My book on prayer can be purchased on Amazon or Barnes & Noble websites, plus a Kindle version is also available from Amazon. IGNITING AN IMPASSIONED PRAYER LIFE – How to Develop the Energized, Extended, and Sustainable Life of Prayer You’ve Always Wanted. Do you wish...
Prayer, like most spiritual practices, is subject to a spectrum of opinion and conviction as to how it is best practiced. Prayer in a word, means different things to different people. Typically we associate prayer with some form of communication and personal encounter with God....
When the people cried out to Moses, he prayed to the LORD… Numbers 11:2 (NIV) Why is prayer often the great omission when it comes to discussion of spiritual leadership? In my humble estimation the topic of leadership is the most frequent focus of...
“I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” John 16:33 ESV
The Greek word for “take heart” is used only 7 times in the NT and in each situation it is a personal encouragement from Jesus to people overwhelmed with apprehension or affliction.
Depending on the circumstances and the way the verse is translated, when Jesus says to someone to “take heart” He means to “take courage,” “be of good comfort” or “be of good cheer” – or better yet, all the above.
We are living in a world in which this assurance from Jesus could not be more relevant. If there ever was a time when we needed to hear “take heart,” with ALL it’s nuanced meaning, it is now.
“And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is.” Ephesians 3:18 NLT
Canyonlands in Utah is one of the lesser known National Parks, but as you can see, by this expansive view through Mesa Arch of the canyon carved by the Colorado River with the La Sal Mtns beyond, it rivals the Grand Canyon.
The sheer enormity and variagated formations of such landscapes which God has sculpted over time, defy the limits of human understanding; as does the width, the length, the height, and the depth of His love.
It is the glimpses He gives us of His love however, especially when we are at our weakest and our worst, that draw us into His incomprehensible embrace and convince us of His unbounded love for us.
“He made the moon to mark the seasons, and the sun knows when to go down.” Psalm 114:19 NIV
The seasons of life and passage of time, marked and measured by the divinely orchestrated movements of the moon and sun, are a relentless reminder of how fleeting our days upon earth are.
Ironically, rather than make the most of each day, we live in the tension vacillating between wishing we could turn the hands of the clock backward or move them forward, depending upon our circumstances.
However, a key to contentment, enabling us to seize the day, is remembering God is the Lord of the seasons and is at work fulfilling His divine purposes through whatever season He has us in.
“But Jesus still answered nothing.” Mark 15:5 NKJV
Jesus, being fully God, yet fully man, concludes His earthly ministry here as He began it, by demonstrating in the frailty of His humanity a great restraint in the use of the power of His divinity.
For 30 years He refused to intervene in the affairs of men with mighty works until His time had fully come, and in the end when reviled and falsely accused, He again miraculously restrains Himself.
It should both inspire and permit us, when tempted and under pressure to do or say something we might regret, to hold our peace, let it go, and let God sort it out.
“The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.” Exodus 14:14 NIV
Being still and choosing to do nothing in the face of a distressing situation does not come naturally, unless a person implicitly trusts a voice of experience offering counterintuitive wisdom.
On more than one occasion when with the wild horses, the advice of my friend and seasoned photographer – to stand still when they are on the run – has proven the safest stance as it did here, when they came charging right at me.
As Israel stood still, faithful to His promise, God defeated Pharaoh by parting the Red Sea; and this “do nothing” strategy may just be the way He intends to give you the victory over what you are facing.
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