Do you ever wonder why our Lord Jesus Christ had a special love for kids? Whether it's a sign of getting older, I don't know, but I find myself more just watching kids and their boundless energy. I suppose I'm talking of younger kids now. You know, you see them, I don't know, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, but they're full of optimism. And, you know, they bound around and life is all ahead of them. Then they grow up and grow old. And life has a habit of kicking the stuffing out of us, doesn't it? Do you think about when you're kids now, do you just think, you play all day, I know there's no responsibilities, you know, all you've got to do is eat and sleep and be naughty, things like that. But life goes by and there's still the kid inside of us, isn't there? I told you this morning my ridiculous attempt to play football on camp a couple of weeks ago. What was I thinking? A man in his seventies? Anyway, there you go. But I thought for a moment, I was young. Your mind thinks, like, we're still boys, we're still kids. And then you try and run. You know? But life sucks at times, doesn't it? When you're young, you write your plans of how life is going to go, and then, one by one, dreams are shattered. For various reasons, but that is life. And it strikes me how many older young people, teens, twenties, are suffering from incredible anxiety and depression. We're living in a world of tremendous pressures. And people my age can think back to when life was a lot simpler. Now, it wasn't the good old days. We don't want to get in that syndrome. But life was simpler. The pressures on a young generation are immense. They're becoming old much too soon. But life is tough. And you don't have to be very old to cry and weep and feel sad. And times of pressure and crisis, maybe talking to us older ones now, they're inevitable. They're unavoidable. When crises come in life, I think two major things happen. Firstly, we lose perspective. And then secondly, we gain anxiety and fear. those two things happen. And even if we're Christians, even if we know we have these wonderful hopes that we've been praying about, you know, life just comes upon us, a crisis happens, and we lose perspective, we lose the big picture, and we're filled with anxiety and fear. We'll be looking at 2 Kings 6 tonight. And we're going to see a time of crisis, but how eyes were opened to the spiritual world. This is our greatest need, to have our eyes open, continually open, to the spiritual world, to keep perspective. Now, these are the times of Elijah the prophet. israel was in a dreadful state of great apostasy and the king is joram or you might have jehoram depending on your translation he's the king of israel not to be confused with with king joram jehoram of judah of the south they were around at the same time so that can be confusing but this is around 850 bc as i say um turbulent times israel in a in a real mess through their through their sin And now this Joram now, 2 Kings 6, he's the son of the evil king Ahab. Ahab, his wife Jezebel. And Joram has many of his father's traits. His father was wicked, but at times could be quite pleasant. He was godless, but at times could be religious. He could blow hot and cold. James, in his epistle, speaks about the double-minded man who is unstable in all he does. This was Joram, a double-minded kind of character, even capable of murder at times, and yet quite pleasant as well. Well anyway, Elijah of course, he's center stage here. This is God's faithful servant at a time of national crisis and apostasy and Elijah succeeded the mighty Elijah and quite different to his mentor. It's amazing how personalities differ. Elijah, solitary, a John the Baptist kind of character. Elisha, a farm boy, reserved, more sociable, light company. We see him hanging out, before this, with the sons of the prophets. There were these bands of young men who were under prophetic oversight, receiving training. being trained up for ministry and we see Elisha sort of hanging out with them and saving them for food poisoning, just before this, receiving a sunken axe head from the water, but Elijah was a man who was under the tutelage of Elijah. Elijah was a powerful man and yet a man of light passions. We see him cowering under a tree after his mighty acts on Mount Carmel. He's running from Jezebel and so he was, you know, he was a human being. These weren't supermen. But as I say, their personalities were very different. So is Elisha, he's more sociable, he's more reserved, and we might even say he was shy. But he served as an apprentice for four years under Elijah. And I think apprenticeship's a good thing, just on a human level now, I don't know if you've ever been in an apprenticeship. It's a good way to learn the trade, a neglected means of learning, I think, you know, so he did a push through someone through a course of study without the actual, you know, feet on the ground kind of thing. But here is Elisha, so he observed Elijah, but he's very different, I think, from a preaching point of view, this always fascinated me, the different kinds of personalities and approaches, the same message, and Colin mentioned my involvement with the Open Air Mission, and if you were to go on an Open Air Mission team event, you would see all these different men, different sizes, backgrounds, accents, personalities, but with one message. And that in itself is a tremendous witness. We know the cults are clones, aren't they? They're sent out with this clone-like message. Whereas you get gospel preachers and their different characters and personalities are preaching that same message. The church, the body of Christ, made up of different, you know, parts and yet that one body and it's that diversity but unity, something to not to divide over, but to rejoice over. So anyway, that's Elijah, very different to Elijah, but he was God's man for the hour. I don't want to go off on a tangent, but I find that fascinating, that God raises up people for the hour, doesn't he? Do you ever find yourself daydreaming, thinking, I wish I lived in another era? Which is your favorite era? But no, we're here! We're here now! You are God's person for this moment! He didn't think, well, what, me? Yes, you! You know, God has placed us where you are. This is Providence putting you where you are right at this time. And in that specific mission field where you are now, that group of people around you, you are God's person in your situation for now. There's a great peace in that. You know, instead of longing to be in a different place, at a different era no, we're realists as Christians, we recognize that the Sovereign God has placed us right here, right now in Britain, right now, for this hour God knows what He's doing and we feel our weakness and that's okay because it's never been easy being God's person for the hour and Elisha was the right person for this time here Now, the context here is a war between this Syrian king, you might have the king of Aram, and the king of Israel. This is from verse 8, we're looking at here. Now, there's a problem, is that there's an informant. The Syrian king, he's making all these battle plans against Israel, but his plans are being leaked. Somehow he thinks, well there must be a spy, there's a mole here somewhere. And yet no idea that this Elisha has the ability to know what's going on right in this king's room. But the truth leaks out, we're not told how, but they find out that the culprit is Elisha the prophet. So, what's the solution? Well, eliminate him. Let's pluck out a couple of verses. Maybe verse 13. Maybe verse 12. One of his servants said, Know my lord, O king, Elisha the prophet, who is in Israel, tells the king of Israel the words that you speak in your bedroom. So he said, Go and see where he is, that I may send and get him. And it was told him, saying, surely he is in Dothan. Actually, I find it a bit ridiculous, because surely that Joram would guess that if Elisha can hear my plans, he'll hear this one too. You know, it's ridiculous, isn't it? Go and get him. Will he hear that? Oh, sorry. You know. But anyway, let's not go far down that line. but that's his plan anyway, let's go and get Elisha, he's the troublemaker he's the one causing all of the problems and so we see then this crisis and this ensuing panic verse fourteen therefore he sent horses and chariots and a great army there and they came by night and surrounded the city and when the servant of the man of God arose early and went out there was an army surrounding the city with horses and chariots And his servant said to him, Alas, my master, what shall we do? So that's the crisis. They're surrounded by the enemy. They're trapped in Dothan. They're surrounded by the enemy. There is no way out. Everything seems absolutely hopeless. And then there's this panic that is evident here in Elisha's servant's heart. But it's easy, I don't know if you find yourself guilty, you're reading through the scriptures and you're saying to people, why don't they just get a grip? Why don't they just exercise faith? But we know very well, when we're in a tight situation, it's another thing altogether, isn't it? When we're in a crisis, it just overwhelms us at times. And as I say, we lose perspective, and all we can see is the problem. You know what I'm saying, don't you? We've all had those times where we're in this situation, and there is no way out. Humanly speaking, it is impossible. I can think of a number of situations, but maybe my greatest situation is in my alcoholic days. Looking back, God brought me to the end of myself, really, but it was though I could see no way out. I had, there was a three-fold grip on my life. I loved the flavor of drink. I loved being drunk. I loved being with drunkards. My poor wife, Gwen, would say, Mike, you know, why didn't you go to Alcoholics Anonymous? And I said, well, they'll tell me to stop drinking, won't they? And she says, well, yes. I can't, I won't. It was an impossible situation, and getting worse. I didn't like letting my wife and kids down, I didn't like being a lousy dad, I didn't like being a lousy husband, I didn't like letting my colleagues down. If you know any addicts, in the end, you just end up trapped. At times I could see, thinking of this situation, I could just see this black cell In my mind, this black, round cell, but with no doors. Absolutely impossible. To one day, it was as though the door swung open through Jesus Christ. I went out. My chains fell off. My heart was free. I rose, went forth, and followed Thee. See, God is the great deliverer, isn't He? No situation is hopeless. Now, we all say in our hearts, at least, Amen. But I, at times, have to remind myself, Mike Mellor, why are you worrying? Why don't you think back to that deliverance? And we've all had deliverances, haven't we? Can't we all point back to times when God came in? And yet, somehow, we sort of push them aside. where we need to feed on them and say, what God has done, He can do again. And if it's not our deliverance, it's the deliverance of another. And the Bible's full of them. And Jesus is the great Deliverer. He's the one who came into the world to deal with sin, with Satan, with death. All the things that we can't deal with, He came to do. The mighty Christ, the mighty Deliverer. So here's a situation now, and it's a situation of absolute panic. And if you're of a certain age, you'll hear a certain Scotsman saying, You know, in Delta Army, there's that character, you know, and, er, but there are those people in the church who say, oh, we're doomed. They might, oh, sorry, Bush, but, er, ha, ha, but you are, your accent let up. But there might be English people saying, we're doomed, we are doomed, ha, ha, ha. But they wouldn't put it into words, because we're Christians, we don't, but there's that feeling of doom in our heart, isn't there? Oh, heck, there's no way out of this. And I believe the greatest enemy, our greatest enemy in times like that, if we're Christians, is unbelief. Unbelief. It paralyzes us and strips us of all hope. A.W. Pink, the Christian writer, speaking about unbelief, he spoke about the tendency of the human heart to distrust God, and it would rather lean on a cobweb of human resources than upon the arm of an omnipotent or wise, infinitely gracious God. know that we would rather have a cobra we can see than the invisible gold we can't see. It is unbelief, failing to believe that God can come into our situation. We always prefer to walk by sight and not by faith. I don't know if you've ever read any of a man called F. W. Krumarker. Good strong Reformed theology, but with this poetic mind. There's a wonderful book called The Suffering Saviour, wonderful book, but anyway, but he has the ability to just put things beautifully, and he pictures unbelief like this. he says unbelief makes the world a moral desert where no divine footsteps are heard where no angels ascend and descend where no living hand adorns the fields feed the birds or governs events in other words, we're seeing miracles all around, aren't we? the birds in Colin's garden, these beautiful birds were coming and wow, look at these creatures the beautiful colors, the design And that great moon, did you see that moon that we had recently? I don't know if you've had it where we, but we had this massive, some people were saying, is it the sun? There were people down on the coast at Bournemouth, they went, is that the, it was the moon, this massive, great, we're seeing miracles all the time. But as Krugmacher says here, you know, we live in this moral desert, there's no divine footsteps heard, no angels. We don't see the living hand that adorns the fields, feed the birds, or governs events. So it's unbelief that we don't see this as God's world. And God's, you know, we look at our world today and we think, oh, what's happening? But anyway, it's unbelief. But there's this great revelation we come to now, verse 16. So here's the panicking servant, and asked my master, what shall we do? So Elisha answered, do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them. and Elisha prayed and said Lord I pray open his eyes that he may see then the Lord opened the eyes of the young man and he saw and behold the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha notice what Elisha says firstly he says you see His first words are, don't be afraid. Don't be afraid. I don't know how many times a similar phrase appears in Scripture. You know, fear not. Someone said there are 365. Well, one for each day of the year. Maybe, I don't know, a bit too convenient, but there's a load, isn't there? You know, how many fear nots, how many times does God tell us not to be afraid? Well, he knows what we're like, doesn't he? That's why there are so many. I love that account in one of the Gospels where here's the Lord Jesus and Jairus, the synagogue ruler, has beckoned him to come to his daughter who's dying. And remember how on the way there, there were all these interruptions, we might call them, but no, there were the Lord that deals with this person, but that person, all the time, the time is ticking by, and his daughter is at home dying, and when they eventually get near to the house of Jairus, the synagogue ruler, that very helpful, kind soul comes out and says, don't bother the teacher anymore, she's dead. Heartless. And what does the Lord say? He says, don't be afraid, just believe. Wow, what a difference. And then those lovely words, little girl, I say to you, arise. Here's the Lord of glory. Here's the Lord of life. Gives the word. And so when the Lord tells us not to be afraid, there's always a good reason why we shouldn't be afraid. I said this morning that sometimes people in the world say, don't be afraid, you know, cheer up, but give us no reason. But when the Lord says, don't be afraid, then we can believe Him. And so here we are, in a time of crisis. They can vary, can't they, when we go through this world. And you're in trouble. Very different to here, of course, but you're sick, you're, you're broke, you're you're rejected, you're afraid, I don't know, what is it? There are different things, there are different people there. It's a time of crisis. But we have those two little words, but God, in the Bible, don't we? Here's the problem. but God. If you're a Christian, then you can take those words. Actually, if you're not a Christian, you might be like me, although you're not an alcoholic, you're in that dark cell. You don't know Jesus Christ. You know about God, you know certain things, but you don't know that your sins are forgiven. Talking about delighting in Jesus, you're thinking, well, I don't know him, I don't love him. Well, this is for you. Because these are eyes being opened, the blindness being dealt with here. Because that's what Elisha goes on to say. Elisha says, those who are with us are greater than those who are with them. Now, it's easy to say, okay, that's a great thing to say, Elisha, but I don't get it, I don't see it. You're talking about things I don't know. But then he prays, doesn't he, in verse 17? Lord, I pray, open his eyes that he may see. We're talking about the supernatural here, aren't we? Christianity is a supernatural thing. And, you know, we sometimes think, if we're Christians, why don't people get it? Well, of course they don't get it. They're blind. The Bible says they're dead. The person without Christ is dead in trespasses and sins. They don't get it. The number of times poor Gwen tried to get me to a church in the past and dragged me in. I remember on one occasion sitting on this pew and there was a row of nice elderly ladies on the row in front and I was breathing these awful beer fumes all over them, you know, and they were turning around, you know. But I didn't get it. I didn't want to go to church. I had no interest in church. I didn't want to read the Bible. I had no interest in the Bible. But Gwen cried out to God. Even before she was a Christian. That's the wonderful thing. God is so gracious. We were both in darkness. Not that she was an alcoholic. But God comes and he opens blind eyes. Paul mentions it in 2 Corinthians 4. The same God who spoke and there was light and there was creation that same God speaks into human hearts maybe that's you tonight maybe you're thinking well you know these things are unreal to me well pray Lord open my eyes that I may behold wondrous things in your word in your law Lord open my eyes that I might see the beauty of Jesus open my eyes that I might see that's a great prayer you'll answer that If you ask that with all your heart, Lord, forgive me, I've been so blind, so stupid, so bad, so sinful. Lord, open my eyes, that I might see the glory of Jesus Christ. It's astounding. When God opened my eyes, my first thought is, well, why? Why a rotten person like me? And yet, Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. Isn't that a wonderful thing? If it said, Christ Jesus came into the world to save nice people, you know, well that would narrow it down a bit, because there aren't any. But, well, shall I say this? Okay. Nice people, horrible people like me, they get it. But we got people, we met up with some of our family yesterday, and one of our, one of my nieces, she is so, so nice. and yet isn't it hard for a nice person to see how rotten they are? Maybe that's you, you're such a nice person, everyone speaks so well of you and yet we need to see, we need a revelation from God to see really how rotten we are and yet how much Christ has loved us and died for us and could open our eyes to see Him as our Saviour well here we go, so here's Elisha's sermon and his eyes are opened and what he sees is actually God's on our side, yeah, humanly speaking we're surrounded by this massive army we're doomed, there's no hope here but when his eyes are opened he sees actually God is with us and there are more with us than there are with them so perspective comes in and it's often said one with God is a majority one person with God you know in these days now we're living in this awful nation aren't we? what we have become And yet we can be, I think as Christians, go into kind of a siege mode. We're not in Dothan, but we can get into our little, little siege mode, the poor little us. You know, we are this hopeless, helpless minority. And this is the work of the devil to make us think that we've had it. You know, the whole, the powerful ungodly world is going to overwhelm us, which is ridiculous. Jesus Christ will build his church. The gates of hell will not prevail against it. And this is God's will. God is calling the shots. The sun will rise tomorrow morning only for one reason. Not that Alan Sugar can make another million. Not that Man City can win another Premier League title. If the sun rises tomorrow, it's because Jesus Christ is still to save. No other reason, it's God's world going on for His purposes. But we have an enemy that makes us think, poor little us, here we are, little bunch of Christians, what can we do? You know, I don't know if you find yourself watching the BBC, I don't know why we do it, but it gives the impression that everyone is either for the gay cause or for the trans cause and we tend to think there is this massive enemy and we are a little helpless minority we need to get things in perspective and to see that the gospel is the power of God unto salvation and that the church has all these resources so God can come into our situation And so, this is the trouble with this servant here. He needed his eyes open to see that those with us are more than those who are with them. And if God is for us, that's the Romans passage, if God is for us, who can be against us? Well, let's just move on quickly, because his eyes are open to spiritual realities. And this is the work of the Holy Spirit, we have got to say that. You know, we're in our fear, in our panic, but this revelation comes, and then we begin to get things in perspective. Then we begin to see things as they really are, that God really is in control, and we have no need to worry. So what am I saying? Well, I think it's the danger that we forget the supernatural dimension to our faith. I think there's a reason for that, I think we're in that group of people that we see the wacky squad over here, you know, and we don't want to be like them, they're weird! But we retreat over here, and we're very, we're very sound, we're very reformed, but we've lost something. We've lost the expectancy that God can break into our situation, as individuals, as a church. And we're so afraid of the wackies that we become the ultra-safe group. And we've lost something. This isn't New Testament Christianity. I know it's walking a knife edge. But unless we have that dimension, we begin to be rationalists. We're no better than the liberals who edit out all the miraculous from the Bible. now especially in the context here which is about angels and that's what we're looking at here this this was and again we've got to be careful here and please don't misunderstand me but his eyes were open to see angelic ministry now we're we're not saying this is always the norm but this is the possibility of angelic ministry for the saints i think it's a great study in itself just just to look at the Lord Jesus and angelic ministry in his life, you know, especially we see his birth surrounded by angelic visitors and announcements. We see him tempted by Satan at the start of his ministry. In Matthew 4.11 we're told angels attended and ministered to him. We see Gethsemane and the disciples were sleeping but we read that an angel appeared and strengthened him. The cross is remarkable. It's here that he refuses heavenly aid. As they come to seize him and prove He seems powerless, doesn't he? The Lord seems powerless. But he says, do you not think I can call on my Father and He will at once put at my disposal twelve legions of angels? That's a lot of angels. Computed, 72,000. If there's 6,000 in a Roman legion, you're talking about 72,000 mighty angels. But no. The resurrection, of course, the angels appear at the tomb. He's not here, he's risen. The ascension, just after the Lord ascends into heaven. There's a disciple sort of saying so many words, what are we going to do now? You know. And men of Galilee, why are you gazing up into the sky? This same Jesus will return in the same way that you've seen Him go. and of course at his glorious return he'll come with his father's glory and all the angels with him. So here are these magnificent, obedient servants of God, these angels, and there are myriads of angels when you look to Revelation, we're told, and here they are, but they are active, they long to look in as the Gospels preach, they marvel when the Gospels preach. But why on earth did He come? Why did the Lord of Glory come for this bunch of rotters? You know, they look at us, and we are the redeemed, and angels love to look in at the gospel, and no doubt there's angelic viewing at our services. I did read a bit of Psalm 34 at the start, and verse 7, the angel of the Lord, what does the angel of the Lord do? Encamps all around those who fear him, and delivers them. there was that deliverance that that that ministry or or Hebrews in Hebrews 1 we get that lovely chapter where the the writer is saying how superior Christ is to the angel he's not an angel he's the eternal son of God but then it closes with that tremendous rhetoric question Hebrews 1 14 Are they not all ministering spirits? Talking of the angels now. Are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to minister for those who will inherit salvation? That's the Lord's people. So there is that mysterious angelic ministry that we read about there. So angels are unseen but they're not inactive. It's good to bring in a heavy to back you up now and then. John Calwin in his Institutes speak about angelic ministry. He says, angels are the dispensers and administrators of the divine beneficence towards us, Christians. They regard our safety, undertake our defense, direct our ways, and exercise a constant solicitude that no evil befalls us. so in other words there were probably times when we'd been deliberate and not even aware of it and uh... so given to our encouragement here I remember hearing um... Stuart Olliot's sermon a little while back and he was saying the next time you fly remember that there'll be angels traveling the same speed as your plane so We can be weird over this, but we can rob ourselves of just the fact that God is our guardian. He doesn't always promise to deliver us, but maybe sometimes He might be. I said this morning, I love Christian biography. I don't know if you've ever read John Patton. He was a pioneer missionary to the New Hebrides in the 19th century. Thrilling account. I mean, he was up against it. He went to reach the cannibals. It really is hairy stuff. But his biography tells a thrilling story about how there is this angelic intervention one night. And these were hostile natives. I mean, they would cook and eat people they didn't like very much. So they wanted to harm people. So this wasn't popping down to the supermarket and hoping no one hurts you kind of thing. This was maybe an extreme case. But Patton speaks about this night and it was just he and his wife were alone in the missionary headquarters. but they find themselves surrounded by these hostile natives. So, they're up praying all through that night for God to deliver them. Anyway, it was a long night, but in the morning they look out through their shutters and they see that the whole lot have gone. Now, a year later, the chief of this cannibal tribe is converted. And so they're talking, and so Patton says to this chief, he said, on that night when you surrounded us, why on earth didn't you just take us and kill us? Only my wife and I were there. And the chief said this, he said that, well we would have, but who were those hundreds of big men in shining garments that surrounded you? And Patton could only presume that there was angelic protection that night. Well, I'm not saying that we should pray for visions all the time, but what I am saying is, is it unreasonable to think that God can protect us, break into our situation, and maybe even deliver us, even when we're not asking, even when we're not expecting? just maybe one more account. Professor John Murray, perhaps the greatest theologian of the 20th century, author, professor at Westminster Theological Seminary, He was traveling on his way to speak at a conference. Now, this is what all preachers do. You're thinking about what you're going to say. You're not concentrating on the driving as much as you should. So here's Professor Murray, and he's on his way. And he doesn't realize he's come to this crossroads, doesn't stop, and there's this car flashes in front of him. And the car just screeches to a halt like this. Both men get out, shaken. And the man in the other car said, well, if you hadn't braked, that would have been fatal. Professor Murray goes completely pale and says, I didn't brake. But his car came to a screeching halt, and he could only presume that there was an angelic protection that night. Well, we just need to be reminded that we belong to the God of the universe. And he doesn't always deliver. And in this moment, some Christians are dying for their faith. Others are being delivered. Peter rescued from prison. Others are killed in prison. It's mysterious. We pray for healing. Some are healed in answer to our prayers. Others are not. We don't know why. But we should have expectancy, shouldn't we? That our God is going to deliver, that our God is going to deliver our nation that our God is going to save people we love let me just finish with this it's a lovely end we don't have a lot of time but let me just finish with this this tremendous conclusion here because what happens next is that Elisha prays after having that God would open the eyes of his servant he prays he would close the eyes of those who surrounded Dothan and now I don't think they're completely blinded here because he leads them so he's leading this great army so they must the vision must be clouded but they have enough sight obviously to follow Elisha and he leads them right into the heart of Samaria, the capital city of Israel, where there'll be the total mercy of the Israelites. Now, Joram, knowing the king here, he no doubt would have wiped out the helpless army. No two ways about it. They got their comeuppance. But instead, Elisha lays on a feast and sends them home. verse 23 then he prepared a great feast for them and after they ate and drank he sent them away and they went to their master so the bands of Syrian raiders came no more to the land of Israel it's a great triumph of grace God coming in and not giving them what they deserved, but treating them with kindness and with grace, sending them home, and it diffused the situation and there were no more wars there. There's something tremendously disarming about grace, isn't there? and uh... you know we we we go the second mile we we turn the other cheek you know as Christians we we we respond in different ways to how people expect us to people are unkind to us you know when we're cursed we bless we we don't want to harm people there is something tremendously disarming at times as Christians if we're honest we feel so weak but it's not by might and it's not by power which is by God's Spirit, isn't it? And maybe tonight you feel absolutely weak and hopeless. For a Christian, that's the place of power. When we are weak, then we're strong. It's the place to be, isn't it? But God is with us, isn't He? God is with you. Christian, God is with you, with you. And He has delivered you He is delivering you and one day you will be completely delivered and taken home. God will finish what He started. He who began the good work in us will bring it to completion. One day we will be completely healed. We will be home in a place of absolute splendor and glory and we'll look back and think Whatever was I worried about? Well, I don't know if we will look back. Who knows what we do in there? But if we could see, oh Christian, if you could see what God has in store for you, we'd have to stop you cartwheeling around the room for joy. No eye has seen, no ear has heard, neither has it entered into the heart of man what God has reserved for those who love Him. Father, our greatest need is to have our eyes opened to the beauty of this world, Lord, just to the beauty of the natural world, what beauty, what miracles we see day by day, beautiful birds, sunsets, sunrises, beautiful flowers, Lord, forgive us when we don't see the unseen hand that orders and sustains all these things. Forgive us, Lord, when we just brush aside all the promises of your words forgive us Lord when we think that you will not deliver us, when we think you're not aware of us, you're not concerned about us, we're unbelief we pray Lord that we'll not doubt you, though we understand very little we understand enough of you lord to fill our hearts with joy and peace so lord will you not do that we pray increase our faith we ask you in jesus name we're going to sing one of my favorite hymns now it's turned to four hundred and uh... This is one of my funeral hymns. I don't know when it is, so I can't let you know. But this is what I've got on order. Great prayer, give me the faith which can remove and sink the mountain. This is the prayer for us in Britain today. Give me the faith which can remove and sink the mountain to a plain. Give me the childlike, praying love, which longs to build thy house again. Thy love, let it my heart or power, and all my simple soul devour. 432 Give me the day which can be moved, and sink the mountains to a plane. I love that in my heart you're kind, And all my sinful soul divine. I want an even stronger desire. I want a loving brother and sister to say, And tell them to have heart, dear God, And quench the wrath in Jesus' name. ♪ And would the precious child we need ♪ ♪ Have longer lived for this our Lord ♪ ♪ To spend and to be spent for them ♪ ♪ Who have not yet come ♪ ♪ My Savior known ♪ ♪ Fully obliged ♪ ♪ My vision proved ♪ ♪ And only bring to me thy love ♪ into thy blessed hands we're seen. And let me live to preach thy word, and let me to thy glory live. sacred tone and strength, in publishing the secret. ♪ Flourish in flame and fill my heart ♪ ♪ With boundless charity divine ♪ ♪ So shall I all my strength exert ♪ ♪ And love them with my heart ♪ A seal like thine, And he bent to thy open sight, Lurching forward their shepherds. Amen. That's it, bro. That's it. We've only got that one. Thank you, Lord, for those lovely words. Thank you, Lord, for the burning heart of Charles Wesley. And yet, Lord, the same flame of your Spirit in the hearts of all your saints through the years. And even our hearts delight, will you not come to us in large in flame and fill our hearts with that boundless heavenly charity We long for that heavenly love. Lord, thank you, it's not of us, it's all of you. Come to us, we pray. Holy Spirit, fill us with the love of Christ, that we might overflow with His love. That's the greatest need of our nation, Lord. Your people are flame of fire. Come, we pray. Open our eyes, and holy flame, fill my heart. Fill our hearts, we pray, because we pray it in Jesus' name. Amen.