Author: Dave Dishman (Page 28 of 390)

God once punished the waywardness of his people in a way that reverberated for generations—an invasion of locusts. What the locust swarm has left the great locusts have eaten; what the great locusts have left the young locusts have eaten; what the young locusts have left the other locusts have eaten. The insect scourge horsewhipped those ignoring the Lord.

God, however, left an open passage back to him. Rend your heart and not your garments. Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, for he relents from sending calamity.

True contrition—a change in heart—gains the Lord’s attention. In stories throughout the Bible God responded to a broken spirit, or a submissive request for forgiveness, with mercy and love. This despite heinous crimes on the part of those returning to the Lord (think of David following the murder of Uriah).

The humble plea Lord have mercy on me, a sinner, resonates through the heavens. If you truly mean it, it’s never too late to pray it.

Joel 2 in Through the Bible in 2024

Photo by Massimiliano Sarno

I’ll admit, I’m not a very good pray-er. Most of my prayers throughout the day consist of thank you Lord for this food, or God, give me patience. I struggle to maintain focus when I pray.

But Jesus helped with all that. He told his disciples this is how you should pray:

Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

If Jesus taught, this is how you should pray, then I should perk up. Perhaps this prayer from our Lord is the key to unlocking a deeper connection in my moments of prayer. In line with that thought, I’m attempting a new habit by praying the Lord’s prayer at least once a day for the next month. Hopefully it sticks, and I’ll pray the Lord’s prayer once a day for the rest of my life, but right now I’m focused on a few weeks.

The prayer is short, I already know it by heart, and each phrase introduces a profound concept. It reminds me daily of God’s will over my own, and my needs for gratefulness, forgiveness and the Lord’s hand. It’s strong medicine to add to my day.

I’m enjoying this new practice. Maybe praying the Lord’s prayer is already a habit for you, but if not, perhaps you’d like to join me?

Matthew 6 in Through the Bible in 2024

Photo by Jeremy Yap

Shortly after his baptism and entry into public life, Jesus left for the wilderness and a 40 day fast. On the last day, when Jesus was at his hungriest, the tempter arrived to begin his work.

Satan first offered fresh bread, and Jesus replied with a verse: It is written: “Man shall not live by bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.” Jesus refuted Satan’s first attempt with scripture, but the tempter made a quick pivot. He took Jesus to the highest point on the temple, then asked Jesus to leap and let the angels catch him. In his challenge Satan quoted from Psalm 91: He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.

A quick learner, Satan twisted scripture in his response to Jesus. Jesus parried back with more passages, beating Satan at his game of Biblical ping-pong. But I’m reminded that the devil knows his Bible and manipulates it like play-dough.

A savvy teacher can take a few verses from the Bible and make a case for anything. It takes a wise, reasoned approach to discern what the Bible actually says. Evaluate the teachings your hear, especially those that advocate new views on old moralities. Don’t be fooled—open the pages and read for yourself.

The ever-clever temper still appeals with his twisted words. The old saying, the road to hell is paved with good intentions, applies here. Ignorance is no excuse when we hold the Holy Scriptures in our hands. The only way to avoid falling for distorted teachings around the Bible is to open the Good Book for ourselves.

Matthew 4 in Through the Bible in 2024

Photo by Richard Stovall