“…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).

My Rest

FATHER, how good the word “rest” sounds. And, there is a rest for me. This state of blessedness manifests itself as I embrace the Gospel.

Since I believe CHRIST JESUS has given what You require from me, I enter into rest (ref#15, [Heb 4:10]). My experience of rest is ceasing from my own works of righteousness, and from the burdensome works of the law just as You and Your Son ceased from Your “works of creation and redemption” (ref#18, [Heb 4:10]).

Since CHRIST impresses You; I don’t have to impress You. Resting in CHRIST is a state of happiness. My salvation does not depend on my continuing work of being righteous!

But FATHER, keep me abreast of situations that threaten my rest. Situations continually rise to steal what You freely give me through CHRIST. Happiness disappears when I lose fellowship with You and default back to trying in my own strength to be righteous.

Impress upon me that if I don’t rehearse the Gospel I will fall back into burdensome works and be void of rest. FATHER, I know preaching the gospel to myself each day will equip me with more boldness to believe what You say. I’ll recognize and benefit more from Your grace and be more willing to embrace Your commands (ref#60, p52). By reveling in CHRIST I retain our fellowship and find my rest! As I rehearse the Gospel, “give me that rest without rest, the rest of ceaseless praise” (ref#76, p172).

The Work of Conviction

FATHER, the discovery of my sin is a part of the wisdom that is hid in CHRIST and made known to me through the SPIRIT (Col 2:2,3). If I am not attentive to the SPIRIT I only have a sense and knowledge of sin that is revealed by my conscience; it is the general knowledge of good and evil. But, it’s obscure so I notice my own faults only if they are very obvious or I sin in such a way that they are particularly embarrassing to me (ref#35, p200).

Familiarizing myself with the laws set down in the Old Testament helps me recognize more of my corruptions. But even laws do nothing to make me see my deep personal sin (ref#35, p202).

The work of conviction, from Your SPIRIT, gives me the best knowledge of sin. This knowledge is so useful that it reveals sins that I, on my own, do not have the ability to detect; these sins must be made real to me by Your SPIRIT—a source not connected with my native nature (ref#35, p202).

I thank You FATHER, for Your SPIRIT’s conviction. I am not offended when I recognize His voice, instead, I’m humbled. He has the ability to convince me of sin in such a way that I’m unable to deny His words and am ready to repent. I thank You, FATHER, that Your SPIRIT not only is able to point out my sins but has the ability to accomplish in me the sorrow for sin which leads me to the obedience You require. So, search me, O GOD, and see if there is any grievous way in me and then lead me in the right way (Ps 139:23-24).

“I rejoice to think that all things are at Thy disposal, and I love to leave them there. Then prayer turns wholly into praise, and all I can do is to adore and love thee” (ref#76, p49).

Salvation

You, GREAT FATHER, have given me faith to know of Your existence (Heb 11:6).
You have formed me from the dust
and breathed living life into me (Gen 2:7).

Your standards are most glorious
but I fall short of them (Rom 3:23). Therefore, You destine me to die;
And I face Your certain wrath (Heb 9:27).

But, by Your free gift of grace
I am delivered from Your judgment.
You make me a partaker of CHRIST’s salvation through my faith and not through my striving (Eph 2:8).

You make my death temporal
not letting me continue under its power. You give me a resurrection
to life eternal (John 11:26).

CHRIST is the way, the truth, and the life.
I come to You, GOD, through CHRIST (John 14:6). He bore my sins so I might die to them.
Through CHRIST I can live rightly (1 Pet 2:24).

Through CHRIST, through CHIRST, I turn to praise.
I adore and love Thee—
through CHRIST, through CHRIST.