Deus Misereatur

I have given a sample of this before, but it is worth offering another. The picture is part of my prayer journal. You can see that I date it, and list what passages of Scripture I read this morning. One of the passages I read was Hosea 8-12. Inside those chapters are several warnings, encouragements, and enticements to draw near to Yahweh in repentant faith. The verses that stuck out to me are the following: Sow for yourselves righteousness; reap steadfast love; break up your fallow ground, for it is the time to seek the LORD, that he may come and rain righteousness upon you. You have plowed iniquity; you have reaped injustice; you have eaten the fruit of lies. Because you have trusted in your own way and in the multitude of your warriors (Hosea 10:12-13). My people are bent on turning away from me, and though they call out to the Most High, he shall not raise them up at all (Hosea 11:7). the LORD, the God of hosts, the LORD is his memorial name: “So you, by the help of your ...

God in Himself: Scripture, Metaphysics, and the Task of Christian Theology by Steven J. Duby My rating: 5 of 5 stars The role of natural theology does not always get a good rap among some Protestants and Reformed camps. But just the other day Steven J. Duby, associate professor of theology at Grand Canyon University, and author of “Divine Simplicity: A Dogmatic Account,” came out with a dense and demanding 352-page paperback that seeks to give the subject its due! “God in Himself: Scripture, Metaphysics, and the Task of Christian Theology” makes bold to present a way “theologians today can appropriate Reformed orthodox insights on matters like the nature of theological knowledge, the viability of natural theology, and the theological use of metaphysics” (8). This weighty work, part of IVP Academic’s “Studies in Christian Doctrine and Scripture,” methodically and meticulously treks its way through theologians, esoterica and substantial loci of natural theology, metaphysics and the i...

Almighty God, though a man’s heart plans his ways, it is you who directs his steps (Proverbs 16.9); therefore, we pray – O director of our steps – for this world and your church. Lord God, as we plan our ways for this year, guide us inch-by-inch and mile-by-mile. May our confidence in you increase throughout 2020. May we come to know you more than ever before, love you more deeply than we have in the past, and serve you with greater enjoyment and enthusiasm. May we have eyes to see you doing great things – even in the modest and mundane moments. May we have hearts and voices ready to rejoice in your great goodness, even if the wind gets kicked out of us. May we be known as a people who enjoy making much of you! We ask you to alleviate the suffering, angst and fretfulness of those who are in dire need of your healing or help … Please restore them by filling them with your unsurpassable peace to guard their hearts and minds in Christ Jesus and give them rock-hard reasons to...