(Matthew 3:16-17)
The church season known as Epiphany is largely misunderstood and to a certain extent even ignored.
Unlike the seasons of Advent and Lent, Epiphany is not marked with special services in many churches. There are no special Epiphany sales at the department stores nor are there any special Epiphany family dinners which relatives drive great distances to attend.
“For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ”(Galatians 3:26-27).
is what it is called in our legal system when an event occurs that is entirely outside of human control. Floods, tornados, earthquakes, hurricanes, tsunamis, and the like are natural disasters for which no human being can be held responsible because they’re considered “acts of God.”
The hymnwriter John Montgomery wrote, “Prayer is the Christian’s vital breath.”
How important it is to remember that prayer is a vital sign of the spiritual life of a Christian — much like a spiritual pulse. If prayer-life is lacking, then most likely faith needs a spiritual jump-start from the Word. Or maybe we have been doing a lot of praying with an incorrect focus— praying more for physical blessings than for spiritual.
Old Testament believer Nehemiah provides a wonderful example of a faithful prayer life. Through Nehemiah the Holy Spirit has recorded a balanced model prayer which can help us keep a proper focus (please read Nehemiah 1:1-11).
Nehemiah’s prayer can be divided into four parts: Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, and Supplication. (This format can be easily remembered with the acronym ACTS.)
