Stillness in the Night. “Know that the Lord has set apart for Himself the faithful one. The Lord will hear when I call to Him. Be angry and do not sin; Meditate within your heart on your bed and be still.” (Psalm 4:3-4, NKJ). Holy. Evidently there are various interpretations to this first part of verse 3, …
Refuge in the Night. “Be my strong rock, a castle to keep me safe, for you are my crag and my stronghold. For the sake of your Name, lead me and guide me.” (Psalm 31:3, Authorized Version in the Book of Common Prayer; Psalm 31 is one of the readings in the Compline, a night …
Nightly Trust. “Into your hands, O Lord, I commit my spirit; for you have redeemed me, O Lord, O God of truth. Keep us, O Lord, as the apple of your eye; hide us under the shadow of your wings.” (The first line of this night prayer stanza is quoted from Psalm 31:5, and the …
The Night Watch. “Behold, bless the Lord, all you His servants of the Lord Who by night stand in the house of the Lord! Lift up your hands in the sanctuary, and bless the Lord. The Lord who made heaven and earth bless you out of Zion! (Psalm 134). Night was an important time for …
Friends of God. “A friend loves at all times.” (Proverbs 17:17). Looking at gods that were worshipped down through the ages, one can see that they were not exactly trusted by the believers. The gods were capricious, unpredictable, angry, and usually very unfriendly. Even the believer in the Judeo-Christian God might misunderstand how the mind of …
The Clouds of God. Clouds are natural, and they are also supernatural. They are physical, and they are also spiritual, if you read the right books. Clouds have been scientifically described as a visible mass of particles of condensed water vapor suspended in the atmosphere. Throughout biblical history, though, clouds have profound spiritual meaning. Certain …
Godly Talk – Seasoned With Salt. “Conduct yourselves wisely toward outsiders, making the most of the time. Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer everyone.” (Colossians 4:6, NRSV). Biblical scholars have differed over how to interpret St. Paul’s suggestion that we season our conversations …
Abba, Father – The Spirit of the Trinity. “Unless I go away, the Helper (Paraclete) will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you… When the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all truth.” (John 16:7, 13). In this series “Abba, Father” I have been discussing different aspects …
Welcomed Into the Circle. “The prime purpose of the incarnation is to lift us up into a life of communion, of participation in the very triune life of God.” (James Torrance, Worship, Communion and the Triune God of Grace). “Truly the fellowship that we have is with the Father and the Son.” (1 John 1:3). Before the …
Abba, Father – Divine Intimacy. “The secret of the whole world of humanity is the love between the Father and the Son. This is at the root of it all. Upon the love between the Son and the Father hangs the whole universe.” (George MacDonald, Knowing the Risen Lord). Jesus would often probe the profound intimacy between Father …
Abba, Father – ‘Perfect’ Children. “Perfect” in Matthew 5:48 – whole, complete, fully mature, lacking nothing, well-rounded; in the context, “perfect” means completely moral; fully mature in character; well-rounded in virtue; lacking nothing in godliness. “Since you are children of a perfect Father in heaven, you are to be perfect like Him. Live out your God-created …
Picturing the Father. “The main thing in prayer is really not that we present particular petitions, but that we enter into communion, into a personal relationship with the Father. If I do nothing else but say from the bottom of my heart, ‘Dear heavenly Father,’ the main thing has already happened. The happy gift of …