The following resource is from Desiring God.org.

Before I pray and ask for God's help, let me thank you as a church and

Mr. Norm and Mr. Matt in particular for being such gracious hosts to us and meeting every need that we and the Desire and God team have had, you need to know that I don't take for granted that you

exist, that you exist as believers in Jesus, that you exist as a church, that you exist in downtown

Vancouver.

These are astonishing things.

To be a Christian is amazing.

There was an old man at my church named Dr. Widen,

and one of the first things I did as a brand new pastor in 1980 was go visit him as he was dying.

And he looked up at me and said,

Master John, the greatest thing in the world is to be saved.

I'll never forget that.

Just about the last thing I heard him say, then it is.

So I don't take for granted that I'm standing here in front of you as a

saved center or that I'm looking out on hundreds of saved centers. That's amazing. So thank you for inviting us and letting us

be here. Father I ask now that as we embrace this moment together, as amazing as it is, you would do amazing things through your holy inspired needed word.

Help me to speak in a way that is faithful to the scriptures and help my heart and my mind to be emotionally in sync with the nature of the truth that is spoken and grant ears to hear and

hearts that are ready to receive and minds that can track with me as I try to track

with your word. To come I pray and do that exceedingly and abundantly beyond all that I can

ask her thing. Through Christ I pray. Amen.

So my title is the pain of the world and the purposes of God.

And my question... and the purposes of God.

...