Francois Fenelon, a seventeenth-century Roman Catholic Frenchman, said this about prayer: Tell God all that is in your heart, as one unloads one’s heart, its pleasures and its pain, to a dear friend. Tell Him your troubles, that He may comfort you; tell Him your joys, that He may sober them; tell Him your longings, that He may purify them; tell Him your dislikes, that He may help you to conquer them; talk to Him of your temptations, that He may shield you from them; show Him the wounds of your heart, that He may . . .
Read MoreCategory Archives: Prayer
A Puritan’s Prayer
Some years ago I was given a book of Puritan prayers called The Valley of Vision. I have worn out one copy and had to purchase another. I recommend this volume to you. Read the following prayer from the Puritan’s pen slowly (preferably aloud) . . .
Read MoreCrucible of Crises
God’s Word is filled with examples of those who believed God and “commenced prayer.” David certainly did. “I waited patiently for the LORD; And He inclined to me, and heard my cry. He brought me up out of the pit of destruction, out of the miry clay; And He set my feet upon a rock making my footsteps firm” (Ps. 40:1–2).
Read MoreCommence Prayer
It was in 1968 on an airplane headed for New York—a routine and normally very boring flight. But this time it proved to be otherwise. As the plane was on its descent pattern, the pilot realized that the landing gear was not engaging. Passengers were told to place their heads between their knees and grab their ankles just before impact.
Read MoreSolitude: A Vital Factor in Growing Closer to God
I often smile when I read the gospel of Mark. He loved the word immediately. It appears again and again. Mark reminds us that Jesus’s life was packed with people and pressure like you and I have never known. But he also records that “in the early morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got […]
Read MoreTime with God
I was raised to believe in the importance of a “quiet time.” To the surprise of some, the original idea of that concept did not come from the late Dawson Trotman, the founder of The Navigators, but from the Lord Himself. Replete through the Scriptures are references to the value of waiting for the Lord […]
Read MoreStrengthening Your Grip on Prayer
I should tell you up front that this is not going to be your basic religious-sounding statement on prayer. Sorry, I just don’t have it in me. No, I’m not sorry. To be painfully honest with you, most of the stuff I have ever read or heard said about prayer has either left me under […]
Read MoreWhen God Says “No”. . .Pray
When nobody is around and when we’re able to be absolutely honest with ourselves before God, we entertain certain dreams and hopes. We want very much by the end of our days to have _________________________ (fill in the blank). However, it may well be that we will die with that desire unfulfilled. Should that occur, […]
Read MoreCommence Prayer
This actually happened years ago. It was in 1968 on an airplane headed for New York—a routine and normally very boring flight. But this time it proved to be otherwise. As they were on their descent pattern, the pilot realized that the landing gear was not engaging. He messed around with the controls, trying again […]
Read MoreBack to the Basics
The late football strategist Vince Lombardi was a fanatic about fundamentals. Those who played under his leadership often spoke of his intensity, his drive, his endless enthusiasm for the guts of the game. Time and again he would come back to the basic techniques of blocking and tackling. On one occasion his team, the Green […]
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