The Intimate Dialogue

“By David.  To You, O LORD, I lift up my soul.” Psalm 25:1 The Intimate Dialogue By David.  To You – David’s poem must become personal before you can understand it completely.  The power in his poetry is discovered only when his emotional intimacy stirs familiar feelings in us.  Perhaps the first step is to…

The Prayer of Silence

“I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but I have poured out my soul before the LORD,” 1 Samuel 1:15 The Prayer of Silence Poured Out – According to many Jewish sages, the prayer of Hannah is the epitome of human prayer.  It is the prayer of a heart overwhelmed by distress and devotion. …

Turning the Inside Out

“When Solomon had finished praying this entire prayer and supplication to the LORD, he arose” 1 Kings 8:54 Turning the Inside Out Praying – The Hebrew verb for praying is reflexive.  That means that the action described in the verb does a kind of 180-degree turn and acts on the subject.  Most of the time…

Are You Really Human?

“These men came by agreement and found Daniel making petition and supplication before his God.” Daniel 6:11 Are You Really Human? Making petition – Ancient Jewish tradition give us another insight into prayer with this word.  While be’ah does mean, “to ask or request”, it is really another word for prayer.  The word is used…

Lord, Teach Us to Breathe

“Yet have regard to the prayer of Your servant and to his supplication, O LORD my God, to listen to the cry and to the prayer which Your servant prays before You today.” I Kings 8:28 Lord, Teach Us to Breathe Prayer – According to Jewish scholarship, the root meaning behind palal is “to judge,…

Lord, Teach Us To Breathe

“Yet have regard to the prayer of Your servant and to his supplication, O LORD my God, to listen to the cry and to the prayer which Your servant prays before You today.” I Kings 8:28 Lord, Teach Us To Breathe Prayer – Christians believe in prayer, but they don’t seem to know much about…

You cannot serve two methods

“May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could obtain the gift of God with money!” Acts 8:20 You cannot serve two methods Obtain – Simon was a magician.  He was important, respected, honored, perhaps even feared.  But when he heard the good news of Jesus, he believed and was baptized.  He attached…

Success Insanity

“Babylon has been a golden cup in the hand of the LORD, intoxicating all the earth.  The nations have drunk of her wine; therefore the nations are going mad.” Jeremiah 51:7 Success Insanity Mad – Insanity isn’t always what you think.  The choice of the word halal to describe the state of nations drunk on…

Divine Conspiracy

“Babylon has been a golden cup in the hand of the LORD, intoxicating all the earth.  The nations have drunk of her wine; therefore the nations are going mad.” Jeremiah 51:7 Divine Conspiracy Hand –Do you like conspiracy theories?  Everyone seems to resonate at some level with the idea that there are secret, powerful figures…

The Actions of Understanding

“He found him in a desert land, and in the howling waste of a wilderness; He encircled him, He cared for him, He guarded him as the pupil of His eye.” Deuteronomy 32:10 The Actions of Understanding Cared – Do you remember this verse (June 14, 15 and 16)?  We discovered that God is in…