Chad & Leslie Joeli Eden Phoebe

What is the 10/40 Window? How many of you have heard about the 10/40 Window?

Christians and the Unevangelized Where We Are Now A GLOBAL FAITH - show the global diversity and widespread nature of the believing Church show areas of highest and lowest concentration of Christians (there are still areas almost completely untouched by the Gospel) (map)

Christians and the Unevangelized Where We Are Now A GLOBAL FAITH - show the global diversity and widespread nature of the believing Church show areas of highest and lowest concentration of Christians (there are still areas almost completely untouched by the Gospel) (map)

86%

Raw Prayers: Psalms That Move Us from Hurt to Hope

Praying Our Despair Psalm 88

In dark times of despair, God wants us to… Name Our Despair

Complaint (Verses 1-4) O Lord, God of my salvation, I cry out to you by day. I come to you at night. Now hear my prayer; listen to my cry. For my life is full of troubles, and death draws near. I am as good as dead, like a strong man with no strength left.

Blame (Verses 5-8) They have left me among the dead, and I lie like a corpse in a grave. I am forgotten, cut off from your care. You have thrown me into the lowest pit, into the darkest depths…

Your anger weighs me down; with wave after wave you have engulfed me Your anger weighs me down; with wave after wave you have engulfed me. You have driven my friends away by making me repulsive to them. I am in a trap with no way of escape.

Frustration (Verses 9-12) My eyes are blinded by my tears. Each day I beg for your help, O Lord; I lift my hands to you for mercy. Are your wonderful deeds of any use to the dead? Do the dead rise up and praise you?...

Can those in the grave declare your unfailing love Can those in the grave declare your unfailing love? Can they proclaim your faithfulness in the place of destruction? Can the darkness speak of your wonderful deeds? Can anyone in the land of forgetfulness talk about your righteousness?

Loneliness (Verses 14,18) O Lord, why do you reject me? Why do you turn your face from me? …You have taken away my companions and loved ones. Darkness is my closest friend.

In dark times of despair, God wants us to… Pray Our Despair

Now hear my prayer; listen to my cry…. O Lord, I cry out to you Now hear my prayer; listen to my cry…. O Lord, I cry out to you. I will keep on pleading day by day.

In dark times of despair, God wants us to… Meet Him in Our Despair

Verse 1 O Lord, God of my salvation, I cry out to you by day. I come to you at night.

Galatians 6:2 Share each other’s burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ.

“The truest friends and ‘helpers’ are those who wait for the griever to emerge from the darkness that swallowed them alive without growing afraid, anxious or impatient. They don't pressure their friend to be the old familiar person they're used to; they're willing to accept that things are different, embrace the now-scarred one they love, and are confident that their compassionate, non-demanding presence is the surest expression of God's mercy to their suffering friend. They're ok with messy and slow and few answers…and they never say ‘Move on.’"

In dark times of despair, God wants us to… Rest in His Hope

5 “books” in the Book of Psalms 1-41 = God’s blessings on Israel (David) 42-72 = God’s continuing blessings (Solomon) 73-89 = Heading into exile (Babylon) 90-106 = Hoping in a Messiah to come 107-150 = Confidence in the Messiah Who will come

(The first sermon—Peter quoting a Psalm of David): Acts 2:25-26 (The first sermon—Peter quoting a Psalm of David): “King David said this about him: ‘I see that the Lord is always with me. I will not be shaken, for he is right beside me. No wonder my heart is glad, and my tongue shouts his praises! My body rests in hope.”