Daniel realized that the law against prayer was really against him. Babylon had captured his homeland but not his soul. To compromise by yielding to a statute forbidding prayer would be to deny the very basis of his life, to deny God’s mercy and care for him.
Continue reading WHY DID DANIEL IGNORE THE LAW CRIMINALIZING PRAYER?
22 And Solomon stood before the altar of the Lord in the presence of all the congregation of Israel, and spread forth his hands toward heaven:
23 And he said, Lord God of Israel, there is no God like thee, in heaven above, or on earth beneath, who keepest covenant and mercy with thy servants that walk before thee with all their heart:
Continue reading SCRIPTURE OF THE DAY (1 KINGS 8:22-45 “SOLOMON’S PRAYER OF DEDICATION”)
Revenge as a common human feeling has a long history Legal scholars, for example, believe that revenge is the basis for all jurisprudence. When Harry first stole a cow from Joe, Joe took two of Harry’s goats. Then Harry grabbed three of Joe’s turkeys. And joe, seeing where this
Continue reading IS PRAYING FOR REVENGE OKAY?
This verse is part of Jesus’ prayer of agony in the Garden of Gethsemane before His arrest and crucifixion. This “cup” to which He referred was the suffering He would endure on the cross as an atoning sacrifice for sin.
Continue reading BIBLE CUSTOMS AND CURIOSITIES (JESUS’ CUP OF SUFFERING)
The discipline of meditation involves first having God’s Word, then reading it, studying it, memorizing it, considering its meaning for you, and acting on it. Here Joshua focuses on the final steps of this sequence.
Continue reading WHAT IS MEDITATING ON GOD’S WORD?
Words Jesus used to teach His followers to pray. Three forms of the Lord’s Prayer exist in early Christian literature-two in the NT (Matt 6:9-13; Luke 11:2-4) and the other in the Didache 8:2, a noncanonical Christian writing of the early second-century from northern Syria. Their similarities and difference may be seen if the three forms are set side by side.
Continue reading DEFINITION OF THE DAY (LORDS PRAYER PT 1)
Jesus could not live without prayer. When Jesus sought out solitary places for prayer, He gave a clearer picture of the three persons of God (the Trinity)-God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.
Continue reading WHAT WOULD JESUS PRAY ABOUT-IF HE WAS GOD, WASN’T HE JUST TALKING TO HIMSELF?
God always listens to prayers. That does not mean, however, that He is always going to answer them or necessarily be pleased that the person is praying. In Jeremiah 14, God had already made up His mind that He was going to punish Israel for their sins. He told Jeremiah not even to bother praying for the people. Furthermore, He told the cries of the people.
Continue reading DOES GOD BECOME SO ANGRY AS TO REFUSE TO LISTEN TO PRAYERS?
Nehemiah is an example of a person who lived by prayer. He responded to difficulty with prayer. He planned in prayer. He prayed before he spoke. When he evaluated his work, he did so in prayer. When others attacked, mocked, or threatened him. Nehemiah prayed.
Continue reading HOW DID NEHEMIAH PRACTICE PRAYER?
LUKE 11:1-4 This model prayer for Jesus’ disciples is similar to the one in the Sermon on the Mount (Mt 6:9-13), but much shorter. Apparently, the disciples were motivated to learn to pray by both Jesus’ example and that of John the Baptist and his disciples. It was unusual for Jews to refer to God as Father. Such an address would seem too personal and familiar. Even though Luke emphasized the offer of the kingdom of God (4:43) and the nearness of the kingdom in
Continue reading UNDERSTANDING LUKE 11:1-4