Searching for Truth

“In the early morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house, and went away to a secluded place, and was praying there. Simon and his companions searched for Him; they found Him, and said to Him, “Everyone is looking for you.” He said to them, “Let us go somewhere else to the towns nearby, so that I may preach there also; for that is what I came for.” And He went into their synagogues throughout all Galilee, preaching and casting out the demons. There are some very important lessons we can learn from our Lord in this passage regarding prayer. First, if Jesus realized the necessity and importance of spending time alone with God in prayer, certainly His feeble disciples, such as we are, will greatly benefit from the same. Sometimes it is important just to get away from everyone and everything for some uninterrupted time alone with God. In the passage above, it seems as if Jesus’ praying helped remind Him of His purpose and reason for coming to the earth: to preach the gos...

Few things trouble us more than what appears from our perspective to be unanswered prayer. We struggle with doubt, confusion, hurt, and even sometimes anger, when wrestling with the fact that our requests are not being fulfilled. During such times, we may feel distanced from God, alone, powerless, or perhaps even trying to figure out what we may have done that would cause God’s silence regarding our requests. The word of God encourages unrestrained asking in prayer (Matthew 7:7; John 14:14). But why are we sometimes disappointed after having asked? First, it may be helpful to remember that we are products of the instant gratification society. We are used to getting what we want when we want it, which is usually now! Although there certainly are times when God works instantly, there are more times when He works slowly, at least from our perspective. Whenever we plant seeds in the ground to make our gardens, we understand that it takes some time before the seeds sprout into grown plants ...