How to Walk on High Places

How to Walk on High Places
Psalm 18:1-50
Sept 30 - Oct 1, 2023

David wrote so many of the Psalms, and he wrote Psalm 18 and I think it's important to know that David wrote Psalms all his life and all of those critical moments of his life. He poured out his faith and his heart to God through the songs, the Psalms, they are songs. When David was a shepherd, simple shepherd tending sheep, he wrote Psalms. when he was pursued by Saul in danger of his life, he wrote Psalms. When he sinned with Bathsheba and his heart was convicted within, he wrote Psalms. When he was fleeing for his life from his son Absalom, he wrote Psalms.

See, he wrote Psalm 18 as a giving God thanks for being the help and the deliverer. God is that deliverer in David's life so you might call it a Psalm of deliverance. Now, when you study David's life, you'll see how often, how many times God delivered David from trouble. It was a theme. David had epic troubles in his life, but God was the deliverer. Over and over and over, God saved, God rescued. He was a very present help in times of trouble, David wrote. A very present help, and he writes these psalms so that you will know that God is a very present help in a time of trouble.

We all know troubles, we all know difficulties and you need to be encouraged that God is that very present help. David faced more troubles than you can imagine. Years he spent on the run from Saul's wrath and jealousy. He clashed with the Philistines, he confronted enemy armies from the countries around Israel. His own son, Absalom tried to overthrow him. David had to flee Jerusalem to save his own life. He barely was re-established on the throne when he had another attempt to overthrow the kingdom. In all of these troubles, they're epic, he looked to God to be that help, that deliverer.

See, we love reading Psalms because the Psalms speak to us right where we are. See, songs and Psalms are meaningful when you experience what they are about. It's true with music in general, you relate to songs. Music has a way of just drawing your emotion, your connection to that. A song becomes meaningful when you experience what the song is about. In other words, people listen to love songs when they're in love.

People listen to breakup songs when they're breaking up. People listen to sad songs when they're feeling sad. Hello, darkness, my friend. You feel sad. I've come to talk to you again, you feel sad. It's a sad song. David faced mini troubles and he would write a Psalm out of that trouble and anyone who has faced troubles could read that psalm and be encouraged. He called out to God in his troubles and God would deliver him. Many of us face troubles, and you need a Psalm of deliverance to encourage you, to strengthen your faith, to arise, to know how to respond to that trouble, to remind you to have hope, to have faith, encourage you to be steadfast.

Because challenges and difficulties and troubles are part of this broken-down evil world and we see it from early on in David's life. David trusted in God to be his help from early, early in his life. He stood by that all his life. Even in his old age, he would turn to God to be that help that deliverer. In Psalm 18, he writes these words after he's been delivered by the Lord, yet again. David is called a man after God's own heart and the words of these songs, these Psalms, really show you that heart that he had after God.

If you would take these words and apply them to your life, you will be strengthened, you'll be helped. You will know how to call on God to be your help, to be your deliverer in time of trouble. Let's read it. Now, we're not going to read the whole Psalm. It's quite lengthy. We did that a couple of Wednesdays ago, but we're going to read some of it, starting with verse one, Psalm 18:1. I would like you to notice how he begins this psalm. I love how he begins this Psalm. Just listen to this, "I love you." That's how he begins. Isn't that a great way to start? I love you, Lord.

Now, you got to just love David. David is bold, David is unashamed, David loves the Lord. Do you remember when David was bringing in the arc of the covenant into Jerusalem? He was so excited that he was out there leading the worshipers, and he was worshiping and dancing before the Lord, and he was just full of joy for the Lord. He's not ashamed to say it. I love you. That's one of the keys to David's faith, by the way, that's one of the keys to David's success. That's one of the keys to David's strength. He's unashamed. I love you, Lord, you are my strength.

Notice then verse two, he says, "The Lord is my rock, my fortress, my deliverer, my God, my rock in whom I take refuge, my shield, the horn of my salvation, my stronghold." This is a great start. Then he says, "I call upon the Lord." The Lord who's worthy to be praised. I call on him and I'm saved. I'm saved from my enemies. The cords of death encompassed me, the torrents of ungodliness or destruction terrified me. The cords of shield surrounded me literally in the place of death, the snares of death confronted me."

In other words, when David talks about trouble, we're talking about he was concerned for his life. His very life was threatened over and over and over. You thought you had troubles, David's very life was threatened over and over and over. He says in verse six, "In my distress, I called upon the Lord and I cried." Now here it means he literally yelled, he literally called, "I cried out to God for help. He heard my voice out of His temple." In other words, out of the heavens, "He heard my cry, my cry for help before him came into his ears." "Then," it says, I love verse seven, "Then when my cry for help came to his ears," verse seven, "then the earth shook." It's like God arose in David's behalf.

David prayed and God heard, and so much so that it says that the earth shook and quaked, the foundations on the mountains were trembling and there were shaken because he was angry because of his love for David. Now move forward if you would to verse 20, "The Lord has reward in me. blessed me in other words, according to my righteousness. In other words, my heart for God, according to the cleanness of my hands, he's recompensed me. I have kept the ways of the Lord. I have not wickedly departed from my God. All of his ordinances are before me.

I did not put away his statutes from me. I was blameless or complete, or I had integrity in other words, with God, I kept myself from my iniquity." That is a phrase right there. That is a great phrase. I kept myself from my iniquity. That's a great victory. Therefore, the Lord has recompensed me according to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands before his eyes. Verse 25 is so beautiful, so poetic, so Hebrew poetry, he says, "With the kind, you show yourself kind, with the blameless, you show yourself blameless. With the pure, you show yourself, pure Lord. With the crooked, you show yourself astute. God is not deceived, God sees it all.

For you saved and afflicted people, haughty eyes, you abase or make low. You light my lamp. Literally, you are the light of my lamp." Isn't that a great phrase? "You are the light of my lamp. The Lord my God illumines my darkness." Oh, how many people feel dark in their soul? David says, "No, you are the light in my darkness." Then to verse 29, oh, I love these verses here. I'll tell you, you can learn so much from David on these verses right here, verse 29, "For by you, I can run upon a troop. By my God, I can leap over a wall. God is the strength of my heart." That's what he's saying. God is the strength of my life.

As for God, his way is blameless. The word of the Lord, It's tried. In other words, I've tested it. I can tell you it's true. I put it into practice, and he has proven himself. That's what it means. The word of the Lord is tried. God proved it over and over and over. God proved it. He is a shield to all that take refuge in Him. Who is God but the Lord? Who is the rock except for our God, the God who girds me with strength and he makes my way blameless? Verse 33 is one of those classic verses, so beautiful. He makes my feet like Heinz's feet. What does that mean? He sets me on high places. There it is, that beautiful picture.

He trains my hands for battle so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze. That takes some strength there. To bend a bow of bronze.? That's amazing. Then he says, "You have given me the shield of your salvation, your deliverance, your help, and your right hand upholds me, and your gentleness, literally, your help makes me great." That is an insight right there. Your help makes me great. David was a great leader. David was a great king. David was a great warrior. David was a great man of God. Your help made me great. It was you, God, and me that did it.

Your help made me great. You enlarge my steps under me. You enlarge my steps. You are the one that's made greatness in my life. My feet have not slipped. I pursued my enemies, overtook them, and I did not turn back until they were completed or consumed. Those are the verses I want to look at. We looked at the other verses around this on Wednesday. I want us to take hold of these verses and to see there's so much to apply to our lives starting with this. Make God your confidence. See, David was surely confident. Anybody who looked at David, his leadership, his stance before the Lord whenever he would face an enemy, you can be sure that David was not afraid.

I. Make God Your Confidence

David was confident. What was the root of that confidence? It was God. It was not self. David was not self-confident. I said it before, it's very important and worth repeating. God does not want you to be self-confident. You say He doesn't? What does he want me to do? Should I be insecure and afraid? No. Are those the only two options? Is that all we got? Are those the only two options we got? Either you're self-confident, prideful, arrogant, self-confidence, or you're weak, insecure, and fearful. Is that all we got? Is that all the options there are? Are there no more options than that?

Oh, no, there's another one. There's another option. How about confidence in God? Let God be your confidence. David looked to God for that help because he knew and he believed that God was for him. He had confidence in that. He knew his God and he knew that God would help. That is faith. Notice Psalm 71. We're just going to pick some of the verses. David writes, "Be to me a rock of habitation to which I may continually come." This is an insight on how to have strength like David. Be a rock of habitation to which I may continually come. You have given commandment to save me.

God, I know you have sent your word and that word is help David, I know you did. From before, you're my rock. You're my fortress. You're my hope. Oh, Lord God, notice this phrase, you are my confidence. I love that phrase. I'm telling you what, if we can understand the depth of that phrase, it would transform your life. Anybody agree with me? It will transform your life. It will transform your life to have that kind of faith by which you have confidence in God. God does not want us to be weak, insecure, and fearful. God wants us to be confident in God and that will change who you are.

That's why he says, "I have become a marvel to many." Many people Marvel at David. Look at David. Would you look at David? That's amazing. Look at David. He says, "But you are my strong refuge. It's you, God." It's fascinating to study the names of God. Do it sometime. It's fascinating. What's even more fascinating is to understand that each of the names of God is personal. See, in other words, one of the names of God is Jehovah Jireh, God the provider. When you see it personally, then it's not just God the provider. No, God is my provider. It's personal. The name Yahweh, YHWH, Jehovah, this is the name of God.

What does it mean? It means I am, but a fuller meaning is all that I am, I am to you. See, that is a whole different thing then. All that God is, He says, "I am to you." Let it be unto you. All that God is, He is to you. He wants to be all of that to you. When you take all of that of God into you and for you, now that's going to change your life. It's powerful. One of the great keys right there to David's spiritual life is that he knew God. He knew who God was and is, and that God was for him. "All that God is," David said, "is for me." That's why David said over and over and over, it's one of the great phrases, "You are my rock."

A. You need a Rock to stand on

You need a rock. We need a rock. We need a rock to stand on. If you've ever had an opportunity to go to Israel, and hope that you do some time, one of the things you'll notice in Israel is that there are a lot of rocks. In fact, when you come home and you look through your pictures, you go, "I took a lot of pictures of rocks." There are a lot of rocks in Israel. David writes, "God is my rock." There were many times that David had to hide in a cave in the mountains. When David said, "God is my rock," it was personal. It meant God is my rock. A cave is a cleft in a mountain, a place of safety, protection, a fortress.

You can imagine David writing the Psalm there in the cave under the secure passage when Saul was trying to pursue him, there, David was camped out, "You're my rock." Another aspect of a rock is that it doesn't move. It's like a foundational rock. It's bedrock. It doesn't move. It's a great picture of God to David. See, David knew God doesn't change. He doesn't move. He's immovable. He's steadfast. He could trust in God. See, that's why he made God the foundation of his life. See, contrast to that is that when you don't have a rock and then your life, something tragic happens, something untoward happens, and your whole life is just shaken, it's disturbing. It's upsetting. It's distressing.

"Oh, no, what do I do? The whole thing is shaking me. What do I do?" I don't know if you've ever been through an earthquake. I've been through one earthquake that I know of. I'm sure I've been through others I never felt. The first earthquake that I ever experienced was 1993. Anybody remember the famous Oregon 1993 earthquake? The thing about it was it was a 5.6 magnitude earthquake, which is pretty strong. It happened at 5:34 AM in the morning. I happened to have gone to bed at 3:00 AM in the morning. The reason I went to bed so late is because I was in Southern California for a pastors' conference and decided to drive straight through.

I had to figure out what time we left, but we left way too late, and I ended up getting home and in bed at 3:00 AM. I know. Can you imagine going to bed at 3:00 AM and then at 5:30 AM, the whole house starts to shake? The lights were shaking, everything was shaking, right? I had never been through an earthquake in my life. I was just like, "Oh. What do I do? What do I do?" I jumped out of bed and I said to my wife, "We have to get out of the house," pointing at the closet. "What?" "I said, "We have to get out of the house," I'm pointing at the closet. Now, in my mind, I have it all figured out.

I'll grab the kids, you grab my bathrobe. I don't want to go outside not wearing a bathrobe. "We need to get outside." "What?" By the time that we did this several times, it settled down. Now, I know all of you people from California were probably in your beds going, "What do you think that is honey? About a 5.3?" "No, no, no, that's a 5.6, pretty sure, pretty sure. It's nothing." For me, it's like, "Ah, everything is shaking"

I know that feeling in life too. It's like you get some news, bad news, something, and it's like, "Oh, no, what now? No, what might this mean? I don't know what this might mean. This could be bad." You need a rock. See, God proved himself to David over, and over, and over. He was a rock, he was solid, foundation. David and God had a history. God proved Himself. See, the word of the Lord is tried, He's proven it. See, when you've been with God so long, and He has rescued you over and over and over and over, then you know that He'll do it again. That's when you got confidence.

Now you got confidence in God, "I know my God, I know how He moves. I know this is bad, I know this is trouble, I know this is distressing, but I know my God and I know how He moves. God is going to rescue, God is going to deliver, God is going to save, I know my God." That's what God wants for you, to have faith like that. Psalm 40:2, "He brought me up out of the pit of destruction, out of the miry clay, He preset my feet on a rock making my footsteps firm." Psalm 62:6, "He and He alone is my rock and my salvation. He is my stronghold," and I love this, "I will not be shaken."

    B. Learn to call out to the Lord… more

You cannot shake David's life, you cannot shake my life. That's strength, isn't it? You cannot shake my life. We learn from David. Notice, learn to call out to the Lord more. We see this. Verse six, "In my distress," what did David do? "I called out upon the Lord. Yes, cried out to the Lord." Literally, he raised his voice. "Help, Lord. I know you, I know that you will send your word to say, 'Do it again.'" That's crying out to God. You're literally calling, "I know that you sent your word to say, 'Do it again, God.' Here I am, I'm in distress." We need to learn to call out to God more, cry out.

He knew that God would hear his voice, we read it. That his crying for help would come to the ears of the Lord. That's the key, that is the key to God's help, crying, calling out to Him. I remember one time when I was a young man, I was early high school and I was going through-- many of you know my past. It was traumatic, and I was going through one of those trauma times of my life. We lived way, way on the country. In my distress, in my anguish of soul, I went way out to the woods where no one could hear me and I just yelled, I just called out, "God, this is wrong. Help, Lord, do something."

I tell you what, something changed in me that day. It's good to call it out to the Lord. Some people, they expect that when they call out to God, that He will move to rescue and save and that it will be done immediately at the word of His commands. Now, I have seen God do that, I have seen God move, where I cry out to Him, I call out to Him, I'm in some distress, I call out, and I have seen God move very, very quickly to answer. I have also seen where there is a long journey out of the distress, that God does not solve the concern in full right away, but rather, it is a long, enduring journey through it.

I have learned that when God brings me through a long, enduring journey, He is still with me and that He is going to use that long enduring journey for the equipping of my soul, for the strengthening of what he wants to do, for the lessons that he wants me to take hold of in my life, that God will use those for His glory. In other words, I will not complain when God brings me through a long, enduring journey, I will not complain because I know my God, and I've seen Him rescue and save right away. I can give you many stories, but I've also seen long enduring journeys.

Jesus gave a parable. Luke 11:5-10, Jesus said this, He said to them, Jesus did, "Now suppose one of you has a friend, and you go to him at night, and you say to your friend, 'Friend, lend me three loves. A friend of mine has come to me from a long journey, and I have nothing to set before him.' From the inside, he answers and he says, 'Do not bother me, the door has already been shut, and my children and I are in bed, I cannot get up and give you anything.'" Jesus then continues, "I tell you that even though he will not get up and give him anything because he's a friend, yet because of his persistence, he will get up and give him as much as he needs."

Now you see the parable? "Friend, give me three loves. A friend of mine has come from a long journey, and I have nothing to give to him." The friend says, "I cannot help you, I'm in bed, the door's locked, the children are in bed. I'm not I'm not getting up, no, I'm not giving you anything." Jesus says, "Even though he's as a friend, he says no, but if you keep knocking, 'No, no, I really need the loaves of bread, I need this loaf of bread.' If you just keep persisting, 'I really do need this loaf of bread, I need you to get this loaf of bread. I'm not leaving until I get that loaf of bread, three loaves of bread, I'm not leaving.' Finally, your friend will say 'Okay, fine.'"

Is this not true? Mostly true, yes. Jesus says, "So how much more will God do this when you're persistent?" See, because he's persistent. Why is Jesus giving this parable? Because He wants you to learn to be persistent, persistent in asking. That's why He continued the parable in Luke 11, "So, therefore, I say to you, ask." The Greek is clear, it's a continual ask. The Greek mix is so helpful. It's a continual ask, it's a persistent ask. Ask, I say to you, ask and it will be given to you. I say to you, seek, and there's a persistency in seeking and you will find. Knock, and there's a persistency and the knocking, and it will be opened unto you.

For everyone who asks of God, receives, and he who seeks, finds, and to him who knocks, it will be opened. Now, some people, they feel hypocritical when they called out to God in their distress because they were not calling out to God when they weren't in distress. Now they feel, "Oh, I feel really conflicted because I wasn't doing it with God. I wasn't very faithful but now I'm in trouble. Now, I got to have help and now I feel conflicted because is God going to say, "Fine, now, you come to-- where were you before? Oh, now you're in trouble, you come, oh, I see."

Is that the way God is? God is not like that but people think He is. See, this is what I say. There's nothing wrong with calling out to God in your distress. In fact, do it. You must call out to God in your distress but don't forget to thank him when he answers. Don't forget to give him glory and honor and it will bring you back to Him over and over so that you don't stray, you stay near. We all need to stay near to the Lord. Amen? In fact, this very Psalm was written as a praise. This very Psalm was written as that, "I thank you God."

Did you know by the way, God says, "I want you to call out to God." You're asking, you're seeking, you're knocking, did you know that the Scripture says that the Holy Spirit is also interceding in your behalf? In fact, did you know that the Scripture says that the Son of the Living God is also interceding in your behalf? That's amazing. Really, when you think about that, that's amazing. The Holy Spirit of the living God is interceding. He's asking in your behalf to the Father. The Son is asking in your behalf, to the Father.

I'll give you some verses. Romans 8:26-28. In the same way, the Spirit helps our weakness, for we do not know how to pray as we should but the Spirit himself is interceding for us.

Even with groanings too deep for words and then he says, "We know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God. Called according to His purpose," during the same chapter. How about 1 John 2:1-2. John writes, "If anyone sins, we have an advocate. That's amazing. That really is amazing because many people think that when they sin that God rebuffs them but he says, "If anyone sins, we have an advocate with the Father."

It's Jesus Christ, the righteous and he himself is the propitiation for those sins and not only ours but also for the whole world. We need to call out to God more. That's the bottom line because not only does God hear us but he strengthens our faith and our confidence in Him. When you call out to God, your faith is increased, your confidence in Him is increased. How could you not be comforted and strengthened by words like this? Romans 8:35-39, where he says, "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? You tell me," he says, "Shall tribulation or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or peril or sword? Oh no.

In all of these things, we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. For I'm convinced, I am persuaded. I know this, that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God which is found in Christ Jesus, our Lord." That is a declaration of victory. Amen? Let's give the Lord praise. Can we do that? Amen.

      C. God rescues because He delights in you

Then notice this in verse 19. God rescues because he delights in you. David wrote, He rescued me because He delighted in me. I love that. Can you say the same thing? Yes, God delights in you because he's your father and you are the sons. You know how difficult it is for people to believe that God delights in them. No doubt, people have a hard time believing that God delights in them because they're very much aware of their sin.

They're very much aware of their shortcomings and so they think God can't delight in me but isn't that true? That our own children are far from perfect and yet we love our own children? Isn't that true, all your parents? Anybody have perfect children? No. So you're telling me that all of your children are imperfect? Is that what you're telling me? All of your children are imperfect, yet you love them? How can this be? Of course, you love them. How much more is God a Father than that? Notice, Jesus said in Luke 11, "Now, suppose one of you fathers is asked by his son for a fish, he wouldn't give him a snake instead of a fish.

If you then being evil or of the world know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more your heavenly Father will give the Holy Spirit which is the greatest thing He could give to those who ask Him?" 1 John 3:1, how great is the love the Father has lavished on us? How great is that love? He's lavished his love that we should be called children of God and that is what we are. Zephaniah 3:17, the Lord your God is with you, He's mighty to save, He will take great delight in you, He will be quiet in his love and will rejoice over you with singing. Back to Psalm 18, I'm realizing the time is slipping away from me.

II. God Strengthens Those Who Trust in Him

Notice this out of Psalm 18, that God strengthens those who trust Him. I love verses 29 and following. David, looked to God to be the strength of his life. For by my God, I can run upon a troop. By my God, I can leap over a wall. Your help makes me great. Those are great verses. To be strengthened in life is to be able to know that you can call on God and he will answer. David's confidence was God. He gave God the honor by letting it know that it was God in him that gave him strength. In other words, strength of faith brings strength of life. See, when your faith is strengthened, your life is strengthened.

A. Strength of faith brings strength of life

The way you live your life is through strength. Strength of faith brings strength of life. It's very practical. That's what it means. David accomplished great victories, survived deep troubles even against terrible odds but David made clear that every one of those victories was accomplished by God's strength. Your help makes me great. I'll tell you what, I want to test the limits of God's help. I want to test the limits of what God can do in my life. How far, how high, how much, how strong, how far, I want to test the limits of God's help in my life. Anybody want to join me? Amen? See, this is what Joshua said to Israel when he came to the end of his life.

Joshua 23, notice this, it's a great word. He's recounting. Joshua's old now. He's recounting. Look back, one of your men puts the flight a thousand for the Lord your God is He who fights for you just as he promised you but then he says, "So take diligent heed to yourselves, to love the Lord your God. They are connected. That's why David began the Psalm, "I love you." They are connected. Take diligent heed to love the Lord your God. Love Him. God wants a relationship of love. I love you Lord. Joshua says, "Take diligent heed." Then notice, we'll close with this. He makes your feet like hind's feet. He says beautiful there in that.

  B. He makes your feet like hinds’ feet

Verse 33, David paints his beautiful picture when he says that God makes his feet like hind's feet. What is a hind? I'd love to say a hind is a doe, a deer, a female deer. It is. That's what it is. It is. When you go to Israel, one of the things you'll see, you look up on the cliffs and you see these deer walking on what seems to be a sheer cliff. How is that even possible, you think? David saw that and he wrote, "You make my feet like that. You make my feet like hind's feet." In other words, God makes you surefooted in difficulty. You are sure afoot. You're steadfast, you're immovable, unshaken. You walk on high places because you're sure afoot.

That's his point exactly. Surefootness is what caused you to arise. See, the idea of walking high places is spiritual victory. You walk in ways that are higher, higher than the world's ways because God's ways are higher than the world's ways. That's why David says in verse 34, "By my God, I can bend a bow of bronze." That is great strength, but I submit that there is even greater strength in withholding the arrow from those who deserve it. An example, when David was fleeing Jerusalem because of Absalom, Shimei, one of from the family of Saul came out and on the other side of the goalie, safely on the other side of the goalie, took dirt clods and started throwing them at David.

Get out, get out. You deserve all of it. You got blood in your hands, you get out. In fact, David's general next to him said, "Shall I go dispatch him?} No. Let him be. Maybe God will take mercy on me. Later when all of the trauma with Absalom had been resolved and David's coming back to Jerusalem now victorious, Shimei came running quickly to David before David could even cross to Jordan, and he fell down before David. "Have mercy. I was wrong. I sinned."

David's General said, "Shall I dispatch him?" David said there's been enough dying today. Mercy, my friend. It takes more strength to withhold old than the shooting arrow sometimes. That is character. It'll make you walk on high places. When you arise in character, when you arise in integrity, when the manner of your life is of godliness, He's making you walk on high places. You are sure afoot because you're sure of faith because you have a rock and that rock is God.

Let's pray. Father, we are so so blessed. What can we say? You are amazing. God, we want to trust you with faith like that. To say with great boldness, "I love you. Be my rock. Be my help. Be my deliverer. Be my fortress," but I want to know what it means to love you more fully. David began the Psalm, I love you. Everything that follows comes from that one phrase right here. You want God to be your help, your deliverer, your rock? Everything comes from that one great truth.

Would you say to the Lord, "I want to love you like that. I love you, Lord. I want to love you like that"? Would you raise your hand as a way of saying that to the Lord as a declaration of your desire? I want to love you like that. Father, thank you for moving by your spirit, by stirring us up. We love you. Oh God, you have blessed us so much. What can we say? Because you have proven yourself to us over and over and over. We love you and we thank you for it all in Jesus' powerful name, and everyone said AMEN.