Turn with me to 2 Samuel chapter 7. I'm going to begin by reading verse 17. It says that according to all these words, and according to all this vision, so did Nathan speak unto David. So tonight, what follows this, and tonight what we're gonna look at is David's prayer to God after that Nathan had spoken to him the things that God told Nathan to say to David. And it was in regards to David building a house for the ark, basically a house for God.

Now, a couple of weeks ago, we had looked at what the Lord does for his child, seen through the lens of David as a type of the believer. And we looked at five things that our Lord does for us, taken specifically from verses eight and nine. Let's read eight and nine. Now, therefore, so shalt thou say unto my servant David, Thus saith the Lord of hosts, I took thee from the sheep coat, or from the pasture, from following the sheep, to be ruler over my people, over Israel. And I was with thee whithersoever thou wentest, and have cut off all thine enemies out of thy sight, and have made thee a great name, like unto the name of the great men that are in the earth.

And then from these verses, we saw the work of our God, what he does for his people. First, we saw how that he, from those verses, how that he draws his people to himself. He plucks us out of the fire, as it were. And then we see how he makes his child of God to know their poverty. You're going to know. what God is saving you from, what he's redeemed you from, the death that is yours by nature. You're gonna know it. And then we see how that he promises to never leave us nor forsake us. And then we see fourth, how that he is our victory over all our foes. He's the one who delivers us from the hand of the enemy. And then fifth, we see how that he glorifies us in the Lord Jesus Christ, his son. We're not glorified for ourselves. We're not glorified for our works. We're glorified for Christ's sake, who justified us, who sanctifies us, who blesses us in himself. And so these are all rightly seen as a portion of the spiritual blessings which are given to us in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. That's just a sampling of some of what the Lord does for his people there, just a sample.

But now we come to David's prayer. Now we come to David's prayer and what we find by grace, what we find by grace is that prayer is another blessing. another spiritual blessing of God for his people in the Lord Jesus Christ. You see, true prayer isn't born of this flesh. True prayer, prayer that is wrought of God and drawn out from his people by God. It's not of this flesh, it's of the spirit. It's by his grace that we learn how to pray. how to go to the Lord in prayer. It's by his spirit and by his grace. Paul said, ye are not in the flesh, you that are born again of Christ. You're not of the flesh, you're not in the flesh, but in the spirit, if so be that the spirit of God dwell in you.

Now, Probably most of us think we know something about prayer. The world encourages people of faith, that's what they would say, just meaning people of religion, they teach people of all faiths to pray to their God. to turn to God and pray to him. But the scriptures teach that the prayer to an idle God is not heard by God. Of course, God knows of these things. God's aware of what men do. But it's not a prayer which is heard by God. It's simply the ignorance of man being manifested. It's simply a picture of man's ignorance being manifested, that man is yet in darkness. and that he's deceived. It's people praying. It's a mercy of God to hear a sinner's prayer. It's a mercy of God. And if he hears it, it's because it's his spirit that gives it, that teaches us how to pray. It's of his spirit.

Isaiah speaks of the folly of man's idolatry. Isaiah gives us an example of where man will cut down a tree, And with a portion of that tree, he lights a fire. This portion, which is going to become his God, he lights a fire. And once it cooks down and he gets the coals, he'll put his food on there, and he'll cook his food and eat that food. And Isaiah says from Isaiah 44, verse 17 and 18, he says, with the residue thereof, he maketh a God. He has different portions for that same log, and with a portion of it, he makes a god, even his graven image.

And what man is doing there in his idol god is he's making an image of himself. A weak, fallen, despicable creature. And that's what man makes. That's his idol God. It's a weak, impotent, ineffectual, fake, lying, false God. That's what man does by nature. Even his graven image, he falleth down unto it, and worshipeth it, and prayeth unto it, and saith, Deliver me, for thou art my God.

They have not known nor understood, for he hath shut their eyes. Speaking of God, God hath shut their eyes that they cannot see, and their hearts that they cannot understand. And so it's a picture, it shows us of the darkened way of man. That man is ignorant of the true and living God. And it's why we say that The prayer of the believer is not of this flesh. There are times when we pray in the flesh. There are times when we go to God in ignorance, but that prayer, that true prayer of faith is wrought in us of God. It's a grace, it's a mercy of God that we should go to God in prayer. in spirit and in truth. It's a mercy of God to do that for us. It's a spiritual blessing that God does to turn us, to show us our need of the true and living God.

Because we know that there's none that understandeth, there's none that seeketh after God. And so if you do seek after God, it's because God has sought you and blessed you. and being gracious to you and merciful to you to cause you to seek him, to seek him in knowledge and understanding that it's not me, but it's his grace that draws me and has shown me my need of him. It's his grace that does that.

Now, just because none seeks after God doesn't mean that men aren't religious. Man is very religious. And so that I suppose confuses people to a certain degree of how religious man can be, how dedicated and zealous he can be. But if it's of God, he's gonna bring you to Christ. and he's gonna cause you to cry out to him for grace and mercy. God is able and will, he'll break you, he'll break us because we are so confident in this flesh, we are so proud and arrogant and so ignorant to the truth of God that it takes his grace and power to deliver us from that death and darkness. So be aware, I say these things, just be aware. It's not of the flesh, it's of the spirit. It's of the spirit.

Now let me just say a few more things here in general about prayer before we look at David's prayer. When you pray. Don't use repetitions in the sense of like a chant or something like that. You can repeat yourself, though. And we do. Especially when we're burdened, we do repeat ourselves. And something just keeps hitting us and weighing on us, and we're feeling the weight of it. And we'll repeat ourselves. But what I mean is don't use too much repetition. You know, the wicked, those that consider themselves to be spiritual, will just say the same thing over and over again in a chant-like thing, and that's not gonna, God's not fooled. We're not carving away towards God and trying to break through to the other side. He's almighty God. He knows what we have need of before we even ask it, our Lord said in Matthew 6.

He knows already what things you and I have need of. When we come to him in prayer burdened, it's because he has put that burden there. And he's the one that bends our knee and puts us on our face before him to see our need, to cry out to him for grace. And then also, just because sometimes people will say, I've prayed about it. And they use that to justify what they're about to do. But just because we've prayed about it, this flesh is so wily and so corrupt, it doesn't mean that God's just going to bless it because you prayed about it. If it's contrary to his word, if it's contrary to the truth of God, then it doesn't matter if you prayed about it. God is going to do what is right and just in the earth. We're going to him who is sovereign and almighty and does as he pleases. And so he's going to cause us to walk in his way in the spirit of truth.

Additionally, prayer is a spiritual work of God. And I've said this already, but it's a spiritual work of God wrought in his child. wrought in his people. Our Lord, when he was speaking to the woman at the well in John chapter four, he said to her there in verse 22, he worship, you know, not what that's all of us by nature. We can be worshiping something, we can be very religious, but we're doing it in ignorance until God converts us, delivers us, takes us out of that death, and brings us into his kingdom of life, until it pleases him.

We know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews, and that tells us that there is a truth of God. It's not what we want, how we want to worship God, but as God reveals himself to us in the person and work of his darling son, Jesus Christ, according to the scriptures. The scriptures. But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshipers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth, for the Father seeketh such to worship him. And so the Lord is going to teach us to pray and to worship him and serve him in spirit and in truth. God is a spirit, and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

In other words, only new creatures, only new creatures worship God. And that's why it's so important that we must be new creatures. And I say this not because you and I can make ourselves new creatures. We don't improve it, but the Lord reveals it to us because In His way, He makes us to see the gap. He makes us to see our need. He makes us to see, I'm insufficient. Lord, save me. I'm so mechanical. I'm so dry. I'm so dead. I'm so cold. I'm so ignorant. I'm so dark. Lord, have mercy on me. Save me, Lord.

That's why He makes us to see what all men are, that we're all sinners. that we would fall down before him, that we would beg him for that grace and that spirit and that life, because without him, I can do nothing. He makes us to know that, because he does make us new creatures. And he does take that word and lay it to the heart, that he would bring out that truth and that spirit and truth, which we can't do. We can't manufacture it. We can't make it. We can't make it any more effectual. He does, and we need Him. And so that's why He makes us, that's why He says these things, and makes us to know them, and makes us to hear them, that we would beg Him for mercy and grace. And it's a gracious thing if you do beg Him. It's of His grace. Otherwise, you and I will just, it'll just bounce right off, or go in one ear and out the other, and have no benefit, no bearing on us.

Now prayer for the believer, And I kind of just alluded to this, it's a confession that without God, I can do nothing. And we'll see that in David's prayer. He realizes, whoa, God is God and I'm nothing before him. And without him, I can do nothing. And that's something our Lord taught the disciples in John 15, 5, that we are rooted in the vine. We're branches rooted in the vine. And he makes us to learn and to know that without him, I can do nothing. I can do nothing. I'd be a snapped off branch, good for nothing but the fire. That's all I'd be.

We recognize our need of him and our dependence upon him, how that he does as he pleases, and so we ask him concerning his will. And when we come before him, we are laying our cares and our concerns before him. We are laying our needs and worries and the things that we've heard and the things that we're asking for, and we lay them before the Lord. in that manner. And we're thanking him and rejoicing in him because without him we can do nothing. But we do come before him to know his will and to seek his face concerning these things.

We pray to God because he's sovereign. He's sovereign. And that's also contrary to the nature of man, because a carnal man will argue, well, what's the point of praying to God? If God's sovereign, he's going to do whatever he wants to do anyway. Why do I even bother praying to him? No, we still are taught to come before our Lord and seek his face. You're gonna, we're gonna seek the Lord for his grace and mercy. Even if he purposes to do it, he's gonna bring his child to seek him for these things that we would know his will and be conformed to the image of his son, Jesus Christ.

I mean, just think of Christ. He knew the Father's will, he knew what he was doing, and yet he was faithful in praying to his Father. Faithful in that. And he knew all things. He knew what he was doing and his whole purpose, and yet he prayed continually, very faithfully. And so we pray to God because he is sovereign. We know that he is able to do as he pleases. He gives us his word, his word of promise, and therefore when we go and pray to him according to the promise of his word, what an encouragement. because we know that we have the things that we ask according to his will. And if he isn't going to give it, it's for good cause.

And when I say that, I'm thinking of Paul, who knew that God was able to heal. He'd seen God heal people. Christ said to a man, stretch forth thy hand. And he stretched forth his withered hand, and it became whole. He saw the lame walk. There was a man that was blind from birth and the senses that he didn't even have eyeballs in his eye sockets and yet God, Christ created them and that man saw. And so when Paul had an infirmity of the flesh he went to the Lord and three times sought him to remove that thorn and it was only because Even though it's God's will to heal his people, to bless his people, yet for a purpose, God will leave a thorn in the flesh for his people to humble us, to teach us, to keep us dependent upon him, to keep us near to him. And Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 12 there, those blessed words that in weakness, Christ's strength is made perfect in our weakness. It's seen and made perfect in our weakness. And it is in our weakness, when we're stripped and brought low in ourselves, that's where we see the grace of God manifest in us. It's for our good, for our good there. And so faithful is he that calleth you who also will do it. He's able, when you see his promises, you can go to the Lord confidently in his word. according to his promise.

Now, something else we learn about the spirit of prayer that we see in David is that once he knew God's will upon the matter of him building the house of God, David yet prayed. David desired to go to the Lord in prayer. David sought out the Lord in prayer. Once he heard what Nathan came to say, David was motivated to pray. He went to the Lord, and it's a delight. It is a relationship with a dear friend and fellowship with God that we can go to Him in prayer and spend that time with Him in prayer. And it's a delight when the Lord gives His child a heart to want to pray to Him, because the flesh doesn't want to pray. The flesh will find every excuse not to pray, not to just go apart and seek the Lord. The flesh will find every excuse to not pray, but it's a blessing when we have a heart of prayer, a hunger to want to go to the Lord in prayer. And it's a rejoicing there to close a door and just take some time apart and seek the Lord. It is a blessing, and it is a heart that he gives his child in grace, that he teaches you to see the blessing there.

Sometimes it's a hunger because of some great pressing need that drives us to prayer, sometimes We pray and want to pray to the Lord just because he's released us from some long trial and given us some peace. from it for a time. Sometimes we go to the Lord because he's made known to us his mind on a matter. He's been clear on a certain matter and revealed it to us, as we see here with David. If you look down in verse 27, 2 Samuel chapter 7, verse 27, for thou, O Lord of hosts, God of Israel, hast revealed to thy servants, saying, I will build thee an house. Therefore hath thy servant found in his heart to pray this prayer unto thee. And that's really the truth of it. We find it in our heart to pray to the Lord, because it's of his grace that put it there. It's of his grace. His providence worked everything up to that point, and it's his grace that puts that desire in the heart to pray to the Lord. And again, we see it here because that's where he plants that desire, Lord, put that heart in me. Put that heart in me, Lord. Give me a heart to pray to you, to seek you and to pray to you.

We all have friends that we love to speak to, and we'll sit and talk to them for hours, and they can do nothing for us. They have no power to fix or do anything for us. Why wouldn't we want to go to him and sit with him as our dear friend in fellowship who loved me and gave himself for me and lay before him our concerns. And he has all power and authority to do all things. Why wouldn't we want to go before him and lay it before him?

And so he's the one that gives that heart. And it is worship. It is a matter of worship to pray. It's a private worship. There's public prayer, but in private, it is private worship to pray to the Lord. And there's a sweet example of this in Abraham's servant. When he sent his servant out to find a bride, for Isaac, for his son Isaac. And the Lord led him directly to Rebekah, directly to Rebekah. And it says in Genesis 24, 48, he said, and I bowed my head and worshiped the Lord. I believe he prayed, he gave God thanks for what he did. He said, I bowed my head and worshiped the Lord and blessed the Lord, God of my master Abraham, which had led me in the right way to take my master's brother's daughter unto his son."

And so it's worship and prayer is a matter of the heart. It's a matter of the heart. And I know that, and this is one of the wily ways of the flesh, we know that we don't want to be mechanical. And so a lot of times the flesh just says, well, don't bother. You're just going to be cold and mechanical. Go and pray anyway and confess it to the Lord. Lord, forgive me. I know I'm coming here mechanically, but Lord, give me that heart to pray. Help me, Lord, to pray. Give me a heart for that.

And so the Lord's able to do it. He's able to do it.

And so those are just a few thoughts on prayer there. But what I want to do now is just go through David's prayer. Just take note of his prayer and the way he worshiped the Lord. And remember, he's coming from just having heard that his desire, what he wanted to do in building the house of the Lord, the Lord said, no, you're not gonna build me a house. It'll be your son that builds a house. And then he spoke of, I'm gonna build you a house, David. And this just blew David's mind, as it were. It just was overwhelming to David what the Lord said to him. But it's such a sweet picture that David wasn't offended. He wasn't like Cain with his face downcast and dejected because God had denied him. He went to the Lord and worshiped the Lord, who is sovereign and able to do all things as it pleases him.

And so it says in verse 18 now, Then went David in and sat before the Lord, and he said, who am I, O Lord God, and what is my house that thou hast brought me hither to? And so David heard the Lord say, I took you from the pastor, from being a shepherd over sheep, and I brought you and made you king over Israel, my people.

And David is reminded of this, and he acknowledges his unworthiness. unworthiness before the Lord, and he's thankful to the Lord for his mercy toward him.

And it's such a contrast to what we see in the flesh, you know, the carnal nature of man is bitter, and he's angry when he doesn't get his way, but it's a gracious spirit. It is the grace of God that humbles us and gives us a right heart on the matter. It is a gracious work of God.

When we want something and think that I need this in the flesh, and that this is right, and this is the way it must be, when the Lord turns the heart and makes us humble and thankful for the Lord's will to be done. He gives, not my will, Lord, but thy will be done. That is a gracious thing when the Lord turns us in that matter and makes us to know and to be confident in that truth that Paul wrote in Romans 8, 28.

And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are thee called according to his purpose. That's an easy thing to quote, right? But it's another thing to trust the Lord that all that he's doing and the unraveling of his providence as it's coming to pass before our eyes, we know, Lord, you're good and you're just. Lord, what are you teaching me in it? Lord, what would you have me to do in this?

It's good. It's how he teaches us these things. It's through these trials and going through life with all the difficulties and hardships that come with being alive here in this flesh. It's how the Lord teaches us by his word in the gospel, by his spirit, and by his grace to know that what he does is for my good and to trust him in it, to walk by faith and confident in what he's doing.

And that verse is supported by the verse that comes before it in Romans 8, 27. And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God. And that's why all things work together for good. Not because you and I have been good, not because you and I have perfected our ways. In fact, it's in spite of our ways, in spite of our flesh, in spite of our ignorance, in spite of our sin, in spite of ourselves, God is still working all things together for good.

We saw it in David's life up to this point, and we'll see it in David's life after this point, how the Lord is yet working out his purpose as it pleases him, and it's for our good, for our good in all things. We're made to see and know of God before us who can be against us. It's for our good. Though it's contrary to the flesh, it's for our good. It praises him, it glorifies him. Praise the Lord. He does that.

Then we see what David is rejoicing about in verse 19. And this was yet a small thing in thy sight, O Lord. The small thing being how that the Lord took him from the pasture and made him king. God was able to do it. He could bring a nothing nobody from nothing and establish him as king over all his people. O Lord God, but thou hast spoken also of thy servant's house for a great while to come. And is this the manner of man, O Lord God?"

Right? And so the Lord spoke of David's kingdom being established forever, that from his loins would come kings and priests unto God. Kings and priests, right? I'm speaking spiritually here. that like David, first of all, the seed of woman, the promise seed, should come from his loins. And like him, who is like Abraham before him, believed God, and it was accounted unto him for righteousness.

And we see how that the Lord forms that heart in all his people. that we should be people of faith, people hoping in the grace of God, people who love the Lord, who first loved me in spite of me, in spite of my sin, in spite of my failings, in spite of my ignorance, loved me and has been gracious to me. that he should bless me.

And when he says, there is this the manner of man, O Lord God, right? What man blesses greatly, overwhelmingly blesses his inferior? David's his inferior. And look at how God is blessing that man. And think of that then how the Lord has blessed you. What, is this the way of man? No, no, it's not the way of man, that you should be so kind and merciful to me, the sinner, and call me to yourself, and make me a king and a priest unto God. All of you that believe, kings and priests unto God, that he should do that.

And when you see it, what he does, it's amazing, and so, God promised David that his kingdom should be forever. That's back in verse 16 of this chapter. Thine house and thy kingdom shall be established forever. Before thee, thy throne shall be established forever. And so that speaks of what the Lord should do for us, and it speaks especially what the Lord should do in bringing the Messiah forth to bless his people. And we should know the true and living God by him, by him, And so we see that mercy there. Then in verse 20, and what can David say more unto thee? For thou, Lord God, knowest thy servant. It's David's words fail to express fully of what God has done for him.

And when the Lord is merciful to show you his great mercies toward you personally, words will fail. How can we express it fully enough to speak of what the Lord has done for us in delivering us from death, spiritual, even physical things, many times over, to bless us over and over again and to deal kindly with us, though we don't deserve it. He's done that.

And David, I read from Psalm 139, but verse one of that psalm says, O Lord, thou hast searched me and known me. It's like David wrote this psalm at this time. I don't know if he did, but he says, you know me, Lord. And verse four says, for there is not a word in my tongue, but lo, O Lord, thou knowest it all together.

And when our words do fail, even if our words don't fail, but it's the Spirit of God that intercedes for us, that makes intercession for the saints of God. And that's why all things work together for good, because he's blessed us in his grace, because Christ redeemed us and gave himself for us, that we could enter into these blessings. and know the true and living God in truth, in spirit, in this way. Otherwise, we would be ignorant idolaters, stump worshipers, rock worshipers, right? That's what we would be, if not for the grace of God to pluck us out of that ignorance and darkness.

Verse 21, for thy word's sake, And according to thine own heart, hast thou done all these great things to make thy servant know them. And that's what our Lord does. He makes us to know him in this manner.

Paul wrote to the Corinthians in 1 Corinthians chapter one, chapter two, in verse 12 and 13, he said, now we have received not the spirit of this world. All right, that spirit makes idolaters of men. Not the spirit of this world, but the spirit which is of God, that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. He makes us to know this mystery.

Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. So that if the Holy Ghost is there, present, he's taking the things of Christ and showing them to you, how precious Christ is. that without him we can do nothing, that we need him. That's what he does for us.

Then in verse 22, wherefore thou art great, O Lord God, for there is none like thee. Neither is there any God beside thee according to all that we have heard with our ears. No natural understanding can reveal this to us. We are dependent upon the Lord to make it known to us through the gospel of his darling son Jesus Christ.

All right, were it not for Christ, we wouldn't even know these things which were revealed to David. But only by his grace is this salvation come unto the ends of the earth. and to bring us into this knowledge. And Paul wrote also, that's from that same chapter of Corinthians, chapter two, verse seven and eight, because we speak the wisdom of God in the mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory, that we should hear this word of his grace, which none of the princes of this world knew, for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. I think he's saying there they would have done everything they could to have prevented his sacrifice from being accomplished for his people. But they couldn't, no. The Lord blessedly brought it to pass for our redemption and salvation.

David then confesses the hope of the believer in verse 23 and 24, and what one nation in the earth is like thy people, even like Israel, whom God went to redeem for a people to himself, and to make him a name, and to do for you great things and terrible for thy land before thy people, which thou redeemest to thee from Egypt, from the nations and their gods. for thou hast confirmed to thyself thy people Israel, to be a people unto thee forever, and thou, Lord, art become their God.

And brethren, this word is to all of God's people, the true Israel of God, as Paul calls us. He said in Romans 2, 28 and 29, for he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly. It's not about your birth according to the flesh. Neither is that circumcision which is outward in the flesh. But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly, and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter, whose praise is not of men, but of God.

And so this salvation, because of Christ, has gone forth and reached our ears. in this dark part of the world to make us to know the true and living God. And then David declares that he didn't change God's mind. This was God's will and purpose. And God revealed his mind to David and conform David to the will and mind of God. That's what our Lord does. He conforms us. I've said it before and I'll say it again. We go into prayer one way with our heart thinking one thing and By the grace of God, we come out conformed to God's will, and see his will and purpose in it, and trust him. And so he does that.

David says there in verse 25, and now, O Lord God, the word that thou hast spoken concerning thy servant and concerning his house, establish it forever, and do as thou hast said. and let thy name be magnified forever, saying, the Lord of hosts is the God over Israel, and let the house of thy servant David be established before thee. For thou, O Lord of hosts, God of Israel, hast revealed to thy servant, saying, I will build thee an house. Therefore hath thy servant found in his heart to pray this prayer unto thee.

And then finally, we see that even though it was God's will to do this, David yet prayed. He still went to the Lord, even knowing what Nathan said, this is what God's gonna do. David knew it, and yet he went and prayed. He still laid these things before the Lord gladly. And it gives us an example here to pray according to God's word of promise. When you know these things, still go to the Lord in prayer. still lay before him, saying, Verse 28 and 29, And now, O Lord God, thou art that God, and thy words be true, and thou hast promised the goodness unto thy servant. Therefore now let it please thee to bless the house of thy servant, that it may continue for ever before thee. for thou, O Lord God, hast spoken it. And with thy blessing, let the house of thy servant be blessed forever."

And that's our hope, right? That we are established in the household of Christ and all honor, all praise, all glory be to his name. And we rejoice in him because everything we have, everything that we need is given to us of his hand. given to us as a result of his redemption, his inheritance. We are made partakers of his inheritance in grace and in mercy, the grace and mercy of God.

And we pray about these things because it is the will of God. This is Ezekiel 36, 37 says, thus sayeth the Lord God, I will yet for this be inquired of by the house of Israel to do it for them. And I will increase them with men like a flock. And so he tells us, seek me. He purposes, seek me. And he's able to shut us up till we pray to him. He's able to do it. He's able to teach us. He's able to bring forth that heart, that desire, all in his grace and purpose. And he says, I will be inquired. I will be sought for these things. And so he calls us to seek him and to pray to him. He's ordained it to be so.

And our Lord says in closing, verily, verily, I say unto you, whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you. You can trust him. So I pray the Lord teach us how to pray and that he give us a heart of prayer to worship him in spirit and in truth. It's a blessing, brethren.