In this sermon, the pastor addresses the various troubles and challenges that people face in their lives, both visible and invisible. He emphasizes the importance of experiencing trouble in order to truly understand and appreciate God's compassion and deliverance. The pastor encourages the congregation to draw near to God in times of trouble, as He will draw near to them and provide a way out. He also highlights the lessons that can be learned through trouble, such as developing patience, strength, and a deeper understanding of God's love. The sermon is grounded in biblical references, including the story of the Israelites in the wilderness and Paul's words in Romans 8.

Everybody happy? Ah, I'm glad you said that. Because I want to talk to you about a verse, very short, succinct verse. For those of you visiting, we've been reading through the New Testament. It's called the Books of the Bible New Testament. It's the NIV version, but it's not in Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Acts, Romans, 1st and 2nd Corinthians sequence. It's in a much wiser sequence, in my judgment. And it makes more sense, especially to the person who doesn't know much about the Bible. So it starts with Luke, and then follows with Acts, so there's a flow of church history there. Then all the letters of Paul, and then we go to Matthew, the gospel written to prove to Jewish people that Yeshua is the Messiah. And then on to Hebrews, which has the Jewish flavor written to Jewish people who believed in Jesus, who were struggling with their faith, possibly because of persecution. And then the Book of James, which was written to scattered believers, but has a very strong Jewish flavor to it. Now we're just starting into the Book of Mark as we're reading through it. But I want to take you to one little verse in James, which talks about two different kinds of possible people in the congregation. Of course, there's much more subtlety than what I'm about to say, but I want to give you this verse. So James, this book of the New Testament, which comes after Hebrews in our New Testament, was written by James, the half-brother of our Lord. Same mother, Mary, but Jesus was born of a virgin by the Holy Spirit. James and his siblings were born to Mary and Joseph after the birth of Jesus through natural means. James was not a believer in Jesus as he grew up with him, and then Jesus started his ministry. It seems that there was a disconnect there. And it was just later did the Lord appear to him after the resurrection, his own half-brother, but James became a leader. He writes a book that is very practical. No big theological argument like Paul has in the Book of Romans or Paul has in the Book of Galatians about justification by faith. James has these practical things like faith without works is. If anyone seems to be religious and can't control their tongue, their religion is a joke because God makes you, when you really get saved, put a muzzle on your mouth and you just don't go talking, talking, talking. Very practical instructions about the transient nature of riches. People who think they're wealthy think they're all that. They ain't all that. It passes away in a second. And then he says just one sentence which is so profound, it's life-changing. But I think we lost it. I think we lost this verse. James chapter five, verse 13. Is any among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise. So let's say it together out loud. Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise. Anybody in trouble? Let them pray. Actually, it's only five words in the Greek. Trouble, pray. Are you happy? Things are working out in your life? Let them sing songs of praise. Let them rejoice in the God of their salvation. Notice how honest James is, how honest God is in his word with us. Is everyone all the time just all happy and giddy? Has everything always working out for us? Is working out for our good from God, but is it always pleasant? No. Ah, he brings up this word, trouble. Is anyone in trouble? Christians aren't honest about that. Ministers aren't honest about that. You feel as if you're a Christian, you're not allowed to say you're in trouble, or that God doesn't want anyone ever to be in trouble. You know what this verse is gonna teach us? That one of God's choices servants is called trouble. God uses trouble. God sends trouble. God permits other trouble that Satan buffets us with. But trouble is real. Trouble is real. There's all different kinds of trouble as we're gonna find out, but trouble is absolutely, absolutely real. And James just says it's so simple. Is anyone in any kind of trouble? Pray. Solution for trouble? Pray. Don't complain, don't moan, don't groan, don't get depressed, don't read a verse, don't have fellowship. Pray. I think we've lost that verse. I do think that. Why else would churches have no prayer meetings? You that are visiting, wherever city you come from, there are hardly too many places where people just gather to pray, and yet God said my house shall be called a house of prayer. Why? Because there's a lot of trouble in the world. Oh, is there not trouble in the world? And the first thing that we know in the Bible about trouble is that it's absolutely universal. It's absolutely universal. Are you black? You'll have trouble. Are you white? You'll have trouble. Are you wealthy? You have a lot of money? You'll have trouble. Are you poor? You'll have trouble. You got a lot of kids? You'll have a lot of trouble. You have no kids? You'll still have trouble. You have one child? You'll have trouble. Where do you live? California? Trouble. You live in the city? Trump Tower? Trouble. The hood? Trouble. Wherever you go, you can't escape trouble. This is amazing that we don't face this and that we automatically react in some weird way when the word trouble or the experience of trouble comes in our life. There aren't too many mature Christians when it comes to trouble. Everyone's running, rebuking the devil and all of that or televangelists take advantage of gullible people who don't know their Bibles and if you send the money to me, you'll never have trouble. And yet the Bible says, man is born to trouble as the sparks fly upward. God said in the day of trouble, call upon me and I will answer you. Just in the book of Psalms, there's almost over 40 references to trouble and affliction. Most of the Psalms were written because David was in trouble. Trouble comes to godly people. Trouble comes to ungodly people. Do you believe in Jesus? You're going to experience trouble. Do you deny Jesus? You'll still have trouble but you won't have anyone to help you. There's trouble. As I shared with some pastors who are visiting here on Thursday, I opened my heart to them. All I've ever known in my life is trouble. Be honest with you. I've had joy, I've had peace and all of that but in terms of things confronting me, trouble. That $85 offering that I just referenced, oh, that was a time of trouble. The burner broke down, $500. We didn't have that. There was less than $3 in the church account when I came to the Brooklyn Tabernacle. Half the people that we inherited were just, I don't even know what word to use. Trouble. No, I didn't mean that like that. Well, how many have ever met people? They're just trouble. Lift up your hand. They're just trouble. They're trouble walking up to you. They're named Thomas Trouble. Hi, how are you? I want to say hello to you. You know, numbers get bigger, much larger congregation, just more challenges. Trouble, people's troubles. Counseling people who have trouble. Everyone I know, I have quite a library of biographies and autobiographies of great men and women of God. I read their lives, trouble, trouble. But I don't have to go to their biographies. Think of the Bible. How about Joseph? You see, a lot of us think that trouble comes as it's penal in nature. It's a punishment. Nothing could be further from the truth. Some trouble, God uses as chastening to get a hold of our attention and to get rid of some junk that's in our lives. But some trouble comes totally out of the blue. Joseph never did anything wrong. His father gave him that silly robe that made him look special to his brothers. Did he ask for his brothers to hate him? Did he ask, what sin did he commit that his brothers tried to kill him and sold him down the river to Midianite slave traders? How did he end up in Egypt? Because of something he did? Did he not serve Potiphar well? Why did Potiphar's wife lust after him and then lie about him and claim a rape or attempted rape? Now he's in prison. Why is he in prison? Explain to me why he is suffering trouble in prison. What did he do? What's the antecedent to that? Nothing, just trouble. Most of the Psalms written by David, as I referenced, were written in times of trouble. Oh God, those that cause me trouble are multiplying. All the troublemakers and persecutors, he said they're multiplying. They used to be 50, now there's 150 of them. And on and on it goes. The prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord, trouble. Jeremiah, trouble. Thrown in prison, trouble. Hated, why? Because he spoke the word of the Lord, trouble. John the Baptist, the greatest man Jesus ever said was born of a woman, ended up in prison, trouble. Spoke the truth about Herod and his wife, trouble. It's amazing how quiet it is here because we've been brainwashed into an American gospel where if you serve God, you don't have trouble. And that's how I get people's money and that's how I get followers. I promise them a formula that if you believe it and buy into it, you won't have trouble. That's a joke. That's totally dishonest. And ministers who tell those lies are gonna face God one day. Why did you mislead my people? The apostle Paul and the rest of the apostles. Did they have a walk in the park when they began their ministry or did they get in trouble? They got in trouble. The early church persecuted. They were all scattered out of Jerusalem. Lost their jobs. Some were thrown in prison. Paul was beat. Paul was stoned. Paul didn't know where to sleep sometimes. Spending a couple nights in the open sea. That's trouble. None of us spend a night in the open sea, most likely. Well, I mean, if you're the choices of God's servant and you're writing most of the New Testament, why are you going through all of that? Because man is born to trouble and God uses trouble. And if you don't rightly understand trouble, when you get to the end of your life, you can be mean-spirited, cynical. You could drop out of serving God because you didn't know how to deal with trouble. I've watched this happen. Some ministers have trouble. Christians have trouble. It sanctifies them. It works patience, as the Bible says. Difficulties make them stronger. Other people say, where's God? Or worse, I'm mad at God. I had someone say that in my office about eight months ago. I was just, I got nervous that lightning could just, you know, wipe us both out. I'm mad at God. How'd I be mad at God? He gave you his son. How in the world, after giving you his son, don't you think he's gonna work out all these other things? How about at the end of Romans eight, where Paul says, what can separate us from the love of God? Can tribulation, persecution, fire, the sword? Those things don't sound like a week at Disney World. That sounds like trouble to me. Well, the Bible is just full of references to the fact that just because sin is in the world, man is born into a world with trouble. There's just trouble. There's just trouble. There's all kinds of trouble. And we hide it. And we're dressed nice on Sunday. And we cover up. How you doing? Praise God, God is on the throne. Give me a bump, brother. Come on, God is good. Woo, yeah. And you know what's covering it up? A lot of trouble. I'm not saying walking around depressed. That's not God's will. But we get dishonest with trouble. We get dishonest with it. There's financial trouble. You just lose your job. You just get laid off and lose your job. Just spoke recently with a minister that Pastor Hammond and I are trying to help. He's like eight months behind on his mortgage. He's gonna have to foreclose his house. That's trouble. I can see in his forehead the furrows. That's trouble, financial trouble. We'll weigh you down. Haven't you ever had financial trouble? Anyone here who's ever had strain and trouble and trials financially, just lift your hand. Just lift your hand. Oh, wow. I feel at home now. We're all together, right? But it's hard to even talk about that, honestly. Where's your faith? What do you mean you're in trouble? Just speak to that thing. Oh, take a walk. I'm in trouble. James says, is anybody in trouble? How in the world can God help you until you first admit you're in trouble? Could you explain that to me? We've bought into this positive confession. It's almost Christian science. You create reality by saying words. You don't create anything by just saying words. If you're in trouble, you're in trouble. I remember that guy years and years ago, years ago, when this thing was really crazy about never tell the truth about anything. Just speak words of faith. So this guy had a cold, his nose was running. He was in my office way, way, way back. And he was sniffling and suddenly he sneezed and it really was a mess. Just a mess happened. And I just said, God bless you. And he said, I don't receive that. I said, I just said, God bless you, you sneezed. I did not sneeze. I don't receive that. I'm not sick. I said, well, get a napkin or look in the mirror because you got a mess on your face, son. So there's financial trouble. There's physical trouble. They just take a CAT scan. Whoop, what's that in there? Am I speaking truth here or are you not with me? Is this not real to life? Is the Bible fantasy or is the Bible address real life? Just one thing and life changes. Is anyone in trouble? Let them pray, let them go to God. There's emotional trouble. You can have a wayward child. I was talking with the Isaacs upstairs in my office. There's an old saying, you're only as happy as your saddest child because if you love your children and one child is really going through it, you go through it. How many parents say amen? Is anyone in trouble? Let them pray. Things can happen in life. I knew a good, strong Christian who loved the Lord. His wife, whether it was chemical or demonic or I don't know what it was, just spun out on him, started to hate him, got bitter, full of resentment, and no matter what the guy would do, no matter what he tried, no matter how he tried to apologize, it's just a tornado of a woman. What are you gonna do? You're a Christian. You can't walk out on your wife. You can't divorce your wife, can you? There's no biblical grounds if she's a tornado. There are biblical grounds for divorce, but tornado's not one of them, right? Why are you laughing at me? I'm trying to be serious. Oh, those things don't happen. No, those things are covered up. Most people have wisdom and love the Lord. They're not gonna talk about that that much, but they're going through it. Or you get a job. Someone goes out and works as a missionary. They go to a foreign country and they wanna live for the Lord, and the missionaries that are there who are Christians treat them mean and won't receive them and make them feel. Here they're away from home, they're lonely, and now the only Christians that they're with are treating them mean. That's trouble, mental pressure. I haven't even mentioned satanic attacks. Does the Bible not say, having done everything in the day of evil? What's the day of evil? Satan is always tempting, but remember Jesus? He went into the wilderness for 40 days, 40 nights to be tempted by the devil. You think the devil stopped after that? No, but that was an extensive focused time of temptation, and we go through that as believers. Now, Satan can't get to you unless God permits, but God permits some real attacks. For example, if you think, like I thought growing up, oh, someone's in trouble, they must've done something. How about Job? God was boasting how godly Job was. God was saying to Satan, look, look at my servant Job, and then the bottom fell out. You and I never understand all the troubles that hit us. Until we see the Lord, we're not gonna understand it. We're just to hold together and to pray, and to believe God, but how many already know right now, you're gonna have questions when you see the Lord? Come on, lift up your hand. Come on, lift them up high. Like, what was that about, right? Okay? Just today, a precious sister in the church I'm praying with, someone I love a lot. Her mother died recently. Now, her aunt just passed away in the last two days, and her brother, who's not well in his mind, he just got tossed out of where he was. He's gonna be in a shelter. When they went to clean out the apartment, there's all spiders and roaches and every kind of thing just living crazy, and that's your own flesh and blood. Oh, listen, it goes on and on. That's trouble, that's trouble. James is honest. Anybody in trouble? Let him pray. Anybody happy? It's all going good? God is just pouring one blessing on another? Then open your mouth and sing praises to God. But listen, if you're not in trouble now, you will be in trouble soon. Why are you laughing at? I'm saying serious things here. And if you're in trouble now, the word is for all of us, here's the antidote to it all. Anyone in trouble? Let him pray. Let him pray. You would think we would be praying all the time. See, the instinct in the Bible was this. Trouble, pray. In the day of trouble, call upon me. Go home, get a concordance of the Bible, and just look up every time there's trouble or afflicted in the Bible, and see if it's not some of God's choices, saints, and see if there's nothing that precedes it. Now, sometimes are we the cause of our own trouble? Oh, yeah. We get trouble sometimes with the law of sowing and reaping, you know? Some lady just runs her mouth to people about her own friends, and then the word gets back to the friend. Now she's in trouble because she got nailed for talking. So she can't blame anyone but herself, right? Then there's troubles that come from other people. Other people can bring trouble into you. People can lie about you, falsely accuse you. Well, Jesus on my side. It still hurts. Am I right or wrong here, ladies and gentlemen? This is, what we're doing is Fulton Street real talk. This is real talk from the book of James. I know another minister, served God now for decades and decades, precious wife. So their granddaughter marries a guy, and they love their grandkids. And then the guy who went to seminary, I think, gets involved in some really nasty stuff, and the FBI knocks on the door one day, and he's in the slammer. Now who's gonna take care of the two or three children they have? That's trouble. Not just for the person who did it, that's trouble for a family. Am I correct? Why, you wouldn't pull together for your children? I would. Can happen outside, and it can happen at any moment. Every day we walk out, we don't know what a day will bring. Come on, do I get an amen? We don't know what a day will bring. And you're gonna say, yeah, but his mercies are new every day. I'm down for that. I am down for that. His mercies are new every day. And God is faithful. But notice the reality of trouble. In fact, it's God's servant. So let me close with that. It's God's servant called trouble. And most of us don't see it as God's servant. We just wanna run from it, disown it, deny it, get involved in some kind of mental gymnastics. But life can hurt sometimes. Life can hurt. James says, is any of you in trouble? Let him pray. Is anybody in trouble? Let him pray. Notice the answer, the simple formula James has, which we miss out on. Instead of running to God in trouble, we call friends, anyone we can find. We lament it, we get rancor, we why me? And James says, no, the answer is, the minute trouble hits you, listen, look at me, everyone. The minute trouble hits us, it's a messenger from Jesus to say to me, pray, bring me your trouble. Bring me your trouble. I possibly sent the trouble. Because I see you wandering off, and you got your mind on all kinds of crazy things. You lost your first love. You used to serve me. Just every day you couldn't live without that word. Now you don't even pick up the word. So to get your attention, so I sent a little trouble. But come to me so I can explain the trouble and talk to you about the trouble. Or I permitted the trouble. See, God is amazing that he can take even satanic attacks which bring trouble, and if we give it to him, he can turn it and work it so that we can say, all things work together for good to them that love God. Even Satan's attack. So what does God do when we run to him in prayer? Notice, I'm not talking about petitioning now only. I'm not talking about just, God, I need this. God, you see that. God, I gotta tell you about this. I'm talking about that you just get in God's presence, and you sit or you kneel, and you just say, God, I'm in trouble. Satan's won some victories in my life. This temptation is too much for me. Or I can't let go of that bitterness. I'll never forgive him or her for doing that. I'm in trouble. In the invisible world that God, you and I know about, people can't see it. It's not going good for me right now. And then after you talk to him, just to wait in his presence. Because God brings comfort when we're in trouble. You don't need a shrink, you need God. Start with God. Because a lot of trouble leaves scar tissue, and nobody can heal the scar tissue, the scars, but God, Jesus. That's why he says, anyone in trouble, let them pray. Get to God, let him start now ministering to you. He's either gonna take you out of the trouble, or he's gonna bring you through the trouble. And you'll be better off for it. But without God, a lot of bad things could happen. Lot of bad things could happen. No, God is on the throne. I know God is on the throne, but bad things can happen if you don't bring trouble to God. Look at the stories in the Bible. Some people were sanctified by trouble, made them closer to God. Other people, oh God, where's God? And then they spin out. Where's God, why am I going through this? And now they're bitter with God. They start to grumble. Remember the Israelites? God permitted trouble to come their way. He brought them to a place called Marah, where the water was bitter. And instead of saying, wait a minute, God delivered us out of Egypt, he's gonna take care of us. Right now it's a little bitter, but he'll see us through. No, they started to complain and murmur, and they never made it to the promised land because of trouble. Trouble is either the making or the downfall of most people. And let me assure you this lesson. You learn much more about God when you're in trouble than you do when you're blessed. What do you learn when you're blessed? You learn that God is good, and God is merciful. Oh, that's about it. But in trouble, oh, he's patient. He can touch you where no one else can touch you. You know, somebody here today up in the balcony, you got such a pain and an ache in your heart, and no one can get there and bring healing but the Lord. You gotta pray. That's why Satan loves to block prayer meetings and personal times of prayer. He doesn't want us to sit in God's presence where so many things get worked out. God, I said what I said. You know the trouble I'm in, so I'm just gonna sit in your presence and worship you now. You see I'm worshiping you through tears, but I'm gonna worship you because you're worthy to be worshiped. But it hurts, God, and I don't understand it right now. Anyone in trouble, let them pray. God brings comfort. God brings healing. God brings miracles. God brings grace. So let me just close by saying this. I said to you that trouble is God's choice servant. Here are the two things that God uses trouble to do. Number one, very important. Trouble shows and reminds us and convinces us daily how helpless we are without the Lord. You know, we can really get full of ourselves. And somebody here, you know, things are working out and you start to strut. You put your swag on and you think you're so bad. And in a second, God can remind you that you're hanging by a thread. Am I right or wrong here? Can I get an amen? Just in a second. Why is that important? Pastor Simba, that doesn't sound important to me. It is important. You know why? Helplessness brings humility. And God resists the proud. He gives grace to the humble. So if God wants to bless you, he has to get you and I off our high horse. And he uses trouble to bring us down where he can bless us. Like Charles Spurgeon said, the best wine is kept in the lowest part of the cellar. And that's where God has to bring us. Because we're naturally all proud. But oh, trouble just, ooh. You go from oh yeah, yeah, to help me Jesus. Oh yeah, Lord help me. Can it happen that quick? I'm remembering when my oldest girl was away from the Lord. You know, she just wrote a book called Girl in the Song. She's gonna come here in August. I had never heard her story publicly and I couldn't read the book all the way through. I don't want you to miss her when she comes. She's gonna come at three o'clock. And she never has shared here where it all happened. I couldn't read through the book. They sent me galleys so I could look at it. Carol read through it. I read through what I could. But other parts, too painful. Too much trouble. I couldn't go back there. But boy, for two and a half years, I was so helpless. I was so needing God. And that's the best place to be, needing God. Not walking around with a strut, but just help me Lord today. Give me this day my daily bread. Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against God. Just help me through another day. When you're in trouble, you start living day at a time. When you're not in trouble, yeah, next year, five years. I got a two year plan. And you're a little troubled, just oh Jesus, help me get through today. Just help me. And you get humbled. We're all proud. Proud preachers, proud Christians, proud musicians, proud whatever. It's just pride pulls onto us like oil. Secondly, and lastly, nothing teaches us to pray and brings us to the throne of grace like trouble. Men and women who have been greatly used by God have been forged in prayer through the fire that God permitted to make us what he wants us to be. See, God's got a big plan for all of us. He wants to use us to represent him. How in the world am I gonna help somebody in trouble if I never went through trouble myself? The whole thing, the whole world has trouble. Internationally, nationally, Greece, the UN, the economy, whatever, racial tension in our country. Everything is a mess full of trouble. How in the world can I reach and have compassion on someone unless I've been there? And God brought me through. And now I can say, you're not gonna die, you're gonna live. God's gonna bring you out of that trouble. He's gonna bring you through it. You're gonna have a testimony. Well how do you know, Pastor? Because let me tell you. Some through the fire, some through the flood. But God's gonna bring you through. I know it not just because it's a verse. I saw the verse in my own life. I drew near to God and guess what? He drew near to me. Let's close our eyes. No need to rush now. Anybody in trouble? I mean real trouble. Invisible trouble, financial, physical, family, emotional. At a certain time back then when my daughter was away and my wife had female surgery and had no estrogen in her and was just going off, talking about not wanting to live anymore and taking her life, I got to the place where I couldn't even answer a phone. My nerves were just, oh, trouble. Trouble everywhere. Trouble on the left, trouble on the right. And all I had was to run to God. So if anybody's here, we all go through troubles, but I'm talking about trouble with a capital T. Some kind. Just stand up. Stand up. This is for all of us because we all go through these times, but God brought you here today and this message was for you. You're in trouble of some kind. It's hard, hard, painful. Right now, very difficult to stand where you are. It's not a sign of weakness. Some of you are saying your pride's getting the best of you. And you're saying, no, people might see I'm in trouble. Hey, listen, the Apostle Paul was in trouble. Job was in trouble. David was in trouble. Everyone's been in trouble. There are seasons of life that are difficult. And God says, when anybody in trouble, let them pray and let them minister. Who's worth his salt. He can find one here, hopefully in me. Let him help you to pray. Everyone who's standing, come quick to the front. Walk to the front. Spiritual trouble. Demonic attack trouble. Family trouble. Mental trouble. Emotional trouble. Physical trouble. Lack of money trouble. Too many bills trouble. No wonder he said, my house shall be called a house of prayer. Because he knew, as he said to his disciples, in this world, you will have trouble. But don't be afraid, I have overcome the world. Jesus is gonna bring you through or out of your trouble. You're gonna come through shining. You're gonna come through strong, more mature. You're gonna be a blessing to other people now. Because no trouble can come unless God permits it. Lord, I thank you for that verse in James. It's so true. Your word is truth. And you're gonna help us in our trouble. You're gonna give us joy in our trouble. We're gonna be more than conquerors in our trouble. We're gonna sing at midnight in a prison cell with Paul and Silas. I wanna help someone out of your trouble. One trouble, the ultimate trouble, is that you're here and you're not a Christian. Now that is real trouble. No, that's not like the trouble is anyone in trouble, let him pray. That's real trouble. So I wanna help you become a Christian right now. It can happen right now. All you have to do is confess your sins, and I'm gonna help you do that, and then put your faith in Jesus. Not in the Brooklyn Tabernacle, not in Protestantism, Catholicism, some minister, some priest, no. Put your faith in Jesus, that he died for you 2,000 years ago, that he's the son of God and he rose from the dead. Everybody in the building, pray after me. Dear God. Dear God. Forgive me for my sins. Forgive me for my sins. I confess them openly to you. Thank you for loving me. Thank you for loving me. When you died on the cross. When you died on the cross. You were the sacrifice for my sins. You were the sacrifice for my sins. You paid the price for me. You paid the price for me. And I say thank you. And I say thank you. And I praise you. And I praise you. And I trust you. And I trust you. Wash away my sins. Wash away my sins. Wash away the guilt. Wash away the guilt. Give me a new beginning. Give me a new beginning. Come and live in my heart. Come and live in my heart. I give you my life. I believe that you are Jesus. The son of the living God. I believe in my heart and I confess with my mouth and I confess with my mouth that you were raised from the dead. that you were raised from the dead. Thank you, Lord. Thank you, Lord. And now for the rest of us. Repeat after me. Dear God. Dear God. I give you my trouble. too much Too much Use it for your glory Give me comfort Take away the pain Even give me joy in the midst of my trouble Use it for my good Strengthen my faith Help me to mature. I don't want to be a baby I want to grow up, and be the person you want me to be. So I praise you today. Give me wisdom. Give me understanding. But I give you my trouble, and I pray to you. Teach me to pray every day. Make me a person of prayer. And now help us to say something kind and loving to the people we hug. We close this meeting in Jesus' name. And everyone said. Amen. Now let's hug one another, and say something good to someone, okay?