Blaise Pascal observed, “All of man’s troubles stem from his inability to sit quietly alone in a room.”[1] Prayer demands solitude times, and perhaps seasons, in which we shut out the world and seek only God. At such times, God is our exclusive concern; we are closed to everything else. This may demand, from time…
DetailsSamuel Lee, the great Puritan writer, argued, Prayer is the soul’s colloquy with God, and secret prayer is a conference with God upon admission into the private chamber of heaven. When you have shut your own closet, when God and your soul are alone, with this key you open the chambers of paradise and enter…
DetailsIn the 1970’s and early 1980’s, there was an attempt to recover the dying daily discipline of meeting God as the first act of each new day. The valiant effort emphasized the importance of daily ‘quiet time’. The attempt was noble, but rigid and legalistic. Nothing was acceptable, according to those leading the campaign, short…
DetailsWhich comes first, the blessing of the Lord or the favor of the Lord? Enabled by grace, we believed and experienced the blessing of God’s salvation act in our behalf. Luther translated the Greek word soteria into the German language as Heil, salvation.[1] Claus Westermann argues that Heil refers to the condition created by the…
DetailsIf that nation against which I have spoken turns from its evil, I will relent concerning the calamity I planned to bring on it (Jeremiah 18:8). Jonathan Edwards famous message, ‘Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God’ preached on July 8, 1741, was a call to the church to repent, an appeal for sensitivity…
DetailsWhat other nation, O God, have you redeemed from slavery to be your own people? I Chronicles 17:21 The American Colonists were a diverse assortment of ethnic groups in a strange land. There was no central government. Unity was localized. A wild and adventurous spirit prevailed. Morals had declined and religious devotion had deteriorated. Drunkenness,…
DetailsGeorge W. Bush Senator Al Gore, a former theology student, chose Joe Lieberman as his running mate. Joseph Lieberman might have been the first Jew elected to such a high office had they won the narrow election. When Lieberman quoted a passage from the Old Testament, “Give thanks to God and declare His name.” He…
DetailsGeorge H. W. Bush When George Bush was inaugurated, he declared that his first act in office would be to ‘offer a prayer,’ and he did, repeating the action of Eisenhower. He asked the nation to bow their heads and he uttered a prayer of thanks for peace and “shared faith” asking God to “make…
DetailsGerald Ford With Nixon’s resignation, Ford was thrust into office. On the day prior to the formal resignation, Ford and his wife spent the day praying “for guidance and assurance for the responsibilities” that were being thrust on him.[1] When he took the oath of office, he confessed to the American people that he was…
DetailsDwight D. Eisenhower Patton and MacArthur were both more open about their faith in the war days than had General Dwight Eisenhower. “Nobody goes through six years of war without faith,” he would declare.[1] But he had never been baptized. He grew up in the Church of the Brethren in Abilene, Kansas. On becoming President,…
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