does god answer prayer – Jesus @ 2 am blogs and podcast

Loving God 301, Part 14: The Lord’s Prayer

August 31, 2016August 31, 2016Kirk WinslowLeave a comment

Given the centrality of the psalms in Hebrew worship, it is strange that Jesus’s disciples would ask for instruction in prayer; and yet they do. What follows is famously known as “The Lord’s Prayer,” and while it’s familiarity makes it seem quite formal and placid, the contents would have been highly provocative to Jesus’s audience. From the invocation of God as “Father” to the implication that the kingdom of God is near, Jesus’s prayer is a clear departure from expectation and powerful lesson in how God empowers his people for the work of redeeming creation.

In this episode we compare and contrast the Lord’s Prayer – in some detail – with other structured Jewish prayers of the first century and emerge with a much clearer sense of how we are to pray.

Loving God 301, Part 13: God’s Response – Psalm 91

June 9, 2016June 9, 2016Kirk WinslowLeave a comment

Does God respond to our prayers? For most of us the answer feels to be “no.” Or at least we feel no sense direct communication. We may see a change in circumstances that we attribute to God. Or we may have a sense of subtle direction. But a clear, direct response? That seems like it never comes.

In the next series (Loving God, 401) we’ll look at ways that our direct connection to God can be nurtured (and our sense of divine response becoming clearer). But for now, we can look to the psalms not only for our pleas, but for God’s response. And a key example of God’s response is found in Psalm 91.

While it may not speak to the specifics of our prayer, the message of God’s presence and protection is abundant. So when you finish the plea of Psalm 86, turn to Psalm 91 and let God answer…

Loving God 301, Part 12: Pleading for Help – Psalm 86

June 8, 2016June 8, 2016Kirk WinslowLeave a comment

What do we do when all seems lost? What action remains when our energy has been exhausted, our resources drained and the danger comes from elements far beyond our control?

What remains is to pray. To come before the source of all power and goodness and ask for help. Indeed the first demonstration of goodness is already present for us in the gift of Psalm 86. For when we are overwhelmed with troubles and fears, words are hard to find. And we wonder if anyone has ever been quite where we are.

What comfort, then, to find at – literally – the very center of the biblical story, the cry of faith:

Incline your ear, O LORD, and answer me,
for I am poor and needy.

Preserve my life, for I am devoted to you;
save your servant who trusts in you.

You are my God;
be gracious to me…!

Here is the prayer of plea, the prayer that remains when even hope itself seems lost.

It has been an light in the darkness for many a saint and is there for you as well.