There’s much more to the idea of singing our way to triumph than this story might first suggest. The singers were in front of the army and, no doubt in rhythm with the left-right, left-right, of the march, were chanting the words, “Praise the Lord, for His mercy endures forever” (2 Chron 20:21). The Hebrew for “mercy” is hesed, and […]
Read More… from December 18, 2024 — Start—And Finish—With Praise
“As God is faithful, our word to you was not Yes and No. For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by us…was not Yes and No, but in Him was Yes. For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God […]
“But the end of all things is at hand: therefore be serious, and watchful in prayer” (1 Pet 4:7). In his seminal book, Amusing Ourselves to Death, Neil Postman graphically paints a portrait of our times: “…in the age of advanced technology, spiritual devastation is more likely to come from an enemy with a smiling […]
A godly battle begins with praying, continues with praising, and ends with picking up the spoils. As Jehoshaphat concluded his masterly prayer, “the Spirit of the Lord came upon Jahaziel” (2 Chron 20:14). “Listen…Thus says the Lord to you: Do not be afraid nor dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God’s” (v […]
God came to dwell with us so that we could “dwell in the House of the Lord forever.” O come let us adore Him… […]
“This people says, ‘The time has not come, the time that the Lord’s house should be built.’ Then the word of the Lord came by Haggai…, ‘Is it time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses, and this temple to lie in ruins?…Consider your ways! You have sown much, and bring in little; […]
The prisoner had been known as “king of the garotters” for his history of strangling his victims. He seemed utterly without mercy. He had asked the chaplain to bring him a certain book to read, but the chaplain suggested the Bible already lying in his cell. “It would do no good to the likes of […]
Prayer puts our eyes on God, not on our circumstances, and puts our faith in God, not in our resources. As the people of Judah crowded into the temple precinct in Jerusalem, “Jehoshaphat stood…in the house of the Lord, before the new court” (2 Chron 20:5), and began to pray. Imagine if our leaders prayed like this […]