This question begins with an unfortunate assumption; namely, that praying or singing requires certain visible motions. Praying is more than the folding of hands and the closing of eyes. Singing is more than opening the…
A HYMN OF GLORY LET US SING (NINETEENTH IN A SERIES)
Think a moment about your daily prayers. To whom do you pray?
The obvious answer would be, “I pray to God, of course.” But press the question a bit further, and you might respond, “I pray to the one true God; the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.” Don’t stop there. Keep riding that train of thought.
In my own case, I often pause before I start praying, and meditate a moment on the astonishing thing that is about to happen: I, a sinful speck of flesh and blood, am about to actually speak to the creator of the universe; the eternal, almighty, holy God; the “I Am” of the Old Testament—and He will be attentive to what I say. Amazing truth! This “meditative pause before prayer” puts me in a right frame of mind. It reminds me of the solemnity of prayer and of the astounding privilege which we—solely for Jesus’ sake—have in being able to directly address God.
Usually, at least in my prayers, my “default” perceptual framework is that I am speaking to God the Father. Somewhat less often, I consciously address my prayers to God the Son—Jesus Christ. Seldom, however, do I address my prayers specifically to God the Holy Spirit. Ironic, isn’t it? It is, after all, God the Holy Spirit Who created saving faith in me in the first place. It is God the Holy Spirit Who day by day sustains that faith, also through the Means of Grace. It is the Holy Spirit Who empowers me to use my gifts in a God-pleasing manner. It is even the Holy Spirit Who helps me to pray. Of the three Persons of the Triune God, it is the Holy Spirit Whom the Bible most directly connects with my day-to-day life as a Christian; and ironically, it is the Holy Spirit about Whom I think least often when my thoughts are upon God.
GEMS FROM THE OLD TESTAMENT (For context, please read 1 Kings 17:1-16) Scripture says that Ahab was more evil than the kings before him and that he thought it was a trivial thing to walk…
STUDIES IN THE NEW TESTAMENT “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. For by it the elders obtained a good testimony. By faith we understand that the…
“I’M GLAD YOU ASKED!” (TWENTY-Eighth IN A SERIES) Pastors Answer Frequently-Asked Questions Some of the differences in the ways that Christian churches conduct Baptisms are merely matters of custom and logistics. Other differences surrounding Baptism…
A HYMN OF GLORY LET US SING (EIGHTEENTH IN A SERIES) This hymn is a metrical translation of the 23rd Psalm—a psalm of comfort. Most psalms of comfort (for example, Psalm 91) speak words of…
GEMS FROM THE OLD TESTAMENT He is known to history as “Cyrus the Great”; born 590 B.C., died 529 B.C. A skilled military strategist, Cyrus united the tribes of Persia (modern-day Iran), defeated the Medes…
STUDIES IN THE NEW TESTAMENT “Therefore do not cast away your confidence, which has great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive…
“I’M GLAD YOU ASKED!” (TWENTY-SEVENTH IN A SERIES) Pastors Answer Frequently-Asked Questions Generally speaking, all Christian churches fall into one of three categories: Roman Catholic, Lutheran, or Reformed/Protestant. Though they share some teachings in common…
A HYMN OF GLORY LET US SING (SEVENTEENTH IN A SERIES)
Death seems final to us. Leaving the room where a loved one has just drawn that last breath, we don’t expect to turn around and meet him for lunch the next day. Our general experience is that the dead stay dead.
Yet it has happened in history, more than once, that the dead have come back to life. Lazarus (John 11:43-44) and the multitudes who came forth from Jerusalem’s tombs (Matthew 27:51-53) to name some. It is foolish to contend, as some have done and others still do, that there is no possibility of resurrection from the dead.
Our great God and Savior Himself, the Lord Jesus Christ, was dead but now is living. It is His real, physical resurrection that we celebrate each spring in the processional hymn by George Woodward (1848-1934): This joyful Eastertide Away with sin and sorrow! / My love, the Crucified, Has sprung to life this morrow. So death’s finality has been proved false yet again (Matthew 28:5-6).
