Tag: Prayer

Digging in Deeper: 1 Timothy 2:1-2

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“First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way.”  (ESV – Read the chapter)

While Paul encourages prayer generally, his real focus here is on urging believers to pray for their societal leaders.  His reason for this is clear: So that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. Read the rest…

Digging in Deeper: 1 Thessalonians 5:17

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“…pray without ceasing…”  (ESV – Read the chapter)

Pray without ceasing?  What on earth is this supposed to look like?  Are we supposed to be on our knees 24/7?  Are we to go around talking to God all the time such that people will always wonder if we are talking to ourselves like someone talking to a Bluetooth headset out in public?  How are we supposed to give our full attention to other things that demand it if we are praying constantly?  Clearly, I’m not as faithful a follower of Jesus as I should be.  Have you ever thought like this before? Read the rest…

Digging in Deeper: Psalm 109:1

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“Be not silent, O God of my praise!”  (ESV – Read the chapter)

Psalm 109 here falls into the category of imprecatory psalms.  There aren’t very many of these, but they are without fail uncomfortable to read.  At least, they are uncomfortable in a culture like ours where being a follower of Jesus is still a pretty safe thing to be, and where we are taught to be tolerant of other people.  It is uncomfortable when read through the lens of Jesus’ call to love our enemies.  And this one isn’t even the most egregious of the category.  There are other imprecatory psalms that are even more violent in their language, in the kinds of things they ask God to do to the enemies of His people. Read the rest…

Digging in Deeper: Psalm 106:16-17

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“When men in the camp were jealous of Moses and Aaron, the holy one of the Lord, the earth opened and swallowed up Dathan, and covered the company of Abiram.”  (ESV – Read the chapter)

Reading through verses 16-31 here leaves a couple of strong impressions, both of which are important for us today.

The first is that the people of Israel were stupid.  There were times they were misled and times they were weak or short-sighted and even times when they were deceived.  But on many occasions they made the wrong decision in full awareness of the consequences and without any prodding from the enemy.  They were stupid.  They turned away from the Lord constantly.  And they did it in spite of what we can now see as His obvious action in their midst.  They did it in spite of experiencing the consequences of such actions in ways that were both dramatic and, often, immediate.  It’s like they were dead set on going their own way instead of in the direction the Lord was leading them.  They couldn’t even receive the good things He wanted to give them.  Again, they were stupid. Read the rest…

Morning Musings: 2 Corinthians 4:4

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“In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.”  (ESV – Read the chapter)

Now, this idea would no doubt be pretty offensive and off-putting to have as our lead when we share the Gospel with someone else: “You’re not going to really understand what I’m about to tell you, but that’s okay because the Devil has probably blinded your mind to it.”  But it is something that is pretty important for us to keep firmly in mind as we do. Read the rest…