you a lot Like should I do this or or and I'm not into God said this and the audible voice of God But I do believe God directs. I believe through circumstances through through situations different things and it was like he was leading me often to do these these things and go here and write this book and even start the Church or whatever and then Time goes on. I Need a little help.

What am I supposed to do weeks go by months go by and There's no direction Often when there's no direction keep that path Stay on that path. If you don't know what to do, don't do something new Stay on that course and so we left off and we're picking up at 89. He said I will sing I will sing of the mercies of the Lord forever Remember what Psalms a lot of the Psalms are he the writer is reminding himself And you have to remind yourself as well when you get into that storm when you get into difficulties and situations you you remind Yourself of God's mercies and that they are forevermore.

You've got to balance it out with the negative news and All the different distractions of life and and that's why Jesus will often say remember Remember your first love and return when you come together Remember me and do this in my name Remember remember God would say remember where I brought you from And you what you have to do is you take your mind your thoughts captive and you go back to that place Oh, that's close. Maybe Popping. Sorry about that.

And so It's just that remembering with my mouth. I will make known your faithfulness to all generations. In other words he's not a negative Nelly or Judgmental Jerry or critical Kathy.

He is he is Regardless of what I'm going through. I'm going to remind in the next generation that God is faithful I never want my kids to to see where it where we're Doubting God and and God God let us let let us down on this one And I can't believe he lets us go through this you have to teach your kids Faithfulness because that's going to be an anchor someday that they will rely on in their own life For I've said mercy shall be built up forever. God's mercy will be built up for forever your faithfulness You shall establish in the very heavens Mercy shall be built up forever.

And did you know that ironically mercy builds you up? And builds others up as we show them mercy as we show them mercy it builds them up But God's faithfulness is the foundation your faithfulness shall establish Be established in the very heavens And so as you build your life on the principles in Scripture the very first thing how many of you have laid concrete before? You don't just put concrete down on the dirt. Do you? well, it depends how big of the building but you normally have to compact it and get soils engineers out there and rate the the The the amount of moisture and different things, but I'm getting maybe too too many rabbit trails Let's just say you don't just put concrete on the ground. Usually you form it up Of course, you have forms to hold it in and many times though you you get the dirt ready you get the dirt yeah, you get the dirt ready for the foundation and when God builds his foundation in our lives is always Faithfulness that God is faithful and let me tell you that's one of the most Critical things because can you imagine if God was like? Jekyll and Hyde You know one day you get him like this and next day you get him like this and sometimes he's faithful But sometimes he tricks you and you've got this cosmic killjoy Can you imagine like I don't know and I got you this time you thought I was gonna do that didn't you and and you've got this God who's kind of Not very faithful Because he doesn't have to be does he he doesn't have to be faithful, but that is the Foundation of our life when I know that God is faithful Then you can say like Job though.

He slay me yet. Why trust him? I'm hard-pressed on every side, but I'm not crushed I'm perplexed But I'm not left to myself. I'm not left without God is my anchor Yeah, the things I don't understand political things But God is faithful and because of this I have made a covenant with my chosen God says So he's talking about God is faithful.

And now God is saying I'm gonna make a covenant with my chosen I've sworn to my servant David So now the psalm takes an interesting turn This is when God called David and he told David your seed will be established Forever and it will build up your throne to all generations How many of you know that Jesus came from the line of David and so an interesting thing happened in Israel? I'll just I might you know tell you in a little bit, but in case I forget No, I am gonna get to in a minute, but it's it's important because God called David He chose David not because he was good-looking and it fit the bill. It's because He was a man after God's own heart he chose David and he says I am going to establish you forever But we find that David, you know, you have you have Saul David Solomon and then the kingdoms are broken up Jeroboam Rehoboam and then you've got all these kings that it's kind of hard to keep track of in the in the Old Testament and we See the Israel the northern kingdom was destroyed and 150 years later The southern kingdom was destroyed David's kingdom is wiped out Never to be restored. Really? Well, what's what's God saying here? It will I will establish forever and your throne will go to all generations.

Well, remember Jesus came from David and So Jesus will again sit on the rightful throne of David that's why many believe people and believe in the the millennial reign of Christ at thousand years where a lot of the Scriptural promises are are fulfilled in The covenant of grace people are saved by God's grace through faith in Jesus Christ alone that is the covenant that God made with the people and he brought Jesus through the line of David even though the Turkey the earthly kingdom fell apart the eternal kingdom has not It will still continue and when God swears to do something he prepares you When God says I'm going to do this But have you ever felt that that God is wanting to do something in your life in your heart? I Could sit here and give you dozens of examples and The reason I don't is because what he's doing in my life might be different than yours and what he's doing in your life I'm like really I didn't I would have never guessed that because he does things individually and What is happening here is when he calls you to do something you don't automatically Become that person or do that position necessarily sometimes there are exceptions to this but David I find it ironic. He was anointed king, but he wasn't king for a long time He had to wait he had to be he had that God was preparing him anybody heard of Joseph oh I had a dream. My brothers are gonna bow down to me.

I bet that's coming soon No, no years years Because God is preparing and I think I think he gives us a glimpse sometimes of that. Hope so we hold on to that faithfulness even through the difficult journeys We know We know that God is gonna do something and he'll put that desire on your maybe it's worship. Maybe it's a You know desire to write songs and and to just you feel God I know you want to do so much more or even in teaching or or in your ministry or in your business And and you know, but but God's got to prepare those that he swears to and the heavens will praise your wonders Oh Lord your Faithfulness also in the assembly of these say the Saints so he's talking about the Saints coming together For who in the heavens can be compared to the Lord who among the sons of the mighty can be likened to God himself And I want to just remind everybody on that note Hebrews 10 says do not forsake the assembling of ourselves together as is the manner of some But exhorting one another and so much the more as you see the day Approaching in other words come to church And he says here don't forsake the assembling of ourselves together like some people do and Why do we avoid church and I've joked about this but it's kind of true I wouldn't be here as much if I wasn't pastoring.

I'm kind of I'm kind of stuck No matter how I feel no matter who I don't want to bump into or run into or this person has this offense this person's upset always drama going on and When you get somebody rubs you the wrong way like well, I'm not coming back for a while. That's why they call it church hopping Have you ever done that well, I'll just go to this church And I'll just go to this church. Unfortunately, you don't grow If you go you don't grow There are times that you leave a church.

Of course, I would not be in that church For example that that preached to Trump and Vance a couple days ago like that's not a church That's that's not a church Don't get me started. But anyway Encouraging people do not forsake the assembling together. That's how you grow That's you work through the differences we have issues people all the time that with conflicts and work it out Resolve it the enemy wants to bring that division and then when it's resolved and you you can see them and you hug them and you've Moved forward.

Maybe you don't maybe you're not friends again, but you at least you forgave and you've worked things out you grow from that Versus just staying at home All bent out of shape Holding to that offense every time you run into somebody you got to tell him how why you had to leave that church That's not healthy So he's saying don't do it A lot of people do stick together and exhort one another and even do it even more so as you see the day approaching Exhortation can be a couple different things you can exhort someone that's It's not always um They don't always like it right the speaking the truth and love is a form of exhortation Because you're you're exhorting them You're you're encouraging them to maybe turn from a critical heart or arrogant attitude Or you can encourage them when people come to church and that's why I want people to leave here Encouraged sometimes it hurts a little but ultimately we want to leave encouraged and Then God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the Saints Wow God is to be feared God is to be feared you wouldn't have lots of churches like that that I just mentioned if God was truly feared and his word Was held in reverence Instead of mocking God God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the Saints actually this Sunday. I'm talking about The boldness of the truth and and how they preach with boldness in the book of Acts And and why that is so needed today, and how how we need to also share that message boldly and So God is to be feared in the assembly of the Saints you you come in remember I remember as a little kid there was something where you would walk in and this was like holy ground This is this is you you don't want to play games You want to you want to respect and reverence God and you you hold him in high esteem Oh Lord God of hosts who is mighty like you Oh Lord The answer of course is no one And I love when a statement turns into a prayer a Lot of the Psalms they make statements But it really turns into a prayer and if your prayer life is dead Dive into God's Word and make some bold statements read some bold statements And you open the Psalms and begin in Psalms 1 Lord my prayer life is dead And I need your I need your help I need your guidance blessed is the man who walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly that That's right Lord get my path on the right path And I don't want to sit in the seat with scornful people and stand in the path of sinners But Lord I want to delight in your word and you're going to I want to meditate on that word and you'll plant me just like that tree who will bear its fruit in Season and everything I do will prosper because I'm I'm I'm meditating on your word And you just just start preaching those promises to yourself turn to psalm 22 Serve to the psalm 36 and you just begin to read those and and meditate on the you actually change your mind That neuroplasticity we've talked about your your mind will change and you go from fearful and Anxious to now you're bold like a lion. You're you're courageous and you're standing on the promises of God You've just changed your mind.

That's why the Bible says remember remember the word Your faithfulness also surrounds you it's everywhere like just singing those songs. What was the one right before I came up? goodness of God Just reflect on the goodness of God What he's brought you through what could have happened anybody been like me you should have been dead a long time ago Total total two vehicles No seatbelt on and one flipped it All the different guns pulled on me Like don't act like you don't know what I'm talking about. Some of you you have testimonies But just thinking that's the goodness of God the goodness of God Linda having a little baby Morgan that will grow up Someday, and when I was a little boy and meet then right to go.

Oh god. You're so good Now in that goodness, there's challenges But you don't focus on those you focus on the goodness of God and what he has done What he's that's another good worship song what he's done what he's done Guys, you need to get up early and put on worship. I was just telling a friend of my chair I think that's one of the things that's made the biggest difference in my life.

God set that pattern 25 years ago between 3 and 4 a.m. To just get up and worship Just get up and worship and you it sets the course for you the day the days already hard enough. I This this and get out to the car and get to work frazzled and get this frazzled Then you get to work and all these different issues and then you come home and and now the kids and you got it's just there's No time to soak in the presence of God and to build that found you might be a late-night person That's fine, too. However, it works.

You got to get that time in my brain checks out right about now, so That's why I bring some ketones Get this get this mind working a little bit But it's a good reminder. There is no storm too great for God I've never seen God fell anyone. Have you what storm was too great? What tempest was too wild what hurricane what earthquake what what situation in your own life the God? Who created everything he that Daniels he told Daniel told the king God owns your whole life in the palm of his hands Your breath your heartbeat No storm is too great for can you imagine worshiping with that as your foundation? It's get rid of those negative thoughts.

And yeah, but you don't know my situation. No, I don't know but I do know God I've heard that haven't you I said it I Said it even even last year, I think But Shane just pray God's my wife probably like you don't go Yeah, but God also gave us wisdom and I don't know he this is I don't see this happening and this is tough and yeah Yeah, I know he could but I don't think he will because this and this and this and this and they this person said no and this it's like You get all worked up about nothing Instead of putting that trust in God, there's no storm too great and I love this You have broken Rahab and pieces Rahab was I believe imagery for Egypt When it was coming against Israel You've broken this whole and just reading even I think two days ago the the Exodus remember that Here comes here comes Pharaoh and the chariots and and God parts the sea What? What kind of God do we serve? And they and they're going after Moses and and the children of Israel I mean if you see the sea part, you know, you might want to not complain. I mean, that's a These guys crack me up.

I mean, it's like And then God says he's looking down I guess and it's like this will be fun and all the chariot will start coming off The the chariots can't go anywhere and then that Moses gets on the other side God just closes up The sea and it records that the dead bodies were on the shore That's not worried. He's not concerned He tells us not to be worried and even if it does things don't pan out the way We thought anybody have plans that didn't quite work out When I was 25, I planned to be retired at 40 Not gonna happen investments Didn't pan out Things that you thought you know, this is not and if we're not careful we can stay in This you fall into a rut you can stay into that rut That way they call you to call it stinking thinking and just just dwelling on those things But remember there's no storm too great for God He's broken Rahab in pieces as one who is slain you have scattered your enemies with your right mighty arm The heavens are yours. The earth is yours.

Also the world and all its fullness you have founded them Basically, this is a powerful image depicting God's complete and utter victory over a powerful enemy Do this sometime? What enemy in the Bible throughout all record history what enemy almost overtook God? What what enemy resisted him and held him back all night? Nothing Nothing he blows And conquers his enemies He took one death they call a death angel go and wipe out the entire Assyrian army of 185,000 One one angel. I mean God is bad. God doesn't mess around That's the God you serve.

Well, you've got what what storm is so great for this God Now you might stay in it because he's testing you but no storm is too great no enemy Even China and Russia and North Korea all together would quake in Their uniforms or boots or whatever you want to say facing God Almighty And I believe that's the only reason America is in the position She is in because she's honored God over the years and we backtrack. We've made some bad decisions we're not perfect, but I believe that God has given us and made us that beacon of light and then just recently you We were on the precipice let me tell you I I try not to be too negative, but If the wrong people recently got in office, it was probably our last stand our last hope Go woke you go down all If you've heard of that D I training, you know, that is diversity equity inclusion and it's garbage is junk get the right person for the job That's it. You don't have to let's get this and this and this Our enemies are mocking us God was like what is this? There's not 16 genders DMV and And so you see you see this is just push to at least fear God again, maybe some of these few aren't Christians I don't know, but I'd rather at least fear God and honor his principles Because when you honor God's principles even unbelievers experience the benefits Did you know that if an unbeliever applies to their life? perseverance Discipline commitment all biblical principles.

They will succeed. That's how powerful biblical principles are The North and the South you have created them strong as your hand and high is your right hand Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne I remember I remember back many years ago a verse that really stood out was one of the prophets was saying You know put away for me the noise of your of your instruments get get this stuff out of here but let justice run down like a mighty river righteousness like a Mighty stream let those things run down because righteousness and justice are the foundation of God's throne Mercy and truth go before your face. You've got to have both.

You've got to have mercy and Truth together and and we love those caught in sin. We love the Certain communities of people that are not right with God and even I mentioned that bishop lady, you know, we we love her There's mercy, but my goodness, we're gonna preach the truth. We're gonna tell you the truth.

We're gonna tell you that's an apostate view That's a wolf in sheep's clothing Because we love and we have the mercy, but we also have the truth. Jesus was full of both grace and mercy Mercy and truth go before your face blessed are the people who know the joyful sound Oh, do you know the joyful sound of the Lord? Remind yourself that the storm is just temporary Remind yourself the storm is just temporary And also a great reminder the importance of the foundation and its purpose the the anytime the Bible talks about the foundation the foundation of his throne the foundation of life and living the foundation of God's character It's so important because a foundation always represents what you're building on So when you build your life on something it has to be on the right foundation Jesus said that many Hear what I say, but they don't do it. And when you are like that, you're building your your your house on the sand But those who hear my sayings and do them They build their house on the solid foundation For God you are the glory of their strength and in your favor Our horn is exalted for our shield belongs to the Lord and our King to the Holy One of Israel all these words, you know if we had time horn sign of victory and and horn would be like in battle and the shield is in warfare and he's basically saying God you are our strength.

No matter what battle we are in. You are our strength. You are our Shield you are our horn you fight for us And that's what what they would represent the Old Testament is those animals that they had the horn you know the the rams and and that does the big the the oxen and things these horns were were for Gouging and these horns were dangerous and they would represent.

That's who God is and then Oh Israel then Oh God, you spoke in a vision to your Holy One and Said I have given help to one who is mighty. I have exalted one chosen from the people so God possibly spoke to David in this vision and showed him he was to be king and He says I have exalted one chosen from the people. He pulled David Where did he grab David from the upper echelons of a university? Is that where he found David? No He just finished his doctorate dissertation on On the Hebrew have study of the Old Testament saints.

No, he was tending sheep. He was a shepherd Do you know how many of you are aware that that's one of the lowest callings in the Bible? Oh, you're a sheep herder. Oh Okay You clean up manure and you kick those little things and get them going with your staff And you you're it's it's a it's a dirty job.

And it's it's something that was lowly Thank God for lowliness The modern-day thing would be actually probably what what many of you have done what I've done and that's digging ditches And I thank God for my dig ditch digging days It's kind of hard to say But that's that's I sometimes I want to give a teenager a shovel and just say you know what just for two hours Get some blisters going what you feel once you feel the dirt fill the hard work But God often calls the menial to do the mighty Doesn't he take the least? Likely it's not only to confound the wise but it's also those people often appreciate it much more They appreciate where God has brought them from. They're not relying on their Education, although that's important if you want to do I'm not putting it down But they're not relying on look at what I did They can get to where they're at and say had it not been for the Lord on our side We would not have prospered and so he's saying I brought David a shepherd boy he was so last choice on the menu that The father didn't even go get him remember the story Here comes Samuel to anoint the next king and he's he's with he was with Jesse and the dad and it's like he's I guess They had a concept where they would they would have this oil and the oil wouldn't flow. It was something was preventing This anointing.

It's almost like God wouldn't allow the anointing oil to flow and he said it's not flowing Is there somebody else here and the dad's like yeah, but it's just David back, you know, clean up manure right now Go get Dave. Can you imagine running in a pride teenager? What what dad? And Jim and in the Prophet Samuel one of the most anointed prophets in the Old Testament If the Bible actually says and the oil flowed God's anointing was on that boy Guys, that's what matters more than anything else is God's anointing upon your life that anointing oil It's it's metaphor. Of course.

It's a picture. I'm not gonna get here poor over ourselves, but there's something Where God the more you humble yourself the more God will exalt you The more you want to help others the more God will use you The more it's about other people succeeding the more you'll succeed. That's just the way the kingdom works He says I found my servant David with my holy oil.

I've anointed him now this makes sense With whom my hand shall be established whoever God calls he prepares if God calls you you can defeat Goliath You can defeat him Also, my arm shall strengthen him. Yeah, I love this This this works. I love when God talks like this The enemy shall not outwit him nor the son of the wicked afflict him I will beat down his foes Before his face and I will plague those who hate him Don't mess with God That's what that verse is about.

We hear it wrongly applied often. Don't touch God's anointed and Many false prophets use that verse When they when people come against them, oh, don't don't touch God's anointed. Don't say no.

No, no. No, that's not for you Mr. False prophet The verse is actually for God's truly anointed person What God truly anoints and appoints that person is in God's safety net and he will beat Yeah, I mean the Hebrew the language is is so strong. It's like God just kicked their butt He just can you say that okay Wednesday night Sunday.

I won't say on Sunday Tim remind me not to say on Sunday But God just beat him have you ever I got a beat down he got beat down and God just got beats down the enemies He plagues those who hate them I've heard of so many stories I wish it was one I heard earlier this year It was a lady I think in Africa and missionary there and they were trying to get some type of thing for the foster kids But this this African board was like three or four people Worked against it It's like we're not gonna win this thing and all three of those people were sick at home the day of the meeting in the vote And they they couldn't show up and and this missionary got to receive what what they were the thought was impossible You don't mess with God God can do whatever he wants. He will beat down his foes before their face He plagues those who hate him when God fights for you when God fights for you Who can defeat you? Now again, this doesn't mean there's no battle because we have an enemy This doesn't mean we'll never be hard-pressed because we are hard-pressed We are hard-pressed the Bible says you're hard-pressed, but you're not crushed Is that interesting so I'm pressed I'm pressured so are you but I'm not crushed that means I can still Push out of it and do what I need to do or Even do what you're doing, but you feel the pressure in the way of the world, but God is holding you He's lifting you up The Bible says also that wickedness will not afflict you In other words, it will not stop you and you will be persecuted, but you will not be forsaken by God If you're being persecuted for your faith, it's one of the sure signs that you're on the right path Isn't it? If you're being persecuted for your faith About what you say what you believe in It's a it's a sign that you're saying something you're doing so if you're never persecuted If nobody's upset at you ever at work for your faith, and you just get through life. I love to talk to you and Just see what exactly do you do all day? How do you post a neutral things, how do you have neutral words? How do you just never never offend anybody now? Don't go out of your way to do it.

I don't want to but sometimes When you speak the truth in love it does offend But God says my faithfulness and my mercy shall be with him like with David and with all of us in my name His horn shall be exalted also. I will set his hand over the sea and his right hand over the rivers He will have dominion over everything. He shall cry to me.

You are my father my God and the rock of my salvation That should be the cry of every believer Even when you don't feel like you get up and you say my father my God my Savior You are the rock of my salvation. That means the security the foundation of my Salvation also, I will make him my firstborn the highest of the kings of the earth my mercy I will keep him forever and my covenant shall stand firm with him Now this is interesting though if his sons if his sons forsake my law and do not walk in my judgments if they break my statutes and do not keep my Commandments then I will punish their transgression with the rod and their iniquity with stripes Interesting debate we don't have a lot of time to unpack it conditional versus unconditional promises There's something that's mainly in and reformed churches that teach It's called covenant theology. I mean any of you heard that term or Replacement theology Basically says that the God is done with Israel God no have no longer has a plan for Israel because the church has been grafted in the church now receives the Promises that God has promised to Israel.

It's called covenant theology replacement theology They have a few verses good verses for it I don't subscribe to it because there's a plethora of other verses that that Talk about I believe that God still has a plan for Israel again personally But there are things in the Bible that are conditional Versus unconditional promises. It's it's it's kind of interesting if you study it because unconditional promise is David's throne will be set up forever It's it's a done deal. God said it will happen.

It will happen again through Jesus Christ coming to ruin reign however David if your sons reject me Solomon was led away by all these pagan wives and the kingdom was divided remember Rabe Ohm Jeroboam and Then from there the Kings The the kingdom will be stripped away from them Stripped away from them because they walked away from God and often the Bible says but because of my servant David I will leave you a heritage and So there is something in the Bible that is conditional some things God says if you do this, I will have to do this And we know we love the famous verse out front of our church building it begins with that word if if my people If you do this, I will do this if you're not seeking God You're dead to the things of God God seems distant and you're dry spiritually. It's because you're not Obeying one of the conditional promises that says if you seek me With all of your heart, you will find me if you don't seek him. You're not going to find him there's conditional and unconditional promises and This is one of those things that he says I will unconditionally Keep David on the throne But it won't look like what you think they will lose the kingdoms Israel be divided Israel fall apart however We even saw in 19.

I think it's 1940s, right? Israel was reborn With but it wasn't no King sitting on the throne anymore, but then revelation that we talked about when Jesus returns It's interesting what's on his head? When he returns many crowns Many crowns so when he comes back his eyes are like flames of fire on his head are many crowns and The Bible says exactly what he's going to do out of his mouth comes a sword Jesus has a sword come out of his mouth probably not a literal one Right, but probably the words of his mouth out of his mouth comes a sword and he will judge the nations He will rule all the nations with a rod of iron and He will tread the winepress and the fierceness and the wrath of Almighty God That's bad. That is awesome. I can't even just picture that It's just it's just what a day So see although the Covenant if you do these things I will keep your leaders on the throne, but they walked away from God God Rejected Israel begin to just they were judged by their enemies But God says I'm gonna bring back the Messiah and he will he will rule and reign Nevertheless my loving-kindness.

I will not utterly take from him nor allow my faithfulness to fall my covenant I will not break nor I will I will not alter the word that has gone out of my lips And I skipped a little bit here. I'm bringing it to the end but but You have cast off and abhorred us. So now the psalmist is saying but Lord They've got to a point now where God has cast them off.

God has been furious with us He's renounced the covenant of your servant. You have profaned his crown by casting it to the ground You have broken down all the hedges In other words, the psalmist now is probably reflecting on how good and great Israel was and David But now because of a series of events they begin to reject God not unlike America today Is it through after many years of pride of financial prosperity and abundance? They begin to drift from God They begin to mock God they begin to minimize his word They begin to no longer fear him and and because of that God began to renounce the covenant that he made with them and they cried out how long Oh Lord How long Oh Lord will you hide yourself forever? Have you ever felt like that? Maybe when you're sick or when you're asking for direction how long Oh Lord, will you hide yourself forever? And I'll close with these points that hopefully will help when God is silent when God is silent Silence is the great test of our faith Like I said earlier when you don't hear the voice of your parents or sense their presence That's when true character comes out So when God is silent Do we retreat and go back to our bad habits and our bitterness and fear and doubt and like we'll find then If he's not listening to me or in our in that site when God is silence That's when you that's when you dig your feet even more. That's when you get grounded in your faith That's when your faith flourishes because you say Lord, I don't know I don't hear from you But I still trust you silence is a great test.

Silence is a great way to build your faith But let but be warned over analysis leads to paralysis Anybody over analyze what you're going through or just me Why went one half what how why when and all day long? Why is that happening? I don't know. What did I do? How do I get out of this how this doesn't make any sense and like it could it be this what am I doing this in? And and you do analyze things too much And what that will do it will cloud the mind and clog your thinking But you do want to do this when you're in that spot Lord if there are sin in my life That is that is is is hiding your face for me and you and I feel distant from you God I repent of that showed me maybe you know exactly what it is. God.

I want I want that fellowship restored I want that that renewed presence and I want to fill your power again I want that close relationship and like the prodigal son you come home But if you've done all that Don't overanalyze. Let me just tell you I'm saving you a lot of Worry here because when you begin to overanalyze and dealt and try to think and why is God and do then you try to run Then you run ahead of him And maybe make some decisions that you shouldn't because you're trying to figure out what he's doing where he's going next And just say Lord. I trust you.

I'm going to wait. I'm gonna worship while I wait I'm gonna wait for you to answer When God is silent, it's our responsibility It's our responsibility to do something to walk in faith because God doesn't always guide us daily So when he's silent Continue to do what you know to be right. That's always the right path.

Is it not? Move forward despite the exact direction. This is faith and it pleases God Did you know that it pleases God? Faith pleases God more so than knowing exactly What to do? I've said this before but in case you weren't here. It says it's impossible to please God Without faith without faith, it's impossible to please God.

So if you say, you know what Lord, I don't know I don't know what's down there, but I trust you and I have to go somewhere. I'm walking this direction. I'm trusting you I don't know, but I'm trusting you Lord.

I I'm stepping out in faith that pleases God because this is someone who trusts me Versus me saying oh, this is yeah. Yeah. God.

God told me to go there. I that's easy We think that pleases him, right He's pleased. No, of course you went down there.

He told you to that makes sense. There's no there's no guesswork there There's no safety net removed Faith is so important. I mean obviously make sure you're going in the right direction when you step out in faith There's a fine line there between presumption and faith You know you want to wait on God seek get your heart right and then finally when God is silent pursue joy and Strengthen yourself in the Lord those things often come only in the silence as you press in I'm telling you that the purest joy I've ever felt and is when I strengthen myself in the Lord like David and I'm sure many of you have when I don't hear From God when I don't feel it when I don't my flesh doesn't want to but my my heart cries out for the one True and living God like that that deer that looked for that water brook and and I don't feel it I don't desire it Lord, but I'm gonna pursue joy regardless and That silence has led me to the deeper walks with God that silence has led me to the to the to the prayer closet For hours that silence has led me to a deeper relationship that silence has led me to deeper repentance The silence of God can be wonderful There's no storm too great No storm too great where he will not hear the cries of his children