#11. Job 32-37 | That We Might Share in His Holiness

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This is a dwelling place where we believe

that the Lord is available and near and

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more than anything, we want to help you

and your family pursue his presence.

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we're coming to the

conclusion of the Book of Job.

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After studying this book of the Bible,

you probably have questions and you may

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also have questions about the Genesis

passages you might even wanna submit

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a question about biblical parenting.

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And Betsy is ready to field all of those

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we're gonna record that episode

soon, so we need you to send

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in whatever you're wondering.

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You can email me those at

stephanie at EWC h.com.

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That's S-T-E-P-H-A-N-I-E at EWC h.com.

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Seriously, even the smallest of questions

we wanna hear from you and Betsy will be

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happy to address any issues that she can.

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Thankfully we concluded with the

accusations of job's, friends, but

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I just wanna point out an irony to

the fact that they kept accusing

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job of suffering because he was

unrighteous when the reality is

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that job was actually put in this

situation because of his righteousness.

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He was elevated because God

knew he would pass the test Is

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that somewhat reassuring?

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If you're going through circumstances that

are making you feel, where did I go wrong?

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Maybe you haven't at all.

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But it's possible the Lord is allowing

your character to be refined and

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proven through this trial, even

if it wasn't of your own doing.

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Today's reading was on

Job chapter 32, verse 37.

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It was a long stretch, but we

combined these because they are

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all of Allah, who's speeches.

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He's been a silent observer for

many chapters, but he is burning

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with anger as it says four times in

the opening verses of chapter 32,

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and he can no longer stay silent.

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Though he was younger and allowed his

elders to go first, he is now going to

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give his perspective and it's a little bit

more nuanced than job's previous friends.

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However, he's still pretty hard on job.

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Some scholars have even considered

that Elihu might be the author of

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Job as his speeches tied together

different sections of the book.

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I find John MacArthur's commentary to be

helpful in summarizing Elihu speeches,

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he divides them into six sections.

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First of all, Elihu enters into the

debate to break the impasse job's.

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Friends keep accusing job.

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Job is absolutely committed

to his righteousness and they

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are not making any progress.

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In Chapter 32,

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elihu continues with his second speech.

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He charges job with his

presumption in criticizing God.

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He says, job is not recognizing

that God may have a loving

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purpose in allowing him to suffer.

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In the third speech in chapter 34,

Elihu says that Job has wrongly accused

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God of not acting with integrity.

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When he says that it doesn't

pay off to lead a godly life.

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The fourth speech in chapter 34, A Lie Who

Urges Job to Wait patiently upon the Lord.

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In chapter 36 he begins his fifth speech

asserting that God is disciplining Job.

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And then finally in the conclusion

of chapter 36 and then all of 37,

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he says, human observers can hardly

expect to understand God's dealings

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in administering justice and mercy.

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Elihu highly elevates the Lord,

his character and his wisdom.

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But ironically, he also

elevates himself pretty highly.

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In chapter 36, he begins, bear with

me a little and I will show you for

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I have yet something to say On God's

behalf, I will get my knowledge from

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afar and ascribe righteousness to my

maker for truly my words are not false.

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One who is perfect in

knowledge is with you.

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Whoa.

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That's a pretty confident statement

for someone who's going to say that we

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can't know all of God's workings, but

he says he's perfect in knowledge still.

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I like how he elevates the character

of God as he continues in chapter 36.

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I behold God is mighty

and does not despise any.

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He is mighty in strength of understanding.

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He does not keep the wicked alive,

but gives the afflicted their right.

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He does not withdraw his eyes from

the righteous, but with kings on the

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throne, he sets them forever and they

are exalted, and if they're bound

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in chains and caught in the cords of

affliction, then he declares to them

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their work and their transgressions,

that they're behaving arrogantly.

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He opens their ears to instruction and

commands that they return from iniquity.

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If they listen and serve him.

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They complete their day's in prosperity

and their years in pleasantness.

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But if they do not listen, they perish

by the sword and die without knowledge.

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Several times, Elihu mentions that God

can actually use suffering as a form

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of discipline to warn us of future sin

or to refine our character, and he's

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saying that God has been offering wisdom.

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That job has been shutting out

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Elihu quotes Job specifically

and condemns him for how he's

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wrongly spoken of the Lord.

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But there is even a time or two

that he wrongly attributes a quote

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to job and accuses him falsely.

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in the fourth speech.

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He gives three reasons why he thinks

that job's prayers haven't been heard.

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He believes it's job's pride,

his wrong motives, and a lack

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of patient trust in his creator

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Job's, greatest sin is the

way he accused the Lord and

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demanded an audience with him.

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It's helpful if we look into

the New Testament at Hebrews 12.

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This is one of the key chapters in

scripture on the discipline of the Lord.

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Often when we experience suffering, it

is the discipline of the Lord and he

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is desiring to refine our character.

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Hebrews 12 verse five begins, have

you forgotten the exhortation

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that addresses you as son?

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My son do not regard lightly

the discipline of the Lord nor

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be weary when reproved by him.

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For the Lord, disciplines the one he loves

and chastens every son whom he receives.

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It is for discipline

that you have to endure.

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God is treating us sons for

what son is there, whom his

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father does not discipline.

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If you are left without discipline

in which all have participated.

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Then you are illegitimate

children and not sons.

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Besides this, we have had earthly fathers

who disciplined us and we respected

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them, shall we not much more be subject

to the father of spirits and live for?

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They disciplined us for a short

time as it seemed best to them, but

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he disciplines us for our good

that we may share in his holiness.

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For the moment, all discipline

seems painful rather than pleasant,

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but later it yields the peaceful

fruit of righteousness to those

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who have been trained by it.

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Elihu is somewhat on the right

track saying God can discipline us

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or allowing suffering for our good.

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As Hebrew says that we might share in

His Holiness, but he still doesn't have

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a grasp on why Job is in this situation.

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Obviously, we need to connect

this to our parenting.

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There are going to be plenty of

times we're asking our kids to do

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things that are uncomfortable for

them that they don't wanna do.

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Might be something simple

like cleaning their rooms.

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And if we were always the kind of moms

that picked up after them, justifying

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that we just wanna serve our family,

we would be robbing our kids of the

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opportunity to grow in character.

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It's good for a man that he

bear the yoke in his youth.

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Scripture tells us we need to

let our kids contribute to the

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family to be diligent, to work

hard, to grow in their character.

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Earthly parents discipline their children.

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They show love and they

do it all with gentleness.

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We can be thankful that God is so

invested in this process for us and

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as parents, we should join him in it

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in chapter 37.

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It's a great prelude to what

God himself will say soon.

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Let's get a taste of that.

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In verse one, Elihu begins at this.

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Also, my heart trembles

and leaps out of its place.

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Keep listening to the thunder of his

voice and the rumbling that comes from

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his mouth under the whole heaven.

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He lets it go and his lightning

to the corners of the earth.

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After it, his voice roars.

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He thunders with his majestic

voice and he does not restrain the

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lightnings when his voice is heard.

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God thunders, wondrously with his voice.

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He does great things that

we cannot comprehend for.

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To the snow, he says, fall on the earth.

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Likewise to the downpour, his mighty

downpour, he seals up the hand of every

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man that all men whom he made may know it.

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Then the beast go into their

layers and remain in their dens.

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From its chamber comes the whirlwind

and cold from the scattering winds By

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the breath of God, ice is given and

the broad waters are frozen fast.

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He loads the thick cloud with moisture.

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The clouds scatter his lightning.

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They turn around and around by his

guidance to accomplish all that, he

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commands them on the face of the habitable

world, whether for correction or for his

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land or for love, he causes it to happen.

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Hear this o Jobb.

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Stop and consider the

wondrous works of God.

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Lord, as I read your word today,

I can't help but wonder, how

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do they know so much about you?

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How do they know how you

control all of creation?

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And I thank you that your word tells

us that you are a God who makes himself

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known as Paul wrote in Romans one, for

what can be known about you is plain

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to them because you have shown it to

them for your invisible attributes.

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Namely, your eternal power and divine

nature have been clearly perceived

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ever since the creation of the world

and the things that have been made.

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So we are without excuse as

we read about your creation

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and your might and your power.

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Give us eyes to see where you're at.

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Work all around us, whether it's

in the smallest of creation like a

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snowflake or the sunsets in the sky.

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Give us a fresh perspective of the

beauty you've placed around us.

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Whether it's another neighborhood,

walk with our kids, or a

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daily commute to school.

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Help us to see your beauty

and majesty in all of it.

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Taking our eyes off of ourselves,

embracing an opportunity

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to live for you each day.

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We thank you that everything that

was made was made through you, Jesus,

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and we praise you for making us and

for making our children, and for

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another day to lift up your name.

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It is to you, we pray amen.