“Someone from the crowd answered Him, ‘Teacher, I brought my son to You. He has a spirit that makes him unable to speak. Whenever it seizes him, it throws him down, and he foams at the mouth, grinds his teeth, and becomes rigid. I asked Your disciples to drive it out, but they couldn’t.’” – Mark 9:17-18 They […]
Read More“I will bring them to My holy mountain and let them rejoice in My house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and sacrifices will be acceptable on My altar, for My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations.” Isaiah 56:7 Jesus would famously quote this passage as He drove out those who had turned […]
Read More“But we are not those who draw back and are destroyed, but those who have faith and are saved.” – Hebrews 10:39 I am praying today that Jesus’ teaching, “seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things will be provided for you” (Matthew 6:33), and Jesus’ prayer, “yet not as I […]
Read More“Protect me, God, for I take refuge in You. I said to the Lord, ‘You are my Lord; I have nothing good besides You’…For You will not abandon me to Sheol; You will not allow Your faithful one to see decay. You reveal the path of life to me; in Your presence is abundant joy; […]
Read MorePastor Tim Keller calls it the “Prayer Paradox.” Jesus seems to offer a blank check in John 14:14. Ask anything in My name, and I will do it. Yet we also read that there is a limit to what God will do in response to our prayers…“If we ask anything according to His will, He hears […]
Read More“The Israelite foremen saw that they were in trouble when they were told, “You cannot reduce your daily quota of bricks.” When they left Pharaoh, they confronted Moses and Aaron, who stood waiting to meet them.” – Exodus 5:19-20 Have you ever prayed for help and things got worse? If so, then you can appreciate the […]
Read More“All humanity will come to You, the one who hears prayer. Iniquities overwhelm me; only You can atone for our rebellions.” – Psalm 65:2-3 Real prayer has that effect. In fact, it is one of the chief indications that you are encountering the Holy One. What is this indication of imminence? Awareness of sinfulness. It is […]
Read More“For the choir director: ‘Do Not Destroy.’ A Miktam of David. When Saul sent agents to watch the house and kill him.” – superscription of Psalm 59 Psalm 59. Usually, the subtitles in our Bible are later additions added to aid modern readers as they navigate the ancient biblical texts. Not so with the Psalms. The […]
Read More“Many pains come to the wicked, but the one who trusts in the Lord will have faithful love surrounding him.” – Psalm 32:10 Sometimes, I don’t know how to pray. I want to pray, but I just feel stuck and unsure of what to say. In the past, this used to frustrate me, and I would go […]
Read More“As for you, do not pray for these people. Do not offer a cry or a prayer on their behalf, and do not beg me, for I will not listen to you.” – Jeremiah 7:16 Three times. Three times God tells Jeremiah not to pray for his nation because their rebellion and rejection of God’s rightful rule and their wickedness and […]
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Think These Things 