Free Range Preacher on Prayer

We have seen the futility of trying to manipulate God from His will through the error of Balaam. We have also seen the glory of God as He answers the particular prayer of Abraham's servant in an eerily precise way. Today, we will see God answer our prayers even as they may be vague, but He knows our hearts and grants even those imprecise prayers, even as He answers our specific prayers as He k...

God’s abundant life is learned through prayer.  In the book "Devoted to God" by Sinclair Ferguson writes of God's perfect will: "The Lord is the Master of the jigsaw puzzle of our lives. The pieces may be strangely shaped; often we cannot see how they fit together; but eventually when the big picture is complete we will see that each piece was perfectly shaped. He leads us by wa...

One correction - I mention Isaiah 66:2 in this episode. When I said it, I should have listened to myself. (Now I know what Cathy feels like.) The verse I had in mind was Isaiah 65:24 "It will also come to pass that I will answer before they call; while they are still speaking, I will hear. So think about that verse when you hear Isaiah 66:2 (which is a great verse, too.) We have also republis...

My best days are many times sleepless nights. God has often made the most resounding impact on His hard-headed slave -me- through sleepless nights wrestling with Him. This delayed episode is just one occasion of God's work on a dull hearer.  We will see how dangerous it is to believe we pray primarily to get what we want.  We follow Balak and Balaam as they persist in prayer, which is clearly...

After the visit of my son-in-law Derek and my daughter Casaundra, chop liver compared to Seven, Lincoln, French, and Freddie, my grandbabies, my heart was full, and I was convicted over how I let the myriad mercies go by almost unnoticed. After this break, we begin with a prayer based on Psalm 33. A prayer of renewal, joy, and worship of our Holy God, Savior, Comforter, refuge, and strength. Psalm...

Sound consistency changes? Pray on patient friends. Romans 12:1-2 I urge you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and accepta...

This is the first revision of our Signature Episode; it is worth a listen, even if you have heard the previous one. In examining the Duty, Glory, and Excellency of prayer, we are reminded that: I am a Sinner. Being human means being complex beyond what we can express or understand. We are lonely beings because of our sins. Added and expanded from our original episode: We are reminded of the essenc...

We are in a five-minute devotional, and we maintain converse with God; fellowship or community with God is grown and developed through reading the whole counsel of God and talking to Him. (Prayer) A soul that does not set its affections and things above disobeys the commands and loses the most gracious and delightful discoveries of the word of God." Excerpt From The Saint's Everlasting Re...

Back to our Extended Ryle, we are almost done reviewing the book. Beloved brethren, whether you are just beginning your conversation with our Savior or starting again for the third (or one hundredth) time as you get to know God through prayer, J.C. Ryle expresses like no other the encouragement we need to press on to know the Lord as Hosea exhorts us - chapter 6 verse 3. Perhaps the most poignant...

madhouseministries.org, mention Gossards in the note, please. There is momentum to every new endeavor, any new start-up effort, or adventure. The momentum starts out slowly, and as it gains speed, as it were, it becomes more prominent and different, even if only by a few degrees than had been anticipated. The Free Range Preacher on Prayer has come to that point. As in any other ministry, that mome...

The God of all comfort is our all in all. "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort; 4 who comforts us in all our affliction so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. 5 For just as the sufferings of Christ are ours in abundance, so also our comfort...

Our five-minute devotional today is longer than five minutes, but we also take care of a bit of business in this episode. I know many of you pray for the Free Range Preacher on prayer, and I do thank you. It is also one of the reasons we have confidence when the unexpected happens.  For the last few weeks, I have been able to be the helper for Cathy's health bumps and not the helpie! Today we...

Editor's note (that's Fred) We have had some life stuff in the providence of God and s little none-sense of Fred, which have delayed this episode. For the providence of Almighty God, we are thankful. As per my none-sense, I edited this a little differently this time, and instead of the process being shorter, it was much longer. I am sorry and was about to say I'll not be doing that aga...

In examining the question, "What is Prayer?" We accidentally learn why we pray. Even though no Biblical person asks why we pray? Their lives reveal our anguished need for prayer. We are sinners. Until glory, we struggle with sin. Prayer is the act of faith that assures our soul. We are complex lonely beings, and prayer brings us into the arms of our heavenly Father, who knows us, holds u...

J.C. Ryle is beginning to wrap up his treatise on "A Call to Prayer." In the first step in this short, from his perspective, and final set of appeals, he has specific admonish for those in need of saving grace, and next time, to the prayerless child of God. Samples: "Oh, prayerless reader, who and what are you that you will not ask anything of God? Have you made a covenant with deat...

In 1951, “Nature, Man, and God” by William Temple was published much later than I thought. In this book, the finest description of the heart of true Christian worship can be found: “Quicken your conscience with the Holiness of God. Feed your mind with the Word of God.
Purge your imagination with the Beauty of God. Open your heart with the Love of God. Devote you will to the Purpose of God.” The ve...

Five minutes of truth is our food for inexhaustible hope, peace, and comfort. Bless the LORD, O my soul, And forget none of His benefits; 3 Who pardons all your iniquities; Who heals all your diseases; 4 Who redeems your life from the pit; Who crowns you with lovingkindness and compassion; 5 Who satisfies your years with good things, So that your youth is renewed like the eagle. Psalm 103:2-5 Our...

It is not any hyperbole or overstatement to say prayer puts all He has done for my soul into proper perspective. His promises of eternal life have been affirmed as only could be, by sincere converse, prayer, and the word, with my Savior. Part of what we have labeled "the grammar of prayer" we have talked about: The Foundation - our relationship with Almighty God. The Frame - The Holy Spi...

Category Five-Minute Devotional A new feature, long ago and far away, we started what I wanted to be a short daily devotional. Neither The Free Range, F.O.P. (Fred's Operating Procedure) or production were quality enough to make that reality. After all my Maestro - Richard Durrington's work, we can faithfully meditate on two weekly Devotional episodes. We begin with verse 1 of Psalm 103: B...

I scoff on the lapel of all who say the Bible is not relevant to our day. Habakkuk faced times similar to our tumult he saw terrible judgment coming, and God confirmed the news in answer to his prayer, yet he confesses: Yet I will exult in the LORD, I will rejoice in the God of my salvation. 19 The Lord GOD is my strength, And He has made my feet like hinds’ feet, And makes me walk on my high plac...

How do you distinguish between a cherry tree and a pare tree? I use all my knowledge in plantology to know how. But critically: Samual Rutherford wrote: "Wrestle, fight, go forward, watch, fear, believe, pray; and then ye have all the infallible symptoms of one of the elect of Christ within you." J.C. Ryle, Rutherford, and all serious teachers of the word of God emphasize the symptoms of...

In examining the question, "What is Prayer?" We accidentally learn why we pray. Even though no Biblical person asks why we pray? Their lives reveal our anguished need for prayer. We are sinners. Until glory, we struggle with sin. Prayer is the act of faith that assures our soul. We are complex lonely beings, and prayer brings us into the arms of our heavenly Father, who knows us, holds u...

Today, a prayer of celebration, our hundredth episode, and for strength in this season of upheaval, and for a year of jubilee, for God is working to do His will and give His beloved Kingdom, victories, and Himself as Yahweh-Nissi, God the banner over our heads. Echos of Holy Writ, some Puritans, and the heart of the podcast host, in our supplication and worship to our Savior: Wonderful Counselor,...

The words of Richard Baxter are earthy, moving, and convicting. He echos the truth, that we can begin to enjoy God's rest as we seek Him foremost. Baxter in "The Saints Everlasting Rest" brings us to tears, and He laments in the voice of God: "How must we offend our dear Lord when we give him cause to complain, as he did of our fellow idolaters: "My people have been lost sh...

After a Fight, Fall, Fight, I experienced a Funeral. It was the funeral of my dad. The worst tragedy of my life. You can listen to the series in order. Personal/Powerful Prayer Lesson published March 20, 2023. Personal/Powerful Prayer Lesson 2 - The Fight, from March 28. The Fall was posted on April 14. The Flight is on April 28. God worked all those together, along with an accident, a letter, and...