The prayer of the self-righteous is not heard. When Jesus taught the disciples that they ought always to pray and not faint (Luke 18:1-8), he gave them a parable of the two men who went to the temple to pray (Lk. 18:9-14). The Pharisee, who trusted in himself that he was righteous set all others…
Isaiah 59:1-2 reads, “Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear: But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear. Chapter fifty-eight and verses six through nine describes the…
We might be surprised how many different answers we would hear to this question. Yet, it seems to go without saying that if God is our Father and we have been reared by earthly parents who did not always give us what we ask, we would never question whether they love us. Equally obvious is…
I’ve observed that the more we become like Jesus the more we pray for others. He prayed for Peter, who was Satan’s target, that his faith not fail (Luke 22:31-32). In John 17, he prayed for his apostles and all of those believers who accepted Him through the work of the apostles. He prayed for…
Paul wrote in 1 Timothy 2:1-2, “Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence” (NKJV). The phrase “all men” or “all” must…
I wish to look at two examples of prayer in the life of the early saints during crisis situations. The first is the prayer of the saints is Mary’s house. Peter was in Jail with the certain intention of Herod to put him to death (Acts 12:1-4). But, they prayed earnestly for him (12:5). James…
Saul of Tarsus, who had gone on a mission to bind Christians and commit them to prison, was coming to Damascus when a bright light blinded him. Falling to the ground, he heard the Lord speak to him to go into the city to receive further instruction. While there, he would be told what he…
As Luke had emphasized the life of prayer in Jesus according to his gospel, so he continues to emphasize prayer in the life of the saints in Acts. Prayer was such an important work that the apostles asked the saints to choose seven men to wait on tables so they could give themselves steadfastly to…
The Lord’s prayer in Gethsemene was the most dramatic and heart-wrenching prayer that we have on record. Jesus had been here before. Luke tells us that it was “his custom” to go to “the place” in the garden where he prayed. The intensity of this restless and sad soul on this night is expressed in…
It is common for the world to refer to the Lord’s prayer that He taught as a model and example of prayer. That model was not Jesus praying to the Father. It was an example of how to pray. However, John 17 is a prayer that He prayed and is, therefore, The Lord’s Prayer. It…