-
6 Elements of Effective Prayer
My thanks for this lesson to John Underhill, pastor of Valley Fourth Church in Spokane, WA. I have paraphrased his article but the ideas, not to mention the neat alliteration, are his. Matthew 6:9-15 is the Lord’s Prayer. We repeat the Lord’s Prayer and we are right to do so, but the pattern that He taught us using this prayer is just as important as the prayer itself. Now, must every prayer we pray follow this pattern? No, we are not under the Law. And this prayer is our speaking to God, while we should also listen to God. But I believe that when we settle down to talk to…
-
The Perfect Storm
“Come!” answered Jesus. So Peter got out of the boat and started walking on the water to Jesus. But when he noticed the strong wind, he was afraid and started to sink down in the water. “Save me, Lord!” he cried. At once Jesus reached out and grabbed hold of him and said, “What little faith you have! Why did you doubt?” (Matt. 14:29-31) Oh, this is me! Noticing the strong wind all the time and sinking down. Crying out for Jesus and Jesus comes! But how more blessed it would be — how much more blessed I would be — if I kept my eyes on Him and only…
-
Hearing the Word
photo credit: khrawlings First and foremost God speaks to us through the Bible, his Word. Anytime we hear from him any other way — directly, through nature, in dreams and vision, through others — we must always put up those words against the Word. His sovereign will are revealed through the Bible and all of our listening must start and end there. Hearing God through Scripture is the basis of everything else. It is through Word of God that we know Him, that we know what He has done for us. It is through the Word that we learn about the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. We learn…