God called the light “day,” and the darkness He called “night.” And there was evening and there was morning, one day.Genesis 1:5 NASB One day – The Hebrew syntax isn’t quite the same as the English translation. In Hebrew the final words of this verse are yôm ʾeḥad (literally, “day one”). Since the English versions treat…
One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.” Luke 11:1 NIV Teach us – Heschel provides an amazing collection of thoughts about prayer. Here’s the one we will deal with today: “Prayer cannot live in…
One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.” Luke 11:1 NIV Teach us – If prayer is primarily kavvanah, then why memorize the words? Wouldn’t it be more spiritual to simply pour out our deepest…
One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.” Luke 11:1 NIV Teach us – Heschel wrote: “Prayer as a way of speaking is a way that leads nowhere. The text must never be more important…
Let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them; let all the trees of the forest sing for joy. Let all creation rejoice before the Lord, . . Psalm 96:12-13a NIV All Creation – “Genuine prayer is an event in which man surpasses himself. Man hardly comprehends what is coming to pass. Its beginning lies on this…
Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall;…
Why are you in despair, my soul? And why are you restless within me? Wait for God, for I will again praise Him for the help of His presence, my God. Psalm 42:11 NASB Despair – Hebrew is earthy. It doesn’t portray the complexity of our Greek-based psychological vocabulary. It describes internal psychic states with tactile…
Listen to my prayer, God; and do not hide Yourself from my pleading. Give Your attention to me and answer me; Psalm 55:1-2a NASB Attention – Do you want God to pay attention to you? Be careful how you answer. What will it mean if God really takes a look at you? Will He find that obedient servant,…
Jesus wept. John 11:35 NASB Wept – “And when he drew near and saw the city, he wept over it,” (Luke 19:41). Why do we need to read both of these verses in order to understand the divine perspective? Because the translation hides the fact that there are two very different meanings here. When Yeshua encounters…
In the beginning, God . . .” Genesis 1:1a NASB God – How do you read those first words of the Tanakh? In Hebrew, berēʾšît bārāʾ ʾĕlōhîm. Most modern Westerners imagine that this is the opening statement of a cosmology, that is, a pre-scientific story of origins. Creationism proceeds from this assumption to propose an…
