Ever felt like you're walking a tightrope of faith, teetering between moments of clarity and clouds of doubt? You're not alone. Join us in this soul-stirring talk as we journey through the raw, real-life emotions of faith, drawing inspiration from the timeless wisdom of Psalm 40. 

Welcome to Crowd Church, a digital space where faith is explored, hearts are

inspired, and everyone is welcome to discover the meaningful life Jesus lives.

brings us.

Now this month, this August, we are going to be doing things

just a little bit differently.

If you've been to one of our live streams before, you will have seen hosts buzzing

with energy and doing real time engagement in the comments, doing something

that we call Conversation Street.

Oh yes, we like live streaming, we like Conversation Street.

But for this August, our usual live stream will be taking a little sabbatical.

The members of the crowd team, just like many of you, We'll be

taking this time to rest, recover, and recharge with our loved ones.

Just as God rested on the seventh day, we believe in the importance of Sabbath,

of taking rest, of taking time off.

To renew our spirits and regain our strength.

So during this time, what's going to happen?

Well, you'll still see a scheduled video going out each week as usual, what we call

the non live Livestream, but instead of our regular real time hosts, you know, the

live thing, we'll be taking a step back.

We won't be doing Conversation Street.

Mind you, that said, there is a chance we'll be joining you in the comments.

Uh, as each live stream goes on, and to make this period a little bit more

special, we've invited four, yes that's right, four fantastic guest speakers

who will take you on a unique journey exploring their favourite psalm each.

Now these psalms have spoken into their lives and they're excited to

share their insights and reflections.

If this is your first time with us, a huge welcome to you.

You can find out more information about Crowd Church on our website at www.

crowd.

church.

So, I hope you're excited.

We are looking forward to this time of renewal and hope that the powerful words

of the Psalms will bring you peace.

Comfort and a little bit of inspiration for your life.

Thanks for being with us.

Thanks for being part of the crowd family.

We can't wait to reconnect with you live, refreshed and ready to continue on the

faith journey together in September.

But remember...

At Crowd Church, you are always welcome here and we will see you in the comments.

So let's get into the Psalms.

Hello.

I'm gonna read through, um, Psalm 40 and give a little reflection.

I'm reading from the N L T.

So Psalm 40 is one of David's psalms.

Um, I waited patiently for the Lord to help me, and he

turned to me and heard my cry.

He lifted me out of the pit of despair outta the -mud and the mire.

He set my feet on solid ground and steadied me as I walked along.

He has given me a new song to sing, a hymn of praise to our God.

Many will see what he has done and be amazed.

They will put their trust in the Lord.

O the joys of those who trust the Lord, who have no confidence in the

proud, or in those who worship idols.

O Lord my God, you have performed many wonders for us.

Your plans are too numerous to list.

You have no equal.

If I tried to recite all your wonderful deeds, I would

never come to the end of them.

You take no delight in sacrifices or offerings.

Now that you have made me listen, I finally understand.

You don't require burnt offerings or sin offerings.

Then I said, look, I have come.

As is written about me in scriptures, I take joy in doing your will, my God.

For your instructions are written on my heart.

I have told all your people about your justice.

I have not been afraid to speak out, as you, as you, O Lord, well know.

I have not kept the good news of your justice hidden in my heart.

I have, I have talked about your faithfulness and saving power.

I have told everyone in the Great Assembly of your unfailing love and faithfulness.

Lord, don't hold back your tender mercies from me.

Let your unfailing love and faithfulness always protect me.

For troubles surround me, too many to count.

My sins pile up so high I can't see my way out.

They outnumber the hairs on my head and I have lost all courage.

Please, Lord, rescue me.

Come quickly, Lord, and help me.

May those who try to destroy me be humiliated and put to shame.

May those who take delight in my trouble be turned back in disgrace.

Let them be horrified by their shame, for they have said, aha, we've got him now.

But may all who search for you be filled with joy and gladness in you.

May those who love your salvation repeatedly shout, The Lord is great.

As for me, I am poor and needy.

Let the Lord keep me in his thoughts.

You are my helper and my saviour.

Oh my God, do not delay.

Um, I really like this psalm and lots of the psalms really, um, because of how...

Human, they feel they're so back and forth with, um, kind of great proclamations

of, of salvation and God's coming through and, um, everything being

wonderful, God's, uh, you know, got all my enemies that have been chasing me

and then, you know, sort of a couple of verses later it's, it's back to,

um, everything's awful, the enemies are back, um, and this is just a, a, quite

a simple, straightforward psalm that, uh, captures that in, in a few verses.

Um, because in the first half of it, we've got, um, David saying all, you

know, how God's lifted him out of the despair, how he's been waiting really

patiently and God's come through and he's out of the mud and the mire, um,

and he's been given a new song, God's been by his side, um, and then in the

second half, he's back to, um, God, you know, come quickly, um, sins, sins as

many as the hairs on my head or, or, um.

Whatever it is.

Um, and he's lost all courage and he can't see a way out.

I can't see my way out.

They are under the hairs on my head and I've lost all courage.

Um, I just find all of, all of these things so encouraging,

um, because I'm like this.

I'm sure we're all like this.

We have days where we're full of praise and admiration for God, for him coming

through and, um, Uh, saving us and then the next day we're back to kind of

going back to him, um, and it's, it's a reminder of how human all these, um,

people in, in the Bible are, really, um.

There were a few things in particular that I really love

about, um, this, this chapter.

Um, there's a couple of moments that feel really, really tender, um, the,

right at the start where David says, um, He set my feet on solid ground

and steadied me as I walked along.

It feels really, um, parental, that, that action.

You can sort of, as I'm reading that, I, I picture, um, a parent kind of

teaching a small child to walk and, like, holding, and holding a hand

as, as this, this child is walking.

Um, and there's something really soft and lovely about that, um, especially

in amongst lots of other psalms that are very kind of, God, being a warrior and,

um, can feel quite, Ooh, a bit scary!

Whereas this, there's just such gentleness to it, um, and similarly at the end, um,

I think it's such a humble, a humble end to the psalm, um, where David in 16 and

17, um, he turns the, The, um, good will sort of away from himself and says, um,

you know, to everyone else, to everyone else who searches for the Lord, and be

filled with joy and gladness, um, and shout that the Lord is great and all

this, all this, these big, um, kind of big feelings, you know, of joy, um, whereas...

David kind of reduces himself down and says, I don't, I don't even

want to feel joy, um, and gladness.

Just, I mean, I'm poor and needy.

All I want is for the Lord to keep me in his thoughts, which is just, ah, it's so,

um, it feels so emotional, like, reading that, because it's, it's a sign of real,

to me it's a real sign of desperation that, you know, I don't, I don't even

want to feel, I'm not even asking for joy, I'm not even asking for gladness.

Just, just keep me in your thoughts.

Ah, it's beautiful.

It's so beautiful.

Um.

. And then the final, the final, um, one that I find really, really tender in this

is, um, similar to one of my favorite Bible verse, which is at the end of

John, um, which is referencing how, um, how many good things the Lord has done.

Um, where it says, if I tried to recite all, um, yes in verse five,

oh my, oh Lord, my God, you have performed many wonders for us.

Your plans are too numerous to list.

You have no equal.

If I tried to recite all your wonderful deeds, I would

never come to the end of them.

And at the end of John, I think it says, um, if I were to list all the things

that Jesus did, they wouldn't fit in all the books in the world, or something

like that, I'm paraphrasing awfully, probably should have written it down.

Um, And it's, again, it's a, um, it's such a helpful thing to remember, um, that

God consistently does wonderful things.

Um, someone told me recently, uh, and I've been trying to remember this, um, that

the, I'm gonna say the second, I think it's the second, um, most common, uh,

instruction in the Bible is to remember.

Um, and I've been really holding on to that, uh, because actually...

There is so much goodness that God does, um, and it is so easy

to forget that God comes through.

Even in this psalm, we go from, um, asking for, like, salvation, being, you know,

for God to come through, to the end, we've had, there's been, something else has

gone on, we don't know what it is, we're not told, but clearly he's in another,

another pit, um, but he's remembering that he needs to go back to God and ask again.

Um, for, for help.

Um, and I find it really, I journal a lot and I find it really helpful.

I've got, um, a bunch of different, uh, journal entries where, um, I list,

um, the good things that have happened and the good things that God has done.

Um, I, it is absolutely astonishing how quickly I forget them and if I'm

having a day where I feel really low or, um, I haven't got much hope, um,

kind of coming to me naturally, um, I find it really, really helpful to go

through and have written down, you know, physical lists of, um, the good deeds

God is doing in my life, um, because there are so many, there are so many.

and remembering them reminds me that more will come, so when I feel like

I'm in a pit, or I feel like God isn't there, um, apologies there's a,

something flying over, um, if I feel God isn't there, um, I can read, um,

it's very close, um, clearly under the, uh, thing, um, I'm

in France, by the way, um, yes.

It's a reminder to keep asking, keep remembering what God's

done, that he'll do it again.

And also, again, the humanness of this, that David so frequently goes back and

forth between feeling like everything is brilliant and everything is awful,

is, like I said, it's so encouraging, because it just shows how normal it is.

It's not something to beat ourselves up over.

It's simply being human.

And that's those are my thoughts on Psalm 40.

Um, thanks very much.

We hope you found today's exploration of the Psalms insightful and inspiring.

Every psalm has a unique message, a distinct voice that speaks

to the heart and to the soul.

Now we would love to hear your thoughts.

What did you think about today's psalm?

Feel free if you haven't done so already to share your thoughts, your reflections

and experiences in the comments below.

I really, really look forward to seeing them.

It's always great to learn from each other on our journey of faith.

So do get busy in the comments, do share them.

Now, if you wish to reach out to us, you can find out more information about

us, uh, and how to reach us, how to connect with us on the website at www.

crowd.

And don't forget, come September, we're returning to our regular live

stream services, resuming the Origins series that explores the roots of

the church through the Book of Acts.

We are, we're like part way through it, we've got a fair bit to go.

It's an exciting journey, so do make sure you are part of that by hitting

that little bell, uh, subscription thing and notification thing if you

haven't done so already on YouTube.

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Now remember, at Crowd Church, everyone, including you, is welcome

and everyone, including you, is valued.

No matter where you are on your spiritual journey, there's a place for you here.

Thanks for joining us.

Thanks for being with us today.

Until next time, be blessed, stay inspired and keep exploring the beauty of faith.

See you in the comments and see you back here next week.