Genesis Ch9v1-29 - Covenant Hype

Genesis chapter 9.

Genesis 9 · chapter mention

And we're going to read the whole chapter.

Ralph is going to be speaking a little bit later on, or just after the reading.

Certainly I'm very thankful, an opportunity to sit and to hear God's word.

So I'm looking forward to it, but let's listen to God's word to us and ask for his help to us.

So let's read Genesis chapter 9, starting at verse 1 to the end of the chapter.

Genesis 9 · chapter mention

Then God blessed Noah and his sons, saying to them,

Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the earth.

The fear and dread of you will fall on all the beasts of the earth,

and on all the birds in the sky,

on every creature that moves along the ground,

and on all the fish in the sea.

They are given into your hands.

Everything that lives and moves about will be food for you.

Just as I gave you the green plants,

I now give you everything.

But you must not eat meat that has its lifeblood still in it.

And for your lifeblood, I will surely demand an accounting.

I will demand an accounting from every animal,

and from each human being too.

I will demand an accounting for the life of another human being.

Whoever sheds human blood,

by human shall their blood be shed.

For in the image of God

has God made mankind.

As for you,

be fruitful and increase in number.

Multiply on the earth and increase upon it.

Then God said to Noah and to his sons with him,

I now establish my covenant with you

and with your descendants after you,

and with every living creature that was with you,

the birds, the livestock, and all the wild animals,

and all those that come out of the ark with you,

every living creature on earth.

I establish my covenant with you.

Never again will all life be destroyed

by the waters of a flood.

Never again will there be a flood to destroy the earth.

And God said,

This is the sign of the covenant

I am making between me and you

and every living creature with you.

A covenant for all generations to come.

I have set my rainbow in the clouds,

and it will be a sign of the covenant

between me and the earth.

Whenever I bring clouds over the earth

and the rainbow appears in the clouds,

I will remember my covenant

between me and you

and all living creatures of every kind.

Never again will the waters become a flood

to destroy all life.

Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds,

I will see it and remember

the everlasting covenant between God

and all living creatures of every kind on the earth.

So God said to Noah,

This is the sign of the covenant

I have established between me

and all life on the earth.

The sons of Noah who came out of the ark

were Shem, Ham and Japheth.

Ham was the father of Canaan.

These were the three sons of Noah,

and from them came the people

who were scattered over the whole earth.

Noah, a man of the soil,

proceeded to plant a vineyard.

When he drank some of its wine,

he became drunk

and lay uncovered inside his tent.

Ham, the father of Canaan,

saw his father naked

and told his two brothers outside.

But Shem and Japheth took a garment

and laid it across their shoulders.

Then they walked in backwards

and covered their father's naked body.

Their faces were turned the other way

so that they could not see

their father naked.

When Noah awoke from his wine

and found out what his youngest son

had done to him,

he said,

Cursed be Canaan!

The lowest of slaves

will he be to his brothers.

He also said,

Praise be to the Lord,

the God of Shem!

May Canaan be the slave of Shem!

May God extend Japheth's territory!

May Japheth live in the tents of Shem!

And may Canaan be the slave of Japheth!

After the flood,

Noah lived 350 years.

Noah lived a total of 950 years.

And then he died.

Thanks, Ralph.

Good morning, everyone.

Thank you, Johnny,

for reading chapter 9 for us this morning.

I might just lower this slightly.

Okay.

And...

Okay, you can still hear me okay?

Yeah, okay.

Well, we reached the end of the story of Noah.

And the question comes up, doesn't it?

How does the world begin again

after such devastation?

A new start,

a new beginning is needed, isn't it,

after the flood?

I was thinking World War II

might be the closest reference point

that we have in our generation

to the time of Noah.

We've seen documentaries...

Sorry, I'm going to make this a little bit higher

now.

It seems to be going down on me.

Sorry, just seen the stand

for those listening on audio.

We've seen documentaries,

watched films,

and...

Sorry.

I'm really struggling with this.

Very glad we get this one.

Yeah.

Sorry, that might be easier, actually.

Sorry, I'm actually going to switch

the lines altogether.

If we make enough money in the book sales,

you might get a new one.

Sorry.

Thanks, Johnny.

Hello.

Dear.

Thanks.

Thanks, Johnny.

I said, I think the closest reference

we might have

to the devastation of the time of Noah

is World War II.

And I said, we've seen documentaries

or watched films

or even read books

about what that time was like.

And even through those,

we only get a hint

of what the upheaval

must have been.

After six years

and all the destruction,

it finally ended

in September 1945.

But not before

the US had dropped

two nuclear bombs

over the cities

of Nagasaki

and Hiroshima,

totally obliterating them

and killing

tens of thousands

of people.

But a new start

did come,

didn't it?

On the world stage

after World War II,

we had the emergence

of the United Nations,

we had the beginnings

of the early start

of the European Union,

and both of them

were an attempt

to say,

never again,

never again,

never again.

The scorched lands

of Germany

and Japan

were rebuilt

with outside help.

a new start

for the main aggressors

of the war.

And what can happen

on the world

or the global stage

can also happen

on our stage,

our personal stage,

on the small scale.

We can be left

wiped out.

We can be left

under rubble

by people

and by circumstances

or both.

We get that urge,

don't we?

We want to start again.

We want to build better.

And if you haven't

already gone through

a fresh start

in your life,

chances are

you've thought about it.

You've thought about

selling up,

packing up,

and just moving on.

And as we reach

chapter 9 in Genesis,

we find the first

worldwide

fresh start.

It is a post-apocalyptic

world.

The black and white

clips from World War II

can't compare

to the breadth

and the depth

of the destruction

here.

It was near

total,

global,

worldwide

wipeout.

And in one sense,

the earth is now

arguably cleansed.

We have these

eight

hand-picked

survivors.

And on paper,

all good people,

all chosen by God.

We could assume

that all that was wrong

with the old world

has now been

decisively dealt with.

It's sorted out,

gone,

and dead,

and buried

in the rubble

and the muck.

All that was wrong.

This is the

freshest

of fresh

possible starts.

And the focus

in Genesis chapter 9

Genesis 9 · chapter mention

is about that

fresh start.

chapter 8

has led us up

to it,

hasn't it?

The waters,

remember,

they subsided.

The waters are subsiding

and the dry land

is beginning

to appear again.

And that's an echo

back to Genesis chapter 1,

Genesis 1 · chapter mention

wasn't it?

Where the waters

were gathered together

so that dry land

could appear.

And the coming

of the birds

and the animals

out of the ark

to fill the land

again

and to fill

the skies again,

that's to remind us

again of Genesis 1,

isn't it?

Where God created

the animals

and he created

the birds

to fill the land

he'd created

and to fill

the skies

that he had created.

It's back

to creation again.

So God,

in a sense,

in chapter 9 here

and chapter 8

is helping us

to imagine

that this is

a re-creation.

It's a re-affirming,

a re-establishing

of his relationship

and his covenant

with creation

and with

his image bearers.

And of course,

we're meant to think,

aren't we,

then,

that if that's

what's happening,

that Noah

is like a new Adam.

Look at verse 1,

then God blessed

Noah

and his sons,

saying to them,

be fruitful

and increase in number

and fill

the earth.

You see,

the blessing

is being passed

on to Noah now

and the command

to be fruitful

and increase in number

and fill the earth.

Well,

that's Genesis 1 again,

isn't it?

It's back

to creation.

And God is saying,

enjoy the new start.

Be fruitful.

Fill the earth.

And we have this

provision as well,

don't we,

of food again.

Also an echo

from Genesis 1.

And we see that

in verse 3.

In the garden,

what was it?

It was all the plants

and all the fruit

and all the trees

that were given

to Adam and Eve

and to humanity

to enjoy.

And here,

everything is given

for food,

including the animals.

So steak is now

on the menu.

But,

can we also see

in these verses

the subtle changes

from the garden,

the subtle changes

to suit

the circumstances

of a fallen world.

The curse

and the impacts

of sin

resulting from

Adam and Eve's rebellion

still,

it's still simmering,

isn't it,

under the surface

through all of life.

Notice some

of the difference.

Look at verse 2.

The animals

that,

remember they came

to Adam

to be named

by him in the garden?

It's almost like

they come up,

there's no fear there.

Or they were brought

by God

to Noah

to enter the ark

and the animals

went into the ark

with Noah

and stayed with Noah

on the ark

and lived with him.

Well,

now they don't come

so easily.

Verse 2.

The fear and dread

of you will fall

on all the beasts

of the earth

and all the birds

in the sky.

They carry a fear

of people now.

So that assumed care

that we read about

in Genesis 1

of mankind

caring for creation,

that assumption

of that relationship

is,

well,

it's broken.

It's not as it should be.

And basics,

I mean real basics

that we could have

taken for granted

back in the garden,

they now need to be

spelt out by God

and written large

and kind of

blown up

and announced.

Basics.

The intrinsic

worth

of human

life

needs to be

spelt out.

Genesis 9

and verse 4.

But you must not

eat meat

that has its

lifeblood

still in it.

And for your

lifeblood,

that's the lifeblood

of a person,

I will surely

demand

an accounting.

What's

verse 4

and this thing

about lifeblood?

What's it about?

Why the emphasis

on blood

and lifeblood?

Well,

I think it's this.

God is setting

blood as a symbol

and as a sign

of life.

And we'll see that

all through the scriptures

from here on in.

But blood is

really a proxy

or a symbol

for life itself.

Blood,

then,

is to remind us

of what?

The sanctity

of life.

Blood

equals

life.

And you show

your respect

for life

by showing

your respect

for blood

as a symbol.

Even in how

the animals

are to be killed

and to be eaten.

It's to remind us

that blood

equals life

and life

is sacred.

Verse 5

and 6,

any time

an image

bearer

of God.

Think about that.

Any time

an image

bearer

of God

that is a man

or a woman

or the unborn

or a baby

or an infant

or a child

or the elderly

is spilled.

Any time

the blood

of a person

is spilled,

God

will

demand

an accounting.

God

will demand

an accounting.

Shedding

the blood

of a person

is no

small

thing.

God

himself

will hold

you to

account.

Why?

Why this

high standard?

Well,

verse 6

reminds us

and again

back to the

garden.

Whoever

sheds human

blood

by humans

shall their

blood be

shed.

Why?

For in the

image of

God

has God

made

mankind.

Each

human being,

each of you

here

this morning,

you bear

the image

of God.

You bear

the image

of God.

Even after

the fall,

even after

you've

been afflicted

by sin,

you still

bear God's

stamp.

Human life

is sacred.

It's touched

by God

himself.

And this

used to be

taken for

granted.

It used to

be a

cornerstone

of society

because of

Christian influence

over centuries.

But those

ethics around

life and

death,

they've

had a

lasting

impact,

but they're

drifting away,

aren't they?

The idea

that human

life is

intrinsically

valuable is

rapidly being

dismantled.

The value

of life is

now negotiable

and we

can have a

debate about

it.

And especially

debate and

negotiate about

those at the

very edges,

those that are

most vulnerable,

those that are

in the early

days in the

womb or those

that are at

their latter

days towards

the end of

their life.

Let's have a

discussion and

a debate about

killing.

Let's have that

debate about

the smallest

and the

weakest and

the most

vulnerable and

call their

lives expendable.

But the

Bible here

reminds us

that each

human life

is precious

because each

one bears

the image

of God.

Each one

is marked

and stamped

by the

creator.

To unjustly

kill and

to unjustly

take life

is to

unjustly

attack

God

himself

and he

will demand

an accounting.

So this

is the

fresh and

the new

start.

The garden

again but

with modifications.

We have

Noah as a

new Adam.

He takes on

the mantle to

rule and

care for

the earth,

to be

fruitful and

to protect

life.

Here we

have eight

people who

have witnessed

the flood.

They've

witnessed God's

judgment and

God's wrath

poured out

against sin.

And they've

been blessed

now with

God's salvation

and they've

been given

God's direction.

All the

old people

and all the

old circumstances

and all the

old situations

they've been

wiped.

They've been

wiped out.

They've been

wiped away

literally.

They've

arrived in

a new

country.

Everything

else is

gone and

in the

past.

They've

been told

to go

and make

the world

their own.

It's the

freshest of

freshest

possible

starts that

any of us

could imagine.

But what's

your experience

and my

experience of

fresh starts?

Well,

after a

time,

they're simply

not new

anymore.

They're not

fresh enough

anymore.

You see,

the old

issues and

the old

habits with

their simmering

tendency,

they kind

of come up

again,

don't they?

But why?

Why can't

we just

have the

never-ending

fresh start?

Well,

I think we

have a sense

of that

already.

Even if the

world was

washed clean

for us to

begin again,

we'd still

be there.

even if the

world was

washed

clean for

us to

begin again,

we'd still

be there

carrying with

us our

personal strain

and mutation

of the

sin virus.

It's along

the lines of

the old

quip,

and some of

you will

know this

one,

if you

find the

perfect

church,

don't join

us,

you'd spoil

us.

Which we can

modify as,

if you find the

perfect new

starts,

don't go

for it,

you'd spoil

it.

Let's jump

down to

verse 18

and look

at what

happened to

this new

start,

this global

new start.

They come

out of the

ark,

verse 18,

Noah and

his sons

and their

families,

and verse

20,

Noah, a

man of the

soil,

proceeded to

plant a

vineyard,

and when he

drank some

of its

wine,

he became

drunk and

lay on

covered inside

his tent.

Verse 22,

Ham, the

father of

Canaan, saw

his father

naked and

told his

brothers outside.

It's chapter

one to three

again, isn't

it?

It's like the

garden all

over again,

sin and its

consequences.

And we have

fruit again as

a trigger for

sinful actions.

This time it's

fruit from the

vine, grapes,

instead of

fruit from the

tree of the

knowledge of

good and

evil.

And Noah,

he's delighted

with his

post-flood

discovery of

his wine-making

abilities.

And nothing

wrong with

enjoying the

literal fruits

of your

labor.

There's nothing

wrong with

that.

There's nothing

wrong with

some of the

wine, verse

21.

But when

drinking and

sin can

combine, they

can combine

very quickly

to snare

the body

and the

mind and

lead to

drunkenness.

And like

the garden,

after the

episode of

sin, we

have this

following of

a sense of

nakedness and

a sense of

shame about

that.

Again, it's

all intentional

parallels between

the start in the

garden and the

start with

Noah.

Verse 22,

Ham, the

father of

Canaan, seeing

his father

nakedness.

And then we

have this

strange part

in some ways.

It feels like

an overreaction

by Noah.

After all, it

was he that

sins originally.

Poor

grandson

Canaan

ends up

getting cursed

because of

his father

Ham

happening to

see

granddad

Noah naked.

It's a

really strange

family

situation.

Verse 24

and 25,

when Noah

awoke from

his wine and

found out what

his youngest

son had done

to him, he

said,

curse be

Canaan, the

lowest of

slaves will

be all of

his brothers.

So we

have this

embarrassed

Noah and

his own

drunken

shame leading

to his

grandson being

cursed.

And the

cursing of

Noah, the

extremity of

that in some

way, points

us back to

consider how

bad the

behavior of

Ham was in

verse 22.

Look at what

it says right

at the end.

Ham, the

father of

Canaan, saw

his father

naked and

told his

two brothers

outside.

And instead

of protecting

his father's

dignity and

his father's

modesty,

Ham engaged

in shaming

his father.

And so we

get this

contrast between

his brother's

subsequent

modesty and

care for

their father

versus Ham's

neglect and

exposure of

his father's

shame.

And again,

the incident

might feel

small to us

or trivial,

but it's the

trigger for

Noah and

this family to

follow the

garden path

out of Eden

again.

Out of the

fresh start.

They walk

down the path

out of it

and split the

family line

between curses

on one hand

and blessings

on the other

hand.

Do you see it?

Do you see

Noah sins?

Ham sins?

Canaan is

cursed as a

slave while

the line of

Shem is

blessed.

The cycle

again of

fall and

blessing and

curses starts

again.

And this one

will reverberate

for centuries.

By the time

Moses, who we

believe wrote

Genesis in the

first five books

of the Bible,

sits down to

write this

account,

hundreds or

thousands of

years later,

we have the

Semites,

descended from

Shem or the

Israelites,

led by Moses,

about to go to

war with the

descendants of

Canaan,

the Canaanites,

who live in

the promised

land.

So the

Israelites have

come up out

of Egypt and

they're going

into the

promised land.

So the

descendants of

Shem,

meeting the

descendants of

Canaan,

hundreds or

thousands of

years later,

the curse

and the

blessing from

Noah's hand

eventually lead

to war.

So much

for the

fresh start.

fresh start.

And how

often in our

fresh starts

probably aren't

as dramatic

as that,

if we're

honest,

the opportunities

we've had,

but how

often in our

mini fresh

starts do

we end up

going down

the literal

or proverbial

garden path

again and

heading in

the wrong

direction.

And there's

almost a

paradox here

or a

slight tension

because our

fresh starts

are often a

needed blessing

and opportunity

and we need

them,

but we

spurn them

again and

again.

It's like

the stressed

father working

10 hours a

day.

And when

he's at

home now

because of

COVID,

and when

he's interrupted

by his

eight-year-old

daughter running

into his

room,

who just

needs 30

seconds,

he barks

back,

what do

you want?

Close the

door.

Instead of

How are

you?

It's good to

see you.

How can I

help,

pet?

You see,

the father

needs a

next time,

doesn't he?

He needs

a next start,

a new start,

to show an

ounce of

care towards

an image

bearer.

And a

fresh start

that comes

with a

new job.

There were

so many

negatives in

the old

place,

people either

not caring

about me or

the work or

demanding too

much out of

me.

Well,

this new

place,

I get to

start over.

I get to

build better

and put in

place better

working habits.

At our

home groups,

we've been

looking at

the life of

Noah,

or Noah,

I've done it

again,

Jonah,

the life of

Jonah.

Jonah ran

away,

and he

sailed away

from God.

He

disobeyed.

But God

patiently

chased him

down,

showed him

mercy,

and gave

Jonah a

second chance.

And like

Noah,

we can even

sometimes leave

it all behind.

We can leave

all of the

people and

all of the

circumstances and

have them

buried down.

And God can

even sit us

down.

He can open

up his

word and he

can lay out

for us how

to build

again and

what's going

to be different

this time and

how to behave

and how to

act like he

did at the

start of the

chapter.

And he

can give

his blessing

and he

can give

his direction.

You see,

we can thank

God for

fresh starts

and second

chances.

They are

a blessing.

But then

wham!

I turn and

I give out

to my

daughter again.

I cut

down the

new people

in my

job,

like my

old job.

Like Jonah,

I start to

grumble again

at God for

not sorting

out and

punishing

those people

that I

don't like.

Or wham!

Like Noah,

one day it's

about new

starts and

rainbows and

blessings and

then another

day I'm

drunk and

naked and

disgraced and

cursing my

own grandchild.

Is there

any hope for

our new

starts?

Any lasting

hope?

God

knows.

God

knows.

He knows

that new

starts

that new

starts give

way to

old

sins.

It's no

surprise to

God.

Look back

Genesis 8

21.

We saw

this last

week.

Genesis 8

and verse

21.

The Lord

smelled a

pleasing aroma.

This is after

they've come out

of the ark and

they've sacrificed

to the Lord

in thanksgiving.

this is what

he says in

his heart.

Never again

will I curse

the ground

because of

humans,

even though

every inclination

of the human

heart is evil

from childhood

and never again

will I destroy

all living

creatures as

I have done.

As long as

the earth

endures,

sea time and

harvest,

cold and

heat,

summer and

winter,

day and

night,

will never

cease.

Remember,

the world

has been

cleansed,

everything has

been buried

and done

away with

and before

there's even

a flicker

of rebellion,

of new

rebellion,

God promises

to never

judge the

whole earth

again because

of mankind's

sin.

Because

we can look

back at

the time of

Noah and

Genesis and

kind of wonder

but the reality

is this,

God could

justly wipe

out every

generation on

this earth.

He could

justly wipe

out every

generation on

this earth.

He could

repeat this

every single

generation because

of sin.

Because fresh

start means

fresh sin.

But God's

judgment on

the earth is

stayed because

of his promise.

God's

and we

see that

through chapter

nine,

don't we,

that being

given a

fresh start

and being

given a

clean slate

is not

a sufficient

remedy

for the

human condition

or for

human plight.

It is not.

A fresh start

and a clean

slate like

this is not.

Even before

we read a

single word

of a fall

from chapter

nine,

God is

promising

in his

heart to

be the

one that

is faithful,

to be the

one that

is merciful

towards his

creation.

The hope

for the

human condition

is God.

The hope

for the

human condition

is God

for him

to act

in steadfast

love towards

his sinful

image bearers.

And this

brings us to

the heart

of the chapter

from verses

eight to

seventeen,

where God

establishes

a covenant

with his

creation.

Let's look

at verse

eight to

eleven.

Then God

said to

Noah and

his sons

with him,

I now

establish my

covenant

with you

and with

your

descendants

after you

and with

every living

creature

that was

with you,

the birds,

the livestock,

all the wild

animals,

and all those

that came out

of the ark

with you,

every living

creature on

earth,

I establish

my covenant

with you.

Never again

will all life

be destroyed

by the waters

of a flood,

never again

will there be

a flood

to destroy

the earth.

God's

relationship

with his

creation,

with you

and me,

is always

through a

covenant.

But what is a

covenant?

Well,

there's many

ways to try

and sum up

what a covenant

is in the

Bible.

Here's one

way,

and I'll

say it

twice.

A covenant

is a

voluntary

relationship

involving

solemn

commitments

under oath

between

parties.

There's a

lot in

there,

say it

again.

A covenant

is a

voluntary

relationship

involving

solemn

commitments

under oath

between

parties.

And hopefully

we'll see

some of those

elements as we

look at this

one.

And the

closest human

equivalent,

and I think

this is quite a

common

comparison to

the biblical

covenant,

is the one

between a

man and a

woman in

marriage.

One man

and one

woman make

promises and

commitments to

each other

that will

bless them,

that will

enrich them,

and that only

death can

separate.

And in a

covenant,

like in a

marriage,

the emphasis

is always on

the relationship,

the relationship

between the

parties.

So God

here is

making

deep,

lasting,

relational

commitments and

covenants

here.

And we

see that

throughout the

scriptures,

through all the

other covenants

as well.

God makes

those deep,

deep commitments

to people.

And in the

Noahic

covenant,

the covenant

of Noah,

the God

of the

heavens and

the earth

and all

creation

freely

enters into

a binding

relationship

with his

creation.

And he

takes upon

himself

the

commitments

and the

promises

that he

will fulfill.

Yes,

there are

stipulations

on humans,

as we've

read,

to protect

life and

to protect

God's

image

bearers,

but it is

God who

makes and

upholds the

promise to

preserve life

on the

earth for

all

generations.

And that

is despite

each

generation

adding to

the fresh

mountains of

sin that

are building

and accumulating

all that

sin and

injustice that

we witness

in the

world.

So this

is how the

covenant here

works.

We've seen

Noah sins,

God sees

and remembers

his promise.

God waits,

God is

merciful and

patient.

The people,

including us,

after Noah

sin,

God sees

and God

remembers his

promise and

God waits.

God is

merciful and

God is

patient.

All the

time God is

remembering his

promise to

Noah, all

this time that

God is

remembering, he

also provides a

sign, a

physical sign, a

rainbow as a

reminder.

And future

covenants will

have their

signs, won't

they?

Circumcision,

the Sabbath or

baptism.

And each of

those signs will

see the human

side carry out

the cutting,

the observing or

the baptizing.

So there's

always a human

element in the

future signs and

the covenants

that will come.

But this

covenant and

sign is

different,

isn't it?

See, the

rainbow in the

sky, it's

enacted always

by who?

Not by us.

I mean, we

don't put

rainbows in

the sky.

It's enacted

by God.

And we're

not going to

read this all

again, but

just if you

glance down

through verses

12 onwards

about the

rainbow, it

says, this is

the sign of

the covenant I

am making.

I have set my

rainbow or my

hunter's bow,

literally, in

the clouds.

Whenever I

bring clouds

over the earth

and the rainbow

appears in the

clouds, I will

remember my

covenant.

I will see

it and remember

the everlasting

covenant.

So when it

comes to the

sign of the

covenant, the

rainbow, it's

all God.

I, I, I.

Not you, you,

you.

God is setting

the sign.

Not because he

would forget,

but so that we

are comforted to

know that God

is keeping his

promise.

because after

the global

flood, any

rain cloud in

the sky could

be a bit

threatening, a

bit menacing,

couldn't it?

Oh no, uh-oh,

oh, it's the

clouds again.

Uh-oh, we're

in trouble.

It's a threat of

judgment from God,

the clouds coming.

But God turns

around our fear

of judgment by

setting his bow

in the rain

clouds.

His bow, his

rainbow, serves as

a sign that he

would never judge

the earth by

flood again.

So brothers and

sisters in the

Lord, remember,

when you fail in

your actions and

your heart towards

your daughter, just

asking for some

help and remembering

that she too is a

sinner like you,

God is still

merciful and

patient.

When you reach the

end of yourself at

work because it's

full of sinners just

like you and you

want to collapse at

the end of the

day, remember that