Thus Far…
Notes
Transcript
Today the title of my message seems a little vague its not meant to be its just as we are gearing down this year and gearing up for next year I couldn't help but reflect how God has been with us Thus far…
Last year at this time we were looking at our theme Faith for a Land not sown.
The word of the Lord came to me, saying,
“Go and proclaim in the hearing of Jerusalem, Thus says the Lord, “I remember the devotion of your youth, your love as a bride, how you followed me in the wilderness, in a land not sown.
This year has been a year of following God even when we dont understand.
We follow not because we understand but because we trust His heart.
How even in trials and tribulation and emotional fears and worry stress of this life, the cares and the struggles we realized that God is there for us, He never leaves us.
Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.”
No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you or forsake you.
teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
When we say God is always with us and we can quote the scriptures and we have the knowledge its great…
but when we can experience God’s presence in trouble, we can feel his peace when life is chaotic, we can experience a whole new level of trust and faith.
Then we can say that God has thus far helped us out.
Yesterday I went to the funeral of a long time friend and I was reflecting on 2 things, one was I didn't just know information about this family.
the second thing is I walked with them, I was apart of their lives for many years,
I remember the tooth Jacob broke on the church door as He was playing, running or chasing this family.
I remember that on a Sunday night many years ago as we were praying for the children in a service I saw the power of God come upon Telissa and Jacob and they fell under the power of God and at that moment I realized that God wanted our kids to experience His power!
I remember How God showed me His faithfulness in Finances, he spoke to me to bless them with some money and I remember walking to our back yard to meet pastor Jeff and Him telling me that we were an answer to their prayers at that moment in time and that then Pastor Jeff prayed that God would bless this seed in my life and God supernaturally blessed it and I had experienced a God of Provision.
2 things I want you to remember today is that Knowing God is more than just facts…
it is experiential knowledge, its Journeying day after Day with a God who will not give up on you. Who will show up on bad days and good days and walk with you through every storm of Life.
He is just asking you to trust Him, to walk with Him even when you dont see his hand moving.
There is a story in the Old Testament about a woman named Hannah unable to conceive.
She was deeply distressed and prayed to the Lord and wept bitterly.
If you follow this story you find that day after day she had to live this life of humiliation, shame and hurt and sorrow.
Sometimes it seemed as if her prayers were not heard, she had a knowledge of who God was…but it wasn't until she experienced a moment of Prayer with God that she poured from her heart, and it didn't matter who was watching, who was there or wasn't there this was a God moment and that was all that mattered.
As she continued praying before the Lord, Eli observed her mouth.
Hannah was speaking in her heart; only her lips moved, and her voice was not heard. Therefore Eli took her to be a drunken woman.
And Eli said to her, “How long will you go on being drunk? Put your wine away from you.”
Knowledge is great we need to know who God is, we need scriptural knowledge…but when you know someone intimately you learn to trust them.
Look at this all those days of sorrow for Hannah, all those days of Going to the temple, all those days of Knowing who God was… Her life was Changed when she experienced a God moment of Prayer experiential Knowledge.
They rose early in the morning and worshiped before the Lord; then they went back to their house at Ramah. And Elkanah knew Hannah his wife, and the Lord remembered her.
Church her faith can become yours, God gives us faith stories in the word so we can relate so we can say if He did it for them then he can do it for me…
Look Her faith brought a Son to her, but it was her son that was a prophet God was looking for…To help a nation to return to him…
This prophet was an answer to prayers, now God was using this answer to prayer to help a nation...
And Samuel said to all the house of Israel, “If you are returning to the Lord with all your heart, then put away the foreign gods and the Ashtaroth from among you and direct your heart to the Lord and serve him only, and he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines.”
This morning I dont think any of us have left serving God to serve Idols but i do think that distractions in our life can be competing with God. The enemy is always looking for a way to attack you and I.
As Samuel was offering up the burnt offering, the Philistines drew near to attack Israel. But the Lord thundered with a mighty sound that day against the Philistines and threw them into confusion, and they were defeated before Israel.
They were having an experience with God and God showed up to take out the enemy…
Then look what Samuel did…
Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen, and called its name Ebenezer, saying, “Thus far the Lord has helped us.”
I TOOK A PICTURE OF THE PRAYER ROOM BOARD AND I WANT YOU TO REALIZE THAT WE HAVE HAD EXPERIENCES WITH GOD THIS YEAR THAT HAS INCREASED OUR Faith it has moved us to new levels and new lands we normally would not move into on our own and we have seen God answer prayers.
Like Samuel in verse 12 I want to declare to you Thus far God has helped us and He is preparing us for the next step but it wont come from just knowledge but always from experiencial knowledge.
