“Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life.” - Philippians 4:6-7, The Message SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "Don’t Sweat it (pray instead)", url: "http://www.deTheos.com/2009/07/28/dont-sweat-it-pray-instead/" });

“Imagine that your prayer is a poorly dressed beggar reeking of alcohol and body odor, stumbling toward the palace of the great king. You have become your prayer. As you shuffle toward the barred gate, the guards stiffen. Your smell has preceded you. You stammer out a message for the great king: ‘I want to see the king.’ Your words are barely intelligible, but you whisper one final word, ‘Jesus, I come in the name of Jesus.’ At the name of Jesus, as if by magic, the palace comes alive. The guards snap to attention, bowing low in front of you. Lights come on, and the door flies open. You...

This week, in talking about Why we Pray (and praying), I was reminded of a simple truth I learned last year. It was put together in a post on GoingtoSeminary.com. Let’s together celebrate our independence today through our dependence upon the Sovereign King of all. Here’s what I wrote then, and swim in now: [Fall '08] Greek has seemed to be a little disjointed until we arrive in the relative deep-end of participles this semester. I am certainly still wading around in the shallow end, but being pushed further into learning how to swim in this new language (but still with those orange...

“To pray in the name of Christ means to pray in the awareness that our prayers have no worthiness or efficacy apart from His atoning sacrifice and redemptive mediation. It means to appeal to the blood of Christ as the source of power for the life of prayer. It means to acknowledge our complete helplessness apart from his mediation and intercession. To pray in His name means that we recognize that our prayers cannot penetrate the tribunal of God unless they are presented to the Father by the Son, our one Savior and Redeemer.” —Donald Bloesch, Struggle of Prayer, 36-37 SHARETHIS.addEntry({...

“The character of our praying will determine the character of our preaching. Light praying will make light preaching. Prayer makes preaching strong, gives it unction, and makes it stick.” –E.M. Bounds, Power Through Prayer, p. 27 “Prayer, much prayer, is the price of preaching unction; prayer, much prayer is the one, sole condition of keeping this unction. Without unceasing prayer the unction never comes to the preacher. Without perseverance in prayer, the unction, like the manna overkept, breeds worms.” (p. 70) SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "Prayer + preaching", url:...

Pray without ceasing (1 Thess. 5:17) “Pray without ceasing,” says Paul, Meaning that all mean Should lift to God their desires At all times, In all places, And in all situations; Mean too that all men Are to expect all things from Him, Give praise for all things to Him, For to us God gives Unfailing reasons to praise and pray. Such constancy in prayer Applies to private devotion, But not to the public prayers We offer in the church… “True temples of God,” says Paul, “Are we.” Do you wish to prayer In God’s temple? Pray in yourself … Because of the goal of prayer Is to arouse and...

Wonderful King We are here Because of grace Because of love We are here Because of You Because of You You fill our hearts With more than we Can hold inside And so we sing Chorus: Beautiful Savior Wonderful King [2x] Bridge: Oh, beautiful sound The joy of Heaven here Oh, wonderful sound Love of Heaven now Oh, beautiful sound The joy of Heaven here Oh, wonderful sound Love of Heaven now Oh, beautiful sound The joy of Heaven here Oh, wonderful sound Oh, wonderful sound Chorus [3x] — The David Crowder Band, on their Can You Hear Us? album (2002) SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "Wonderful King",...

I cannot sing this new song by the David Crowder Band without crying. This morning as I prayed for my wife and son the chorus came to mind, so I loaded it on iTunes and sobbed my heart out. It’s called “The Glory of it All” from their latest album Remedy. The lyrics are loaded with theology of God’s glory, His redemptive love, our worth in His light and His willingness and ability to repair all things… (glory = weight, worth, value. I see our lives as needing to display the weight of God’s infinite worth. Everything He does displays, or will one day reveal,...

O, for a thousand tongues to sing My great Redeemer’s praise The glories of my God and King The triumphs of His grace My gracious Master and my God Assist me to proclaim To spread through all the earth abroad The honors of Thy name So come on and sing out Let our anthem grow loud There is one great love Jesus Jesus, the name that charms [calms] our fears That bids our sorrows cease ‘Tis music in the sinner’s ears ‘Tis life and health and peace He breaks the power of cancelled sin He sets the prisoners free His blood can make the foulest clean His blood availed for me He...

Prayer has two parts: Petition and thanksgiving. Petitioning, we lay before God The desire of our hearts, Thus seeking from His goodness What serves His glory, And then what is useful to us. In giving thanks, we own His benefits to us, With praise confess them, To His goodness alone Attribute all our blessings … Well0night overwhelmed Are we by the outpouring Of God’s blessings, By the many, mighty miracles Discerned wherever we look. How then can we fail to turn In praise and thankfulness To God? … Author of all blessings God truly is; Receive them we must All form His hand With continual...