September 20, 2025

Matthew 6: 10 “Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” (NIV)

The meaning of prayer is that we get hold of God, not of the answer.*

Jesus believed in prayer. He set an example for us with his own prayer life and he taught his disciples how to pray and what to pray for. He clearly believed that God answers prayer.  I tell you this so you won’t be shocked when you read what I am going to say about this verse: “Your kingdom come, your will be done . . .” This is going to happen whether we pray for it or not.

While you’re pondering this, think about some of the other items he included in his model prayer. “Give us today our daily bread.” How often have you had to ask God to give you food for today? Don’t you already have a kitchen full of it? “Lead us not into temptation . . .” We know that God would never lead us into temptation. (See James 1: 13.) So why would Jesus tell us to pray for something if there is no reason to expect that we can affect change?

We have the wrong idea about prayer. We think it’s all about asking God for stuff when that’s only a very small element of it. The model prayer actually provides us a template to follow:

• Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Praise God and acknowledge his attributes. 
• Your kingdom come, your will be done . . . A prayer of submission to God’s will. 
• Give us today our daily bread. Trust God to provide for today without worrying about tomorrow. 
• Forgive us . . . as we have forgiven . . . How we treat others impacts how God treats us, but it’s a matter of the heart more than a matter of actions. 
• Lead us not into temptation . . . We need God to direct our path away from things that lead us to sin. Again, our submission is a requirement because God won’t force us to go where we should go.

If you want something from God, you should ask him for it. Jesus talked about it and he did it – and even he didn’t get exactly what he asked for - except for the “your will be done” part. 

Our lesson here is not that we are praying wrong but that we could be praying better. Getting to know the Father and his will – that’s why we pray. And the more we pray, the better we will pray.

He wants us to ask things of him.*

September 19, 2025

Matthew 5: 14 “You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden.” (NIV)

Light is silent, but it reveals. Light is gentle, but it is mighty in its effects.*

Years ago, my brother had access to a hunting camp that was part of a very large ranch in South Florida. A party of family and friends joined him there for a night out in nature. Our ride in a swamp buggy was fun – until it broke down. There we were – at the corner of No and Where – with nightfall upon us and with no idea how far we were from the camp. No one had a cellphone back then (and there wouldn’t have been a signal anyway), and no one had thought to bring a flashlight. So we wandered in the wilderness for a very long time - ever aware of the critters that lurk in Florida swampland – until, back at the camp, my mom started to get a little concerned about us so she turned on the outside lights. Yes, folks. We were only a few feet from safety and dinner, but we didn’t know it until someone turned on the lights.

Jesus said that we are the light of the world. As he said, a city on a hill can’t be hidden – unless there is a blackout. Jesus goes on, in verse 16, to say that our light is our good deeds through which the Father gets glory. He doesn’t say our light is our knowledge of theology or our witnessing strategy. Our light is our good deeds. If the world is stumbling around in the darkness of sin, could it be because we aren’t performing those good deeds to light their way? Are we doing our part to keep the city’s lights burning?

Our light is not our good deeds but the means by which people see that they are good.*

September 18, 2025

Matthew 4: 19 “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will make you fishers of men.” (NIV)

Fish don’t jump into the boat.*

When I was growing up, my parents had a friend who was what is known as a "colorful character." I recall that he claimed to be responsible for bringing mockingbirds into our part of the state – and if he revealed how that was accomplished it has slipped my mind. Another story involved a large fish that jumped into his arms as he was sitting in the boat. While neither tale was impossible, both were improbable.

When Jesus promised to turn his followers into fishers of men, he didn’t expect us to sit in the boat and wait for the catch of the day to land in our arms. But neither did he intend for us to be solitary fishermen, alone and clueless on the riverbank. With his invitation to follow him, there are some implied expectations:

• He will fish with us. 
• He will show us how to fish – including where and what bait and equipment we should use. 
• Fishers are not always catchers – and catching isn’t promised.

When Jesus uttered these words, he spoke to two brothers who were actual fishermen. I don’t know what went through their minds when they tossed aside their nets – and their livelihood – and followed Jesus, but I do know, by their actions, that they stepped out in faith. Because later stories involve water and boats and fish, we may assume that Peter and Andrew probably returned to their jobs eventually, if only temporarily. But they didn’t know what the future held – only who held the future.

You may be hesitant to follow Jesus into the world of fishing but if you will follow him in faith, he will take care of the catching. And the future.

God never asks anything of us he does not equip us to do.*

September 17, 2025

Isaiah 46: 5 “To whom will you compare me or count me equal? To whom will you liken me that we may be compared?” (NIV)

“Can you picture me without reducing me?” -God*

We may not know what Jesus looked like but when we see a painting that is supposed to depict him, we know who the artist meant for us to think it is. Well . . . there’s the one I’ve seen on Facebook that is actually an actor in costume for his role in a Star Wars movie. And the one of a creepy-looking guy kind of floating in the air – I know that’s not what Jesus looked like! The fact is, if we were to try to liken him to someone physically, it would be a dirty, unkempt Jewish guy – he lived in the desert and had no indoor plumbing for convenient bathing.

But God doesn’t want us to remember his Son for what he looked like. He wants us to remember him for who he is: God. And God can not be compared to or counted equal with anyone or anything. He is the one and the only. No matter what human imagination has devised and called “god,” there has never been one who is perfect. Why is it that we are drawn to worship someone who doesn’t love us unconditionally? Why continue to worship someone who is dead and will stay that way? How can you worship an object that can’t move itself?

As God reminds us in verse 9 of this chapter, he is God, and there is no other; there is none like him. There is no comparison between him and any other being – only contrast! And worship should be our natural response to the only one who is God.

Humble worship is the only logical response when a created being encounters the Creator of all.*

September 16, 2025

Isaiah 6: 3 And they were calling to one another: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.” (NIV)

We are completely surrounded by the divine presence. We cannot escape it no matter where we turn.*

You’ve heard the saying, “You can run but you can’t hide.” Those words very aptly apply to God’s glory. You can ignore it or deny it, but you can’t avoid it because the earth is full of it. According to Paul in Romans chapter one, God has made himself plainly known through what he has created.

With a planet full of God’s glory, I wonder if we could lure a non-believer into acknowledging God by getting him to appreciate the beauty and intricacy of life on earth. I have heard it said that God didn’t have to make a beautiful world – he could have chosen to make it merely functional. If the universe came about by pure accident, doesn’t it seem reasonable that it would have ended up as more practical than pretty? And why would we have such discerning eyesight if no one cared what we saw?

Begrudgingly acknowledging the undeniable proof of God is a far cry from accepting him as Lord, but it does remove an obstacle in the path to salvation: a vain excuse. Back to Romans chapter one: Paul writes, “For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities – his eternal power and divine nature – have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.” (Verse 20)

No, people, you can’t deny God. There is no excuse for your ignorance. The evidence is glaring you in the face. The world is full of it!

If we believe in God, it’s only a small step from creation to Easter, a short distance from Genesis 1 to Matthew 28.*

September 15, 2025

Psalm 46: 10 “Be still and know that I am God.” (NIV)

In the midst of our praying, let us “listen” . . . And let us listen carefully, for God doesn’t shout.*

Writing these meditations is sometimes like time travel. Today's entry, for a day in September, was composed in January. I reposted it two years later, and two years after that, and here I am posting it yet again, two years after the third publication. So let's go back in time as we recall something that happened to me "yesterday" -  the day before I first wrote this.

 

That day, the words that I had written months (now years) earlier were about prayer. I talked about how Jesus’ example teaches us that prayer is a conversation with God. Conversation involves talking and listening. As we mature in our spiritual walk, we should move beyond the “it’s all about me” kind of prayers. So, the night before I wrote this entry, as I was journaling my prayers, I began with my usual thankfulness for the day’s blessings (all about me), but then I moved on to something different. I said, “And how was your day?” I then went on to list the great and small things that are a part of God’s day and I thanked him for his attributes. And I felt like I had progressed to a higher level of communication with the Lord.

After I turned out the light and started my journey into sleep, I was suddenly jolted by the realization that I had asked God about his day – and then I didn’t bother to wait for his answer. Turns out, my prayer had still been all about me. He didn’t tell me how his day went – I told him how I imagined it to have gone.

I don’t know if God will ever talk to me about his day, but I am sure of this: if I had taken the time to be still, he would have revealed himself. I know this because I have practiced this spiritual discipline before. It is not easy to be so still, to quiet the mind, to become hyper-aware of God’s presence, but it is an awesome experience.

The next time I ask God how his day went, I will wait for him to answer. If all I hear is, “I am God,” that will be enough! 

The most transformational part of prayer is the time spent in silence, listening. In silence we learn.*

September 14, 2025

Psalm 11: 3 When the foundations are being destroyed, what can the righteous do? (NIV)

God is not sometimes sovereign.*

In this verse, David poses a thought-provoking question, then fails to provide an answer. When life happens and circumstances are beyond your control, what can you do? As we residents of Florida know, you can fill up your bathtub with water, stock up on canned food and bottled water, and gas up the generator, but you can’t stop a hurricane from blowing your house away. David implies that, just like us Floridians in hurricane season, there is nothing that the righteous can do to prevail against wickedness and bad luck.

At first glance, David’s next words seem like a non sequitur. “The Lord is in his holy temple; the Lord is on his heavenly throne,” may not provide step-by-step procedures for how to handle the worst that can happen, but it really is all we need to know. You may be helpless but you are not hopeless. God is on his throne – hurricane winds can’t touch him – and he is in control. I would suggest that you not wait until the foundation of your life has been destroyed before you learn that. 

He simply wants to be in charge, which relieves me of the great burden of trying to fix everything.*