Hungering and Thirsting

“Blessed are those that hunger and thirst after 
righteousness, for they shall be filled.” Matt. 5:6

I fancy that I have some of this grace, Dear Lord, but then I wonder
at times if I desire righteousness for your glory. Create in me, O Lord,
a clean heart, to hunger after You alone.

“Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires
of thine heart.” Psalm 37:4

Some desire righteousness for its own sake so it becomes an idol to
them and is ruinous to their souls. This is another way of thinking
that you can make yourself as God, to have your own light. There
is no light but Yours, Most High and Holy Trinity, and I would walk
only in You, for all else is darkness.

I confess, O Lord, that righteousness cannot exist alone, for it is the
light that comes from You. As the heat cannot exist without the flame
or the sound without its source, so no good exists that does not come
from You.

To hunger and thirst after righteousness is to hunger and thirst after
You, O God, for there is none other.

I believe that every good gift and every perfect gift is from above,
from You, the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither
shadow of turning. -- Jas 1:17

Dear Lord Jesus, no wonder You rebuked the Rich Young Ruler for
calling you “Good,” when he did not believe you to be God.

There is no teacher, however wise nor however truly sent from God,
who is good in himself, and it was right to rebuke this sinful man of his
idolatry and expose his covetousness. How good you truly are, dear
Lord Jesus.

How I long to live a complete and perfectly righteous life, but I cannot
attain it.

I love to study the Scriptures, and good books of theology for I find
them meat for my soul. I also find that I desire many other things, and
these are often in conflict with my holy desires.

I confess, O Lord my God, that when I do not walk in Your goodness,
the desires of the flesh gain strength and lead me astray, for in me, in my
flesh, dwells no good thing.

I confess that when you gave to me Your Spirit, it was only because the
Lord Jesus had purchased me from sin and evil by His precious blood,
and His death destroyed the guilt of my sin, my natural bent.

Your precious Spirit has given me a desire for righteousness that is greater
than the things of the world, but there are still things in me that pertain to
the old, my father Adam, so that both hungers are alive in me.

I confess the truth, dear Lord of Galatians 5:16, that my flesh hungers
against the Spirit and the Spirit hungers against the flesh. These contrary
desires cannot be reconciled, O Lord, so death works in me, for to do
your will, I must not give in to the desires of the flesh.

Thus Galatians 5:16 “This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not
fulfill the lust of the flesh. 17 For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and
the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other:
so that ye cannot do the things that ye would” is fulfilled in me.

“Greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world.” Your Spirit is
greater than the sons of Adam and therefore our faith will overcome
the world. I thank and praise you for that knowledge and joy.

I believe that I must trust Christ for my righteousness and be content in
that righteousness.

I am sure that it does not mean to “try very hard,” because the more
the flesh is exercised, the greater is the strength of sin.

The strength of sin is the law, and “trying very hard” makes me think
of the law and your perfect standard, and that is death to me. Your
strength is in the Cross of Christ, and I must glory there.  His
broken body and shed blood are my true meat and drink.

So I must rest in your perfect and complete righteousness and your
gift of eternal life, Dear Lord, for there is nothing left for me. Is this
what it means to “reckon yourself to be dead indeed unto sin.”

A dead man does not “try really hard.” He is what he is, dead.

So what is left is faith and hope and love. Oh, dear Lord, renew
those in me and let me know thy righteousness—that it be fulfilled
in me. That my light might shine to those around me.

So I must hide thy word, thy light, in my heart. I must receive Your
light as from You; The light of Your knowledge must give light to
my soul, kindling the light of faith, from which comes hope and love.

All light is from You, dear Lord, and turning aside from your word
and knowledge brings darkness into my soul, for I have no light of
my own.

“Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto
me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart: for I am called by thy name,
O LORD God of hosts.” –Jeremiah 15:16

“He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me,
and I in him…It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profits nothing:
the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.”
 John 6:56, 63

You are my wisdom and righteousness and sanctification and
redemption, O Lord Jesus.

Amen and Amen.

Lament for Liberty and Jobs

Here is a piece written by an ex student of mine from years ago, a successful small business
owner. Read it and weep. It is long, but worth the read:  It was written a few days before
the last election.  Our struggle is not over, but we must keep on, for it will be a long one

-----------

As a business owner for over 19 years, I find myself in a disappointing position. Running
a company that manufactures products in America I have found it a challenge to find those
willing to do the work for a reasonable price. I have been advised by others to use cheaper
China labor more times than I can remember. I have kept my manufacturing in America
with the one hope that Americans will wake up one day and see that small companies are
the backbone of this country. We employ, we spend, we invest and we add momentum
and strength to our country. More than any other sector small business builds and innovates
adding to our national strength.

I have paid Americans hundreds of thousands of dollars more to do the same job I can
have done in China for a fraction of the cost. Why? Because I love our country and want
to invest in it.

I fall asleep each night grateful for those I value, respect and love and my employees are
very much considered a part of that group. I am confident most business owners would
understand and agree with this sentiment.

In our American capitalistic system schools are important...but without business we have
no schools. Fire protection is important but without business, we have no fire protection,
law enforcement, regulatory agencies, public sector jobs, all part of a system built by
capitalism and our freedoms and rights to conduct free trade.

The first time Americans voted in Obama could be described as an understandable
mistake. His speeches were very seductive to those that didn’t understand or those
that have been removed from what drives our country forward and what our country
was truly built upon.

But twice?

I see this election to show our country has turned its back against business, against
freedom and yes, even against the extreme efforts I have made, as well as many others
like me to keep our country first in our business decision making process.

While the jobs lost to overseas by a company my size may be just a few, the countless
other companies that may be forced to make the same decision now, is without doubt a
major impact to our nation.

I fear that both the left and rights individual retirements, based upon our stock market,
will soon show the loss of faith in our govt. A fiscally irresponsible leader does not and
cannot foster an environment of investment security.

I, for one, was striving to see something in Obama’s first four years to get behind…
something that could help me to hold my head up high when the eyes of the world look
our direction. I have failed to find anything note worthy.

He is an excellent speaker, a well groomed man who is well poised and spoken. A man
with a beautiful family with shining faces and smiles. However, his actions speak of a
man that is either ignorant to the workings and needs of this country or worse yet,
indifferent to them.

How can so many intelligent, good hearted people see him in a light so different than
I do? How can those I know so well, who have similar upbringings and education see
in him a man worthy of giving their valued vote and trust.

I have always stood behind our elected President and will continue to do so with the
belief that there is more in God’s plan than I am able to see. I am still proud to have
friends on either side of the political chasm.

My words here are truly meant to express a quick release of confusion over how so
many can be so far apart ideologically. I am left with prayer and a concern for the
future of my wife and two children in a country where it truly appears freedom and
opportunity is being eroded.

Hope for our countries future is never lost. We are an incredibly resilient people,
however, I find it increasingly more difficult to bring hope for our country into focus
after such an election.

If the phrase, “It takes a village to raise a child” has any truth to it, then quite possibly,
it may take a country to raise a good president. Lend your voices to causes you see
that need a voice. Let those in govt. know your concerns. This can be done all the
way down to your local representatives. You might keep in mind to do so in a way
that shows respect, even if you feel you have been shown little respect yourself. Problem
solving seldom comes through bickering. I would hope that you stay true to your beliefs
but do not stagnate due to a closed mind.

It’s been said that there is always opportunity for growth in times of conflict. My desire
is to see growth in all sides, as after this election, it appears we could all use some.

May God guide and protect those that govern this great country, as well as the governed.

Prayer and Meditation on Psalm 86:1-8

Our Heavenly Father, we confess that we are content 

to rest in Your heavenly kingdom and our Lord Jesus 

Christ forever and ever.

You have heard the prayers of your saints in all the 

ages of the world, when they called upon You. You 

heard the blood of Abel, Your first martyr, cry to You 

from the ground, slain by Cain who was of his father 

the devil.

You heard Enoch and Noah and Abraham, Isaac and 

Jacob. The prayers of David when he fled from Saul, 

the cries of Elijah and Elisha; the prayers of Your 

apostles and Stephen the martyr, and the thousands 

and thousands of the saints that called upon You in 

all the history of the church.

We think of the great reformers, Wycliffe, and Thy 

martyred servant John Huss; Luther, Calvin, Zwingli, 

Bucer, Ursinus, Cranmer, and our Fathers of the faith 

in the United States. We praise and thank You for 

hearing and showing Yourself strong to preserve and 

keep Your servants in life and in death.

We pray that You would incline Your ear down to us, 

O Lord, for we are poor and needy. We have no 

strength of our own, and our voice is small in the 

world. How helpless we feel when we behold arrogance 

and pride and wickedness strong, entering even into 

Thy House the church and defiling the holy things. 

Stretch out Yourself to us down here in the world, 

O God, for we cannot do Your work without you 

and your Spirit.

You have set us apart for Yourself, O Lord, and 

You must preserve our souls, for we cannot stand 

against the assaults of the devil unless You save us. 

We trust in You and Your salvation, for our souls 

are needy and cry to You. We ask and plead for 

Your mercy—O God our Father, do not deal with 

us after our sins, but according to Your mercy and 

grace.

Your Son, our Lord Jesus, said that You are a 

gracious Father, who will give the Holy Spirit to 

those who ask, and we ask, O Lord, because our 

souls can only be renewed to bring forth the fruit 

of Your kingdom when Thy Spirit moves our hearts 

and minds.

Thy joy is our strength, O Lord, and trials and 

tribulations will weigh us down and destroy us if 

You do not lift us up. We lift our souls to You, O 

Father, for You are our life and our joy.

You are good and merciful, O Father, and You 

delight in mercy and are ready to forgive to those 

who call upon You. You are great in kindness. 

Hear our prayers and the loud supplications of 

our hearts, for we cry to You in the Name of 

Your dear Son.

You have said to call upon You in the days of 

trouble, and we so call, O Lord. You have 

appointed days of trial and tribulation for Your 

people, and we do not know what the future holds 

for us, but we cling to You, Or Lord.

There is no one like You, who will hear prayers or 

can do the works that You do, for all the gods of 

the wicked and dead and deceitful liars, and cannot 

do either good or evil, for they are filled with vanity.

We bring our prayers to before Your throne. We 

pray for those being persecuted in lands of darkness 

and wickedness. We pray for the healing of the 

nations, as You have promised.

Surround Your people with your holy angels and 

preserve them in their lives, their goods, their 

families, their reputations, and their righteousness, 

which is of You, O Lord. Bring confusion and rebuke 

upon the godless; puts hooks in their jaws and confuse 

them with great confusion.

Send Your holy Gospel to all people in all lands. Search 

out Thine own and add them to the church that You 

purchased with Your own blood, the blood of Jesus 

our Lord. Grant us Your mercy and grace, Precious 

Father. We ask in the Name of Christ our Lord.

My Best Friends

I have some of the most godly and wonderful friends 

in the world. They are very wise and I seriously consider 

everything they say to me. They have never led me 

astray, though sometimes they are over my head and 

I do not understand. But I find by listening carefully 

they will explain each other and they never disagree 

with each other, and never quarrel.

At the top of the list are some old friends called 

Matthew, Mark, Luke, John. Paul is wonderful and 

practical as is James. I am not sure of one of them, 

but I suspect it may be Paul in disquise. Peter will 

not be ignored, nor Jude.

Others are wonderful, but they speak in riddles, 

sometimes, for they wrote in dim light. Moses is 

Majestic, Sweet poetry and philosophy comes 

from Job, David, and Solomon. There are historians 

whose names nobody knows and many prophets 

among the circle.

Many years ago I found out that they all heard 

from One who has now gone to Heaven. That is 

why they are so wise, because they got their words 

from Him.

I have learned that it is very smart for me not to 

talk much when they speak. They are very mannerly 

and only speak when you want them to. I wonder 

how stupid it is for me to have other friends who 

don't know what they are talking about. I have 

learned a lot from others who have listened to them 

and meditated much about their words. This second 

circle of friends are people in the first rank like St. 

Augustine, John Calvin, Herman Witsius, Francis 

Turretin, Herman Bavinck, Casper Olevianus, 

Zacharias Ursinus, and others that I see once in a 

while. I have some new friends, but their greatest 

value is helping me see what the others were talking 

about.

There are some very old wise men I would like to 

meet, but I cannot speak their language and translators 

are hard to find. It is very hard to leave the presence 

of such, especially those of the first rank, to be with 

people like the Tonight Show or MSNBC or the blind 

like Plato.

There are people who make fun of them and of those 

who read them and call it "book larnin." I am sorry 

for them and wish they knew those of the first rank, 

who are the most friendly to those who would listen 

to them.

I write this for the few who read this that might desire 

to make some of these your friends. They are easy to 

find, especially now in the modern world and they are 

much cheaper than a college education that will cost 

you much and teach you little.

Replacing the Law of God

A New Morality

Have you noticed that a new code of ethics has replaced the Ten 
Commandments in our country? People who would never use a 
racial epithet think nothing of taking God’s name in vain. “O my 
G…” has become commonplace, but has no meaning.

A man who would shrink from disturbing a rodent is not 
uncomfortable with putting thousands of people out of work, 
stealing their livelihood.

People who would be embarrassed to make a Hindu uncomfortable 
do not mind ridiculing a Christian student in a public classroom.

People who mourn over injustice done to a whale do not shrink 
from lies and slander to deny a Supreme Court nomination for their 
political rival.

A man who would insist on a woman’s right to equality will not 
hesitate to cheat on his own wife, and leave her in poverty in order 
to marry a younger and snappier woman.

A woman living in poverty because of her husband's infidelity hates 
Christians who defend Biblical morality.

A woman who would not eat canned tuna to protest the dolphins 
that are caught in the tuna nets murders her own unborn child.

A person who insists that there are no certain moral principles is 
certain that Scriptural morals are wrong.

There is a certainty here: man cannot be without morals. If he 
abandons biblical ones, then he will substitute others for them. He 
will zealously pursue his revisionist morals, and persecute and 

defame those who disagree with him, all the while accusing 
Christians of hypocrisy when they defend theirs.

But the laws of morality and decency are as fixed as the order of 
the universe, because the Creator is the God of both:

Ps 119:142 "Thy righteousness is an everlasting righteousness, and 
thy law is the truth."

Mt 15:9 "But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the 
commandments of men."

A Soldier of the Cross

Heavenly Father. Some demons do not go out except by fasting and prayer.
We are spiritually ignorant and weak, O Father, and have not laid hold on
Thy strength.

Our repentance has not reached into our souls, O Father, and we imagine
that overcoming the world is a matter of simplicity and not the great labor
of faith. In our prosperity we imagine that we can never be moved, but our
enemies are in our own bosom and among our friends.

But we cry unto you, Our Father, for what profit is there in the destruction
of Thy church and the blood of Thy saints. We have sought our own
righteousness and have despised you and your holiness.

Forgive, O Lord, our trespasses, and turn our sorrow into rejoicing and our
tears to joy and gladness, so that our tongues may sing praise to thee, and
not be silent. O LORD my God, I will give thanks unto thee for ever.

2 O LORD my God, I cried unto thee, and thou hast healed me.
3 O LORD, thou hast brought up my soul from the grave: thou
      hast kept me alive, that I should not go down to the pit.
4 Sing unto the LORD, O ye saints of his, and give thanks at
      the remembrance of his holiness.
5 For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life: weeping
      may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.

Psalm 30

Am I a soldier of the cross,
A follower of the Lamb?
And shall I fear to own His cause
Or blush to speak His name?

Must I be carried to the skies

On flowery beds of ease?
While others fought to win the prize,
And sailed through bloody seas?

Are there no foes for me to face?
Must I not stem the flood?
Is this vile world a friend to grace,
To help me on to God?

Sure I must fight, if I would reign
Increase my courage, Lord!
I'll bear the toil, endure the pain,
Supported by Thy word.

Thy saints, in all this glorious war,
Shall conquer, though they die;
They view the triumph from afar,
And seize it with their eye.

When that illustrious day shall rise,
And all Thy armies shine
In robes of victory through the skies,
The glory shall be Thine.

Isaac Watts

The Death of Guilt

God's almighty wisdom and power turns evil for the good of His kingdom
and His people. But He does not make the evil good. Evil is so evil that it
took the blood of the Son of God to destroy it's power for those who believe.
Those who do not believe are consumed and destroyed in body and soul in
eternal death and misery.

The blood of Christ does not make disobedience into obedience and sin into
godliness. The blood removed the guilt, for Christ's sacrifice of His whole life
and his body on the cross, plunging Him into the depths of the wrath of God,
took away my guilt so that I could be a child of God. Then, having removed
my guilt and assuring me of eternal life, He sends the gift of the Holy Spirit
Who takes me by the hand to lead me to glory. "As many as are lead by the
Spirit of God, they are the sons of God."

Sin begins to be put to death in me by the power and love of the discipline of
God, and will finally be destroyed forever in me at the resurrection of believers
in the likeness of Christ. The unbeliever will be resurrected to eternal misery
and horror forever and ever.

It was the greatest evil committed by men in the history of the world: those
who with wicked hands and minds slew the Lord of Glory, the Lily of the
Valley, the Bright and Morning Star, the Lamb of God, the Root and Branch
of David, the Beloved of God. And that evil will be punished in the Bottomless
Pit, in Hell, in the Lake of Fire forever and ever; for even the fires of hell
cannot perform the alchemy of changing evil into good.

Guilt is the power of sin and those who bear it must suffer His wrath forever
and ever, body and soul. Jesus said, "Do not fear him who can destroy the
body, but Him who can destroy both soul and body in hell." "What does it
profit a man if he shall gain the whole world and lose his own soul."

The only way to escape this condemnation is through the Person and work
of Jesus of Nazareth, who is Lord and Christ. By the everlasting covenant
of Redemption, He was appointed of God to be the Last Adam, who in
Himself gathers together all things that were lost by the First Adam.

This is not the whole story, but it is a good place to start. "If thou shalt
confess [swear] with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and believe in thine heart
that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved." Find yourself
a good church, where there is an ordained and knowledgeable ministry and
eldership, where you can be taught and prepared to receive the sacraments;
open your heart to the work of the Holy Spirit, who will lead the people of
God to the glory of Christ's kingdom and blessing. You are not alone, for the
Lord Jesus gathers His people into flocks and puts them under those He has
appointed to shepherd them. Amen and Amen.

Everyone begins as a baby, for only they enter the kingdom of God, as Jesus
said. Faith is born in you by the Spirit of God, and is the beginning of your
walk with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Do not delay. Today is the day
to begin, if you hear His voice.

Hope is Not Enough

Proverbs 10:28 The hope of the righteous shall be gladness:
but the expectation of the wicked shall perish.

Hope is not enough. Both the righteous and the wicked
have hopes and expectations. But the hopes of the wicked are
dead because they do not have the life of the promises of Scripture,
which are spirit and life.

True hope can only be built on the foundation of the promises of God
and the faith that is born of His word. Death will reveal the vanity of
the ungodly: Pr 11:7 When a wicked man dieth, his expectation shall
perish: and the hope of unjust men perisheth.

TULIP Prayers

The following are prayers for the real Calvinists who know that the famous 
TULIP was not devised as a weapon to beat others on the head, but as a 
goad to the godly to consider his own helplessness before God, to seek 
salvation from Him alone, and to hope only in Him. The holy doctrines of 
the famous Five Points put a restraint upon our natural self-righteousness 
and pride.

There are five sections to the prayer; each of which comprises a prayer in 
itself.

Section One

Total Depravity

I believe and confess, O Most High, that man was created good in all of his 
faculties. Though made of the dust of the earth, he was given the breath of 
life from Your own Spirit so that he could serve You in knowledge and 
wisdom, praise and thanksgiving, and be head over all the things that You 
made.

The only condition for this high and exalted place was that he love You with 
all his heart, soul, mind, and strength, for the ability to love was the chief of 
Your gifts, and man was not tested until he was given a helper fit for him, 
one that he could love and rejoice with in the abundant riches that You 
provided for them. But man did not abide in that blessed state and lost his 
inheritance and even the life that You had given him.

This man was Adam, O Just and Holy God, and he was my father and the 
father of every person upon this earth. Sin entered the world through this 
one man, and we were all born in his likeness, under the curse of sin and 
death that came upon him. He and his seed were alienated from Your good 
Presence and driven from the paradise that You had prepared for them. A 
horrible fate came upon them, for they could not have fellowship with You 
without being holy, and they could not be holy without having fellowship 
with You.

Their dilemma is my dilemma that I confess to You, My Creator. A horrible 
curse rests upon Adam’s children, of which I am one. It is a just and holy 
curse for You are just and holy and worthy of all praise and obedience. 
Because of our alienation from You, we are born in sin and iniquity, and 
all of our faculties of body and soul are under Your curse. Even before 
we are grown enough to know good and evil, we are fixed in our own 
desires and our own ways, strive with our playmates, using even our 
immature members as instruments of sin.

I confess, O Most High, that there is not a member of my body that has 
not been an instrument of unrighteousness. My mouth has spoken 
uncleanness, lies, and wickedness. My tongue has utter deceit, harsh 
and unkind things. I have listened to slanders and wickedness, foul 
jesting, and vulgar speech. My ears have been stopped to the truth. 
My feelings have been dead toward You and Thy Truth, O Most High, 
and I loved sin for its own sake and fled from the way of peace which 
I did not know.

My feet have wandered in the ways of sin and death; my hands have 
done wicked things; my heart has loved idols and vanity. My whole 
body, soul, and spirit has been given over to the course of this world, 
according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now works 
in the children of disobedience. I was by nature a child of wrath, like 
everybody else of Adam’s seed.

The sweetness and savor of godly prayers and praise, redounding to Your 
glory and praise before the world, were not pleasant to me, but I panted 
after the favor of the world. My eyes beheld evil and longed after wicked 
things, to indulge lust and envy and idols. My mind corrupted Your truth 
and sought after vanity; my will rejected Your good and rushed after the 
vanity of the world; I loved the world and not You, O my Heavenly Father, 
to my shame and disgrace before all the holy angels of God and the blessed 
Triune God.

I was proud and haughty and thought to travel my own way. I rejected Your 
Rest and created turmoil and strife. I rebelled against Your servants that rule 
in Your kingdom; I did not listen to the good counsel of my mother and 
father; I often burned with anger and malice; my inward thoughts were 
impure and unfaithful to You my lawful spouse; I did not use my talents 
for Your honor and praise but often embezzled them for myself; I was not 
always faithful to the truth; my heart burned with unlawful desires.

When I confess this, O God, I fully understand that my sin can in no way 
be charged to You, for You made man upright and good. Although I am 
a sinner, I am not therefore inhuman, for I still retain so many marks of 
what man once was. I can do many things that are good, when I compare 
myself to other people, but not before You and Your holy law. Man has 
so many wonderful gifts: to be self-conscious, to reason, to seek after 
unseen things, to worship and praise, to make moral decisions, to know 
that there are differences between things and ideas, to love, and so many 
other wonderful things. But all of these gifts are contaminated with sin, for 
they were not given to me to use apart from You, for I am Your image, and 
find my meaning and righteousness only in You. None of these gifts could 
save me, for my light was overwhelmed by the darkness of my enmity to 
Your law. Your gifts were hijacked by my sin and used in independence, 
selfishness, and pride.

In short, there was nothing in me of substance or strength that could raise 
me up to You, O God. None of my ladders would reach unto You, O Most 
High, and I must miserably perish in my sin and iniquity if You had not 
reached down to lay hold on me. When there was no help for my soul, 
then You had mercy upon me, and Your mighty Voice that called the light 
out of the darkness: called the light to shine into my heart and I rose from 
my helplessness and death to life and light.

And yet, all of the children of Adam bear some remnants of Your Image, 
O Father of All. How noble is the ruin of man! He is capable of so many 
great things, of so many noble deeds, of so great imaginations and dreams. 
 He can scale the heights in the power of his poetry and song. But he is 
weighted down with sin and misery and cannot reach unto You or Your 
heaven. It is too high for us, O God, and our poor rags of our own 
righteousness only bear witness to what we once could have been, and 
what we can be, if You do for us what we cannot do for ourselves.

Because of Your mercy in showing me my sin and misery, I can pray with 
all of Your people: “Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be Thy 
name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. 
Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive 
our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For 
Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.”


Section Two

Unconditional Election 

Because there was no strength, no health, no life in me, O Lord, the cause 
of my salvation, health, and life must be found in You, O Mighty and 
Gracious God. Because You dwell in eternity and not in creation. Time 
and space can only bear witness to You and cannot be the cause of Your 
love and grace. In You we live and move and have our being.

This is a wonder that I cannot enclose in my own mind, O Gracious One 
Whose mercy is from everlasting to everlasting. Your kingdom is an 
everlasting kingdom for You dwell in eternity. You are good; and Your 
mercy is everlasting; and Your truth endures to all generations. You knew 
me before the foundations of the world.

There was nothing of health in me that I should choose You, for Your 
ways are higher than my ways and Your thoughts higher than my thoughts. 
 I acknowledge with Thy holy Apostle Paul the truth that is according to 
the faith of God’s elect, the truth which is after godliness; in hope of 
eternal lie which You, who cannot lie, promised before the world began. 

This truth was in due times manifested through preaching which was 
committed to Your holy Apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself 
being the chief stone of the corner. This truth is the foundation of the 
church which is the pillar and ground of the truth, that Jesus Christ, 
Your everlasting and only begotten Son, was appointed from the 
foundation of the world to be the Mediator who would save His people
from their sins. I do confess this holy truth, O Heavenly Father.


Blessed be Your wonderful Name, O gracious God of all peace and 
grace, for You have blessed me with all of Your people with all spiritual 
blessings in heavenly places in Christ, for You have chosen us in Christ 
before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without 
blame before You in love: having predestinated us unto the adoption of 
children by Jesus Christ to Yourself, according to the good pleasure of 
Your will, to the praise of the glory of Your grace, by which You have 
made us accepted in Your beloved people.

The riches of Your grace has abounded to me in all wisdom and 
prudence, for You made known unto me the mystery of Your will, 
according Your good pleasure which You purposed in Yourself.

This wonder did not arise independently in my soul, for this mystery 
is beyond my capacity. This mystery was revealed by the holy prophets 
and apostles and came to us by the Holy Scriptures. No man could 
have invented this wonder.

There were no works of righteousness which I could do that could 
raise me up to You, Most High and Eternal God, but You saw my 
helplessness and bondage to the world, the flesh, and the devil. I, 
bound and helpless, could not choose You, O God, but You chose 
me. For what reason I do not know and will not know until I see Your 
beloved Son face to face, but it was for Your pleasure and according 
to Your own will, and not mine.

I only love You because You first loved me. I do not know why I was 
chosen, but I know that the reason is hidden in Your own being, and 
not in mine, for I was without strength, ungodly, seeking my own way 
and pleasures. This I do confess with all your people and with all my 
heart.

Because of this, I can now pray with all Your chosen ones, “Our Father 
which art in heaven, Hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy 
will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. 
And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not 
into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For Thine is the kingdom, and 
the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.”

Section Three

Limited Atonement

O the depths of Your wisdom and grace, Almighty and Most Wise God! 
 Because of the greatness of Your love for wretched and helpless sinners, 
in the great wisdom, power, and righteousness of Your hidden counsels, 
You conceived and designed salvation for Your people.

Because there were no works of righteousness that we could do that 
could raise us up to You, You came to us. From the very beginning of 
our race, You gave us hope, a hope secure and certain because You 
cannot lie. This promise was hidden in Your eternal counsels before the 
world began, but was revealed through the preaching of the Gospel, 
according to the faith of Your elect who are called to acknowledge the
truth that conforms to Your holy nature as God.

For when we were without strength, Your only begotten Son died for 
the ungodly. O Most High, how great is Your wisdom and grace! How 
far from us is this wisdom and power that ordained this great salvation! 
It could never have entered into the hearts of men or been devised by 
their fallen reason.

You sent Your Son, and named Him Jesus, for He came to save His 
people from their sins. This good news of salvation could only come 
from outside of us and be told to us by another, by messengers that 
You sent to us to tell us. This was also in Your plan.

Because we had lost all through the sin of our first father, Adam, You 
sent Your Son, born of the Virgin Mary, truly God and truly man. 
Truly God, for He is Your Son, Your Wisdom from eternity, but made 
flesh. He was made truly human--but without sin--in the body of the 
Virgin Mary by the creation of the Holy Ghost, that He who is God 
might truly partake of our humanity and offer Himself up to You, body 
and soul, to atone for all of our sins, and take them away, nailing them 
to His cross, removing our guilt from us forever. 

Your eternal and Only Begotten Son was made flesh and dwelt among 
us, and we called His name Immanuel, for He was God with us in our 
history. This One was Jesus of Nazareth who suffered for our sins, rose 
for our justification, and sits upon the throne of David in the Heavenly Zion.

He was not a sinner and never knew any sin, but You counted Him a 
sinner, so that You could count us righteous through faith in Him. Our 
sins were laid on Him, so that we could be counted innocent of them. 
He who was innocent was counted guilty, so that we who are guilty 
could be counted righteous.

Only immense wisdom and power could achieve this marvelous 
transformation, O Most Infinite and Mighty God, but He had this 
immense wisdom and power for He is Your Son, begotten from 
eternity before all the worlds were made.

I believe this heavenly and holy Gospel, O Father in Heaven, because 
You gave me faith to believe, renewing my heart and my mind through 
the blood of the Lord Jesus. I would never have believed if You had 
not sent Your Son to die for me, for He came to save those who were 
given to Him before the world was. You gave me to Him to be one of 
His people and so He died for me. Because You gave me to Him in 
eternity, in due time You gave Him to me to be a complete and gracious 
Savior. Not only to me, but to all who believe, according to the 
Scriptures, are crucified with Christ and rise with Him to walk in 
newness of life.

Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, O Lord God. I cannot reach 
to it, but can only believe, through Thy Power. You knew all about me, 
even when I was first conceived in my mother’s body, for You chose 
my mother and my father, the time of my birth, and the place where 
I would be born.

Because I was beloved of You [Oh! the mystery of Your marvelous 
grace!], You saw to it that I would hear the preaching of the Gospel, 
that Christ would be set before me, crucified for my sins, His body 
broken and His blood shed for me.

I heard and I believed, I know not how, dear Lord, but You said it 
was of Your Spirit. That too I believed when I came of age, although 
I was baptized in the Name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost while 
yet an infant. This, too, was of Your Divine Grace, that I would be 
included among the number for whom Christ died.

I receive with gladness, O Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, the unique 
and special gift of Your mercy and grace to me, although I did not, 
and do not deserve the slightest bit of any of these gifts: not the gift 
of being chosen of the Father, being purchased by the Son, or 
renewed by the Holy Spirit, for I had no works of righteousness that 
I could do, but it was of Your mercy that You saved me, through the 
blood of the everlasting covenant.

I confess, O Lord God, and every day do receive the covenant of 
Your redemption in Jesus Christ. When there was no one to be a 
Mediator to make peace between You and me, O God, in the divine 
council of the Holy Trinity, You chose me to be Your child, You 
prepared a body for the Lord Jesus, Thy Holy Son, so He could 
offer Himself as a sacrifice to You for my sins when the fullness of 
the times had come, and the Holy Spirit was sent to order the events 
of my life so that I would be included in the number of the blessed of 
God.

I accept that, dear Lord, for You have revealed it clearly in Your Holy 
Scriptures, for my faith came by hearing the preaching of the word of 
God. This gift is to all Your people, the church that You purchased 
with Your own blood, the blood of Jesus of Nazareth. He was sent 
to declare Your righteousness for the remission of our sins, being 
foreordained of God to cover our sins through faith in His blood.

I do embrace and believe this with all my heart, Dear Heavenly Father.

How precious are the words of our Savior! He thanked You, O Father, 
that You had given us to Him from the foundation of the world. He did 
not pray for the world, but for those who had been given to Him by your 
loving providence and foreknowledge. He prayed that You would keep 
us, for no one could pluck us from His omnipotent hand. And You, Most 
High and Heavenly Father, who is greater than all and who gave us to our 
Mediator, are able to keep us for no one is able to pluck us from Your 
Fatherly hand.

And so, O precious Father, with all those redeemed by the blood of Christ, 
I can pray, “Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be Thy name. Thy 
kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this 
day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. 
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For Thine is the 
kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.”


Section Four

Irresistible Grace


What a mighty Voice is Your Voice, Dear Father. You who called the light 
out of the darkness has called the Light to shine into our hearts. Also, our 
Lord Jesus whose mighty Voice brought forth Lazarus from the dead, has 
called us from the deadness of our sin and misery into eternal life and 
blessedness. Yet, it was also your mighty Spirit who also breathed life 
into our deadness and called us forth from the kingdom of darkness 
into the kingdom of your dear Son.

We heard that Voice, the Voice of the Father, Son, and the Holy Ghost, 
for the same Voice has been heard by all of your people. And I heard 
that Voice of love and grace and found it compelling; yea, I could not 
resist the Voice, O God. We all have heard Thy Voice in the preaching 
of the Holy Gospel which you have ordained as the power of God to 
save those who believe. The Voice has gone out to all the world, calling 
out a people, a special people who would be zealous of good works. It 
is Your Voice that is heard by Your people in the preaching of the Holy 
Gospel.

Your mighty Voice, O Most High Triune God, announced to the world 
redemption from all iniquity for those who believe, teaching us to deny 
ungodliness and worldly lusts, to live sober, righteous, and godly lives 
in the present world.

I heard that call, O merciful and precious God, and I was drawn to 
Your Blessed Son by a power not of my own. The message came from 
You, O God, for it did not arise in my soul, for the Gospel was preached 
to me and I heard your Voice.

Neither did I come to you by my own strength, Dear Lord, for no one 
can come to the Lord Jesus except he be drawn of the Father. How 
powerful were those cords of love that constrained me to come to You,

O precious Jesus; and how strong are those Hands who have protected 
and preserved me during all the years of my life.

I could resist, O Lord, the power of my conscience. I confess that I 
often resisted the power of my own reasonings and the evidence of 
your eternal godhead and power in the universe, but the power of the 
Gospel did not arise from within me or within creation. It was the Voice 
of the Mighty God who had ordained that the preaching of the Cross, 
though foolish to those who perish, would be the power of God to 
salvation to everyone who believes.

I could not resist that Voice that thundered in the Gospel. The Voice 
was truly a joyful sound and full of glory, O God, calling me to serve 
the Lord Jesus and follow Him through all my life.

The Voice, O Lord, was both death and life to me. It was a 
condemnation of Adam and his children, who die in their sins 
and misery, for the Voice called me to behold the Cross of Christ 
and see there my helplessness and sins and misery that had crucified 
the Son of God; but it was also a Voice that called me to newness of 
life, to put off the old man with his death and deeds, and to put on 
Christ who is risen from the dead so that I could walk in newness of life.

I rejoiced in my soul, and saw that the feet indeed were beautiful upon 
the mountains, the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, and 
bring glad tidings of good things!

The Gospel is that effectual power that works in every part of Your 
church, dear Lord, working in those who believe by the Holy Spirit, 
overcoming the spirit that works in the children of disobedience, doing 
exceedingly abundantly above all that we can ask or think, for this is 
the victory that overcomes the world, even the faith that you have given us.

The Voice has echoed in my soul through all the years of my life. It is 
more compelling to me now than it was in my youth. Those who are 
the sons of God are led by the hand to the eternal mansions by the 
Hand of the Spirit of God. He works in us both to will and to do of 
His good pleasure, and He will perform this good work unto the day 
of Jesus Christ.

The Gospel Voice is sweeter now, but it is the same Voice, calling me 
to follow in the way of my Savior, the way of righteousness and truth, 
of faith, of hope, of charity. But if I get careless and occupied with the 
world, the Gospel calls me back to the first works of repentance and 
trust, so that I can continue on my journey. I still cannot resist the 
power of the Voice of the Gospel, the Call of God the Father and of 
God the Son and of God the Holy Ghost.

Because of Your Voice, O Heavenly Father, I can pray with all your 
saints, “Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be Thy name. Thy 
kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us 
this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our 
debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For 
Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.”

Section Five

Perseverance of the Saints


And now, O Father in Heaven, what shall I say to all these things. If 
You are for us, who can be against us. If you loved us from the 
foundation of the world and sent your Son to deliver us from the 
bondage of Your curse upon the sons of Adam, and if the 
righteousness of your Son has become our righteousness, what 
can separate us from your love in Christ Jesus? Not our guilt, for 
that was laid on Christ—the very reason for His sufferings. Not our 
pollution, for His blood cleanses us from all unrighteousness. Not our 
wicked unbelief, for grace has saved us through faith, not that of our 
own but that which is the gift of God, the substance of things hoped 
for, the evidence of things not seen.

Not the flesh, for we are taken by the hand by the Spirit of God Who 
preserves and comforts us and secures our inheritance for us in eternal 
glory. Not the sins that we fall into along the way, for our steps are 
ordered of the Lord. Though we fall, we shall not be utterly cast down, 
for the Lord upholdeth with His Hand.

We confess this eternal truth, O most High God that not the hardness 
of our hearts can separate us from You, for we are chastened as Your 
children, as evidence of Your love, that we would not be condemned 
with the world. Your Spirit works in us to give us new hearts, hearts 
that will love You and bow in humility and contrition.

Neither the accusations of the devil our former enemy and master, for 
our Lord in Heaven makes intercession for us constantly. If when we 
were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son, 
how much more shall we who were made the friends of God be saved 
by the Life of His Son.

In short, nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus. 
It is God who justifies us by the blood and righteousness of Christ, so 
He will never leave us nor forsake us. Tribulation and trials cannot for 
we are more than conquerors through Him that loved us. Not the 
weakness of our prayers and devotions, for the Spirit makes intercession 
for us with groanings that cannot be uttered, and God knows the mind 
of the Spirit in us, who makes intercession according to the will of God, 
though secret to us.

Not even our sins, for we cannot sin the sin unto death, for your seed 
remains in us and you will revive us again. Nothing created can separate 
us from His love, not death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor 
powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, 
nor any other creature.

Nothing in heaven and nothing on the earth and nothing in hell can pluck 
us out of that Hand that holds us, Your blessed Holy Spirit who is the 
Hand of the Father and the Son.

We are therefore not only secure, but by Your Power are willing and 
able to finish the course that is set before us, the way of eternal life, 
for our safety is of the Lord, our exceeding strong Tower and Refuge 
forever.

Because of Your Care, O Heavenly Father, I can pray with all your 
saints, “Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be Thy name. Thy 
kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this 
day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. 
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For Thine is the 
kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.”