 Okay, everybody, we're gonna get started. Welcome back. I hope you all had a refreshing and wonderful long weekend of celebrating with those you love most. We're gonna begin this morning. I'm just gonna read a few verses if you have your bibles from Psalm 34. Some declarations and an exhortation that David gave to his own heart and to the people of God in that day when he was in a rough spot, when there was pressure bearing down on him. In verse one it says, I sought the Lord and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears. You know, there's so much breaking news right now in the land that can just be fearful and daunting and seemingly impossible to overcome just all the systemic brokenness and violence. But there's breaking news sometimes in our own spheres, isn't there, that's equally as daunting and seemingly impossible. The breaking news in our workplaces and in our homes and families and sometimes just in our own heart. And so I just want to encourage us. Let's just start here in the midst of all of the bad news or daunting news, whether it be in the land or right here in our own heart or in our own home. The praises of God will continually be in my mouth. Let's magnify the Lord this morning to magnify means to make bigger and bigger and bigger to increase him over all the pressures and over all the bad news. We want to magnify the Lord this morning. So let's just go ahead and stand. If you're at the altar with us this morning, feel free to stand and join us at home. Lord, we love you and we thank you that in and through it all, God, in the midst of all the turbulence in the land, in the midst of the turbulence in our own spheres, God, those personal storms of the heart and soul, those relational storms, God, in and through it all, above it all, you said, magnify bigger exalted this morning. And Lord, we just say your praise shall be in our mouth in every mile of our pilgrimage. We will bless the name of the Lord. We will exalt the name of Jesus in every season of our soul. Oh, magnify the Lord this morning. Holy Spirit, we ask that you would give us grace now, that you would put your lens over the eyes of our heart, that magnifying glass as we lift our gaze, set your lens over our eyes, that Jesus would be bigger than it all, that Jesus would be increased this morning as we open our mouths to declare his worth and to declare his praise in Jesus' name. Praise him in our understanding and in the spirit. We can see things right. Stir yourself up in the Holy Spirit. Oh, the depths of our heart with us. Voluntary love, we say yes. It is a peace. It's what you want and in God's hearts. Thank you for being magnified in our praises this morning. And now as we just shift into a time of prayer, we want to stay postured right there in that attitude of worship and magnifying Jesus. And now we're just going to begin to agree with the prayers of the great intercessor. And this morning, I've just had leaders on my heart, shepherds in our city and in our land who are trying to navigate these turbulent currents, these unfamiliar and unprecedented currents in our land, how to lead the people of God in and through it with hearts still full of faith and still bringing praise and trust to Jesus. I'm going to read just one verse in Jeremiah chapter three, but then we're going to pray one of the apostolic prayers in 1st Timothy. In Jeremiah chapter three, verse 15, it's a promise from the Lord. And he says, then I will give you shepherds after my own heart who will feed you on knowledge and understanding. And in 1st Timothy chapter two, beginning in verse one, the Lord gives us a commission as his people and he says, first of all, I urge that in treaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings be made on behalf of all men for kings and all who are in authority so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. This is good and acceptable in the sight of God, our Savior who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. So I just want to invite us to stay engaged, to begin to see the shepherds in our life, those ministry leaders, those youth group leaders, home group leaders, pastors, assistant pastors, worship leaders, Lord, we bring before you the shepherds in our city all across the congregations, God. We bring before you men and women, Lord, who have said yes to you again and again, who have taken the mantle of leadership that you've bestowed upon them, Lord, and with faithfulness are leading your people in righteousness and truth. Lord, we lift them before you because you said that in those last days, God, you would give us your people, shepherds who are after your heart like David, who are knowledgeable and experiential knowledge of Jesus, who are men and women of understanding, discerning rightly what it is that the Holy Spirit is saying in this hour, where those Holy Spirit exclamation marks are being placed in our land and in our hearts. God, we thank you for this promise that you have not left us, Lord, with shallow leadership. You have not left us with dim eyes, dim understanding and discernment in this hour. So in obedience to you now, God, we pray for the shepherds that you have set apart, that you have mantled with positions of authority in your body. God, we pray for them that you would pour out your Holy Spirit upon them now. Lord, every home group leader across this city, God, every worship leader, every pastor in every position, God, worship pastors, prayer pastors, benevolence pastors, God, teaching pastors, youth pastors, young adult pastors, God, we lift them before you. We just say, Father, would you strengthen them anew in the name of the Lord Jesus? Would you pour out your Spirit upon them? Would you release fresh wind, God, into those spiritual lungs that they would inhale deeply, exhale deeply, strengthened with might, fortified in their inner man. God, as the land reels, our nation is reeling right now, as there's an all-out assault on the next generation. Lord, we pray for leaders that are standing strong, leaders that are seen sharply, discerning wisely in this hour, ears that are quickened to hear the frequency of heaven and the whispers of Holy Spirit. Holy Spirit, come, come now and infuse might into every in this city in Jesus' name. Your Spirit out, Lord, as a prayer, say these choruses in agreement as prayers or as prophetic declarations. See those shepherds that God has given you in your life and just as we're singing the chorus, just insert their name, just insert their name and make this personal. If you are a shepherd in the room, lay hands on your heart and just say, God, me, I'm praying for me, I'm singing for me. Okay, so Lord, we thank you that we read earlier. You are the God who hears the cries of your people and you are the God who delivers us from all of our fears. And so Lord, I just stand before you on behalf of leaders, God, at the tip of the sphere, those senior leaders, God, then face the onslaught and the rage of the enemy, head on again of resistance, the full accusation of the accuser of the brethren. But I'm asking that you would hear our cry and deliver them from all their fears. Every what if, every seed of unbelief, every accusation of shame, comparison. Lord, all of those fears that they're not enough, not generating enough ministry funds. God, every your shepherds this morning that as we cross senior leader, God, who's at the tip of say, would you strengthen them? Would you be a Jesus name by the spirit of this aid by a cancer culture? This is God. I'm asking release courage, release to your leaders now from youth groups. But I'm asking from Sunday schools that there would be a what you do centimeter like the lamb to proclaim Jesus, to proclaim truth to those you've entrusted to their leadership. We ask in Jesus name for just door to the King's chambers that you would usher in leadership into the King's chambers, God, that there would be a fresh encounter with your presence, that there would be a fresh and renewal of intimacy in their hearts with you. Oh Lord, we're crying out, draw your shepherds that they might run in this hour with your heart, men and women after your heart, carrying your heart, bringing your heart to bear in those that they're leading. We pray Holy Spirit, would you woo them away? Would you draw them to the King's chambers once again? Would you revive and refresh first to you? Fan the flame, God of passion again in every heart. We're praying for just that fresh baptism of Holy Spirit on the hearts and the minds of our leaders. Every leader, God, who calls upon you with sincere faith in this city, we cry out to you, Lord, draw them away with you. Let them know the kisses of your word, that sweet spirit of revelation, that you would instruct them in the night and instruct them in your word, God. Give fire, rekindle again of passion and devotion and love for Jesus first and foremost. As your sons and daughters, we thank you, Jesus. The bruised places, God, the discouraged places, the low places. Raise up the valleys, God, in the hearts of your leaders. Hurt those sore places. Make them stand in this hour blameless with great joy in your presence. Buy your grace. Buy your strength. Make them stand for your glory, for the good of your people. We love you, Jesus. Oh, we love you, Jesus. We thank you. You are the God who inclines your ear this morning, that you hear and you answer with power, with deliverance, with outpouring of Holy Spirit. And we thank you, Lord, for the good that you are doing in the hearts of your leaders across this city. And as we close, I just want to encourage us, like, if the Lord dropped a specific leader in your life on your heart this morning, with just a spirit of intercession, I would encourage you just to stay there, carry them through the day, carry them however long the Lord is emphasizing them, maybe even drop a note of encouragement. You know, it says the Lord quiets in His love and He sings over His people, but so often the way that He sings and quiets in His love is through His people. The Lord strengthens through His people. So just, I want to encourage us to just be willing to be that vessel. Well, God bless you. We're back here today at noon and at 6.30 tonight. Amen.