A Life of Giving Thanks

what have we been talking about the month of November anybody remember living a life of giving thanks so what are you thankful for today really so much what is it Sunshine 65. that was beautiful today wasn't it didn't have to go to cook well see there the the big things and the small things knowing that the Lord is in control come on it makes all of the difference in the world Amen if you have a Bible it'll be a good thing if we use it we are in church Psalm the book of Psalm uh I think I brought my glasses we're going to go to Psalm 36. Psalm 36 put these on right I can see um we're going to read a couple of verses in there while you're going to that we have talked about the um living the simple life what does that mean exactly last week we talked a little about that anybody recall what does it mean when your life gets so complicated that you forget to give thanks and if you would simplify some things huh would that help yes and we talked in depth about that in fact a lot of times we are just enamored and inundated and all the other n-words whatever with with stuff and trying to keep up with it and trying to make sure that it's protected and you know we buy all this stuff then we buy a security system to protect it and then we buy or we rent storage and let anybody have our stuff in it and then we don't care and then you have a yard sale and what you fought so diligently to buy for a hundred dollars you'll take five dollars for it out of the yard is that funny how life works anyway um living a simple life also well Sam taught a few weeks ago about not having the entitlement mentality you feel like well I deserve everything and I don't have to give thanks I work hard for it I mean he work hard for what you have I mean you work hard for your money y'all knew that's where I was going right um uh but the truth is is that again our culture has developed an incubator of that attitude I deserve this this is what I mean or this is what I want and anything and everything you know if you don't believe it go buy cereal tomorrow my wife and I said honey what kind of cereal you want I don't care pick a box I don't care about 44 000 on this shelf find one that's a coupon I don't care you know you can't ruin a coupon right Psalm 36 let's start um verse 7 8-9 I know you guys like to read out loud so I'll ask somebody to read Psalm 36 verse 7 8-9 somebody's standing with a big old outside voice read that for me please no not loud enough I like thank you um abundantly satisfied have you ever met somebody who had everything but was not thankful for it don't point to anybody this is open conversation you can't make somebody feel bad you know it's 2022 we got to be careful fact is is our world is full of folks that basically have no need for much of anything right and always always always pushing looking trying to get more now again there's nothing wrong with the house there's nothing wrong with a car nothing wrong with clothes nothing wrong with food now none of that stuff it's when we get it out of whack uh back in the 1700s gentleman by the name of Robert Robinson wrote a song and the title is I was going to have somebody sing it but I've never heard the song so I didn't I didn't YouTube it now all that's the same Come Thou Fount you know that song about him standing saying go on get just run off a rendition of it no no uh basically the song is written out of response to giving God glory and honor in all things and how that once you recognize him as the Fountain of Life it all comes from him that allows you to have a perspective on life that you don't have to be sidetracked with the what I don't have instead you can give thanks for what I do have uh let me ask a question see if I can get some response here um when good things happen in your life who gets the credit for it is that okay okay okay has anything good ever happened in your life we'll go there all right who got the credit for it huh his name is not on your diploma yours is name is not printed on the uh billboard or whatever yours is what you know depending on what it is that you've accomplished and the reason that that I asked that question is uh sometimes in our world we can consider the goodness of the lord we can try work hard do what we do but when it comes down to it we gently and ever so difficultly Pat ourselves on the back look what I did thank you God huh that's like like when you when you make your first million how many of you made your first million Sam stand up and take notes we need to know who these people are you know you're like wow look what I've done and then oh no but God blessed me with that is there anything wrong with being prideful of an accomplishment nah man I was I was happy when I graduated from first grade finally I mean it was a great day in my family and my parents were late but I drove myself I mean it was a great day when I graduated high school man I was a great accomplishment anybody else remember you all know next year there'll be 40 years for me that I graduated high school wow Izzy how old are you yeah see you weren't even thought of then but I don't mind telling you that um when good things happen in life if you can develop the understanding that all things come from the Lord you can Rejoice you can receive the accolades but make sure that God is first here's another one there are multiple reasons that people wonder from the faith what do you think is a reason that somebody who once knew the Lord once had a relationship they walk away from God why why is that anybody anybody know why that happens sometimes they blame God yeah like a tragedy happening and they just somebody else and that's that's a great statement because in that what are they doing brother Nathan they're giving themselves the credit and they begin to follow after their talents or whatever they've got the money like you and the truth is is they forgot from whom it came from anybody else why why does somebody wander away from the faith Evan what they just simply maybe know the name or have an acquaintance yeah shook his hand once or twice um but they don't have a relationship so what happens then again in their life if that particular person I agree but that particular person what happens when they walk away from from truth they walk away from the word of God what are they in essence saying and doing I'm good with this myself God you know I've got this now the the facts are of course you can live your life and never mention the name Jesus you realize that yeah yeah you can go through life and go to school get all the stuff you want buy all the things you want obtain the things that you feel like bring you Joy and you might even be happy for a few minutes true you may live a whole life of happiness but sooner or later because of the way that God developed and made Humanity your DNA is going to look for its root in your root system in your spirit is not founded and grounded in the things of the world it's in who God created you to be the problem is is that you offer sacrifice to the wrong God and so then your belief system gets skewed your your understanding of and now all of a sudden God is out of the picture and you begin to establish your own route and all the while what does God say go ahead do it do it yeah my wife and I drove went over last night to a funeral of a dear saying of God that we've known a million eight years probably and uh sweet lady 89 right she passed but I saw some people in the room hug their neck and that funeral that uh were very influential in my life growing up and then they walked away from God and here last a couple of years they've started coming back interesting the joy that appears on their face one of them was my youth leader at the time when I was a kid I'm surprising still he made it uh what Tim did to him um it was you as you but uh he did make it he did make it and oh hold on serious I don't want you to understand Siri be quiet but I heard I hugged so good to see church again he looked at me said Bob I feel so good the years walked away he said man I'm that how's your you know and their son sitting in front of I said man I'm so glad you're about he said you don't even know how glad I am to be back here's the point I think people can think that they're chasing a dream and everything looks good and all things are until when your life happens and they reach this point and they don't know what else to do people do walk away from the faith and typically by and large it's because they begin to take their eyes off of Jesus they're no longer thankful their gratitude is minimal at best and so when Good Times come they get the credit when bad times come they blame God does that even make sense here's here's one for you I believe that according to Psalm 36 we just read a few couple verses here how excellent is thy loving kindness oh god notice here in this particular song that was written there's an exclamation point I'm going to shout this point how excellent is thy loving kindness and when you understand his loving kindness in your life you can establish within yourself whatever comes my way the loving kindness of the Lord God is still working what about the days when everything falls apart is God still God are you sure how did you establish that understanding did you just kind of drum it up no you've had to develop what a consistent reminder of the goodness of the Lord right I think we've all been dealt a bad hand before haven't anybody here ever had things happen that you wish had not no some of you no some of you have perfect perfect life but if we hold back up you ain't got to get all enthusiastic over there the truth is is that life can deal you a bad hand things can happen man there's some people's life story I like to read and I read stories of people's I'm like this has got to be fictional this has got to be fictional but it's not it's their life story and I'm like how do they have so much bad luck I call bad luck they may call it good luck I don't know but the truth is they turn out something happens their attitude says I can still do all things through Christ who strengthens me that's a very intriguing that you can have that understanding there was a lady I've talked of her before Helen Keller she was she deserved all of the right to be mad but she didn't I'm sure she had her moments Corey ten Boone you may read her story The Hiding Place she had every right to be simply angry and I dare say she was probably mad sometimes but through each of those things what did she establish what did they establish what do people maybe that you know in life what did they say when things fell apart that they threw all the stones and things that God or did they say you know what God I don't like this but I love you still and I thank you for your love and grace um having that attitude says Lord if I'm going to live a life of giving thanks I cannot decide that one time but I got to get out of bed in the morning thank you Jesus I gotta whether I like it or not put fuel in my car a few months ago at five dollars a gallon and still say thank you Jesus you know raising the hose up trying to get it all fact is it's good bad and ugly God's still God now one thing would be different I'll watch the clock tonight so y'all y'all hang on to me we'll be okay one thing would be different is if you could control God and turn him left or right or back him up or push him here or there that would be one thing agreed because then it would be unfair because you may or may not have that Insight or that ability I mean I I would be upset if I thought that because brother Nathan's life is so hard according to him that that he uh he says all right God I got your ear and this is what I want and he all of a sudden all of his problems go away what what at that point would be my thought how is that fair huh how is that fair but yet the truth is this his understanding of the word can be the same as mine if I'll take time and study it if I'll take time to wrap my mind around it wrap my heart around and believe that God really does have me on his mind my good I got another question think of your prayer time all right you ready for this wait I always have to back up does anybody have prayer time okay all right because I don't want to assume anything it's 2022 right I thought everybody had common sense but did I just say that out loud oh I didn't mean to well yes I did anyway think of your prayer time in these past seven days your personal prayer time evaluate in your prayer time in your mind think about it how much time was spent asking for God or asking God for something and how much time was spent thanking God for what you've already received how much time was spent asking for more blessings and how much time was spent simply thanking him for what you'd already received anybody dare to give a response anybody I mean there's no wrong answer here some of you are like well if I get up and say 60 40 then I have to say which 160. you know if you say 50 50 everybody look at you go that ain't true so evaluated what do you think what would be okay what would be somebody else's not yours hypothetical right your friend I got this friend that yeah what would it be is that is that an okay question I ask myself that all the time Lord how much time am I really just thanking you and how much time am I belly aching and complaining what do you think the ratio is 75 of asking and 25 of giving thanks is anybody else identify with that now I know something I want to be real spiritual here and jump up and say 100 giving thanks to the to the Lord for he is oh good yeah as humans we struggle uh when I when I was doing this lesson I oh here I go all right Lord let me think I I try to spend more time giving thanks and some days some days it's harder than others is that that too transparent some days my asking list is is pretty extended especially with all y'all calling me prized or pray for my situation y'all know how Pastor prays for those right God bless everybody what it's true don't joke here here's the thing here's the thing when we understand truly that everything in our lives would be so much better simpler easier to wrap around if we simply had the attitude of gratitude in all things somehow to find a way to say God I know your blessings are there anybody here ever got to dig to find the blessings of God no you just open your eyes and you see them true so you know those blessings are there some of I say this a lot from this Podium some of you have jobs you do not deserve you're not that smart you don't have that Talent you don't have that degree but God is good to you something to be thankful for now in said job I don't want to meddle but pastures are good for that in said job that you don't deserve that you give God thanks for what about when you lose said job because it ain't Fair I deserve that promotion not them you didn't deserve the job you had you established that but you deserve the promotion yeah I know I've been there before I had to go to the owner of the company say wait what are you doing man I've been doing this job for two years you gave it to this quack well it's because he's this and I said you know what I only want the job it's there y'all laugh because you've been doing the same thing and he said well you know you're you're doing a good job but I feel like this guy he's got a degree and he's gonna so what am I going to do well you're gonna you need to train him on how to do your job oh no oh geez oh I'm gonna train him I'm on I'm gonna train this guy to do and then I made the mistake did he get a raise well yeah oh oh I did I had that conversation here it went he took the job I showed him what I did he takes off on this tangent and I cried about it and bellyached and boohooed and squalled and finally after a few months of that feeling sorry for myself I did the job that I was the menial task that I was given and I started noticing some something in the company that wasn't right so I called the boss and I drove over to his house and I need two minutes of your time first of all I don't understand why this happened but I'm okay I mean like he needed my approval to be okay right he said well I appreciate you know because but there's a big void in the company really what is it and I told him he said sound like you have a new job what does it come with more pay yeah all right now I'm on I'm on board now it was like seven cents you know a day raised point is this I know what it's like to be incredibly disappointed because in our minds we build ourself up on a level do we not I think a couple years ago the pink slips that were going out and the layoffs and the shutdowns and the people were figuring out you know what they've spent 20 30 years at a place and found out that they weren't as important as they thought and now Thanksgiving thanks is a greater challenge there's several that are members of our church that everyone else on staff was cut or the hours cut or they lost their jobs and for whatever reason they didn't lose theirs in fact there's there's one member of the church that got a raise through it kept his job you all know who it is and I'm sitting there going that has to be the goodness of the Lord now hang on to me for a few minutes we we understand that um you go to the Old Testament we see that the there's an example there of the children of Israel y'all heard of them um those guys were super duper hard workers that's a leftover phrase from the weekend super duper um hard workers I mean they blocks they gather their own sticks they stomp their own mud they'd make you know with the task Masters over them they did the work agreed they get loosed from that out of a divine intervention from God himself and what was one of the first things the children of Israel did when they got out of Egypt what'd they do complain murmur hold on hold on every one of y'all have clipped your toenails and got all the mud out from under them and they had to have mud under it all and now you're mad you want to go back in there and do that uh I can imagine if you stalk mud that you're gonna I just mine I don't know but you know you sit down here well I clean this out I don't have to stop that anymore but then they get out in the middle of freedom and liberty and what do they do you brought us out here to kill us we should go back right so when the children of Israel are in that particular situation guys you do realize that that didn't happen just once but it happened multiple times multiple times yet God was still long suffering and helping and taking care of them providing for them we're hungry we're thirsty we're hungry for meat boom we got the same shoes on 30 years later not much I can do about that I'm trying to keep it from wearing out you know and they're they're they're they're they're in a position to where they're having to discover what God's blessings in all things uh some of us have have become really good at accepting God's blessings but not accepting God's silence sometimes God doesn't scream at you does he I mean we would love for that to be we would love for God's GPS to come on in our souls turn left here turn right here we all have GPS right it's just we're trying to figure out when we hear this the word recalculating we don't know what to do recalculating recalculating recalculate man I had that happen the other day I was driving and everything like for crying out loud I know where I'm at you don't know it kept recalculating and finally said never mind I'll find it myself we don't like that when God says that to us I'm recalculating I've got a plan I've got Direction I know where you're going give thanks in it and watch How I work in it we're trying to live a life of giving thanks are we not that means even in bad times even even in challenging times we learn how that God wants to continue to bless us and use us and and and give us benefits right daily the psalmist says he loads us with those things but sometimes there's a word in the Bible that's probably one of the most important words you might want to do a little homework on and it's not a long word so you don't have to worry about it being that big biblical term it's a simple word that simply is faith faith is faith there's another one that's a another five-letter word that's probably more challenging to us as humans and that is Trust do you have faith to trust God and giving him thanks in all of your situations allows you to develop the lifestyle of somebody who says Lord I Thank you in all of life's situations I mean you know you can say thank you and not say a word how do you do that men do it all the time when you're talking to God and you simply you know occasionally a man will say all right that's how you do thank you right here's another one again it's another question we're talking about living a life of thanks of giving thanks um when you know that you know that you know that God is good to you God has provided he's made a way he whatever it happens to be how how does that make you feel to know that God provides makes a way opens doors so far how does it make you feel what's a word give me one single word that how it makes you feel overwhelmed hopeful secure what else sure what else contentment peace what else there's a novel word how about this does it make you feel rich does me wow I'm like rich I like have stuff I like have peace and hope and I'm overwhelmed with his Security in my life and it makes you feel rich the fact is is God's blessings were made to make you feel that way come on if God bless you and make you feel poor what would you feel how would you feel well this ain't no fun at all huh and I know I know and I say with me I know in our culture that there's a lot of folk that perhaps you even know them and and you scratch your head often when you hear them talk you know that that guy that gets up in front of the church or gives a testimony like I say I love the Lord he's been so good to me and I'm just thrilled no you're not thrilled I can tell by the way you just said that no really I'm happy to be here this has come back to me over the last little bit about giving the microphone to people to let them testify and I had to gently try to just no there's a reason for that anybody you know why well it takes forever yeah that's one reason hey it turns into something you probably didn't plan on now there are some of you many of you that I might have said look Sunday I'm doing this and I want to give you two minutes to you know testify whatever I did that not long ago and one of my messages had two or three people say so and I told them before I mean you say I got two men three minutes or whatever it was somebody one person I asked I said three minutes at all I'm like oh Lord I shouldn't asked you I'm about to say minute but here's the thing brother Nathan you're right sometimes you can even with all intention when a standing you've got all the honor and Glory but because you've been so blessed what do you have to tell everybody about the blessings of God well not just that that's true the story behind it but what you can't lift yourself up too high so you gotta bring yourself down first all y'all know I've been struggling you all know that I broke got nothing on just life fall apart he needs to give everything but the Lord's been good by the time you get to the Lord's been good to me saying you just embraced and loved that whole mess that you were in as opposed to Simply starting with the end result first God is good to me why you say that because God is good to me I ca I know that I could complain about things because the goodness of God that he's given to me wasn't dependent on me it was not even dependent on somebody else it was dependent on my relationship with him if I was waiting on God to bless me from your prayers I probably will be waiting a minute because although I'm sure that the church prays for me here y'all pray for me this is where you do this okay I'm probably down here on your list because you got to start here Lord I pray today and you go through this whole thing of your family and your loved ones and all that stuff and then when you take your 15th or 16th breath you're like oh and by the way bless the pastor Lord and then you go right back to yours right but I know when that I'm in a situation or I have a need or circumstances going on in my life guess what I'm going to do I'm going to pray about it for me Lord this challenge Lord this is I don't get Lord this I don't understand and in the midst of the negative and the stuff falling apart if I remind myself I don't understand I don't get it I don't I don't grasp it why am I going through this instantly I'm reminded of the goodness of the Lord huh of the the blessings of his hand I've I've told y'all a million times there's things that I do in my job or things that I that I do that I in my life or whatever and I have no idea what I'm doing but the goodness of the Lord helps me in my mind to consider something that I hadn't even thought of when we were building the church I told you all over how I go Gap now I know how to hammer a nail not straight but I can do it but there were some things that came up and I'm I'd back up and look Lord I don't know here oh that would work no I didn't hear it right and the Lord would help me how you drain water from this or how do you connect this to that um ah let's try this will it work um let's go see and then when it works guess what yeah I knew it I did I knew it and when it falls apart I shouldn't have listened to that guy here's where I'm at let me tell you something I'm convinced that the more I honor God the more he helps me with the most simplest things in life I'm convinced if I love him in the good times and the bad times I develop a connection and a relationship with him and when things are happening I might not even know that they're taking place but the hand of the Lord says I'm with you you can live a life of giving thanks just by saying Lord whatever you say I embrace it I love you for it I'm thankful for it now there's a lot of things in life we all realize that are probably not so good agree death of a loved one loss of a job or tornado hurricane fire whatever those things that happen in life and you and I would sit and we could come up with this great big old list of things that are just horrible and we don't want them to happen but I will tell you that and I again I will repeat what I have said multiple times in the struggles of life and in the challenges and in all of the contradictions and all the things that go on in life it is in those moments that I find out what I'm made of and how that God comes through and God is shining through the whole situation come on all of us believe God's A Healer but none of us want to be sick all of us believe God's a provider but none of us want to be in need huh come on we we love the stories in the Bible about how God came through I've read job's Story Probably as many times as you have and the blessings that God gave that man are just breathtaking agreed but I have never sat in a pot of Ashes with a piece of clay and scrape my skin because of the boils that came out I never sat through that of y'all any takers no but we want the end of the story don't we here's a thing in the midst of it all what did job say that's I think that's why it's in our Bible it's Old Testament story but it applies to every generation because of the DNA of humanity though he slayed me someone trust him though I don't get it I don't understand I've lost everything that I know to be true and right I'm going to trust God that's one of the greatest challenges agreed go to New Testament all right we'll get out of the old go to New Testament John comes out of the Wilderness smelling bad looking bad screaming a message that nobody's ever heard and the whole Known World at that time is shaken baptism what is that got to be baptized got to repent no you got to drag a goat to the no you baptize you repent don't you just turtle dove or sheep no you baptize you repent and the Bible said his message was so overpowering what whole cities would come out and say have you heard such crazy stuff huh anybody anybody here want to see Revival like that well I look terrible in camel skin so I won't be able to do it and I'm not sure that I could eat Locust whether it's a bean or a bug either one whatever your translation would be even John is in a prison cell now short time after his ministry begins are you sure are you sure it's him are you sure there's not somebody else out there we ought to be looking for because it is certainly hard to come off the street out of all that happened and sit in this jail cell and know what is about to happen if I can't settle it first in myself I give you thanks see some of us want the ministry of Jesus but none of us want the ministry of John John is six months so I want to be Paul no you don't I want to be Peter I'm afraid you're probably not okay how about Ichabod who I don't know I just made that up you know because you want to be in one of the biblical names right here's the thing guys the only reason those guys could write New Testament stuff Old Testament stuff is why because of what they went through and through it they lifted up the Lord Peter you come off this roof and you open your mouth to anybody about what the angel of the Lord has shown you you're going to be an outcast because you're talking about eating things at the law is specifically prohibits you may know the story don't you call unclean what I've just cleaned go there's a guy that's been praying for days he's looking for you go you with me hey what I'm I mean I'd be staring going oh Lord Jesus um think oh thank you Lord I think for what you showed me on this rooftop thank you for when I get to the house of where I'm going I'm not sure what to expect but I thank you for it y'all y'all remember Saul right blind who comes to see him you may remember ananas come to see him and what was he what was his command go pray for him and teach him okay where am I going I love to pray for people I need you to go over here to Saul guy wait wait wait wait wait no the one that's killing Christians and um oh Lord Jesus I think I'm sick that day I'm not huh but everything from that point forward is going to directly attach itself to the Gentiles can imagine Ann and I standing there at the door about to go into that place and say thank you I think for what I'm about to do we love the after whoo look at their greatest evangelist missionary preacher ever out there Paul's out there knocking him dead but what about the before you think he was giving thanks simplified I'm watching my time facts are this if we will give thanks more than we will complain our relationship with God will develop and we will draw closer to him the good the bad the indifferent the ugly the up the down if we will learn its relationship based then we can revert back to the psalmist and we can decide how excellent is thy loving kindness oh God you know what's going on with us you're very aware of the steps we take I don't mind saying I've I've questioned and I've wondered in my life and and I've I've rung my hands and I've lost some sleep and walked a lot of steps in my office or around this building in here of the other building over there and just nervous about what was happening and what and and through that there's many times I've just simply had to turn loose and throw up hand say Lord I Thank you but I don't have a clue what I'm doing but in the midst of thankfulness the voice of God speaks so how do we live a life of giving thanks and I'm closing how do we live that life tomorrow's Thanksgiving should we give thanks yeah it fits right in fact if you don't give thanks tomorrow you can't put up your other decorations on Friday so like it was like it's like the cycle right now the guys down at Walmart and Home Depot and all they didn't get that memo they put theirs up way back there right uh they put theirs up Fourth of July anyway here's the thing God is faithful always and if we can understand in the good the bad the and ugly and all that happens in our lives if we can thoroughly understand God through whatever is going to happen in my life if I will stop first and consider your plan I think I can give you thanks so many times we undersell ourselves we cut ourselves so short God wants to bless and we we decide to take an easy route or we decide to take a route that you know that we probably shouldn't and all the while God's saying but I've prepared the way I ordered your steps come on he did it for the children of Israel walk go now go get it we all going why'd you bring an evil report back fine walk you won't see it again until I decide and what happened how many years 40. that whole generation died before finally they came back to that point again and Joshua said no more thank you now let's go stand with me tonight living a life of giving thanks um there's a lot of things of course that that we we can ask questions of God I think we're very well versed in that are we not but suffice it to say that God God's been doing this a lot longer than you have and secondly from the beginning God has for you and expected end I know a lot of folk I've I was raised in church and I had a lot of friends that no longer know God no longer walk with God I often think when I was 12 13 14 there was 30 or 40 of us in our youth group that we came up in 10 maybe now at the most still love the Lord and still serve the Lord so many walked away although I saw him in all night prayer meetings and intercessory prayer speaking in tongues and I saw the miracles of god unfold by them praying for somebody and they just decide that I think they quit giving thanks tonight before you leave tomorrow's Thanksgiving you can continue start now and continue tomorrow right why don't you just spend a few minutes here just thanking the lord for the big for the small for the medium whatever however you want to size it up come on give him thanks I thank you Jesus I thank you your loving kindness is incredibly huge your perfectness perfectness got it it works and is seen in every every everything around me even in the negative Lord even in the bad even in the stuff that doesn't make sense you are still God and you are still in control I give you thanks for that I thank you Lord for the health in my body I thank you for the the car that I can drive I thank you for the house I can live in there are so many multiple things God that I can give thanks for that Lord Jesus I tonight I thank you help us Lord never to take it for granted and help us always to have an attitude of gratitude to you I pray Lord for our church family for each family that's here tonight God bless them bless them I pray let the hand of the Lord reveal itself in all that they do bring back sliders home God let them see one more time giving thanks is the right thing and they can be restored by giving thanks I pray for the church for guidance and Direction Lord I pray for our families and everything Lord we give you thanks and we love you thy kingdom come Jesus thy will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven Help Us tonight God let us always be grateful to you in your name Jesus we pray amen