#stopnowandpray

Praying to Idols

Then he takes what’s left and makes his god: a carved idol! He falls down in front of it, worshiping and praying to it. “Rescue me!” he says. “You are my god!”

In the days of Isaiah, just as in current times, it was not uncommon for believers to put their faith in man made images.  Whether it be for healing or prosperity, want or need, or for companionship or exclusion, the…

Too Distressed To Pray

You don’t let me sleep. I am too distressed even to pray!

The psalmist is feeling distressed.  He is having a hard time because it seems as though God has forgotten about him.  In his time of need, he felt no comfort and this made it hard to find rest.   There is so much turmoil in his soul that he cannot even cry out to God.  When he mentions that he was too troubled to…

David Prays For Mercy

“O Lord,” I prayed, “have mercy on me. Heal me, for I have sinned against you.”

In this Psalm, David is crying out to the Lord because he is afflicted.  He has an illness he would like to be delivered from.  In his turmoil, he is comforted by knowing he was very generous to others who were less fortunate than he and God would honor that. But at the same time, his closest…

David Prays For God’s Protection

Listen to my cry for help, my King and my God, for I pray to no one but you.

When we think of King David, we think of someone who was set apart from the typical person of faith.  There were other men who’s righteousness was depicted in the Bible, but David certainly got more exposure through scripture than all of them.  At first glance, it would seem as though he…

Zophar’s Rebuttal Against Job

“If only you would prepare your heart and lift up your hands to him in prayer!

When Job lost everything he had, his staff, his herds and his children, three of his friends came to “console” him.  At first, when they saw Job from a distance, they shared in his grief and showed their sympathy by ripping their clothes and pouring dust on their heads.  When they arrived…

Manasseh’s Prayer Memorialized

Manasseh’s prayer, the account of the way God answered him, and an account of all his sins and unfaithfulness are recorded in The Record of the Seers. It includes a list of the locations where he built pagan shrines and set up Asherah poles and idols before he humbled himself and repented.

This chapter of 2 Chronicles speaks to the kind of man King Manasseh was. …

Soldier’s Battle Cries Produce Favor

They cried out to God during the battle, and he answered their prayer because they trusted in him. So the Hagrites and all their allies were defeated.

In this scripture, “they” refers to the Reubenites, the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh.  All together, they had a fairly modest army in size, nonetheless, they all had hearts of warriors and trained hard…

Ezra Confesses The Sins Of A Nation

I prayed, “O my God, I am utterly ashamed; I blush to lift up my face to you. For our sins are piled higher than our heads, and our guilt has reached to the heavens.

Ezra had come to Jerusalem and was amazed and offended at what he saw. The men, who had been told not to marry women of other nations, had been doing just that.  Even the leaders had partaken in…