This is not the only time the Gospels give us reason to hope beyond hope that our prayers for humanly impossible situations might be answered. There is Jesus’ delayed response to...

All kinds of touching happen throughout this twin narrative. First there is Jairus falling at Jesus’ feet, possibly grasping him in desperation, begging him to “ . . . lay your...

My own prayer life has been formed under the mentorship of praying women, my mother being the primary role model. These women taught me how to “stand in the gap” as...

We might well wonder what’s going on here? A guilt trip? A stewardship moment? This passage has been lifted out of a larger appeal or petition made by the apostle on...

Who of us has never blamed ourselves for something that went wrong? If I had only . . . I should have . . . I could have . . ....

Oh, the desperation in these first two verses! The psalmist seems to be shouting above the noise of the churning waters of chaos in order to be heard. The depths are...

What is there about song and singing that resonates with us when we’re grief-stricken? I think about the many moving spirituals, composed and sung by enslaved persons in the milieu of...

Today’s the day! Today God is pouring grace all over us, believe it or not. Today is the day when God’s grace anoints us as a place where heaven and earth...

Who or what is your Goliath? Who will protect you mightily, battle for you, gather spoils into your treasury? Who stands between you and your least-desired future? What wealth or weapon...

Presumption—it’s hard to avoid falling into that pit. Whatever we’ve gotten used to thinking, we presume really is and should be. Psalm 9 should give us pause then because it reminds...