I, Isaac, Take Thee, Rebekah

David talked often about how discouraged or fearful he would become at times. Then he would interject these words, “But then I entered the sanctuary . . .” Being in God’s presence affects all other relationships for the better.

Become a man or a woman of prayer. Let your devotional life be the beacon that guides you through the tough terrain you will face. Let your heart and mind be kept close to the principal calling of your life, which is to hunger and thirst after God and His righteousness. Make your day one in which God gets your best so that others share in the rewards of your devotion.

is done out of a sense of the poverty of one’s spirit. A genuine prayer life is one that is constantly broken before God. Such a person’s life demonstrates the humility that is born out of brokenness.

Over the years I have seen so much abuse of even this, one of the most spiritual of all acts, that it can become the worst kind of hypocrisy. I have seen those who all too often think that because they have spent an hour in prayer there is some kind of superiority in them. It would be well in keeping with Satan’s deceit of our minds to make even prayer a trap.We must resist that at all cost. Praying is not done in order to wield authority with others or to make an impres‍

It is a self-evident truth that a person who truly prays and seeks God’s wisdom in life recognizes the sovereignty of God and is committed to seeking God’s wisdom in life’s important choices. It is important to understand that it is a prayer life that builds character that honors God, not one that brandishes its spirituality or seeks to use prayer as a credential or a badge of honor.

“The first time I saw you, you were praying.”

Anyone who thinks the violent history of the Middle East is because of recent conflicts just doesn’t know history. It all goes back to this very family.

This was a time of tribal warfare and a struggle to keep pure the worship of the true God.

can say this, however, that it was truly a tug deep within and, yes, at first sight. The attraction was more than merely looks. There was the impact of a total person. And that attraction grew with time and blossomed into a genuine desire to love and serve.

I do not know how many times I have been asked the question, “Was it love at first sight?” I think the question is unfortunate because it asks the impossible.