The Restoring and Rebuilding of Job

The Restoring and Rebuilding of Job
Job 40-42
July 22-23, 2023

I tell you what, I am going to miss the Book of Job because it is one of the deepest books of the Bible. Interestingly, this last week, I was at a Pastors & Leaders Conference. I was leading the breakout session for all of the senior pastors. We were talking about messages and whatnot. I happen to mention that I'm teaching through the Book of Job. The expression in everyone's face was, "Woo, tough book," right?

I am excited about this book because it touches on some of the deepest, most important issues of life. It speaks of the nature of God. It will stir up your faith. It will show you how to live and endure through a very troubled and broken-down, messed-up world, how to live victoriously through adversity. It is a book filled with great depth. Now, as we were reading the story of Job, of course, as we know, his story endured relentless misery and suffering for months.

He lost his vast wealth. His children all perished in a great tragedy. His health was impacted in that he was covered with boils from the soles of his feet to the crown of his head. At first, as we read in the story, Joe bore the calamities with inspiring integrity. From the very beginning, when the tragedy first struck, he said, "Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I shall return. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away, blessed be the name of the Lord." I mean, inspiring.

Then when his health was impacted and he's sitting there in the ashes scraping the boils with a piece of pottery, that's when his wife said to him, "Are you still holding on to your integrity? Curse God and die then." Again, inspiring how he responded. He said, "Indeed, shall we accept good from God and not adversity? You speak as one of the foolish women speaks." As the suffering and the misery dragged on and on month after month, it just wore him down.

Now, if you've ever been through a long, enduring, difficult time, some great tragedy that's gone on and on, you know that it just wears and wears you down. Joe began to complain against God. He knew. Job knew in his heart that he was holding on to his integrity, so why then would God allow him to suffer? He didn't understand. He was accusing God of being unjust. "I will complain in the bitterness of my soul," he said. "Does He not see my ways? Let God weigh me in accurate scales, then He will see my integrity."

See, in other words, it says, and we read through the story, Job wanted to speak to God. "I got some things to say. I want to speak my mind. That's what I want. I want to know where He is. I want to come to where He's sitting. I want to present my case. I want to fill my mouth with arguments. I got some stuff to say. Oh, I would like to learn the words, which He would answer, and perceive what He would say to me."

He says, "Would He contend with me by the greatness of His power? No. Surely, He would listen to me." In other words, Job is saying, "God owes me an explanation." Now that brings us to the last chapters of the Book of Job. God does speak out of the storm. God does speak to Job. He does not explain why Job suffers. Instead, He says, "Will the faultfinder contend with the Almighty? Let him who reproves God answer."

Now, in other words, God is not going to stand trial before Job. Job is the one who's going to give an answer. God begins to speak to Job out of the storm starting in Chapter 38. Again, we'll look at that at the Wednesday service, but He begins by saying, "You want to question Me? Gird up your loins like a man and I will ask you. No, you're going to answer me. Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth?"

"Have you ever in your life commanded the morning and caused the dawn to know its place? Have you ever walked in the recesses of the deep? Have the gates of death been open to you? Have you understood the expanse of the earth? Who is it that put wisdom in the innermost being or who has given understanding to the mind? Is it by your understanding that the hawk soars? Is it at your command that the eagle mounts at wings and makes its nest on the cliffs?"

Now, Job hearing this, of course, there's much more to it. We see this Wednesday. Job responds with humility. "Behold, I am insignificant. What can I reply? I lay my hand on my mouth. Once, I have spoken and I will not answer. Even twice and I will add no more." See, before these chapters are over, Job will see. He will understand that God weaves His purpose into our lives. Everything that God does declares the greatness of His glory.

Then, finally, before the story's over, Job's life is rebuilt and restored. The blessing on Job's life is even greater at the end than it was at the beginning. All right, now, what we're going to do, we're going to read this today in two sections. We're going to read right now out of Chapter 40 and then later out of Chapter 42. Beginning in Chapter 40:1, again, we're picking it up right in the midst of this.

I. Would You Contend with the Almighty?

The Lord then said to Job, "Will the faultfinder contend with the Almighty? Let him who reproves God answer it." Then Job answered the Lord and he said, "Behold, I am insignificant. What could I reply to You? I lay my hand on my mouth. Once, I have spoken, and I will not answer. Even twice, I will add no more." The Lord answered Job out of the storm and He said, "Now, gird up your loins like a man. I will ask you. You instruct Me. Will you really annul My judgment? Will you condemn Me that you might be justified?"

"Do you have an arm like God? Can you thunder it with a voice like His? Adorn yourself with eminence and dignity. Clothe yourself with honor and majesty. Pour out the overflowings of your anger. Look on everyone who's proud make him low. Yes, look on everyone who's proud and humble him. Tread down the wicked way he stands. Hide them in the dust together. Bind them in the hidden place. Then you do that. Then I will confess that by your own right hand, you can save yourself."

Now, of course, He continues on and on in beautiful, powerful ways. I want us to look at these verses here because there's so much for us to take hold of and apply to our lives starting with this, "Would you contend with the Almighty?" I love that. Verse 2, "Will the faultfinder contend with the Almighty?" Well, people find fault with God all the time. They don't agree with God. They don't agree with the way He rules the world.

They say, "God's not fair. Why does God allow evil to exist?" and on and on. "You say you love me, and yet I have troubles in my life." It's as though they are the ones who sit on the judgment seat and God is the one on trial. I love Verse 8 where God says to Job, "Really? Will you really annul My judgment? Will you condemn Me that you might be justified? Will you contend with the Almighty?" See, I submit that rather than contending with the Almighty, we need to be at peace with the Almighty. That's one of the great results of the story.

A. Be at peace with the Almighty

Ah, it's much better to be at peace. See, now, there's a vast difference. When someone is going through a longstanding adversity or a longstanding trial. There's a vast difference between an honest trying to understand, trying to understand the ways of God or what is happening. There's a vast difference between that and standing in judgment of God. "God, I don't agree." That's different. See, now, you may wrestle with the trouble.

You may wrestle with some trouble in your heart, but you must come to that place where even if you do not understand why something is happening, you come to the place where you trust God's heart. I don't know why. "God, I don't know what is happening. I don't know why, but I trust You. I know that You love me. I know that You're for me. I trust You. I don't know why this is happening, but I know who does. It's You. I trust You. That comes to a place of peace.

Peace with the Almighty in the midst of trouble or adversity. That's the place to come to. Many of you know our story. We've been through great troubles. Our daughter was killed many, many times. I don't know why, but I know who does. I'm at peace because I know that God is with me. I know that God is for me and I know that God will walk with me through it all. There is peace. Peace with the Almighty. Come to that.

It reminds me of Isaiah 26:3-4, "The steadfast of mind You will keep in perfect peace." That is a beautiful picture. "The steadfast of mind You will keep in perfect peace because he trusts in thee. Trust in the Lord forever, for in God the Lord, we have an everlasting rock." That is a great declaration. Amen? Yes, let's give the Lord praise. He is worthy of praise. Job has been contending with God. Now, in these chapters, he puts his hand over his mouth and he sees now the majesty and the authority.

See, when you come to that place of peace, peace with the Almighty, when you're no longer contending, wrestling, resisting, contending with God, when you stand in awe of His majesty and authority, that's when you come to see that all of that majesty and all of that for you is for you. God will take all of that majesty and authority and bring it to bear to bless your life. You can either contend against God or you can be at peace and God will contend for you and pour out that authority and majesty in your behalf.

Here's a great set of verses out of the next chapter, Chapter 41. Again, God explains more, but notice in these verses how He builds up to a great statement. He says to Job, "Can you draw out Leviathan with the fishhook?" Now, we don't know exactly what Leviathan this creature is, but by the description of it, it's some great and powerful monster of the deep. We don't know. Again, maybe it's now past, but the description is some monstrous creature.

"Can you draw out Leviathan with a fishhook? Can you put a rope in his nose? Can you pierce his jaw with the hook?" Will he make supplication to you? Will he speak soft words to you? Can you fill his skin with harpoons? Can you fill his head with fishing hooks? Lay your hand on him and you will remember the battle and you will not do it again." I love that little description there. Yes, you try laying your hand on him, you'll never forget that battle because you'll never do it again.

He's building up now. He's building up. He says, "No one is so fierce that he would dare to arouse Leviathan. Who then is he who can stand before Me?" See how He's building up that great conclusion? "Who then is so fierce that he would dare to arouse Leviathan? Who is he who can stand before Me? Who has given to Me that I should repay him? I owe no man a thing. Whatever is under the whole heaven is Mine."

See, it's so much better to recognize the majesty and the authority and the greatness of God to be at peace with the Almighty and to know that that majesty of God is for you. I was thinking of an illustration. When we adopted our boys from Russia, the youngest one particularly really struggled with having a father who had authority in his life. You understand what I'm saying? He was in an orphanage and there were no parents to speak of. He grew up there and so he had no authority.

Now, we've adopted him. He's in our home and he's just struggling. "Ah, the internal struggle. There's an authority in my life now." One day, he was only with us a few weeks, and I came to his bed and I said, "Hey, did you brush your teeth?" He said, "No." I said, "Well, here's the thing. In our family, we brush our teeth before you go to bed. I need you to get out of bed and I need you to go brush your teeth." He said, "No. No, you're not my father." "Well, that's where you're wrong."

I swooped him up in my arms. I brought him downstairs and I put him on a nice, hard floor. I say, "You are going to sit right there until you and I resolve this. In other words, until there's peace right between us, you're going to sit right there until we get this thing resolved." He said, "Well, this isn't fair. You're bigger than I am." I said, "Well, now, I think you're beginning to understand how this works." Amen, parents? That's when he started screaming and just screaming.

I'm with him there. I'm laying on the bed listening to him scream. I'm pretending to be bored. Scream, scream, fine. My wife comes in. She said, "Oh, he's right next to the window. The neighbors are going to hear him screaming and they're going to call the police." I said, "Well, good. Let the police come, then he'll know the police are on my side. No, he needs to scream. Screaming is good for the lungs, right? It's good. It's healthy. He needs to scream. He needs to scream. Let him scream."

He's just screaming it out and then that doesn't work, so then he steps it up. Out come the claws, starts to rake his face. Oh, the inner anguish. Of course, I come. I take hold of him and I wrap him up and then I say, "Now, scream. Scream. Let's go. Scream." He's screaming, "No, more, more, louder. You need to get this out. Get this out. Scream. We need to scream." He's screaming and screaming with everything he's got. Finally, he starts to calm. My opportunity. My lips are right next to his ear.

"Listen, I understand. It's okay. I understand. You lost your mom. You lost your dad. You were taken from your brother. You're taken out of your homeland. You're brought to a foreign place. I understand. It's okay. I'm your father and I'm not going anywhere. This thing that just happened here, it doesn't change my love for you. We're going to wrestle this out. We're going to walk through this thing and we're going to walk through it together. I'm not going anywhere. I am your father and I'm for you. You can scream in my arms anytime you want because I will not stop loving you."

He says, "Dad, Dad, I'm so sorry. It'll never happen again." "It might. You can scream in my arms anytime you want. We're going to walk this through and we're going to walk it through together because I'm not going anywhere and neither are you." God is our father and He's going to contend and He's going to stand until we get this thing resolved because God's not going anywhere and neither are you.

B. Do all things through Christ who strengthens you

Let's come to peace with the Almighty. When you come to see that that father that you have been contending with and against is for you and all of that majesty and authority stands to support and to strengthen your life, then you can come to peace with the Almighty. Then we see this, "Do all things through Christ who strengthens you." Now, I'm bringing in a New Testament understanding here, but it applies directly to the Book of Job.

See, that verse comes from what Paul wrote to the church there, Philippi, and it has everything to do with learning to suffer well, which is why it directly applies to the Book of Job. We must learn to suffer well. Notice the verse, Philippians 4:11-13. Paul writes, "I have learned to be content." What does it mean to be content? "I have peace. I have peace with the Almighty. I've learned to be content in whatever circumstance I am."

"I know how to get along to do well in humble means. I know how to live in prosperity. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of being filled or going hungry, of having abundance, or suffering need. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me," grand conclusion to those verses. This could be called Paul's spiritual secret. Notice how it applies to those going through a time of trouble or adversity?

Now, many people, they love those verses. Of course, they will often memorize one part. When they look at those verses, they will memorize one part. That one part that they like to memorize is, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." They see that as a great declaration of their victory, right? "I can climb a great mountain. I can do some great things. I can be victorious in battle. I can climb great things and great feats," until you look at the context.

The context is I have found that I can be at peace even in times of hunger, even when suffering need. Oh, now, we see it differently. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Pastor Shawn and I were in Africa a few years ago. I was struck by what we saw in the believers there. They have learned to suffer well. You want to talk about difficulty enduring troubles. Many of them have to walk great distances.

It's difficult sometimes even to put food, but the joy of the Lord, I tell you what, those people know how to worship. The joy of the Lord is in that place. They have learned to suffer well in the sense that the joy of the Lord resounds in their heart and in their soul. Oh, they will worship. Oh, they'll turn the music up so loud. The speakers are almost blown. Some of them are blown. They just are joy. If they come here, it's like, "You people don't know how to worship. Let me tell you something."

Worship is when your soul is amazed in the majesty of God. They've learned to suffer well. Here's another way to see it. Growing up, I had friends who had every advantage in life. They had wealthy parents. They lived in a nice home. Their parents did not fight. There was peace. They were nurtured and encouraged all along the way. This is very helpful. No doubt. This is a great advantage in life.

Somewhere along the way, they're going to have to learn to endure hardship and endure hardship well. Somewhere, they grew up in every advantage. There was peace everywhere around them. Somewhere, they're going to have to learn to endure hardship well. In contrast, others like me grew up in poverty, had abusive, alcoholic father. There was dysfunction. There was yelling and chaos constantly.

Here's my point. Suffering itself does not teach one how to suffer well. Suffering alone does not teach one how to suffer well. In fact, such hardships have broken many lives. Many have been shipwrecked. Suffering itself does not teach you that. It's only when you come to discover that God's presence is enough. It's only when you come to discover that the joy of the Lord is your strength. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. It's only when you come to that understanding.

When the nation of Israel was wandering in the wilderness those 40 years, it says the people became like those who complain of adversity in the hearing of the Lord. What a description. The people of Israel there in the desert. You might describe it as adversity and trouble and difficulty. It says the people became like those who complain of adversity in the hearing of the Lord. Adversity has tested the faith of many people.

It's also a shipwreck, the faith of some. The question is, how do you respond to adversity? To what was it that God expected from Israel? What was it that He expected them to do? Well, God expected them to endure the wilderness by faith. God was taking them through the wilderness. There was a promise on the other side. Yes, it's a desert. Yes, it's dry. It's hot. It's difficult. It's irritating and the flesh stands ready to complain.

God promised to be with them. "I will walk with you in this. We will get through this. We will get through this wilderness. I promise you. I will be with you. We'll get through the other side." God wanted them to endure it by faith. The flesh stands ready to complain, but you must master it. You must learn to master adversity or adversity will master you. That is one of the great lessons from the Book of Job. You must learn to master adversity or adversity will master you. Then we see this. Now, turn your Bibles, please, to Chapter 42. Because now, we see the grand conclusion that God's purpose will stand. Notice Chapter 42.

II. God’s Purpose Will Stand

As we begin reading, we continue now the story, Chapter 42:1, "Job answered the Lord and he said, 'I know now that You can do all things and that no purpose of Yours can be thwarted.' Who is this that hides counsel without knowledge, you're saying? Well, I have declared things which I did not understand, things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me. I did not know. 'Hear now and I will speak,' you say. 'I will ask you. You instruct me,' you said. I have heard of you by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye has seen. Therefore, I retract. I repent in dust and ashes."

Verse 7 came about that after the Lord has spoken these words to Job that the Lord then spoke to Eliphaz. Remember those three friends who came to comfort Job? We've been seeing them in the story. They were his friends, but they were terrible counselors. You remember them? He says to Eliphaz, the first of the friends, "My wrath is kindled against you and against your two friends because you have not spoken of me what is right like my servant Job has."

Move to Verse 10, "Then he says the Lord restored the fortunes of Job when he prayed for his friends. The Lord increased all of that Job had twofold, then all his brothers and his sisters and all who had known him before, they came to him and they ate bread with him in his house. They consoled him and comforted him for all the evil that the Lord had brought on him. Each one gave him a piece of money and a ring of gold."

Then it says, "The Lord blessed the latter days of Job more than the beginning. He had 14,000 sheep, 6,000 camels, 1,000 yoke of oxen, 1,000 female donkeys, and he had 7 sons and 3 daughters. He named the first--" Now, he's going to make the daughters in the story stand out. We know their names of the three daughters. It says he named the first daughter, Jemimah. Now, I understand from history that she later became wealthy selling syrup in pancakes.

Although that part of the story has not been verified, I just thought I would put it out there. The name of the first daughter was Jemimah, the second was Keziah, and the third was Keren-Happuch. In all the land, no women were so fair as Job's daughters. Their father gave them inheritance, even them among their brothers, which is unusual, but they stood out. After all this, Job lived 140 years. He saw his sons, his grandsons, four generations. Job died an old man and full of days.

Great, glorious end. I want us to see this. Let's see the grand conclusions. God's purpose will stand. Now, in Chapter 41, remember what he said. God said to Job, "Who has given to Me that I should repay him?" In other words, God owes nothing to anyone, nor does He owe an explanation. Chapter 42, Job responds, "I declared that which I did not understand. Things too wonderful. I didn't understand. Things too wonderful for me. I did not know them."

A. No purpose of God can be thwarted

The things too wonderful for Job to understand were the ways of God that God declared to Job. "Where were you, Job, when I laid the foundations of the earth? Where were you when I laid its cornerstone, when the morning stars sang together, and all of the Sons of God shouted for joy?" Beautiful picture. What Job could see was that the purpose of God was far greater than he had ever imagined. Then he says, "Now, I see that no purpose of God can be thwarted."

God had purpose in all that Job endured. God does not owe an explanation and He does not give one. Job now understands that God's purpose will stand and that no purpose of God can be thwarted. Then you see that the purpose of God is revealed throughout the Word of God. For example, the purpose of God can be revealed and seen in the majesty of God's creation even. Notice Romans 1.

Romans 1:20-21, "Since the creation of the world, His invisible attributes, His eternal power, His divine nature have been clearly seen being understood through what has been made." One of the great purposes of God's creation is that it declares the wonder and majesty of who He is. When you stand under the stars at night and you behold, that's the time to say, "God, You are amazing. Majesty, I stand in awe of who You are."

When you stand on the seashore and you look at the sunset and the sky is lit with reds and purples and oranges and you stand there, that's the time to say, "God, You are amazing. All the creation declares the greatness of who You are." He says, "Since the creation of the world, His invisible attributes, His power, His divine nature have been clearly understood, being understood through what has been made so that they are without excuse."

The unrighteous, the ungodly. They have no excuse for even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God, but His purpose was revealed. Another one God declares that there is purpose in allowing evil to remain for now. The question of evil, He speaks to it. There is purpose, He says, for allowing evil to remain for now. Romans 9:22-23, Paul writes, "What if God, although willing to demonstrate His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much patience, vessels of wrath prepared for destruction?"

Now, vessels of wrath, he's speaking here of the evil of this world. There are evil people in this world. You know it. I know it. They are called vessels of wrath prepared for destruction. What if God, quite willing to demonstrate His wrath and to make His power known, what if God endured with much patience these vessels of wrath prepared for destruction? He did so in order that He might make known the riches of His glory upon vessels of mercy, which He prepared beforehand for glory.

You, those who recognize the name of the Almighty, you are those vessels of mercy. He says that He has a great purpose. He has prepared you beforehand for the glory, for the revealing of glory that you might be eyewitnesses, and to declare the greatness of His majesty and His glory. God reveals His purpose. Then you can see that God weaves His purpose into every person that He has created. God weaves His purpose into your life. Do you believe that?

You can see it, Romans 9:11-12, "For though the twins were not yet born," he's speaking here of Jacob and Esau. "For though the twins were not yet born and had done nothing good or bad, but in order that God's purpose according to His choice might stand, not because of works but because of Him who calls, it was said to Rebecca, the older will serve the younger," which is not the normal way.

Normally, the younger would serve the older, but it says God has a purpose. God is going to weave that purpose into the lives of Jacob and Esau. He says to Rebecca, "No, the older will serve the younger. God will weave His purpose and God will weave His purpose into our lives." You watch. You'll see it. Watch for it. God will reveal it. God will weave in the fabric of your life the purpose of God. I was thinking of an illustration. We were married, I think, maybe only a few months.

At one point, I was sitting at home playing the piano. Jordy was in the room next door or next to us. She came into the room and she said, "What was happening in your life during such and such time?" She named the year and the time. "What was happening in your life then?" I said, "Why?" She said, "Because I just remembered. I was in high school," and she had rededicated her life to the Lord and God was moving in her life.

She said, "I felt a burden. I can't explain it, but a wave of grief came over me. I felt that it had to do with my future husband." She said, "What do you do with that?" I went to my youth leader and I said, "I don't know what this is. I have this grief. Something is wrong. I just think it has to do with my future husband." The youth leader says, "Well, that is God. God has put this burden on your heart that you would intercede and pray," so she did. She interceded. She prayed.

Her youth leader said, "Do that until the burden is lifted," so several weeks. She says, "I just remember that. Now, I know who my husband is. We're married." "Tell me, what was happening in your life such and such a year, such and such a time?" "Well, my foot had almost slipped, I almost lost my way. I was with the wrong person. It all came to a point when, one day, we're at dinner at a restaurant. I said to this person, the wrong person, I said, 'What do you think about being married to a pastor?'"

Now, where that question came from, I wasn't planning on asking that question. Did those words come out of my mouth? Where did that come from? I was in business. I was involved in business, a business owner. I studied business management in college. Where did that come from? Well, I know where it came from. When I first came to the Lord, I felt that I was supposed to be a pastor, but I tucked it way back. It never left me.

There we are at dinner and it just came out of my mouth. I wasn't planning on asking that question for sure, but it just came out. I said, "Well, what do you think about-- How would you feel if you were married to a pastor?" She said, "No. No, I'm going to be married to a businessman. That's who you are. No." I said, "Okay. Well, thank you." Right away, a lightning bolt hit my heart. This is not right. All of it is not right.

I remember I was polite, but I was troubled. We went out to the car. I opened the door. She got in. I closed the door. The walk from that door to that door was the longest walk of my life. "God, get me out of this. It's wrong. It's all wrong. All of it's wrong. I see it now. I've been blind. Now, I see. Get me out of this. It's wrong. All of it's wrong," and then it all resolved, got out of that, rolled the tape forward a few years.

Now, I'm sitting at dinner with Jordy, just asked her to marry me, and then I said, "Question. How would you feel about being married to a pastor? I don't know how. I was a business owner. You know my story. Business management. I don't know how that would ever happen. I don't know. I'm just asking. How would you feel if you were married to a pastor?" She said, "Really? That's my dream. I've always wanted to be in ministry. Introduce that together would be a dream to me."

B. God restores what the locusts have eaten

I thought, "Oh, Lord, Your purpose is amazing." Here we are, Amen, because here we are 40 years later. We've been in ministry almost 40 years. God very quickly started opening doors. How He weaved His purpose here at the very time I almost lost my way, at the very time my foot almost slipped, He puts on her a burden to intercede for a person she had never met. The purpose of God is woven into the fabric of your life. If you watch, you'll see. Amen.

The last thing we must close with this, God restores what the locusts have eaten. The story of Job would not be complete without seeing the restoring and the rebuilding of Job's life. It says that the Lord increased all that he had twofold, that the Lord blessed the latter days of Job even more than the beginning, and he died an old man and full of days and richly blessed. See, the hope of God is seen in that it is a principle of God's heart that He restores.

God restores the broken. God rebuilds those who turn to Him. He restores that which the locusts have eaten. God wants to restore. God wants to rebuild your life. This time, He will build in on a better foundation. God will rebuild your life, but He will build it on a better foundation. Then when He builds the foundation, He will build on that foundation, the construct of integrity.

That is also one of the great lessons that we receive from the Book of Job that upon that foundation, He will build the construct of character of God, the posts, the beams, the steel, the rocks of integrity, of character, of godliness. There is no greater way to live than that. Amen? Father, we love You and honor You for the revealing of the greatness of who You are. Your Majesty, we stand in awe that we might have peace with the Almighty and that You weave Your purpose. We see now that Your purpose is greater than we've ever imagined.

God, here we are. We say to You, weave Your purpose into the fabric of our lives with the glory of Your hand. Church, how many would say that to the Lord? How many would declare that to the Lord? Here am I. Here I am, Lord. Weave Your purpose. I see now, Your Majesty. I stand in awe of who You are. I'm at peace. My heart has found peace with the Almighty, so here I am. Weave Your purpose into the fabric of my life. I want my life to give You glory. I want my life to be in Your honor.

Church, would you declare that to the Lord by simply raising your hand as a way of expressing that declaration? God, here I am. I say to You, weave the purpose of God into my life. I stand in awe of who You are. Here am I, Lord. Let my life be for Your glory. We pray that in Jesus' name and everyone said, let's give the Lord praise and glory and honor. Can we do that? Amen.