“Now return the man’s wife, for he is a prophet, and he will pray for you and you will live. But if you do not return her, you may be sure that you and all yours will die.” (Genesis 20:7) Genesis tells you things that are not comfortable to hear. One is about the deceit … More Why Pray? 8: For those warned about sin
“After I had given the deed of purchase to Baruch…, I prayed to the Lord…’though the city will be handed over to the Babylonians, you, O Sovereign Lord, say to me, ‘Buy the field…’.” (Jeremiah 32:16 & 25) Imprisoned by his own king for prophesying bad news and under siege from the Babylonian army, Jeremiah … More Why Pray? 7: When God’s commands don’t seem to make sense
“First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior.” … More Rick Warren’s Prayer
“We pray this so that the name of the Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.” (2 Thessalonians 1:12) We are here to glorify God. Hopefully we have a good handle on that, but did you know that God … More Why Pray? 6: To be glorified
“…I pray God that not only you but all who are listening to me today may become what I am, except for these chains.” (Acts 26:29) Not the best choice of words if Paul was trying to get out of trouble. Paul’s speech to his accusers caused King Agrippa to query whether Paul was trying … More Why Pray? 5: For the salvation of those who oppose you
“Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray.” (James 5:13) When you are hungry: eat. When you are thirsty: drink. When you are cold: put a sweater on. When you are happy: “sing songs of praise” (v.13) When you are in trouble: pray. That is the sense of what James is saying in … More Why Pray? 4: When in Trouble
“Dad – what do you think of it?” “Er…” “Did you like it?” “…it was, um, interesting.” “Oh right…is that a good thing…?” What do you expect from your child? From your one year old? From your five, 10, 15 or even 30+ year old? Expectations of achievement or performance are one thing, but moral, … More Expectations
“And when he prayed to him, the Lord was moved by his entreaty and listened to his plea; so he brought him back to Jerusalem and to his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the Lord is God.” (2 Chronicles 33:12-13) Manasseh was no ordinary King of Judah and no God-orientated man even generally concerned to … More Why Pray? 3: God is moved by real prayer
10 days in bed with a badly sprained lower back does a bunch of things and one of them is preventing you from doing anything on a computer. Hence the crashing silence after the supposedly weekly ‘Reasons for Prayer’ started three weeks ago. It wasn’t just the back pain either. After three days I had … More Why Pray? 2: Health issues
“Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart … More Why Pray? 1: Because we can
Paul T Reynolds 