Church Family,
I do hope your week has been full of God’s continued mercies. As we saw this last Sunday (Thanks, Jared!), suffering will be a part of our lives. Whether it’s at the hands of others or our own doing, suffering will come. David, though blessed by God, endures a lot throughout his life. We’ve seen in the Psalms and will continue to see David’s prayers during his suffering, his confrontation of the wicked who are causing his suffering, and his repentance because of suffering brought on by his own doing. What a wealth of help the book of Psalms has for the weary follower of Christ. David leans into his (and our) great God for help. In doing so, joy is his! “You have put more joy in my heart than they have when their grain and wine abound” (Psalms 4:7).
Prayer
As mentioned Sunday, I had the joy and privilege to be away for a few days to plan, study, write, and most importantly, pray about the next significant steps Light in the Desert will need to take over the next year. To break up the regular rhythm of my week and think strategically and deeply about what God has already done and is doing was refreshing and energizing, to say the least. I look forward to sharing with you all over the next month what I sense the Lord is calling us towards. In the meantime, I am asking you to pray, not humdrum prayers, but prayers of excitement and joy, bold prayers of faithfulness. Church family, the Lord has been gracious to us, and he continues to pour out his mercy. We’ve got a long way to go, but we are headed in a wonderful direction.
Grace and Peace,
Pastor Bryan