Three Questions for Mothers

00:01 If you would turn in your copies of the Scriptures this morning to 2 Kings 4. I try not to be bound by the calendar. And so when it says Mother's Day, sometimes we prepare a Mother's Day message. When it says Father's Day, sometimes we prepare a Father's Day message. 00:18 Sometimes we don't, because we don't necessarily want the world's calendar and agenda to dictate the preaching of God's Word. 00:28 Because there's so many things that the culture would tell us are important to do at this time and this day. And not that those aren't important. Just not sure that we dedicate a whole Sunday morning to them in the grand scheme of things. 00:41 But this morning I do have a Mother's Day message and three questions for mothers from the book of 2 Kings 4:18-37. Not going to be reading that whole passage, but reciting it this morning. But I'd like to start by way of introduction to say that Mother's Day is complicated. As I was doing some reading before this message, 01:03 I realized that Mother's Day means a lot of different things to a lot of different people. And it can mean hurt and heartache, and it can mean joy and celebration, and a lot of things in between. And so I think Mother's Day can be complicated, as is Father's Day. 01:22 I found out Mother's Day is fairly complicated early on in our marriage. Our first Mother's Day, my wife wondered why I didn't get her a gift. 01:31 I said, "Well, you're not my mother." And she said, "Well, I hope to be the mother of your children someday." And then I said, "Well, then the children will get you a gift for Mother's Day." I didn't know any better. I thought Mother's Day was something you give to your mother, not to your wife. So it gets complicated, guys. 01:50 So those of you that are just starting out, you might want to check on her today what her expectations are. But Mother's Day is complicated. Now, if that's the only complicated thing about Mother's Day, so that would be simple. Mother's Day is, or mothers and parenting, especially mothers, is a gift to humanity. 02:10 And everyone has one. It is a high and noble calling. And we certainly this morning want to lift that calling up. It is a God-given calling and a God-given gift. But not everyone has a good one. Even though we all have a mother, not everyone has a good mother. 02:28 And there are complicated relationships when it comes to mothering and fathering for that matter. There are women who struggle with infertility, who will never hold in their arms their baby, boy or girl. 02:45 There are women who will never marry and thus will not be 02:51 a mother in God's order of events. At least during childbearing years, they are not marrying. And for sisters, that's not something that they can entirely control, as we men tend to have more options than what a sister does for initiating marriage. 03:11 And then there are the complications of abortion and frozen embryos and IVF, in vitro fertilization, which is a hot topic today, especially in pro-life circles. What do you do with all of those frozen embryos that are, if we believe that life has begun at conception, that are life? 03:32 It's human life. There must be something done with them. And so IVF is not the answer to a Christian's, necessarily a Christian's, struggle with infertility. And then there are unwed mothers and single mothers and mothers in prison and mothers with addictions. 03:52 And there is abuse. There are abusive mothers. There are neglectful mothers. There are mothers who struggle with postpartum depression. There are miscarriages. There are stillbirths. There are tubal pregnancies. There are mothers who die in childbirth. And there are mothers who die when their children are young. 04:14 And then the father is to decide what to do with these children that he may or may not be able to care with. And in years past, I'm thankful it's not that way so much anymore. But in years past, if a mother died with small children, the father would farm those children out to relatives. And he may or may not bring them back, even if he remarries. 04:34 I remember talking to an older gentleman who I think was still maybe bearing some wounds for that, because he was put out when his mother died. It might have even been in his childbirth. But he was put out to a relative. And then when the father remarried, he was not brought back. 04:55 And the sense of pain and rejection that comes from those kinds of choices. There are babies conceived in adulterous relationships. There are mothers who sacrificially and literally give their lives so children may live. 05:12 And then there are dysfunctional homes where children are used merely as pawns to fulfill some unmet need in either one or both of the parents. 05:22 There is then the complication of transitioning to adult children, where the struggles between a mother and a child may even be more escalated during those times of adulthood. And there's relationships that bring pain, and there's relationships that are complicated. 05:41 And yet there is no greater sweetness than to see a mother holding a newborn baby. How sweet to hold a newborn baby and feel the joy that he brings. 05:55 There is no sweeter evidence than to see siblings welcoming another baby brother or sister into the family, a family worshiping together around the table. In fact, Psalms talks about that, about the olive shoots around the table that are a blessing to a father and mother. 06:15 There is nothing greater than to hear your children singing, singing around the table at mealtime or family devotions. And there is no greater joy than to see a Christian family serving Christ together. And so we want to honor and encourage mothers. 06:31 We want to lift up a standard for biblical womanhood and biblical femininity so that this is not just about Mother's Day. 06:39 I notice in our bulletin, and I affirm that, that it's not just about motherhood, but it's about sisterhood, about womanhood, about femininity and biblical femininity and godly women. And so we want to help women find healing for broken relationships and for broken people. 07:00 And one of the reasons that Mother's Day is complicated is because relationships are complicated. Even the best relationships can be complicated at times, because relationships take work. 07:14 And we would do well, even on a Sunday morning like this, to deromanticize the family and come with realistic expectations of what it means to be a family. Sometimes we have, especially young ladies, when they grow up. 07:31 And we went to a wedding yesterday, and the two sisters were reminiscing during the sharing time about growing up and thinking about this day and planning for the day of being married and having children and being a mother and so on, and a wife. And we kind of tend to romanticize that. And then real life happens. 07:50 Real life happens. And it's not all that romantic sometimes. All that pretty sometimes. And it's not all that easy. In fact, it probably never is easy. And so we want to come with realistic expectations and yet to hold high the standard of God's Word. 08:11 Life is not about pictures and sound bites. It's not picture perfect in our homes. And in fact, if you were to come into our home as we were raising children, and even now, you would find imperfections. If I would go into your home, maybe Sunday morning, a half hour before church or when you're trying to get ready for church, that's kind of when things fall apart, 08:30 at least they used to in our house. And we could see imperfections. We could see all kinds of difficulties. 08:40 It's not a romantic perfect picture, but it is a high calling. Motherhood is complicated because life is complicated. 08:47 Just ask Eve, Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, perfect setting, perfect environment, why they could go to church and worship God with no problem at all. But yet they still had problems. And they sinned. And because of sin, we have one child killing another. 09:07 The first crack out of the box with our earthly parents, the human race, we have sibling rivalry to the point of murder. Life is complicated. Just ask Sarah, the jealousy of a surrogate mother for giving her husband what she could not give. 09:26 And so it was Sarah's idea. And then Sarah got jealous, and Sarah demanded change. And life was complicated ever after that. All you have to do is just ask Leah and Rachel, our patriarch's wife, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Well, 09:44 he had a wife, Leah, and a wife, Rachel, who raced to be the favorite wife while using their children as weapons of war to try to establish that fact. It's complicated. 09:58 All you have to do is observe the home of Isaac with Jacob and Esau there as playing favorites between the two boys. And the chaos that resulted from that. All you have to do is listen to the cry of Hannah and weep with her for her empty arms. 10:17 And yet when biblical motherhood is enjoyed, you can also celebrate with her with the praises of motherhood to God, as we read this morning, Brother Trevor read. And if you think life is easy, just ask Mary through the complications of mothering the very Son of God. 10:35 If anyone should have had an uncomplicated... Well, I guess it maybe makes that more complicated to raise a Son of God. But if anyone should have had a perfect child, and she did, and it should have made life a lot easier, but it made it actually probably harder than anything that we will experience. The unjust accusations, the confusion of pondering all these things in her heart, 10:58 the watching her beloved son die for the sins of his enemies, and watching her beloved son die for her own sins. Complicated, not easy, difficult. And yet the angel said, "Blessed art thou among women." And God pronounced a blessing upon her. 11:18 So this morning we look at this passage of Scripture in 2 Kings 4, and it's complicated. It gets very complicated. In fact, there are some things in the complications that we just don't have answers for. And maybe she didn't either. 11:32 But here we have, beginning in verse 8, a Shunammite woman, a woman of Shunem, where she was a wealthy woman. And once upon a time, as it were, and that's not a fairy tale. It's true. 11:45 But you might say it came to pass that Elisha, the prophet, turned into them and ate a meal with them and was given food to eat. And so as a result of that, he made it kind of a regular stop when he would pass through that part of the country. And they were always generous and hospitable to feed him. 12:04 And so one day she says to her husband in verse 9, "Look, now, I know that this is a holy man of God who passes by us regularly. This is a holy man. Let's make what we would call a prophet's room. And let's build it upon the wall, upon the roof of the house. 12:20 And let's put a bed in it and a chair and a table and a lampstand." There was no microwave or any snacks or coffee maker. But nevertheless, there were some things that he needed there that he could take his meals with the family. And then he retired to this room and just stop in, stop in and make yourself at home. 12:42 She had the gift of hospitality, no doubt. And then one day, as they had happened to be there in that upper room, Elisha and Gehazi, he said to Gehazi, "Call this Shunammite woman," verse 12, "whom when he had called her, he stood before her. And then he asked her a question, 'What can I do for you? 13:01 You've been so generous to do this for me, to give me a prophet's room here, a place in your home, a hospitality. What can I do for you? Would you like me to talk to the king for you? Would you like me to talk to the commander of the army for you?'" And she said, she answered, "I dwell among my own people." I don't know what that means, but she was evidently satisfied to do so. 13:24 And so he pondered on this a little bit longer and asked Gehazi. And Gehazi answered in verse 14, "Actually, she has no son, and her husband is old," meaning that the chances of her having a son, becoming pregnant, is very slim. And so Elisha picked up on that, and he says, "Call her back." And she stood in the doorway, verse 16. 13:45 Then he said, "About this time next year, you shall embrace a son." And she was overjoyed with that news. Well, not quite. She said, "No, my lord. Man of God, do not lie to your maidservant. Don't get my hopes up that I could be a mother one of these days within a year." But he was serious. 14:06 And the woman conceived and bore a son when the appointed time had come of which Elisha had told her. And the child grew. And we don't know how old this child was. Was he two, three, four, five, eight, ten, thirteen, fourteen? We don't know. He probably was not on the threshing crew. So he was not yet old enough to do that. 14:26 But it happened that one day he went out to his father, to the reapers. And he said to his father, "My head, my head." And of course, you know as well as I do that his parents, we hear complaints, "I don't feel well," or "My throat hurts," or "I got a sliver in my finger," or "My head, my head hurts. 14:45 I got a headache." Well, just going back to the house and tell mom, "I'm busy here." And yet this was not just a regular headache that this child was experiencing. And so he had the servant carry him to the mother. 15:00 And verse 20, "When he had taken him in and brought him to his mother, he sat on her knees till noon and then died." Of all things, this child dies in his mother's arms. 15:12 And what a tragedy. And immediately, I'm sure she is thinking, "What is this about? God gave me this child. Elisha promised me this child. Why would God give me this child just to take him away right away?" And yet she kept her calm and composure. 15:32 And she went up, laid him on the bed of the man of God, shut the door upon him, and went out. Would we do that? Mothers, could you be that full of faith to believe that God is in control and your son just lay him down on the bed and go call the man of God to come and raise him? 15:50 Well, there must have been a measure of faith there. And so she went up, laid him there. And then she called her husband. Now, I can't imagine this, that she called her husband and said, "Please send me one of the young men and one of the donkeys that I may run to the man of God and come back." What's the problem? It's not the Sabbath or a holy day. 16:09 What do you need to find him for? She said, "It's okay. It is well." Yeah. Well, she is not being real forthright and transparent with her husband, ready to call the undertaker almost, and not even telling him that his son had passed. And then she saddled the donkey, 16:30 said to her servant, "Drive and go forward. Do not slacken the pace for me unless I tell you." There's an urgency in her heart, an urgency on her mind. And she's got to get to the man of God. And so drive and go forward. And so she departed and went to the man of God at Mount Carmel. 16:49 And do a little study there. From Shunem to Mount Carmel is a distance of about 25 miles. This woman was desperate. It's like going from here to Warsaw while your child is dead on the bed in your bedroom and in your guest room. And you're trying to get to the man of God. 17:10 And it's 25 miles by donkey, one way and back. This woman is desperate. It gives evidence of this desperation. And yet it is a calm desperation. And so she departed and went to the man of God at Mount Carmel. 17:29 So it was when the man of God saw her afar off that he said to his servant, Gehazi, "Look, the Shunammite woman. Please run now and meet her and say to her, 'Is it well with you? Is it well with your husband? Is it well with your child?'" And she answered, "It is well." Complicated. 17:47 I don't want to talk to Gehazi when I'm in trouble like this. I'm going to go for the big guy. I'm going for the man of God, Elisha. Gehazi, get out of my way because I've got a straight ticket to Elisha." And when she found Elisha, she falls on her face at his feet, falls on the ground, and begins to pour out her heart, 18:09 begins to pour out her heart to him. Now, the three questions that I have on this message this morning are found right there in the text. So let's talk about those a little bit. The three questions that cause her to spring into action are, "Is it well with thee?" Mother, this morning, I'd like to ask you that question. 18:31 Is it well with you? Is it well with you? How are you doing as a mother? Are you okay? Is everything okay with you? What journey does God have you on that you need to bring to the man of God? By the way, the man of God this morning is the Lord Jesus Christ. 18:53 What journey does he have you on? What is the cry of your heart? What burden do you need to bring to the Lord that you carry day after day or that had maybe just sprung up on you all of a sudden? Do you know that your ministry as a mother is the most important calling in the world? Do you have spiritual health? 19:13 Do you have emotional health? Are you taking time to connect with God? How is your physical health? Have you yielded control of your life to God? Have you yielded control of your family to God? Have you surrendered your life to Christ? Have you surrendered your children to the sovereignty and the sovereign will of God? 19:33 Or are you worrying yourself to death? Before we can address the problem at hand, there must be an answer to this question. How is it with you, mother? Are you okay? And what do you need to bring to the Lord? This is not a glib question with a glib answer to get someone off your back like Gehazi. 19:55 Is it well with you, Gehazi? Get off my back. Get out of my way. I got more bigger issues to take care of than you. I want to talk to God. I want to talk to the man of God. 20:06 And this morning, mother, if things are not well with you, in whatever way, at the end of the service, we're going to give you an opportunity to respond to the invitation and come to the altar this morning and pour out your burden to the Lord. And I would encourage you, as you answer these questions this morning, mother, husband, 20:25 child, that nothing stand in your way to get to God, to bring it to the cross, and to lay your burdens before his feet and pray and intercede that God would do a miracle and work in your life. The second question this morning that needs to be answered is, "Is it well with your husband? 20:48 Is it well with your husband? What is your relationship like with your husband? Does he know that you are his one and only wife? Does he know of your burden? Does he share your pain? Does he share your faith? Do you have the kind of relationship with him that you can tell him anything, even in the midst of a hard day at work, 21:09 and you know that he'll be there? Is it well with your husband? What are you hiding from him? Is he taking leadership in the home? Are you allowing him to take leadership in the home? Are you allowing him to protect and to carry your burdens for you and with you?" You see, husbands want to protect. They want to hover over. 21:29 They want to guide and guard and lead. And sometimes, quite honestly, a woman feels too vulnerable and her husband has not earned her trust or won her trust, and she doesn't have the ability or the capability of following him. How is it between you and your husband? 21:50 Men, is your work more important than your family? We're asking a lot of questions this morning that proceed out of this question. Is it well with your husband? Is it well with your family? You see, things get complicated. They get complicated because there's so many answers to these questions, and there's so many questions that spring forth from the questions. 22:11 Is it well with you? Is it well with your husband? Are you taking your God-given responsibilities seriously, husband? Are you raising up your children in the fear and admonition and nurture and admonition of the Lord? 22:25 And even if it's harvest time, are you willing to stop the combine and minister to your son and your wife? Well, but I want to make sure they have a real problem. If they have a problem, it's a real one. And so is it well with your husband? 22:45 Are you raising your children in the fear of the Lord? And then the third question, is it well with the child? What's the matter? Is there something wrong with this child? This gets very complicated because while our children may look the picture of health, we must know and understand that our children, 23:05 by nature, are dead in trespasses and sins, that within them does not dwell eternal life until they come to that place where they receive eternal life through our Lord Jesus Christ. Do you not know that the child is sick in soul and in pain in spirit? 23:24 Do you not know that he needs teaching? Yes, he needs teaching. He needs prayer. Yes, he needs instruction. Yes, that child needs to know that mom and dad love him. Yes, he needs a good education. Yes, he needs to make good friends. Yes, he needs a good work ethic. 23:43 Yes, but most of all, he needs to be saved. He needs to receive the gospel. 23:51 Oh, we can raise our children, and we want them to learn to relate to their peers in a healthy way, to relate to their siblings in a healthy way, to develop their gifts and talents in the healthy way, that we want them to develop physically with nourishment and well-balanced diets and healthcare and vaccines and all the 24:09 other things that people say that are needed for a healthy child. But he needs love, acceptance, and discipline. Yes. But the most important thing he needs is he needs Jesus Christ to be his Lord and Savior. So is it okay with the child? You must answer that question. 24:28 Is he born again? Does he understand the gospel? Is he being brought to the feet of Jesus for a blessing from the hand of the Lord? Has he been resurrected by the power of the Spirit of God? Now, of course, we know those questions are answered as the child grows in understanding of the gospel. 24:50 We're certainly not saying that a child of six months old or a year old or two years old or even maybe four or five years old understands the implications of the gospel by no means. But we have to continue to recognize that if they turn away from that knowledge, they're dead in trespasses and sins. 25:11 They need to be resurrected by the Spirit of God. And that's the most important thing you can do for your child. Is he born again? Does he know that there is more to life than a casual faith? He needs a touch not just from mother but from God. Amen. 25:32 Are you with me? And that is just what he gets. That's just what he gets here in the rest of this passage. Elisha, boy, I tell you, we summon all of the resources of heaven here. And Elisha says, "Gehazi, take this, my staff, 25:51 and take it and lay it on the face of the child, of the young son." And of course, first of all, in verse 28, he hears her plea. Her soul is in deep distress. And for some reason, God did not reveal to Elisha what the problem was in verse 28. 26:12 But he says, "Get yourself ready and take my staff and be on your way. If you meet anyone, do not greet him. And if anyone greets you, do not answer him, but lay my staff on the face of the child. Time is of the essence. This is urgent." And the mother of the child said, verse 30, "As the Lord lives and as your soul lives, I will not leave you, Elisha. 26:33 I will not leave you. You send Gehazi ahead, but I'm going with you, and you're coming with me because I need this from the man of God." So he arose and followed her. And Gehazi gets to the house first, lays his staff on the face of that child. I'll be honest. I don't understand all the typology of what's happening in this passage. 26:55 Why the staff on the face? Except I guess that means that it would probably go from the face down to the rest of the body and try to preserve life here somehow, some way. But the child was not awakened, verse 31. And when Elisha came into the house, there was the child lying dead on his bed. 27:14 We're talking dead, not asleep, not in a coma, but dead. But God gives life to the dead. Amen. God gives life to the wayward. God gives the gift of repentance to those who are wayward. God gives the Spirit of God to those who will say yes to God. 27:35 God gives that calling to come away and be made new, be made alive. So he went in therefore, verse 33, and shut the door behind the two of them and prayed to the Lord. The man of God is ready to intercede on behalf of this mother and her son. 27:54 And he went up and lay on the child and put his mouth on his mouth, his eyes on his eyes, and his hands on his hands. And he stretched himself out on the child, and the flesh of the child became warm. It's a gradual warm-up here as he's praying and crying and interceding to God for this child. 28:12 He returned and walked back and forth in the house and again went up and stretched himself out on him. Then the child sneezed seven times, and the child opened his eyes. What all the ramifications and the typology is here, I must admit, I don't know. But I do know that God is doing a miracle. 28:32 And God wants to do that miracle in the life of every sinful, sinner child that we raise, bringing them to life by the Spirit of God. 28:46 And every one of our children will need to have this kind of an experience where that which is dead becomes alive by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. 28:59 The child sneezed seven times, and the child opened his eyes. Interesting. What I do see in this passage is that discipleship only takes place life on life, and salvation only takes place life on life. We live in a digital age. 29:20 God does not touch people with a computer. Now, let me clarify that. He touches people with the message through the computer. But you can lay a computer on your dead son, and he's not going to come to life. And what that means to me is that while the message can be shared in all kinds of ways, 29:41 discipleship and meaningful, life-giving relationships come contact on contact, life on life, flesh on flesh, mouth to mouth, eye to eye, body to body, hand to hand. 29:55 And even though we may receive a message by digital means, still the best way to disciple is not long distance. It's right face to face, eyeball to eyeball, hand to hand, foot to foot. I'm so glad. When I gave my heart to the Lord Jesus Christ at the age of nine. 30:16 It comes at different times for different children, different ages, the age of accountability. But it's probably younger than it used to be because of all the information that children have today that we may not have had growing up. But nevertheless, at the age of nine, I went forward with my family. 30:37 Well, our family attended the Bill Glass Crusade in Albany, Oregon, on the football field of South Albany High School. And I went forward that night, gave my heart to the Lord Jesus Christ. And in that prayer room, they would match people that have you sign a card and put on your church affiliation. 30:55 And then they would match people with other people from that denomination. And so there was a man in one of another local Mennonite churches whose name was Bob Nice. Trevor, did you ever know Bob Nice? Oh, there was two of them. Okay. Well, your dad would have known him, I'm sure. 31:16 Bob Nice. Bob Nice. For the next six or eight weeks, drove 30 miles one way to have a Bible study with a little nine-year-old boy who had just given his life to Jesus. 31:36 I don't know that I've ever seen Bob. I haven't seen Bob Nice for probably 50 years. I should look him up sometime if he's still living and tell him thank you. Discipleship happens life on life. 31:52 And mother, you are one of the greatest disciples in the entire world because you carry the life of your children in you. I ran across this recently, and maybe you know it, but it was kind of an interesting thought to me. 32:11 So I did a little bit more research on it yesterday. It's called microchimerism. Anybody know what microchimerism is? I wouldn't have. 32:23 Microchimerism is the idea and the scientific fact that a mother carries cells from her child. In her body, they are not her cells. They are that child's cells. Every child that she has had, 32:44 even for short pregnancies, are carried by that mother till the day she dies. Biologically, if you're a mother who has carried birth children, you carry those cells today. 33:04 There's a connection. That is more than an emotional connection between a mother and a child. I read an article in Science News. You say that's probably somebody made that up. But Science News says that these cells are probably sprinkled—they're still learning about this—sprinkled throughout a mother's brain, 33:27 her heart, her liver, her lungs, and other organs, suggesting that these cells have made homes for themselves throughout a woman's body. Wow. 33:45 Now, think about that. When you, Mrs. Shunemite woman, carry yourself and present yourself in prayer and anguish and surrender to God, you're carrying the life of your children there too. 34:09 I don't understand all the significance of that other than this. When you talk about life on life, eye to eye, hand to hand, mouth to mouth, that's a mother's love right there. That's a mother's impact. And when you surrender your life to God and be not conformed to this world but be transformed, 34:31 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercy of God, that you present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. As you present your body as a sacrificial offering to the Lord, you are carrying representative—you are representative of your very children to God. Think about it. 34:54 It's amazing. It even says that when the heart is injured, fetal cells seem to flock to the site of injury and turn into several different types of specialized heart cells. Wow. The human body is amazing. 35:13 But what's even more amazing is the soul of men and women. Elisha came to the house. Contact, prayer, more contact. Child sneezes seven times, opens his eyes, and he calls the Gehazi and said, "Call this Shunemite woman." So he called her. 35:34 And when she came into him, he said, "Pick up your son." So she went in, fell at his feet, and bowed to the ground. Then she picked up her son and went out. End of story. Wonder what happened to that boy. I wonder what happened to that Shunemite woman. 35:56 Your mind can go in all kinds of different directions. How did she inform her husband of the events of the day? What happened? What was your day like, honey? Well, let me tell you a story that you're not even going to begin to believe. Yeah. A lot of questions. Life is complicated. Parenting is complicated. 36:18 But bottom line, she picked up her son and went out. "Mother, you carry these live cells of your children within your body. They will never leave your body until you are buried beneath the sod. Is it well with you? Do you need to make a trip to the man of God? Do you need to lay hold of the Lord Jesus Christ for your family? 36:40 Do you need to carry a burden that only a trip to—or do you carry a burden that only the trip to the cross can resolve?" I'm going to ask Sandra this morning to come to the keyboard and get ready to play softly for an invitation. 36:58 I'd like to invite you to bow your heads this morning and close your eyes. Mothers, this invitation is primarily for you, but it's for anyone. Do you need to make a trip to the man of God today? Not asking you to come to me. Inviting you to come to Jesus. 37:17 Inviting you to come to the cross. 37:20 Inviting you to come to the altar where you can pour out your burdens, your requests, your pain, your fears, your worries, your needs, your marriage, your husband, your children 37:40 in desperation, 37:44 recognizing that when you come to an altar like this this morning, 37:50 you're bringing your children with you. Those of you that have adopted children, it's no less real for you. You may not carry them in your physical body, but you carry them in your soul and spirit and will forever. 38:09 You sacrifice day after day after day. You do your best to disciple just like a natural-born mother would. We don't minimize that in any way. So if you need to come this morning, 38:28 we invite you to just take advantage of an open altar today. Heavenly Father, we've tried this morning to ask some pretty important questions. Is it well with us? Is it well with these sisters? Is it well with their husbands? Is it well with their children? If not, 38:50 oh God, just prompt them to make a beeline to the cross. Make a beeline. Get there as fast as you can. Don't let anything or anyone deter you. Get to the man of God, the Lord Jesus Christ. 39:04 Fall down at his feet and pour out your heart and your request and your need to God. We're going to just take a moment here to wait on the Lord. 39:19 If there's someone that God is speaking to today, maybe you have wayward children. Maybe you have a marriage that isn't quite as strong as it could be. 39:36 Maybe you failed in some way, and you need to receive confidence from the Lord that you're forgiven and that you're okay. It is okay. It is well. Get up and go again. 39:54 Lord, bless you. 40:29 Is there anyone else? 40:36 Seems like a short trip, 40 feet to the altar, not 25 miles to Mount Carmel. Take advantage of it this morning, sister. Take advantage of it, brother. 41:00 Bring your burdens to the Lord. Let him care for you today. 41:09 Let him take your complicated life and relationships 41:16 and bring clarity 41:20 and hope and joy 41:25 and peace. 41:39 Now, we have about seven sisters up here this morning, eight, seven. I need seven ladies to come put your arm around them. Pray for them as we conclude the service this morning. 41:54 So if it's well with you, then you come and pray with somebody here this morning and make sure it's well with them as well. 42:18 I need two more. 42:36 Bless the Lord. 42:49 Thank you. Thank you, Lord Jesus. 42:55 Heavenly Father, we pray for these dear ladies that are at the front here at the altar. 43:00 We ask, Lord, that you would speak to them and you would comfort them and strengthen them, whatever their need is, that you'd reach all the way from heaven down to this little chapel here this morning and touch the heart all 43:19 the way down into the depths of the inner man. 43:25 And bring forth a real and genuine wellness and healing and wholeness out of the cries of brokenness 43:42 and sorrow and pain and difficulty. Lord, we pray for each one this morning that they might be able to truly say, not just in a cover-up way, not just in a glib way, "It is well," but that in a very profound and real way, 44:05 "It is well 44:09 with my soul." I'm going to invite you to stand at this time. And those who are here at the altar, you may linger as long as you will. 44:17 But I'd like for us to sing a verse of "When Peace Like a River Attendeth My Way." When peace like a river attendeth my way, 44:35 when sorrows like sea billows roll, 44:44 forever my love thou hast taught me to say, "It is well. It is well with my soul. 45:06 It is well 45:12 with my soul. Soul. It is well. It is. Well with my soul. Though Satan should buffet, 45:34 though trials should come, 45:40 let this blessed assurance control that Christ hath regarded my helpless estate and 45:59 has shed his own blood for my soul. 46:10 It is well 46:16 with my soul. With my soul. It is well. It is well with my soul. Let's just pause for a moment. 46:35 I'd like to just have a word with those who came front this morning. If you would like further prayer and there's something in your life you'd like to process further in relation to your response this morning, feel free to reach out. 46:49 Reach out to the sister by your side or reach out to one of the pastor's wives or myself and any of the pastoral team. We stand ready to pray with you. And additionally, if you have found what you are looking for and need this morning, then you may return to your seat. 47:10 And we want to bless each one and dismiss this morning in the power of the Spirit. Let's sing that last verse, Brother Justin, if you would lead us, please. And Lord hates the day. And Lord hates the day when.