this morning. Amen. Babies are sick and everybody's sick. And if you ain't sick, you're gonna be sick, but it's all gonna be alright. Amen. We're here right now. Amen. There's a lost pair of glasses. We got the owner, Miss Mary left her glasses in the altar. You know, pray for her. Amen. Good place to leave them, I reckon. Amen. Means you got to go back. Amen. Amen. Well, it's a joy to be here this morning. I want you to go with me to Psalms this morning. Psalms 139. We'll find our text. You find your place staying with us this morning. Psalm 139. And I was hoping to be able to preach a different sermon this morning. It wasn't quite there. Maybe Lord will let me preach it tonight. I don't get to preach seasonal messages. I don't get to preach a Mother's Day. I've got to preach one my whole preaching life. I've got to preach one Mother's Day message. Never got to preach a Father's Day or an Easter or Christmas. Never have. And I figure since this Sunday is so close to Christmas, I'm going to take my shot at it. Amen. And I didn't get to this morning. I hope I'll be able to tonight. So y'all pray to the Lord and let me do it. Amen. Just so I can be able to say I've preached a Christmas sermon. Mark that off my list. Amen. But I hope what he has for us this morning will help you, what he's put in my heart this morning. I believe if you'll let it, it will help you. It's not because of anything I say, but this word is alive this morning. Amen. If you'll listen to it, it'll help you. Psalm 139, the Bible says in verse number one, O Lord, thou hast searched me and known me. That's enough scripture out there for us to go ahead and give an invitation. Thou knowest my down-sitting and mine up-rising. Thou understandest my thought afar off. Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways. For there is not a word in my tongue, but lo, O Lord, Thou knowest it all together. Thou hast beset me behind and before, and laid Thine hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me. It is high. I cannot attain unto it. Whither shall I go from my spirit, or whither shall I flee from thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there. If I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there. If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there shall thy hand lead me. And thy right hand shall hold me. Father, I pray that you'd help us now for a few moments. Lord, bless the reading of the Word of God. Lord, I do ask this morning that you'd clear our thoughts, Lord, and Lord, touch our hearts today. And God, Lord, may something be said to stir the people of God this morning. Encourage them and strengthen them. And God, Lord, I pray, Lord, that you would give all the honor and all the glory. And Lord, I pray, Lord, that you'd touch my heart, touch my mind. And Lord, touch my mouth this morning. And we give you all the praise, Lord, and we ask it in Jesus' name we pray. Amen and amen. As you read through Psalms this morning, you kind of find this pattern. It's almost as if David sometimes just gets out a piece of paper and a pen and begins to write himself a letter to the Lord. Sometimes he is pleading to the Lord. Sometimes he's asking Him for things. Sometimes he's pouring his heart out, and this psalm is nothing more than him just expressing how he feels on the inside. Sometimes it's deep sorrow. Sometimes it's the hurt that he's faced with. Then there's sometimes that you find David writing love letters to the Lord, telling him how much he appreciates him, telling him how much he loves him, talking about his mercy, talking about his grace. In Psalm 139 this morning, David has yet again broke out his pencil and his paper, and he's wrote another letter to the Lord. And it seems like David has took out some time from his life to say, Lord, there's some things about you that I would like to acknowledge. And you ever find yourself reading through the Word of God, and you find that God in His Word, in His Scripture, He's acknowledged some things about you. Maybe there's some things that you've found about yourself that you say, man, I didn't know God did that for me. I didn't know God made me that way. I didn't know God's blessed me in such a way. I guarantee if you've read it long enough, you've found something that you said, I don't know why He. would do something like that for somebody like me. And then there are some times that I read through the Word of God and I say, Oh me, Lord. Lord, I don't understand. Lord, it took the Word of God to open up the portals of my eyes and let me see just how wicked I am. Just how bad off I am. Amen. Sometimes you read the Word and you find out about yourself. But thank God, sometimes you read the Word and you can find out about Him this morning. David said, Lord, he said, Lord, I've been finding out enough things about me. He said, Lord, but I found out some things about you. And Lord, here's what I've noticed about you. Lord, you're all-knowing. Lord, thou hast churched me and thou knowest me. And then, son, when David began to pin those things down, I guarantee you there was a tremble in his hand. And as he began to shake inside, said, Lord, Lord, you know every thought that's been in my mind. Lord, you know every desire that's been in my heart. And I know some preachers preach here, and they talk about God ought to kill us, and God ought to do this, and God ought to do that. But the truth be known, maybe God should have killed us a long time ago. But He didn't kill David, and He hasn't killed you yet. And then you say, what does that mean? That means you ought to be standing on both feet this morning with your hands up in the air and saying, God, even though You know me, Lord, yet You still love me. Hallelujah. I'm thankful that even though he knows the old wicked thoughts that go through my mind, that he still wants to spend time with me. That even though he knows the old wicked desires of our heart, yet he wants to come by and fellowship with his children. Amen. My little old girl, she's mean as a rattle-headed Viper cottonmouth. Somebody say amen. Amen. But can I tell you, she can burn my house down. But before we go to bed that night, I'm going to make sure that it goes to where she's at. And I tell her that I love her. And then I tell her that I appreciate her. Amen. Why? Because that's my baby. And this morning, even though we are the way we are, yet God loves us still. Hallelujah. Amen. Oh, Lord, Thou hast searched me and known me. Hallelujah. Now notice, David, he's writing this letter, and if I could just put it plainly to you like this this morning, he's acknowledging the wisdom of God. The mind of God. Now, I've got to agree with David, because when David starts trying, he's attempting to acknowledge the wisdom, he's attempting to acknowledge the mind of God. He just says, time out, Lord, there's something I need to say about all that. Verse number 6, such knowledge. That's too wonderful for me. Well, I tried for five verses, Lord, but I can't keep going because, Lord, You're too big for me. Lord, You're too smart for me. Lord, You're too wise for me. Amen. I don't want to serve a God that I figured everything out about Him. Somebody say, Amen. Now, I like the song we sing, I want to know more about my Lord. I want to know everything I can about Him, Brother Darnell. Amen. But I believe there's just some places, there's just some things that are going on in the mind and in the heart of God, honey, that on this side of heaven we will never understand. We will not be able to wrap this so feeble mind around. But thank God, one day we'll get to know it all, by and by. Amen. But I'm glad that the God that I serve is much higher than I am. It was just too wonderful for me. And he said, Thou compassest my path and my lying down. Thou are acquainted with all my ways. David, man, he's just trying to express this as much as he can. Lord, man, I just can't put my mind around it. But Lord, You're so wise. You're so wonderful. You're so high. You're so holy. And then in the middle of David acknowledging the wisdom of God, he uses the word. And you ever You ever try to explain something to somebody? I know a lot of people that is like this, and myself included. You try to tell them something, and all of a sudden, while you're trying to tell them, you'll say something, and the next thing you know, you have left your original topic, and you have went way over here to talk about something that you mentioned five minutes ago, and then you never get back to the original thing, because we are rabbit chasers. Somebody say that? All preachers have that problem. Can I get a witness right there? David had that same problem. Notice the word that he said in verse number five, Thou hast beset me behind and before, and laid Thine hand upon me. And then David, as he is trying, you notice that that's where he got bogged down, trying to talk about the mind of God, trying to talk about the wisdom of God. He said, lay Thine hand upon me. I can't remember what I was talking about. Such knowledge is too high for me. It's too wonderful. I can't attain unto it. He said, but I did say something right there that I would like to expound on a little bit more. Notice what he said in verse number 10. Even there, thy hand shall lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me. David done messed up while he was trying to brag on God in one place, and he started having to brag on God in another place. Can I go ahead and make another little statement while I'm here? If you'll start bragging on God, He will give you more things to brag on God about. I love getting in those services where the preacher opens up the floor and he says, does anybody got a word they'd like to say for the Lord? Crickets. I just can't think of nothing right now. I promise you, if you would practice this in your car, if you would practice this in your house, you would say something like this. I always say this, and I believe it's true. If you can't think of nothing to thank God for, go to Calvary. Start at the place that He saved you. Start at the place where He forgave you of all your sins. And I promise you, if you'll just say something as simple as this, well, thank you for saving me on such and such, whenever it was, wherever it was, I promise you, He will start filling your mind with more praise. David said, speaking of your hand, there's some more things I would like to mention about your hand. And I want to preach on this morning His hand. His hands. Can I tell you, there ain't no hands like the hands of God this morning. The Bible says in the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. Amen. I believe that everything that we have this morning, everything that we see, everything that we can touch, everything that we breathe, the ground we walk on, every bit of this world was created by the hand of God this morning. Amen. Science is trying to do everything they can to disprove it. Amen. The world is trying to show you what man's made, but can we just stop for a minute and acknowledge the wonderful works of the hands of God this morning. Amen. His hands are everywhere in creation today. Every tree that's grown, every blade of grass that's sprung up, every drop of rain, and Lord knows we've had enough of it this morning. But it's all been by the hand of God this morning. Amen. Everything that was made was made by Him. Amen. Can I say I'm glad for the hand of God this morning. We see His hands in creation. We see His hands in the cross this morning. Amen. Can I tell you the day that they laid Jesus down on that cross and those Roman soldiers pierced His hands and His feet into that wood. They have never laid a man down on a cross like that day. They have never nailed a set of hands like the set of hands of Jesus that they nailed that day. Amen. No man has laid on a cross like our lovely Lord Jesus. Amen, but they might have thought that they'd been killing Jesus. They might have thought that they was doing justice to a man that they wanted to see die. But the day that they put our Savior on an old rugged cross was the day, hallelujah, that the gates of heaven was opened up. If anyone on mine and your behalf this morning Because of the hands of Jesus outstretched on two pieces of wood, nailed by nails, it meant, thank God, the fountains was opened up, and me and you now can come before God through Jesus this morning. His hands through the cross this morning. His hands in comfort. Do you remember over there in John chapter number 20? After Jesus was put on the cross after he gave up the ghost, after he had been in the grave, after three days the disciples were sitting over there, man, they was having an old sad party. They was sitting around, they was whining and complaining, they was trying to cheer each other up, but old fellow over there sitting in the corner, he said, man, he said, I've seen Jesus do miracles. I've seen Jesus give sight back to the blind men. I've seen Jesus tell lame men to get up and walk. I've seen Jesus even call dead men from the grave. He said, but until I see the scars in his hands, I will not believe. Old Brother Thomas, doubting over there. And I ain't got time to preach all this. This is still a little bit of the introduction. I'm trying to get by it, but can I say it like this? I'm amazed. Go read this later for yourself. In John chapter number 20, the Bible says that Thomas is over there doubting. And while Thomas is speaking, the Bible says, then stood Jesus. He said, Thomas, what's wrong, man? What's wrong? What do you mean you don't believe? I told you this was going to happen now. Why are you talking like that, Thomas? Why you ain't got the faith that you need to have? He said, you said until you see him, he said, how about more than that? How about you reach out here and touch him? Fill my hands, touch my side, Thomas is real. Thomas, it really happened, and can I say I'm amazed at the fact that, yes, Jesus showed up and that he let Thomas not just see him, but the darn hell, that he didn't just let him touch him. But what amazes me more is that in the middle of Thomas trying to get that doubt out of his mouth, that's when Jesus stood in the midst of them and showed himself unto Thomas. In the moment that Thomas needed Jesus the most, Jesus appeared. The Bible didn't say he was on his way over there. The Bible didn't say he was trying to get back to his disciples. The Bible just said that in the middle of Thomas' death. Then there stood Jesus. Can I tell you, those hands are hands of comfort this morning. That's why we come to church on Sunday morning, Sunday night. Wishing I had the cause in the middle of our doubt. But then that's when Jesus shows up right on time. And He says, I know you've got doubt. But I brought some faith with me. I brought some belief with me. I brought whatever it is that you need to help you through. Jesus showed up right when Thomas is kneeling. Hallelujah. His hands in creation, the cross and comfort. But I want us to notice what David said about his hands. Notice this in verse number 5. He said, Thou hast beset me behind and before, and laid Thine hand upon me. I say this morning, they are hands that touch. Hands that touch. I'm interested in how David is breaking this down. Notice how he says, Thou hast beset me behind and before. Now, everybody in here pretty much knows that I was homeschooled. Amen. And I have trouble with words. I have more than, like, three letters. Amen. If it's got more than three letters, I'm probably going to need a dictionary. I'm reading what David's trying to say about the Lord, and this one here has got five, so it's way above my pay grade. I ain't supposed to know what this kind of word means. But I didn't know what David meant when he said, thou hast beset. I'm not sure if any of y'all even know. Y'all don't look like you know what beset means. I'm sorry, Ethan. You just don't look like a besetter. I'm sorry. Maybe Brother Bradley, he might know what beset me. Amen. I didn't know what Brother David was trying to say when he said thou hast beset me. Behind that word beset, it means to have formed or enclosed around me. And when David said that thou hast beset me behind... I believe that this is a statement. Ashton, will you help me this morning just for a moment? Is that OK? Come on. Come on right here. Thou hast beset me. What was the first thing he said? Beset me behind. David said it like this. He said, Lord, I'm learning that no matter where I go, You have done some things for me. And this is the message David is trying to portray. It doesn't matter which way I go as long as I'm following the Lord and I'm in God's will for my life. You will protect me in ways that I cannot protect myself. So what I need you to do, Ashton, probably just the easiest thing to do is walk back and forth from here to those doors. Just one time, go to those doors and come back. Kind of slow like, not too fast because I won't be able to keep up. David said like this, Thou hast beset me behind. This is what that means. Thou hast, you got my back. Wherever I'm going, it doesn't matter where I'm going, but I do know this one thing, that if I'm going on the road that God has called me to walk on, I don't have to worry about what's behind me, because thou hast beset, thou hast encamped, thou hast enclosed, and Lord, if there's something on the backside that I can't see, that's going to try to bring me down. I'm not going to be worried about it. If there's somebody that's going to try to shoot me in the back, if there's somebody back here talking about me, if there's somebody back there saying he ain't going to make it, if there's somebody back there saying he ain't going to fall, if there's anything that I've learned, John, it's that they've got to get through you to get to me first because thou hast beset me from behind. But that ain't all he said. He said, Thou hast beset behind me. Come here, Bradley. Now, I need you to be beset behind him. I need you to play the part of what the Lord would do for Ashton. If anybody tries to come behind him, God don't let nobody hurt this little fellow. Don't let him hurt to his face. Don't let him hurt while he's trying to get to God. God don't fill him now. Anything that's coming behind him, would you do your very best to block him? But David didn't stop right there. He said, Thou hast beset behind and before. Woo, hallelujah. Lord, I know there's going to be some that try to come from behind. Lord, they're going to try to hold me back. They're going to try to bring me down. But Lord, I'm trusting in you that you got my back. But Lord, I want to say this, I sure am glad that you got my front too. So Lord, while I'm walking on the way that you told me to walk, and Lord, if there's a stormy trial that would hurt me, if there's something in the front of the road that would be a roadblock to my faith, Lord, I'm just going to trust you that you kick it out of the way. If that devil tries to come up in the front side and he tries to knock me down, Lord, I'm just going to believe you'll knock him square between the eyes. And God, Lord, trust that you not only got the road behind me, but Lord, whatever may come on the front side, God, you've got to have a man that sat behind and before. But then, let's go back to the front and make sure everybody can see what's going on here. You stayed behind. Now we're going this way. He said, Lord, thou hast but sat behind me, before me. What did he say, Brother Arnold? And thou hast laid thy hand upon me. Come on, Brother Alex. You get in front. You make sure... God, please don't fail him. Please. He's a young man. And I hope that God will give him some big dreams and put some desires in his heart that even that he really can't imagine how it'd be possible. We don't need anything to come from back here that would hurt that. And God, while we're walking in the way that you've called us to go, Lord, please don't let nobody step out in front of us that would detour him. That would get him off the road that you put him on. That would tremble his faith on one side. Maybe, maybe the Bible says the wiles of the devil. Maybe there'd be something to try to steal him. And God, Lord, I pray that whatever's in front, Lord, you just knock it right between the eyes and keep this little fella safe. But God, thou hast also laid thy hand upon me. So, Lord, while we're walking, I know you got my front. And I know you got my back, but just in case them old burgers are trying to sweep in from the top side. Let me go ahead and remind them of something else, too. There's just no way they can get to me because God's got my back, God's got my front, and He's just got me all around. He's on the back, so He's on the front side. He's on the top side, Lord, everywhere I go. I feel like Dave was trying to say it like this. I'm safe in the arms of God this morning. And, man, I'm wrapped up in His love. I'm wrapped up in His grace. I'm bound in His mercy. And if anything's going to get to me, honey, it's got to break the very shield of God. to come to where I am because God's wrapped Himself all around me this morning. Amen. Thank you. Hallelujah. Ain't you glad that He's enclosed around you this morning? Ain't you glad He's wrapped Himself around where we are around us this morning? And if anybody knows what it's like to have hands laid upon them, it's David. Brother Jesse, it's the preacher. Come to see you. Hey, Brother Jesse, I just, man, I've been with the Lord today and the Lord spoke to me. He told me you have a son, one that God was really pleased with, one that God wanted to use. And Brother Jesse, I really can't give you all the details, but I'm just going to go ahead and spill some beans. And you might want to make sure all your boys are living and taken well care of because there's some big plans for your boys around here. Can I see what you mean, brother? Well, I mean, I just can't say everything now, but I mean, maybe, you know, the K word. King. That's all I'm saying. Oh, oh, God's looking for a man is what you tell me, brother Samuel. Yeah, Brother Jesse, that's what I'm saying, and I believe God sent me by your house to find him. Somebody go get me a libe, hallelujah. The preacher has come by, and he's wanting to look at my boys. Go get me my oldest boy. Honey, I guarantee you, when a libe brother Darnell walked in the door, he had to dunk just to fit in. Hey man, I believe a libe was probably about seven and a half foot tall. Brother John, muscles on top of muscles. Amen, the look of work on his face, hands calloused through and through. A man's son has been beating down this young man's skin for the past years of his life. He said he's been out there working in the fields. He's been out there plowing. He's been out there running that yoke of oxen if anybody knows how to do anything. This is my boy, my oldest son. I put my heart and soul into this young man. He knows how to love his daddy. He knows how to love the farm. He knows how to work it, and if God wants to use anybody, it would be him. Preacher looked at him and said, Brother David, fine young man. That's not who I came for. I got another one. He ain't as old, he ain't as big, and he ain't as muscle-bound, but I got one that mine. I mean, he's up before the rooster's crow. He don't come in till the sun's gone down. I'm talking about you talking about a worker. This is the man for the job. If God's going to use anybody, if there ain't going to be a lot, there's going to be this right here, I promise you. And then the next boy walks in and Brother Samuel said, no, that's not him. And all of a sudden, Brother Samuel said, oh, Jesse, you got any more sons? I've seen all of them. He said, are you sure you ain't? He said, well, I do got one more, but he ain't out there plowing up the field. He ain't hooked up to a yoke of oxen. Matter of fact, he ain't doing much of anything. I told him to take his horse with him this morning. And he's sitting on the hillside just tending sheep. He's probably out there singing a song. He's probably out there, that man, counting the sheep. He's probably out there just painting pictures in the sky, the clouds. Brother Samuel, I don't know why you would want to cheat David. Yes, I got another son, but he's not ready. Can I see him? Boys, fetch me David. Can you imagine when one of the older brothers run out there to where David's at and they said, David, the preacher wants to see you. Me? I don't know why, David, but the preacher wants Honey, I guarantee you there was a dust cloud behind it. Ain't nobody ever come to see David before. Oh, they've come to see Brother Jesse. They've come to see the other brothers. The friends have come by. But David's just a ruddy young fella out there in the field, tending to his father's sheep. They just gave him that. They couldn't give him a plow entitled Brother Darnell. They couldn't give him the worker's title. They gave him the shepherd's title. They said, David, come on, the preacher wants to see you. And honey, I guarantee you, David ran as fast as he could run. And he bust through that door that day. And I believe with all my heart, when David walked into that room, every other brother had to kneel down and duck down just to get in the door. I believe David had to jump up in a chair just to look at Brother Samuel. And all of a sudden, hallelujah, Brother Dan, I believe. Oh, Brother Samuel started welling up. When David walked in that room, I believe Brother Samuel felt something down in his spirit like he hadn't felt in a long time. Oh, they'd been looking for somebody. He'd been praying for somebody. I don't think Brother Samuel said anything to David. I don't think he said, it's good to meet you, I'm the man of God, down from the church house. But I believe that as soon as David walked into that room, Brother Samuel grabbed Brother David, and he put him down on his knees, and without ever saying a word, Brother Dan, I believe he reached down into his jacket pocket, And it poured out a little cruise of hole. And it began to open up that ocean. God, this is the man that You've sent me for. And God, I pray that You'll use this young man one day far further than I've ever imagined. Greater than his daddy prayed for. God, take this young man as we anoint him this day. And Lord, use him and guide him and protect him till You're ready for him. I can see this old brother David's looking at his daddy. Saying, Daddy, what in the world's going on? Whoo! You know, Brother Jesse's over there with tears streaming down his face. It's going to be all right, David. Just let the preacher do whatever he needs to do. And all of a sudden, that old Brother Samuel begins to pour that oil on the top of David's head as he prays a prayer of blessing, as he prays a prayer of power over his life. And that oil begins to run down David's face and down David's clothes. David had no idea what was going on that day. But honey, there's days coming when David's going to remember the hour that the preacher man come down to his house and he laid his hand upon David. I say we find in Psalms 139, David remembers those hands that was put on him that day. And he remembers the moment that the preacher man put his hands on little boy. And he said God used him. But David said, I don't just remember Samuel putting his hand on me, Lord. He said, but thou, God the Creator, God my King, God my Savior, thou hast placed thy hand upon me. Hallelujah. I remember, I believe it was the first week-long revival I'd ever preached. It was up in Rocky Face, Georgia. Daddy went with me. Amen. I thought I was big time. I said, Daddy, we got to stop by a store. He said, why? I said, I need to do one of them Garmin's. Tell me how to get where I'm going. Amen. I'm a preacher now, preaching revivals. I need to know how to get there. Amen. And then we stopped by. We got one of them Garmin things. We just went on preaching. And while we were there, it was all about the same time that Brother Earl Hughes had had his stroke. And where we was and where he was was only about an hour and a half apart or so. And so we decided we wanted to go see Brother Earl. So me and Daddy and the preacher, or a man from out of that preacher's church, we went up to Turtle Town, Tennessee. Real place, amen. We was going to see Brother Earl. And they told us, they said, when you get there, they said, don't expect much. They said, Brother Earl, he's, after this stroke, he's, you know, confound to a bed. He's probably not going to say much of anything, if anything at all. He just wants you to be ready for it in this trip. If you just go and see him there, that's maybe all you get. Daddy, I remember we walked in that room. Brother Earl, he was sitting in the wheelchair that morning. Had his members only jacket on. Had a little top hat on. And I remember Daddy said, hey preacher, we come to see you. Brother Earl hunched over, he leaned up, and he tipped that brim of that hat up and seen us, and he looked back down. We went over there to walk to him and talk to him. As soon as we got close to where he was, he said, pray. Pray. Daddy knelt down and began to pray. Man, you could feel the breezes of heaven begin to blow through that place. Dad prayed, and I remember After Dad prayed, he looked at Brother Gary Pilgrim and he said, pray. Man, I don't know what all happened in the moment that that prayer service began to happen. I know that when Brother Gary began to pray, heaven came down and glory filled our soul. And I remember after Brother Gary got through praying, Brother John, he looked at me and he said, pray son. And when he asked me to pray for him, All I could think is, how many camp meetings have I been in? How many times have I been somewhere where this man's been? And I crawled up to the bottom of his feet and I said, Brother Earl, would you pray for me? Brother Earl, would you ask God to use me one day? How many times have I seen Brother Glass? How many times have I seen Brother Biddle? These heroes of mine that I knew, they had something special. These men of God, that man, they was different than everybody else. And I asked them to pray. But that day, Brother Alex, the preacher man looked at me and he said, pray, son. I don't even remember what I prayed. I don't think I could pray. I don't think I got any words out, Ethan, just to be honest. But I remember I tried my feeble best. And after I got through, I looked up at him, and I looked around. I don't know if anybody else did. I don't remember. I thought we was done. And I remember Brother Earl, he took his hand, and he laid it on my head. He said, oh, God. He said, there's work to be done. He said, and I'm through. He said, I'm finished here. He said, but whatever work you had for me that I didn't get done yet, He said, would you let him take it on? And would you let him finish out the work? God, take him and use him. And can I tell you, I don't base the things that God's done in my life off of because Brother Earl has this special, powerful blessing on me this morning. And I don't say that God is using me, but I do believe the prayers matter. I hope you don't misunderstand me this morning. Amen. But I'm not saying I'm special this morning because I witnessed him. I asked him to pray for me. But I am saying something this morning that there is something special about getting into the hands of the men of God in our lives and saying, Lord, I don't know what it is, but Lord, whatever they have, I want some of it. And then October 3rd in 2009, I bowed myself in that corner by the marsh trail throwing water all over this church. I said, God, I'm tired of running. I don't know what all that man's got out there, but I do know one thing, whatever he has, I want some of it. I want it. Can I say I still want it this morning? I still want his touch and I still want his power. And as grateful as I am for Brother Glass, for Brother Biddle, and for Brother Earl to lay their hands on my head and ask God to touch me, ask God to use me. Brother Darnell, I'm thankful for the days that I went and found me somewhere by myself. I asked God to touch me. I asked God to use me. And man, I don't claim to be some big prayer warrior, Brother Alex, but there's just been some times when I've been alone with God. And I knew I was all by myself for the day. But in the moment, it felt like somebody walked in that room with me. In the moment, it felt like somebody was in them woods with me. It felt like somebody just jumped beside me and was playing with me. Sometimes it'd be so strong, Brother Darnell, that I'd turn around to see who it was that walked in, to turn around to see who it was standing there. And there wouldn't be nobody standing there. There wouldn't be nobody walked in. But honey, there's somebody walked in. And there was really somebody standing there. And somebody put their hand on me to say who was it. It wasn't mama. It wasn't daddy. It wasn't the preachers. But it was the Lord. It was the Holy Ghost. And we still had to operate with His hand on us. Let me ask you, Sunday School teacher, when's the last time you felt that hand? be placed on your life. When's the last time, Daddy, you felt his hand touch you? When's the last time as a mama? When's the last time as a husband? When's the last time as a wife? You said, I ain't no preacher. I ain't no deacon. I ain't no special kind of person. But Lord, I do desire to have your hand on my life. You know, I ain't the smartest this morning, but I'm finding out. I can't be the daddy God wants me to be unless his hand's on me. I can't be the husband that my wife deserves to have unless the hand of God is on my life. Amen. And you won't be the person that God wants you to be. You won't be the painter. Amen. You won't be the construction worker. You won't be the military person that God wants you to be. You won't be the teenager. You won't be a young man. You won't be the young lady that God wants you to be unless you are living in a place where you regularly feel His hand in your life. David said, you know what? Thou hast slain. Yeah, Daddy prayed over me. And how I know the preacher prayed over me. My Lord, I show him, lad, that you have put your hand on me in my life. Thou hast laid thy hand upon me. Come on, Christian, I'm through. I got two more, but y'all ain't got enough time. It's already almost a quarter after 12. Amen. Thou hast laid, it was hands that touch, And David said, they're hands that lead me, they're hands that teach me. And thy right hand shall hold me, hands that take me. Master, what are you being led by this morning? You're being led by something. Something is driving you this morning. Something's holding on to the steering wheel of your heart, whether you know it or not. The love in your life, the thing that matters most to you, I would probably say, is what's controlling you. And if God ain't at the top of your list this morning, I would probably say it's not God that is sitting in your driver's seat, but it's something else. Psalm 23 said, He leadeth me. beside the still waters. Psalm 25.5, lead me in truth and teach me. Psalm 27.11, teach me thy way, O Lord, and lead me in a plain path. Psalm 31.3, for thou art my rock and my fortress. Therefore, thy name say, lead me and guide me. Psalm 61.2, when my heart is overwhelmed, lead me to the rock that is higher than I. What's leading you this morning? In His hands? He'll take His hands to hold us. You know, sometimes we pray for God to touch us. Sometimes we pray that God will lead us and direct us. But there are some times that I just pray, God, just let me feel Your touch. Just so I know You're there. This past year has probably been one of the hardest years I feel like I've had in ministry. Just different things, different battles that I've been faced with. And Brother Ethan, through all of that, you know, I still had to go preach and try to help others. I still had to sing and try to encourage others, Brother John. But the truth was, there was a voice down inside of me that was screaming out, I am the one that needs help. And when I should have probably been praying, God, I need your touch tonight for them. God, I need you to speak to me that way I can say something to them. I don't know how many, and maybe this is wrong, and if it is, I hope I'll be corrected later. Bye, preacher. But I don't know how many times I, instead of God, on their behalf, I need your touch. I would say, God, I just need to see you today. Because of what was in my life. God, I'm sorry I wasn't even, Nick, I wasn't even worried about everybody else. I just thank God for what I need. Lord, if you don't say nothing to them, just say something to me. I don't know how many times I've heard older preachers say sometimes the best way to get through your battle as a preacher is to preach your way through. Lord, I ain't trying to say something to encourage this, but God, Lord, you got to say something just so I don't go under right here. I remember when me and Jennifer first had Ella. Everybody and the mama was trying to tell us what to do on raising our baby. They still do. And they're going to, just to warn you. They are going to. They have done it. Some more than others. I had to throw a joke in there, sorry. They have a lot of kids. They probably do got a lot of wisdom, eh man? I remember they, I did get some helpful advice. They said when you have that baby, whatever you do, this was from a preacher evangelist. Help me because not everybody has this kind of wisdom. They said whatever you do while you're traveling up and down the road, do not sit in the backseat with that baby. They said if you start sitting in the backseat with that baby, you will have to spend the rest of your life in the backseat with that baby. So I remember with Alex, we started out strong, and it was just a little old baby. And brother Darnell, I'm talking about when she had to get back there at times to tend to the baby. And then as soon as she was through tending the baby, she'd get right back in the front seat. And I mean, everything was golden. Everything was beautiful. Now, I've got nieces and nephews. I've always loved kids. But there are some things I've never really experienced. You know, being an uncle, you get to send kids back. And when you're done with them, you're done with them. When it's your baby, you go home with that. But I'll never forget, we was trying our best. Oh, by the way, we failed at the whole mama stay in the front seat, don't stay with the babies. Ella's almost three now, and she's still riding in the back seat, ain't she? I remember one of the first times this ever happened. We was riding down the road. We was enjoying ourselves. It was late at night, probably going home. Remember, Ella, she started getting a little fussy. You know how babies are. There's a couple different stages that they start in to warn you of the things to come. Ella, she was a grunter. She was sounding like a little warthog in the back seat. I mean, just moving. And then that stage would turn into the little whiny stage. that and mixed in with the snorts and the grunts and then brother she had three stages the warthog stage the whiny stage and then all the way to 10. Three, that's all you got? She'd go from the warthog to the whiny and then all of a sudden when she didn't get what she wanted WHAAAAAAAA! and that back scene. I remember the first time that happened brother Steve and I was driving I wanted to slam on brakes I thought something went wrong in my truck I looked over there, I said, what in the world is wrong with her? She said, I don't know. And then, of course, I had good wisdom and I knew what to do. I said, why don't you do something? Make it stop. Whatever you got to do, just turn it off. Pull the batteries out. I don't know. Cut the wires. Whatever you got. I'm trying to drive in peace and quiet. Make that noise. Stop it. Y'all know what I'm talking about? Like last night at daddy's house with all 27 of those young'uns running around. I was looking for a pair of pliers. I was going to pull the plug on every one of them. Ain't I? Making... I'm a brand new daddy. I don't know anything. I don't know what needs to be done. I don't know if she's tired or hungry or nasty. I don't know anything. All I know is I'm not enjoying the sounds that she's making right now. Y'all know it. Mama said back to me, what do you want me to do? So now this baby has not only interrupted my peace and quiet, but now she's causing conflict in this marriage now. I could keep going right now. Everyone, do whatever you gotta do. I don't care. You're doing something. I'm driving. You do it. I remember, Brother John. She didn't say pull over. Seems like I need to get her out. She reached back behind her, and she put her hand on her. Back to two, and then back to one. Warthog stage, and then the most beautiful sound that a baby ever makes is that last You step on the carpet wrong, you'll interrupt that business. I said, what did you do? Actually, I said, what did you do? She said, I just held her hand. She said, I just let her know I'm still here. You know what was wrong with her? She was in the backseat of an F-150. No mama, no daddy. She was pointed that way. We was going that way. It was pitch black dark. She didn't know where she was. She wasn't at home. She wasn't in a place of comfort. She was turned around. She was backwards. She was confused. She felt all alone. And what happens when babies get confused and they're in the dark and they feel all alone and they don't know where their mama or their daddy's at? They cry. And sometimes I feel like a little baby. trapped down in the car, sitting in the back of a truck. I'm looking that way, we're going that way. It's pitch black, dark, I can't see left from right. I don't know where my mama, I don't know where my daddy's at. I can't find my father. And sometimes I just start nudging around, trying to feel his daddy over there. Is my father over here? And I can't find him. I turn it up another notch. And I start whining a little bit. And I start making some noises so my father can hear me. And if that don't work, I'll turn it all the way up to number three. And I'll go find me a somewhere by myself and I'll say, God, Lord, where are you at? I start crying out to my father. And you know what he does? He ain't got to say nothing. He ain't got to bring me nothing. He ain't got to bless me in no kind of way, but he does now. But what I need is that great big old hand of God just to reach over that seat to where I'm at. And just let me know I'm still here. I know you're dazed and I know you're confused. And I know you feel lost back there. And I know you're looking one way but we're going another. But just hang on. Amen. The one that's driving this thing knows where we're going. And you're in good company. And you're going to get there safely. I just want you to know I'm still here. and he lets me feel his hand and it brings me comfort to my sorrows. No wonder maybe this morning do you feel like a little old baby strapped down in your car seat. Lord, I don't know where you are. God, Lord, I can't see anything. Lord, I can't see my pathway up ahead of me. Maybe this morning you might just feel like, Lord, you ain't got to say nothing. You ain't got to give me no answers. Lord, you ain't got to bring me no blessings, no gifts, no presents. Lord, you ain't got to do nothing extra special, but what I would like is if you would just reach around to where I am right now. And Lord, lay your hand upon me. Just let me feel you. Just let me know you still care. Just let me know you still care about me back here. Just let me know that, God, on the journey that we're on, you have not forsaken me. For standing all over the building this morning, maybe you want to come. and thank him for his hands.