Tagged: Prayers in English

HOW GREAT THOU ART

“Should one wish to contend with Him, he could not answer Him once in a thousand times.” –Job 9:3 God is beyond the powers of human expression. “He removes the mountains before they know it; He overturns them in His anger. He shakes the earth out of its place, and the pillars beneath it tremble” (Jb 9:5-6). “He alone stretches out the heavens and treads upon the crests of the sea” (Jb 9:8). “He does great things past finding out, marvelous things beyond reckoning” (Jb 9:10). “Should He seize me forcibly, who can say Him nay? Who can say to...

FRIENDS IN HIGH PLACES

“You shall see the sky opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.” ––John 1:51 How often do you think about the Archangels? How often do you think about your guardian angel? It appears Jesus often thinks of His angels, since He frequently refers to them in the Gospels. “When the Son of Man comes in His glory, escorted by all the angels of heaven, He will sit upon His royal throne” (Mt 25:31). Seeing that angels enjoy such intimacy with the Lord, it’s incumbent upon us to further investigate our relationship with them....

ABSENCE OF MALICE

“Though You test my heart, searching it in the night, though You try me with fire, You shall find no malice in me.” –Psalm 17:3 In one day, Job lost everything that was precious to him. Satan placed his bets on Job responding to this tragedy with malice by blaspheming God to His face (Jb 1:11). “In all this Job did not sin, nor did he say anything disrespectful of God” (Jb 1:22). Rather, Job responded: “The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord!” (Jb 1:21) The prophet Jonah faced a much...

FROM VANITY TO TRINITY

“Vanity of vanities, says Qoheleth, vanity of vanities! All things are vanity!” —Ecclesiastes 1:2 Solomon was the most learned, richest, and possibly most powerful man in the world. He was smart enough to realize that his life and all lives had no meaning. Life was hopeless. People today try to avoid facing such a bleak reality by many distractions, addictions, and forms of escapism, but this “mad dash” only shows how desperate we are. The only way to be saved from the impossible situation of life without hope is to be baptized into Jesus, receive a new nature and a...

WHO, ME?

Matthew “got up and followed [Jesus].” –Matthew 9:9 Jesus broke into St. Matthew’s life. Matthew, a tax collector, was working at a job that, at the time, was only done by turning his back on his Jewish faith and his Jewish people. Holy and faithful Jews considered a fellow Jew who collected taxes from his own people for the occupying Roman government to be the worst of sinners, in the same category as prostitutes (see Mt 21:31-32). Jesus entered Matthew’s customs post, looked at Matthew, and called him, saying “Follow Me.” Matthew “got up and followed Him” (Mt 9:9). The...