Then he will pray to God, and He will accept him, that he may see His face with joy, and He may restore His righteousness to man. Job 33:26 Pray – Something quite unexpected occurs when the Old Testament speaks of praying. The only verb that actually means, “to pray” is this word, athar. It…
And it shall come about that when he cries out to Me, I will hear him, for I am gracious. Exodus 22:27 Gracious – We come to God in prayer because we believe God is willing to give. That’s the bottom line. If your god is reluctant, petulant, temperamental or immoveable, then you need to…
A voice is heard on the bare heights, the weeping and the supplications of the sons of Israel; because they have perverted their way, they have forgotten the LORD their God. Jeremiah 3:21 Supplications – This English word is a bit strange these days. We don’t hear “supplications” very much in ordinary conversation. Perhaps that’s…
Now we pray to God that you do no wrong 2 Corinthians 13:7 Pray to God – Just how much post-modern thought is infected with the consequences of a Greek worldview can be seen in our understanding of this simple Pauline statement. Even our prayers are tainted with unbiblical assumptions. Paul uses the very rare…
For I could wish that I myself were accursed, separated from Christ for the sake of my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh, Romans 9:3 Wish – Paul’s wish is much more than a figure of speech. He chooses the Greek word euchomai; a word that is usually associated with praying or making a…
Let him sit alone and be silent since He has laid it on him. Lamentations 3:28 Alone – If God believes that it is not good to be alone, then why does God Himself bring about an emptiness in our hearts? Why are there times in life when we just can’t seem to connect, even…
I have set My bow in the cloud, and it shall be a sign of a covenant between Me and the earth. Genesis 9:13 Bow – We often complain that it is hard to understand faith. It seems to take inordinate effort to act on the basis of invisible realities. We are constantly looking for…
1 “It is not good for the man to be alone” Genesis 2:18 Alone – If you could unzip the psychological skin that surrounds your soul, what would be revealed? Would you find an inner harmony of community? Would you discover a multitude of healthy relationships between God, others and yourself? Or would you expose…
Wait for the LORD; Be strong and let your heart take courage; Yes, wait for the LORD. Psalm 27:14 Wait – Three hundred and sixty five days ago, we began this year with Psalm 23:1. “I shall not want.” That is the first declaration of emotional theology. It is the proclamation that God is my…
“Behold, I am coming quickly“ Revelation 22:12 Quickly – The return of the King seems like it has taken forever. If you’re like me, there are days when you just wish Jesus would arrive and all this struggle would end. Of course, many felt this way before I was born. I’m glad Jesus waited until…
