Persistent prayer has been the theme of my devotional reading. In their persistent prayer, Jehoshaphat, Hezekiah and Josiah saw the hand of the LORD at work in delivering and blessing. When they trusted in their own devices, they got into serious trouble. Let's learn the lesson of persistent prayer's priority. As Hezekiah is about to face Assyria's annihilating power, the man who prayed made a sta...  Read More

And how bold and free we then become in his presence, freely asking according to his will, sure that he’s listening. And if we’re confident that he’s listening, we know that what we’ve asked for is as good as ours. (1 John 4:14-15, The Message).As I read the return to God-centered living under the leadership of King Hezekiah (2 Chronicles 29-31), I found the joy in the renewed faith and practice, ...  Read More

What an incredible gift Jesus' prayer, recorded in John 17, is to the Church, to us. It covered His disciples under the shadow of the cross and has applied to every disciple since then. However long Jesus tarries, the 'High Priestly' prayer will bless everyone who enters the Kingdom by His grace. Praying God's glory in all things, celebrating the accomplishment of instruction, seeking the covering...  Read More

Of the eight uses of the word 'joy' in John's Gospel, four are in John 16 (vv. 20, 21, 22, 24). Three of those references are related to pain, suffering, and sorrow turning into joy. On Monday I joined the Lakeside Middle School teachers, secretaries and administration who pray weekly. The teacher in whose room we met has not had an easy year (join the crowd). Her comment went like this: "Joy is o...  Read More

Jesus to disciples: "I still have many things to tell you, but you can’t bear them now." (John 16:12)Information overload...TMI. There is so much out there that it can easily just become noise, and the thing about noise is that it can be tuned out. But, what if that information is life or death? Then, there are those who seem genuine in their concern that the truth be heard. I think of a recent pu...  Read More

 I have told you these things so that My joy and delight may be in you, and that your joy may be made full and complete and overflowing. John 15:11, AMP.This morning my waking song was "Abide" (Aaron Williams and Aaron Keyes) and then we read those famous words of Jesus. The secret of abiding is absolute surrender and utter dependence. The truth of the matter is, apart from Jesus there is nothing ...  Read More