Furnace Prayers: The Great Exchange

My Lord and my God,

You are Truth. You alone. You alone are worthy of praise and YOU are the center of all things. The universe exists through the Son.

John 1:1-3
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 The same was in the beginning with God.
3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.

How are there galaxies without end? You know.
How can the universe have no limits?

You are without end or beginning.

Psalm 90:2 2 Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God.

Numbers, space…both continue in every directions without limits. You are without boundaries …but YOU were First! Only You could create something that is limitless. Eternity is limitless. You invite us to join You. Thank You.

You are the uncreated, ever existent, all knowing, without beginning or end. You, God are uncreated. You always have been, You always existed. There is none like You.

How small I am, How little. A teeny speck. How, in the history of all mankind, from the first human until now –over 6,000 years –How O God, and why did You search me out? Jesus, how did You fashion me from my mother’s womb? How do You know all there is to know about me? When You were on the cross… how did You have me on Your mind?

It is beyond my comprehension that You went to the cross…for me. Not a bunch of people, not a mass of broken, fallen humanity… but for me.

How is it that You know my name?

You know the hairs on my head. You knew how much I would need You —and You came. You came, knowing all my sin…every one. You came to pay the price, that I might live.

How can I deny You? What is in me that I have withheld? Teach me.

You gave ALL. You gave everything. You exchanged ALL for me…a speck in the murky, tepid, sinful sea of humanity.

The Exchange Rate
Was it a monetary exchange? Like visiting a foreign country and exchanging one currency for another? The rate of exchange is simple: one sin = death. That’s the wage. That’s the cost.

Romans 6:23
For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Thank You for seeing value in me. The exchange rate serves justice. But You entered in.

What is of value in the universe? Only one thing: the souls of men and women. That’s the only currency of value and Your enemy seeks our souls for himself.

The Great Exchange
You came for the great exchange! That's why You came! ...to make the exchange!

• You were punished that we might be forgiven.
• You were wounded that we might be healed.
• You are made sin with our sinfulness, that we might be made righteous with Your righteousness.
• You died our death that we might receive Your life.
• You endured our poverty that we might share Your abundance.
• You bore our shame that we can share in Your glory.
• You endured our rejection that we might haveYour acceptance with the Father.
• You were made a curse, that we might enter into the blessing.
• ...and so much more.

And all these are irreversible? When we receive them, we become Yours and under Your protection.

John 10:28-30
28 And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.

29 My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand.

30 I and my Father are one.

The Great Deceiver and Imitator
Father, Lord and Savior, Holy Spirit…Your (our) enemy is an imitator. He is not a creator and he hates You. He imitates You to deceive us. He is stealthy and he has studied humanity since You created Adam.

He is determined to take as many souls away from You as he can. Souls…spirits. You have made us spirit, soul, and body. We seem to have combined spirit and soul into one; our bodies, trained with sin and living in this broken world, will die. But our souls, our intellect and emotions, and our spirits - where we connect with You, will live on.

You have provided the way to live on with You. Satan provides the way for us to live on with him. We get to decide.

Draw me to You. Teach me of any part of me that I have withheld from You.

I know it is Your will that all men be saved. Make those of us who are Yours, a clear testimony, a walking advertisement that would draw others to You.

Save the children.

Maranatha. Come quickly Lord Jesus.