Preacher Armstrong stood straight and tall in his black Pastor's robe at the pulpit of Bethlehem Baptist Church. He was preaching a sermon to a congregation of about 40 people with about 15 robed choir members sat in chairs behind him. The pastor in him came out when he saw Adrian walk through the back door. Monk looked rough - drenched in rain and tears. "Something must have happened to Natalie." he thought. He felt overwhelming sorrow for his friend and longed to minister to him.

"If you are hurting tonight, I am here to tell you God sees your need. When the lepers of society, the outcasts who had nobody else about them to hear their cry just called out to Jesus, He heard them and had compassion on them and healed them." Preacher said as the Church organ played chords in the background and Men and women alike echoed affirming tones with shouts of "Amen", "Preach it Brother!", and "You know that's right! Mmmm Hmmm."

"When the woman who had the issue of blood for 12 years reached out and just touched the hem of His garment, Christ saw her need..."

""Mmmm hmmm."

"He heard her Cry."

"Yes!"

"He felt the neeeeeed of her heart."

"That's right!"

"And He healllled her and made her whole."

"Amen Brother Preacher, Amen!"

"If that is you tonight, I want you to know He sees what you're going through. He cares. And He is willing and able to make you whole. Choir, please sing number 353. 'Precious Lord, Take My Hand.'"

Monk sat in his pew and listened as a young black woman in her mid twenties stood and, backed by a swaying choir and organist, sang in rich alto tones:

"Precious Lord. Take My Hand.

Lead me On. Help me stand.

I am tired, I'm so weak, I am worn.

Through the storm,

Through the night

Lead me on to That Light

Oh take my hand, precious Lord, Lead me home."

As she sang, a dam of tears and emotion overwhelmed Adrian's spirit and he bowed his head. His shoulders convulsed with anguish as he sobbed, tears running down his face and dripping off of the tip of his nose. Preacher nodded to one of the elders and made his way back to Adrian and sat down beside him, placing one arm around his shoulders.

"It's alright my friend. Let it all out. God hears you. He hears your cry. Oh Lord, please help my friend Adrian tonight. Please meet him at his point of need, I pray in Your Son's holy name."

Back at the hospital, Leland Stottlemeyer was startled awake as Natalie began to stir.

Jumping up, he watched as her eyes flittered open and she struggled to focus. T.K., who was sitting next to him stood to see what he was seeing.

"Natalie?" Leland said.

Natalie squinted her eyes and lifted her hand up to her head.

"Nurse!" said T.K. walking out into the hallway "I think she's waking up!"

"Wh-what happened? Wh-where am I?" Natalie said.

"Natalie, you're at the hospital. You were in an accident." Stottlemeyer replied.

The nurse made her way over to Natalie and checked her pulse and noted her blood pressure. "Her vitals are improving. I'll go tell the doctor." she said, exiting the room.

"An accident? Adrian. Where's Adrian? I have to tell him, it's..it's Hauser. Hauser's the guy." she said with some urgency.

"It's alright, Natalie. Adrian and Preacher are already on to it. And, Hauser is dead."

"Hauser died? Is Adrian okay?" she said sleepily.

"Adrian's just fine. He said to tell you he would be back and not to worry." he answered.

"Not to worry... Adrian...Adrian..." she nodded back to sleep.

As the congregation filed out of the building, it was just Monk and Preacher sitting in the back pew. Preacher told one of the elders he would lock up.

Finally, after several minutes, Adrian looked up at his friend and Preacher asked "Are you okay? Is it, is it Natalie? Did she..."

"No," said Adrian. "They have her sedated right now and we'll know within 24 hours what her status is."

"Then, why are you here?" asked Preacher.

"I couldn't stay. I couldn't just sit there and watch her suffering. I had to get out and hunt down who did this to her."

"It was Hauser...wasn't it?" Preacher asked.

"Hauser was the guy, but he wasn't the only guy. Somebody was paying him off and I believe I know who it was. I could be wrong - but I'm not." he responded.

"What do you mean? Someone paid Hauser to kill the girl? Why?" Armstrong asked.

"Money. Plain and simple. Money." Adrian replied. "And I've got to go get him. I've got to bring him to justice. If only I had stayed with Natalie, we wouldn't be in this position. If only I hadn't been so stupid, she would be safe right now..."

"Monk! You know what your problem is?" asked Preacher.

"What's that?" asked Adrian.

"Your problem is you believe in God; but, you haven't realized yet that you're not Him!" was the response.

"Are you saying I have a God complex?" Adrian asked.

"Naw man. What I'm saying is that you haven't learned to trust God and to lean on Him for direction. Everything you do is Adrian Monk trying to organize Adrian's world in a manner that appeals to Adrian. You use those stupid towelettes so you don't get germs because in Adrian's world there is no sickness. You balance everything with perfect symmetry because somehow your world feels more in balance when things are in the particular order that you want them in. You spend all of your energy trying to avoid pain and sickness and sorrow, and yet you haven't realized yet that this is just a natural part of life."

He continued. "We don't get to decide what comes our way and we certainly cannot will our way to a pain free world. Now you can sit here and blame yourself and think that if you had done things differently that you would have had a different outcome. But that is just foolish talk. You no more could have controlled those events than you could change the course of the wind. Evil things happen in a world in which there is evil. You've spent a decade mulling over your life with psychiatrists trying to make peace with yourself but I think what you really need is to make peace with God. Enough with worrying about things you can not change and sucking the joy out of life by anticipating the negative in everything." said Preacher.

"Well, look at what all has happened." Adrian responded.

"Yeah. But that's just life. Life's hard. We aren't put here to try to make it easy. 'He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?' He doesn't put us here to try to perfect this world. There was only one perfect man who ever lived and neither of us is looking at Him. He puts us here to try to pursue justice and mercy and to glorify Him by loving Him and each other. There may be someone else out there who set up Hauser to do His dirty deeds, but it isn't your job alone to take him down. If he's out there, we will get him. Be sure of that. But you need to take a step back and a deep breath and be able to let go of some of this responsibility you feel or you're going to crack up...and what good would that do you or Natalie?"

Adrian looked at the floor and pondered what Preacher said. "I suppose you're right."

"I know I'm right. I'm..." suddenly Preacher's cell phone rang. "Armstrong here. Yes? Oh, Hi Leland."

Adrian's heart sank as he waited for devastating news.

"Yeah, he's right here... really?! Okay, I'll tell him."

Adrian's eyes brimmed with tears, "Is it about Natalie?"

Preacher looked at him and smiled. "Yeah, man. She's awake and she's asking for you. We've got to go."

Adrian jumped up and followed Preacher out the door, looking at the ceiling with both hands in a prayerful posture as he left. He stepped outside the door and came back in to straighten up some worship bulletins that were askew on a small desk just inside the entry. "Okay, now we can go." he said walking in front of Armstrong to the outside.

Preacher shook his head, smiled and locked the door as he left.