Prayer and Promises

You guide me with Your counsel, and afterward You will take me up in glory. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart, my portion forever. — Psalm 73:24,26, HCSB 

Every ship sailing the sea of life needs to have the Divine Pilot on board; but when storms arise, when tempests threaten, many persons push their Pilot overboard, and commit their bark into the hand of finite man, or try to steer it themselves. Then disaster and wreckage generally follow, and the Pilot is blamed for running them into such dangerous waters. Do not commit yourselves into the keeping of men, but say, “The Lord is my helper;” I will seek his counsel, I will be a doer of his will... Plead with him, until you are convinced whether the counsel is of God or man. Do not trust yourself to men. Act under the Divine Guide. 

You have been chosen by Christ. You have been redeemed by the precious blood of the Lamb. Plead before God the efficacy of that blood. Say unto him: “I am thine by creation; I am thine by redemption. I respect human authority, and the advice of my brethren; but I cannot depend wholly upon these. I want thee, O God, to teach me. I have covenanted with thee to adopt the divine standard of character, and make thee my counselor and guide,—a party to every plan of my life; therefore teach me.” Let the glory of the Lord be your first consideration. Repress every desire for worldly distinction, every ambition to secure the first place. Encourage heart purity and holiness, that you may represent the true principles of the gospel. Let every act of your life be sanctified by a holy endeavor to do the Lord’s will, that your influence may not lead others into forbidden paths. When God is the leader, his righteousness shall go before thee, and the glory of the Lord shall be thy rearward. 

Let every selfish desire to distinguish yourselves be set aside; take every suggestion from humanity, to God, trusting in the guidance of the Holy Spirit... Without God we are without hope; therefore let us fix our faith upon him. “Thou art my hope, O Lord God: thou art my trust from my youth.” 

— Special Testimonies On Education, 1897, p.122,123 

O Lord, I commit myself to Your keeping during this tempest in my life. I trust in You and ask for the guidance of the Holy Spirit that I may be a doer of Your will, not the will of others. No matter where this storm tosses me, I fix my faith on You and say, “The Lord is my helper!” I ask You to be my leader, I will follow Your counsel. Teach me and guide me in every detail of my life.