How To Hear From God | Loudest Way to Hear from God | Drew Sherman

I pray into the MSV. Spirit of God, You'll hear You have all authority. I pray over my heart and mind. I am You by Your stripes, Your blood declares that I am free in the mighty name of Jesus. I pray, calling on the power of heaven. I proclaim everywhere that forms up in me. My strength in the mighty name of Jesus. I draw up a minute boundary, and we have no rights to call near my family. Oh, no seek ever unto God. No matter the circumstance, the cross has sealed my destiny in the mighty name of Jesus. I pray, calling on the power of heaven. I proclaim everywhere that forms up in me. My strength in the mighty name of Jesus. In the mighty name of Jesus. I know of the power of heaven and darkness. It must go as every key to every day to you. I hope is in the mighty name of Jesus. And I will not fear, I will not fear when the enemy comes near. On the door frame of my life is the blood of Jesus Christ. I will not fear, I will not fear. There's an army of angels here. I'm protected on all sides by the blood of Jesus Christ. And I will not fear, I will not fear when the enemy comes near. On the door frame of my life is the blood of Jesus Christ. I will not fear, I will not fear. There's an army of angels here. I'm protected on all sides by the blood of Jesus Christ. In the mighty name of Jesus. I pray, calling on the power of heaven. I proclaim everywhere that forms up in me. In the mighty name of Jesus. I know of the power of heaven and darkness. It must go as every key to every day to me. I hope is in the mighty name of Jesus. It's in the mighty name of Jesus. Good morning, good morning, and welcome to Kabbish Church. Our mission is navigating people to God. And we are one church in multiple locations. And one of those locations is inside a men's maximum security prison.

Can we say, hey, to our Allward campus right now? Let's give it up for Allward campus. Man, we love you and we love what God is doing inside those walls. Hey, can we bow our heads in prayer? Thank you for this opportunity to come together and worship you. Father God will you help us to focus our minds, focus our hearts so that we can worship you now. Lord Jesus, we love you. Amen. (soft music) (soft music) Join with all creation today to sing this out. (soft music) ♪ A thousand generations ♪ ♪ Fallen down worship ♪ ♪ To sing in the song of ages to live ♪ ♪ And all gone before us ♪ ♪ And all will be ♪ ♪ We'll sing the song of ages to live ♪ ♪ Your name is the highest ♪ ♪ Your name is the greatest ♪ ♪ Your name stands above the wall ♪ ♪ All forms and dominions all bound ♪ ♪ In positions your name stands above the wall ♪ ♪ And the angels cry ♪ ♪ Holy, holy creation cries ♪ ♪ Holy, you are lifted high ♪ ♪ Holy, holy forever ♪ ♪ And if you forgive me ♪ ♪ If you bear me deep ♪

♪ Sing the song forever to live ♪ ♪ And if you're walking free ♪ ♪ If you bear me ♪ ♪ Sing the song forever to live ♪ ♪ We'll sing the song forever and amen ♪ ♪ And the angels cry ♪ ♪ Holy, holy creation cries ♪ ♪ Holy, you are lifted high ♪ ♪ Holy, holy forever ♪ ♪ And if you forgive me ♪ ♪ Holy, holy to the king of kings ♪ ♪ Holy, holy ♪ ♪ You will always be ♪ ♪ Holy, holy forever ♪ ♪ Your name is I, it's your name ♪ ♪ It's the greatest ♪ ♪ Your name stands above the wall ♪ ♪ All flows in the millions ♪ ♪ All powers in positions ♪ ♪ Your name stands above the wall ♪ ♪ Your name stands above the wall ♪ ♪ Your name stands above the wall ♪ ♪ It's the greatest ♪ ♪ Your name stands above the wall ♪ ♪ All flows in the millions ♪ ♪ All flows in the millions ♪ ♪ Your name stands above the wall ♪ ♪ And the angels cry ♪ ♪ Holy, holy creation cries ♪ ♪ Holy, holy ♪

♪ You are lifted high ♪ ♪ Holy, holy forever ♪ ♪ Your people speak ♪ ♪ Oh, oh, oh ♪ ♪ To the king of kings ♪ ♪ Oh, oh, oh, oh ♪ ♪ You will always be ♪ ♪ You will always be ♪ ♪ Hold me, hold me forever ♪ ♪ And the angels cry ♪ ♪ Hold me, oh creation cry ♪ ♪ Hold me ♪ ♪ You are lifted high ♪ ♪ Hold me ♪ ♪ Hold me forever ♪ Come on, sing this out. ♪ Hear your people sing ♪ ♪ Holy to the King of Kings ♪ ♪ Holy ♪ ♪ You will always be ♪ ♪ Holy ♪ ♪ Holy forever ♪ Go on. [applause] ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪ It was my cross you fall ♪ ♪ So I could live in the freedom you die for ♪ ♪ And now my life is yours ♪ ♪ And I will see your goodness forevermore ♪

♪ The Word is your name ♪ ♪ Jesus, you deserve the praise ♪ ♪ Word is your name ♪ ♪ Word is your name ♪ ♪ Jesus, you deserve the praise ♪ ♪ Word is your name ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ And now my shame is gone ♪ ♪ I send a base in your love of undeniable ♪ ♪ Grace goes on and on ♪ ♪ And I will see your goodness forevermore ♪ ♪ The Word is your name ♪ ♪ Jesus, you deserve the praise ♪ ♪ Word is your name ♪ ♪ Word is your name ♪ ♪ Jesus, you deserve the praise ♪ ♪ Word is your name ♪ ♪ Yes, you're Word ♪ ♪ Word is your name ♪ ♪ You're being exalted now in the heavens ♪ ♪ As your glory fills this place ♪ ♪ You will long deserve our praise ♪ ♪ You're the name of our own names ♪ ♪ Be exalted now in the heavens ♪ ♪ As your glory fills this place ♪ ♪ You will long deserve our praise ♪ ♪ You're the name of our own names ♪ ♪ Be exalted now in the heavens ♪ ♪ As your glory fills this place ♪

♪ You will long deserve our praise ♪ ♪ You're the name of our own names ♪ ♪ Be exalted now in the heavens ♪ ♪ As your glory fills this place ♪ ♪ You will long deserve our praise ♪ ♪ You're the name ♪ ♪ Word is your name ♪ ♪ Jesus ♪ ♪ Lord Jesus, you deserve to pray ♪ ♪ Jesus, you deserve to pray ♪ ♪ What is your name? ♪ ♪ What is your name? ♪ ♪ Jesus, you deserve to pray ♪ ♪ What is your name? ♪ ♪ What is your name? ♪ ♪ Jesus, you deserve to pray ♪ ♪ What is your name? ♪ Come on, let's give him our praise today. He's worthy. We can be seated. And we come together as a church today to lift up the name of Jesus, to exalt the one who is worthy. And he's worthy because he gave everything for us. In Philippians chapter 2, it actually says that our attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus, who, being in very nature, God, did not consider equality with God as something to be grasped, but he made himself nothing. Taking on the form of a servant, he humbled himself and became obedient to even death on the cross. And it says, "Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above all names, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow in heaven and on earth and every tongue confess, that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father."

And so we lift up his name today. We give him glory because he gave everything for us. And here at Compass every week, we take a time where we pause and we remember that fact. It's a time called communion. And if you're in the room, you should have received a cup on your way and you can go ahead and grab that now. If you did not, just lift your hand. One of our section hosts will bring you one. There's some bread on the bottom of that and some juice on top that represent the body and blood of Jesus. If you're joining us online, grab some bread, some crackers, some juice so we can take communion together as a family today. And I just want to encourage you today as you take communion to continue to exalt the name of Jesus. What does he mean to you today? Is he powerful? Is he mighty? Is he strong? Is he good? And just as you remember the cross, continue to lift up his name and to tell him how great he is and what he's done for you. So I'm going to pray and then we'll take a moment to remember. Heavenly Father, we love you and we're grateful that you have the name that is above all names. And God, we believe that one day every knee will bow and every tongue confess that you are Lord. And God, right now, we bow to you and we confess together that you are Lord. And we remember that you not only died but you rose again. And so we give you all praise, glory and honor. God, we love you. We thank you. We remember you now. And it's in Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Let's take communion together. That morning the September sky was a flawless blue. An ordinary Tuesday. Coffee poured, trains running. A nation going quietly about its life. And then everything changed. In a matter of hours, nearly 3,000 lives were taken. Sons and daughters, mothers and fathers, neighbors, strangers and friends. Each one a name. Each one a story. Each one a light that mattered. But even in that darkest hour, we saw something rise.

Firefighters climbing the stairs so many were running down. Officers, medics, chaplains, ordinary men and women walking straight into the danger. Neighbors carrying neighbors. Strangers who simply stayed. There is no greater love than this to lay down your life for another. On that day, love wore a uniform. Love wore a badge. Love wore the face of an ordinary person who chose to be brave. And for a moment, we were not divided. We were simply one. Twenty-five years have passed. The grief has quieted, but it has never left. And still, every September, we speak the names. We grieve, but not as those without hope. Today, we remember. We do want to remember the lives of all those loved ones that were lost 25 years ago. And we want to keep them and their families and our prayers the remaining of this weekend and definitely going forward. Maybe never forget. Amen. Amen. Amen. Well hey guys, welcome to Compass Church again. My name is Brian and I am so happy that you are here. If you are a first time visitor here with us today, welcome. I'm glad you're here. I know that you had a choice to make and you chose to come here and I think that was a pretty good choice. So we're glad you're here. But don't leave a stranger. We want to know that you're here. And so the best way we know how to do that is to have you fill out a connection card and to see back in front of you or you can use the tap tag. And then after service, head on out to guest services and ask us questions. We want to answer those questions for you and see how we can pray over you and get to know you a little bit. There's, oh, I'm holding it. This was my reminder. You should have received one of these today on your way in. This is a reminder for you that Vision Night is one week from today right here in this room. Say Vision Night. Vision Night. Yes. So what you want to do is you want to register for that so you can have a seat in this room. It is at five o'clock. It's a two hour event. What you're going to do is you're

going to come in and we are going to celebrate all that God has been doing here at Compass Church. And then you're going to hear a message from Drew and he's going to share Vision going forward. Childcare is available. So make sure you're registered for that two hour event right here in this room. There's something that happened this last weekend that was pretty cool. I don't know if you know about it. It's this little thing called Meal Marathon. And that is where this weekend over 3900 of you packed meals. And the beginning numbers are looking like this. We'll have a firm announcement next week where we you packed over 975,000 meals. It's truly incredible of what you guys do. Every week we want to share how your ties and generosity is making an impact here locally and around the world. And and one of the things I want to tell you is I have the honor to serve as our all red campus pastor. And over the last two years we have been able to baptize nearly 100 men. And while that number that number is definitely worth celebrating, there's something deeper. There's a deeper impact there behind the scenes story because some of the men that we baptized early on, they in turn have been investing in the lives of men and leading other men to Jesus. And then they're making the decision of coming forward and getting baptized. And this cycle is happening over and over and over again. And it's truly amazing to see what God is doing inside our all red campus. And I have to tell you weekend and week out, we can't do ministry without your generosity. And so thank you. If you want to partner with us in generosity, there's three ways of doing that. You can go online to compass.church/give. You can use the tap tag and the seat back in front of you, or you can drop your generosity off in the in the boxes on your way out. Let me pray over our generosity. Heavenly Father, I thank you. I thank you so much for a church that is so generous for people that give. Father God, will you continue to bless it and multiply it for your glory and your kingdom. In Jesus name. Amen. Friends, we are finishing up our series on how to hear from God. And Pastor Drew has an incredible message for you today. So go ahead and get your Bibles out and open up your Bible apps and let's link into the message. [Music] (dramatic music) (dramatic music) (dramatic music) (dramatic music)

- Well, hey, 10 o'clock, how are you today? (coughing and applauding) I just told Pastor Brian, I mean, you've not been doing this very long, have you? You know, I said, you need to learn preacher math. And he said, what's preacher math? And I said, well, you told them there's 3,900 volunteers. So that's 4,000. (audience laughing) And you told them we packed 975,000 meals. So that's what? That's a million. See, you guys know how this works. You got no preacher math. But here's some real numbers, okay? We've had a little over 400 people, RSVP for Vision Night here in Coliville, and we have 4,000 people that are active in Coliville. Now, they didn't teach me a lot of math in Bible college, but I know that's about 10% of the people have signed up for Vision Night. And I'm here to ask you gently, why haven't you signed up for Vision Night? 100% minus 10% is 90%. So we really need you to sign up for Vision Night. No, seriously, here's what I'm asking you today. Would you please just, would you help me? As your pastor, I would love for you to come to Vision Night. I think it's gonna be maybe the most important night in the history of our church to the state.

And I just pray that you would just give us a couple of hours next Sunday at five o'clock. And I just pray that you would come. And maybe tap the tag in front of you with your phone, and you can connect to the Vision Night link. Just RSVP, please sign up. We need you to be there because it's gonna be an amazing night. Have you ever noticed there are certain moments in life when God gets your full attention? For me, one of those moments came in 2001 when Michelle had a cancer scare. I still remember how quickly everything that felt so urgent suddenly became secondary. Calendars, plans, pressures, church responsibilities, all of it got real quiet when the person that I loved the most was facing something I could not fix. Then in 2009, I walked through the long goodbye of watching my dad die of Lewy body disease. If you've ever loved someone whose minds slowly slipped away, you know that grief does not wait until the funeral. It starts while they're still sitting in front of you. And if you keep losing pieces of them before you lose them completely, it's a very long goodbye. And then there was a day I found out I had a 99% blockage in what they call the widow-maker artery. The cardiologist said to me, you're a dead man walking today. That'll sober you up fast. One minute you're making plans for the future, the next minute you're realizing

just how fragile life really is. Those are just a few pain points that I can remember in my life. I'm certainly not pretending my pain is any deeper than yours. Some of you have walked through valleys that I would not know how to survive. Some of you have buried people you loved. You fought battles no one saw. Tackled addiction, felt disappointment. Experienced betrayal. Said prayers that went largely unanswered. But I do remember in those seasons, the feeling of utter dependence on God. I remember the strange clarity that comes when you reach the end of yourself. Because in one way, those seasons were dark. In another way, what I lost was liberating because pain has a way of stripping away the illusion that we're in control. Pain has a way of revealing how fragile are carefully managed lives really are. And while that feels terrifying at first, it can also become a mercy. Because the moment I stop pretending that I can carry everything is often the moment I become most ready to let God carry me. And here's the principle that I've learned. No matter how deep your pain cuts, pain is often the loudest way that God speaks to us.

We're in a series called How to Hear from God. And today we're gonna finish that series. We've talked about hearing God through prayer. We've talked about hearing God through scripture. Last week, I don't know if you were here. I would love for you to go back and listen if you weren't to hear how to hear from God through the Holy Spirit. An amazing message by Pastor Land. And I hope that you are able to hear that if you haven't. Those are the beautiful ways to hear from God, right? Those are the ways we wanna hear from God. But today we're gonna talk about the way none of us would choose and yet many of us cannot deny. C.S. Lewis wrote a very important book a long time ago back in 1940. It's called The Problem of Pain. And he says, God whispers to us in our pleasures. He speaks to us in our conscience, but he shouts in our pains. It's his megaphone to rouse a death world. Today we're gonna talk about hearing God through pain. And again, it's not the preferable way, but it tends to be the loudest voice that God speaks to us with. Pain is a gift to tell us when something is wrong. And here's the question that we're gonna start with. Can you grow through what you're going through? Can you grow through what you're going through? Because pain will make you bitter or it'll make you better. The difference is whether you have the ability

to hear from God when he shouts through pain. Because without question, someone is here today, right now, because of pain. You never would have come to church if you weren't at the end of your rope looking for hope. Let me assure you, you've come to the right place and you're not alone. And as you look around, you may think that everyone in this room has their act together, but you, you might feel like those sitting around you or those up on stage are living the dream. Blessed by God, that may be true for some, but for many right now, and for all of us in seasons, God has used pain to wake us up, to rescue us, to direct us, to strengthen us, and in a strange way to comfort us. Deep down, we all know that's true. Some of us could stand up here today and say of our suffering and our pain, I wouldn't wish it on anyone, but I'm so grateful for the growth of the season. Maybe that's not you today, but it's honestly the story of the Bible. The entire story of this book is largely how God showed up in the face of pain and suffering. It shows us how to grow through what we're going through. I'm reasonably certain that whatever kind of pain you're carrying, you're likely to find someone in scripture who is familiar with your suffering.

I was thinking about this, probably the worst pain that anyone can go through would be to lose a child. Maybe some of you have lost a child. I can't imagine what that's like. Michelle and I were in the Napa Valley region for a few days this summer, visiting some good friends. They pastor at church in Yachtville, right there in the heart of wine country. And in the day we got there, they were planning to do an in-home visit with this couple who was about to lose their 24-year-old son to cancer. And they said, "Do you mind if we stop in and pray "with the family before we go to dinner?" And of course, we weren't going to get in the way of ministry. And so we said, "Sure, we'll be happy to go with you "to do that." And when the couple found out that I was a pastor too, they invited Michelle and I to come into the room and participate. And the scene was so tender and so sacred and just got winching. It was heartbreaking. This mother crawling in bed with her 24-year-old son. And he was a former star athlete, now just ate up with cancer and honestly just skinned bones. And just seeing the herd and pain on her face was just heartbreaking. And their son, Jake, died six days later. And that moment just reminded me of several of you

who have lost a son or a daughter over the years. I can't imagine what that's like. And I'm so sorry for that. Do you remember the first couple to lose a child in the Bible? It was pretty easy to remember. It was Adam and Eve, right? They lost him in the worst imaginable way. One son killed the other son. Think about that just for a moment. The first parents that ever lived lost their son at an early age. Maybe you've been cheated on by a spouse. There's an entire book in the Bible about that. It's the story of the prophet Hosea. Is anyone lonely? So was Hagar. She felt devalued and unseen. Are there immigrants among us? That was the story of Abraham. That's his whole story. Do you feel isolated? So did Noah. Anyone widowed? That was Ruth. Is anyone caught in sexual sin? King David knows how you feel. He wrote a psalm about it, Psalm 51. Jacob's blended family caused trauma for his own son, Joseph. It was sold by his brothers in the slavery. I know you think a joke's coming here, it's not.

Jacob was cheated by his father-in-law in business time and time again. He had to leave in the middle of the night. Some of you have suffered from infertility. Our heart goes out to you. Sarah understood that. She suffered for decades. God forbid someone has been the victim of sexual assault. Jacob's daughter, Dinah, knew that pain. She was assaulted by strangers. Anyone struggling with depression? Elijah could sit and share his story. Maybe the past has shattered your dreams. Moses could testify to that disappointment. What about severe illness? Timothy had a debilitating intestinal problem. It was horrible. Have you gone through bankruptcy, so did Job. You've been incarcerated, so did John. Suffered a natural disaster. Paul was shipwrecked. Jonah was thrown overboard by a storm. Betrayed by a friend. You ever been stabbed in the back while they kissed you on the cheek? Jesus knows all about that. In fact, take your phone out and just take a pick of this right here. Just take your phone out and take a picture. And then at some point, when you're walking through pain and suffering, you can be reminded that, at the very least, you can be reminded that you're not alone. You're not alone.

There's not a person on this list who isn't commended for their character in one way or another. They are proof positive that pain can be gained if you learn to hear what God is saying to you. You can grow through what you're going through if you learn to hear God's voice. Because sometimes he shouts through pain. So what might God be telling you through pain today? What might he be telling you? I suppose there's a thousand different things that we could hear from God. But a few of them stand out to me as some of the biggest lessons to learn. And they probably are the most simple things that we can learn from God. I think number one, God might be saying, I am here. I am here. You're not alone. Just as your true friends are revealed when you're in pain, so too can we experience the powerful presence of God. Psalm 34 says, the Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. I know some of you-- I don't know all of your stories. As the church has gotten larger, it's hard for me to be involved in every family's life. But I know that there are many people you've come in here today, and you need to know that the Lord is here, that he's close to the brokenhearted. The Old Testament tells an amazing story in the book of Second Kings.

It's an incredible story about the King of Aram. He's an enemy of the children of Israel. And he sends a great army just surround one of their cities. And he's there to destroy God's prophet Elisha. And Elisha's servants-- his servant sees that they're surrounded by these troops. And he cries out, master, well, what shall we do? What are we going to do? And Elisha responds with just one of the most remarkable statements. He says, don't be afraid. Those who are with us are more than those who are with them. But there was no one at all there with Elisha and his servant. And they were by themselves. And Elisha's servant must have been looking around, perhaps, trying to figure out whether those who are with us were hiding. Like, where are they? It seemed like it was two against thousands. And then Elisha prays for his servant. And he says this prayer in verse 17, open his eyes, Lord, so that he may see. And the Bible says that the Lord opened the servant's eyes. And he looked and he saw hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. And it turned out that Elisha and his servant were totally safe. You see, Elisha understood what his servant did not. They were surrounded by the loving protection of their heavenly Father. And his servant's greatest moment of pain

was really his greatest moment of safety. And I wonder if you understand that. That sometimes your greatest moment of pain is really your greatest moment of safety all along. Do you realize that someone is watching over to you that you may not be able to see or hear from, but you are never out of his sight. You're never out of his care. That he protects his children. He's preparing a place for eternity for all of us to remind us that this life and this moment is not meant to be our ever after. And sometimes as citizens of Earth, I think we forget that. [BLANK_AUDIO] self-sufficient. Like I know I'm not, I just don't want anyone else to figure that out, how dumb is that? I need God's help every day. It's just a reminder, like there are days when I don't know how to help myself, right? Like there are days when I know that He's here but I just don't know and so I love what Romans 8 verse 26 says, it says the Spirit helps us in our weakness, those days we don't know, we do not know what we ought to pray for but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. What does that mean? It means that often in our pain we cry out to God, are you here? And if you listen to the pain you will hear Him say, I am here. But friend, I want you to know today that He's not just available. You'll also hear Him say, write this down, I am able, I am able. And I guess I want to ask you today, maybe some of you have walked into this place and you're in the midst of a season that involves pain, do you believe that He is able? Do you believe that He is able?

Paul writes this to Timothy in 2 Timothy chapter 1, he says, "I'm suffering here in prison but I'm not ashamed of it for I know the one in whom I trust and I am sure that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him until the day of His return." Like there is nothing that you're going to go through that God can't get you through. Paul talks about this in Romans 8 and we know that all things God works for the good of those who love Him who have been called according to His purpose but not every day feels good, does it? And I guess we have to be reminded that if God hasn't yet worked this out for good that He's still working on something inside of us that He wants you to grow through what you're going through. Now fair warning, this may require you to be humble. God really doesn't need your assistance. He does however require your obedience. His plan is not merely for your good but for good to come for you, this is significant. God doesn't merely say, "I am able," He says, "I am able to make you able," write that down. "I'm able to make you able." Have you ever thought that some of the ways we can grow through our pain? Here's something to think about. The pain you're growing through is intended to be the gain someone else receives. Let me say it again. The pain that you're growing through is often intended to be the gain that someone else receives. In other words, God does not just want to get you through it. He wants to form something in you through it. And one day the comfort and the wisdom and the endurance and the compassion that He builds in you, they become exactly what someone else needs to make it through their own valley. He strengthens you to be a strength for others. Paul really understood this. He wrote to the church in Corinth, "God comforts us in all of our troubles so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort that we receive ourselves from God." That verse is not saying God wastes our pain, it's saying God needs us in it and comforts us through it and then in time uses what He gave us to strengthen somebody else.

We see this happening time and again in families in our church and one of the clearest pictures of that is through a family called the Job Family. Last September, Nick Job lost his precious wife, Tiffany. Many of you remember hearing part of Tiffany's story. We tried to tell it as she was walking through her journey of suffering. She was an incredible woman of God. Her faith inspired so many of us. But on the other side of Tiffany's journey was Nick, a husband walking through that long, painful season of sickness and grief and waiting and praying and hoping and trusting when nothing about the road felt easy. And what I want you to hear today is not a polished answer from someone who has pain all figured out, I want you to hear from someone who has lived this verse, someone who received comfort from God in the middle of deep trouble and was able to find peace even in the midst of sorrow. Let's listen in. In October of 2020, my wife, Tiffany, was diagnosed with advanced age lung cancer. Please make sure. She was 37 when she was diagnosed. By the time they found the cancer, it had spread pretty much all over. And at that point, her diagnosis was a pretty grim. She made over 100 trips to Houston to get treatment. And it was tough that definitely wore on her and the separation from her boys was really tough during that time. But again, she powered through all of those trips and all of those difficult treatment cycles because she knew that there was something bigger and that the way she was living her life was for a bigger purpose.

Social media was really important to Tiffany. And when she was diagnosed with cancer, she knew that she had an important story to tell. And the way that she was telling that story could help people and get the way that she could make an impact. I think at one point, she had over 12,000 people following her. And so she was able to encourage and connect with and just impact so many people through that. And a lot of the questions she would get is how she remained faithful when she'd been dealt such a bad hand. And she kept her faith and showed others how you can trust in God without having an answer. I think she changed people's lives when she did that. And she changed all of our lives. And she certainly changed her kids' lives because they'll always have that lesson. You may not have all the answers, but it's still okay. And you can still trust that God has been in it with you. It was prayers and, you know, Bible verses that you guys have sent to me. And just you guys are the most amazing community. And I can't thank you enough for everything that you've done for me and for my family. Words just can't describe my gratitude, so. (gentle music) Tiffany was so adamant about not letting her cancer diagnosis define who she was and define what God meant to her. A big part of us finding God and leaning on God during that difficult time was through the church.

For Tiffany, you know, she read her Bible daily and took notes. And she was so diligent about staying in the word of God that I think it was impossible for her not to hear or feel his presence. You know, she kind of left that as a gift to her kids that even in hard times, you know, you may not be hearing God's answers to your questions, but he's still there and he's still present in your pain and your suffering. There was one point in sort of in the middle of that journey that everything seemed to just be crashing down and, you know, we didn't have any answers and we just kind of felt our knees and just gave everything that we had and just surrendered everything, what I needed to know and what I needed to feel was his presence with us in the suffering. We found peace in, I think, in a lot of different ways and everyday life. Those were always moments where even if Tiffany was hurting or feeling sick for her, I think it was an understanding that everything was gonna be okay, that God was still in this, that her physical body and physical life that she was living wasn't really the main thing and that her kids would be okay. And we both found peace knowing that they had accepted what was happening and what was going on and that they were gonna be fine.

- I hope that when people hear Tiffany's story, number one, they remember her smile and all the light that she had. And I also hope that they remember how she never lost her faith through everything. That in all the pain and all the suffering, she trusted God and she didn't wait for God to change things before starting to trust Him. (audience applauds) - I love Isaiah 26. You will keep in perfect peace. Those whose minds are steadfast because they trust in you. I think of Nick and Tiffany when I think of that verse, because Nick discovered that God was a place of peace, that He was everywhere. And if you keep your thoughts on Him, regardless of whatever place you find yourself in, the God of peace will meet you there. I want you to take a look at this list again, just one more time. Did they feel your pain? I know looking at these, I, we determined Jesus could identify with the least aid of these. I've asked the worship team to come and sing a song called, duck out and be the first ones to go to Vida, but if you could just resist that for a moment, I want you to hear the words to this song and then I'm going to come up and share a couple of thoughts with you and pray over you and at the end we're going to give you an opportunity

if you want, after we close there's going to be some people here to pray over you because some of us might need to pray today. But I want you to look at this and as Kate sings this song, I'm here, I'm just going to leave the board up and I just want you to think about some of the things that you've been through and as you hear the words of these songs, this song, maybe it's a time for a prayer, a reflection, a moment, or maybe it's the time to squeeze the hand of the person next to you that might be going through it and so let's have a moment where we remember pain and suffering and what it's done to our hearts and let's remember that he is here, that he is able and that he is able to make us able. I felt that before overwhelmed, I know that I want acquainted with the deepest grief anxious when your heart skips the beat when peace becomes fleeting I know what you're feeling I'm here Weakness I've carried that way Been despised and rejected I have the scars to prove it please just let it all go Loose in your grip it's not too much for me to end I'm here and I'm not leaving I'm here and I'm not leaving I'm here and I'm not leaving I'm here and I'm not leaving you I will never say I am with you I am with you I'm singing over you If you will recall me I'm not burning bright on knees I'm not afraid of belief I'm your oasis wanted a dream if you will recall me I'm not burning bright on me I'm not afraid of belief I'm your oasis wanted a dream if you're weary if you're tired If you're broken if you're hiding Just come to me just come to me I'm here and I'm not leaving I'm here and I'm not leaving I'm here good, it isn't. Not because every wound needs to become a sermon illustration. Some wounds are too tender, too personal, too new, too sacred. But when pain is brought to God, we're really surrendered to Him, slowly healed by Him. It doesn't have to stay only pain. In the hands of Jesus, what was once broke, what once broke you can become part of how He blesses someone else. That's not the same as rushing grief, it's not pretending it didn't hurt, it's not

a putting a spiritual bow on something that makes you cry, it's simply believing that God is able to redeem what the enemy meant to destroy, that He can take the comfort He gave you in the dark and make it light for someone else who's still trying to find their way through. And I want to encourage you today, at the end of this, we're going to offer some prayer. Men, I want to encourage you to lay your pain down at the foot of an old rugged cross and let the blood of Jesus cover it. I have found over the years that pain that is hoarded can quietly become inheritance that we pass down to our family. I don't think any of us want that, but pain that gets truly surrendered and healed and shared can become a platform for healing. So if you're in the middle of it, and don't waste it, bring it to Him, He's here. He's not leaving. Let Him strengthen you, let Him come for you, and when the time is right, let Him use your story to help someone else grow through what they're going through. So here's the question, are you really able to make me able? That's the prayer. God, are you really able to make me able? Would you close your eyes and bow your head to that? I want to pray over you. Father, that's the question that some of us are asking today. Some of us are asking it with faith. Some of us are asking it with tears because some of us actually believe that you are able for other people, but we're struggling to believe you're able for us. So would you meet us in the middle of our pain? Would you remind us that you're here? Would you open our eyes to see that those who are with us are greater than those who are with the enemy? Would you remind us that you're able and by your spirit that you can make us able, able to trust you when we don't understand, able to keep walking when we feel weak, able to

receive comfort when we cannot fix what is broken, and one day, able to comfort someone else with the comfort that we have received from you, we surrender our pain today. Don't let it be wasted, redeem it, heal it, use it and help us grow through what we are going through. And I pray this in Jesus' name, amen.