Examine Future Expectations A friend told me he prays every day for Jesus to return. “Come quickly, Lord Jesus.” Yes, every day. His imperative words emoted sincerity and passion. He meant it; he really meant it. Upon hearing this, two thoughts simultaneously bombarded my mind. The first was the realization that I have never prayed […]
Luke Bible Study, Day 37 Today’s passage: Luke 22:39–71 Focus verse: “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.” (Luke 22:42) The Bible is full of perplexing stories. One is when God tells Abraham to sacrifice his only son, Isaac. What father would kill his […]
Today’s passage: Philippians 4:4–9 Focus verse: Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. (Philippians 4:6) Does today’s passage sound familiar? It’s the same one as Day 9. Then we focused on verse four, which tells us to rejoice in the Lord. […]
We May Never Know the Full Impact of Our Prayers As the early church adds to their numbers, they experience growing pains. They need more people in leadership roles and elect seven to help with a daily food distribution. Stephen is one of those people. Stephen is a remarkable man, full of God’s grace and […]
Sometimes We Blame God for Our Pain, When We’re the Source of Our Troubles A lament is an expression of grief, sorrow, pain, regret, despair…you get the picture. Lament occurs when life overwhelms our hearts and steals our tomorrows. Many of the Psalms are laments. Though lamenting is biblical, our church services seldom includes the […]
Justice but Not Anger After Jeremiah gives a stinging prophecy about God and idols, he pauses to pray. He may feel he has no other choice after giving the people God’s stern warning. Jeremiah’s prayer is not like one we might hear—or say—today. His words are not positive. He doesn’t talk about God’s grace, mercy, […]
A Bold Prayer Though an entire book was later written about his brief prayer, we know little about Jabez from Scripture. The Bible only mentions him in two obscure verses, buried in a lengthy genealogy. We know his birth is difficult, and the name his mother gives him reflects the physical pain his arrival caused. […]
A Worthy Title and Not Mindless Filler We’ve talked about people who just pray and what the word amen means and doesn’t mean. Let us now consider how we use the word Lord in our prayers. Proper Use of Lord According to the dictionary, Lord means God. It can also refer to Jesus. We see […]
King Hezekiah Prays for Deliverance Starting with Isaiah 36, this otherwise prophetic book switches to a narrative for four chapters, talking about King Hezekiah. The first one is about the source of the king’s confidence. King Hezekiah, a direct descendant of King David, rules the nation of Judah from the city of Jerusalem. Things aren’t […]
A Careless Word or a Faith Reflection? The word just pops up often when it comes to prayers. Is it an idle word we say because we’ve heard others say it? Or does it reveal insight about how we view God? Regardless, we must be careful when we just pray. We Need to Just Pray […]