n0klu's Rants

  Jan 31, 2022 at 12:01 AM CST Topic: +DEV+     Communal Prayer Communal Prayer "They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer."       Acts 2:42 Scripture Focus: Revelation 19:1-7 Communal prayer is when we pray together. God's people from Genesis (4:26) to Revelation (8:3-5) have been praying together. From the book of Acts, we find those in the early church almost always praying collectively: in the temple and in their homes, when they were sick and when they were filled with the Spirit, at mealtimes and in times of persecution. Corporately, they devoted themselves to prayer.   Whenever you are able, pray together with others. Your age, your gender, or your ability do not matter. Let prayer undergird the projects your church is undertaking. Learn from the words you hear others pray. Pray for those near and far.   "We now turn to those who have left home and serve you in foreign countries, transla

  Jan 26, 2022 at 12:39 AM CST Topic: +DEV+     Prayer of Faith Prayer of Faith "The prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective."       James 5:15, 16b Scripture Focus:   James 5:13-16 Have you read this passage and questioned why your prayers for healing didn't seem to "work"? Did you wonder if perhaps you just were not righteous enough to produce prayers that were "powerful and effective"? I imagine we all can relate to this.   We bring our impassioned requests to the Lord, not unlike a child begging a parent. But while the child may have a fit when the answer is "no," we can come to trust in our loving heavenly Father who will do His good and perfect will in His timing. He is still Lord. He is still loving. His answer is best.   Let's pray together now: "We pray for healing for those who experience various sicknesses, acute and chronic

  Jan 25, 2022 at 2:27 AM CST Topic: +DEV+     Restore Us, Lord Restore Us, Lord "Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever."       Psalm 73:25-26 Scripture Focus: Psalm 73:21-28 From very young on, we long for success. We hope things go right for us, and we strive to make it so. Yet as we grow older and our failures accumulate, we see God working in our shortcomings and disappointments as much as (or more than) He works in our accomplishments. Let's thank Him for that today.   "Heavenly Father, we thank you for the opportunities you give which cultivate patience, tolerance, and hope. We can thank you for the letdowns that we have faced, for they teach us humility. We can thank you for our failures, for they help us understand the failures of others who need a helping hand. Thank you for your forgiveness that makes us conscious of being human. T

  Jan 24, 2022 at 1:22 AM CST Topic: +DEV+     Evening Prayer Evening Prayer "May my prayer be set before you like incense; may the lifting up of my hands be like the evening sacrifice."       Psalm 141:2 Scripture Focus: Palm 119:145-152 From sun up to sun down, Jesus hears our rambling, unorganized prayers as well as our short, one-line prayers.   In A Praying Life (2009), Paul Miller says "A praying life isn't simply a morning prayer time; it is about slipping into prayer at odd hours of the day, not because we are disciplined, but because we are in touch with our own poverty of spirit" and know that we need Jesus at every hour. We can talk with Him right to the moment we lay our heads on the pillow and close our eyes. Let your evening thoughts be of Him and His goodness to you.   "Heavenly Father, thank you for carrying me through another day. Thank you for all it held and each way you were evident in it. Let some faith and hope and love come out of tod

Jan 20, 2021 at 1:47 AM CST Topic: +DEV+     Morning Prayer Morning Prayer "Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go. For to you I lift up my soul."       Psalm 143:8 Scripture Focus: Psalm 143:7-12 There are no "rules for praying" that say you must pray first thing in the morning. Still, why wouldn't I want to greet my Maker at the beginning of the day, thank Him for rest and life and breath, and place before Him the plans or worries or questions that lie ahead?   When a full day awaits you, you might think you should pray so that all goes more smoothly in the coming hours. Pray, indeed! But what if all does not then go smoothly? Has prayer "not worked" again? Keep in mind that coming to God with the burden of your busy day is not necessarily going to offer you a less busy life. However, it will offer you a less busy heart. By lifting up your soul, as David says in the psalm, you

Jan 17, 2022 at 12:31 AM CST Topic: +DEV+     Daily Conversation Daily Conversation "By day you led them with a pillar of cloud, and by night with a pillar of fire to give them light on the way they were to take." Nehemiah 9:12 Scripture Focus: Nehemiah 9:9-12 The daytime cloud and nighttime fire in the sky were visible, almost tangible displays of God's close presence with the Israelite people. He was with them at every moment. They lived in direct, intimate communion with God. Just think of it!   Yet you and I, too, live with the presence of God every day. The Holy Spirit dwells in our very hearts, making a personal relationship with the God of all creation possible. We enter into that privileged communion through prayer. Let's pray together this prayer to the God who is at hand and draws near to us:   "Almighty God, the Source of Light and Life, you dwell in light invisible and yet reveal yourself to earth-bound beings like us living in darkness. You are alway