Tag: prayer

Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

A relentlessly faithful God

Posted on by William Douthwaite

On his way back to back to his homeland and family, Jacob encounters a camp of angels. But even with the backup of a heavenly army, Jacob is afraid of his brother Esau’s approaching force of 400 men.

Jacob starts planning for the encounter, preparing gifts, dividing his family into two groups, and praying. That’s right, Jacob prayed. At least he’s learned something these past twenty years working for his uncle Laban.

George Mueller wrote, “The most important part of prayer is the fifteen minutes after ‘Amen.'” What you do next speaks volumes about you and who you trust. Jacob is thankful for God’s provision, recalls God’s promises, and asks for his protection. So far so good. But the next day, he continues lining up gifts to pacify his brother.

That night, Jacob wrestles all night with God (Genesis 32:24). He’s determined to get a blessing from him. Really? Jacob is on his way home with wives, children, servants and livestock. God has shown him kindness and faithfulness, given him the covenant promises, and dispatched the angel army to protect him. How much blessing will it take to get through to you, Jacob?

The world has taught us not to trust anyone. Anyone. I know most of our email, texts, and phone calls are scams. Stories and images are AI generated. Marketers manipulate me to like, desire, and buy things I don’t need or even really want. I understand completely why Jacob is cautious and has a backup plan.

However, God is relentless. He tirelessly shows us that we can trust him. He displays his faithfulness by fulfilling promise after promise. If there is anyone we can trust, it’s the Lord.

It just takes me people like me and Jacob (and probably you, the reader) a long time to take that truth to heart.

Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

What a ridiculous prayer

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Jack Sharp on Unsplash

How bold are my prayers? Do I pray for what I think God would be willing to give? Or do I go out on a limb with a ridiculous prayer for grace and mercy? Will I go to bat for someone undeserving of anything but his wrath? Am I willing to ask for something I don’t — and never could — deserve?

Abraham prays with boldness and humility in Genesis 18.

Then Abraham spoke up again: “Now that I have been so bold as to speak to the Lord, though I am nothing but dust and ashes, what if the number of the righteous is five less than fifty? Will you destroy the whole city for lack of five people?” (Genesis 18:27,28)

From a place of extreme humility, Abraham isn’t shy about challenging God’s plan to destroy the wicked cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. His bold prayer originates from the dust and ashes of someone just as sinful, just as deserving of God’s wrath. He is not afraid to confront God, negotiate with God, and call God out on matters of justice.

“Maybe there are a few good people there.” Sure, keep dreaming Abraham. I know you care about your nephew Lot. He chose to live in Sin City, remember? His wife will look back and be turned into a pillar of salt. His daughters will use him to bear children who will torment God’s people for generations to come.

50? 45? 30? 20? 10 righteous people? If you can find that many, God will step back. He doesn’t. There wasn’t. God’s judgment is perfect, just, righteous, and appropriate. He knows what’s going on. He knows what he’s doing.

Abraham’s humble yet bold prayers remind me of something Paul wrote in Romans 8:34. There we read that Christ “is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.” The one who humbled himself and became a servant boldly goes to bat for us, as deserving of God’s wrath as any sinner in scripture. Forget about fifty righteous or even ten. “There is no one righteous, not even one” (Romans 3:10). We’re only spared because he took the full wrath of God on our behalf, “wounded for our transgressions and crushed for our iniquities” (Isaiah 53:5).

Both Abraham and Christ remind me that humility and boldness in prayer go hand in hand.

Posted in God, gratitude

A close call

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Usman Malik on Unsplash

My son slammed on the brakes as red tail lights suddenly stopped in front of us. We couldn’t see beyond the semi ahead, so we didn’t know what was going on. He sighed, “Great. Now what?”

My grandson in the backseat said, “I think a car bounced off the guardrail.”

As traffic slowly passed to the left, we found room to sneak by on the right.

A white sedan with a crumpled front end was turned sideways. Two other cars were stopped in back of the that car. The truck driver had already walked up to check on the driver, who stood next to the car, apparently unhurt. We crept by, just avoiding some torn-off chrome trim on the road.

I couldn’t really tell what had happened, but I was thankful for the timing. Had we been arrived a minute earlier, we might have been involved. A minute later and we’d be in standstill traffic for a while.

Anything can happen driving through Dallas on I-30. And I’m sure it does just about every day. I’m grateful we made it to Fort Worth and back.

I don’t know about you, but I often pray for safe travel for myself and others. I ask God for protection as we go about the day and while we sleep at night. I don’t notice most of the times he answers those prayers. I’m oblivious to the close calls I have. He keeps me blissfully unaware of the dangers around me.

And for that, I am thankful.

Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

A moment of silence

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Kristina Flour on Unsplash

Some “through the bible” thoughts from Revelation 8.

“When the Lamb opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour” (Revelation 8:1).

That silence stands in contrast with the unending praises of the six-winged creatures in Revelation 4:8. They are joined by the twenty-four elders, myriads of myriads of angels, and every creature in heaven and earth and under the earth and in the sea (Rev. 5:9-10, 12,13. People from every nation, tribe, people, and language who have washed their robes in the blood of the Lamb praise him with loud voices as well (Rev. 7:9-10).

Heaven is a noisy place until the Lamb opens the seventh seal and “there was silence in heaven for about half an hour” (Rev. 8:1).

One of the hardest things to do when teaching a class or facilitating a discussion is to ask a question and then be quiet. If no one says anything for fifteen seconds, it’s tempting to speak. A full minute of quiet seems like an hour.

Quiet is important. People are thinking. Pondering the question. Forming their thoughts.

Quiet is important when the baby is sleeping. I disconnected the doorbell so that a well-meaning delivery person didn’t push the button, ring the bell, make the dog bark, and wake the child.

Quiet is important in music. A rest means don’t play. Don’t sing a note.

Quiet is important when you’re playing hide-and-seek. Don’t giggle. Don’t breathe heavy. Don’t give away your hiding place.

Quiet is important in golf. Spectators are warned not to make a sound when a player is lining up a perfectly still ball for a drive or putt. Same for a tennis serve.

On the other hand, when a batter is trying to hit a 90 mile-per-hour fast ball, fifty-thousand people are yelling at the top of their lungs. When a basketball player lines up for a free throw, fans of the opposing team will be anything but silent.

How entertaining is it when an adult’s whispered, “Shut up!” is louder than the noise a wriggling child makes in church?

Or when a moment of silence is interrupted by the ring tone of a cell phone in someone’s purse or pocket?

In that half-hour of silence, the prayers of the saints reach the ears of God. The cacophony of heaven’s praises cannot drown out the asking, seeking, and knocking of believers.

More importantly, the roar of heaven’s worship will never drown out your prayers. They rise up to God like the smoke of incense (8:3-4). Your whispered prayers for his help, mercy, and presence sweetly disrupt heaven’s silence, moving God to respond with the thunder, rumblings, lightning, and earthquakes of his presence (8:5).

Let’s make some noise. Let’s pray!

Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

A few spiritual petitions

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Fa Barboza on Unsplash

Jesus’s approval ratings skyrocket after he feeds the five thousand. Jesus knows it’s because they fed him. They remind him, “Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness…Give us this bread always” (John 6:31,34).

Jesus says, “I am the bread of life” (John 6:35). He repeats this truth two more times to emphasize that we need more than a meal. We need him.

How many of our prayers are for physical things, and how many petitions are for spiritual blessings? Surely someone has run the numbers. It’s probably not close. I’ll bet less than one percent of prayer is for spiritual blessing. The rest is for healing, provision, protection, wisdom for decisions, and relationships.

There is nothing wrong with praying for those things. Jesus told us to ask for “daily bread,” that is, everything we need for the support of this body and life. Such prayers help us receive everything with gratitude, acknowledging that every good and perfect gift is from above.

But what about our spiritual needs? Do we pray for those? How do we pray for those?

Somewhere I read these suggested petitions when reading the bible:

  1. Help me learn something new about you, Lord.
  2. Give me knowledge, wisdom, and understanding.
  3. Guide my steps according to your Word.

None are tangible. All have a spiritual flavor to them. An enhanced view of God provides insight to shape our lives from the inside out. It’s a useful outline that lets spiritual needs bubble to the top of my prayer list.

Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

Prayers that glorify God

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Jack Sharp on Unsplash

Some “through the bible” thoughts from John 17.

“When Jesus had spoken these words, he lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, ‘Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you'” (John 17:1).

We know that Jesus went off by himself to pray. In John’s gospel we get to listen in. At the heart of Jesus’s prayer is the desire to glorify his father.

How often do we pray that God would be glorified?

I pray for healing, protection, relationships, faith, and provision. And I ought to pray for all those things. But my prayers are for my personal health and well-being. Sometimes it is for others. Do I pray for God to be glorified?

Not intentionally. To be honest my prayers sound selfish compared to Jesus’s. But God is glorified when he responds to my prayers. He’s the source of healing, provision, faith, and life. Whenever I receive those things, he looks good. That is, he’s glorified.

How would the shape of my prayers change if my motivation was God’s glory? The slices of praise and thanks would be the larger pieces of my prayer pie chart. The bottom line would not be my comfort and happiness, but good publicity for God, that more would know, trust, and glorify him.

What if prayer were a highlighter for all that God is and does? I wouldn’t be able to ignore his power, kindness, grace, justice, and mercy. He would look better and better every time I prayed.

He would be glorified!

Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

Persistent prayer

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Jack Sharp on Unsplash

Some “through the bible” thoughts from Luke 18.

“[Jesus] told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart” (Luke 18:1). The good news in Jesus’s parable (18:1-8) is that we don’t have to wear down God with relentless prayer like an uncaring judge. We know God will respond in just the right way at just the right time.

It’s not that I lose heart. It’s all the distractions that compete for my attention. Morning prayer is easy. It’s part of my early day routine. After that, life gets busy.

In the Old Testament, Daniel prayed three times a day, every day. He didn’t abandon that habit when threatened with lions (Daniel 6). Someone suggested a similar system. Set an alarm for noon and late afternoon, a simple, personal call to prayer. It’s not a bad idea. When my phone buzzes in my pocket, I remember to pray. When that alarm goes off, God shows up on my radar. I don’t pray for a long time. I just give thanks for whatever is going on, or pray for whoever’s around at that moment.

A bell summons monks away from work to prayer in monasteries. Why not use technology to my advantage? What a great way to weave prayer in the fabric of a day.

Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

Sweet (sleepy) hour of prayer

Posted on by William Douthwaite

Some “through the Bible” thoughts from Matthew 26.

“So, could you not watch with me one hour?” (Matthew 26:41)

The disciples snooze as Jesus prays in the garden of Gethsemane. What do you think? Is an hour of prayer a long time or a short time?

I guess it depends. I’ve tried to listen and keep my focus as someone said a long, involved prayer before we sat down to eat a meal. The prayer went far beyond, thanking God for food, and the friends who were gathered, praying for healing, peace, church, and numerous other issues. Those five minutes seemed like a very long time to me.

On the other hand, I remember taking tests that had a one hour time limit. That hour passed by so quickly. I could’ve used a little more time to go back over some of my answer answers.

At the airport, a one hour flight delay seems to take forever. I wander around get some coffee find a snack and still have 15 minutes to wait.

When we’re driving somewhere small voices from the backseat say how long till we get there? There are lots of grounds when I say an hour. Even though I might know where I’m going, I’ll bring the GPS up on the screen so it can tell them how much farther we have to go.

Some people feel the need to include some doctrine statements in their prayers, probably more for the benefit of those listening. We want to make sure that people know what it is that we believe. To me that seems kind of redundant, since God knows what I believe.

In conjunction with a fundraising effort for sanctuary, our church had a 24 hour prayer vigil. People signed up for an hour slot and came to the church to pray, as we suck God‘s blessings not just for a new building, but our church’s ministry. Not many people wanted to be there between three and four in the morning, so that’s the slot that I took. I have to to admit it seemed like a very long hour to me.

I guess that’s because I tend to get to the point. When I’m called upon to pray before a meal or to begin or close a Bible class, I generally say what I can in one breath. I can usually capture the essence of my thoughts in 20 words or less. But that’s just me.

But the same token an hour of prayer doesn’t have to consist of your words. That sweet hour of prayer could also involve reading God’s word, hearing God’s word, thinking about God’s word, and listening. I believe we pay attention to God‘s half of the conversation when we pray. I do find that hour in the morning of reading my Bible, journaling, praying, thinking, and planning my day does go by pretty quickly.

Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

A night with an angel and lions

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Jonathan Cooper on Unsplash

Some “through the bible” thoughts from Daniel 6.

First, a summary of the classic Sunday School story. Then, some unorthodox thoughts that come to mind.

When other officials fail to dig up any dirt to discredit Daniel, they decide they will use his faith against him (Daniel 6:5). They set him up, getting the king to establish an ordinance that no one can pray to anyone else but him for the next thirty days. The penalty? Offenders will be cast into the den of lions (6:7).

When Daniel deliberately disobeys and prays to God has he always did, the king has no choice but to throw him into the den of lions, wishing him the best: “May your God, whom you serve continually, deliver you!” (6:16).

The next morning, Daniel is safe and sound, explaining, “My God sent his angel and shut the lions’ mouths, and they have not harmed me” (6:22). It’s not that the lions weren’t hungry. Those who conspired against Daniel, along with their wives and children, were immediately torn apart when they were thrown to the lions (6:24).

Wouldn’t you like to spend the night with an angel? I would. Perhaps I need to consider what radical faithfulness would look like for me, so that I could have that opportunity.

In the same vein, wouldn’t it be great to spend the night with lions, especially knowing that they wouldn’t harm you? We used to line up early for feeding time at the Philadelphia zoo, eager to see the lions sink their teeth into some large slabs of beef. How great would it be to stroke their manes and hear them purr?

Daniel got to experience both of those things by simply giving God thanks on a regular basis. That simple spiritual habit was not only courageous and faithful, but resulted in a night he would never forget!