Traveling With Trouble

We're going to turn to the word of the Lord and just see what else he wants to deposit into our spirits today. I'm going to read from 2 Samuel chapter 16. This is a passage of scripture where David is ruling as the king of Israel, but his son Abselum has begun to execute a very devious plan and plot to seize control of his father's throne. Rather than allow there to be a battle in the city and engage in a confrontation that may potentially kill his son and others in his kingdom, David decides to flee. David decides to leave Jerusalem.

Now, it's my personal belief. I don't believe that David is fleeing from fear or self-preservation, but I believe he is fleeing from a desire for peace and for Israel's security. And we pick up the story in 2 Samuel 16 verse 5 in the New Living Translation. It reads like this. As King David came to Behum, a man came out of the village cursing them. It was Shimi, son of Gira, from the same clan as Saul's family. Important to note, David was now sitting on the throne that Saul once sat on. Shimi comes out and begins to curse them.

He threw stones at the king and the king's officers and all the mighty warriors who surrounded David. "Get out of here, you murderer. You scoundrel!" He shouted at David. The Lord is paying you back for all the bloodshed in Saul's clan. You stole his throne and now the Lord has given it to your son Abselum. At last you will taste some of your own medicine for you are a murderer. You thought you had enemies. Verse nine. Why should this dead dog curse my lord the king Abashai son of Zariah one traveling with David demanded let me go over and cut off his head.

Wow. Abashai. No. The king said who asked your opinion you sons of Zeriah? If the Lord has told him to curse me, who are you to stop him? Then David said to Abishai and to all his servants, "My own son is trying to kill me." Doesn't this relative of Saul have even more reason to do so? Leave him alone and let him curse, for the Lord has told him to do it. and perhaps the Lord will see that I am being wronged and will bless me because of these curses today. So David and his men continued down the road and Shimi kept pace with them on a nearby hillside cursing and throwing stones and dirt at David.

The king and all who were with him grew weary along the way. No duh. Wouldn't you? So they rested when they reached the Jordan River.

This isn't in my notes and it's not even where I'm going today, but I feel the prompting of the Holy Ghost. The Jordan River in scripture is an analogy or a type of the Holy Spirit or salvation. If you've come in here today and sin is troubling you and temptations are troubling you and they are afflicting you and they are agitating you and they are coming against you, you will find rest at the Jordan. You will find rest in salvation. You will find rest when the Holy Spirit falls on you and you begin to speak with other tongues as the spirit gives the utterance.

That's the rest that you need today. That's a good sermon, but that's not my sermon. David went into this passage. He went in taunted and troubled, but he came out rested because God and others traveled with him.

And today my message is to those traveling with trouble. I bear a message from the Lord today to those traveling with trouble. I wonder if if you could reach out to him in whatever way is comfortable for you, in whatever way you can most honestly and truthfully and authentically reach to him to say, "Yeah, that's me today. I'm traveling with a little bit of trouble and I need some guidance from the word of the Lord." Would you open your heart, your spirit to him today and pray? God, we need you, Lord. We need you, Jesus.

We recognize that we need you, Lord. The troubles are traveling along with us, oh God. Oh, we need you. We need what your word can tell us. We need, Lord, the guidance of your word. We need you to travel with us today. I pray in the name of Jesus that you would deposit into every heart, into every spirit. I pray that they would not hear my words, but that they would hear your words. I pray that you would interpret this message into their life. so that they can apply the principles that are from your word. And we give you praise and glory.

Would you clap your hands unto the Lord in expectation of what he is going to do today, Jesus, we love you. Oh, we thank you Jesus. You are with us in our trouble. We bless your name today in Jesus name. Thank you for praying. And you can be seated.

We have officially entered the season of summer vacations. Anybody already taken their vacation? Some of you have. Yeah. Anybody going to take a vacation? Anybody wish you could take a vacation? All right, there we go. Vacation often, not always, but often necessitates travel. You choose a destination, a a time frame. You choose the mode of travel, the route of travel. And along with a million other decisions, you now enter into full-on vacation mode. It sets in. It's a real thing. The anticipation mounts. Excitement builds.

You're counting down the number of sleeps until departure day. Three more sleeps till we go on vacation. Two more sleeps till we leave and go to the beach or the mountains or your preferred vacation spot. The hope is that even if you can't travel in style, but you can travel with ease. Things go easy when you travel. Things are just they fall into place. they they fall into alignment with the arrangements, the travel arrangements that you have made. I think it's safe to assume that when we travel, we prefer to do so easily, conveniently, and comfortably.

If anyone thinks otherwise, the altar is open. Go come to the altar cuz you're lying. Whether you're commuting to work, coming to church, traveling for business, or headed to Yellowstone, nobody likes travel disruptions, the unexpected flat tire, a detour, being assigned a seat on the last row of the airplane where there is no reclining action in that. That's not comfortable. The AC goes out. Flight delays. Worse yet, flight cancellations, major traffic jams, lost luggage. These are never part of the plan. They are troubling when you're traveling.

Why are they troubling? Because they're not what we expect. They're not what we prefer, and it's not what we would desire for our traveling. Travel troubles make the journey difficult, inconvenient and uncomfortable. When we desired easy, we preferred convenience and we expected comfort. David is traveling in the passage that we read together. And we see in this short passage, we see a couple of things to do when you're traveling with trouble. While he was fleeing from Abselum, David, who is also the one who wrote many of the Psalms, he wrote Psalms three as he was fleeing from Abselum.

Verses 1 and two and verses five and six, you would if you look at those together, you would get a very, very confusing picture. Let me show you Psalm 31 and 2. Lord, how are they increased that trouble me? I got troubles and they're multiplying. Many are they who rise up against me. Many are they who say of me, there is no help for him in God. Can you hear the story of what's happening on this road to behum? those that are troubling me, the troubles, the the unexpected delays, the unexpected agitation is increasing in my travels, Lord.

Many are rising up against me. But verse five says, "Of the same man in the same situation, I laid down and slept. I awoke for the Lord sustained me. Verse six, I will not be afraid of 10 thousands of people who have set themselves against me all around. Why could David say in verses 1 and two, Lord, how are they increased that trouble me? Many are they that rise up against me. But yet in verse six, he comes over. I will not be afraid of 10 thousands of people. It's because in verses three and four, he said, "But you, oh Lord, are a shield for me.

You are the glory and the lifter up of my head." David is telling us when you're traveling with trouble, worship. Give him praise. When you're traveling with trouble, make sure to pack your praise on the travel because he is the same yesterday, today, and forever. It doesn't matter what has set themselves against me. It doesn't matter what's coming against me. He is worthy of my praise. What David did in verses three and four is he took a little self-control. He didn't have control of Shimi and the others that were increasing against him in the land of Israel at the time.

He didn't have control over them, but he did have control over himself. And he said, "I am going to choose to remember the Lord and who he is. And when I do that, it's going to cause worship. It's going to cause joy in the time of sorrow. It's going to cause adgilation and adoration unto him who is worthy at all times. So when you're traveling through trouble, worship, Amber, it's not a convenient time for worship. When I'm traveling through trouble, I'm thinking about all the things that have gone wrong. I'm thinking about all the things that aren't going the way that I thought that they would go.

Are you thinking about him? Are you thinking about how good he is? Are you thinking about how stable he is even when the circumstances of life are unstable and unsure? He is a rock in a weary land. The Lord is my light and my salvation. Whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life. Of whom shall I be afraid? Troubles are abounding. Setbacks are many wounds are being inflicted. And temptations are occurring. And agitations, well, they're just there every single day. But Jesus said in John 16:33, "In this world, you will have trouble, but take heart.

Remember who I am. I have overcome the world. When you're traveling through trouble, remember who he is and worship him based on who he is, not how you feel. You will travel with trouble, but you do not travel alone. The Lord, Psalm 34 said, the Lord is close to the brokenhearted. He saves those who are crushed in spirit. The righteous person may have many troubles, the NIV says, but the Lord delivers him from them all. When I'm traveling with trouble, I remember the Lord is close. The Lord is my shepherd. The Lord is my caregiver.

The Lord is my light in this dark place. When I'm traveling with trouble, I can worship. Isaiah recorded the words of the Lord like this in 43. When you pass through the water, you're going to travel with trouble. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you because he is an everpresent help in time of there it is trouble. So when you pass through the waters, I will be with you. And when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned. The flames will not set you ablaze.

Why? For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior. Since you are precious and honored in my sight, and because I love you, do not be afraid, for I am with you. I wonder if there's anybody traveling with trouble today. But you would say, "I remember that the Lord is my help. I remember that the Lord is my strength. I remember that the Lord has never lost a battle. I remember that the Lord is the giver of the victory. I remember who he is and I'm going to worship him based accordingly. Psalm 150 tells us, "Praise him according to Praise him according to his excellent greatness.

Not according to my convenient travel. Not according to my expected outcome. Praise him according to his excellent greatness. I am the Lord and I change not. Your circumstances change and fluctuate. But if you will remember who he is when you're traveling with trouble, you will see a praise well up in your spirit that will sustain you through that trouble. So when you're traveling with trouble, worship the one who said he will never leave you and he will never forsake you. And not only is he with us, but he's given us a family, the body of Christ, to travel with us when we're traveling with trouble.

What we also see from David in this passage, in this short story, in his flight from Jerusalem, is when you're traveling with trouble, don't isolate. Verse six says, "Shimi threw stones at the king and the king's officers and all the mighty warriors who surrounded him." Unless we know, David didn't travel alone. He wasn't the lone ranger out there just doing his own thing. But he had taken some friends. He had taken some companions. Some were servants. Some felt indebted perhaps. But his mighty man, in fact, he had told one of them to stay in Jerusalem.

Just stay there. I think it was Iti. He said, "Just stay there. Why would you go with me? You've only been with us a short time." And he said, "No, I'm going with you." When you're traveling with trouble, don't isolate. insulate yourself in the body of Christ because we're better together. Good things happen when we're together with one another. Earlier this year, you know that dad had a pacemaker installed, implanted, whatever is the proper verb that goes along with that. installed. Feels like he has like a fourth arm or something.

Third arm. He only has two, right? Yep. There it goes. Dad had a pacemaker put in. The very same day that that was all going down, Christy and I were supposed to be flying on a plane at 6:30 to Scotland to teach in the Bible school there. Thanks so much. Just kidding. The Lord did a great thing and we're going to we're going to hear about it. They had taken him up to preop to prep for the surgery and mom had dad's things and her things and rather than cart those through the hospital, I offered to take them to the car.

And as I did, I'm thinking through the travel. I'm thinking, "Oh man, we we need to be home by 1:30. It's it's 11:30 right now. to really finish up everything that's going on here at the house to finish packing to get to the airport. And I was just conflicted because number one, I didn't even know if I should go. I didn't know if I should continue the trip, the travel plans that had been made, the money that had been spent. I I didn't know if I should even do that. What is the right thing to do? And I was torn and I was conflicted.

They were telling me, "Ass you pay for AMS, you put a lot of work. You go ahead. I'll be fine." Alisa was texting me like it's it's okay. this procedure is is fairly common. You're okay to leave. But I I was still worried. I was conflicted. I was unsure. And I I did not want to leave my mom alone at the hospital while dad was in surgery. But the way that the timing was working out, it was it looking like that was going to have to be what was going to happen and if we wanted to go on the trip. And so I was very conflicted.

And as I made my way to the car that day to drop off the stuff, I I didn't even verbalize. I did not speak it out loud. I only thought to the Lord. I I asked him, "Should I go? Should we cancel the trip? I I can't leave mom here alone. I need your peace and your confirmation." Drop off the stuff. I went back inside and I found the cardiovascular ICU waiting room. Christy was standing outside the hall. It was kind of a maze. And she was standing outside the hall and she said, "We're back here. Mary Brewer is here and she's looking for us." That's exactly how I felt.

The audible relief that came over me in that moment. A prayer I hadn't even said out loud. A prayer that I had just felt in my heart. God, I need you to I need you to tell me whether it's okay to go or whether it's okay to stay. The the marker for that is is mom going to be alone during all of this. And I get back in there and Mary Brewer had dropped everything that day and she had showed up at the hospital. I'm talking about traveling with trouble, but I'm talking about traveling with a companion, the body of Christ that just shows up to support and just be there with their presence and to just be there to comfort and to help.

You don't have to know what to say. You don't have to know what to do. Your presence matters when we're traveling with trouble. She showed up and I told the Lord, "Okay, I guess this is it. I guess we're getting on a plane at 6:30 and we're heading to the Bible school to teach for two weeks." It was what I needed in that moment to settle my heart, to settle my emotions as we were traveling with some trouble that day. It was enough when a friend popped up and said, "I'll be here. I'll come and sit with you at the hospital.

We need one another, folks. We need one another." David needed his mighty men and his servants. They were literally surrounding him. The New King James Version says they were on the left and they were on the right of him. Meaning, he was solidly, squarely in the middle. He didn't isolate himself when he was traveling with trouble, but he insulated himself within the body of Christ. He he leaned on those that he could lean on. And there's a beauty and there's a power in that. There's a beauty in being the one to receive that help.

And there's a beauty in the one to offer that help. And we are called to do both. When we're traveling with trouble, we need one another. How else are we going to fulfill the mandate of scripture that says, "Bear ye one another's burdens is that we're there to travel with trouble with our companions." We're traveling through trouble with the body of Christ. I'm not going to isolate myself and get myself over in a corner. You know what's going to come naturally at that point? Pity party, darkness, just continuing in your same old thoughts and your same old way of viewing things.

But a friend can come from an outside perspective and they can offer a new perspective. They can lead you to the one. They can remind you who God is. When we're traveling with trouble, we need somebody. We need somebody. If you've ever received the help and the strength of a brother or sister when you're traveling with trouble, would you lift your hand in this room? Look at that. It's a powerful testimony of us doing exactly what the word of God describes. How peaceful, how helpful, how strengthening to walk with a companion through trouble.

And David also shows us that when you're traveling with trouble, walk slowly. I know. I felt it, too. that goes against everything within us. Walk slowly through the valley of the shadow of death. I'm not supposed to sprint through this thing and break time records. I'm not supposed to run from the agitation and get as far away as I can, as quick as I can. No. When you're traveling with trouble, David examples for us that we should walk slowly, allowing the Lord to plant our feet in the stable and sure place that it needs to be planted.

Trusting in the Lord with all my heart. I'm wobbly, but I'm not leaning on my own understanding. I'm acknowledging him. He's directing my path. Wait on the Lord and he will sustain you. When you're traveling with trouble, walk slowly. Because at any point he may turn you so that you avoid the danger of what could have been. But so often in my life, I won't put this on you, but in my life when I'm traveling with trouble, I just want to get out of it as quickly as I can. I just want God to do his thing. Rescue me, Lord.

I'll give you praise and glory, but Amber, I'll receive just as much praise and probably a little bit more glory if if you'll just let me walk with you step by step. We want the answer. We want the solution. And that's not wrong to want that. It's not wrong to want to that fast deliverance and that that quick answer and that quick solution and for the agitation to just go away and for it not to be there anymore. That is not wrong. But when you're traveling with trouble, walk slowly and deliberately. Shimi is taunting and belittling and mocking David as he travels.

He says, "Why should this?" And then Abashai's response, why should this dead dog curse my lord the king? Let me go over and cut off his head. And sometimes we have a Abashai response. I just want to get rid of this thing. I just want to cut the trouble off at the source. I don't want it following me through this valley. I don't want to walk that way. I don't want to travel that way. That's not how I had arranged for things to go in this travel. But David said, "Who asked your opinion, sons of Zeriah, if the Lord has told him to curse me, who are you to stop him?" David is showing us I can walk slowly through this valley.

I I don't have to have an immediate relief. I don't have to have an immediate rescue. Do I want one? Absolutely yes. Do I want to go through this trouble? Absolutely no. But I know that the Lord is in this and I know that he is leading my steps. And I just wonder what God is up to in all of this. He says in verse 12, "Perhaps the Lord will see that I am being wronged and will bless me because of these curses today. David, you're being wronged. There's affliction. There's agitation. There's trouble that is following you around.

Don't you want out of it? No. I want to see what God is up to. I believe about God that he is involved in this situation and I want to see how that takes some self-control. Like all of these that have been mentioned today, Abashai wanted to act on impulse, a gut reaction to an external stimuli, an action that seemed best from his perspective. But let me tell you today that our impulses will mislead us. Wait on the Lord. Be led by the spirit and not by impulse when you're traveling with trouble. Frantic escape. That's the human tendency.

But his ways are not our ways. His thoughts are not our thoughts. David didn't try to avoid the trouble. He did not quickly dismiss the agitation or attempt to stop it. What he did is he recognized that God may be at work in what has presented as an agitation or an affliction. And David was willing to travel with trouble knowing that God is at work even in this music. You can come to your instruments. God is with me when I'm traveling with trouble. God is for me even though I'm traveling with trouble. Those truths are trying to barricade their way through a wall right now.

A wall that we have erected. It's a wall of isolation where we have built it around us to say I am alone in this. God is trying to destroy me. God is trying to do away with me. God is with you and God is for you and God can redeem even this. Would you lift your hands with me right now? And I want you, if you are traveling with trouble and you're having some trouble enacting this message from him, I want you to ask for his strength right now. God, I pray that your ministering strength would touch every heart that is burdened with trouble.

They have been overwhelmed and they have been under it for a long time. It's been heavy on them and they've wondered if there's even an end to this travel with trouble. But I pray in the name of Jesus that you would break through every doubt right now. That you would break through every wall that we have erected or that has been erected around us. and that you would break through that with the truths of who you are today. You can redeem even this. Thank you Jesus. There is a higher purpose in your struggle. There was a higher purpose that day.

It was Friday, February 14th, when we were at the hospital and then at the airport later. There was purpose in that struggle that day. The purpose I found that day, I believe, is the purpose that we can all look to and hold on to today. And that is my struggle, my trouble is leading me to him, to his presence, to his side. How are you going to handle the trouble and the agitation and the struggle that you are in? Are you going to pray for relief? Are you going to just run and ignore? Are you going to try and just get out of it as quickly as you can?

or are you going to sit with it and say, "God, what are you up to? Lead me to your side. Lead me to your word and feed me and strengthen me from your word. Give me grace for this moment that I'm in." The higher purpose is to take comfort in him and not the cheap earthly comfort that I can offer myself. So on that day when we were at St. Luke's Hospital after Mary Brewer had showed up and I felt relief. I felt I had an answer. I paused in the hallway of the hospital to thank the Lord for answering an unspoken prayer for hearing my heart.

And with the excitement, but also the dread of what I know international travel can bring, I said to the Lord, "Surely you're not going to also make us deal with travel delays and cancellations today. I said it. I as before God, I'm standing here. I said those words to him and immediately I heard the selfishness of that statement. I heard a prayer rooted in a desire for ease and convenience and ultimately independence. God, I I I got the rest of this day. Just help me avoid all the travel delay. I don't want to have to lean on you for the rest of the day.

This has all happened today. That's really what my heart, what my flesh was saying in that moment. I heard it immediately. But then I also heard and I felt him sweetly impress my thoughts. And he said, "Well, even if you do, I'll be with you every step just like I have so far." Our flight was delayed leaving St. Louis, but it eventually left. We circled Chicago for an hour because of a snowstorm. Had to literally run to our plane, but we made it. We boarded and sat on the tarmac for another 90 minutes before we could take off, meaning we would miss our connecting flight in London.

But we finally lifted off. We had a safe flight. We landed in London where we didn't have to wait in a line. They had rebooked us. Our tickets were waiting for us. Mercy's grace for the moment. We made it to Glasgow, but our bags had stayed in Chicago with the snowstorm. Surely, you're not going to make us deal with travel delays. We didn't have our bags, but thankfully, we had presence of mind. The Lord knew he had helped us pack an extra change of clothes in our carry-on. So, even though we went to church that Sunday in tennis shoes, I'm sorry, Bishop, we did have fresh clothes in our bags.

Arrived later that evening. Did he spare me the trouble? No, he sure didn't. But did he show up every step of the way and travel with me in the trouble? Yes, he did. Was it smooth? No. Did I feel like I was walking? No. It felt much more like an irregular unstable limp. But I learned that day that limping with Jesus is better than any day running without him. Would you stand to your feet right now? And if you have to limp to this altar, would you come with your trouble and would you worship? Or would you find a friend to share it with?

Or would you just simply ask the Lord, God, what are you up to in all of this? Would you help me to see your purpose? Would you help me to see your plan? Would you help me to trust you and give me grace for the moment that I'm in? Jesus, help us. Help us, Jesus. I will not be when I go through the river. I will not be drowned. My God will make a way. This is what's true of him. I am not afraid when I am in the I'm traveling with trouble, but I am not alone. I am not alone. God is with me. My step, he is there every step of the way.

We can trust in the Lord over the river. We would just as soon travel without the discomfort and without the trouble. And if we do that, we'll miss him. We'll miss how he is grace for the moment. We'll miss how he said, "My grace is sufficient for you. I'll stand before. When I am weak, then I am strong because of him. My God will make a way. So I am not afraid. You're traveling with trouble, but do it hand in hand with Jesus. When I go through the rivers, I will not be drowned. My God will make a way. So I am not afraid.

When I am in the fire, I will not feel the flame. I'll stand before the giant, declaring victory. My God will make a way. So I am not afraid. When I walk through the waters, I won't be overcome. Let him plant your feet today. the river. Let him guide your footsteps today. My God. He's got a word for you today. So high. He's got your next step today. I am in the fire. I will not feel the flame. I'll stand before the giant declaring victory. My God will make a way. So I am not afraid. before. A lot of us today, we are traveling with trouble, but our troubles don't seem that big.

And so, we've decided, well, I can handle this one. I don't I can just worship because the trouble's not that bad. I'll just I'll just worship. I fear our independence from the Lord because whether a big trouble or a small trouble, we need him. So I don't know what trouble you have today. I I don't I don't know what trouble that you're dealing with today. Maybe it seems looming large, but maybe it seems just small and minuscule. But I'm going to invite us once again to bring it to the Lord and to ask for his help in all of this.

I want you, if you are dealing with any kind of trouble, if there is any kind of disturbance in your life, I wonder if you would just be so honest and vulnerable with your family, the body of Christ, and say, "Yep, that's me. Yep." Hands all over the room. Hands in the altar. Hands in the pew. Part of the way that we come through the trouble is to recognize that we're in it. Admit there's a problem and then admit and acknowledge, God, I need you. I need your wisdom. So, I know I asked before and I know there was some reason that you you stayed where you are and and I I'm not judging that.

I'm not criticizing that. But I am going to ask in the effort to travel with a companion through our trouble. I'm going to ask if you're dealing with any sort of trouble or if you want to come alongside a brother and a sister, would you make your way down here and would you find somebody to strengthen and encourage in the Lord? They're going to sing and we're going to worship him. But as we travel through trouble, we need somebody beside us. We need somebody praying for us. That's it. Go ahead. It's already happening already throughout the room.

Jesus, we need you. We admit that we need you today behind. We admit we're in need of your presence, your guide, your wisdom where you won't find me. We're going to walk slow today. Not afraid. Before me, behind me, always beside me. No shadow, no valley where you won't find me. No, I am not afraid. Before me, behind me, always beside me. No shadow, no valley where you won't find me. Though I am not a rain, I am not a rain. When I walk through the waters, I won't be overcome. When I go through the rivers, I will not be drowned.

My God will make a way. So I am not afraid. When I am in the fire, I will not feel the flame. I'll stand before the giant declaring victory. My God will make a way. Oh, I am not afraid. When I walk through the waters, I won't be overcome. When I go through the rivers, I will not be drowned. My God will make the way. So I am not afraid. When I am in the fire, I will not feel the flame. I'll stand before the giant, declaring victory. My God will make a way so I am not afraid. Before me, behind me, always beside me. No shadow, no valley where you won't find me.

No, I am not afraid. Before me, behind me, always beside me. No shadow, no valley where you won't find me. No, I am not afraid. Before me, behind me, always beside me. No shadow, no valley where you won't find me. No, I am not afraid. I am not afraid. When I walk through the waters, I won't be overcome. When I go through the rivers, I will not be drowned. My God will make a way. So I am not afraid. When I am in the fire, I will not feel the flame. I'll stand before the giant declaring victory. My God will make a way.

Oh, I am not afraid. When I walk through the waters, I won't be overcome. When I go through the rivers, I will not be drowned. My God will make a way. So I am not afraid. When I am in the fire, I will not feel the flame. I'll stand before the giant, declaring victory. My God will make a way. So I am not afraid. Before me, behind me, always beside me. No shadow, no valley where you won't find me. No, I am not araid. I am not araid. Thank you, Jesus. Thank you, Lord.

We're going to practice this message right now. We're going to walk slowly towards the conclusion of this service because God is at work here. God's ministering to individuals He's giving strength. He's renewing joy. He's renewing peace. It's happening through conversations. It's happening through prayer. God is at work. Isaiah wrote in his book, "He gives power to the weak and to those who have no might, he increases strength. Even the youth shall faint and be weary. Their travel with trouble. The young men shall utterly fall, but those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength.

They shall mount up with wings like eagles. They shall run and not be weary. They shall walk and not faint. When you're traveling with trouble, worship. When you're traveling with trouble, don't isolate. And when you're traveling with trouble, walk slowly. And all of that requires strength for the journey. I know you've probably prayed this already and prayed it over someone, but I would like each of us to pray that right now over ourselves and over maybe those that are around you. Can you pray the strength of the Lord right now?

Jesus, we need your grace and we need your strength to continue this journey to walk hand in hand with you and not to try to bless ourselves and get out of the situation but wait on your blessing to us. God, I pray for strength to wait upon you today. Strength not to make a step. Strength not to make a decision on impulse. Strength to wait upon you and to feel your grace and your strength leading and guiding us. God, I pray it over my heart and my mind. And I pray it over the minds and hearts of those that are here today or will listen to this message from you when we're traveling with trouble.

I thank you, Lord, for your word. Thank you, Jesus. Thank you, Jesus. He always has a word for us when we're traveling with trouble. And so, if you're traveling with trouble today, this is your word. And if things feel pretty okay and maybe all right, well, back to point one. In this world, you will have trouble at some point. And remember, when you're walking with trouble, you do not walk alone. You walk with the brothers and sisters of the body of Christ.