By:
On:
In: Bible and Theology, Fear and Anxiety, Lament, Prayer and Devotions, Suffering

“Teach me to do your will, for you are my God! Let your good Spirit lead me on level ground!” (Psalm 143:10) David prays for instruction from God on how to do God’s will, and presumably what God’s will is to start with, at a time when he is being pursed by the enemy, who sounds more like depression than a human enemy in this psalm: his soul is crushed, he sits in darkness, his spirit faints, his heart fails–or he is overcome with dismay. David remembers first what God has done in the past and cries out to God to speak comfort to himRead More →

By:
On:
In: Bible and Theology, Prayer and Devotions, Sin and Holiness

Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ.” (Colossians 1:28) Paul and his ministry partners declared publicly, in speech and in writing, the praises and glory of the name of Jesus Christ, but the word proclaim also can mean to show by giving an outward indication of something. In this day and age, the silent witness of how we live our lives is often as important, if not more, than the words we speak. I pray none of us are afraid to speak the name of Jesus in public, but I pray also thatRead More →

By:
On:
In: Bible and Theology, Prayer and Devotions

“Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the LORD, our Maker! For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand. Today, if you hear his voice,” (Psalm 95:6-7) To ears familiar with a certain chorus, the psalm’s transition here is as jarring as the stopping point is awkward and incomplete. We go from an upbeat worship tune playing in our heads to a solemn, perhaps even tuneless, warning not to harden our hearts against the voice of God. So what is the connection? We are the sheep of his pasture,Read More →

By:
On:
In: Bible and Theology, Prayer and Devotions

“So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God,” (Ephesians 2:19) If you’re a Christian and you weren’t born Jewish, you’ve probably been told at some point that you’re a gentile. By birth, that is true. But you’re also a naturalized citizen of Spiritual Israel, aka the Kingdom of God. We have equal rights with the other spiritual heirs of Abraham, Issac and Jacob–while those with the physical bloodline are cut off from Israel if they’ve rejected Israel’s king (Jesus) and hence themselves renounced their citizenship.  We should of course still love,Read More →

By:
On:
In: Bible and Theology, Prayer and Devotions

“ I love the LORD, because he has heard my voice and my pleas for mercy. Because he inclined his ear to me, therefore I will call on him as long as I live.” (Psalm 116:1-2)   Lord, thank you for hearing our voices and our pleas for mercy. We love you and we worship you. I pray we would trust at all times that you will hear us, and know by faith that your ear is inclined to us, when our hearts are inclined towards you. Turn our hearts towards you, by your grace today. Renew our determination to seek you and call uponRead More →