According to a simple reading of Psalm 95, My love, adoration and joy in you has been too measured and too contained. Tim and Kathy Keller write in their devotional on this Psalm: "When the love of the immeasurably great and transcendent God of the universe becomes real to us, the joy should be uncontainable.”My … Continue reading Prayer of Confession of Sin – Psalm 95
Scripture Prayer
A Prayer of Adoration – Psalm 95
If the fire of your heart's devotion to the Lord needs some fuel. Here are things for which to praise Him from Psalm 95. 1. We praise you for rescuing us from all of our spiritual enemies. For You are the Rock of our salvation (1). 2. We praise you for giving us access into … Continue reading A Prayer of Adoration – Psalm 95
Praying Scripture | Psalm 32
Here is a simple way to pray through a portion of God's Word - Psalm 32 1 Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. 2 Blessed is the man against whom the Lord counts no iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit. 3 For when I kept silent, … Continue reading Praying Scripture | Psalm 32
Psalm 51 and Becoming a Chief Repenter
Last evening I led a seminar on "The Gospel-Centered Parent." We talked about what it looks like to become the chief repenter in our families. The classic text on repentance is the penitential Psalm... Psalm 51, where David confesses and repents of his sins of adultery and murder. Here is a simple thought and a … Continue reading Psalm 51 and Becoming a Chief Repenter
True and Lasting Happiness
The Word of God cuts through the fog of Satan's lies and shows me where true and lasting happiness is to be found. And so the Word helps me stop trusting in the potential of sin to make me happy, and instead leads me to trust in God's promise of infinite, lasting joy. Psalm 16:11 … Continue reading True and Lasting Happiness
Hope for the Hopeless
From Isaiah 61:1-3... To those who think that their lives are so broken that they have no more heart to try… To those who are bound up in various addictions and besetting sins so that real liberty seems like a cruel mirage… To those who think they will never experience again the favor of the … Continue reading Hope for the Hopeless
Taking Time to Examine Yourself
Why do followers of Jesus take time to regularly confess their sins to God? The regular discipline of confession enables us to grasp more fully the beauty and wonder of grace as we are made continually aware of the depth of our need of God’s unmerited favor. Christopher Ash explains: We desire “to encourage self-examination … Continue reading Taking Time to Examine Yourself
A Prayer of Preparation for Worship
Gracious Father, may all who come within the walls of your house of worship today experience a fresh encounter with You, the living God, so that deep gladness and profound joy overtake them and sorrow and sighing flee away. May all who come dwell in your presence beholding your beauty. For Your presence ultimately transforms … Continue reading A Prayer of Preparation for Worship
Is Your Soul Prospering?
The Apostle John prays for his church: Beloved, I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in good health, as it goes well with your soul. - 3 John 2 John Trapp, an Anglican Bible commentator and pastor in the 1600s, explains what it means for our souls to … Continue reading Is Your Soul Prospering?
What specifically are we praying for when we say ‘Deliver Us from Evil?’
According to the Scriptures, there are seven evils from which we need deliverance: Disciples saw Jesus praying, and noticed the great difference between His prayers and theirs, so they requested to be taught how to pray. He alone can deliver us from evil. Said he to Moses: “I am come down to deliver them,” i.e., … Continue reading What specifically are we praying for when we say ‘Deliver Us from Evil?’
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