The True God; June 3, 2023

Posted on June 4, 2023 by jgarrott

Isaiah 36:18 “Do not let Hezekiah mislead you when he says, ‘The Lord will deliver us.’ Has the god of any nation ever delivered his land from the hand of the king of Assyria?”

If any of the people using this Scripture list aren’t really familiar with the Bible, this chapter should certainly inspire them to keep reading to see what happens next! Sennacherib was indeed a great king, well recorded in the history books, and this chapter is a very detailed, and almost certainly accurate, record of his tactics. Why fight when intimidation can do the job? However, the field commander speaking here, and by extension Sennacherib himself, made a drastic miscalculation. They thought that Yahweh was like all the other gods they knew of, including their own: figments of human imagination, mythologies to tack onto natural events. In those days, only the Jews knew and worshiped the Creator of the universe, and the Assyrians were about to find that out. How all of that relates to us today is the many people who dismiss and denigrate genuine Christian faith. Granted, there are plenty of counterfeits out there, people who use their “faith” as an excuse and cover-up, but that doesn’t negate reality. Those who do know the One who not only created them, He sent His Son to die for them so that they could live as His children, should never be intimidated by the naysayers. Right now in the US there is an anti-Christian current that has never been so evident before. That’s all the more reason to stand up boldly and proclaim God’s truth! We are to do so humbly and in love, but with absolute assurance. We aren’t to let the insults embarrass us, because they are lies. Sometimes they can be ignored, but sometimes they need to be answered so that other people won’t be deceived into thinking they are true. Above all, our lives need to be the validation of our words, living out the truths we proclaim, so that our opposition may be silenced. (1 Peter 2:12; 3:15-16)

I’ve not encountered the kind of open opposition described here, but I’ve certainly run into a lot of people who didn’t think my God was worth considering for themselves. I can’t change people by my own wisdom and strength, but I’m never to discount what God can do. I’m always to speak the truth in love, not in pride or anger, so that my words may be useful to the Holy Spirit to bring conviction and repentance. The more I am assured of the God I know, the less I have to defend Him! (2 Timothy 1:12)

Father, thank You for this reminder, and that You are absolutely omnipotent and reliable. Help me indeed rest, relax, and rejoice in You, so that You may do in and through me exactly what You desire, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Help; June 2, 2023

Posted on June 3, 2023 by jgarrott

Isaiah 31:1 Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help,
who rely on horses,
who trust in the multitude of their chariots
and in the great strength of their horsemen,
but do not look to the Holy One of Israel,
or seek help from the Lord.

We know from history what actually happened, but we don’t have that perspective about our current situation. Back then, chariots, horses, and trained, equipped troops were the pinnacle of military might, whereas today we have some pretty amazing war machinery and technology. The principle, however, is the same: we need to look first to God and depend on Him. The current administration in the US seems bent on destroying the effectiveness of the military through social engineering, but our technology is still supreme. There are exceptions, such as an article I read yesterday about how the US may well be buying a Japanese seaplane, because it is the only one in the world currently capable of landing and taking off in 3-meter waves, but its focus is on search and rescue, not killing the enemy. It’s not bad to have good equipment, and certainly not bad to have well-trained troops, but that must not be our focus. We are to be good stewards of what the Lord has provided, but remember first Who provided it. This verse of course is talking about military matters, but the same thing applies in every area of life. The most wealthy, gifted person in the world must first look to their Creator, and sadly, that is not common. We are all too prone to look at and to the material and forget the underlying spiritual reality. When as Paul said we walk by faith and not by sight, (2 Corinthians 5:7) we have absolutely nothing to be afraid of.

I’ve done my share of depending on things other than God, and it’s never turned out well. In the process I have learned that God is indeed totally dependable, but I must not be presumptuous. I must always have my eyes open to see what God has already provided, to make the use of it that He intends, to accomplish His purposes for His glory. So long as I’m looking to put a feather in my cap, I’m in the wrong. God has blessed me remarkably, but for a long time I thought those gifts were mine, and I was mired in pride. Just recently He has been working on that again. I’ve been using computers effectively for almost 40 years, but my latest acquisition came with Windows 11 installed, and I’m left feeling like a “newbie,” unable to do things that should be simple. Frankly, that’s painful, and doubly so because I don’t know how to ask the system the right questions, apparently. I too need to look to the Lord to rescue me! I’ve got to remember this as I relate to those around me who can’t seem to grasp things that seem obvious to me. I’m no better than they are! I need to recognize the lessons the Lord is giving me and so learn what I need to, to become a more effective servant of my Lord, for His glory.

Father, thank You for this reminder. I should have learned this thoroughly by now! Thank You for the line of investigation You indicated to me about the computer issue, but more than that, help me focus more and more on You in every issue, every detail of my life, so that I may walk in Your light and not in darkness, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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God’s Offer; June 1, 2023

Posted on June 2, 2023 by jgarrott

Isaiah 30:15 This is what the Sovereign Lord, the Holy One of Israel, says:
“In repentance and rest is your salvation,
in quietness and trust is your strength,
but you would have none of it.

This is so typical of human interaction with God! He offers us in­calculable blessings, everything we genuinely want and more, and we turn Him down because we want to do things our own way. We are like those quoted in verses 10-11, telling God’s ministers what we want to hear instead of what God is really saying to us. I forget the exact quote, but I think it was Einstein who said something like, “There are two things that are infinite, the universe and human stu­pidity, and I’m not so sure about the universe.” Frankly, we see th­at displayed around us all the time, in ways big and small. Just yesterday my wife was telling me something someone had done recently, and I literally did a face palm, at a loss for words. That particular thing wasn’t so significant, but the sad thing is that it happens all the time in life-or-death issues as well, as Isaiah is writing about here. Frankly, all we really need to do is acknowledge our ignorance, stupidity, and powerlessness and then ask for God’s guidance and help, but we are too stupidly proud to do that. Pride trips us up in many ways, yet we are too blind to see it and so cling to our pride. God loves us and offers us eternal life and infinite glory, but we have to accept them on His terms and let go of our conditions, our pride.

I well remember a time, many years ago now, when I was in a prayer meeting and someone had a problem they were struggling with. I felt that I was to give him part of this verse, but it was awk­ward because I didn’t feel like he was rejecting the quietness and trust God was asking of him. That brother has graduated from this life just this year, and I know he is currently rejoicing in all the good things God has for him, but he needed to accept more of them soon­er. I have been very slow to accept some of the things God has offered me, so I have no fingers to point in this area. I am to proclaim God’s truth, His mercy and grace and holiness, and pray for people that they may reject the devil’s lies and accept God’s incredible of­fer, for their salvation and His glory.

Father, thank You for the privilege of being Your messenger at times, even when people don’t want to receive the message. Help me be faithful, applying what You say in my own life and not thinking it just applies to others. Thank You for finally getting it through to me that I’m not smart, regardless of my IQ, and that wisdom comes from knowing I’m not wise on my own, but only to the degree I listen to You. May I be Your agent in every area of my life as You desire, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Foundation; May 31, 2023

Posted on June 1, 2023 by jgarrott

Isaiah 28:16 So this is what the Sovereign Lord says:
“See, I lay a stone in Zion,
a tested stone,
a precious cornerstone for a sure foundation;
the one who trusts will never be dismayed.

This is of course a very famous prophecy, quoted in the New Testament, and it has been magnificently set to music. There is no question that it speaks of the Messiah, but we need to think about its implications in our daily lives. Just ahead of this, the Jewish leaders are quoted as saying, “We have made a lie our refuge and falsehood our hiding place.” Lies are amorphous, figments of imagination, because they have no objective truth behind them, and are the polar opposites of a foundation stone. Typically of the devil, his onslaughts today are all lies, extending all the way to basic biology. The counter to all that is to stand on the Rock, Jesus Christ who is the way, the truth, and the life. (John 14:6) One of the basic facts about the devil and his lies is that there is no foundation. An old Japanese term for the world of nightlife and bars and brothels is ukiyo, the “floating world.” Part of that may have come from the fact that “red light districts” were often by rivers or canals, but such are common in Japan. The “floating world” can and often does seem glamorous, but with no foundation it is swept away. Those who know Christ must stand on Him and insist on truth, rejecting the avalanche of lies. As Jesus pointed out, without a foundation we cannot stand. (Matthew 7:24-27) In that, though, He specifies that His truth must be put into practice for it to be effective. We can’t just say, yes, yes, and then do nothing about it. (James 1:22) We all need a foundation, and Jesus is the only one that will ultimately stand the tests of time and eternity.

I had the incredible privilege and advantage of being raised by a man who held absolute honesty as one of his guiding principles, and that was based on his knowledge of and devotion to Jesus Christ. I have tried to do the same, but I have shown myself to be all too adept at fooling myself (to go back to what James said). As I minister in Japan, I find that many people have no real concept of a foundation in life. After all, in Buddhism the ultimate “good” is mu, nothingness! For the foundation of faith to be laid, sometimes a lot of digging has to take place. However, nothing is impossible with God, and the Japanese people have a history of commitment to the point of martyrdom. I cannot lay a foundation in someone else’s life, but I can provide the materials and ask the Holy Spirit to do the work. He is more than up to the task!

Father, thank You for providing, for being, the foundation we all need. Help me be firmly established on that foundation but not be satisfied with that for myself alone. Help me be a good builder, as Paul described himself, (1 Corinthians 3:10) so that Your Church may indeed rise as You intend, bringing many into Your Kingdom and destroying the lies of the devil, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Happiness; May 30, 2023

Posted on May 31, 2023 by jgarrott

Isaiah 26:12 Lord, you establish peace for us;
all that we have accomplished you have done for us.

The awareness of this truth is the secret to genuine success. We do all sorts of things, but it is actually God who accomplishes them through us. Grasping this truth is the ultimate antidote to personal pride; it converts it all to gratitude. It’s not at all that we are to be passive. The Verse for the Year makes that quite clear: “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” (Ephesians 2:10) The Japanese for this verse in Isaiah uses much the same language: “You prepare/provide peace for us.” We all are deficient in gratitude, I think, because we don’t grasp how utterly powerless we are without God, and how much He does for and through us. We forget that we are created beings, and everything that gets created is created for a purpose, however trivial that might be. Anytime we do something right we are simply fulfilling, in some small way, the purpose for which we were created. The glory should all go to our Creator. I’m reminded of another thing God said through Isaiah: “Woe to him who quarrels with his Maker, to him who is but a potsherd among the potsherds on the ground. Does the clay say to the potter, ‘What are you making?’ Does your work say, ‘He has no hands’?” (Isaiah 45:9) The devil is constantly striving to keep us from fulfilling our purpose, (John 10:10) so every time we manage to do things right we have every reason to be grateful. And actually, numbers of studies have shown that gratitude is an essential key to happiness. Everyone would like to be happy, so we need to seek the purposes for which we were created and thank God when we fulfill them, in even a small way.

As I have written numerous times, I have had real struggles with pride. That has certainly taught me the futility of personal pride. The Lord has also done a number of things through me, and I have learned that being grateful that He has done them has brought me happiness to a degree that makes some people envious. I actually had someone of a different religion bring a friend to meet me, because he wanted his friend to “know someone who really enjoys living.” That is a testimony to how blessed I am! I certainly have my frustrations, and I don’t always respond properly to my blessings, but I have learned the reality of this verse from Isaiah, and I am deeply grateful.

Father, thank You for Your overwhelming grace toward me. Thank You for the book You have provided to draw me to a higher level of intimacy with You by Your Spirit. As I read it, help me remember that You relate to each person individually, so that I won’t try to copy specific things in the book, but rather learn better how to open myself to You in full adoration and obedience. I ask for clear guidance in how to pass some of these truths on to others, so that they too may discover the incredible privilege of walking with You consistently, for their blessing and Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Waiting on God; May 29, 2023

Posted on May 30, 2023 by jgarrott

Isaiah 25:9 In that day they will say,
“Surely this is our God;
we trusted in him, and he saved us.
This is the Lord, we trusted in him;
let us rejoice and be glad in his salvation.”

In reading this chapter I was first struck by the fact that verses 7 and 8 explicitly prophesy that God will destroy death. In my awareness this is the earliest mention of such a thing in the whole Bible, though I may be wrong. This verse seems like a positively tame response to such a reality-shattering thing as that! However, several details are worth noting. In the first place, it starts with “people will say.” This isn’t a prophecy for the immediate hearers, but one for a far future date. It’s also worth noting that both places where the NIV says “trusted,” the Japanese says, “waited in hope.” Our “faith” can get very impatient! We want God’s promises fulfilled NOW! However, the Bible speaks of waiting on God many, many times. We need to remember Peter’s insight: “But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” (2 Peter 3:8-9) He was perhaps remembering a line from the only Psalm credited to Moses: “For a thousand years in your sight are like a day that has just gone by, or like a watch in the night.” (Psalm 90:4) The point is, God’s time frame is manifestly different from ours, but He is totally faithful. When we are waiting on Him to act, we aren’t like the play, Waiting for Godot, where Godot never shows up. That’s why we wait in hope. As Hebrews points out, sometimes the fulfillment of God’s promises comes outside of the context of our current physical life, (Hebrews 11:39-40) but that doesn’t make that fulfillment any less certain. That’s what faith is all about. It is when we abandon the boxes into which we have tried to push God and our circumstances that we discover the peace that indeed exceeds human understanding. (Philippians 4:7)

I have a family history of this. My parents arrived in Japan as missionaries in 1934 and 1935, respectively, and labored until the Lord called them home, but they never saw the great harvest of souls that they sought. I have taken up the task, but I too have only seen sparse results. That doesn’t mean that God has been less than faithful! I am not just waiting on God, I am doing so in hope and assurance, and in the meantime He has stuff for me to do. (Ephesians 2:10) I am to keep my focus on Him, even while I am being faithful at the task at hand, whatever that might be. At the very least, it will be glorious when I leave this body!

Father, thank You for the gift of faith. Thank You for speaking through me yesterday, and for all the people who came to our special event. I pray that the impressions they received would be indelible, drawing them steadily toward You, toward repentance and faith for their salvation, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Salvation; May 28, 2023

Posted on May 29, 2023 by jgarrott

Isaiah 12:2 “Surely God is my salvation;
I will trust and not be afraid.
The Lord, the Lord, is my strength and my song;
he has become my salvation.”

This brief chapter is one of many reasons I like Isaiah so much. It is pure praise and adoration, and several parts of it have been put to music in multiple settings. This particular verse is a declaration of faith, a statement of who God is to the speaker, and as such should be joyfully trumpeted by every believer. It is worth noting that it doesn’t say, “God is my Savior,” it says, “God is my salvation.” That puts a little different slant on it. It isn’t focused on what He does for me, it is focused on who He is. When that is our focus, we can indeed “trust and not be afraid,” just as Isaiah wrote. Many English translations cover over the way the next line specifies the covenant name of God. The Japanese expresses it as, “Yah, the Lord.” It is a specification that this is Yahweh Isaiah is talking about, not Baal or Ashtoreth or any other god. Nothing besides our Creator is worthy of our total trust. Sadly, we need to keep being reminded of that. It is when we remember it fully that He is our strength and our song of praise, and indeed becomes our salvation.

I’m reminded of a chorus I’ve known for many years. “You are the words and the music; You are the song that I sing. You are the melody, You are the harmony; praises to You I will bring. You are the Mighty God, You are the Prince of Peace, You are the King of all kings. Now I return to You the song that You gave to me; You are the song that I sing.” I have long claimed that chorus as my motivation for singing. I teach it to my Speech Therapy students, since singing is an excellent tool for speech therapy, and I tell them that it indeed expresses my motivation. I encounter many things in life, and some are more difficult than others. Today we are expecting a full house, which is a good thing, but part of the motivation for that is that we will be having a program and barbecue in the afternoon and evening, which is a high stress thing for me. I don’t mind speaking in front of large groups, but being in charge of functions and needing to interact with many different people all together is not my cup of tea. I’m sure the end result will be excellent, but that doesn’t keep me from wanting to run away. I need to keep letting this verse run through my mind and heart throughout today, so that every visitor, and particularly everyone who doesn’t yet know the Lord, may be drawn and not repulsed, attracted by Christ manifested through me and this congregation, leading them to repentance and faith for their salvation.

Father, thank You for this extremely timely Word. Help me apply it fully, resting, relaxing, and rejoicing in You throughout today, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Fear; May 27, 2023

Posted on May 28, 2023 by jgarrott

Isaiah 8:12 “Do not call conspiracy
everything that these people call conspiracy;
do not fear what they fear,
and do not dread it.

This verse really jumped out as I was reading just now. The world seems so governed by fear, and it’s certainly not the fear of the Lord. The most glaring recent example is all that was done in relation to the pandemic, but there are virtually countless other “fear triggers” that are in play. The next verse here says clearly that we are to fear God, but all other controlling fears are demonic, and not appropriate for the believer at all. Fear itself isn’t bad. Various fears give us discretion in our daily living and protect us from all sorts of real dangers. If we were totally fearless, we indeed wouldn’t fear the wrath of our Creator, and that’s the most dangerous attitude of all. Sadly, many people seem to lack that fear, even while they fear various other things. It is only when we recognize God for Who He is, that is, our almighty Creator, without whose grace we would dissolve into atoms, that we can likewise recognize His love for us, and love Him in return. As John wrote, “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.” (1 John 4:18) Proverbs 29:25 came up in our readings just a few days ago: “Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is kept safe.” However, we fear all sorts of other things as well, and unscrupulous men manipulate those fears to control us, because control is what they lust after. We need to be secure in the love of God and stand firmly against all the fear that is thrown our way. For the believer, death is graduation, birth into eternity, and something to be anticipated rather than feared. When that is ingrained in our spirit, all other fears fade into insignificance.

This is something that I have felt more and more strongly over the years. I have no love of pain and disease, but I don’t particularly fear them because I know they are entirely temporary. At the moment my left side is sore because of having tripped and fallen a few days ago, but that doesn’t make me fear walking. I caught COVID back in March and the high fever wasn’t enjoyable, but I knew it was temporary, just as my current soreness is. For that matter, living in this world has all sorts of unpleasant details, just as Jesus said, (John 16:33) but none of them are forever. Why should I fear? My current biggest fear is of losing my wife to one of her assorted diseases, but I have great assurance that even then, God’s grace will be sufficient. (2 Corinthians 12:9) The blessings, the glory, that are in Christ are more than enough to counter any fear I might dream up. That is a blessed situation indeed, and I want to share it with as many as possible.

Father, thank You indeed for Your love that casts out all fear. Help me share that love with everyone I encounter, making full use of every opportunity, so that as many as will may repent and believe for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!

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Trials of Faith; May 26, 2023

Posted on May 27, 2023 by jgarrott

Isaiah 7:9 “If you do not stand firm in your faith,
you will not stand at all.'”

For once I prefer the NIV to the Japanese! The Japanese simply says, “If you do not believe, you will not stand for long.” The NIV manages to catch a rather deep truth. We are used to verses 8-14 being used at Christmas, because even Matthew quoted verse 14 to talk about Immanuel, but the whole section is about faith and our exercise of it. The section just ahead of this, talking about the leaders who were conspiring against Judah, would seem like today’s news if you replaced those names with Xi and Putin. Threats aren’t to be ignored, but the bigger issue is faith. We are all too prone to ignore God except in times of crisis. Guess what? That just guarantees more crises! America is indeed at a dangerous place, not so much because of external enemies but because of internal rot, to the point that it seems like there’s a crisis everywhere you turn. Those who know God have got to stand in faith, just as this verse says. There are plenty of horrible manifestations of evil all around us, and one of those is that the media seems to have forgotten the very word, evil. More than one place in the Bible talks about the horrible sin of calling good evil and evil good. These days, parents standing up for their children is being denounced as bad! And then we have the external threats of Xi and Putin. Close examination shows that both the Russian government and the CCP are houses of cards, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t capable of real destruction, before or even as they collapse. We’re back to this verse. Trials of faith come so that we may examine our faith, both who and what we believe and how we believe, and come out with our faith purified and strengthened. That is certainly desirable, so we should fix our eyes on Jesus (Hebrews 12:2) and thank Him for this abundance of trials!

It’s been quite a few years since I started saying that if I didn’t have faith I would already have given up. That certainly hasn’t changed, but my faith has grown! I have always liked Andrae Crouch’s song, Through It All. As that song says, “If I’d never had a problem I wouldn’t know that He could solve them; I wouldn’t know what faith in God can do.” Having read Revelation, I have no expectation that “everything is going to be sweetness and light,” but I also have no fear, because I am totally convinced that God is the Creator, and not just some figment of our imagination. I know that He loved the world so much as to send His Son to die for us, and I know from experience that He loves me individually, as improbable and illogical as that might sound. I know that I am accountable to Him, above and before anything or anyone else, and my goal is to hear Him say to me, “Well done, good and faithful servant.” (Matthew 25:21, 23) As long as I stand in that faith He has given me, what do I have to worry about?

Father, thank You indeed for the faith You have given me, and for the various ways You have tested it and caused me to exercise it. I can take no credit for it myself, (Ephesians 2:8-9) but I am deeply grateful. Help me share that faith by the power of Your Spirit with others, starting with the people in this church and extending to many more, so that we may rise up as Your disciples indeed, for Your glory Thank You. Hallelujah!

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Prophets; May 25, 2023

Posted on May 26, 2023 by jgarrott

Isaiah 2:22 Stop trusting in man,
who has but a breath in his nostrils.
Of what account is he?

The life of a prophet can be really rough. The contrast between the different things they perceive would tend to make them bipolar at least! This chapter is a good example. Verses 2-5 are dearly loved for being so comforting and encouraging, and have been set to music numerous times. However, from verse 6 on is a condemnation of the idolatry of Israel and a frightening warning of how it will be in the Day of the Lord. Today, Isaiah would be considered mentally imbalanced at best, and probably institutionalized. God, which is to say reality itself, is far bigger and more complex than we can grasp. As Bill Whittle likes to say, we don’t have the “mental horsepower” for the task. The only logical course is to walk in humility and obedience, trusting that God’s plans are indeed good, whatever our immediate circumstances might look like. (Jeremiah 29:11) The Bible doesn’t give us much detail of the life of Isaiah, but we have considerably more about Jeremiah, and Hosea’s personal life is laid out in painful detail. From what I’ve heard, modern prophets don’t have it much better! Speaking God’s words is a very high honor, but it can come at a huge cost. Reliable tradition tells us that Jeremiah was stoned to death in Egypt and Isaiah was sawed in two. Elijah famously suffered from suicidal depression. However, as I am fond of quoting, Paul has the last answer on that: “For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.” (2 Corinthians 4:17) When God shows us things we are to be faithful to share His truth as He directs, and we are indeed to be grateful for the privilege, but we are never to let such experiences puff us up. He is so much greater and higher than we are that any thought of personal pride is absurd. When we receive seemingly conflicting impressions, as even this chapter illustrates, we are to submit it to God and allow Him to show us how it all fits together. Prophets are a valuable and important gift to the Body of Christ, but they are not greater or higher than the other gifts listed in Ephesians 3:11, and all are given to serve, and not lord it over anyone or anything.

For many years I have said that Isaiah was the Old Testament character I would most like to emulate, because of his many visions of the coming Messiah. However, that’s a pretty risky goal! I have been used in prophecy, and I certainly desire and seek that all of my messages would be what the Lord is saying, but my major gifting is Teacher, and not Prophet. In a way that’s a relief! At the same time, my life is to be prophetic, in the sense that it should illustrate the character and faithfulness of God. My wife receives dreams from God and a friend has had waking visions, but I’m OK with having neither. My task is simply to be faithfully obedient, just as it is for every believer, whatever course God has mapped out for us.

Father, thank You for this reminder. As I continue to do various things for the last time, since I am retiring from secular teaching at the end of this school year, I am increasingly aware that You aren’t through with me, though I don’t know what the road will look like from next April. Help me not draw back from anything, or in any way be controlled by anxiety or fear, but rest, relax, and rejoice in You, just as You have told me to do, so that all of Your purposes for me may be fulfilled, on Your schedule for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!

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