Taken from an obscure out of print pamphlet about revival written in 1848 sent in by Daphne Chick:

EFFECTUAL AND FERVENT PRAYER
For an illustration of this point, take the case
of Moses. When the Lord saw the idolatry of Israel,
he said to Moses their leader, " Let me alone
that my wrath may wax hot against them, and that
I may consume them, but I will make of thee a
great nation." What did Moses say to this ?
Why, just what no heartless professor would think
of saying. lie "besought the Lord his God, and
said, Why doth thy wrath wax hot against thy
people ? This people have sinned a great sin, yet
now, if thou wilt forgive their sin; and if not, blot me,
I pray thee, out of thy book which thou hast written."
Thus, throwing himself into the breach, like a prince,
he prevailed. 0, how intense must have been his
love for the people, and his desire for their preservation!
The idea of his personal acceptance, and
honor, were powerless to restrain him. The salvation
of Israel, and the interests of religion involved
therein, were of more consequence than any personal
advantage Bold as such attempts to arrest
justice may seem, God is infinitely pleased with
them.. That cold and sickly sentimentalism which
is so fearful of interfering with the divine sover-
eignty, that it dare not confidently ask any thing,
is an offence. It distrusts the goodness of God at
every step, and treats his promises as a lie. It
is baptized infidelity, rather than reverence and
humility, attributing to God secret purposes, at
variance with his nature and his oath.

SUIT YOURSELF

But when the king came in to meet the guests, he noticed a man who wasn't wearing the proper clothes for a wedding. Matthew 22:11

When I contemplate freewill, I am fear-struck. Freewill disrobed Adam and Eve, reducing their wardrobe from the royal robes of righteousness ...

to fig leaves, which barely covered them.  

    

But Adam and Eve chose to suit themselves.

When King David refused to wear the armor of King Saul ...

     

and fought against Goliath in his tried and true shepherd’s uniform, he defeated Goliath without any earthy protection.

David chose to suit himself

When David brought the Ark of God into Jerusalem, he dressed himself in priestly clothing. 

David understood how to suit himself to please the Lord.

David danced before the Lord with all his might. And David was wearing a linen ephod. 2 Sam 6:14

We are instructed in the Bible to put on the full armor of God:

Be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places. Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm. Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness. For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared. In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Ephesians 6:10-18 (NLT)

We can learn from Isaiah 61:10 that God still wants to dress us up.

I am overwhelmed with joy in the Lord my God for He has dressed me with the clothing of salvation and draped me in a robe of righteousness. I am like a bridegroom dressed for his wedding or a bride with her jewels.

Because of freewill, we can choose to suit ourselves.

 What’s hanging in your closet?

Are the full armor of God and a royal robe of righteousness among your choices?

In Revelation 19:8 we read, It was given to her to clothe herself in fine linen, bright and clean.

Job testifies in chapter 29:14, "I put on righteousness, and it clothed me; my justice was like a robe and a turban."

Jesus also told them other parables. He said, "The Kingdom of Heaven can be illustrated by the story of a king who prepared a great wedding feast for his son. When the banquet was ready, he sent his servants to notify those who were invited. But they all refused to come! So he sent other servants to tell them, The feast has been prepared. The bulls and fattened cattle have been killed, and everything is ready. Come to the banquet! But the guests he had invited ignored them and went their own way, one to his farm, another to his business. Others seized his messengers and insulted them and killed them. The king was furious, and he sent out his army to destroy the murderers and burn their town. And he said to his servants, The wedding feast is ready, and the guests I invited aren't worthy of the honor. Now go out to the street corners and invite everyone you see. So the servants brought in everyone they could find, good and bad alike, and the banquet hall was filled with guests. But when the king came in to meet the guests, he noticed a man who wasn't wearing the proper clothes for a wedding. Friend, he asked, how is it that you are here without wedding clothes? But the man had no reply. Then the king said to his aides, Bind his hands and feet and throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. For many are called, but few are chosen."  Matthew 22

Everyone is called but only those dressed for the wedding will be chosen.

Be ready to do this whether or not the time is convenient. 2 Timothy 4:2

What are YOU going to wear today?

SUIT YOURSELF

WHY NO BALCONY?

Old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. 2 Cor 5:17 

Someone asked me recently, "Why the balcony if this blog is "NO Balcony?" If David could do it all over again I think his view would be entirely different. I see David with a fresh start, a clean slate, and an opportunity to reconsider his options. 

There are events in our lives, the memories of which are not worth saving … like dead skin in need of shedding.  Along with each one of us, King David had an experience with God that helped him shed his skin. The details of that story are blatantly exposed in 2 Samuel Ch 11. One might even entitle that version, FROM THE BALCONY. However, in 1 Chronicles Ch 20 the events that took place from the balcony have mysteriously vanished not because they never happened but because they are not remembered. 

IT IS WRITTEN ... I am the one who blots out your transgressions and remembers them no more. Isaiah 43:25

Relief from God's word was waiting for David long before he needed forgiveness. He put his faith in the yesterday, and today, and forever God who has removed OUR sins as far from us as the east is from the west. Psalm 103:12

David also declared in Psalm 126:3, "The Lord has done GOOD THINGS for us whereof we are glad!"  

What gladness fills our hearts -- yea, what relief -- at the realization that the account of David and Bathsheba are unaccounted for in the Bible!  How much more should we rejoice that our names -- not our sins -- are written in the Lamb's Book of Life! 

Then said Pilate to the chief priests and to all the people, "I find no fault in this man." Luke 23:4

All of us will face a balcony at one time or another. I think it is a place where crucial decisions have and will be made. 

And Elijah came unto all the people, and said, "How long halt ye between two opinions? If the LORD be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him." And the people answered him not a word (1 Kings 18:21.)

I believe the balcony suddenly appears when we find ourselves at the crossroad of indecisiveness. The day King David decided to become a man after God's own heart, his balcony -- along with all its repercussions -- disappeared. (compare 2 Samuel ch 11 with 1 Chronicles ch 20)

And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing: fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. Philippians 4:8

Let all that I am praise the LORD; may I never forget the “good things” he does for me. Psalm 103:2

Yes! May we never forget the “good things” he does for us!  

What do you see on your horizon?