“or do you think that I cannot appeal to My Father, and He will at once put at My disposal more than twelve legions of angels?” Matthew 26:53 Appeal – The Hebrew vocabulary is rich in words for prayer. Every nuance of our relationship with God seems to find its own special word. So, when…
Because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. Therefore my heart is glad and my glory rejoices Psalm 16:8-9 Rejoices – If you’re going to make a joyful noise to the Lord, then you might be interested in the context of rejoicing. Every kind of prayer has a context. Sometimes it’s…
Exalt the LORD our God and worship at His footstool; He is holy. Psalm 99:5 Exalt – “See Him high and lifted up.” Yes, songs can also be prayers. The Old Testament sees no distinction between songs of praise and prayers of exultation. We need to blur that distinction too, for prayers that rejoice in…
“Did he not fear the LORD and entreat the favor of the LORD, and the LORD changed His mind about the misfortune which He had pronounced against them?” Jeremiah 26:19 Entreat – What does it mean to entreat someone? Even in English we have a difficult time expressing this thought succinctly. Certainly the concept involves…
That I may proclaim with the voice of thanksgiving and declare all Your wonders. Psalm 26:7 Thanksgiving – Prayer is designed by God. Does that surprise you? Everything that works according to His purposes is designed by Him, so why should prayer be any different? Did you think that just because prayers come from your…
With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit Ephesians 6:18 Pray – All of the ideas associated with prayer in the Old Testament are captured in the New Testament with a single word. That word is proseuchomai. It covers thanksgiving, confession, adoration, intercession and supplication. Notice that it is not the…
By faith, Jacob, as he was dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph, and worshipped, leaning on the top of his staff. Hebrews 11:21 Worshipped – Jacob certainly wasn’t Jimmy Hendrix, but you would be on the right track if you thought of this word with the lyrics “kiss the sky.” Proskuneo literally describes…
Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey, and I and the lad will go over there; and we will worship and return to you.” Genesis 22:5 Worship – How unfortunate it is that we are confined with this English translation of the verb hishtahavah. Yes, it’s true that Abraham took Isaac…
so that I may declare all Your praises in the gates of the daughter of Zion Psalm 9:14 Declare – When David declares the praises of God, he uses the Hebrew verb saphar. It implies a great deal more than a simple announcement. Saphar is the verb for “to count.” To declare all God’s praises…
I remember the days of old; I meditate on all Your doing; I muse on the work of Your hands Psalm 143:5 Muse – If you want to see the primary meaning of this word, you’ll have to look at the Bible’s longest complaint – the book of Job. Job 7:11 says, “Therefore, I will…
