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>>Eric Flickinger:
Welcome to "Sabbath School,"
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brought to you by It Is Written.
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We are taking a look
at the book of Psalms,
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and this is lesson number 4.
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We're on a
journey to 13 lessons,
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and this is an exciting
one. You're in for a real treat.
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We are looking at "The
Lord Hears and Delivers."
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If you've ever felt like
maybe you had been forgotten
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or it seems like the
Lord has forgotten someone
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or something, you're
gonna enjoy this week's lesson.
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Let's begin with prayer.
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Father, we wanna thank You
for being with us once again,
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as You have so far.
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We ask that You'll bless
our time together and help us
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to see how You are,
indeed, a delivering God,
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and we thank You
in Jesus' name, amen.
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Well, our guest once again this
week is Dr. Dragoslava Santrac.
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She is passionate
about the book of Psalms,
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has written much about
it, and has much to share.
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Slava, thanks for
joining us once again.
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>>Dragoslava
Santrac: I'm happy to be here.
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>>Eric: So, let me start this
week a little bit differently.
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I love the memory
text for this week.
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It is found in
Psalm 34, verse 17,
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that says, "The
righteous cry out,
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and the Lord hears, and delivers
them out of all their troubles."
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Those are encouraging words.
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I mean, the Psalms is
filled with encouraging words,
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but those are
particularly encouraging.
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Why did you feel impressed
for that verse to kind of
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lay the foundation for
where we're going this week?
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>>Dragoslava:
Yes, so, Eric, you see,
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last week's
lesson, that's number 3,
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was about the Lord who reigns.
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We spoke about God
as the King, Creator,
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the one who is the
Judge, the Law-giver,
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and all these beautiful
titles tell us many good things
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about God and
give us reassurance.
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But we in theology say
that these are more like
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transcendent
characteristics of God,
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and people may relate to God
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in that way,
thinking, "Oh, He's the King,
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"Judge, something
far, Creator, majestic,
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"Someone who is
worthy of our worship,
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who is awesome," but perhaps
could feel a little bit distance
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because of His majesty.
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However,
although God is majestic,
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He is by no means
distant from His creation.
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And hence the almost logical
continuation in our study that
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we come to "The
Lord Hears and Delivers."
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God reveals Himself as
someone who is close and someone
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who is near and who wants
to have a relationship with us.
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He speaks to us and
wants to hear from us.
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>>Eric: So He's
our Creator, our King,
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our Judge, our Savior,
our Law-giver that we all
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talked about last week.
But He's also near to us.
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How do we make that connection
or how do we understand
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that connection, that
Someone who is so high and lofty
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and powerful and above all,
how does He connect with us?
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I mean, we feel at
times rather small compared
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to a God like that.
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How does He bridge that
gap? What's that look like?
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>>Dragoslava: Yes, well, I would
simply say that's how God is.
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That's who God is. He's
a loving and caring God.
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Very often, we connect
authority with distance
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and with maybe even a
harshness, but God is different.
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He's majestic, but at
the same time, He's close.
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And there is a
paradox in the Psalms
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and in the rest of the
Bible: we read that God is far
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and near at the same time.
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He dwells in His holy
temple in heavens, but He's
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also present in
His earthly sanctuary.
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So what seems to us maybe
today, in these modern times,
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as a contradiction,
to biblical believers
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in those times
made perfect sense
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because God is God,
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especially because we cannot put
Him in our boxes and theories
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of logics and rationality.
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But what is given to us
to understand is very plain
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and clear, that God is majestic,
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but He is also near,
and He is love. He cares.
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He did not just create us
and leave the world to run
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by its laws, but He, as
the good heavenly Father,
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wants to have a
relationship, communion with us.
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>>Eric: So how do we
experience that communion?
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We're trying to identify
with--I don't know if that's
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the right term--but identify
with a God who is majesty.
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How do we experience
that nearness that He wants
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to experience with us?
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How do the Psalms help
us to make that connection
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that we really do need in order
to make it through this life?
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>>Dragoslava: Yes, I
believe that it is when we read
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the Psalms, we pray the Psalms,
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sing the Psalms,
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that it is the Holy
Spirit, God Himself,
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who joins us in that
activity, who comes close to us
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and touches our heart and
also opens our eyes to see.
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If you ask me how that happens,
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I don't have a
mathematical formula.
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It is like if you were to ask me
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how I fell in
love with my husband,
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I could tell about the
good things that he has done
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and achieved and his good looks,
but that wouldn't be enough.
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There is something much
deeper when we speak about
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relationships, and I think
that that moment is achieved
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through the Holy Spirit.
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So then when we read
in Psalm 139 the psalmist
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now gets this realization
that God is everywhere.
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God is deep inside
and deep above him.
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God knows him even
before he was born.
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He says, "My frame
was not hidden from You."
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He says, "When I go to
sleep, You know where I am.
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"When I'm up, You know.
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"Even if I go and hide
myself in the depths of the sea,
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even there You will find me."
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And he does not say all
these things with despair.
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Quite contrary, he finds peace
and reassurance in the knowledge
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that God is so close to him that
nothing escapes God's attention
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when it comes to
His beloved child.
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>>Eric: So He
is a God who cares.
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He's a God who
desires to commune with us,
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to connect with
us, to encourage us,
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to help us in many
different areas and experiences
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in our lives. And that's really,
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as you said, we
tend to get this idea
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that power is lofty and distant.
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But God says, "No, I'm
all-powerful, but I'm also
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right there and
very interested in you."
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Let me ask you a question,
something else that you
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talked about in
this week's lesson,
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and that's the sanctuary.
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How does the sanctuary
kind of help us to understand
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the experience that
God wants to have with us,
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that nearness?
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A sanctuary is just--it's
full of symbols and stories.
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What do we see in
the sanctuary about
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God's desire to be close to us?
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>>Dragoslava: Yes,
sanctuary is a wonderful
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and very deep subject,
not just in the Psalms.
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It's at the heart
of the entire Bible.
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The sanctuary is the
place where God dwells.
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You mentioned the various
pieces of furniture and symbols
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that teach us the story
of God's gospel of salvation
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from the entrance
being one entrance, one way
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that leads to life, Jesus,
to the altar with the sacrifice.
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Again, Jesus is the Lamb of God
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who died for the
forgiveness of our sins.
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And now when we are forgiven,
there is a laver with water
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to wash us away and
to clean our conscience.
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We enter into this holy place,
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where we have this
close communion with God.
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And when we enter there,
we receive the gifts of God:
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His light that we
need in this dark world,
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the bread to nourish us.
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Jesus said, "I am the
light," "I am the bread."
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And then in the most holy
place is the seat of God's rule,
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His throne with His law.
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So there is this
whole story of salvation.
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But for the
psalmist, the sanctuary,
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apart from teaching these
wonderful lessons of salvation,
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is also a place of refuge.
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We read in the Old Testament
that people who unintentionally
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committed certain
crimes could go and find refuge
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in the sanctuary, and
they would be protected.
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The sanctuary,
the Psalms tell us,
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is the place where the Father
of the fatherless takes care,
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the One who takes
care of the widows,
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of the hungry, of the poor.
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And for the psalmist,
that's the place where he wants
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to abide forever and ever.
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>>Eric: So, the sanctuary gives
us a picture of God's desire
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to be, well, "Let them
build me a sanctuary--"
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>>Dragoslava: "So that
I can dwell among them."
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>>Eric: That's
it. And so He wants us
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to feel His
nearness and sense it.
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And you mentioned the different
elements of the sanctuary
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and, you know, the. one that
I love is the altar of incense,
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you know, the prayers
ascending before the Father.
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It's all about that
communion, about that connection
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that God wants to
have with His children.
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And the book of Psalms goes
through so many pictures of God
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and His care for us, that
He didn't just start the earth
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spinning and
then, as you mentioned,
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go off and deal
with weightier matters.
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He's still--He
longs to hear our prayers.
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He longs to commune with us.
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He wants to draw close to us
and for us to draw close to Him.
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>>Dragoslava: Yes, yes,
and if I may quickly add:
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though for the psalmist,
God is everywhere, and he feels
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His presence and love
wherever he is in the world,
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he acknowledges that he
experiences God's presence
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in a very special way when he
is in the sanctuary, and that's
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a great encouragement
and a call for us, especially
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for us who are a
little bit introverted,
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not to abandon the
community of faith,
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not to abandon going to church
and meeting in God's sanctuary.
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Yes, that is a building,
but "where two or three
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are gathered in my name," Jesus
said, "here I am in the midst
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of them," in a very
special way and blessing.
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>>Eric: So, church attendance,
church participation--I use
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the word "attendance";
that means you're there.
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That's good, but really,
participating in the life
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of the church draws 2 or 3
or 4 or 200 or 300 or 400 people
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together, and there's a dynamic
there, in which the Holy Spirit
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can really work, and we can
be an encouragement to others,
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and they can be an
encouragement to us.
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So, "Fo not forsake the
assembling of yourselves
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together, as the
manner of some is."
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And we see
Christ's return coming very,
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very soon, and it's a
very real call for us to be
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a people of faith
and a family of faith.
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And that family of faith
ought to spend time together.
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And the sanctuary
is, again, as you said,
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a beautiful picture of that,
of God's people coming together.
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They would come to the sanctuary
each day, and they would connect
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with the priests there,
and the priests interacted
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with people and
made that connection
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between the Savior and them.
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If there was somebody
who was feeling disconnected,
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not sure, they know God exists,
but He seems kind of distant,
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what kind of words would
you share with them to help them
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be encouraged that He cares?
>>Dragoslava: Be encouraged.
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Yes, well, I would like to
say again, every, every text
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in the psalm is there that
can encourage, but perhaps,
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as we mentioned Psalm
139, why not read something
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from this psalm?
00:12:59.37\00:13:01.18
And maybe I will read
verses 7 and on, just a few:
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"Where can I go
from Your Spirit?
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"Or where can I flee
from Your presence?...
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"If I take the
wings of the morning,
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"and dwell in the
uttermost parts of the sea,
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"even there Your
hand shall lead me,
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and Your right
hand shall hold me."
00:13:24.90\00:13:28.07
Now, if you are
encouraged and think,
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"How can I find God?
I don't believe in God,"
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God will find you
because He created you.
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He redeemed you by the
blood of the Lamb, Jesus.
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He will find you. Hold on. God
has good plans for your life.
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He loves you.
00:13:47.52\00:13:48.89
>>Eric: He absolutely does.
00:13:48.92\00:13:50.26
And if you're wanting to learn
more about His love and dig
00:13:50.63\00:13:52.79
more deeply into the
book of Psalms, then make sure
00:13:52.83\00:13:55.93
you pick up the companion
book to the book of Psalms.
00:13:55.96\00:13:58.60
You can find it very easily
by going to itiswritten.shop,
00:13:58.63\00:14:02.87
and there you will
find the companion book
00:14:02.90\00:14:04.91
on the book of Psalms
by Dr. Martin Klingbeil,
00:14:04.94\00:14:08.28
and it will be an
incredible blessing to you.
00:14:08.31\00:14:10.11
We're going to come back in
just a moment as we continue
00:14:10.15\00:14:12.11
looking at this week's lesson.
00:14:12.15\00:14:14.45
We'll be right back.
00:14:14.48\00:14:15.95
¤¤¤
00:14:15.98\00:14:18.99
>>John Bradshaw: They are
some of the most famous words
00:14:20.56\00:14:22.42
ever spoken:
00:14:22.46\00:14:23.96
"The Lord is my
shepherd; I shall not want,"
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written by a former shepherd.
00:14:28.03\00:14:30.40
King David wrote the 23rd Psalm.
00:14:30.43\00:14:32.90
Don't miss "Great Chapters
of the Bible: Psalm 23."
00:14:32.93\00:14:37.71
As we look at
this beautiful Psalm,
00:14:37.74\00:14:40.38
David draws on his experience
as a shepherd and draws
00:14:40.41\00:14:44.25
on the depths of his
relationship, his sometimes
00:14:44.28\00:14:47.25
rocky relationship,
with the God of heaven.
00:14:47.28\00:14:50.45
David speaks about
God as his shepherd.
00:14:50.49\00:14:53.36
He says, "I shall not want."
00:14:53.39\00:14:55.79
He said that God, his
shepherd, makes him "to lie down
00:14:55.82\00:14:59.13
in green pastures" and
leads him "beside still waters."
00:14:59.16\00:15:03.50
See a beautiful picture of
God, the picture David saw:
00:15:03.53\00:15:06.77
God as shepherd,
as carer, as provider.
00:15:06.80\00:15:11.37
Don't miss "Great
Chapters of the Bible: Psalm 23"
00:15:11.41\00:15:16.01
on It Is Written TV.
00:15:16.04\00:15:18.38
>>John: More and
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>>Eric Flickinger: Welcome
back to "Sabbath School,"
00:15:55.65\00:15:57.05
brought to you by It Is Written.
00:15:57.09\00:15:58.95
We're taking a look now at
lesson number 4 in our study
00:15:58.99\00:16:02.72
of the book of Psalms.
00:16:02.76\00:16:04.46
And, Slava, we're talking
here about God in the challenges
00:16:04.49\00:16:08.76
that we face in life sometimes,
the Defender, the Deliverer,
00:16:08.80\00:16:12.10
but life is not all full
of sunshine and rainbows.
00:16:12.13\00:16:15.77
We go through
challenges. It's part of life.
00:16:15.80\00:16:19.07
But when we're going
through those challenges,
00:16:19.11\00:16:21.54
sometimes the
question comes up in our minds,
00:16:21.58\00:16:23.75
naturally: "Why, God?
00:16:23.78\00:16:26.28
"Why are You
letting me go through this?
00:16:26.31\00:16:28.22
"I've tried to serve
You and love You, and I read
00:16:28.25\00:16:32.59
"the Bible, and I pray,
and now I'm going through
00:16:32.62\00:16:35.26
this very difficult challenge."
00:16:35.29\00:16:38.79
Where is God when
these things happen?
00:16:38.83\00:16:42.43
>>Dragoslava Santrac: Well,
I think the history of humanity
00:16:42.46\00:16:45.30
has examples of people
trying to address that question
00:16:45.33\00:16:49.14
and give an answer.
00:16:49.17\00:16:50.74
And I'm not sure that we do
have a straightforward answer
00:16:50.77\00:16:55.34
that will satisfy
anyone's curiosity and a need.
00:16:55.38\00:17:00.18
But, on the other hand,
I believe we have enough
00:17:00.22\00:17:02.88
revelation in the
Bible to provide us
00:17:02.92\00:17:05.95
peace and assurance in all
this misery happening around us.
00:17:05.99\00:17:11.53
And first thing I would
say is we should remember
00:17:11.56\00:17:15.70
that the Psalms are God's Word,
not just people's words to God,
00:17:15.73\00:17:21.14
but God's Word to us; namely
they're Jesus's prayers, too.
00:17:21.17\00:17:27.21
So, one of the most desperate
Psalms, I believe, is Psalm 88:
00:17:27.24\00:17:34.08
"O Lord...of my
salvation, I have cried out
00:17:34.12\00:17:36.92
"day and night before You.
00:17:36.95\00:17:38.85
"Let my prayer come before
You; incline Your ear to my cry.
00:17:38.89\00:17:42.66
"For my soul is
full of troubles,
00:17:42.69\00:17:45.53
"and my life
draws near to...grave.
00:17:45.56\00:17:48.60
"I am counted with
those who go down to the pit;
00:17:48.63\00:17:51.83
I am like a man
who has no strength."
00:17:51.87\00:17:54.60
And the images--and later on
it becomes even harder to read,
00:17:54.64\00:18:00.61
at least experience and
go through such experience.
00:18:00.64\00:18:04.45
And when we read
this as Jesus's prayer,
00:18:04.48\00:18:09.72
we understand that we
are not alone in our pain,
00:18:09.75\00:18:14.02
in our cries, that
this is also God's cry:
00:18:14.06\00:18:18.09
"My God, my God, why?"
00:18:18.13\00:18:20.93
And God is asking
this question, why.
00:18:20.96\00:18:23.90
He is the one who created
this perfect lovely world.
00:18:23.93\00:18:27.60
How did it happen?
00:18:27.64\00:18:29.87
And God will ask these questions
throughout the Bible as well:
00:18:29.90\00:18:33.81
Why and how?
00:18:33.84\00:18:36.08
And maybe a little hint
towards the answer is the motif
00:18:36.11\00:18:40.75
of the great controversy, that
yes, God is the sovereign ruler
00:18:40.78\00:18:45.52
and yes, He is in control,
but that does not exclude
00:18:45.55\00:18:50.29
the possibility, which
God allowed, that His reign
00:18:50.33\00:18:54.03
is challenged by
evil on a daily basis.
00:18:54.10\00:18:57.97
And that's why we
have this great controversy
00:18:58.00\00:19:01.50
going between good and evil.
00:19:01.54\00:19:03.67
And God is there to navigate
His children and this world
00:19:03.71\00:19:09.08
towards the end, where
He wants the world to bring,
00:19:09.11\00:19:12.11
and this is the world without
suffering, without crying,
00:19:12.15\00:19:15.78
without sin and evil.
00:19:15.82\00:19:17.85
But let us remember when we
read these cries for justice,
00:19:17.89\00:19:22.42
they are our cries, but they are
God's cries, above everything.
00:19:22.46\00:19:26.86
>>Eric: So, this is another
aspect of Him drawing close
00:19:26.90\00:19:30.60
to us and wanting to be with
us because He's gone through
00:19:30.63\00:19:35.10
many of the same things
that we are going through.
00:19:35.14\00:19:37.11
In fact, He's--He goes
through them manifold times
00:19:37.14\00:19:40.21
more than we do.
>>Dragoslava: On the cross.
00:19:40.24\00:19:42.28
>>Eric: On the cross, things
that I don't think many of us
00:19:42.31\00:19:44.61
have experienced.
00:19:44.65\00:19:45.95
He was abandoned by everyone,
taking all the sins of the world
00:19:45.98\00:19:49.58
on His own shoulders, so
He's borne more than any of us
00:19:49.62\00:19:53.46
are going to ever have to
bear, which doesn't decrease
00:19:53.49\00:19:58.33
the magnitude of our
struggles and our challenges.
00:19:58.36\00:20:00.70
We go through many,
and some people's struggles
00:20:00.73\00:20:03.93
are more significant
than ours, or difficulties are
00:20:03.97\00:20:07.57
more significant
than ours or less so.
00:20:07.60\00:20:10.74
So, understanding
the great controversy,
00:20:10.77\00:20:12.64
as you mentioned,
helps us, I think,
00:20:12.67\00:20:14.34
to understand how God's
sovereignty and His goodness
00:20:14.38\00:20:18.71
and His power and
His desire for good
00:20:18.75\00:20:21.42
don't negate the
challenges that we face.
00:20:21.45\00:20:25.99
Anything else that
you could share on that
00:20:26.02\00:20:27.96
to kind of help
us grapple with that?
00:20:27.99\00:20:30.36
>>Dragoslava: Yes, and
just see the key questions
00:20:30.39\00:20:32.79
that we sometimes or usually
want to address in conversations
00:20:32.83\00:20:37.77
like this with other people is
almost our need to defend God,
00:20:37.80\00:20:43.44
to prove that God is
right and that everything
00:20:43.47\00:20:46.31
is in its place.
00:20:46.34\00:20:47.71
But not the Psalms.
00:20:47.74\00:20:49.21
The same psalm
that I read, Psalm 88,
00:20:49.24\00:20:52.21
verse 13: "But to You I have
cried out," and then verse 14:
00:20:52.25\00:20:57.05
"Lord, why do
You cast off my soul?
00:20:57.09\00:21:00.49
Why do You hide
Your face from me?"
00:21:00.52\00:21:02.76
So the psalmist is not
there to defend God. Why?
00:21:02.79\00:21:05.96
Because he knows that
God will defend Himself.
00:21:05.99\00:21:09.70
The key in the
great controversy,
00:21:09.73\00:21:12.83
I would say, is our attitude.
00:21:12.87\00:21:18.07
Our--what is tested
there is not our knowledge;
00:21:18.11\00:21:21.44
it's our faith.
00:21:21.48\00:21:23.51
And when our faith is tested,
00:21:23.55\00:21:26.05
the key is, will
we withstand the test?
00:21:26.08\00:21:30.52
And that's where the
Psalms can help us tremendously
00:21:30.55\00:21:35.02
because we
realize for the psalmist
00:21:35.06\00:21:37.76
there are
moments, difficult moments,
00:21:37.79\00:21:40.10
where faith is a
deliberate choice
00:21:40.13\00:21:44.10
to continue trusting the Lord.
00:21:44.13\00:21:46.57
And this Psalm 88
ends with the thoughts
00:21:46.60\00:21:50.61
of "I will say
praise to the Lord."
00:21:50.64\00:21:53.68
At the moment,
he's like a dead person,
00:21:53.71\00:21:56.78
but still he
chooses faith over despair.
00:21:56.81\00:22:00.68
He chooses intentionally
trust over abandoning his God,
00:22:00.72\00:22:06.09
who has proven Himself in
the past time and time again,
00:22:06.12\00:22:10.46
and this is one of the biggest
lessons I drew from the Psalms
00:22:10.49\00:22:14.93
for myself: that there are times
in my life when faith is purely
00:22:14.96\00:22:20.30
a deliberate
choice for God, for faith
00:22:20.34\00:22:25.27
over the other things.
00:22:25.31\00:22:27.54
>>Eric: So there may
be things in our lives
00:22:27.58\00:22:29.71
that cause us to
doubt. >>Dragoslava: Yes.
00:22:29.74\00:22:32.45
>>Eric: These things come.
It's a natural part of life.
00:22:32.48\00:22:35.68
But in the times
when things are good,
00:22:35.72\00:22:38.45
we can build up that faith
that helps to carry us through
00:22:38.49\00:22:42.52
the times when doubts may arise,
and that's very, very powerful.
00:22:42.56\00:22:47.83
Friday's lesson
mentioned something interesting,
00:22:47.86\00:22:49.93
that some Psalms can be
used to foster false hopes.
00:22:49.96\00:22:53.94
How does that happen, and how
can we avoid gaining false hopes
00:22:53.97\00:23:00.38
from something that we might
find in one psalm or another?
00:23:00.41\00:23:03.48
>>Dragoslava: Well,
an interesting example
00:23:03.51\00:23:05.98
from Jesus's life can
help us understand that.
00:23:06.01\00:23:09.65
In Matthew, chapter 4 when Jesus
was tempted in the wilderness,
00:23:09.68\00:23:14.52
there is that one incident
when Satan comes and tells Him,
00:23:14.56\00:23:18.26
"Well, if You throw
Yourself from this height,
00:23:18.29\00:23:21.30
from this cliff,
didn't God say in His Word"--
00:23:21.33\00:23:24.70
and then Satan quotes
Psalm 91, verses 11 and 12,
00:23:24.73\00:23:29.64
that God will send His
angels to take you, so your foot
00:23:29.67\00:23:35.34
will not be
stricken by the stone,
00:23:35.38\00:23:37.95
and you will be preserved and--
00:23:37.98\00:23:40.88
what a wonderful
Bible quoter Satan is,
00:23:40.92\00:23:45.12
but, you see, the way
he quoted the Bible is
00:23:45.15\00:23:48.29
to combine a Bible promise
with a clear temptation of God,
00:23:48.32\00:23:53.43
going against God's will.
00:23:53.46\00:23:55.70
And this is a way that
sometimes we can mistreat
00:23:55.73\00:24:00.44
the Bible promises and
apply them to something that's
00:24:00.47\00:24:03.97
clearly not God's will.
00:24:04.01\00:24:07.04
If I know that
something is sinful,
00:24:07.08\00:24:09.58
that something is not
bringing praise to God,
00:24:09.61\00:24:13.31
it may be even
harmful to someone,
00:24:13.35\00:24:15.52
I can never pray the
psalms of confidence:
00:24:15.55\00:24:19.29
"The Lord shall be
with you wherever you go
00:24:19.32\00:24:21.92
and whatever you
do"-- and things like that.
00:24:21.96\00:24:24.16
So, in order to pray
those psalms rightly,
00:24:24.19\00:24:27.03
we need to have a
right heart before God
00:24:27.03\00:24:30.83
and to serve Him in
truth and how God wants.
00:24:30.87\00:24:34.97
Only then we will
read the Psalms the way
00:24:35.00\00:24:37.77
God wants us to read them.
00:24:37.81\00:24:40.04
>>Eric: You mentioned
the importance of having
00:24:40.08\00:24:41.61
a right heart with God.
00:24:41.64\00:24:44.01
How might one--I don't know if
I wanna use the word "ensure."
00:24:44.05\00:24:48.15
It might be a little bit strong.
00:24:48.18\00:24:49.42
But how might one
have a right heart with God
00:24:49.45\00:24:53.25
so that we don't
end up fooling ourselves
00:24:53.29\00:24:56.39
into falling into that
trap because, as you mentioned,
00:24:56.42\00:24:59.16
the devil knows the
Bible better than any of us do.
00:24:59.19\00:25:02.30
He can quote it,
probably in its entirety,
00:25:02.33\00:25:06.07
over and over again; it
wouldn't surprise me at all.
00:25:06.10\00:25:08.67
We can trip ourselves up.
00:25:08.70\00:25:10.51
How can we make sure
that our approach is correct
00:25:10.54\00:25:13.94
so that we can understand these
verses in the right context?
00:25:13.98\00:25:17.75
>>Dragoslava: Yes,
yes, the psalmist, whenever,
00:25:17.78\00:25:20.28
in many places, would pray,
00:25:20.32\00:25:22.88
he would say, "Lord, You
see me, and You know me."
00:25:22.92\00:25:26.79
So, being open to God in
prayer, as you said, sometimes
00:25:26.82\00:25:31.96
we fool ourselves, but many
times we try to fool God, even,
00:25:31.99\00:25:36.73
if I can say that
way, by pretending to be
00:25:36.77\00:25:39.97
something we are not.
And God does not need that.
00:25:40.00\00:25:44.71
God wants us, who we
are with what we are,
00:25:44.74\00:25:49.81
to come like that to Him.
00:25:49.84\00:25:51.85
And then the psalmist
would say in another place,
00:25:51.88\00:25:54.08
"Create in me a new heart."
00:25:54.12\00:25:57.12
If we are--if you are aware that
your heart is not right with God
00:25:57.15\00:26:02.99
and you just don't have
the means and the knowledge,
00:26:03.02\00:26:05.66
sometimes even the
will, to make it right,
00:26:05.69\00:26:09.23
rest assured that that
job is not yours at all.
00:26:09.26\00:26:14.70
The psalmist says, "Create in me
a new heart," meaning it is God
00:26:14.74\00:26:19.87
who will create that
will and want to do His will.
00:26:19.91\00:26:24.08
And by His
grace, He can do that.
00:26:24.11\00:26:26.38
If we will stay on that track
of trusting Him and abiding
00:26:26.41\00:26:31.89
in His presence, to His Word.
00:26:31.92\00:26:34.19
>>Eric: So, we
can find our own faith
00:26:34.22\00:26:36.96
strengthened by
reading the Psalms.
00:26:36.99\00:26:38.96
We can gain a
clearer picture of God,
00:26:38.99\00:26:40.83
of His majesty, but
also of His desire to have
00:26:40.86\00:26:44.20
a personal relationship with us.
00:26:44.23\00:26:46.43
And as we get to see a
clearer picture of who He is
00:26:46.47\00:26:49.60
and His willingness to
condescend to our level
00:26:49.64\00:26:53.71
and care about us, I
mean, it is who He is.
00:26:53.74\00:26:55.98
God is love. He's
naturally gonna do that.
00:26:56.01\00:26:58.45
But He reaches
out, and He cares.
00:26:58.48\00:27:00.88
When we see that
desire, that relationship,
00:27:00.92\00:27:03.35
it should--it should awaken
in us a desire to be close
00:27:03.39\00:27:07.79
to Him and to
understand Him better
00:27:07.82\00:27:10.26
and His plan for our lives.
00:27:10.29\00:27:12.19
And because of that, if
we face--and I should say,
00:27:12.23\00:27:15.30
when we face
challenges and difficulties,
00:27:15.33\00:27:19.83
we can cling to the
God who clings to us.
00:27:19.87\00:27:23.41
And that should give us
an incredible amount of hope.
00:27:23.44\00:27:27.71
>>Eric: Well, this
week, we've been delighted
00:27:27.74\00:27:29.11
to have you join us
once again as we have looked
00:27:29.14\00:27:31.61
at the challenges that are
faced in the Christian walk.
00:27:31.65\00:27:35.28
We trust that you have been
blessed as a result of that,
00:27:35.32\00:27:37.79
and we're going to
continue our study together as
00:27:37.82\00:27:41.32
we look at more of the
Psalms in the very near future.
00:27:41.36\00:27:45.83
Next week, when we
come back once again,
00:27:45.86\00:27:47.83
we're going to see
exactly how we can do that.
00:27:47.86\00:27:51.60
Thanks for joining us, and we'll
look forward to seeing you again
00:27:51.63\00:27:53.97
next week on "Sabbath School,"
00:27:54.00\00:27:55.17
brought to you by It Is Written.
00:27:55.20\00:27:57.14
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00:27:57.17\00:28:02.18
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