The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. — Luke 1:35 When the angel Gabriel appeared to Mary, he gave her the startling announcement that the Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one…
God Makes Good on His Promises
I am here to-night to warn you that you have yet a chance and hope of escaping my fate. ~ The Ghost of Jacob Marley, to Scrooge As the fifth and final stave begins, Scrooge is in his bed, repeating his promise to begin anew. The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come is gone. Scrooge…
He Is Worthy of Your Praise
Praise the Lord, O Jerusalem! Praise your God, O Zion! For He has strengthened the bars of your gates; He has blessed your children within you. He makes peace in your borders, and fills you with the finest wheat. — Psalm 147:12-14 Several years ago, as I traveled through New York, I came upon…
“O Holy Night”
Many different traditions hover over our carol repertoire like the stars on Christmas Eve. This one is French, rooted in the music of the nineteenth-century Catholic Church, half-opera, half-soirée, designed to echo cavernously round the gloomy spaces of some vast Gothic church, reverently bellowed by a trained opera singer, all vibrato and shirt frills, accompanied…
It’s Never Too Late to Thank God
Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise; give thanks to Him and praise His name. For the Lord is good and His love endures forever; His faithfulness continues through all generations. — Psalm 100:4-5 NIV “You are the God who sees me,” for she said, “I have now seen the One…
Practice the Art of Gentleness
Nothing is so strong as true gentleness. Nothing is so gentle as true strength. ~ Johann Wolfgang von Goethe Have you ever seen gentleness de-escalate a tense situation? If so, maybe you were the source of that gentleness. The Bible tells us that a gentle answer can calm a person’s anger (Proverbs 15:1). Gentleness almost…
Think Big… No, Bigger!
Think about the things that are good and worthy of praise. Think about the things that are true and honorable and right and pure and beautiful and respected. — Philippians 4:8 NCV It’s not easy to put on a happy face when it feels as if nothing in your life is coming together. You’ve prayed…
Don’t Forget Thanksgiving
Don’t Forget Thanksgiving Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving; let us shout joyfully to Him. — Psalm 95:2 Have you ever noticed how after Halloween, many stores immediately bring out their prelit trees, ornaments, Christmas wreaths, and candy canes? The weeks between Halloween and Christmas are often a blur of colored leaves and…
Prayer for Healing
So Moses cried out to the Lord, saying, “Please heal her, O God, I pray!” — Numbers 12:13 Miriam had dared to speak ill of Moses. But Moses was not only her brother, he was a prophet of the Lord. God took this offense so seriously that He caused Miriam to be covered in leprosy.…