Standing in the Gap…

Intercessory prayers are prayers offered on behalf of other people - our friends, family, co-workers, and so on. The Bible says in Job 42:10 that, "… the LORD restored Job's losses when he prayed for his friends." Intercessory prayers are mighty potent. Abraham pleaded with God for the well-being of the people of Sodom (Gen 18). Moses is also known for interceding on behalf of others throughout his life. Moses prayed with urgency and boldness. Several of Paul's prayers of intercession are recorded in the New Testament. The church prayed fervently for Peter while he was imprisoned (Acts 12:5). Jesus is the greatest intercessor of all time, and still, He is interceding for us before the Father (Rom 8:34). The Bible says in Rom 8:26, "...

Building up the wall…

In the good old days of castles, fortresses, and strongholds, when an enemy threatened, people took shelter inside the walls of the forts, and they felt secure! If there ever was a breach in the wall, then everyone rallied around the breach, fighting the invading forces and building up the wall, all at the same time. If they are not able to stop the enemy at that point, then the safety and security of their city will be lost entirely. The breach may be small, but it will cost them their very lives! The Bible talks about the Lord as our rock and fortress again and again. Psalm 18:2 says, "The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; My God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold." Psalm 91:2 sa...

When we pray…

Two friends who lived in different parts of the same city went to a nursery and bought the same kind of tree for their backyards. Both of them took care to plant them in their garden. One friend took great care of it. Whenever he looked out if it too sunny, he would earnestly pray for rain. If the sky was overcast, he would immediately pray for sunshine! So, day by day, he prayed for what he thought the tree needed! But the other man after planting his tree said this small prayer! "Lord, I have planted this tree. You know all that this tree will ever need and when it will need them. Please take care of it." After a few months, the first friend had an opportunity to meet the second one at his home. When he went there, he found his tree standing tall, all lush...

When Towers Fall!

When catastrophes like nine-eleven happen in our world, or when suddenly a young person is called to glory, people always seem to question how a good God could allow such terrible things to happen. The same question came up in Jesus' time too, as we see from an incident recorded in Luke's Gospel 13:1-5. No wonder the book ‘When Bad Things Happen to Good People' by Harold S. Kushner was New York's #1 bestselling book!

Some worshippers were massacred by Pilate's soldiers. The people who came to Jesus were troubled about this and asked Him how God could have allowed such things to happen to His chosen people who had come to worship at the Temple. Jesus answered their question with another question: "Do you think that these Galileans we...

What is our Mandate?

After Zadok the priest anointed King Solomon, Solomon went to Gibeon to offer burnt offerings. The LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream by night, and God said, "Ask! What shall I give you?" We read about this incident in 1 Kings 3:3-14. For a king to be successful, he needs many things; he has to subdue his foes; he has to have loyal subjects; he has to have silver and gold; he has to have great harvests, and of course, the King has to have good health and long life. But Solomon did not ask God for any of these. Primarily a King's mandate is to rule his subjects wisely. Solomon also understood that he was young and needed help. So, he asked God for an understanding heart to judge God's people (3:9). Solomon had understood his mandate, and th...

Living for Christ!

Sometime back, I heard a sermon on Peter based on Matthew 26: 33-35 & 69-75. Peter was one of the twelve disciples closely associated with Jesus. In Matthew 16: 18, we see Jesus saying, "And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock, I will build My church…." But during the last supper with His disciples, Jesus predicted that Peter would deny, and disown him before the rooster crowed the next morning. When Jesus was brought into the high priest's house where He was held in prison, Peter had followed at a distance. In this account, it very surprising to note how the people who saw Peter perceived him. The first servant girl told Peter, "You also were with Jesus of Galilee(Mt 26:69)." Then another girl saw him and...

Count it all Joy!

Our dog Bruno was a German shepherd with a double coat. He was huge and furry. He loved many things. He loved doughnuts, his daily walks, and car rides. But he hated somethings too. He hated it when we carried the small children who visited us. He hated it when the neighborhood exploded with crackers. And of course, he hated taking a bath! Giving Bruno his weekly bath was my responsibility and as soon as I called out, "Bruno, bath time," he would disappear under my mother's bed! She was his refuge at such critical times. He will finally walk to the terrace ears drooping, like a lamb being lead to the slaughter! He never troubled us during the actual bath. Once it was over, he will be thrilled and frisky, running around and enjoying the post-bath cooln...

Immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine …

When children were young, we used to watch Robin Hood an American animated musical comedy produced by Walt Disney Productions very often. Actually, we still sometimes do! This film is based on the legend of Robin Hood but uses anthropomorphic animals instead of people. The story follows the adventures of Robin Hood, Little John and the inhabitants of Nottingham as they fight against the excessive taxation of Prince John. When Prince John tripled the taxes, most of the townsfolk end up in jail since they could not pay. In one of the prison scenes, all look famished, and a crumb from the hand of a Rabbit falls down. The Rabbit picks it up and gives it to the mouse. The beauty is, even though it is just a little ‘crumb', the mouse staggers under its weight and is abl...

Jesus, Lover of my soul…

As I was reading ‘Daily Bread' one meditation on Leah caught my attention. We read about Leah in Genesis 29. Peter Chin says that Leah longed for the love of her husband Jacob which is reflected in the names of her first three sons. Their names tell a remarkable story! She called her first son Reuben saying, "The LORD has surely looked on my affliction. Now, therefore, my husband will love me(v32)." She called her second son Simeon saying, "Because the LORD has heard that I am unloved, He has therefore given me this son also(v33)." When she conceived again and bore another son, she called him Levi saying, "Now this time my husband will become attached to me, because I have borne him three sons(v34)." Sadly,...

A New Beginning!

Soon after we got married, we set up home in KK Nagar, a suburb in Chennai. It was there our first son Sushil was born. It so happened we moved the next year to another house also in KK Nagar, and by the time we built our own house in Anna Nagar and moved in on Jan 22nd, 1981, we had moved through two more rented houses! One day when I came back from office, I found Sushil scribbling on the wall and when I asked him he just said, "Amma, now this house has become dirty. Let us move to the next house!" Somehow our frequent house changes had made him believe that once a house becomes dirty, we can actually move to a new home!

Peter was a remarkable disciple. He was quick with his responses and firm in beliefs. Peter declared that even if everyone else stum...