Hi, and welcome to
Praise. I'm Kelly Mowrer.
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It is so easy for us
when we think of the ways
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that God has blessed
us to praise His name.
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But for thousands of
years men and women of God
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have wrestled with questions
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about the trials and
the sorrows that we face
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living in this sinful would.
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Why do bad things
happen to God's children?
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Where is God,
when a drunk driver
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hits a family in their
car coming home from church
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and kills their mom?
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And why does a
man who's never smoked
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and has lived his life
following God's laws of health.
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Why does he die of cancer?
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What about all those promises
for safety and protection
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and goodness and
mercy following us
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all the days of our loves?
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Where is God when his children
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are walking through
the valley of shadow
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and they feel totally abandoned
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and cut off from the
sense of his presence?
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I don't think
they will understand,
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even begin to understand,
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answers to some
of these questions
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until we get to heaven.
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But today I want
us to spend some time
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looking at some of the things
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the Bible says about
suffering and trials.
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And by faith we can be
comforted by these truths.
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The first thing is that
when we go through the valleys
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we are not alone.
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In spite of how we
may feel we can, by faith,
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know that God is with us.
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He understands and he
will carry us through.
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The Bible says he
was a man of sorrows
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and acquainted with grief.
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And Jesus himself
said, "I will come to you.
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I will not leave
you comfortless."
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Oft times you wonder why
tears come into your eyes
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And burdens seem to be
much more than you can stand
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But God is standing near
He sees each falling tear
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Tears are a
language God understands
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God sees the tears
of a brokenhearted soul
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He sees your tears and
He hears them when they fall
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God weeps along with man
and He takes him by the hand
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Tears are a
language God understands
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When grief has left you
low it causes tears to flow
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And things have not turned
out the way that you had planned
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But God won't forget
you, His promises are true
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Tears are a
language God understands
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God sees the tears
of a brokenhearted soul
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He sees your tears and
He hears them when they fall
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God weeps along with man
and He takes him by the hand
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Tears are a
language God understands
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God weeps along with man
and He takes him by the hand
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Tears are a language
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God understands He understands
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Another thing
that the Bible tells us
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is that how we handle suffering
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can actually bring glory to God
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as well as being
a comfort to others.
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Over a hundred years ago
a beautiful song was written
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that has brought
immeasurable comfort
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to God's people
around the world.
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The author of that
song was Civilla Martin
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and she wrote an
account of how it happened.
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Early in the spring of 1905,
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she said, "My husband and I were
sojourning in Elmira, New York
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and we developed
this deep friendship
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for a couple by the name
of Mr. and Mrs. Doolittle,
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true saints of God.
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Mrs. Doolittle had been
bedridden for nearly 20 years.
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Her husband was
an incurable cripple
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who had to propel himself
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to and from his
business in a wheel chair.
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But despite their afflictions,
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they lived
happy Christian lives,
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bringing inspiration and
comfort to all who knew them.
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One day while we were
visiting with the Doolittles,
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my husband commented on
their bright hopefulness
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and asked them
for the secret of it.
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Mrs. Doolittle's
reply was simple,
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"His eye is on the sparrow,
and I know He watches me."
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Why should I feel discouraged
why should the shadows come
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Why should my heart be lonely
and long for heaven and home
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When Jesus is my
portion My constant friend is He
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His eye is on the
sparrow and I know He watches me
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His eye is on the
sparrow and I know He watches me
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I sing because I'm
happy I sing because I'm free
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For His eye is on the
sparrow And I know He watches me
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Let not your heart be
troubled His tender word I hear
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And resting on His goodness
I lose my doubts and fears
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Though by the path He
leadeth but one step I may see
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His eye is on the
sparrow and I know He watches me
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His eye is on the
sparrow and I know He watches me
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Whenever I am
tempted whenever clouds arise
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When songs give place to
sighing when hope within me dies
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I draw the closer to Him
from care He sets me free
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His eye is on the
sparrow and I know He watches me
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His eye is on the
sparrow and I know He watches me
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I sing because I'm
happy I sing because I'm free
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For His eye is on the
sparrow And I know He watches me
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Yes I know He watches me
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High upon the mountain
the sun is shining bright
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My heart is filled with gladness
here above the cares of life
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But I've just
come through the valley
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of trouble fear and pain
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It was there I
came to know my God
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Enough to stand and say
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Even in the valley God is good
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Even in the valley
He is faithful and true
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He carries his children
through Like He said He would
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Even in the valley God is good
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This road of life has
lead you to a valley of defeat
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You wonder if the father
has heard your desperate plea
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There is hope in
that rugged place
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where tears of sorrow dwell
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Cant you hear
him gently whispering
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I'm here and all is well
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Even in the valley God is good
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Even in the valley
He is faithful and true
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He carries His children
through Like He said he would
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Even in the valley God is good
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God is good
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Harry Thacker
Burleigh was born in 1866.
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His grandfather Hamilton
Waters had been a slave.
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Who'd been beaten so savagely
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that he became
blind as a result.
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But he passed along
the beautiful old songs
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by singing them to
his grandson Harry.
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Harry was a baritone soloist
who received a scholarship
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from the National
Conservatory of Music
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and was hired by a very
elite and wealthy church
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in New York City
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as their principal
soloist for many years.
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In those days the
whites and the blacks
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didn't worship together.
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But the person who
cast the deciding vote
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to hire Harry
was none other than
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the famous
financier J.P. Morgan.
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Burleigh became nationally
and internationally known
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for his Negro spirituals.
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He performed for
both the King of England
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and President
Theodore Roosevelt.
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He wrote
through all these songs,
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there breathes a hope,
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a faith in the ultimate
justice and brotherhood of man.
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The cadences of sorrow
invariably turned to joy
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and the message is ever manifest
that eventually deliverance
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from all that hinders and
oppresses the soul will come.
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And man, every man will be free.
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Listen now as the Colburns
play one of Harry Burleigh's
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best known spirituals,
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"Deep River, my
home is over Jordan."
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When peace, like a
river, attendeth my way,
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When sorrows
like sea billows roll
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Whatever my lot,
Thou has taught me to say
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It is well, it
is well with my soul
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It is well with my soul
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It is well, it
is well with my soul
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And Lord, haste the day
when my faith shall be sight
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The clouds be
rolled back as a scroll
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The trump shall resound
and my Lord shall descend
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Even so it is well with my soul
00:21:04.77\00:21:18.04
It is well with my soul
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It is well, it
is well with my soul
00:21:30.02\00:21:42.29
It is well with my soul
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It is well, it
is well with my soul
00:21:54.63\00:22:18.03
Jesus told us that
while we are in this world
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we will have troubles.
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But He said, "be of good cheer,
I have overcome this world."
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Whether we're listing to Diane
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and singing in
our hearts with her,
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"It is well with my soul," or
whether we're saying with Job,
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"I don't understand why
these things are happening
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but I do know
that my redeemer lives.
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And that he will stand on
this earth in the latter day.
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The Apostle John
wrote it this way,
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"I heard a great
voice out of Heaven saying,
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'behold the
tabernacle of God is with men
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and He will dwell with them
and they shall be His people
00:22:58.72\00:23:02.27
and God himself
shall be with them
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and be their God.
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And God shall wipe away
all tears from their eyes
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and there shall
be no more death.
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Neither sorrow nor crying,
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neither shall
there be anymore pain
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for the former
things are passed away."
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The timeless theme Earth
and Heaven will pass away
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It's not a dream God will
make all things new that day
00:23:52.10\00:24:02.71
Gone is the curse from
which I stumbled and fell
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Evil is banished to eternal hell
00:24:12.48\00:24:22.34
No more night No more pain
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No more tears Never crying again
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Praises to the great "I am "
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We will live in the
light of the risen Lamb
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See all around now the
nations bow down to sing
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The only sound are the
praises to Christ, our King
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Slowly the names
from the book are read
00:25:30.44\00:25:39.96
I know the King
there's no need to dread
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No more night No more pain
00:25:52.07\00:26:02.03
No more tears Never crying again
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Praises to the great "I am "
00:26:11.64\00:26:20.69
We will live in the
light of the risen Lamb
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Look over there, it's a
mansion prepared just for me
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Where I can live
with my savior eternally
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No more night No more pain
00:26:55.27\00:27:06.09
No more tears Never crying again
00:27:06.10\00:27:15.49
Praises to the great "I am "
00:27:15.50\00:27:23.63
We will live in the
light of the risen Lamb
00:27:23.64\00:27:33.45
We will live in the
light of the risen Lamb
00:27:33.46\00:27:55.28