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Welcome_Peace_and_Let_Anxiety_Go___Biblical_Meditation_(It_Is_Well) · Abide Meditation App

• 0:15
  Speaker 1: Hello, and welcome to this sleep story from Abide. I'm Tyler.
• 0:23
  Speaker 1: Thanks for joining me tonight, for it is well with
• 0:27
  Speaker 1: my soul. Tonight's story will take us on a journey
• 0:33
  Speaker 1: into deeper peace and deeper sleep as we hear that
• 0:37
  Speaker 1: at all times you and I can say it is
• 0:41
  Speaker 1: well with my soul. Jesus offers us the ability to
• 0:47
  Speaker 1: have peace and our soul even during the storms and
• 0:50
  Speaker 1: turmoil of our lives. A man who slept in the
• 0:57
  Speaker 1: storm and walked on the waves, Jesus himself showed us
• 1:01
  Speaker 1: how a human could overcome fear with an unmovable faith.
• 1:09
  Speaker 1: His faith was built on nothing less than knowing the
• 1:13
  Speaker 1: goodness of his Father and the power and help of
• 1:19
  Speaker 1: the Holy Spirit. This theme can infuse you and me
• 1:28
  Speaker 1: with courage and strength that if our faith is built
• 1:31
  Speaker 1: on Jesus our firm foundation, it can be well with
• 1:36
  Speaker 1: our soul in the storm or in the calm. Our
• 1:45
  Speaker 1: hope is built on Jesus. Our faith is grounded in
• 1:52
  Speaker 1: the Lord. The scripture that will guide our time together
• 1:57
  Speaker 1: is from First Peter one Versus six. In this you
• 2:04
  Speaker 1: greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary,
• 2:09
  Speaker 1: you have been distressed by various trials, so that the
• 2:13
  Speaker 1: proof of your faith, being more precious than gold, which
• 2:16
  Speaker 1: is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found
• 2:21
  Speaker 1: to result in praise and glory and honor at the
• 2:27
  Speaker 1: revelation of Jesus Christ. We will let this scripture come
• 2:34
  Speaker 1: to life tonight as we meditate on what it is
• 2:38
  Speaker 1: to be solidly built on Jesus our rock, and will
• 2:44
  Speaker 1: be hearing the lyrics of the hymn It is Well
• 2:47
  Speaker 1: with my soul, hened by Horatio Stafford, And as always,
• 2:57
  Speaker 1: will first prepare our bodies for sleep and get ourselves
• 3:01
  Speaker 1: into the optimal state to receive the love and peace
• 3:07
  Speaker 1: of Jesus. He has given us his precious Holy Spirit,
• 3:14
  Speaker 1: one of the greatest gifts he could ever give us,
• 3:17
  Speaker 1: aside from his own life and our salvation. Invite the
• 3:23
  Speaker 1: Holy Spirit to not only join you now as you rest,
• 3:27
  Speaker 1: but to lead you in this sleep story. Let him
• 3:33
  Speaker 1: wring the truth from your head into your heart. He
• 3:39
  Speaker 1: wants this more than you do. He wants his relationship
• 3:44
  Speaker 1: with you to bounce off the pages of scripture and
• 3:47
  Speaker 1: flood your soul and spirit. Let his peace like a
• 3:54
  Speaker 1: river attendeth your soul, breathe in and out gently as
• 4:07
  Speaker 1: you invite him in. Notice the places of tightness in
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  Speaker 1: your body and release them, starting in your forehead and
• 4:20
  Speaker 1: face and jaw. Let them go Inhale and exhale and
• 4:35
  Speaker 1: release those spots as you breathe. Give permission to relax
• 4:44
  Speaker 1: your neck, your shoulders, your arms out into your hands
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  Speaker 1: and fingers. Let go of all tension in your child
• 5:00
  Speaker 1: and stomach, your spine, and your upper and lower back
• 5:07
  Speaker 1: muscles as you breathe. Relax your thighs and legs, in
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  Speaker 1: your shins and calf muscles, and lastly, let go of
• 5:25
  Speaker 1: the strain in your ankles and feet and toes. Breathe
• 5:35
  Speaker 1: in and out, in and out. Feel every part of
• 5:52
  Speaker 1: you just sinking deeper into the mattress. Let it all
• 5:57
  Speaker 1: go to your doting heavenly father. Release it completely. Give
• 6:09
  Speaker 1: him the collection of your cares and desires and needs,
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  Speaker 1: and visualize him taking it from you with open hands
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  Speaker 1: outstretched as you offer it to him. Want a relief.
• 6:28
  Speaker 1: Feel your breathing getting lighter as the weight is taken
• 6:32
  Speaker 1: off you. It's not weighing you down anymore. The lover
• 6:38
  Speaker 1: of your soul has your world in his hands. He
• 6:43
  Speaker 1: is in complete control. Yield yourself to him. And now
• 6:53
  Speaker 1: we shall talk to the Lord, putting him first in
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  Speaker 1: our lives and first in our thoughts during this as
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  Speaker 1: we sleep in his care. Dear loving Lord Jesus, maker
• 7:09
  Speaker 1: of heaven and earth and maker of us, thank you
• 7:13
  Speaker 1: for loving us so completely, for giving us the greatest gift,
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  Speaker 1: your very life. There's no greater love that we will
• 7:24
  Speaker 1: ever experience in this life or eternity. Because of such love,
• 7:32
  Speaker 1: we know that only you are truly worthy of our life,
• 7:38
  Speaker 1: life for life. You gave yourself freely for us, so
• 7:45
  Speaker 1: now we offer ourselves freely to you. Thank you for
• 7:52
  Speaker 1: being so gentle and kind with us. You long to
• 7:57
  Speaker 1: tenderly draw us into your love tonight, Would you please
• 8:03
  Speaker 1: comfort us and build our lives on you, so that
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  Speaker 1: it may be well with our souls forever, regardless of
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  Speaker 1: the storms that buffet imbruise us. May we never be
• 8:18
  Speaker 1: moved from our foundation in you. This is only by
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  Speaker 1: your strength in your matchless name. Amen, as you snuggle
• 8:34
  Speaker 1: down and get cozy, allow me to read our scripture
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  Speaker 1: again for you, even though you may have heard these
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  Speaker 1: words many times before. Let the Lord bless you in
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  Speaker 1: a fresh and new way, as you listen first Peter one,
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  Speaker 1: verses six and seven. In this you greatly rejoice, even though,
• 9:00
  Speaker 1: now for a little while, if necessary, you have been
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  Speaker 1: distressed by various trials, so that the proof of your faith,
• 9:09
  Speaker 1: being more precious than gold, which is perishable, even though
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  Speaker 1: tested by fire, may be found to result in praise
• 9:18
  Speaker 1: and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
• 9:26
  Speaker 1: Your faith is precious to him, so precious you are
• 9:35
  Speaker 1: so so precious to your Father in heaven. Listen as
• 9:42
  Speaker 1: I read the same passage in the Voice translation. You
• 9:47
  Speaker 1: should greatly rejoice in what is waiting for you, even
• 9:51
  Speaker 1: if now for a little while you have to suffer
• 9:54
  Speaker 1: various trials. Suffering tests your faith, which is more valuable
• 10:00
  Speaker 1: than gold. Remember that gold, although it is perishable, is
• 10:04
  Speaker 1: tested by fire, so that if it is found genuine,
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  Speaker 1: you can receive praise, honor, and glory when Jesus the Anointed,
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  Speaker 1: our liberating King, is revealed at last. The Lord may
• 10:24
  Speaker 1: allow you at times to suffer trials and tribulations. He
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  Speaker 1: doesn't enjoy your pain. He allows these things because you
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  Speaker 1: are so precious to him, and your faith is precious
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  Speaker 1: to him. You are far more valuable than gold or
• 10:45
  Speaker 1: silver or precious metals. No, that whatever you have suffered
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  Speaker 1: in the past or are suffering now, Jesus has never
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  Speaker 1: left you, not for one moment. Right now he is
• 11:07
  Speaker 1: holding your hand, and he is not letting you go.
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  Speaker 1: When you don't hear him, he is still whispering loving
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  Speaker 1: encouragements into your soul. He is telling you that His
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  Speaker 1: strength is perfected in weakness, and by his power you
• 11:25
  Speaker 1: will get through stronger. In Second Corinthians twelve nine and ten,
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  Speaker 1: Paul tells us plainly of what God spoke to him
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  Speaker 1: about his all surpassing grace. And finally he said to me,
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  Speaker 1: my grace is enough to cover and sustain you. My
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  Speaker 1: power is made perfect in weakness. So ask me about
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  Speaker 1: my thorn. Inquire about my weaknesses, and I will gladly
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  Speaker 1: go on and on. I would rather stake my claim
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  Speaker 1: in these and have the power of the anointed One
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  Speaker 1: at home within me. I am at peace and even
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  Speaker 1: take pleasure in my weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and afflictions
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  Speaker 1: for the sake of the Anointed, Because when I am
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  Speaker 1: at my weakest, He makes me strong. Your Father, God
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  Speaker 1: is upholding you by his mighty right hand so that
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  Speaker 1: you do not stumble and fall. He's telling you how
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  Speaker 1: precious you are and how his heart goes out to
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  Speaker 1: you when you are in pain. He is reminding you
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  Speaker 1: that while your power alone isn't sufficient to get you through,
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  Speaker 1: his grace is all sufficient for you. You can lean
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  Speaker 1: on his grace, precious child, and your faith will be
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  Speaker 1: refined and purified like gold, as your confidence in his
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  Speaker 1: ability leads you through the testing fires. Trials alone don't
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  Speaker 1: make us stronger. Leaning on Him in our weakness and
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  Speaker 1: learning to trust him during the trials makes us stronger.
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  Speaker 1: And that is when we can say it is well
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  Speaker 1: with my soul. It may not be well around us externally,
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  Speaker 1: but it can be well deep within because we are
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  Speaker 1: fastened to our Lord and Savior, Jesus. In our darkest times,
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  Speaker 1: we often cling titus to him. Even in the Old Testament,
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  Speaker 1: the children of Israel were instructed to cling to the Lord.
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  Speaker 1: You shall follow the Lord your God, and fear him,
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  Speaker 1: and you shall keep his commandments, listen to his voice, serve.
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  Speaker 2: Him, and cling to him.
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  Speaker 1: In the hardest seasons. We can continue to fasten ourselves
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  Speaker 1: to Him, even though we may only possess a fragile faith.
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  Speaker 1: But that's how wonderful our God is. It actually doesn't
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  Speaker 1: require us to have vast amounts of faith. Just a
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  Speaker 1: little seed will do, our beautiful Lord tells us in
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  Speaker 1: Matthew seventeen twenty. Because you have so little faith, I
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  Speaker 1: tell you this. If you had even a faint spark
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  Speaker 1: of faith, even faith as tiny as a mustard seed,
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  Speaker 1: you could say, to this mountain, move from here to there,
• 15:04
  Speaker 1: And because of your faith, the mountain would move. If
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  Speaker 1: you had just a sliver of faith, you would find
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  Speaker 1: nothing impossible. As we read in Hebrews eleven, verse six,
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  Speaker 1: without faith, it's impossible to please God. The International Children's
• 15:26
  Speaker 1: Bible translates that verse like this, Without faith, no one
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  Speaker 1: can please God. Anyone who comes to God must believe
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  Speaker 1: that he is real and that he rewards those who
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  Speaker 1: truly want to find him. And yet be comforted because
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  Speaker 1: even a small mustard seed will bring him great delight
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  Speaker 1: over you. May you know more and more, Precious listener,
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  Speaker 1: deep in your heart, that God is real and He
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  Speaker 1: is worthy of your full confidence in faith. He is
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  Speaker 1: rewarding your faith, even though it be just a tiny
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  Speaker 1: grain of mustard. He sees your heart, and he has
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  Speaker 1: seen those times it's been hardest to trust him, and
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  Speaker 1: still you've kept seeking him and wanting him and believing
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  Speaker 1: in him, even though the odds felt slim. This pleases
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  Speaker 1: your father so much. Having faith in an unseen god
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  Speaker 1: takes naked trust. Sometimes, Jesus said, this kind of faith
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  Speaker 1: is worthy of being greatly blessed. When his disciples had
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  Speaker 1: witnessed his painful death, they were convinced that even Jesus himself,
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  Speaker 1: who calmed the wind and waves, could not come back
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  Speaker 1: from a death like that. His realistic and logical follower, Thomas,
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  Speaker 1: could not believe the others when they said they had
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  Speaker 1: seen Jesus with their own eyes that simply could not
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  Speaker 1: be possible. Yes, Jesus had proved he was master of
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  Speaker 1: the impossible, and also master of death in the case
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  Speaker 1: of Lazarus, but it's another matter for a dead man
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  Speaker 1: to bring himself back from the dead. Thomas was honest
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  Speaker 1: enough to admit that he simply could not believe this
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  Speaker 1: impossible story. When Jesus did walk into the room, Thomas
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  Speaker 1: must have been rendered speechless in awe and wonder, and
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  Speaker 1: even regret that he hadn't fully believe that Jesus was
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  Speaker 1: the all powerful son of God who had power over
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  Speaker 1: everything in the created world, even death itself. Jesus, with
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  Speaker 1: not a hint of condemnation, only pure love and tenderness
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  Speaker 1: in his voice, said to his doubting friend and companion, Thomas,
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  Speaker 1: you have faith because you have seen me. Blessed are
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  Speaker 1: those who never see Me, and yet they still believe.
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  Speaker 1: Precious One, you do believe in Jesus, although you haven't
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  Speaker 1: laid eyes on him in the flesh. Yet you are
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  Speaker 1: the blessed person of whom Jesus was thinking when he
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  Speaker 1: said that you are richly blessed. And even though you
• 19:04
  Speaker 1: may compare your faith with that of others who seem
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  Speaker 1: to have greater faith, let me tell you that even
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  Speaker 1: your mustard seed pleases the Lord. You please him so much,
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  Speaker 1: and his blessing will come in many forms. But peace
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  Speaker 1: is one great thing that our soul longs for. He
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  Speaker 1: will bless you with his gift of peace. Because that's
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  Speaker 1: a promise you can bank on, and you will be
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  Speaker 1: able to say, it is well with my soul when
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  Speaker 1: you are trusting in Him like a small child with
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  Speaker 1: just a small mustard seed in their hand, you will
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  Speaker 1: experience his beautiful peace in your soul. The message Bible
• 20:00
  Speaker 1: paraphrases the verse we are looking at like this. I
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  Speaker 1: know how great this makes you feel, even though you
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  Speaker 1: have to put up with every kind of aggravation. In
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  Speaker 1: the meantime, pure gold put in the fire comes out
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  Speaker 1: of it proved pure. Genuine faith put through this suffering
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  Speaker 1: comes out proved genuine. When Jesus wraps this all up,
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  Speaker 1: it's your faith, not your gold, that God will have
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  Speaker 1: on display as evidence of his victory. He wants your
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  Speaker 1: faith to be as solid as gold, and he will
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  Speaker 1: prove his goodness to you in the storm, so that
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  Speaker 1: you will never doubt his goodness in season and out
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  Speaker 1: of season. And since he is God and he is
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  Speaker 1: our creator, we trust him to define the true meaning
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  Speaker 1: of goodness. We are like little children. And although his
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  Speaker 1: good may look different to our definition, he is right.
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  Speaker 1: He is faithful and true. That's one of his names.
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  Speaker 1: John tells us in his eyewitness account in Revelation nineteen,
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  Speaker 1: verse eleven, I looked up and saw that heaven had opened.
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  Speaker 1: Suddenly a white horse appeared. Its rider is called faithful
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  Speaker 1: and true, and with righteousness he exercises judgment and wage
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  Speaker 1: his war. He can be believed at all times, and
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  Speaker 1: if our doubts and fears tell us differently, they are
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  Speaker 1: lying to us. The apostle Paul was firmly convinced of this,
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  Speaker 1: and wrote in Romans three, verse four. Of course, not
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  Speaker 1: even if everyone else is a liar. God is true,
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  Speaker 1: as the scriptures say about him. You will be proved
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  Speaker 1: right in what you say, and you will win your
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  Speaker 1: case in court. May God be true and everything else
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  Speaker 1: a lie. He is worthy of our trust. In fact,
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  Speaker 1: he is the only one fully worthy of our complete
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  Speaker 1: trust and faith and confidence. All of this makes us
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  Speaker 1: sure and certain of his goodness, and so we can say,
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  Speaker 1: though it is confusing at times, and we may be
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  Speaker 1: blind to his working and death to his speaking, he
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  Speaker 1: is working, and he is speaking, and therefore it is
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  Speaker 1: well with my soul. He is present here, so it
• 23:09
  Speaker 1: is well with my soul. He is good, so it
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  Speaker 1: is well with my soul. He knows the end from
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  Speaker 1: the beginning, so it is well with my soul. In
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  Speaker 1: his resurrection, he defeated death forever, so it is well
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  Speaker 1: with my soul. He is provider and protector and faithful friend,
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  Speaker 1: so it is well with my soul, Precious one, allow
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  Speaker 1: me to read over you the lyrics to the old
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  Speaker 1: hymn from eighteen seventy three, also called It Is Well
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  Speaker 1: with My Soul. It was originally a poem written by
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  Speaker 1: Horatio Spafford under very tragic circumstances. He had been ruined
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  Speaker 1: financially from the eighteen seventy one Chicago fires, and had
• 24:12
  Speaker 1: lost his son to illness and four daughters to a shipwreck,
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  Speaker 1: and had almost lost his wife as well. When he
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  Speaker 1: sailed by the spot of the wreck soon after the tragedy,
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  Speaker 1: he immediately felt the inspiration of the Holy Spirit im
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  Speaker 1: penned these words into a heartfelt poem. When peace like
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  Speaker 1: a river attendeth my way, when sorrows like sea billows roll,
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  Speaker 1: whatever my lot, thou hast taught me to say, it
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  Speaker 1: is well. It is well with my soul. It is
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  Speaker 1: well with my soul. It is well with my soul.
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  Speaker 1: It is well, It is well with my soul. Though
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  Speaker 1: Satan should buffet, though trial should come, let this blessed
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  Speaker 1: assurance control that Christ has regarded my helpless estate and
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  Speaker 1: hath shed his own blood for my soul my sin. Oh,
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  Speaker 1: the bliss of this glorious thought. My sin not in part,
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  Speaker 1: but the whole is nailed to the cross, and I
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  Speaker 1: bear it no more. Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord,
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  Speaker 1: O my soul. For me be it Christ, be it Christ,
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  Speaker 1: hence to live. If Jordan above me shall roll, no
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  Speaker 1: pang shall be mine. For in death as in life,
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  Speaker 1: thou wilt whisper Thy peace to my soul. But Lord
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  Speaker 1: tis for thee for thy coming. We wait the sky,
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  Speaker 1: not the grave, is our goal. Oh trump of the Angel,
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  Speaker 1: Oh voice of the Lord. Blessed hope, lest rest of
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  Speaker 1: my soul. And Lord, haste the day when my faith
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  Speaker 1: shall be sight, the clouds be rolled back as a scroll,
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  Speaker 1: the trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend. Even
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  Speaker 1: so it is well with my soul. Let's pause and
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  Speaker 1: really still our minds and hearts, and let such pure
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  Speaker 1: faith and trust in God impact us. It is truly
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  Speaker 1: well with my soul because Jesus has overcome the world.
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  Speaker 1: All the pain, all the heartache, all the confusion, all
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  Speaker 1: the disappointed hopes, all the unfulfilled longings, all the lost dreams,
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  Speaker 1: all the griefs. He has taken them all down into
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  Speaker 1: the grave with him, and he has risen victorious. Death
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  Speaker 1: was the final enemy, and he has vanquished even that,
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  Speaker 1: Paul speaks in First Corinthians fifteen. And then the end
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  Speaker 1: will come. After he has conquered his enemies and shut
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  Speaker 1: down every rule and authority vying for power. He will
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  Speaker 1: hand over the kingdom to God, the Father of all
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  Speaker 1: that is, and he must reign as king until he
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  Speaker 1: has put all his enemies under his feet. The last
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  Speaker 1: hostile power to be destroyed is death itself, and in
• 28:58
  Speaker 1: Isaiah also prophesied, God will swallow up death forever. The
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  Speaker 1: Lord the Eternal will wipe away the tears from each
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  Speaker 1: and every face, and deflect the scorn and shame His
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  Speaker 1: people endure from the whole world, for the Eternal determined
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  Speaker 1: that it should be so. There is nothing too hopeless
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  Speaker 1: for God, precious one. Nothing is out of his reach.
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  Speaker 1: No pit that you might fall into is too deep
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  Speaker 1: for him to pull you out of. He will scoop
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  Speaker 1: you up out of the mud and mire. He will
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  Speaker 1: not let the sinking sand drag you under. Listen as
• 29:52
  Speaker 1: I read the words of Psalm forty, I waited a
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  Speaker 1: long time for the Eternal finally knelt down to hear me.
• 30:03
  Speaker 1: He listened to my weak and whispered cry. He reached
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  Speaker 1: down and drew me from the deep dark hole where
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  Speaker 1: I was stranded, mired in the muck and clay. With
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  Speaker 1: a gentle hand, he pulled me out to set me
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  Speaker 1: down safely on a warm rock. He held me until
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  Speaker 1: I was steady enough to continue the journey again, as
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  Speaker 1: if that weren't enough. Because of him, my mind is
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  Speaker 1: clearing up. Now. I have a new song to sing,
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  Speaker 1: a song of praise to the one who saved me.
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  Speaker 1: Because of what he's done, many people will see and
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  Speaker 1: come to trust in the eternal. So, dearly loved child
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  Speaker 1: of God, may you feel his gentle hand pulling you
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  Speaker 1: out of the mud and mire and setting you on
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  Speaker 1: a warm rock. And may you say, no matter what
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  Speaker 1: storm rages around you, it is well with my soul.
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  Speaker 1: That's a bout our hearts in reverence as we pray,
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  Speaker 1: Loving Father, thank you for your gift of peace in
• 31:31
  Speaker 1: this world full of turmoil and trials. Thank you for
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  Speaker 1: giving us your strength when we have none, and forgiving
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  Speaker 1: us your faith when we cannot engineer it by ourselves.
• 31:46
  Speaker 1: Thank you that you are so pleased with your beloved
• 31:50
  Speaker 1: child for their faith in you, though it may only
• 31:53
  Speaker 1: be a mustard seed. May you fill them with peace
• 31:59
  Speaker 1: so it may truly be well with their soul and
• 32:04
  Speaker 1: Jesus's wonderful name. Amen, continue to let his peace permeate
• 32:14
  Speaker 1: your being. Let His love of you trickle into the
• 32:19
  Speaker 1: nooks and crevices of your heart, making your soul well.
• 32:27
  Speaker 1: You are deeply treasured. Let's listen again to this sleep
• 32:36
  Speaker 1: story about the peace God brings to your soul. Allow
• 32:44
  Speaker 1: me to read our scripture again for you. Even though
• 32:48
  Speaker 1: you may have heard these words many times before, let
• 32:51
  Speaker 1: the Lord bless you in a fresh and new way.
• 32:55
  Speaker 1: As you listen one verses six and seven. In this
• 33:04
  Speaker 1: you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while,
• 33:08
  Speaker 1: if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, so
• 33:13
  Speaker 1: that the proof of your faith being more precious than gold,
• 33:17
  Speaker 1: which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be
• 33:22
  Speaker 1: found to result in praise and glory and honor at
• 33:27
  Speaker 1: the revelation of Jesus Christ. Your faith.
• 33:35
  Speaker 3: Is precious to Him.
• 33:38
  Speaker 1: So precious you are, so so precious to your Father
• 33:44
  Speaker 1: in heaven. Listen as I read the same passage in
• 33:49
  Speaker 1: the voice translation. You should greatly rejoice in what is
• 33:55
  Speaker 1: waiting for you, Even if now for a little while
• 33:59
  Speaker 1: you have to suffer various trials. Suffering tests your faith,
• 34:05
  Speaker 1: which is more valuable than gold. Remember that gold, although
• 34:09
  Speaker 1: it is perishable, is tested by fire, so that if
• 34:14
  Speaker 1: it is found genuine, you can receive praise, honor, and
• 34:18
  Speaker 1: glory when Jesus, the Anointed, our liberating King, is revealed
• 34:26
  Speaker 1: at last, the Lord may allow you at times to
• 34:33
  Speaker 1: suffer trials and tribulations. He doesn't enjoy your pain. He
• 34:41
  Speaker 1: allows these things because you are so precious to him,
• 34:44
  Speaker 1: and your faith is precious to him. You are far
• 34:50
  Speaker 1: more valuable than gold or silver or precious metals. No
• 34:56
  Speaker 1: that whatever you have suffered in the past or are
• 34:59
  Speaker 1: suffering now, Jesus has never left you, not for one moment.
• 35:10
  Speaker 1: Right now, he is holding your hand, and he is
• 35:16
  Speaker 1: not letting you go. When you don't hear him, he
• 35:21
  Speaker 1: is still whispering loving encouragements into your soul. He is
• 35:25
  Speaker 1: telling you that his strength is perfected in weakness, and
• 35:29
  Speaker 1: by his power you will get through stronger. In tewod
• 35:37
  Speaker 1: Corinthians twelve nine and ten, Paul tells us plainly of
• 35:41
  Speaker 1: what God spoke to him about his all surpassing grace.
• 35:47
  Speaker 1: And finally he said to me, my grace is enough
• 35:51
  Speaker 1: to cover and sustain you. My power is made perfect
• 35:54
  Speaker 1: in weakness. So ask me about my thorn, Inquire about
• 36:01
  Speaker 1: my weaknesses, and I will gladly go on and on.
• 36:05
  Speaker 1: I would rather stake my claim in these and have
• 36:08
  Speaker 1: the power of the anointed One at home within me.
• 36:13
  Speaker 1: I am at peace and even take pleasure in my weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions,
• 36:21
  Speaker 1: and afflictions for the sake of the Anointed, because when
• 36:24
  Speaker 1: I am at my weakest, he makes me strong. Your
• 36:33
  Speaker 1: Father God is upholding you by his mighty right hand
• 36:39
  Speaker 1: so that you do not stumble and fall. He's telling
• 36:44
  Speaker 1: you how precious you are and how his heart goes
• 36:48
  Speaker 1: out to you when you are in pain. He is
• 36:54
  Speaker 1: reminding you that while your power alone isn't sufficient to
• 36:57
  Speaker 1: get you through, his grace is all sufficient for you.
• 37:06
  Speaker 1: You can lean on His grace, precious child, and your
• 37:10
  Speaker 1: faith will be refined and purified like gold, as your
• 37:14
  Speaker 1: confidence in His ability leads you through the testing fires.
• 37:21
  Speaker 1: Trials alone don't make us stronger. Leaning on Him in
• 37:26
  Speaker 1: our weakness and learning to trust Him during the trials
• 37:30
  Speaker 1: makes us stronger and that is when we can say
• 37:37
  Speaker 1: it is well with my soul. It may not be
• 37:43
  Speaker 1: well around us externally, but it can be well deep
• 37:47
  Speaker 1: within because we are fastened to our Lord and Savior, Jesus.
• 37:57
  Speaker 1: In our darkest times, we often cling titus to him.
• 38:02
  Speaker 1: Even in the Old Testament, the children of Israel were
• 38:05
  Speaker 1: instructed to cling to the Lord. You shall follow the Lord.
• 38:11
  Speaker 1: You are God and fear him, and you shall keep
• 38:14
  Speaker 1: his commandments, listen to his voice, serve.
• 38:19
  Speaker 2: Him, and cling to him.
• 38:25
  Speaker 1: In the hardest seasons. We can continue to fasten ourselves
• 38:29
  Speaker 1: to Him even though we may only possess a fragile faith.
• 38:36
  Speaker 1: But that's how wonderful our God is. It actually doesn't
• 38:41
  Speaker 1: require us to have vast amounts of faith. Just a
• 38:45
  Speaker 1: little seed will do, our beautiful Lord tells us in
• 38:50
  Speaker 1: Matthew seventeen twenty. Because you have so little faith, I
• 38:55
  Speaker 1: tell you this. If you had even a faint spark
• 39:00
  Speaker 1: of faith, even faith as tiny as a mustard seed,
• 39:06
  Speaker 1: you could say to this mountain, move from here to there,
• 39:11
  Speaker 1: and because of your faith, the mountain would move. If
• 39:15
  Speaker 1: you had just a sliver of faith, you would find
• 39:20
  Speaker 1: nothing impossible. As we read in Hebrews eleven, verse six.
• 39:27
  Speaker 1: Without faith, it's impossible to please God. The International Children's
• 39:32
  Speaker 1: Bible translates that verse like this, Without faith, no one
• 39:38
  Speaker 1: can please God. Anyone who comes to God must believe
• 39:43
  Speaker 1: that he is real and that he rewards those who
• 39:47
  Speaker 1: truly want to find him. And yet be comforted because
• 39:58
  Speaker 1: even a small mustard seed bring him great delight over you.
• 40:05
  Speaker 1: May you know more and more, Precious listener, deep in
• 40:10
  Speaker 1: your heart, that God is real and he is worthy
• 40:15
  Speaker 1: of your full confidence in faith. He is rewarding your faith,
• 40:22
  Speaker 1: even though it be just a tiny grain of mustard.
• 40:27
  Speaker 1: He sees your heart, and he has seen those times
• 40:31
  Speaker 1: it's been hardest to trust him, and still you've kept
• 40:36
  Speaker 1: seeking him and wanting him in believing in him, even
• 40:42
  Speaker 1: though the odds felt slim. This pleases your father so much.
• 40:50
  Speaker 1: Having faith in an unseen God takes naked trust. Sometimes,
• 40:56
  Speaker 1: Jesus said, this kind of faith is worthy of being
• 40:58
  Speaker 1: greatly blessed. When his disciples had witnessed his painful death,
• 41:05
  Speaker 1: they were convinced that even Jesus himself, who calmed the
• 41:10
  Speaker 1: wind and waves, could not come back from a death
• 41:15
  Speaker 1: like that. His realistic and logical follower, Thomas could not
• 41:22
  Speaker 1: believe the others when they said they had seen Jesus
• 41:25
  Speaker 1: with their own eyes. That simply could not be possible. Yes,
• 41:33
  Speaker 1: Jesus had proved he was master of the impossible, and
• 41:36
  Speaker 1: also master of death in the case of Lazarus, but
• 41:41
  Speaker 1: it's another matter for a dead man to bring himself
• 41:44
  Speaker 1: back from the dead. Thomas was honest enough to admit
• 41:50
  Speaker 1: that he simply could not believe this impossible story. When
• 41:56
  Speaker 1: Jesus did walk into the rooms, must have been rendered
• 42:01
  Speaker 1: speechless in awe and wonder, and even regret that he
• 42:06
  Speaker 1: hadn't fully believed that Jesus was the all powerful son
• 42:09
  Speaker 1: of God who had power over everything in the created world,
• 42:17
  Speaker 1: even death itself. Jesus, with not a hint of condemnation,
• 42:25
  Speaker 1: only pure love and tenderness in his voice, said to
• 42:29
  Speaker 1: his doubting friend and companion, Thomas, you have faith because
• 42:37
  Speaker 1: you have seen me. Blessed are those who never see me,
• 42:43
  Speaker 1: and yet they still believe. Precious One, you do believe
• 42:51
  Speaker 1: in Jesus, although you haven't laid eyes on him in
• 42:55
  Speaker 1: the flesh. Yet you are the blessed person of who
• 43:00
  Speaker 1: whom Jesus was thinking when he said that you are
• 43:05
  Speaker 1: richly blessed. And even though you may compare your faith
• 43:11
  Speaker 1: with that of others who seem to have greater faith,
• 43:15
  Speaker 1: let me tell you that even your mustard seed pleases
• 43:19
  Speaker 1: the Lord. You please him so much, and his blessing
• 43:26
  Speaker 1: will come in many forms. But peace is one great
• 43:32
  Speaker 1: thing that our soul longs for. He will bless you
• 43:37
  Speaker 1: with his gift of peace. Because that's a promise you
• 43:41
  Speaker 1: can bank on, and you will be able to say,
• 43:46
  Speaker 1: it is well with my soul when you are trusting
• 43:53
  Speaker 1: in Him, like a small child with just a small
• 43:56
  Speaker 1: mustard seed in their hand, will experience his beautiful peace
• 44:02
  Speaker 1: in your soul. The message Bible paraphrases the verse we
• 44:08
  Speaker 1: are looking at like this. I know how great this
• 44:13
  Speaker 1: makes you feel. Even though you have to put up
• 44:17
  Speaker 1: with every kind of aggravation. In the meantime, pure gold
• 44:22
  Speaker 1: put in the fire comes out of it proved. Pure
• 44:26
  Speaker 1: genuine faith put through this suffering comes out proved genuine.
• 44:32
  Speaker 1: When Jesus wraps this all up, it's your faith, not
• 44:36
  Speaker 1: your gold, that God will have on display as evidence
• 44:42
  Speaker 1: of his victory. He wants your faith to be as
• 44:47
  Speaker 1: solid as gold, and He will prove his goodness to
• 44:51
  Speaker 1: you in the storm, so that you will never doubt
• 44:54
  Speaker 1: his goodness in season and out of season. And since
• 45:00
  Speaker 1: he is God and he is our creator, we trust
• 45:04
  Speaker 1: him to define the true meaning of goodness. We are
• 45:11
  Speaker 1: like little children. And although his good may look different
• 45:15
  Speaker 1: to our definition, he is right. He is faithful and true.
• 45:23
  Speaker 1: That's one of his names. John tells us in his
• 45:29
  Speaker 1: eyewitness account in Revelation nineteen, verse eleven. I looked up
• 45:36
  Speaker 1: and saw that heaven had opened. Suddenly a white horse appeared.
• 45:45
  Speaker 1: Its rider is called faithful and true, and with righteousness
• 45:49
  Speaker 1: he exercises judgment and wage his war. He can be
• 45:57
  Speaker 1: believed at all times. And if our doubts and fears
• 46:01
  Speaker 1: tell us differently, they are lying to us. The apostle
• 46:07
  Speaker 1: Paul was firmly convinced of this, and wrote in Romans three,
• 46:11
  Speaker 1: verse four. Of course, not even if every one else
• 46:16
  Speaker 1: is a liar. God is true, as the scriptures say
• 46:21
  Speaker 1: about him. You will be proved right in what you say,
• 46:25
  Speaker 1: and you will win your case in court. May God
• 46:31
  Speaker 1: be true and everything else a lie. He is worthy
• 46:37
  Speaker 1: of our trust. In fact, he is the only one
• 46:41
  Speaker 1: fully worthy of our complete trust and faith and confidence.
• 46:48
  Speaker 1: All of this makes us sure and certain of his goodness,
• 46:52
  Speaker 1: and so we can say, though it is confusing at times,
• 46:56
  Speaker 1: and we may be blind to his working and deaf
• 46:59
  Speaker 1: to his speaking, he is working and he is speaking,
• 47:05
  Speaker 1: and therefore it is well with my soul. He is
• 47:13
  Speaker 1: present here, so it is well with my soul. He
• 47:19
  Speaker 1: is good, so it is well with my soul. He
• 47:25
  Speaker 1: knows the end from the beginning, so it is well
• 47:28
  Speaker 1: with my soul. In his resurrection, he defeated death forever,
• 47:35
  Speaker 1: so it is well with my soul. He is provider
• 47:41
  Speaker 1: and protector and faithful friend, So it is well with
• 47:46
  Speaker 1: my soul. Precious one, allow me to read over you
• 47:53
  Speaker 1: the lyrics to the old hymn from eighteen seventy three,
• 47:58
  Speaker 1: also called It Is Well with My Soul. It was
• 48:05
  Speaker 1: originally a poem written by Horatio Spafford under very tragic circumstances.
• 48:12
  Speaker 1: He had been ruined financially from the eighteen seventy one
• 48:16
  Speaker 1: Chicago fires, and had lost his son to illness and
• 48:23
  Speaker 1: four daughters to a shipwreck, and had almost lost his
• 48:28
  Speaker 1: wife as well. When he sailed by the spot of
• 48:33
  Speaker 1: the wreck soon after the tragedy, he immediately felt the
• 48:38
  Speaker 1: inspiration of the Holy spirit. I penned these words into
• 48:44
  Speaker 1: a heart felt poem. When peace like a river attendeth
• 48:53
  Speaker 1: my way, when sorrows like sea billows roll, whatever my lot,
• 49:02
  Speaker 1: Thou hast taught me to say, it is well, It
• 49:07
  Speaker 1: is well with my soul. It is well with my soul.
• 49:18
  Speaker 1: It is well with my soul. It is well, It
• 49:24
  Speaker 1: is well with my soul. Though satan should buffet, though
• 49:34
  Speaker 1: trial should come, let this blessed assurance control that Christ
• 49:40
  Speaker 1: has regarded my helpless estate, and hath shed his own
• 49:46
  Speaker 1: blood for my soul. My sin, Oh the bliss of
• 49:56
  Speaker 1: this glorious thought. My sin not in part, but the
• 50:03
  Speaker 1: whole is nailed to the cross, and I bear it
• 50:09
  Speaker 1: no more. Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord, oh my soul.
• 50:21
  Speaker 1: For me, be it Christ, be it Christ, Hence to live.
• 50:28
  Speaker 1: If Jordan above me shall roll, no pang shall be mine.
• 50:35
  Speaker 1: For in death as in life, thou wilt whisper thy
• 50:40
  Speaker 1: peace to my soul. But Lord tis for thee for
• 50:47
  Speaker 1: thy coming. We wait the sky, not the grave, is
• 50:54
  Speaker 1: our goal. Oh trump of the Angel, Oh voice of
• 51:02
  Speaker 1: the Lord. Blest hope, blest rest of my soul, And Lord,
• 51:11
  Speaker 1: haste the day when my faith shall be sight, the
• 51:16
  Speaker 1: clouds be rolled back as a scroll, the trump shall resound,
• 51:24
  Speaker 1: and the Lord shall descend. Even so it is well
• 51:30
  Speaker 1: with my soul. Let's pause and really still our minds
• 51:39
  Speaker 1: and hearts, and let such pure faith and trust in
• 51:44
  Speaker 1: God impact us. It is truly well with my soul,
• 51:53
  Speaker 1: because Jesus has overcome the world. All the pain, all
• 52:00
  Speaker 1: the heartache, all the confusion, all the disappointed hopes, all
• 52:06
  Speaker 1: the unfulfilled longings, all the lost dreams, all the griefs.
• 52:15
  Speaker 1: He has taken them all down into the grave with him,
• 52:20
  Speaker 1: and he has risen victorious. Death was the final enemy,
• 52:27
  Speaker 1: and he has vanquished even that. Paul speaks in First
• 52:32
  Speaker 1: Corinthians fifteen. And then the end will come. After he
• 52:39
  Speaker 1: has conquered his enemies and shut down every rule and
• 52:42
  Speaker 1: authority vying for power, he will hand over the kingdom
• 52:47
  Speaker 1: to God, the Father of all that is, and he
• 52:51
  Speaker 1: must reign as king until he has put all his
• 52:54
  Speaker 1: enemies under his feet. The last hostile power to be
• 53:00
  Speaker 1: destroyed is death itself, and in Isaiah it is also
• 53:06
  Speaker 1: prophesied God will swallow up death forever. The Lord the
• 53:14
  Speaker 1: Eternal will wipe away the tears from each and every face,
• 53:19
  Speaker 1: and deflect the scorn and shame His people, endure from
• 53:23
  Speaker 1: the whole world for the eternal, determined that it should
• 53:29
  Speaker 1: be so. There is nothing too hopeless for God, precious One.
• 53:36
  Speaker 1: Nothing is out of his reach. No pit that you
• 53:40
  Speaker 1: might fall into is too deep for him to pull
• 53:43
  Speaker 1: you out of. He will scoop you up out of
• 53:49
  Speaker 1: the mud and mire. He will not let the sinking
• 53:53
  Speaker 1: sand drag you under. Listen as I read the words
• 53:59
  Speaker 1: of Psalm, I waited a long time for the eternal.
• 54:06
  Speaker 1: He finally knelt down to hear me. He listened to
• 54:11
  Speaker 1: my weak and whispered cry. He reached down and drew
• 54:16
  Speaker 1: me from the deep dark hole where I was stranded,
• 54:21
  Speaker 1: mired in the muck and clay. With a gentle hand,
• 54:27
  Speaker 1: he pulled me out to set me down safely on
• 54:30
  Speaker 1: a warm rock. He held me until I was steady
• 54:36
  Speaker 1: enough to continue the journey again, as if that weren't enough.
• 54:42
  Speaker 1: Because of him, my mind is clearing up now. I
• 54:47
  Speaker 1: have a new song to sing, a song of praise
• 54:51
  Speaker 1: to the one who saved me. Because of what He's done,
• 54:56
  Speaker 1: many people will see and come to try trust in
• 55:00
  Speaker 1: the eternal. So dearly loved child of God. May you
• 55:10
  Speaker 1: feel his gentle hand pulling you out of the mud
• 55:14
  Speaker 1: and mire and setting you on a warm rock. And
• 55:18
  Speaker 1: may you say, no matter what storm rages around you,
• 55:22
  Speaker 1: it is well with my soul. That's about our hearts
• 55:29
  Speaker 1: in reverence as we pray, Loving Father, thank you for
• 55:37
  Speaker 1: your gift of peace in this world full of turmoil
• 55:39
  Speaker 1: and trials. Thank you for giving us your strength when
• 55:44
  Speaker 1: we have none, and forgiving us your faith when we
• 55:48
  Speaker 1: cannot engineer it by ourselves. Thank you that you are
• 55:55
  Speaker 1: so pleased with your beloved child for their faith in you,
• 55:59
  Speaker 1: though it may only be a mustard seed, May you
• 56:03
  Speaker 1: fill them with peace so it may truly be well
• 56:07
  Speaker 1: with their soul and Jesus's wonderful name. Amen, continue to
• 56:19
  Speaker 1: let his peace permeate your being. Let His love of
• 56:24
  Speaker 1: you trickle into the nooks and crevices of your heart,
• 56:29
  Speaker 1: making your soul well. You are deeply treasured. Let's listen
• 56:42
  Speaker 1: again to this sleep story about the peace God brings
• 56:46
  Speaker 1: to your soul. Allow me to read our scripture again
• 56:52
  Speaker 1: for you, even though you may have heard these words
• 56:57
  Speaker 1: many times before, Let the Lord bless you in a
• 57:00
  Speaker 1: fresh and new way. As you listen First Peter one,
• 57:07
  Speaker 1: Verses six and seven. In this you greatly rejoice, even though,
• 57:14
  Speaker 1: now for a little while, if necessary, you have been
• 57:17
  Speaker 1: distressed by various trials, so that the proof of your faith,
• 57:22
  Speaker 1: being more precious than gold, which is perishable, even though
• 57:26
  Speaker 1: tested by fire, may be found to result in praise
• 57:31
  Speaker 1: and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
• 57:40
  Speaker 1: Your faith is precious to him, so precious you are
• 57:49
  Speaker 1: so so precious to your Father in heaven. Listen as
• 57:55
  Speaker 1: I read the same passage in the voice translation. You
• 58:00
  Speaker 1: should greatly rejoice in what is waiting for you, even
• 58:05
  Speaker 1: if now for a little while you have to suffer
• 58:07
  Speaker 1: various trials. Suffering tests your faith, which is more valuable
• 58:13
  Speaker 1: than gold. Remember that gold, although it is perishable, is
• 58:18
  Speaker 1: tested by fire, so that if it is found genuine,
• 58:22
  Speaker 1: you can receive praise, honor, and glory when Jesus the Anointed,
• 58:29
  Speaker 1: our liberating King, is revealed at last. The Lord may
• 58:38
  Speaker 1: allow you at times to suffer trials and tribulations. He
• 58:44
  Speaker 1: doesn't enjoy your pain. He allows these things because you
• 58:49
  Speaker 1: are so precious to him, and your faith is precious
• 58:52
  Speaker 1: to him. You are far more valuable than gold or
• 58:59
  Speaker 1: silver or precious metals. No, that whatever you have suffered
• 59:04
  Speaker 1: in the past or are suffering now, Jesus has never
• 59:09
  Speaker 1: left you, not for one moment. Right now he is
• 59:20
  Speaker 1: holding your hand, and he is not letting you go.
• 59:26
  Speaker 1: When you don't hear him, he is still whispering loving
• 59:29
  Speaker 1: encouragements into your soul. He is telling you that His
• 59:33
  Speaker 1: strength is perfected in weakness, and by his power you
• 59:38
  Speaker 1: will get through stronger. In tewod Corinthians twelve nine and ten,
• 59:45
  Speaker 1: Paul tells us plainly of what God spoke to him
• 59:49
  Speaker 1: about his all surpassing grace. And finally he said to me,
• 59:57
  Speaker 1: my grace is enough to cover and sustain you. My
• 1:00:00
  Speaker 1: power is made perfect in weakness. So ask me about
• 1:00:05
  Speaker 1: my thorn. Inquire about my weaknesses, and I would gladly
• 1:00:11
  Speaker 1: go on and on. I would rather stake my claim
• 1:00:14
  Speaker 1: in these and have the power of the anointed one
• 1:00:17
  Speaker 1: at home within me. I am at peace and even
• 1:00:23
  Speaker 1: take pleasure in my weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and afflictions
• 1:00:29
  Speaker 1: for the sake of the Anointed, because when I am
• 1:00:32
  Speaker 1: at my weakest, He makes me strong. Your Father, God
• 1:00:42
  Speaker 1: is upholding you by his mighty right hand so that
• 1:00:46
  Speaker 1: you do not stumble and fall. He's telling you how
• 1:00:52
  Speaker 1: precious you are and how his heart goes out to
• 1:00:55
  Speaker 1: you when you are in pain. He is reminding you
• 1:01:02
  Speaker 1: that while your power alone isn't sufficient to get you through,
• 1:01:07
  Speaker 1: his grace is all sufficient for you. You can lean on
• 1:01:14
  Speaker 1: his grace, precious child, and your faith will be refined
• 1:01:19
  Speaker 1: and purified like gold, as your confidence in his ability
• 1:01:23
  Speaker 1: leads you through the testing fires. Trials alone don't make
• 1:01:29
  Speaker 1: us stronger. Leaning on Him in our weakness and learning
• 1:01:35
  Speaker 1: to trust him during the trials makes us stronger. And
• 1:01:41
  Speaker 1: that is when we can say it is well with
• 1:01:46
  Speaker 1: my soul. It may not be well around us externally,
• 1:01:53
  Speaker 1: but it can be well deep within because we are
• 1:01:58
  Speaker 1: fastened to our Lord and Savior, Jesus. In our darkest times,
• 1:02:05
  Speaker 1: we often cling titus to him. Even in the Old Testament,
• 1:02:11
  Speaker 1: the children of Israel were instructed to cling to the Lord.
• 1:02:16
  Speaker 1: You shall follow the Lord your God, and fear him,
• 1:02:20
  Speaker 1: and you shall keep his commandments, listen to his voice,
• 1:02:26
  Speaker 1: serve him, and cling to him in the hardest seasons.
• 1:02:34
  Speaker 1: We can continue to fasten ourselves to Him, even though
• 1:02:38
  Speaker 1: we may only possess a fragile faith. But that's how
• 1:02:43
  Speaker 1: wonderful our God is. He actually doesn't require us to
• 1:02:48
  Speaker 1: have vast amounts of faith. Just a little seed will do,
• 1:02:56
  Speaker 1: our beautiful Lord tells us in Matthew seventeen twenty. Because
• 1:03:01
  Speaker 1: you have so little faith, I tell you this. If
• 1:03:05
  Speaker 1: you had even a faint spark of faith, even faith
• 1:03:09
  Speaker 1: as tiny as a mustard seed, you could say, to
• 1:03:13
  Speaker 1: this mountain, move from here to there, And because of
• 1:03:18
  Speaker 1: your faith, the mountain would move. If you had just
• 1:03:23
  Speaker 1: a sliver of faith, you would find nothing impossible. As
• 1:03:32
  Speaker 1: we read in Hebrews eleven, verse six, without faith, it's
• 1:03:35
  Speaker 1: impossible to please God. The International Children's Bible translates that
• 1:03:41
  Speaker 1: verse like this, Without faith, no one can please God.
• 1:03:48
  Speaker 1: Anyone who comes to God must believe that he is
• 1:03:51
  Speaker 1: real and that he rewards those who truly want to
• 1:03:56
  Speaker 1: find him. And yet be comforted because even a small
• 1:04:06
  Speaker 1: mustard seed will bring him great delight over you. May
• 1:04:12
  Speaker 1: you know more and more, Precious listener, deep in your heart,
• 1:04:19
  Speaker 1: that God is real and He is worthy of your
• 1:04:22
  Speaker 1: full confidence in faith. He is rewarding your faith, even
• 1:04:29
  Speaker 1: though it be just a tiny grain of mustard. He
• 1:04:35
  Speaker 1: sees your heart, and he has seen those times it's
• 1:04:39
  Speaker 1: been hardest to trust him, and still you've kept seeking
• 1:04:43
  Speaker 1: him and wanting him, in believing in him, even though
• 1:04:49
  Speaker 1: the odds felt slim. This pleases your father so much.
• 1:04:57
  Speaker 1: Having faith in an unseen god takes naked trust. Sometimes,
• 1:05:03
  Speaker 1: Jesus said, this kind of faith is worthy of being
• 1:05:05
  Speaker 1: greatly blessed. When his disciples had witnessed his painful death,
• 1:05:12
  Speaker 1: they were convinced that even Jesus himself, who calmed the
• 1:05:17
  Speaker 1: wind and waves, could not come back from a death
• 1:05:21
  Speaker 1: like that. His realistic and logical follower, Thomas, could not
• 1:05:29
  Speaker 1: believe the others when they said they had seen Jesus
• 1:05:32
  Speaker 1: with their own eyes that simply could not be possible. Yes,
• 1:05:40
  Speaker 1: Jesus had proved he was master of the impossible, and
• 1:05:43
  Speaker 1: also master of death in the case of Lazarus, but
• 1:05:48
  Speaker 1: it's another matter for a dead man to bring himself
• 1:05:51
  Speaker 1: back from the dead. Thomas was honest enough to admit
• 1:05:57
  Speaker 1: that he simply could not believe this impossible shit. When
• 1:06:03
  Speaker 1: Jesus did walk into the room, Thomas must have been
• 1:06:07
  Speaker 1: rendered speechless in awe and wonder, and even regret that
• 1:06:12
  Speaker 1: he hadn't fully believed that Jesus was the all powerful
• 1:06:16
  Speaker 1: son of God who had power over everything in the
• 1:06:21
  Speaker 1: created world, even death itself. Jesus, with not a hint
• 1:06:31
  Speaker 1: of condemnation, only pure love and tenderness in his voice,
• 1:06:36
  Speaker 1: said to his doubting friend and companion, Thomas, you have
• 1:06:44
  Speaker 1: faith because you have seen me. Blessed are those who
• 1:06:48
  Speaker 1: never see me, and yet they still believe. Precious One,
• 1:06:57
  Speaker 1: you do believe in Jesus, although you haven't laid eyes
• 1:07:02
  Speaker 1: on him in the flesh. Yet you are the blessed
• 1:07:06
  Speaker 1: person of whom Jesus was thinking when he said that
• 1:07:12
  Speaker 1: you are richly blessed. And even though you may compare
• 1:07:18
  Speaker 1: your faith with that of others who seem to have
• 1:07:20
  Speaker 1: greater faith, let me tell you that even your mustard
• 1:07:25
  Speaker 1: seed pleases the Lord. You please him so much, and
• 1:07:32
  Speaker 1: his blessing will come in many forms. But peace is
• 1:07:38
  Speaker 1: one great thing that our soul longs for. He will
• 1:07:44
  Speaker 1: bless you with his gift of peace. Because that's a
• 1:07:47
  Speaker 1: promise you can bank on, and you will be able
• 1:07:51
  Speaker 1: to say, it is well with my soul when you
• 1:07:59
  Speaker 1: are trusting in him like a small child with just
• 1:08:02
  Speaker 1: a small mustard seed in their hand, you will experience
• 1:08:07
  Speaker 1: his beautiful peace in your soul. The message Bible paraphrases
• 1:08:15
  Speaker 1: the verse we are looking at like this. I know
• 1:08:19
  Speaker 1: how great this makes you feel, even though you have
• 1:08:23
  Speaker 1: to put up with every kind of aggravation. In the meantime,
• 1:08:28
  Speaker 1: pure gold put in the fire comes out of it
• 1:08:31
  Speaker 1: proved pure. Genuine faith put through this suffering comes out
• 1:08:36
  Speaker 1: proved genuine. When Jesus wraps this all up, it's your faith,
• 1:08:43
  Speaker 1: not your gold, that God will have on display as
• 1:08:47
  Speaker 1: evidence of his victory. He wants your faith to be
• 1:08:54
  Speaker 1: as solid as gold, and he will prove his goodness
• 1:08:58
  Speaker 1: to you in the storm. But you will never doubt
• 1:09:01
  Speaker 1: his goodness in season and out of season. And since
• 1:09:07
  Speaker 1: he is God and he is our creator, we trust
• 1:09:11
  Speaker 1: him to define the true meaning of goodness. We are
• 1:09:18
  Speaker 1: like little children, And although his good may look different
• 1:09:22
  Speaker 1: to our definition, he is right. He is faithful and true.
• 1:09:30
  Speaker 1: That's one of his names. John tells us in his
• 1:09:36
  Speaker 1: eyewitness account in Revelation nineteen, verse eleven, I looked up
• 1:09:43
  Speaker 1: and saw that heaven had opened. Suddenly a white horse appeared.
• 1:09:52
  Speaker 1: Its rider is called faithful and true, and with righteousness
• 1:09:56
  Speaker 1: he exercises judgment and wage his wi He can be
• 1:10:04
  Speaker 1: believed at all times. And if our doubts and fears
• 1:10:08
  Speaker 1: tell us differently, they are lying to us. The apostle
• 1:10:14
  Speaker 1: Paul was firmly convinced of this, and wrote in Romans three,
• 1:10:18
  Speaker 1: verse four. Of course, not even if everyone else is
• 1:10:23
  Speaker 1: a liar. God is true, as the scriptures say about him.
• 1:10:29
  Speaker 1: You will be proved right in what you say, and
• 1:10:32
  Speaker 1: you will win your case in court. May God be
• 1:10:38
  Speaker 1: true and everything else a lie. He is worthy of
• 1:10:44
  Speaker 1: our trust. In fact, he is the only one fully
• 1:10:48
  Speaker 1: worthy of our complete trust and faith and confidence. All
• 1:10:55
  Speaker 1: of this makes us sure and certain of his goodness,
• 1:10:59
  Speaker 1: And so we can and say, though it is confusing
• 1:11:02
  Speaker 1: at times, and we may be blind, who his working
• 1:11:05
  Speaker 1: and death to his speaking? He is working, and he
• 1:11:10
  Speaker 1: is speaking, and therefore it is well with my soul.
• 1:11:20
  Speaker 1: He is present here, so it is well with my soul.
• 1:11:26
  Speaker 1: He is good, so it is well with my soul.
• 1:11:32
  Speaker 1: He knows the end from the beginning, so it is
• 1:11:35
  Speaker 1: well with my soul. In his resurrection, he defeated death forever,
• 1:11:42
  Speaker 1: so it is well with my soul. He is provider
• 1:11:48
  Speaker 1: and protector and faithful friend, So it is well with
• 1:11:53
  Speaker 1: my soul, precious one, allow to read over you the
• 1:12:01
  Speaker 1: lyrics to the old hymn from eighteen seventy three, also
• 1:12:05
  Speaker 1: called It Is Well with My Soul. It was originally
• 1:12:12
  Speaker 1: a poem written by Horatio Spafford under very tragic circumstances.
• 1:12:19
  Speaker 1: He had been ruined financially from the eighteen seventy one
• 1:12:23
  Speaker 1: Chicago fires, and had lost his son to illness and
• 1:12:30
  Speaker 1: four daughters to a shipwreck, and had almost lost his
• 1:12:35
  Speaker 1: wife as well. When he sailed by the spot of
• 1:12:40
  Speaker 1: the wreck soon after the tragedy. He immediately felt the
• 1:12:45
  Speaker 1: inspiration of the Holy Spirit and penned these words into
• 1:12:51
  Speaker 1: a heartfelt poem. When peace like a river attended my way,
• 1:13:02
  Speaker 1: when sorrows like sea billows roll, whatever my lot thou
• 1:13:09
  Speaker 1: hast taught me to say, it is well. It is
• 1:13:15
  Speaker 1: well with my soul. It is well with my soul.
• 1:13:25
  Speaker 1: It is well with my soul. It is well, It
• 1:13:31
  Speaker 1: is well with my soul. Though Satan should buffet, though
• 1:13:41
  Speaker 1: trial should come, let this blessed assurance control that Christ
• 1:13:47
  Speaker 1: has regarded my helpless estate and hath shed his own
• 1:13:53
  Speaker 1: blood for my soul my sin. Oh, the bliss of
• 1:14:03
  Speaker 1: this glorious thought my sin, not in part, but the
• 1:14:10
  Speaker 1: whole is nailed to the cross, and I bear it
• 1:14:16
  Speaker 1: no more. Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord, O my soul.
• 1:14:28
  Speaker 1: For me be it Christ, be it Christ, hence to live.
• 1:14:35
  Speaker 1: If Jordan above me shall roll, no pang shall be mine.
• 1:14:42
  Speaker 1: For in death as in life, thou wilt whisper thy
• 1:14:47
  Speaker 1: peace to my soul. But Lord tis for thee for
• 1:14:54
  Speaker 1: thy coming. We wait the sky, not the grave, is
• 1:15:01
  Speaker 1: our goal. Oh trump of the Angel, Oh voice of
• 1:15:09
  Speaker 1: the Lord. Blessed hope, blest rest of my soul. And Lord,
• 1:15:18
  Speaker 1: haste the day when my faith shall be sight, the
• 1:15:23
  Speaker 1: clouds be rolled back as a scroll, the trump shall resound,
• 1:15:31
  Speaker 1: and the Lord shall descend. Even so it is well
• 1:15:37
  Speaker 1: with my soul. Let's pause and really still our minds
• 1:15:46
  Speaker 1: and hearts, and let such pure faith and trust in
• 1:15:51
  Speaker 1: God impact us. It is truly well with my soul
• 1:16:00
  Speaker 1: because Jesus has overcome the world. All the pain, all
• 1:16:07
  Speaker 1: the heartache, all the confusion, all the disappointed hopes, all
• 1:16:13
  Speaker 1: the unfulfilled longings, all the lost dreams, all the griefs.
• 1:16:22
  Speaker 1: He has taken them all down into the grave with him,
• 1:16:27
  Speaker 1: and he has risen victorious death was the final enemy,
• 1:16:34
  Speaker 1: and he has vanquished even that, Paul speaks in First
• 1:16:39
  Speaker 1: Corinthians fifteen. And then the end will come. After he
• 1:16:46
  Speaker 1: has conquered his enemies and shut down every rule and
• 1:16:49
  Speaker 1: authority vying for power, he will hand over the kingdom
• 1:16:54
  Speaker 1: to God, the Father of all that is, and he
• 1:16:58
  Speaker 1: must reign as king and till he has put all
• 1:17:01
  Speaker 1: his enemies under his feet. The last hostile power to
• 1:17:06
  Speaker 1: be destroyed is death itself, and in Isaiah it is
• 1:17:13
  Speaker 1: also prophesied God will swallow up death forever. The Lord
• 1:17:21
  Speaker 1: the Eternal will wipe away the tears from each and
• 1:17:25
  Speaker 1: every face, and deflect the scorn and shame. His people
• 1:17:29
  Speaker 1: endure from the whole world for the Eternal determined that
• 1:17:35
  Speaker 1: it should be so. There is nothing too hopeless for God,
• 1:17:42
  Speaker 1: precious one. Nothing is out of his reach. No pit
• 1:17:46
  Speaker 1: that you might fall into is too deep for him
• 1:17:50
  Speaker 1: to pull you out of. He will scoop you up
• 1:17:56
  Speaker 1: out of the mud and mire. He will not let
• 1:17:59
  Speaker 1: the sinking sand drag you. Wonder. Listen as I read
• 1:18:05
  Speaker 1: the words of Psalm forty, I waited a long time
• 1:18:10
  Speaker 1: for the Eternal. He finally knelt down to hear me.
• 1:18:16
  Speaker 1: He listened to my weak and whispered cry. He reached
• 1:18:22
  Speaker 1: down and drew me from the deep dark hole where
• 1:18:26
  Speaker 1: I was stranded, mired in the muck and clay. With
• 1:18:33
  Speaker 1: a gentle hand, he pulled me out to set me
• 1:18:36
  Speaker 1: down safely on a warm rock. He held me until
• 1:18:42
  Speaker 1: I was steady enough to continue the journey again, as
• 1:18:47
  Speaker 1: if that weren't enough. Because of him, my mind is
• 1:18:51
  Speaker 1: clearing up. Now. I have a new song to sing,
• 1:18:56
  Speaker 1: a song of praise to the one who saved me.
• 1:19:01
  Speaker 1: Because of what he's done, many people will see and
• 1:19:05
  Speaker 1: come to trust in the eternal. So, dearly loved child
• 1:19:15
  Speaker 1: of God, may you feel his gentle hand pulling you
• 1:19:20
  Speaker 1: out of the mud and mire and setting you on
• 1:19:23
  Speaker 1: a warm rock. And may you say, no matter what
• 1:19:27
  Speaker 1: storm rages around you, it is well with my soul.
• 1:19:35
  Speaker 1: That's about our hearts in reverence as we pray, Loving Father,
• 1:19:43
  Speaker 1: thank you for your gift of peace in this world
• 1:19:45
  Speaker 1: full of turmoil and trials. Thank you for giving us
• 1:19:50
  Speaker 1: your strength when we have none, and forgiving us your
• 1:19:54
  Speaker 1: faith when we cannot engineer it by ourselves. Thank you
• 1:20:01
  Speaker 1: that you are so pleased with your beloved child for
• 1:20:04
  Speaker 1: their faith in you. Though it may only be a
• 1:20:07
  Speaker 1: mustard seed. May you fill them with peace so it
• 1:20:12
  Speaker 1: may truly be well with their soul and Jesus's wonderful name. Amen,
• 1:20:25
  Speaker 1: continue to let his peace permeate your being. Let His
• 1:20:30
  Speaker 1: love of you trickle into the nooks and crevices of
• 1:20:34
  Speaker 1: your heart, making your soul well. You are deeply treasured.
• 1:20:49
  Speaker 1: Let's listen again to this sleep story about the peace
• 1:20:53
  Speaker 1: God brings to your soul. Allow me to read our
• 1:20:59
  Speaker 1: scripture again for you, Even though you may have heard
• 1:21:04
  Speaker 1: these words many times before, let the Lord bless you
• 1:21:08
  Speaker 1: in a fresh and new way. As you listen first
• 1:21:14
  Speaker 1: Peter one, verses six and seven. In this you greatly rejoice,
• 1:21:22
  Speaker 1: even though now for a little while, if necessary, you
• 1:21:25
  Speaker 1: have been distressed by various trials, so that the proof
• 1:21:29
  Speaker 1: of your faith being more precious than gold, which is perishable,
• 1:21:34
  Speaker 1: even though tested by fire, may be found to result
• 1:21:38
  Speaker 1: in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of
• 1:21:43
  Speaker 1: Jesus Christ. Your faith.
• 1:21:50
  Speaker 3: Is precious to Him.
• 1:21:53
  Speaker 1: So precious you are, so so precious to your Father
• 1:22:00
  Speaker 1: in heaven. Listen as I read the same passage in
• 1:22:05
  Speaker 1: the voice translation. You should greatly rejoice in what is
• 1:22:11
  Speaker 1: waiting for you. Even if now for a little while
• 1:22:15
  Speaker 1: you have to suffer various trials, suffering tests your faith,
• 1:22:20
  Speaker 1: which is more valuable than gold. Remember that gold, although
• 1:22:24
  Speaker 1: it is perishable, is tested by fire, so that if
• 1:22:29
  Speaker 1: it is found genuine, you can receive praise, honor, and
• 1:22:34
  Speaker 1: glory when Jesus, the Anointed, our liberating King, is revealed
• 1:22:41
  Speaker 1: at last. The Lord may allow you at times to
• 1:22:48
  Speaker 1: suffer trials and tribulations. He doesn't enjoy your pain. He
• 1:22:56
  Speaker 1: allows these things because you are so precious to him,
• 1:22:59
  Speaker 1: and your faith is precious to him. You are far
• 1:23:05
  Speaker 1: more valuable than gold or silver or precious metals. No
• 1:23:11
  Speaker 1: that whatever you have suffered in the past or are
• 1:23:14
  Speaker 1: suffering now, Jesus has never left you, not for one moment.
• 1:23:26
  Speaker 1: Right now, he is holding your hand, and he is
• 1:23:31
  Speaker 1: not letting you go. When you don't hear him, he
• 1:23:36
  Speaker 1: is still whispering loving encouragements into your soul. He is
• 1:23:41
  Speaker 1: telling you that his strength is perfected in weakness, and
• 1:23:44
  Speaker 1: by his power you will get through stronger. In tewod
• 1:23:52
  Speaker 1: Corinthians twelve nine and ten, Paul tells us plainly of
• 1:23:56
  Speaker 1: what God spoke to him about his all surpassing grace.
• 1:24:02
  Speaker 1: And finally he said to me, my grace is enough
• 1:24:06
  Speaker 1: to cover and sustain you. My power is made perfect
• 1:24:10
  Speaker 1: in weakness. So ask me about my thorn, Inquire about
• 1:24:16
  Speaker 1: my weaknesses, and I would gladly go on and on.
• 1:24:21
  Speaker 1: I would rather stake my claim in these than have
• 1:24:24
  Speaker 1: the power of the anointed one at home within me.
• 1:24:29
  Speaker 1: I am at peace and even take pleasure in my weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions,
• 1:24:36
  Speaker 1: and afflictions for the sake of the Anointed, because when
• 1:24:40
  Speaker 1: I am at my weakest, he makes me strong. Your
• 1:24:49
  Speaker 1: Father God is upholding you by his mighty right hand
• 1:24:54
  Speaker 1: so that you do not stumble and fall. He's telling
• 1:24:59
  Speaker 1: you how precious you are and how his heart goes
• 1:25:03
  Speaker 1: out to you when you are in pain. He is
• 1:25:09
  Speaker 1: reminding you that while your power alone isn't sufficient to
• 1:25:13
  Speaker 1: get you through, his grace is all sufficient for you.
• 1:25:21
  Speaker 1: You can lean on His grace, precious child, and your
• 1:25:25
  Speaker 1: faith will be refined and purified like gold, as your
• 1:25:30
  Speaker 1: confidence in His ability leads you through the testing fires.
• 1:25:36
  Speaker 1: Trials alone don't make us stronger. Leaning on Him in
• 1:25:42
  Speaker 1: our weakness and learning to trust him during the trials
• 1:25:46
  Speaker 1: makes us stronger. And that is when we can say
• 1:25:52
  Speaker 1: it is well with my soul. It may not be
• 1:25:59
  Speaker 1: well around us externally, but it can be well deep
• 1:26:03
  Speaker 1: within because we are fastened to our Lord and Savior Jesus.
• 1:26:12
  Speaker 1: In our darkest times, we often cling titus to him.
• 1:26:17
  Speaker 1: Even in the Old Testament, the children of Israel were
• 1:26:20
  Speaker 1: instructed to cling to the Lord. You shall follow the
• 1:26:25
  Speaker 1: Lord your God, and fear him, and you shall keep
• 1:26:29
  Speaker 1: his commandments, listen to his voice, serve him, and cling
• 1:26:37
  Speaker 1: to him in the hardest seasons. We can continue to
• 1:26:43
  Speaker 1: fasten ourselves to Him even though we may only possess
• 1:26:48
  Speaker 1: a fragile faith. But that's how wonderful our God is.
• 1:26:55
  Speaker 1: It actually doesn't require us to have vast amounts of faith.
• 1:27:00
  Speaker 1: Just a little seed will do, our beautiful Lord tells
• 1:27:05
  Speaker 1: us in Matthew seventeen twenty. Because you have so little faith,
• 1:27:10
  Speaker 1: I tell you this. If you had even a faint
• 1:27:15
  Speaker 1: spark of faith, even faith as tiny as a mustard seed,
• 1:27:21
  Speaker 1: you could say, to this mountain, move from here to there,
• 1:27:26
  Speaker 1: and because of your faith, the mountain would move. If
• 1:27:31
  Speaker 1: you had just a sliver of faith, you would find
• 1:27:35
  Speaker 1: nothing impossible. As we read in Hebrews eleven, verse six.
• 1:27:42
  Speaker 1: Without faith, it's impossible to please God. The International Children's
• 1:27:48
  Speaker 1: Bible translates that verse like this, Without faith, no one
• 1:27:54
  Speaker 1: can please God. Anyone who comes to God must believe
• 1:27:58
  Speaker 1: that he is real and that he rewards those who
• 1:28:02
  Speaker 1: truly want to find him. And yet be comforted because
• 1:28:13
  Speaker 1: even a small mustard seed will bring him great delight
• 1:28:16
  Speaker 1: over you. May you know more and more, precious listener,
• 1:28:24
  Speaker 1: deep in your heart, that God is real and he
• 1:28:30
  Speaker 1: is worthy of your full confidence in faith. He is
• 1:28:35
  Speaker 1: rewarding your faith, even though it be just a tiny
• 1:28:40
  Speaker 1: grain of mustard. He sees your heart, and he has
• 1:28:46
  Speaker 1: seen those times it's been hardest to trust him, and
• 1:28:49
  Speaker 1: still you've kept seeking him and wanting him in believing
• 1:28:54
  Speaker 1: in him, even though the odds felt slim. This pleases
• 1:29:01
  Speaker 1: your father so much. Having faith in an unseen God
• 1:29:08
  Speaker 1: takes naked trust. Sometimes, Jesus said, this kind of faith
• 1:29:12
  Speaker 1: is worthy of being greatly blessed. When his disciples had
• 1:29:18
  Speaker 1: witnessed his painful death, they were convinced that even Jesus himself,
• 1:29:25
  Speaker 1: who calmed the wind and waves, could not come back
• 1:29:29
  Speaker 1: from a death like that is realistic and logical follower,
• 1:29:35
  Speaker 1: Thomas could not believe the others when they said they
• 1:29:39
  Speaker 1: had seen Jesus with their own eyes. That simply could
• 1:29:44
  Speaker 1: not be possible. Yes, Jesus had proved he was master
• 1:29:50
  Speaker 1: of the impossible, and also master of death in the
• 1:29:53
  Speaker 1: case of Lazarus, but it's another matter for a dead
• 1:29:58
  Speaker 1: man to bring himself from the dead. Thomas was honest
• 1:30:04
  Speaker 1: enough to admit that he simply could not believe this
• 1:30:07
  Speaker 1: impossible story. When Jesus did walk into the room, Thomas
• 1:30:15
  Speaker 1: must have been rendered speechless in awe and wonder, and
• 1:30:20
  Speaker 1: even regret that he hadn't fully believed that Jesus was
• 1:30:24
  Speaker 1: the all powerful son of God who had power over
• 1:30:27
  Speaker 1: everything in the created world, even death itself. Jesus, with
• 1:30:38
  Speaker 1: not a hint of condemnation, only pure love and tenderness
• 1:30:43
  Speaker 1: in his voice, said to his doubting friend and companion, Thomas,
• 1:30:52
  Speaker 1: you have faith because you have seen me. Blessed are
• 1:30:56
  Speaker 1: those who never see me, and yet they still believe.
• 1:31:03
  Speaker 1: Precious One, you do believe in Jesus, although you haven't
• 1:31:09
  Speaker 1: laid eyes on him in the flesh. Yet you are
• 1:31:14
  Speaker 1: the blessed person of whom Jesus was thinking when he
• 1:31:17
  Speaker 1: said that you are richly blessed. And even though you
• 1:31:25
  Speaker 1: may compare your faith with that of others who seem
• 1:31:29
  Speaker 1: to have greater faith, let me tell you that even
• 1:31:32
  Speaker 1: your mustard seed pleases the Lord. You please him so much,
• 1:31:41
  Speaker 1: and his blessing will come in many forms. But peace
• 1:31:47
  Speaker 1: is one great thing that our soul longs for. He
• 1:31:52
  Speaker 1: will bless you with his gift of peace, because that's
• 1:31:56
  Speaker 1: a promise you can bank on, and you will be
• 1:31:59
  Speaker 1: able to say it is well with my soul. When
• 1:32:08
  Speaker 1: you are trusting in Him like a small child with
• 1:32:10
  Speaker 1: just a small mustard seed in their hand, you will
• 1:32:15
  Speaker 1: experience his beautiful peace in your soul. Dearly loved child
• 1:32:22
  Speaker 1: of God, may you feel his gentle hand pulling you
• 1:32:28
  Speaker 1: out of the mud and mire and setting you on
• 1:32:31
  Speaker 1: a warm rock. And may you say, no matter what
• 1:32:35
  Speaker 1: storm rages around you, it is well with my soul.
• 1:32:43
  Speaker 1: That's about our hearts in reverence as we pray, Loving Father,
• 1:32:51
  Speaker 1: thank you for your gift of peace in this world
• 1:32:53
  Speaker 1: full of turmoil and trials. Thank you for giving us
• 1:32:58
  Speaker 1: your strength when we have none, and forgiving us your
• 1:33:02
  Speaker 1: faith when we cannot engineer it by ourselves. Thank you
• 1:33:09
  Speaker 1: that you are so pleased with your beloved child for
• 1:33:12
  Speaker 1: their faith in you, Though it may only be a
• 1:33:15
  Speaker 1: mustard seed, May you fill them with peace so it
• 1:33:20
  Speaker 1: may truly be well with their soul and Jesus's wonderful name. Amen,
• 1:33:33
  Speaker 1: continue to let his peace permeate your being. Let His
• 1:33:38
  Speaker 1: love of you trickle into the nooks and crevices of
• 1:33:41
  Speaker 1: your heart, making your soul well. You are deeply treasured.
• 1:33:59
  Speaker 1: Tonight's glory will take us on a journey into deeper
• 1:34:03
  Speaker 1: peace and deeper sleep as we hear that at all
• 1:34:07
  Speaker 1: times you and I can say it is well with
• 1:34:11
  Speaker 1: my soul. Jesus offers us the ability to have peace
• 1:34:16
  Speaker 1: in our soul even during the storms and turmoil of
• 1:34:20
  Speaker 1: our lives. A man who slept in the storm and
• 1:34:26
  Speaker 1: walked on the waves, Jesus himself, showed us how a
• 1:34:30
  Speaker 1: human could overcome fear with an unmovable faith. His faith
• 1:34:39
  Speaker 1: was built on nothing less than knowing the goodness of
• 1:34:42
  Speaker 1: his Father and the power and help of the Holy Spirit.
• 1:34:52
  Speaker 1: This theme can infuse you and me with courage and
• 1:34:57
  Speaker 1: strength that if our faith is builtlt on Jesus Or
• 1:35:01
  Speaker 1: firm foundation, it can be well with our soul in
• 1:35:08
  Speaker 1: the storm or in the calm our. Hope is built
• 1:35:15
  Speaker 1: on Jesus, our faith is grounded in the Lord. The
• 1:35:23
  Speaker 1: scripture that will guide our time together is from First
• 1:35:26
  Speaker 1: Peter one, Verses six and seven. In this you greatly rejoice,
• 1:35:34
  Speaker 1: even though now for a little while, if necessary, you
• 1:35:38
  Speaker 1: have been distressed by various trials, so that the proof
• 1:35:42
  Speaker 1: of your faith, being more precious than gold, which is perishable,
• 1:35:46
  Speaker 1: even though tested by fire, may be found to result
• 1:35:51
  Speaker 1: in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of
• 1:35:56
  Speaker 1: Jesus Christ. We will let this scripture come to life
• 1:36:03
  Speaker 1: tonight as we meditate on what it is to be
• 1:36:07
  Speaker 1: solidly built on Jesus our rock, and will be hearing
• 1:36:13
  Speaker 1: the lyrics of the hymn It is well with my soul,
• 1:36:18
  Speaker 1: handed by Horatio Stafford, and as always, will first prepare
• 1:36:27
  Speaker 1: our bodies for sleep and get ourselves into the optimal
• 1:36:31
  Speaker 1: state to receive the love and peace of Jesus. He
• 1:36:38
  Speaker 1: has given us his precious Holy Spirit, one of the
• 1:36:43
  Speaker 1: greatest gifts he could ever give us, aside from his
• 1:36:46
  Speaker 1: own life and our salvation. Invite the Holy Spirit to
• 1:36:52
  Speaker 1: not only join you now as you rest, but to
• 1:36:56
  Speaker 1: lead you in this sleep story. Let him wring the
• 1:37:02
  Speaker 1: truth from your head into your heart. He wants this
• 1:37:08
  Speaker 1: more than you do. He wants his relationship with you
• 1:37:13
  Speaker 1: to bounce off the pages of scripture and flood your
• 1:37:16
  Speaker 1: soul and spirit. Let his peace like a river, attendeth
• 1:37:25
  Speaker 1: your soul. Breathe in and out gently as you invite
• 1:37:36
  Speaker 1: him in. Notice the places of tightness in your body
• 1:37:43
  Speaker 1: and release them, starting in your forehead and face and jaw.
• 1:37:53
  Speaker 1: Let them go Inhale and exhale and release those spots
• 1:38:09
  Speaker 1: as you breathe. Give permission to relax your neck, your shoulders,
• 1:38:18
  Speaker 1: your arms out into your hands and fingers. Let go
• 1:38:27
  Speaker 1: of all tension in your chest and stomach, your spine,
• 1:38:34
  Speaker 1: and your upper and lower back muscles as you breathe,
• 1:38:42
  Speaker 1: relax your thighs and legs, and your shins and calf muscles.
• 1:38:50
  Speaker 1: And lastly, let go of the strain in your ankles
• 1:38:55
  Speaker 1: and feet and toes. Breathe in and out, in and out,
• 1:39:19
  Speaker 1: feel every part of you just sinking deeper into the mattress.
• 1:39:25
  Speaker 1: Let it all go to your doting heavenly father, release
• 1:39:32
  Speaker 1: it completely. Give him the collection of your cares and
• 1:39:39
  Speaker 1: desires and needs, and visualize him taking it from you
• 1:39:45
  Speaker 1: with open hands outstretched as you offer it to him.
• 1:39:52
  Speaker 1: Want a relief. Feel your breathing getting lighter as the
• 1:39:59
  Speaker 1: way is taken off you. It's not weighing you down anymore.
• 1:40:06
  Speaker 1: The lover of your soul has your world in his hands.
• 1:40:11
  Speaker 1: He is in complete control. Yield yourself to him, and
• 1:40:21
  Speaker 1: now we shall talk to the Lord, putting him first
• 1:40:25
  Speaker 1: in our lives and first in our thoughts during this
• 1:40:28
  Speaker 1: story as we sleep in his care. Dear loving Lord Jesus,
• 1:40:37
  Speaker 1: maker of heaven and earth and maker of us, thank
• 1:40:41
  Speaker 1: you for loving us so completely, for giving us the
• 1:40:45
  Speaker 1: greatest gift, your very life. There's no greater love that
• 1:40:52
  Speaker 1: we will ever experience in this life or eternity. Because
• 1:40:59
  Speaker 1: of love, we know that only you are truly worthy
• 1:41:04
  Speaker 1: of our life, life for life. You gave yourself freely
• 1:41:11
  Speaker 1: for us, so now we offer ourselves freely to you.
• 1:41:20
  Speaker 1: Thank you for being so gentle and kind with us.
• 1:41:25
  Speaker 1: You long to tenderly draw us into your love tonight,
• 1:41:31
  Speaker 1: Would you please comfort us and build our lives on you,
• 1:41:36
  Speaker 1: so that it may be well with our souls forever,
• 1:41:40
  Speaker 1: regardless of the storms that buffet im bruise us, May
• 1:41:46
  Speaker 1: we never be moved from our foundation in you. This
• 1:41:50
  Speaker 1: is only by your strength in your matchless name. Amen.
• 1:42:02
  Speaker 1: As you snuggle down and get cozy, allow me to
• 1:42:06
  Speaker 1: read our scripture again for you. Even though you may
• 1:42:11
  Speaker 1: have heard these words many times before, Let the Lord
• 1:42:14
  Speaker 1: bless you in a fresh and new way. As you
• 1:42:17
  Speaker 1: listen first Peter one, Verses six and seven. In this
• 1:42:26
  Speaker 1: you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while,
• 1:42:30
  Speaker 1: if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, so
• 1:42:36
  Speaker 1: that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold,
• 1:42:39
  Speaker 1: which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be
• 1:42:44
  Speaker 1: found to result in praise and glory and honor at
• 1:42:49
  Speaker 1: the revelation of Jesus Christ. Your faith is precious to him,
• 1:43:00
  Speaker 1: so precious you are, so so precious to your Father
• 1:43:07
  Speaker 1: in heaven. Listen as I read the same passage in
• 1:43:12
  Speaker 1: the Voice translation. You should greatly rejoice in what is
• 1:43:17
  Speaker 1: waiting for you, even if now for a little while
• 1:43:22
  Speaker 1: you have to suffer various trials. Suffering tests your faith,
• 1:43:27
  Speaker 1: which is more valuable than gold. Remember that gold, although
• 1:43:31
  Speaker 1: it is perishable, is tested by fire, so that if
• 1:43:36
  Speaker 1: it is found genuine, you can receive praise, honor, and glory.
• 1:43:42
  Speaker 1: When Jesus, the Anointed, our liberating King, is revealed at last,
• 1:43:52
  Speaker 1: the Lord may allow you at times to suffer trials
• 1:43:56
  Speaker 1: and tribulations. He doesn't enjoy your pain. He allows these
• 1:44:03
  Speaker 1: things because you are so precious to him, and your
• 1:44:06
  Speaker 1: faith is precious to him. You are far more valuable
• 1:44:13
  Speaker 1: than gold or silver or precious metals. No that, whatever
• 1:44:19
  Speaker 1: you have suffered in the past or are suffering now,
• 1:44:23
  Speaker 1: Jesus has never left you, not for one moment. Right
• 1:44:33
  Speaker 1: now he is holding your hand, and he is not
• 1:44:38
  Speaker 1: letting you go. When you don't hear him, he is
• 1:44:43
  Speaker 1: still whispering loving encouragements into your soul. He is telling
• 1:44:48
  Speaker 1: you that his strength is perfected in weakness, and by
• 1:44:51
  Speaker 1: his power you will get through stronger. In Second Corinthians
• 1:45:00
  Speaker 1: of nine and ten, Paul tells us plainly of what
• 1:45:03
  Speaker 1: God spoke to him about his all surpassing grace, and
• 1:45:09
  Speaker 1: finally he said to me, my grace is enough to
• 1:45:13
  Speaker 1: cover and sustain you. My power is made perfect in weakness.
• 1:45:19
  Speaker 1: So ask me about my thorn. Inquire about my weaknesses,
• 1:45:25
  Speaker 1: and I will gladly go on and on. I would
• 1:45:28
  Speaker 1: rather stake my claim in these and have the power
• 1:45:31
  Speaker 1: of the anointed one at home within me. I am
• 1:45:36
  Speaker 1: at peace and even take pleasure in my weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions,
• 1:45:43
  Speaker 1: and afflictions for the sake of the Anointed, because when
• 1:45:47
  Speaker 1: I am at my weakest, He makes me strong. Your
• 1:45:56
  Speaker 1: Father God is upholding you by his mighty right hand
• 1:46:01
  Speaker 1: so that you do not stumble and fall. He's telling
• 1:46:06
  Speaker 1: you how precious you are and how his heart goes
• 1:46:10
  Speaker 1: out to you when you are in pain. He is
• 1:46:16
  Speaker 1: reminding you that while your power alone isn't sufficient to
• 1:46:19
  Speaker 1: get you through, his grace is all sufficient for you.
• 1:46:28
  Speaker 1: You can lean on his grace, precious child, and your
• 1:46:32
  Speaker 1: faith will be refined and purified like gold as your
• 1:46:36
  Speaker 1: confidence in His ability leads you through the testing fires.
• 1:46:43
  Speaker 1: Trials alone don't make us stronger. Leaning on Him in
• 1:46:49
  Speaker 1: our weakness and learning to trust Him during the trials
• 1:46:53
  Speaker 1: makes us stronger. And that is when we can say
• 1:46:59
  Speaker 1: it is well with my soul. It may not be
• 1:47:05
  Speaker 1: well around us externally, but it can be well deep
• 1:47:10
  Speaker 1: within because we are fastened to our Lord and Savior Jesus.
• 1:47:19
  Speaker 1: In our darkest times, we often cling titus to him.
• 1:47:24
  Speaker 1: Even in the Old Testament, the children of Israel were
• 1:47:27
  Speaker 1: instructed to cling to the Lord. You shall follow the
• 1:47:32
  Speaker 1: Lord your God, and fear him, and you shall keep
• 1:47:36
  Speaker 1: his commandments, listen to his voice, serve him, and cling
• 1:47:44
  Speaker 1: to him in the hardest seasons. We can continue to
• 1:47:50
  Speaker 1: fasten ourselves to him, even though we may only possess
• 1:47:55
  Speaker 1: a fragile faith. But that's how wonderful our God is.
• 1:48:02
  Speaker 1: It actually doesn't require us to have vast amounts of faith.
• 1:48:07
  Speaker 1: Just a little seed will do, our beautiful Lord tells
• 1:48:12
  Speaker 1: us in Matthew seventeen twenty. Because you have so little faith,
• 1:48:17
  Speaker 1: I tell you this. If you had even a faint
• 1:48:22
  Speaker 1: spark of faith, even faith as tiny as a mustard seed,
• 1:48:28
  Speaker 1: you could say to this mountain, move from here to there,
• 1:48:33
  Speaker 1: and because of your faith, the mountain would move. If
• 1:48:38
  Speaker 1: you had just a sliver of faith, you would find
• 1:48:42
  Speaker 1: nothing impossible. As we read in Hebrews eleven, verse six,
• 1:48:49
  Speaker 1: without faith, it's impossible to please God. The International Children's
• 1:48:55
  Speaker 1: Bible translates that verse like this, without no one can
• 1:49:01
  Speaker 1: please God. Anyone who comes to God must believe that
• 1:49:05
  Speaker 1: he is real and that he rewards those who truly
• 1:49:10
  Speaker 1: want to find him, and yet be comforted because even
• 1:49:20
  Speaker 1: a small mustard seed will bring him great delight over you.
• 1:49:27
  Speaker 1: May you know more and more, precious listener, deep in
• 1:49:32
  Speaker 1: your heart, that God is real and he is worthy
• 1:49:37
  Speaker 1: of your full confidence in faith. He is rewarding your faith,
• 1:49:44
  Speaker 1: even though it be just a tiny grain of mustard.
• 1:49:50
  Speaker 1: He sees your heart, and he has seen those times
• 1:49:54
  Speaker 1: it's been hardest to trust him. And still you've kept
• 1:49:58
  Speaker 1: seeking him and wanting him in believing in him, even
• 1:50:04
  Speaker 1: though the odds felt slim. This pleases your father so much.
• 1:50:12
  Speaker 1: Having faith in an unseen God takes naked trust. Sometimes,
• 1:50:18
  Speaker 1: Jesus said, this kind of faith is worthy of being
• 1:50:20
  Speaker 1: greatly blessed. And his disciples had witnessed his painful death,
• 1:50:27
  Speaker 1: they were convinced that even Jesus himself, who calmed the
• 1:50:33
  Speaker 1: wind and waves, could not come back from a death
• 1:50:37
  Speaker 1: like that. His realistic and logical follower, Thomas, could not
• 1:50:45
  Speaker 1: believe the others when they said they had seen Jesus
• 1:50:47
  Speaker 1: with their own eyes that simply could not be possible. Yes,
• 1:50:55
  Speaker 1: Jesus had proved he was master of the impossible and
• 1:50:59
  Speaker 1: also master of death in the case of Lazarus. But
• 1:51:03
  Speaker 1: it's another matter for a dead man to bring himself
• 1:51:06
  Speaker 1: back from the dead. Thomas was honest enough to admit
• 1:51:12
  Speaker 1: that he simply could not believe this impossible story. When
• 1:51:18
  Speaker 1: Jesus did walk into the room, Thomas must have been
• 1:51:22
  Speaker 1: rendered speechless in awe and wonder, and even regret that
• 1:51:28
  Speaker 1: he hadn't fully believed that Jesus was the all powerful
• 1:51:31
  Speaker 1: son of God who had power over everything in the
• 1:51:36
  Speaker 1: created world, even death itself. Jesus, with not a hint
• 1:51:46
  Speaker 1: of condemnation, only pure love and tenderness in his voice,
• 1:51:51
  Speaker 1: said to his doubting friend and companion, Thomas, you have
• 1:51:59
  Speaker 1: faith because you have seen me. Blessed are those who
• 1:52:03
  Speaker 1: never see me, and yet they still believe. Precious One,
• 1:52:12
  Speaker 1: you do believe in Jesus, although you haven't laid eyes
• 1:52:17
  Speaker 1: on him in the flesh. Yet you are the blessed
• 1:52:21
  Speaker 1: person of whom Jesus was thinking when he said that
• 1:52:27
  Speaker 1: you are richly blessed. And even though you may compare
• 1:52:33
  Speaker 1: your faith with that of others who seem to have
• 1:52:36
  Speaker 1: greater faith, let me tell you that even your mustard
• 1:52:40
  Speaker 1: seed pleases the Lord. You please him so much, and
• 1:52:48
  Speaker 1: his blessing will come in many forms. But peace is
• 1:52:54
  Speaker 1: one great thing that our soul longs for he will
• 1:52:59
  Speaker 1: bless you with him his gift of peace, because that's
• 1:53:02
  Speaker 1: a promise you can bank on, and you will be
• 1:53:06
  Speaker 1: able to say it is well with my soul. When
• 1:53:14
  Speaker 1: you are trusting in Him, like a small child with
• 1:53:17
  Speaker 1: just a small mustard seed in their hand, you will
• 1:53:22
  Speaker 1: experience his beautiful peace in your soul. The message Bible
• 1:53:29
  Speaker 1: paraphrases the verse, we are looking at like this, I
• 1:53:34
  Speaker 1: know how great this makes you feel, even though you
• 1:53:38
  Speaker 1: have to put up with every kind of aggravation. In
• 1:53:41
  Speaker 1: the meantime, pure gold put in the fire comes out
• 1:53:45
  Speaker 1: of it proved pure genuine faith put through this suffering
• 1:53:50
  Speaker 1: comes out proved genuine. When Jesus wraps this all up,
• 1:53:57
  Speaker 1: it's your faith, not your gold, that God will have
• 1:54:01
  Speaker 1: on display as evidence of his victory. He wants your
• 1:54:09
  Speaker 1: faith to be as solid as gold, and He will
• 1:54:12
  Speaker 1: prove his goodness to you in the storm, so that
• 1:54:15
  Speaker 1: you will never doubt his goodness in season and out
• 1:54:19
  Speaker 1: of season. And since he is God and he is
• 1:54:23
  Speaker 1: our creator, we trust him to define the true meaning
• 1:54:29
  Speaker 1: of goodness. We are like little children. And although his
• 1:54:36
  Speaker 1: good may look different to our definition, he is right.
• 1:54:42
  Speaker 1: He is faithful and true. That's one of his names.
• 1:54:50
  Speaker 1: John tells us in his eyewitness account in Revelation nineteen,
• 1:54:54
  Speaker 1: verse eleven. I looked up and saw that heaven had opened,
• 1:55:00
  Speaker 1: and suddenly a white horse appeared. Its writer is called
• 1:55:08
  Speaker 1: faithful and true, and with righteousness. He exercises judgment and
• 1:55:14
  Speaker 1: wage his war. He can be believed at all times.
• 1:55:22
  Speaker 1: And if our doubts and fears tell us differently, they
• 1:55:26
  Speaker 1: are lying to us. The apostle Paul was firmly convinced
• 1:55:31
  Speaker 1: of this, and wrote in Romans three, verse four, of course,
• 1:55:36
  Speaker 1: not even if everyone else is a liar. God is true,
• 1:55:42
  Speaker 1: as the scriptures say about him. You will be proved
• 1:55:45
  Speaker 1: right in what you say, and you will win your
• 1:55:49
  Speaker 1: case in court. May God be true and everything else
• 1:55:56
  Speaker 1: a lie. He is worthy of our trust. In fact,
• 1:56:01
  Speaker 1: he is the only one fully worthy of our complete
• 1:56:05
  Speaker 1: trust and faith and confidence. All of this makes us
• 1:56:12
  Speaker 1: sure and certain of his goodness, And so we can say,
• 1:56:16
  Speaker 1: though it is confusing at times, and we may be
• 1:56:19
  Speaker 1: blind to his working and death to his speaking, he
• 1:56:23
  Speaker 1: is working, and he is speaking, and therefore it is
• 1:56:30
  Speaker 1: well with my soul. He is present here, so it
• 1:56:37
  Speaker 1: is well with my soul. He is good, so it
• 1:56:44
  Speaker 1: is well with my soul. He knows the end from
• 1:56:48
  Speaker 1: the beginning, so it is well with my soul. In
• 1:56:53
  Speaker 1: his resurrection, he defeated death forever, so it is well
• 1:56:59
  Speaker 1: with my soul. He is provider and protector and faithful friend,
• 1:57:07
  Speaker 1: So it is well with my soul. Precious one, allow
• 1:57:15
  Speaker 1: me to read over you the lyrics to the old
• 1:57:17
  Speaker 1: hymn from eighteen seventy three, also called It Is Well
• 1:57:23
  Speaker 1: with My Soul. It was originally a poem written by
• 1:57:29
  Speaker 1: Horatio Spafford under very tragic circumstances. He had been ruined
• 1:57:35
  Speaker 1: financially from the eighteen seventy one Chicago fires, and had
• 1:57:41
  Speaker 1: lost his son to illness and four daughters to a shipwreck,
• 1:57:49
  Speaker 1: and had almost lost his wife as well. When he
• 1:57:54
  Speaker 1: sailed by the spot of the wreck soon after the tragedy.
• 1:57:58
  Speaker 1: He immediately felt the inspiration of the Holy Spirit impend
• 1:58:04
  Speaker 1: these words into a heartfelt poem. When peace like a
• 1:58:12
  Speaker 1: river attendeth my way, when sorrows like sea billows roll,
• 1:58:21
  Speaker 1: whatever my lot, thou hast taught me to say, it
• 1:58:27
  Speaker 1: is well, It is well with my soul. It is
• 1:58:36
  Speaker 1: well with my soul. It is well with my soul.
• 1:58:43
  Speaker 1: It is well. It is well with my soul. Though
• 1:58:53
  Speaker 1: Satan should buffet, though trial should come, let this blessed
• 1:58:59
  Speaker 1: assurance can that Christ has regarded my helpless estate and
• 1:59:07
  Speaker 1: hath shed his own blood for my soul. My sin, Oh,
• 1:59:18
  Speaker 1: the bliss of this glorious thought. My sin not in part,
• 1:59:24
  Speaker 1: but the whole is nailed to the cross, and I
• 1:59:31
  Speaker 1: bear it no more. Praise the Lord, Praise the Lord,
• 1:59:39
  Speaker 1: oh my soul. For me, be it Christ, be it Christ,
• 1:59:48
  Speaker 1: hence to live. If Jordan above me shall roll, no
• 1:59:54
  Speaker 1: pang shall be mine. For in death as in life,
• 2:00:00
  Speaker 1: thou wilt whisper thy peace to my soul. But Lord
• 2:00:06
  Speaker 1: tis for thee for thy coming. We wait. The sky,
• 2:00:13
  Speaker 1: not the grave, is our goal. Oh trump of the Angel,
• 2:00:24
  Speaker 1: Oh voice of the Lord. Blest hope, blest rest of
• 2:00:29
  Speaker 1: my soul. And Lord, haste the day when my faith
• 2:00:36
  Speaker 1: shall be sight, the clouds be rolled back as a scroll,
• 2:00:44
  Speaker 1: the trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend. Even
• 2:00:49
  Speaker 1: so it is well with my soul. Let's pause and
• 2:01:00
  Speaker 1: really still our minds and hearts, and let such pure
• 2:01:05
  Speaker 1: faith and trust in God impact us. It is truly
• 2:01:13
  Speaker 1: well with my soul because Jesus has overcome the world.
• 2:01:20
  Speaker 1: All the pain, all the heartache, all the confusion, all
• 2:01:25
  Speaker 1: the disappointed hopes, all the unfulfilled longings, all the lost dreams,
• 2:01:34
  Speaker 1: all the griefs. He has taken them all down into
• 2:01:40
  Speaker 1: the grave with him, and he has risen victorious. Death
• 2:01:48
  Speaker 1: was the final enemy, and he has vanquished even that.
• 2:01:53
  Speaker 1: Paul speaks in First Corinthians fifteen. And then the end
• 2:01:58
  Speaker 1: will come. After he has conquered his enemies and shut
• 2:02:03
  Speaker 1: down every rule and authority vying for power. He will
• 2:02:08
  Speaker 1: hand over the kingdom to God, the Father of all
• 2:02:11
  Speaker 1: that is, and he must reign as king until he
• 2:02:15
  Speaker 1: has put all his enemies under his feet. The last
• 2:02:20
  Speaker 1: hostile power to be destroyed is death itself, and in
• 2:02:27
  Speaker 1: Isaiah it is also prophesied God will swallow up death forever.
• 2:02:35
  Speaker 1: The Lord the Eternal, will wipe away the tears from
• 2:02:39
  Speaker 1: each and every face, and deflect the scorn and shame
• 2:02:43
  Speaker 1: his people endure from the whole world, for the Eternal
• 2:02:48
  Speaker 1: determined that it should be so. There is nothing too
• 2:02:55
  Speaker 1: hopeless for God, precious one. Nothing is out of his reach.
• 2:03:01
  Speaker 1: No pit that you might fall into is too deep
• 2:03:04
  Speaker 1: for him to pull you out of He will scoop
• 2:03:10
  Speaker 1: you up out of the mud and mire. He will
• 2:03:14
  Speaker 1: not let the sinking sand drag you under. Listen as
• 2:03:20
  Speaker 1: I read the words of Psalm forty. I waited a
• 2:03:25
  Speaker 1: long time for the eternal. He finally knelt down to
• 2:03:29
  Speaker 1: hear me. He listened to my weak and whispered cry.
• 2:03:37
  Speaker 1: He reached down and drew me from the deep dark
• 2:03:41
  Speaker 1: hole where I was stranded, mired in the muck and clay.
• 2:03:48
  Speaker 1: With a gentle hand, he pulled me out to set
• 2:03:51
  Speaker 1: me down safely on a warm rock. He held me
• 2:03:57
  Speaker 1: until I was steady enough to continue that You're again,
• 2:04:02
  Speaker 1: As if that weren't enough, Because of him, my mind
• 2:04:06
  Speaker 1: is clearing up. Now I have a new song to sing,
• 2:04:11
  Speaker 1: a song of praise to the one who saved me.
• 2:04:16
  Speaker 1: Because of what He's done, many people will see and
• 2:04:20
  Speaker 1: come to trust in the eternal. So, dearly loved child
• 2:04:30
  Speaker 1: of God, may you feel his gentle hand pulling you
• 2:04:35
  Speaker 1: out of the mud and mire and setting you on
• 2:04:38
  Speaker 1: a warm rock. And may you say, no matter what
• 2:04:42
  Speaker 1: storm rages around you, it is well with my soul.
• 2:04:50
  Speaker 1: That's about our hearts In reverence, as we pray, Loving Father,
• 2:04:58
  Speaker 1: thank you for your gift of pear in this world
• 2:05:01
  Speaker 1: full of turmoil and trials. Thank you for giving us
• 2:05:05
  Speaker 1: your strength when we have none, and forgiving us your
• 2:05:09
  Speaker 1: faith when we cannot engineer it by ourselves. Thank you
• 2:05:16
  Speaker 1: that you are so pleased with your beloved child for
• 2:05:19
  Speaker 1: their faith in you, though it may only be a
• 2:05:22
  Speaker 1: mustard seed. May you fill them with peace so it
• 2:05:27
  Speaker 1: may truly be well with their soul and Jesus's wonderful name. Amen,
• 2:05:41
  Speaker 1: Continue to let his peace permeate your being. Let His
• 2:05:46
  Speaker 1: love of you trickle into the nooks and crevices of
• 2:05:49
  Speaker 1: your heart, making your soul well. You are deeply treasured.
• 2:06:03
  Speaker 1: Let's listen again to this sleep story about the peace
• 2:06:07
  Speaker 1: God brings to your soul. Allow me to read our
• 2:06:13
  Speaker 1: scripture again for you, even though you may have heard
• 2:06:18
  Speaker 1: these words many times before, Let the Lord bless you
• 2:06:21
  Speaker 1: in a fresh and new way as you listen first
• 2:06:28
  Speaker 1: Peter one, Verses six and seven. In this you greatly rejoice,
• 2:06:35
  Speaker 1: even though now for a little while, if necessary, you
• 2:06:38
  Speaker 1: have been distressed by various trials, So that the proof
• 2:06:43
  Speaker 1: of your faith, being more precious than gold, which is perishable,
• 2:06:47
  Speaker 1: even though tested by fire, may be found to result
• 2:06:52
  Speaker 1: in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of
• 2:06:57
  Speaker 1: Jesus Christ. Your faith.
• 2:07:04
  Speaker 3: Is precious to him.
• 2:07:07
  Speaker 1: So precious you are so so precious to your Father
• 2:07:13
  Speaker 1: in heaven. Listen as I read the same passage in
• 2:07:18
  Speaker 1: the voice translation. You should greatly rejoice in what is
• 2:07:24
  Speaker 1: waiting for you, even if now for a little while
• 2:07:28
  Speaker 1: you have to suffer various trials. Suffering tests your faith,
• 2:07:33
  Speaker 1: which is more valuable than gold. Remember that gold, although
• 2:07:38
  Speaker 1: it is perishable, is tested by fire, so that if
• 2:07:42
  Speaker 1: it is found genuine, you can receive praise, honor, and
• 2:07:47
  Speaker 1: glory when Jesus the Anointed, our liberating King, is revealed
• 2:07:54
  Speaker 1: at last. The Lord may allow you at times to
• 2:08:02
  Speaker 1: suffer trials and tribulations. He doesn't enjoy your pain. He
• 2:08:09
  Speaker 1: allows these things because you are so precious to him
• 2:08:12
  Speaker 1: and your faith is precious to him. You are far
• 2:08:19
  Speaker 1: more valuable than gold or silver or precious metals. No
• 2:08:24
  Speaker 1: that whatever you have suffered in the past or are
• 2:08:27
  Speaker 1: suffering now, Jesus has never left you, not for one moment.
• 2:08:39
  Speaker 1: Right now, he is holding your hand, and he is
• 2:08:45
  Speaker 1: not letting you go. When you don't hear him, he
• 2:08:49
  Speaker 1: is still whispering loving encouragements into your soul. He is
• 2:08:54
  Speaker 1: telling you that His strength is perfected in weakness, and
• 2:08:58
  Speaker 1: by his power you will get through stronger. In Tewod
• 2:09:05
  Speaker 1: Corinthians twelve nine and ten, Paul tells us plainly of
• 2:09:09
  Speaker 1: what God spoke to him about his all surpassing grace.
• 2:09:16
  Speaker 1: And finally he said to me, my grace is enough
• 2:09:19
  Speaker 1: to cover and sustain you. My power is made perfect
• 2:09:23
  Speaker 1: in weakness. So ask me about my thorn. Inquire about
• 2:09:30
  Speaker 1: my weaknesses, and I will gladly go on and on.
• 2:09:34
  Speaker 1: I would rather stake my claim in these than have
• 2:09:37
  Speaker 1: the power of the anointed One at home within me.
• 2:09:42
  Speaker 1: I am at peace and even take pleasure in my weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions,
• 2:09:50
  Speaker 1: and afflictions for the sake of the Anointed, because when
• 2:09:53
  Speaker 1: I am at my weakest, He makes me strong. Your father,
• 2:10:03
  Speaker 1: God is upholding you by his mighty right hand so
• 2:10:07
  Speaker 1: that you do not stumble and fall. He's telling you
• 2:10:13
  Speaker 1: how precious you are and how his heart goes out
• 2:10:17
  Speaker 1: to you when you are in pain. He is reminding
• 2:10:23
  Speaker 1: you that while your power alone isn't sufficient to get
• 2:10:26
  Speaker 1: you through, his grace is all sufficient for you, you
• 2:10:35
  Speaker 1: can lean on his grace, precious child, and your faith
• 2:10:39
  Speaker 1: will be refined and purified like gold, as your confidence
• 2:10:44
  Speaker 1: in his ability leads you through the testing fires. Trials
• 2:10:50
  Speaker 1: alone don't make us stronger. Leaning on Him in our
• 2:10:55
  Speaker 1: weakness and learning to trust him during the trials makes
• 2:10:59
  Speaker 1: a us stronger. And that is when we can say
• 2:11:06
  Speaker 1: it is well with my soul. It may not be
• 2:11:12
  Speaker 1: well around us externally, but it can be well deep
• 2:11:16
  Speaker 1: within because we are fastened to our Lord and Savior, Jesus.
• 2:11:25
  Speaker 1: In our darkest times, we often cling titus to him.
• 2:11:31
  Speaker 1: Even in the Old Testament, the children of Israel were
• 2:11:33
  Speaker 1: instructed to cling to the Lord. You shall follow the
• 2:11:39
  Speaker 1: Lord your God, and fear him, and you shall keep
• 2:11:43
  Speaker 1: his commandments, listen to his voice, serve him, and cling
• 2:11:50
  Speaker 1: to him in the hardest seasons. We can continue to
• 2:11:57
  Speaker 1: fasten ourselves to Him even though we may only possess
• 2:12:01
  Speaker 1: a fragile faith. But that's how wonderful our God is.
• 2:12:08
  Speaker 1: It actually doesn't require us to have vast amounts of faith.
• 2:12:13
  Speaker 1: Just a little seed will do, our beautiful Lord tells
• 2:12:19
  Speaker 1: us in Matthew seventeen twenty. Because you have so little faith,
• 2:12:24
  Speaker 1: I tell you this. If you had even a faint
• 2:12:28
  Speaker 1: spark of faith, even faith as tiny as a mustard seed,
• 2:12:34
  Speaker 1: you could say, to this mountain, move from here to there,
• 2:12:39
  Speaker 1: and because of your faith, the mountain would move. If
• 2:12:44
  Speaker 1: you had just a sliver of faith, you would find
• 2:12:48
  Speaker 1: nothing impossible. As we read in Hebrews eleven, verse six,
• 2:12:56
  Speaker 1: without faith, it's impossible to please God. The International Children's
• 2:13:01
  Speaker 1: Bible translates that verse like this, Without faith, no one
• 2:13:07
  Speaker 1: can please God. Anyone who comes to God must believe
• 2:13:12
  Speaker 1: that he is real and that he rewards those who
• 2:13:15
  Speaker 1: truly want to find him. And yet be comforted because
• 2:13:26
  Speaker 1: even a small mustard seed will bring him great delight
• 2:13:29
  Speaker 1: over you. May you know more and more, Precious listener,
• 2:13:38
  Speaker 1: deep in your heart, that God is real and he
• 2:13:43
  Speaker 1: is worthy of your full confidence and faith. He is
• 2:13:48
  Speaker 1: rewarding your faith, even though it be just a tiny
• 2:13:53
  Speaker 1: grain of mustard. He sees your heart, and he has
• 2:13:59
  Speaker 1: seen those it's been hardest to trust him, and still
• 2:14:03
  Speaker 1: you've kept seeking him and wanting him in believing in him,
• 2:14:10
  Speaker 1: even though the odds felt slim. This pleases your father
• 2:14:15
  Speaker 1: so much. Having faith in an unseen God takes naked trust.
• 2:14:22
  Speaker 1: Sometimes Jesus said, this kind of faith is worthy of
• 2:14:26
  Speaker 1: being greatly blessed. And his disciples had witnessed his painful death,
• 2:14:34
  Speaker 1: they were convinced that even Jesus himself, who calmed the
• 2:14:39
  Speaker 1: wind and waves, could not come back from a death
• 2:14:43
  Speaker 1: like that. His realistic and logical follower, Thomas, could not
• 2:14:51
  Speaker 1: believe the others when they said they had seen Jesus
• 2:14:53
  Speaker 1: with their own eyes that simply could not be possible. Yes,
• 2:15:02
  Speaker 1: Jesus had proved he was master of the impossible, and
• 2:15:05
  Speaker 1: also master of death in the case of Lazarus, but
• 2:15:10
  Speaker 1: it's another matter for a dead man to bring himself
• 2:15:13
  Speaker 1: back from the dead. Thomas was honest enough to admit
• 2:15:18
  Speaker 1: that he simply could not believe this impossible story. When
• 2:15:24
  Speaker 1: Jesus did walk into the room, Thomas must have been
• 2:15:29
  Speaker 1: rendered speechless in awe and wonder, and even regret that
• 2:15:34
  Speaker 1: he hadn't fully believed that Jesus was the all powerful
• 2:15:38
  Speaker 1: son of God who had power over everything in the
• 2:15:42
  Speaker 1: created world, even death itself. Jesus, with not a hint
• 2:15:52
  Speaker 1: of condemnation, only pure love and tenderness in his voice,
• 2:15:57
  Speaker 1: said to his doubting friend and companion, Thomas, you have
• 2:16:05
  Speaker 1: faith because you have seen me. Blessed are those who
• 2:16:10
  Speaker 1: never see Me, and yet they still believe. Precious One,
• 2:16:19
  Speaker 1: you do believe in Jesus, although you haven't laid eyes
• 2:16:23
  Speaker 1: on Him in the flesh. Yet you are the blessed
• 2:16:28
  Speaker 1: person of whom Jesus was thinking when he said that
• 2:16:33
  Speaker 1: you are richly blessed. And even though you may compare
• 2:16:39
  Speaker 1: your faith with that of others who seem to have
• 2:16:42
  Speaker 1: greater faith, let me tell you that even your mustard
• 2:16:46
  Speaker 1: seed pleases the Lord. You please him so much, and
• 2:16:54
  Speaker 1: his blessing will come in many forms, But is one
• 2:17:00
  Speaker 1: great thing that our soul longs for. He will bless
• 2:17:06
  Speaker 1: you with his gift of peace. Because that's a promise
• 2:17:09
  Speaker 1: you can bank on, and you will be able to
• 2:17:13
  Speaker 1: say it is well with my soul. When you are
• 2:17:21
  Speaker 1: trusting in Him like a small child with just a
• 2:17:24
  Speaker 1: small mustard seed in their hand, you will experience his
• 2:17:29
  Speaker 1: beautiful peace in your soul. The message Bible paraphrases the verse,
• 2:17:37
  Speaker 1: we are looking at like this. I know how great
• 2:17:41
  Speaker 1: this makes you feel. Even though you have to put
• 2:17:45
  Speaker 1: up with every kind of aggravation. In the meantime, pure
• 2:17:50
  Speaker 1: gold put in the fire comes out of it proved pure.
• 2:17:54
  Speaker 1: Genuine faith put through this suffering comes out proved genuine.
• 2:18:01
  Speaker 1: When Jesus wraps this all up, it's your faith, not
• 2:18:05
  Speaker 1: your gold, that God will have on display as evidence
• 2:18:10
  Speaker 1: of his victory. He wants your faith to be as
• 2:18:16
  Speaker 1: solid as gold, and he will prove his goodness to
• 2:18:20
  Speaker 1: you in the storm, so that you will never doubt
• 2:18:23
  Speaker 1: his goodness in season and out of season. And since
• 2:18:29
  Speaker 1: he is God and he is our creator, we trust
• 2:18:33
  Speaker 1: him to define the true meaning of goodness. We are
• 2:18:39
  Speaker 1: like little children. And although his good may look different
• 2:18:44
  Speaker 1: to our definition, he is right. He is faithful and true.
• 2:18:52
  Speaker 1: That's one of his names. John tells us in his
• 2:18:58
  Speaker 1: Eyewitness Account and Revelation eighteen, verse eleven. I looked up
• 2:19:04
  Speaker 1: and saw that heaven had opened. Suddenly a white horse appeared.
• 2:19:13
  Speaker 1: Its writer is called faithful and true, and with righteousness
• 2:19:18
  Speaker 1: he exercises judgment and wage his war. He can be
• 2:19:26
  Speaker 1: believed at all times. And if our doubts and fears
• 2:19:30
  Speaker 1: tell us differently, they are lying to us. The apostle
• 2:19:36
  Speaker 1: Paul was firmly convinced of this, and wrote in Romans three,
• 2:19:39
  Speaker 1: verse four, of course, not even if everyone else is
• 2:19:45
  Speaker 1: a liar. God is true, as the scriptures say about him.
• 2:19:50
  Speaker 1: You will be proved right in what you say, and
• 2:19:54
  Speaker 1: you will win your case in court. May God be true,
• 2:20:01
  Speaker 1: and everything else a lie. He is worthy of our trust.
• 2:20:07
  Speaker 1: In fact, he is the only one fully worthy of
• 2:20:10
  Speaker 1: our complete trust and faith and confidence. All of this
• 2:20:18
  Speaker 1: makes us sure and certain of his goodness, And so
• 2:20:21
  Speaker 1: we can say, though it is confusing at times, and
• 2:20:25
  Speaker 1: we may be blind to his working and death to
• 2:20:27
  Speaker 1: his speaking, he is working and he is speaking, and
• 2:20:34
  Speaker 1: therefore it is well with my soul. He is present here,
• 2:20:43
  Speaker 1: so it is well with my soul. He is good,
• 2:20:50
  Speaker 1: so it is well with my soul. He knows the
• 2:20:54
  Speaker 1: end from the beginning, so it is well with my soul.
• 2:21:00
  Speaker 1: In his resurrection, he defeated death forever, so it is
• 2:21:05
  Speaker 1: well with my soul. He is provider and protector and
• 2:21:11
  Speaker 1: faithful friend, so it is well with my soul. Precious one,
• 2:21:21
  Speaker 1: allow me to read over you the lyrics to the
• 2:21:23
  Speaker 1: old hymn from eighteen seventy three, also called it is
• 2:21:29
  Speaker 1: Well with My Soul, It was originally a poem written
• 2:21:35
  Speaker 1: by Horatio Spafford. Under very tragic circumstances. He had been
• 2:21:41
  Speaker 1: ruined financially from the eighteen seventy one Chicago fires, and
• 2:21:47
  Speaker 1: had lost his son to illness and four daughters to
• 2:21:53
  Speaker 1: a shipwreck, and had almost lost his wife as well.
• 2:22:00
  Speaker 1: When he sailed by the spot of the wreck soon
• 2:22:02
  Speaker 1: after the tragedy, he immediately felt the inspiration of the
• 2:22:07
  Speaker 1: Holy Spirit. I penned these words into a heart felt poem.
• 2:22:18
  Speaker 1: When peace like a river attendeth my way, when sorrows
• 2:22:24
  Speaker 1: like sea billows roll, whatever my lot thou hast taught
• 2:22:31
  Speaker 1: me to say, it is well, It is well with
• 2:22:39
  Speaker 1: my soul. It is well with my soul. It is
• 2:22:47
  Speaker 1: well with my soul. It is well, It is well
• 2:22:55
  Speaker 1: with my soul. The satan should buffet, though trial should come,
• 2:23:04
  Speaker 1: Let this blessed assurance control that Christ has regarded my
• 2:23:10
  Speaker 1: helpless estate and hath shed his own blood for my soul.
• 2:23:21
  Speaker 1: My sin. Oh, the bliss of this glorious thought. My
• 2:23:28
  Speaker 1: sin not in part, but the whole is nailed to
• 2:23:35
  Speaker 1: the cross, and I bear it no more. Praise the Lord,
• 2:23:42
  Speaker 1: Praise the Lord, oh my soul. For me be it Christ,
• 2:23:53
  Speaker 1: be it Christ, hence to live. If Jordan above me
• 2:23:58
  Speaker 1: shall roll, no pang shall be mine. For in death
• 2:24:05
  Speaker 1: as in life, Thou wilt whisper thy peace to my soul.
• 2:24:11
  Speaker 1: But Lord tis for thee for thy coming. We wait
• 2:24:18
  Speaker 1: the sky, not the grave, is our goal. Oh trump
• 2:24:28
  Speaker 1: of the Angel, oh voice of the Lord. Blest hope,
• 2:24:35
  Speaker 1: blest rest of my soul, And Lord, haste the day
• 2:24:41
  Speaker 1: when my faith shall be sight, the clouds be rolled
• 2:24:46
  Speaker 1: back as a scroll, the trump shall resound, and the
• 2:24:53
  Speaker 1: Lord shall descend. Even so it is well with my soul.
• 2:25:04
  Speaker 1: Let's pause and really still our minds and hearts, and
• 2:25:10
  Speaker 1: let such pure faith and trust in God impact us.
• 2:25:18
  Speaker 1: It is truly well with my soul because Jesus has
• 2:25:23
  Speaker 1: overcome the world. All the pain, all the heartache, all
• 2:25:30
  Speaker 1: the confusion, all the disappointed hopes, all the unfulfilled longings,
• 2:25:37
  Speaker 1: all the lost dreams, all the griefs. He has taken
• 2:25:45
  Speaker 1: them all down into the grave with him, and he
• 2:25:49
  Speaker 1: has risen victorious. Death was the final enemy, and he
• 2:25:56
  Speaker 1: has vanquished even that all speaks in First Corinthians fifteen.
• 2:26:04
  Speaker 1: And then the end will come. After he has conquered
• 2:26:08
  Speaker 1: his enemies and shut down every rule and authority vying
• 2:26:12
  Speaker 1: for power, he will hand over the kingdom to God,
• 2:26:17
  Speaker 1: the father of all that is, and he must reign
• 2:26:20
  Speaker 1: as king until he has put all his enemies under
• 2:26:24
  Speaker 1: his feet. The last hostile power to be destroyed is
• 2:26:29
  Speaker 1: death itself, and in Isaiah it is also prophesied God
• 2:26:38
  Speaker 1: will swallow up death forever. The Lord the Eternal will
• 2:26:44
  Speaker 1: wipe away the tears from each and every face, and
• 2:26:47
  Speaker 1: deflect the scorn and shame his people endure from the
• 2:26:52
  Speaker 1: whole world, for the Eternal determined that it should be so.
• 2:27:01
  Speaker 1: There is nothing too hopeless for God, precious one. Nothing
• 2:27:05
  Speaker 1: is out of his reach. No pit that you might
• 2:27:08
  Speaker 1: fall into is too deep for him to pull you
• 2:27:12
  Speaker 1: out of. He will scoop you up out of the
• 2:27:18
  Speaker 1: mud and mire. He will not let the sinking sand
• 2:27:22
  Speaker 1: drag you under. Listen as I read the words of
• 2:27:28
  Speaker 1: Psalm forty, I waited a long time for the Eternal.
• 2:27:34
  Speaker 1: He finally knelt down to hear me. He listened to
• 2:27:39
  Speaker 1: my weak and whispered cry. He reached down and drew
• 2:27:45
  Speaker 1: me from the deep dark hole where I was stranded,
• 2:27:50
  Speaker 1: mired in the muck and clay. With a gentle hand,
• 2:27:56
  Speaker 1: he pulled me out to set me down safely on
• 2:27:59
  Speaker 1: a warm rock. He held me until I was steady
• 2:28:05
  Speaker 1: enough to continue the journey again, as if that weren't enough.
• 2:28:10
  Speaker 1: Because of him, my mind is clearing up. Now I
• 2:28:15
  Speaker 1: have a new song to sing, a song of praise
• 2:28:19
  Speaker 1: to the one who saved me. Because of what he's done,
• 2:28:25
  Speaker 1: many people will see and come to trust in the eternal. So,
• 2:28:35
  Speaker 1: dearly loved child of God, may you feel his gentle
• 2:28:40
  Speaker 1: hand pulling you out of the mud and mire and
• 2:28:44
  Speaker 1: setting you on a warm rock. And may you say,
• 2:28:48
  Speaker 1: no matter what storm rages around you, it is well
• 2:28:52
  Speaker 1: with my soul. That's about our hearts in reverence as
• 2:28:58
  Speaker 1: we pray, Loving Father, thank you for your gift of
• 2:29:06
  Speaker 1: peace in this world full of turmoil and trials. Thank
• 2:29:11
  Speaker 1: you for giving us your strength when we have none,
• 2:29:15
  Speaker 1: and forgiving us your faith when we cannot engineer it
• 2:29:18
  Speaker 1: by ourselves. Thank you that you are so pleased with
• 2:29:24
  Speaker 1: your beloved child for their faith in you, though it
• 2:29:28
  Speaker 1: may only be a mustard seed, May you fill them
• 2:29:32
  Speaker 1: with peace so it may truly be well with their
• 2:29:36
  Speaker 1: soul and Jesus's wonderful name. Amen, continue to let his
• 2:29:48
  Speaker 1: peace permeate your being. Let His love of you trickle
• 2:29:53
  Speaker 1: into the nooks and crevices of your heart, making your soul. Well,
• 2:30:02
  Speaker 1: you are deeply treasured. Let's listen again to this sleep
• 2:30:12
  Speaker 1: story about the peace God brings to your soul. Allow
• 2:30:20
  Speaker 1: me to read our scripture again for you, even though
• 2:30:24
  Speaker 1: you may have heard these words many times before, Let
• 2:30:27
  Speaker 1: the Lord bless you in a fresh and new way
• 2:30:30
  Speaker 1: as you listen first Peter one, verses six and seven.
• 2:30:39
  Speaker 1: In this you greatly rejoice even though now for a
• 2:30:43
  Speaker 1: little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials,
• 2:30:49
  Speaker 1: so that the proof of your faith, being more precious
• 2:30:52
  Speaker 1: than gold, which is perishable, even though tested by fire,
• 2:30:57
  Speaker 1: may be found to result in praise and glory and
• 2:31:01
  Speaker 1: honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Your faith is
• 2:31:11
  Speaker 1: precious to Him, so precious you are so so precious
• 2:31:19
  Speaker 1: to your Father in heaven. Listen as I read the
• 2:31:24
  Speaker 1: same passage in the Voice translation. You should greatly rejoice
• 2:31:30
  Speaker 1: in what is waiting for you, even if now for
• 2:31:34
  Speaker 1: a little while you have to suffer various trials. Suffering
• 2:31:39
  Speaker 1: tests your faith, which is more valuable than gold. Remember
• 2:31:43
  Speaker 1: that gold, although it is perishable, is tested by fire,
• 2:31:49
  Speaker 1: so that if it is found genuine, you can receive praise, honor,
• 2:31:54
  Speaker 1: and glory. When Jesus, the Anointed, our liberating King, is
• 2:32:01
  Speaker 1: revealed at last, the Lord may allow you at times
• 2:32:09
  Speaker 1: to suffer trials and tribulations. He doesn't enjoy your pain.
• 2:32:16
  Speaker 1: He allows these things because you are so precious to him,
• 2:32:19
  Speaker 1: and your faith is precious to him. You are far
• 2:32:26
  Speaker 1: more valuable than gold or silver or precious metals. No that,
• 2:32:31
  Speaker 1: whatever you have suffered in the past or are suffering now,
• 2:32:37
  Speaker 1: Jesus has never left you, not for one moment. Right
• 2:32:46
  Speaker 1: now he is holding your hand, and he is not
• 2:32:52
  Speaker 1: letting you go. When you don't hear him, he is
• 2:32:56
  Speaker 1: still whispering loving encouragements into your soul. He is telling
• 2:33:01
  Speaker 1: you that his strength is perfected in weakness, and by
• 2:33:05
  Speaker 1: his power you will get through stronger. In Tewod Corinthians
• 2:33:13
  Speaker 1: twelve nine and ten, Paul tells us plainly of what
• 2:33:16
  Speaker 1: God spoke to him about his all surpassing grace. And
• 2:33:23
  Speaker 1: finally he said to me, my grace is enough to
• 2:33:27
  Speaker 1: cover and sustain you. My power is made perfect in weakness.
• 2:33:33
  Speaker 1: So ask me about my thorn, Inquire about my weaknesses,
• 2:33:39
  Speaker 1: and I would gladly go on and on. I would
• 2:33:41
  Speaker 1: rather stake my claim in these and have the power
• 2:33:44
  Speaker 1: of the anointed one at home within me. I am
• 2:33:49
  Speaker 1: at peace and even take pleasure in my weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions,
• 2:33:57
  Speaker 1: and afflictions for the sake of the Anointed, because when
• 2:34:00
  Speaker 1: I am at my weakest, he makes me strong. Your
• 2:34:09
  Speaker 1: Father God is upholding you by his mighty right hand
• 2:34:14
  Speaker 1: so that you do not stumble and fall. He's telling
• 2:34:20
  Speaker 1: you how precious you are and how his heart goes
• 2:34:23
  Speaker 1: out to you when you are in pain. He is
• 2:34:30
  Speaker 1: reminding you that while your power alone isn't sufficient to
• 2:34:33
  Speaker 1: get you through, his grace is all sufficient for you. You
• 2:34:42
  Speaker 1: can lean on his grace, precious child, and your faith
• 2:34:46
  Speaker 1: will be refined and purified like gold as your confidence
• 2:34:51
  Speaker 1: in His ability leads you through the testing fires. Trials
• 2:34:57
  Speaker 1: alone don't make us stronger. Leaning on Him in our
• 2:35:02
  Speaker 1: weakness and learning to trust Him during the trials makes
• 2:35:06
  Speaker 1: us stronger. And that is when we can say it
• 2:35:13
  Speaker 1: is well with my soul. It may not be well
• 2:35:19
  Speaker 1: around us externally, but it can be well deep within
• 2:35:26
  Speaker 1: because we are fastened to our Lord and Savior Jesus.
• 2:35:32
  Speaker 1: In our darkest times, we often cling titus to him.
• 2:35:38
  Speaker 1: Even in the Old Testament, the children of Israel were
• 2:35:40
  Speaker 1: instructed to cling to the Lord. You shall follow the Lord,
• 2:35:46
  Speaker 1: your God, and fear him, and you shall keep his commandments,
• 2:35:52
  Speaker 1: listen to his voice, serve him, and cling to him
• 2:36:01
  Speaker 1: in the hardest seasons. We can continue to fasten ourselves
• 2:36:05
  Speaker 1: to him, even though we may only possess a fragile faith.
• 2:36:11
  Speaker 1: But that's how wonderful our God is. It actually doesn't
• 2:36:16
  Speaker 1: require us to have vast amounts of faith. Just a
• 2:36:21
  Speaker 1: little seed will do, our beautiful Lord tells us in
• 2:36:26
  Speaker 1: Matthew seventeen twenty. Because you have so little faith, I
• 2:36:31
  Speaker 1: tell you this. If you had even a faint spark
• 2:36:36
  Speaker 1: of faith, even faith as tiny as a mustard seed,
• 2:36:41
  Speaker 1: you could say to this mountain, move from here to there,
• 2:36:46
  Speaker 1: and because of your faith, the mountain would move. If
• 2:36:51
  Speaker 1: you had just a sliver of faith, you would find
• 2:36:55
  Speaker 1: nothing impossible. As we read in Hebrews eleven, verse six,
• 2:37:03
  Speaker 1: without faith, it's impossible to please God. The International Children's
• 2:37:08
  Speaker 1: Bible translates that verse like this. Without faith, no one
• 2:37:14
  Speaker 1: can please God. Anyone who comes to God must believe
• 2:37:19
  Speaker 1: that he is real and that he rewards those who
• 2:37:22
  Speaker 1: truly want to find him, and yet be comforted because
• 2:37:33
  Speaker 1: even a small mustard seed will bring him great delight
• 2:37:36
  Speaker 1: over you. May you know more and more, Precious listener,
• 2:37:45
  Speaker 1: deep in your heart, that God is real and he
• 2:37:50
  Speaker 1: is worthy of your full confidence and faith. He is
• 2:37:55
  Speaker 1: rewarding your faith, even though it be just to ty
• 2:38:00
  Speaker 1: grain of mustard. He sees your heart, and he has
• 2:38:06
  Speaker 1: seen those times it's been hardest to trust him, and
• 2:38:10
  Speaker 1: still you've kept seeking him and wanting him in believing
• 2:38:14
  Speaker 1: in him, even though the odds felt slim. This pleases
• 2:38:21
  Speaker 1: your father so much. Having faith in an unseen God
• 2:38:28
  Speaker 1: takes naked trust. Sometimes, Jesus said, this kind of faith
• 2:38:33
  Speaker 1: is worthy of being greatly blessed. When his disciples had
• 2:38:38
  Speaker 1: witnessed his painful death, they were convinced that even Jesus himself,
• 2:38:45
  Speaker 1: who calmed the wind and waves, could not come back
• 2:38:49
  Speaker 1: from a death like that. His realistic and logical follower, Thomas,
• 2:38:58
  Speaker 1: could not believe the others when they said they had
• 2:39:00
  Speaker 1: Jesus with their own eyes that simply could not be possible. Yes,
• 2:39:09
  Speaker 1: Jesus had proved he was master of the impossible and
• 2:39:12
  Speaker 1: also master of death in the case of Lazarus. But
• 2:39:16
  Speaker 1: it's another matter for a dead man to bring himself
• 2:39:20
  Speaker 1: back from the dead. Thomas was honest enough to admit
• 2:39:25
  Speaker 1: that he simply could not believe this impossible story. When
• 2:39:31
  Speaker 1: Jesus did walk into the room, Thomas must have been
• 2:39:36
  Speaker 1: rendered speechless in awe and wonder, and even regret that
• 2:39:41
  Speaker 1: he hadn't fully believed that Jesus was the all powerful
• 2:39:45
  Speaker 1: son of God who had power over everything in the
• 2:39:49
  Speaker 1: created world, even death itself. Jesus, with not a hint
• 2:39:59
  Speaker 1: of condemnation, only pure love and tenderness in his voice,
• 2:40:04
  Speaker 1: said to his doubting friend and companion, Thomas, you have
• 2:40:12
  Speaker 1: faith because you have seen me. Blessed are those who
• 2:40:17
  Speaker 1: never see me, and yet they still believe. Precious One,
• 2:40:26
  Speaker 1: you do believe in Jesus, although you haven't laid eyes
• 2:40:30
  Speaker 1: on him in the flesh. Yet you are the blessed
• 2:40:35
  Speaker 1: person of whom Jesus was thinking when he said that
• 2:40:40
  Speaker 1: you are richly blessed. And even though you may compare
• 2:40:46
  Speaker 1: your faith with that of others who seem to have
• 2:40:49
  Speaker 1: greater faith, let me tell you that even your mustard
• 2:40:53
  Speaker 1: seed pleases the Lord. You please him so much, and
• 2:41:01
  Speaker 1: his blessing will come in many forms. But peace is
• 2:41:07
  Speaker 1: one great thing. That our soul longs for. He will
• 2:41:12
  Speaker 1: bless you with his gift of peace. Because that's a
• 2:41:16
  Speaker 1: promise you can bank on, and you will be able
• 2:41:20
  Speaker 1: to say it is well with my soul. When you
• 2:41:28
  Speaker 1: are trusting in Him, like a small child with just
• 2:41:31
  Speaker 1: a small mustard seed in their hand, you will experience
• 2:41:36
  Speaker 1: his beautiful peace in your soul. The message Bible paraphrases
• 2:41:43
  Speaker 1: the verse, we are looking at like this, I know
• 2:41:48
  Speaker 1: how great this makes you feel, even though you have
• 2:41:52
  Speaker 1: to put up with every kind of aggravation. In the meantime,
• 2:41:57
  Speaker 1: pure gold put in the fire comes out of it
• 2:41:59
  Speaker 1: proved pure genuine faith put through this suffering comes out
• 2:42:04
  Speaker 1: proved genuine. When Jesus wraps this all up, it's your faith,
• 2:42:12
  Speaker 1: not your gold, that God will have on display as
• 2:42:16
  Speaker 1: evidence of his victory. He wants your faith to be
• 2:42:23
  Speaker 1: as solid as gold, and He will prove his goodness
• 2:42:27
  Speaker 1: to you in the storm, so that you will never
• 2:42:29
  Speaker 1: doubt his goodness in season and out of season. And
• 2:42:35
  Speaker 1: since he is God and he is our creator, we
• 2:42:39
  Speaker 1: trust him to define the true meaning of goodness. We
• 2:42:46
  Speaker 1: are like little children. And although his good may look
• 2:42:50
  Speaker 1: different to our definition, he is right. He is faithful
• 2:42:57
  Speaker 1: and true. That's one of his names. John tells us
• 2:43:05
  Speaker 1: in his eyewitness account in Revelation nineteen, verse eleven. I
• 2:43:10
  Speaker 1: looked up and saw that heaven had opened. Suddenly a
• 2:43:17
  Speaker 1: white horse appeared. Its writer is called faithful and true,
• 2:43:24
  Speaker 1: and with righteousness. He exercises judgment and wage his war.
• 2:43:32
  Speaker 1: He can be believed at all times. And if our
• 2:43:36
  Speaker 1: doubts and fears tell us differently, they are lying to us.
• 2:43:42
  Speaker 1: The apostle Paul was firmly convinced of this, and wrote
• 2:43:45
  Speaker 1: in Romans three, verse four. Of course, not even if
• 2:43:51
  Speaker 1: everyone else is a liar. God is true, as the
• 2:43:55
  Speaker 1: scriptures say about him. You will be proved right in
• 2:43:59
  Speaker 1: what you say, and you will win your case in court.
• 2:44:06
  Speaker 1: May God be true and everything else a lie. He
• 2:44:12
  Speaker 1: is worthy of our trust. In fact, he is the
• 2:44:15
  Speaker 1: only one fully worthy of our complete trust and faith
• 2:44:20
  Speaker 1: and confidence. All of this makes us sure and certain
• 2:44:26
  Speaker 1: of his goodness, And so we can say, though it
• 2:44:30
  Speaker 1: is confusing at times, and we may be blind to
• 2:44:33
  Speaker 1: his working and death to his speaking, he is working,
• 2:44:38
  Speaker 1: and he is speaking, and therefore it is well with
• 2:44:44
  Speaker 1: my soul. He is present here, so it is well
• 2:44:52
  Speaker 1: with my soul. He is good, so it is well
• 2:44:58
  Speaker 1: with my soul. He knows the end from the beginning,
• 2:45:03
  Speaker 1: so it is well with my soul. In his resurrection,
• 2:45:08
  Speaker 1: he defeated death forever, so it is well with my soul.
• 2:45:16
  Speaker 1: He is provider and protector and faithful friend, so it
• 2:45:21
  Speaker 1: is well with my soul. Precious one, allow me to
• 2:45:28
  Speaker 1: read over you the lyrics to the old hymn from
• 2:45:31
  Speaker 1: eighteen seventy three, also called It Is Well with My Soul.
• 2:45:40
  Speaker 1: It was originally a poem written by Horatio Spafford under
• 2:45:44
  Speaker 1: very tragic circumstances. He had been ruined financially from the
• 2:45:51
  Speaker 1: eighteen seventy one Chicago fires, and had lost his son
• 2:45:55
  Speaker 1: to illness and four daughters to a shipwreck, and had
• 2:46:03
  Speaker 1: almost lost his wife as well. When he sailed by
• 2:46:08
  Speaker 1: the spot of the wreck soon after the tragedy, he
• 2:46:12
  Speaker 1: immediately felt the inspiration of the Holy Spirit im penned
• 2:46:17
  Speaker 1: these words into a heart felt poem. When peace like
• 2:46:25
  Speaker 1: a river attendeth my way, When sorrows like sea billows roll,
• 2:46:35
  Speaker 1: whatever my lot, thou hast taught me to say, it
• 2:46:41
  Speaker 1: is well, It is well with my soul. It is
• 2:46:49
  Speaker 1: well with my soul. It is well with my soul.
• 2:46:57
  Speaker 1: It is well. It is well with my soul. Though
• 2:47:07
  Speaker 1: Satan should buffet, though trial should come, let this blessed
• 2:47:12
  Speaker 1: assurance control that Christ has regarded my helpless estate and
• 2:47:20
  Speaker 1: hath shed his own blood for my soul. My sin,
• 2:47:31
  Speaker 1: Oh the bliss of this glorious thought. My sin not
• 2:47:36
  Speaker 1: in part, but the whole is nailed to the cross,
• 2:47:43
  Speaker 1: and I bear it no more. Praise the Lord, Praise
• 2:47:50
  Speaker 1: the Lord, oh my soul. For me, be it Christ,
• 2:48:00
  Speaker 1: be it Christ, hence to live. If Jordan above me
• 2:48:05
  Speaker 1: shall roll, no pang shall be mine. For in death
• 2:48:12
  Speaker 1: as in life, thou wilt whisper thy peace to my soul.
• 2:48:18
  Speaker 1: But Lord tis for thee for thy coming. We wait.
• 2:48:25
  Speaker 1: The sky, not the grave, is our goal. Oh trump
• 2:48:35
  Speaker 1: of the Angel, Oh voice of the Lord. Blest hope,
• 2:48:41
  Speaker 1: blest rest of my soul. And Lord, haste the day
• 2:48:48
  Speaker 1: when my faith shall be sight, the clouds be rolled
• 2:48:53
  Speaker 1: back as a scroll, the trump shall resound when the
• 2:49:00
  Speaker 1: Lord shall descend. Even so it is well with my soul.
• 2:49:11
  Speaker 1: Let's pause and really still our minds and hearts, and
• 2:49:17
  Speaker 1: let such pure faith and trust in God impact us.
• 2:49:25
  Speaker 1: It is truly well with my soul because Jesus has
• 2:49:30
  Speaker 1: overcome the world. All the pain, all the heartache, all
• 2:49:37
  Speaker 1: the confusion, all the disappointed hopes, all the unfulfilled longings,
• 2:49:44
  Speaker 1: all the lost dreams, all the griefs. He has taken
• 2:49:52
  Speaker 1: them all down into the grave with him, and he
• 2:49:56
  Speaker 1: has risen victorious. Death was the final enemy, and he
• 2:50:03
  Speaker 1: has vanquished even that. Paul speaks in First Corinthians fifteen.
• 2:50:11
  Speaker 1: And then the end will come. After he has conquered
• 2:50:15
  Speaker 1: his enemies and shut down every rule and authority vying
• 2:50:19
  Speaker 1: for power. He will hand over the kingdom to God,
• 2:50:24
  Speaker 1: the Father of all that is, and he must reign
• 2:50:27
  Speaker 1: as king until he has put all his enemies under
• 2:50:31
  Speaker 1: his feet. The last hostile power to be destroyed is
• 2:50:36
  Speaker 1: death itself, and in Isaiah it is also prophesied God
• 2:50:45
  Speaker 1: will swallow up death forever. The Lord the Eternal, will
• 2:50:51
  Speaker 1: wipe away the tears from each and every face, and
• 2:50:54
  Speaker 1: deflect the scorn and shame his people endure from the
• 2:50:59
  Speaker 1: whole world, for the Eternal determined that it should be so.
• 2:51:08
  Speaker 1: There is nothing too hopeless for God, precious one. Nothing
• 2:51:12
  Speaker 1: is out of his reach. No pit that you might
• 2:51:15
  Speaker 1: fall into is too deep for him to pull you
• 2:51:19
  Speaker 1: out of He will scoop you up out of the
• 2:51:25
  Speaker 1: mud and mire. He will not let the sinking sand
• 2:51:29
  Speaker 1: drag you under. Listen as I read the words of
• 2:51:34
  Speaker 1: Psalm forty. I waited a long time for the eternal.
• 2:51:41
  Speaker 1: He finally knelt down to hear me. He listened to
• 2:51:46
  Speaker 1: my weak and whispered cry. He reached down and drew
• 2:51:52
  Speaker 1: me from the deep dark hole where I was stranded,
• 2:51:57
  Speaker 1: mired in the muck and clay. With a gentle hand,
• 2:52:03
  Speaker 1: he pulled me out to set me down safely on
• 2:52:06
  Speaker 1: a warm rock. He held me until I was steady
• 2:52:12
  Speaker 1: enough to continue the journey again, as if that weren't enough.
• 2:52:17
  Speaker 1: Because of him, my mind is clearing up. Now I
• 2:52:22
  Speaker 1: have a new song to sing, a song of praise
• 2:52:26
  Speaker 1: to the one who saved me. Because of what he's done,
• 2:52:32
  Speaker 1: many people will see and come to trust in the eternal. So,
• 2:52:42
  Speaker 1: dearly loved child of God, may you feel his gentle
• 2:52:47
  Speaker 1: hand pulling you out of the mud and mire and
• 2:52:51
  Speaker 1: setting you on a warm rock. And may you say,
• 2:52:55
  Speaker 1: no matter what storm rages around you, it is well
• 2:53:00
  Speaker 1: with my soul. That's about our hearts In reverence, as
• 2:53:05
  Speaker 1: we pray, Loving Father, thank you for your gift of
• 2:53:13
  Speaker 1: peace in this world full of turmoil and trials. Thank
• 2:53:18
  Speaker 1: you for giving us your strength when we have none,
• 2:53:22
  Speaker 1: and forgiving us your faith when we cannot engineer it
• 2:53:25
  Speaker 1: by ourselves. Thank you that you are so pleased with
• 2:53:31
  Speaker 1: your beloved child for their faith in you, though it
• 2:53:35
  Speaker 1: may only be a mustard seed. May you fill them
• 2:53:39
  Speaker 1: with peace so it may truly be well with their
• 2:53:43
  Speaker 1: soul and Jesus's wonderful name. Amen, continue to let his
• 2:53:55
  Speaker 1: peace permeate your being. Let his love of you you
• 2:54:00
  Speaker 1: trickle into the nooks and crevices of your heart, making
• 2:54:05
  Speaker 1: your soul well. You are deeply treasured. Let's listen again
• 2:54:18
  Speaker 1: to this sleep story about the peace God brings to
• 2:54:22
  Speaker 1: your soul. Allow me to read our scripture again for you,
• 2:54:32
  Speaker 1: even though you may have heard these words many times before,
• 2:54:35
  Speaker 1: Let the Lord bless you in a fresh and new
• 2:54:38
  Speaker 1: way as you listen first Peter one, Verses six and seven.
• 2:54:47
  Speaker 1: In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a
• 2:54:51
  Speaker 1: little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials,
• 2:54:57
  Speaker 1: So that the proof of your faith, being more precious
• 2:55:00
  Speaker 1: than gold, which is perishable, even though tested by fire,
• 2:55:06
  Speaker 1: may be found to result in praise and glory and
• 2:55:09
  Speaker 1: honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Your faith is
• 2:55:19
  Speaker 1: precious to him, so precious you are so so precious
• 2:55:27
  Speaker 1: to your Father in heaven. Listen as I read the
• 2:55:32
  Speaker 1: same passage in the voice translation. You should greatly rejoice
• 2:55:39
  Speaker 1: in what is waiting for you, even if now for
• 2:55:42
  Speaker 1: a little while you have to suffer various trials. Suffering
• 2:55:47
  Speaker 1: tests your faith, which is more valuable than gold. Remember
• 2:55:51
  Speaker 1: that gold, although it is perishable, is tested by fire,
• 2:55:57
  Speaker 1: so that if it is found genuine, you can receive praise, honor,
• 2:56:02
  Speaker 1: and glory when Jesus the Anointed, our liberating King, is
• 2:56:09
  Speaker 1: revealed at last. The Lord may allow you at times
• 2:56:17
  Speaker 1: to suffer trials and tribulations. He doesn't enjoy your pain.
• 2:56:24
  Speaker 1: He allows these things because you are so precious to
• 2:56:27
  Speaker 1: him and your faith is precious to him. You are
• 2:56:33
  Speaker 1: far more valuable than gold or silver or precious metals.
• 2:56:39
  Speaker 1: No that whatever you have suffered in the past or
• 2:56:42
  Speaker 1: are suffering now, Jesus has never left you, not for
• 2:56:49
  Speaker 1: one moment. Right now, he is holding your hand, and
• 2:57:00
  Speaker 1: he is not letting you go. When you don't hear him,
• 2:57:04
  Speaker 1: he is still whispering loving encouragements into your soul. He
• 2:57:09
  Speaker 1: is telling you that his strength is perfected in weakness,
• 2:57:13
  Speaker 1: and by his power you will get through stronger. In
• 2:57:20
  Speaker 1: Second Corinthians twelve nine and ten, Paul tells us plainly
• 2:57:24
  Speaker 1: of what God spoke to him about his all surpassing grace,
• 2:57:31
  Speaker 1: and finally he said to me, my grace is enough
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  Speaker 1: to cover and sustain you. My power is made perfect
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  Speaker 1: in weakness. So ask me about my thorn, Inquire about
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  Speaker 1: my weaknesses, and I would gladly go on and on.
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  Speaker 1: I would rather stake my claim in these and have
• 2:57:52
  Speaker 1: the power of the anointed One at home within me.
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  Speaker 1: I am at peace and even take pleasure in my weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions,
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  Speaker 1: and afflictions for the sake of the Anointed, because when
• 2:58:08
  Speaker 1: I am at my weakest, He makes me strong. Your father,
• 2:58:18
  Speaker 1: God is upholding you by his mighty right hand so
• 2:58:23
  Speaker 1: that you do not stumble and fall. He's telling you
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  Speaker 1: how precious you are and how his heart goes out
• 2:58:32
  Speaker 1: to you when you are in pain. He is reminding
• 2:58:38
  Speaker 1: you that while your power alone isn't sufficient to get
• 2:58:41
  Speaker 1: you through, his grace is all sufficient for you. You
• 2:58:50
  Speaker 1: can lean on his grace, precious child, and your faith
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  Speaker 1: will be refined and purified like gold, as your confidence
• 2:58:59
  Speaker 1: in his ability leads you through the testing fires. Trials
• 2:59:05
  Speaker 1: alone don't make us stronger. Leaning on Him in our
• 2:59:11
  Speaker 1: weakness and learning to trust him during the trials makes
• 2:59:15
  Speaker 1: us stronger. And that is when we can say it
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  Speaker 1: is well with my soul. It may not be well
• 2:59:27
  Speaker 1: around us externally, but it can be well deep within
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  Speaker 1: because we are fastened to our Lord and Savior, Jesus.
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  Speaker 1: In our darkest times, we often cling titus to him.
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  Speaker 1: Even in the Old Testament, the children of Israel were
• 2:59:49
  Speaker 1: instructed to cling to the Lord. You shall follow the Lord,
• 2:59:54
  Speaker 1: your God, and fear him, and you shall keep his commandments,
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  Speaker 1: listen to his voice, serve him, and cling to him
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  Speaker 1: in the hardest seasons. We can continue to fasten ourselves
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  Speaker 1: to Him even though we may only possess a fragile faith.
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  Speaker 1: But that's how wonderful our God is. It actually doesn't
• 3:00:24
  Speaker 1: require us to have vast amounts of faith. Just a
• 3:00:29
  Speaker 1: little seed will do, our beautiful Lord tells us in
• 3:00:34
  Speaker 1: Matthew seventeen twenty. Because you have so little faith, I
• 3:00:39
  Speaker 1: tell you this if you had even a faint spark
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  Speaker 1: of faith, even faith as tiny as a mustard seed,
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  Speaker 1: you could say, to this mountain, move from here to there,
• 3:00:55
  Speaker 1: and because of your faith, the mountain would move. If
• 3:00:59
  Speaker 1: you had just a sliver of faith, you would find
• 3:01:04
  Speaker 1: nothing impossible. As we read in Hebrews eleven, verse six,
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  Speaker 1: without faith, it's impossible to please God. The International Children's
• 3:01:16
  Speaker 1: Bible translates that verse like this. Without faith, no one
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  Speaker 1: can please God. Anyone who comes to God must believe
• 3:01:27
  Speaker 1: that he is real and that he rewards those who
• 3:01:31
  Speaker 1: truly want to find him. And yet be comforted because
• 3:01:42
  Speaker 1: even a small mustard seed will bring him great delight
• 3:01:45
  Speaker 1: over you. May you know more and more, precious listener,
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  Speaker 1: deep in your heart, that God is real and He
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  Speaker 1: is worthy of your full confidence in faith. He is
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  Speaker 1: rewarding your faith, even though it be just a tiny
• 3:02:08
  Speaker 1: grain of mustard. He sees your heart, and he has
• 3:02:14
  Speaker 1: seen those times it's been hardest to trust him, and
• 3:02:18
  Speaker 1: still you've kept seeking him and wanting him in believing
• 3:02:22
  Speaker 1: in him, even though the odds felt slim. This pleases
• 3:02:30
  Speaker 1: your father so much. Having faith in an unseen God
• 3:02:36
  Speaker 1: takes naked trust. Sometimes, Jesus said, this kind of faith
• 3:02:41
  Speaker 1: is worthy of being greatly blessed. And his disciples had
• 3:02:47
  Speaker 1: witnessed his painful death, they were convinced that even Jesus himself,
• 3:02:53
  Speaker 1: who calmed the wind and waves, could not come back
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  Speaker 1: from a death like that. His realistic and logical follower, Thomas,
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  Speaker 1: could not believe the others when they said they had
• 3:03:08
  Speaker 1: seen Jesus with their own eyes that simply could not
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  Speaker 1: be possible. Yes, Jesus had proved he was master of
• 3:03:19
  Speaker 1: the impossible, and also master of death in the case
• 3:03:22
  Speaker 1: of Lazarus, but it's another matter for a dead man
• 3:03:27
  Speaker 1: to bring himself back from the dead. Thomas was honest
• 3:03:33
  Speaker 1: enough to admit that he simply could not believe this
• 3:03:36
  Speaker 1: impossible story. When Jesus did walk into the room, Thomas
• 3:03:44
  Speaker 1: must have been rendered speechless in awe and wonder, and
• 3:03:48
  Speaker 1: even regret that he hadn't fully believed that Jesus was
• 3:03:52
  Speaker 1: the all powerful son of God who had power over
• 3:03:56
  Speaker 1: everything in the created world, even death itself. Jesus, with
• 3:04:06
  Speaker 1: not a hint of condemnation, only pure love and tenderness
• 3:04:12
  Speaker 1: in his voice, said to his doubting friend and companion, Thomas,
• 3:04:20
  Speaker 1: you have faith because you have seen me. Blessed are
• 3:04:24
  Speaker 1: those who never see Me, and yet they still believe.
• 3:04:32
  Speaker 1: Precious One, you do believe in Jesus, although you haven't
• 3:04:38
  Speaker 1: laid eyes on Him in the flesh. Yet you are
• 3:04:42
  Speaker 1: the blessed person of whom Jesus was thinking when he
• 3:04:45
  Speaker 1: said that you are richly blessed. And even though you
• 3:04:54
  Speaker 1: may compare your faith with that of others who seem
• 3:04:57
  Speaker 1: to have greater faith, let me tell tell you that
• 3:05:00
  Speaker 1: even your mustard seed pleases the Lord. You please him
• 3:05:07
  Speaker 1: so much, and his blessing will come in many forms.
• 3:05:14
  Speaker 1: But peace is one great thing that our soul longs for.
• 3:05:20
  Speaker 1: He will bless you with his gift of peace, because
• 3:05:24
  Speaker 1: that's a promise you can bank on, and you will
• 3:05:28
  Speaker 1: be able to say it is well with my soul.
• 3:05:36
  Speaker 1: When you are trusting in Him like a small child
• 3:05:39
  Speaker 1: with just a small mustard seed in their hand, you
• 3:05:43
  Speaker 1: will experience his beautiful peace in your soul. Dearly loved
• 3:05:51
  Speaker 1: child of God, May you feel his gentle hand pulling
• 3:05:56
  Speaker 1: you out of the mud and mire and setting you
• 3:05:59
  Speaker 1: on a wall rock. And may you say, no matter
• 3:06:03
  Speaker 1: what storm rages around you, it is well with my soul.
• 3:06:12
  Speaker 1: That's about our hearts in reverence as we pray. Loving Father,
• 3:06:19
  Speaker 1: thank you for your gift of peace in this world
• 3:06:22
  Speaker 1: full of turmoil and trials. Thank you for giving us
• 3:06:26
  Speaker 1: your strength when we have none, and forgiving us your
• 3:06:30
  Speaker 1: faith when we cannot engineer it by ourselves. Thank you
• 3:06:37
  Speaker 1: that you are so pleased with your beloved child for
• 3:06:40
  Speaker 1: their faith in you, though it may only be a
• 3:06:44
  Speaker 1: mustard seed. May you fill them with peace so it
• 3:06:49
  Speaker 1: may truly be well with their soul and Jesus's wonderful name. Amen,
• 3:07:02
  Speaker 1: Continue to let his peace permeate your being. Let his
• 3:07:07
  Speaker 1: love of you trickle into the nooks and crevices of
• 3:07:10
  Speaker 1: your heart, making your soul well. You are deeply treasured.