Latest / Growing Closer to God with Guided Meditation / What If Weakness Is Where Trust Begins | 2 Corinthians 1 | Full Meditation
Transcript
- 0:10Pastor Robert Young: Welcome to this week's Guided Christian Meditation.
- 0:14Pastor Robert Young: I'm your host, Pastor Robert Young, and thank you for allowing me to be your guide on this journey.
- 0:22Pastor Robert Young: Around here, we put aside all distractions to enter into God's presence and to hear from God better and to allow the Holy Spirit to make us more like Christ.
- 0:36Pastor Robert Young: If you're new to the podcast, or if you're not a believer, then I'd like to suggest that you check out episode 164 that talks about the who, what, and the why of all of the stages of meditation that we practice.
- 0:55Pastor Robert Young: If you suffer from severe anxiety, depression, or trauma, psychotic episodes, or if you're in active addiction, then please consult your physician before beginning this or any meditation practice.
- 1:12Pastor Robert Young: If you're not filled with the Holy Spirit, then this process will not apply to you.
- 1:19Pastor Robert Young: In fact, our whole podcast only applies to those who have repented, confessed, and accepted Jesus Christ as their Savior.
- 1:30Pastor Robert Young: If you haven't done this, then repeat this prayer of salvation with me now.
- 1:38Pastor Robert Young: Father, I want and desire a fellowship with you.
- 1:44Pastor Robert Young: I know that my sins separate me from having a full relationship with you.
- 1:52Pastor Robert Young: I know that I can only have that relationship with you by acknowledging, accepting, and believing in Jesus' redemptive work on the cross, his resurrection, ascension, and soon return.
- 2:10Pastor Robert Young: Now, I repent of my sins.
- 2:14Pastor Robert Young: I receive Jesus as my Savior.
- 2:18Pastor Robert Young: Receive your forgiveness and Holy Spirit.
- 2:22Pastor Robert Young: Thank you, Lord.
- 2:35Pastor Robert Young: Is coming from the book of Second Corinthians, chapter one.
- 2:40Pastor Robert Young: First, according to the scriptures, God requires us to be completely involved and free from wrongful acts in mind, body, and spirit.
- 2:54Pastor Robert Young: Confession prepares the heart for being in the presence of Almighty God.
- 3:00Pastor Robert Young: Let's begin by repeating the prayer that King David prayed in Psalms 51, verses 1 through 4, where it says, Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy loving kindness, according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies.
- 3:20Pastor Robert Young: Blot out my transgressions.
- 3:24Pastor Robert Young: Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.
- 3:31Pastor Robert Young: For I acknowledge my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me.
- 4:03Pastor Robert Young: First, we're going to take a deep breath in through the nostrils for a count of seven.
- 4:09Pastor Robert Young: We're going to hold the breath for a count of four, and then we're going to slowly release through the mouth for a count of seven.
- 4:19Pastor Robert Young: Let's begin.
- 5:00Pastor Robert Young: And as we always say, don't hold your breath for this portion of the meditation.
- 5:06Pastor Robert Young: Let's start with the calf muscles.
- 5:09Pastor Robert Young: Lightly tense the calf muscles for a count of three.
- 5:15Pastor Robert Young: Now release.
- 5:17Pastor Robert Young: Moving upward to the hamstrings, quads, and glutes.
- 5:21Pastor Robert Young: Lightly tense for three seconds.
- 5:25Pastor Robert Young: Now release.
- 5:27Pastor Robert Young: Moving upward to the abdominals, chest, and back areas.
- 5:32Pastor Robert Young: Lightly tense for three seconds.
- 5:37Pastor Robert Young: Now we can release.
- 5:39Pastor Robert Young: And last, moving to the arms and shoulders.
- 5:44Pastor Robert Young: Lightly tense for three seconds.
- 5:49Pastor Robert Young: Now release.
- 5:57Pastor Robert Young: Now we can begin to enter into worship by repeating a verse from the book of Psalms where it says, Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth.
- 6:08Pastor Robert Young: Worship the Lord with gladness.
- 6:11Pastor Robert Young: Come before him with joyful songs.
- 6:15Pastor Robert Young: Friends, let's take a moment to lift up our voice in praise and thanksgiving to our Heavenly Father who is worthy of all honor and glory by repeating Psalms chapter 8, verse 9, which says, Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth.
- 6:49Pastor Robert Young: Now that we've prepared our mind, our bodies, and our spirit, let's begin to examine and reflect on 1 Corinthians chapter 1.
- 7:01Pastor Robert Young: In 2 Corinthians chapter 1, Paul opens the letter by lifting our eyes to the heart of God, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort.
- 7:17Pastor Robert Young: Before addressing problems, questions, or ministry challenges, Paul reminds us who God is.
- 7:25Pastor Robert Young: He is not distant from our pain.
- 7:28Pastor Robert Young: He meets us in it.
- 7:30Pastor Robert Young: Paul speaks honestly about a season when he was overwhelmed beyond his own strength.
- 7:37Pastor Robert Young: He felt pressure, suffering, and desperation.
- 7:42Pastor Robert Young: Yet through that hardship, he discovered a deeper lesson.
- 7:47Pastor Robert Young: God sometimes allows us to reach the end of ourselves so that we may learn to trust him more fully.
- 7:57Pastor Robert Young: The trial that seems unbearable became an invitation to rely on the Lord rather than his own abilities.
- 8:09Pastor Robert Young: There's also a beautiful purpose in our struggles.
- 8:13Pastor Robert Young: The comfort we receive from God is not meant to stop with us, it flows through us.
- 8:22Pastor Robert Young: The wounds God heals becomes places from which we can offer hope, empathy, and encouragement to others walking a similar road.
- 8:33Pastor Robert Young: Paul closes the chapter by emphasizing God's faithfulness.
- 8:38Pastor Robert Young: In Christ, every promise of God finds its yes.
- 8:44Pastor Robert Young: The Lord is trustworthy, steady, and unchanging.
- 8:49Pastor Robert Young: When circumstances change and plans change, God's character remains the same.
- 8:57Pastor Robert Young: Friends, sometimes we ask God to remove the pressure immediately.
- 9:03Pastor Robert Young: But often he first meets us within it.
- 9:06Pastor Robert Young: The goal is not simply relief from difficulty, but deeper dependence on Him.
- 9:14Pastor Robert Young: What feels like weakness may become the very place where God's strength is most clearly revealed?
- 9:32Pastor Robert Young: Friends, with this in mind, let's take five minutes to reflect on the following question.
- 9:41Pastor Robert Young: Where in your life are you being invited to depend on God's strength instead of your own?
- 9:48Pastor Robert Young: And how might He use that experience to encourage someone else?
- 15:07Pastor Robert Young: God is the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort.
- 15:13Pastor Robert Young: Trust Him in every trial.
- 15:16Pastor Robert Young: I will receive His comfort, comfort, and share His hope with others.
- 15:36Pastor Robert Young: Dear Lord, thank you for meeting me in every season of my life.
- 15:42Pastor Robert Young: When burdens feel heavy and my strength feels insufficient, remind me that you are near.
- 15:51Pastor Robert Young: Teach me to lean on you instead of relying solely on myself.
- 15:57Pastor Robert Young: Lord, let your comfort settle deeply into my heart, bringing peace where there is anxiety and hope where there is discouragement.
- 16:09Pastor Robert Young: Use my experiences to help others see your faithfulness.
- 16:15Pastor Robert Young: Today, I choose to trust your promises, rest in your love, and walk forward with confidence in Christ.
- 16:26Pastor Robert Young: Amen.