Empowering Your Prayers

The God who is gathering our tears is also collecting our prayers (Psalm 56:8). It’s true; God is putting the groans of all His people together in a bowl of remembrance before Him (Revelation 5:8; 8:3). Isn’t this astounding? That’s a lot of prayers, including not only the ones uttered this morning but also the cries from His children long …

Fear of the Future

Holy Father, While the world seems to spin out of control, we purposefully quiet our hearts before You, our supreme King. As we pause, we remember that all governments are on Your shoulders, including those hostile to Truth (Isaiah 9:6). You are the conclusive authority over every kingdom of the earth (Isaiah 37:16). Despite evil’s flex of muscle, every dominion …

Audacious Asking

The friend at midnight. A simple parable where Jesus teaches us to pray. We’ve skimmed this story dozens of times and could recount it freely. The characters are few: a weary traveler, a needy host, and a sleepy friend. Likewise, the themes are straightforward: hunger, lack, and abundance.  But let’s dig deeper. “Then He said to them, “Suppose one of …

Preparing Heart-Soil in Prayer

“We should plant a garden!” You would think a farmer’s daughter would grasp the magnitude of her suggestion, but somehow, I remained oblivious until midway through that summer of 1986.  Our expansive backyard had no shade but plenty of weeds. Digging it up and starting over seemed a prerequisite. Mark rented a tiller and began the backbreaking job of turning …

Prayer In Weakness

Father, Thank You that You are the unmovable rock of my salvation (Psalm 18:2), far more significant than my anxious and quavering heart (1 John 3:20). You tell me over and again in Your Word, “Do not fear,” but I forget quickly, allowing worry to weigh down my heart (Luke 21:34). I’m tired of this cycle. My emotions can be …

Orbs of Prayer

This week, I’ve brought two friends with me for a special “dia-blog” post. Jane Bromley, editor at Senior Link magazine, and Traci Payne, freelance photographer and creator of ScripTpics are intercessors who continually teach me how to pray God’s heart. Join us as we chat. Me: “For the last several years, we have explored intercession together. Most recently, God helped …

Heal Our Land

Holy Father, You created me in the Image of the Trinity: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Not only am I formed with a spirit, a soul, and a body, Your desire is also to see me interconnected with other God-followers (Genesis 1:26; 1 Thessalonians 5:23; 1 Corinthians 12:13). The problem is that I talk about unity in theory, but find …

Prayer without Effort

Two o’clock in the morning. Most nights, I habitually wake within minutes of this hour. I’m not a night owl, nor an early riser. Yet, for almost a year now, I’m awake in the blackness of mid-night for at least thirty minutes.  I feel the need to pray, but as night images meld with inky darkness, my mind swirls unsettled …

Broken and Torn

You might say it started with a severed ear.  With a rush to colonize the West Indies, strained relationships between Britain and Spain escalated over the fight for resources in the area. During a routine trade journey near Jamaica, the British ship Rebecca was halted by a Spanish coast guard. Spanish soldiers demanded boarding rights on the British brig, claiming …