Well, good morning. We will be continuing our study in the book of Philippians. And we are in chapter 4 of Paul's epistle to the Philippians. By my count, this is sermon number 15 in this series. And over the next couple of weeks, hopefully we'll be making progress towards the end of this chapter. Philippians 4, we're going to begin reading at verse 1, and we'll read down through verse 6. Therefore, my brethren, dearly beloved and longed for, my joy and crown, so stand fast in the Lord, my dearly beloved. I beseech Judaeus and beseech Syntyche that they be of the same mind in the Lord, and I entreat thee also, true yoke fellow, help those women which labored with me in the gospel with clement also of life. Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say, rejoice. Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand. Be careful for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God." Verse 6 is where we're going to pick up in this study. Before we do, we're going to just give a brief introduction of sorts, as is Paul's practice to conclude most of his letters with any number of exhortations, encouragements, greetings and farewells, so he does here also. Today we want to introduce verse 6 in general, and then particularly the twin ideas of prayer and supplication that we find here. I found that most don't really understand the difference between prayer and supplication because they haven't taken the time to examine the words in context, even though they are two separate and distinct words in Greek. Now, if we believe what we say we believe about the inspiration of Holy Scripture, it would behoove us to pay attention to what the Spirit of God has to say to us through the differences that he draws between these two words. Somehow though in today's hurried, workaday world where time is not given to ordinary prayer, supplication has lost any place in the life of even the so-called practicing Christian. And as a result of it, falling into disuse or realistically no use at all both its meaning and practice have become virtually obsolete. I'm sorry to say that that is the reason why we can't relate to such passages as Psalm 31 and verse 22. I am cut off from before thine eyes. Nevertheless, thou heardest the voice of my supplications when I cried unto thee. Psalm 39 and verse 12. Hear my supplication, O Lord, and give ear unto my cry. Hold not Thy peace at my tears. For I am a stranger with Thee and a sojourner as all my fathers were." Or Luke 2, verse 37, She was a widow of about fourscore and four years, which departed not from the temple, but served God with fastings and supplications night and day. And finally, Hebrews 5, verse 7, Who in the days of His flesh, speaking of Jesus Himself, Who in the days of His flesh, when He had offered up prayers and supplications, with strong crying and tears unto Him that was able to save Him from death, and was heard in that He feared. Inductive study alone notes that in these verses, supplication, supplication now, is accompanied by crying sometimes, tears, sometimes fasting, and sometimes all of the above. I personally find that quite remarkable actually. In these passages, is the writer really crying in an anguish of soul that is just shredding his heart? Have they really fasted in this attempt to get God's ear? Or is this simply linguistic hyperbole for a fact? We have to decide because we read over and over and over throughout the Old as well as New Testament about those in the throes of some sort of mental, emotional, or physical anguish come as supplicants to God. If it is just effect, what is the effect that the Holy Spirit is trying to move us to? The word here translated supplication is found 17 times in the New Testament and 57 in the Old Testament, with 27 being in Psalms alone. And by the way, whatever else can be said, good or bad, about the Revised Standard Version, it is the only English translation that translates it. write the same way every time. Why would one translate it prayer or request or petition when there are separate words for each of those? Even in the verse we're examining, let your prayers, that's a separate word, and supplications, a different word, be made known to God. The question has to be asked, are these synonymous terms? Is it really a case of a distinction without a difference? Or is the Spirit of God telling us here that there is a level of communion with God that requires a willingness to pay a price exacted by the process of truly seeking His face? If you haven't figured it out yet, I'm expecting you to be examining your own prayer life in the light of what we believe the Word of God says on this matter. Volumes have been written on prayer. In stark contrast, little has been written on supplication. I personally believe this kind of wrestling with God is precipitated most often by emotional, mental, or physical pain. Circumstances that somehow we just don't connect to or accept is coming from the very hand of God. It is also an aspect of and corollary to another forgotten principle of living the Christian life, as Paul says right here in this book, in the last chapter that we looked at, experiencing the fellowship of his sufferings. All of a sudden, this has gotten intensely personal. I'm preaching to myself when I ask you these questions. When was the last time you fasted to get God's ear, if ever? Was there never anything so important to you to cause you to physically deprive yourself in your attempt to call on the Lord. I'm trying to challenge us before we get into this passage. What does this mean? As the deer pants for the water brook, so my heart does pant after thee, O my God. Does it? Does your heart pant for God? Was there ever a time or issue when you were so burdened, so grieved, wondering, or God was in a situation that you abandoned your pride and allowed yourself to actually tear before God over it? I'm not suggesting that you contrive some sort of emotional response. in your prayer time tonight. What you do with this information is between you and God. But I am suggesting that based on the Word of God, there is a union or communion with God available that few attain to because particularly in our culture, we settle for a pathetically cheap grace. It's characterized by an apathy, a nonchalance and coolness to the things of God and His Spirit that if you read the Word of God correctly, it disgusts Him. Because you are neither hot nor cold, but lukewarm, I will spew you out of My mouth." Revelation 3, verse 16. Rather than that deep, transforming grace that brings, among other things, an assurance of pardon, an assurance of pardon, a steadfast, solid confirmation of your adoption into the family of God, One that brings peace, that passes all understanding, as our text says. Instead of that, we settle for fire insurance. And we seem to go on our merry way, ignoring the experiences of God's people as they're depicted in the Bible, which should encourage us and motivate us to an ever deeper relationship with God. And prayer and supplication is the means whereby we attain to that deeper relationship. I have to be clear, I'm not advocating for a deeper life experience as there are some movements that are out there. I am not advocating for anything other than biblical practice. And I'm trying to challenge us to look at our own prayer life which is the channel, the means whereby we can get into the deep things of God. Unless we learn to spend time with God, we won't communicate with God. If we don't communicate with God, how can we possibly be illumined by His Spirit? And if we're not illumined by His Spirit, how can the Spirit teach us the things of God? How can we understand that peace that passes all understanding as our text tells us? If I am not solid in the foundational precepts of my faith, One of which is, and we speak of it often, a personal relationship with God. It is not just practice, it is a personal relationship with God. We sing the songs all the time, He walks with me, He talks with me. We sing all kinds of hymns that have good theology. The question is, are we putting that good theology in terms of the personal relationship with God in practice? We are not to seek the experience. We are to seek God through an ever-increasing, obedient lifestyle, resulting in our further sanctification, which is tangible by its visibility. No one can argue with a transformed life. We are to seek the gift giver, not the gifts. And as we do so, He will dispense what gifts and experiences He chooses for us to have. But you see, our lifestyle is tangible. Do you ever wonder where that abundant life is that Jesus talks about? Have you experienced the Spirit of God witnessing with your spirit that you are one of His? We talk about it. We read about it. Can you describe it? Are you even supposed to experience it? How does that feel? What does it feel to have the Spirit of God witness with your spirit? We as Reformed Presbyterians have a particularly difficult time with some of this. And it's because of our positive emphasis on the systemization of God's propositional truth into doctrine to be believed, which is absolutely correct. And the negative emphasis on experience, which is not to be trusted. Of course, We do not trust in any experience or feeling to ratify biblical truth. But we all know the difference between peace and turmoil in our spirit. We all know the difference between a gladness of heart that's derived from an obedient life versus an estrangement or vexation in our soul from not living an obedient life. That's something that we experience. We don't just talk about that in the realm of faith. We experience that. What is a paying of conscience except a sense, a feeling of violating a known law of God? When you say, I feel guilty, what is that? I feel guilty. You see, feelings and emotions are indeed gifts of God. It's when we let them run amuck that we get into trouble. But they are given to enhance our life. and particularly our spiritual life. Isn't that interesting? Here we have feelings or experience of feelings, in this case guilt, juxtaposed with known law or the propositional truth we were just talking about that we violated. We are not convinced of any truth because of an accompanying feeling, but we have at times, an accompanying feeling because we are convinced of the truth. Truth comes first, but both are from God. We need to pay attention to the Westminster Confession of Faith in chapter 18, which talks about the assurance of grace and salvation. I'm going to read some of it and comment just to draw your attention to a few points. Paragraph 1, although hypocrites and other unregenerate men may vainly deceive themselves with false hopes and carnal presumptions of being in the favor of God in a state of salvation, which hope of theirs shall perish, yet such as truly believe in the Lord Jesus and love Him in sincerity, endeavoring to walk in all good conscience before Him, may in this life be certainly assured. They may be certainly assured that they are in a state of grace and may rejoice in the hope of the glory of God, which hope shall never make them ashamed." Is being certainly assured a feeling? As opposed to what? This certainty, paragraph 2 goes on to say, this certainty is not a bare conjectural and probable persuasion. I don't believe it simply because it makes sense, in other words. But it's an infallible assurance of faith founded upon the divine truth of the promises of salvation. Listen, the inward evidence of those graces unto which these promises are made. Inward evidence. What in the world is this inward evidence? We can't ignore these things. It's an inward evidence. Can we put words to what that inward evidence is? Is it a feeling? Is it emotional? Is it mental? Is it a combination? We certainly know it's spiritual because it goes on to say, "...the testimony of the spirit of adoption, witnessing with our spirits that we are the children of God." The testimony of the spirit of witnessing with our spirits. What does that look like? What does that feel like? Paragraph 3, this infallible assurance doth not so belong to the essence of faith, but that a true believer may wait long and conflict with many difficulties before he be a partaker of it. He may wait long and conflict with many difficulties before he's a partaker of it. So obviously, you know when you don't have it, you know when you have it. How is that possible? You don't feel it at one point and you do feel it at another. Yet being enabled by the Spirit to know the things which are freely given him of God, he may, without extraordinary revelation and the right use of ordinary means, attain thereunto." So there is a process whereby we can attain to this assurance of our faith. And therefore, the Confession goes on to say, it is the duty of everyone to give all diligence to make his calling and election sure, that thereby his heart may be enlarged in peace and joy. Peace and joy. How do we experience peace and joy? In love and thankfulness to God, and in strength and cheerfulness, in the duties of obedience, the proper fruits of this assurance, so far is it from inclining men to looseness. True believers may have the assurance of their salvation, diver's way shaken, diminished and intermitted. So obviously you know when you don't have it. What's the difference? What's the difference that you feel or experience when you have it and when you don't? By negligence and preserving of it, by falling into some special sin which wounds the conscience, There we are again. "...and grieves the Spirit." Do you know when you grieve the Spirit? How is that possible? Is that a feeling? We don't just talk about grieving the Spirit by faith, by some sudden or vehement temptation, by God's withdrawing the light of His countenance and suffering, even such as fear Him to walk in darkness and to have no light. Do you know when God withdraws the light of His countenance from your life? Of course you know it. Can you explain it? Probably not. But you feel something different, don't you? Yet are they never utterly destitute of that seed of God and life of faith, that love of Christ and the brethren, that sincerity of heart and conscience of duty, out of which by the operation of the Spirit, this assurance may in due time be revived. You've lost the assurance. Now by this particular formula, you may be revived, but you're kept from utter despair in the meantime. Romans 8, verse 16, "...the Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit that we are the children of God." I ask you again, what does that look like? Feel like? How does it manifest itself? Is there any sensational aspect to this promise? If we deny it, we're lying. If I denied any experience or truth in the Bible because I simply didn't understand it, I would have to throw my Bible away. The reason is that there isn't much that I completely understand about my faith. And yet, I believe it. I don't understand how before the foundation of the world we were elect in Christ. I don't understand how Christ was crucified before the foundation of the world. I don't understand necessarily how Adam communicated with God. I don't understand how that covenant of grace was brought into time. I don't understand how God called me through my circumstances. I don't understand how God justifies me. I don't understand the concept of double imputation. I don't understand adoption. I don't understand sanctification. And I don't understand glorification. But I believe it because the Bible says it. I'm telling you, it is to our detriment And our faith suffers when simply because out of some sort of fear, we raise questions when the Bible talks about feeling. It's never talking about feeling void of faith. All these operations of the Spirit of God, as a matter of fact, can you explain what it is to be born again? Jesus told Nicodemus in John chapter 3, you must be born from above. Nicodemus didn't understand it. He says, how can a man go back into his mother's womb? What was Jesus' explanation for the operation of the Spirit? It's like the wind. The Spirit lifteth where it will. It comes from where we don't know. It goes to where we don't know. All we see is the effects thereof. And that's how it is with all of the operations of the Spirit. whether it's filling, sealing, baptizing, the illumination of the Spirit, we don't understand that, and regeneration itself. Let us not deny the experience because we don't understand how it happens. It's like the blind man in John chapter 9. He basically said, look, I don't understand how he did this to me. All I know is that before I was blind, but now I see. And that's how we are. That is our approach to Scripture. We need to open ourselves up. to the facts that the Bible teaches us through the life and examples of biblical characters. We're going to look at some as we move on in these next couple of weeks, like Solomon, Esther, Hezekiah. They stopped at nothing to get into the presence of God. And as I say, I think we do Our faith suffers because we don't follow after in their experience. Isaiah chapter 38 and verse 5, Go and say to Hezekiah, Thus saith the Lord to God of David thy father, I have heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tears. Behold, they will add unto thy days fifteen years. The Bible makes the distinction between ordinary prayer which is extraordinary by its nature, and supplications, which is an extraordinary prayer. We have to make that distinction too if we are to grow in grace. There's one other thing. Listen to our larger catechism in question number four. This makes the point that there absolutely is a spiritual phenomenon that are inexplicable except in terms of an inward testimony of God to our spirits. Question 4 says, how does it appear that the Scriptures are the Word of God? Answer, the Scriptures manifest themselves to be the Word of God by their majesty and purity. by the consent of all the parts and the scope of the whole. These are all very logical, are they not? Which is to give all glory to God by their light and power to convince and convert sinners, to comfort and build up believers unto salvation. Listen now. But the Spirit of God bearing witness by and with the Scriptures in the heart of man is alone, is alone, able fully to persuade it, that they are the very Word of God. The fact that they're majestic. The fact that all the parts agree. The fact that they give glory to God. The fact that people are affected when they read Scriptures. All of these attest to the fact that the Scriptures are the Word of God. But it is the Spirit of God bearing witness in your heart alone that fully persuades you that they are the Word of God. How in the world do you explain that? If you're sitting here today absolutely convinced this book we call the Holy Scriptures is the very Word of God, you have experienced the witness of the Holy Spirit in your heart. Can you explain it? I think not. any more than you can explain the incarnation, the Trinity, the virgin birth, or the resurrection. All fundamentals of our faith. Well, having said that, that was just to prepare you for examining your own prayer life, not cutting yourself short as we get into these next several verses. Verse 6 begins, be careful for nothing. Don't worry, the Apostle Paul tells us. Easier said than done. Don't worry, forgetting about the fact that throughout this epistle, Paul was appealing to the grace of God on their behalf. But we need to understand that the worry aspect, Jesus spent a great deal of time talking about worry in the three years of His ministry. And the most comprehensive summary of the New Testament on the matter of worry is found in the Sermon on the Mount. Here Jesus is arguing against the error that denies God's care and love by supposing that man himself can secure his own future by temporarily securing what he needs for his livelihood. In other words, somehow or another, I can secure my life by securing a loaf of bread. Worrying is foolish because life is more than food. And the sheer folly of worry is emphasized by the absurdity of thinking that one can secure life itself, when anxious care cannot even secure something as unimportant as bodily size. Jesus tells us in verse 37, listen to the words of Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew chapter 6, Therefore I say unto you, take no thought for your life, what you shall eat or what you shall drink, nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on, is not the life more than meat, and the body more than raiment. Behold the fowls of the air, for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are ye not much better than they? Which of you, by taking thought, can add one cubit unto his stature? And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow. They toil not, neither do they spin, and yet I say unto you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Wherefore, if God so clothed the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is cast into the oven, shall He not much more clothe you? O ye of little faith, Therefore, take no thought, saying, What shall we eat, or what shall we drink, or wherewithal shall we be clothed? For after all these things do the Gentiles seek, and your Heavenly Father knows that you have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you. Take therefore no thought for the morrow, for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof. Worry is not only foolish, it is also godless because it impugns God's care for His people. It categorically rejects the providence of God and therefore rejects the God of the Bible. In my experience, worry is only a hair's breadth away from complaining and that is simply shaking your fist in God's face for the circumstances He has you in. I have to say this a lot. where I'm employed, that your circumstances are really none of your business. They're God's business. And I believe that because of the providence of God, which we're going to read about, He has you in those circumstances which are going to do two things. Give Him glory and grow you up. That's the objective for the circumstances that you're in. to give Himself glory and to grow you up into His image, into the likeness of Christ. Paul himself says that I am in agony until Christ be formed in you. What does that mean? Among other things, it means that we need to grow our faith. As the disciples asked Jesus one time, Lord, who can understand these things? Please grow our faith. That word is the same word that's used in prosthetics. When you add a prosthesis, you add an arm or you add a leg. The disciples said, Lord, grow our faith. We need to be praying that God grows our faith. And as we grow in our faith, one of the premier outcomes of growing our faith is a submissive spirit. You see, when you get a hold, when you actually get a hold of the fact that that all of salvation is of God, and this is the reason why we call this the Doctors of Grace, that you had nothing to do with this. When you really get a hold of this, it's going to destroy your pride. And you will submit. The only acceptable response when you finally understand and the light dawns in your mind, your eyes are open, your ears are unplugged, and you understand and see the grace of God in your life, that there was nothing on your part. I was dead in sin, but God raised me up. I was blind, but now I see. The only acceptable response is for you to get on your knees and say, thank you, Lord, and live a life in testimony to His praise and glory. Because that is, after all, what His purpose for you is. If you're sitting here blood-bought, born again, washed in the blood, having taken on the righteousness of Christ, being clothed in His righteousness, having your sins imputed to Him, if that is how you sit here today, your goal, God's goal for you is to be to the eternal praise of His grace. And to those who are passed over, to those who are not saved, to those who will be spending eternity in hell, they will be to the eternal praise of God's justice. Everything is for God's glory and the good of His people. We read that in Romans 8.28, probably one of the most quoted verses in the Bible. All things work to the good of those that love God, who are called according to His purpose. You see, worry and complaining is denying the providence of God. Chapter 5 of our Confession says, God, the Great Creator of all things, doth uphold, direct, dispose, and govern all creatures, actions, and things, from the greatest even to the least, by His most wise and holy providence. Now that thing that's running through your mind right now that you're not happy with in your life, God doth direct and dispose and govern all creatures, actions, and things from the greatest even to the least by his most wise and holy providence. Bring that to the throne of God. Confess it and repent of your complaining nature. It is according to His infallible foreknowledge and the free and immutable counsel of His own will, to the praise of the glory of His wisdom, power, justice, goodness, and mercy." That doesn't mean that we have to accept our lot in life. It doesn't mean that we don't try to improve our circumstances. But it does mean that we accept what comes as coming from the very hand of God for His glory. In other words, it's His will, not your will. It's His way, not your way. And until we get that relationship right that He's the Creator and I am the creature, nothing will be right in my life. Anticipating this response in Romans 9, Paul said, who are you, O man, to answer back to God? Shall the clay say to the powder, why did you make me this way? We need to spend some time thinking about that before we utter our next complaining breath. Although in relation to the foreknowledge and decree of God, the first cause, all things come to pass immutably and infallibly, all things come to pass immutably and infallibly. Yet by the same providence, He ordereth them to fall out according to the nature of second causes, either necessarily, freely, or contingently. God in His ordinary providence maketh use of means, yet is free to work without, above, and against them at His pleasure. As the providence of God doth in general reach to all creatures, so after a most special manner it taketh care of His church, and disposeth all things to the good thereof." After a most special manner it taketh care of His church. If you want to know what God is doing in the world, all you need to do is turn on the news. Here's something else I don't understand. I don't understand how an earthquake in Haiti, or the riots in Thailand, or the other kinds of things that are going on that we just shake our head at, fit into God's plan for His glory. Nor do I have to understand it. But I know this, that God has moved into time. From Genesis 1, verse 1 to the end of the book of Revelation, in time, God is working out His plan and calling out His people. You understand that it is God's primary purpose to call out a people in time. And all of these things, all of these circumstances, all of these crises and catastrophes is for God's glory and the good of His people. People are being called out now. We just celebrated a graduation in prison where I work. And oftentimes, people say to me, why do you even bother? Prison chaplain, lock them up and throw away the key. The Holy Spirit doesn't care anything about razor wire. God is calling out His people behind the fences. And there is a revival, a Reformation revival going on at De Soto Correctional Institution. And I see it. I see men's lives changed. All of these circumstances Just the other day, Friday as a matter of fact, I asked, I had 60 men sitting in front of me in the sanctuary, I said, how many of you would be dead if you weren't in prison? Most of the hands went up. I said, this is an example, this institution, you being here in prison, is an example of God's grace. Because you're sitting here listening to the Gospel of Jesus Christ that can secure your soul for eternity. You may have to spend 5, 10, 15, 20 years, a lifetime perhaps, behind these walls, but your eternity is secure because God in His infinite compassion and mercy and wisdom brought you to prison. Question your circumstances if you want, but it is for His glory and your good. And until we get a handle on that, we will never, ever be happy. Not that we seek happiness, But that's one of those emotions that God has given to us to enhance our life, isn't it? We have two more verses to look at. Because time is getting away from us. Luke 10, verses 38-42. Another passage of Scripture that speaks to the issue of worry. We'll do this quickly. "...Now it came to pass as they went, that he entered into a certain village and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus' feet and heard His word. But Martha was cumbered about much serving and came to him and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? Bid her therefore that she help me. And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things, but one thing is needful. And Mary has chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her." This passage exhibits the same contrast of attitudes as the Sermon on the Mount. The many things over which man worries in order to secure the necessities of life are contrasted with the one thing that is necessary. That is the question concerning the purpose of life. Mary has gotten the answer in Jesus' teaching, sitting at His feet. Worry in this passage is contrasted with zeal for God's kingdom. One other passage that I want to look at and then we'll close. is the Lord's Prayer itself. In Luke 11, it came about that while He was praying in a certain place, after He had finished, one of His disciples said to Him, Lord, teach us to pray, just as John also taught his disciples. Isn't it interesting that while He was praying, the disciples came to Him and asked, teach us to pray. And he said, when you pray, say this, Father, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread and forgive us our sins. For we ourselves also forgive everyone who is indebted to us. Lead us not into temptation. And he said to them, suppose one of you shall have a friend and shall go to him at midnight and say to him, friend, lend me three loaves. For a friend of mine has come to me from a journey, and I have nothing to set before him. And from inside he shall answer and say, 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. I tell you, even though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of his persistence, he will get up and give him as much as he needs. And I say to you, ask, and it shall be given to you. Seek, you shall find. Knock, and it shall be opened. Everyone who asks, receives. He who seeks, finds. And to him who knocks, it shall be opened." People talk about this, the Lord's Prayer, as a pattern of prayer. And I believe that that's true. If we look at this as a pattern, what do we have? The first part of this prayer we are petitioning God as Father. We come to Him as a Son. We come to Him as sons and we say, Lord, feed us. Interesting, isn't it? Lord, feed us. Give us this day our daily bread. And then we come as a petitioner, as a supplicant, and we say, forgive us. Feed us as a son. Forgive us as a supplicant. And finally, we say, free us. Lead us not into temptation. We come as the sinners we are. We come as a son. We come as a supplicant. We come as a sinner. There's the pattern of the prayer. Feed us, Lord. Forgive us, Lord, and free me, Lord, from temptation." Oh, it is a pattern, alright. And it's one that we can employ in our daily prayers and supplications. That's the pattern. The principle, one of the principles that we derive from this example is that we are to continue to ask, continue to seek, continue to knock, These are present tense verbs. If you're reading through a King James Bible, every time you see a verb, asketh, E-T-H, it is a present tense verb. It means continue to ask, continue to seek, continue to knock. The answer that we get or don't get, quite frankly, isn't any of our business. We are just simply to be obedient. So we continue to ask, seek, and knock, and let God do what God is going to do. And the promise here is that Everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it shall be opened.