Jonah’s prayer from the belly of the fish is one of the hidden jewels of Scripture. Most commentators refer to Jonah’s prayer as a psalm. And it’s true that the prayer fits the pattern of other biblical psalms. More than that, Jonah’s psalm draws heavily from particular thoughts and phrases in the Psalter. But Jonah’s […]
Most of life’s conflicts have an outer front and an inner front. The outer front is the storm that people can see, the circumstances that rattle us. The inner front is the hidden storm, the violent movements of the soul. Jonah certainly faced an external conflict. At his own request the sailors, whom he first […]
Good story-writing allows readers to see what the author didn’t fully describe because he has helped them imagine. In narrative writing the writer says what he sees and gets on with the story.1 God is the ultimate story teller. “Not only are there narratives in the Bible,” but also “the Bible itself is overall best […]
Many men today struggle with maintaining male friendships. This claim doesn’t need to be argued. We know it. I personally have a sporadic friendship track record. Particularly in my early years of ministry, my lack of male friendships was inhibiting the full expression of my humanity. I still have a long way to go. But […]
Much of the end-times disagreement among believers stems from differing interpretations of the millennium of Revelation 20. Regrettably, debate over the millennium is often the sum of what Christians understand to be the end times. As suggested previously, our view of the millennium is not our eschatology but merely an aspect of it. Our apprehension […]
Apologetics is often associated with the so-called proofs of God’s existence: ontological, cosmological, teleological—and already my head is spinning. But the quest to prove God has several problems. First, it ignores that all people already know God. Even animals can tell us that God created the world (Job 12:7– 10). Everyone knows God. […]
One of Billy Graham’s early crises of faith was over whether he could totally trust the Bible. After much struggle he prayed to God, “I’m going to allow faith to go beyond my intellectual questions and doubts, and I will believe this to be Your inspired Word.”1 Graham’s conclusion sets a good example for […]
A poet, writing about the death of a fellow man, observed this: “His soul is gone, whither? Who saw it come in, or who saw it go out? Nobody; yet everybody is sure he had one, and hath none.”1 When a person dies, it is clear to everyone that a vital aspect of the deceased’s life […]
All Christians are apologists. All of us must be prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks us for a reason for the hope that is in us (1 Pet. 3:15). But God not only demands that we defend the faith, he also defines how we must defend it. By demanding confidence, […]
How can I know God’s will? That generic question takes shape with a host of specific questions God’s people face. How long should I live with my parents? Where should I go to college? Should I go to college? Should I change jobs? Should I marry? If so, who? Should I have children? If so, […]