Mothers and Prophets Who Prayed

The Bible describes some notable mothers who asked God or one of God’s servants for help. Sometimes the answers came after a long wait, sometimes they were immediate. It’s not always possible to study the prayers because many details are omitted. One woman who prayed...

Prayer Answers

Having stuck out my neck on the subject of answers to prayer, I probably should be a bit more specific. Generalizations don’t count for much without backup from real life experience. The following are some of my discoveries—first, the controversy between formal and...

The Long View

we look for help In challenging and more than challenging times, we look for help. If, like me, you are a praying person, prayer will be something like the go-to position, almost automatic. As Christians, we count on the God we know from unalterable facts the Bible...

Paul Talks about Darkness and Light

you were darkness Paul often chooses a darkness and light figure when he talks about the Christian life. On the simplest level, darkness can simply be things hidden, either by deceit or out of shame; for example, Paul writes to the Christians of Corinth: “Therefore,...

Dark to Light

literal and figurative In the Bible, darkness and light are used both literally and figuratively, marking high points of Scripture. A deep darkness becomes the ninth plague (Ex 10: 20ff.) when Pharaoh continues to block Moses’ demand that he let Israel go: “Then the...

Again, Why Was It Written?

I’m looking again at the fact of texts in writing and thinking about some comments by those who wrote them. If someone hadn’t written down these things, there’s a lot we wouldn’t know! The same is true in our lives. Stories are passed down verbally from one generation...