by R. Herbert | Nov 1, 2015 | Prayer
Today is the first of three days set aside in the month of November as International Days of Prayer for the Persecuted Church (Nov. 1, 15, 22).
There is much information available regarding the plight of persecuted Christians in various areas around the world, and we should remind ourselves that we share a responsibility to know what is happening and to pray for those in desperate need.
On this website, for example, see our articles: “Words for a Time of Persecution,” “Do Not Betray the Refugees,” ”The #WeAreN Campaign.”
We also recommend Jonathan Petersen’s excellent article on this topic on the BibleGateway.org site here.
by R. Herbert | Jul 12, 2015 | Prayer
Excerpted from “A Prayer to Avoid” by Richard Woike.
“O thou pleasant, comfortable, kindly, good-natured God: How glad I am that I can look forward, with a reasonable degree of certainty, to another ordinary day. Keep me today from anything that taxes my faith, from discomfort, from unnecessary strain, from unusual problems …
Dear Lord, grant that nothing may occur which will disturb my satisfaction with the way I am, and the things I say, and the thoughts I think, the acts I do, or the many deeds I leave undone. Give me this day, in addition to my daily bread, the butter, meats, and sweetmeats that are my necessary diet, and let me not be troubled by qualms of conscience concerning the amount of time and money I spend on food and clothing, pastimes, good and bad, and those pursuits which, while not of spiritual value, are the accepted hallmark of the normal citizen in this enlightened age … “
by R. Herbert | Jan 7, 2015 | Prayer, The Church & the World
“Pioneer: Noun, singular. One who is among the first to go somewhere or to do something.”
There is a mystique about pioneers. They often seem larger than life, braver, stronger, more dedicated than the rest of us as they bravely go where no one has gone before. When I was a kid I thought it would be neat to be a pioneer – one of the first people to explore unknown continents, open the US West, go to the Moon, or whatever. Now I’m older, I realize it was not as easy as I thought for the ones who were the first to do these things.
Whether being among the first to open up new continents or making some other kind of new path in any age, being a pioneer has an extra share of difficulties most of us don’t have to face. Certainly the first Christians found this. They were pioneers who had to map out and go through a whole new way of life that often met discouraging obstacles and dangerous opposition. Just think about Stephen (Acts 7:59) or Paul (2 Corinthians 11:25) or what many of the early disciples went through (Acts 8:1).
So who are the spiritual pioneers today? Who are the Christians who face the particular difficulties inherent in walking the path alone – in being the first to do something with much more limited support and encouragement from others? Those people do exist in our faith – and their numbers are growing. They are the pioneers – the first in their families or villages to convert to Christianity from other faiths – groups that are often hostile to Christianity itself.
When individuals come to the knowledge of the truth in many parts of the world, they cannot help but stand out; and in those areas they may be regarded as apostates from their background faith – worthy of harassment, punishment, and even death. It is not a hypothetical situation, it is an ongoing reality that sees Christians afflicted and even killed in areas not officially classified as areas of persecution. Often these individuals are rejected by their own families and friends and have no local support to which they can turn.
There are other pioneers also worthy of our concern today. Consider the pioneers in various areas of humanitarian effort – the William Wilberforce’s of today, those fighting human trafficking, substance enslavement, and every other evil in this world – all who are struggling against steep odds and difficult conditions to suppress evil and to help people where help is needed.
Wherever they are, pioneers don’t have it easy. We may sometimes think we do not either, but they have it worse. The pioneers often encounter so many more obstacles, so much more opposition. They face more dangers, endure more discouragement, loneliness and for many, fear. It’s harder for pioneers than for most of us except in one area. It’s easier for them to give up. We need to pray for the pioneers.
by R. Herbert | Dec 15, 2014 | Prayer
The New Testament records that one day a disciple asked Jesus, “Lord, teach us to pray.” Jesus replied: “When you pray, say …” and then he proceeded to give what is called “The Lord’s Prayer” (Matthew 6:9–13, and Luke 11:2–4).
We see that this prayer was probably intended as a model, which could be used as an outline and expanded in our own words, by the fact that the wording is different in the two gospels in which it occurs – so reciting its exact words is clearly not as important as following its points.
Today we have uploaded a guide showing how the points included in the Lord’s Prayer can be expanded in our own words for regular formal prayer which effectively covers all aspects of our relationship with God. This “how-to” article is “Using the Lord’s Prayer as a Guide” on our Tactical Living page. If you would like to see how you can use the Lord’s Prayer for fuller and more meaningful prayer, you can read it here.
by R. Herbert | May 11, 2014 | Gratitude, Prayer
Have you ever noticed that the “Lord’s Prayer” – the model prayer outline given by Jesus to his disciples (Matthew 6:9-13 and Luke 11:2-4) – does not contain any word of thanks? This might seem strange, but context probably explains it. The disciples knew that it was certainly Jesus’ custom to give thanks. We see examples of this not only in his giving thanks for food (Luke 22:19), but also in the thanks included in his other prayers (for example, Luke 10:1).
When we look at the outline prayer Jesus gave, we see (especially in Luke’s narrative)that the context was one of things for which we should ask (Luke 11:9-13). We can presume that knowing Jesus’ own example, the disciples would understand that rather than a separate point of thanks in prayer, every request would be made with thanks – both for help already given in that area and in faithful expectation of God’s continued help.
As the apostle Paul wrote, we should: “… not be anxious about anything, but
in everything by prayer and supplication
with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God” (Philippians 4:6, emphasis added). Our attitude of prayer should clearly be one of: “Giving thanks always for all things to God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Ephesians 5:20). Such an attitude of thankfulness follows the example of Jesus himself and explains why the “Lord’s Prayer” has no separate point of thanksgiving.
Want to learn more about how and what we should pray? If you haven’t already read them, take a look at our articles on the following subjects:
Before You Ask
Another Look at the Lord’s Prayer
When Prayer Is Unanswered
Do We Pray “Without Ceasing”? 
by R. Herbert | May 1, 2014 | Prayer, Updates
In 1952, the Congress of the United States of America established a National Day of Prayer as an annual event by a joint resolution. This resolution was signed into law by President Harry Truman, who called for the nation to take time “to turn to God in prayer and meditation.” Every president over the last 62 years, regardless of political or religious affiliation, has proclaimed a National Day of Prayer which is now set by law to be observed on the first Thursday of May each year.
The roots of this day of prayer may be said to go back to 1775 when, on the very eve of the US War of Independence, the First Continental Congress called for a day of prayer. Today such public devotion may seem foreign to many, but the principle of approaching God in a spirit of national rededication is itself an echo of such days in biblical times. The National Day of Prayer is a great opportunity for us to give thanks and to remember the spiritual problems and needs of our nation.
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