Praying in Jesus’ Name (John 14-16) (A4A 6)
First published 9 February 2011 I’ve been sharing recently what I learned when I did a study in passages relating to prayer and faith. In particular, you’ll remember if you’ve been keeping up with me from the beginning of this series, I wanted to investigate thoroughly passages in the New Testament that appear to give…
If You Need, Ask (James 5:15) (A4A 5)
First published 24 January 2011 This is the fifth article in a series thinking through Bible passages that appear to promise that God will give us anything and everything that we ask for in prayer. It started, while I was having treatment for cancer, with tripping over a bold statement in my daily reading: “The…
Having Faith in Prayer (Mark 9:14-32) (A4A 4)
First published 12 January 2011 We’re continuing here our study in Bible passages related to prayer, specifically those that appear to suggest that we automatically get what we ask for. I thought the next passage we should look into should be Mark 9:14-32, which is paralleled in Matthew 17:14-23. I am not going to reproduce…
Ask, Seek and Knock (Matthew 7:7-11)… and Receive Anything We Ask For? (A4A 3)
We’re embarking, God willing, on a study of passages in the Bible – specifically the New Testament – that appear to promise that God will grant all our prayer requests. I will resist the temptation to recap again! The previous two introductory articles are still on the blog, and you should start with them if…
It Wouldn’t Make Sense for God to Promise to Grant All Our Prayer Requests (A4A 2)
First published 18 December 2010 More Thoughts… In Part One of this series I laid out a number of Bible verses, mostly quotes from Jesus himself, that seem to suggest that we should expect to receive everything that we ask for in prayer. I painstakingly studied each of these passages, asking myself whether that is…
Does the Bible Promise That We Will Receive Everything We Ask For in Prayer? (A4A 1)
First published 19 October 2010 What’s the Problem? One morning as I was having my daily Bible reading and prayer time, I read a passage that sent me into a bit of a spin. It was James chapter 5. Verses 14-15 read, “Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the…
What is Prayer?
First published 5 May 2010 “Do not be anxious about anything,” says Paul, “but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” (Philippians 4:6) James writes, “Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray.” (James 5:13) If we turn to Matthew 26, when Jesus was “sorrowful and troubled”…
For the Encouragement of Faithful Doubters
First published 7 April 2010 Some people seem to have rock solid faith. They talk about God, Jesus, and the world, as if they see things with absolute clarity and as if nothing is going to shake them. This can be disturbing for people for whom things are not so clear. They feel like they…
Why Does God Answer Other People’s Prayers and Not Mine?!
First published 5 February 2010 Here’s something I started to learn in my last big gap between jobs. It has since been reinforced, but I think it will be many years before it finally sinks in. I can’t remember how many months I had been without paid work. It could have been three or four.…