September 28, 2017

Book-ended By Praise

The Lord’s Prayer ends with the praise phrase “for thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever. Amen.” This prayer model given by Jesus to His disciples in Matthew 6:9-13 appears to both start with worship and end with worship. There is some controversy, however, about this phrase as it does not appear in all manuscripts.

I don’t think the book-ended praises are accidental, however. After praying for the coming of…..

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… And Lead Us Not Into Temptation

The sample prayer that Jesus gave His disciples in Matthew 6:9-13 also includes the phrase “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil”. According to William MacDonald, “This petition expresses a healthy distrust of one’s own ability to resist temptations or to stand up under trial” (Believer’s Bible Commentary – New Testament. Wichita, Kansas: A&O Press, 1989. p. 40). Jesus warned His disciples to “Watch ye and pray, lest ye…..

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Pray Specifically

At Hezekiah’s request, Isaiah asked God to take the shadow backwards ten degrees as a sign of His healing. And God did it (2 Kings 20:8-11). While it is nothing for the Creator to bend time and reverse solar movement like that, it is a significant demonstration of God’s intent to honor Hezekiah’s request.

The Matthew 6:9-13 Lord’s Prayer includes the phrase “Give us this day, our daily bread.” It is not the specific request for the miraculous…..

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Kingdom Business

I fell and broke my right wrist on Monday. I asked my left-handed daughter if we could trade “handedness” for a while. She doesn’t think it works that way.

When things like broken bones happen, most people bemoan the issue and complain about the crimp the temporary disability puts on their lifestyle. Yes, we are distracted by the pain. But for the Christian living in the culture of hope that is founded on faith, such an event should…..

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