prayer – Page 3 – 300 words a day

On laughing and praying.

I was praying with a friend for that friend. I was, as I often do, just talking, asking God for what seemed to be a response to the concern on my friend’s heart. And then, as I sometimes do, I just started laughing. People who know me know that this is one of my odd […]

by Jon Swanson

An early morning leadership prayer. (Also good for followers)

He was alone. I mean, he was surrounded by colleagues and dependents, allies and offspring. But up before dawn, he was alone. David was in the desert. His to-do list today, like every day, was simple. Six important things. find water avoid Saul find food avoid Saul find grass for flocks avoid Saul. If he […]

by Paul Merrill

Prayer warrior

She lived by prayer. Every surface of her apartment walls was covered with photos of people that she prayed for. Including me. My mom was a very faithful pray-er. She kept written journals to see how God answered prayer. After she died, I talked with her pastor, and he jokingly said, “There has been an […]

by Jon Swanson

David and Taylor Swift: on wisdom and love.

Today we have for you two partial posts. +++ David was a remarkable soldier. When we read through 1 Samuel, the accounts of his effectiveness in fighting the Philistines are striking. So when we get to 2 Samuel 5 and read, “And David inquired of the Lord,” the phrase stands out. So does the response: […]

by Jon Swanson

Waiting is (still) hard

We all have stories about God not answering our prayer. We asked for help on the test. We failed. We asked for healing for the child. She died. We asked “why?” We didn’t hear anything. Given our experience, many of us read these words that Jesus said and we cringe: “Ask and it will be […]