He may be seated and children are dismissed to children's church. Would you please open up your Bibles to the Gospel of John as we continue on going through the book of John, John, chapter four. John, chapter four, and today we will be reading Verses 43 to 54, John Chapter 4. John writes, After the two days he departed for Galilee, for Jesus himself had testified that a prophet has no honor in his own hometown. So when he came to Galilee, the Galileans welcomed him, having seen all that he had done in Jerusalem at the feast, for they too had gone to the feast. So he came again to Cana in Galilee, where he had made the water wine, and at Capernaum there was an official whose son was ill. When this man heard that Jesus had come from Judea to Galilee, he went to him and asked him to come down and heal his son. for he was at the point of death. So Jesus said to him, unless you see signs and wonders, you will not believe. The official said to him, Sir, come down before my child dies. Jesus said to him, Go. Your son will live. The man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him and went on his way. As he was going down, his servants met him and told him that his son was recovering. So we asked them the hour when he began to get better, and they said to him, yesterday at the seventh hour, the fever left him. The father knew that that was the hour when Jesus had said to him, your son will live. And he himself believed in all his household. This was now the second sign that Jesus did when he had come from Judea to Galilee. Let's pray. Dear Lord, as we Consider the fragile notion of faith. We ask, Father, that You would help us to overcome our unbelief. We understand, Lord, that our faith and our trust in You and what Your Son has done is completely a matter of grace. That You enabled us to believe in what so many people find to be foolish. And we ask even right now, as we consider Your Word, that You would help us to believe. We pray in Jesus' name, Amen. Do you have trust issues? Anybody here with trust issues? seeing some hands, maybe you've been burned in a relationship, maybe burned at your place of employment. A lot of things can come up and you become a little bit more skeptical. You find it hard or easy to believe in people or things. Or by nature, do we have a bunch of doubting Thomases in our midst? I was online this past week and I found, in my opinion, one of the most fascinating animals I've ever seen in my whole life. It was called a petite lap giraffe. Isn't that, I mean, just the name sounds ridiculous. And it was remarkable. You see these pictures and this giraffe can go, no kidding when it's a baby, in the palm of your hands. Basically, imagine the big giraffes that we go see over at Toledo Zoo, shrink it down a hundred times, and there's this little petite giraffe, and you start reading the specs on it, and it ranges from 17 centimeters all the way up to 76 centimeters, which still is not very big. And it was remarkable, and he even had video of it, and as I'm looking at it, there's still a degree of what? skepticism and the more I looked and the more I realized that this was a part of Ripley's believe it or not. And guess what? This was a part of the not. It wasn't real. The thing that really cued me, even though I was skeptical enough, yet believing enough to think, oh, this is really amazing, was when I looked at the gestation period. It was over 400 days. So imagine a pregnancy that's over a year and a half. And then I'm thinking, well, even in the hypothetical, it took that long. Wouldn't it get a little bit bigger? I think in life, though, believing is hard to do. You put your faith and trust in a person, what happens? They burn you. You put your faith and trust in yourself, and what happens? You let yourself down. You become skeptical, you become cynical, you become jaded over the course of your life. And then it's hard to let go of that skepticism. When we approach God, when we consider his word, when we when we consider the circumstances that he deals to us, and yet in the midst of all this, guess what God's calling us to faith. This childlike defies common sense, the world saying you're a fool, and yet God's saying embrace this. Trust Me. Trust Me. Believe in Me. And that's what we're going to focus on this morning. Our faith in our Creator. As we break down the passage, I want us to do three things. First of all, I want us to see that God has called us to a life of seeing He's called us to a life of seeing, but yet this life of seeing He's called us to, we get to see Him with our eyes wide shut. Ironic, isn't it? That He's called us to see and to believe and to trust, but He's calling us to do it when it doesn't make sense to us. That we have faith of being sure and hopeful for things that we don't necessarily see. So we're going to see what this faith looks like. The next aspect of the passage that we're going to look at is that God has called us to this life of savoring. Not savoring life necessarily, even though there is definitely some truth to that, God has called us to a life of savoring who he is. The reason why you and I can can jump off that ledge and in faith, trust that God's catching us, and He's in control and in the midst, is because of the fact that He is God. That He's always there for us, He's all-powerful, and we're going to see that in this passage. And then lastly, and definitely at face value it sounds like I'm being a downer, but God has called us to a life of suffering. that often in churches there's this false teaching that God has called us to a life of health and wealth. And the truth of the matter is this life, because of the effects of sin, because of the effects of the fall, expect to suffer for the sake of Christ. expect to suffer. If you're not currently going through suffering, it's on its way. So it's a matter of how we respond to it. How we consider God in the midst of the suffering is really going to make the world a difference. So we're going to look at this life of suffering. And then we'll wrap up our time. Well, let's begin by looking at this life of seeing. He has told us to trust in Him in spite of our sight. And I don't know about you, but I find that difficult. I like my facts. I like certainty. I like making decisions when there's like a 99% success rate. And yet, God's calling us to sometimes make those decisions, those acts where it might be 50-50. Or even less. Odds favored in yours. So we're to believe when we don't actually see. This is the faith element that defines us. It's actually the faith element that we read in Hebrews chapter 11 that they commend all the saints that went before us. Because they would believe when it didn't make sense. So we're going to look at this life of seeing. First of all, as we look at this life of seeing, I want us to ask and answer the question, how are we to trust? How are we to trust? Read verse 43 with me. John writes, this is after the two days he departed for Galilee. So this is after what we've looked at the last two weeks with the Samaritan woman and the impact that his relationship with the Samaritan woman and speaking truth and calling out her sin All of a sudden, a bunch of people believe and trust in Christ. Now, he is moving on. He is departing for Galilee. And then it says in verse 44, For Jesus himself had testified that a prophet has no honor in his own hometown. There's a lot of debate as far as what he's referring to there, but I think that the most logical sense that has been taught in regards to that is the reality that he knows he can go there without too much hoopla. that as He goes there, it's not going to speed up the process where the Pharisees demand He be killed and everything that transpires. Once again, it's all about God's timing. And there's also just that fickle nature of people that they doubted Jesus for who He was. So he goes on in verse 45 and says, So when he came to Galilee, the Galileans welcomed him, having seen that all he had done in Jerusalem at the feast, for they too had gone to the feast. So they welcomed him, but they welcomed him as what? As the miracle worker, as the big show, as the spiritual circus that they thought was pretty cool. But then he goes on in verse 46. He said, so he came again to Cana in Galilee, where he had made the water wine. At Capernaum, there was an official whose son was ill. When this man heard that Jesus had come from Judea to Galilee, he went to him and he asked him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death. So Jesus said to him, unless you see signs and wonders, you will not believe. That God understood what? The heart. I mean, we look at it, and I think initially we're like, Jesus, you're kind of being a little harsh on the guy. His son's dying. He wants his son saved. He's coming to you. He's acknowledging his dependence. What's the deal? But the hard issue is that. The hard issue is this is not necessarily a man at this point, and we're going to see a change in the passage, But he's not necessarily a man of faith, of trust, of belief. He's going there ultimately because he's heard that this guy can do signs and wonders. He doesn't necessarily look at Jesus as this is the Son of God, the one in whom can take away my sins. And this is really the call for us. How do we trust God? We trust Him in faith. We trust Him when we don't see the signs and wonders. We trust Him when every part of us is telling us to doubt. I mean, you read the Psalms and the Psalms that are a little bit more melancholy, where the writers are going through some tough times. Why are you, Psalm 42, why are you downcast, O my soul? But then he talks to himself and says, but I again will praise him because once again, he's looking through the eyes of faith. Let's say you needed to have a surgery. You got a car accident. You had some problems where you'd be able to walk or not. And they came to you and said, we have a new procedure and we can do this surgery, but there is a 20% chance that the surgery will not only not be a success, but you'll be paralyzed. How many people here are doing the surgery? Raise your hand. 80% chance of success. 20% failure. Who's not doing the surgery? Alright, how about I up the percentage? 99% chance of success, a 1% chance of failure. How many people are doing the surgery? There's a little more hands. Because why? That's how we live, right? We love doing things where there's a certainty to them. And yet, as we see in even this passage, what's God's call to us? to make those decisions when there's a 40% chance you're never going to walk again. It's faith. It's faith. It's trusting. Listen to what the author of Hebrews writes, Hebrews 11, 1-2. It says, now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. Did you get that? The assurance of things hoped for. You're hoping in these things yet, but you don't see them. For by it, the people of old received their commendation. I mean, imagine you're Abraham, you're old, you've not been able to have children. God's given you this promise. And yet the Bible teaches that he believed and it was credited to him as righteousness. He still believed. Remember, Doubting Thomas, I will not believe unless I see. And then Jesus says what? Blessed are those who believe who do not see. Well, is your faith today based on sight? Do you resemble... Let's imagine two characters from Scripture. Simon Peter, when Jesus says, hey, come, and he walks on water. Or Doubting Thomas. Which person do you identify with more? Would Jesus say the same about you? Would He look at you and say, unless you see signs and wonders, you won't believe? Or is faith your sight? Because that's what God wants us to be. Now, it doesn't mean we put God to the test, so don't take anything I've said wrongly. We don't test God. But there needs to be that sense where we're willing to trust Him. Well, how do we trust Him? And ultimately, we have to ask that question and answer, who are we to trust? Who are we to trust? Verse 48, He says it. So Jesus said to him, unless you see signs and wonders, you will not believe. What is Jesus referring to? Who is He referring to? Who is He saying you will not believe? Me. You won't believe in who I am. What was John written for? You remember? I wrote these things to you that you may believe that He is the Son of God. And yet, there was something holding back this official because ultimately when he believed, he believed in the signs and wonders and not in the person who was performing the signs and wonders. He definitely had trust issues. I mean, don't we all demonstrate trust every day? What are some ways that you identify trust today? Did anybody drive in a car where somebody else drove today? I mean, you trusted the fact that they would be able to get here without getting you into an accident, right? Did anybody eat breakfast today? What are some of the things you guys ate? Cereal? Eggs, you trusted that those eggs didn't have some vanilla. I mean, you trusted that the cereal is not laced in acid. We trust we just every day you're trusting. But how often are you trusting in him? The few verses later from the Hebrews passage, we just read Hebrews 11, six, listen to what he says. Hebrews 11, 6, and without faith, it is impossible to please God. For whoever would draw near to God must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who seek Him. You see, our faith is to be directed towards God. Psalm 20, verse 7. Psalm 20, verse 7 says this, Some trust in chariots, some trust in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God. Let's imagine this, okay. God is telling us from His Scriptures that we are to trust in Him. A problem arises in your life. Where do you go? And let's be honest. Let's not sugar coat this. I go to Jesus. But where do you rest? Do we have anybody here that is the handyman or woman? That you'll fix the problem yourself. You know, you've got the abilities, you've got the willpower, you've got the drive, you've got the discipline. I will take care of this situation. How many people here use resources, money, as the means to fix the problem? But are we resting? Are we trusting in Christ? Who are you trusting? I think one of the best ways for us to measure this is let's be vulnerable. What's your prayer life look like? Because you might say, I trust in God. But you'll see it as you're a person who prays. And I'm not just talking about a discipline of prayer, but you are just a person that is constantly living in prayer because you realize the seriousness of the situation. I mean, as I look amongst you, I know some of you have went through some challenging, difficult times in the last four or five years. At the pinnacle of those difficult times where you are in the valley of valleys, where else did you have to go but where? Prayer. And that's really the demonstration of our faith, that the concern, and I think one of the most cunning and crafting ways that Satan works is through the mundane, routine parts of life. When the ship's sailing smoothly and you don't really have that many issues, what's the need to trust, right? When a doctor tells you you have six months to live, there's a lot of reason to trust. When your bank account's filled and you can go and buy whatever you want, not that difficult to trust. When you're going to foreclose on your house, much more reason to trust. And that's the life of faith. We walk by faith and we trust in the One who deserves our faith. Once now, we saw that we need to have a life of seeing. We also have a life of savoring. of rejoicing that God is who He is, who He says He is, that He is worth our faith and trust. Because that's it. God's not simply telling us, I want you to walk by faith, I want you to just kind of jump out and rely on Me catching you. It also is under the foundation of the simple fact that He is worth that kind of confidence. So let's identify why God is worthy of our trust. Look at verse 47 with me. First of all, He is worthy for our trust because there is no limit to God's presence. There is no limit to God's presence. Read verse 47 with me. It says, When this man heard that Jesus had come from Judea to Galilee, he went to Him and he asked Him, to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death." Not to be nitpicky, but this is one of the first parts of really, I think, why Jesus was calling him out on his unbelief. That he limited the power of God to a location. Because he very much is a stark contrast between the centurion. Do we know who we're talking about? Similar situation. Needs somebody healed. He comes to Jesus. Jesus is ready to go to him. And he's like, my house isn't even worthy to have you come. Just say the word and it'll take care of itself. And Jesus looks at him and says, I haven't found faith like this in Israel. And yet in this situation, we got this official saying, you need to come here. And he's really limiting the fact that God's presence has no end. Have you ever seen a dog chase its tail? How about a dog who chases its tail and its tail is kind of short? What happens in that scenario? It never, ever can chase and actually catch it. It just keeps doing it. And it shows the distinction between a dog and a human, hopefully. How about playing hide and seek with children? Have you ever either hid or they hid in such a way that you couldn't find them? Sometimes I go over the top with the hiding and then I can hear them screaming, mom, mom, mom, can't find daddy. Do you understand? I mean, listen to the point I make. There is no limit to God's presence. Doesn't that comfort your soul this morning? That no matter what, no matter if every person who is dear to you is torn from your hands, God is still there. No matter if your health, your well-being, everything that you can imagine is the nightmare of nightmares for your life. His presence is still there. I mean, you read Philippians, and Paul is in prison, and he's got a happy-go-lucky kind of attitude as you read it. He's like, rejoice always. It's good to go. Don't be anxious. Why? Because of this truth that God is there. We don't even need to be there because of faith. I think one of the most beautiful passages in Scripture is Romans chapter 8. And what does he promise at the end? There is nothing that can separate us from the love of God that is found in Jesus Christ. Neither death nor life. Any scenario, any situation that you can paint, He's still there for us. We can believe without sight. Well, do you put limits to God's presence? I think there's both positive aspects of that and negative aspects. Do you put limits to God's presence when it comes to sin in your life? I mean, because that should be startling. If we lived in light of the truth that God's presence has no limits, we would live differently. But we do believe that we almost can kind of play spiritual hide and seek. And when we're hiding, we can kind of do what we want. God's not going to find out when. The truth of the matter is He's watching everything that we're doing. He's aware of every thought that we have. He knows every word that we say. But also, there's that sense that He's with us when we feel so alone. I mean, it blows my mind at how common depression is in the church. Because we live in a tough world. Life is messy. Very few people have it together and the people that have it together really don't have it together. They're just good at portraying that they have it together. And yet we have this hope that there's no limit to His presence and we should find comfort in that. But not only is there no limit to His presence, there is no limit to God's power. I read verse 49. So not only does he say to Jesus, you have to come, you have to be here. He also says. Sir, come down before my child dies. That he puts a time restraint on it. That you can imagine the sand hourglass is flipped over and the sands are slowly going away and he's looking at Jesus and he's like, Jesus, you You need to hurry. He's going to die. And if he dies, it's over. I have no hope. As if there's a limit to what God is capable of doing, as if there's an expiration date. I'm really fanatical when it comes to expiration dates. For me, expiration dates are in stone. Case in point, milk. In my house, if it says June 19th, on June 20th, I wake up in the morning, I open the refrigerator, I take the lid off and I dump it. It can smell good. It can taste good. It's got an expiration date. When I lived with my in-laws, I would do that. My mother-in-law would be freaking out. What are you doing? I'm like, don't you? It's got an expiration date. You're not supposed to use it. It's no longer good. How often do we do that with God? We put restrictions on what God is capable of doing in our lives. And when he doesn't meet up with our expectations, we're like, OK, that's done. Maybe it's a family member that does not know the Lord and you prayed for them and then you reach a point where like, OK, expiration date, I gave it a shot. I tried. It didn't work out. And you just kind of, you put that prayer off to the side, I'm done with that. That we limit what God is capable of doing. We throw in the towel way too quickly. Mark 10, 27, listen to what Jesus says. Mark 10, 27, Jesus says, with man it is impossible, with God all things are possible. The eyes of faith Pray big. You get that? That the eyes of faith believe God can do remarkable things. One of those parts of my life I've been having some inner searching and contemplation is I don't pray big to God. My prayers are very reasonable. very well-crafted, it makes sense, it seems biblical. But you look at children and what do they ask for? I mean, they ask for the world. Josiah, of my children so far, no, Josh really can't ask for anything. He's just this ball. But Josiah's asking is just absurd. I mean, if he sees it, let's get it. I mean, I am a billionaire in his eyes. And he just, hey, we should get that. We should get that. I'm sure. Why not? You're talking about like an elephant. It's like we should probably get one. I think Village White House might have issues with that, but let's run with it. That is, I think, at the heart of faith. That there's no limit to what God is capable of doing. I mean, back to Abraham, remember? So God promises Through your seed. I'm going to do this amazing. I'm going to bless the world and stuff. So he finally has his son. Awesome. God makes good on his promise. And then we read. Abraham, I want you to go here and I want you to sacrifice. And what does Abraham do? Up to the point that he is ready to sacrifice him and got this stuff. And listen how that is interpreted in the New Testament. Hebrews 11.19 writes, he considered that God was able even to raise him from the dead from which, figuratively speaking, he did receive him back. In other words, even if he would have taken Isaac's life, he was convinced that God would raise him up because he had such faith in the power of God that there was nothing beyond him. Well, how do you limit God's powers? Do you pray big? Are you a doubter? I mean, are your prayers so simple? God, help me make it through the day. That's it. I mean, you pray, God, I want to see somebody come to faith in Christ through my efforts. God, I want to see this, I want to see that. And we're not talking about selfish prayers. We're talking about prayers that bring glory and honor to God. God wants us to be dreamers when it comes to prayer. To have faith. We begin, God has called us to this life of seeing, this blind faith, but it's not that blind because we're trusting in a great God. We've also considered that we are to savor who God is. He's awesome. There's no limits to His presence. There's no limits to His power. Lastly, I want us to reflect really the backdrop of this whole passage. And that's the idea of trials. And I want us to see that affliction is a given in this life. Affliction is a given in this life. I mean, we see the context. It's very simple. This man is, we read in 47, his son is sick. He's at the point of death. We also understand that this man is an official, so he's probably a person of prominence. Probably a person with resources, with a little money. And what do we learn about that? that suffering is not biased. Rich people have problems. Poor people have problems. Young people have problems. Old people have problems. When I was a youth pastor, I remember we would play capture the flag and if you've ever played capture the flag, there's one part of the game where it's like base. And when you're at the base, guess what happens? You're untouchable. You're safe. The other team can't get you. You're good to go. I think often there's nowhere in Scripture that would support this, but that when we become believers in Jesus Christ, we have this notion that now we have home base and we're untouchable. And you get this impression, okay, I'm going to believe in Jesus and my life is going to be swell. No problems. It's like I'm going to be chilling on the beach at vacation time. But then what happens? Real life happens, right? And you encounter a trouble, a hardship, and then you begin questioning your faith. Like, I don't understand. Why would God let this happen to me? I mean, we pray it with the Lord's Prayer. What does He say? and deliver us from evil. And really, it's deliver us from the evil one. God is not saying pray that God will not allow us to experience trials. He's saying help us to persevere through trials. John 16, 33. John 16, 33. Jesus says, I have said these things to you that in Me you may have peace. And then notice what He says. If you don't remember anything from today, listen to this. In this world, you will have tribulation. You will have troubles, but take heart. I have overcome the world. I think one of the dangers is In theological terms, it's an over-realized eschatology. What I mean by that is God has a great impact through the Gospel, and I think sometimes we imagine that there's going to be heaven on earth. And there will be heaven in the new earth. But in the meantime, as the Gospel grows, as the Kingdom expands, guess what also expands? Opposition. Adversity. The schemes of Satan. that we really do live in a world that's at war. And because of that, we need to understand that suffering is a given. I mean, look at Job in Scripture, and what does he say about Job? There is nobody like him if you try him. He's a wholly blameless man, and then God really allows him to unleash just horrifying circumstances in his life. David, a man after God's own heart, goes through a lot of drama, right? Some of it brought on by himself. And of everybody who's experienced the most and really the only unjust suffering and affliction. Our Lord Jesus Christ. Who are you currently suffering today? You're going through some difficult times. Have you in the past? Who do you blame for those situations? And do you question God's involvement and presence during them? To see, affliction is not only a given, and I think this is where affliction starts to make sense. Affliction is a good. Affliction is a good. Read verse 53 with me. So he has this situation, Jesus says go, and he believes in Jesus' word, and then there's this transition where he believes in Jesus. We'll start at verse 51. So it says, as he was going down, his servants met him and told him that his son was recovering. I'm assuming there was still some doubt on his mind. It's like, you know, the guy said that my son's going to be alive, okay. And I can imagine seeing his servants coming and probably what's the first thing they looked at? The expressions on their face. His first concern was probably that they would come with sorrow to give him the bad news that their son, his son had died, but instead they come and they're probably smiling and just amazed. So then he asked him, when did this happen? He says the seventh hour and immediately he knew it was at that time when Jesus had said you will live. And then notice, pay attention to what he says, what John writes. And he himself believes in all his household. That the kingdom of God just grew in that passage. That God's family just expanded. And he did it through what? Affliction. Let's imagine the scenario that his son never gets sick. Does this person ever come to a faith in Christ? Maybe. But God used the suffering as the catalyst for faith. I shared this story before, but I thought it's a very relevant story. This young child is at the side of a lake and he keeps throwing a rock out to a sailboat. And this person keeps looking at him and he's not sure if the kid is trying to hit the sailboat with the rock. And then he finally realized what's happening. Every time the child throws the rock, it causes a ripple in the lake and it's bringing the boat back to the shore. How often does God bring trials in our life as a wake-up call to say, come back to the shore? I mean, deep down, as I look at the last three to five years of my life, and we went through some times, I have no regrets for any of them. Because I know in the midst of them, I've seen God in His glory in a way that I would have never seen it Had I lived a life of problem-free living? It's forced the dependence. It's broken a pride that still lingers in my life. And that's the glory of how God uses suffering. I mean, listen to what Joseph said. His brothers sold him into slavery. Who would be cool with that? I mean, even when I read Genesis and I read the story, I'm like, Joseph, you could at least mess with them for a little bit. I'd have put him in prison for at least a week. And instead, listen to what he says, do not be distressed or angry because you sold me here for God sent me ahead to preserve life. That they had done wicked stuff and God used it and he was like, you know what? This is all part of God's plan. Do you see God is good in your trials? I mean, I think it's one of those prayers that praise God He's not answering in our lives. And that is a life free from troubles. Because it would be the worst possible situation for you. But when you have the little problems and the big problems, it causes us to rely on Him. Because who else do we have to rely on? That's the blessing of suffering. That's why James can say, consider it pure joy. James is not a person who is a sadist who loves pain and suffering. No, he just understands that trials are good. Consider it pure joy. Because it brings about this perseverance and God gets the glory. This past weekend here at the Y, not at this building, but downtown, the YMCA of Greater Toledo hosted the national gymnastics championships for the YMCA. So any young people who are associated with the YMCA and compete in gymnastics, the best of the best were here in Toledo this past weekend. The one particular event that I find interesting to watch, and I'm afraid, there's no way I would be willing to try, and that's the vault. Do you know what I'm talking about? Basically, it's a runway from here to at least my father-in-law. And you run down it much like a pole vault in track, except using a pole. Guess what you use? Your body. And depending on the difficulty, sometimes when they do the vault, this blows my mind. They run down, they use their hands. They hit the spring and then they vault off. And when they vault, here's the, for me, just mind-boggling aspect. They land backwards. And what I mean by that is their feet hit before their eyes can see where their feet's going. So it's a blind landing. I mean, how many people here would be quick to give that a shot right now? Even if I threw some money into the pot. I mean, most of them would say, no thank you. Because the money wouldn't equate the hospital bills, right? I mean, we don't have that kind of faith. Isn't life very much like vaulting with a bunch of blind landings? But you see the difference in that situation? It doesn't rest in our practice. It doesn't depend on our ability. It doesn't depend on anything. Instead, we have this person who's standing there at the vault Who spots us? Who's in control during it all? Who prevents us from landing on our head? That's the life of faith. Three points for us as we leave here today and as we consider how this passage is relevant to our lives. I think first of all, we need to turn our mind and our eyes off when it comes sometimes to trusting in God. That there just needs to be that faith component. And this is not going to come easily for you. It's difficult, but that's why it's called faith. So we need to turn our eyes off. But also, I think we need to trust. We need to trust that God is who he says he is. He's worthy of our faith. He's worthy because there's no limit to where He is, His presence, there's no limit to His power. And, let's be honest, look at your life. When has He ever let you down? I mean, He's proven Himself time and time and time again, but yet we so often look like the Israelites and say, we don't like this stinking food. Do you trust in Him? And then lastly, I think we need to thank God. We need to thank God for trials because they keep us close to him. That doesn't mean we like the trials. It doesn't mean we have pleasure in the trials, but we do find great joy in knowing what happens through the trials. In this world, we will have tribulation, but take heart. Christ has overcome the world. Let's pray. Oh, Father, we come before You and we acknowledge how fair-weathered we are in our faith. Forgive us, Lord, how often we doubt You, that when we don't have absolute certainty of the situation, We're filled with anxiety. We pray, Lord, that you would forgive us, that you would help us to fix our eyes upon you. And we pray for everybody here today that you would create in us men and women and children who are those of faith, that you would overcome our unbelief. On a practical level, we ask that this week it would be demonstrated in our prayer lives. That we would once again dream of a dream for you. And that we would pray and cry out that God, you would shine your glory in this world that so desperately needs to see it. May you get all the praise. We pray in Jesus name. Amen. Would you stand as we sing and continue to worship? And then anybody who has children in the nursery and would like to have them be here as a part of the Lord's Supper, you're welcome to get them in the next two songs. Thanks.