[2023.8.3] The Basin: Trust God. He's Got This

The enemy loves to keep us stuck in a space where we are frozen in what we don't know. You feel me? Frozen in what we don't know. Because then if we're frozen writing it down in what we don't know.

We don't go forward.

We don't go forward and learn because we're frozen. I don't know.

We'll learn.

Now, here comes the second part of this confession. Say, I know when I need to.

Not only does that mean that God.

Reveals things in his timing, according to his schedule, not always ours, but it.

Also means that sometimes we don't know.

What we need to know because we haven't gotten desperate to know it yet. There are certain books you won't read until you've experienced a brokenness that makes you need to read them. Yeah, I had books on my shelf that when I was going through a certain challenge in my life, I had to dig around for them because when I got the books, they were nice. Nice book, nice cover, nice jacket, nice title, nice subtitle. When I needed them, I dug for them. And when I say I'll know when I need to, I mean that sometimes we haven't really reached the level where we're reaching for the answers because we haven't hit the thing in our life yet that makes us go, oh, I got to get this one right. You know, I was telling a group of leaders this week that I was privileged to spend an entire day with. And most of them were pastors of churches from different parts of the country and different parts of the world. And it was a very small group. So I was able to be very personal, very specific with them. And one of the things that I shared with them that really, really, really was heavy in my heart to say to them is, you know.

I don't.

Really think that in certain seasons of my life, I was ready yet for certain things that God wanted to show me. And until I was ready, God couldn't say yes. I was stuck in that yes, but not yet phase. And I hope you can hear this when I say it, because we all have certain things that we encounter in our life that make us go, oh, no, I don't know how to do this. Like, I don't know how to be a good husband. I don't know how to do midlife. And, oh, I remember what I was going to tell you. I got a little sidetracked thinking about the meeting that I had with the pastors. But I was telling them how something about the ages of my kids right now, 12, 15, 17. That age in them is making me confront some things in me because I've got to win in some certain areas. Like, I didn't really get serious about my self talk, my self talk until I saw in my own kids some of the things that they were saying about themselves and to themselves and processing. And when I saw that, it became a mirror for me. Last week I talked about the mirror of the word of God, how the word of God is like a mirror, the perfect law that gives freedom. I didn't spend a long time there, but I did talk about how a mirror actually projects the image back in reverse. So I, I could have taken more time with this in the sermon, but I was wearing a hoodie that says can you imagine on it from our new album. But it says it backwards on the hoodie so that when you look at it in the mirror, it puts it back. You know, the light off of the mirror, it reflects back correctly. And so the shirt is backwards and the mirror shows me correctly. And I think that God's word is like that, where a lot of the things that we believe are backwards. And God's word is that mirror that shows us. No, you think that, you know, that your human accomplishments and human achievements are the thing that bring fulfillment. But no, those things are great and fine and they come from God too. But the real gift, the real gift of fulfillment is found in service and connection and flowing in what you're supposed to do, right?

So.

I didn't really see certain things in myself and get self aware until I needed to. And the reason I needed to is because I'm looking at my kids and I love them more than anybody else in the world except Holly. And I do love Holly more than I love them. And they know that. But next to Holly, they're the people in the world that I love the most. And in saying that, I love them enough to confront me. So it's been in the last few years that I've done a lot of my growth. Because, man, I need to know how to tell my son, here's how you deal with these feelings that rise up in you. Because I have them too. And I almost was willing to put up with them in myself until I saw them in my kids and I said, okay, we've got to uproot this. And it starts with my heart, so say it again. I'll know when I need to, when I need to. If you're not in the word of God and you say like, well, I don't really Know Scripture? I don't read Scripture. Then you haven't become aware enough yet of your need for Scripture.

That's what.

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for there's the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled when you get hungry enough. When you get hungry enough. Now, I need somebody who really wants God to show you what he can do and what he has for you and what he wants you to do. I want you to say, I'm hungry enough. I'm hungry enough. I'm thirsty enough. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. This is Pentecost Sunday we're talking about, right? Well, on the day of Pentecost, the Spirit of God came and it suddenly filled the room. Well, they didn't know when the Holy Spirit was coming. They needed the Holy Spirit, and so they sought God. And they were all together. Let's look at this scripture Acts chapter 2. When the day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord, in one place, seeking God.

Watch. And suddenly there came a sound from.

Heaven as of a rushing, mighty wind. And it filled the whole house where they were sitting.

So watch this.

They are sitting there, and they don't know when this promised Holy Spirit is going to come. And it comes suddenly to the place.

Where they were sitting. It comes suddenly. Now, that's the beautiful thing about God, is that his blessings come suddenly, but.

His hand moves steadily. Say that out loud. His blessings come suddenly, but his hand moves steadily. What am I trying to say?

I am.

I'm not trying to say it. I'm saying it. His blessings come suddenly, but his hand moves steadily. Which means that behind the scenes, even.

When I'm not experiencing this sudden blessing.

Like, oh, a promotion boom. Wow.

A relationship now, a phone call now, a breakthrough now a new dimension of God's glory now a horizon. While I'm not experiencing all of those things all the time, suddenly his hand is moving steadily. Let's go from Acts chapter 2.

Into 2nd Kings 3.

Somebody say, all of a sudden, that's how God does it. All of a sudden, when you see him move, you're like, how'd that happen? How many of you have ever had.

A moment in your life where you.

Said, how'd that happen?

You watched a turnaround like something that you thought wasn't going to change.

And then all of a sudden it changed. And then all of a sudden it does.

And I'm never going to.

All of a sudden, you Do. And it's just like an amazing, amazing thing. Say suddenly.

Say it again.

Say suddenly.

Look at your neighbor and scare them.

Say suddenly. Put it in the chat. Say suddenly. Wow. Well, look at this passage. I'm going to tell you a little.

Story from Second Kings, chapter three, one of my favorites, where the three kings got together. Not the three wise men, the three different kings, Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, Joram, who was over the northern kingdom of Israel. Not a good king. He had bad parents. Ahab and Jezebel have died, and they left Joram to lead. He was terrible. And then you've got the king of Moab, and he's rebelling. And so the.

Watch this.

I'll give it to you real quick. Somebody say suddenly. The. The king Jehoshaphat and the king of the northern kingdom, Jehoram. Did I say Jehoram? Or did I say. I might have said it wrong, but you could correct me later. All right. And so they went together, and they got together, and they start marching around. And they're marching around for seven days, and they run out of water. And they're basically getting ready to attack Moab. And as they get ready to attack Moab, they get thirsty, and they're about to die for lack of water on their way to a war.

Now, I'm a pause here.

Sometimes on your way to a war, you run out of water. They were.

They were going. Let me break this down.

They were going to wage war. Are you writing this down? You got to write some of this down, because sometimes you are going to wage a war. You're going to a meeting, and before.

The meeting, something happens with the car, or you're going to have a tough conversation.

And before the tough conversation comes bad news. In those moments, your strength can feel completely drained.

Now, Holly talked about this a few weeks ago, how you need sudden strength.

And we were praying this prayer. I breathe you in, Holy Spirit, and.

Your strength comes suddenly. Somebody say suddenly. And your peace fills me completely. Well, that's from prayer that God gave me to start to recognize the Holy Spirit in my own life. Because I noticed there were so many moments where I needed God's strength right now. I need it now. I don't have time to learn the Book of Revelation, the seven churches, the lampstands, the candlestands. I'll know all that when I need to. But right now, I just need God to help me from saying something crazy. I need God to help me. How many of you say, I need God to help me right now? Well, that was the situation that the Kings were in. That's the situation I was praying about. I breathe you in, Holy Spirit. Sometimes I feel like I'm losing it. Sometimes I feel like I'm coming unhinged, unglued. Sometimes I feel like if I don't get God to help me right now, I'm going to make a mess of this. I don't have time to spend the next 10 years growing out of my own dysfunction. My kids need to see a good example now. I need to make this decision now. I need to be able to figure out what God wants me to do now. And the beautiful thing is when you get to your now, I need it now. God already knew you'd be there. So God's not surprised about where you are. He's not surprised about where you struggle. He's not surprised about where you're dry. He's not surprised that you're depending on him in this situation. He's like, I was waiting on you to figure out that you needed me so I could flow into your situation. Somebody touch somebody right now on every location and online and say, God knew what he would do. Say it. God knew what. What he would do in the chat right now. God knew what he would do When? Before you came to this moment.

And I'm going to show you in the scripture. I'm going to show you in the scripture that God knew what he would do. When Jesus asked the disciples, where shall we get bread enough to feed all these people?

He was trolling them. He knew what he would do. The scripture says he knew what he would do. He was saying it to test them. Would they trust him? That's all it is. Do you trust God enough? That's all it is. To take a step forward and say, this is the next thing.

I breathe in the Holy Spirit.

Let's go.

This is the next thing.

I don't know what's next after next, but this is next. Stop putting so much pressure on yourself, students, to know what you're going to.

Do with your life in five years. It's not five years.

Let's get five seconds. Breathe in and be nice.

Breathe in and do the next problem on the sheet.

Breathe in and do the next thing. I was preaching a few weeks ago on the next best thing. I was talking about how in the sequence of God, we don't know what's.

Coming three years from now.

So we can't judge what we're going.

Through in a generic way in any.

Given moment of our life because we don't know that we might be one nudge away. Somebody say, I'm one nudge away. I'm one nudge away. God can nudge someone that you don't even know right now. And you might have a wife next year even though you've been single for 22. God knows. But you better get to church. You better get your butt in a good place so you can meet the right one. Somebody needs to go say, I'm going to join that greeter team and I'm going to do it right now. Can I start next week? Because watch this. I want to be sitting in the right place. Acts Chapter two. They were sitting in one accord when the Spirit came. They were sitting and it came suddenly, but they were sitting. This message is called a steady hand. For a sudden blessing, God's hand is.

Steady moving in your life right now.

God's hand is steady upholding you through your dark seasons. God's hand is steady making sure you don't fall even as you're walking forward in dark places. Like Abraham. Go to the land I will show you and I will guide you and I will give you my direction step by step. Like the hymn said, Great is thy faithfulness, O God, my Father. There is no shadow of. Of turning with thee all I have needed. Thy hand hath provided morning by morning new mercies. I see. Thy hand has provided how? Morning by morning. Steady. That's steady. That's. I'm going to get the grace for today.

Today.

And I'm going to put the faith for tomorrow in the hands of the God who has given me the the grace for today. I feel Jesus. Somebody shout, I got it today. Because the steady hand of God is giving me what I need for today, today. And what I don't know about tomorrow, I'll know when I need it. So somebody shout something real quick. Say, sorry, tomorrow. Wave your hand like this. Say, sorry, tomorrow.

Do it.

You're not doing it. Do it right now. Say sorry tomorrow. I know you want me to worry about you, but I have to put you in God's hands. The steady hand of God can hold your tomorrow, but your heart can't because God designed you to live in this day. So now watch this. The kings have come together. They're leading into a battle against an enemy named Moab. They don't know what to do. They go get the prophet. His name is Elisha. He's relatively new as well. He is following a great prophet named Elijah. I named my oldest son that I talked about earlier after this Prophet Elijah. Well, this is Elisha. He's the successor of Elijah. And now he's got a new job. And these kings are fighting a new battle, and none of them know what to do, but God does. The disciples didn't know when the Holy Spirit was going to come. They don't know when it's going to happen, but God does. And all you got to do, I want you to get this. Is stay steady for the stuff you don't know. Stay steady for the stuff you can't see. Stay steady because watch what the word of the Lord is. And I deliver this to you by the spirit of God on this day where we celebrate Pentecost, the Holy Spirit that God breathed out. See, when Jesus breathed his final breath on the cross, he was getting ready 50 days after his resurrection to send his spirit. And that spirit is here with us now. This is the time. This is the season. This is the day of the Lord's favor. We're not waiting for his spirit to come. The hand of God that moved through history, the hand of God that sent Jesus at just the right time, the hand of God that was shaping all of the events of your life has sent the spirit. And that hand is on you right now. Right now, he's blessing. Right now, he's saving. Right now he's healing. Right now, he's delivering. Right now, he's coming into your room, into your loneliness, into your situation, into your heartbreak. But you have to be ready for it to receive it.

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