He's A Contender

I don't know if you've noticed, but this is a singing church. I love it. Of course, for me, I don't come to hear a sermon, I come to sing. Let's pray together as we look into God's Word and find from this ancient text truth for us that God always intended for us to have. Let's pray. O God, our Father, we thank You that Your Spirit inscripturated Your words that we might heed them, that You would speak to us even this day through the living Word of God.

Lord, help us to realize this is no history lesson. this is the voice of God as he speaks to us in his grace. And so help us to listen and determine to change in light of the truth that we hear. Transform us by your grace we pray. Amen. Amen. my sons wrestled on Elgin's wrestling team when they were in high school and my grandsons have started wrestling as well what a great sport I'll tell you I love it and I remember we'd arrive at the tournaments every weekend there was a wrestling tournament we'd arrive at the tournaments and you would go to the bracket The brackets would be hanging up somewhere.

You'd go to the brackets to see who your opponent would be and who your possible opponents might be as you advance down those brackets. And you start to size up your adversary. And some of them already had a reputation. You'd hear guys say, oh, man, I'm going against Sam Walters. He was a district qualifier last year. Or, that's nothing.

I've got to wrestle Jerry Killian. He's qualified for state last year. And so it would go. They're contenders. The guys who've really proven themselves in the sport. Now in our text this morning, you see a wrestling match.

And it's a match unlike any other. Usually a match lasts for three periods, assuming no one gets pinned. usually a match will last for three periods and sometimes overtime and if you have watched high school or college or Olympic wrestling or if you've ever been involved in the sport you know that it takes every ounce of strength and energy to wrestle to the end you've got to go the limit and it takes everything out of you but in the text today we have a match that goes all night long and the opponent isn't a state qualifier he's God talk about a wrestling match but Jacob proves to be a contender not a contender in the sports arena but a contender in the arena of faith before we pick up the story here let's quickly review something about the life of Jacob You remember that Jacob was a deceiver who manipulated, a usurper, a supplanter, a schemer who stops at nothing to get what he wants. He defrauds his brother.

He deceives his father. He leaves under false pretenses to say, I'm going to look for a wife among mom's people, when actually his brother intended to kill him, and that's why he left. But as Jacob flees, God meets this devious schemer in grace. He tells him that all the promises made to Abraham are his promises. And he also promises Jacob that he will be with him and he will protect him and that he will bring him back to the land.

God in his grace meets this scheming sinner and says things are going to change. Jacob ends up in Padam Aram with his uncle Laban a deceiver who outdoes even Jacob while there he gains four wives and twelve children but his uncle continually deceives him continually outwits him finally God calls him back to the land promised to the descendants of Abraham and so with his entire family and the great wealth that God has given him he heads for home but there's a problem The feud with his brother remains unresolved. And when he left that country, his brother had every intention of killing him.

Surely that threat remains. So it's with these dangerous and uncertain circumstances that we see Jacob as a man of faith. God's purpose was to transform Jacob into a man of faith. And in this chapter, this chapter, you see the result of God's transforming grace. You see a man devoid of scheming and manipulation. You see a man who doesn't run.

You see a man who no longer strives for riches and position. You see instead a man of faith. Let's read the story, Genesis chapter 32. Jacob went on his way, and the angels of God met him. And when Jacob saw them he said this is God camp So he called the name of that place Mahanaim And Jacob sent messengers before him to Esau his brother in the land of Seir the country of Edom instructing them Thus you shall say to my lord Esau, Thus says your servant Jacob, I have sojourned with Laban and stayed until now.

I have oxen, donkeys, flocks, male servants and female servants. I have sent to tell my lord in order that I may find favor in your sight. And the messengers returned to Jacob saying, We came to your brother Esau, and he's coming to meet you, and there are 400 men with him. Then Jacob was greatly afraid and distressed. He divided the people who were with him in flocks and herds and camels into two camps, thinking if Esau comes to the one camp and attacks it, then the camp that is left will escape.

And Jacob said, O God of my father Abraham and God of my father Isaac, O Lord, who said to me, return to your country and to your kindred, that I may do you good. I am not worthy of the least of all the deeds of steadfast love and all the faithfulness that you have shown to your servant. For with only my staff I crossed this Jordan. Now I have become two camps.

Please deliver me from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau. for I fear him that he may come and attack me, the mothers with the children. But you said, I will surely do you good and make your offspring as the sand of the sea, which cannot be numbered for multitude. So he stayed there that night, and from what he had with him, he took a present for his brother Esau, 200 female goats and 20 male goats, 200 ewes and 20 rams, 30 milking camels and their calves, 40 cows and 10 bulls, 20 female donkeys and 10 male donkeys.

These he handed over to his servants, every drove by itself, and said to his servants, Pass on ahead of me and put a space between drove and drove. He instructed the first, When Esau my brother meets you and asks you, To whom do you belong? Where are you going? And whose are these ahead of you? then you shall say they belong to your servant Jacob they are a present sent to my lord Esau and moreover he is behind us he likewise instructed the second and the third and all who followed the droves you shall say the same thing to Esau when you find him and you shall say moreover your servant Jacob is behind us for he thought I may appease him with the present that goes ahead of me and afterward I shall see his face.

Perhaps he will accept me. So the president passed on ahead of him and he himself stayed that night in the camp. Same night he arose and took his two wives, his two female servants and his eleven children and crossed the ford of the Yabuk. He took them and sent them across the stream and everything else that he had and Jacob was left alone. And a man wrestled with him until the breaking of the day when the man saw that he did not prevail against Jacob he touched his hip socket and Jacob's hip was put out of joint as he wrestled with him.

Then he said, let me go for the day has broken. But Jacob said, I will not let you go unless you bless me. And he said to him, what is your name? And he said, Jacob. Then he said, your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with God and with men and have prevailed. Then Jacob asked him please tell me your name but he said why is it that you ask my name and there he blessed him so Jacob called the name of the place Peniel saying for I have seen God face to face and yet my life has been delivered the sun rose upon him as he passed Penuel limping because of his hip therefore to this day the people of Israel do not eat the sinew of the thigh that is on the hip because he touched the socket of Jacob's hip on the sinew of the thigh.

How will you know if God's grace has made you a man or a woman of faith? What will you see if you are a man or a woman of faith? Well, the first thing you'll see is the encouragement of faith, verses 1 and 2. The encouragement of faith. it appears if you know something of the geography of this area that Jacob makes a significant detour on his way home he did not have to enter by way of the Jabbok river a tributary of the Jordan he did not have to go that way it's not that he needed to get past Esau on his way back to Canaan he could probably have found another way but evidently he wanted to meet Esau he went in a way that would put him in contact with his brother.

He didn't have to go that way. That's the way he chose. But as he enters the land, he sees another vision of angels. Now, do you remember at Bethel in chapter 28, as he was leaving the land, God met him, and he had a vision of angels ascending and descending the stairway into heaven. And there he heard the promise of God, of his presence, and his protection.

Now, as he enters the land, he sees angels again. As he leaves, he has a vision of angels. As he re-enters the land, he has a vision of angels. Now, I don't know what that looked like. It says the angels met him. And he calls it a camp, which is a military term.

So I don't know what that looked like. Maybe Jacob had left the camp on a walk and he crested over a hill and BAM! There was this army of angels standing there, just waiting for him. I'm not sure. But you remember that when he met the angels the first time, he named the place, This is the house of God. Now, as he re-enters the land and God gives him another vision of angels, he says, This is the camp of God.

He names those two places. this is what this is much like what elisha experienced many many years later You remember the story of Elisha and his servant They in their home and the king of Syria has sent troops to get him And so all these troops have surrounded his house. And his servant says, oh no, they outnumber us, what are we going to do? And Elisha says, we have more on our side than they do.

And his servant says, what are you crazy? There's two of us and a whole chariot corps out there. And Elisha says, Lord, open his eyes. And so he looked out and he saw the hillsides covered with the fiery chariots of God's army. Okay? That's what's going on here.

Jacob sees something that he didn't know was there. It's another camp. A camp of God's army. And so he names this place two camps. His camp and God's camp. Now, this is a message from God.

Do you see the message from God? Jacob does not need to resort to slippery strategies in the face of obstacles and dangers. He should trust the unseen forces of God. God is helping him. God is encouraging his faith. You know what God does here? with this vision of an army of angels?

He repeats his promise that he had made at Bethel with those other angels. That is this, Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go and will bring you back to this land for I will not leave you until I have done what I promised you. He can face Esau and the dangers that lie ahead. you will see the encouragement of your faith if you live by faith.

God encourages Jacob's faith with a vision of his strength. Do you see God encouraging your faith? We may appear weak and powerless. And you know, the more I've been giving this a lot of thought this week, and of course, being the political animal I am, I'm thinking about politics a lot, especially this year. but it appears to me that we are a weak and powerless people does it not does it appear that way to you our views are scoffed at our views are dismissed what we believe is said to be bigotry and we shouldn't even allow the statements to be made that we would make it appears to us that we are weak and powerless in the face of all these obstacles and enemies but we have a God who works behind the scenes we must always remember that there is another realm of reality there is another dimension that we forget about it is God operating behind the scenes remember what the writer to the Hebrews said in Hebrews chapter 11 verse 1 now faith is the assurance of things hoped for the conviction of things not seen.

By the way, not just things that we make up, but things that are true, things that God says are true, but we can't see them. We're convinced that those things exist, that God will work behind the scenes, that he is behind the scenes, that there is a dimension that we know nothing about unless God opens up the curtains for us to see. God encourages our faith by that which is unseen, by saying to us, I'm at work.

Now this faith in God's presence will soon be put to the test for Jacob. It will often be put to the test for us. And you see what shows up. When the test comes, you're going to see what shows up. If you're living by faith, if God's grace has transformed you into a person of faith, it will show up. And there will be evidence of that.

And so as we continue in the narrative, you will see the evidence, the evidences of faith. in verses 3 through 23. You see the evidences of faith. The first evidence of faith that you see is humility. Humility. Look at verses 3 through 6. Jacob sends out messengers to Esau with a carefully crafted message.

Now if you think Jacob is trying to flatter Esau so that it goes well, that is if you see Jacob here is brown nosing his brother in order to be okay, you're not reading the text correctly. Do you notice what he calls Esau in verse 4? He says, Thus you shall say to my lord Esau, Thus says your servant Jacob, I have sojourned with Laban and stayed until now.

Now, you may think, well, that's just brown nosing. No, no, no. Notice. He says to his servants, tell Esau my Lord. He's not saying, okay, tell Esau this. Your servant, I'm your servant and you're Lord.

He actually says to his servants before they leave, you tell Esau my Lord. You see what he's saying? In the message then, he acknowledges himself as a servant to Esau's Lord as he asks for Esau's favor. here is humility Jacob voluntarily reclaims the position of subordinate younger brother don't miss it he's claiming the place of subordination it's as if he repudiates his past sin of scheming and cheating against his brother although he's the recipient of the blessing he will not act the part a person of faith will have a humble attitude a person of faith will not look at the past and glory in it he'll be humble about it and so Jacob is but when the messengers return it seems that they come with a report not of a brother who welcoming him not as a brother who's forgotten the past.

This may be a welcoming party, but it looks a whole lot like the militia's been called out to do some damage. That's what it looks like. It doesn't look like a guard of honor. it looks like a force of troops that are coming to do something awful. I mean, that's what you would expect, would it not be? If you were Jacob? You have a brother who's threatened to kill you when you left?

You don't know what's happened? You're coming back? And all of a sudden you get this message that he's coming with 400 armed men? I don't know about you, but I would not think that that's a good sign. And he didn't take it as a good sign. What do you see then?

Look at verses 7 and 8. You see prudence in the face of fear. Prudence in the face of fear. He makes a plan, right? He divides his one camp into two camps. In his distress, he divides everything into two camps in the hopes that if one is attacked, the other will survive.

Now, let's be honest. never think that faith eliminates fear. Faith does not always eliminate fear, nor does it eliminate the need for prudent planning. What we need to see here is that even when faced with imminent disaster, Jacob does not run away. Don't miss that. he's going to continue towards his brother. What did he do last time his brother threatened him?

He ran away. He's not going to do it this time. He's not going to do it this time. He is determined to meet his brother. He is not controlled by fear. And yet, he still planned as prudence dictated.

You know, God promises to meet all our needs, doesn't he? So that means I don't have to look for a job. Right? Now, it doesn't mean that at all. I know that when I was unemployed at times, Beck and I would have to trim some things that we were used to. There were things we couldn't do that we liked to do.

You know, I can remember in our younger days that we would do the laundry together. Okay? Four kids now. and the laundromat was right across the street from McDonald's and I remember one time we thought, let's really go all out this week. Let's get some fries. That was it. Because we couldn't afford hamburger, fries and drink.

We just got an order of fries. That was really living high, right? Now, could we have said at that point, Ah, God's going to provide all our needs. Let's get the Big Mac super meal. Right? No.

No. You know, God promises He's going to bless the preaching of His Word. Well, if that's the case, I've got all kinds of time this week. I'll just do my calling and I'll see people and I'll read all I want and just get up here and whatever strikes me I'm going to preach, right? No. I'm going to spend hours trying to think through the Word and trying to put it together and then putting it all together in a way that at least is digestible for you, if not pleasant digestion.

That takes a lot of work. It doesn't mean then, if God promises to bless the preaching of His Word, it does not mean that I stop planning. And that's the case with Jacob. He's faced with imminent disaster. And so he plans. But you know what I think?

I think he plans in faith. You know why? Because if one camp is attacked, the survivors would be the ones who fulfill the promise of God. You see? he knew God had promised in his descendants he took action to see that that would be the case and so you find prudence in the face of fear that's what faith looks like but the greatest evidence of God's grace making you a man or woman of faith is prayer verses 9-12 do you realize that this is the longest prayer recorded in Genesis.

And it's coming from Jacob! Can you believe that? This is Jacob praying! Jacob the schemer! Jacob the one who never prayed! Jacob now prays it's the longest recorded prayer in the book of Genesis.

He's beginning to see that strategy is not enough. That his hope is not in strategy. His hope is not in his prudent planning. here you find a prayer from the heart of faith what does that look like he recognizes god as the one true god do you notice how he addresses god oh god of my father abraham and god of my father isaac okay when god revealed himself to jacob at bethel you know what he said he said i am the lord the god of abraham your father and the god of isaac that's how he revealed himself that's the exact way he revealed himself therefore this is how Jacob addresses him this is the only God this is the only one who can provide and protect him This is the one who had promised him, right?

When he left Laban, God had said to him, return to the land and I will do you good. And so he's saying, Lord, the one that I know, the only one, you said you'd do good if I returned to this land. And then he confesses his own unworthiness and God's grace. This is Jacob saying these things. Look at verse 10. I am not worthy of the least of all the deeds of steadfast love and all the faithfulness that you have shown to your servant for only with my staff I crossed this Jordan and now I've become two camps is that the Jacob that you saw with his brother Esau before?

I'm not worthy of this? no, no, no I'm going to get the birthright it's mine even though I did not deserve anything you've done anything you've done more than you promised Ed Bethel I left with nothing and everything I possess came to me by your grace I am merely a servant not a polished achiever I don't deserve this this is a noticeably different man he then asked God for protection please protect the mothers and the children please Lord protect them and then verse 12 the essence of Jacob's plea is that God will continue to fulfill the promises that he had made this is a man of faith he says Father God I believe that you will fulfill your promises I'm staking everything on that. You said. You committed yourself to.

And everything I am is staked on that. Let me ask you. Do you pray? You say, that's a simple, silly question. No, it's not. You know, John Calvin once said, the breath of faith is prayer.

If you're a person of faith, prayer will be like breathing. It'll be so common and so natural to you. Why? Because it expresses your dependence on God. Nothing expresses your dependence on God more than your praying. What do you do when it seems that everything is going wrong, even when you try to do everything right, because that's what's happening to him.

He's doing everything right, and it looks like everything's going wrong. What do you do? You lay out all your fears before the Lord. You ask Him to do what He has committed Himself to do in His Word, and you press on in faith. And that's what he did. He laid it all out before the Lord, and then he pressed on in faith.

One last evidence of faith, which I believe you see in verses 13 through 23, is a changed outlook. he sees things in a different way than he's ever seen them before. Now Jacob planned to spend the night alone in the camp. For some reason, he wanted to be alone in the camp. So he sent all these gifts and he sent all his family on ahead of him. He sent drove after drove of animals ahead of his family and himself. gifts to his brother, he says, in order to appease him, if he still harbored his murderous intent.

But again, do not think that Jacob sent these on ahead. Do not think he sent the animals and then his family as a shield, which is what we normally think. That's not what he's doing. Why do I say that? Because he made sure that he told the shepherds, who are taking everything ahead, make sure you say to Esau, Jacob is behind us and he's coming. Now if Jacob was sending these people as his shield, he wouldn't be saying that.

If Esau wanted to deal with Jacob, Jacob's given him ample opportunity to do it. Yes, I want to appease my brother. I'd rather not be in danger. But make sure you tell him, Your servant Jacob is behind us. He's coming. These actions show a man of faith because his whole outlook has changed.

Let's see. For one, he sends a present to Esau. Now notice, you notice that word in verse 13, this present you notice it as well in verse 18 There a present sent to my Lord Esau You see it again in verse 20 I may appease him with the present that goes ahead of me And verse 21, so the present passed on ahead of him. Not presence, present. What is that? That is the Hebrew word that normally means tribute.

It means tribute, signifying the offerings made from an inferior to a superior. It was often used that way. I would give you tribute. You know what tribute is, right? A king would pay tribute to the emperor. Why?

To show that the emperor was superior. He was just serving at the emperor's pleasure. Tribute was sent. And so this is a term that means tribute. By these gifts he says to Esau, You are my Lord and I am your servant. There's a changed outlook here.

Faith says that the desperate desire to be the top dog matters nothing at all. He doesn't care about that anymore. He doesn't care that everyone sees him as the number one son. Faith has changed his outlook. the gifts also say to Esau I no longer desire all the wealth that comes with the birthright and so I repay you I'm going to give you a big chunk here's a changed outlook I don't need to pursue possessions because God will bless me in fulfillment of his covenant I don't need to pursue it God will remain faithful to his covenant promises He makes it clear that he will meet Esau face to face and will not run away like he did last time.

Make sure you tell Esau, I'm coming. Here's a changed outlook. I do not fear what you will do to me because God has covenanted his presence and his protection. when you operate by faith you will see things differently when you operate by faith the worries of this world will start to look smaller because you believe in your God that he will be faithful to what he has committed to you now it's not the end of the story yet is it?

Jacob sends everyone ahead. He wants to stay alone in the camp. I don't know why. Maybe he wanted to stay alone in the camp. Let's just imagine. He wanted to stay alone in the camp in order to pray.

Maybe prepare himself for what he's going to face the next day. So imagine for a moment. Let's use our sanctified imagination. Jacob stands there praying, and suddenly, out of the dark, a strange man charges into the camp and knocks him down. Or as one writer put it, God assaults him. Imagine that.

He's praying. And all of a sudden this guy emerges out of the darkness and knocks him down. He knows there's danger here. For Jacob, this is a life and death struggle that he cannot lose. And so they wrestle. They wrestle through the night.

This isn't like a wrestling match with a ref. Whoop! Blown his whistle. This is a match to stay alive. As far as Jacob knows, this is an intruder who wants to kill him. And so he's wrestling with him.

And with his incredible strength. Remember, Jacob is not this puny little guy. Who likes to make pancakes at home like we all think he is. He's a big, muscular guy. So muscular, he has enough strength to wrestle this intruder all night. He can go the distance.

But he cannot win. Because the one he wrestles is God himself. Now listen. Don't even ask the question. How is it that God can appear as a man and wrestle with Jacob? I don't know.

And whenever we ask that question, all of a sudden we're off over here and we miss the whole point of the passage. Ask that another time. But here he is wrestling with God. Jacob realizes who his opponent is when he merely touches his hip and puts it out of joint. That's when he knows something is going on here more than just an intruder. And so when his adversary tells him to let go, Jacob replies he will not let him go until he receives a blessing from this heavenly messenger.

What's your name? asks the wrestler. And Jacob tells him, Jacob, an admission. I am Jacob. That is I am the devious usurper Because that what it means And God says well from now on you Israel Because you have striven with God and with men, and you have prevailed. But what is your name? asked Jacob. And he's denied the name of the one who opposes him.

Why do you think that is? Well, later, if you read the story of Manoah in 1 Samuel, this is Samson's father. The story of Manoah, Samson's father, who also has a similar experience. He sees God, if you will, or a form of God face to face. And when he asks that heavenly messenger his name, God replies, why do you ask my name, like here? why do you ask my name seeing it is wonderful or beyond understanding I'm not going to tell you my name because you couldn't even fathom it if I did instead instead of giving his name God blesses Jacob now Jacob knows that he has encountered the very God that has protected him who has been with him all this time and so he names the place Peniel.

Peniel is a Hebrew word. It means the face of God. The face of God. And by the way, Penuel means the same thing. It's just a different way of saying it. Peniel and Penuel are the same thing.

And Jacob is noting this place. Remember Bethel. He named it Bethel. Right? It's the house of God. Now he names it Peniel.

I've seen God face to face face of God I've seen the face of God and my life has been delivered listen if he has come face to face with God and lives he will certainly be able to face Esau that's the whole point he'll be able to face Esau now because he's faced God and he hasn't died the whole point of this scene is that you see the nature of faith What is faith, if you will? What is faith in its essence? What is the kernel of faith?

The nature of faith is dogged dependence on God. Alright? Put that on your refrigerator. Faith is dogged dependence on God. look at the prophet Hosea again in Hosea chapter 12 verse 4 Jake read that to us in our Old Testament reading Hosea 12 verse 4 in which Hosea said he strove with the angel and prevailed he wept and sought his favor what? you know when I was if I was at a wrestling tournament with my sons right and some kid in the middle of a wrestling match started crying and saying please let me win i would not say that he prevailed against his opponent i would say what a wimp he's what is he doing on the mat but that's not the way it is with god it is that way that's exactly what he's saying faith does not prevail through strength it prevails through weakness it's dogged dependence Jacob prevailed with God when his strength failed he prevailed when he had no strength not even the strength to walk he prevailed when he wept and begged God for his blessing He prevailed when the only thing left to do was hang on.

That's when he prevailed. Not when he was fighting with God, when he finally couldn't fight anymore and the only thing he could do was hold on. That's when he prevailed with God. And he would prevail with men with this dogged dependence on God. scheming words and physical strength would no longer overcome his adversaries but by faith he would overcome his enemies not in his power not in his clever way of talking and manipulating he would overcome by dependence on God by faith and he will prevail against Esau by his faith in this God.

His limp and the custom his descendants would follow serve as a perpetual reminder When Jacob became weak in his struggle with God Israel the victor emerged Are you a victor? That is, can you be characterized by a dogged dependence on God? Would you say your life is characterized by this kind of faith? and being the victor by the way does not mean that everything is going to go your way being the victor as one writer put it does not mean that God will always roll out the red carpet for you and make it an easy way no no that's not victory being the victor does not mean you're going to emerge victorious like everyone else around you defines victory Jacob was victorious and he emerges limping recognizing that it's God who will strengthen him you may suffer but if you suffer in faith you are victorious you may even die but if you die in faith you're the victor The world may look at you and say you're a loser.

God says, in your weakness, in your powerlessness, as you trust in God, you are the victor. But Jacob is not the only Israel of God, is he? For another comes to prevail with God and men. God the Son endured the agonizing assault of God the Father so that grace and blessing would flow to us so that we would receive that grace having wrestled with men his entire earthly life Jesus wrestled with God on our behalf he wrestled with God in the garden if there's any other way God will you please take this away yet not my will but your will be done.

He wrestled with God on the cross when he cried out, My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? And the outcome of that wrestling was not merely a hip injury. He was wounded and flogged and crucified and burdened down with the whole weight of our transgressions. But Jesus clung to God and would not let him go until he received a blessing, a blessing not for himself, but for his people.

Through his faithful clinging to the Father, he prevailed over sin and death. And as a result, he's been given a name that is above every other name. We also become the Israel of God as we're united to Christ, we participate in His struggles and His suffering as well as His victory. Jesus struggled on the cross, not so that you would not suffer. Jesus struggled on the cross so that your struggles would prove to be fruitful.

You become more like Jesus. It will become fruitful in the fact that it slowly but surely kills that independent self-dependence that you carry within your heart so that you become more and more and more dependent on God. Look into the cross. We cling to God alone in order to prevail. So once more the question, has the grace of God transformed you into a man or woman of faith?

Father thank you for your word what a delight it is to look into these stories you have given us and see your faithfulness and your people's faith we are encouraged because they are not perfect people we are encouraged because you slowly transformed Jacob into this man of faith and so we have hope as your grace slowly but surely transforms us so that we depend on You. Give us, Father, that dogged dependence that is faith. We ask this for the sake of Your Son so that we can serve Him well and show the world truly our God.

Thank you for your word again. In Jesus' name, amen.