The Lord Teaches On Prayer (Part 1)

Luke 11:1-4, Matthew 6:1-9

Luke 11:1-2: “One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.” 2 He said to them, “When you pray, say: “‘Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come.”

Matthew 6:1-9 2 “So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 3 But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. 5 “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full7 And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. 9 “This, then, is how you should pray: “‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name,”

Jesus begins teaching us that God is our true Father and we are His beloved children. We simply need to speak to Him like a child who, without fancy words and explanations, talks to his Father. The disciples were truly filled with wonder at His explanation and asked Jesus, “You pray all the time to God but you don’t pray like the religious men do? Will you teach us to pray?”

Jesus continues, “Don’t babble like religious people do who want to be seen and heard, but talk to God in private like a father. Get off by yourself and spend time with Him.” The disciples did not understand Jesus going off into the mountains alone to pray. But they saw Him connect with God as a caring, loving Father, and were filled with amazement.

Jeff Wells writes: “When Jesus taught the disciples how to pray, he began with the startling title, “Our Father.” The Jews never called God Father, nor did anybody else. Michael Green noted, ‘You can search Islam and you will not find that name of Father among the ninety-nine names of God. You will search Hinduism or Confucianism in vain. This is unique.’ The Hebrew term ‘abba’ is a tender, affectionate, loving name for a father. It has the sense of ‘daddy’ or ‘papa.’ In many ways, the main New Testament name for God is Father. . . . What is a perfect Father like? He is wise, loving, kind, and gentle. He is strong, powerful, fair, and forgiving. He protects us and he provides for us. He is good. That’s the perfect Father.” (The Great Verses, 365 Verses to Learn, to Love, to Live, p 175.)

1. Matthew 6:1&6: “1Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. 6But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.”

Desire to be with God. For us to have a serious conversation with God, we have to seriously want a conversation. We must find a place that is private and away from the noises and activities of the world. Often a “Prayer Closet” allows us to shut the world out for quality time as we come into the presence of our Heavenly father to seek His heart and will. Do we truly and deeply understand how much God wants to spend time with us?

Brennon Manning writes: “Several years ago, Edward Farrell, a priest from Detroit, went on a two-week summer vacation to Ireland to visit relatives. His one living uncle was about to celebrate his eightieth birthday. On the great day, Ed and his uncle got up early. It was before dawn. They took a walk along the shores of Lake Killarney and stopped to watch the sunrise. They stood side by side for a full twenty minutes and then resumed walking. Ed glanced at his uncle and saw that his face had broken into a broad smile. Ed said: ‘Uncle Seamus, you look very happy. ‘I am.’ Ed asked, ‘How come?’ And his uncle replied, ‘The Father of Jesus is very fond of me.’” (NIV Ragamuffin Bible, Liked by God!, p 822) We must get away by ourselves alone with our Father God!

2. Matthew 6:7: “And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words.”

Say what is on your heart; just like a little child talking to a parent that loves him, he just says simply what he is feeling. He doesn’t have to say a lot of words. He just knows his parent understands what he is saying and means.

Charles Swindoll comments on prayer, “Prayer is surrender – surrender to the will of God and cooperation with that will. If I throw out a boat hook from a boat and catch hold of the shore and pull, do I pull the shore to me, or do I pull myself to the shore? Prayer is not pulling God to my will, but the aligning of my will to the will of God.” (From E Stanley Jones, A Song of Ascents, Swindoll’s Ultimate Book of Illustrations &Quotes, p 453)

3. Luke 11:5-10: “Then Jesus said to them, “Suppose you have a friend, and you go to him at midnight and say, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread; 6 a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I have no food to offer him.’ 7 And suppose the one inside answers, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is already locked, and my children and I are in bed. I can’t get up and give you anything.’ 8 I tell you, even though he will not get up and give you the bread because of friendship, yet because of your shameless audacity he will surely get up and give you as much as you need. 9 “So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.”

When we pray, be persistent; don’t give up! We are to keep on asking, searching and knocking. Our Father promises He will open the door to us because we are His precious child. After telling the story of a man going to his neighbor at night seeking bread, Jesus illustrates what this persistence and continuing to ask does – “He gets what he needs!”

Oswald Chambers says, “The idea of prayer is not in order to get answers from God; prayer is perfect and complete oneness with God. If we pray because we want answers, we will get huffed with God. The answers come every time, but not always in the way we expect, and our spiritual huff shows a refusal to identify ourselves with our Lord in prayer. We are not here to prove God answers prayer; we are here to be living monuments of God’s grace.” (My Utmost For His Highest, August 6th, p 219)

Paul Powell writes, “So, no matter what happens, take heart. If you are in the pit, don’t give up. If you are in chains, don’t give up. If you have been misunderstood by those you love, if you have been falsely accused, and even forgotten by those you have befriended, don’t become bitter or vengeful. If you have prayed and God has not answered, if you have waited and God has not acted, don’t despair. If things haven’t worked out as you had hoped they would, don’t lose heart. Put your life in God’s hands. Trust, love, and serve God. Know that God is still working in your life to bring His glorious purposes to fulfillment.” (Feet of Clay, Facing the emotions that make us stumble, p 31)

The Lord Teaches on Prayer (Part 2)

Mark 1:25: “Now in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, He went out and departed to a solidary place; and there He prayed.”

“What was Jesus doing?” His disciples did not understand what Jesus was saying to God during these times of quiet isolation? So, as Jesus continues His teaching on prayer to the Heavenly Father, He says in Matthew 6:9: “This, then, is how you should pray: ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name,’”

“Our Father in Heaven” With deep respect, deep love and deep deference Jesus addresses God, the Father. He uses the name “Abba” when He communicates personally with God. Abba comes from a deeply intimate and personal relationship of a dearly loved child with his parent. This was Jesus’ name for His Father, much like the names we may call our earthly fathers – names like Poppi, or Daddy, or Dad.

Paul writes in Romans 8:15: “So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves, Instead, you received God’s Spirit when He adopted you as His own children. Now we call Him, ‘Abba, Father.’ ”

King David writes of his passionate love of God while hiding in the desert of Judah in Psalm 63:1: “O God, You are my God; Early will I seek You; My soul thirsts for You; My flesh longs for You In a dry and thirsty land Where there is no water.”

This adoring, worshipful love Jesus has for God gives us a pattern to relate to our Heavenly Father. What we say out loud as we call upon God must come from the deepest part of our being. Each powerful name of God has a personal meaning and a relationship. He is not just the nice man upstairs or our good buddy in heaven. He is the Lord of Lords and Creator of everything!

Calvin Miller sarcastically writes, “Our-father-who-art-in-heaven- gimme-gimme-gimme-“ as an attitude we might often go to God with. (1001 Unforgettable Quotes About God, Faith, &The Bible, p 174)

Tony Evans writes, “Throughout Scripture we find God’s people calling on his name. Or more accurately, calling on his names. In the Bible, God reveals himself by various names, mostly related to his ability to meet the needs of his people. Thus, the people of God in the Bible were able to call on the name of the Lord for peace, deliverance, productivity, victory, encouragement, safety, protection, provision, power, and myriads of other things. . . Prayer is heavenly permission for earthly interference. God longs to be involved with each of us on a personal level.” (Praying Through The Names of God, p 11)

ELOHIM means the strong Creator God (Gen. 1:1-2)

JEHOVAH means the Relational God (Gen. 2:4)

ADONAI means Master Over All (Deu. 3:24)

EL ELOHIM JEHOVAH means the Mighty One, God, The Lord (Josh. 22:22) (Praying Through The Names of God, p 13,15,17,25)

“Speak God’s names out loud. When we proclaim who He is, we not only worship Him, but we also remind ourselves of how powerful and great He is.” (Pastor Chris Hodges, Church of the Highlands, Prayer Guide, p7)

We pray all of these things in the name of Jesus. Not in our name but in His name, the one who died for us. His Name gives us permission to come into Gods presence.

Ronnie W. Floyd writes, “You cannot get to God on your own merit. You cannot pray to God in your own name. You cannot bribe God to answer your requests. . . . Because God has given you the key to a powerful prayer life. This key to a powerful prayer life is praying in Jesus’ name. By praying in Jesus’ name, you enter into the very presence of God. By praying in Jesus’ name, you remind the Father of all that Jesus has done. By praying in Jesus’ name, you link your requests to the Father for His will to take place and His authority to occur in every situation. . . .You know, there really is something about that name.” (How To Pray, Developing an Intimate Relationship with God, p68)

The Lord Teaches On Prayer – Part 3

Matthew 6:10 says: “Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” As we say the Lord’s prayer, we are expected to give over to Him all our anxieties and accept His promises as He reminds us that we are not in charge – He is!

In Matthew 6, the tax collector, Matthew, uses the word “worry” six times giving us five promises on how we are to live without chronic worry and anxiety. The world that Christ lived in had all of the same difficult challenges we face today in our world.

Most importantly, in Matthew 6:33 it says: “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” A true disciple of Christ not only prays the Lord’s prayer but they obey the command in Matthew 6:33 to always seek Him first.

William Backus writes, “The good news about anxiety is that there is a way to deal with it in faith, so as to make the most of it, diminish its power, and find your way through it. If you are willing to stop adding to the problem by seeking every which way to escape and avoid anxiety, if you are willing to let your faith become activated and to follow it straight ahead into your fear, you can discover how to ease and reduce anxiety, and even use it to become the person that God wants you to be.” (The Answer, Authentic Faith for an Uncertain World, NCV, p 443)

Tony Evans asks the question: “Why does Jesus’s command to “seek first the kingdom of God (v33) accompany his teaching on worry? How does worry impact our ability to seek God first?” His answer: “Worry is one of the great distractions of life, and it is more than mere concern. Concern involves controlling how much time and attention you give to an issue. Worry occurs when the issue controls you. . .because we’ve given our worries too much clout . . . . When the kingdom [of God] is pushed to the background because an issue in your life has assumed control, then that issue has become an idol and a god, thus hindering the true God from meeting the need that is causing you to worry.” (CSB Tony Evans Study Bible on Matthew 6)

God gives us these promises to calm our anxiety by telling us that everything in our lives is in our Father’s hands.

1. Matthew 6:25-26: “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?”

Our Heavenly Father reminds us of our precious value personally and that He is our true source of provision – not Walmart, Amazon, and other retail outlets. Just as God provided food for the Israelites in the wilderness [Exodus 16:12] He promises us that our physical needs will be met.

2. Matthew 6:27: “Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?”

God made each tiny part of us; we had nothing to do with who we are. He sustained us even before we were born. Psalm 139:13: “For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother’s womb.” He formed each part of our body by His divine hand; surely, we can trust Him.

3. Matthew 6:28-30: “So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; 29 and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?”

God is more concerned about our internal makeup than He is about our external appearance. He wants us first to have a heart after Him that will affect all the other parts of our life. Like the woman in Proverbs 31, “. . . . but a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised,” our having this kind of heart is His greatest desire of us.

4. Matthew 6:31-34:“Therefore, do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”

Our future needs are things we are told not to worry about. “Don’t worry!” is not just a comment; our Heavenly Father “forbids” us to worry. He has us! [v32: He will provide everything we need, from the inside to the outside of us.]

John MacAthurther writes in Anxiety Attacked (1993): “When you or I worry, we are choosing to be mastered by our circumstances instead of by the truth of God. The vicissitudes [changes or ups and downs] and trials of life pale in comparison to the greatness of our salvation. Jesus wants us to realize it doesn’t make sense to believe God can save us from eternal hell, but not help us in the practical matters of life.” (Barbour’s Encyclopedia of Great Christian Quotes, p 482)

5. In Matthew 6:33-34, God’s ultimate promise to us is that He holds all of our tomorrows into eternity in His sovereign hands. Psalm 23:6: “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the House of the Lord forever.”

Jeff Wells writes: “What an expression of trust. Every phrase of this final verse oozes with trust. David had walked with God for all his life. He had learned, often through painful experience, that God is good, that God can be trusted, that God’s goodness and love will follow him all his life.” (The Great Verses,365 Verses to Learn, to Love, to Live, p91)

In a message after Christmas, Pastor John Gillespie addressed the anxiety and depression that often comes after Christmas using the term, “Secular Trinity” and naming “What we eat,” “What we wear,” and “What we drink.” These are things

God’s beloved children should never become anxious over. As we approach a New Year 2026, we need to live in this reality that God is in charge of our lives and we are not! As Christ Himself 2000 years ago promised, we belong first to the Father and all these things He will provide as we need.

The Lord Teaches On Prayer – Part 4

Matthew 6:11: “Give us each day our daily bread,”

These few words remind us that Christ is the only substance that can give us fuel and energy to become healthy followers of Christ. Religious living without a personal walk with Christ is a formula for spiritual starvation. Without having an individual relationship with Christ, we would have no physical, mental, or spiritual strength to be who God created us to be.

Pastor Alistair Begg writes: “If bread has represented anything throughout history, it’s daily substance. Other foods are certainly pleasant additions to our existence, but when we think of bread, most of us think of one of life’s most basic needs being fulfilled. . . . [While in the wilderness] God made it clear to His people that, each day, He would supply enough manna for one day and one day only. . . . to teach His people to trust His provision. . . .

When we take this Old Testament example and consider the words, ‘Give us each day our daily bread,’ we realize that, in this line of the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus is underscoring a timeless reality: in every age, God teaches His people to trust not in the provision itself, which leaves us longing for more, but in the Provider, who satisfies our every need.” (Truth For Life, 365 Daily Devotions, Vol. 1, February 5)

In guiding us, our Lord gives us these directives on prayer:

1. We are to seek out the Lord daily for our sustenance, not just sporadically or when in a crisis. Jesus teaches us that He is the Bread of Life. John 6:35: “Then Jesus declared, ‘I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.’”
2. 2. Not only should our prayers be daily, but our prayers must be followed with our obedience to God’s will. Only then, will the Lord satisfy our deepest need for spiritual strength. Jesus says in John 6:32-34: “But He said to them, ‘I have food to eat of which you do not know.’ 33 Therefore the disciples said to one another, ‘Has anyone brought Him anything to eat?’ 34 Jesus said to them, ‘My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work.’”

Josh McDowell and Bob Hostetler write, “Obedience to God’s commands not only protects us from harm; it also allows God to provide for us, sometimes in breathtaking ways.” (Barbour’s Encyclopedia of Great Christian Quotes, from Right from Wrong (1994), p321)

3. For God to truly provide us with fresh, daily bread, we must know Him and have a close, personal relationship with Him.

Bob Beaudine writes, “Once you meet with God, you’ll discover something amazing. You’ll find out He does more than just listen to you; He has a plan – plans to prosper you, give you a hope, and always shed light on your great future. But to know these plans you have to stop and listen.” (2 Chairs, The Secret that Changes Everything, Beaudine’s Introduction)

John 6:32-35: “Then Jesus said to them, ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, Moses did not give you the bread from heaven, but My Father gives you the true bread from heaven. 33 For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.’ 34 Then they said to Him, ‘Lord, give us this bread always.’ 35 And Jesus said to them, ‘I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.’”

4. When we obey the Lord and pray for His daily bread, He gives us the strength to be His witnesses in a spiritually-hungry, starving world. Jesus says, “His food was to be obedient to the will of God.”

John writes in John 6:66: “From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more.” With Jesus claiming “I am the only substance to give you spiritual life and without Him, they would starve to death,” many of His followers left, no longer willing to follow Him anymore.

Then Jesus asks those who are left behind in John 6:67-69: “You do not want to leave too, do you?” 68 Simon Peter answered him, ‘Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. 69 We have come to believe and to know that you are the Holy One of God.’”

“When first-century Jews heard Jesus refer to himself as the bread of life, they likely thought of the basic staple, the life-sustaining constant in their daily diet. But Jesus goes even further, explicitly connecting himself to God’s supernatural provision of manna – heavenly bread – during Israel’s 40-year trip through the desert. The point is that Jesus is necessary for life. And in a sense, we are heaven’s waiters, commanded to bring that essential food to others.” (Bread of Life, from Rooted, The Bible for Men, p1220)

John Maxwell writes in The 21 Indisputable Qualities of a Leader, “When it comes to commitment, there are really only four types of people:

• Cop-outs. People who have no goals and do not commit.

• Holdouts. People who are afraid to commit and don’t know if they can reach their goals.

• Dropouts. People who start toward a goal but quit when the going gets tough.

• All-outs. People who set goals, commit to them, and pay the price to reach them. What kind of person are you?”

The Lord Teaches On Prayer – Part 5

Matthew 6:12a: “And forgive us our debts,” When we can pray, “Father, forgive us of our sins,” it is never a question of “Will He forgive?” but a question of “Will we acknowledge our sin and ask God for His forgiveness in repentance?” His response to our repentant prayers is always forgiveness. God’s forgiveness is total and complete: “As far as the east is from the west, so far does He remove our transgressions from us.” Psalm103:12

Oswald Chambers writes, “Forgiveness is the divine miracle of grace; it cost God the Cross of Jesus Christ before He could forgive sin and remain a holy God. Never accept a view of the Fatherhood of God if it blots out the Atonement. The revelation of God is that He cannot forgive; He would contradict His nature if He did. The only way we can be forgiven is by being brought back to God by the Atonement. God’s forgiveness is only natural in the supernatural domain. . . . When once you realize all that it cost God to forgive you, you will be held as if in a vice, constrained by the love of God. (November 20th, My Utmost For His Highest)

Jeff Wells writes from 1Peter 3:18: “For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit.” ‘This is a clear, concise statement on the substitutive atonement of Jesus. When Jesus died on the cross, He died in our place. . .He died as our substitute.’” (The Great Verses, 365 Verses to Learn, to Love, to Live, p436)

“The atonement is not a theory; it is an event, an act of God in history, a sacrifice by which God’s justice is satisfied, man’s sins covered, perfect love fulfilled and set forth as a goal, and victory over sin and death proclaimed and achieved, once and for all time.” (The Layman’s Bible Encyclopedia, p 70)

Some scriptures illustrating Jesus’s forgiveness for all people:

Luke 23:34: “Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” Soldiers mocked Him, religious leaders scoffed at Him and His own followers deserted Him. But Jesus said. “I am not dying just for those who follow Me but even for those who despise and hate Me!”

Luke 23:42-43: “Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” 43 Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.” Jesus died for both of the criminals hanging next to Him on the cross. But only one asked Jesus for forgiveness. We “cannot work” to get God’s forgiveness; it was always a gift God gave us that came with an extremely high price to God – the life of His only Son, Jesus Christ.

Zig Ziglar writes, “We talk about the cross, sing about it, and hear messages about it all the time, but it remains the most awe-inspiring event in all of history. Jesus wasn’t just a good man who died for a cause He believed in. He wasn’t a soldier who died for the guy next to Him in a foxhole. He wasn’t simply a misunderstood martyr or a teacher who said too much. He was Almighty God, who stepped out of heaven to earth for one unique purpose; to give His life for you and me. . . . At that moment, He became our substitute. His death gave us forgiveness, right standing with God, and eternal life.” (April 5, The One Year Daily Insights with Zig Ziglar and Dr. Ike Reighard)

Luke 24:38-39: “He said to them, ‘Why are you troubled, and why do doubts rise in your minds? 39 Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have.’” Christ forgave the doubters, those who were skeptical of Him. He understood their uncertainties and still came back to see them. Only then did they fully understand who Jesus was and what He did for them.

Acts 2:40-41: “With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, ‘Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.’ 41 Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.” When Peter preached of the amazing forgiveness of God to the people, three thousand believed and were saved.

Acts 2:42: “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.” When we partake of the Lord’s Supper, we remember the bread and wine represents the body of Christ and the great payment He made for us to receive God’s forgiveness.

Tim Keller in Center Church writes, “Jesus fights the powers, pays the price, bears the exile, makes the sacrifice, and bears the punishment for us, in our place, on our behalf. . . therefore the substitutionary sacrifice of Jesus is at the heart of everything.’” (The Great Verses, 365 Verses to Learn, to Love, to Live, p436)

John MacArthur writes: “On Israel’s Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur), the high priest selected two goats. One was sacrificed, the other set free. Before releasing the second goat, the high priest symbolically placed the sins of the people on it by laying his hands on its head. This ‘scapegoat’ was then taken a great distance from camp and release – never to return again. In Christ, God canceled your debt and pardoned your transgressions and He did so ‘in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that He lavished on [you]’ (Eph. 1:7-8). That means you have infinite forgiveness, because God’s grace is infinite. You cannot sin beyond God’s grace, because where sin abounds, grace superabounds (Romans 5:20). . . You are forgiven for every sin – past, present and future. You will never be condemned by God or separated from Him (Romans 8:1-2,31-39). Even when you fail.” (Senior’s Devotional Bible, On Infinite Forgiveness, p137)

King David faces his grievous sins of murder and adultery. Living many years before Christ came to earth, David also understood God’s great forgiveness. Forgiveness was for all mankind – before and after Christ came to earth.

Psalm 51:2-4: “Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.3 For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me.4 Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight; so you are right in your verdict and justified when you judge.”

Psalm 51:10-13: “Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. 11 Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. 12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.13 Then I will teach transgressors your ways, so that sinners will turn back to you.”

“Sin has destroyed the relationship between God and human beings. The cross of Christ is God’s means of removing this fissure. Without the shedding of His blood “there is no forgiveness” (Hebrews 9:22, Hebrew 10:18). (Mounce’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old & New Testament Words, p 267.)

Ron Wells, www.centrepoint.cc