Tag Archives: repentance

Prayer when Lying in the Dust

You, like I, may have experienced times when your world fell apart. How did you pray? At times, I found it hard to pray at all. I have learned that such times require prayer, that we talk to God when … Continue reading

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Praying when Very Sick

Life-threatening illness erases our calendar and makes us reassess our priorities. Because it often separates us from friends and, in the age of COVID, even family, it may isolate us from previous support systems. We may feel abandoned or at … Continue reading

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Preparing to Pray

How well do we prepare to worship God? How do we prepare to pray? I have heard many stories of families arguing bitterly on the way to a place of worship, only to emerge from their vehicles with smiles and … Continue reading

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Praying with Desperate Repentance

“Out of the depths I cry to you, O LORD! O Lord, hear my voice! Let your ears be attentive to the voice of my pleas for mercy!” (Psalm 130:1-2) That prayer of desperation begins a song sung by pilgrims … Continue reading

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A Prayer to the God who Distracts

Biblical writers employed metaphors and similes to describe the God whom no one has seen. We know well passages that envision God as Father, Lion, Creator, Shepherd, Warrior, and Refuge. In recent decades, increasing attention has been paid to passages … Continue reading

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Praying with confidence that God can effect change

As soldiers fail when they do not trust their weapons and other equipment, we cripple ourselves in the battle against evil when we do not believe that that “those who are with us are greater than those who are with … Continue reading

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Praying with Awareness of a Legacy of Sin

As in my last post, I will consider what the prayer of returned Jewish exiles to their parents’ homeland can teach us about prayer. In that previous post, we observed the prayer was offered to the God who created the … Continue reading

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A Prayer on the National Day of Prayer

Today, people prayed and sang across the nation as they observed the National Day of Prayer. The theme for this year, drawn from Isaiah 58:1, called for people to wake up and repent. Psalm 58 describes God as distressed by … Continue reading

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A Prayer that We May Listen

Calling for fire in a military context requires confidence that that the headquarters being called for assistance can and will provide what is needed. It also requires caution. The caller must communicate accurately the nature of the request, the correct … Continue reading

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Moving from Prayer to Action

Nehemiah’s prayers give us insight on moving from prayer to action. His despair when he receives devastating news about the plight of Jews who have returned from captivity to a wrecked Jerusalem causes him to weep. Then he prays. In … Continue reading

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