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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're glad that you
could join us again this week.
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This week, we are
looking at lesson number 5,
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"Singing the Lord's
Song in a Strange Land,"
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a fascinating subject
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that we're going to
be looking at this week,
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and we're glad
that you could join us.
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Let's begin with prayer.
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Father, thank You for leading
us through the book of Psalms
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and helping us to
gain a better understanding
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of the purpose of the Psalms
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and what we can
benefit from them
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and what we can share with
others that may benefit them.
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We ask that You'll
bless our time together today,
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and we thank You
in Jesus' name, amen.
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Well, our guest
this week once again
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is Dr. Dragoslava Santrac.
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She is a PhD, or has
a PhD, in Old Testament
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and is the
author of this quarter's
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"Sabbath School" lesson.
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Slava, thanks for
joining us again today.
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>>Dragoslava Santrac:
I'm honored to be here.
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>>Eric: Now, we've had
an exciting journey so far,
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and now we're 5 weeks
into this particular quarter,
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and this week's lesson is
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"Singing the Lord's
Song in a Strange Land."
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That's kind of a--
it's a strange title.
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What is this
week's lesson all about?
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>>Dragoslava: Mmm. Well, the
title is taken from Psalm 137,
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and in this psalm we read about
the sentiments of God's people,
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who are being taken
to exile, to Babylon,
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and on the way to
Babylon their captors ask them
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to sing the songs of
the Lord, the songs of Zion.
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Now, they left
Jerusalem in ruins,
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the temple is destroyed,
the land is devastated,
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so this question,
"Sing us the song of Zion,"
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is a mocking question.
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And that's why
the people respond,
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"How shall we
sing the Lord's song
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in a strange land?"
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And they point to
this harsh reality
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that exists between the
glorious promises of Zion,
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of peace, of
prosperity in these songs,
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and the current
situation of exile.
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And their situation,
the situation of this song
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in a strange land,
mirrors, I would like to say,
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the entire history of humanity,
where we are called to hope,
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to look up with
faith in a strange land.
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And this land is
becoming increasingly strange
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and hostile to God's people.
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So I think this is such
an adequate title to describe
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our situation today as well.
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We are called to sing and
hope in the midst of devastation
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and darkness.
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>>Eric: And
there really is no loss
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or no lack of devastation
and darkness today in the world.
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It doesn't take much to turn
on the news or open your app
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and find it or really, even,
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to just look at
the world around you.
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You don't even have to
look at a digital version of it.
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We go through struggles
and trials as well, and, yet,
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here we are
supposed to have that hope
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and that
encouragement, and the psalmists
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are trying to bring that out.
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What else can you
share to help us understand
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this "Lord's song
in a strange land"?
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>>Dragoslava: Yes, so
you see we mentioned earlier
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how God is in control.
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He is the one at the center
of life for the psalmist, and,
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indeed, for them,
all the questions of life
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inevitably find
their way to God,
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to the questions
that involve God.
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People today, when they
see the evil in the world,
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they are
challenged and tempted to say,
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"Well, there is no God."
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And that becomes
a sort of solution.
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If God is good and
omnipotent and all these things
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are happening, it must
mean that there is no God.
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But for the psalmists,
they refuse to succumb
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to such a conclusion.
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For them, what is at
stake is that God's reputation
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is questioned.
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And for example, when
we read Psalm 79, verse 10,
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the key question they
ask is not, "Is there a God?
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Does God exist?" The
key question for them is
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the question of
God's reputation.
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In Psalm 79, the psalmist
cries, "For Your name's sake!
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"Why should the nations
say, 'Where is their God?'
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"Let there be known
among the nations in our sight
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"the avenging of the
blood of Your servants
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which has been shed."
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So the psalmists see here
at stake is God's reputation,
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His name in the
world, not God existence.
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So the psalmists and
this song in Psalm 137,
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the people refuse
to succumb to silence.
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They want to continue
to sing the Lord's song,
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even in the strange land.
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>>Eric: And I think
that's encouragement for us,
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too, because we hear
the same thing, you know:
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If all these bad things
are going on in the world,
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then how can
there indeed be a God?
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These are opportunities for
us to lift up God and His name
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and to reflect on
where He has led us
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in the past
because that's an indicator
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of where He's going
to lead us in the future.
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So where does this hope get us?
Where do we go with this hope?
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What kind of encouragement
do we receive from it?
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>>Dragoslava:
Yes, so the psalmists,
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whenever they are in
challenging situations,
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instead of turning away
from God, they turn to the past
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and seek God in
their past experiences.
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Because God is
not a new God to them.
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It is the living God,
who has revealed Himself
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to His people, so they know God.
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So there is always that tendency
to search for God in the past.
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And usually, the
two reoccurring motifs
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are the motifs of creation.
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They explore the
mysteries of creation
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and see God's loving
and mighty hand in creation,
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and also in history, in
God's past acts of deliverance,
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in Exodus and others.
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So all that inspires
hope for the people to wait
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for God to intervene.
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>>Eric: So we can do that, too.
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When life gets
difficult, when times get hard,
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we have that opportunity
to do the same thing,
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to look back at where
He's led us in the past
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and where He's
going to in the future.
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The biggest
issue or the question
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that the psalmists wrestle with
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when addressing
this problem of evil
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in personal or
community lives, what is that--
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what is that problem?
How do they come through?
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We've touched on a little bit,
but what's really at stake here
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if we don't get this right?
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Because we all
go through trials,
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we all go through challenges,
and there are going to be people
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who look at us to
see how we go through,
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or don't go
through, these challenges.
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What's really at stake here?
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>>Dragoslava: Yes, so let's
take, for example, Psalm 73.
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We have already
mentioned this beautiful psalm,
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and it really provides
some good lessons for us.
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Here, the psalmist almost doubts
his path of righteousness,
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and he is thinking,
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"How is it that the evil prosper
and the righteous suffer?
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Do I in vain keep God's laws
and strive to live a good life?"
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But what's
interesting in this psalm
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is that the psalmist
keeps all these thoughts
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just between himself and God.
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And then we reach
this marvelous verse 15,
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where the psalmist
said, "If I had said,
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'I will speak
thus'"-- "I will speak thus,"
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meaning sharing all
these doubts that I have--
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"behold, I would have
been untrue to the generation
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of Your children."
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Meaning, he realizes
that now, if I cross that line
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and start sharing my doubts,
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I would be
untrue to God's people,
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I would cause others to
stumble and lose their faith,
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and that's where he gets
his wake-up call and said,
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"I refuse to do that," and
instead he says in verse 16,
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"When I thought
how to understand this,
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it was too painful [to]
me"-- and he decides what?--
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to go "into the
sanctuary of God."
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And the sanctuary of God
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represents the
community of people,
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and "then I understood
[the] end [of the evil]."
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So maybe this is one
lesson: to bring our doubts,
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to share them with God
only, and to be considerate
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to our community of
faith, to other people,
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because this
consideration will lead us
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to a better understanding.
And we see the psalmists,
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they use the
time of God's silence
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to meditate on God's
works in the past and to gain
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a better
understanding of themselves.
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Maybe we can
quote Psalm 90, verse 1,
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where the psalmist also
gives a good revelation.
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When the temple was
destroyed, some abandoned faith,
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but the psalmist
took time to ponder
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about what's happening, and
he comes to this revelation:
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"Lord, You have
been our dwelling place
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in all generations,"
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meaning, though the
temple is destroyed,
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the psalmist gets
now a deeper insight
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into the reality and realizes
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it's not the temple as
the building that mattered,
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but it is the Lord,
who is our dwelling place.
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The Lord in His
person is our temple.
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And whenever we go
through tough times,
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taking time to
ponder will lead us
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to a greater
revelation of God Himself.
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>>Eric: You know, we have
a tendency as human beings,
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if and when we're going
through difficult times,
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to whine and complain. And
frequently, when we do that,
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we don't help
the matter very much,
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but we end up
bringing other people down.
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But here we have-- we
have a different direction
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that's laid out for us, a
way that can both encourage us
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and can
encourage others around us.
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There's a real concern
here on the psalmist's part
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that he doesn't share
these doubts and discouragements
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with others to bring them down.
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Perhaps a little something
we can learn there, yeah?
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>>Dragoslava:
Absolutely, absolutely.
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And again, we get disappointed
when things don't go
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according to our understanding.
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But the Psalms teach us
that when we let God be God,
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it means that we will let
Him be bigger than our box
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we tend to put Him in,
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and we will let Him
teach us and lead us
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to greater
understanding of Himself
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and of ourselves and
His plans for our lives
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and for this world.
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>>Eric: So it helps to
broaden our understanding,
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to make, as you said,
the box a little bit bigger,
00:12:00.98\00:12:03.45
because when we get discouraged
and depressed, we tend to--
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everything shrinks in on itself.
00:12:06.62\00:12:08.69
The problems get
bigger, but everything else
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seems to shrink in.
00:12:10.66\00:12:11.96
And here we have
opportunities to understand
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that it's much bigger.
00:12:15.13\00:12:16.93
There's a lot more
going on, and we have
00:12:16.97\00:12:19.50
these incredible opportunities
to be blessings to other people,
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which we might miss out on
otherwise if we just complained
00:12:22.80\00:12:28.24
and murmured.
>>Dragoslava: Absolutely.
00:12:28.28\00:12:29.58
>>Eric: You know, there's
plenty of evidence in the Bible
00:12:29.61\00:12:31.61
that murmuring
doesn't cause a lot of good--
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we'll put it that way.
00:12:34.15\00:12:35.82
But these are
encouraging words here.
00:12:35.85\00:12:37.59
And we're gonna
continue digging into this.
00:12:37.62\00:12:39.79
I want to encourage you,
if you have not yet done so,
00:12:39.82\00:12:42.46
make sure that you
pick up the companion book
00:12:42.49\00:12:44.49
to this quarter's
"Sabbath School" study.
00:12:44.53\00:12:46.63
You will find it
at itiswritten.shop.
00:12:46.66\00:12:50.10
Again, that's itiswritten.shop.
00:12:50.13\00:12:52.60
And you will find more in-depth
looks at the book of Psalms.
00:12:52.63\00:12:57.77
You'll find some
wonderful quotes there,
00:12:57.81\00:13:00.28
you'll find more evidence
00:13:00.31\00:13:01.61
for each of the
different subjects
00:13:01.64\00:13:03.01
that we are looking
at, and you will find
00:13:03.04\00:13:04.98
that your study is
broadened and strengthened
00:13:05.01\00:13:07.95
as you look at that book.
00:13:07.98\00:13:10.02
Again, you'll find
it at itiswritten.shop.
00:13:10.05\00:13:12.62
It's the companion book
for this quarter's study
00:13:12.65\00:13:14.92
on the book of Psalms.
00:13:14.96\00:13:16.49
We're gonna be
right back with more
00:13:16.52\00:13:18.13
as we continue taking a look
00:13:18.16\00:13:19.56
at "Singing the Lord's
Song in a Strange Land."
00:13:19.59\00:13:21.93
We'll be right back.
00:13:21.96\00:13:23.26
¤¤¤
00:13:23.30\00:13:25.30
>>John Bradshaw: You
know that at It Is Written,
00:13:27.70\00:13:29.47
we are serious about the
study of the Word of God,
00:13:29.50\00:13:32.71
and we encourage
you to be serious
00:13:32.74\00:13:34.78
about God's Word also.
00:13:34.81\00:13:37.11
Well, I wanna share
with you another way
00:13:37.15\00:13:39.28
that you can dig
deeper into the Word of God,
00:13:39.31\00:13:41.88
and here it is:
itiswritten.study.
00:13:41.92\00:13:47.12
Go online to itiswritten.study,
00:13:47.16\00:13:49.46
and you can access the It
Is Written Bible Study Guides,
00:13:49.49\00:13:53.96
25 in-depth Bible studies that
will walk you through the Bible.
00:13:54.00\00:13:58.90
It's gonna be good for
you, and it's the sort of thing
00:13:58.93\00:14:02.24
that you will want to
tell somebody else about
00:14:02.27\00:14:05.47
so that they can dig
deeper into the Word of God
00:14:05.51\00:14:08.31
and come to know the
things of the Bible intimately.
00:14:08.34\00:14:12.05
As you get into
the It Is Written
00:14:12.08\00:14:13.38
online Bible study guides,
00:14:13.42\00:14:15.35
you'll understand the
prophecies of the Bible,
00:14:15.38\00:14:17.42
the plan of salvation, and more.
00:14:17.45\00:14:19.59
So don't forget:
itiswritten.study,
00:14:19.62\00:14:22.79
itiswritten.study.
00:14:22.82\00:14:24.83
¤¤¤
00:14:27.00\00:14:30.47
>>Eric Flickinger: Welcome
back to "Sabbath School,"
00:14:31.80\00:14:33.10
brought to you by It Is Written.
00:14:33.13\00:14:34.77
We're looking at
00:14:34.80\00:14:36.10
"Singing the Lord's
Song in a Strange Land."
00:14:36.14\00:14:39.77
Slava, let me ask
you this question:
00:14:39.81\00:14:41.44
When there are innocent
people who are suffering,
00:14:41.48\00:14:44.28
sometimes it seems
as if God is absent.
00:14:44.31\00:14:49.38
And we see that
happening all over the world.
00:14:49.42\00:14:52.29
How do the psalmists
respond to that when they see
00:14:52.32\00:14:55.46
innocent people
suffering? Where is God?
00:14:55.49\00:14:58.96
>>Dragoslava Santrac: Where
is God? That's the question
00:14:58.99\00:15:00.76
that people ask
throughout history.
00:15:00.80\00:15:03.10
And that's one of the
most complex questions
00:15:03.13\00:15:06.84
that we are asked as
believers, "Where is God?"
00:15:06.87\00:15:10.61
Especially when the innocent,
when the children suffer.
00:15:10.64\00:15:14.38
And the psalmists
also are challenged
00:15:14.41\00:15:17.91
by these questions
because oftentimes,
00:15:17.95\00:15:20.12
they themselves
suffered severely.
00:15:20.15\00:15:23.55
But instead of
asking "Where is God?"
00:15:23.59\00:15:26.52
in a sense of
denying God's existence,
00:15:26.55\00:15:30.66
God's goodness,
they turn to God.
00:15:30.69\00:15:34.23
They refuse to succumb to
evil, and what is perceived
00:15:34.30\00:15:38.77
as God's silence,
the psalmists take that
00:15:38.80\00:15:42.77
as, in their bold resolve,
to appeal to God to intervene
00:15:42.80\00:15:48.21
because they believe
that the prayer is powerful
00:15:48.24\00:15:51.58
because it is
directed to the living God.
00:15:51.61\00:15:54.42
So for them,
there must be a reason
00:15:54.45\00:15:57.22
why God is
apparently hiding His face.
00:15:57.25\00:16:01.56
So they appeal
to God to intervene.
00:16:01.59\00:16:04.09
Well now, very often, or
from time to time in the Psalms,
00:16:04.13\00:16:09.20
we'll see that
the psalmists will use
00:16:09.23\00:16:11.77
a very difficult
language, a language of--
00:16:11.80\00:16:15.20
even a language of
anger or imprecatory language.
00:16:15.24\00:16:18.84
The Psalm 137 that
we mentioned earlier
00:16:18.87\00:16:22.58
is perhaps one of
the most difficult ones
00:16:22.61\00:16:25.21
for believers to explain
because the psalmist says,
00:16:25.25\00:16:29.45
"Remember, O Lord, against
the sons of Edom"--all right?--
00:16:29.48\00:16:34.62
"the day of Jerusalem,"
and then in verses 8 and 9,
00:16:34.66\00:16:38.83
"O daughter of Babylon,
who are to be destroyed,
00:16:38.86\00:16:43.87
happy the one who repays
you as you have served us!"
00:16:43.90\00:16:49.17
So there is almost
this payback desire.
00:16:49.20\00:16:52.91
And then a very,
very difficult text:
00:16:52.94\00:16:55.78
"Happy the one who takes
and dashes your little ones
00:16:55.81\00:17:00.12
against the rock!"
00:17:00.15\00:17:02.02
But remember,
these texts reflect
00:17:02.05\00:17:05.79
what the
Babylonians did to them;
00:17:05.82\00:17:08.02
that's what the psalmist says.
00:17:08.06\00:17:09.86
So, we tend to shun
away from verses like this.
00:17:09.89\00:17:15.13
However, I believe
this imprecatory language
00:17:15.16\00:17:17.97
should be appreciated because,
00:17:18.00\00:17:20.27
note, this language
is addressed to God.
00:17:20.30\00:17:23.47
The psalmist does not seek
to take revenge upon themselves
00:17:23.51\00:17:28.11
but bring that to God.
00:17:28.14\00:17:30.11
And they appeal
to God's promises
00:17:30.15\00:17:33.15
of judgment of evil.
00:17:33.18\00:17:35.68
Now, I would like to think that
perhaps the psalmist took evil
00:17:35.72\00:17:40.52
more seriously than
we do today sometimes,
00:17:40.56\00:17:44.53
especially if we
live comfortably,
00:17:44.56\00:17:47.76
then we have the
privilege to perhaps cringe
00:17:47.83\00:17:52.00
or be offended by these words.
00:17:52.03\00:17:55.30
But people who go
through suffering,
00:17:55.34\00:17:57.44
they understand that suffering
should be brought to God
00:17:57.47\00:18:01.41
but that the revenge
belongs to God alone.
00:18:01.44\00:18:05.55
>>Eric: And that ought
to probably help us make it
00:18:05.58\00:18:08.38
through life a little bit better
00:18:08.42\00:18:09.98
because if we are constantly
focused on revenge ourselves
00:18:10.02\00:18:14.06
or payback, as you mentioned,
00:18:14.09\00:18:16.12
that can hurt our own spirit.
00:18:16.16\00:18:19.06
It can hurt or
damage our own lives
00:18:19.09\00:18:21.00
and our own walks with God,
00:18:21.03\00:18:22.60
but if we can learn to
trust Him in the good times,
00:18:22.63\00:18:25.97
then that's going
to help us, hopefully,
00:18:26.00\00:18:28.04
to trust Him in the bad times
and to see that He's still there
00:18:28.07\00:18:32.61
and that, ultimately,
He's gonna make things right.
00:18:32.64\00:18:35.68
>>Dragoslava: Yes, yes,
and to trust God's judgment
00:18:35.71\00:18:38.55
means that we leave
it to God to intervene
00:18:38.58\00:18:42.42
and judge the
way He finds it fit.
00:18:42.45\00:18:45.55
Maybe we can recall Jonah,
00:18:45.59\00:18:47.49
the prophet Jonah
in the Old Testament.
00:18:47.52\00:18:49.76
He was sent to preach
the message of God's judgment
00:18:49.79\00:18:54.10
upon the
unfaithful and wicked people,
00:18:54.13\00:18:58.07
but then it turns out
that the people repented,
00:18:58.10\00:19:01.44
and God graciously forgave them.
00:19:01.47\00:19:04.44
Now, it can happen
that when we pray to God
00:19:04.47\00:19:08.51
and give our
anger and imprecations
00:19:08.54\00:19:11.55
and desire for revenge to God,
00:19:11.58\00:19:14.38
that God in His
judgment will turn our enemies
00:19:14.42\00:19:20.62
into our friends,
00:19:20.66\00:19:22.22
bring them to the point
of repentance and save them,
00:19:22.26\00:19:25.89
because that's the
first point of God's judgment:
00:19:25.93\00:19:29.23
it's salvation of all people.
00:19:29.26\00:19:31.87
And that's a
marvelous, wonderful thing.
00:19:31.90\00:19:34.80
>>Eric: So if
payback was left to us--
00:19:34.84\00:19:37.44
>>Dragoslava: Oh yes.
>>Eric: ...we might approach it
00:19:37.47\00:19:39.94
a little
differently than God does,
00:19:39.97\00:19:41.94
not a salvific payback
but a revenge type of payback.
00:19:41.98\00:19:47.38
But God has the right heart.
00:19:47.42\00:19:49.18
He has the right
motives, He knows the end
00:19:49.22\00:19:51.32
from the beginning, and
if we can leave that to Him,
00:19:51.35\00:19:54.36
difficult though that may
be, He has a better plan for it
00:19:54.39\00:19:59.29
than we do.
That's pretty powerful.
00:19:59.33\00:20:01.93
>>Dragoslava: Yes,
yes, indeed, indeed.
00:20:01.96\00:20:03.43
And it brings us
peace, living in the security
00:20:03.47\00:20:08.27
and love and grace of God.
00:20:08.30\00:20:10.64
It brings us
peace and assurance.
00:20:10.67\00:20:13.41
>>Eric: So, we're
called to sing this song.
00:20:13.44\00:20:17.31
What are--you
mentioned some of the benefits.
00:20:17.35\00:20:19.58
It gives us peace;
it gives us assurance.
00:20:19.61\00:20:21.65
What other benefits
are there for us, to us,
00:20:21.68\00:20:25.62
through us, if we learn to
sing this song at the times
00:20:25.65\00:20:29.99
when we're called to?
00:20:30.03\00:20:31.53
>>Dragoslava: Yes, well,
these songs will inspire hope,
00:20:31.56\00:20:35.10
not only in us but
in people around us.
00:20:35.13\00:20:39.13
The Psalms call us
to refuse to be silent,
00:20:39.17\00:20:43.51
but instead to
continue singing the Lord's song
00:20:43.54\00:20:47.21
and inspire hope, telling people
that there is light coming,
00:20:47.24\00:20:51.78
that there is life
coming, that God will triumph.
00:20:51.81\00:20:55.78
So, with bringing hope,
they also serve as a testimony
00:20:55.82\00:21:00.92
to God's gospel in
Jesus Christ to the world,
00:21:00.96\00:21:05.56
and the message of
salvation is a powerful message
00:21:05.59\00:21:10.63
in those songs.
00:21:10.67\00:21:12.70
>>Eric: So these
challenges are really,
00:21:12.73\00:21:14.84
if we look at
them in the right--
00:21:14.87\00:21:17.14
through the right
lens, they're opportunities.
00:21:17.17\00:21:19.91
They're opportunities
for us to glorify God,
00:21:19.94\00:21:22.74
for us to help other
people see a better picture,
00:21:22.78\00:21:26.68
a more clear picture
of Him than even perhaps
00:21:26.72\00:21:29.95
we ourselves sometimes see.
00:21:29.98\00:21:33.79
You and I have both
been through challenges;
00:21:33.82\00:21:36.46
everyone has.
00:21:36.49\00:21:37.79
If we've--if we
breathed, if we've lived,
00:21:37.83\00:21:40.30
we've been through challenges,
00:21:40.33\00:21:41.60
and some of them seem
downright overwhelming.
00:21:41.63\00:21:44.10
>>Dragoslava: Yes, yes.
>>Eric: And we don't know
00:21:44.13\00:21:45.43
how we're going
to make it through,
00:21:45.47\00:21:47.60
but if we can turn back to God,
00:21:47.64\00:21:49.77
then He can find a way
to bring His glory through
00:21:49.80\00:21:54.04
in those challenging situations.
00:21:54.08\00:21:56.44
There's likely some people
watching this who are thinking,
00:21:56.48\00:22:00.18
"Sure, you may
be able to say that,
00:22:00.22\00:22:02.52
but you don't know
what I'm going through,"
00:22:02.55\00:22:04.52
or, "You don't know
what I have gone through,
00:22:04.55\00:22:06.69
"and I'm dealing with something
that is just beyond painful,
00:22:06.72\00:22:11.73
that you could
never possibly imagine."
00:22:11.76\00:22:13.80
What kind of
words of encouragement
00:22:13.83\00:22:15.46
would you give to someone
00:22:15.50\00:22:17.10
who might be experiencing
a loss or a challenge
00:22:17.13\00:22:20.90
or just a
downright horrible situation
00:22:20.94\00:22:25.01
to help them out?
00:22:25.04\00:22:26.88
>>Dragoslava: Yes, well,
I learned from the Psalms
00:22:26.91\00:22:29.98
that our
confidence does not thrive
00:22:30.01\00:22:33.18
on the absence of
problems and difficulties.
00:22:33.21\00:22:36.92
Quite contrary,
00:22:36.95\00:22:38.42
it thrives on the
integrity of God's character,
00:22:38.45\00:22:42.26
of His loving and
truthful and faithful person.
00:22:42.29\00:22:46.13
Here I would like to
share one wonderful quote
00:22:46.16\00:22:48.80
that means a lot to me:
00:22:48.83\00:22:51.33
"Summon all your
powers to look up,
00:22:51.37\00:22:55.50
"not down at your difficulties;
00:22:55.54\00:22:58.41
"then you will
never faint by the way.
00:22:58.44\00:23:01.38
"You will [see soon]
Jesus behind the cloud,
00:23:01.41\00:23:04.68
"reaching out
His hand to help you;
00:23:04.71\00:23:08.08
"and all you have to do
is to give Him your hand
00:23:08.12\00:23:13.32
"in simple faith
and let Him lead you.
00:23:13.36\00:23:17.99
"As you become trustful you
will, through faith in Jesus,
00:23:18.03\00:23:22.76
become hopeful."
00:23:22.80\00:23:24.63
>>Eric: So what
this is all about, then,
00:23:25.27\00:23:26.94
is maybe a
reorientation of life.
00:23:26.97\00:23:31.34
So we're
oriented in one direction,
00:23:31.37\00:23:33.68
and then something happens
in our lives, and we become
00:23:33.71\00:23:37.88
what we might call disoriented,
and now we have an opportunity
00:23:37.91\00:23:41.92
to be reoriented.
00:23:41.95\00:23:44.79
Share a little bit
more about the benefits
00:23:44.82\00:23:46.79
of that reorientation and
why, when we're disoriented,
00:23:46.82\00:23:51.43
it doesn't serve us well to stay
disoriented but to reorient.
00:23:51.46\00:23:56.63
>>Dragoslava: Yes, the
experience of disorientation
00:23:56.67\00:24:00.10
will surely come to every one
of us in different times of life
00:24:00.14\00:24:05.14
and in different ways
but surely will hit us
00:24:05.17\00:24:08.18
once or twice or
even more times. Why?
00:24:08.21\00:24:12.95
Because life on
this earth is not simple.
00:24:12.98\00:24:16.58
The reality of evil
and sin complicates things
00:24:16.62\00:24:20.16
to that extent that
people even question
00:24:20.19\00:24:23.76
and doubt God's love
and grace in this life.
00:24:23.79\00:24:26.83
And that's where the
sense of disorientation comes,
00:24:26.86\00:24:30.53
because we were thought
to believe certain things,
00:24:30.57\00:24:34.80
and we even experience them,
00:24:34.84\00:24:36.91
but then circumstances
of life will challenge us.
00:24:36.94\00:24:40.84
Now, let us take that
time of disorientation
00:24:40.88\00:24:45.01
as a time of learning,
00:24:45.05\00:24:47.18
as a time maybe even
to sit back and meditate
00:24:47.22\00:24:50.92
and muse and seek God.
00:24:50.95\00:24:53.36
And by doing
that, we will allow God,
00:24:53.39\00:24:56.49
through His Word,
maybe through other people,
00:24:56.52\00:24:59.83
to lead us to a
new reorientation,
00:24:59.86\00:25:02.83
which is the time
of maturing, of growing
00:25:02.86\00:25:06.23
or broadening our
experience with God,
00:25:06.27\00:25:09.37
the time of learning.
00:25:09.40\00:25:11.21
Because what other
way do we have to grow?
00:25:11.24\00:25:15.31
And we need to grow and
mature. That's the journey.
00:25:15.34\00:25:18.78
That's the life journey,
spiritual journey as well.
00:25:18.81\00:25:23.82
>>Eric: You know, it's
in that disorientation time
00:25:23.85\00:25:26.42
that a lot of people fall out,
00:25:26.45\00:25:28.99
and so you can either fall out
and continue in disorientation
00:25:29.02\00:25:33.80
and discouragement,
00:25:33.83\00:25:35.33
or you can use that
time, as you mentioned,
00:25:35.36\00:25:37.37
for spiritual growth
and to broaden and deepen
00:25:37.40\00:25:41.77
your relationship with
Jesus and be reoriented.
00:25:41.80\00:25:45.17
So all the benefits
come from the reorientation
00:25:45.21\00:25:48.81
in the right
direction, as opposed to going
00:25:48.84\00:25:51.81
in a different direction,
00:25:51.85\00:25:53.35
in a direction
that really has no hope.
00:25:53.38\00:25:56.69
And so the psalmists do a
wonderful job of helping us
00:25:56.72\00:25:59.89
to see that. And as we
look at that, hopefully,
00:25:59.92\00:26:02.96
we can learn and we
can grow in the same way.
00:26:02.99\00:26:07.76
Any final thoughts
on this, this week?
00:26:07.83\00:26:09.93
>>Dragoslava:
Well, I would like to say
00:26:09.96\00:26:11.27
that all these wonderful things
we said about new orientation
00:26:11.30\00:26:15.64
or reorientation, we
cannot do this on our own.
00:26:15.67\00:26:19.81
And that's why
reading the Psalms,
00:26:19.84\00:26:22.08
praying the Psalms
daily is so very important.
00:26:22.11\00:26:27.25
Because the Psalms
do not just inform us;
00:26:27.28\00:26:31.09
they also
empower us by God's grace
00:26:31.12\00:26:34.46
and through the Holy Spirit.
00:26:34.49\00:26:36.66
So, taking time every
day to read the Psalms,
00:26:36.69\00:26:40.83
it will shape our
thoughts, it will mold our heart
00:26:40.86\00:26:44.47
to sing in tune with
this wonderful inspired Word.
00:26:44.50\00:26:49.04
And this is
where the reorientation
00:26:49.07\00:26:51.44
and maturing happens,
00:26:51.47\00:26:53.41
through the Word of
God and the Holy Spirit,
00:26:53.44\00:26:56.34
not by
self-motivation and self-talk.
00:26:56.38\00:27:00.15
And I know it's
very popular nowadays,
00:27:00.18\00:27:02.92
this motivational
speaking and self-motivation,
00:27:02.95\00:27:07.89
which has its merits as well.
00:27:07.92\00:27:10.43
But the task is too
huge for us to do it alone.
00:27:10.46\00:27:14.96
We will never make it.
00:27:15.00\00:27:16.63
Take the time of the--
every day to read the Psalms,
00:27:16.67\00:27:20.97
sing the
Psalms, pray the Psalms.
00:27:21.00\00:27:23.37
There is power of God in them.
00:27:23.41\00:27:25.81
>>Eric: Slava, thank
you for helping lead us
00:27:25.84\00:27:27.98
through "Singing the
Lord's Song in a Strange Land."
00:27:28.01\00:27:31.11
And thank you for
joining us this week.
00:27:31.15\00:27:33.11
We will return again next
week as we continue our journey
00:27:33.15\00:27:36.52
through the Psalms
here on "Sabbath School,"
00:27:36.55\00:27:39.12
brought to you by It Is Written.
00:27:39.15\00:27:40.96
¤¤¤
00:27:40.99\00:27:45.99
¤¤¤
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