—By Father DavidDO992June 1980

A NEW YEARS'S PRAYER!—1 January 1979

1. IF IT BE THY WILL, O LORD, LET THIS CUP PASS FROM US, BUT IF NOT, THY WILL BE DONE. We drink of the cup which You drank & of the things which You suffered, "For the disciple is not above his Master, nor the servant above his Lord. If they have hated me they will also hate you. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you." (Mt.10:24; Jn.15:20.)

2. WE'RE IN A BATTLE‚ LORD‚ WE'RE SOLDIERS, IT'S A WAR, & IT'S DANGEROUS, & SOME WILL SUFFER! We know it. We ask You just to help us to stay in Thy will & do what You want us to do‚ the way You want us to do it‚ so we can last as long as possible‚ in Jesus' name, & reach as many as possible & love as many as possible into Thy Kingdom.

3. HELP US WIN AS MANY SOULS AS WE CAN‚ BEFORE THE END. The end for some of us will be even sooner than for others. We will have lived out our time, our usefulness, & we will have our graduation. PTL! So we ask you, in Jesus' name, to be with us every step of the way. Guide us, protect us, provide for us—& we know You will, as we stay in Thy will.

4. BLESS US & MAKE US A BLESSING AS LONG AS YOU WANT US TO BE, & we know that will be as long as You want it to be, & the Enemy will never, ever be able to stop us all! TYJ! Thank You for another year, Lord. Sometimes this past year we weren't sure we were going to make it through this past year. But here we are, still alive & well & healthy & happy & fairly comfortable!

5. LORD‚ WE THANK THEE THAT WE'RE STILL HERE & WE'RE STILL SERVING YOU. Some may be a little hungry tonight to remind them, Lord, of how hungry some people are throughout the world, especially how hungry some are spiritually for the Gospel. But we thank you, Lord that we haven't starved yet, we're not dead yet, we're not killed yet, we're still here to serve Thee & accomplish something for You, in Jesus' name.

6. HELP US TO CONTINUE AS LONG AS YOU WANT US TO, in the way You want us to. Give us the wisdom to follow it, "To be wise as serpents & as harmless as doves", for You have sent us forth as "sheep in the midst of wolves" (Mt.10:16.) So help us, Lord, to know what's best, every step we take outside this house, every word we utter, everything we do, to guard ourselves & Thy flock & work.

7. WE'RE LIVING IN DANGEROUS TIMES, WE ARE AT WAR!—And we must try to protect Thy Word & Thy Work & Thy Children & even Thy leadership. Help these to realise how important that is, in Jesus' name, we ask for Thy glory, as we pray again, Lord, the prayer You taught us to pray, as we enter this new year, a prayer which covers all the things we need & all the things we need to know & all the things we need to do. Help us, Lord, to live it, & believe it & to do it, throughout this year & the next & as long as You give us.

8. HELP US TO LIVE EACH DAY AS IT COMES—ONE DAY AT A TIME, LORD—& NOT TO WORRY ABOUT TOMORROW, nor to regret the failures of the past‚ but to just live for today, in Jesus' name‚ as we pray together. (Prays Lord's Prayer.) Amen, TYL! (Dad & Family sing together "How Firm a Foundation.")

9. YOUR REFUGE IS IN HIS WORD & HIS PROMISES, & so what more can we say, amen? TYJ! One more song I have on my heart I'd like to sing to you, about tomorrow. Would you like to hear about tomorrow? (Dad sings "I Have Nothing to Do With Tomorrow":)

"I have nothing to do with tomorrow,

My Saviour has made that His care.

So today, with my plow in the furrow,

I'll be faithful His sufferings to share.

I have nothing to do with tomorrow‚

My Saviour has made that His care,

Its grace & its strength I can't borrow‚

So‚ why would I borrow its care?"

10. TOMORROW'S GRACE & STRENGTH I CAN'T BORROW FOR TODAY! I'll get that tomorrow, so why should I borrow its care!—I hope I haven't made you worry about tomorrow!—You only live one day at a time. Today hasn't been too hard, has it?—Well, if I quit now it won't be too hard! You're probably thinking, "If he goes another minute it's going to be hard!"—Ha!

11. GOD, FOR MANY REASONS, HAS HIDDEN FROM US SOME OF THE THINGS OF TOMORROW. Maybe it's a good thing He has, so you won't worry about them tonight. So all you have to worry about is today. TYL! Remember, if you can't sleep, it's a good time to—pray!

A PRAYER FOR GUIDANCE!—16 February 1978

12. THANK YOU LORD FOR ALL THAT'S BEEN ACCOMPLISHED TODAY & FOR HELPING US, Lord, we couldn't have done it without You! Thank You Lord for all that's going to be accomplished in the days to come. We know because it's all in Your hands that You're able to do it & You're going to do it, in spite of us or because of us.

13. YOU'RE GOING TO USE US SOMEHOW & CARRY US THROUGH, Lord, because we're Your Children & we're preaching Your Gospel, taking care of Your work & Your sheep‚ & we know when we do Your will You're going to bless us & You're going to make us a blessing. So help us‚ Lord, to keep at it until we've finished the job, in Jesus' name. TYL! Hallelujah!

14. BLESS & KEEP & ENCOURAGE THE FAMILY, LORD, as the day approaches when they have to do something else. We know You'll not fail them, You'll provide for them as long as they please You & obey You & do Your will. We can't expect much when we're not obeying, but even then, Lord‚ You're still faithful. Though we are faithless, yet You remain faithful, You cannot deny Yourself, Lord. (2Tim.2:13.) So Lord help us to fulfill our part in this prayer that You gave us to pray: (Prays Lord's Prayer.)

15. REMEMBER TO PRAY FOR OUR BRETHREN IN BONDS & some of our enemies who are out of bonds & ought to be in! PTL. The Lord is able. Praise the Name of the Lord, amen? I still think we've got a great Family, amen? I don't think there's anything like us in the world! PTL! I just feel like we're it! They accuse us of that, & I believe it. Well, besides us, there ain't no others, so if we hadn't of been 'er' who'd a been 'er? Amen? I don't know any other people in the world like us.—I guess the world is thankful for that!

16. THESE ARE GOING TO HAVE TO CARRY ON WITHOUT US ONE OF THESE DAYS. Help us to show them how to obtain the wisdom, Lord. How to be sure that they don't answer a matter before they hear it, & how they can learn, Lord, to make sure they're right whenever they speak, before they speak. Thank You for putting up with us, Lord. Thank You for getting many problems ironed out. There are many yet to go which we are looking for solutions for & that You know the answers for.

17. HELP THEM TO HELP ME, LORD, AS YOU ALREADY HAVE, & help me to help them & train them to be the leaders that I want them to be & that You want them to be, & that they need to be for the sake of Thy Kingdom. In Jesus' name, amen. PTL!

18. BLESS THE KIDS, LORD, GIVE THEM STRENGTH & WISDOM & LOTS OF LOVE & PATIENCE to prepare wisely for this task. They've gotten all settled here, Lord, & we're moving again. That's one of the tasks of the pilgrims & the strangers—we have no certain dwelling place or abiding place, but we're pilgrims & strangers here, Lord, we seek a city whose builder & maker is God forever! But in the meantime we wander about & we trust Thou wilt lead us in the right direction.

19. WE ASK THEE TO HAVE THY WAY, YOU KNOW WHAT'S BEST. If it is not right & it's not in the right direction or if it's unwise for any reason, Lord, You block it. You can stop it. But if we're going in the right direction, Lord, we ask You to open the door & the gate & open the way & help us‚ in Jesus' name, we ask for Thy glory.

20. BLESS US ALL NOW & CONTINUE TO KEEP US SAFELY, LORD. Give us a good night's rest & safekeeping & strength for tomorrow. Thank You Lord for how wonderfully You have blessed Sara & the Family in their training of little David, & how You're teaching him things everyday & he already understands about You. And so we ask Thee in Jesus' name to help him really learn to love You, Lord, & to understand, setting an example of what can be done, what the potential & possibilities are in Thy children, really showing them the way. TYL!

21. THANK YOU LORD FOR THY ANSWERS! Thank You Lord that You never fail, forgive us for our failures, Lord. Thank You for the manifestation of the power of Thy Spirit! We thank Thee, Lord, for the faithfulness of Thy Word & Thy faithfulness in giving us answers when we call upon Thee with a whole heart. Forgive our failures‚ Lord, & our weakness & our insensitivities. Help us to be more sensitive‚ Lord‚ to Thy Spirit‚ & more conscious of Thy Presence‚ in Jesus' name. Thank You Lord!—Amen.

Copyright (c) 1998 by The Family