July_23_2023Psalm59

The passage is about David seeking God's protection and defense against his enemies who are plotting evil against him. David acknowledges that God is the one who lifts him up and defends him. He desires to be transformed and pleasing to God through the power of the Holy Spirit. David trusts in God's mercy and steadfast love and believes that God will meet him and help him triumph over his enemies. July 23rd, 2023. Treasures in Christ. Psalm 59. Jehovah, Saga, K'un. Our Lord God who lifts us above those who rise against us. Psalm 59.1. Deliver me from my enemies, O my God. Defend and protect me from those who rise up against me. O Heavenly Father, we're just so grateful this morning that you chose to give us a new day. We thank you, Father God, that you are sovereign over all things, that you are the mighty hand of power that can create life and destroy life. We come submitted under your powerful hand of transformation today. We desire to be transformed, Father God, through the power of the Holy Spirit today, that we can be pleasing to you, that we can operate in your kingdom, that others can see your glory and be drawn to you. For you want none to perish but all to come into repentance, Father God, that is the good news gospel. Oh, we thank you for our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, who paved the way for us, who showed us the way, who actually went and walked the walk so that we can follow him. And as we follow him through the power of the Holy Spirit, you transform us, Father God, and wash away and cut away and put to death those deeds of the flesh that are not pleasing to you. So we can fulfill the purpose in life that we have, which is that your kingdom will grow and none will perish and all will come into repentance, and so we pray for that today. Transform us by your truth, Father God, as it goes forth. We seek you. I seek you this morning, Father God, and I know if I seek you, I'll find you. Give me knowledge and understanding of your ways, Father God, that I can know you more. Oh, we thank you for who you are, Father God. We praise you for all of the promises you fulfill in our life as we are filled with your joy as we think about those times that you come through for us and do exactly what you say you'll do. And you keep us, Father God. You keep us lifted up in a place that's elevated, not in pride or pretense, Father God, but in that sacrificial worship that puts us in a place above all of the things that come against us. So teach us this truth today. Show us this truth in your word today. We thank you and praise you and pray these things in Jesus' name. Amen and amen. Oh, I'm encouraged today as I begin to read through the passage. We're going to see an angle covered today that's such an important angle because sometimes people are just going to come against us just because they just have determined in their heart that they're just going to do wickedly and this is just what they're going to do. And, you know, God is in favor of those who are humble and meek and recognize their need for him because in that case then he can come to their aid and his glory can go shine through them. But there's those that want to walk outside of God's way and they think they are the one. It is, you know, their ability and their power that's going to give them elevation. But it comes from God and God alone if we want this proper elevation for we're going to see this place today when we read Psalm 59. But we got to remember it's God's the one who's the lifter of our soul and it's not anything we do. So that's the beautiful thing about being in the kingdom is God never leaves us floundering around. This is a psalm of David, they say, and it's set to the tune again of Do Not Destroy. See, David, this is an interesting tune. A tune, I should say, not a tune, but an interesting tune that David has chosen because when we see the title Do Not Destroy, we see the heart of David. This is why we know David had a heart after God's own heart. And God wants none to perish, none, that would mean no one, but all to come into repentance, into relationship. And David has the same heart even though the attacks are coming. And this is a record of memorable thoughts when Saul sent men to watch his house in order to kill him. So this is when they're coming against him to just kill him. And it's an amazing place that David is that it shows us because he operates in sacrificial worship. And we're going to see that as we read through the scripture yet again. David is in constant sacrificial worship. Even when he flounders around, he stays hunkered down in that secret place because that is his only recourse. Psalm 59.1 says, Deliver me from my enemies, O my God. Defend and protect me from those who rise up against me. So we see already right off the bat, where is David looking for his help? David is not trying to micromanage and mastermind some kind of plan and, oh, God will just fill in the gaps. That's not how he operates. You know, well, we've got to do as much as we can do. And then, you know, God only helps those who help themselves. Unfortunately, this is just not in the scriptures. But this is in the scriptures, and we're reading it today. In verse 2, he says, Deliver me from and lift me above those who work evil and save me from bloodthirsty men. We see the full focus of verses 1 and 2. David is in sacrificial worship. He is relying on, trusting and leaning on the Lord in all aspects here for defense, protection. It's a lifting up. It's a salvation and a lifting and a deliverance, right? It's what he's requiring of God. This is not something David's going to do, and then he's just going to put some Jesus God juice on it. He's going to go from the very brass tacks of it and come submitted, and he's going to require defense, protection, salvation. The very lifting, because, you know, it can get, it wears away at us in our flesh when those come against us, just wickedly, you know, just because they just want to come against us. Jealousy, in this case, you know, we know Saul was jealous of David. So we see, this is an amazing beginning, and I imagine we'll see some mercy and grace mentioned somewhere in the passage, but this is where he starts. He's in this place, and we're going to see it more in detail. He's going to expand here, so let's just look at the expansion of what he says, and then we'll come back when we get to the Salah part of the passage. He says, And I love the reference to Lord, because he's, in this case, okay, this is not always the case in David's writings, but when we read this passage, we see David's not talking about his wanderings now, and he's not talking about his mistakes, although he makes them in the process and requires the mercy and grace of God along the way. But the reality is, this is just an attack that's coming against him, just to come against him. And they're lying in wait, they're fierce and mighty men, they're banding together, there's this great effort that's coming against, and he's just making a point, in this case, it's not for his transgression or what he's done wrong, or any sin of his. And that's the reflection of who he's following. So, because he's following God, they're coming against him. He's following the plan of God. God anointed him as the next king, but he was waiting for the appointed time, because he had a heart after God's own heart, and he wasn't trying to micromanage God's anointing, he was just trying to let God move him and lead him, and let him know when it was time for him to go into the kingship. And so, here he was just operating in obedience and sacrificial worship to God, and the king comes at him, and he's banding together with all of these men. Now, that's the king. You can't get any more powerful than the king. He's talking about strong and mighty men, I should say fierce and mighty men, and we know the king is, you know, a top dog. He's got a group of guys coming in, and they're coming against David, you know, and it's not because of anything David did, it's just because of the evil that's in him. And he says, they run and prepare themselves, though there is no fault in me. Rouse yourself, O Lord. Again, he's crying out for the leadership that he needs. Anytime we see Lord, that's the leadership, the guidance, the direction that we need. To meet and help me and see. To meet and help me and see. David's, you know, come, let's get the intimacy at another level now. Although God knows everything, but when you're intimately inviting God into your life in the midst of your storm, that's an intimate thing, and this is why I think he has the reference, and see. Because, you know, it's like a lot of people, oh yeah, yeah, yeah, but when somebody can come see and really empathize in your situation, there's an intimacy that develops in this situation, and I think that's what David's crying out for. And he's crying out, and he's said Lord twice now, so he's calling out for direction, and then he goes on in verse 5, and of course, you know, trusting and relying on God, God is going to be his only place of safety, deliverance, we saw that deliverance, salvation, defense, protection, all of those things we saw in the first conversion. David is in the proper place, and he is crying out to God right now at this point, and he's saying they're coming after me, I'm not doing anything wrong, so these are situations where, and this isn't from the inner group, this is in the kingdom David's in, so this is from an inner group now. So understand this, you know, the attack doesn't always just come from strangers, it can come from inner groups, but where do we need to be? We need to be in the secret place of the most high, bunkered down in the defense, protection, the salvation of God, the deliverance of God, and crying out to him, to be intimately a part of the situation, so that, number one, David mostly, I'm guessing, David wants to be comforted in God's presence. We're going to see his presence, I think, as we read along, because that's where, what happens when we operate in sacrificial worship, God begins to operate in our life, and the joy of the Lord, because of his presence in our life, gives us the fullness of joy, it's a beautiful thing. And he goes on in verse 5 to say, You, O Lord God, oh I love it, so now it's the leader and the will, the very will and power of the kingdom, of hosts, to give the elevation, see it keeps David submitted, You, O Lord, that's leader, God of hosts, that is the will of God above all wills, the name above all names, and the God of Israel, this is the God of the fulfilled promise, the God who promises to deliver those. Who promises to defend and protect, and to lift us up above the ones that come against us. I remember reading back when we were studying peace, and it's so beautiful, because God says he will put a strong tower higher than any tower that anything that comes against us tries to do. And this is where hosts, I think, is a good reference to that, and this is, and then he goes on to say, Arise to visit all the nations, and this is beautiful, because this shows not only his heavenly authority, the name above every name, the God of the fulfilled promise, but his elevation to visit all the nations shows his omniscience, omnipresence, omnipotence. And David is just bunkered down, writing this secret place, in this place where he knows all power resides. And he goes on to say, Spare none, and be not merciful to any who treacherously plot evil, and again he's talking about those who just operate with evil, and they don't, there's no reason to do it. It's not as if they're responding to something we did. This is why we have to live at peace with everyone as far as we are concerned. This is why God commands us to do this. Because, see, if we don't, if we're going around being abrasive to people or things or whatever, organizations, groups, whatever it might be, if we're being abrasive, then we are going to get abrasion back. And where can we stand? Can we stand before the civil God and say, My hands are clean? No, not if we've been abrasive and we're coming back with abrasion. We're getting what we deserve in that case. We're reaping what we sow. So this is why we have to live at peace with everyone as far as we're concerned. And there's just a law. So let's just take a look at this all together. Verse 1. That is beautiful. And it shows us what it looks like in sacrificial worship. When things begin to come, and there are going to be times when things come against us just because they're evil. Not because we, like I said, we're abrasive or something and we are reaping what we sow. Here he's going to give a little more illustration now of this attack that we're going to face. I mean, he's given us the pro tips, standing operating procedures. So we know that these types of things are going to come against the body of Christ. And we've got to use the Spirit and in truth as we're operating in the Word today. Because without it, it's just going to be a bunch of symbolism that's going to go, Oh yeah, that's fun, that makes a good story. But this applies to the body of Christ. He says in verse 6, They return at evening. Now, we've got to understand something about dogs. At least when this story was written. Dogs were much less likely. Think of cats today. Feral cats. And that's kind of what the dog situation would have been. Now, in our society, we've decided to put a curb on that and put some controls on that. And so, you know, the dog situation is mostly resolved. You rarely see any dogs just running around that are homeless, that are running the streets. Cats, on the other hand, because they're less invasive, are still a problem. We see feral cats all the time. But back then, these would be considered like a feral dog. But not feral, but wild dogs, right? And so, dogs were less of a pet than they are today. And so, what they would do is, dogs are like scavengers. When we look at wild dogs and wolves and things that are kind of in that family of animals, they're pack animals that are scavengers. You know, they go around and they get whatever they can get. Well, in a city, a dog's going to be digging in trash and digging in things like that. Coming in hen houses and whatever it might be to try to grab some food. So, they're scavengers, right? So, this is what he's trying to give the illustration. You know, at nighttime, when it's supposed to be a peaceful time and everybody's preparing for sleep to be rejuvenated for the next day, here these little scavengers come running around. And this is when they're coming in. They're coming in at a time when others are relaxed and kind of in the privacy of their home, preparing to turn the day off and get ready for a new day. And these guys are out prowling. These guys are out scavenging around. Here's verse 7. It's so beautifully symbolic and illustrative at the same time of what actually is taking place. And behold, they belch out insults with their mouth. Swords of sarcasm, ridicule, slander, and lies are in their lips. For who, they think, hears us. And this is an interesting place of what the mindset of those who operate in this place of wicked evilness, right, that are going to come against the body of Christ. Trust me, we are not going to be, you know, void from this attack. This is just not going to happen in the body of Christ. That's the Pollyanna doctrine. And it just doesn't exist. I can't find it anywhere. Jesus had the same attack come at him. If we think about it, we think about the religious leaders that came against Jesus. When did they do all their plotting and their scheming? At night, when it was hidden and they could hide in the dark. And they would go and they would counsel. And they're like, oh, what are we going to do with them? And all this verbal action was taking place. Ridicule, slander, lies, insults. And they would come right at him. I think they're talking about an aspect of the attack where there's that midnight scavenging. You know, what can they get going at night when nobody can see them? And what kind of fodder can they, you know, fire, fuel can they add to the fire? That's what I'm looking for. What kind of fuel can they add to the fire of their own agenda of evilness and wickedness? And this is what we're seeing. And it's a verbal thing. It's a mouth. They're speaking this. And we know from the heart, so speaks the mouth, right? So this is the heart of them. They're operating in a place of evil and wickedness. But, and he says, and they do it pretentiously. Like, who's going to hear us, right? But you, oh Lord, verse 8, and again he's referenced to God's leadership. You, oh Lord, will laugh at them and scorn. You will hold all the nations in derision. See, God hears everything. Everything done in the evening hours. Everything done in secret. All this evil that's plotted and done pretentiously, thinking that nobody can hear them. God hears them. And God laughs at them and holds them in derision because he's in charge. He's above them all. There's none that are outside of the powerful control of God. And he says, verse 9, oh my strength, I will watch and give heed to you and sing praises. See, I will watch and give heed to you, oh Lord, and sing praises. He's going to stay in the secret place of the Most High. God's going to fulfill his promises of renewing his strength. He's going to, and that's going to give him the joy which puts forth praises for God's defense and protection. And what we see in verse 1, his, what did he say, defense, protection, salvation, deliverance, all coming from the Lord. And this is going to be fulfilled promises that come forth from him in praise. And he says, for God, this is the will of the kingdom, his defense, his protector in high tower. And he's just assenting to a fact. He's not moving. He's staying in the secret place of the Most High. And he says, my God, in his mercy and steadfast love will meet me. This accounts for all of David's mistakes in the process. This accounts for all of the grace and mercy in the process that we need every day at the throne of God. This is why we can go to the throne of God in Jesus Christ. And that's a good thing. That's a blessed thing. But I don't know that we, me anyways, personally, that I really have had a true depth of understanding of what this privilege is. That I have to go every single day to the throne of grace and mercy where I need both of those every single day. Because I don't always do it perfectly. And I need to be given what I don't deserve to be of the fact that I'm even in the kingdom. Right? And he says, my God, in his mercy, not getting what he does deserve. And I like how he starts with that in this case. Because it's showing that even in this process where David is in sacrificial worship, David's going to make mistakes. We're going to make mistakes in the process. But his heart stays unmovable. It's not a wave tossed. I'm going to believe God. I'm going to trust God today, tomorrow, this afternoon. No, I'm going to have to trust on my own strength how good I am. No, he's not back and forth like that. He is solid in this place of anchoring his heart. His heart is rooted in God. And his actions will not always reflect that because he lived in a fleshly body. And so he needs the mercy of God and the steadfast love to meet him in a daily basis. God will let me look triumphantly on my enemies, those who lie in wait for me. And this is interesting because if we go back, I will watch and give heed to you. When you give heed to something, you're allowing it to lead you. You're using the leadership. And when you walk under the leadership of God in a way that pleases the Spirit, the deeds of the flesh are put to death, and we're being transformed into the image of our Savior, Jesus Christ. And this is fulfilled promises which pour forth praise. But in this place of leadership, and then we go back down here, we're going to see now. We're going to have the discernment of the victory that God has over the enemies that come against us. And I just think that's a beautiful, very symbolic of what it's like to operate with sacrificial worship under the secret place of the Most High. And we see that in Psalm 91. I will look and a thousand may fall at my side and ten thousand at my right hand, but it will not come near me. Only with my eyes will I look and see the reward of the wicked. It says that in the Word. That's just the truth of God. We are going to see God's recompense on the enemy. But we are not going to glam on that or gloat on that, I should say, or desire to just be a, oh, let's watch all our enemies suffer. That's not what it's for. But it's showing us the power of God and how it operates. And it's showing us the defense of God, the protection, the strength, all the high tower that we're reading in this section. We're seeing the victory that God is putting forth. But listen, and this is how we know why he's not just gloating on the destructive, what God is doing to destroy the enemy. Verse 11 says, Slay them not. See, slay them not. He has a heart after God's own heart. God doesn't want to utterly destroy anyone. He wants everyone to come to repentance. Even the enemy that comes against us in wickedness and evilness. While we want to be defended and protected and delivered and all of these things that God provides and given the direction we need and all of this. We want God's purpose to be fulfilled and that is none to perish. So even the enemy, David says, slay them not. Lest my people forget. See, if you slay them, it's over. If God came in and utterly just wiped them off the planet, there would be no more chance for his purpose to be fulfilled. And everything would be forgotten. Scatter them by your power. See, it's a better thing to have God work in their life in power. And make them wander to and fro and bring them down. See, and this puts, he's given a reference to bringing them into that place of submission. See, this is what the ultimate purpose is. It's for none to perish but all to come to repentance. And it takes that God's hammer coming down to scatter them and remove this little evil that they had been working. It gets scattered and squashed and makes them turn into like wandering now. Because hey, their plan didn't have success. And what did they do? Wow, because remember, nobody can hear us. They weren't leaning on, trusting and relying on the Lord, obviously. And they were doing their own thing. And now they're in this place where their own plan didn't work because God thwarted it. And so, but not to utterly destroy them. So that they can be humbled. And when they come into the place of humility, they can come into a place of relationship. And, oh Lord, our shield. See, a leader, oh Lord, our leader and our shield. He's the one that protects us in this process. It's not because he doesn't want to be a fun sucking, utterly destroying kind of God. He wants to be a redeeming God, even to the enemy. And I just love how David said that. David, definitely a heart after God's own heart. We see that in his writing. We see that this is what God wants, none to perish. So he's saying, slay them not, even though they're coming against him, for no reason. Our desiring heart should still want to see them come into redemptive relationship with God. See, that is falling to their own device. That's it right there on that shelf. And pride is definitely at the source of it. Because if we're not operating in submission to God, then the opposite of that is pride. So we're operating in pride. And it says in verse 13, consume them in wrath. Consume them, and he means by envelope them. Consume them, you know, so that they will be overwhelmed by the powerful hand of God. Consume them so that they shall be no more. That evil, where they were out of relationship with God, will come to an end. And let them know unto the ends of the earth that God rules over Jacob. And I like this part. I know that the Amplified added Israel. But I like Jacob. Because Israel is the fulfilled promise. But when somebody is in a place where they're not in relationship with God, they must first come to Jacob, which is the God of promise. See, it's not until they're in relationship that it's Israel, the God of the fulfilled promise, right? So consume them in wrath. Consume them so that they shall be no more. And let them know unto the ends of the earth that God, the will of God, the kingdom of God, rules over His promise, right? And this is that place where David is praying that they're brought into that humble place of submission where they turn to God because He promises to save those who call on the name of the Lord. And it's when they come into the place, then Israel makes more sense in the translation. But what a beautiful, wow, there's a Salah here. So let's go on up and read this section together. What a beautiful, beautiful passage today that David wrote, that God wrote through David about the kingdom work, about our heart and mind and attitude towards those who come against us just in evil wickedness, who are not in relationship. It's a reminder that they're not in relationship with God. And God wants none to perish, and our heart should be desiring and moving in the direction God wants. And don't slay them, right? I mean, we just saw it. David just spit the lyrical about it. So let's just read this in the whole thing. We're going to start at verse 6. They return in evening. They howl and snarl like dogs and go prowling about the city. Behold, they belch out insults with their mouths. Words of sarcasm, ridicule, slander, lies are in their lips for who they think hears us. And I do like that snarling aspect, too, and howling and snarling, because these are defensive mechanisms to keep people away from your evil so that you can add some degree of pride and fear. You can try to use fear now to defend your wickedness and evilness. So we'll see that happen. And it'll be through their mouths and sarcasm and all these things. But you, O Lord, will laugh at them in scorn. You will hold all the nations in derision. O my strength, I will watch and give heed to you and sing praises for God as my defense, my protector in high tower. My God in his mercy and steadfast love will meet me. God will let me look triumphantly on my enemies, those who lie in wait for me. Slay them not, Lord, lest my people forget. Scatter them by your power and make them wander to and fro and bring them down, O Lord, our shield. For the sin of their mouths and the words of their lips, let them even be trapped and taken in their pride. And for the cursing and lying which they utter, consume them in wrath, consume them so that they shall be no more. And let them know unto the ends of the earth that God rules over Jacob. Salah, pause, and calmly think of that. What a beautiful passage. Verse 14, And at evening let them return. Let them howl and snarl like dogs and go prowling about the city. Let them wander up and down for food and carry all night if they are not satisfied, not getting their fill. See, we've got to know, although we don't like what they're coming against us with, there's no satisfaction in that. They are not going to be satisfied or have any feeling of contentment when they're operating in this place. And what do we do in the meantime? Verse 16, But I will sing of your mighty strength and power. Yes, I will sing aloud of your mercy and your loving kindness in the morning. For you have been to me a defense, a fortress, and a high tower, and a refuge in the day of my distress. And notice what he's talking about here. If we look at it in context, which is always important, they're talking about him in the privacy and darkness of their own homes somewhere. Right? That's why. And they're just prowling around and they're using fear and all of these things as pride pushes the agenda. So they'll use fear to add people, to bring people into the group. You know, like, oh yeah, we are growling. All the symbolism that's showing what they're doing. They're scavenging for those who are willing to do the wickedness and evil with them. And they're doing this at night. David is not being attacked by them during the night, but they're operating this evil plan and plot during the night. So it's still as if they're coming against them. And David's in his own home. And he's just, you know, he's just, hey, I'm just going to bunker down in a secret place all night long. I wake up, my heart's singing with joy because of the grace and mercy of God. And God has been his defense through the night and a refuge in the day of his distress. And God has been there to defend him when he, when David, not being directly attacked, but having these guys backroom stuff against him, God is defending him already without having, you know, I mean, David's not having to be physically involved. And this is an encouragement that we've got to stay bunkered down in the secret place at the most high. We've got to be still and know that he's God and let God fight for us. And he'll do it in the nighttime when all the evil plots and it's symbolic. It just doesn't happen at night when it's dark. But it's in those secret places where the evil is being plotted and planned, right? And they're gathering, scavenging for people who do fear and howling and snarling or whatever, that they can get them into the group and get more support, but they're going to be aimless in their wandering. They're going to be unsatisfied in all of these things. That's the defense that God brings so we can have peace of mind. I imagine David's having a beautiful night's sleep here, even though all of this is going on. For God has been his defense and fortress and high tower and a refuge in the day of his distress. Unto you, O my strength, I will sing praises. See, these are fulfilled promises. When God promises to renew our strength as we wait on him, joy is in our life because of the fulfilled promise and it pours forth as praise. For God is my defense, my fortress and high tower, the God who shows me mercy and steadfast love. See, you know, he's got the mercy and grace throughout because it's never about David's perfection. It's about his willingness to anchor his heart into God in the secret place of the most high, knowing God is at work against all the evil that's being plot and planned and comes at him verbally or otherwise that is going on against him. And in this passage, it's showing us when these things are happening without any propagation, without any instigation, okay, and they're going to happen. You want the Pollyanna doctrine, you're not going to find it in the scriptures too much. And David's shown us even when you've done nothing against someone, they will still do these things against you. But where do we go? Do we cry because they threw us under the bus? Do we come back and be abrasive back and try to attack them and try to... No, we bunker down in the secret place of the most high. We keep following his lead. That's why we had all the lords in there. The Lord's given us illustration. That's where we're following the leading of our Lord. And we're following where he tells us to go. And we're staying bunkered down in the secret place. And in this place, we have defense, we have security, we have protection. He'll thwart the plans of the wicked and he'll make them fall to their own devices. We see that in this passage as well even. Because we know that's exactly what's going to happen. But at the end of the day, it's not just because they're coming against us and we're, oh great, and God's going to smash them. But it's so that they'll come into repentance and redemption and come into relationship with God. At the end of the day, David is a kingdom operator. He's operating in the kingdom. Long before Jesus came, it's an amazing truth. In a wonderful passage of scripture to show the standing operating procedures when the wicked and evil is coming against us and where we need to stay bunkered down in. Relying on trusting on the Lord and knowing it's his grace and mercy that gets us through the day, the night, and keeps our strength renewed, protects us, defends us, delivers us, and all of these things. And it's the one that will save them. So that's a beautiful truth. And a reminder that Psalm 59 is a treasure in Christ and an eternal treasure in heaven. That God is Jehovah Sagav Kum, our Lord God who lifts us above those who rise against us. Oh, Heavenly Father, what an encouraging passage. What an amazing standing operating procedures when it comes to the body of Christ today. I pray, Father God, that those that are seeking you today will find you. That they'll know that in the body of Christ today, that is where we've got to be, bunkered down in that secret place. And you will show us the recompense of the wicked, Father God. And that's not what we gloat about. We are encouraged that that's the humbling that will bring them potentially into a relationship with you. For that is your true desire and will for all mankind. None should perish, but all should come into repentance. And we just thank you for this promise and truth. The goodness, that's the sign of your goodness, Father God. Your long-suffering and your desire that none should perish. In leaving the 99, you will get the 1 every time. So, show us, Father God, today how we stay in this secret place, Father God, in the midst of the attack. So that we are an abrasive, Father God. So that you can work in their life. And you can be the one that humbles them so that they'll come into relationship. And we'll always remember and keep our mind firmly anchored in the fact that we are going to make mistakes in this journey. And we need your grace and your mercy today for the journey. So we thank you for that truth, Father God. Transform the body of Christ by today. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen and Amen.