I Pray for Guidance
They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint. Isaiah 40:31.
Friday, Feb. 14, 1896. I awake at half past two, and seek the Lord, as is my practice, for wisdom and grace, mingling my prayers with thanksgiving for His tender, loving compassion toward us. The words of Isaiah 40:28-31 seem appropriate and impressed upon my mind. . . .
My prayer is, Help me, O my heavenly Father, to trust wholly in Thy wisdom and not to lean to my own understanding. Guide Thou my pen and direct my speech that I shall not sin against Thee with voice or pen. I must have grace. I plead, Teach me Thy truth, that I shall not err from Thy way. O my Lord, I am weakness itself, but Thou art strength, fortitude, and courage to Thy people if they will only diligently make Thee their trust. . . .
Sabbath, Feb. 15, 1896. The Lord is good and merciful. I want my gratitude offering constantly ascending to God. I long to have a deeper sense of His goodness and of His changeless love. I long daily for the waters of life. . . . I must continually have my strength in God. My dependence must not waver. No human agency must come between my soul and my God. The Lord is our only hope. In Him I trust, and He will never, no never, fail me. He hath hitherto helped me when under great discouragement. . . .
I will thank the Lord and praise His holy name. I will praise the Lord that in Him I can trust at all times. He is the health of my countenance and my strong tower into which I can run and be safe. He understands my necessities and He will give me the light of His countenance that I may reflect light upon others. I will not fail nor be discouraged. I look to Thee, my heavenly Father, to give strength and grace. . . . I will praise the Lord at all times and not wait for a happy flight of feeling. Then praise the Lord, for He is good, and His mercies will attend me morning, noon, and night. A happy flight of feeling is not evidence; His Word is my assurance.
That I May Know Him p. 266
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Prayer Requests
—– Please pray for my friend Carolyn. She is going to be in court today tying to re coop her expenses on her deceased mother, and her sister is fighting her all the way. Her sister and her son have already been caught stealing money out of her parents safe, after the last parents death, and used “OLD” money from the safe to pay for things. Carolyn is the one who had taken care of her mother for years, before her death, and also traveling to ______ on her own dime to try to take care of the ______ house their parents also owned, in addition to their house in _____. She is an outstanding Christian woman. She is a Registered Nurse practitioner who delivers babies at their homes, among other things. She is also a lactation consultant. Please pray with me today, and anyone else you can get to pray for her, as she is terrified to face her sister in court again today. Louise
—— My daughter’s mother has a tumor on her only kidney. They think it’s cancer. Please pray for healing. J.
—– Please keep my Sis in prayer for a healthy pregnancy and baby…..her name is Emefa…….please pray for her husband to mature and that he be a Godly husband and Father…..ultimately that God saves and gets the glory in their lives and the devil is put to flight. RKB
—–Please pray for my children and grandchildren that God will guide them in all their situations. U
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Dear Friends
When I was four, a lady my mother worked with invited many of her co-workers to see her television. In fact, it was one of the first TV’s in Kalamazoo. There were a lot of people in the house that evening all gathered closely around the TV viewing a very snowy picture. Although all were amazed at this new invention, I was disappointed because it was so difficult to tell what was on that tiny circle.
The next time I saw a TV was Queen Elizabeth’s coronation just before my eighth birthday. The lady who owned the dry cleaners next door invited us to watch this event on her TV. The picture was clearer and much larger. Even though I was only seven, I enjoyed all the pageantry and this time, I was filled with wonder over an invention which was to become America’s favorite pastime.
The third time I saw TV, was when there was a circus on “the tube.” Our neighbors had a set. Mrs. Francisco invited me to watch it. Although the circular screen was as tiny as the set when I was four, it had a clear picture.
When I was ten and went to live with my mother and step-dad, we had a Muntz TV of our own. The screen was large and the picture clear. Yet, over the years improvements were made to television sets until today the picture is very large, in color, clear, and life-like and the TVs themselves bear little resemblance to the ones when I was young.
So it is in the Christian’s life. When we first come to Christ, we give forth a very tiny and snowy picture of what He would like us to be, yet His heart is full of joy that we have made our first steps toward Him. Praise God! He does not leave us to shine with a dim light. He works with us and molds us to become more like Him as Isaiah exclaims, “O LORD, thou art our father; we are the clay, and thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand.” Isa 64:9 Some of the experiences that we must pass through are not pleasant. He says, “As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.” Rev 3:19 “Behold, I have refined thee, but not with silver; I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction.” Isa 48:10
Paul, speaking of this honing process, advises, “My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him: For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons. Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live? For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness. Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby. Heb. 12:5-11 Step by step, shaping by shaping in the Hand of the Potter, the picture of Jesus shining forth in our life becomes clearer and clearer until we fully “show forth the praises of him who hath called [us] out of darkness into his marvellous light.” 1 Peter 2:9
May our “light so shine before men, that they may see [our] good works, and glorify [our] Father which is in heaven.” Matt 5:16 May that light grow and become clearer and clearer until our character sends forth a true picture of our Dear Saviour is my prayer.
Rose