As Christians, one of the first things we learn is the importance of prayer. I learned to pray before I can even remember learning. We prayed at bedtime, and we said the blessing before each meal. As I got older, I noticed that at church people prayed a little differently. Some folks used a lot…
Read MoreSeries: What I've Learned About Prayer
Praying Continuously
Some of us were taught to pray before every meal. We call it “saying the blessing,” and a lot of us learned it this way: “God is great, God is good, let us thank him for our food. By his hands, we are fed, give us Lord our daily bread. Amen.” One time in our…
Read MoreA Regular Time of Prayer
One day Jesus was teaching, and he said these words: And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. (Matthew 6:5)…
Read MoreDo You Believe God Can?
In seminary, many of our classes were very large, with 150-200 students per class. The head of our branch campus was Dr. Don Aderhold, one of the finest men I’ve ever known, and he also taught several classes. One of his habits was calling on one of us to open the class with prayer. Connie…
Read MoreThe Waiting Game
Many years ago, Kim and I took the kids to Disney World. We had a blast, of course, but one thing you have to accept at Disney is that you’ll spend a lot of time waiting in lines. Thankfully, Disney had placed TV screens along the line that showed scenes from various Disney shows. At…
Read MorePraying in God’s Will
Does God promise to give us anything we ask of him? It sure sounds like it. Some verses make it sound like all we need is enough faith when we ask. Even Jesus said it: “And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith.” (Matthew 21:22) Wouldn’t that be amazing? We…
Read MoreSharing in the Battle: Praying for Others
In seminary, our classes lasted four hours each, with two classes a day and a two-hour dinner break between each class. One day, the professor of our second class, Dr. Aderhold, warned us not to drive too far for dinner and to be back on time. That just happened to be the day we had…
Read MoreDo You Pray for Your Enemies?
In the previous post, we talked about the importance of praying for others. That doesn’t mean simply praying for family, friends, missionaries, and for our favorite teams to win. It’s easy to pray for those people. Jesus added to that list when he was preaching on a mountainside: “You have heard that it was said,…
Read MoreGod’s Sovereignty and Our Prayers
There’s a question I’ve been asked more than once along the way, and it goes something like this: “If God is in complete control of the world, then why should l pray?” In other words, if everything is always going to happen the way God wants it to happen, then what difference do my prayers…
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