The Desire Circle

The previous post, Well Done, was about the value God places on our desires. Following on from that, how important is the ‘desire circle’ in prayer? And can it guard our praying from becoming ‘head without heart’? I mentioned about Israel’s first temple: David didn’t...

Well Done

Prayer includes admiring God, appreciating what he has done, and asking for him to act in areas of need. Our wants and needs (or those of others) can serve as access ramps to praying God’s desires. Agreement with him is at the heart of our prayer authority. And when...

Agent of Change

The current conflict in Ukraine began a year ago with Russia’s ‘special military operation’ in the Donbas region. Will this year mark its end, or see it escalate? The praying church is God’s agent of change and has a decisive* role in what happens.  [*strongly...

WOW response

The ability to feel awe and be amazed is God’s gift for wholesome enjoyment of creation. And our wow response is an important part of praying as admirers of the Lord. The biggest stirrer of our wow response is not the natural beauty of creation, but the magnificence...

Goodness with No Gaps

The Scene The scene in Jeremiah 32 is of people facing imminent invasion and the destruction of their city. They are about to be wrenched from all that they love and driven into a pagan land as spoils of war. Thoughts of the future are frozen in fear and hopelessness....