Women of the Bible: The Syrophoenician Woman

A desperate mother of a suffering child will stop at nothing to get help. She’ll seek out every expert, go any distance, and make every sacrifice to ensure her child is once again well and whole. Such a mother is singleminded and relentless. She remains a powerful and persistent force until someone finally attends to her plea for help.

That’s the story (more…)

Speaking Truth to Power

O Lord, you have searched me and known me! You know when I sit down and when I rise up;
You discern my thoughts from afar.—Psalm 139:1-2 (ESV)

Our society has clung to the idea of speaking truth to power in an effort to effect change. The term often is used in the face of perceived oppression or powerlessness. What if the powers to (more…)

What Happens When God Moves

And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way, walk in it,” when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left.—Isaiah 30:21

Every day I pray I will hear, immediately recognize and immediately obey the voice of the Holy Spirit. I often pray it will be as reflexive to me as breathing. I (more…)

A Spiritual Exercise

I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.—Philippians 3:14

Every day I read my Bible as I eat my breakfast. In the cooler months—far and few between in Florida—I enjoy power walking while I pray. (Take note of the verb “enjoy.”) But in the hotter months, I usually pray on my elliptical. (more…)

Prayer: Our Greatest and Least Valued Weapon

Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth.—James 5:17

So many times I have found myself and my Christian friends saying, “All we can do is pray” when we feel powerless—when a loved one is dying, when a (more…)