Our heavenly Father, we come to Thee this morning just as we are, needy and wholly dependent upon Thee. Help us to have a clear knowledge of what we must be, and of the characters that we must form, in order that we may be prepared to unite with the heavenly family in the city of our God. We ask Thee that Thou wilt remove the reproach that has come upon Thee through the neglect of those who profess to be Thy people, but who have not walked in Thy counsel. Lord, help us to understand our individual responsibilities, that our hearts may be worked by the Holy Spirit. We ask Thee that Thou wilt open blind eyes, that they may see; to enlighten the darkened understanding, that all may understand that there must be a reconversion, that hearts must break before God. Give us hearts of repentance, hearts of humiliation. O my Father, how can we proclaim Thy goodness, and Thy mercy, and Thy love, unless we cherish them in our own hearts, and reveal them in our own experiences? Thou knowest how Thou hast presented this matter to Thy servant. Thou knowest what a dishonor it has been to Thee because Thy people have failed to come to a knowledge of the truth as it is in Jesus, and to obey Thy commandments.

Let not Thy wrath come upon Thy people while they are in their sins, unconverted and unsaved. Here are Thy ministers, whose work it is to proclaim Bible truth. I ask Thee that they may have a clear realization of the responsibilities that rest upon them as guardians and as shepherds of Thy flock. Roll upon them the burden that they should bear for those who are out of the truth. Let them understand their own weakness, and may the sanctification of the Spirit come to them. May there be a purifying of character and a breaking of heart before God. Thou canst show them that while they cherish their own dispositions and temperaments, Thou canst not work through them by the Holy Spirit, because they would become lifted up. Thou canst show them that there is a work to be done in their own hearts.

Here are those who bear responsibilities in our institutions. Thou hast signified that Thou hast been displeased with their ministration. They have not in their dealings given a right example to the world. They did not realize that men were taking knowledge of them, to see whether they were sanctified by the truth.

Oh, pardon our transgressions, and forgive our sins! Show us where we have come short. Let Thy Holy Spirit descend upon us. The world is perishing in sin, and we ask Thee to roll the burden upon us at this meeting. We desire to be weighted down with the Holy Spirit. We desire to stand where Thou canst reveal Thyself to us. Take away our hardness of heart, and give us softened hearts. I ask Thee, for Christ's sake, that Thou wouldst give understanding, that Thou wouldst give spiritual knowledge, that Thou wouldst give sensitive hearts, that all may see that it is high time to open the door of the heart to Jesus. Thou hast said that Thou hast heard the many words of complaint, and faultfinding, and murmuring, brother against brother, and friend against friend. Thou hast heard these words, and they are written in Thy book. They have stood as a block against the wheel of salvation, hindering its advancement. Convert Thy people in this the day of Thy preparation, that the time may not come when they will say, “The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved” (Jeremiah 8:20).

Thou hast opened these things before me, and Thou alone canst prepare minds and hearts to hear the message that unless those who have left their first love shall return to recognize the work that needs to be done in their individual hearts, Thou wilt come quickly and remove the candlestick out of his place. Open the eyes of Thy people that they may see their deficiencies. We do not want one to be separated from the work. We do not want one to perish. We ask Thee that Thou wilt move upon hearts by the quickening influence of Thy Spirit, that there may be a break in this meeting such as has not been before. Oh, the break must come, if the Spirit of God shall take hold of hearts!

O my Father, shall this meeting close and we go back to our places with the same hard hearts? We must be reconverted, sanctified, and made fit to bear the message of the Lord. Cleanse the vessel, that the message that shall be given shall not taste so strongly of the dish that those to whom it is given shall have no appetite to partake of it. Let Thy melting mercy come upon us. Work in the midst of us with Thy power and with Thy love and with Thy majesty and glory. Put to shame the listlessness of those who have not come up to the help of the Lord, to the help of the Lord against the mighty. Sweep back the cloud of darkness and unbelief. Let the Holy Spirit come into our hearts and break down every barrier. Thou King of glory, look upon Thy people in these closing scenes of this earth's history. It seems as if nothing could arouse many of them to realize that they are on the very eve of the day of God, that His judgments are in the land.

Wilt Thou hear our petition! Wilt Thou answer our petition! Wilt Thou reveal Thyself to us! May we behold Thy glory, and be changed into Thine image. We thirst for the waters of Lebanon, and we hunger for the bread of life. We ask Thee to break our hearts today. We ask Thee to help us to put away our sinful thoughts, our disparagement of one another, and to seek the Lord while He may be found. My Father, break down the barriers, that confessions may be made, from heart to heart, from brother to brother. May the Spirit of God come in; and Thy blessed name shall have all the glory. Amen.1

Elijah had said, “How long halt ye between two opinions? If the Lord be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him” (1 Kings 18:21). After the destruction of the prophets of Baal, Elijah said to Ahab, “Get thee up, eat and drink; for there is a sound of abundance of rain” (verse 41). After the king’s departure, Elijah went up to the top of Carmel; “and he cast himself down upon the earth, and put his face between his knees” (verse 42). When he had bidden Ahab go up and eat and drink, did he have an evidence that the showers were about to fall? Did he see the clouds in the heavens? Did he see the rain, or hear the thunder? - No; he spoke these words because the Spirit of the Lord moved upon his mind, and led him to believe that his prayer would be heard. He had done all that was possible to make manifest his faith, and now he began to pray for the outpouring of the abundance of rain.

He “said to his servant, Go up now, look toward the sea. And he went up, and looked, and said, There is nothing. And he said, Go again seven times” (verse 43). The servant watched while Elijah prayed. Six times he returned from the watch, saying, There is nothing, no cloud, no sign of rain. But the prophet did not give up in discouragement. He kept reviewing his life, to see where he had failed to honor God, he confessed his sins, and thus continued to afflict his soul before God, while watching for a token that his prayer was answered. As he searched his heart, he seemed to be less and less, both in his own estimation and in the sight of God. It seemed to him that he was nothing, and that God was everything; and when he reached the point of renouncing self, while he clung to the Saviour as his only strength and righteousness, the answer came. The servant appeared, and said, “Behold, there ariseth a little cloud out of the sea, like a man’s hand” (verse 44).2

Of the disciples after the transfiguration of Christ it is written that at the close of that wonderful scene “they saw no man, save Jesus only” (Matthew 17:8). “Jesus only” - in these words is contained the secret of the life and power that marked the history of the early church. When the disciples first heard the words of Christ, they felt their need of Him. They sought, they found, they followed Him. They were with Him in the Temple, at the table, on the mountainside, in the field. They were as pupils with a teacher, daily receiving from Him lessons of eternal truth.

After the Saviour’s ascension, the sense of the divine presence, full of love and light, was still with them. It was a personal presence.3

In His vast plan God has embraced all humanity. He calls for men and women to fill their appointment as agents chosen to carry out His purposes.

Christ enlists in His service all who will consent to stand under His authority, all who will wear His yoke and accept the conditions which unite the human with the divine. Those who do this are molded by the influence that, through the grace of Christ, unites heart to heart, mind to mind, in one complete whole.

We were brought into existence because we were needed. How sad the thought that if we stand on the wrong side, in the ranks of the enemy, we are lost to the design of our creation. We are disappointing our Redeemer; the powers He designed for His service are used to oppose His grace and matchless love. God gave His only-begotten Son that man might be restored to oneness with Him.4

You point to this and that professed Christian, saying, We have no confidence in them. If their lives are examples of Christianity, we want none of it. Look not at those around you. Look instead at the only perfect pattern, the man Christ Jesus. Beholding Him, you will be changed into the same image.

Will you not try to show those with whom you come in contact the better way, even the way which leads to the city whose builder and maker is God? If you walk humbly with God, the Holy Spirit will be your efficiency. As you let your light shine in good works, those with whom you associate will see light in your light. Let not your light grow dim; for this is dangerous not only to your own soul, but to the souls of others. Keep your light burning brightly. Be cheerful, hopeful, and steadfast. Gather grace and strength, daily becoming more trustful and hopeful. Pray and watch and work, lest the day of the Lord come on you as a thief in the night.5

There is no reason for us to fix our eyes upon error, to grieve and complain, and lose precious time and opportunities in lamenting the faults of others. . . .Would it not be more pleasing to God to take an impartial outlook, and see how many souls are serving God, and resisting temptation, and glorifying and honoring Him with their talents of means and intellect? Would it not be better to consider the wonderful, miracle-working power of God in the transformation of poor, degraded sinners, who have been full of moral pollution, who become so transformed that they are Christlike in character? . . .

Let us turn away our eyes from beholding the imperfections of those who are in the church, but who have not the likeness of Christ. We shall not be held responsible because those who make a high profession do not possess corresponding virtues. Let us thank God that it is our privilege to turn away our eyes from these defective Christians, and look upon those who are truly devoted, who are doers of the Word, and who in life and character bear the image of the Divine. And above all things, thank God that it is your privilege to look upon Christ, the perfect pattern.6

Heavenly Father, Thou hast said, “Ask, and ye shall receive; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.” Heavenly Father, we need Thy Holy Spirit. We do not want to work ourselves, only as we work in unity with God. We want to be in a position where the Holy Spirit of God shall be upon us with its reviving, sanctifying power. Wilt Thou manifest Thyself unto us this very morning! Wilt Thou sweep away every mist and every cloud of darkness!

We come to Thee, our compassionate Redeemer; and we ask Thee, for Christ’s sake - for Thine own Son's sake, my Father, that Thou wilt manifest Thy power unto Thy people here. We want wisdom; we want righteousness; we want truth; we want the Holy Spirit to be with us.

Thou hast presented before us a great work that must be carried forward in behalf of those that are in the truth, and in behalf of those that are in ignorance of our faith; and O Lord, as Thou hast given to every man his work, we beseech of Thee that the Holy Spirit may impress the human mind in regard to the burden of work that shall rest upon every individual soul, according to Thine appointment. We want to be proved; we want to be sanctified through and through; we want to be fitted up for the work; and here, right here in this session of the Conference, we want to see a revelation of the Holy Spirit of God. We want light, Lord - Thou art the Light. We want truth, Lord - Thou art the Truth. We want the right way - Thou art the Way.

Lord, I beseech of Thee that we may all be wise enough to discern that we must individually open the heart to Jesus Christ, that through the Holy Spirit He may come in to mold and fashion us anew, in accordance with the divine image. O my Father, my Father! melt and subdue our hearts. We desire this morning to make an entire surrender to Thee; we desire to give up our will, our way, our course of action that has not been in harmony with the way and the will of God; we desire to accept the Lord’s way, the Lord’s will, the Lord’s counsel. Come, oh, come into the midst of us this very morning, and move upon hearts, young and old. In a special manner move upon the hearts of those who are handling gospel truths, that they may all be lighted up with the bright beams which Thou dost permit to shine upon Thy Word, in order that Thy instruction may come to the human understanding with the power and the Spirit of the living God.

We acknowledge before Thee that we have not honored Thy name as we should. We acknowledge before Thee that we need to be broken in heart. We desire just now to be reconverted; we desire just now to realize what Christ is to us, and what we are and can be to Him as His coworkers - “labourers together with God” (1 Corinthians 3:9).

O my Father, let every soul that is confused, every soul that cannot understand and see the way, have the way presented before him so clearly that the mist will be removed, and that the cloud will pass, so that the Sun of righteousness may shine into the chambers of the mind and into the soul-temple. Wash us, and we shall be clean, Lord. Let melting mercy, mercy from Thee, come into every heart; and then, when we realize the melting mercy of a compassionate and loving Saviour, our hearts, once more united, will beat in unison, and all will stand shoulder to shoulder in advancing this great work.

We cannot afford to be indifferent, Lord, we cannot afford to work contrary to one another. We must trust in Thee; and we ask, this very morning, that Thou shalt let the Holy Spirit descend upon us. We are ready to receive the Comforter; we open the door of the heart, and invite the Saviour in. We love Thee, dear Saviour; Thou knowest that we love Thee. We see in Thee matchless charms, and we desire that every soul shall constantly look unto Thee - Thou who art the Author and the Finisher of our faith.

Come, Lord Jesus, come and take us as we are, and put upon us the robe of Thy righteousness. Take away our sins. Our Saviour, Thou didst come to the earth to do this. We repent of wrong-doing; we are sorry for every departure from Thee; and we ask Thee to pardon our transgressions, that we may show to the world that we have a Saviour who is able to take away our sins, and to impute unto us His own righteousness.

Lord, we accept Thee now; we receive Thee now; we believe in Thee now; and we ask Thee to let Thy Holy Spirit rest upon us just now. Just now walk through this house, we pray Thee; and may the angels accompanying Thee go around to every seat, and to every heart; and may every person have a realization of what “I” should do. May every one look not to man, but to Christ - to Him who has died to save us. We are saved by Thee, Lord; we look to Thee, Lord. Oh, let Thy power come upon us, to tell us that our sins are pardoned. Thou hast promised, “A new heart will I give thee.” We desire to have our hearts renewed, Lord; we long for this.

Bless our ministering brethren. Bless all those who are in office in our institutions. We do not want Thee to destroy these institutions; we do not want to see their influence wiped away. We want that Thou shouldst simply take away everything that is wrong in the heart, the life, the character, of each worker, so that Thou canst use every institution of Thine own planting to glorify Thy name. We need every one of them.

O my Saviour, Thou who hast shown compassion to us all, again we ask Thee to grant unto us a rich portion of Thy mercy, Thy fulness, Thy compassion, thy everlasting love. Come, Lord Jesus, and make us partakers of Thy divine nature, that we may overcome the corruption that is in the world through lust. Oh, may the Spirit of Christ, the love of God, comfort every heart this morning! Banish darkness, turn away the deceptive powers of the enemy, and let Thy voice and Thy Spirit and Thy love come into our souls, that we may sit together in heavenly places with Christ Jesus; and Thy name shall have all the glory. Amen.7