Rumination Journal

Christians are charged to be able to clearly explain their faith, and to be prepared at any time to do so… But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander. — 1 Peter 3:15-16 NIV In the spirit of this command, we will present a series of questions and answers with regard to the basis in Scripture for prayer, why we pray, how we pray, and various aspects of prayer. To be sure, there are many Scripture passages that we might choose, so we will offer some for your consideration. We will begin today with why we pray... Question: How do we prove from Scripture that prayer is our duty? Answer: Jesus Christ tells us that we should always pray and not faint… Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show the...

[To the chief Musician; A Psalm for the sons of Korah] 1 Lord, thou hast been favourable unto thy land: thou hast brought back the captivity of Jacob. 2 Thou hast forgiven the iniquity of thy people, thou hast covered all their sin. Selah. 3 Thou hast taken away all thy wrath: thou hast turned thyself from the fierceness of thine anger. 4 Turn us, O God of our salvation, and cause thine anger toward us to cease. 5 Wilt thou be angry with us for ever? wilt thou draw out thine anger to all generations? 6 Wilt thou not revive us again: that thy people may rejoice in thee? 7 Shew us thy mercy, O LORD, and grant us thy salvation. 8 I will hear what God the LORD will speak: for he will speak peace unto his people, and to his saints: but let them not turn again to folly. 9 Surely his salvation is nigh them that fear him; that glory may dwell in our land. 10 Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other. 11 Truth shall spring out of the ...

“In that day you will not question Me about anything. Truly, truly, I say to you, if you ask the Father for anything in My name, He will give it to you. Until now you have asked for nothing in My name; ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be made full. “These things I have spoken to you in figurative language; an hour is coming when I will no longer speak to you in figurative language, but will tell you plainly of the Father. In that day you will ask in My name, and I do not say to you that I will request of the Father on your behalf; for the Father Himself loves you, because you have loved Me and have believed that I came forth from the Father. I came forth from the Father and have come into the world; I am leaving the world again and going to the Father.” --John 16:23-28 NASB Jesus taught the importance that we pray in His name. We cannot hope to approach God in ourselves. Jesus has to come between God and us. The Apostle Paul explained that Jesus Christ must be the me...

And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect. --Romans 12:2 NASB In this passage the Apostle Paul reminds us that as followers of Christ, we should no longer be as the world is, but as God wants us to be--we must be changed. The Greek word used here is transliterated as “metamorphoó,” meaning to literally change from one form into another--to transform. Our transformation should come through the renewing of our mind. The word used for our mind is the Greek word “nous,” which means our mind, our understanding, our reason. But how do we renew our mind? We do so through the study of God's Word—the Bible—and through prayer. God not only invites us to pray, but commands that we pray. As we are consistent in this duty, we are going to be changed. A life of prayer is a life of obedience to God. Our prayer life should be one of supplication with...

“And when you are praying, do not use meaningless repetition as the Gentiles do, for they suppose that they will be heard for their many words. So do not be like them; for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.” --Matthew 6:7-8 NASB Do our prayers have meaningless repetition? Do we babble to God? Reflecting on these words of Jesus may cause us to think of the Old Testament “sacrifice showdown” on Mount Carmel between the prophet Elijah and the 450 prophets of Baal, in which Elijah challenged the prophets to prove that Baal was the true god (1 Kings 18:20-40). All morning the prophets of Baal prayed and danced, calling out for Baal, again and again, to consume the sacrifice they had prepared for him. When that didn’t work they prayed louder, they danced wilder, and they ritually cut themselves, but still nothing happened. Finally, when it was Elijah’s turn, he looked heavenward and addressed God simply and confidently. So that the surrounding crowd could hear, Elijah re...

When Peter came to himself, he said, "Now I know for sure that the Lord has sent forth His angel and rescued me from the hand of Herod and from all that the Jewish people were expecting." --Acts 12:11 NASB When we pray, we do so with the faith that, whatever our request, God will answer our prayers. But why do we sometimes react with disbelief when God actually answers our prayers? The Scripture passage in Acts 12:1-19 tells an amazing story of disbelief when God answered prayer. King Herod decided to go after the church at Jerusalem during the week of Passover. One of his first major acts was to execute the Apostle James, the brother of John. When Herod noticed how much his popularity increased among the Jews, he was inspired to arrest and imprison the Apostle Peter, surrounding him with four squads of four soldiers. Herod planned a very public execution Peter after Passover. From the moment that Peter was arrested, the members of the church prayed intensely for his r...

Enter His gates with thanksgiving       And His courts with praise       Give thanks to Him, bless His name. --Psalm 100:4 NASB The model for prayer given to us by Jesus (also called the Lord's Prayer and the Our Father) begins with adoration (Matthew 6:9; Luke 11:2). We should enter God's presence with praise (Psalm 100:4). We should praise God for several reasons. First, God worthy of our praise. Second, praise sets the proper tone for our prayer. Third, praise reminds us of who God is and His inclination toward us. And fourth, praise purges us of other concerns and softens our hearts for prayer. Many Scripture passages in the Bible remind us of the importance of praise. For example, we are called to praise God, in recognition of what God has done for us (1 John 3:1; 1 Peter 2:9-10; 1 John 5:14). Through our praise we show our respect and fear--reverential awe--for God (Psalm 34:11). By our praise we focus the attent...