The workings of God are not related to our clocks; they are related to our crises. That’s why God doesn’t care if this is the last day you can buy that car on sale. It doesn’t bother God that it is the first day of summer or high noon or a quarter after seven.
Read MoreCategory Archives: Prayer
Wait . . . and Listen
During the three days of waiting, there is a “white space” when nothing is happening—at least nothing visible. You could easily tell yourself at the time, “I’m waiting in vain. Nothing’s going to change.”
Read MoreAsk and Trust
God does not mock us with the things He includes in His Word. He isn’t in the business of making His people squirm under some unrealistic expectation that they can never attain—something that is totally unique to one person.
Read MoreTimes of Searching
Self-denial does not come naturally. It is a learned virtue (often hard-learned), encouraged by few and modeled by even fewer, especially among those who are what we’ve come to know as Type A personalities.
Read MorePrayer of Faith
Isn’t it amazing how often people try everything but prayer? It’s like the old saying: “When everything else fails, read the instructions.” The same with prayer. When everything else fails, try prayer. “Okay, okay . . . maybe we should pray about it.”
Read MoreDivided Allegiance
Divided allegiance is as wrong as open idolatry. “How long will you hesitate between two opinions?” Elijah asks the people of Israel. The easiest thing to do when you are outnumbered or overwhelmed is to remain in that mediocre state of noncommitment.
Read MoreWhen Tragedy Strikes
I’m deeply impressed by the man’s gentleness. Though Elijah deserved none of the woman’s blame, he stood silent under her blast. That’s gentleness. Someone, somewhere, has called this fruit of the Spirit “the mint-mark of heaven.”
Read MoreWhat Jesus Says You Should Pray For
“The world does not revolve around you!” “You are not the center of the universe!” “Your mother and I are the sun; you’re the moon!” I bet my wife Christy and I have said something like this to our children hundreds, if not thousands, of times—because I have five of those rascals. I’m sure your […]
Read MorePrayer God Will Answer
If you knew God would answer your petitions, how would that change your prayer life? Would you pray more fervently and more often? Philippians 1:9–11 records Paul’s plea for the Philippian church—it was a prayer God was certain to answer. Joy saturated Paul’s prayers for the believers at Philippi. They had joined Paul in the […]
Read MoreA Surprising Answer to Prayer
Many years ago one of my mentors told me a story I have never forgotten. A missionary was home on furlough, traveling by car from church to church. Late one rainy evening, facing a long and lonely all-night journey, he asked the Lord to help him stay awake and make it safely to the next place he would minister.
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