Here in Luke’s narrative, once again, we find Jesus in prayer. But this time, something prompts a disciple to ask: “Lord, teach us to pray” (Luke 11:1). Prayer is one of the most vital spiritual disciplines, but it is also one of the most neglected. By failing to be devoted to prayer, we show that […]
In the Old Testament we read of how God graciously called Israel to his be his chosen people. They were to teach all the surrounding nations about their holy and loving God by their covenant faithfulness to his word (Ex. 19:4-6). However in the New Testament, Jesus appears as the true and better Israel who came to redeem a […]
We would imagine Luke’s gospel – an account of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus – to begin with the story of Christ’s birth. However, Luke does not start with the announcement of the coming Messiah, but with the announcement of the coming messenger, John the Baptist: “Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare […]
As Paul begins to bring his epistle to a close, he exhorts the church to “be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might” (Eph. 6:10). He masterfully weaves together the many themes present throughout the letter in order to encourage the saints to put on the gospel armor of God in its entirety, […]
David continues in Psalm 139 to describe the truly awesome nature and wonderful works of our Creator God. Here we discover such beautiful truths as His omnipotence, His Providence, and His infinitude: “How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them! If I would count them, they are more than the […]
The prayers of Paul as recorded in his epistles are profound – not simply because of what they include, but also because of what they don’t include. As Pastor Tim Keller notes in his book on prayer: “It is remarkable that in all of his writings Paul’s prayers for his friends contain no appeals for changes in their circumstances.” While […]
It’s easy to forget that many of the Psalms in Scripture actually pertain to particular accounts recorded in David’s life. By reading them in context, understanding what David was going through, we are able to more fully, and truly, understand their meaning and resulting applications, such as in the case of Psalm 56:9 – “Then my […]
The first reference to a king as an anointed one, or messiah, is found at the conclusion of Hannah’s prayer of thanksgiving after the birth of Samuel: “…he will give strength to his king and exalt the horn of his anointed.” This beautiful prayer, however, is more than just a psalm of praise declaring the majesty of God or a […]
