Our Father, who is in heaven, hallowed be Your name. Matthew 6:9 NASB Hallowed – “Thus, to ‘hallow’ here is no longer any single action; it is the transformation of all that is into a new ‘holy’ existence as God wills. It is the course of the world and of each individual life from creation…
My voice to God—let me cry out. My voice to God—and hearken to me. In the day of my straits I sought the Master. My eye flows at night, it will not stop. I refused to be consoled. Psalm 77:2-3 (Hebrew Bible) Robert Alter Refused – “You’ll feel better in the morning.” “This too will…
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 – “Theotropism, man’s turning toward God, is a structure of experience that may be attained through the performance of ritual acts, prayer,…
Immediately the boy’s father cried out and said, “I do believe; help my unbelief!” Mark 9:24 NASB Unbelief – “To live without prayer is to live without God, to live without a soul.”[1] We’ve examined several insights about prayer. We’ve struggled with the idea—and the practice. We’ve confronted our own despondency, frailty, and unworthiness. We…
The Lord is my strength and my shield; in him my heart trusts, and I am helped; my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to him. Psalm 28:7 ESV Exults – You have probably heard rumors about “the God particle,” the scientists’ dream of finding that “something” that creates life. “Elusive” would be a modest assessment of…
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…
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…
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…
