2026.01.26 - Reliance - Safe Harbor

Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his mercy endures forever. Let the redeemed of the Lord say so whom he is redeemed from the hand of the enemy. And gathered out of the lands from the east and from the west, from the north, and from the south, they wandered in the wilderness in a desolate way. They found no city to dwell in. Hungry and thirsty, their soul fainted in them. Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them out of their distresses. And he led them forth by the right way, that they might go to a city for a dwelling place. Oh, that men would give thanks to the Lord for his goodness and for his wonderful works to the children of men, For he satisfies the longing soul and fills the hungry soul with goodness. Those who sat in darkness and in the shadow of death, bound in affliction and irons, because they rebelled against the words of God and despised the counsel of the most High. Therefore he brought down their heart with labor. They fell down, and there was none to help. Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble, and he saved them out of their distresses. He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death, and broke their chains and pieces. Oh that men would give thanks to the Lord for his goodness and for his wonderful works to the children of men. For he has broken the gates of bronze and cut the bars of iron. And two fools, because of their transgression, and because of their iniquities, were afflicted. Their soul abhorred all manner of food, and they drew near to the gates of death. Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble, and he saved them out of their distresses. He sent his word and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions. Oh that men would give thanks to the Lord for his goodness and for his wonderful works to the children of men. Let them sacrifice the sacrifices of thanksgiving and declare his works with rejoicing. Those who go down to the sea and ships who do business on great waters, they see the works of the Lord and his wonders in the deep. For he commands and raises the stormy wind, which lifts up the waves of the sea. They mount up to the heavens, they go down again to the depths. Their soul melts because of trouble. They reel to and fro and stagger like a drunken man, and are at their wits end. Then they cry out to the Lord in their trouble, and he brings them out of their distresses. He calms the storm so that its waves are still. Then they are glad because they are quiet. So he guides them to their desired haven. Oh, that men would give thanks to the Lord for his goodness and for his wonderful works to the children of men. Let them exalt him also in the assembly of the people, and praise him in the company of the elders. He turns rivers into a wilderness, and the water springs into dry ground, a fruitful land into barrenness, for the wickedness of those who dwell in it. He turns a wilderness into pools of water, and dry land into water springs. He makes the hungry dwell that they may establish a city for a dwelling place, and so fields and plant vineyards that they may yield a fruitful harvest. He also blesses them, and they multiply greatly and he does not let their cattle decrease. When they are diminished and brought low through oppression, affliction, and sorrow. He pours contempt on princes and causes them to wander in the wilderness where there is no way. Yet he sets the pour on high, far from affliction, and makes their families like a flock. The righteous see it and rejoice, and all iniquity stops its mouth. Whoever is wise will observe these things, and they will understand the loving kindness of the Lord. God. You are good, and your mercy endures forever. You have led us. Besides still waters, you have shepherded us. You have shown us the way of righteousness. For you alone are good Jesus, You alone are righteous and worthy and holy and true. Lord. We worship you, we praise you, and we thank you. You are our strong power, an ever present help in time of need. Lord, we take shelter under your wings, knowing that that is our safe haven. God, you protect us, you keep us, You guide us, you lead us. You show us, Lord your power, You deliver the captives. You set people free from sin, from bondage, from all of the afflictions that they suffer. God, you are good. You have shown us your loving kindness, your long suffering towards us. Lord, forgive us of all of our sins and our trespasses. Help us to forgive, Help us to heal, Help us to seek a word in season for those around us. Help us to prepare our hearts and our homes. Help us to participate in your harvest. God, we can only do it through your strength. So we acknowledge you, Lord of the universe, King of kings, the one who is and was and is to come, the Alpha and the Omega. Jesus, you are God. You are Lord forevermore. You are righteous and ruling and reigning, and you will bring all things to pass according to your will. So let your will be done in our lives, in every place that you have called us to walk. God, help us to be fruitful for your kingdom and for your glory, for you are worthy of it all. Help us, Holy Spirit, redeem this time. Speak to your people. Lord, Let nothing untoward come from my lips. Lord, redeem my speech and use it for your purposes. God, overshadow me work your wonders. In Jesus' name. Amen, it's been a long time. It's been a difficult and trying and challenging season. Three months ago, my wife and I found out that we lost our fourth child. The baby was afflicted with triplady, where it had three sets of every chromosome. It was barring a miracle that did not occur of complete genetic reinvigoration and restoration have a meaningful chance of the kind of life that we had been praying for. We were overjoyed upon hearing the news that the Lord had blessed us with another child, and we were stricken with grief in the most profound way when we found out that we had experienced this loss and to a very meaningful extent. I and we are family are still processing what has taken place. But if I can tell you one thing, I can tell you that God is faithful in every season, in every moment. He is worthy of our praise. It is difficult for me to put into words every single aspect of this experience, and I won't try. I know many have experienced similar things, many have experienced even greater losses, and I, for one, will simply follow the example of Job and say, the Lord gives and the Lord takes away. Blessed be the name of the Lord, my friends, my brothers, my sisters. I want to tell you something. When I was fasting at the beginning of this year twenty twenty six, the word that I received was safe harbor. It may have a variety of different meanings, it may have a variety of different implications. But to me right now, how I'm putting the word into practice is to make my heart a safe harbor for the Lord, so that I can make my home a safe harbor for as many as possible, so that I can help serve to make my church a safe harbor for as many as possible, and so that I can help contribute to the project of making the Body of Christ a safe harbor for as many as possible. The Lord is worthy, He is worthy of a harvest. He is worthy of being recognized as the sole port in the storm. We would be foolish to venture out from the safe harbor that the Lord establishes for us. And when we look around and we find ourselves tempest tossed, let us remember the loving kindness and the long suffering of the life. Let us understand, as we read in Psalm one oh seven, that the ups and downs of life, the challenges that we face that many of these things are able to bring us closer to God and to see what He will do even when we walk through the valley of the shadow of death. I don't have a complicated theological message for you, but I can tell you several things that the Holy Spirit has done to help us. He has positioned us in a church community where we can receive guidance and comfort and support, where we can call our pastor and receive comfort and advice, where we can make decisions together about what to do about how we are going to respond. And the Holy Spirit has shown us great comfort. He has spared us from a variety of even worse outcomes. And I can't help but be reminded of the scriptures that say the day of one's death is better than the day of one's birth, because to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. Our child did not have to undergo the suffering of this life. Our child is with the Lord now worshiping him. And when we worship the Lord here we are joining in with our child in that eternal chorus, in that praise that our God is due in responding properly to Jesus in this situation, and in all other situations. We should praise him in every season, whether at the highest heights or in the lowest lows. He is good and he is faithful. He has comforted us, He is working these things out. He has shown us his mercy and a supernatural peace. He has used this in many ways and will continue to do so. And it is a challenge. It is a tremendous difficulty. It is a trial, and it has been a dark hour. I had been getting up early, consistently praying through a list of prayers for this unborn child, and those prayers were not answered the way that I want, the way that I wanted, the way that my heart still aches for. But that does not mean the Lord has done me wrong. The Lord has seen fit to have things play out this way, and in every situation and in every circumstance. I will bless the name of the Lord, not because I'm forced to do so, not because there is some rule or formula I'm following, but because he is worthy and I don't have the full picture. I may never have the full picture on this side of eternity. But I can tell you that as of this moment, relative to a few months ago, I am less fearful or concerned about death. I am less fearful and concerned about what others could say. I am more dedicated to my calling and to my mission, knowing that at the end of the line, I will have waiting for me, not just my all sufficient Savior, my God, the one who loved me, the one who has saved me, the one who is upholding me. But I will receive the gift of a precious reunion, the likes of which I cannot even imagine. It is one of those things that when God promises that what He has for us is exceedingly and abundantly beyond all things we could ever think or ever imagine, I now have a much clearer understanding of what that means. I will get to meet my child. I will experience something of incomparable joy. And again, of course, this isn't to take away from the incomparable, inconceivable, infinite joy of being face to face with my Savior. But know this, brothers and sisters, that I know that on the day of Judgment, my unborn child, who was taken too soon, will not have to stand before the Lord and see any of their works burnt up because of disobedience the way that I will our child has been and will be ushered into glory directly and in some ways. Isn't that an incredible blessing. Now, that, of course, doesn't mean that we should seek out that outcome actively. We should call out for the will of God to be done. We should want every unborn child to be strong and healthy and to contribute towards the Kingdom, and to live along and fulfilling life following the Lord, experiencing the richness of his glory. But to the extent that the Lord sees fit to provide a shortcut to my fourth child and has already done so, then in a way, one of my prayers that my child would exceed me in the faith has already been answered. My child is already in the presence of the Lord. My child already knows Jesus the way he or she is known. Because of the condition, we don't know the gender of the baby, and so it will be a surprise, a joyful surprise. And if the Lord sees fit to reveal that to us beforehand, wonderful blessed be the name of the Lord. But if not, there is something waiting for me, someone waiting for me, and it makes me even more motivated to be steadfast in my obedience to the call of God. I want to make my child proud, proud of me, proud of our family, proud that we are remaining steadfast and loyal and clinging closely to our Lord and Savior. As the disciples said, after many who followed Jesus left, Lord, you have the words of eternal life. Where else and to who else shall we go? And again, this isn't to say that I follow God because there's no other option. There are many different potential paths for me, not based on the way that the Holy Spirit has comforted us, the way that God has shown his faithfulness to us, the way that we are stronger, more steadfast, even despite and even because of the grief and of the challenge of this season. Don't I know the loving kindness of the Lord? Am I not convinced that He will redeem this? Am I not convinced that all things work together for good for those who love him? Do I not know that this will be a way to minister to many? It's not utilitarian in nature. I'm not saying it is a good thing that has happened it is a disastrous thing. But I know the Lord who is with me in disaster. I know the Lord who will calm the storm. I know the Lord who will still and quiet the waters, and who will lead me to a safe harbor that will be established where my child is waiting. And in the meantime, my responsibilities continue. I have a responsibility to my God. I have a responsibility to my wife. I have a responsibility to my children. I have a responsibility to my church. And I have a responsibility to be obedient, to be steadfast, to be firm, and to be tenderhearted. Experiencing pain and heartbreak yourself makes you more aware of the circumstances and the heartbreak of others. It makes me appreciate even more what I have. It makes me understand my own frailty and my own mortality. It gives me hope and peace and joy. And how can this be? How can it be? It is the Lord and his love. It is the work of the Holy Spirit that has given me this peace. I'm not at the end of the healing journey. I'm not at the end of the process of sanctification. I haven't gotten everything right, but I can tell you that the Holy Spirit has protected me from feeling being angry with God for what has happened. That is not some strength or virtue that I have. It is nothing other than the work of the Lord. He has put his word in my heart. I have walked with him for over a decade, and I can tell you that I know him. I know his character, I know his worthiness, I know his long suffering towards me. I don't deserve any of the things that He has provided for me, let alone the peace that He has given me in order to fulfill my responsibilities. And so when I tell people now that the Lord will give you the strength to accomplish what he has called you to accomplish, I know that now more than ever before, because I've lived it in a different way than ever before. The Lord gave me the strength to process. He gave me the strength to have faith. He gave me the strength to continue not to stand firm and close down my emotions and fail to really be sensitized to the disaster and the tragedy that unfolded. He gave me strength to walk through it because He was with me the whole way. When I found out the news, I had to tell my kids. It was my job, and it was an impossibly difficult conversation, but I knew that the Lord would do something that only he can do, and that is to keep the peace, to provide hope. And I could speak to my children confidently knowingly that even though we had experienced this loss, that we love the Lord, and the Lord loves our little one. I still, of course feel pangs of heartbreak, but each one causes me to look to the Lord, and every single time he has provided comfort and peace and strength and a greater degree of faith. The God who we serve is with us in every situation, and when we cry out to the Lord in our trouble, we will be delivered out our distresses. He does satisfy the longing soul, he fills the hungry soul. He breaks chains, he sets the captives free. And so as we went through this process, we had to make a variety of difficult, impossible choices, And the one choice that we made constantly was to surrender to the Lord, to press into him, knowing that he is the source of our strength, that that is the overwhelming, supernatural place of comfort and peace and protection and joy. So how can we live lives of joy of the Lord amidst loss. Can't, but God will establish that in our hearts. How can we deal with this tension? How can we deal with these challenges? We can't, but God will strengthen us so that we are able to approach things properly, to stand as a witness and a testimony for others. To do what needs to be done. To worship, To worship fully, not in a reserved way, but in a more fully surrendered way, acknowledging God in all of his ways, acknowledging him as faithful no matter what comes. To be steadfast, to take up our cross every day and to follow him, To follow him, the one who leads us, the one who saves us, the one who delivers us, the one who holds my child, who I will see one day, and who I will spend the rest of eternity with. Worshiping the Lord who saved us, both who saved us. All let us exalt him. He is good. He will never fail you, He has never failed me, and he will never do so. Come what may, Blessed be the name of the Lord, for he is good and his mercy endures forever. Jesus, we bless your name help me, help us, Help us to serve you. Help us to serve you with joy, knowing that you are righteous and worthy, and that you have overcome sin, death, hell, and the grave. Give us a clearer picture of the safe harbors that you want to establish. Through us, help us, help us. Lord, only you can do the works that are necessary to redeem, to restore, to establish your kingdom, Your kingdom Come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. We worship you, God, and we praise your holy name. Amen,