God Takes Away Our Pain When I study the Bible, I use multiple versions (translations), depending on my mood and goals. One version that I seldom use, however, is the New King James Version (NKJV). There’s no particular reason, it’s just how things have worked out. There is only one passage that I have memorized […]
The convention in the circles I move in is that the word “amen” is the concluding statement of a prayer. Most people give that word little thought—or if they do, it may seem no more than a comfortable ritual or trite tradition than anything significant. Upon reflection, it seems that when we say amen at […]
Last August, I went on a 24-hour prayer retreat. I had scheduled it at the beginning of summer, picking the optimum day amongst a calendar of prior commitments and a busy work schedule. I anticipated the day with much excitement but some trepidation, looking forward to what God would have in store for me as […]
A friend recently introduced me to two highfalutin, but insightful phrases: Apophatic Prayer and Kataphatic Prayer. Kataphatic Prayer is praying using words, thoughts, and images. Apophatic Prayer is prayer without words, thoughts, and images. Another explanation—often credited to Eugene Peterson, but which I’ve not yet confirmed—is that Apophatic Prayer is praying with your eyes closed, […]
Breaking Through to the Blessed Life By Bruce Wilkinson (reviewed by Peter DeHaan) The Prayer of Jabez: Breaking Through to the Blessed Life, is a short work and a compelling read. It is based on a brief, two-verse Biblical account of an obscure ancient man, named Jabez. All that is known of Jabez is recorded […]
One final reflection on the prayer of Jabez. In the scant bio for Jabez, it describes him as a good man, saying he “was more righteous than his brothers.” Righteous is a word that we don’t use too often nowadays, but means to be morally upright. Jabez then was a good, morally upright person. Now, […]
After Jabez’s short and concise prayer comes encouraging words of confirmation and affirmation.The Bible simply notes that “God granted him what he requested.” How exciting! Although I don’t know the mind of God, I suspect that had Jabez made his requests for selfish reasons, the results may have been different. Indeed this is something to […]
The fifth and final line in Jabez’s prayer is “that I may not cause pain.” At first glance this is an unclear and somewhat wordy request. However, it can be reworded for clarity. To not cause pain, is simply to do good. Here Jabez is reminding himself—as much as he is telling God—that the purpose of […]
The fourth line in Jabez’s prayer is: “that you would keep me from evil” If this request sounds vaguely familiar, there is good reason. In the best known prayer in the Bible, often called “The Lord’s Prayer,” there is the line “deliver us from the evil one.” Just as Jesus taught his followers to pray, […]
After Jabez asks for blessings so that he could be a blessing to others, he then adds: “and enlarge my territory” In Bible times, territory meant power via increased authority, responsibility, and influence. As, such, a request for “more territory” is not a petition for more “stuff,” as much as a metaphor implying greater authority, […]