2 Kings 2

It has been an interesting life. If you have your hand out, you know that we have had three acts. I've been calling these acts of his life. Act 1 was the introduction and announcement where he first meets King Ahab and tells him there will be no rain for several years. Act 2, Elijah is taken into seclusion.

he goes to the Kareth ravine and then up to Zarephath where he lives with a widow and it's in that seclusion that the Lord prepares him for the next act, act 3 which was the great confrontation on Mount Carmel and we learned our life's lesson was never, never, never wobble there is but one Lord and if that was not emphasized on Mount Carmel been emphasized. But there are some events I want to cover in summary as we move to the last scene in Elijah's life today. These are in your handout. I hope you will take time to read these in more detail. But Elijah, after the confrontation on Mount Carmel, runs.

and it's almost an odd scene to see this great prophet of God running in fear, I think, to some degree, and hiding in a cave. But it's there that the Lord comes to him and talks with Elijah. And Elijah hears a powerful wind pass. He hears an earthquake pass. he sees fire but the Lord is not in any of those things it's finally in the gentle whisper of the breeze that he hears the Lord and I think the Lord was trying to tell Elijah just because you don't see some big miraculous event occurring like fire and wind and rain I'm still here I'm still working sometimes very quietly very gently I'm here and hear me even in the gentle breezes.

Next, Elijah anoints his successor, a guy named Elisha. Those are two different people. Elijah, my God is the Lord, his name means, and Elisha, whose name means God is salvation. And so we now know as we get to 1 Kings 18 who the successor of Elijah will be. condemns Ahab and Jezebel for murdering a guy named Naboth and stealing his vineyard.

And he predicts that dogs will lick up the blood of King Ahab and that dogs will eat the body of Jezebel. One of those events occurs before Elijah departs this earth. Ahab is killed in battle. His blood is licked off his chariot by dogs. The other event occurs after Elijah's departure from this earth.

Jezebel dies and is eaten by dogs. And then right before the final act, Elijah calls down fire on soldiers who are attempting to capture him on the orders of the king. And again we see fire from heaven protecting Elijah. But today we go to the final act, which I've called Going Home. And if you have your Bibles, let's turn to 2 Kings chapter 2.

2 Kings chapter 2.

We begin with scene 1 as a final journey, the first six verses of 2 Kings chapter 2, which read, When the Lord was about to take Elijah up to heaven in a whirlwind, Elijah and Elisha were on their way from Gilgal. Elijah said to Elisha, Stay here. The Lord has sent me to Bethel. But Elisha said, As surely as the Lord lives and as you live, I will not leave you. So they went down to Bethel.

The company of the prophets at Bethel came out to Elisha and asked, Do you know that the Lord is going to take your master from you today? Yes, I know, Elisha replied, but do not speak of it. Then Elijah said to him, Stay here, Elisha. The Lord has sent me to Jericho. And he replied, As surely as the Lord lives and as you live, I will not leave you.

So they went to Jericho. The company of the prophets at Jericho went up to Elisha and asked him, Do you know that the Lord is going to take your master from you today? Yes, I know, he replied, but do not speak of it. Then Elijah said to him, Stay here. The Lord has sent me to the Jordan.

And he replied, As surely as the Lord lives and as you live, I will not leave you. So the two of them walked on. It's interesting that Elijah, I think in context, was clear. He knows that his departure is near. The Lord has revealed that to him.

It becomes even clearer when you get to verse 9 when he's talking to Elisha. And he asks Elisha to tell me what I can do for you before I'm taken from you. So in the context we have to remember Elijah knows his day of departure is near. And interestingly, apparently the Lord had revealed it to everybody around him. as he goes to these different places to visit the company of prophets, they go up to Elisha and say, Hey, you know, Elijah's about to be taken away.

And Elisha says, Yeah, I know. Be quiet. Don't talk about it. It's interesting.

What would you do? Where would you go? What would you say if you knew your day of departure was coming? We're going to think about that more as we go through the lesson this morning. Elijah makes several final visits as he knows his day of departure is approaching.

Why does he go where he goes? And why does he see whom he sees? Well, he's led by the Lord. As we start our chapter 2, he's being led from Gilgal. Gilgal, this is probably not the Gilgal where the Israelites encamped when they first crossed the Jordan.

There are a number of different Gilgals, sort of like a lot of Greenvilles. You can go to about any state in the nation, there's a Greenville. Well, there are a number of different Gilgals. This is probably the Gilgal that is between Tibney and Shiloh because we're told he's going down to Bethel. And this Gilgal would be in an approximate location to be going down to Bethel.

But the Lord leads him to significant places. He leads him to Bethel, which means the house of God. It's a place where God has been present before, where God has acted in great ways and where His people have acted in great ways. It's near here that Abraham, after he was told that through him all the nations of the earth would be blessed, It's near here that Abraham built an altar to the Lord. It is here near Bethel where Jacob slept using a pillow for a stone.

And he saw in his dream a ladder going up to heaven and angels ascending and descending on the ladder. And it would be here that Jacob would build an altar. It would be here at Bethel that Samuel, the great judge, would judge. He would do his circuit of going to different cities to judge. He would go to Bethel.

And the Lord then led Elijah to Jericho. You know who lived in Jericho. It's where Rahab, that prostitute, lived who would be one of the ancestors of our Lord Jesus Christ. But she was the one who protected the spies. and it was at Jericho that the Lord in a mighty way gave the Israelites the first city after they crossed into the promised land.

It was Jericho that they first conquered. And the Lord takes Elijah to that place where God's power was most evident. You see, I think the Lord took Elijah to places of great significance spiritually. it was a great place for Elijah to reflect, to think, to prepare for his departure. But I think most importantly about these two places is they were places that took Elijah to people whom he cared for.

Because the text tells us that both at Bethel and at Jericho, Elijah met a company of prophets. And based on what we know from history and from our study of Scripture, it appears that Elijah had established some schools for prophets. Places where men could be trained to rise up in the service of standing for the Lord and declaring His Word. It's interesting for us to think about there being a school for prophets, isn't there? but Elijah had apparently established these schools and he had been the one who taught

these trainees at Bethel in Jericho he was their mentor he was their spiritual guide and would he not want as he prepares to depart this earth to go visit with those for whom he cares most so that he could be sure they are ready so that he could be sure they would continue on in the work for which they had been called. His concern is not for himself as he departs his life. And I would submit that this is the right view as we approach the end of our lives. Our concern is not for ourselves. We're going to glory if we're in Christ.

Our concern is for those who remain. That they would stand firm. That they would continue in the faith. That they would walk with the Lord after we are gone. It's what any good parent should want as he or she approaches the end of his or her days as they leave children and grandchildren behind.

It's what any good teacher should want as he or she sends kids on to the next school or as kids graduate. We should want to leave something to those that we care for most that will help them continue after we are gone. Have you thought about it? Where would you like to go to reflect before your day of departure? What places of significance, particularly spiritually, would you like to visit one more time?

To whom would you like to go talk when you knew your days were numbered and you were not going to be around much longer? I knew I was going to ask that question. myself. I think I would want to go to the beach. I would want to go to the Isle of Palms, the place where the Rogers family, since I was a little boy, has gone for summer vacation. The whole clan shows up. It's an army. Over 20 people now visit.

But I like getting up in the early morning and going and walking on the beach. I like to get there as the sun is rising. And I like to stop and look out over the ocean. And I like to pause and reflect. I feel and recognize my smallness in light of the grandeur of God and the grandeur of his creation. But at the same time, I feel larger than life because I know I am part of something that is bigger than myself.

I would like to go stand there one last time if I knew my departure was coming. I would also like to go to the parade ground at the Citadel. Some of you know I went to the Citadel undergraduate school, and I remember when I was a junior at the Citadel, walking out into that parade ground. It was almost 11 o'clock at night. It was about time we had to be in our prisons and locked in so we couldn't get out for the night.

But I'd been running. And I went to the middle of that parade ground. And it was a particularly good time in my life spiritually. And I remember lying on my back in the middle of the parade ground, looking up into the stars, and having that same sense again of being so small, yet at the same time feeling grandeur because I was part of something bigger. I'd like to go lie in the middle of the parade ground one more time, late at night, looking up into the heavens.

I'd like to go to Sapphire Valley. It's a little place up in North Carolina, not far from Cashiers. It's where Louise and I went on our honeymoon. And it's a place of tall trees, cool breezes, lakes. It's a great place to reflect on God's grace.

Her name is Louise.

And a life with a companion. I'd like to do that one more time. I'd go visit Joshua's grave, my son, who died years ago, to reflect. How in that difficult moment God's grace was yet evident because it was that difficult moment that he used to turn me toward him.

I'd like to teach one last Sunday school class to talk with those I love about things that are important. and I'd want to talk to Caleb and Kate, my son and daughter and remind them to always, always, always march to the beat of a different drummer, a heavenly one. Do not be usurped by the things of this world. Always, always, always march to the beat of the heavenly drummer. And I'd want to talk to Louise but my guess is that she will already be in heaven.

I don't know that. But I think the Lord usually likes to take those he loves most first. Why not? If I were he, I'd take her first too.

And I'd want to tell her, if she were here, and I will tell my children, when I depart, just start singing Amazing Grace. Just sing Amazing Grace. well you know as Elijah visited these places and people he loved he had a constant companion his name was Elisha it's interesting that in verses 2 4 and 6 of our text that Elijah and in the Hebrew text it is an imperative it's a it's an imperative word an imperative command, Elijah tells Elisha to remain behind, not to go on with him. And we see each time Elisha says, are you kidding, Elijah? I'm going. I'm sticking with you.

Well, it's interesting to ask, why did Elijah ask Elisha to remain behind? We're not told explicitly in the text. I'm going to venture two ideas. One idea is that maybe Elijah, in his humility and knowing that he was going to have a glorious departure, wanted it to be more private so that no one would think more highly of Elijah than he ought. Maybe he just wanted the privacy to be with the Lord and humility, experience that glorious event, but not have others present at that moment and at that time, possibly.

But I think maybe Elijah was giving a little test to Elisha to see how firmly committed Elisha was to being his successor. And Elisha, even at the direction of Elijah, Elisha says, I'm sticking with you. I know the day is coming for your departure. And Elisha wanted to be there with him. And maybe Elijah was testing the loyalty and commitment of Elisha.

I think why Elisha was so insistent on continuing with Elijah. This was his, Elijah was his mentor, his friend, his guide. He wanted to be with him every moment that was possible. He wanted to show his loyalty to his mentor. And my guess is Elisha wanted to see the glory.

I think Elisha had a sense that Elijah's departure from this earth

spectacular. It's helpful, I think, that Elisha was with him. You see, as they get to each site, the company of the prophets, the trainees come out to Elisha, and you get this picture that Elijah is over here in reflection, and they sort of pull Elisha aside and say, like they knew something Elisha didn't. Hey, Elisha, you know that the Lord's about to take Elijah? Elisha says, Duh.

Yes, I know. Now you be quiet. And I think he told him to be quiet because he knew this was a time of reflection for Elijah. And you can imagine those trainees had all sorts of questions for this Elijah. And Elisha is sort of giving some shield of protection from all those questions to Elijah.

But that's the final journey. to Bethel, to Jericho, to the company of prophets. And then, as so often seems to be the case when we start to thinking about going to heaven, we see a crossing of Jordan. In verse 8 of our text, we see that, start at verse 7, 50 of the men of the company of the prophets went on and stood at a distance, facing the place where Elijah and Elisha had stopped at the Jordan. Elijah took his cloak, rolled it up, and struck the water with it.

And the water divided to the right and to the left, and the two of them crossed over on dry ground. Isn't that a great scene? This great prophet, as he prepares to depart from this earth, like Moses parting the Red Sea, like Joshua as the children of Israel crossed into Canaan the first time the Jordan parted. We see the Lord, I think, putting his stamp of confirmation on the work and life of Elijah through this miraculous parting of the Jordan and Elijah and Elisha cross on dry ground. And then we go to scene three.

The final conversation with Elisha, verses 9 and 10. When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, Tell me, what can I do for you before I am taken from you? Let me inherit a double portion of your spirit, Elisha replied. You have asked a difficult thing, Elijah said. Yet if you see me when I am taken from you, it will be yours.

Otherwise not. And then verse 11 begins, As they were walking along and talking together. I'm going to stop right there for this scene. It's interesting, of all the people about whom he is concerned as he prepares to depart, Elijah is most concerned, I think, with his successor, with Elisha. And he asked him, What can I do for you before I depart?

How can I help you? what do you want me to do for you before I depart? And Elisha makes a pretty bold request. Give me a double portion of your spirit. That double portion is reminiscent of the inheritance rights under Mosaic law.

For those of you who are firstborn sons, you should lobby with me, also a firstborn son, for the rights of Mosaic law to be reinstituted in this land because, you see, the firstborn son inherited double what the other children did.

It's reasonable. We raised them. We were responsible for them all those years. We ought to get double. But you see, Elisha is, spiritually speaking, Elijah's firstborn.

And in a sense, the request of this firstborn spiritual son, Elisha, is consistent with the Mosaic inheritance law. You get double. But Elisha doesn't ask for double of the physical stuff. He wants the spiritual. Give me a double portion of your spirit.

We're going to see that Elisha, I submit, he does get it. We know that from the text. We'll see in a few moments. It's interesting if you look at the lives of Elijah and Elisha. Dake.

Jay, you got your Dake Bible. Hold up your Dake Bible. If you ever want a big Bible with a lot of notes, that's it right there. Dake has gone and counted all of the miracles of Elijah and all the miracles of Elisha. He counts 16 miracles in Elijah's lifetime.

How many in Elisha's? 32. In Elijah's lifetime, there was drought in the land for three and a half years. In Elisha's lifetime, there will be drought and famine for seven years. Isn't it interesting how physically some of these things stack up to prove and demonstrate that Elisha, in fact, received the double portion of the spirit?

Elisha's response to the request from Elijah was that it was a difficult thing, he asked. I think maybe Elijah knew it was difficult in maybe two senses. One, that being a prophet and having to stand and endure all that prophets endure would be difficult. But Elijah also knew that no human could really grant what Elisha wanted. That could only come from God.

says to Elisha, if you see me depart, then you know the Lord has granted your request. And that will be the sign from God that you will receive the double portion of your spirit. And then verse 11 just begins, Elijah and Elisha were walking and talking. I would love to know what they were talking about. That's one moment where I wish Scripture would be more amplified.

What did those two great giants of the faith talk about as Elijah prepared to depart and as Elisha prepared to assume the mantle? We don't know. We can only speculate.

My guess is that Elijah recounted the faithfulness of God in his own life and said to Elisha, he'll be faithful in yours too. My guess is that Elijah said you will be pressed by the world to give up what you have to say and are supposed to say on behalf of the Lord. And he said to Elisha, don't do it. Stand firm. My guess is he said always, always, always keep the Lord first and foremost in your life.

Never, never, never let anything else take preeminence.

And he probably said some other things. But my guess is those things were in there. but then we get to the scene for going home. Verses 11 and 12. As they were walking along and talking together, suddenly a chariot of fire and horses of fire appeared and separated the two of them.

And Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind. Elisha saw this and cried out, My father, my father, the chariots and horsemen of Israel. and Elisha saw him no more. Then he took hold of his own clothes and tore them apart. Only twice in scripture is there any mention based on my computer search of a mention of chariot or chariots of fire.

One is this text. Does anybody remember where the other one is?

2 Kings chapter 6 in the life of Elisha. 2 Kings 6, 17. Go read about it after class. Let me tell you about it briefly. I think by Elisha seeing the chariot of fire in Elijah's life, it prepared him for this event in his own life.

You see, Elisha was hunted by a king in his lifetime. the troops of this king surrounded Elisha and his servant. And Elisha and his servant wake up one morning in 2 Kings 6 to see themselves surrounded. A whole army. A big army.

And Elisha's servant says, Oh my goodness, what in the world are we going to do? And he wakes up Elijah and says, What are we going to do? And Elisha prays a prayer. He says, O Lord, open my servant's eyes and let him see. And the Lord does.

And what does Elisha's servant see? He sees the hills filled with chariots of fire.

You see, Elisha told his servant, They're more with us than are with them. and it wasn't until his servants saw the chariots of fire, the heavenly armies there that Elisha's servant recognized, that that big army of men didn't hold a candle to the army that was there to defend Elisha and his servant. In this case, in Elijah's life, the chariot of fire comes and separates Elisha from Elijah and then that chariot of fire accompanies Elijah into heaven as he's taken up in a whirlwind. Only two people in scripture are recorded to have left this earth without having suffered a physical death. Enoch, Genesis 5, 24, and Elijah.

Every other human being, there's no other instance of a human being departing this earth without first having suffered a physical death. And as Elijah is taken up, it's interesting to see Elisha's response. He calls him, he shouts, my father, my father. That's clearly a reference to Elijah being his spiritual father. But then he shouts, the chariots and horsemen of Israel.

I'm going to submit to you that Elisha is not just telling Elijah to look.

I think Elisha is actually calling Elijah the chariots and horsemen of Israel. In other words, he's saying, my father, my father. That's a description of Elijah. But then it is also a description of Elijah to call him the chariots and horsemen of Israel. In other words, Elijah was the protector of Israel.

The reason I think that is if you go to Elisha's life in 2 Kings 13, 14, will see that Elisha himself is actually called by King Jehoash the chariots and horsemen of Israel. That is clearly in that text, 2 Kings 13, 14, it is a designation of who Elisha is. He is the chariots and horsemen of Israel. And I think that's the sense in which Elisha meant it when he called out to Elijah. He's a saying, he's the real protector.

In other words, our protection is not in the armies of man. is not in our spears and our bows. Our protection is in and through God himself who gave us Elijah to be the protector. Read the text and read 2 Kings 13 14 and see if you agree with me. And then last scene and then we go to life's lessons.

Elisha takes up the mantle, verses 13 and 14 where it says Elisha picked up the cloak that had fallen from Elijah and went back and stood on the bank of the Jordan. Then he took the cloak that had fallen from him and struck the water with it. Where now is the Lord, the God of Elijah, he asked. When he struck the water, it divided to the right and to the left, and he crossed over. You see, Elisha saw Elijah go up, so he's going to get a double portion of his spirit.

He gets the mantle or cloak of Elisha, again indicating he's the successor. And then his ministry and his position is confirmed as he too immediately experiences a miracle. The parting of the waters as he crosses over confirming that Elisha is the successor of Elijah. Great story. Great story.

And let me tell you my life's lessons. We've told the story. Now what are the lessons we should learn from this? There may be others but here are mine for you. A day of departure is coming for each one of us.

May we live each day in light of this reality and prepare for it. I would submit to us that we need to all stop and reflect. Because we know there will be a day of departure. But we need to do more than reflect. We need to prepare.

We need to be sure we're in Christ. But then we need to begin to live our lives here and now in light of that which is most important. And it's somehow when we get to the end of our days, we recognize what was most important during our days, isn't it? Don't wait to live for what is most important. Start now.

Don't wait. it may mean there need to be some radical changes in your life it may mean you change your job it may mean you go and do what the lord's been calling you to do for 20 years and you've been resisting it may mean you get rid of some sin in your life and get back to that spouse you should have been with all along it may mean you spend more time with your children it could mean a number of things but don't wait do something it's not enough for us as christians to say oh yeah i Oh, yeah, I need to be ready. You've got to do something. You can't just sit and do nothing. You've got to act.

But it takes some reflection to know exactly what you should do.

Secondly, in the tradition of Moses, Joshua, Elijah, Peter, and Paul, let us prepare those we love for our departure.

You know, I'm a lawyer. I would tell you all to think about your will and having your affairs in order. But you know what? You can leave them all the stuff you've got. And they can squander it.

They can lose it. And they can still wind up in terrible places. So you don't get those you love ready for departure by leaving them your stuff.

You've got to help them get ready spiritually. You've got to help prepare them. You've got to help them see what is most important in life. That is what Moses did. When he got ready to depart, he stopped and he gave a big speech to the children of Israel about what was most important.

The whole book of Deuteronomy is his farewell address. Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. These commandments I give you today are to be upon your heart. Impress them on your children.

Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the way. he was impressing on them what they needed to do to continue well after he was gone Joshua stands before the people choose this day whom you will serve as for me and my house we will serve the Lord he was pressing the people to continue in the service of the Lord Paul writes to Timothy in 2 Timothy his farewell letter to Timothy and he tells him preach the word be prepared in season and out of season with great patience and careful instruction. The time's coming when men won't want to hear sound doctrine. They'll want you just to tickle their ears. Don't do it.

Don't do it. Stand firm. Let them hear the Word of God. He wanted Timothy to continue firm after his departure. Peter, 2 Peter 1, verses 12 to 15.

I've given you these references, I think, in your handout. Peter, his last letter. he tells the people I'm going to tell you one more time what you already know but I'm going to say it again because the time of my departure is near and I want you to hear it one more time sometimes what we need to tell those we love the most are things that are very basic very simple but things they should never ever forget there is but one Lord Jesus Christ is the only way of salvation the book of God book. It is inerrant, infallible. Live by it. If people try to turn you from Christ and from the Word, understand they don't love you. They really are doing things that will destroy you.

Stand firm. We all know those things intellectually, I hope. But we need to say the basic things again.

I got three more. Number three. None of us is indispensable. God always raises up Someone to carry on his word. I am sure that some of those.

Trainees when they knew Elijah. Was a leaving. Would wonder how in the world God's kingdom. Would continue on without this great prophet Elijah. But then the Lord raises up Elisha.

Some have said. What are we going to do when Billy Graham is gone? But there is always a Franklin.

What are we going to do when. You are gone. You want to know something. You ain't indispensable. We love you.

But the Lord will raise someone up to do your work. What about when David Rogers can no longer teach? No problem. The Lord will have somebody to teach. God will make sure his work gets done.

Number four. Though our departure will likely differ from Elijah's departure, our departure from this earth will be a grand and glorious event so long as we are in Christ. When we die, and I've given you some scripture references there, some of us will physically die, be absent from the body but with the Lord, awaiting the day of bodily resurrection. Because one day there will be a bodily resurrection. That's a Christian teaching, the resurrection of the body.

And our spirits and bodies will be united to live forever. Some of us, some Christians, maybe not some in this room, but some Christians will be alive when the Lord returns and their bodies will be transformed to go into heaven. But however we leave this earth, whether before the Lord returns or after he returns, our deaths will be grand and glorious events because you see, to live is Christ and to die is gain. I was a child. I never understood.

I understood the look to live is Christ part. This to die is gain part. to begin to understand that until about a decade ago. Listen to some quotes. I looked up some quotes about death. Death to the Christian is the funeral of all his sorrows and evils and the resurrection of all his joys.

Beethoven, that great piano player, the great composer said I shall hear in heaven. No more pain, no more sorrow, no more sickness. The world is the land of the dying. The next is the land of the living. Those that God loves do not live long. Heaven gives its favorites early death.

We think of death as ending. Let us rather think of life as beginning and that more abundantly. We think of losing. Let us think of gaining. We think of parting. Let us think of meeting. We think of going away.

Let us think of arriving. And as the voice of death whispers, you must go from earth, let us hear the voice of Christ saying, you are but coming to me.

And as C.S. Lewis said, this life is but the cover and title page. When we die, the great story begins. The story which goes on forever in which every chapter is always better than the one before. Is that not a great description of heaven?

A story in which each chapter is always better than the one before. And I would submit, Deaths will be gained. That to kill me as a believer is to do me no real harm. And in fact, it just sends me to be in the presence of my Lord. I would submit that we should live each day with no fear.

We should live with a godly abandon.

I think one reason our missions is sometimes so weak is because we don't live with no fear. We don't live with a godly abandon. going to take the Muslim world for Christ, we need believers who know that their deaths will only send them to Jesus, and who will go to the most difficult places on this earth with no fear, and with a godly abandon to spread the message of Jesus Christ. No fear. No fear.

No fear. Live with godly abandon.

I hope if you haven't taken time to read 1 and 2 Kings, you will do so. Those are two great books to read, and I hope these lessons Elijah, have been helpful. I close with two life lessons. No fear, live with godly abandon. And never, never, never wobble.

There is but one Lord. Let's live each day in that reality. Lord, we praise and honor your name. You are the great God. The God of Elijah, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob.

Forgive us for our timidity in your service. Forgive us when we don't live wholeheartedly given to your service. Help us to remove from our lives those things that distract us from your service. And help us each day to march to the beat of the heavenly drummer. To live with this delightful, joyous, rapturous abandon in your service.

the kind of abandonment that is nothing but delight and joy and gives life the deepest and richest meaning. Help us to see that life at its fullest, life at its most abundant, life at its greatest is lived in the certain reality that you are Lord, that you reign over the universe, and we can rest confidently in that fact. I pray that we will each day, as we live, seek to bring honor and glory to your name in everything we do and in everything we say. For it's in Christ's name we pray. Amen.