Prayer

God Sold the Cattle

Based on a story recounted in The Circle Maker by Mark Batterson, Chapter Ten: “The Cattle on a Thousand Hills”

Shortly after Dallas Theological Seminary opened its doors, their doors almost closed because of bankruptcy. Before their 1929 commencement day, the faculty gathered in the president’s office to pray that God would provide. They formed a prayer circle, and when it was Harry Ironside’s turn, he circled Psalm 50:10 with a simple Honi-like prayer:

“Lord, we know you own the cattle on a thousand hills. Please sell some of them, and send us the money.”

The time lapse between our requests and God’s answers is often longer than we would like, but occasionally God answers immediately. While the faculty was praying, a $10,000 answer was delivered. One version of the story attributes the gift to a Texas cattle rancher who had sold two carloads of cattle. Another version attributes it to a banker from Illinois. But one way or another, it was God who prompted the gift and answered the prayer.

In a moment that is reminiscent of the day Peter knocked on the door of the house where his friends were praying for a miraculous jailbreak, the president’s secretary interrupted the prayer meeting by knocking on the president’s door. Dr. Lewis Sperry Chafer, founder and president of DTS, answered the door, and she handed him the answer to prayer. Turning to his friend and colleague, Dr. Harry Ironside, President Chafer said,

“Harry, God sold the cattle!”

Attribution: Story from Chapter Ten of The Circle Maker by Mark Batterson

Worry About Nothing, Pray About Everything

The Acceptable Sin of Worry

Adapted from a Facebook post by Charles Swindoll

The pressures of our times have many of us caught in the web of the most acceptable yet energy-draining sin in the Christian family: worry.

Chances are good you awoke this morning, stepped out of bed, and before doing anything strapped on your well-worn backpack of anxiety. You started the day not with a prayer on your mind but loaded down by worry.

It happens to me far too often. This silent companion that walks with us through sanctuary halls and hospital rooms alike.

The stress from worry drains our energy and preoccupies our minds, stripping us of much-needed peace. Few in ministry are exempt. We fret over big things and little things, carrying laundry lists of concerns that feed our addiction to anxiety.

And worse—we’re passing it on. As our children and grandchildren see the worry on our faces and hear it from our lips, we’re mentoring them in the art of anxiety.

The heritage we build with each furrowed brow wasn’t in our ministry plans, was it?

As always, Scripture holds the answer. Paul wrote from house arrest—a man who had every reason to worry yet discovered a different path:

“Rejoice in the Lord always… Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” (Philippians 4:4–7)

His prescription for anxiety can be distilled to six transformative words:

Worry about nothing. Pray about everything.

Let those words sink deep. Read them again, slowly.

Notice that the remedy involves a choice—not denial. “Don’t worry; be happy” fails to appreciate the seriousness of your concerns.

You worry because the problems you face are genuinely difficult. They carry real consequences. God doesn’t expect you to suddenly stop caring.

Instead, He offers an alternative to the pointless and exhausting habit of worry: transforming each anxious thought into a conversation with the One who holds tomorrow.

Before this day is done, you’ll stand at another crossroads between worry and prayer. The invitation remains the same: decide now what path you’ll choose.

What burden feels heaviest on your shoulders today? What if—just for this moment—you set down that well-worn backpack and opened your hands in surrender?

Our Father, Our Guide: A Daily Devotion from the Lord’s Prayer

Shout out to my friend Kyle for providing this guide to our group!

Praying the Lord’s Prayer

Source: “Praying the Lord’s Prayer” by Brad Boyston, November 2006 – Original PDF document

Introduction

Jesus gave His disciples a model prayer—not simply a formula to recite but a framework to guide hearts in communion with God. The Lord’s Prayer in Matthew 6:9–13 teaches us how to approach God with reverence, dependence, and surrender.

1. “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name”

This opening line affirms both intimacy and majesty. God is our Father—personal and present—but He is also holy, worthy of awe and adoration. To “hallow” His name is to recognize His sacred character in every prayer and every part of our lives (Matthew 6:9).

2. “Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven”

Here we submit our plans and desires to God’s sovereign rule. This prayer aligns us with His purpose and invites His reign in our relationships, choices, and culture. We express our desire to see earth mirror heaven, yielding to God’s redemptive work (Matthew 6:10).

3. “Give us today our daily bread”

Jesus instructs us to ask for what we need each day—both physically and spiritually. This request nurtures our trust in God’s provision and reminds us of our dependence on Him, just as Israel relied on manna in the wilderness (Matthew 6:11; Exodus 16).

4. “Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors”

This part teaches humility and grace. We acknowledge our need for God’s mercy while extending it to others. Forgiveness is both a gift received and a command to be lived out in community (Matthew 6:12; Ephesians 4:32).

5. “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one”

We pray for protection against both spiritual pitfalls and the schemes of the enemy. This final petition declares our dependence on God for moral strength and spiritual safety (Matthew 6:13; 1 Corinthians 10:13).

Conclusion

The Lord’s Prayer is a daily invitation to center our hearts on God’s glory, kingdom, provision, grace, and power. It forms a rhythm of reliance and reverence that transforms our relationship with God.

Citations:

  • Matthew 6:9–13 – The Lord’s Prayer
  • Exodus 16 – God’s provision of manna
  • Ephesians 4:32 – Call to forgiveness
  • 1 Corinthians 10:13 – God’s faithfulness in temptation
  • Brad Boyston, “Praying the Lord’s Prayer,” November 2006 (PDF source)

Waiting on the Lord: The Strength of Stillness

Psalm 27:14 – Wait for the Lord

“Wait for the LORD.” — Psalm 27:14

Waiting might seem simple, but it’s one of the hardest things for a Christian to learn. It’s easier to charge ahead than to stand still. Sometimes, even when you really want to do what’s right, you just don’t know what to do next. What then? Give in to fear or frustration? Back down, panic, or make impulsive decisions? No—just wait.

Wait by praying. Talk to God about your situation. Be honest about your confusion and ask Him to help you. In moments when you’re torn between two paths, come to God like a child, humbly and simply, and let Him guide you. It’s a good place to be when you recognize you don’t have all the answers and are ready to follow His lead.

Wait with faith. Don’t just wait and worry. Trust that God is working, even if you don’t see it yet. Even if He seems slow, He’s always right on time. His promises never fail.

Wait with quiet patience. Don’t complain about what’s happening. Instead, thank God, even in the struggle. Don’t blame others or wish for the past. Accept your current situation as part of His plan, and hand it all over to Him—your thoughts, your fears, your decisions—saying:

“Lord, not my will, but Yours.
I don’t know what to do, and I’m at the end of my rope, but I’ll wait.
I’ll wait for You to calm the storm or clear the way.
I’ll wait as long as You want, because my heart is fixed on You alone.
I trust You, God. You are my hope, my rescue, my shelter, and my strength.”

Citation:
Inspired by Charles H. Spurgeon, Morning and Evening: Daily Readings, August 30 entry. Public domain.

Image Source: Heartlight.org

How Prayer Shapes Your Spiritual Future

The Power of Prayer: Why I Can’t Afford to Go Without It

There are countless books on prayer, but every now and then, a quote hits with unusual clarity and conviction. This one, from Mark Batterson’s Be a Circle Maker, captures something deeply true about why regular, intentional prayer matters so much in my life.

“It is absolutely imperative at the outset that you come to terms with this simple yet life-changing truth: God is for you. If you don’t believe that, then you’ll pray small timid prayers; if you do believe it, then you’ll pray big audacious prayers.

And one way or another, your small timid prayers or big audacious prayers will change the trajectory of your life and turn you into two totally different people.

Prayers are prophecies. They are the best predictors of your spiritual future. Who you become is determined by how you pray. Ultimately, the transcript of your prayers becomes the script of your life.”

— Mark Batterson, Be a Circle Maker, p. 21. Copyright © 2011, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan.

This quote reminds me that prayer isn’t just communication; it’s formation. When I take prayer seriously, it reshapes my mindset, refocuses my vision, and reorders my life. That’s why I can’t afford to treat it lightly—or sporadically. My future depends on it.

Where are You?

When God Delays, He Still Hears

Image by Vecteezy

When God Delays, He Still Hears

Prayer sometimes feels like a beggar waiting outside a palace gate, lingering long after the request is made, longing for the King to appear. And though we’ve prayed earnestly, the silence can feel like a heavy sky of brass. Like Jeremiah, we may cry, “You have covered Yourself with a cloud so that no prayer can get through.”

“Unanswered petitions are not unheard. God keeps a file for our prayers—they are treasured in the King’s archives.”

But this waiting is not rejection. It is the sovereign Lord exercising His wisdom, choosing to strengthen our faith by delay—not denial. He is not deaf to our pleas. Every prayer is recorded in heaven’s archives, every tear collected in His bottle, every groan written in His book. Our requests are never lost; they are treasured.

When God chooses to delay, it is not because our prayers lack passion or faith, but because His timing is better than ours. Satan may whisper that silence means abandonment, but we must resist the lie. Our God is the God of truth. His promises are not forgotten invoices—every past-due blessing will arrive right on time.

So, tested believer, wait patiently. Your prayers are heard. Soon, He will trade your waiting garments for robes of joy. His answer will come, and it will be worth every moment you endured.

Seaside Prayers

Excerpt from The Red Sea Rules: 10 God-Given Strategies for Difficult Times by Robert J. Morgan

Some situations have offered me just two options—I could either panic or pray. My tendency is to panic, like the Israelites by the Red Sea or the disciples on the Sea of Galilee. I’ve had my share of hyperventilating, heart-racing panic attacks. But the Lord has spent years trying to show me that prayer is the means by which I can, if I choose, stay even-tempered, self-possessed, cool-headed, and strong-spirited, even in a crisis.

When we can’t press forward, move sideward, or step backward, it’s time to look upward and to ask God to make a way. In a time of uncertainty, the patriarch Jacob said, “Let us arise and go up to Bethel; and I will make an altar there to God, who answered me in the day of my distress and has been with me in the way which I have gone” (Gen. 35:3).

Referring to his days as a fugitive, David wrote, “In my distress I called upon the LORD, and cried out to my God. He heard my voice from His temple” (2 Sam. 22:7). The writer of Psalm 107 declared,

They cry out to the LORD in their trouble, And He brings them out of their distresses.
He calms the storm,
So that its waves are still. (vv. 28–29)

That’s just what happened as the Israelites cried out to God at the Red Sea, except there the waves became trembling walls of water, held back by invisible dams.

I’m not talking now about our regular, daily quiet-time prayer habits, important as they are; I’m talking about crisis-time prayers. Prayers of importunity and intensity. Prayers during life-threatening or soul-shattering events. “This kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting” (Matt. 17:21). “Pray hard and long,” Paul wrote in Ephesians 6:18 (The Message). The Israelites were in crisis in Exodus 14, and their seaside cry was

  • urgent,
  • united,
  • unfeigned,
  • but unbelieving.

The urgency of their prayer was obvious, evidenced by the verb cried. I had a friend in college who gave me a little booklet her father, Cameron Thompson, had written, titled Master Secrets of Prayer. My copy is now underlined and tattered, but I still treasure it and have these words underlined:

There comes a time, in spite of our soft, modern ways, when we must be desperate in prayer, when we must wrestle, when we must be outspoken, shameless and importunate. Many of the prayers recorded in Scripture are “cries,” and the Hebrew and Greek words are very strong. Despite opinions to the contrary, the Bible recognizes such a thing as storming heaven—“praying through.” The fervent prayer of a righteous man is mighty in its working.

I remember such times in my own life—when my father suffered a heart attack, when a job possibility blew up in my face, when a friend was overdosing on cocaine, when my child got involved in the wrong crowd. There was little I could do except plead with God. Sometimes these prayers are prolonged. Twice in my life I’ve spent the entire night in prayer.

Other times, however, my prayers are quite short. I’ve recently learned a new prayer technique from the writings of missionary Amy Carmichael. She learned it from the famous Bible teacher Dr. F. B. Meyer, who once told her that as a young man he had been irritable and hot-tempered. An older gentleman advised him to look up at the moment of temptation and say, “Thy sweetness, Lord.”

Amy Carmichael developed many variations of that prayer. When meeting someone she didn’t like, she would silently pray, “Thy love, Lord.” In a crisis, she’d whisper, “Thy help, Lord,” or “Thy wisdom, Lord.”

Sometimes when I’m worried, I just lift my heart to heaven and say, “Lord . . . ,” followed by the name of one for whom I’m concerned.

Looking back over the years, I’ve never faced a crisis in which, in response to earnest prayer, whether prolonged or instant, God didn’t make a way. James 5:16 tells us: “The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and wonderful results” (NLT). That’s the great secret of those who put their hands in the hand of the One who can part the seas. United

Morgan, Robert J. . The Red Sea Rules: 10 God-Given Strategies for Difficult Times (pp. 40-44). HarperCollins Christian Publishing.