The following article was written by Chaplain (Capt.) Rick Cantrell of 1st Battalion, 13th Infantry Regiment at Fort Jackson in Columbia South Carolina.
The transfiguration of Christ is recorded in Mark 9:1-12. Peter, James and John accompanied Jesus up a high mountain. After Jesus was transfigured, Peter was so moved by the magnificence and glory of God that he said, “Rabbi, it is good for us to be here” (Mark 9:5a).
Peter wanted to camp out and savor the awesome presence of God indefinitely. We too, like Peter, want to extend our mountaintop experiences with God because they do not happen often. The sobering reality is that our mountaintop experiences quickly fade away as we journey down the mountainside. Continued »
On May 13th 2007 my son was killed in Hadithia, Iraq. The last 3 years have been wrought with intermittent periods of loss, longing mixed in with great joy and sometimes great sorrow. I will admit I did not always handle those feelings with grace and I questioned God on more than one occasion. How do you respond in time of need or great misery?
“O Lord, I call to you; come quickly to me. Hear my voice when I call to you.” Psalm 141:1
In the verse above, King David illustrates one approach. When under duress, he went into the presence of God and called to Him. David had an intimate relationship with God and it was a regular occurrence for him to petition God. Continued »
During an evening walk recently I mentioned to my wife that sometimes I felt like God was putting me in my place, that he was spanking me for being disobedient in the past and scolding me for my lack of wisdom. The subject of my concern was an opportunity, clearly presented to me only because Gods wants me involved in some way, but the final outcome is a big unknown to me and frankly a bit scary.
I was voicing my concern that a few very large roadblocks were still clearly looming, obstacles of my own making that will only be overcome with His help. Lynn was firmly correcting me, with that 30 year of marriage type of love only a life partner can pull off, and telling me God does not scold his children. She said I should continue to pray and ask God for the wisdom and guidance I need. Continued »
I have a confession to make. I am more comfortable praying alone, just me and God. I know that is not a good habit for a Christian to get into but I’m self conscience when asked to pray out loud with a group. I don’t know if it is my lack of biblical knowledge or a simple self esteem problem that makes me uncomfortable but it is something that I must work on.
I know that God hears all prayers but I have noticed that group prayers even just three or four men together seem to have more power. I listen to other more mature Christian men and I marvel at how easy it is for them. I hope that I will get better at praying soon because the Lord knows I have a lot I should be praying about and a few friends helping can’t hurt.
Numerous times we read of Nehemiah praying alone – seeking guidance and direction. He prayed for God’s forgiveness for the people of Israel who had strayed so far from Him. Later, Nehemiah also prayed for protection as he and his fellow Israelites strove to rebuild Jerusalem’s walls. Continued »