Genesis 8 – Be Fruitful and Multiply

God's word is from Genesis chapter 1, verses 20 through 23. Please listen attentively to the Word of God.

 

"And God said, 'Let the water teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the vault of the sky.' So God created the great creatures of the sea and every living thing with which the water teems and that moves about in it, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. God blessed them and said, 'Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the water in the seas, and let the birds increase on the earth.' And there was evening, and there was morning—the fifth day." Amen.  

 

We are still dealing with the beginning part of Genesis. In some ways, Genesis is the most foundational part of the Christian faith. At the same time, because Genesis contains the foundation of the most important truths about the gospel, Jesus Christ, and the Kingdom of God, it is a part we cannot neglect in the slightest.

 

Fifth Day: Filling the Sky and Sea

Finally, it became the fifth day. The purpose of this fifth day is for God to do the work of filling the upper and lower waters, which we know as the sky and the sea, that He had made on the second day. As we have continuously examined in the previous sermons, this story of creation, in fact, emphasizes the theme of creation much more than just listing the order of creation itself. When you read the Bible, you might think it details all the works God performed in creation, but actually, that's not the case. When God gave this Genesis, He selected the wisdom and facts necessary for our salvation and revealed them to us; He did not record all the details of His creation in this Genesis chapter 1. Far more amazing and mysterious events, difficult for us to fully comprehend, surely must have existed in this creation. However, from this passage now, we can quickly grasp several important and core facts. One of them, as mentioned in 1:2, is that when this earth was in chaos and void, God established order amidst that chaos over 3 days. Expressing it in terms we easily understand, He shaped the framework, or form. That's why I explained it as being similar to making a vessel. And then, during the next 3 days, He begins to fill the "Emptiness," that is, the empty, void space. Thus, the sun, moon, and stars appeared on the fourth day. And on the fifth day, as came out in the passage we read earlier, all living creatures like the birds flying in the sky and all the fish of the sea finally fill it.

 

In Genesis chapter 1, the word for creation used for "Let there be light" was not used on other days, and appears again for the first time on the fifth day. And this creation created on the fifth day actually concerns the moving living creatures we know. And there is a noteworthy feature in this fifth-day creation. It is precisely the point that God speaks towards the waters. This is the first time God speaks towards a subject. Also, God promised to give blessings in the words that follow, again speaking towards the subject. Of course, speaking towards living creatures is also the first time on the fifth day. It has various features. So this fifth day, although the content is very short, is a day that shows us a very important transition. Just as He commanded the waters and the vault of the sky like this, He also commands the land in verse 24. He commanded the land to bring forth animals. So now, in this part, we see the words God commanded being fulfilled exactly.

 

God's Word and the Origin of Life

One of the messages you have heard most often while studying the Bible or listening to sermons is precisely that God's word has power, and leaning on that word, we can live. But finally, here, when God spoke, there was a subject of the word, and the history of that word being fulfilled from that subject appears in this passage. Meaning, "And God said"—there were times He spoke, but this time there is the difference that it is directed towards a subject. "Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: the livestock, the creatures that move along the ground, and the wild animals, each according to its kind.’ And it was so." This is verse 24, but starting from the preceding verse and continuing, it's an important part where the fulfillment of the word connects. Here, the phrase "said" means He spoke. It's not a simple description that living creatures in the water and birds in the sky came into existence merely by God's power; the Bible expresses that they came into existence because He "spoke" the "Word." He is declaring that all living creatures, how did they come to exist? They came to exist by God's word.

 

This part is extremely difficult to understand scientifically. Humanity still does not accurately know how living organisms originated. Scientists are still continuously researching how living organisms changed after that using much data, and while we are studying Genesis, we are also examining this content together. However, humanity still does not have an answer regarding living organisms, that is, how living organisms emerged from non-living matter. The Bible, at that time, speaks of God's word as the most important cause that enabled all that to happen. At this point, we cannot help but be amazed. Of course, we know that at that time, there was no language on this earth, for example, God did not say in Hebrew, "Let there be land," or "Let there be light," "Let creatures like birds come into being." Saying He used this language means, in other words, that a truly amazing and mysterious power from God worked. Because at that time, not only Hebrew but no languages existed. It merely took the form of language when it was received and written down as revelation. It's for the reason of conveying it to us. In God's work, something more amazing than language itself happened. So this part, we cannot help but accept with mystery and awe, and the Bible does not explain at all about the process of how those events occurred, how living creatures were made from non-living matter. However, the Bible clearly testifies to the fact that all this existence originated from God. That's why it expresses it as, God spoke, and it happened accordingly.

 

So, we often explain through this passage how powerful and great God's word is, but we know well that this passage does not show only this fact. It doesn't mean the waters meditated on and understood God's command "Let the water teem with living creatures," and then obeyed the command by bringing forth living creatures into the water. It doesn't mean the waters understood the word. Because those waters lack the ability to bring forth living creatures. Solely, where must the source originate from? Precisely, it's content showing that everything depends on God. One might think this passage uses personification and is a poetic expression. But is this really just a simple poetic expression? Historically, many people have tried to understand Genesis in poetic language. However, regardless of how one views the beginning part of Genesis, no one can deny the fact that this creation account is a historical story. Although many people might raise controversies about whether this creation actually happened as a historical event or not, the sentence structure itself, as Genesis is recorded, is not poetic and was not written at all like the Psalms of the Bible. The form this sentence chose is not a poetic form but a form telling a historical story. Therefore, the Bible is merely showing us how history is expressed in God's language, not simply expressing things unrelated to fact poetically, it clearly states.

 

Purpose of the Genesis Record and Israel's Situation

To understand this fact more clearly, I hope we examine the era of Moses when this scripture was recorded. In Moses' time, the Israelites lived in Egypt for 400 years. We know well what kinds of events occurred when God saved Israel then. God didn't just pluck Israel out of Egypt with a 'swoosh' and instantly bring them to Canaan. When it says God spoke and it happened, we must remember the fact that whether creation or salvation, there can definitely be a time difference within it. The phrase "God spoke, and it happened accordingly" could be expressed as having no historical time within it, but there could also be an immense flow of time within it. Meaning, when it says God rescued Israel from Egypt, the event of that Exodus took 40 years. Therefore, the fulfillment of God's command always involves God's history and many helping hands of grace. And such content can be found anywhere within Genesis as well. As you know, if we calculate all the times from the biblical genealogies, human history spans about 6,000 years. So looking at the genealogies in the Bible, we might say, 'Ah, Adam must have lived around 6,000 years ago.' However, looking at the many genealogies presented in the Bible, there is one fact we can know. That is, when God recorded genealogies in the Bible, the purpose was to highlight the history God wanted to show for our salvation, so many people who actually existed might be omitted from the recorded names. If you look at Matthew chapter 1, it talks about the genealogy starting with "The record of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham." But reading that genealogy, you can find that many names are missing. Therefore, just from that genealogy alone, one cannot know the names of all the individuals from Abraham to Jesus Christ. God intentionally selected those names and recorded them in the Gospel of Matthew. Through that, God revealed this fact with the purpose of informing us about the history of salvation, not simply to inform us of all the facts without omission by recording this Bible. The Bible is a book delivered to you with a clear purpose. So, you and I, looking at this Bible, realize that even for those who lack knowledge and haven't learned much in this world, this Bible is sufficient to make known God's salvation, and even those with much wisdom and knowledge confess through the record of the Word that they cannot know all of God's mysteries and history.

 

Let's examine the situation at the time of the Exodus. When Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt, we know the fact that ten plagues befell Egypt. And the ten plagues were mostly related to the gods worshipped by Egypt at that time. Through these plagues, God defeated all those Egyptian gods one by one and showed the Israelites that they were nothing. Looking at this content from a slightly different perspective, it means this. Israel lived in that land for about 400 years. It's clear they remembered God and knew the promise God had made. But at the same time, they also knew very well about the countless gods worshipped by the Egyptians. Seen from this perspective, when Israel gained freedom through God's grace and came out of Egypt, you can fully imagine what attitude the Israelite nation might have had while living in the wilderness. If we had experienced such a situation, it seems we would live looking only to the Lord, never forgetting the grace of liberation from servitude God accomplished, but as you well know, these people could not do so. Let's examine the record in Numbers. "We remember the fish we ate in Egypt at no cost—also the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions and garlic. But now we have lost our appetite; we never see anything but this manna!" This record cannot be but truly remarkable. Because the Bible previously stated that God did not forget the Israelite nation, who were at the point of death from servitude in Egypt and cried out to God for help, and saved them. They were suffering harsh abuse and humiliation, forced to make bricks without straw. Yet these people, who were in such a slave's condition, now came out of Egypt and became free people. But now they are comparing the joy of salvation they are currently enjoying merely with cucumbers and melons.  

 

What about us?

We too lived through yesterday, Saturday. During that one day, did you overcome the day sufficiently due to the joy of God's salvation for me, that pleasure, or did you spend the day worrying about the insufficient balance in my bank account, the difficulties I face, the frustrating reality, etc., or various tired and hard daily concerns? Please think about it. Did you rejoice because of the eternal life and freedom God gave, or did we go back to the place we escaped from and long for things like cucumbers, melons, garlic, onions? Numbers expresses this part like this. These people didn't just complain, but wailed, it says. They are weeping, regretting, and appealing. The problem they had was not just dissatisfaction due to minor hardships experienced after the Exodus. They were longing for Egypt, and more than God accompanying them now, they missed the gods of Egypt that had made them prosperous more. What was the first thing they did as soon as Moses disappeared? After Moses was briefly absent, they did not pray to God. Instead, they made a golden calf. They did exactly as they had seen in Egypt. And they even worshipped it, naming it Yahweh. They had become too accustomed to idols. They knew the gods of Egypt too well. The harder things get, the closer we all tend to move towards idols. God of the sea, god of the land, god of the wind, god of water—if needed, we try to make any god and worship it.

 

Creation Account: Challenge to Idolatry

Genesis was precisely the word spoken to Israel who could live like this. That's why He calls out, "Waters!", "Heavens!". Let's look at the book of Isaiah. Chapter 1. "Hear, O heavens! Listen, O earth!" "How can we possibly live like this?" Isaiah is rebuking. "Even those foreign nations, even those beasts all know, how can we live forgetting God's grace?" he is saying. Isaiah is appealing to the heavens now. Did he do so because the heavens could hear the appeal? No. Now, through these words, what is God trying to say? Precisely, He is telling the Israelites that the sea gods they want to serve, the sky gods they want to follow, are in fact merely one of God's creations. That's why, as we examined last week, when referring to the sun and moon, He didn't call them by name but simply called them luminaries. It wasn't that He couldn't use the Hebrew words for sun and moon because they didn't exist. He deliberately called them luminaries. By doing so, He intended to say they are not divine entities, but merely creatures God made.

 

Think about the wilderness. Right now, for the Israelites, this sun was their biggest problem. Because they had to walk under that scorching sun. But what was most necessary for them then? Yes, precisely the sun god, and the rain god. If there was a sun god, they would have wanted to ask for shade, and if there was a rain god, they would have wanted to ask for cool rain. But God speaks like this: "This sun that is beating down on you with fierce light, I created it. This sun is actually not meant to harm you, but created for you," He is saying. "The sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night," He said. "Although it burns as if to scorch you, I am protecting you," He is saying. That's why God made the pillar of cloud and pillar of fire appear. With the pillar of cloud, He created shade during the day, turning on the air conditioner. And at night, with the pillar of fire, He turned on the heater again. The desert is a place scorching hot during the day and very cold at night. There, the Lord is saying, these things cannot harm you. He is showing that this sun and moon are merely creatures God made, everything exists leaning on God, and they themselves have no power whatsoever.

 

Modern Idols: Money and Reality

We who live in modern times no longer worship the sun or moon. Yet, we don't realize how deeply we are still living in a world of myth. As mentioned earlier, we too easily forget what freedom we enjoy because of God's grace, what kind of salvation grace we received, and what the thrill of salvation I should enjoy is, and we mostly think about what satisfies us, makes us happy, and makes us comfortable. Sometimes it's delicious food, sometimes it's the balance in the bank account, sometimes it's my health, my business, things like that. At meal gatherings with many fellow pastors, the topic I heard most from elderly pastors was about health. About half of it was about the effectiveness of vitamin supplements. At that time, I confidently resolved that when I reach their age, I would absolutely not be like that. But what was 90% of the conversation I had at a meeting with acquaintances last week? Yes, embarrassingly, it was about health and delicious food.

 

What are you thinking about and living for right now? What thoughts truly fill our minds? In fact, we have reduced all these creatures to something very simple. What is it? Precisely money. So we are putting a price on everything in the world, and we have set all the prices. But who is the actual owner of this land? We can easily acknowledge it's God. We say God is the owner like this, but it's also true that none of us live that way. In reality, the land belongs to the person who paid the land price. Because we have exchanged this entire land for money. So when the land price goes up, your face brightens, and when the land price falls, you suddenly become like someone who has lost everything. We made not only land but also water and all animals into money, and even humans into money. Of course, we no longer worship the sea as a god. And we don't bow down to that water. But what if the sea were money? Then that money quickly becomes a god to us. Let me give an example. Oil is buried under the sea. In the old days, nobody valued this oil, nor paid any attention to it. But now it has become money. For some countries or some people, it has become like a god. We are living in a very realistic world of myth. I hope you don't misunderstand. I'm not trying to say these things are unimportant or not precious. Your day is of course precious, the food you eat is precious, your bank account and work, all these things are precious. But let's not forget the glory of creation we enjoy, the joy of salvation I received, all these things, and become like the Israelites who focused daily only on the wilderness, the desert, the wind, things like that, and forgot God. The Israelites ate manna coming from heaven, yet still wept in their tents. Eating only manna morning, noon, and night, they must have grown weary. Thus, seeing and eating the food coming from heaven, they thought of Egypt. And this could not be a blessing to the Israelites. Similarly, the things we cherish are highly likely to become idols rather than blessings.

 

Great Sea Creatures (Tannin) and God's Sovereignty

Today's passage makes us think a bit more about this danger. Examining the passage, God gave living creatures in the midst of the water. He called them great sea creatures. God didn't simply say He made fish appear in the water, but says He gave great sea creatures. The word for creature here is 'tannin' (תַּנִּין, H8577). This word for creature appears about 13 times in the Bible. And in many cases, this word is translated as serpent. But there are also cases where it's translated differently. When Moses turned the staff into a serpent before Pharaoh, the word for serpent then is the translation of this tannin. But in the Prophets or Psalms, this word is translated as dragon. Especially when referring to beasts like Leviathan or Rahab expressed as dragons, the word tannin is used. Rahab also signifies Egypt. A similar expression appears in Psalm 74. "It was you who split open the sea by your power; you broke the heads of the monsters (tanninim/dragons) in the waters. It was you who crushed the heads of Leviathan and gave it as food to the creatures of the desert. It was you who opened up springs and streams; you dried up the ever-flowing rivers." This part is a passage reminiscent of the Exodus. Including splitting the great rock to bring forth water, we can recall how God protected the Israelite nation. Breaking the heads of the dragons in the midst of the water then refers to the Egyptian army. Therefore, in this passage, the dragon symbolizes Egypt, and it is expressed with the word Leviathan, synonymous with tannin. Such expressions are actually deeply related to the pagan gods, i.e., idols, of the ancient Near East worshipped by Egypt at that time. So God intentionally used that word to express Egypt, and expresses that Egypt is shattered in God's history. Meaning, it includes the gods worshipped by Egypt. Thus, this Psalm 74 recorded by Asaph quotes the Exodus event, and within the content, "The day is yours, and yours also the night; you established the sun and moon," quoting the creation event. So connecting the Exodus event with the creation event in the same passage. "It was you who set all the boundaries of the earth; you made both summer and winter," again talking about creation. So connecting this Exodus event and creation, He shows the following fact: "'There was a dragon, didn't you see it collapse at the time of the Exodus?'. 'The Exodus event then was an event that showed again the things that happened at the time of creation.'. 'Do you remember the dragon's head being completely crushed within it then?'" He asks.  

 

Therefore, if you were the Israelites who experienced the Exodus, if you were reading this Genesis chapter 1, what would have come to mind at the phrase 'great sea creatures'? Yes, you would think of the gods worshipped by Egypt, represented by Egypt. The event of the heads of those gods being crushed comes to mind. Therefore, the lesson the Bible is teaching the Israelites and us now is that Egypt and the "dragon" called the beast of the sea they worship are nothing, and God is the Creator of all those things. At that time, to the Israelites, this great sea creature was an enemy, and darkness was also an enemy. But at the time of Genesis, they were not enemies but creatures God made. Therefore, this great dragon God created is not a god, nor something to fear, He teaches.

 

Our "Tannin" and God's Rule

Then, the most important content we can clearly realize at this point is precisely this: In our lives too, just like the Israelites, we encounter huge dragons. As mentioned before, we live in a very realistic myth. For you, the huge dragon is always related to all the problems that plunge us into fear. The pandemic situation due to the Coronavirus is one of them. A business crisis is also a huge beast for us. Just as Egypt was a huge beast to Israel then, and the wilderness and desert were fearsome beasts, for you and me too, in the daily life we live, sometimes the day's sales become a huge beast, sometimes the worries about what I should eat and drink to live become a huge beast, sometimes the workplace where I work with all my might becomes a huge beast to me, and sometimes the health problem you have becomes a huge beast to me. God clearly speaks in Genesis, "These cannot become your gods!". 'Neither business, nor money, nor health, nor life's crises, nor even death can become your gods!'. All these things are in God's hands, and originated from God's creation, which God Himself made. They are absolutely not any beings better than you. Even money that seems powerful is nothing. Since God is telling us this now, we shouldn't accept it too nonchalantly. The many things you tried so hard to rely on, considered the best, are shattered right now starting from Genesis chapter 1. "They are nothing, I made them all," God is saying. But due to our fall, they began to become like idols ruling over us.

 

But the truly amazing fact lies precisely in this declaration of God. After creating the great sea creatures and the sun and moon, which Egypt and the Canaanite nations worshipped as gods, as idols, what did God say? 'He saw that it was good!' This is precisely the reversal. For us, such sea creatures or various idols assault our lives as enormous problems, but when they were originally created, God saw them and said they were good. Then what is important? It means precisely that there was a moment when they were good, that time existed. Those things that you fear and seem like huge dragons about to swallow you are not only creatures God created, but there was a time when they were good. When was that time? When they were created by God and were under God's rule. Precisely then, they were finally good in God's sight. It was when they, as creatures, were in the place of creatures. What does it mean to believe in God? It is precisely knowing correctly that even this sea creature called "Tannin" cannot be an object of fear or a divine entity to me, but merely a creature God made. Money too is just one of God's creatures. Your health too is just part of our body that God created. Even my life that seems like a failure, even all the time of your entire life lived, is in God's hands. Then when does it seem good to us? When does God look at it and say, 'It is good'? When does that become possible in our lives? Precisely when it comes under God's rule. When I realize my life is under God's rule, precisely then. 'He saw that it was good!' It doesn't mean flowers suddenly bloom in your life one day, but at that moment when you encounter huge dragons, fall into great trials and tribulations, and everything seems collapsed, when we surely realize that life is in God's hands, then God speaks: 'He saw that it was good!'

 

Then, I hope you examine this fact more deeply. Where exactly in your life is this moment now? Are you outside God's hand, or are you inside? Are you living without God, or are you living thanks to God? Do you live by grace? Or are you living by the result of your efforts? If you can answer that you live by grace, God speaks of your life thus: "God saw that it was good!"

 

God's Blessing: Be Fruitful and Multiply (Fullness of Life)

What about the Israelite nation? There is such a record in Exodus: "But the Israelites were exceedingly fruitful; they multiplied greatly, increased in numbers and became so numerous that the land was filled with them." In this passage, the word "multiplied" (or fruitful/prosper) appears. Where does that word come from? It also appears in today's text. "God blessed them and said, 'Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the earth'" Why is that? It means the greatest evidence showing you are blessed is precisely being fruitful, multiplying, and filling the earth. We know this meaning of multiplying from the story of Abraham, or from God blessing Adam and Eve to be fruitful, multiply, and fill the earth, but actually, humans are not the very first subjects of this multiplication. As seen in today's text, it is the blessing of multiplication and fullness God sends to the fish swimming in the water and the birds flying in the sky. Then what does multiplication and fullness mean at this time? What kind of blessing did they receive? What is the content of that blessing? If we change this word slightly like this, it might be easier to understand. "Bear fruit". It means to be fruitful. As examined in the previous sermon, on the third day, He brought forth fruit-bearing trees. When creating plants, God created fruit-bearing trees and seed-bearing vegetables. For us.  

 

Then what specific meaning does 'bear fruit' have? Precisely "Reproduction". The amazing event of life being transmitted from life is occurring. Life is giving birth to life. Multiply, this word means "Multiplication," meaning, reproduce. In other words, God is now speaking of the fullness of life. What is the nature of the blessing God gives to these creatures He made all according to their kinds? Precisely, to be full of life. Through the upcoming Genesis sermons, I will trace all this and explain how this life changes into eternal life. Today, it seems there is only time to explain a part of it. Among the words we examined today, the phrase 'be full of life' precisely means eternal life. When we hear eternal life, we first think simply of living forever without dying. You can live forever without dying even if you don't believe in Jesus. We all will live forever without dying. However, the eternal life explained here signifies the state of being full of God's life. That is eternal life. Therefore, the passage we examined today means that eternal life began for us, and that eternal life becomes full. Since God's life is full within us, even death cannot overcome us. If death cannot overcome us, can your failure really overcome you? Can the worries and anxieties filling your heart truly bring you down? Can your business bring you down? Neither poverty nor lack can bring you down. Because God's life is full within you. That's why you and I can bear fruit.

Precisely the fruit of eternal life. You and I come to experience that eternal life fully in our lives. There is only one reason why we do not experience this fully at this moment. As we examined in today's text, if we neglect or forget the rule of God in the place where we receive it, we cannot help but miss the joy we should rightfully enjoy. Because the moment I forget that, I again begin to act as if I am the protagonist of my own life. Whenever our effort towards knowing the Lord and towards the fullness of that eternal life slackens, we cannot help but miss the fullness of eternal life.

 

Enjoy the Fullness of Eternal Life

"He saw that it was good!" God sees your life is truly good. He thinks of it as beautiful, lovely. He is very, very pleased with your entire life. When are such things possible? Yes, when under God's rule. When constantly getting to know God. At that time, God can be pleased simply because we are alive. This life of ours is not merely a state of maintaining life. You and I have received eternal life. At the cross, Jesus Christ gave that life to you and me. In whom is eternal life? Precisely in Christ. He gave us the eternal life that is in Christ. That's why we cannot die. The life that cannot die makes your heart beat. In desperate situations where you truly cannot find any way out, and all you can do is prostrate yourself before God, powerless even to call His name—even in such situations, the Lord, who filled us fully with God's life, that eternal life, absolutely does not let go of you nor give up on you. He ensures the eternal life received in your life does not fade, nor the love received disappear. And rather, He expresses the history of His companionship, ensuring the knowledge of Jesus Christ becomes ever fuller within you, with the word eternal life. This is precisely love. Another expression for eternal life is God's love.

 

It's a story I heard. On a snowy day, a 90-year-old father waited outside, worrying about his 65-year-old son who had gone out. Waiting, worried his son might slip on the snowy path, he broke coal briquette ashes and spread them on the roadside. The son, who came up easily without slipping thanks to the ashes, might not have known his father's effort, and so might just pass by. But did the effort and love of that 90-year-old body become futile because no one recognized it? Did that love become nothing?

 

Sometimes, on your life path, when you can't see anything ahead, feel frustrated and hopeless, you think this is the end. Countless things obstruct our lives. Of course, there might be some who pass by without experiencing such major events. Let me ask you. In all these situations, what is the state of your spirit, your faith, your heart? Are you truly full of God, full of eternal life? Are you truly living according to God's will? Are you truly confident in your life? How could we come to be here in this place of worship today? How could we come to the place of God's grace? How could we come to the place of God's rule? Because that Father, who personally spread the coal ashes on that snowy path at that moment we didn't know, was there. Because the love of that Father, who watched over me from behind lest I might fall, never averted His loving gaze, was there. Because that very God who walks with me, protects me ceaselessly, and shares with me the life that nothing can kill—the fullness of life, the fullness of that God's life—is working within you. Be full! Multiply! And, do not miss this blessing, but enjoy it!

 

Closing Prayer

Let us pray! How can we possibly describe the Father's love fully in words? To us, that great sea creature only appears as an enemy that brings us down. We realize it is merely God's creature, not something we should serve or fear, but things in God's hand, and rather, we should be full of God's life, and therefore, even amidst anything, hold our heads high and look towards the Lord's kingdom as God's children—Lord, we forget this so easily. Lord, let us not forget. When I am so suffocated I can barely breathe, let that eternal life, which nothing can kill, bloom even more within us, and let us remember that God's love, which gives us breath, is with me. We pray in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen!