It’s winter. Of course, we get snow and rain in winter. Where we used to live we frequently heard the saying, “If you don’t like the weather in Susanville, wait five minutes.” Besides the daily measurement of precipitation, each April 1 the western states measure snowpack depth and characteristics on mountain heights to determine the amount of water we can expect from the spring melt-off. This measurement determines whether drought conditions will exist and what mitigating efforts will need to…..
“Our Father which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.” (Matt. 6:9-13)
The Lord’s Prayer ends with the praise phrase “for thine is the kingdom and…..
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 enter into temptation. The spirit truly is…..
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 that Hezekiah…..
“Our Father which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.” (Matt. 6:9-13)
In last week’s blog, I talked about seeking forgiveness from God. But the prayer…..
The first time I sang “The Lord’s Prayer” in a high school choir rehearsal, I fell in love with it. The soaring melody lines and close harmonies of the song by Albert Hay Mallotte seemed to capture the beauty and sacredness of Jesus’ words in a compelling way. Even though I had memorized the words as a child, the song gave me a new level of understanding of the prayer found in Matthew 6 and Luke 11. In both passages,…..
Picture this: you are driving in heavy traffic in an unfamiliar city. You see your destination but there is not an empty parking space anywhere. You drive farther along, then circle around each block in between. Still no vacant parking space. What do you do now? Get angry? Circle the blocks on the other side of your destination? Have you ever thought about praying for a parking space?
This may seem an event too small for God to be concerned…..
God’s Strength Made Perfect in My Weakness
“Give ear to my prayer, O God; and hide not thyself from my supplication. Attend unto me, and hear me: I mourn in my complaint, and make a noise because of the voice of the enemy, because of the oppression of the wicked. For they cast iniquity upon me, and in wrath they hate me.” Psalm 55:1-3
Recently my prayer has been similar to this one. Only it is not human voices that…..