Travel Steady Along His Path

In one paragraph

Brian preached from Psalms 37:34, a verse he said the Lord placed on his heart in December as a word for Tribe fam heading into 2023. The message stayed close to one idea: God's promises are always guaranteed, but they are not automatic. The congregation worked through that idea together, with people sharing, asking questions, and pushing back throughout. The verse opens with "don't be impatient...

Read together

1. Psalm 37:34 the anchor verse for the sermon series, read aloud by a congregation member
2. Hebrews 11:32-34 read to show the active nature of faith and receiving God's promises
3. Hebrews 11:11 used to illustrate that God's promises are guaranteed but not automatic, using Sarah and Abraham
4. Hebrews 12:1-2 Justin connected it to chapter 11, citing laying aside weight and sin, running with endurance, and looking to Jesus
5. Matthew 7:13-14 Jay quoted it to connect the narrow gate to the dangerous off-trail paths on the Grand Teton descent
6. Psalm 139:23-24 offered as a daily prayer to ask God to search the heart and point out anything offensive, tied to staying on the right path
7. Revelation 6:10 referenced loosely as the saints under the throne crying how long O Lord, to validate human frustration in waiting

What was said

• Write down promises you believe God has spoken to your heart, so you have something concrete to hold onto and pray back to him.
• Pray Psalm 139:23-24 each morning this week: ask God to search your heart, know your anxious thoughts, and point out anything in you that offends him.
• If you have been treating a promise from God as though it has expired, bring it back before him in prayer and ask him to renew your faith in it.
• Pick one area where you have been waiting passively and identify one active step you can take that partners with what God has already told you.
• If something has been bubbling up in your heart during worship or prayer, write it down and look for an opportunity to share an encouraging word with someone outside of Sunday.

Talk about it

1. Brian talked about three kinds of waiting: doctor's office waiting, birthday waiting, and finish line waiting. Which of those three most honestly describes how you have been waiting on something from God right now, and why?
2. Melody shared that she had promises God spoke to her heart years ago that she had not written down and was in danger of losing. What is a promise, either from scripture or from something God impressed on your heart, that you have let slip? What would it look like to write it down and actively hold onto it?
3. Brian said God's promises are always guaranteed but not always automatic, and used Abraham and Sarah as an example that they had to actually do something in partnership with God. Where in your own life have you been waiting passively for God to move when he might be inviting you to act in faith alongside him?
4. Brian described paths on the descent from the Grand Teton's upper saddle that look well-defined but eventually cliff out, and tied that to Psalms 37:34's phrase about traveling steadily along his path. What does traveling steadily look like practically for you, and what are the off-trail paths that most tempt you away from it?
5. Lissa closed by suggesting Psalm 139:23-24, 'search my heart, oh God, and know my heart,' as a daily habit. What would change about your week if you prayed that prayer every morning before trying to grab hold of what God has promised?