A Hand to Hold

http://hishiddenvoice.livejournal.com/

Pastoral Prayer: God through Lindsay Lagasse

Special Music: Emmanuel Quartet

Sermon: God's voice through the fingers of Lindsay Lagasse

Closing Prayer: God through Natalie Updike



Pastoral Prayer: Father, we call upon You here today to sit with us as we dive deeper into what it means to trust You. This world, we have learned, will always let us down, but You are stronger than the world. Your promises are stronger than steel, and we are so grateful for the assurance that Your word is solid. Without that guarantee, so many of us would fall farther from The Promise, the eternal life You are so graciously giving us. In everything we do, we fall short of You, Lord, but we know Your heart is merciful and will forgive. Thank you, Father. We ask now for You to sit with us and grant us the wisdom and will to drink in all You have given for us to learn today. In Christ's ever-merciful name, AMEN.



Special Music: Twenty-Three by the Emmanuel Quartet- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C0T3sTIf7oE

But those who wait on the Lord
Shall renew their strength;
They shall mount up with wings like eagles,
They shall run and not be weary,
They shall walk and not faint.
--Isaiah 40:31

Brothers and Sisters, let me tell you a story. It is a story about a girl and her conflict between trusting man and trusting God. She was born into a Catholic home to two devoted parents. They raised her to be a loving Christian Soldier. For her family, she was a Christian through and through. They didn't know what those at school knew. She was not a Christian, but rather a worshiper of people. Her trust lay fully in the hands of her peers. This lead to many betrayals, but none very big. A man came into her life, and she trusted him despite their great difference in age. But he hurt her unintentionally, teaching her that humans were not to be trusted. Instead of turning back to God, she remained alone in life with trust for no one. Suicide often crossed her mind, and she attempted on countless occasions. But then she was lead to God and finally, she was happy again. But another adult male entered her life and fought hard for her trust. They were the best of friends, telling each other every secret. But, as could be expected, the man broke the trust that he had formed with her. The going got tough, and he did what he said he'd never do; he "left" her. The girl was devastated. How could she fall for the trick again? This was too much, the betrayal of both older men. She fell into a depression again, and the thoughts of suicide returned. This time, however, there was a difference. She wasn't alone in the journey. Her trust was not all lost, for God still stood loyally by her. Even though the going was excruciatingly painful, He stayed with her. The depression soon wore away, for the little girl realized that, though man will never keep their promises made, God will. She had something solid to turn to.

That little girl, was me. God knew that only through my trials could I learn to lean on Him. But, He was not so cold as to give me no one. My parents were there for me, and probably the only reason I kept breathing with a willingness to survive before I knew the Father Above. And, of course, I had my friends and teachers, who are priceless gems to me. But I was blind to their kindness when the pain had set in. My trust in God was tested, and only because I held firm to Him did I make it through.

You may ask why I dove down so deep into my own personal affairs. Who cares, right? The past is past, I am a firm believer in that. The point was to show you the lesson I learned. Trials happen, but every single one is set to teach you a lesson. Though they may have specific lessons engraved in them for you to learn, the big picture is simple; God wants you to trust Him. Only if you do, can you have the relationship with Him that is a necessity to obtaining the Kingdom in the End Time. As the Bible passage, Isaiah 40:31, states: "They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint". Only God can make that promise, and keep it. Any trial, no matter how hard it seems, can be overcome. We can do all things through Christ our Lord and Savior (Philippians 4:13).

Maybe you trust the Father, but you know someone who is hurting. If you trust in the Lord, do good (Psalm 37:3). "As you prayerfully befriend them, God can heal their hurts. Trust, after all, can make all the difference in the world" (Nature in a Nutshell; Daily Devotions for Juniors).

I want to end with Mark 11:22-24:
So Jesus answered and said to them, “Have faith in God. For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.
Trust the Father with every fiber of your being, and nothing will be impossible to you. In times of need, when it seems all of humanity has betrayed you, God will always give you His hand to hold.

Closing Prayer: Heavenly Father, please help us to surrender our will unto You, the Author and Finisher of our faith, in order for You to replace it with Your undefiable will. Help us to glorify You through trials knowing that they are the testing of our faith in You. We surrender all of our doubt at Your throne, knowing that You will comfort us with Your everlasting arms and supply in abundance. In Your beautiful name Lord Jesus, Amen!