Free Range Preacher on Prayer

Joshua's words are a challenge of belief. As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. But what after you have made that decision? What is our process when facing a below-average life in this flesh? As we will see from J.C. Ryle, our first response to every circumstance should be, "As for me, I will seek the Lord." Richard Baxter adds his most probing Question: "Are not the c...

God answered my prayer in the third quarter of 1984 and sent Cathy and me back to Phoenix to continue and finish my education. On the way back, we desired to fish and camp from Boise to northern Idaho and visit with every friend who wanted to join us. Our desire would never come to pass. God used a broken deal at work, a broken truck, broken ribs, whiplash, and a necessary recovery time to provide...

Category: Our Extended Ryle. “Precious Savior, still our refuge, take it to the Lord in prayer. Do your friends despise, forsake you? Take it to the Lord in prayer! In His arms He'll take and shield you; you will find a solace there. Blessed Savior, Thou hast promised Thou wilt all our burdens bear May we ever, Lord, be bringing all to Thee in earnest prayer. Soon in glory bright unclouded the...

Category - Devotional  Humanity, one and all, are a bruised reed and smoking flax. It is not until the pain makes us desperate for mercies outside ourselves we will not call out to the only name given among men, by which we must be saved! So writes Richard Sibbes: "The bruised reed is a man that for the most part is in some misery, as those were that came to Christ for help, and by misery he...

Category: Biblical - Exhortation In 1984, a death would occur, the death of my father. As God used a single prayer of faithful Hannah to give her a son, give a prophet to Israel (Samuel), and fulfill His promise to judge the unrighteous priests troubling all of Israel, He answered my prayer to lead me back to Phoenix to finish school, encourage my heart, refresh my vision of my dad, and lay the gr...

Category: Our Extended Ryle We view the most sweeping and joyous section of “A Call to Prayer.” Today is the most extended quote from J.C. Ryle thus far, and that is a blessing. More of the genius of Bishop Ryle and less of me is always a good thing. “Some without doubt have a larger cup of sorrow to drink than others. But few are to be found who live long without sorrows or cares “of one sort or...

Category: Biblical Our expectation for this episode is twofold: Malachi 3:6 6 “For I, the LORD, do not change; therefore you, O sons of Jacob, are not consumed. Hebrews 13:8 Christ is the same yesterday and today, yes and forever. He takes His word seriously,  Luke 6:26 27 “But I say to you who hear, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who...

Category: Our Extended Ryle What do you think when you hear duty, glory, and excellence? When in "The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment," Jeremiah Burroughs talks of the "Duty, Glory, and Excellency of a Christian," being our goal in Christian contentment, which can be seen as a summary of the Puritan thought on the Christian life. "And what is the best means of cheerful...

Growing - Encouragement (A republished episode in preparation for parts 2-7 in the same series.) 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...

Hebrews 13:7-8 Remember those who led you, who spoke the word of God to you; and considering the result of their conduct, imitate their faith. 8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today, yes and forever. Our devotion, our prayer is summed up in the words of Samual Rutherford: “I would not exchange the joy of my bonds and imprisonment for Christ with all the joy of this dirty and foul-skinned w...

Category: Word, Real Life, and Prayer.  Prayer is doubt's destroyer, ruin's remedy, the antidote to all anxieties. C.H. Spurgeon As we consider our groaning, in our use of our difficulties, the content of our prayer reflects on God's will in our groaning. We grow into a godly desire for our Savior's will alone.  Matthew 6:10 'Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, On earth as it is in heave...

Category: Our Extended Ryle  A cheetah housed in zoos that are too small for their created design… that is to run, jump, pursue, all with deft agility, become increasingly unhealthy.  Just so for the new creation of Christians. Whether exasperated struggles or long-term backsliding, J.C. Ryle encourages us to consider what part our lack of daily private prayer might play in our sad demea...

Category: Word, Real Life, and Prayer.  Prayer is doubt's destroyer, ruin’s remedy, the antidote to all anxieties. C.H. Spurgeon  We saw last in part 1 of “Use the Difficulty” trials drive us to pray for wisdom. Along with the insight God provides lavishly, we gain His magnificent presence, and our resulting maturity is revealed.  We now see our tribulations develop our perseverance...

Category: Word, Real Life, and Prayer.  Have you ever heard the question, “how can we pray without ceasing?” I have asked it myself; J.C. Ryle has some thoughts to help us answer the missive. Bibles read without prayer; sermons heard without prayer; marriages contracted without prayer; journeys undertaken without prayer; residences chosen without prayer; friendships formed without prayer; the...

Category: Word, Real Life, and Prayer. "Anything is a blessing which makes us pray." C.H. Spurgeon A lesson from a stage actor we find surprisingly Biblical. God, in His word, informs us, commands us, and illustrates trials are painful but also terrific. God has engineered what we see as terrifying events for terrific results. The terrificest result of our various trials is to lead us to community...

Category: Marvin and Chapman This interview is a real treat for me, and I know it will be for you. Just in time for Valentine's day, Marvin and Chapman debut their new song, a little ditty titled "I Love You Tonight." (They call it a folk song, so it probably is!) The song is upbeat and moving. You will love the song's story and their parent's reaction to the beautiful truth that true love is for...

Personal positive habits in devotion are the first line in the virus of backsliding in our community with the Savior. How long can you sustain lying to your closest confidant? "Now what is the cause of most backslidings? I believe, as a general rule, one of the chief causes is neglect of private prayer. Of course the secret history of falls will not be known till the last day. I can only give my o...

Category - Introductory Stuff We are committed to praying for God's people a year of jubilee and for profound forgiveness. For the podcast, we pray a time of consolidation and clarity in our discussions of prayer. We review and update one of our earliest episodes in this episode: "A Preface to the Foreword to the Introduction of The Free Range Preacher on Prayer Podcast." We review the purposes of...

Category: A Layman's Commentary on the Whole Bible. (The "So What" at mark 32:58 is the Holy Spirit's "So What"; listen until then is my encouragement.) We are not: All powerful. Eternal in our being. Infinite in knowledge. Holy in our essence. In other words: We did not create ourselves. We are not: The most beautiful. The wisest person on earth. (most assuredly not) the arbitrators of morality....

Category - Exhortation. Suppose I have been listening to the Lord; His will is evident now. In that case, 2023 will be a year of not only jubilee and forgiveness but also consolidation and prayerfully more precise communication on prayer and our community with Almighty God. Concerning that, today's episode will cover some thoughtful basics on our prayer lives and their purpose. The center of today...

I cannot get enough of J.C. Ryle’s dedication and wisdom. Catching us back up, Bishop Ryle has been illustrating “eminent” Christians, and as he finishes up with these examples he encourages us with: “Depend on it, prayer is power.” We then turn to today’s exhortation: “Prayer obtains fresh and continued outpourings of the Spirit. He alone begins the work of grace in a man’s heart. He alone can ca...

When we feel alone, trying to push away the dark, our sadness over our evil deeds, the shortness of our lives, and the justice we demand from others while we excuse ourselves, we understand reform is not enough. The bad news. We are born slaves of sin. And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment, 28 so Christ also, having been offered once to bear the sins of...

Today we are privileged to introduce Marvin and Chapman's newest release, "Mornin' Lord." Written and sung by Joanna Chapman and produced by Chad Marvin. Followed by our January interview with Marvin (Chad) and Chapman (Joanna). Joanna shares the profound result of starting our day by being thankful and enamored of our God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, who is our portion and the strength of our h...

A prayer for a year of Jubilee, forgiveness, restoration, and return. The year of Jubilee, a year of rest given by God's grace was also a year of trust. Imagine a year of no work, just a celebration! Leviticus 25:10-11 10 'You shall thus consecrate the fiftieth year and proclaim a release through the land to all its inhabitants. It shall be a jubilee for you, and each of you shall return to his ow...

This episode is a repeat of our episode on forgiveness. This episode was well received, and as you will hear, praying that 2023 will be a year of Jubilee and Forgiveness and revisiting just how serious God is about His children forgiving as we have been forgiven seems like a good idea. Thank You, Jesus! The host is weak, faltering, and wholly inadequate for the task, but the word of God is none of...