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What to do when you're tired- Minister Max Lucado · Max Lucado Daily Sermons

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Speaker 1: Well, it's really easy to enjoy working with Randy Frazee
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Speaker 1: for a multiple of reasons. We'll love the way he
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Speaker 1: loves San Antonio, the way he's leading our church into
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Speaker 1: our neighborhood ministries. But I got to tell you, sometimes
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Speaker 1: I scratch my head at these sermon series he comes
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Speaker 1: up with. Jesus for president. What a great idea. What
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Speaker 1: a great idea. Randy and Roseanne are celebrating the graduation
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Speaker 1: of their son, Stephen, this weekend. So I'm happy to
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Speaker 1: step in and And make one installment in this four
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Speaker 1: or five part series of messages entitled Jesus for President.
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Speaker 1: There's a handout, I'm sorry, an outline in your handout.
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Speaker 1: You might want to get something ready to write with
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Speaker 1: and have the handout ready so you can fill in
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Speaker 1: the blanks. There's also a prayer card that will play
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Speaker 1: an important part at the conclusion of the message. So
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Speaker 1: if you could just have this handy, I'll be referring
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Speaker 1: to it here in just a moment. It is election
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Speaker 1: time in America. I don't know what you think about
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Speaker 1: election season. My hunch is that some of you struggle
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Speaker 1: with what I struggle with, and that is just a
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Speaker 1: tad of cynicism. It's easy to grow weary with Washington.
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Speaker 1: It's almost like this is a sophisticated version of Braveheart.
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Speaker 1: You got one group up on one ridge, another group
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Speaker 1: up on the other ridge, and they're yelling and catcalling
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Speaker 1: and For the next few months, they're going to be
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Speaker 1: attacking each other and throwing mud and making accusations, and
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Speaker 1: it's going to get tacky, tacky, tacky. Sometimes you just
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Speaker 1: think you'd find more maturity in a daycare than you
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Speaker 1: find in these political conversations. It's easy to grow cynical.
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Speaker 1: It's just as easy to grow fearful, isn't it? You know,
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Speaker 1: we're concerned about our country.
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Speaker 2: We're concerned.
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Speaker 1: What a summer we've had. Who would ever thought that
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Speaker 1: you'd go to a movie and get shot? Or to
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Speaker 1: a house of worship like the folks in Wisconsin and
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Speaker 1: get slaughtered. These are difficult days. Violence seems everywhere. No one,
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Speaker 1: it seems, really has a solution to the global economy
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Speaker 1: and how fragile it is.
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Speaker 2: And this plummeting morality we see.
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Speaker 1: I don't consider myself that old and really not that old-fashioned.
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Speaker 1: But even in my life, the things that were prohibited
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Speaker 1: and unthinkable just a couple of decades ago are normal
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Speaker 1: and accepted now on television. Top three selling books in
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Speaker 1: America today are pornography on the New York Times list.
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Speaker 1: We can't agree with God's definition of a family. We
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Speaker 1: can't stand up for the rights of the pre-born.
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Speaker 2: Layer upon layer.
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Speaker 1: It's enough to leave a person fretting and anxious about
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Speaker 1: the future of the country. But I'm here today with
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Speaker 1: a message of hope.
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Speaker 2: A message of hope. Because we can.
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Speaker 1: Let others be anxious and let others argue. Let others
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Speaker 1: even be divisive. But we have discovered something in the
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Speaker 1: pages of scripture. In God's working through history. And that
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Speaker 1: is simply this. That it matters less about who occupies power.
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Speaker 2: The White House.
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Speaker 1: What matters most is he who occupies the throne. That
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Speaker 1: our Heavenly Father is over the nations. And that he
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Speaker 1: uses the nations, our nation and all nations, to accomplish
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Speaker 1: his perfect will. And the believer comes to see politics
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Speaker 1: through a different lens. Not through the actions of voters,
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Speaker 1: but really through the hand of God. In the sovereign
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Speaker 1: plan of God. I don't know if you've ever flipped
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Speaker 1: through your Bible looking for the examples of God managing
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Speaker 1: the hearts of those in authority.
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Speaker 2: But it's a fascinating study.
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Speaker 1: It's a study I'd like for us to engage in
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Speaker 1: for a few moments this morning. How God rules the nations.
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Speaker 1: Pray with me and then we'll get to work. Most
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Speaker 1: Heavenly Father, have mercy upon us now as we open
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Speaker 1: your scriptures. Will you open our hearts? And will you
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Speaker 1: please forgive the sins of the one who speaks?
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Speaker 2: They are many.
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Speaker 1: Please help us to see Jesus and just Jesus. And
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Speaker 1: through his name we pray.
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Speaker 3: Amen.
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Speaker 1: Imagine the following situation. It's post-Civil War America. You, your family,
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Speaker 1: and your ancestors have known nothing but slavery for the
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Speaker 1: last few generations. You've spent countless days underneath the hot
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Speaker 1: southern sun picking cotton or working the plantation. Then comes
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Speaker 1: the emancipation proclamation. You and your family are slaves no longer.
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Speaker 2: You're free to go.
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Speaker 1: It's great news on one hand, but disconcerting news on
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Speaker 1: the other. I mean, how can you make a living now?
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Speaker 1: Where can you go?
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Speaker 2: You don't have any possessions. You don't own any property.
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Speaker 2: You don't have access to any money.
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Speaker 1: Well, someone in your family comes up with this idea,
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Speaker 1: and that is, let's go to the plantation owner and
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Speaker 1: ask him to provide us all of our needs to
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Speaker 1: start a new life. Well, the only thing more bizarre
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Speaker 1: than the request is the fulfillment thereof. You go to
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Speaker 1: the former slave owner, the plantation owner, and you say,
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Speaker 1: could we have the wagons and the livestock and the candlesticks?
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Speaker 1: Could we have all that to take with us? And
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Speaker 1: he says, yes. He says yes. Who would have ever
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Speaker 1: thought that he would say yes? It's the most bizarre
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Speaker 1: thing you've ever heard of. Some of you are thinking, yeah,
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Speaker 1: but that's also one of the most biblical things I've
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Speaker 1: heard of as well. Do you remember the story of
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Speaker 1: the children of Israel who were slaves in Egypt for
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Speaker 1: 400 years? When we studied the life of Joseph, you
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Speaker 1: remember that Joseph moved them to Egypt for protection. You
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Speaker 1: may not know they stayed there 400 years and many
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Speaker 1: of those years later on were years in which they
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Speaker 1: were slaves. The Egyptian people became the masters of the
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Speaker 1: Hebrew people. In the last few years were an arduous, difficult,
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Speaker 1: back-breaking service. God declared an emancipation proclamation and his version
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Speaker 1: of an Abraham Lincoln was Moses.
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Speaker 2: And Moses was sent from the.
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Speaker 1: Mountain where he was a shepherd back to Egypt where
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Speaker 1: he had served as prince. He's 80 years old and
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Speaker 1: before he is sent back to release, declare the release
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Speaker 1: of the Hebrew people, God gives him some instructions.
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Speaker 2: Have you noticed what God told Moses?
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Speaker 1: He said, I will use my great power against Egypt
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Speaker 1: and I will strike Egypt with all the miracles that
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Speaker 1: will happen in that land. And after I do, he will,
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Speaker 1: speaking of Pharaoh, will let you go.
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Speaker 2: Now look at this.
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Speaker 1: I will cause the Egyptians to think well of the Israelites.
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Speaker 1: So when you leave, they will give gifts to your people.
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Speaker 1: Each woman should ask her Egyptian neighbor and any Egyptian
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Speaker 1: woman living in her house for gifts, silver, gold, clothing.
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Speaker 1: And you should put those gifts on your children when
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Speaker 1: you leave. And this way you will take with you
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Speaker 1: the riches of the Egyptians. Well, who would have thought?
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Speaker 2: Moses goes back to Egypt.
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Speaker 1: And you remember the story how the ten plagues led
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Speaker 1: to the liberation of the people. Pharaoh finally consents and
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Speaker 1: the people are released. And then look at this. The
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Speaker 1: Lord caused the Egyptians to think well of them. And
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Speaker 1: the Egyptians gave the people everything they asked for. So
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Speaker 1: the Israelites took rich gifts from them. The Israelites traveled
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Speaker 1: from Ramesses to Succoth. There were about 600,000 men walking,
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Speaker 1: not including the women and the children. So about a
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Speaker 1: million people leave Egypt, not just with their freedom, but
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Speaker 1: with the possessions. They leave with all of the wealth, all.
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Speaker 2: Of the possessions of the Egyptian people.
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Speaker 1: It was giveaway day in Egypt. The Hebrew slaves, former slaves,
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Speaker 1: went up to their Egyptian former masters and said, we're leaving.
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Speaker 1: I'm going to take your Mercedes with me. And I'm
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Speaker 1: going to take that stereo system. And while I'm at it,
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Speaker 1: all those clothes, I guess I'll just load them up too.
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Speaker 1: And the Egyptians said, okay, it's yours. God had softened
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Speaker 1: the hearts of the oppressors toward the oppressed. Why did
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Speaker 1: this happen? Because of the persuasion of Moses? No. Because
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Speaker 1: of the strategy of Pharaoh?
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Speaker 3: No.
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Speaker 1: Because God managed and oversaw the hearts of the Egyptians.
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Speaker 1: God was over the nation. Now maybe you need that reminder.
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Speaker 1: Maybe you need that reminder because you may have fallen
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Speaker 1: into the common thought that says that really it's the
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Speaker 1: president or the dictator or the king who leads the nation.
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Speaker 1: According to scripture, There is a power higher than he
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Speaker 1: or she overseeing everything. The believer looks at politics through
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Speaker 1: a different lens. We believe first and foremost that God
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Speaker 1: is the God of the nations. That God is the
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Speaker 1: God of the nations. Washington doesn't call the shots.
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Speaker 2: God does. Congress doesn't direct the future. God does.
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Speaker 1: The Bible is chock full of illustrations of this verse
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Speaker 1: from Proverbs 21. The king's heart is in the hand
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Speaker 1: of the Lord. Isn't that interesting? The king's heart is
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Speaker 1: in the hand of the Lord. He directs it like
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Speaker 1: a water course wherever he pleases. As casually as a
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Speaker 1: farmer would dig a canal through which the water would
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Speaker 1: pass into his crops. So God directs the thoughts and
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Speaker 1: the deeds of those in positions of authority. He did
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Speaker 1: this in Egypt. That's just one of many examples in
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Speaker 1: the Bible.
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Speaker 2: I'd like to share with you very briefly.
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Speaker 1: Four others, if you like to fill in blanks, this
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Speaker 1: is your time. Consider the story of Cyrus. Cyrus, he
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Speaker 1: was the king of Persia. Listen to this verse from
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Speaker 1: the book of Ezra. In the first year of Cyrus,
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Speaker 1: king of Persia, in order to fulfill the word spoken
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Speaker 1: by Jeremiah, the Lord moved the heart of Cyrus, king
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Speaker 1: of Persia, to make a proclamation throughout the realm and
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Speaker 1: put it in writing.
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Speaker 2: Just pause there.
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Speaker 1: Now in our day of elected officials and checks and
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Speaker 1: balance and Supreme Court justices, we may not appreciate the
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Speaker 1: absolute power that a man like Cyrus had, especially being
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Speaker 1: the king of Persia. When he spoke, folks, it happened.
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Speaker 1: He consulted nobody. He needed no one's approval. When he spoke,
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Speaker 1: it happened. But when God spoke to Cyrus, it happened. Now,
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Speaker 1: the Bible's interesting. It gives us this interesting detail about Cyrus.
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Speaker 1: Cyrus was not a lover of God or a fearer
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Speaker 1: of God. In fact, in the book of Isaiah, there's
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Speaker 1: just a little one first reference to this moment. But
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Speaker 1: God says, for Jacob, my servant's sake, and Israel, my elect,
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Speaker 1: I have even called you Cyrus by your name. I
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Speaker 1: have named you, though you have not known me. So
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Speaker 1: Cyrus was not seeking God, but that didn't matter to God.
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Speaker 1: God still used Cyrus. A nation is blessed when it
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Speaker 1: has godly leaders. A nation enjoys the fruit of prayerful
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Speaker 1: men and women as they lead the country. But even
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Speaker 1: if a nation does not have a godly leader, that
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Speaker 1: nation can still be led by God because he controls
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Speaker 1: the hearts of the kings. He directs what happens. Another
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Speaker 1: couple of examples. Here's one of Daniel. Daniel and the
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Speaker 1: Babylonian official. You remember that Daniel was taken into captivity
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Speaker 1: as a young man, taken into Babylonia. And one of
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Speaker 1: his requests was that he wouldn't eat all the fat foods,
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Speaker 1: fattening foods, not fat foods, but fattening foods.
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Speaker 2: That were served by the king.
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Speaker 1: In the castle of Babylonia in the Empire. He wanted
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Speaker 1: to have his own diet. Well, we don't think that's
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Speaker 1: that big of a request, but when you read verse
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Speaker 1: 10 of the first chapter, you find out that if
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Speaker 1: the official says yes, he's taking his life into his
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Speaker 1: own hands. But in verse 9, he gives in to
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Speaker 1: the request. Now, God caused the official to show favor
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Speaker 1: and sympathy to Daniel. Why did he say yes to Daniel?
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Speaker 1: Because God, operating through leaders, changed and softened the heart
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Speaker 1: of the official in the direction of Daniel. God did
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Speaker 1: something similar in the life of Nehemiah. Nehemiah and King Artaxerxes.
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Speaker 1: Let's all say that name together.
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Speaker 2: Artaxerxes.
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Speaker 1: I'm still waiting for somebody to name their son Artaxerxes.
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Speaker 2: That's a great name. Artaxerxes. Come to dinner. Artaxerxes. This
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Speaker 2: is not. Call him Artie for short.
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Speaker 1: So Nehemiah, if you remember in the story of Nehemiah,
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Speaker 1: it begins, the story does, with the bad news that
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Speaker 1: Nehemiah received. That the walls of the city had been
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Speaker 1: broken down. The walls of Jerusalem had been destroyed. And
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Speaker 1: the gates had been burned. In other words, the city
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Speaker 1: of Jerusalem was vulnerable to attack. Well, Nehemiah, a Jew
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Speaker 1: with a heart for Jerusalem, wanted to help. But he
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Speaker 1: couldn't help.
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Speaker 2: You know why?
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Speaker 1: Because he was the right-hand man of King Artaxerxes. He
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Speaker 1: was the cupbearer, which means he was the most trusted
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Speaker 1: official in the king's court. And the only way that
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Speaker 1: he could ever lend any help at all to Jerusalem
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Speaker 1: would be with the blessing of the king. But why
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Speaker 1: in the world would the king release his most reliable
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Speaker 1: servant and most dependable servant to go to the distant
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Speaker 1: outpost of Jerusalem and do any work? It doesn't make
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Speaker 1: any sense at all. And so Nehemiah began to pray.
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Speaker 1: Here was his prayer. He said, O Lord, let your
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Speaker 1: ear be attentive to the prayer of your servant and
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Speaker 1: give success to your servant today and grant him mercy
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Speaker 1: in the sight of this man. This man was the king.
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Speaker 1: So Nehemiah, who was essentially in the oval office with
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Speaker 1: the king, was praying every day. He was asking God
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Speaker 1: to soften the heart of Nehemiah toward the concerns and
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Speaker 1: the needs of Jerusalem. Does anybody know how long he prayed?
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Speaker 1: Nine months. Nine months he prayed every single day. He
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Speaker 1: never even made a request until one day King Artaxerxes
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Speaker 1: said to Nehemiah, now why are you looking so sad?
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Speaker 2: You just look so sad lately.
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Speaker 1: Nehemiah was dreadfully afraid, excuse me, that the king might
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Speaker 1: be upset when he told him the reason. But he
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Speaker 1: offered a quick prayer and he told him about Jerusalem.
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Speaker 1: He told him how the walls were destroyed. He told
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Speaker 1: him how the gates had been burned down. And he
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Speaker 1: told him how he had a heart to go back
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Speaker 1: and help his people. So you know what King Artaxerxes said?
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Speaker 1: King said, what do you request? What do you request? Basically,
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Speaker 1: he gave him the checkbook. All the checks already signed.
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Speaker 1: He said, whatever you need. Nehemiah made his request. He
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Speaker 1: asked for soldiers, he asked for horses, he asked for
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Speaker 1: letters of endorsement, and he asked for money, and he
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Speaker 1: asked for supplies. And the king said, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes. Why?
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Speaker 1: Because God had softened his heart toward the need.
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Speaker 2: One more example.
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Speaker 1: I think this is an interesting one. And that is
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Speaker 1: the Hebrews and their prayer pilgrimage. the Hebrews and their
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Speaker 1: prayer pilgrimage. This is so briefly appears in scripture that
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Speaker 1: many people have never noticed it. But God gave this
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Speaker 1: command to the children of Israel once they inhabited the
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Speaker 1: promised land after they were delivered from Egyptian captivity. He
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Speaker 1: said three times a year, all your men are to
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Speaker 1: appear before the sovereign Lord, excuse me, the God of Israel.
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Speaker 1: And I will drive out nations before you. and enlarge
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Speaker 1: your territory. And no one will covet your land when
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Speaker 1: you go up three times.
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Speaker 2: Each year to appear before the Lord your God.
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Speaker 1: Now think about this command for just a second. God says, okay,
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Speaker 1: I want all the men to gather at one place
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Speaker 1: for a time of worship three times a year. Leave
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Speaker 1: your farms, leave your commerce, leave your work, leave your posts,
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Speaker 1: leave wherever you were. I want everyone gathered in one
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Speaker 1: place three times a year for worship. Now, can you
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Speaker 1: imagine some of the concerns that the people had? The
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Speaker 1: farmers thinking, I can't just go off and leave my farm.
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Speaker 1: Those guarding the borders would think, I cannot just go
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Speaker 1: off and leave my post. Those in charge of merchants,
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Speaker 1: the merchants in charge of places of commerce were thinking,
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Speaker 1: I can't just go off and leave. My caravan's unprotected.
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Speaker 1: My camel's unprotected. I just can't go off and leave
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Speaker 1: everything like that. And to comfort them. Did you notice
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Speaker 1: what God said to them? He said, no one will
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Speaker 1: covet your land when you go up. No one will
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Speaker 1: covet your land. In other words, I'm going to secure
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Speaker 1: your borders. I'm going to protect your land. When you
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Speaker 1: come to worship me, you place me first. I'm going
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Speaker 1: to protect your land in the meantime.
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Speaker 2: You don't have to worry.
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Speaker 1: No one's even going to want your checking account. What
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Speaker 1: a declaration for God to make. God controls the desires
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Speaker 1: even of the neighboring countries or the neighboring clans or
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Speaker 1: the neighboring enemies. He controls the impulses of people. So
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Speaker 1: can we tally this up for just a minute? Who
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Speaker 1: prompted the Egyptians to give supplies to the former Hebrew slaves?
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Speaker 2: God did. Who prompted Cyrus to issue the command? God did.
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Speaker 1: Who prompted the official in the Babylonian court to grant
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Speaker 1: Daniel's request?
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Speaker 2: You can answer. God did.
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Speaker 1: Who prompted King Arty or King Artaxerxes to rebuild the
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Speaker 1: walls of Jerusalem?
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Speaker 2: God did.
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Speaker 1: Who walked up, watched over the lands of the Hebrews
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Speaker 1: as they went together three times a year for worship?
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Speaker 2: God did.
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Speaker 1: Who led the hearts of the kings and protected the people?
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Speaker 1: God did and God does.
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Speaker 2: God does.
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Speaker 1: Does.
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Speaker 2: God is over the nations.
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Speaker 1: That's why David, King David, in one of his prayers
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Speaker 1: said these words. Oh Lord, God of our fathers, are
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Speaker 1: you not the God who is in heaven? You rule
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Speaker 1: over all the kingdoms of the nations. Power and might
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Speaker 1: are in your hand. No one can withstand you. Isn't
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Speaker 1: that comforting news? I've heard it this week. I've heard
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Speaker 1: it several times over the last few weeks.
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Speaker 2: You've heard it.
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Speaker 1: Maybe you've even said it. The phrase goes something like this.
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Speaker 1: If President Obama wins this election, our nation is going
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Speaker 1: down the tubes. Or if Mitt Romney wins, wins this election.
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Speaker 2: It's all over for our country. Really?
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Speaker 1: Really? Is heaven really troubled about this election? Is God
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Speaker 1: having trouble getting his angels to get a good night's rest?
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Speaker 1: Because they're so anxious about what's going to happen on
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Speaker 1: November the 6th. Does heaven incline its ear to the
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Speaker 1: actions of elephants and donkeys?
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Speaker 2: I don't think so either.
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Speaker 1: Listen, let others be anxious. Let others get their lives
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Speaker 1: tied up in knots. Let others cast their lots with
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Speaker 1: their words. Resident of the Oval Office.
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Speaker 2: Here's what we do as children of God. We vote.
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Speaker 2: We think.
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Speaker 1: We pay attention. We develop opinions. We pay our taxes.
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Speaker 2: We do our civil duty.
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Speaker 1: Some of you even get engaged in campaigning for a
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Speaker 1: certain person. Maybe even running for office yourself.
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Speaker 2: But what we don't do is freak out.
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Speaker 1: We just don't freak out. Because we know that no
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Speaker 1: matter who is in the oval.
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Speaker 2: Office, God is on the throne. Amen?
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Speaker 1: Or to put it in a sentence, we place our
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Speaker 1: trust in the work of God. We place our trust
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Speaker 1: in the work of God. How many nations has he
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Speaker 1: seen come and go? How many kings has he seen
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Speaker 1: stand and fall? How many presidents is he seeing elected
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Speaker 1: and then placed out of office? He's not troubled. And
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Speaker 1: because we believe in him, we're not troubled either.
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Speaker 2: I'm just like all of you.
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Speaker 1: I love being a citizen of the United States of America.
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Speaker 2: I really do.
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Speaker 1: I really do. But I love even more being a
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Speaker 1: citizen of heaven. And long after this dispensation of history
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Speaker 1: has discontinued and this time of history has run its course,
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Speaker 1: we'll look back at the time that we were citizens
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Speaker 1: of the United States and we'll be grateful. But even
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Speaker 1: at that time, we will always be citizens of heaven
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Speaker 1: because we have cast our ultimate hope with Jesus Christ
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Speaker 1: who was on the throne. So what do we do
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Speaker 1: in the meantime?
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Speaker 2: Well, of course, we don't worry. Of course, we vote.
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Speaker 2: Of course, we do all the things we mentioned.
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Speaker 1: But there's one assignment that we have been given that
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Speaker 1: I'm going to conclude with that is absolutely essential.
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Speaker 2: And that is this. We pray. We pray.
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Speaker 1: Your Bible contains the epistles that the Apostle Paul wrote
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Speaker 1: to a young pastor by the name of Timothy. 1
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Speaker 1: Timothy and 2 Timothy are really like church workbooks because
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Speaker 1: what Paul was telling Timothy is, here's how you lead
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Speaker 1: a church. Here's how I want the church to behave.
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Speaker 1: So they're very practical, pragmatic books. In 1 Timothy, Paul
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Speaker 1: tells Timothy the first thing the church is supposed to do.
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Speaker 1: And he says this, first of all, I desire that
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Speaker 1: petitions and prayers and thanksgiving be made for all people.
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Speaker 1: And look at this, for kings and those in authority.
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Speaker 1: That we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all
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Speaker 1: godliness and holiness.
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Speaker 2: This is good.
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Speaker 1: And please is God our Savior, who wants all people
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Speaker 1: to be saved and.
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Speaker 2: Come to a knowledge of the truth.
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Speaker 1: So the flagship assignment of Paul to Timothy was to pray.
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Speaker 1: So the initial assignment of the church is to pray.
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Speaker 1: And then the first group for whom the church prays
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Speaker 1: is the king and those in positions of authority. Or
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Speaker 1: in our case, we pray for the president and the
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Speaker 1: vice president and the Senate and the Congress and the
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Speaker 1: governors and the mayor, all the people in positions of authority.
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Speaker 1: This is the assignment given to God's people. We offer prayers.
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Speaker 1: If you're a Republican, you pray. If you're a Democrat,
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Speaker 1: you pray. If you're a Libertarian, you pray. If you're independent,
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Speaker 1: you pray. If you don't know what you are, you pray.
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Speaker 2: We pray.
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Speaker 1: This is the assignment, the blanket assignment, the universal.
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Speaker 2: Assignment given to all children of God.
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Speaker 1: Our assignment during an election.
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Speaker 2: Season is to be people of prayer.
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Speaker 1: We intercede and we ask God to pray for the
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Speaker 1: leaders of our country. Did you know that the Bible
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Speaker 1: says that all government leaders are actually servants of God,
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Speaker 1: whether they want to be or not? Have you seen
25:56
Speaker 1: this verse in Romans chapter 13? There is no authority
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Speaker 1: except that which God established. The authorities that exist have
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Speaker 1: been established by God. For the ruler is God's servant
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Speaker 1: to do you good. The purpose of a government is
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Speaker 1: to create a greenhouse beneath which the citizens can can
26:18
Speaker 1: develop physically, spiritually, and mentally. A safe society in which
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Speaker 1: people can grow, discover their God, and discover each other
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Speaker 1: and grow in faith.
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Speaker 2: That's the purpose of the government.
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Speaker 1: And so the government plays an important role in creating
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Speaker 1: a safe greenhouse in which people can develop and people
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Speaker 1: can grow. And leaders in the government are God's servants.
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Speaker 1: And our job is to pray for them. And I
26:47
Speaker 1: want to challenge you, really commission you to take this
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Speaker 1: call to prayer very seriously. This year I'm heading up
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Speaker 1: a presidential election campaign prayer movement. And I'd like for
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Speaker 1: you to be the first to agree to pray. We're
27:03
Speaker 1: going to have 40 days of prayer beginning September the
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Speaker 1: 28th leading up to November the 6th. That's the day
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Speaker 1: of the presidential election. September 28th to November the 6th.
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Speaker 1: And we're inviting people all over the nation, yes, all
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Speaker 1: over the world, to agree to pray every day in
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Speaker 1: harmony or in the same spirit that the Lord would
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Speaker 1: bless us and guide us during this presidential election. We're
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Speaker 1: asking people to pray for three things. Number one, Lord,
27:37
Speaker 1: unite us. Unite our country. We're weary of being divided
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Speaker 1: and polarized. Will you unite us?
27:44
Speaker 2: Number two, will you strengthen us?
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Speaker 1: Will you just strengthen us, strengthen our economy, strengthen our resolve,
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Speaker 1: strengthen our morality? And then number three, will you appoint
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Speaker 1: and anoint our next president? We want who you want, God.
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Speaker 2: That's what we want, right?
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Speaker 1: We want you, dear Father, to appoint and then anoint
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Speaker 1: our next president.
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Speaker 2: Now that's an easy prayer to remember. Unite, strengthen, anoint, appoint.
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Speaker 3: U-S-A.
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Speaker 1: And I'd encourage you to be among the first to
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Speaker 1: agree to offer this prayer for 40 days in a row.
28:20
Speaker 1: You can go to oakhillschurch.com or you can go to maxlocato.com
28:25
Speaker 1: backslash election. And there you'll just have a place you
28:28
Speaker 1: can sign up to commit to pray. We're going to
28:31
Speaker 1: go public with this in the next week or two.
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Speaker 1: We wanted you here at the Oak Hills Church family
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Speaker 1: to be among the first to sign up to do
28:40
Speaker 1: exactly that. That's what this prayer card is that's in
28:43
Speaker 1: your weekend handout It's just a way for you to
28:47
Speaker 1: remind yourself and remind others. Put this in a very
28:50
Speaker 1: visible place. I know September 28th is still some days away.
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Speaker 1: So maybe put it on your calendar or somewhere where
28:56
Speaker 1: you'll see it.
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Speaker 2: And then the prayer is on the back.
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Speaker 1: Because down deep, don't we believe that God gave us
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Speaker 1: a great promise? We conclude with 2 Chronicles 7 and
29:07
Speaker 1: verse 14. If my people who are called by my
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Speaker 1: name will humble themselves and pray, And seek my face
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Speaker 1: and turn from their wicked ways. Then will I hear
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Speaker 1: from heaven. And will forgive their sin. And heal their land.
29:25
Speaker 1: And all God's people said. Dear Heavenly Father. Would you
29:30
Speaker 1: help us to be people of prayer. People of faith.
29:35
Speaker 1: We thank you for the unspeakable privilege of living in
29:39
Speaker 1: the United States. We thank you for those who have
29:42
Speaker 1: died to make this possible. We agree, Father, that this
29:47
Speaker 1: is a blessed nation. And you have looked upon us
29:50
Speaker 1: with kindness. Father, we have concerns about the future. We
29:57
Speaker 1: ask you to raise up the leaders who will have
29:59
Speaker 1: the answers to guide us into the next generation. Heavenly Father,
30:05
Speaker 1: we know that you know that person and you know
30:07
Speaker 1: those people. We place this decision in your hands. We pray, Father,
30:12
Speaker 1: that you would unite our country and that you would
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Speaker 1: please create a spirit of cooperation and peace so that
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Speaker 1: we can have what you want for us and that
30:21
Speaker 1: is a peaceful society.
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Speaker 2: We thank you, Lord.
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Speaker 1: For the comfort that comes from knowing that you are
30:29
Speaker 1: on the throne. And we offer this prayer in the
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Speaker 1: name of Jesus Christ. And all the church said.
30:51
Speaker 3: Thank you. Thank you. We'll be right back. We'll be
32:15
Speaker 3: right back. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Bye. We'll
34:54
Speaker 3: be right back. You don't have.
35:25
Speaker 4: To be near me. You don't have to stay close.
35:36
Speaker 4: As long as you're somewhere out there, that's enough for me.
35:42
Speaker 3: I don't need to hold you near me.
35:49
Speaker 4: Don't need promises to keep. Just the thought that you
35:54
Speaker 4: are breathing Somewhere in this world I see Even if
36:00
Speaker 4: I'm not beside you Even if you never know There's
36:06
Speaker 4: a quiet kind of comfort Just in knowing you still glow.
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Speaker 3: I don't need forever.
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Speaker 4: I just need you to exist.
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Speaker 5: You don't have to stay with me.
36:28
Speaker 4: You don't have to feel the same. Just as long as.
36:32
Speaker 5: You're still out there calling softly through my days. You
36:38
Speaker 5: don't have to look my way.
36:41
Speaker 4: You don't have to be my home. It's enough to
36:46
Speaker 4: know you're living in a world I'm not alone. I
36:55
Speaker 4: won't chase you through the distance. Won't disturb your chosen life.
37:01
Speaker 4: I'll just keep you in my silence like a star
37:05
Speaker 4: that shines at night. Through the dark and through the blue.
37:15
Speaker 4: I still think of you.
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Speaker 5: You don't have to feel the same just as long
37:27
Speaker 5: as you're still out there calling softly through my days.
37:33
Speaker 3: You don't have to look my way.
37:37
Speaker 4: You don't have to be my home.
37:40
Speaker 3: It's enough to know you're living in a.
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Speaker 5: World I'm not alone.
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Speaker 4: I don't need to be your light I don't need
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Speaker 4: to cross your mind All I need is just the
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Speaker 4: truth That you're somewhere Still alive.
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Speaker 3: You don't have.
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Speaker 5: To stay with me You don't have to feel the
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Speaker 5: same Just as long as you're still out there Calling
38:28
Speaker 5: softly through my days You don't have to look my way.
38:34
Speaker 4: You don't have to be my home It's enough to
38:39
Speaker 4: know you're living here In a world I'm not alone.