As Pastor Jerry encouraged and challenged us Sunday, we want to have the right focus in this season of transition. He shared some truths from Psalm 33 that we hope can be an encouragement to you.

Three Encouragements from Psalm 33

Our soul waits for the Lord; he is our help and our shield.

For our heart is glad in him, because we trust in his holy name.

Let Your steadfast love, O Lord, be upon us, even as we hope in you.

Psalm 33:20-22

1. WAIT FOR THE LORD (VS. 20). Who likes waiting? So many places and times we must wait in life, whether at the DMV, Doctor’s Office, in a long line for your $7 latte with light whip cream and dash of cinnamon, at a stoplight, or waiting for an Amazon delivery (a whole two days!). We live in an impatient society that wants results now. During our 38 years as a church, there have been many times that we have needed to wait on the Lord to accomplish His purposes in and through us – individually and corporately. And we understand that waiting process during a season of transition can feel long, uncertain, and perhaps even unnecessary. But in the context of this verse, our waiting will not be in vain, not pointless, not a last resort. Not – “Oh well, I can’t do anything about it so I guess I’ll just have to wait on God…” It simply means we can rest in peace in Him, linger with Him, not rushing Him (as if we have power to do so anyway!). This word has the idea of “intent expectation,” knowing He is going to do something. And it will be much better than we can imagine!
2. TRUST IN THE LORD (vs. 21). I know some of you may be thinking, “Yes, I know, we have to trust the Lord to provide, but what do I need to do get things done or get things changed?” But think about it – God’s trustworthiness is unending, never in jeopardy, never in a deficit (unlike even banks these days!), insured by much more than any regulator’s rules, held in trust by His own Word & by the blood of His Son…so we will never be at risk!
3. HOPE IN THE LORD (vs. 22). Many of us drive around with our state motto on our car license plates. It appears on the state seal in Latin as “DUM SPIRO SPERO,” translated to English as “WHILE I BREATHE I HOPE.” Hope in what with every breath? According to Scripture, we have a confident expectation that God will come through. As Pastor Robert shared, GOD’S GOT THIS. How do we know? His hope is based on love – His unending, unfailing, steadfast love. It’s an unexplainable love that binds us to Him. It’s the love that reminds us that when others may abandon us, give up or give in to the hard and walk away…He will never forsake His own. He will never leave us to figure it out for ourselves.

So, REJOICE, brothers & sisters – we can wait, trust, and hope in the Lord with confidence and expectation and peaceful assurance.

Four Truths about God

What is it about our God that can instill such a confident and bold expectant hope & trust? It’s His character. It’s who He is. It’s His attributes.

1. He is SOVEREIGN. He is in control! That should comfort us because we are not in control of many things at all. Without His sovereignty, there would be utter chaos in our life and in our church. But He has the best plan! We can trust Him!
2. He is GOOD. This is just His nature: always and only good. Your hurt and pain may at time blur your perception of reality – but it does not change the truth that He is good.
3. He is UNCHANGING. Think about it – if God’s character was subject to change, what hope would we have that he would remain sovereign, good, all-powerful, or all-knowing? And if those absolutes about our God changed or fluctuated on a whim, how could we trust Him or hope in Him. But He is unchanging, and this should strengthen your faith in the storm, knowing He is the same God today that we read about in the Scriptures written centuries ago.
4. He UNDERSTANDS our need. When we are in a place of pain, uncertainty, hurt, or anxiousness of heart, we don’t always think correctly. We say we just want things to be fixed or get better, but we don’t really know what that means or how to do it. So, our gracious, kind, and loving God – in His sovereignty, in His goodness, and His unchanging kind and loving way – looks at us with tenderness and compassion and says, “I’ve got this – I know just what you need for today.” Our Shepherd is a safe person to draw close to because he understands. He understands pain. He understands rejection. He understands loss.

So, my dear friends, take heart today. We may not know what the outcome of our journey will be. We can’t know what hills and valleys, twists and turns, roadblocks and potholes we may encounter along the way. But of this we can be sure, our loving Father, our Good Shepherd, our Comforter in our weakness, knows every detail of the journey. In fact, He has it all planned out and it is going to be good for us, because He is good!

Two Challenges

During this time we will be tempted to want our preferences to be fulfilled. Resist the urge to seek your own desires in this process. Resist the urge to try to manipulate something you want to see happen. Resist the urge to slip away from the church family because of the uncertainty that waiting brings.

These moments of pressure, change, and transition are refining us, shaping us, and revealing where our loyalty lies – is it to what God wants or what we want? In this time of transition, we challenge all of us to:

1. Commit to live for the glory of One – for the glory of God.
2. REJOICE & PRAY. When you feel empty, discouraged, uncertain, perplexed – lift your eyes and your hands to heaven and rejoice in praise and adoration to the Lord. Along with that praise, we are asking you to commit to PRAY during this season. Pray regularly. Pray fervently. Seek God for help and guidance for us all during this season. Here’s some opportunities for you to pray together:
   • Men: 6:30 am, Friday mornings, Auditorium.
   • Ladies: every Sunday morning at 9:00 am in Room 117.
   • This Wednesday, March 15: Community Group is a prayer night
   • But it doesn’t have to be an official gathering – when you gather with your friends for a night of fun or fellowship, pause for a while and pray together for each other and for the needs of the church.

What should you pray for? Just a few thoughts:

• Pray that we will thrive as a church during this transition for the glory of God.
• Pray that we will wait, trust, and hope in God.
• Pray for the pastoral search committee as they work on our behalf.
• Pray for whom you should nominate to serve on that committee.
• Pray now in case you are asked to serve, that God will give you clear guidance.
• Pray for your pastoral team as some of our responsibilities will get adjusted for a period.
• Pray for unity of the spirit in the bond of peace, that we will endure together.
• Pray that we all will grow closer to Jesus.
• Pray that personal desires will be in the background – for God’s will to be done.
• For the man who will be our next lead pastor.

Let’s BEHOLD OUR GOD in this season – He’s got this! And we as a pastoral team are here for you if you need anything.