The Bible claims that it is the Word of God. This remarkable claim demands remarkable evidence.
And Scripture actually provides that evidence: historical accuracy, textual unity, fulfilled prophecy… and even what we might call anachronistic insight.
An anachronism is something that appears in the wrong time period. For instance, it’s like someone discovering knowledge long before anyone actually knew it.
“16 Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results. 17 Elijah was as human as we are, and yet when he prayed earnestly that no rain would fall, none fell for three and a half years!” — James 5:16-17
Recently, I’ve been reading in the book of James. These verses reminded me of the power of prayer in a fresh way. James shows us that we experience healing, breakthrough, and spiritual strength through two simple but important practices: confession and earnest prayer.
Verse 16 calls us to confess our sins to one another and pray for each other so that healing can flow. Confession certainly isn’t about earning forgiveness from Jesus. On the contrary, His grace already covered us at the Cross. Instead, confession is about walking in the light. It keeps the enemy from cornering us with shame and isolation. It also gives Believers permission to live in an honest, transparent, and grace-filled way. We begin to heal when we step into the light with a trusted community and invite God into our weakness.
Then James points to Elijah in verse 17. He writes of a man “as human as we are.” A man whose earnest prayers absolutely shaped the world around him. Elijah wasn’t perfect; he was simply willing. His life reminds us of something we should never forget. That fervent, faith-filled prayer from ordinary people invites extraordinary intervention from God.
These Verses Remind Us
Honesty opens the door to healing. Equally important, earnest prayer opens the door to God’s power. We don’t need to be spiritual giants. We just need to always surrender ourselves, be humble, and be willing to pray.
Considering this, is there something in your life He’s prompting you to confess so you can walk in the light? And how can you take steps today to pray in faith, believing He hears and responds?
“Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too great for me to understand!” — Psalm 139:6
Psalm 139 is definitely one of my favorite chapters in the entire Bible. The picture that David paints of God’s goodness and closeness is so comforting. It is nearly impossible to read those words and not feel God’s love. Without a doubt, it truly is too great for me to understand!
Do you feel like God is distant? Maybe you feel like He doesn’t understand you? Then, I would encourage you to read Psalm 139 and let His Truth change those thoughts.
Our world sits in darkness. We carry the weight of sin, which leaves us lost, isolated, and hopeless. Every day, we see the effects of a lost world needing hope. Hearts are weighed down by despair, and souls are longing for something greater. But there is Good News: Light has broken through the darkness.
Then Jesus said to her, “I am the MESSIAH!” – John 4:26
Without a doubt, this is one of my favorite encounters in the entire Bible. You remember the story. In the Gospel of John, Jesus passed through a region called Samaria on His way to Galilee. As the reader, we should by all means know that (at this time in history) the Samaritan people were despised by the Jewish people. The Jews considered the Samaritans to be inferior economically, racially, spiritually, and socially. In fact, they were “the dogs” and often even hated.
Christmas is indeed the most wonderful time of the year! But, the day after Christmas… not so much. Admittedly, all the excitement that went into putting up the Christmas lights is now nonexistent. The time has finally come to take them down.
But certainly, don’t let December 26th be the day you put all of the excitement of Christmas away until next year. Instead, ponder the incarnation of God in the Lord Jesus Christ. It means He has come to illuminate our lives today and forevermore.
The Rock Music has released our new song, “Mercy.” It has been an honor to play a small part in writing and recording this song. Indeed, God has been so kind to our little local church in Draper, Utah (of all places) to allow us to put out so much original music.
I’ve helped release several songs over the past 15 years. This one is unique. From the first time we led worship with this song (April 2022), it has been a particularly special song for our body to sing together.
First and foremost, we write and record music for Jesus to be exalted and, secondly, for our local body. We want the music to be a blessing to the saints who call The Rock Church their home. Anything beyond that is just icing on the cake. And, of course, more glory for God.
“But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light. “Once you had no identity as a people; now you are God’s people. Once you received no mercy; now you have received God’s mercy.” — 1 Peter 2:9-10 (NLT)
I’ve often shared these verses with people in an effort to help show the “Goodness of God.” Especially when they’ve made a mistake or experienced some sort of mishap and are feeling down. And quite frankly, for many of us, that happens frequently. Without a doubt, this truth is for all of us.
