Doubts and Fears

FATHER, You know me. You do not need anyone to bear witness concerning me. You know me in my deprived state (John 2:24). Yet, even as I display my humanness, You know my meek and broken spirit. Therefore You look on me with “pity, complacency and delight.” You know I mourn because I love and serve You so little. Even though my heart is simple You will love me so that my entire soul shall be full of light (ref#15, [John 2:24]).

But, sometimes I have doubts and fear that I am not Your child because the enemy convinces me my sins separate us. Some days I do not have the faith that assures me I am Yours. But, I do trust You; through experience I know You can be counted on. I do depend on You.

“Doubting faith is not doubtful faith. If the believer has not the faith of assurance, he may have the faith of reliance, and that will take him to heaven” (ref#61, March 13th).

Thankfully these doubts and fears keep me humble. Being weak and dependent make me gravitate toward prayer as I long to possess the merits of JESUS (ref#61, March 13th). The enemy’s accusations drive me in a good direction. They move aside the pride assurance brings and allow more seeking of my Savior.

“We were made to make much of something great” (ref#124, p160).

The Earth Is Full of GOD’s Steadfast Love

“Forever…your word is firmly fixed in the heavens.

Your faithfulness endures to all generations;
you have established the earth,
and it stands fast” (Ps 119:89-90 ESV).

“The earth, O Lord, is full of your steadfast love;…” (Ps 119:64 ESV).

“…there is no God like you,
in heaven above or on earth beneath,
keeping covenant and showing steadfast love…” (1 Kings 8:23 ESV).

“O Lord, how many and varied are Your works!

In wisdom have You made them all;
the earth is full of Your riches…” (Ps 104:24 AMP).

“Blessed be the Lord forever!…” (Ps 89:52 ESV).

“How lovely is your dwelling place,
O Lord of hosts!
For a day in your courts is better
than a thousand elsewhere…” (Ps 84:1,10 ESV).

GOD Gives What He Commands

“THOU ART THE BLESSED GOD, happy in thyself, source of happiness in thy creatures, my maker, benefactor, proprietor, upholder. Thou hast produced and sustained me, supported and indulged me, saved and kept me,…” (ref#76, p115).

FATHER, how vast is the ways You demonstrate Your love. You stand so majestic over Your creatures and yet go to such great lengths to establish relationship. We are like sheep—created needy. You are a Shepherd—life-sustaining.

You are so very high—holy and righteous and command me to rise up to a similar position. Since I cannot, You reach down and bring me up. You call Your covenant with me an “everlasting covenant” (Gen 9:16), because it is kept by You keeping Your part as well as mine.

The Psalmist knows very well his weakness when he writes: “I will run in the way of your commandments when you enlarge my heart” (Ps 119:32 ESV)! Or: “I have gone astray like a lost sheep; seek your servant…” (Ps 119:176 ESV).

I reminisce with joy that covenant keeping does not depend on me. You say: “I will remember my covenant that is between me and you…” (Gen 9:15 ESV). You do not ask me to remember for I am prone to forget, but You remember.

“It is not my remembering God and my laying hold of His covenant, but it is God’s remembering me and His covenant’s laying hold of me” (ref#34, Aug 13th PM). Truly, “in His sovereign grace He gives what He commands and delights in the result (Phil 2:13) (ref#56, p1739, “Pleasing God”).

Prayer Facts:

“…don’t hunt for a feeling in prayer. Deep in our psyches we want an experience with God or an experience in prayer. Once we make that our quest, we lose God. You don’t experience God; you get to know him.
You submit to him. You enjoy him. He is, after all, a person” (ref#62, p21).

Reasons for Waiting for GOD:

Because You dwell in the high and holy place, but with him also who is of a thoroughly penitent and humble spirit bruised with sorrow for sin (Isa 57:15), I will wait for You.

Because You have loved me with an everlasting love, and with loving-kindness have drawn me and continue Your faithfulness to me (Jer 31:3), I will wait for You.

Benevolent

FATHER, You open Your hand (Ps 145:16).
You are kindly and charitable—
benevolent (ref#110, p129).
You are merciful and compassionate (ref#110, p584).

You satisfy the desire of every living thing (Ps 145:16).

You are indispensable—
necessary and essential.
You alone are absolutely vital (ref#110, p1493).

You are righteous in all Your ways;
You are kind in all Your works (Ps 145:17).
You give assistance and help (ref#110, p1337).
You are large hearted and generous (ref#110, p761).

To You, LORD, belong mercy and forgiveness (Dan 9:9).

You are “tender and loving”—
affectionate (ref#110, p22).
You show kindness and are gracious (ref#110, p584).

Psalm 50

You, the Mighty One,

You, GOD the LORD, speak and summons the earth
from the rising of the sun to its setting
You, the Mighty One, will shine forth (Ps 50:1-2).

You, GOD the LORD shall come,
You, the Mighty One shall not keep silent.
A fire shall devour before You,
And around You shall be a mighty tempest (Ps 50:3).

You call to the heavens above and to the earth,
That You may judge Your people, saying,
“Gather to Me my faithful ones,
The ones who made a covenant with Me by sacrifice” (Ps 50:4,5)!

Whoever offers praise as his sacrifice glorifies You; And to the one who orders his conduct aright
You will show Your salvation (Ps 50:23)!
With the heavens I declare Your righteousness (Ps 50:6).

I offer to You a sacrifice of thanksgiving,
and perform my vows to You, the Most High,
and if I call upon You in the day of trouble;
You will deliver me, and I shall glorify You (Ps 50:14,15).

Backsliders Can Be Restored

FATHER, You restore souls (Ps 23:3). You convert a “soul from sin that it may not eternally perish” (ref#15, [Ps 23:3]). You bring back life from destruction, heal backsliders, and restore them to Your favor (ref#15, [Ps 23:3]).

“He breaks down the hard heart, arrests the soul in its onward progress of departure, places upon it some powerful check, lays it low….” (ref#61, Sept 1st).

FATHER, I plead to You for the same power You used to initially draw ____ to take up again Your work in ____’s heart (ref#61, Sept 1st). Even though (he/she) presently plows a wicked way, reaps a crop of evil, and eats a salad of lies (Hos 10:13), You will kindly give (him/her) another chance to turn (himself/herself) around again.

It is encouraging to know that since ____ is not in the pit of hell, (he/she) is on the ground of mercy and that You, FATHER, see a way for (him/her) to escape when I see none. I will depend on You and call on You for You only give a promise of deliverance (ref#124, p89-90).

Colossians – II Timothy – Luke

FATHER, fill ____ with the knowledge of Your will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding. Guide (him/her) in (his/her) walk so that (he/she) may fully please You. May everyone see the fruit of the SPIRIT spilling forth in all (his/her) work. Increase (his/her) knowledge of You; strengthen (him/her) with power for all endurance and patience with joy (Col 1:9-11).

CHRIST, Your work on Calvary was for the goal of presenting Your followers holy and blameless and above reproach to Your FATHER (Col 1:22). I pray that ____ be humble and pliable so You, LORD, can do Your work. Teach ____LORD, to rightly handle the word of truth so (he/she) is approved by You and has no need to be ashamed (2 Tim 2:15).

Also, help ____ entertain a deeper commitment to CHRIST. You say in Your Word, “’If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me” (Luke 9:23 ESV). I know this is desperately hard and must be paid attention to constantly, but Your SPIRIT provides more than enough help. Aid ____ in such a way that (he/she) finds CHRIST’s yoke easy (Matt 11:28- 30). LORD, remind (him/her) to daily ask for Your SPIRIT to lead (him/her) (Luke 11:13).

Carrying CHRIST’s Cross

FATHER, Your Son did not suffer so His church can be excluded from suffering (ref#34, April 5th AM). I pray ____ remember that and expect to suffer.

“He bears a cross, not that you may escape it, but that you may endure it. Christ exempts you from sin, but not from sorrow” (ref#34, April 5th AM).

As ____ is willing to share CHRIST’s glory, motivate (him/her) to also share in His suffering (Rom 8:17).

“…let those who suffer according to God’s will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator…” (1 Pet 4:19 ESV).

FATHER, as ____ is hard-pressed, I pray (he/she) constantly commit (his/her) soul to Your safekeeping. “The great secret of all comfort in seasons of affliction is to take the affliction, as it comes, simply to Christ” (ref#61, Feb 5th). It is not (his/her) cross but CHRIST’ cross (he/she) carries (ref#34, April 5th AM).

Prod ____ to permit CHRIST to lay His cross on (him/her) so that (he/she) might bear it after Him (Luke 23:26). Some think Simon of Cyrene carried the end of the cross, the light part, while the transverse beam rested on JESUS’ shoulder (ref#16, [Luke 23:26]).

This is a good word-picture of what a Christian life should look like. Empower ____ to think of (his/her) suffering in that way.

Justification and Sanctification

“Sinful men and women can be changed into new creatures, not by their repentance or their belief, but by the marvelous work of God in Christ Jesus which is prior to all experience…I am not saved by believing; I realize I am saved by believing. It is not repentance that saves me, repentance is the sign that I realize what God has done in Christ Jesus. The danger is to put the emphasis on the effect instead of on the cause” (ref#7, Oct 28th).

Justification does not make me just; it declares me just (ref#92, p38). Which means by faith I must act justly. But, FATHER, my human effort is dependent on Your continual action to help me for I will continually struggle against sin (2 Cor 7:1; Phil 3:10-14; Heb 12:14).

This is sanctification. It is all Your work to form “Christlike affections, dispositions, and virtues” in me (ref#56, p1650, “Sanctification: The Spirit and the Flesh”).

FATHER, I ask You to work out in my actions the godly desires You give me (ref#56, p1650, “Sanctification: The Spirit and the Flesh”). Yes, I ask for Your help constantly for You will give it (Col 1:11; 1 Tim 1:12; 2 Tim 1:7; 2:1).