My Anxious Thoughts - Running on Empty

Let's stand and worship together, come on. I won't waste another minute in my old way. Praise the Lord, I've been born again. Born again. I've been born again. Sing it with me. Again and again and again and again You rescued me out of the mess I was in Trade in my sorrow for something to sing Now I'm dancing on the grave that I once lived in Goodbye yesterday I'm living in the light of a new day I won't waste another minute in my old ways Praise the Lord, I've been born again Goodbye yesterday The Spirit of the Lord is upon me I've got resurrection in my veins Praise the Lord, I've been born again Again and again and again and again You rescued me out of the mess I was in Trade in my sorrow for something to sing Now I'm dancing on the grave that I once lived in Again and again and again and again You rescued me out of the mess I was in Trade in my sorrow for something to sing Now I'm dancing on the grave that I once lived in I have decided To follow Jesus The world behind, the cross before And I won't turn back

I have decided To follow Jesus The world behind, the cross before And I won't turn back I have decided To follow Jesus I'm gonna leave the world behind The world behind, the cross before And I won't turn back I have decided To follow Jesus The world behind, the cross before And I won't turn back The world behind, the cross before And I won't turn back The world behind, the cross before And I won't turn back Again and again and again and again You rescued me out of the mess I was in Traded my sorrow for something to sing Now I'm dancing on the grave and I won't sleep Again and again and again and again You rescued me out of the mess I was in Traded my sorrow for something to sing Now I'm dancing on the grave and I won't sleep Praise the Lord, I've been born again Praise the Lord, I've been born again Now I'm dancing on the grave and I won't sleep Dancing on the grave and I won't sleep Now I'm dancing on the grave and I won't sleep

You are Dancing on the grave and I won't sleep Dancing on the grave and I won't sleep Dancing on the grave and I won't sleep I'm dancing on the grave and I won't sleep Dancing on the grave and I won't sleep Dancing on the grave and I won't sleep Praise the Lord, I've been born again Thank you Jesus! I am an instrument Of exultation and I was born to lift your name above all names. You hear the melody of all creation but there's a song of praise that only I can bring. Who else is worthy? Who else is worthy? There is no one, only you Jesus. Who else is worthy? Who else is worthy? There is no one, only you Jesus. You are the infinite, God of the ages. Yet you chose to make my heart your dwelling place. You healed my brokenness, showed me your glory. So I ask songs of thanks, not even angels sing. Who else is worthy? Who else is worthy? There is no one, only you Jesus. Who else is worthy? Who else is worthy? There is no one, only you Jesus. Who else is worthy? Who else is worthy? There is no one, only you Jesus. Who else is worthy? Who else is worthy? There is no one, only you Jesus. Lamb of God, anointed one, who was and is and is to come. Seated on the throne of the Holy, Holy. The righteous one who shed his blood, who proved to us the Father's love. Jesus Christ be lifted up. Holy, Holy. Lamb of God, anointed one, who was and is and is to come. Seated on the throne of the Holy, Holy. The righteous one who shed his blood, who proved to us the Father's love. Jesus Christ be lifted up. Holy, Holy. Lamb of God, anointed one, who was and is and is to come. Seated on the throne of the Holy, Holy. The righteous one who shed his blood, who proved to us the Father's love. Jesus Christ be lifted up. Who else is worthy? Who else is worthy? There is no one, only you Jesus. Who else is worthy? Who else is worthy? There is no one, only you Jesus. There is no one, only you Jesus. There is no one, only you Jesus. There is no one, only you Jesus. There is no one, only you Jesus, there is no one, only you Jesus, there is no one, only you Jesus. There is no one, only you Jesus. There is no one, only you Jesus. There is no one, only you Jesus. There is no one, only you Jesus. There is no one, only you Jesus. There is no one, only you Jesus. There is no one, only you Jesus. Oh God, come and meet us here right now in this place. Jesus, we give you our hearts. We surrender everything to you. Grand earth has quaked before Moved by the sound of his voice You can see him

♪ These that are shaken and stirred ♪ ♪ Can be combed and broken from my regard ♪ ♪ Through it all, through it all, my eyes are on you ♪ ♪ Through it all, through it all, it is well ♪ ♪ Through it all, through it all, my eyes are on you ♪ ♪ And it is well with me ♪ ♪ With me ♪ ♪ Far be it from me to not believe ♪ ♪ Even when my eyes can't see ♪ ♪ And this mountain that's in front of me ♪ ♪ Will be thrown into the midst of the sea ♪ ♪ Through it all, through it all, my eyes are on you ♪ ♪ Through it all, through it all, it is well ♪ ♪ Through it all, through it all, my eyes are on you ♪ ♪ And it is well, it is well ♪ ♪ So let go my soul and trust in him ♪ ♪ The waves and wind still know his name ♪ ♪ So let go my soul and trust in him ♪ ♪ The waves and wind still know his name ♪ ♪ So let go my soul and trust in him ♪ ♪ The waves and wind still know his name ♪ ♪ The waves and wind still know his name ♪ ♪ It is well with my soul ♪ ♪ It is well with my soul ♪ ♪ It is well with my soul ♪ ♪ It is well with my soul ♪ ♪ It is well, it is well with my soul ♪ ♪ It is well, it is well, so well ♪ ♪ It is well, it is well with my soul ♪ ♪ It is well, it is well, so well with my soul ♪

♪ So well with my soul ♪ ♪ It is well, it is well with my soul ♪ ♪ So well with my soul ♪ ♪ It is well, it is well with my soul ♪ ♪ It is well with my soul ♪ ♪ It is well, it is well with my soul ♪ ♪ It is well with my soul ♪ ♪ It is well, it is well with my soul ♪ ♪ With my soul ♪ ♪ Through it all, through it all, my eyes are on you ♪ ♪ Through it all, through it all, it is well ♪ ♪ Through it all, through it all, my eyes are on you ♪ ♪ And it is well with me ♪ ♪ It is well, Jesus, cause our hearts to believe ♪ ♪ Yes, Jesus, cause our hearts to believe that ♪ ♪ Make our hearts believe that, Jesus ♪ I wanna take a moment to just be fully transparent with you guys. Sometimes it's hard to sing a song like that. Because sometimes it doesn't feel like everything is well in our lives. And so singing a song like that could be hard and challenging because we feel like we're having to pretend to say those words. It is well with my soul. Maybe you're feeling the same way. Maybe you're struggling. Maybe you've been facing some problems with your health. Maybe relationship problems. Somehow, some way chaos has maybe found

its way to your life. And everything does not feel well at this moment. But I want you to know that song is not an invitation to pretend or try to tell ourselves that everything is fine. But it's an invitation to invite the presence of God into our lives and the peace of God to reign over our hearts above the circumstances of life. Above the fear, above the heartache. And I just wanna invite you into that moment right now. I also wanna just ask for you to be vulnerable for just a second. If there's anybody in this room that's feeling that same way, would you just raise your hand? I'm not trying to embarrass you, but I just want, I want people to know in this room that they are not alone. If you're raising your hand, I would like for you to just look around. You see other people with your hand raised? You are not alone. I want you to know that. The creator of the universe is here in us. We can draw our hearts together. God calls us to bear one another's burdens. If your hand is not raised, would you also look around the room and see that there's people with their hands raised? It's our job to bear those burdens, to lift them up and to pray for them.

I would love to just take a moment to pray for you right now and invite the spirit of the living God to fall on us new and fresh. Let's just take a moment before the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. Jesus, we thank you for seeing us, Jesus, in the middle of difficult moments, in the middle of heartache or fear. God, we lay our hearts before you and we invite your peace to wash over us, Lord, just like that song said, Lord, that we can enter in with you to the rest of your peace, knowing that our circumstances have not disappeared, but the one who is walking with us, beside us, through it all, Jesus, you're always there and you're always bringing us face-to-face with you. God, would you meet us face-to-face right now as we take a moment to do communion, Lord, and remember what you've done for us. God, would you remind our hearts that your peace is available to us. In Jesus' name I ask. Amen. Go ahead and take time to do communion whenever you're ready. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ What's up, Pantano? I'm Jonathan, and I'm so glad you're here. Whether it's your first time checking out Pantano or this has been your home for years, welcome. If you're here on campus, stop by Next Steps after service. We'd love to meet you, answer any questions, and help you find your next step. Joining us online? We're glad you're with us, too. Fill out a Connect Card through Next Steps so we can get to know you, keep you updated on what's happening, and help get you connected. Want more Pantano throughout the week? Follow us on social media for encouraging content, behind-the-scenes moments, ministry highlights, and everything happening around Pantano.

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who will share practical wisdom and fresh perspectives to help you lead with confidence wherever God has placed you, at home, at work, in your ministry, or in your community. If you'd like to learn more or reserve your spot, head to Next Steps. We can't wait to see you there. Thanks again for joining us today. We can't wait to see how God moves throughout our time together. Love y'all, bye! ♪♪ ♪♪ Well, hey there, Pantano. It is Trevor DeVage, and I am so excited that you're here today. Let me tell you why. One, we're in this series, My Anxious Thoughts, but two, one of our favorite guests, who's no longer a guest, his family, is here today to communicate in this series. Now, you guys know Chris Rusin. If you don't know Chris, you're going to get to know him today. He's got more energy than anybody I know, but he's also one of the smartest individuals that I've been around, and when it comes to the topics that we're talking about in this series, he's one of the best. So do me a favor. I want you to hang on today

because he's going to bring a lot to you in a short amount of time, but I promise you, you're going to want to take notes because this is going to be gold. So welcome to the stage, my friend, your friend, family to Pantano, Chris Rusin. Hey, Pantano. It's so good to be here. here with you, and I just want you to know I love, I love your church, I love your pastor, I love your staff, I just love being here anytime I'm here, and I love the honor of just sharing God's word with you. Would you mind just praying with me before we dive in? Let's pray. Father, we love you. God, we thank you. God, we ask that you please be here in a powerful way today. God, we already sense you and see you. Lord, I ask and pray that you please speak through me. May people in here see you and not see me. God, may they hear you and not hear me. And may you have your way here today. Lord, it's in your name that we pray, amen. Today we're talking about something I think a lot of us understand more than we'd like to admit. We're talking about what happens when we're running on empty. Now, most of us understand what this means, right? On screen, when the gas light comes on in the car,

something strange happens to all of us. We become different people. Some of us become mathematicians. We'll be like, you know what? It says I have 18 miles left, but the gas station's 21 miles. I'm sure they probably build an extra buffer in there somewhere, you know, it'll be a deal. Some of us become extra spiritual people when this happens. We'll say things like, you know, Jesus, I know he fed 5,000 people with five loaves and two fish. I believe he can multiply the fumes in my gas tank to get me there to the gas station, you know? And we laugh because what's funny in a car, it is funny, but it's dangerous to a soul. You see, the danger is that a lot of us have learned how to keep driving with the warning light on. We keep showing up. We keep answering text messages. We keep caring for people. We keep leading, serving, working, parenting, producing, fixing, managing, carrying, and from the outside, everyone thinks we're fine. But underneath it all, our soul is saying, I cannot keep running at this pace any longer. So here is the tension I want to sit with, I want all of us to sit with today. What do you do when your soul can't keep up with the life you're trying to live? What do you do when you're still functioning, but you're not really full?

What do you do when you're still showing up, but your soul is shutting down? What do you do when everyone thinks you're fine, but you know the warning light has been on way too long? Friend, here's the big idea today. God is not asking you to run on empty. It's a real simple, big point. God is not asking you to run on empty. And underneath that is this truth. God is not expecting you to carry what only he can hold. Today, we're gonna look at a moment in David's life before he was King David in the Old Testament. Before the throne, before the palace, before Jerusalem, before the Netflix or Prime TV shows came out, before the success story looked complete, we're going to meet David in a cave that looks a lot like this one. By the time we get to 1 Samuel 22, David has been through a lot at this time. He's already been anointed to be the future king, but he's not king yet. He has defeated Goliath. He brought that guy down, but his success made the current King Saul super jealous. Saul tries to kill him. David has to flee the palace where he was working at. He had to say goodbye to his wife and his good friend, Jonathan. He's gone from respected leader to hunted fugitive. And really, this guy, I'm sure he's young, he's gifted,

he's been called by God, but he's exhausted as well. And just before this passage, we read about David fleeing to this place called Gath. Gath is an enemy territory near where David grew up. And he goes to Gath, and you see David so desperate in Gath that he pretends to be insane. This is David at his lowest, not at his highest. This is David running on empty. Listen to what the Bible says in 1 Samuel 22, verse one. David left Gath and escaped to the cave of Adullam. When his brothers and his father's household heard about it, they went down to meet him there. All those who were in distress or in debt or discontented gathered around him, and he became their commander. About 400 men were with him. Keep going. From there, David went to Mitzpah and Moab and said to the king of Moab, would you let my father and mother come and stay with you until I learn what God will do for me? So he left them with the king of Moab, and they stayed with him as long as David was in the stronghold. But after a while, the prophet Gad said to David, do not stay in the cave. Go in the land of Judah. So David left and went to the forest of Hereth. Now you read scripture like this and you go, whatever, who cares? It's kind of like someone's giving a play-by-play

on what they did on a trip, who cares, right? There's so much here I wanna encourage you with just in these five verses. See, this passage gives us three remedies for the soul that's running on empty. And here are those three. Rest, refuel, and respond. Point number one, rest. Bring your empty gas can to Jesus. You know what one of these are, right, gas cans? And what happens is, again, we try to think we can keep going and don't have to worry about filling it up. And what we have to do, though, in order to fill it up, we have to bring it to Jesus and say, hey, I need you to take this, I can't do this anymore. See, what you see here in verse one, it said David left Gath and escaped to the cave of Adullam. I want you to look at two words here. First, the word escaped. And this word escaped, it matters a ton. David is not just taking a day off, okay? David's not having just a normal routine, just a little lunch break, he's not doing that. This is a full-on escape. David is not just having an ordinary bad day either. It's a disorienting, unfamiliar, life-altering season. Friend, have you been in one of those? A life-altering season. Usually it comes with some sort of bad news attached to it,

and you're like, what is going on? I never thought this would happen. I never thought we'd be here. This is unfamiliar, I don't like this. This is David, he's lost his job. He's lost his security he once knew in the palace. He lost the closeness with his wife. He lost a friendship. He lost the future he thought that God had promised him. David isn't just going to unwind somewhere, he's going to escape, to get somewhere else, because he just can't keep going like this. And I want you to know that when your soul is running on empty, the regular places you go to rest may not be enough for what your soul needs. You might be like, well, I usually go on a hike, and I sit on a rock, and it's really cool, you know? Or I go on a walk, and I walk around the golf course, or I play golf, you know, and that's really what my soul really helps me in a normal time. This is not a normal time, though. Sitting on that rock and playing that game of golf is not going to really help the soul when it's this bad in a season of life. This is a heavy moment for him. Now, I'm not saying when you escape that you should do anything unhealthy. I'm not talking about denial, isolation, or addiction. I'm talking about an intentional step away from the normal noise, pace, pressure, and patterns

so we can meet God in a more deep and meaningful way. For some of us, that may look like, instead of sitting on that rock or playing around at golf, it means making that appointment to go see a counselor, to go on a retreat, or maybe it's just scheduling a day with no agenda except for fasting and praying. The point is not that everyone needs to escape to a literal cave. The point is that when our souls are running on empty, you may need to be honest enough to say, my regular rhythms are not enough for this season. The regular day off isn't gonna do it. When it comes to escaping, remember this, wherever you escape to, be sure to escape there with God. Invite him into that place. Invite him into the counselor's office. Invite him into that day with no agenda. Invite him to meet you there because he is what your soul needs. And that brings us back to the second word. The first word is escape. The second word is gonna be adulam, the cave of adulam. Say adulam. Yeah, adulam. So this, adulam literally means refuge, retreat, hiding place, because for David, adulam becomes more than just a random cave. Adulam becomes a place where he can meet with God and be vulnerable with God. So see, biblical rest isn't just escaping from something.

It's escaping with someone. And whether David fully realized it or not, God was already waiting for him there in that cave. God was already waiting for him there in that cave season. God was not saying, you know, once David left the palace, good luck, David, hope it all works out, come back when it does. That's not what God does. See, God was waiting to meet David in the very place David ran to for refuge. And he still, God still does that today. He meets us in the counselor's office. He meets us on that retreat. He meets us in the cave season. Not to shame. us, but to restore us. And sometimes the most spiritual thing you can do is to simply bring your empty gas can to Jesus and say, I need you to fill this. And just be honest with him. Pray the real prayer. Lord, I'm tired. I'm scared. I'm worn down. I don't know how much longer I can keep up with this. And God can handle those type of real prayers. You see, friend, God is not asking you to run on empty. Years ago, God had to teach me something about this and he taught me a few things in a surprising way on a trip to Brazil.

Back in 2007, I had the privilege of leading a group of high schoolers to northeast Brazil on a missions trip. We went there to go and encourage a local church in Argoina in Tocantins to just help them spread the gospel there. And after 24 hours of travel, which is a lot of travel, okay, and a lot of that was in my car, about eight hours car ride, I remember we pull up to this little dusty town and the pastor of this little church I'm driving with in the car, we've been together for eight hours, by the way, okay? So at the very end of the drive, we're pulling in about eight o'clock at night, it's dark. We come up to this little humble church, there's a little light on. I could see a mass of people, probably about 50 plus people. And the pastor, he goes, hey, real quick, they're really excited that you're here. I was like, well, great, awesome. He's like, hey, and just real quick, so you know, the plans have changed. I'm like, what do you mean? He's like, well, it was supposed to be two people at a house with interpreters, you know, people who speak English. That's not happening now.

I'm like, what do you mean? He's like, well, I couldn't say no to them. Everybody wanted to host you guys, so it's gonna be one person per household and no one speaks English, good luck. And like, we pull up and it stops the car and the door opens, right? And like, these people are so excited. They're pulling me out of the car. They're pulling all the high schoolers out of the car, grabbing our luggage. They're throwing luggage and kids in cars. I am freaking out going, I'm responsible for this. I'm gonna get fired and someone's gonna die. I'm like, so excited. I'm so like, so like, just like terrified, really. And then there's two young people, Valerie and Giovanni. There's these little 20 year old, 25 year olds. They throw me in a car, throw me in my suitcase in a car and I start driving away, looking at my high schoolers going, Pastor Chris. I'm like, I'm sorry. So we roll into this humble, humble home, humble home. And Giovanni and Valerie, we're sitting down and we don't speak the same language. They speak Portuguese, I speak English, I don't know. So we start using our phones and pictures to be like, talking about our families and I'm like, this is my family. Who's your family?

And they're like. Now that's not Portuguese, but that's what I'm gonna say. So they're like, this is our family. I'm like, oh wow. And then all of a sudden, after like an hour of awkwardness, they go. I'm like, what is that? They're like, oh food, yeah. Well, they eat dinner there at like 10 o'clock. That's kinda normal. So I go, yeah, let's go. So we walk out just about maybe 10 feet outside to a humble, humble kitchen. It's sort of an indoor, outdoor patio. And we're sitting down and it's just, it's Valerie, it's Giovanni, it's Matias, Giovanni's little brother, and then it's me. Four people at this little table. And basically what happens is that, she, a real simple like chicken and some tomatoes and some crackers. And she goes, dabba, dabba, dabba, dabba, dabba, dabba. And I'm like, I don't know what that means. She's like, ah, ah, ah. I'm like, ooh, spicy sauce? Yeah, I want that. And I love spicy, does anybody love spicy? Come on now, spicy, right? So I'm gonna bring on the spicy. So she goes back to this little, little like,

red refrigerator, and she opens the door up, pulls out this like mayonnaise jar with no label on it. And she's holding it like it's like Doc Brown with plutonium from Back to the Future, you know? She's like, ah, bah. And she's super like scared of it. Puts it down, she's like, ah, bah, bah, bah, bah, bah. Ooh, ah. And I'm like, well, I'm okay with that. And this is what I do, when I'm nervous, I just talk, right? So I'm just like talking, and I'm like, oh, I love spicy stuff, whatever. And I'm watching them kind of do like a little drip, a spoon, a little drip, a little drip, a little drip on their chicken. It comes to me. I take this thing, I spoon it out, and I just do a big glop on my chicken. They have like a heart attack. They're all, ah, all of them, they freak out. And I'm like, guys, it's okay, I love the spicy. And they're looking at me, no, no, no, no, no. I'm like, ah, it's okay, it's okay. So I start like cutting up my chicken, not realizing my knife is melting into the plate as I'm doing so. But I get it all spread out on my plate, and I'm just talking, how you doing, dah, bah, dah, bah, dah, whatever. And then I go, and they're all just kind of

watching me like this. Like, what's he gonna do? I go, oh God, I do a big ol' bite, big ol' bite. I mean, it's a huge one. And I've learned with spicy stuff that I haven't tried before, there's a cheat sheet, you just gotta bypass the whole taste palette, boom. And I just go, quick swallow, boom, just bypass it all. And I'm like, ah, see, no big deal, you know? And I'm just talking, I'm eating a few more, and they're still doing this. Just like watching, and I'm like, okay. And then, all of a sudden, guys, something happened. Like, I'm just talking, and all of a sudden, I'm like, ah, like, there was like, you know, there's heat up here with hot stuff. I felt the heat radiating from my stomach. And I was like, oh God, this isn't good. So, now I'm thinking about, what's the word for bathroom in Portuguese? I don't know, and I forget. I'm like, totally, I'm freaking out, and I'm like, ah, ah, banho, maybe a bathroom. Now, I'm hoping that they're gonna say the bathroom is like this way, around the corner, turn left, and then, you know, head down the hall, right. I want you to know, the bathroom, we're at this table. It was five steps away from the table, right here. Behind, and there was no door, okay? So, it was a shower curtain.

So, they're all sitting there. I come into the shower, and I sit down, and I'm like, oh God, I'm trying to like, get that shower curtain as tight as possible. And I'm like, no, God, and they're right there, okay? And I'm just like, okay, it's been 24 hours of travel. I haven't had my time yet, okay? This is my moment. It's hitting at the worst possible moment, and I'm thinking, I'm just gonna squeak one out. Just gonna squeak it out, you know? You know, and you've ever had that moment, just gonna squeak it out, and just try to take it really easy? Friend, I want you to know, I tried. I tried. I was praying, God, please, help me squeak this out, just nice and smooth, right? And all of a sudden, it just like, brrrr. It was just the worst moment. I mean, I'm like, holy God, oh, it's so bad. And it's like, I'm calming down, I'm calming down, hoping maybe they didn't hear it, you know? Just like, they're right there! And I hear this, stupid American. He knew that English word, so he wasn't wrong, he wasn't wrong. So I come back out of my little shower curtain moment, and we were a lot closer then than we were before. And seriously, I love them,

and God surprised me in so many ways, as I told you with this trip. So after that first night, we got three weeks of just living there in Brazil. Three weeks. Learned the whole culture in so many ways. You know, they had this thing, it's similar to a siesta, like a nap time in a way, or a rest time in the middle of the day. I want you to know, these people, they are not lazy. They work their tails off. They just know how to rest. And guess what? I don't. So I remember what happened day one. They go, well this is your room, you know, that was the first night. But they bring me back day one, they go, hey, it's nap time. And I'm like, what, what? You know, it's, yeah, it's nap time. From like 12 to three, they eat lunch, nap, and then go back to work. So in my mind, I'm like, oh, this is cute, I'm gonna go like, you know, have a nap time. And so I had day one, I'm like, okay, that's fine. Day two, I'm like, I guess I could use a nap, you know. Day three, I'm like, I feel like I'm a toddler being put down for a nap now. I'm like, this is not cool.

And I get really upset about it. I mean, not with my host, but with the Lord. I'm laying on this cot going, God, why? God, I hate this. Nothing about this trip is going the way it was supposed to go. My team was split up, I don't know where I am, I don't know what is coming next, and I'm forced to now take a nap? God, why am I here? And I don't hear God verbally, audibly, guys, I don't. I hear God other ways in my life, in my relationship with him. I'm telling you, I felt God at that moment say, you are here because you're too busy to listen to me at home. That one got me. It was like the Lord was saying, I had to bring you 4,500 miles away because you need to rest to learn to lean into me and to listen to me. Chris, I have something to say to you about the next season of your life. During those forced nap times, I started praying and processing and listening and resting. And I want you to know that during that time in my life. I just turned 30 years old. And I was at a point in my life going, what am I gonna do next?

I loved youth ministry, but I didn't know what was gonna happen next. And then at that point, it was like I felt God was leading me into a master's program and then this whole idea and path of being a lead pastor today. And guys, I can always tell you, I would not be serving where I am today if it were not for nap time in Brazil. God had to take me 4,500 miles away because I was too busy to listen to him at home. David had a cave, I had a cot. And maybe you're in a place right now that feels inconvenient, frustrating, unwanted, or uncomfortable, but God might be using it to slow you down just enough for you to hear him again. So here's the first remedy of the soul that's running on empty. Schedule some intentional rest. Not vague rest. I mean, I'm talking about schedule. Write it down on your calendar. Have someone hold you accountable to it. Take some real rest. Take 30 minutes, take a Sabbath, you know? Get away from the phone for longer than even an hour. Oh, can I do that? Yes, you can, you can. Get some real prayer happening in your life

where you're really complaining to the Lord and you're really bringing all of it to him and saying, I can't do this anymore. Take this, I can't. Because God is not asking you to run on empty. Point number two, refuel. God gathers empty people together. This might sound horrible at first. It kind of does, but let me explain. We go back to the passage in verse two. It says, all those, and remember, David's in a cave. He escaped to this cave of Adullam. Now, he's in the cave, and all those who were in distress, okay, other people outside the cave, living in the area, who were distressed or in debt or discontented, gathered around David in the cave, and he became their commander. About 400 of them were there with him in the cave. Now, this is fascinating to me, that David goes to a cave that's empty, and then empty people start showing up around him. People in distress, people in debt, people discontented. These are not, you know, like, polished, you know, everything's going great in their life. These are people who are crushed by debt, crushed by Saul's leadership, just all the politics they're dealing with in their land, people who are angry, desperate, wounded. The text does not romanticize these guys

hanging around with David, just says they were hurting, and these hurting people gathered with him in the cave. If you're David, this is what I would be if I'm David, I'd be like, God, I'm already having a bad day, and now you're bringing all these 400 people around me who are super screwed up and messed up in their own lives, and now I gotta deal with them? This doesn't feel like rest. This feels like responsibility, and I'm not liking this. This is one of the curveballs of grace that God often throws our way. Friends, sometimes God refuels empty people by gathering them with other empty people. Because many of us think, once I'm full, then I'll show up and go to church. You know, once I'm okay, then I'll join that group. Once I'm not so messy, then I'll feel like I belong. But verse two says, the cave was full of empty people, and God began reforming something there. You see, this cave season for David wasn't just a time for him to have some rest. This cave season was a time of restoration for David, and God was gonna use some unlikely people to be a part of the process. God chose to bring about that restoration for David by gathering a community of other empty people around him. Now, this is important. Many of us, when we pray for God and ask him to show up and provide, we expect his provision to look impressive when it arrives.

But sometimes God's provision looks like people who are just as tired as you are, people who know distress, people who know pressure, people who know disappointment, people who know what it means to run on empty. Somehow, in the presence of God, empty people begin to find strength together. Somehow, again, we understand that you do not have to be full in order to belong. This is one of the great things I love about a healthy church. A healthy church is not supposed to be a showroom for people who look like they have their lives together. That's why I love Pantano. A healthy church is a gathering for people who know they need Jesus, who know they need grace, amen? See, I know Pantano has some great groups around here where people can walk with other people, life groups, care groups, recovery groups, grief support groups, men's and women's groups, young adult groups, and more. And friend, do not underestimate what God can do when you stop trying to run your life. on fumes by yourself. When you all of a sudden stop and allow other people to come into your cave. It's one big reason this group means so much to me on screen. You recognize the guy in the middle? That's your pastor there looking sharp, right?

This is our covenant group that we talked about. I'm sure Trev's brought it up before too. We've been together for about 14 years. We intentionally make time and schedule time off of work to go hang out together at a cabin for about four or five days twice a year we do this. Talk about marriages, ministries, just what's going on, our hearts, just having people come around us and we are all again just going through similar things and sharing our own brokenness with one another. I am so thankful that God brought these men into my cave. I'm so glad God brought these men into my cave. So here's the second remedy for the soul that's running on empty. Remedy number two, allow God to use community to refuel you, amen? Maybe your next step this week is to join a group. Maybe it's to text someone, just text them. Say hey, I am more tired than I've been letting you believe. Maybe it's say can we grab a coffee? Maybe it's saying, it's just listening to someone who's hurting as well. Whatever it is, just remember that God gathers empty people and sometimes the refueling you need will come through the people God brings into your cave. So remember we've been talking about this big idea that God is not asking you to run on empty so friend, don't do it. We've been talking about three remedies for the soul that's running on empty, rest, refuel

and the very last one is respond. Point number three, respond, take the next faithful step. There's always a next faithful step in life. There's always a next faithful step in this journey, in this relationship with Jesus. Always a next faithful step. It doesn't have to be a huge step or a glamorous step, just a faithful step. Let me explain, verse three and four says this. From there David went to Mitzpah and Moab and said to the king of Moab, would you let my father and mother come and stay with you until I learn what God will do? So he left them with the king of Moab and they stayed with the king of Moab as long as David was in the cave. Again, he escapes this cave, a dulem. God brings 400 empty people into the cave with him, okay. David is thinking, what am I gonna do as I'm sitting in this cave? And he's thinking about faithfully going, well, my mom and dad are in danger if they stay in this area near King Saul's palace. I need to get them out of there. So he brings them to Moab outside of the territory that King Saul is ruling over and says, will you take care of my parents until I understand what God wants me to do? And I love that, where it says, until I learn what God will do for me.

Another way of saying that is until I understand what God wants to do in my life next. In other words, David did not know the whole plan. You and I, if you've watched the Netflix or the Prime or you've read the Bible, you know what happens next. David doesn't know. He's just like, my life sucks. I'm living in a cave with 400 smelly men, okay. This is not great. I'm missing all the people I love and this is not what I want. David is thinking at the same time going, God, what do you want me to do? So he does what only he can do while trusting God to do what only God can do. So David goes, well, what I can do is at least be faithful to the responsibilities God has given me still. Takes his parents, drops them off to a place where they'd be safe. And I want you to know, when you and I are in a waiting stage in our lives, don't we hate it? None of us like to wait, right? I don't know. The only time I like to wait is when I'm next in line for a rollercoaster. I'm like, I'm next, yay, okay. That's a great waiting moment. I'm not like when I'm like three hours back in a line. I'm like, I do not like this at all. And some of us feel when we're in that three hour line,

we get panicky. We either get discouraged and feel stuck and we don't move at all. When you're in the cave season, you get so depressed. And you're like, what's the point? Who cares? You know, rack up a bunch of debt, you know, just go and just kind of live for the moment. You don't even care. You're just like, my life sucks, sucks. Or when the cave season happens, there's people in the room and watching online who are like, let's get busy, right? Let's go, let's get, let's work hard. Let's fill the calendar with all sorts of things. Let's travel, let's do, let's build, let's create. Let's just stay busy and say yes to everything around us because why not? I don't want to think about how screwed up my life is. But David doesn't do either. He waits. See, he simply does the next faithful thing he can do. What is that? He takes care of his parents and he brings his soul to the Lord. In Psalm 142. We're not gonna go there. It's titled A Prayer of David When He Was in a Cave. We don't know if it was the exact cave he was in. Probably was, I think.

But what David's doing is doing old-fashioned journaling. The book of Psalms is David journaling, journaling his thoughts, his heart, his soul, saying, God, I am not doing good in this cave season right now. I'm crying out to you. I need your help right now. Know this, waiting on God does not mean that you do nothing. There are things you can still do. Even though you don't know the master plan, you can at least have God give you the next step and you can think through what those might be. For David, he thought about his faith with journaling and he thought of his family by taking care of them in Moab. Friend, I wanna give you a little filter to help you figure out what to do in your cave season. Here are the five F filter, okay? The five F filter. And you go, Chris, that sounds like a unique name. It's better than the five F words, okay? So keep going. Now, God, I want you to know, he's asking God, what do you want me to do when I'm in this cave? And we see him doing the top two. Friend, this is for you. This is not an extra list for you to do when you already feel so overwhelmed. This is to give you clarity

when you're in a dark cave season. So you ask yourself this, and you're really asking the Lord, God, what do you want me to do with my faith right now in this season? Maybe you're asking God to say, should I journal? Should I maybe serve? Should I be more generous? God, during this season, maybe I get baptized. In fact, next weekend is baptism weekend. If you wanna get baptized, do that next weekend. But again, this is asking the question, what do I do with my faith during this cave season? Number two, what do I do with my family during this cave season? Maybe there's an apology that needs to be made to a sibling, to a parent, to a child. Maybe there's an intentional time of taking them out and talking to them and encouraging them. What about your friends? Same thing there. How can you help maybe grow in your friendships during this cave season? How about the area of your finances? Maybe it's getting out of debt. Maybe it's saying, I'm gonna start being more generous. Maybe I'm gonna put that budget together. How about the last one, food and fitness? Chris, that's two Fs, that's really six Fs.

You're right, okay, you're right. But food and fitness, I think about this. Our bodies matter to God. And oftentimes, our bodies will let us know before our minds will accept it that something's wrong. And our bodies are our gift. They go, you know what, maybe I need to go and make that doctor's appointment. Maybe I need to go on that walk. Maybe I need to eat less Twinkies instead of 25, just 10 a week, you know? Something like that. Friend, I'm telling you, I'm not trying to burden you with more things to do. I'm trying to give you clarity on what to do when you're in a cave season, amen? Just do the next faithful thing. But as many of us are complaining to God, what's the whole plan? I feel like God so often in my life is saying, Chris, I already showed you the next step. That's all you need to know right now. Just the next step. And you need to trust me. The last verse of this passage, verse five. But after a while, the prophet Gad said to David, do not stay in the cave, go into the land of Judah. So David left and went to the forest of Harith. So after a while, God speaks through this prophet Gad. And if you're David, you've been waiting in the cave,

we don't know how long, but he's like, I'm in the cave with 400 stinky guys, this is horrible. Gad comes up, hey, Gad, what's up? And like, Gad's a prophet, like, Gad's got a message from the Lord, right? And Gad's like, I have a message from the Lord. Yeah, what is it? I've been waiting. He wants you to move from the cave to the forest. David's like, and? The cave to the forest, he said. That's what he wants you to do. Okay, you're telling me God wants me to move from the cave to the forest. Yes. Oh, God, okay. And David goes because he's obedient. He just does the next faithful thing. I mean, I couldn't imagine going from a dark cave to a scary forest. But the reason why David has no problem doing the next faithful thing, because if God was with him in the cave, he's gonna be with him in the forest, amen? And friend, it's the same for you. No matter where you're at right now, God is gonna be with you right where you're at and be with you when you take that next step. Faith is not knowing what comes next. Faith is still obeying when you don't know what comes next.

Don't make the goal to fix your life by Tuesday. Make the goal to be obedient with the next step today. So here's the third remedy. Respond by taking the next faithful step. Friend, I wanna ask you one more time. Is the warning light on in your life? Have you been driving way too long with it on? Have you been just holding this empty gas tank, thinking, well, maybe I should do something with it and not doing much with it at all? Friend, it's time to bring these things to the Lord. And God is not shaming you today because you're empty. God is inviting you to stop pretending that you can keep going without him. Just remember three remedies of the soul that's running on empty. Rest with God. Refuel with God's people. Respond to God's voice. Friend, the warning light is not your failure. It's your invitation. An invitation to stop pretending. An invitation to pull over. An invitation to let God meet you where you're at. So bring your empty gas can to Jesus. Let him gather you with people you know who also know what it's like to be empty. And just take the next faithful step he's asking you to take because God is not asking you to run on empty. Let's pray.

Father, we love you. And God, we thank you for being so good and so patient with us. Forgive us for thinking that we can do this without you. Forgive us for just complaining and never stepping forward with a faithful step. So many of us feel, God, that we're stuck, that we can't do anything, that we just cannot move. Father, I pray and ask in the name of Jesus, would you speak truth against that lie? Would you replace that lie with truth that we can do anything with you? God, help us to take the next step by getting community around us. To maybe go make that doctor's appointment or that counselor's appointment. God, to maybe even just use that 5F filter and figure out what you wanna do with us during this cave season with our families, our friends, our finances, God, our fitness, our food. God, help us to figure all these things out during this season. God, help us to understand that you're with us no matter where we are at. Whether we're in the cave or you're asking us to go to the forest, we know you're still there, God. Would you help us, God, so that we don't have to live with our souls running on empty anymore? Lord, it's in your name that we pray. Amen.

Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. The reign of darkness now is ended In the kingdom of light In the kingdom of light Forever under Your dominion You're the king of my life You're the king of my life You reign above it all You reign above it all

Over the universe And over every heart There is no higher name Jesus, You reign above it all And on the cross the work is finished God, You poured out Your life Just to give us new life Now from the lips of the forgiven Hear the anthems arise Jesus, You're alive You reign above it all You reign above it all Over the universe And over every heart There is no higher name Jesus, You reign above it all So let all of heaven and earth erupt in song Sing hallelujah to the everlasting One There is no higher name Jesus, You reign above it all You reign above it all Jesus You sent the darkness running Out of an empty grave Now seated alone in glory Enthroned on the highest praise God, You sent the darkness running Out of an empty grave, now seated alone in glory, enthroned on the highest praise. You set the darkness running, out of an empty grave, now seated alone in glory, enthroned on the highest praise. God you set the darkness running, out of an empty grave, now seated alone in glory, enthroned on the highest praise.

You set the darkness running, out of an empty grave, now seated alone in glory, enthroned on the highest praise. You set the darkness running, out of an empty grave, now seated alone in glory, enthroned on the highest praise. You reign above it all, You reign above it all. Over the universe and over every heart, there is no higher name, Jesus You reign above it all. Let all of heaven and earth erupt in song, sing hallelujah to the everlasting one, there is no higher name, Jesus You reign above it all. Jesus You reign above it all. Oh God, there is no higher name, Jesus You reign above it all. Jesus You reign. Oh, there is no higher name, Jesus You reign. Sing this again. There is no higher name, God You reign. Over the universe and over every heart, there is no higher name, Jesus You reign above it all. Let all of heaven and earth erupt in song, sing hallelujah to the everlasting one, there is no higher name, Jesus You reign above it all. Oh God, You reign. You reign above it all. Thank you, Jesus, that You reign above every circumstance of our lives. God, cause us to remember that. In the middle of the storm, God, cause our hearts to remember that You are with us. In Jesus' name, amen. If you are here today and you need prayer, we would love to pray with you. We have a prayer room that's right across the courtyard here, if this is your first time joining us. Also, if you would like to get involved in Pantano, we would love to have you. There's a Next Steps room also right across the courtyard and we would love to talk to you about getting involved. God bless you, have a wonderful day.