Posts Tagged ‘Prayer’
Ancient Mariners, Psalms, and Prayers
I’ve always been intrigued by The Rime of the Ancient Mariner. It’s an old poem. A long, old poem by a guy named Coleridge. Out of the whole thing, I think the part most of us have any knowledge of is this one: Water, water, every where, Nor any drop to drink. Coleridge wrote this…
Read MoreEffective Prayer
As Christians, we are as adept at putting on a show as the Pharisees of old. Only God accurately searches our hearts and knows who is genuine among us. We even deceive ourselves by ignoring the hypocrisy present in our prayer time with the Lord. This is why we must be immersed in God’s Word,…
Read MoreAre We Truly Trusting God?
Stumbling into my father’s morning prayers… When I was about 14 yrs. old, we lived in a two-story ranch-style home the bedrooms, living room, and kitchen were upstairs, and the basement featured a large open all-purpose room. Early one morning I walked down the stairs to the basement. As I reached the bottom, I took…
Read MoreCrying Out to God in Chaotic Times, part 3
See here for Part One and here for Part Two Daniel 9:20-23 What should you do when you live in a society characterized by these words: “There is no fear of God before their eyes?” The absence of the fear of God was the unmaking1 of the nation of Israel (Zephaniah 3:7-8). When they began…
Read MoreWhen Will Things Get Better?
Life is full of expectation and waiting. We’re always waiting for something! The weekend Seeing friends and family The release of a book or a movie or a video game The next season of The Mandalorian The end of COVID. We’re always waiting for something to come. We can’t wait for what’s next. I often…
Read MoreCrying Out to God in Chaotic Times, part 2
Daniel 9:10-19 For part 1 of this message, click here As authorities are investigating the storming of the U.S. Capitol on January 6, one word keeps coming to mind: anarchy. The word refers to an absence of or rejection of authority. We are learning that those who are extreme rightists1 and extreme leftists2 were responsible…
Read MoreCrying Out to God in Chaotic Times
Daniel 9:1-10 A Theology of Daniel’s Prayer [Ed. Note: for the video this sermon, see here, audio here.] In a commentary on the news this week, one observer noted, “We’re living right now in a time of rapid and revolutionary cultural change in the United States, and that means not only cultural change but moral…
Read MoreSeeking the Lord in Troubled Times
“In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus, of the seed of the Medes, which was made king over the realm of the Chaldeans; In the first year of his reign I Daniel understood by books the number of the years, whereof the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah the prophet, that…
Read MoreA Prayer for Spiritual Power
Paul wrapped up his instructions to the believers in Ephesus with an emphatic call for persevering prayer (Eph 6:18-21).1 Prayer was necessary for them to stand strong against the stratagems of the devil and his demonic forces (Eph 6:10-13). Without a certain kind of prayer, neither they nor Paul would be able to “walk worthy”2…
Read MoreHow to Pray in Perilous Times
2 Samuel 15:31 Two hundred men of Issachar were among those who followed David when he fled from murderous King Saul. About these men, 1 Chronicles 12:32 says, “And of the children of Issachar, which were men that had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do;” In this urgent hour in…
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