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[1472.54 --> 1473.54] to find happiness
[1473.54 --> 1474.02] and joy.
[1475.78 --> 1476.76] That's the irony.
[1477.82 --> 1478.06] And so,
[1478.20 --> 1478.98] as Blaise Pascal,
[1479.64 --> 1480.62] a 17th century
[1480.62 --> 1481.42] Christian thinker,
[1481.68 --> 1482.50] famously said,
[1482.50 --> 1485.12] there is a God-shaped vacuum
[1485.12 --> 1485.66] in the heart
[1485.66 --> 1486.60] of each person
[1486.60 --> 1488.44] which cannot be satisfied
[1488.44 --> 1489.88] by any created thing
[1489.88 --> 1491.98] but only by God the Creator
[1491.98 --> 1493.02] made known
[1493.02 --> 1494.04] through Jesus Christ.
[1496.66 --> 1497.56] That's why
[1497.56 --> 1498.96] this passage,
[1499.12 --> 1500.40] this Word of God
[1500.40 --> 1501.90] from thousands of years ago
[1501.90 --> 1503.14] through the prophet Isaiah
[1503.14 --> 1504.68] is so applicable
[1504.68 --> 1505.72] for us today
[1505.72 --> 1506.88] as it was back then.
[1506.88 --> 1508.74] We,
[1508.96 --> 1510.00] as the people of God
[1510.00 --> 1510.86] here and now,
[1511.10 --> 1512.24] are not a people
[1512.24 --> 1512.98] who's perfect
[1512.98 --> 1514.94] but we are a people
[1514.94 --> 1516.30] who strive to live
[1516.30 --> 1517.50] with our foundation
[1517.50 --> 1518.46] being God.
[1518.78 --> 1519.06] We,
[1520.10 --> 1520.62] a people
[1520.62 --> 1521.68] who's humble enough
[1521.68 --> 1522.38] to repent
[1522.38 --> 1524.22] and to try and seek
[1524.22 --> 1525.14] God's ways
[1525.14 --> 1526.76] and not our own ways.
[1527.22 --> 1528.46] That's who we are.
[1529.30 --> 1530.34] That's why we say
[1530.34 --> 1531.04] even today
[1531.04 --> 1532.54] that our foundation
[1532.54 --> 1534.22] for real joy
[1534.22 --> 1535.40] is found in God.
[1535.40 --> 1537.28] even in the face
[1537.28 --> 1537.80] of suffering
[1537.80 --> 1538.64] and brokenness.
[1539.88 --> 1540.36] Again,
[1540.56 --> 1541.38] this doesn't mean
[1541.38 --> 1542.80] ignoring or suppressing
[1542.80 --> 1544.14] real grief and sadness
[1544.14 --> 1546.02] as maybe some of you
[1546.02 --> 1546.74] had to deal with
[1546.74 --> 1547.72] growing up in the church.
[1548.22 --> 1548.48] Hey,
[1548.70 --> 1549.68] God's on your side.
[1549.74 --> 1550.60] You shouldn't be sad.
[1551.16 --> 1552.12] Don't talk about grief.
[1552.24 --> 1553.54] Don't talk about your suffering.
[1554.44 --> 1554.76] Remember,
[1554.90 --> 1555.94] God is all-powerful.
[1556.06 --> 1556.94] We need to be joyful.
[1558.52 --> 1559.44] But that's not
[1559.44 --> 1560.40] the gospel message.
[1560.52 --> 1561.02] That's not what
[1561.02 --> 1562.26] even Jesus tells us.
[1563.68 --> 1564.82] But before we get to Jesus,
[1564.82 --> 1566.28] one more Old Testament connection.
[1567.22 --> 1567.84] God's people
[1567.84 --> 1568.90] through the Exodus story.
[1569.02 --> 1569.60] Think about it.
[1570.52 --> 1571.62] The first generation
[1571.62 --> 1572.60] that did not make it
[1572.60 --> 1573.66] into the promised land.
[1573.76 --> 1574.66] Where did they end up?
[1575.14 --> 1576.28] They went into the wilderness.
[1577.72 --> 1578.06] Imagine...
[1594.82 --> 1600.34] And enter the promised land.
[1600.34 --> 1602.66] God went to them
[1602.66 --> 1604.42] and dwelt with them
[1604.42 --> 1605.30] in the wilderness.
[1606.64 --> 1607.96] That's our God.
[1609.02 --> 1610.66] And they rejoiced
[1610.66 --> 1612.40] and they praised God
[1612.40 --> 1613.46] in the wilderness,
[1613.92 --> 1615.48] which testifies,
[1615.70 --> 1616.86] which is what we,
[1617.20 --> 1618.04] as a people of God,
[1618.10 --> 1618.82] are called to,
[1619.24 --> 1620.22] that it's not based
[1620.22 --> 1621.50] on happy circumstances,
[1621.50 --> 1623.72] but in any circumstance,
[1624.12 --> 1625.06] we can find joy
[1625.06 --> 1626.84] because God is with us.
[1627.26 --> 1628.98] That's why we suffer together.
[1629.48 --> 1631.36] That's why we grieve together,
[1631.60 --> 1632.42] like when we did
[1632.42 --> 1633.26] at the lament service