The Notion of Divine Control

FATHER. “The Bible declares that an infinitely good God is in the middle of our most painful experiences…” (ref#5, p143).

“…how astonished we would be to find that in the bitterest draught that ever touched our lips, the principal ingredient was love! That love saw the discipline needful, love selected the chastisement sent, love appointed the instrument by which it should come, love arranged the circumstances by which it should take place, love fixed the time when it should transpire, and love heard the sigh, and saw the tear, and marked the anguish, and never for one moment withdrew its beaming eye from the sufferer” (ref#61, Oct 7th).

FATHER, I long to stay in Your presence. How easy it is when the tribulations come to lean on my own resources. At the sign of tribulation my notion is to take action using my strength to remove myself from its grip as speedily as possible. I derive help from myself and from

others forgetting You, FATHER; I not only forget Your strength to provide for me but also I never consider Your good purposes for the trial.

Aid me quickly so I gain a notion of Your divine control. When perplexities press make the realization come naturally: “God is my Father, He loves me, I shall never think of anything He will forget, why should I worry” (ref#7, July 16th)? Allow me, FATHER, to rest in perfect confidence in You (ref#7, July 16th).

Confession Only the Beginning of Confession

FATHER, without Your SPIRIT I have no sense of what sin is. My natural conscience tells me that such things as murder and theft are wrong actions (ref#18, [John 16:7-15]). If I only confess my wrong action, repent of it, believing with a hoping-its-true faith that CHRIST makes me righteous again, I will remain unchanged.

And, being unchanged I will automatically use my own efforts to try to not sin in that way again. But that will only produce a merry-go-round scenario since my own efforts will fail and I’ll have to confess again, and again, and again. This circling process showcases my unbelief in JESUS. I believe my job is to stop sinning without the help of CHRIST. When I, in my own strength, attempt to change my actions my heart remains unchanged.

But, the supernatural work of the SPIRIT convinces me that the true reason why sin continues to reign in me is because I am not by faith united to CHRIST (ref#18, [John 16:7-15]). FATHER, I want to be filled with a sense of my weakness not of my own strength to overcome. Lead me away from this “repenting and resolving to do better.”

Prevail upon me to rest in the presence of CHRIST. Delay me until the SPIRIT can instruct me as to what to do during my confession time.

Without the SPIRIT, I only “act” as if I love my neighbor (Gal 3:3). Without the help of the SPIRIT, ordinary impulses control me and in that unrighteousness I attempt to demonstrate outwardly what I don’t possess inwardly. Waiting in the presence of CHRIST the SPIRIT has the ability to illuminate my heart and reveal its attitude. He may prove to me I am jealous or have a critical spirit toward my neighbor (ref#100, p94).

“As we rest as sinners in that low place, Jesus pours into our hearts His own love for that other person, a love that will sometimes send us to that person to put things right with him, and He gives us a forbearance toward him that was never there before” (ref#100, p94).

FATHER, reinforce all Your will for me in confession. It is not only a time to confess but a time to be humbled and a time to rest until, in the presence of CHRIST, I comprehend the entire scope of my sin. Guide me to hold out for Your “love, patience, and victory” that will change my heart (ref#100, p94).

“In Thy Presence silence best becomes us, but love inflames our hearts and constrains us to speak”(ref#117, p6).
Hymn of the Incarnation

“He, even when he subsisted in the form of God,
Did not…cling to His prerogative of equality with God: Nay, tenantless of all that glory,
He assumed the form of a bondslave,

“And appeared in the likeness of man.
So was He found on earth as a man in outward seeming,
And abased Himself in rendering submission, even to the death—A death upon the Cross!

“Because He stooped so low, God uplifted Him very high,
And hath freely given Him The Name—
The Name that is above every name, decreeing ‘In the name of Jesus shall every knee bend in prayer,

“Alike of dwellers in heaven, on earth, in the underworld,
And every tongue shall utter this confession, ‘Jesus the Messiah is Lord!’

So rendering glory to God the Father’” (ref#38, p155-156 [Phil 2:6-11]).

CREATOR, SUSTAINER, and FATHER

SOVEREIGN CREATOR, You do great things past finding out, yes, marvelous things without number (Job 9:10). You form the mountains and create the wind; You make the dawn out of darkness, and tread on the heights of the earth (Amos 4:13). You make lightning for the rain, and bring forth the wind from Your storehouses (Jer 10:13). You determine and count the number of the stars; You call them all by their names (Ps 147:4). And You declare to me what is my thought (Amos 4:13)!

You are known for the “marvelous order and beauty” of Your works (ref#56, p868, “God the Creator”), yet Your purpose is not just to create. You are SUSTAINER, “whose eternal plan covers all events and destinies without exception” (ref#56, p868, “God the Creator”), yet Your purpose is not just to create and

maintain what You create. Even though You are CREATOR and SUSTAINER, which reflects Your magnificence, You are also FATHER—ABBA FATHER, One who has created me for fellowship (1 John 1:3)!

CARING FATHER, You give up Your most precious possession—Your Son, sending Him to earth as the Savior (1 John 4:14). By my trust in CHRIST’s actions alone You adopt me into Your family. You make me no longer a slave of sin but Your child (Gal 4:7). Therefore You are CREATOR and SUSTAINER of the universe and also my DADDY.

Prayer Facts:

“God has spoken to us, let us speak to God—either to set our seal that God is true and faithful to His promise, or to confess the sin of which the Spirit of God has convinced us, or to acknowledge the mercy which God’s providence has given, or to express assent to the great truths which God the Holy Ghost has opened to our understanding” (ref#34, Feb 5th PM).

Reasons for Waiting for GOD:

Because You are an all-wise, all-powerful, and ever-present GOD (Jer 42:11), I will wait for You.
Because riches and honor are with You, as well as enduring wealth and righteousness (Prov 8:18), I will wait for You.

Because there is nothing too hard for You (Jer 32:27), I will wait for You.
Because You broke my yoke and burst my bonds so that I might serve You (Jer 2:20), I will wait for You.
Because You see my afflictions and hear my cry, knowing well my sorrows, sufferings, and trials (Ex 3:7), I will wait for You.
Because Your eyes are open and Your ears attentive to prayer (2 Chron 7:15), I will wait for You.
Because by Your invitation I can inquire of You (Isa 65:10), I will wait for You.

“…The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth….” (Isa 40:28 ESV).

FATHER, You are “Creator”—“the Supreme Being” (ref#110, p325).
You are “absolute.” You are complete, unrestrained; without condition or encumbrance(ref#110, p5).
You are “Maker.” You execute (ref#110, p817).
You “found”—You bring into being—realizing and forming (ref#110, p532).

You “author.” You are the Originator (ref#110, p92).
You “establish”—order, enact, set up, cause to be (ref#110, p465).“…the Lord sits enthroned as king forever” (Ps 29:10 ESV). “…he is the one who formed all things” (Jer 51:19 ESV).

The Supreme Being

FATHER, You are the everlasting GOD (Isa 40:28). The Author of all—
You are the Originator of everything (ref#110, p92)— the eternal GOD (Isa 40:28).

You are the Creator of the ends of the earth (Isa 40:28). You brought it into being—
realized and formed it;
Indeed, You founded it (ref#110, p532).

You are the One who formed all things (Jer 51:19). You execute—
You are the Maker (ref#110, p817)—
absolute and unrestrained (ref#110, p5).

You sit enthroned as King forever (Ps 29:10). You order and enact—
setting up and causing to be (ref#110, p465). You establish Your throne eternally (Ps 29:10).

Mutual Interchange of Kind Services

FATHER, I thank You that I can see Your greatness and love in every flower I look at. But, by that relationship I only comprehend the distance between us—Your power and my inabilities.

But, with the riches of Your grace You have recovered me from a state of enmity to a state of mutual communion and fellowship. You have done this by uniting me together in a covenant of peace ratified by the blood of JESUS. By Your giving and my receiving we can fellowship with each other. Your covenant-giving and my affections toward You binds our wills together (ref#35, p94).

Out of Your vast ocean of love You continually pour out extravagant gifts. You offer such things as a wilderness with entire fields of flowers that bloom without any eye seeing. And You give extravagant gifts to me personally. These gifts make me long to continue to taste Your sweetness and excellencies looking to experience the fullness of Your provided salvation (ref #35, p94). Your kind service to me is Your gifts, my kind service to You is my offerings of praise.

“How precious…are Your thoughts to me, O God!
How great is the sum of them!
If I should count them,
they would be more in number than the sand;…” (Ps 139:17-18 NKJV).

“I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made…”(Ps 139:14 ESV).

“…I will celebrate your kindness…”(Ps 101:1 CEV).

“…Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well”(Ps 139:14 ESV).

“I have seen your power and your glory…”(Ps 63:2 CEV).

Unsaving Faith

“All people are naturally inclined to some form of religion, yet they fail to worship their Creator…” (ref#56, p1613, “Mankind’s Guilty Knowledge of God”).

FATHER, I fear ____ has decided on (his/her) own to follow You because (he/she) finds it convenient. It’s quite possible (he/she) has a belief like the crowd described in John 2:23: “Now when He was in Jerusalem at the Passover, during the feast, many believed in His name…” (NASU).

The crowd’s belief in JESUS was not a life-changing belief. They were quick only to acknowledge Him as a teacher, or a great prophet, or someone who could make their life better. The Amplified version sums it up, they …[identified themselves with His party]…. Surely they figured being close in proximity met He would save them from…whatever they wanted saved from.

FATHER, I fear ____ has found comfort in a faith that does not save. (He/She) may be content to know about JESUS, like Him, and conclude (he/she) identifies enough with Him that (he’ll/she’ll) go to heaven when (he/she) dies.

“To believe, for Paul, involves knowledge of the gospel’s content, mental assent to its testimony about Christ (Rom 10:14), and obedient trust and reliance on Him as Savior and Lord (Rom 1:5)”
(ref#56, p1617, [Rom 3:22]).

I pray You give ____ ears to hear the Gospel. Convince (him/her) that (he/she) has no righteousness of (his/her) own and needs CHRIST’s righteousness. Be graphic about revealing (his/her) danger of perishing. LORD, give (him/her) a need to look for someone to save (him/her) from Your wrath. And then motivate (him/her) to make the effort to understand that CHRIST cannot save unless He becomes LORD of (his/her) life.

FATHER, give ____ opportunity to understand and grab hold of the faith that saves. By exercising (his/her) faith and by obeying, You will cause (him/her) to joyfully worship You. (He/She) does not need to be punished with everlasting destruction being forever away from Your presence and from the glory of Your power either in the rest of this life or in the life to come (2 Thes 1:9).

Growing Up Spiritually

FATHER, challenge ____ to grow up spiritually—more and more discovering the height, length, breath, and depth of CHRIST (Eph 3:18). Provide for (him/her) that (he/she) may know the love of CHRIST and then desire to be filled with all fullness of You (Eph 3:19).

Lead ____ to not satisfy (himself/herself) by gaining more and more knowledge of CHRIST but instead, find the true joy of knowing CHRIST. Extend to (him/her) faith to meet CHRIST, not simply know of Him through study (Eph 3:17).

Lead (his/her) not into temptation to follow laws, instead furnish for (him/her) the desire to interact with CHRIST. Strengthen (him/her) with power through the SPIRIT in (his/her) inner being (Eph 3:16). Teach (him/her) to leave off with the activities (he/she) can do without CHRIST’s presence and go on to activities that need CHRIST’s power to perform. Enlarge the meaning to live from faith to faith for ____ (Rom 1:17).

Recalling Promises

FATHER, because of Your Word ____ knows of Your promises. And, because of Your SPIRIT, (he/she) will have (his/her) belief strengthened as (he/she) experiences this frowning providence.

I thank You for Your Bible. Your words have supernatural influence, motivating and guiding ____. They correct thoughts and are able to change unbelief to belief (2 Tim 3:16). Lead (him/her) to Your Scriptures that will strengthen (his/her) belief.

You GOD, in Your steadfast love will meet (him/her) (Ps 59:10). You are faithful and will never let ____ be tempted beyond (his/her) ability to endure but, with the trial, You’ll provide a way so that (he/she) can endure it (1 Cor 10:13). You will make sure (he/she) can triumph over every enemy (Ps 59:10).

LORD, turn the darkness before (him/her) into light, making the rough places into level ground. Give (him/her) the understanding that You guide (him/her) and will never forsake (him/her) (Isa 42:16)—that You have plans for (him/her), plans for wholeness and not for evil, to give (him/her) a future and a hope (Jer 29:11).

Cause (him/her), FATHER, to tremble at Your Word, not tremble in fear at this calamity. Before You LORD, may (he/she) humble (himself/herself); O LORD, see (his/her) broken and wounded spirit. When (he/she) is ground to pieces, melted down to nothing before You, then look please, at

(him/her) and regard (his/her) lowly state (Isa 66:2). Come to (his/her) rescue.

Give ____ rest now in Your perfect peace. You alone, O LORD, will make (him/her) to dwell in safety. Tonight, may (he/she) lie down and sleep knowing You will care for (him/her) (Ps 4:8).