Turning on the Lights! – Thursday, March 20, 2025. It’s about Sabbath!
Good Morning. Good Morning my brothers and my sisters.
We slow it down a bit today and reflect upon the highs and lows of our circumstances contrasted with our relationship with God through Jesus Christ.
What does it mean when the psalmist writes, “As deep call to deep?” How can we question God’s presence one moment and then praise Him the next?
What do we do when it seems as though all of life is weighing upon us?
Good reflection today – I hope that you think the same.
May God bless and keep you always and in all ways.
We will see you in church.
This is a video recorded copy of the FaceBook Live event of Turning on the Lights! – Thursday, March 20, 2025. Watch here via the YouTube link!
This is an audio recorded copy of the FaceBook Live event of Turning on the Lights! – Thursday, March 20, 2025. Listen here or through your favorite podcast app!
This is a transcript from the audio of this episode of Turning on the Lights! – Thursday, March 20, 2025
Hey, good morning. Good morning. Been a while since I’ve done this walking actually. Oh, we gotta flicker. I still haven’t changed that. You know, changing light bulbs. There are a lot of things that you know, you don’t really wanna do. Changing light bulbs. I don’t like changing light bulbs. I’ve gotta change that fluorescent light bulb and then over here on the second tier. Let’s go take a look at it. Here’s my coffee mug for the day. Pastor because hardcore devil stomping ninja isn’t an official job title. Got my coffee again today chilling out. Gonna be a little reflective with a rather somber song this morning. Here’s the altar of the church. I’m gonna set my coffee down here. Don’t spill it. I know. I’m I’m just, you know, I’m taking you all over the church. So, that fluorescent bulb out there needs to be changed and then watch this. I gotta get the ladder. It’s all it, you know, I don’t like ladders. See? See the first tier? See the second tier? Let’s see if I can get it right. Oh, there it is. That’s the 300 water. It’s out. And then it’s surrounded by little ones. See the difference? I have to get the gumption up to get over here and do some of these things. I don’t really have much gumption today. What is gumption anyway? But I’m not feeling like I have much gumption today. I’m gumptioned out. There’s music, special music for this weekend. Long Black Train. There’s a men’s ensemble that’s gonna be singing, leading. That’s pretty cool. That’s pretty cool. Couple of guitars gonna be leading on the men’s ensemble this weekend. We’ve got Long Black Train as a special. Here we go folks. Get ready. Get ready to be terrified. He knows my name. There’s power in the blood. Some classics. Happy Thursday morning. Supposedly like I went to bed last night and they were like doom and gloom. Doom and gloom. Rain, rain, rain. Also Thursday is gonna be awful. Wake up. Of course, the sun’s beaming. Then I’ll take a look at the weather and they’re like, oh, it’s not gonna be that awful. There might be some showers in the afternoon. Like, like I have a job where I have to be right or people literally spend eternity in hell. And I’m not patting myself on the back or anything. But you’d think other people could be a little more right. You know what I’m saying? Just a little more right. They’ve got computer models. They’ve got all kinds of things. But I think probably they’re getting less accurate because of all of the technology and the dependence upon the data-driven technology. You’re like, well, how can that be? Well, how about you look at generalities and trends? What do they call that? Analytics. Anyway, right, Barb? If we’re wrong, people spend eternity in hell. If weather people are wrong, they go and they collect their paycheck at the end of the week and move on with their lives. Just saying. Politicians aren’t even wrong. They just lie. So you’re not even wrong about what you said because it was a lie to begin with. I think weather people don’t set out to lie. They’re just wrong. This is my lecture of the morning. Good morning, everybody. Welcome to Turning on the Lights. Maybe more coffee will give me get up and go. But my get up and go kind of got up and went. I’m going to chill today. I need to chill today. I need a chill day. I might take a motorcycle ride before the rain comes. So good morning, everybody. If you’re going to receive the church town monthly, the church down weekly this week, you’re going to read I took the time. I was in a rather pensive mood today. I know, right? And you’re beloved. You’re like, oh, look, it’s Brian Warner. 27, W ABC 27 weatherman. He’s leading the parade. I’m like, okay. You’re beloved. That’s a good song. Beloved. Anyway. I said Psalm 42, didn’t I? I don’t know which one that I want now. But you’re going to see a lot rather long devotion today. I took the time. I was in a rather pensive mood to write to do some research around the Psalms. I’ve got a fairly good handle on my scriptures for Sunday. So I decided to do something different for the weekly and I took a little trip around the Psalms. And as always, it was amazing. The Psalms are just whenever, wherever, whatever kind of mood you might be in. The Psalms will take care of it for you. So, Father, we pray your word will go out this morning. We pray that the conversation about you about salvation. About your holiness. It will be shared throughout your church and through your church throughout the world. We really do believe what you say in Jesus name. Amen. God bless all of those who are feeling a certain way today. Psalm 42. As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God. My soul thirsts, oh God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God? My tears have been my food day and night while people say to me all day long, where is your God? Morning, Mama Dee. These things I remember as I pour out my soul, how I used to go to the house of God under the protection of the mighty one with shouts of joy and praise among the festive throng. Why my soul are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God for I will yet praise him my savior and my God. My soul is downcast within me. Therefore I will remember you from the land of the Jordan, the heights of Herman, the Mount Mizar. Deep calls to deep in the roar of your waterfalls. All your waves and breakers have swept over me. Oh my goodness gracious morning, Dale morning, Emma. Good morning. Everybody deep calls to deep. Has the roar of your waterfalls all your waves and breakers have swept over me deep calls to deep read that before I chose this song as a song of reflection because you can go a lot of different ways with reflection. And you can go like you know the the Lord is my fortress. The Lord is my salvation. He is the God of creation. He is the God of all miracles. He is the God and you can go that direction with just praise and praise and praise. But what about those moments when you’re you’re praising you’re praising, but you’re not in that heart burst of emotion. When you’re kind of within yourself, you know the real deal. You know the big picture your faith in God is not gone, but you’re like wow. What a week you know wow. Today’s the day. This happened that happened whatever the case may be enemies are slandering you pouring whatever things are just like I’m a Christian and what’s going on here. What’s going on? Is the accuser the opposer of God’s will question trying to get you to question who you are. When that grief wells up when that envy wells up because you see other wicked people prospering when the diagnosis comes to you or somebody close to you and you’re like I’ve done what you’ve asked. Those are the times when you don’t run away from the cross you run towards it. You don’t need to be fake enthusiastic. You don’t need to be fake jubilant. But you do need to understand your foundation. Deep calls to deep in those quiet moments. In the roar of your waterfalls in your breakers wash over me no matter what. No matter what you don’t think the Lord knows he knows. He became flesh so that he wouldn’t know in physical nature and experience and walk with his creation and know the pain and the disease and the demonic oppression and the all of it first hand in the flesh. So we can reassure that even though the Psalm is written before Christ walked the earth when we are in that place. I am your encouragement for today is when this you know is happening that is happening whatever the case may be. Flee as our buddy Henry Nellen says flee go inside yourself with him and allow the deep things call to the deep within you. That doesn’t look like you know praise it’s inside. You’re no in concept. You’re you’re not it’s no different than praising and worshiping and submitting to holy God, but it is reflecting upon. Situations circumstances. And setting them against the the big picture of your salvation of your relationship with God through Jesus Christ. I hope that that makes sense and I hope that that is an actual encouragement because we’re not always if you if you find somebody’s is it always bubbly bubbly, but I don’t know that’s kind of a red flag to me. I maybe I’m just too. But what I’ve learned is that at the lower moments right when it seems like it is not working or this has happened or this negative thing and that negative thing and one negative thing piled upon another and then Satan tries to get in my ear and say see I told you. Nothing nothing’s real. God’s not real. This isn’t nothing is real right and he does if he is real does he care because look what’s happening. And you’re like and that used to be a true battle and for many many many many. It is a true battle. It’s no longer a true battle for me. But it does cause a different set of thoughts and behaviors and so on 42 expresses them very well. You go to the cross you sit at the foot of the cross and you allow deep to speak to deep the things of eternity. The things that truly matter the big picture of who you are and what you’re doing whether you’re a minister or a accountant or a doctor or a lawyer or a ditch digger. Whatever you’re doing. You’re right where you should be doing what you should be doing and you are bearing witness to holy God. That’s what matters. Knowing that yourself and saying absolutely solid in the faith and sharing that being that for others because you want people to be saved beginning with your inner circle and moving out. You may be thinking about your son or your daughter or your husband or wife and you know I want you to pray every day for their salvation, but then God brings some stranger along while you’re least expecting it. Psalm 42 is a wonderful Psalm of reflection for those times when you’re not just putting it out there. When you feel as though. You are a little bit beaten down and Paul says in second Corinthians like we’ve been beaten, but not to death. We’ve been abandoned, but not never. We’ve been left, but we’ve never truly abandoned right. We have seen the harsh realities of this world, but we know the reality of creation. There’s a difference. And you can hear that in Paul’s writing as a minister and you can hear that in David’s writing when he’s saying. These things are crashing in on me. Oh Lord my salvation. Let me worship you speak to me now in my moment of need because you are my Lord and my God my God and my savior. Pretty pretty powerful stuff. Let’s read it. That was the NIV. I’ll finish it in the NIV and then I’ll read it in the new living. And that’s just where we’ll be today. So whether you are bubbling up from the inside out and your hands are in the air and it’s all outward or whether you’re hearing what I’m saying today and it’s inward. Inside you in your spirit with God, it’s I want you to explore that relationship and all that is being said and all that is being done. Cuz you know very well that you got both those high highs and those low lows, but do your circumstances dictate the reality of your relationship with God through Jesus Christ. That’s really what the Psalm is saying they don’t circumstances don’t. Whether they’re big circumstances, life and death circumstances or little circumstances. Wow what a rotten day this broken that broke and this did the car would start. Doesn’t affect your relationship with God through Jesus Christ. So he goes on to say by day the Lord directs his love at night. His song is with me. A prayer to the God of my life, I say to God my rock. Why have you forgotten me? Have we ever said that come on be honest? I will I’ll be honest. I say to my God. Why have you forgotten me? Why must I go about mourning oppressed by my enemy? My bones suffer mortal agony as my foes taunt me. Saying to me all day long, where is your God? Why my soul are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me put your hope in God? For I will yet praise him my savior and my God. You see the reality of the humanity of the Psalmist. My soul is downcast. Why have you forgotten me? I will praise you God. He keeps coming back to home base. But I will praise you God speak to me God. The thoughts go off and the feelings go off, but you can’t let your thoughts and your feelings guide you. You let the still small voice of God guide you as deep calls to deep. It’s beautiful. So like I say when you whatever mood you may be in the Psalms, this got me yesterday. Boy this got me right in the heart right in the middle of stuff. This Psalm just got me. He grabbed me and it got me. And as I was like I said, exploring doing this little exploration cuz I came across this neat little Lenten devotional about the three R’s of Lent repentance, redemption and reflection. And that exploration I decided to go to the Psalms and say not just the old Bible, but the Psalms and I read so many of them and found so much. And this one just grabbed me cuz it’s perfect perfect timing. Final final stanza. Oh that was it. Sorry the my about I’m stopped. I won’t explain why as this is the new living translation as the deer longs for streams of water. So I long for you. Oh God. I thirst for God the living God. When can I go and stand before him day and night? I have only tears for food while my enemies continually taught me saying where is this God of yours? My heart is breaking as I remember how it used to be. I walked among the crowds of worshipers leading a great procession to the house of God, singing for joy and giving thanks amid the sound of great celebration. It was the high highs. Why am I discouraged? Why is my heart so sad? I will put my hope in God. I will praise him again. My savior and my God. Now I am deeply discouraged, but I will remember you. You see this even from distant Mount Herman or the source of the Jordan from the land of Mount Mizar. I hear the tumult of the raging seas as your waves and surging tides sweep over me, but each day the Lord pours his unfailing love upon me and through each night. I sing his songs praying to God who gives me life. Oh God my rock. I cry. Why have you forgotten me? Why must I wander around in grief oppressed by my enemies? Their taunts break my bones. They scoff. Where is this God of yours? Why am I discouraged? Why is my heart so sad? I will put my hope in God. I will praise him again. My savior and my God. The New Living Translation doesn’t do a great job in trying to convey the idea of the still small voice you never heard in their deep calls to deep. Did you? They tried to express it in a different way and that’s why it’s important to have different translations and even sources when you can. If you’re going to do that, this is a good example of Bible study. You read that in the New Living Translation. You read it in the new international version. You can read it in the Berean Study Bible, whatever you say. Well, these all say deep calls to deep. Why is that what the text says and then you can go all kinds of free Bible software and look it up word for word. And you can do that exploration on your own and and we’re we’re meant to do that exploration. We’re meant to dig right deep calling to deep if you will. So I pray that that is an encouragement. I pray that your word is an encouragement to all those who may be on the mountain top of praise today or in the dark Valley today. They know that you are God savior and God Lord of our lives. Creator Redeemer sustainer of the universe and of us. Thank you for your word Lord that meets us every day right where we are offering. Your wisdom. Your encouragement. In Jesus name, we pray that your word will go forth this weekend in your church. May she shine brightly and stand explicitly on your word and your word alone. People don’t need to hear cheerleaders. We need to hear how desperately we need you. Amen. Hey. We will see you if you’re getting the weekly, let me know what you think of the devotion like I said, I could have gone on forever. And. Wherever you are. Go to church. It really is important.
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