WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:03.459 A longing heart, a prayer for divine intervention, 00:00:04.160 --> 00:00:07.980 when you can no longer carry yourself. God, I 00:00:07.980 --> 00:00:12.359 long for you. My soul thirsts for you. My heart 00:00:12.359 --> 00:00:16.140 longs for you. And even my body feels the weight 00:00:16.140 --> 00:00:20.059 of this wilderness. God, I have waited. I have 00:00:20.059 --> 00:00:25.039 prayed. I have believed. I have hoped. I have 00:00:25.039 --> 00:00:29.260 told myself again and again that you are faithful. 00:00:29.839 --> 00:00:32.500 that you have not forgotten me, that you are 00:00:32.500 --> 00:00:35.299 still working, even when I cannot see what you 00:00:35.299 --> 00:00:40.299 are doing. But today, God, I come before you 00:00:40.299 --> 00:00:44.840 without pretending. I am tired. My body is tired. 00:00:45.500 --> 00:00:49.939 My mind is tired. My heart is tired. Emotionally, 00:00:50.280 --> 00:00:53.619 I am exhausted. The waiting has become heavy. 00:00:54.399 --> 00:00:57.179 The humiliation has become heavy. The uncertainty 00:00:57.179 --> 00:01:01.649 has become heavy. has lasted longer than I ever 00:01:01.649 --> 00:01:08.129 imagined it would. Only you know, God, how deeply 00:01:08.129 --> 00:01:12.209 this has affected me. People may see me standing. 00:01:13.049 --> 00:01:15.829 They may see me functioning. They may hear me 00:01:15.829 --> 00:01:21.090 speaking. They may think I am strong, but you 00:01:21.090 --> 00:01:25.450 know what it costs me to keep standing. You know 00:01:25.450 --> 00:01:28.459 the tears nobody sees. You know the thoughts 00:01:28.459 --> 00:01:31.840 I carry when I am alone. You know the nights. 00:01:32.760 --> 00:01:35.459 You know the questions. You know the disappointment. 00:01:36.439 --> 00:01:40.319 You know how many times I have wondered how much 00:01:40.319 --> 00:01:44.319 longer I can carry this. So today, like David 00:01:44.319 --> 00:01:48.659 in the wilderness, I cry out to you, oh God, 00:01:49.340 --> 00:01:53.280 you are my God. My soul thirsts for you. My whole 00:01:53.280 --> 00:01:57.079 being longs for you in this dry and weary land. 00:01:58.009 --> 00:02:02.069 God, I don't only need an explanation. I need 00:02:02.069 --> 00:02:05.689 you. I don't only need encouragement. I need 00:02:05.689 --> 00:02:09.169 you. I don't only need another word, telling 00:02:09.169 --> 00:02:14.650 me to wait. God, I need your hand. I need divine 00:02:14.650 --> 00:02:19.870 intervention. How long, oh Lord? When will my 00:02:19.870 --> 00:02:22.729 deliverance come? When will you bring me out 00:02:22.729 --> 00:02:26.349 of this valley? When will you silence the voices? 00:02:26.889 --> 00:02:30.229 that have risen against me. When will you shut 00:02:30.229 --> 00:02:33.289 the mouths of the lions? When will you remove 00:02:33.289 --> 00:02:36.250 the power of the fire? When will these chains 00:02:36.250 --> 00:02:40.729 fall? When will Pharaoh finally release what 00:02:40.729 --> 00:02:44.050 you have commanded him to release? When God, 00:02:44.610 --> 00:02:49.050 when? I ask you, because I still believe. If 00:02:49.050 --> 00:02:51.430 I had stopped believing, I would have stopped 00:02:51.430 --> 00:02:55.409 crying out to you. But I am still here, wounded. 00:02:56.139 --> 00:03:01.780 but still here. Tired, but still here. Confused, 00:03:02.479 --> 00:03:07.060 but still here. Longing for you, but still here. 00:03:07.639 --> 00:03:10.860 And God, I think I have reached that place in 00:03:10.860 --> 00:03:13.740 the journey where I no longer have the strength 00:03:13.740 --> 00:03:18.759 to make another footprint. So God, if there's 00:03:18.759 --> 00:03:23.039 only one set of footprints from here, carry me. 00:03:23.439 --> 00:03:26.740 Carry me, God. Because I cannot carry myself 00:03:26.740 --> 00:03:30.819 anymore Carry my mind When my thoughts become 00:03:30.819 --> 00:03:35.020 too heavy Carry my heart When disappointment 00:03:35.020 --> 00:03:39.139 overwhelms me Carry my body When the weight of 00:03:39.139 --> 00:03:43.360 this season takes away my strength Carry my faith 00:03:43.360 --> 00:03:47.879 When I cannot understand your timing Carry me 00:03:47.879 --> 00:03:51.080 through the part of this valley That my own strength 00:03:51.080 --> 00:03:55.280 cannot cross And while you carry me, God Fight 00:03:55.280 --> 00:03:59.599 for me Go where I cannot go Speak where I cannot 00:03:59.599 --> 00:04:03.860 speak Enter rooms where I cannot enter Touch 00:04:03.860 --> 00:04:09.520 hearts I cannot touch Move decisions I cannot 00:04:09.520 --> 00:04:13.759 move Bring truth into the light Correct what 00:04:13.759 --> 00:04:17.480 I cannot correct Defend what I cannot defend 00:04:17.480 --> 00:04:22.339 Open what I cannot open And what I cannot move 00:04:22.339 --> 00:04:28.410 God Move it yourself. You heard Israel when their 00:04:28.410 --> 00:04:33.509 bondage became unbearable. Hear me. You remember 00:04:33.509 --> 00:04:36.509 Joseph when he could not open his own prison. 00:04:37.149 --> 00:04:40.550 Remember me. You shut the mouths of Daniel's 00:04:40.550 --> 00:04:45.529 lions. Shut the mouths of my lions. You remove 00:04:45.529 --> 00:04:48.790 the power of the fire from Shadrach, Meshach, 00:04:49.110 --> 00:04:54.279 and Abednego. God, take the power. out of this 00:04:54.279 --> 00:04:58.199 fire. You shook the prison until the chains of 00:04:58.199 --> 00:05:02.240 Paul and Silas fell. Shake what must be shaken 00:05:02.240 --> 00:05:06.480 until these chains fall. And you confronted Pharaoh 00:05:06.480 --> 00:05:12.480 until your people were released. God, confront 00:05:12.480 --> 00:05:15.360 every resistance, standing against your purpose 00:05:15.360 --> 00:05:19.060 for my life, not according to my anger, not according 00:05:19.060 --> 00:05:22.319 to my emotions, but according to your righteousness. 00:05:22.779 --> 00:05:25.759 according to your justice, according to your 00:05:25.759 --> 00:05:30.459 will, move whoever must move, awaken whoever 00:05:30.459 --> 00:05:34.899 must awaken, touch every person whose decision 00:05:34.899 --> 00:05:39.339 is connected to what you have ordained, activate 00:05:39.339 --> 00:05:43.180 everything heaven has appointed for my deliverance, 00:05:43.779 --> 00:05:47.600 every divine connection, every necessary conversation, 00:05:48.699 --> 00:05:53.459 every opportunity, every resource. every person, 00:05:54.519 --> 00:05:58.639 every circumstance that you have already ordained 00:05:58.639 --> 00:06:03.740 to participate in my restoration. God, let all 00:06:03.740 --> 00:06:06.240 things begin to work together. What I cannot 00:06:06.240 --> 00:06:10.060 coordinate, coordinate. What I cannot repair, 00:06:10.819 --> 00:06:15.180 repair. What I cannot recover, restore. What 00:06:15.180 --> 00:06:18.860 I cannot reveal, bring into the light. What I 00:06:18.860 --> 00:06:22.740 cannot change, change. and what I cannot move, 00:06:23.259 --> 00:06:27.459 move it yourself. But God, even while I am asking 00:06:27.459 --> 00:06:32.319 you to change my situation, do not allow my desperation 00:06:32.319 --> 00:06:36.079 for deliverance to become greater than my longing 00:06:36.079 --> 00:06:39.639 for you. Because this wilderness has taught me 00:06:39.639 --> 00:06:43.079 something. I need you more than I ever knew. 00:06:44.079 --> 00:06:47.839 So before I seek your hand, I seek your face. 00:06:48.560 --> 00:06:52.009 Before I seek the open door, I seek the one who 00:06:52.009 --> 00:06:56.689 opens doors. Before I seek vindication, I seek 00:06:56.689 --> 00:06:59.629 the righteous judge. Before I seek restoration, 00:07:00.310 --> 00:07:04.509 I seek the restorer. And before I ask you to 00:07:04.509 --> 00:07:07.829 bring me out, hold me while I am still here. 00:07:08.269 --> 00:07:14.009 God, hold me. I long for you. My soul thirsts 00:07:14.009 --> 00:07:18.709 for you. My heart cries for you. My whole being 00:07:18.709 --> 00:07:22.170 reaches for you. And from this exhausted place, 00:07:22.389 --> 00:07:27.029 I declare, this valley will not bury me. This 00:07:27.029 --> 00:07:30.689 waiting will not destroy me. This humiliation 00:07:30.689 --> 00:07:35.430 will not define me. This fire will not consume 00:07:35.430 --> 00:07:41.009 me. These lions will not devour me. These chains 00:07:41.009 --> 00:07:45.970 will not remain forever. And my exhaustion will 00:07:45.970 --> 00:07:48.970 not cancel what you have spoken over my life. 00:07:50.279 --> 00:07:54.120 I may have reached the end of my strength, but 00:07:54.120 --> 00:07:56.720 I have not reached the end of your strength. 00:07:57.620 --> 00:08:01.439 I may not be able to walk anymore, but you can 00:08:01.439 --> 00:08:06.100 carry me. I may not understand how this story 00:08:06.100 --> 00:08:10.879 will change, but you are still writing it. I 00:08:10.879 --> 00:08:14.800 may not know when deliverance will come, but 00:08:14.800 --> 00:08:20.990 I know where my help comes from. So God, I surrender 00:08:20.990 --> 00:08:26.089 to you the weight I can no longer carry. Carry 00:08:26.089 --> 00:08:28.589 me through this valley. Carry me through this 00:08:28.589 --> 00:08:33.149 night. Carry me through this waiting. Carry me 00:08:33.149 --> 00:08:37.049 until my strength returns. Carry me until the 00:08:37.049 --> 00:08:42.690 door opens. Carry me until the chains fall. Carry 00:08:42.690 --> 00:08:47.309 me until the lions are silent. Carry me until 00:08:47.309 --> 00:08:51.559 the fire loses its power. carry me until this 00:08:51.559 --> 00:08:56.460 valley is behind me. And one day, God, when I 00:08:56.460 --> 00:09:00.299 look back at this road and wonder how I survived 00:09:00.299 --> 00:09:04.500 the part where I had no strength left, let me 00:09:04.500 --> 00:09:08.620 understand why there was only one set of footprints. 00:09:09.740 --> 00:09:14.440 You carried me. You carried me. And I believe 00:09:14.440 --> 00:09:17.759 the God who carries me through the valley will 00:09:17.759 --> 00:09:22.059 also bring me Out of the valley, my morning will 00:09:22.059 --> 00:09:26.539 come. My strength will return. My voice will 00:09:26.539 --> 00:09:31.620 rise again. My testimony will speak. My season 00:09:31.620 --> 00:09:35.799 will change. And what I cannot accomplish through 00:09:35.799 --> 00:09:39.840 my exhausted human strength, your divine intervention 00:09:39.840 --> 00:09:44.299 will accomplish for me. God, I long for you. 00:09:44.960 --> 00:09:48.519 I cry out to you. I surrender myself to you. 00:09:48.840 --> 00:09:53.919 Carry me, fight for me, remember me, restore 00:09:53.919 --> 00:09:59.299 me, and God, deliver me. In the mighty name of 00:09:59.299 --> 00:10:03.740 Jesus Christ, amen. Always remember, you are 00:10:03.740 --> 00:10:04.340 not alone.