Above My Pay Grade

You may be seated on your way to your seat. Why don't you look at your neighbor to your right? You'll hear someone on the back of your head. Don't stress out. Say there are some things. Look at your other neighbor. Talk to the back of their head that are above my pay grade. And God has a whole lot of things. You have to tell your neighbor this. They know God has a whole lot of things that are above my pay grade. His ways are higher than my ways, his thoughts higher than mine. Mine are darkened, futile. His are light. Beneficial. That's my sermon title for today. His ways are above my pay grade. I say that a lot, but I know you said the sermon title, so I figured I might as well. We've been in the book of Romans in a series called Real Depth. And guys, I got to tell you, I was tempted to skip over Romans nine through 11. Not because I just want to skip scriptures, but because there's 16 chapters in Romans. We're doing a nine week series that had a very specific theological arc. I was going on to try to give you guys some of Romans, but not necessarily all of it. And as I was reading through, because if I'm going to preach Romans 12 to you. I've got a I've got to have the context in me. I was reading through Romans nine through 11, and I felt, I don't know if it was the Lord, indigestion, upset stomach or just I was having a bad or good day. I don't know which one it was, but I remember feeling like, Matt, you don't need to skip over Romans, not through 11. In a series called Real Depth. This is real depth. And if you didn't know this, Romans nine through 11 are probably, I'll say some of the most, just in case I'm missing something in my mind, some of the most theologically rich chapters in the entire New Testament. If you've heard terms like Calvinism, predestination, if I say the word Israel here, or the nation of Israel and the stresses you out nine through 11 right here, guys, questions about the sovereignty of God, about God's ultimate plan for both Jews and Gentiles. The thought and mind of Christ. These are the most theologically rich chapters in the Bible. And when I was reading through them, I was struggling, I think when Paul was writing them, he was struggling. I know he was inspired by the Holy Spirit and he wrote it. Paul's perfect. We can't argue with Paul. I don't want to argue with Paul. I just think it was really hard for him to write it. And I can tell based on his verbiage in Romans nine through 11, because everything that Paul is trying to address here in Romans nine through 11, Paul maybe wouldn't say it this way. I don't know if he had a manager when he was a tent maker and would he used this work terminology, but I think he would agree with the statement. All of that's above his pay grade. And when things are above your pay grade, at some point you have to relent, surrender, and recognize that it's time to escalate to a higher level, not you. You got to give it to somebody who can handle it. And in the book of Romans, I, I think this whole book has been theologically rich. I don't know if you can tell. I've been struggling up here a little bit, trying to be clear for the person who's here for the first time, but also theologically accurate. Sometimes I feel like I'm walking. I like this carpet could be heresy and this could be heresy. And I feel like I'm just trying to stay outside a heresy to communicate something that actually requires balance. It's very difficult to understand that God has thoughts we can't comprehend, and to understand that his mercies are rich, even if his judgments seem strict. That's hard, guys, and I've been lamenting. No, that's not the right term. I've been excited. But that excitement in a way that you think you might like die afterward. I've been that kind of excited to preach this message to you. And so before I dive any further, what I want to do is give Paul's summary. It'll be in Romans chapter 11. It's the last few verses 33 through 36. I'm going to read it for you. And what I want to tell you up front is this, that this is actually a hymn. HYMN Paul didn't write this fresh. He probably adjusted it. But this thing that he says here was very likely something that was said in church services in the ancient world, something that Paul would have memorized maybe when he was younger, to understand who God is in a very simple way. And ultimately, at the end of chapters nine through 11, with a lot of questioning, a lot of curiosity, a lot of trying to describe things that are difficult to describe. Paul ends with this doxology, and here's what he says. Verse 33, to be on your screen, O the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God. How unsearchable his judgments and his paths beyond tracing out who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor? Who has ever given to God that God should repay them? For from him and through him, and for him are all things, to him be the glory forever. And all God's people said, Amen. Before I came in here this week, I had just finished Romans eight, two sermons. In Romans eight. The first sermon was called No Condemnation, because Paul says in Romans eight verse one that there's therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. And then last week the sermon was titled No Separation because I believe there's no separation in Christ Jesus, neither death, kings, dominions, principalities, rulers, authorities, nothing on earth beneath the earth, above the earth, nothing cosmic, nothing physical can separate you from the love of God that we have in Christ Jesus. No condemnation, no separation. And immediately after this, Paul jumps into chapters nine through 11. Now there's a logical train of thought that's really sometimes hard to follow, and I'm going to break that down a little bit for you today. But if you remember that doxology that summarizes it, I was talking to the I have this little group that I started in January or March or something of young adults, young adult men, I think about eight of them. And they meet in my house on Sunday after church. So you can imagine how tired I am after church. Ryan, you know, I get tired is Sunday mat, you know it's Sunday afternoon. If y'all would leave the church. Some of y'all the the ones who don't know me after church on Sundays, I like you, I think. Anyways, we had this thing at like 230 after tear down and we'll, we'll start chatting about a bunch of different things. The students, what's the students? The young adults will ask questions. And last week I don't know why we were covering a different book. But I guess I had just been studying Romans chapter nine and somebody asked a question about the sovereignty of God, and they liked to stay there all evening. But then I had a 5:00 small group that I had to make, and we were chatting about God's judgments. And Paul in Romans chapter nine walks right into this conversation. He has just said that Paul's judged you because of Jesus righteous, not condemned. He has just said that what he did in offering you life in abundance and eternity with him cannot be severed or separated. And then he jumps in to proffer an objection to the people he's writing to. And if you didn't know this, it was predominantly Gentile, which means non Israel or Israelite or non-Jewish Christian. So they were Gentile Christians. And Paul jumps in because Paul is part of the nation of Israel, circumcised on the eighth day, eighth day, Pharisee of Pharisees. And he's been answering a lot of questions, but he starts pondering, I think a lot of scholars say, because maybe the Gentile Christians were getting cocky. See, the the Jewish people, they rejected Jesus. But we Gentile believers in Jesus, we've got it right. And I think Paul's trying to articulate to them, hey, there's actually no reason for any of us to be cocky because it's not us who keep ourselves saved. It's not us who got ourselves saved. It was just Jesus. And he enters this conversation and Paul starts pondering a bunch of stuff that none of us in here probably want to talk about. In fact, I'll take you to Romans chapter nine if you're willing to turn there with me. It won't be on your screen. That's why you got to bring your Bibles. Anyways, here's what he says. I'll go ahead and start in the second. Well, just just do verse 14. What shall we say? Is God unjust? Make it absolutely not. For he says to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I have mercy. I will have compassion on whom I have compassion. But let me continue. It does not therefore depend on human desire or effort, but on God's mercy. For Scripture says to Pharaoh, I raised you up for this very purpose, that I might display my power in you, and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth. Therefore God has mercy on whom he wants to have mercy, and he hardens whom he wants to harden. One of you will say to me, you ever notice that when we talk to God logically, we know his ways are higher than our ways? Logically, we know that the creator of the universe can do what he wants. How many of y'all believe God can do what he wants? Just raise your hand real quick. Yeah, logically, we all believe this, but emotionally I struggle with this. I think all of us do, because we'll live our lives, and then we'll look at somebody else and their life looks better. And I know I'm looking at their highlight reel, and I'm comparing it to my the stupid parts of my life. And I know that. But I'll look at this other person. Maybe they have something I don't have. Maybe they had a, you know, two parent household the entire time. Maybe they had an income that their parents generated that enabled them to live at a particular station. Possibly they didn't have generational curses passed down from some of their family members, like addiction, alcohol, drugs, or you name it. Now look at them and I'll think, Lord. Not fair. This. We all have this posture where we look at God and we think sometimes that we know better. And Paul says in verse 19, one of you will say to me. If he does what he wants, then why does God still blame us for who is able to resist his will? And Paul says this you need to tell yourself this once in a while because you talk to God better, he says, but who are you? A human being, to talk back to God? Shall what does form say to the one who formed it? Why? Why did you make me like this? Does not the potter have the right to make out of the same lump of clay some pottery for special purposes and some for common use? And I got to give you a few more. What if God, although choosing to show his wrath and make his power known, bore with great patience objects of wrath prepared for destruction? I want to be clear with you. Paul is not saying that God made vessels that he intended to destroy in a fiery pit in hell for all of eternity. Paul is asking a question. He is pondering the infinite nature of God, whose ways are higher than all of our ways. And he is simply asking, what if God did that? And I want you to ponder for a moment. I know it's weird. Maybe it's not good. I don't know, but I'm going to do it anyways. I want you to ponder for a moment does that make God less God? If he did create some for glory, some for destruction? Something to ponder. And when I was talking with these young adults about this stuff, because it's dudes, most of them in their 20s, and I thought ten times about not bringing it here, but I decided to go ahead and do it. I want to give you an image that I think will stick with you. Can I just get permission before I do? Do I have permission to just say, yeah, okay. If I don't have permission, say no. Good. Awesome. I jumped in real quick just in case. How many of you like use the bathroom before? Just show of hands. Y'all are real timid with this. I read the book Everybody Poops. I know you all do it, and if you don't, you need to go to the doctor and not be sitting here right now. I mean, you should sit here. Then go to the doctor. So everybody does. So I want you to picture that you walk into a bathroom and, you know, you go to the bathroom and is one of those days. You don't talk about Joe. I'm sorry. I'm not going to make you talk. It's one of those days. You know, too much pumpkin spice latte or. Free hotels, you know, and see going in. And you're having one of those days and one of those where you don't want anyone near you at that point, and you sit down on this porcelain throne. Which is technically, like we call it the pot sometime. And I was thinking about that when I was reading the scripture. And if you're sitting down there on the pot, it was fashioned from clay. I don't know, porcelain. I don't know how it works. Ancient world. It would have been fashioned from clay. And you sit down and you're not happy with yourself. And then all of a sudden you hear a voice. I hate it when people talk to me in the bathroom, but all of a sudden, you you hear a voice and it's muffled. And it says, why? Why me? Why would you do this to me? It's horrible. You're you're horrible. Terrible. And then you look around and you realize all of a sudden your toilets talking to you. It was a good thought illustration for me. Because I thought, what would I say to the toilet if it started talking to me about all my choices, you know? And I, I thought honestly, because the toilet was made for that, you know, it might not know it, but it was made for that. And so I'm sitting there and I was like, I was thinking what I would say. I was like, who are you? It's what you're here for. And it was so helpful for me because so often I go to God with this pompous attitude, with my limited vision, and all I can see is the carpet, this guitar, the people right in front of me. And I know I can see you way better today. I'll be calling names. Y'all gonna want me on stage real quick. But all I can see is limited right in front of me. And I've got the audacity to go to my creator and say, why? Why would you treat me like this? Like, why would you give them something you wouldn't give me? Why not better parents? Why not better skills? Why not more acumen? Why not the ability to think or create in such a way that somebody else did? Why not a little bit of intelligence. You gave it to Elon Musk. Why? Like I've got the audacity to go to him. And the Lord is so kind. The depth of the riches of his wisdom and knowledge. And when you look at the wisdom and knowledge, it always produces itself in the form of mercy. Oh, the depth of the riches of God's mercy, that he would love us, that he would send His Son to die on the cross for us, that he would give us life, and that even if my life isn't just like somebody else's, that he would give us an opportunity for salvation. God doesn't do that. He loves us. But he could look at us and say, who are you? You don't even know what you were made for, I do. And so God could have made us just to kill us. He didn't, but he could have. And guess what? He still got. He could have made us and said, disuse, higher use, still God. Paul's. Paul's pondering the the infinite glory of our creator. And he's like yo! Like what if he did? Does that change anything about how you should respond to him? And here's the cool part about it. Even if he did in the ancient world, the thing about pottery is it was made higher use, disuse, destruction, glory, the same intimate way God created you. That's enough for you to give your all to him. But you got to remember the doxology. He loves you. He didn't just create you. He fashioned you intimately from the dust. And he put in place a plan for your salvation. When Adam and Eve ave from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. And while you were formerly dead in your transgressions and your sins, he gave you an opportunity by accepting Jesus as your Lord, confessing him, believing, calling, calling upon his name. He gave you that opportunity. And here's the reality not everyone receives it. And I want to be so abundantly clear, because Paul's clear in Romans nine through 11. He's clearing chapter one. This is what he's been building to. There's no excuse. It was evident from creation all of his invisible, visible attributes, his divine nature, every ounce of his glory put on display before us. So we're without excuse when we choose not to receive him. But. But Paul uses the illustration of pottery. And so I felt like in order to preach the text properly, I had to talk to you about pottery. My wife laughs. But remember the doxology? It says this and I'll walk you through a few different concepts. He says, oh, the depth, verse 33, of the Riches of the wisdom and Knowledge of God. You see that Paul starts now with a commentary on God's judgments, not with an indictment on how he thinks, operates and fashioned things in the world. This doxology, this him, starts with, oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God. Oh, the depth of his mercies. I think when you want to question God, there's something you can do that will really help you is don't default to the question that you'll never get the answer to default to contemplating on his mercies that are fresh and new every morning. This is when Paul has written Romans nine through 11. He doesn't stop at the pottery guys. He talks about enduring with much patience, vessels of wrath that are meant for destruction, so that there would be more glory given to other vessels. And he's talking not about you, actually. He's talking specifically about the people of Israel in the ancient world, those who were Paul's people group. And he says at the beginning of this chapter, chapter nine, he says, I wish I could be divided or separated, cut off from Christ. He had already said there was no condemnation or separation, so he knows he can't. But he says, I wished I could be separated from Christ on behalf of my brothers and sisters who have rejected the call of God on their life. And he goes forward and he talks about this. These vessels that God is enduring with patience. He's talking about his people. And then there's a conversation that ensues for the rest of chapter nine and into chapter ten about the people of Israel, deep stuff. And then later on in chapter ten, he starts to come to grips with the reality that all you can do in relation to what God has done and in relation to your most difficult questions, is meditate on God's mercies and do what he's called you to do. You see, God has provided the opportunity for everyone. Say it with me, everyone. I just want you to know what kind of pastor I am. I'm not one of those who says for the many, I'm not one of those who just prays for the elect. I'm one of those who understands that God provided mercy to all. Not all will receive it. It's above my pay grade. I don't fully understand it, but the fact that God provided mercy in the first place is enough for me to offer all that I am in surrender and relent of my sin. Move forward in a relationship with Christ Jesus. And here it goes further. Have the mindset of Paul here because I can't do anything about it. I don't know what he thinks. I don't know how far he's gone with this. I don't know who he fashioned for what. I don't know who's going to accept him. I don't even know how to get through the next week. He knows the future. I know what's right in front of me. I have no clue what to do. So what am I going to do? I'm going to offer myself to God, and then I'm going to go do what he tells me to do. Because if there are vessels that will end up in destruction, it's not my job to know who they are. It's my job to go as far as I possibly can, doing what God called me to do, and telling others about the rich mercy that we've received in Christ Jesus. That's that's that's Paul's starting point. Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God. He says, how unsearchable his judgments and his paths beyond tracing out. That you can't trace him. I know on Facebook and Instagram when they're commenting on our church posts, people like to think that they understand who God is and what happened in the Old Testament, and why Noah and the flood happened, and why Jonah got swallowed by a fish. And you know why there were wars in the ancient world were like the Amalekites were called to be completely wiped out. I'm going to tell you about my pay grade. I don't know, but I know he's offered mercy. And when I know he's offered mercy, I'll never fully encounter all of it. I'm not going to understand all of it, but I can receive it. I can sit and just abject agnosticism when it comes to finding out what his judgments mean. I could just be ignorant to it. I don't know, like like, why did he make you look better than me, bro, I don't know. I'm talking to you. Louis. Louise. Sorry. Yeah. What? Like, why did he make you taller than me? Why did what? I don't know, but I do know he's. He's offered me mercy. So it's been time. Searching and contemplating on his mercies before you start searching and indicting him. Because of his judgments, he goes further. This is dude. This is. They would worship to this type of doxology says who is known the mind of the Lord or who has been his counselor. I have the image of my son walking up to me and telling me when I'm using a term, bro, try to tell me what plot armor was the other day, how my nine year old plot armor was. I said, well, this is what plot armor is actually said, no, it's this. And I was like, who are you? That you would. You would know something you don't know, bro. He'll think he can read my mind. He can tell me what's up. I love my kid. Don't get me wrong. But it's like I go to God like Lord. You should do this. This is what's right. I've just learned when I say things are right, I got to be really careful. And when I say things are wrong, or when I say somebody wrong or what I say, the Lord told me this. I gotta be real careful because I'm trying to track with the mind of the Lord. I can trace a little bit better than I used to. I can understand a little bit more about his mercies than I used to, but what I can tell you, be on the shadow of a doubt, is even 23 years into this thing, I do not know the vast majority of what the Lord wants. There's probably some people out there who can prophesy way better than this dude can. The Lord gives me snippets once in a while and I'm grateful for him. I'll receive his mercies. But. But who am I that I would question God who has the mind? You don't look at the neighbor you like more. I'm just kidding. Now just look at what I look to your right and say, like you don't know. Okay, we'll try that one again. Turn to your other neighbor. You don't know you. You don't know you. This will help you so much. I don't want you to go agnostic out there and say, I don't know if there's a higher power, blah blah blah blah blah blah blah. I don't know, whatever. Don't do that. But you can go out there with this blessed, blissful ignorance that says, I don't know, it's above my pay grade. I don't know why this happened to you. I don't know why this happened to me. I don't know what's happening in the world right now, but I know what the Bible says. I know that his mercies are new every morning. I know that when I wake up, I can give my all to him. And when I give my all to him, I have peace that surpasses all understanding. My heart's guarded in Christ Jesus, and I'm filled with assurance that one day I will be seated in the heavenly places with my creator. That's what I got. There's a whole lot more I don't got in terms of information, judgments, indictments, and answers for you, I can try. That's what I got. I can trace a little bit, but God knows so much more than any of us do, he says. Or who has been his counselor. Another translation said consultant. Audacity, guys. Lord, you didn't tell me about that before you did. That would have been nice if you told me and disclosed that to me ahead of time. It's like like we think we can talk to God like we talk to our spouse. It's like you didn't tell me you schedule with so-and-so this week. I had something to do. I didn't put it in the calendar, and I should have. But I had something to do. And you didn't tell me if you would have told me. That's how we go to God. Like, it would have been nice if you had told me that this was going to happen to my family this week. It would have been nice if you told me earlier in life that I would figure this stuff out. It had been nice if you put me in a better place so that I could could learn some things ahead of time rather than go through them. Like the school of Hard knocks. Style would have been real nice if you would consulted me first. And I think just to bring back the pottery, it's like you didn't tell me you're going to do that. It's like I didn't know. I'm just kidding. I'm sorry. I'll stop. I'll move on. Verse 35. Who has ever given to God that God should repay them? And just as a reminder, this is this is kind of this encapsulates the entirety of Romans in one little him before he tells us the best pragmatic behavior to live in. And we'll talk about that next week. But this encapsulates all that Paul is saying in Romans. He says, who's ever given to God that God should repay them. He's already made the case. Would you give to God nothing. Absolutely nothing. All you did was you sin. You didn't eat from the apple or whatever fruit it was all those years ago. No, you did it with the first time that you said a lie. The first time you did something, you were man. It was stained on you and you came out of your mother's womb. You were dead in transgressions. Before you even even told a lie, you were stuck. Futile thoughts, hardened hearts, incapable of accessing your creator. You didn't do anything to obtain it. He says. You can't do anything to lose it. So let me ask you again. What did you give to God? That God owes you anything? I'm not trying to make you feel bad. I'm trying to make you feel accurate. Because this inaccurate perspective that thinks that God owes us anything, a single iota of grace it is. I don't know where we got it, to be honest with you. I don't really know. It's got to be sin culture, all the other stuff. We don't deserve any of this. He doesn't owe us a single thing. He doesn't owe you fairness. He doesn't owe you a good life. He doesn't even owe you breath. And when you start making that flip, to recognize that he doesn't owe you anything, you might start giving gratitude for the most basic level things you have. Praise God you walked in here today. Amen, somebody. Praise God you're alive. I didn't provide that for everybody today. Praise God that you have breath in your lungs. Praise God that many of you, most of you can walk. Praise God that you get to go to church, as opposed to be hiding in a cave or hiding in a in a basement, because you're being persecuted as a Christian elsewhere. Praise God that you got to be in the United States of America. Praise God that we we I don't know, we got carpets I can walk on. So I'm not making loud noise right now. Praise God for the musicians. Praise God for what we have access to. That's basic. I know it's not the raise. It's not the dream job. It's not your kids all of a sudden being perfect and not having any issues like you wish they would have. But it's mercy nonetheless. He doesn't owe us anything. And here's how Paul ends it in verse 36. For from him and through him, and for him are all things. To him be the glory forever. Amen. I've got to give you. Like the truth is. Paul's trying to communicate to you every which way. Romans nine, Romans ten, Romans 11. He's trying to communicate what this says right here. God doesn't owe you anything. You're not a good consultant. You don't know what he's thinking. He's got paths you can't reach. He's got judgments that you can't ponder enough on. He's got riches that are deep. From him comes everything. Everything goes through him. And everything is for him. The reason I tell you the illustration about the pottery, the reason Paul is pondering this in Romans nine, the reason that we struggle in our faith and understanding of what God has called us to do often, is because we lack a posture that truly relents. To truly relent is to look at that last verse and try to understand it. You came from him. He fashioned you from the dust. It was through him that you were made, and you were made for you. You weren't made for your family. You were made for your kids. You weren't made for your job. You weren't made to work the ground alone. Not your spouse. Not your hobbies. Not even happiness. Can I be real? He made you. For himself. Now, here's the thing I want you to hear. This is a good sound. Like I'm just preaching a god that you need to serve that doesn't really treat you well now. He treats you with manifold mercies every single day. His love never ceases. It never fails. He's patient, rich in love. Compassionate, kind. Slow to anger. He never leaves you. He is always there. And during. With much patience. All of this stress and stuff that came as a result of sin. He loves you deeply. But until you recognize that you're made for him, you'll keep living for yourself. And as long as you live for yourself, you may trust in Jesus. He may save you. You may spend eternity in heaven with God because it really is that simple to start stepping in your walk with God. But man, if you keep living for yourself, you will miss out on what is actually beautiful about surrendering all to him. And it's it's so beautiful. Because it gets better as you follow Jesus. But that doesn't mean suffering ceases. That doesn't mean you're not still going to have tons of stuff to work on. That doesn't mean that everything is going to be perfect in your household. It doesn't mean you're going to immediately understand this. I can keep listening. It doesn't mean you're going to trace his ways fully. Doesn't mean you're going to understand the riches fully. Tons of stuff still happens. But here's here's what it does mean. When you surrender all to Jesus. That means that he's got you in his grip. I'll go back to Romans eight for this. I didn't preach on it. I was waiting to do it. Because it says those that God for new. He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son. And every one of us, that God for new. He's also called those who he for new. He also justified those who he for new. He also glorified. And here's what you got to recognize is not just external issues. You're not just going to be protected from the ultimate power of Satan. You're actually going to be insulated as you put your faith in Christ Jesus. You will be insulated from the sheer amount of pain that you're going to be enduring throughout life, because you may suffer, but you recognize this only for a little while. You may suffer and struggle not just externally, but internally. Like the Lord convicted me one day when I was only praying about my external circumstance. He said, you need to pray for this jacked up human being that still resides in you, the flesh that's at war with the spirit that's within you. You gotta you gotta war with that. You gotta deal with that. And here's what you got to recognize. You have the power to do it because you surrendered all to me. Yeah, we got the helper of the Holy Spirit. But when you recognize it from him, through him and for him are all things, you hand yourself over to him and you recognize that you're his now. You're giving responsibility to him to get you to the place where you ultimately supposed to be. And for all the people in the room who have not surrendered their life to Jesus. I want to tell you, you cannot get there on your own. You can be successful physically, temporarily, but you cannot get to your eternal home without Christ Jesus. And I look at a lot of successful people. And there's another thing that I recognize. There is a beautiful thing that I have access to because from him, for him and through him are all things. Because I'm in his grip, because I've handed my life over to him, is that when I'm at my wits end and God's, that happens. I get to fall into his grip. And even if all the stuff is still happening, even if it's not better, even if there's still consequences, even if pain is going to ensue just in a few moments, I still get the rest in the arms of my creator. And I'm going to be honest. That's enough. That's enough. And the Bible tells us in Romans chapter ten quoted all the time, but it happens to be the passage of today, that you can surrender your life to him and fall into his arms by confessing with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, believing in your heart that God raised him from the dead and give you that opportunity right now. But I'm going to pray a personal prayer to God. God, thank you for your infinite mercies. And God. Sometimes I look at your judgments and I'm struggling. Reveal yourself to me. Be kind enough to disclose some things to me. But God, help me not be so presumptuous that I try to consult you. Help me understand that everything is better with you. God, rip out that in me which is broken. Take this heart of stone and replace it with a heart of flesh. Help me to know you, to live for you. To dwell on your mercies. And I commit God to follow you, to serve you. To do all this in my power to trust you. God, I commit my all to you. It's in Jesus's name that I pray. And all God's people said.

Romans 11 · chapter mention