Before I commit my own way to the Lord here in prayer along with Rick, let me give you some

reasons why it's good to be with you.

Why it feels like a significant privilege.

I've got four reasons for why I'm happy to be with you

and why it's an honor. Number one, I never feel more honored or out of my depth than when I'm called upon to preach the word of God. I mean think of that phrase

word of God. That's an awesome thing that the Creator of the universe has spoken in nature, in his son, in an infallible book, and that he has appointed people to open the book and declare his word to others

should make a person tremble.

And so it's an honor to be asked to do that.

That's number one.

Number two is that I love the vision of a year of exporting, going deeper into, hope.

Romans 15-4 says everything that was written, referring back to the Old Testament,

everything, think of all the parts of the Old Testament, everything that was written was written was written for your instruction

that by the steadfastness and encouragement of the scriptures you may have hope. The whole Bible exists for the success of this year's effort. That's true. It says so. Hope is a precious thing. I mean

think about the miseries and the pain and the brokenness and the dysfunction of our inner cities

across America.

Not to mention everybody else's brokenness.

One of the deepest roots of that brokenness is loss of hope.

People do wherever they live themselves and to others when they have.

People do terrible things to themselves and to others when they have zero hope in this world or the next.

Anything goes where there's no hope. So that's the second reason. I love what you're up to. I love the focus on hope in this church and in this community. Number three, I love

the message of this psalm and so does my wife. She has an email address based on this song.

We love what is here.

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