John 12:1-8 The Heart of Worship

Scripture Reading

Psalm 63:1–4 O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water. So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary, beholding your power and glory. Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you. So I will bless you as long as I live; in your name I will lift up my hands.

Intro

Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you (James 4:8).

In the hustle and bustle of everyday life, we can forget that the whole purpose of it all is… worship.

We can get so bogged down in the chores… and the kids… and the jobs… and the responsibilities that we end up just going through the motions…

Making it through another day while the joy and life of all that we do is sucked right out of the air.

We forget the Heart of Worship.

We forget as Question 2 of the Baptist Catechism says that the chief end of man… the purpose… the aim… the heart of our life… is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.

That our life and all of our life is meant to be lived for the glory of God and the enjoyment of Him in all that we are and all that we do.

1 Corinthians 10:31 So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

That’s what I want to look at this morning… the Heart of Worship.

What is the Heart that we should have… that we should strive for to get out of the grind and truly… with all of our life… glorify God and find all of our joy, life, and happiness in Him?

John 12:1-8 tells the story wonderful story of Mary humbly and worshipfully anointing the Lord with oil around a week before His death.

A story so weighty and so impactful that Jesus said Truly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will also be told in memory of her (Matthew 26:13).

Why?

Because Mary gives us a picture of the Christian life.

Of the wholehearted worship and devotion the Lord is owed from every born again Christian.

What does worship look like?

Our Big Idea for this passage is this:

Jesus is worthy of all our love, worship, devotion, and praise and the aim of our heart should be to glorify Him and enjoy Him for all He’s worth.

This has been a very humbling and convicting sermon for me to write because I know I don’t worship the Lord as I should.

I know I don’t always worship the Lord at all times… with a full heart… for all He’s worth…

The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak (Matthew 26:41).

That’s true for me and I’m sure its true for you…

We might fall short… and in a way we will always fall short because how can we ever give infinite glory, as finite beings to an infinite glorious Creator?

But that’s precisely the point.

We might all fall short of worshiping the Lord for all that He’s worth…

But we can pour ourselves ourselves to try… and that’s the heart of true worship.

And as we talk about the heart of worship, I don’t want you just thinking on an individual level.

I want us thinking as a worshiping people… Worshiping families… and a worshiping church.

At every level and in every sphere the aim of our heart should be a heart of worship.

So what does that look like as Christians, as Families, as a Church?

How do we, at every level, glorify God and enjoy Him for all He’s worth?

What does the heart of worship look like?

In our passage today, John gives us an amazing picture of the Heart of Worship and all that it means… the heart we should all be aiming for… with this amazing juxtaposition… this amazing contrast… between Mary and Judas.

In Mary… we see the Heart of Worship… the Believer’s humble love, devotion, and sacrifice to the Lord.

And in Judas… we see the Heart of Cold Indifference… the Heart that is unfeeling… uncaring… and blind to the glory of Jesus Christ.

So let’s start with Mary in Point number 1 with…

I. The Heart of Worship

John 12:1–3 Six days before the Passover, Jesus therefore came to Bethany, where Lazarus was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. So they gave a dinner for him there. Martha served, and Lazarus was one of those reclining with him at table. Mary therefore took a pound of expensive ointment made from pure nard, and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped his feet with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.

We are back again with Jesus, Martha, Mary, and Lazarus.

Just before this, in John chapter 11, Jesus said I Am the Resurrection and the Life, and then raised Lazarus from the dead.

Manifesting in power that Jesus is the One and the only One who can save us from sin and death and give us eternal life.

Well, in gratitude, just about a week before Jesus was going to die… Martha, Mary, and Lazarus gave a dinner for Him there.

They held a feast in Jesus’ honor.

They wanted thank Him and celebrate His power, mercy, and grace in raising Lazarus from the dead.

As she was one to do, Martha busied herself with serving worshiping the Lord the best way she knew how… serving Him and using her gifts and service to administrate and oversee the whole dinner.

Lazarus reclined at the table and Mary took a pound of expensive ointment… and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped his feet with her hair.

This was a shocking scene. It was not an everyday occurrence.

From the wiping of the feet… to the letting down of her hair… to the expensive ointment… all of this showed the extravagance of the glory of Christ…

And shows us three things that should characterize our own hearts of worship.

Number 1… the heart of worship is one of…

1. Humble Exaltation

We see this in the anointing and wiping of Jesus’ feet.

Its interesting that Matthew and Mark both tell us that Mary poured the perfume on Jesus’ head (Matthew 26:7, Mark 14:3).

Both are true.

Mary anointed both His head and His feet.

The emphasis on the head in both Matthew and Mark with such expensive perfume point to the Honor and Blessing of the Lord as the Messiah and King.

In John the feet are emphasized to point to Mary’s humility… devotion… and exalt the infinite glory of Jesus Christ.

Washing and dealing with feet is a theme that actually comes up several times in the gospel of John.

In just the next chapter, none of the disciples were willing to wash one another’s feet because it was the lowest task for the lowest slave…(John 13:1-17).

A task Jesus who came to serve and not to be served willingly takes upon Himself on our behalf (Mark 10:45).

John the Baptist

But we see the real significance of Mary’s actions with John the Baptist.

In John 1:27, John the Baptist said I baptize with water, but among you stands one you do not know, even he who comes after me, the strap of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie.

That’s Jesus.

And when John says the strap of whose sandal I am unworthy to untie… that was a job reserved only for the lowest of the lowest slaves.

And so what John says here is when it comes to Jesus, I’m not even worthy to do that.

Next to Him, I’m not even worthy to be one of the lowest of the lowest slaves.

I’m lower than a slave… I’m no one… I’m nothing.

Jesus is so great and glorious that I am unworthy to even untie the strap of His sandal.

Now think about that for a moment…

Jesus Himself said that outside of Him, John the baptist was the greatest man that had ever lived (Matthew 11:11).

And here, next to Jesus, the greatest man that had ever lived, said I am lower than the lowest slave.

What does that mean for all of us?

That Christ is infinitely higher than all of us!

Now that might seem like a duh… but is that how we worship?

Do we draw near to Christ as the Messiah and Son of God, infinitely Great and glorious worthy of all our love, adoration, devotion, and praise?

Is He so High and lifted up and exalted that we don’t even count ourselves worthy to even be His slaves?

That’s the heart of worship!

John the Baptist Himself said He must increase, but I must decrease. He who comes from above is above all (John 3:30-31).

You want to know what worship looks like? That’s it right there.

An ever increasing of Christ and ever decreasing of ourselves.

Its all about Him… His glory…

Lifting up His Name!

One of the great disasters in the American church today is that we have lost the holiness of God!

A vision of God that says He is worthy! He is glorious!

He is Almighty and infinite in all of His perfections and grace!

A holy fear and reverence in drawing near to the Lord realizing like Mary that Jesus is so infinitely high and glorious over us that the lowest thing we could ever do… washing Jesus’ feet… is actually infinitely above us!

The heart of worship is the humble exaltation… the greatness of the Lord.

You might remember… we quoted the answer to Question 2 of the Baptist Catechism: What is the chief end of man?

Man’s chief end is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.

Well question 2 flows out of Question 1: Who is the First and Best of Beings?

God is the first and best of all beings.

If God is the first and best of all beings then He alone is worthy of all our glory and worship.

Psalm 8:1 O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens.

We get a picture of this holiness and exaltation from the prophet Isaiah… of the holiness of God and our humble estate.

In Isaiah 6, Isaiah saw a vision of the Lord on the throne… a vision that John says just 40 verses later in John 12:41 was a vision of the glory of Christ who is Himself the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of His nature (Hebrews 1:3).

And in that vision, we are told I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple (Isaiah 6:1-5).

When John saw the Lord on the throne in the book of Revelation it was surrounded by a rainbow, a covenant of peace, and from the throne came flashes of lightning and rumblings and peals of thunder all pointing to and revealing the glory and the power of God (Revelation 4:3-5).

Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings:

Angelic beings perfectly suited their created purpose.

6 wings in total. Two to fly around the throne of the Lord and serve Him day and night.

And…

with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one called to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!”

Here is a picture of the holiness of the Lord.

These Seraphim are elect angels.

Not sinful human burden with unclean and impure hearts.

And yet the must shield their eyes from the glory of God.

And not only that they must cover their feet!… similar to how God told Moses at the burning bush to take off your shoes for the place you stand is holy ground (Exodus 3:5).

These holy angels were still required to cover their holy feet in the presence of the Lord.

God is high and exalted… high above the heavens and earth (Psalm 57:5).

And what does Isaiah say?

“Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!”

Woe is me! I am doomed!

I am cursed and ruined! utterly undone!

A man of unclean lips defiled inside and out… out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks (Luke 6:45).

Humbled and low next to the One who is exalted.

And then the Lord graciously purifies Isaiah lips with a burning coal to show us that the only way we can draw near to a holy God is by His grace and forgiveness in Jesus Christ.

The heart of worship is humble exaltation.

One that sees the Lord as high above and we as far below.

The One whose strap of His sandal we are unworthy to untie or wash our feet with our hair…

The lowest of the lowest slave.

Second… the Heart of Worship is one of…

2. Joyful Sacrifice

Mary therefore took a pound of expensive anointment of pure nard and anointed Jesus’ feet.

Nard was a fragrant oil or perfume from a root native to the mountains of northern India… thousands of miles away.

This explains what made it so expensive.

Ironically Judas says it was worth 300 denarii, which would be the equivalent of about a year’s wages for a normal day laborer.

One year salary.

I mean you’re talking 10s of thousands of dollars… somewhere between 20 and 30… all poured out in seconds.

And yet it was nothing compared to Jesus.

This was a joyful sacrifice that shows Mary’s over the top… abundant… extravagant love for Christ…

And at the same time His infinite glory and worth.

You cannot weight the glory of Christ in the scales.

Nothing could ever compare to Him.

And the over the top, abundant, extravagant love Mary showed is the same love Christ is worthy from all of us.

He is above all… He must increase I must decrease (John 3:30-31).

Do we worship the Lord like that? An over the top, abundant outpouring of our love in a joyful sacrifice of praise?

No Sacrifice too Great

One of the things this shows us is that there is no sacrifice too great for the Lord.

Anything we give or lay down for the Lord is never wasted, but a pleasing aroma… one that wafts through the whole house and is pleasing in the sight of our God.

Worship is Sacrifice

Another thing it shows us is that worship is sacrifice… something consecrated, set apart, and given to the Lord.

For many of us, worship costs us nothing.

Its just an afterthought.

Something we do in just going through the motions instead of an intentional, planned out devotion and consecration of our life to the Lord.

A life of worship and the glory of God should not be an afterthought or a chore, but the intentional driven plan of our whole life…

Striving to do all things to the glory of the Lord no matter the cost… no matter the sacrifice.

Paul says in Romans 12:1 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.

For most of us, its hard to imagine pouring out 10s of thousands of dollars for the Lord.

But… you want to get real personal?… that’s because its hard for us to give up and sacrifice 15 or 30 minutes in a given day for intentional prayer, Scripture, and devotion to the Lord.

But Paul says present your bodies… your life… all of you… as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, and this sacrifice is your spiritual worship.

Worship is Giving God our Best

Finally, worship is giving God our best and not our scraps… not the leftovers that cost us nothing to part with.

We don’t know if Mary bought this for this moment or if this was a precious family heirloom, but what is clear even by the cost is that this was something precious to her.

In Malachi 1, God rebukes the people of Israel for giving Him their scraps.

By offering polluted food and blind animals for sacrifices.

They looked at the worship of the Lord and called it a weariness…

Just too much work… too much effort…

I know that can be convicting for us today.

Malachi 1:13–14 But you say, ‘What a weariness this is,’ and you snort at it, says the Lord of hosts. You bring what has been taken by violence or is lame or sick, and this you bring as your offering! Shall I accept that from your hand?…Cursed be the cheat who has a male in his flock, and vows it, and yet sacrifices to the Lord what is blemished. For I am a great King, says the Lord of hosts, and my name will be feared among the nations.”

God is worthy of our best…

The Best of our time.

The first of our finances.

The strength of our service.

And the throne of our hearts.

The Heart of Worship is one of Humble Exaltation and Joyful sacrifice..

Number 3… the Heart of Worship is one of…

3. Whole-Hearted Devotion

Mary letting down her hair to wipe the feet of the Lord was one of the things that made this scene so shocking.

Jewish women did not do this.

It was considered indecent or shameful for anyone outside your house to see you with your hair down.

But Mary’s love and devotion to the Lord was so great, she didn’t care about the shame.

All she cared about was pouring out her love to the Lord.

In letting down her hair, Mary had consecrated herself completely and wholly to the Lord.

To consecrate something means to set it apart for a holy purpose.

For the sole use and service of the Lord.

This is offering your life as a living sacrifice.

And here’s what’s amazing.

Hair and Glory

1 Corinthians 11:15 says a woman’s glory is her hair.

The beauty and glory of a woman is in her femininity.

So what does Mary do? She takes her glory and uses it as a rag for Jesus’ feet!

Wholly devoted and consecrated to the Lord.

Have you genuinely consecrated yourself and set yourself… and all of yourself… all of your… life apart to the Lord?

Consecrated yourself to give all of your glory to Him?

To worship and be faithful to Him a life consecrated to the Lord?

Whole-heartedly devoted solely to the Lord and His purpose?

That’s the Heart of Worship.

Worship is Knowing God… Loving God… and Enjoying God for all that He’s worth.

Its finding all of your life… delight… and treasure in Him.

When the bible says Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you… this is the heart of drawing near (James 4:8).

Not just in action or religious observances, but with the heart.

And in Mary we see that the Heart of Worship is one of:

Humble Exaltation - God is infinitely glorious and He must increase I must decrease.

Joyful Sacrifice - no sacrifice or devotion is too great for the Lord.

And Whole-hearted Devotion - a life wholly and completely consecrated to Him devoted to giving to Him all of our glory.

That’s the heart of Drawing Near.

AndtThat’s the Heart of Worship we should all strive for.

And then we get another picture of the Heart of worship, this time from the negative side where John gives us insight into the heart of Judas.

And far from a Heart of Worship Judas’ heart is a heart of Cold indifference.

And that’s point number 2…

II. The Heart of Cold Indifference

John 12:4–8 But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (he who was about to betray him), said, “Why was this ointment not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?” He said this, not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief, and having charge of the moneybag he used to help himself to what was put into it. Jesus said, “Leave her alone, so that she may keep it for the day of my burial. For the poor you always have with you, but you do not always have me.”

The But Judas Iscariot puts a strong contrast between Judas and Mary.

We are to see them as polar opposites.

And as usual, two things are mentioned about Judas.

He was one of Jesus’ disciples and he is the betrayer.

The other Gospels tell us that immediately from this event Judas goes to set up Jesus’ betrayal.

And Judas said Why was this ointment not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?

Well that sounds good.

We are called to remember the poor and to be kind and gracious towards them as opposed to the world which only oppresses and tramples them.

But Judas didn’t actually care for the poor.

John tells us he was a thief.

And he was in charge of the moneybag which was meant to be used to support Jesus’ ministry as they traveled around Judea and Galilee.

But being a thief, Judas would regularly help himself to the money that was put into it.

And Jesus responded Leave her alone, so that she may keep it for the day of my burial. For the poor you always have with you, but you do not always have me.

Jesus was not ignoring the poor.

What He was saying was Judas, you’re missing the point.

What Mary is doing is a beautiful thing.

Something you are completely blind to because you are blind to my glory.

You treasure money, more than you treasure me in your heart.

And that’s what I want to focus in on.

As opposed to Mary… Judas did not love Christ. He had a heart of cold indifference.

He loved himself, money, and the things of this world more than Christ.

As opposed to Mary Christ was not His ultimate treasure.

So here’s what Judas shows us about the heart of worship; if we can learn anything from the Betrayer.

True worship worships Christ from the Heart as the ultimate treasure and delight of our souls.

Judas had all the outward appearances.

He looked like a disciple.

Like someone who worshiped the Lord.

Why wasn’t this given to the poor?

And even when Jesus said one of you will betray me, none of the disciples pointed to Judas.

They all said, “Is it me?”

On the outside Judas looked just like everyone else, but on the inside He was a devil.

He did not love the Lord. He did not treasure Him or worship Him from the heart.

His heart treasured other things.

And from Judas we can learn this very important lesson: There is no worship unless we treasure Christ!

We could have all the outward appearances.

All the right songs.

All the right prayers.

All the right sermons.

All the right words, looks, and actions.

But if we don’t treasure Christ our worship is nothing.

All the outward appearances without any inward love is at best the worship of hypocrites and demons.

Hypocrites

In Isaiah God despised the worship of His people saying What to me is the multitude of your sacrifices?…

What do me is your worship?

I have had enough of [your] burnt offerings… [your] incense [another form of worship] is an abomination to me (Isaiah 1:13-14).

Why?

Because Isaiah later says, This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me (Isaiah 29:13, Matthew 15:8).

God is not honored by the worship of hypocrites might who say all the right things… offer all the right sacrifices… but in the end have hearts that are still far from God.

Demons

And then do you want one that’s really convicting?

Even Demons can give lip service to the Lord… but what’s the difference between a demon and a Christian?

Its love!

Its delight! Its enjoying God and treasuring Him for all He’s worth.

In James 2:19 You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder!

Demons have the right theology.

But what they don’t have is doxology - praise and worship of the Lord!

And look at Luke 8:28.

Jesus had come out to a man who was possessed by demons, naked, and living in the tombs.

When this demon possessed man came up it says…

Luke 8:28 When he saw Jesus, he cried out and fell down before him and said with a loud voice, “What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, do not torment me.”

Jonathan Edwards takes this so far to say that this demon appears here to be very religious.

(Cited in Reeves, Michael, Authentic Ministry, “Chapter 1: Delight in God”).

All the appearances of External Worship.

He prays… he even prays from a humble posture falling down prostrate before Christ.

He prays earnestly with respectful words.

What have you do to do with me, Jesus Son of the Most High God?

He prays humbly I beg you do not torment me! ascribing power and authority to Christ.

From all external appearances there’s worship, honor, humility and respect.

The only thing that isn’t there is… Love.

True worship worships Christ from the heart.

True worship doesn’t just go through the motions of religion but says Jesus is my ultimate treasure and greatest good.

This is what Judas lacked and it was no better than the worship of hypocrites and demons.

Jesus said…

John 4:23–24 But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.

In spirit is internal heart worship offered to God in a spiritual way not just in outward, external, physical acts of religion.

Its the differences between singing songs and worshiping the Lord!

Secret Heart

Judas treasured money over Christ.

And this ultimately led to his betrayal of Jesus and then more ultimately do His own death and suicide.

His own destruction.

The same destruction that will happen to all of those who refuse to trust in Christ and worship Him.

The example of Judas calls us to examine our own inner life and the treasures and longings of our heart.

Is it Christ or has it subtly shifted to something else?

With the Psalmist we must say Search my heart and see!, oh God, if there be any grievous or wicked way within me (Psalm 139:23-24).

For Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being, and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart (Psalm 51:6).

Do we worship the Lord in the secret heart?

The secret place in our inward being that no one else sees or knows?

That’s the heart of worship.

Not one of Cold Indifference.

That’s the heart Judas lacked next to Mary.

Let me say it like this…

Do you just play the part?

Come to church?… Profess the name of Christ?… worship God on the outside all the while treasuring and harboring secret sin in your heart?

Is God honored by that hypocritical worship?

A public outer devotion that doesn’t match your inner life heart devotion to the Lord?

Watch out! Lest you have the heart of Judas.

True worship worships Christ from the Heart as the ultimate treasure and delight of our souls.

The Fuel of Worship

Mary gives us a picture of humble… whole-hearted… repentant worship.

Judas a picture of cold… hard-hearted unbelief.

What was the difference?

The Gospel.

One saw the good news of the gospel and the glory of Christ and the other didn’t.

One believed Jesus was the Resurrection and the Life and the other remained blind in their sin.

The Gospel is the fuel of white-hot, God exalting worship.

Why were they all there?

To celebrate Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead.

To celebrate Jesus being the resurrection and the life for everyone who believes in Him.

And after Mary anointed the Lord with oil, Jesus said Leave her alone so that she may keep it for the day of my burial.

Now what Jesus precisely meant is not exactly clear.

Did Mary buy it knowing Jesus was going to die?

Did Mary anoint Jesus knowing she was anointing Him and setting Him apart for His death?

But one thing is clear… Her worship is connected to Jesus and His salvation as the Messiah… the Resurrection and the Life… who would die in our place for our sins.

Its interesting that Jesus recognizes this anointing as specifically in connection to His burial.

To His impending death.

On the cross, Jesus would offer His life as a sacrifice to once for all pay for all of our sins.

And this anointing with the sweet fragrance of perfume was preparing Him for that day.

Pleasing Aroma

In the Old Testament when Israel would offer sacrifices to the Lord and burn them on the altar.

And the smoke that would come up would rise as a pleasing aroma to the Lord (Leviticus 1:9).

The idea is our sin is an odious… pugnacious… offensive smell in the nostrils of the Lord.

And just like when we smell something bad there is a loathing and abhorrence to any foul odor.

But by the sacrifice the sin would be paid and stench taken away leaving only a pleasing… sweet… delightful aroma before the Lord.

God’s wrath and anger would be satisfied and the pleasing aroma would turn God’s wrath into kindness and mercy on behalf of the worshiper.

Well Christ’s death is that pleasing aroma to the Lord and one of the things Mary was doing whether she knew it or not was preparing Him for that sacrifice.

That perfume that wafted through the whole house with a sweet scent would be the same pleasing aroma that would satisfy the wrath of the Lord.

Ephesians 5:2 And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering [this pleasing aroma] and sacrifice to God.

This is what Mary saw and this is what Mary worshiped.

Application

So how do you grow in your love and worship of the Lord?

What’s the fuel for the heart of worship?

Worship is a response to who God is and what God has done for us in Jesus Christ.

We can’t will it within ourselves.

We love because He first loved us (1 John 4:19).

So you want to love Christ and live all of your life for Him?

Fix your eyes on Him and the great love He has shown us in the gospel.

The more we see an experience the depth of Christ great love for us through God’s Word, revealing our sin, God’s wrath, God’s grace, God’s sovereignty in saving us… the more we will love Him in return.

If we are ever spiritually bored of the gospel, its because we are spiritually blind to the glory of Christ and all that God has done to save us.

Conclusion

Jesus is worthy of all our love, worship, devotion, and praise and the aim of our heart should be to glorify Him and enjoy Him for all He’s worth.

With Mary and Judas we see that the Heart of Worship is one of:

Humble exaltation.

Joyful Sacrifice.

Whole-hearted Devotion.

And a treasuring and delighting in Christ from the heart as the true treasure and delight of our souls.

A heart of worship, the heart we should all be striving for, is a heart that says with the Psalmist:

As a deer pants for flowing streams, so my soul pants for you, O God (Psalm 42:1).

I will extol you, my God and King, and [I will] bless your name forever and ever. Every day I will bless you and [I will] praise your name forever and ever. Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised, and his greatness is unsearchable (Psalm 145:1-3).

Let’s Pray