This morning in the sermon, we're going to be looking at an aspect of the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5, 22 and 23, the aspect which is meekness. In connection with that, we're first going to read out of Matthew chapter 11. I just concluded a series on the fruit of the Spirit in my own congregation. This is one of the sermons in that series. And so this morning we look at meekness, seeing that this meekness is found in our Lord Jesus Christ. That's what we find in Matthew 11. We're going to begin reading at verse 20, and we'll read through the end of the chapter. It's in this chapter that Jesus is preaching a sermon, really. And he's speaking as to why it is that there are some who don't believe and others do. Some believe the preaching of John the Baptist, others didn't. And the same was true for his own preaching. And now we pick it up in verse 20. Then began he to upbraid the cities wherein most of his mighty works were done, because they repented not. Woe unto thee, Chorazin! Woe unto thee, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But I say unto you, it shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the day of judgment than for you. And thou Capernaum, which art exalted unto heaven, shall be brought down to hell. For if the mighty works which have been done in thee had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. But I say unto you that it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment than for thee. At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent and hast revealed them unto babes. Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in thy sight. All things are delivered unto me of my Father, And no man knoweth the son but the father, neither knoweth any man the father save the son, and he to whomsoever the son will reveal him. Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn of me, for I am meek and lowly in heart, and ye shall find rest unto your souls. for my yoke is easy and my burden is light. Thus far we read God's word there in Matthew 11. Now we turn to Galatians 5, 22 and 23, where we read of the fruit of the Spirit. We read there, but the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance. Against such, there is no law. And this morning, we wanna just focus on that one word, meekness. As we look at this aspect of the fruit of the Spirit, I say it that way purposely, it's an aspect of the fruit of the Spirit. We shouldn't read these verses and think that there are many fruits of the Spirit. No, there is one fruit of the Spirit, and the one fruit of the Spirit is love. But that love is so deep, it's so rich, it's so beautiful, that there's not just one word to teach us what love is, but we find here in Galatians 5 that there are eight other words describing this love, and that shows us that this fruit of the Spirit is rich and deep and beautiful and broad. But we want to keep that in mind. We want to keep that in mind that there is but one for the Spirit and it is love because we want to see that meekness this morning is an aspect of love. But also when we look at the concept and the idea of the fruit of the Spirit, not only should we remember that there is but one fruit of the Spirit, we should also remember that when we're talking about the fruit of the Spirit, we're talking about what it is that the Spirit of the Lord Jesus Christ, who is given to those who are redeemed by Jesus Christ and chosen by God, this is what the Holy Spirit works in those who are the people of God. So that we begin to see these things manifest in our lives because the Spirit is working them in us. Now the Spirit of the Spirit does not come all at once. But the Holy Spirit is working progressively, slowly in our lives to strengthen us in this fruit of the Spirit. Knowing that that's the way the Spirit works, one of the ways that we ought to look at the fruit of the Spirit then is to ask ourselves the question, where do I see, first of all, this fruit of the Spirit in me, and where do I need to grow in this? That could be true from the perspective of looking at them all together and saying, what is God especially working on in me now? But also, we could take each one of them and say, okay, where do I see this in my life? Where I see it, I praise God and I praise the Spirit for what the Spirit is working in me, but at the same time, where do I need to continue to grow? in this aspect of the fruit of the Spirit. That's what we're going to look at this morning as we look particularly at meekness, which is an aspect of this fruit. Meekness is a great struggle for us in the Christian life. Even preaching on meekness is a difficult and humbling experience. From a personal, selfish even perspective, I would say I really don't want to preach on this and now I think this is the third or fourth time that I've had the opportunity to preach this sermon. But I know it's good for me. Because I'm proud by nature, just like you are proud by nature. I'm unqualified of myself to preach a sermon on meekness. I can't say to you, I've arrived in meekness and you just have to do what I do. I have not. But yet, it's because of that, that you and I need to hear about meekness. What it is. and what it looks like in our lives. I don't often give quotes in a sermon but this morning at the beginning I'm going to give just a very brief quote from John Stott who said this, our greatest foe is pride and our greatest ally is humility. Our greatest foe is pride, and our greatest ally is humility. We want to understand this friend, which is humility, but we also want to understand an enemy, a great enemy, our greatest enemy, which is pride. So with that in mind we consider this morning love's meekness. We notice first what it is, secondly why it is important, and then finally where it comes from. Whenever you look at a biblical concept or even a word, there are two different ways to understand it. One of them is to define it. The other way to understand it is to describe it. This morning in this first point of the sermon I want to do both. I want to define meekness, but also I want to describe that meekness to you, especially by looking to Jesus Christ and seeing meekness in Him so that we would learn what that meekness ought to look like in our own lives. But let me start with definition. And let me start with the negative when it comes to a definition, what meekness is not. Meekness is not weakness. Meekness is not one who lacks conviction or is spineless. A meek person is not someone who's simply quiet, who maybe is an introvert because they're afraid to say something in front of others. A meek person is not someone who rolls over and is tolerant of everything or is simply timid or mild-mannered. That's not what meekness is. We can see and understand that from one of the outstanding examples of meekness in Scripture, Moses. Numbers 12 verse 3 identifies him as one of the meekest men that ever lived. We read in Numbers 12 verse 3, Now the man Moses was very meek above all the men which were upon the face of the earth. We know that Moses had a position of power and authority. We know that Moses was the one who led the people of Israel through the wilderness, out of Egypt, to the promised land of Canaan. Moses was a leader. And he had to speak to the people, and he did speak to the people. Yet, as he led the people, he was known as a man who was very meek. Moses was not a man who lacked conviction. No, he was firm in his convictions and stood for what is true and right. So we see from him that meekness is not weakness. In preparing for this sermon, I came across this definition repeatedly. It's restrained power or power and authority that's under the control of a higher authority. But really it's more than that. So here's a definition. Meekness is the mindset of Christ in which the believer uses his or her position and power under the authority of God for the benefit of others. So you see in that last part how it's connected to love. So meekness is the mindset of Christ in which the believer uses his or her position of power and authority under the authority of God for the benefit of others. One of the main aspects of meekness is this, it's a life lived under the authority of the Lord Jesus Christ. The New Testament word for meekness comes from a Greek term that is used for a wild colt or an untamed horse that is broken by a trainer. So like a horse brought under the control of a rider or a trainer, so the meek child of God is one who is brought under the power and control of Almighty God. So that meekness is a life lived under the authority of Jesus Christ. It's lived in submission to Jesus Christ in all things so that one who is meek trusts in him and submits to his will. The one who is meek is not after accomplishing his own agenda, his own will, his own wants. And here we see and understand then what the opposite of meekness is. The opposite of meekness is selfishness and pride. The opposite of meekness is a mindset of self. And this is what we're struggling with in our lives. This thinking that I'm the master and I'm the ruler of my own life. Selfishness is really the idolatry of self in which one is pursuing self-recognition and self-exaltation instead of desiring the glory and the honor of God in all things. I say again, that's what we're struggling with in our lives. I want to be the master and ruler of my life. I want to decide for myself what is true. I want to decide for myself what is right. I want to do what I want to do. But intimately connected with that selfishness is pride. Pride is really when sinful humans aspire to the status and the position of God. It's fighting with God for supremacy over my life and the things that are going on in my life. And very easily you might say, oh, I don't struggle with that. I know that God is God. I know that He's the sovereign ruler over all. I know that He is King and He's Lord. And yes, we know that in our minds, but yet so often we're struggling for that supremacy in our own lives. We want people to bow down to us. We want people to acknowledge our own rightness. And so we struggle with selfishness and pride, but the meekness of love is the exact opposite of that. In meekness, we worship God. In meekness, not only do we acknowledge His greatness, but we live under His rule and authority in our lives. And just by the way here, I was convicted of the fact in making this sermon as well that there is a distinction between meekness and humility. I can remember once early on in my ministry I thought essentially they're the same thing. But no, they're different. They're connected but different. Humility has to do with our hearts. It has to do with worship. Meekness is the living out of that humility in our lives. So that's why it's important to see and understand the selfishness and pride as the opposite. But also we need to understand that humility is living life under God. And having that desire in our hearts and the meekness is living that out in our lives. So first we looked at definition. And the definition is the mindset of Christ in which the believer uses his or her position and authority under the authority of God for the benefit of others. There's not only living in submission to the will of God, but doing that for the benefit of others. But now, we want to understand concretely what that looks like. And to see and understand what that looks like, we look to Jesus Christ Himself. Our Savior came into this world meek. He came into this world in all meekness and in perfect meekness. That means first of all that he came submitting to the will of God. In Mark 10 verse 45 we read that even the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve, to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many. We also have that idea expressed in Philippians chapter 2. Philippians 2. Verse 5 says, let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus. So in the definition, I said, it's the mindset of Christ. That's the idea here in Philippians chapter 2. But then look at verses 6 through 8, who being in the form of God thought it not robbery to be equal with God. So he is God. but made himself of no reputation and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men, and being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross." Jesus Christ our Savior was meek and humble. And in His meekness, He came accomplishing the will of God. He didn't come to accomplish His own will, His own purpose, but He came to do the will of God and He completely submitted to the Father's will for His life. And He did this for our good. The servant of the Lord came and He submitted to God's will to save His people from their sins. So not only do we see in Jesus Christ submission to the will of God, but we see that he did that for the benefit, for the good of his people. That takes us then to the passage that we read this morning, Matthew chapter 11. It's a beautiful passage, a familiar one, where Jesus gives the command, come unto me all ye that labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest. But I want to focus on verse 29 where Jesus himself says, for I am meek and lowly in heart. It's one of the places in scripture where we are given a glimpse into the heart of our Savior Jesus Christ. Because he lets us in, he opens up himself to us and he says, I am meek and lowly in heart. Part of that word meekness here means he's gentle. He's not harsh, he's not reactionary, he's not easily exasperated, but meek and gentle. Think about how amazing that is. Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ came into this world that was full of sinners. He was the Son of God. He is the Son of God. He was perfect and he lived among sinners and even his own disciples. They didn't trust in him. They were weak in faith. They betrayed him. He was betrayed by one of his own, Judas Iscariot, of course, in the way that he betrayed him. And yet Jesus was not harsh or easily exasperated. We know the way that we respond when others are sinning against us and we know how we can easily respond as parents with our children, moms and dads after kids are complaining or disobeying all day long and finally we snap and we lose it. Jesus wasn't that way. He was meek and lowly. He does not pull up his nose at us. He's not put off by us. He doesn't cringe at dirty sinners like we might cringe at the smells or the dirtiness of others. At the time that I wrote this sermon, I had just been at the convention, and I had chaperoned at the Young People's Convention, and I was in a room with nine other guys with a lot of smelly, sweaty clothes by the end of the week. And so one of the nights as I was sleeping on the bed and I was facing the wall, I turned over in my sleep and I woke up to this smell. And it was the smell of all the dirty laundry that was in that room and it was awful. And you can imagine those kinds of smells and how we pull up our nose at it and we want to get away from it. And I even said something to the guys. Our Lord Jesus Christ, with all of our stink and all of our sin, does not pull up his nose at us. He's not disgusted by us, but he's meek and he's gentle and he's lowly of heart. We see this beautiful display of meekness in our Lord Jesus Christ. And so we see and understand what it is for us then to live in meekness as well. This is the meekness that we are to live out in our lives. That's the very concept and idea of meekness using power and authority that the Lord Jesus Christ has given to us under His authority for the benefit of others. Think about what that means in our homes. Think about what that means for you as husbands and fathers. To be meek and to be gentle in the calling, in the position that you are given. Or to treat our wives with meekness and to treat our children with meekness as well. That doesn't mean lacking conviction. That doesn't mean that we don't discipline our children when they need to be disciplined. No, we do that. We discipline them. We instruct them. We teach them in truth and in godliness, but with all meekness. And see what that means for you wives and you mothers and the work and callings that you have been given to live in that meekness. See what that means for you children, you young people as well in relationship to your parents. It's your children and young people being willing when mom says clean up your room. And you do it immediately. without complaining. Or she says, set the table before dinner this afternoon. Will you help me with the dishes today? Meekness is lived out in those small moments. It's lived out as you live together as brothers and sisters, loving each other in meekness, not elevating yourself, not thinking the others should do what I want them to do. And so we live out that meekness in the positions we've been given for the good of others as we submit to the will of the Lord Jesus Christ. That's what meekness is. Why is it important? Well, three reasons that this meekness is important. First of all, It's important because the Lord Jesus Christ himself calls us to this meekness in our relationships. Our Lord Jesus Christ calls us to this meekness in our relationships. To understand this, we should understand what our tendency is in our relationships, especially when we're hurt or things are difficult. Our tendency is to use anger and speech to get a desired outcome. We use our language and speech and anger to get a desired outcome. We might say something like this, listen to me because Listen to me because I'm an elder. Listen to me because I'm a pastor. Listen to me because I'm your father. Listen to me because I'm your mother. Listen to me because I'm your older brother. Listen to me because I'm your older sister. Listen to me because I'm bigger than you are. Something like that. Or in our world today, listen to me because I'm an expert. And if people won't listen to us, then we think, well, I need to say it louder, I need to say it stronger, I need to say it more often, and I need to say it with more force. Maybe I need to even say it in a more radical way. And so using force and using speech, we try to get our way in our homes or in the church. The Scripture is set before us a much different way. So that in our relationships, we are called by Scripture to use meekness and gentleness in our speech, in our dealings with others. Let me give you a few instances of that. Galatians 6 verse 1. Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, Notice the way. Yes, we're to address those who are walking in sin, but the way is in a spirit of meekness. You find something similar in the book of Ephesians, chapter 4. In the beginning verses there, I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that you walk worthy of the vocation wherewith you are called, with all lowliness and meekness, with long-suffering forbearing one another, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. So this is how we carry out our callings. This is how we also seek unity in the church, with all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering forbearing one another. And then even in our witness before the world, 1 Peter 3, verse 15, we read there, But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear. So the way that we give answer to others about the hope that we have, even as we witness out in the world, is always with meekness and fear, not with harsh words. For a soft answer turns away wrath. We read in Proverbs 15 verse 1, but instead with meekness and with gentleness. That's how we are to live out in the relationships that we have in our homes and in the church. Jesus calls us to this meekness. But understand as well that this meekness that Jesus calls us to will flow out of us when we understand our own weakness. Meekness will flow out of us when we understand our own weakness. Humility and weakness come when we understand how sinful we are. When we understand how finite we are. We don't know everything. Sometimes when we take a position on something, do we ever ask ourselves the question, Is it possible that I'm wrong? We can be so entrenched in our position and so convinced that we're right that we fail sometimes to ask ourselves the question, is it possible that I am wrong? When we understand our own weakness and our own sinfulness, then we know it's very possible that I'm wrong and it's very possible that I'm doing something wrong. It's very possible that I'm walking in a sinful way. And so we need to understand our own weakness. That's what Jesus drives us to in Matthew 11, the passage that we read this morning as well. He says, come unto me all ye that labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest. Why do we need rest? Well, he's talking there not about the heavy burdens of the difficulties of life. He's talking about the weight and the burden of our sin. Do we know the weight and the burden of our sin? The more we know our sin personally, the more that will lead to meekness in our own lives. And then we will see Jesus is calling us to this meekness in our relationships. That, first of all, is why this is important. Secondly, this is important because meekness is vital for leadership and being under leadership within the church and within the home and even by extension in the workplace. Many passages that we could look at to show that, but the one that is outstanding is the one in Mark chapter 10. Mark chapter 10. In Mark chapter 10 we find that two of Jesus' disciples, James and John, sons of Zebedee, had come to Jesus asking that they might sit on the right hand and the left hand of Jesus. What they wanted was a position of power and authority in the kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ. And Jesus rebukes them, really, and says, this is not mine to give. And then after this, the other disciples find out that James and John had made this request, and they're ticked. They're furious at James and John. And so now there's this division among the disciples because of this. And notice what Jesus says, beginning in verse 42. But Jesus called them to Him and saith unto them, Ye know that they which are accounted to rule over the Gentiles exercise lordship over them, and their great ones exercise authority upon them. But so shall it not be among you. But whosoever will be great among you shall be your minister, and whosoever of you will be the chiefest shall be servant of all. For even the Son of Man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister and to give his life a ransom for many. Now that word minister is the New Testament word for deacon. And it means literally to serve, to serve. So Jesus says there, whosoever will be great among you shall be your servant, and whosoever of you will be the chiefest shall be servant of all, and then he gives himself as the example. Remember the definition of meekness that we had earlier. It's living under Christ's authority for the benefit of others. Those of us who have positions of authority, whether it's in church or in our homes or in the workplace, this is what we are called to, and this is a vital aspect of leadership, that we're meek in our leadership reflecting Jesus Christ. But along with that, this is the meekness to which we're all called as those who are under authority as well. That's an important point in our day. Yes, there are those in authority who can misuse or abuse their authority for their own good, their own advantage. But we live in a day as well where there is a contempt of authority. People in our day are upset. They're angry. They're upset with the leaders of the country and they let them know it. And that can spill over into the church as well. Leaders are weak. And they do wrong things at times. But people are upset and they're angry. They yell and scream at leaders in society and in the church as well. And we ought to understand that that is not defensive something, but that is pride, and selfishness, and it's not meekness. Because the way, even of standing for what is true and right, the way of conviction, the way of godliness, is always in the way of meekness. And so it's important for leaders to understand that, those in positions of authority, it's important for those under authority to remember that. that always we do all things with meekness. So secondly, that's why it's important to understand this meekness. It's important for those in leadership and those under leadership. Finally, this meekness knits families together. If there's not meekness in our homes, our homes will be miserable places to live. It's pride and selfishness that makes the home intolerable. And it's because selfishness and pride always lead to fighting and division. In the end, that's the source of conflict in marriages. In the end, this is the source of conflict between brothers and sisters, between parents and children. It's selfishness and pride. I don't think that's too simplistic. Instead, that's the reality. There's fighting in home and even more generally in society and in the church because of pride and selfishness. And often that begins in our homes with those who are at the top, you might say. With those of us who are leading there in the home. Maybe it begins in the marriage or maybe it begins from parents who are short with their children and yelling at their children and doing that constantly. And that goes back to us as parents forgetting our own weakness, our own sinfulness. And so maybe at times we put on this false front of meekness, but behind the scenes, we're not. Understand meekness knits families together. In a home where there is meekness, there will be peace and love where the family wants to be. It is this that knits families together, beginning with us as husbands and fathers. submitting to the will of God for the benefit of those in our home, for the benefit of the wife God has given, and for the benefit of our children as well. We are to be men of meekness, because men of meekness are men who are strong before God and doing what's right before God. That means as well that the wife and mother in the home is to be one who submits to her calling in all meekness and this is brought out in a special way in 1st Peter chapter 3 verses 4 and 5 and the instruction that Peter gives to wives and he says this about the beauty of a wife, her adorning But let it be the hidden man of the heart, and that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price. For after this manner in the old time, the holy women also, who trusted in God, adorned themselves, being in subjection unto their own husbands. And here Peter is speaking to wives who have unbelieving husbands, and says to those wives, in a very difficult situation, adorn yourselves with a meek and a quiet spirit. That doesn't mean being a doormat, doesn't mean a wife may never admonish her husband, she may, but it means doing that with all meekness. And children, young people, You are meek when you obey your mom and dad with respect and authority. You are meek when you're thinking about what's best for your brother and sister, not what's best for you. Because I understand fighting arises out of a lack of meekness and selfishness. And so this meekness is something that we should be talking about in our homes. It should be encouraged in our homes. So easily, I know that for myself as a parent, you focus on the behavior. But as parents, we need to get to the heart. What's driving this behavior? What's motivating this behavior? And when it's sinful behavior, it's selfishness and pride. And so we have opportunities to teach our children about meekness and humility. That we would be servants of one another, always ready to serve others under Jesus Christ. So this shows the importance of meekness. It knits us together in love in our homes. And when we look at all of this meekness, if you're where I'm at, you see and understand how much we fail in this. We see so many ways in which I am not meek. and I am not gentle like I should be. And it's very humbling to see and to know that. But then the question comes, well, where does this meekness come from? How can I grow in this meekness? There's some evidence of meekness in my life, and I know that's because of the Holy Spirit, but how can I grow in this meekness? Well again, we remember the bigger picture here. We're looking at the fruit of the Spirit. It's the Holy Spirit who works this meekness in us. And in fact, I point us back to the passage we read at the very beginning of our worship, Psalm 18. Psalm 18, verse 35, we read at the very end of that verse, and thy gentleness, literally thy meekness, hath made me great. The Holy Spirit works in us meekness as we think on and meditate on even the meekness of our Lord Jesus Christ that reveals the beauty of God's salvation to those who are completely undeserving of this. So we think on that in the power of the Holy Spirit, we see the meekness and lowliness of Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit works in us so that we grow in this. Along with that, pray. Pray. I would encourage us as a congregation to dedicate ourselves in this coming week to praying over and over again at family worship and personal prayers, times you're together, to pray for meekness, the meekness of Jesus Christ work in your heart and that the Holy Spirit would work in us this meekness so that we grow in it. One thing that encourages us in this meekness is understanding what Jesus says about it in Matthew 5 verse 5. This is one of the Beatitudes, part of Jesus' Sermon on the Mount. Jesus says in Matthew 5 verse 5, Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. When Jesus says this he's quoting from the Old Testament Psalm 37 verse 11. Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth. Now we understand that Jesus is not saying if you're meek then you're going to have this great blessing. That's not the way Jesus says it. But instead, this is a truth statement according to all the other truths that are found in the Beatitudes. These are characteristics of those who are citizens of the kingdom of God and Jesus is saying that those who are meek shall inherit the earth. It's a promise that is given to those who are meek as the Holy Spirit works this meekness in the people of God. But what Jesus does there is in that promise that we shall inherit the earth, which doesn't mean we'll just have long life here on this earth. It means we're gonna dwell with God forever. We're gonna dwell with God forever. The meek will dwell with God forever. But Jesus' point is, is to encourage us in meekness. So we're encouraged this morning to pursue this meekness in our lives. Remember the quote at the beginning? Our greatest foe is pride. Our greatest ally is humility. When we know that to be true, then we will be thinking daily how we can weaken this enemy that we find in our lives and strengthen our greatest friend. And doing so in dependence upon the Holy Spirit. So we grow in this meekness by thinking on the greatness of our God, which puts us in our place. We grow in this meekness by thinking on the wonder and beauty of God's grace for us in Jesus Christ. We grow in this by dwelling on the wonder of the cross and what Christ has done for us. We grow in meekness by beginning our day thankful for everything God has given to us and ending our day with thankfulness for everything that God has given to us so that during the day we're thinking about how thankful we are for what God has given to us and that promotes meekness and never pride. And so knowing this friend meekness worked in us by the Spirit Let's continue to pray and continue to pursue this meekness in our lives and putting off pride and selfishness for the glory of God. Amen. Let's pray. Father in heaven, we are thankful this morning for thy word. It hurts. We ask that Thou will forgive us where we sin and where we are proud and selfish, but also, Father, work in us by Thy Spirit so that we would grow in meekness and humility. May we ever seek to live in submission to Thy will and do that for the good of those around us, because this is the way that we reflect our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, the one who is meek and lowly. Go with us in our fellowship in this day. Return us for worship this evening. We pray all this in Jesus' name, amen. We turn our soldiers to number 312. We sing here of how God sees meekness. Notice stanza three, the Lord is just and merciful and gracious to the meek. He saved me when I cried to him, though I was poor and weak. Let's sing the first four stanzas, the first four of 312. Lord, do hear my cry, and grant him my request. In him who hears and answers prayer, my trust through life shall rest. My heart was full of grief. And to the Lord I made my prayer that he would step freely. merciful and gracious to the need. He saved me when I cried to him, though I was poor and weak. Eternal to thy rest my soul, The Lord sustains thee, and has dealt most graciously with thee. Blessed be the Mighty One, Jehovah God of Israel, for he alone has wonders of, and he is in glory that excels. Long as the ages shall endure, for all the earth and heaven Jehovah bless thee and keep thee. Jehovah make his face shine upon thee and be gracious unto thee. Jehovah lift up his countenance upon thee and give thee peace. Amen.