100:00:00,840 –> 00:00:11,760Jesus is Lord, but I gotta tell you I almost gave up believing it. My feet had200:00:11,760 –> 00:00:20,940almost slipped. I nearly lost my faith. I nearly gave up my ministry. I almost lost300:00:20,940 –> 00:00:27,920my foothold. I was nearly gone! I need you to know that. But I want to tell you how400:00:27,920 –> 00:00:34,080God turned me around. Welcome to Open the Bible with Pastor Colin Smith, I’m David500:00:34,080 –> 00:00:38,959Pick. Thanks for being with us today and Colin, we’re starting today a new series600:00:38,959 –> 00:00:44,740all about Psalm 73 and this concerns someone who is discouraged in his faith.700:00:44,740 –> 00:00:50,980Yes, it’s a real life story. A man by the name of Asaph, a godly leader, a good man.800:00:50,980 –> 00:00:56,639But he came to a place where he was so desperately discouraged. He said, I nearly lost my footing900:00:57,480 –> 00:01:03,580That can happen to a really good person, to a godly person, circumstances come together1000:01:03,580 –> 00:01:09,279and you think, Am I achieving anything? What is the point in what I am doing? There will1100:01:09,279 –> 00:01:14,779be folks listening to us right now who are there and this is the Word of God for you1200:01:14,779 –> 00:01:21,400and it’s a word of tremendous hope because God did not leave Asaph in that desperate1300:01:21,800 –> 00:01:26,800position. He did draw near to him and He did establish him and He did turn him around and1400:01:26,800 –> 00:01:32,379God is faithful, He will do the same for you. I am so glad we got the psalm. I have known1500:01:32,379 –> 00:01:36,360times in my own life when I’ve desperately needed it, I should no doubt will again. That1600:01:36,360 –> 00:01:40,120happens for every Christian and that’s where were going in the Bible today.1700:01:40,120 –> 00:01:47,279So join us if you can in Psalm 73 as we begin a message, simply entitled, Stop! Here’s1800:01:47,279 –> 00:01:48,279Colin1900:01:48,919 –> 00:01:56,919Psalm 73 is really a personal testimony about a man who came to a great crisis of discouragement2000:01:56,919 –> 00:02:03,760in his own life. He tells us about how he nearly lost his faith, despite the fact that2100:02:03,760 –> 00:02:09,919he was known as a mature believer. But God helped him and he found his way through the2200:02:09,919 –> 00:02:14,759crisis to an even stronger faith than he had known before.2300:02:14,839 –> 00:02:22,320Psalm 73 has been described as the book of Job in a nutshell. That’s what it is and that’s2400:02:22,320 –> 00:02:30,220going to be our theme over these next weeks. Now, if you look at the top of Psalm 73, we’re2500:02:30,220 –> 00:02:34,600going to read the first half of it in a few moments’ time, but if you look at the top2600:02:34,600 –> 00:02:41,580of it, you will see there that we’re told that this was a psalm written by Asaph, and2700:02:41,600 –> 00:02:47,759I thinks we’re going to come to know this man Asaph as a familiar friend. Asaph was2800:02:47,759 –> 00:02:52,740one of the men who King David put in charge of music in the house of the Lord. You can2900:02:52,740 –> 00:02:59,419read about that in 1 Chronicles chapter 6 in verse 39. He was in the procession when3000:02:59,419 –> 00:03:05,199David brought the ark of the covenant back to the city of Jerusalem, and after that the3100:03:05,199 –> 00:03:11,300Bible tells us that David appointed some of the Levites to minister before the ark of3200:03:11,300 –> 00:03:16,479the Lord to make petition, to give thanks, to praise the Lord the God of Israel, and3300:03:16,479 –> 00:03:23,679then it says Asaph was the chief so he was in charge of prayer for the whole body. He3400:03:23,679 –> 00:03:31,919played the symbols, he led the music. So Asaph was a man in full time ministry. He was a3500:03:31,919 –> 00:03:40,360mature believer, he was a godly man and God had put him in a position of great responsibility.3600:03:40,360 –> 00:03:44,759But what he tells us in this marvellous Psalm that he writes under the inspiration of the3700:03:44,759 –> 00:03:52,119Holy Spirit, is that he came to a point when even in the middle of ministry, he nearly3800:03:52,119 –> 00:04:00,899lost his own faith. And I have to tell you, I find it very, very helpful to know that3900:04:00,899 –> 00:04:08,679even the greatest believers have experienced times of great crisis, where it seemed that4000:04:09,020 –> 00:04:16,079everything was falling apart in their lives. I have to tell you personally that over the4100:04:16,079 –> 00:04:24,160years, God has used this Psalm more than any other part of Scripture to get me through4200:04:24,160 –> 00:04:32,160some of the hardest times in my own life. Aesop has become a friend who has been a means4300:04:32,160 –> 00:04:38,640of God s grace to get me out of a black hole more than once. I think of times down the4400:04:38,640 –> 00:04:46,420road when I said, I need to go back to Psalm 73. And I hope that as a result of this month4500:04:46,420 –> 00:04:51,660that we will be encouraged, that we will be strengthened, and that we will feel that we4600:04:51,660 –> 00:05:00,140have found in this Psalm and God s servant Aesop a faithful friend who can help us persevere4700:05:00,140 –> 00:05:04,859when we hit some of the most difficult times in our lives.4800:05:04,859 –> 00:05:11,720So to the text, then, and we ll take it verse by verse as we read it together, Psalm 734900:05:11,720 –> 00:05:19,399and verse 1. I want you to notice that the Psalm begins with a statement of faith. Surely5000:05:19,839 –> 00:05:26,839God is good to those who are good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart.5100:05:27,019 –> 00:05:33,119Now, this in Old Testament terms was a kind of credal statement. It was the sort of thing5200:05:33,119 –> 00:05:38,480that you would recite in the congregation every week at worship. For New Testament believers,5300:05:38,480 –> 00:05:44,440it would rather be like saying, Jesus is Lord, when we meet for worship. You know, God is5400:05:44,440 –> 00:05:50,799good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart. Now, Asaph is saying right at the beginning5500:05:50,799 –> 00:05:55,720of this psalm, look, this is what I always believed. I’ve been brought up with this.5600:05:55,720 –> 00:06:02,579I’ve always believed it. I have built my life upon it. This is the faith of God’s5700:06:02,760 –> 00:06:13,220people, he says, but, verse 2, I have to tell you that as for me, my feet had almost slipped.5800:06:13,220 –> 00:06:20,940So if Asaph had been a New Testament believer, his story would have been something like this.5900:06:20,940 –> 00:06:32,179Jesus is Lord, but I got to tell you I almost gave up believing it. My feet had almost slipped6000:06:32,179 –> 00:06:42,160– I nearly lost my faith, I nearly gave up my ministry, I almost lost my foothold6100:06:42,160 –> 00:06:49,579– I was nearly gone, I need you to know that. But I want to tell you how God turned6200:06:49,579 –> 00:06:57,899me around. That’s what the passage is. You know its relevance every Sunday, when we meet6300:06:57,920 –> 00:07:02,559for worship and we confess our faith and we sing the hymns and we read the scriptures,6400:07:02,559 –> 00:07:08,839there are some folks in this congregation and that’s right where you are. You don’t6500:07:08,839 –> 00:07:15,040find it easy to sing. You struggle as we focus on the word all the time pounding in your6600:07:15,040 –> 00:07:24,019mind. You hear something said and its yes but yes but yes but. What about? Your faith6700:07:24,160 –> 00:07:33,500that once was strong, is now hanging by a slender thread. What was once strong to you6800:07:33,500 –> 00:07:40,500now seems distant. What seems wonderfully real to other people seems remote from you.6900:07:42,380 –> 00:07:46,820And somewhere in the back of your mind there is this voice that says I could quite easily7000:07:46,820 –> 00:07:53,820walk away from this altogether, my feet had almost slipped.7100:07:54,019 –> 00:08:00,299Now, in the first half of the Psalm, which we’re going to cover this morning, Asaph7200:08:00,299 –> 00:08:07,299tells us why it was that he became so troubled. He tells us what brought him to the point7300:08:08,299 –> 00:08:15,299where he almost gave up. It really comes in three parts. The first is that he could make7400:08:16,299 –> 00:08:23,299no sense of what God was doing in the world. And here I’d like simply to read for you7500:08:24,299 –> 00:08:30,299verses 3 to 12 as we get the flavor of what he was experiencing, so follow with me as7600:08:30,299 –> 00:08:35,299we read together here from verse 3.7700:09:30,299 –> 00:09:32,299Does the Most High have knowledge?7800:09:32,299 –> 00:09:34,299This is what the wicked are like.7900:09:34,299 –> 00:09:40,299They’re carefree, and they increase in wealth.8000:09:40,299 –> 00:09:44,299Now there’s real distress in these words.8100:09:44,299 –> 00:09:49,299I saw the prosperity of the wicked!8200:09:49,299 –> 00:09:53,299I see those who have no integrity in the world of business8300:09:53,299 –> 00:09:55,299and they’re doing very well!8400:09:55,299 –> 00:09:58,299I can make no sense of that.8500:09:58,299 –> 00:10:03,299Why does God allow it?8600:10:03,299 –> 00:10:08,299The people who are most antagonistic towards God in our country,8700:10:08,299 –> 00:10:11,299they act as if no one can touch them8800:10:11,299 –> 00:10:13,299and God does nothing about it.8900:10:13,299 –> 00:10:16,299And here I am trying to serve the Lord in ministry9000:10:16,299 –> 00:10:19,299to promote what is pure and what is right9100:10:19,299 –> 00:10:21,299and all I see is that the agenda9200:10:21,299 –> 00:10:24,299of those who hate God and those who despise his word9300:10:24,299 –> 00:10:26,299is moving forward in the land.9400:10:26,299 –> 00:10:31,299Why does God allow it? It makes no sense to me.9500:10:31,299 –> 00:10:33,299Now, you can understand this problem.9600:10:33,299 –> 00:10:36,299Which of us hasn’t been there?9700:10:36,299 –> 00:10:40,299Can you make any sense of how God rules the world?9800:10:40,299 –> 00:10:42,299Can you?9900:10:43,299 –> 00:10:45,299Why do the wicked prosper?10000:10:47,299 –> 00:10:49,299It makes no sense.10100:10:49,299 –> 00:10:53,299You’re listening to Pastor Colin Smith on Open the Bible10200:10:53,299 –> 00:10:55,299and the message is simply called Stop.10300:10:55,299 –> 00:10:59,299It’s part of our new series called I Almost Gave Up10400:10:59,299 –> 00:11:03,299and it’s all about how we change direction in the Christian life.10500:11:03,299 –> 00:11:06,299Don’t forget if you ever miss one of the series10600:11:06,299 –> 00:11:09,299you can always catch up or go back and listen again online10700:11:09,299 –> 00:11:12,299at our website openthebible.org.uk10800:11:12,299 –> 00:11:15,299or find us on your favourite podcast site.10900:11:15,299 –> 00:11:19,299Search for Open the Bible UK or follow the link from our website.11000:11:19,299 –> 00:11:22,299Open the Bible is supported by our listeners11100:11:22,299 –> 00:11:25,260and later on in this program I’m going to be talking to Colin11200:11:25,260 –> 00:11:28,260about this month’s special offer if you’re considering11300:11:28,260 –> 00:11:32,260starting to support Open the Bible financially in that way.11400:11:32,260 –> 00:11:34,260So I hope you’ll stay with us for that.11500:11:34,260 –> 00:11:37,260Meanwhile, back to the message, here’s Colin.11600:11:37,260 –> 00:11:41,260Asaph couldn’t make any sense of what God was doing in the world11700:11:41,260 –> 00:11:45,260but actually the real problem was deeper.11800:11:45,260 –> 00:11:47,260It was that he could make no sense11900:11:47,260 –> 00:11:51,260of what God was doing in his own life.12000:11:51,260 –> 00:11:54,260Number 14, we’ll come to 13 in a moment.12100:11:54,260 –> 00:12:00,260All day long I have been plagued.12200:12:00,260 –> 00:12:03,260I have been punished every morning.12300:12:03,260 –> 00:12:07,260You see it’s personal now.12400:12:07,260 –> 00:12:10,260He’s put out all his frustration about how God rules the world12500:12:10,260 –> 00:12:14,260but actually the real problem is that things are going wrong12600:12:14,260 –> 00:12:19,260in his own life and it just makes no sense to him.12700:12:19,260 –> 00:12:25,260But remember that this is the confession of a godly man.12800:12:25,260 –> 00:12:28,260Aesop is in full-time ministry.12900:12:28,260 –> 00:12:31,260He is a spiritual leader.13000:12:31,260 –> 00:12:36,260Other people are looking to him for leadership.13100:12:36,260 –> 00:12:38,260This is a man who’s reading his Bible.13200:12:38,260 –> 00:12:40,260This is a man who is saying his prayers.13300:12:40,260 –> 00:12:42,260This is a man who tithes his money.13400:12:42,260 –> 00:12:46,260This is a man who has poured great energy into pursuing a holy life,13500:12:47,260 –> 00:12:49,260who has sought to live with integrity.13600:12:49,260 –> 00:12:52,260He’s made sacrifices for the advance of God’s kingdom.13700:12:52,260 –> 00:12:57,260But now it seems that everything’s going wrong in his life.13800:12:57,260 –> 00:13:02,260And just why would God allow that to happen?13900:13:02,260 –> 00:13:08,260See, sometimes underneath the grand questions that we ask about what’s wrong with the world,14000:13:08,260 –> 00:13:12,260there are much deeper questions that are personal14100:13:13,260 –> 00:13:17,260about what’s going wrong in my life.14200:13:17,260 –> 00:13:20,260You ask why do the wicked prosper,14300:13:20,260 –> 00:13:25,260but the real question is why hasn’t God prospered me?14400:13:25,260 –> 00:13:28,260You ask why does God allow suffering,14500:13:28,260 –> 00:13:33,260but the real question is why is there such pain in my life?14600:13:33,260 –> 00:13:38,260You ask is there really a God who controls the universe,14700:13:38,260 –> 00:13:45,260but the real question is is why is it that it seems my life is falling apart?14800:13:45,260 –> 00:13:48,260This man could make no sense of what God is doing in the world,14900:13:48,260 –> 00:13:52,260he could make no sense of what God is doing in his life.15000:13:52,260 –> 00:13:59,260Therefore, thirdly, he could no longer see the point of pursuing a godly life.15100:13:59,260 –> 00:14:02,260That’s where he came, to and that’s verse 13.15200:14:02,260 –> 00:14:07,260Surely in vain have I kept my heart pure.15300:14:07,260 –> 00:14:12,260In vain I have washed my hands in innocence.15400:14:12,260 –> 00:14:14,260Now you see what he’s saying? If you go back to verse one,15500:14:14,260 –> 00:14:17,260I’ve always believed, I’ve been brought up to believe,15600:14:17,260 –> 00:14:21,260that God is good to Israel to those who are pure in heart15700:14:21,260 –> 00:14:23,760but what I’m seeing as I look out at the world15800:14:23,760 –> 00:14:26,260is the prosperity of the wicked.15900:14:26,260 –> 00:14:28,760Then I look at the problems of my own life,16000:14:28,760 –> 00:14:30,760and I’ve tried to be pure in heart16100:14:30,760 –> 00:14:34,260and the whole thing just doesn’t make sense to me anymore.16200:14:34,260 –> 00:14:36,760And you see these problems are very real.16300:14:39,260 –> 00:14:42,260Some of you have colleagues in business,16400:14:42,260 –> 00:14:44,760competitors in business,16500:14:44,760 –> 00:14:48,260who have very little integrity16600:14:48,260 –> 00:14:51,260and they’re doing very well.16700:14:51,260 –> 00:14:55,260You have tried to do business in a way that honors the Lord16800:14:55,260 –> 00:14:58,260and you’re facing all kinds of trouble16900:14:58,260 –> 00:15:01,260and that leaves you saying what’s the point?17000:15:01,260 –> 00:15:04,260In vain have I tried to keep my heart pure.17100:15:04,260 –> 00:15:06,260Where did it get me?17200:15:09,760 –> 00:15:14,260Your colleague at work was fooling around with someone in the office17300:15:14,260 –> 00:15:16,260and he got promoted.17400:15:17,260 –> 00:15:20,260You were loyal to your wife and you lost your job.17500:15:20,260 –> 00:15:25,260It leaves you saying, Lord, you blessed the wrong guy here.17600:15:25,260 –> 00:15:27,760Makes no sense.17700:15:28,760 –> 00:15:32,760Now this was Asaph’s problem and he’d lived with it too long.17800:15:33,760 –> 00:15:37,760And he says, honestly, my feet had almost slipped.17900:15:39,760 –> 00:15:41,760I was nearly gone.18000:15:43,760 –> 00:15:45,760I almost gave up.18100:15:47,760 –> 00:15:53,760Now, if a godly man like Asaph could be tempted like that18200:15:53,760 –> 00:15:57,760would you be surprised that that might happen to you?18300:16:00,760 –> 00:16:09,760The apostle Peter tells us that we have an enemy, Satan.18400:16:09,760 –> 00:16:14,760And that he’s like a roaring lion and that he’s always prowling around18500:16:14,760 –> 00:16:16,760looking to see who he can devour.18600:16:16,760 –> 00:16:20,760It was like that before the time of Jesus, and it’s been like that since the time of Jesus.18700:16:21,760 –> 00:16:28,760And quite honestly, the more you pursue integrity and the more useful you are to Jesus Christ,18800:16:28,760 –> 00:16:30,760the more he will want to devour you.18900:16:30,760 –> 00:16:31,760That is what was happening here.19000:16:31,760 –> 00:16:36,760Satan wanted to spoil Asaph’s testimony.19100:16:36,760 –> 00:16:39,760Satan wanted to end this good man’s ministry.19200:16:39,760 –> 00:16:49,760Satan wanted to devour Asaph in a storm of confusion and of despair.19300:16:51,760 –> 00:16:57,760You need to know that there will be times of special testing in your life,19400:16:59,760 –> 00:17:08,760and that your future usefulness to Christ will depend in large measure on how you handle these times when they come.19500:17:09,760 –> 00:17:14,760It was the Apostle Paul who said that we are to put on the full armor of God so that19600:17:14,760 –> 00:17:19,760when the day of evil comes we may be able to stand.19700:17:19,760 –> 00:17:21,760See, not all days are the same in the Christian life.19800:17:21,760 –> 00:17:24,760There are some days where Satan makes a special attack.19900:17:24,760 –> 00:17:30,760Paul says it’s the day of evil and when it comes you need the armor of God so that you will be able to stand.20000:17:37,760 –> 00:17:41,760And his story really is a model for us20100:17:42,760 –> 00:17:49,760as to how we must act when we come to these points where we feel like giving up.20200:17:51,760 –> 00:17:54,760Now, the rest of the psalm tells us Asaph’s story.20300:17:54,760 –> 00:18:00,760And we’re going to walk with Asaph on his steps to recovery from this crisis,20400:18:00,760 –> 00:18:04,760and there are really five steps and we’re going to follow them over these next weeks.20500:18:05,760 –> 00:18:08,760We really are just going to take the first one only today,20600:18:08,760 –> 00:18:11,760and that’s the step that we find in verse 15.20700:18:11,760 –> 00:18:16,760Look at what he says there, and this will be the focus for the remainder of our time.20800:18:17,760 –> 00:18:19,760If I had said,20900:18:19,760 –> 00:18:22,760I will speak thus,21000:18:22,760 –> 00:18:27,760I would have betrayed your children.21100:18:29,760 –> 00:18:32,760Now, he’s poured out in the psalm, you see,21200:18:32,760 –> 00:18:35,760reflecting back on this experience,21300:18:35,760 –> 00:18:39,760what he was thinking at this dark time in his life.21400:18:39,760 –> 00:18:42,760And what he’s saying here is very simply,21500:18:42,760 –> 00:18:44,760that if I had gone public21600:18:44,760 –> 00:18:47,760with what I was really thinking at that time,21700:18:47,760 –> 00:18:50,760I would have let everybody down.21800:18:50,760 –> 00:18:53,760If I had spoken thus,21900:18:53,760 –> 00:18:56,760I would have betrayed your children.22000:18:58,760 –> 00:19:01,760If I had followed the thoughts,22100:19:01,760 –> 00:19:05,760the inclinations of my heart at that time,22200:19:05,760 –> 00:19:10,760if I had gone where these thoughts were taking me,22300:19:10,760 –> 00:19:14,760I would have betrayed your children.22400:19:16,760 –> 00:19:19,760If I had gone where my confused mind was going,22500:19:19,760 –> 00:19:21,760I would have become the Judas of the Old Testament,22600:19:21,760 –> 00:19:24,760that’s what he’s saying.22700:19:24,760 –> 00:19:28,760But Esau does not want to go there.22800:19:28,760 –> 00:19:33,760So he takes himself in hand22900:19:33,760 –> 00:19:36,760and he puts on the brakes.23000:19:37,760 –> 00:19:40,760Last week, our family had the joy of23100:19:40,760 –> 00:19:43,760a few days away in Dorr County,23200:19:43,760 –> 00:19:45,760where we’ve enjoyed a break after Christmas23300:19:45,760 –> 00:19:48,760on a number of years.23400:19:48,760 –> 00:19:52,760And the place where we were staying in Sister Bay,23500:19:52,760 –> 00:19:54,760some of you know that area well,23600:19:54,760 –> 00:19:56,760was, if you get the picture,23700:19:56,760 –> 00:19:59,760off a road that was off a road.23800:19:59,760 –> 00:20:01,760You get the idea.23900:20:01,760 –> 00:20:04,760We arrived in the evening, pitch dark24000:20:04,760 –> 00:20:06,760and you know how it is.24100:20:06,760 –> 00:20:10,760It’s somewhere up here on the right.24200:20:10,760 –> 00:20:11,760My wife said,24300:20:11,760 –> 00:20:14,760I think it’s this turning here.24400:20:14,760 –> 00:20:17,760Oh no, I said. I think it’s further on.24500:20:17,760 –> 00:20:20,760Well, a mile down the road24600:20:20,760 –> 00:20:22,760it became very clear that there were24700:20:22,760 –> 00:20:25,760no more turnings on the right further on24800:20:25,760 –> 00:20:28,760and that we were right out in the sticks.24900:20:28,760 –> 00:20:30,760Graciously, she said,25000:20:30,760 –> 00:20:33,760I’m sure it was back there.25100:20:33,760 –> 00:20:37,760Yes, I know I said.25200:20:37,760 –> 00:20:41,760I’m just looking for a place to turn.25300:20:41,760 –> 00:20:43,760The problem of course in the dead of night25400:20:43,760 –> 00:20:45,760out in the sticks on a very narrow country road25500:20:45,760 –> 00:20:47,760is there just wasn’t a place to do that.25600:20:47,760 –> 00:20:49,760We were on one long, straight, narrow road25700:20:49,760 –> 00:20:51,760no crossroads, no houses with nice drives25800:20:51,760 –> 00:20:55,760and the only thing to do25900:20:55,760 –> 00:20:57,760was to pull up26000:20:58,760 –> 00:21:01,760and to make a 3 point, or in this case26100:21:01,760 –> 00:21:05,760a 5 point turn.26200:21:05,760 –> 00:21:07,760There are some places in life26300:21:07,760 –> 00:21:11,760where turning round isn’t easy.26400:21:13,760 –> 00:21:16,760And you may have been looking26500:21:16,760 –> 00:21:19,760for some nice easy opening26600:21:19,760 –> 00:21:21,760when you can swing your life26700:21:21,760 –> 00:21:25,760lazily round with style.26800:21:25,760 –> 00:21:28,760And you are not finding one.26900:21:28,760 –> 00:21:32,760That’s how it was for Asa.27000:21:32,760 –> 00:21:34,760What he tells us in Psalm 7327100:21:34,760 –> 00:21:38,760is how he had to make a 5 point turn.27200:21:38,760 –> 00:21:41,760But if you are going to make a turn like that27300:21:41,760 –> 00:21:45,760you can’t do it at 50 miles an hour, right!27400:21:45,760 –> 00:21:47,760What’s the first thing you have to do?27500:21:47,760 –> 00:21:49,760You’ve got to stop.27600:21:49,760 –> 00:21:52,760You’ve got to stop.27700:21:52,760 –> 00:21:54,760Pastor Colin Smith, on Open the Bible27800:21:54,760 –> 00:21:56,760wrote a passage called Stop.27900:21:56,760 –> 00:21:59,760Part of our series, I almost gave up.28000:21:59,760 –> 00:22:00,760If you tuned in late28100:22:00,760 –> 00:22:02,760or if you ever want to go back and listen again28200:22:02,760 –> 00:22:07,760find us on Openthebible.org.uk28300:22:10,760 –> 00:22:13,760as a result of the generous giving by our listeners.28400:22:13,760 –> 00:22:15,760So if you already give to support the work28500:22:15,760 –> 00:22:17,760thank you so much.28600:22:17,760 –> 00:22:19,760If that’s something you are considering doing in the future28700:22:19,760 –> 00:22:21,760this month we have a special offer for you.28800:22:22,760 –> 00:22:24,760If you are able to begin a new direct debit28900:22:24,760 –> 00:22:26,760to the work of Open the Bible29000:22:26,760 –> 00:22:28,760in the amount of £5 per month or more29100:22:28,760 –> 00:22:31,760or a one off gift of £50 or more29200:22:31,760 –> 00:22:33,760we’d love to say thank you29300:22:33,760 –> 00:22:35,760by sending you a copy of Pastor Colin Smith’s book29400:22:35,760 –> 00:22:37,760For All Who Grieve29500:22:37,760 –> 00:22:40,760along with 5 lovely greetings cards29600:22:40,760 –> 00:22:42,760with a verse from Psalm 25.29700:22:42,760 –> 00:22:44,760Colin, what was it29800:22:44,760 –> 00:22:47,760that inspired you to write this book?29900:22:47,760 –> 00:22:49,760Well I’ll never forget it.30000:22:49,760 –> 00:22:50,760I was away on a study break30100:22:51,760 –> 00:22:53,760when I picked up a voicemail30200:22:53,760 –> 00:22:54,760with the terrible news30300:22:54,760 –> 00:22:56,760that a couple in our church30400:22:56,760 –> 00:22:58,760had lost their son30500:22:58,760 –> 00:23:00,760in a tragic accident30600:23:00,760 –> 00:23:02,760and in the days and weeks that followed30700:23:02,760 –> 00:23:04,760I had the privilege of walking with them30800:23:04,760 –> 00:23:06,760through the funeral30900:23:06,760 –> 00:23:08,760and the first days of their grief31000:23:08,760 –> 00:23:09,760and I said to them at one point31100:23:09,760 –> 00:23:11,760you know there are others in the church31200:23:11,760 –> 00:23:14,760who have lost a child31300:23:14,760 –> 00:23:16,760and would you be interested31400:23:16,760 –> 00:23:18,760in meeting with some others31500:23:18,760 –> 00:23:19,760who have gone through31600:23:19,760 –> 00:23:21,760this most awful experience31700:23:21,760 –> 00:23:23,760and they jumped at that31800:23:23,760 –> 00:23:24,760and a few days later31900:23:24,760 –> 00:23:26,760we gathered up a group of people32000:23:26,760 –> 00:23:27,760who had gone through32100:23:27,760 –> 00:23:29,760this same experience in our home32200:23:29,760 –> 00:23:30,760and oh, it’s one of32300:23:30,760 –> 00:23:32,760the most moving experiences of my life32400:23:32,859 –> 00:23:33,760to have heard these folks32500:23:33,760 –> 00:23:35,760sharing their stories with each other32600:23:35,760 –> 00:23:37,760and then in the weeks that followed32700:23:37,760 –> 00:23:39,760we continued to meet32800:23:39,760 –> 00:23:41,760and opened up the book of lamentations32900:23:41,760 –> 00:23:43,760a whole book of the Bible33000:23:43,760 –> 00:23:44,760that’s given to the subject33100:23:44,760 –> 00:23:46,760of navigating your way33200:23:46,760 –> 00:23:48,760through the valley of sorrow33300:23:48,760 –> 00:23:49,760and loss33400:23:49,760 –> 00:23:51,760and it was remarkable33500:23:51,760 –> 00:23:52,760to hear folks33600:23:52,760 –> 00:23:54,760relate their experience33700:23:54,760 –> 00:23:55,760to scripture33800:23:55,760 –> 00:23:57,760and scripture to their experience33900:23:57,760 –> 00:23:58,760and some time after that34000:23:58,760 –> 00:24:00,760several in that group34100:24:00,760 –> 00:24:01,760felt that they would be happy34200:24:01,760 –> 00:24:03,760to share their stories34300:24:03,760 –> 00:24:04,760and so really34400:24:04,760 –> 00:24:05,760what this book34500:24:05,760 –> 00:24:07,760For All Who Grieve is34600:24:07,760 –> 00:24:09,760is a combination of the stories34700:24:09,760 –> 00:24:11,760with what we learned34800:24:11,760 –> 00:24:13,760from the book of lamentations34900:24:13,760 –> 00:24:14,760together so if35000:24:14,760 –> 00:24:16,760you would have liked to have been in that group35100:24:16,760 –> 00:24:18,760if you would have liked to have been a fly on the wall35200:24:18,760 –> 00:24:20,760and to have heard what these folks said35300:24:20,760 –> 00:24:22,760you have the opportunity to do that35400:24:22,760 –> 00:24:24,760and we’ve35500:24:24,760 –> 00:24:26,760put this together in order to share35600:24:26,760 –> 00:24:28,760a testimony to the35700:24:28,760 –> 00:24:30,760sufficiency of god’s grace35800:24:30,760 –> 00:24:32,760in the most painful35900:24:32,760 –> 00:24:34,760and sorrowful valleys36000:24:34,760 –> 00:24:36,760and I hope that it will really be36100:24:36,760 –> 00:24:38,760a means of help and comfort36200:24:38,760 –> 00:24:40,760and encouragement for all who grieve36300:24:40,760 –> 00:24:42,760Well we’d love to send you a copy of Colin’s book36400:24:42,760 –> 00:24:44,760along with 5 lovely greetings cards36500:24:44,760 –> 00:24:46,760with a verse from psalms 2336600:24:46,760 –> 00:24:48,760if you are able to begin36700:24:48,760 –> 00:24:50,760a new direct debit36800:24:50,760 –> 00:24:52,760to the work of Open The Bible36900:24:52,760 –> 00:24:54,760in the amount of £5 per month, or more37000:24:54,760 –> 00:24:56,760or a one off gift of £50 or more37100:24:56,760 –> 00:24:58,760this month37200:24:58,760 –> 00:25:00,760Full terms and conditions can be found37300:25:00,760 –> 00:25:02,760on our website and you can also37400:25:02,760 –> 00:25:04,760give online37500:25:04,760 –> 00:25:06,760For Open The Bible, for Pastor Colin Smith37600:25:06,760 –> 00:25:08,760I’m David Pick and I hope37700:25:08,760 –> 00:25:10,760you’ll join us again next time37800:25:10,760 –> 00:25:12,760Do you feel like giving up?37900:25:12,760 –> 00:25:14,760The first step to turning your life around38000:25:14,760 –> 00:25:16,760is not finding an answer38100:25:16,760 –> 00:25:18,760it’s about making a decision38200:25:18,760 –> 00:25:20,760Find out about that, next time on38300:25:20,760 –> 00:25:22,760Open the Bible