I'm reminded, Brother Steve, about some years back, there's a elderly gentleman come to my church to preach for me. Some of you may know him, I'm not sure. Brother Wade Huntley. And he sitting on the front row and I said, leaned over to him and I said, you ready? And he answered that the oddest way if any man could answer it. He said, I don't know. And I'm thinking, you fixing to preach and you don't know. And I wanna say, if you don't know now, it's too late. But here's what he said, he said, I don't know and I won't know until I get up there, going into this pulpit. And I thought that was an odd way to answer that. But tonight, I don't know. Now I understand it. I understand a little bit more now, Brother Steve, what that means. But it's good to be here tonight, and I mean that. It's good to see you. You'll be back in camp meeting. I appreciate you being here, back in the meeting. I appreciate you, the pastor, the moderator. I appreciate him, appreciate all the preachers that will be here. and I'm standing here and trying to proclaim what thus saith the word of God, and I appreciate it being my lot tonight, having given me an opportunity to stand here, and I mean that with all my heart. So if you got your Bible tonight and wanna follow along with me, turn with me to the book of Acts, chapter number 12. the book of acts chapter number twelve obvious give you my fault and just a few things here and i didn't get out of get out of the preacher's way and your brother steven uh... brother steve all the time he needs and uh... so uh... just don't give you what's in my heart and get right Amen, that's what I've been taught to do, just deliver my heart, and that's what I'm gonna do tonight. Acts chapter number 12, you know the story. And now about the time Herod the king stretched forth his hand to vex certain of the church, and he killed James, the brother of John, with a sword. And because he saw it pleased the Jews, he proceeded further to take Peter also. Then were the days of unleavened bread. And when he had apprehended him, he put him in prison to be delivered unto the four quarantarians of soldiers to keep him, intended after Easter to bring him forth to the people. Peter, therefore, was kept in prison, but prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for him. And when Herod would have brought him forth the same night, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers bound with two chains, and the keeper before the door kept the prison. And behold, the angel of the Lord came upon him, and a light shined in the prison, and he smote Peter on the side. He must have been in a pretty deep sleep. and on the side, and raised him up, saying, Arise up quickly. And his chains fell off his hands. And the angel said unto him, Girt thyself, and bind on thy sandals. And so he did. And he said unto him, Cast thy garment upon thee, and follow me. And he went out and followed him. was not that it was true which was done by the angels, but thought he saw a vision. Father, I thank you for this day and time together. Thank you, dear Lord, for this privilege, God, Lord, and this honor tonight to stand here, Lord, and try to proclaim what thus saith the Word of God. Lord, let me tonight do my best to make much of you and little of us Lord, let me tonight, Lord, if any way possible, Lord, that we would leave here seeing a whole lot of you and very little of us, dear Lord God. Have you will and way, Lord. Lord, help the man of the hour, Lord. Preach him, Lord. Give him that he needs from God. Lord, let me be mindful, dear Lord, that there's another preacher, Lord, following me tonight. Have you will and way. God will love you and honor you and praise you. Your blessed holy and humbly name we humbly pray, amen and amen. I'm interested in verse number six, and when Herod would have brought him forth the same night, Peter was sleeping. I'm interested tonight if the Lord would but help me just a few minutes on sleeping on a troublesome night. I wish I could tell you tonight that troubles don't come to Christians. And if I did that, it wouldn't be true. I wish I could tell you tonight that we don't never, once you get born again, we'll never go through no more troubles. We'll never have no more heartaches. We'll never have no more trials. All that's over. But the fact is, Job said, man's born a few days and he's full of troubles. My dad would sing the song, troubles come and I can't find an answer. Often troubles come our way. And often we can't find an answer for it. But I'm interested tonight in looking just a few minutes on sleeping when trouble has knocked your back door down. When heartache has dumped a big truckload in your lap. When the stars don't seem to shine anymore. And you get up in the morning but the sun don't seem to be arising again. You say, Preacher, that's not the Christian life. I beg to differ with you. Thank God there's some days it does get dark. There's some days it does get hard. There's some days it does get difficult to go on forward. But I'm glad to report to you, we can be a Peter and sleep on a troublesome night. First of all, let's look at Peter's troubled night. Where is Peter at? He's in prison. and he's been placed in prison. And he's not in prison planning a vacation tomorrow. He's not in this prison planning a picnic in the morning. He's not in this prison getting up in the morning planning a fishing trip. He's in this prison, and he's on death row. Everything tells Peter, if things don't change for me, in the morning, they're gonna kill me. In the morning, they're gonna take my head. In the morning, they're gonna take me before the people, and they're gonna present me to that crowd of people. And if it don't go my way in the morning, they're gonna kill me in the morning. Why? Because he's in a dark night tonight. If Peter was to be honest with you, he'd say, if things don't change, I'm sleeping the last night I got on planet earth. In the morning, I'm going to be dead. He and Peter would say this to you, I can't plan nothing for my grandchildren because I don't know if I ever have any. I can't plan nothing for my boys. I can't plan nothing with my family because in the morning, they say my life is coming to an end. You're talking about a dark night. Thank God when you're sitting on death row, that night gets all bleak. As a matter of fact, can I tell you, just a little bad news makes my night dark, let alone sitting on death row. I can't imagine what it would be like. Back in August of last year, they turned my night dark and I wasn't even on death row. I had a hard time with it, why? Because troubles come and causes a dark night, and Peter's sitting on death row, but not only is he on death row, he's there alone. No one's there with him. Notice Peter, only Peter, only thing gathered around Peter is 16 soldiers, and he's there by himself. Now you can find Peter in a storm, and he's got the disciples around him. He's got the disciples to say, Peter, it'll be okay. Peter, we'll fight it together. Peter, we'll be okay together. But here, Peter don't have nobody to encourage him. He's in this thing all alone. You say, preacher, what is it about so being alone? Well, the Bible says this concerning Genesis chapter number two and verse 18, that it ain't good for a man to be alone. Bible says this in Ecclesiastes, chapter number four. He says that when a man alone, thank God has no help. He said a man alone has no heat. A man alone has nobody to help him up. But when there's two together, he has somebody to help him. But Peter don't have nobody to help him here. He's in this thing all by himself. You're talking about a dark night. You wait till the stars don't shine and you feel like you're in it all alone. Nobody here to pick you up. Nobody here to encourage you. Nobody, when it was Paul and Silas, that could sing. But Peter's in this one all alone, and he's here by himself. He has nobody to say, Peter, guess what? It's a morrow. No, he don't have anybody. He don't have nobody to talk about heaven. He don't have nobody to remind him of the preaching. He don't have nobody to testify to him. He's in this thing and he's all by himself. Thank God, listen up here just a minute. Thank God when you think you're all alone. See, we find a consolation when we think somebody is in the ditch with us. We think somebody is there with us. We think somebody, that we're not the only one bearing this heavy load. And it brings a consolation to us when we know somebody else is here. Somebody else has been here. Somebody else is going through it too. But Peter said, hey, he looks around, he don't find no church member, nobody to look to. Nobody here likes him. Everybody here, thank God, don't like him. Everybody here is hoping tomorrow, He dies, he's in bad company, buddy, and he's all alone. Thank God, you say, what's wrong with Peter? He's by himself on a troublesome night. But not only do we find Peter being by himself, he's all alone. Peter is bound to two soldiers. There's 16 soldiers in here, and some's keeping the door, some's watching Peter, but Peter's sitting down between two soldiers, and he's chained to them. He's got chained up to them. And if they say, Peter, you're not going nowhere. Peter, you ain't getting out of this one, buddy. You got out of the storm, but you ain't getting out of this one. Hey man, listen just a minute. Hey Peter, God was on the ship with you when you was over on that storm, but this one, thank God you ain't getting out of. Peter, there ain't no way out of this one, Peter. And Peter's looking around, ain't got any, finds no way out. He looks to the right, he can't get loose. He looks to the left, and he can't get loose. He looks to the top, and he can't get loose. He's bound right there. Peter's, his future don't look good. His Mar don't look bright. Thank God he don't have nothing to smile about. He's bound to two soldiers, looking over probably saying, tomorrow's your day, buddy. Tomorrow you're gonna die. And he's bound there. But thank God somewhere in the middle of that night, somewhere in the middle of that dark Somewhere in the middle all alone. Somewhere in the middle. Thank God of death row, Peter said, would y'all be quiet? I'm going to bed. And Peter leans over and goes to sleep. And he sleeps on a dark night. Can I look up here to me tonight? Thank God I don't know how bad it is. I don't know how bad it may get. But I do know one thing. We as God's people, amen, we as the people of God, Thank God don't have to bite our fingernails, even though I'm one that does. Don't have to bite our fingernails and take Tums and Rolaids. Thank God we can sleep on a dark night, even though troubles has blown the back door down. Peter says, hold on a minute, boys. Y'all don't do what y'all want to. Y'all been charged to watch me. Y'all gotta set up, but I don't. He said, boys, y'all gotta keep an eye on me. Y'all gotta make sure I don't go nowhere. So y'all gotta set up all night and watch me, but I don't have to set up all night. I'm tired, I'm going to bed. How in the world can a man sleep on a dark night? How in the world can a man go to sleep? and sleep so sound that he gets up, walks out, and he thinks he's had a vision. Pretty deep sleep. He ain't sitting there sleeping with one eye open. No, Peter's a dreamer. He's gone to another world. I know one thing. I don't know what they're gonna do here in the morgue, but he ain't worried about it. I don't know what they're gonna tell him tomorrow. I don't know what they're gonna vote on tomorrow, if they're gonna kill him or not. I know he just seen his brother, his buddy James murdered. He's seen all of that, but tonight he ain't worried about it. Amen. You say, what's he do? He leans over, takes a big yawn, and goes into another world and sleeps. But how in the world does a man sleep on a stormy night? How in the world can you and I sleep on a stormy night? Just a few minutes. Let me real quickly tell you how he slept on a stormy night. First of all, I'm going to say he rested in the Word. Can I tell you what this Bible will do for you? It'll let you sleep on a stormy night. Amen. Thank God this blessed book will let you sleep when no sleep won't come. Amen. This book right here lets you sleep, thank God, when nothing else won't give you, when no sleeping pill won't work. Thank God this Bible lets you sleep. You say, why? Because he's sleeping based on God's word. When you and I fail to put faith in God's word, we will have a hard time sleeping on a troublesome night. Once he got faith in, Peter's been given a word that ain't come about yet. And Peter's been told something that ain't come about yet. And listen to what Peter's been told. Verily, verily, I say unto thee, when thou wast young, thou wast girth thyself, and walketh where thou wouldest. But when thou shalt be old, thou shalt stretch forth thy hands, and another shall girth thee. Peter, you're going to get so old you can't dress yourself. Peter, you're going to get so old that you're going to have to stretch your hands out and they're going to have to dress you. You're going to get so old you can't even put your clothes on, Peter. No wonder that angel said, get up thyself. Peter, you're going to get so old that you ain't going to be able to put no, you ain't going to be able to dress your own self. Peter, you're going to get so old they're going to have to carry you. Peter, you're going to get so old. And Peter looks at them soldiers and said, wait a minute, boys. I've been given a promise from God's Word. God told me something one day. He told me when I got old, I'm going to put my own clothes on. Last I remember, I put my clothes on this morning, and that time ain't come for me yet. So boys, y'all can just do what y'all want to. I'm going to bed. I'm going to put my faith in God's Word. Can I tell you what'll help us sleep on a stormy night? The faith in the Word of God. You say, but preacher, preacher Steve, God ain't never told me I'm gonna get old. God ain't never told me that. God ain't never said anything to me like that. God didn't tell me I'm gonna get old, but let me tell you what he has told you. Let me tell you what he has told me. Let me tell you what he has told me. He told me in the book of Psalms, weep, may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning. Thank God, here's what I got. I got a promise, thank God, she'll come to an end one day. It ain't always going to be dark. It ain't always going to be hard. It ain't always going to be by myself. Thank God one day this darkness night, this sleepless night, this long hard night will come to an end. Because one day, joy is coming in the morning. Peter, joy is coming. Boys, joy is coming in the morning. Y'all think death is coming. Joys are coming in the morning. I think I'll go to bed. Can I remind you something? I don't know how dark your night may be, but I know joy is coming in the morning. I don't know how hard your day may be, but I know joys are coming in the morning. Amen! Thank be unto God. I don't know how hard it might be, Mama. Thank God I don't know how dark it may be, Daddy. But I know joy will be here in the morning. Amen! Thank God. Just go to bed and wait till morning gets here. Amen! Thank God. I go to Ohio, some of you may know that, and when I do, up 77, there's a tunnel. And when you first enter that tunnel, it's dark. But if you'll keep going, you'll crest the hill, and you'll see a little old spot on the under end. You know what that is? That's the end of her. But you know how you get to that end? Just keep traveling. Just keep traveling. You know how you get to the morning? Just keep traveling. You know how you get to the end of this thing? Just keep traveling. It ain't time to stop in your tracks. It ain't time to quit church. Thank God it ain't time to quit the choir. Amen, preacher. It ain't time to quit the choir. It ain't time to quit the Sunday school. It ain't time to quit praying. It ain't time to quit shouting. Hey, preacher, how in the world can a man shout? Thank God on a dark night, I'll tell you how, Joy is coming in the morning. Amen. Can I remind you tonight? Thank God, lift up your head. Thank God, your night may be dark, but joy is on the way. Amen. Joy is on the way. He said, here's what he said. He said, hey, I give you a promise. Joy is coming in the morning. But not only that, we find in the book of Hebrews, chapter 9, verse 12, verse 5. I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. Pretty good promise. There's an old man at my church one time come, and he said this to us, or me, he said, he quoted that verse, and I, at the church, I said, I like that verse, and he said, well, let me show you something. He opened his Bible up, and Berman Cape, I don't know if you know him, he said, open your Bible up, and I opened my Bible up, he said, read that verse again, and I read that latter part of that verse, and here's what it said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. He said, now read it backwards. They forsake, nor they leave, never will I. In other words, I don't care how you look at it, it ain't going nowhere. I don't care how you turn it around. I don't care how you look at it. I don't care where it comes from. Thank God, he ain't going nowhere. Amen. I don't care how dark it is, it ain't got too dark for God. I don't care how tight the quarters have gotten. Amen. They'll find a way in. Amen. Brother Scott, you told us something in class. I remember all my life. I still quote it. Brother Scott said, you go home today, get in your back bedroom. He said, you close the doors, pull the blinds down, and poke all cracks where nobody can get in, and just start hollering, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus. He said, and somewhere, thank God, he'll find a hole. Amen. I'm glad it don't get too dark. Amen. Have I told you yet? He said, I'll never leave you. I ain't gonna forsake you. He ain't forsook me yet. Thank God, amen. He ain't dropped me off yet, and he ain't going to. Amen. Let me close with this. Listen to this. My family lived down here on Lyles Pond Road. Grandpa, bless his heart, he got born again, but before that he was a drunk. And he loved beating my grandma. And they lived on Lyles Pond Road. And one night, my daddy was in love with my mama. You don't hear love, this is it. He's fixing to walk the Boiling Springs from Lyles Pond. That's where he's fitting to hitch out to Boiling Springs, South Carolina, from Lost Pond right over here. But on his way out, he's gonna take a shortcut and he goes across the field and he sees my daddy's, or his daddy's truck, weaving. He said, my daddy's drunk. And in that house, him and the older brother, done got old enough now to control his daddy, he looked back at that house and seen six little children and a mama. that drunk daddy would beat when he got home. And he knew them little girls, them three sisters of his, was gonna be scared when daddy walked in the house. My daddy turned around and went back home. But he didn't go in, he just sat outside of the bedroom window of his siblings. About that time, my Aunt Doris goes to her bedroom and starts praying. God, don't let daddy hurt mama. About that time, she quit praying. My dad goes, psst, psst, in the window. My aunt looked up, she said, looked out the window, and there was my daddy. Here's what he said. He said, don't worry, honey, I'm here. Have you ever heard on that dark night when fear has overwhelmed you? Thank God, and the devil's on one corner. Thank God, and the demons of hell's bouncing off the other bedpost. But about that time, you hear something go, psst, psst, I'm here. I'm here. I'm here. Can I tell you something tonight? If you've ever experienced what I'm talking about, one time, see it? Him just, psst, I'm here. Boy, when he says, psst, my aunt Doris would tell it like this. She said, when I heard my brother go, psst, Doris, I'm here. She said, you know what? I didn't worry about another thing. I knew my big brother out there would take care of daddy if he started beating my mama. Can I tell y'all something? Thank God I'm glad I got a heavenly father that says this to Steve, I'll never leave you. And I'll never forsaken you. And in them dark nights, he goes, psst, I'm here. I'm here. Can I remind you tonight? No matter, you know, older preacher was going to pass away. Some of the younger preachers thought they'd go down to be with him and just get in on the glory that would be hanging around at his passing. So they go down to the funeral or nursing home and they go into his room. He's just laying there, looking up, saying nothing. They said, looked at him and said, I don't know if it was Arthur Blackburn or one of those men. A young man looked at him and said, can you feel the presence of God? He said, no. Do what? We come all the way down here thinking we'd feel the presence of God so thick. He said, but he's here. He said, how do you know he's here? He said, because he gave me a promise. He'll never leave me nor forsake me. Just because you can't feel him don't mean he ain't there. Can I just remind you, just because you can't see him, don't mean he ain't there. Why? Well, how are we gonna sleep? We're gonna sleep with faith on the promises of this book. That's how Peter went to sleep. Faith and a promise, Peter's gonna get old. And you're gonna get so old you can't dress yourself. Peter said, boys, y'all do what y'all want to, I'm going to bed. Can I tell you tonight, God's people can sleep on a dark, stormy night. Thank you, Preacher.