The last few weeks have been unusually busy for me. Excessive busyness produces stress. We all have twenty-four hours in a day in which to accomplish all our tasks, enjoy relationships, and catch a little sleep. Sometimes life demands too much of our time and energy. So, I was glad for a reminder of God’s […]

My prayer list is scrawled on six daily pages in an old Daytimer. I have friends who use Smartphones or iPads. No doubt some people are prompted to pray every time they pass the magnetic prayer cards on the refrigerator. Whatever form they take, most lists include other believers and Christian organizations. Paul’s prayer list […]

There are many reasons to pray. The most important is to understand God’s will and ways better. But we’d like our prayers answered too, wouldn’t we? Elijah is known for effective prayer. He’s a great example to us. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much. Elijah was a man with a nature […]

I suspect that every human dream can ultimately find fulfillment in God. What do you long for? Is it a fabulous windfall of wealth, a brilliant inventive mind able to devise technologies to conquer world-wasting problems, or social influence to change the way whole segments of humanity behave. In a prayer for the Thessalonians Paul […]

One of the most awkward jobs I ever did was when I worked for a partnership. Each morning, the first partner I met would issue me his instructions and I would set off obediently. The problems began when I met the second partner. He would ask what I was doing and why, and give different […]

What do you pray for people who are already strong in the Lord? Paul gives us an example in his prayer for Christians in Philippi. As he introduces his letter, he speaks fondly of the church—he joyfully thanks God for them because they have embraced the gospel with all its implications. They are a good […]

Paul loves to make bold petitions. He concludes the main part of his second prayer for Ephesian Christians, “that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith . . . and that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God (Eph. 3:17, 19).” The idea of being filled up with the fullness […]

One of Paul’s objectives in praying to the Father in his second prayer for the Ephesians is praying for love. He continues sharing with the church his prayer that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints […]

In a basement vault on the outskirts of Paris sits a cylinder made from an alloy of Platinum and Iridium. It is the standard (or International Prototype) Kilogram weight1 against which many other measurements are made—so it has to be accurate. Spiritually, God is our standard and Paul starts his second prayer in the book […]