Service Preview for February 22, 2026

Date
Today
Author
Dixie Carpenter
Category
Service Preview

Download: Readings and Song Lyrics for February 22, 2026

Pre-service Song
Psalm 34 (Taste and See)

I sought the Lord, and He answered me,
And delivered me from every fear.
Those who look on Him are radiant.
They’ll never be ashamed, they’ll never be ashamed.

This poor man cried, and the Lord heard me,
And saved me from my enemies.
The Son of God surrounds His saints.
He will deliver them, He will deliver them.

Chorus:
Magnify the Lord with me.
Come exalt His name together.
Glorify the Lord with me.
Come exalt His name forever.

O taste and see that the Lord is good.
O blessed is he who hides in Him.
O fear the Lord, O all you saints.
He’ll give you ev’rything, He’ll give you ev’rything. (Chorus)

Let us bless the Lord ev’ry day and night,
Never ending praise.
May our incense rise.
Let us bless the Lord ev’ry day and night,
Never ending praise.
May our incense rise. (Repeat)

Magnify the Lord with me.
Come exalt His name together.
Glorify the Lord with me.
Come exalt his name forever.

By Joseph James Rigney and Barnard Shane
© 2015 Songs From Wellhouse

Call To Worship
We confess the supremacy of God in Christ through both responsive reading and song.

Our Spoken Call to Worship
Psalm 121 (ESV)

I lift up my eyes to the hills.
From where does my help come?
My help comes from the Lord,
who made heaven and earth.

He will not let your foot be moved;
he who keeps you will not slumber.
Behold, he who keeps Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.

The Lord is your keeper;
the Lord is your shade on your right hand.
The sun shall not strike you by day,
nor the moon by night.

The Lord will keep you from all evil;
he will keep your life.
The Lord will keep
your going out and your coming in
from this time forth and forevermore.

Our Sung Call to Worship
Amazing Grace

Amazing grace! how sweet the sound,
That saved a wretch like me!
I once was lost, but now am found,
Was blind, but now I see.

‘Twas grace that taught my heart to fear,
And grace my fears relieved;
How precious did that grace appear
The hour I first believed!

Thro’ many dangers, toils and snares,
I have already come;
‘Tis grace hath brought me safe thus far,
And grace will lead me home.

The Lord has promised good to me,
His word my hope secures;
He will my shield and portion be
As long as life endures.

When we’ve been there ten thousand years,
Bright shining as the sun,
We’ve no less days to sing God’s praise
Than when we first begun.

Words by John Newton, Music from Virginia Harmony
©Public Domain

Confession
We confess our need for mercy through both responsive reading and song.

Our Spoken Confession
2 Corinthians 2:16-7:1 (ESV)

Hear the Word of the Lord:

What agreement has the temple of God with idols?
For we are the temple of the living God; as God said,

“I will make my dwelling among them
and walk among them,
and I will be their God,
and they shall be my people.
Therefore go out from their midst,
and be separate from them, says the Lord,
and touch no unclean thing;
then I will welcome you,
and I will be a father to you,
and you shall be sons and daughters to me,
says the Lord Almighty.”

Since we have these promises, beloved,
let us cleanse ourselves
from every defilement of body and spirit,
bringing holiness to completion in the fear of God.

Forgive our sins, Father, for the sake of your Son, Jesus Christ,
and cleanse us from every impurity of the flesh and spirit
so that we may delight in your will
and walk in your ways
to the glory of your holy name.

Amen.

Time of silent confession.

Assurance and Peace
We profess our assurance of salvation and peace in Christ through both responsive reading and song.

Remember the Gospel
Titus 3:3-7 (ESV)

Remember the Gospel!

For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient,
led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures,
passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others
and hating one another.

But when the goodness and loving kindness
of God our Savior appeared, he saved us,
not because of works done by us in righteousness,
but according to his own mercy,
by the washing of regeneration
and renewal of the Holy Spirit,
whom he poured out on us richly
through Jesus Christ our Savior,
so that being justified by his grace
we might become heirs
according to the hope of eternal life.

Our Sung Profession of Assurance
Our Sovereign God

Our Sov’reign God by His own word
Sustains this world and reigns as Lord.
No angel, demon, sinful man
Can change His course, restrain His hand.
O Sov’reign God we praise Your pow’r;
Your wisdom, goodness we adore!
We bow our hearts before your throne:
Help us, O Lord, to trust You more,
Help us, O Lord, to trust You more.

When the fullness of the time had come,
God sent His own beloved Son.
To keep God’s Law, live in our place,
To bear our sin, guilt and disgrace.
Dead in our sin, estranged from God,
We fled as rebels from His love.
In sov’reign grace He made us sons
And saved us from the wrath to come,
And saved us from the wrath to come.

Before our birth He planned our days,
Laid out our course, ordained our ways.
The moments of our lives He weaves
So all the glory He receives.
To those He loved before all time,
To all He called, in grace renewed,
He cannot lie; His Word is true,
He makes all things to work for good,
He makes all things to work for good.

He has written hist’ry’s final page;
His Son’s return will end this age.
The Lamb will come in glorious might,
Take back His world and end its night.
How deep the wisdom of our God,
Unknown, unfathomed are His ways.
None counsels Him or knows His mind,
We bow before Him all our days,
We bow before Him all our days.

Words by Tom Pennington, Music by Sheila Pennington and Joshua Spacht
©2015 McKinney Music, Inc.

Thanksgiving and Petition

We Give Thanks in Prayer and Offer Petitions to God
We express our gratitude to God our Father for Christ’s work on the cross for us and bring our requests before him. In bringing our requests, we confess that we believe God truly is a good father, who cares about our needs and gives us what he knows is best.

We Give Thanks by Giving
We give financial offerings to support the work of the church because of our gratitude to God. By giving we confess we are trusting in God’s provision for us as well.

You may give electronically at gabcames.org/giving/ or place your offering in the boxes at the back of the sanctuary or send a check in the mail.

Scripture Reading
Psalm 34 (ESV)
Of David, when he changed his behavior
before Abimelech, so that he drove him out,
and he went away.
1 I will bless the Lord at all times;
his praise shall continually be in my mouth.
2 My soul makes its boast in the Lord;
let the humble hear and be glad.
3 Oh, magnify the Lord with me,
and let us exalt his name together!
4 I sought the Lord, and he answered me
and delivered me from all my fears.
5 Those who look to him are radiant,
and their faces shall never be ashamed.
6 This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him
and saved him out of all his troubles.
7 The angel of the Lord encamps
around those who fear him, and delivers them.
8 Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good!
Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!
9 Oh, fear the Lord, you his saints,
for those who fear him have no lack!
10 The young lions suffer want and hunger;
but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.
11 Come, O children, listen to me;
I will teach you the fear of the Lord.
12 What man is there who desires life
and loves many days, that he may see good?
13 Keep your tongue from evil
and your lips from speaking deceit.
14 Turn away from evil and do good;
seek peace and pursue it.
15 The eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous
and his ears toward their cry.
16 The face of the Lord is against those who do evil,
to cut off the memory of them from the earth.
17 When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears
and delivers them out of all their troubles.
18 The Lord is near to the brokenhearted
and saves the crushed in spirit.
19 Many are the afflictions of the righteous,
but the Lord delivers him out of them all.
20 He keeps all his bones;
not one of them is broken.
21 Affliction will slay the wicked,
and those who hate the righteous
will be condemned.
22 The Lord redeems the life of his servants;
none of those who take refuge in him
will be condemned.

This is the word of the Lord.
The grass withers and the flower falls
but the word of the Lord endures forever.

Sermon
Psalm 34 – “The Difficult Doctrine of Contentment” – Pastor Dean VanEvery

Sermon Discipleship Questions
1. What encouraged you?
2. What convicted you?
3. Is there anything in your life that needs to change?

Dear Refuge of My Weary Soul (Distribution Song)

Dear refuge of my weary soul,
On Thee, when sorrows rise,
On Thee, when waves of trouble roll,
My fainting hope relies.
To Thee I tell each rising grief,
For Thou alone can heal.
Thy Word can bring a sweet relief
For every pain I feel.

But oh! When gloomy doubts prevail,
I fear to call Thee mine;
The springs of comfort seem to fail,
And all my hopes decline.
Yet gracious God, where shall I flee?
Thou art my only trust;
And still my soul would cleave to Thee,
Though prostrate in the dust.

Hast Thou not bid me seek Thy face,
And shall I seek in vain?
And can the ear of sovereign grace,
Be deaf when I complain?
No, still the ear of sovereign grace
Attends the mourner’s prayer.
Oh may I ever find access
To breathe my sorrows there.

Thy mercy seat is open still,
Here let my soul retreat;
With humble hope attend Thy will,
And wait beneath Thy feet,
Thy mercy seat is open still,
Here let my soul retreat;
With humble hope attend Thy will,
And wait beneath Thy feet.

Words by Anne Steele, Music by Matt Merker
© 2014 Getty Music Publishing; Matthew Merker Music; Sovereign Grace Praise

Celebration of the Lord’s Supper

Sending
Having heard and confessed the Gospel, we are sent into the world on mission in Christ, which we express in both song and spoken word.

Sending Song
Psalm 34 (Taste and See)