Prayer belongs within a life of receiving God’s Word and responding to him. The Father’s goodness gives you reason to ask; Christ gives you access; the Spirit helps you in weakness. Learn from the requests Jesus teaches, the prayers Scripture records, and the promises that sustain God’s people as they wait.
Come to the Father with confidence in his goodness
Bring your needs to God with the confidence Jesus gives you. In Matthew 7:7–8, Jesus tells his hearers to ask, seek, and knock, and promises receiving, finding, and an opened door. These words invite an active response: turn toward God, make your request, and seek his help. Jesus then explains why you may approach him with hope.
In Matthew 7:9–11, a son asks his father for bread or a fish. Jesus asks whether the father would give a stone in place of bread, or a serpent in place of the fish. The expected answer is no: even human parents, whom Jesus describes as evil, know how to give their children good gifts. He reasons from that familiar care to the greater goodness of the heavenly Father. If imperfect parents respond to a child’s need with something good, how much more can his disciples trust their Father to give good things to those who ask him? The reason for confidence is the character of the giver. Ask believing that God hears and gives generously, entrusting the answer to his goodness.
Luke 11:11–13 includes the further contrast between an egg and a scorpion, and names the Holy Spirit as the Father’s gift. God’s care reaches both the needs you can name and the help you need to live with him. Ask for his provision and for the Spirit’s help to know, trust, and obey him. The child-and-parent comparison leads you to the heavenly Father himself; his goodness is greater than the limitations of any earthly parent.
Christian confidence also rests on what Jesus has done. Hebrews 4:14–16 calls him the great high priest who understands our weakness, having been tempted yet without sin. Because this is our high priest, the passage urges us to approach the throne of grace for mercy and timely help. Ephesians 2:13–18 explains that Christ’s blood and cross reconcile people to God, and that Jewish and Gentile believers have access through him, by one Spirit, to the Father. Come as someone who needs mercy and has been welcomed through Christ.
Further study: Meda Stamper · Donald S. West
Let Jesus teach you what to pray for
Pray to your Father with your attention on him. Matthew 6:5–8 contrasts prayer offered to be noticed by other people with prayer offered to the Father who sees in secret. Jesus tells the disciple to enter a private room and shut the door. He also rejects the idea that many words make a person heard, because the Father already knows what is needed. Give yourself time to speak sincerely before God. His knowledge of your need is a reason to trust him as you ask.
In Matthew 6:9–10, Jesus begins with God’s name, kingdom, and will. To ask that his name be hallowed is to ask that he be honored as holy. To ask for his kingdom to come is to desire his rule and its fulfillment. To ask for his will to be done on earth as in heaven is to place your desires within his purposes. Let these requests govern the rest: seek his honor, welcome his rule, and ask for willing obedience in your own life and among his people.
Jesus then teaches you to ask for daily bread in Matthew 6:11. The need for food has a place alongside the requests for God’s name to be honored and his kingdom to come. Bring the ordinary provision that sustains your life to the same Father. Luke 11:3 makes the recurring dependence clear with its request for bread day by day: return to him with the needs each day brings. The prayer’s repeated us and our also gives your asking a shared concern. Bring the needs of others before God with your own.
Matthew 6:12 asks forgiveness for debts; Luke 11:4 explicitly speaks of sins. Jesus teaches disciples to acknowledge wrongdoing and seek the Father’s forgiveness. He joins that request to forgiving others, then explains the connection in Matthew 6:14–15: the Father forgives those who forgive, while those who refuse forgiveness will not be forgiven. The person asking for mercy is called to extend it. Bring your sins honestly to God, and receive this instruction as a call to deal mercifully with those who have wronged you. Prayer reaches into the relationships in which you live.
Matthew 6:13 asks for protection from temptation and deliverance from evil. This is an appeal for God to guard you where sin threatens. James 1:13–15 explains that God does not entice anyone to evil; it traces temptation’s destructive course through a person’s own desire. Jesus likewise tells the disciples in Mark 14:38 to watch and pray because their flesh is weak. Ask for protection, strength to resist, and readiness to obey when tested. Dependence on God includes acknowledging how much you need that help.
The KJV form of Matthew 6:13 ends by acknowledging God’s kingdom, power, and glory. Those words direct attention back to the One being addressed. David’s prayer in 1 Chronicles 29:10–14 similarly praises God’s rule and strength, then thanks him because even the people’s willing gifts came first from him. Let praise give your requests that perspective: the life, strength, and provision you seek belong to the Lord who generously gives.
Further study: Biblical Studies Press · Biblical Studies Press · Biblical Studies Press
Bring your actual needs with thanksgiving
Tell God what is troubling you and what help you seek. Philippians 4:6 directs believers to make their requests known in everything, through prayer and supplication with thanksgiving. The KJV expression be careful for nothing concerns anxiety; it is followed by an invitation to bring those concerns to God. Supplication is earnest asking. Name your need plainly, remembering the goodness for which you can already thank him.
Philippians 4:7 promises that God’s peace will guard hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Paul then directs the readers to attend to what is true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, and commendable, and to practice what they have learned in verses 8–9. Prayer, the direction of the mind, and faithful action belong together. As you bring your concerns to God, receive his instruction and continue in the good he gives you to do. The promised peace is his care for you amid those concerns.
Give thanks for who God is as well as for particular answers. Psalm 100:3–5 calls worshipers to know the Lord as their maker and shepherd, enter with thanksgiving, and bless his name because his goodness, mercy, and faithfulness endure. First Peter 5:6–10 gives a related reason for entrusting anxiety to him: he cares for you. That passage still speaks of suffering and steadfast resistance to evil. You can cast your cares on God while facing the day’s responsibilities with sober attention.
Hannah’s prayer in 1 Samuel 1:9–18 shows grief brought honestly before the Lord. She weeps, asks for a son, and explains to Eli that she has poured out her soul to God. Verses 19–28 record Samuel’s birth and her fulfillment of her particular vow. Her story gives you an example of honest asking and grateful response; the vow and the birth belong to her own history. Psalm 66:16–20 likewise invites others to hear what God has done and ends by blessing him for attending to prayer and continuing his mercy. Remember and acknowledge the help you receive.
Ask in Jesus’ name and seek the Father’s will
Praying in Jesus’ name means approaching God as someone who belongs to Jesus and relies on him. In John 14:12–15, Jesus promises to act when his disciples ask in his name and states the purpose: that the Father may be glorified in the Son. This promise appears as Jesus prepares them for his departure and their continuing service. Let your requests express trust in him and concern for the work and obedience that honor his Father.
John 15:4–8 explains that dependence through the picture of branches in a vine. A branch bears fruit through its connection to the vine; Jesus says that apart from him his disciples can do nothing. Verse 7 places the promise about asking within abiding in him and having his words abide in them. Verses 9–17 connect that life with keeping his commands and loving one another. Receive his words, let them shape what you desire, and ask for the help needed to bear the fruit he seeks.
Confidence in Christ leads you to a loving Father. In John 16:23–27, Jesus invites his disciples to ask the Father in his name and explicitly says that the Father himself loves them. First John 5:14–15 then expresses confident asking according to God’s will. These words assure believers that their requests are heard and effective as they seek what accords with him. Where Scripture makes his will known, ask on that basis; where the particular outcome is unknown, bring your real desire while entrusting it to him. Jesus’ own request in Mark 14:36 holds together God’s unlimited power, a plea for relief, and submission to the Father’s will.
Take the breadth of the promises seriously. After Peter notices the withered fig tree, Jesus says in Mark 11:22 to have faith in God. He speaks of a mountain cast into the sea and tells the disciples to believe as they pray in verses 23–24. His words call for confidence that God can actually act beyond their resources. The same instruction joins prayer to forgiveness in verse 25. Read this bold promise with the faith, fellowship, obedience, and surrender Jesus teaches. Ask expectantly for God’s action, with your trust resting in him as you await the answer.
Further study: Thomas Sibley · Donald S. West · Biblical Studies Press
Seek wisdom with a humble and responsive heart
Ask God for the wisdom to respond faithfully. James 1:2–5 speaks to believers facing trials, explains how tested faith produces endurance, and invites anyone lacking wisdom to ask the God who gives generously and without reproach. The gift sought is understanding for a life of faith in those circumstances. Bring your lack of understanding to him with a readiness to receive and follow his instruction.
James 1:6–8 calls for asking in faith and describes wavering through the image of a sea wave driven by the wind. The person is double minded and unstable in all his ways. James 4:8 again calls double-minded people to purify their hearts as they draw near to God. Together these passages urge wholehearted trust and allegiance. When your faith is struggling, you can still turn to Christ for help: in Mark 9:22–27, the afflicted boy’s father acknowledges both belief and unbelief and asks Jesus to help him. Jesus delivers the boy. Bring weakness honestly to the Lord while continuing to seek and trust him.
Let God correct what you are asking for. James 4:1–3 traces quarrels to desires at war within the community; some do not ask, and others ask in order to spend what they receive on their pleasures. Verses 6–10 call them to the grace God gives the humble: submit to him, draw near, cleanse your conduct, and repent. Examine your requests in that light. Ask for what serves obedience and love, and yield desires that depend on harming or using other people.
Confession is an act of returning to God in truth. Psalm 32:3–5 contrasts concealing sin with acknowledging it and receiving forgiveness. First John 1:8–2:2 likewise calls for confession, promises cleansing, and identifies Jesus Christ as the righteous advocate with the Father. In Luke 18:9–14, the tax collector pleads for mercy as a sinner, and Jesus says he goes home justified; the self-exalting man’s contempt for others exposes a very different heart. Come humbly, name your wrongdoing, and depend on God’s mercy through Christ as you turn toward obedience.
Carry that response into your treatment of others. Isaiah 1:15–17 addresses Judah’s many prayers alongside bloodshed and calls the people to learn good, seek justice, and defend the vulnerable. First Peter 3:7 particularly tells husbands to honor their wives as fellow heirs of life’s grace so that their prayers are not hindered; verses 8–12 extend the call to compassion, truthful speech, and peace to the community. First John 3:21–24 connects confident asking with believing in Christ and loving one another. A prayerful life gives those instructions a real place in its conduct.
Further study: Biblical Studies Press
Carry other people before God
Pray for people beyond the circle of those closest to you. First Timothy 2:1–4 calls for requests, intercessions, and thanksgiving for all people, including kings and those in authority. Paul gives the purpose of a quiet and peaceable life in godliness and dignity, and places this concern beside God’s desire for people to be saved and know the truth. Verses 5–6 ground the instruction in the one God and the one mediator, Jesus Christ, who gave himself as a ransom. Ask for the good of those who govern, for conditions that serve faithful life, and for people to come to know God.
Jesus includes those who mistreat you. Matthew 5:44–45 commands love and prayer for persecutors, explaining that the Father gives sun and rain to both evil and good. Such prayer expresses the generous character his children are called to reflect. Acts 7:59–60 records Stephen entrusting his spirit to the Lord Jesus and asking that the sin of his killers not be held against them. In a different covenant setting, Jeremiah 29:4–7 tells Judah’s exiles to seek and pray for the peace of the city where they have been carried. Each passage directs concern outward, even under painful circumstances.
Ask for more than relief from immediate difficulty. In Colossians 1:9–14, Paul prays for knowledge of God’s will so that believers may live in a way pleasing to him, bear good fruit, grow in knowing him, and endure with strength and thanksgiving. The purposes explain the requests. Pray for people to understand truth, act on it, grow in love, and receive strength for the responsibilities before them. Thank God for the faith and love already evident, as Paul does in Colossians 1:3–8.
Pray for the spread and faithful explanation of the gospel. Colossians 4:2–4 joins watchful thanksgiving with asking for an open door for the message and for clarity in speaking it. Ephesians 6:18–20 calls for perseverance in prayer for all the saints and asks especially for bold proclamation. In Acts 4:23–31, threatened believers address God as Creator, acknowledge his rule, and ask for boldness and for his hand to act in healing and signs through Jesus. The narrative records their filling with the Holy Spirit and their bold speech. Join prayer for those who serve with willingness to carry out the service God gives.
Jesus’ own prayers show the depth of his care for his people. In John 17:11–23, he asks the Father to keep his disciples, sanctify them through the truth, and unite them; he expressly includes those who will believe through their word. In Luke 22:31–34, he tells Peter that he has prayed for his faith and charges him to strengthen his brothers when he returns, even while foretelling his denial. Let these concerns deepen your intercession: pray for preservation in faith, growth in truth, unity, and restoration that enables people to help others.
Seek the church’s prayer and pray for the sick
Let suffering draw you toward prayer and the help of God’s people. James 5:13 tells the afflicted person to pray and the joyful person to sing praise. Verses 14–15 call the sick person to summon the elders of the church, who are to pray over that person and anoint with oil in the Lord’s name. The person needing help takes the step of asking, and the elders come to pray. James promises that the prayer of faith will save the sick and that the Lord will raise that person up. Their confidence rests in the Lord who acts. Seek the church’s prayer and care when you are sick, and join in asking God to restore others in their illness.
James 5:15–16 also makes room for forgiveness and mutual confession. The words if he have committed sins preserve a distinction between sickness and particular wrongdoing. Where sin is present, acknowledge it and seek forgiveness; pray for one another with the desire for healing. James directs attention to prayer in faith and to the Lord’s action. The passage gives the church reason to ask for real healing while continuing to entrust the answer to God, as the confidence according to his will in 1 John 5:14–15 teaches.
James 5:16–18 encourages this prayer by recalling Elijah, a man who shared our human condition, whose prayers were followed by drought and rain. In 1 Kings 18:1, God announces that he will send rain; in verses 41–46, Elijah bows down, sends his servant to look repeatedly, and the rain comes. Divine promise and earnest asking work together in the account. Pray with expectancy because God acts, and continue caring for the person as you wait. Paul’s experience in 2 Corinthians 12:7–10 also belongs in that care: repeated prayer for relief can be met by sustaining grace amid continuing weakness.
Further study: Robert L. Plummer · Brian Hand
Keep praying when the answer is delayed
Return to God with the need you still carry. In Luke 11:5–8, a man has a traveler arrive at midnight and goes to a friend for three loaves because he has nothing to serve. The friend initially refuses from inside the shut house, yet gets up and provides what is needed. The man’s importunity can be understood as bold, persistent asking: he brings a real need even when making the request is inconvenient. Jesus follows the story with the invitation to ask, seek, and knock in verses 9–13, ending with the Father’s greater goodness. Approach God freely, trusting his readiness to give.
Luke 18:1–8 makes perseverance explicit. Jesus tells of a widow who repeatedly appeals for justice to a judge who neither fears God nor respects people. He eventually acts to end her continual coming. Jesus reasons from this unjust judge to God, who will vindicate his own people crying to him day and night. God’s justice and the Son of Man’s coming govern the promise; the closing question concerns enduring faith. Keep asking for what is right and remain faithful while waiting for God’s vindication. The parable gives no timetable for each individual request.
Daniel 6:10 describes a settled practice of prayer and thanksgiving that Daniel continues even after the king’s decree threatens it. The chapter records God’s deliverance from the lions and makes his power known. Daniel’s three daily occasions of prayer belong to that account; the example calls attention to steadfast allegiance to God. Establish a dependable place for prayer in your own life and continue to seek him when obedience becomes costly.
Perseverance can include lament. Psalm 13:1–6 brings the repeated question of how long, asks God to hear, and turns toward trust in his mercy. Psalm 88:1–18 continues to address the God of salvation while ending with anguish and darkness still unresolved. These prayers give words for bringing pain before God without pretending it has already passed. Revelation 6:9–11 likewise portrays slain witnesses asking how long until God judges, and being told to rest a little longer. Bring your sorrow and your longing for justice to the Lord, continuing to address him through the waiting.
Further study: Biblical Studies Press · David Lose
Entrust the outcome to God and receive his help in weakness
Jesus teaches trust by the way he prays in anguish. In Mark 14:32–36, he is deeply distressed as he faces betrayal and death. He addresses God as Father, affirms that all things are possible to him, and asks for the cup—the suffering before him—to be taken away. He then yields his will to the Father’s. Matthew 26:39–44 records the request repeated, including the words thy will be done. The scene holds together an honest desire for relief and faithful submission. Bring your own distress to God with that openness and trust.
Jesus’ suffering belongs to his unique saving work, and his prayer leads into willing obedience. Hebrews 5:7–9 speaks of his prayers with tears, says he was heard, and describes his obedience through suffering and his becoming the source of eternal salvation. The text itself therefore joins being heard with passing through suffering. When you ask for deliverance, you can also ask for the strength to remain faithful through what you face.
Paul gives another account in 2 Corinthians 12:7–10. He asks three times that a thorn in the flesh be removed. The Lord replies that his grace is sufficient and that his power is made perfect in weakness. Paul then learns to depend on Christ’s power in that weakness. The passage does not identify the thorn precisely; its stated lesson concerns sustaining grace. Acts 12:1–17 records a different outcome when the church prays for Peter and God releases him from prison, while the same chapter has already recorded James’s death. Receive both the encouragement to ask for deliverance and the assurance of God’s help when suffering continues.
Even when you cannot see what to ask for, God has not left you to pray alone. Romans 8:22–27 places believers’ groaning within creation’s longing for redemption. Paul says that we do not know what to pray as we ought, and that the Spirit helps our weakness and intercedes according to God’s will. Verses 28–39 direct hope toward God’s purpose, conformity to his Son, Christ’s intercession, and a love from which suffering and death cannot separate his people. Bring the prayer you can offer, and rest your confidence in the Father’s care, the Son’s intercession, and the Spirit’s help.
Further study: Erin Heim · Donald S. West
Let dependence on God shape your decisions and work
Dependence on God reaches into the choices you make. Proverbs 3:5–7 calls for wholehearted trust, acknowledgment of the Lord in all your ways, reverence, and turning from evil, with the promise that he will direct your paths. These instructions belong with keeping his teaching and receiving his correction in the surrounding verses. The wisdom passage directs your whole course of life toward the Lord’s guidance. Ask for that guidance as a person ready to act on what he has made known. Trust includes learning, obedience, and a willingness to be corrected.
In Matthew 6:25–34, Jesus speaks about food, drink, and clothing. He points to the Father feeding birds and clothing grass, then reasons that his disciples matter to him and that he knows their needs. He directs them to seek first God’s kingdom and righteousness and face today’s trouble without being consumed by tomorrow. This teaching follows the choice between serving God and serving wealth in Matthew 6:19–24. Ask for daily provision, order your priorities around God’s rule, and carry out today’s responsibilities in reliance on him.
Hold your plans before the Lord. James 4:13–17 addresses people who speak confidently about a year of trading and profit, although they do not know tomorrow and their lives are brief. James teaches them to acknowledge that both living and doing depend on the Lord’s will, and then reminds them to do the good they know. Nehemiah 1:4–11 and 2:4–8 show prayer accompanying purposeful action: he mourns, confesses, and seeks favor, then prays when the king questions him and requests permission, letters, and timber. The king’s favorable response is attributed to God’s good hand. Pray thoughtfully, prepare to act, and receive the help God gives with gratitude.
Give prayer a continuing place in your life with God’s people
Make room for both personal prayer and prayer with the church. Luke 5:15–16 describes crowds coming to hear and be healed, and Jesus withdrawing to pray. Acts 2:42 describes the first believers continuing in the apostles’ teaching, fellowship, breaking of bread, and prayers; verses 44–47 also show practical care and shared praise. Receive prayer as part of this connected life with God and his people.
When you pray with others, help them understand and join in what you say. In 1 Corinthians 14:13–19, Paul’s discussion of tongues turns to prayer and thanksgiving: if the hearer does not understand, how can that person say Amen? Paul therefore speaks of praying with understanding and of building up the church. Give shared prayer words that others can meaningfully affirm. Its purpose includes their participation and strengthening.
Fasting can accompany devotion and prayer. Matthew 6:16–18 teaches those who fast to direct their attention toward the Father who sees in secret. Acts 13:1–3 describes worship and fasting at Antioch, the Spirit’s particular instruction concerning Barnabas and Saul, and prayer and fasting as they are sent. Receive the seriousness of seeking and serving God that these passages display. Keep the purpose on him; neither account assigns a universal timetable or promises that a chosen length of fasting secures a requested outcome.
First Thessalonians 5:16–18 joins continuing prayer to rejoicing and thanksgiving, within a larger call to patience, peace, care for the weak, and discernment. Ephesians 6:18 similarly speaks of all occasions of prayer in the Spirit with perseverance for God’s people. Jude 1:20–21 joins prayer in the Holy Spirit to being built up in the faith, remaining in God’s love, and awaiting Christ’s mercy. Let prayer become a dependable expression of that life: return to the Father, receive his Word, give thanks, ask for help, and continue in faith and love.
Read the passages
Scripture in context
65 contextual selections for this subject, including the passages cited above and further related reading. Every selected range is reproduced in full from the KJV. Context notes identify the setting and kind of evidence.
Covenant narrative 1 selections
Exodus 32:7–14 KJV · In this guide
Context: After the golden calf, the Lord announces judgment; Moses pleads from God’s redemption, reputation, and covenant promises.
32:7 And the LORD said unto Moses, Go, get thee down; for thy people, which thou broughtest out of the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves:
32:8 They have turned aside quickly out of the way which I commanded them: they have made them a molten calf, and have worshipped it, and have sacrificed thereunto, and said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which have brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.
32:9 And the LORD said unto Moses, I have seen this people, and, behold, it is a stiffnecked people:
32:10 Now therefore let me alone, that my wrath may wax hot against them, and that I may consume them: and I will make of thee a great nation.
32:11 And Moses besought the LORD his God, and said, LORD, why doth thy wrath wax hot against thy people, which thou hast brought forth out of the land of Egypt with great power, and with a mighty hand?
32:12 Wherefore should the Egyptians speak, and say, For mischief did he bring them out, to slay them in the mountains, and to consume them from the face of the earth? Turn from thy fierce wrath, and repent of this evil against thy people.
32:13 Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, thy servants, to whom thou swarest by thine own self, and saidst unto them, I will multiply your seed as the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have spoken of will I give unto your seed, and they shall inherit it for ever.
32:14 And the LORD repented of the evil which he thought to do unto his people.
Biblical narrative 1 selections
1 Samuel 1:1–28 KJV · In this guide
Context: Family distress, Hannah’s particular vow and prayer, Eli’s response, Samuel’s birth, and his dedication form the full account.
1:1 Now there was a certain man of Ramathaim-zophim, of mount Ephraim, and his name was Elkanah, the son of Jeroham, the son of Elihu, the son of Tohu, the son of Zuph, an Ephrathite:
1:2 And he had two wives; the name of the one was Hannah, and the name of the other Peninnah: and Peninnah had children, but Hannah had no children.
1:3 And this man went up out of his city yearly to worship and to sacrifice unto the LORD of hosts in Shiloh. And the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, the priests of the LORD, were there.
1:4 And when the time was that Elkanah offered, he gave to Peninnah his wife, and to all her sons and her daughters, portions:
1:5 But unto Hannah he gave a worthy portion; for he loved Hannah: but the LORD had shut up her womb.
1:6 And her adversary also provoked her sore, for to make her fret, because the LORD had shut up her womb.
1:7 And as he did so year by year, when she went up to the house of the LORD, so she provoked her; therefore she wept, and did not eat.
1:8 Then said Elkanah her husband to her, Hannah, why weepest thou? and why eatest thou not? and why is thy heart grieved? am not I better to thee than ten sons?
1:9 So Hannah rose up after they had eaten in Shiloh, and after they had drunk. Now Eli the priest sat upon a seat by a post of the temple of the LORD.
1:10 And she was in bitterness of soul, and prayed unto the LORD, and wept sore.
1:11 And she vowed a vow, and said, O LORD of hosts, if thou wilt indeed look on the affliction of thine handmaid, and remember me, and not forget thine handmaid, but wilt give unto thine handmaid a man child, then I will give him unto the LORD all the days of his life, and there shall no razor come upon his head.
1:12 And it came to pass, as she continued praying before the LORD, that Eli marked her mouth.
1:13 Now Hannah, she spake in her heart; only her lips moved, but her voice was not heard: therefore Eli thought she had been drunken.
1:14 And Eli said unto her, How long wilt thou be drunken? put away thy wine from thee.
1:15 And Hannah answered and said, No, my lord, I am a woman of a sorrowful spirit: I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but have poured out my soul before the LORD.
1:16 Count not thine handmaid for a daughter of Belial: for out of the abundance of my complaint and grief have I spoken hitherto.
1:17 Then Eli answered and said, Go in peace: and the God of Israel grant thee thy petition that thou hast asked of him.
1:18 And she said, Let thine handmaid find grace in thy sight. So the woman went her way, and did eat, and her countenance was no more sad.
1:19 And they rose up in the morning early, and worshipped before the LORD, and returned, and came to their house to Ramah: and Elkanah knew Hannah his wife; and the LORD remembered her.
1:20 Wherefore it came to pass, when the time was come about after Hannah had conceived, that she bare a son, and called his name Samuel, saying, Because I have asked him of the LORD.
1:21 And the man Elkanah, and all his house, went up to offer unto the LORD the yearly sacrifice, and his vow.
1:22 But Hannah went not up; for she said unto her husband, I will not go up until the child be weaned, and then I will bring him, that he may appear before the LORD, and there abide for ever.
1:23 And Elkanah her husband said unto her, Do what seemeth thee good; tarry until thou have weaned him; only the LORD establish his word. So the woman abode, and gave her son suck until she weaned him.
1:24 And when she had weaned him, she took him up with her, with three bullocks, and one ephah of flour, and a bottle of wine, and brought him unto the house of the LORD in Shiloh: and the child was young.
1:25 And they slew a bullock, and brought the child to Eli.
1:26 And she said, Oh my lord, as thy soul liveth, my lord, I am the woman that stood by thee here, praying unto the LORD.
1:27 For this child I prayed; and the LORD hath given me my petition which I asked of him:
1:28 Therefore also I have lent him to the LORD; as long as he liveth he shall be lent to the LORD. And he worshipped the LORD there.
Prophetic narrative 2 selections
1 Kings 18:1–2 KJV · In this guide
Context: A new divine commission announces rain and sends Elijah to Ahab amid severe famine.
1 Kings 18:41–46 KJV · In this guide
Context: After the Carmel confrontation, Elijah bows down, repeatedly sends a lookout, and rain arrives.
18:41 And Elijah said unto Ahab, Get thee up, eat and drink; for there is a sound of abundance of rain.
18:42 So Ahab went up to eat and to drink. And Elijah went up to the top of Carmel; and he cast himself down upon the earth, and put his face between his knees,
18:43 And said to his servant, Go up now, look toward the sea. And he went up, and looked, and said, There is nothing. And he said, Go again seven times.
18:44 And it came to pass at the seventh time, that he said, Behold, there ariseth a little cloud out of the sea, like a man’s hand. And he said, Go up, say unto Ahab, Prepare thy chariot, and get thee down, that the rain stop thee not.
18:45 And it came to pass in the mean while, that the heaven was black with clouds and wind, and there was a great rain. And Ahab rode, and went to Jezreel.
18:46 And the hand of the LORD was on Elijah; and he girded up his loins, and ran before Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel.
Royal prayer 1 selections
1 Chronicles 29:10–20 KJV · In this guide
Context: David blesses God before the assembly, acknowledges that offered wealth first came from God, and prays for the people and Solomon.
29:10 Wherefore David blessed the LORD before all the congregation: and David said, Blessed be thou, LORD God of Israel our father, for ever and ever.
29:11 Thine, O LORD, is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty: for all that is in the heaven and in the earth is thine; thine is the kingdom, O LORD, and thou art exalted as head above all.
29:12 Both riches and honour come of thee, and thou reignest over all; and in thine hand is power and might; and in thine hand it is to make great, and to give strength unto all.
29:13 Now therefore, our God, we thank thee, and praise thy glorious name.
29:14 But who am I, and what is my people, that we should be able to offer so willingly after this sort? for all things come of thee, and of thine own have we given thee.
29:15 For we are strangers before thee, and sojourners, as were all our fathers: our days on the earth are as a shadow, and there is none abiding.
29:16 O LORD our God, all this store that we have prepared to build thee an house for thine holy name cometh of thine hand, and is all thine own.
29:17 I know also, my God, that thou triest the heart, and hast pleasure in uprightness. As for me, in the uprightness of mine heart I have willingly offered all these things: and now have I seen with joy thy people, which are present here, to offer willingly unto thee.
29:18 O LORD God of Abraham, Isaac, and of Israel, our fathers, keep this for ever in the imagination of the thoughts of the heart of thy people, and prepare their heart unto thee:
29:19 And give unto Solomon my son a perfect heart, to keep thy commandments, thy testimonies, and thy statutes, and to do all these things, and to build the palace, for the which I have made provision.
29:20 And David said to all the congregation, Now bless the LORD your God. And all the congregation blessed the LORD God of their fathers, and bowed down their heads, and worshipped the LORD, and the king.
Covenant promise and warning 1 selections
2 Chronicles 7:11–22 KJV
Context: The Lord answers Solomon after temple completion, identifying Israel, its land, the chosen house, and covenant consequences.
7:11 Thus Solomon finished the house of the LORD, and the king’s house: and all that came into Solomon’s heart to make in the house of the LORD, and in his own house, he prosperously effected.
7:12 And the LORD appeared to Solomon by night, and said unto him, I have heard thy prayer, and have chosen this place to myself for an house of sacrifice.
7:13 If I shut up heaven that there be no rain, or if I command the locusts to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among my people;
7:14 If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.
7:15 Now mine eyes shall be open, and mine ears attent unto the prayer that is made in this place.
7:16 For now have I chosen and sanctified this house, that my name may be there for ever: and mine eyes and mine heart shall be there perpetually.
7:17 And as for thee, if thou wilt walk before me, as David thy father walked, and do according to all that I have commanded thee, and shalt observe my statutes and my judgments;
7:18 Then will I stablish the throne of thy kingdom, according as I have covenanted with David thy father, saying, There shall not fail thee a man to be ruler in Israel.
7:19 But if ye turn away, and forsake my statutes and my commandments, which I have set before you, and shall go and serve other gods, and worship them;
7:20 Then will I pluck them up by the roots out of my land which I have given them; and this house, which I have sanctified for my name, will I cast out of my sight, and will make it to be a proverb and a byword among all nations.
7:21 And this house, which is high, shall be an astonishment to every one that passeth by it; so that he shall say, Why hath the LORD done thus unto this land, and unto this house?
7:22 And it shall be answered, Because they forsook the LORD God of their fathers, which brought them forth out of the land of Egypt, and laid hold on other gods, and worshipped them, and served them: therefore hath he brought all this evil upon them.
Restoration narrative 1 selections
Nehemiah 1:1–2:8 KJV · In this guide
Context: News of Jerusalem leads to mourning, fasting, confession, covenant petition, a royal audience, and practical requests.
1:1 The words of Nehemiah the son of Hachaliah. And it came to pass in the month Chisleu, in the twentieth year, as I was in Shushan the palace,
1:2 That Hanani, one of my brethren, came, he and certain men of Judah; and I asked them concerning the Jews that had escaped, which were left of the captivity, and concerning Jerusalem.
1:3 And they said unto me, The remnant that are left of the captivity there in the province are in great affliction and reproach: the wall of Jerusalem also is broken down, and the gates thereof are burned with fire.
1:4 And it came to pass, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned certain days, and fasted, and prayed before the God of heaven,
1:5 And said, I beseech thee, O LORD God of heaven, the great and terrible God, that keepeth covenant and mercy for them that love him and observe his commandments:
1:6 Let thine ear now be attentive, and thine eyes open, that thou mayest hear the prayer of thy servant, which I pray before thee now, day and night, for the children of Israel thy servants, and confess the sins of the children of Israel, which we have sinned against thee: both I and my father’s house have sinned.
1:7 We have dealt very corruptly against thee, and have not kept the commandments, nor the statutes, nor the judgments, which thou commandedst thy servant Moses.
1:8 Remember, I beseech thee, the word that thou commandedst thy servant Moses, saying, If ye transgress, I will scatter you abroad among the nations:
1:9 But if ye turn unto me, and keep my commandments, and do them; though there were of you cast out unto the uttermost part of the heaven, yet will I gather them from thence, and will bring them unto the place that I have chosen to set my name there.
1:10 Now these are thy servants and thy people, whom thou hast redeemed by thy great power, and by thy strong hand.
1:11 O Lord, I beseech thee, let now thine ear be attentive to the prayer of thy servant, and to the prayer of thy servants, who desire to fear thy name: and prosper, I pray thee, thy servant this day, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man. For I was the king’s cupbearer.
2:1 And it came to pass in the month Nisan, in the twentieth year of Artaxerxes the king, that wine was before him: and I took up the wine, and gave it unto the king. Now I had not been beforetime sad in his presence.
2:2 Wherefore the king said unto me, Why is thy countenance sad, seeing thou art not sick? this is nothing else but sorrow of heart. Then I was very sore afraid,
2:3 And said unto the king, Let the king live for ever: why should not my countenance be sad, when the city, the place of my fathers’ sepulchres, lieth waste, and the gates thereof are consumed with fire?
2:4 Then the king said unto me, For what dost thou make request? So I prayed to the God of heaven.
2:5 And I said unto the king, If it please the king, and if thy servant have found favour in thy sight, that thou wouldest send me unto Judah, unto the city of my fathers’ sepulchres, that I may build it.
2:6 And the king said unto me, (the queen also sitting by him,) For how long shall thy journey be? and when wilt thou return? So it pleased the king to send me; and I set him a time.
2:7 Moreover I said unto the king, If it please the king, let letters be given me to the governors beyond the river, that they may convey me over till I come into Judah;
2:8 And a letter unto Asaph the keeper of the king’s forest, that he may give me timber to make beams for the gates of the palace which appertained to the house, and for the wall of the city, and for the house that I shall enter into. And the king granted me, according to the good hand of my God upon me.
Lament poetry 2 selections
Psalms 13:1–6 KJV · In this guide
Context: The whole lament moves from repeated questions through a plea for help to trust and praise.
13:1 How long wilt thou forget me, O LORD? for ever? how long wilt thou hide thy face from me?
13:2 How long shall I take counsel in my soul, having sorrow in my heart daily? how long shall mine enemy be exalted over me?
13:3 Consider and hear me, O LORD my God: lighten mine eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death;
13:4 Lest mine enemy say, I have prevailed against him; and those that trouble me rejoice when I am moved.
13:5 But I have trusted in thy mercy; my heart shall rejoice in thy salvation.
13:6 I will sing unto the LORD, because he hath dealt bountifully with me.
Psalms 88:1–18 KJV · In this guide
Context: The complete lament addresses the God of salvation and ends without a narrated resolution of anguish.
88:1 O LORD God of my salvation, I have cried day and night before thee:
88:2 Let my prayer come before thee: incline thine ear unto my cry;
88:3 For my soul is full of troubles: and my life draweth nigh unto the grave.
88:4 I am counted with them that go down into the pit: I am as a man that hath no strength:
88:5 Free among the dead, like the slain that lie in the grave, whom thou rememberest no more: and they are cut off from thy hand.
88:6 Thou hast laid me in the lowest pit, in darkness, in the deeps.
88:7 Thy wrath lieth hard upon me, and thou hast afflicted me with all thy waves. Selah.
88:8 Thou hast put away mine acquaintance far from me; thou hast made me an abomination unto them: I am shut up, and I cannot come forth.
88:9 Mine eye mourneth by reason of affliction: LORD, I have called daily upon thee, I have stretched out my hands unto thee.
88:10 Wilt thou shew wonders to the dead? shall the dead arise and praise thee? Selah.
88:11 Shall thy lovingkindness be declared in the grave? or thy faithfulness in destruction?
88:12 Shall thy wonders be known in the dark? and thy righteousness in the land of forgetfulness?
88:13 But unto thee have I cried, O LORD; and in the morning shall my prayer prevent thee.
88:14 LORD, why castest thou off my soul? why hidest thou thy face from me?
88:15 I am afflicted and ready to die from my youth up: while I suffer thy terrors I am distracted.
88:16 Thy fierce wrath goeth over me; thy terrors have cut me off.
88:17 They came round about me daily like water; they compassed me about together.
88:18 Lover and friend hast thou put far from me, and mine acquaintance into darkness.
Wisdom and thanksgiving poetry 1 selections
Psalms 32:1–11 KJV · In this guide
Context: The complete psalm moves from the blessedness of forgiveness through confession into prayer, instruction, and rejoicing.
32:1 Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.
32:2 Blessed is the man unto whom the LORD imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile.
32:3 When I kept silence, my bones waxed old through my roaring all the day long.
32:4 For day and night thy hand was heavy upon me: my moisture is turned into the drought of summer. Selah.
32:5 I acknowledged my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the LORD; and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. Selah.
32:6 For this shall every one that is godly pray unto thee in a time when thou mayest be found: surely in the floods of great waters they shall not come nigh unto him.
32:7 Thou art my hiding place; thou shalt preserve me from trouble; thou shalt compass me about with songs of deliverance. Selah.
32:8 I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye.
32:9 Be ye not as the horse, or as the mule, which have no understanding: whose mouth must be held in with bit and bridle, lest they come near unto thee.
32:10 Many sorrows shall be to the wicked: but he that trusteth in the LORD, mercy shall compass him about.
32:11 Be glad in the LORD, and rejoice, ye righteous: and shout for joy, all ye that are upright in heart.
Thanksgiving poetry 1 selections
Psalms 66:1–20 KJV · In this guide
Context: Communal praise for God’s works and deliverance develops into personal testimony, vows, and thanksgiving for heard prayer.
66:1 Make a joyful noise unto God, all ye lands:
66:2 Sing forth the honour of his name: make his praise glorious.
66:3 Say unto God, How terrible art thou in thy works! through the greatness of thy power shall thine enemies submit themselves unto thee.
66:4 All the earth shall worship thee, and shall sing unto thee; they shall sing to thy name. Selah.
66:5 Come and see the works of God: he is terrible in his doing toward the children of men.
66:6 He turned the sea into dry land: they went through the flood on foot: there did we rejoice in him.
66:7 He ruleth by his power for ever; his eyes behold the nations: let not the rebellious exalt themselves. Selah.
66:8 O bless our God, ye people, and make the voice of his praise to be heard:
66:9 Which holdeth our soul in life, and suffereth not our feet to be moved.
66:10 For thou, O God, hast proved us: thou hast tried us, as silver is tried.
66:11 Thou broughtest us into the net; thou laidst affliction upon our loins.
66:12 Thou hast caused men to ride over our heads; we went through fire and through water: but thou broughtest us out into a wealthy place.
66:13 I will go into thy house with burnt offerings: I will pay thee my vows,
66:14 Which my lips have uttered, and my mouth hath spoken, when I was in trouble.
66:15 I will offer unto thee burnt sacrifices of fatlings, with the incense of rams; I will offer bullocks with goats. Selah.
66:16 Come and hear, all ye that fear God, and I will declare what he hath done for my soul.
66:17 I cried unto him with my mouth, and he was extolled with my tongue.
66:18 If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me:
66:19 But verily God hath heard me; he hath attended to the voice of my prayer.
66:20 Blessed be God, which hath not turned away my prayer, nor his mercy from me.
Praise poetry 1 selections
Psalms 100:1–5 KJV · In this guide
Context: The whole psalm summons worship and gives God’s creation, care, goodness, mercy, and enduring truth as reasons.
100:1 Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands.
100:2 Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing.
100:3 Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
100:4 Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.
100:5 For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.
Wisdom instruction 1 selections
Proverbs 3:1–12 KJV · In this guide
Context: A fatherly wisdom address connects remembered instruction, wholehearted trust, reverence, generosity, and correction.
3:1 My son, forget not my law; but let thine heart keep my commandments:
3:2 For length of days, and long life, and peace, shall they add to thee.
3:3 Let not mercy and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thine heart:
3:4 So shalt thou find favour and good understanding in the sight of God and man.
3:5 Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
3:6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.
3:7 Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil.
3:8 It shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones.
3:9 Honour the LORD with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase:
3:10 So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine.
3:11 My son, despise not the chastening of the LORD; neither be weary of his correction:
3:12 For whom the LORD loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth.
Covenant indictment 1 selections
Isaiah 1:10–20 KJV · In this guide
Context: Judah’s worship and many prayers are confronted alongside injustice, with a call to cleansing, justice, and obedience.
1:10 Hear the word of the LORD, ye rulers of Sodom; give ear unto the law of our God, ye people of Gomorrah.
1:11 To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto me? saith the LORD: I am full of the burnt offerings of rams, and the fat of fed beasts; and I delight not in the blood of bullocks, or of lambs, or of he goats.
1:12 When ye come to appear before me, who hath required this at your hand, to tread my courts?
1:13 Bring no more vain oblations; incense is an abomination unto me; the new moons and sabbaths, the calling of assemblies, I cannot away with; it is iniquity, even the solemn meeting.
1:14 Your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul hateth: they are a trouble unto me; I am weary to bear them.
1:15 And when ye spread forth your hands, I will hide mine eyes from you: yea, when ye make many prayers, I will not hear: your hands are full of blood.
1:16 Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil;
1:17 Learn to do well; seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow.
1:18 Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.
1:19 If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land:
1:20 But if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured with the sword: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.
Prophetic instruction and promise 1 selections
Jeremiah 29:1–14 KJV · In this guide
Context: Jeremiah’s letter calls Judah’s exiles to life and prayer in Babylon and locates return after seventy years.
29:1 Now these are the words of the letter that Jeremiah the prophet sent from Jerusalem unto the residue of the elders which were carried away captives, and to the priests, and to the prophets, and to all the people whom Nebuchadnezzar had carried away captive from Jerusalem to Babylon;
29:2 (After that Jeconiah the king, and the queen, and the eunuchs, the princes of Judah and Jerusalem, and the carpenters, and the smiths, were departed from Jerusalem;)
29:3 By the hand of Elasah the son of Shaphan, and Gemariah the son of Hilkiah, (whom Zedekiah king of Judah sent unto Babylon to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon) saying,
29:4 Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, unto all that are carried away captives, whom I have caused to be carried away from Jerusalem unto Babylon;
29:5 Build ye houses, and dwell in them; and plant gardens, and eat the fruit of them;
29:6 Take ye wives, and beget sons and daughters; and take wives for your sons, and give your daughters to husbands, that they may bear sons and daughters; that ye may be increased there, and not diminished.
29:7 And seek the peace of the city whither I have caused you to be carried away captives, and pray unto the LORD for it: for in the peace thereof shall ye have peace.
29:8 For thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Let not your prophets and your diviners, that be in the midst of you, deceive you, neither hearken to your dreams which ye cause to be dreamed.
29:9 For they prophesy falsely unto you in my name: I have not sent them, saith the LORD.
29:10 For thus saith the LORD, That after seventy years be accomplished at Babylon I will visit you, and perform my good word toward you, in causing you to return to this place.
29:11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.
29:12 Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you.
29:13 And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.
29:14 And I will be found of you, saith the LORD: and I will turn away your captivity, and I will gather you from all the nations, and from all the places whither I have driven you, saith the LORD; and I will bring you again into the place whence I caused you to be carried away captive.
Exilic narrative 1 selections
Daniel 6:1–28 KJV · In this guide
Context: Officials use Daniel’s allegiance to God against him; he continues praying, faces the lions, and is delivered.
6:1 It pleased Darius to set over the kingdom an hundred and twenty princes, which should be over the whole kingdom;
6:2 And over these three presidents; of whom Daniel was first: that the princes might give accounts unto them, and the king should have no damage.
6:3 Then this Daniel was preferred above the presidents and princes, because an excellent spirit was in him; and the king thought to set him over the whole realm.
6:4 Then the presidents and princes sought to find occasion against Daniel concerning the kingdom; but they could find none occasion nor fault; forasmuch as he was faithful, neither was there any error or fault found in him.
6:5 Then said these men, We shall not find any occasion against this Daniel, except we find it against him concerning the law of his God.
6:6 Then these presidents and princes assembled together to the king, and said thus unto him, King Darius, live for ever.
6:7 All the presidents of the kingdom, the governors, and the princes, the counsellors, and the captains, have consulted together to establish a royal statute, and to make a firm decree, that whosoever shall ask a petition of any God or man for thirty days, save of thee, O king, he shall be cast into the den of lions.
6:8 Now, O king, establish the decree, and sign the writing, that it be not changed, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which altereth not.
6:9 Wherefore king Darius signed the writing and the decree.
6:10 Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house; and his windows being open in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime.
6:11 Then these men assembled, and found Daniel praying and making supplication before his God.
6:12 Then they came near, and spake before the king concerning the king’s decree; Hast thou not signed a decree, that every man that shall ask a petition of any God or man within thirty days, save of thee, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions? The king answered and said, The thing is true, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which altereth not.
6:13 Then answered they and said before the king, That Daniel, which is of the children of the captivity of Judah, regardeth not thee, O king, nor the decree that thou hast signed, but maketh his petition three times a day.
6:14 Then the king, when he heard these words, was sore displeased with himself, and set his heart on Daniel to deliver him: and he laboured till the going down of the sun to deliver him.
6:15 Then these men assembled unto the king, and said unto the king, Know, O king, that the law of the Medes and Persians is, That no decree nor statute which the king establisheth may be changed.
6:16 Then the king commanded, and they brought Daniel, and cast him into the den of lions. Now the king spake and said unto Daniel, Thy God whom thou servest continually, he will deliver thee.
6:17 And a stone was brought, and laid upon the mouth of the den; and the king sealed it with his own signet, and with the signet of his lords; that the purpose might not be changed concerning Daniel.
6:18 Then the king went to his palace, and passed the night fasting: neither were instruments of musick brought before him: and his sleep went from him.
6:19 Then the king arose very early in the morning, and went in haste unto the den of lions.
6:20 And when he came to the den, he cried with a lamentable voice unto Daniel: and the king spake and said to Daniel, O Daniel, servant of the living God, is thy God, whom thou servest continually, able to deliver thee from the lions?
6:21 Then said Daniel unto the king, O king, live for ever.
6:22 My God hath sent his angel, and hath shut the lions’ mouths, that they have not hurt me: forasmuch as before him innocency was found in me; and also before thee, O king, have I done no hurt.
6:23 Then was the king exceeding glad for him, and commanded that they should take Daniel up out of the den. So Daniel was taken up out of the den, and no manner of hurt was found upon him, because he believed in his God.
6:24 And the king commanded, and they brought those men which had accused Daniel, and they cast them into the den of lions, them, their children, and their wives; and the lions had the mastery of them, and brake all their bones in pieces or ever they came at the bottom of the den.
6:25 Then king Darius wrote unto all people, nations, and languages, that dwell in all the earth; Peace be multiplied unto you.
6:26 I make a decree, That in every dominion of my kingdom men tremble and fear before the God of Daniel: for he is the living God, and stedfast for ever, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed, and his dominion shall be even unto the end.
6:27 He delivereth and rescueth, and he worketh signs and wonders in heaven and in earth, who hath delivered Daniel from the power of the lions.
6:28 So this Daniel prospered in the reign of Darius, and in the reign of Cyrus the Persian.
Jesus’ teaching 10 selections
Matthew 5:43–48 KJV · In this guide
Context: Jesus commands love and prayer for persecutors, grounding the demand in the Father’s generous provision.
5:43 Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy.
5:44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;
5:45 That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.
5:46 For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same?
5:47 And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so?
5:48 Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.
Matthew 6:5–15 KJV · In this guide
Context: Jesus addresses display and empty verbosity, teaches the prayer, and explains forgiveness in the Sermon on the Mount.
6:5 And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.
6:6 But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.
6:7 But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.
6:8 Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him.
6:9 After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
6:10 Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
6:11 Give us this day our daily bread.
6:12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
6:13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.
6:14 For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you:
6:15 But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
Matthew 6:16–18 KJV · In this guide
Context: Jesus’s teaching about fasting follows almsgiving and prayer within the contrast between display and devotion to the Father.
6:16 Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.
6:17 But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face;
6:18 That thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly.
Matthew 6:19–34 KJV · In this guide
Context: Teaching on treasure and masters leads into freedom from consuming anxiety through trust in the Father and seeking his kingdom.
6:19 Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:
6:20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:
6:21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
6:22 The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light.
6:23 But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!
6:24 No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.
6:25 Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?
6:26 Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?
6:27 Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?
6:28 And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin:
6:29 And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.
6:30 Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?
6:31 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?
6:32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.
6:33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
6:34 Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.
Matthew 7:7–12 KJV · In this guide
Context: Within the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus invites asking and reasons from parental gifts to the Father’s goodness; the next sentence turns to treatment of others.
7:7 Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:
7:8 For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.
7:9 Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone?
7:10 Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent?
7:11 If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?
7:12 Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.
Matthew 18:15–20 KJV · In this guide
Context: Teaching on recovering a sinning brother leads to witnesses, the church, binding and loosing, agreement in prayer, and Christ’s presence.
18:15 Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother.
18:16 But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.
18:17 And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church: but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican.
18:18 Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
18:19 Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven.
18:20 For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.
Luke 11:1–13 KJV · In this guide
Context: A disciple asks to learn prayer; Jesus teaches requests, the midnight-friend story, and the Father’s giving.
11:1 And it came to pass, that, as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.
11:2 And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth.
11:3 Give us day by day our daily bread.
11:4 And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil.
11:5 And he said unto them, Which of you shall have a friend, and shall go unto him at midnight, and say unto him, Friend, lend me three loaves;
11:6 For a friend of mine in his journey is come to me, and I have nothing to set before him?
11:7 And he from within shall answer and say, Trouble me not: the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give thee.
11:8 I say unto you, Though he will not rise and give him, because he is his friend, yet because of his importunity he will rise and give him as many as he needeth.
11:9 And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.
11:10 For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.
11:11 If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent?
11:12 Or if he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion?
11:13 If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?
John 14:1–21 KJV · In this guide
Context: In the farewell discourse, Jesus explains his departure, relation to the Father, continuing works, prayer, love, and the Spirit.
14:1 Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.
14:2 In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
14:3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.
14:4 And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know.
14:5 Thomas saith unto him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way?
14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
14:7 If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him.
14:8 Philip saith unto him, Lord, shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us.
14:9 Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?
14:10 Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works.
14:11 Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works’ sake.
14:12 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.
14:13 And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.
14:14 If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.
14:15 If ye love me, keep my commandments.
14:16 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;
14:17 Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.
14:18 I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.
14:19 Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me: because I live, ye shall live also.
14:20 At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you.
14:21 He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.
John 15:1–17 KJV · In this guide
Context: The vine-and-branches teaching connects remaining in Christ, his words, fruitful life, answered prayer, obedience, and love.
15:1 I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman.
15:2 Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.
15:3 Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.
15:4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.
15:5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.
15:6 If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.
15:7 If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.
15:8 Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.
15:9 As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love.
15:10 If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love.
15:11 These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.
15:12 This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.
15:13 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.
15:14 Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.
15:15 Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.
15:16 Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.
15:17 These things I command you, that ye love one another.
John 16:16–33 KJV · In this guide
Context: Jesus prepares the disciples for sorrow, renewed joy, access to the Father, their scattering, and peace amid tribulation.
16:16 A little while, and ye shall not see me: and again, a little while, and ye shall see me, because I go to the Father.
16:17 Then said some of his disciples among themselves, What is this that he saith unto us, A little while, and ye shall not see me: and again, a little while, and ye shall see me: and, Because I go to the Father?
16:18 They said therefore, What is this that he saith, A little while? we cannot tell what he saith.
16:19 Now Jesus knew that they were desirous to ask him, and said unto them, Do ye enquire among yourselves of that I said, A little while, and ye shall not see me: and again, a little while, and ye shall see me?
16:20 Verily, verily, I say unto you, That ye shall weep and lament, but the world shall rejoice: and ye shall be sorrowful, but your sorrow shall be turned into joy.
16:21 A woman when she is in travail hath sorrow, because her hour is come: but as soon as she is delivered of the child, she remembereth no more the anguish, for joy that a man is born into the world.
16:22 And ye now therefore have sorrow: but I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man taketh from you.
16:23 And in that day ye shall ask me nothing. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you.
16:24 Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full.
16:25 These things have I spoken unto you in proverbs: but the time cometh, when I shall no more speak unto you in proverbs, but I shall shew you plainly of the Father.
16:26 At that day ye shall ask in my name: and I say not unto you, that I will pray the Father for you:
16:27 For the Father himself loveth you, because ye have loved me, and have believed that I came out from God.
16:28 I came forth from the Father, and am come into the world: again, I leave the world, and go to the Father.
16:29 His disciples said unto him, Lo, now speakest thou plainly, and speakest no proverb.
16:30 Now are we sure that thou knowest all things, and needest not that any man should ask thee: by this we believe that thou camest forth from God.
16:31 Jesus answered them, Do ye now believe?
16:32 Behold, the hour cometh, yea, is now come, that ye shall be scattered, every man to his own, and shall leave me alone: and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with me.
16:33 These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.
Passion narrative 2 selections
Matthew 26:36–46 KJV · In this guide
Context: Matthew records Jesus’ repeated requests in Gethsemane, the disciples’ sleep, and his readiness as betrayal arrives.
26:36 Then cometh Jesus with them unto a place called Gethsemane, and saith unto the disciples, Sit ye here, while I go and pray yonder.
26:37 And he took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be sorrowful and very heavy.
26:38 Then saith he unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with me.
26:39 And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.
26:40 And he cometh unto the disciples, and findeth them asleep, and saith unto Peter, What, could ye not watch with me one hour?
26:41 Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.
26:42 He went away again the second time, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it, thy will be done.
26:43 And he came and found them asleep again: for their eyes were heavy.
26:44 And he left them, and went away again, and prayed the third time, saying the same words.
26:45 Then cometh he to his disciples, and saith unto them, Sleep on now, and take your rest: behold, the hour is at hand, and the Son of man is betrayed into the hands of sinners.
26:46 Rise, let us be going: behold, he is at hand that doth betray me.
Mark 14:32–42 KJV · In this guide
Context: Jesus prays in anguish before betrayal, submits to his Father, and calls sleepy disciples to watchful prayer.
14:32 And they came to a place which was named Gethsemane: and he saith to his disciples, Sit ye here, while I shall pray.
14:33 And he taketh with him Peter and James and John, and began to be sore amazed, and to be very heavy;
14:34 And saith unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful unto death: tarry ye here, and watch.
14:35 And he went forward a little, and fell on the ground, and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him.
14:36 And he said, Abba, Father, all things are possible unto thee; take away this cup from me: nevertheless not what I will, but what thou wilt.
14:37 And he cometh, and findeth them sleeping, and saith unto Peter, Simon, sleepest thou? couldest not thou watch one hour?
14:38 Watch ye and pray, lest ye enter into temptation. The spirit truly is ready, but the flesh is weak.
14:39 And again he went away, and prayed, and spake the same words.
14:40 And when he returned, he found them asleep again, (for their eyes were heavy,) neither wist they what to answer him.
14:41 And he cometh the third time, and saith unto them, Sleep on now, and take your rest: it is enough, the hour is come; behold, the Son of man is betrayed into the hands of sinners.
14:42 Rise up, let us go; lo, he that betrayeth me is at hand.
Mission narrative 1 selections
Mark 6:7–13 KJV · In this guide
Context: Jesus sends the Twelve with particular authority and travel instructions; they preach, cast out demons, and anoint the sick.
6:7 And he called unto him the twelve, and began to send them forth by two and two; and gave them power over unclean spirits;
6:8 And commanded them that they should take nothing for their journey, save a staff only; no scrip, no bread, no money in their purse:
6:9 But be shod with sandals; and not put on two coats.
6:10 And he said unto them, In what place soever ye enter into an house, there abide till ye depart from that place.
6:11 And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear you, when ye depart thence, shake off the dust under your feet for a testimony against them. Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment, than for that city.
6:12 And they went out, and preached that men should repent.
6:13 And they cast out many devils, and anointed with oil many that were sick, and healed them.
Gospel narrative 3 selections
Mark 9:14–29 KJV · In this guide
Context: After failed deliverance by the disciples, a father appeals to Jesus, confesses struggling faith, and receives help for his son.
9:14 And when he came to his disciples, he saw a great multitude about them, and the scribes questioning with them.
9:15 And straightway all the people, when they beheld him, were greatly amazed, and running to him saluted him.
9:16 And he asked the scribes, What question ye with them?
9:17 And one of the multitude answered and said, Master, I have brought unto thee my son, which hath a dumb spirit;
9:18 And wheresoever he taketh him, he teareth him: and he foameth, and gnasheth with his teeth, and pineth away: and I spake to thy disciples that they should cast him out; and they could not.
9:19 He answereth him, and saith, O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? bring him unto me.
9:20 And they brought him unto him: and when he saw him, straightway the spirit tare him; and he fell on the ground, and wallowed foaming.
9:21 And he asked his father, How long is it ago since this came unto him? And he said, Of a child.
9:22 And ofttimes it hath cast him into the fire, and into the waters, to destroy him: but if thou canst do any thing, have compassion on us, and help us.
9:23 Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.
9:24 And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.
9:25 When Jesus saw that the people came running together, he rebuked the foul spirit, saying unto him, Thou dumb and deaf spirit, I charge thee, come out of him, and enter no more into him.
9:26 And the spirit cried, and rent him sore, and came out of him: and he was as one dead; insomuch that many said, He is dead.
9:27 But Jesus took him by the hand, and lifted him up; and he arose.
9:28 And when he was come into the house, his disciples asked him privately, Why could not we cast him out?
9:29 And he said unto them, This kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting.
Luke 5:12–16 KJV · In this guide
Context: Jesus cleanses a man with leprosy, crowds gather, and he withdraws for prayer.
5:12 And it came to pass, when he was in a certain city, behold a man full of leprosy: who seeing Jesus fell on his face, and besought him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.
5:13 And he put forth his hand, and touched him, saying, I will: be thou clean. And immediately the leprosy departed from him.
5:14 And he charged him to tell no man: but go, and shew thyself to the priest, and offer for thy cleansing, according as Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them.
5:15 But so much the more went there a fame abroad of him: and great multitudes came together to hear, and to be healed by him of their infirmities.
5:16 And he withdrew himself into the wilderness, and prayed.
Luke 22:31–34 KJV · In this guide
Context: Jesus speaks of testing, his prayer for Peter, Peter’s future strengthening of others, and the coming denial.
22:31 And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat:
22:32 But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.
22:33 And he said unto him, Lord, I am ready to go with thee, both into prison, and to death.
22:34 And he said, I tell thee, Peter, the cock shall not crow this day, before that thou shalt thrice deny that thou knowest me.
Gospel narrative and teaching 1 selections
Mark 11:12–26 KJV · In this guide
Context: The fig tree surrounds Jesus’ temple action; Peter’s observation leads to teaching on faith, prayer, and forgiveness.
11:12 And on the morrow, when they were come from Bethany, he was hungry:
11:13 And seeing a fig tree afar off having leaves, he came, if haply he might find any thing thereon: and when he came to it, he found nothing but leaves; for the time of figs was not yet.
11:14 And Jesus answered and said unto it, No man eat fruit of thee hereafter for ever. And his disciples heard it.
11:15 And they come to Jerusalem: and Jesus went into the temple, and began to cast out them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves;
11:16 And would not suffer that any man should carry any vessel through the temple.
11:17 And he taught, saying unto them, Is it not written, My house shall be called of all nations the house of prayer? but ye have made it a den of thieves.
11:18 And the scribes and chief priests heard it, and sought how they might destroy him: for they feared him, because all the people was astonished at his doctrine.
11:19 And when even was come, he went out of the city.
11:20 And in the morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots.
11:21 And Peter calling to remembrance saith unto him, Master, behold, the fig tree which thou cursedst is withered away.
11:22 And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God.
11:23 For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith.
11:24 Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.
11:25 And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.
11:26 But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses.
Parable 2 selections
Luke 18:1–8 KJV · In this guide
Context: Following teaching about the Son of Man, the widow and judge parable urges continued prayer and faith in God’s vindication.
18:1 And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint;
18:2 Saying, There was in a city a judge, which feared not God, neither regarded man:
18:3 And there was a widow in that city; and she came unto him, saying, Avenge me of mine adversary.
18:4 And he would not for a while: but afterward he said within himself, Though I fear not God, nor regard man;
18:5 Yet because this widow troubleth me, I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.
18:6 And the Lord said, Hear what the unjust judge saith.
18:7 And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them?
18:8 I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?
Luke 18:9–14 KJV · In this guide
Context: Jesus addresses those confident of their own righteousness who despise others through two contrasting temple prayers.
18:9 And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others:
18:10 Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican.
18:11 The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican.
18:12 I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.
18:13 And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.
18:14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.
Prayer of Jesus 1 selections
John 17:1–26 KJV · In this guide
Context: Jesus prays before his passion for glorification, the disciples, and those who will believe through their testimony.
17:1 These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee:
17:2 As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him.
17:3 And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.
17:4 I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do.
17:5 And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was.
17:6 I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world: thine they were, and thou gavest them me; and they have kept thy word.
17:7 Now they have known that all things whatsoever thou hast given me are of thee.
17:8 For I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came out from thee, and they have believed that thou didst send me.
17:9 I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine.
17:10 And all mine are thine, and thine are mine; and I am glorified in them.
17:11 And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are.
17:12 While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name: those that thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition; that the scripture might be fulfilled.
17:13 And now come I to thee; and these things I speak in the world, that they might have my joy fulfilled in themselves.
17:14 I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.
17:15 I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil.
17:16 They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.
17:17 Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.
17:18 As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world.
17:19 And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth.
17:20 Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word;
17:21 That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.
17:22 And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one:
17:23 I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me.
17:24 Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world.
17:25 O righteous Father, the world hath not known thee: but I have known thee, and these have known that thou hast sent me.
17:26 And I have declared unto them thy name, and will declare it: that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them, and I in them.
Church narrative 4 selections
Acts 2:41–47 KJV · In this guide
Context: The Pentecost response leads into a shared life of teaching, fellowship, prayer, worship, and practical care.
2:41 Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.
2:42 And they continued stedfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.
2:43 And fear came upon every soul: and many wonders and signs were done by the apostles.
2:44 And all that believed were together, and had all things common;
2:45 And sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need.
2:46 And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart,
2:47 Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.
Acts 4:23–31 KJV · In this guide
Context: Released apostles report threats; the gathered church prays from Scripture and receives power to speak boldly.
4:23 And being let go, they went to their own company, and reported all that the chief priests and elders had said unto them.
4:24 And when they heard that, they lifted up their voice to God with one accord, and said, Lord, thou art God, which hast made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all that in them is:
4:25 Who by the mouth of thy servant David hast said, Why did the heathen rage, and the people imagine vain things?
4:26 The kings of the earth stood up, and the rulers were gathered together against the Lord, and against his Christ.
4:27 For of a truth against thy holy child Jesus, whom thou hast anointed, both Herod, and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles, and the people of Israel, were gathered together,
4:28 For to do whatsoever thy hand and thy counsel determined before to be done.
4:29 And now, Lord, behold their threatenings: and grant unto thy servants, that with all boldness they may speak thy word,
4:30 By stretching forth thine hand to heal; and that signs and wonders may be done by the name of thy holy child Jesus.
4:31 And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness.
Acts 12:1–19 KJV · In this guide
Context: Herod kills James, imprisons Peter, and the praying church receives Peter after his angelic release; the episode closes with the investigation.
12:1 Now about that time Herod the king stretched forth his hands to vex certain of the church.
12:2 And he killed James the brother of John with the sword.
12:3 And because he saw it pleased the Jews, he proceeded further to take Peter also. (Then were the days of unleavened bread.)
12:4 And when he had apprehended him, he put him in prison, and delivered him to four quaternions of soldiers to keep him; intending after Easter to bring him forth to the people.
12:5 Peter therefore was kept in prison: but prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for him.
12:6 And when Herod would have brought him forth, the same night Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains: and the keepers before the door kept the prison.
12:7 And, behold, the angel of the Lord came upon him, and a light shined in the prison: and he smote Peter on the side, and raised him up, saying, Arise up quickly. And his chains fell off from his hands.
12:8 And the angel said unto him, Gird thyself, and bind on thy sandals. And so he did. And he saith unto him, Cast thy garment about thee, and follow me.
12:9 And he went out, and followed him; and wist not that it was true which was done by the angel; but thought he saw a vision.
12:10 When they were past the first and the second ward, they came unto the iron gate that leadeth unto the city; which opened to them of his own accord: and they went out, and passed on through one street; and forthwith the angel departed from him.
12:11 And when Peter was come to himself, he said, Now I know of a surety, that the Lord hath sent his angel, and hath delivered me out of the hand of Herod, and from all the expectation of the people of the Jews.
12:12 And when he had considered the thing, he came to the house of Mary the mother of John, whose surname was Mark; where many were gathered together praying.
12:13 And as Peter knocked at the door of the gate, a damsel came to hearken, named Rhoda.
12:14 And when she knew Peter’s voice, she opened not the gate for gladness, but ran in, and told how Peter stood before the gate.
12:15 And they said unto her, Thou art mad. But she constantly affirmed that it was even so. Then said they, It is his angel.
12:16 But Peter continued knocking: and when they had opened the door, and saw him, they were astonished.
12:17 But he, beckoning unto them with the hand to hold their peace, declared unto them how the Lord had brought him out of the prison. And he said, Go shew these things unto James, and to the brethren. And he departed, and went into another place.
12:18 Now as soon as it was day, there was no small stir among the soldiers, what was become of Peter.
12:19 And when Herod had sought for him, and found him not, he examined the keepers, and commanded that they should be put to death. And he went down from Judæa to Cæsarea, and there abode.
Acts 13:1–3 KJV · In this guide
Context: Antioch’s prophets and teachers worship and fast; the Spirit names a mission, and Barnabas and Saul are sent with prayer.
13:1 Now there were in the church that was at Antioch certain prophets and teachers; as Barnabas, and Simeon that was called Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene, and Manaen, which had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul.
13:2 As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them.
13:3 And when they had fasted and prayed, and laid their hands on them, they sent them away.
Martyrdom narrative 1 selections
Acts 7:54–60 KJV · In this guide
Context: Stephen sees the exalted Jesus and prays as he is stoned, entrusting his spirit and asking mercy for his killers.
7:54 When they heard these things, they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed on him with their teeth.
7:55 But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up stedfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God,
7:56 And said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God.
7:57 Then they cried out with a loud voice, and stopped their ears, and ran upon him with one accord,
7:58 And cast him out of the city, and stoned him: and the witnesses laid down their clothes at a young man’s feet, whose name was Saul.
7:59 And they stoned Stephen, calling upon God, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.
7:60 And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep.
Apostolic teaching 6 selections
Romans 8:14–39 KJV · In this guide
Context: Adoption, present suffering, creation’s groaning, future redemption, Spirit intercession, and Christ’s love form one argument.
8:14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.
8:15 For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.
8:16 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:
8:17 And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.
8:18 For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.
8:19 For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God.
8:20 For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope,
8:21 Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.
8:22 For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.
8:23 And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.
8:24 For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for?
8:25 But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it.
8:26 Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.
8:27 And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.
8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
8:29 For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.
8:30 Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.
8:31 What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?
8:32 He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?
8:33 Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God’s elect? It is God that justifieth.
8:34 Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.
8:35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?
8:36 As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.
8:37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.
8:38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,
8:39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Ephesians 2:11–22 KJV · In this guide
Context: Gentile estrangement gives way to reconciliation through Christ’s cross, shared access, and one household.
2:11 Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands;
2:12 That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world:
2:13 But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.
2:14 For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us;
2:15 Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace;
2:16 And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby:
2:17 And came and preached peace to you which were afar off, and to them that were nigh.
2:18 For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father.
2:19 Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God;
2:20 And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone;
2:21 In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord:
2:22 In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.
Hebrews 5:1–10 KJV · In this guide
Context: The discussion of appointed high priests turns to Christ, his prayers, obedience through suffering, and saving priesthood.
5:1 For every high priest taken from among men is ordained for men in things pertaining to God, that he may offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins:
5:2 Who can have compassion on the ignorant, and on them that are out of the way; for that he himself also is compassed with infirmity.
5:3 And by reason hereof he ought, as for the people, so also for himself, to offer for sins.
5:4 And no man taketh this honour unto himself, but he that is called of God, as was Aaron.
5:5 So also Christ glorified not himself to be made an high priest; but he that said unto him, Thou art my Son, to day have I begotten thee.
5:6 As he saith also in another place, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.
5:7 Who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared;
5:8 Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered;
5:9 And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him;
5:10 Called of God an high priest after the order of Melchisedec.
1 John 1:5–2:2 KJV · In this guide
Context: God’s light frames fellowship, honest acknowledgment of sin, cleansing, and Jesus as righteous advocate.
1:5 This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.
1:6 If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth:
1:7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.
1:8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
1:10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.
2:1 My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:
2:2 And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.
1 John 3:18–24 KJV · In this guide
Context: Active love, assurance before God, answered asking, faith in Christ, mutual love, and the Spirit belong together.
3:18 My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.
3:19 And hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before him.
3:20 For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things.
3:21 Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God.
3:22 And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight.
3:23 And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment.
3:24 And he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him, and he in him. And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us.
1 John 5:13–21 KJV · In this guide
Context: The letter’s conclusion joins assurance of life, asking according to God’s will, intercession concerning sin, and final convictions.
5:13 These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.
5:14 And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us:
5:15 And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.
5:16 If any man see his brother sin a sin which is not unto death, he shall ask, and he shall give him life for them that sin not unto death. There is a sin unto death: I do not say that he shall pray for it.
5:17 All unrighteousness is sin: and there is a sin not unto death.
5:18 We know that whosoever is born of God sinneth not; but he that is begotten of God keepeth himself, and that wicked one toucheth him not.
5:19 And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness.
5:20 And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life.
5:21 Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen.
Apostolic instruction 4 selections
1 Corinthians 14:1–25 KJV · In this guide
Context: Paul compares gifts by their benefit to others, explains intelligibility, and considers the gathered church and visitors.
14:1 Follow after charity, and desire spiritual gifts, but rather that ye may prophesy.
14:2 For he that speaketh in an unknown tongue speaketh not unto men, but unto God: for no man understandeth him; howbeit in the spirit he speaketh mysteries.
14:3 But he that prophesieth speaketh unto men to edification, and exhortation, and comfort.
14:4 He that speaketh in an unknown tongue edifieth himself; but he that prophesieth edifieth the church.
14:5 I would that ye all spake with tongues, but rather that ye prophesied: for greater is he that prophesieth than he that speaketh with tongues, except he interpret, that the church may receive edifying.
14:6 Now, brethren, if I come unto you speaking with tongues, what shall I profit you, except I shall speak to you either by revelation, or by knowledge, or by prophesying, or by doctrine?
14:7 And even things without life giving sound, whether pipe or harp, except they give a distinction in the sounds, how shall it be known what is piped or harped?
14:8 For if the trumpet give an uncertain sound, who shall prepare himself to the battle?
14:9 So likewise ye, except ye utter by the tongue words easy to be understood, how shall it be known what is spoken? for ye shall speak into the air.
14:10 There are, it may be, so many kinds of voices in the world, and none of them is without signification.
14:11 Therefore if I know not the meaning of the voice, I shall be unto him that speaketh a barbarian, and he that speaketh shall be a barbarian unto me.
14:12 Even so ye, forasmuch as ye are zealous of spiritual gifts, seek that ye may excel to the edifying of the church.
14:13 Wherefore let him that speaketh in an unknown tongue pray that he may interpret.
14:14 For if I pray in an unknown tongue, my spirit prayeth, but my understanding is unfruitful.
14:15 What is it then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also: I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also.
14:16 Else when thou shalt bless with the spirit, how shall he that occupieth the room of the unlearned say Amen at thy giving of thanks, seeing he understandeth not what thou sayest?
14:17 For thou verily givest thanks well, but the other is not edified.
14:18 I thank my God, I speak with tongues more than ye all:
14:19 Yet in the church I had rather speak five words with my understanding, that by my voice I might teach others also, than ten thousand words in an unknown tongue.
14:20 Brethren, be not children in understanding: howbeit in malice be ye children, but in understanding be men.
14:21 In the law it is written, With men of other tongues and other lips will I speak unto this people; and yet for all that will they not hear me, saith the Lord.
14:22 Wherefore tongues are for a sign, not to them that believe, but to them that believe not: but prophesying serveth not for them that believe not, but for them which believe.
14:23 If therefore the whole church be come together into one place, and all speak with tongues, and there come in those that are unlearned, or unbelievers, will they not say that ye are mad?
14:24 But if all prophesy, and there come in one that believeth not, or one unlearned, he is convinced of all, he is judged of all:
14:25 And thus are the secrets of his heart made manifest; and so falling down on his face he will worship God, and report that God is in you of a truth.
1 Timothy 2:1–8 KJV · In this guide
Context: Paul urges broad intercession, peaceful godliness, salvation, and prayer consistent with holy conduct.
2:1 I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men;
2:2 For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.
2:3 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour;
2:4 Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.
2:5 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;
2:6 Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.
2:7 Where unto I am ordained a preacher, and an apostle, (I speak the truth in Christ, and lie not;) a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and verity.
2:8 I will therefore that men pray every where, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting.
James 5:7–20 KJV · In this guide
Context: James’s closing movement joins patient endurance, truthful speech, prayer, anointing, confession, Elijah, and restoration.
5:7 Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain.
5:8 Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh.
5:9 Grudge not one against another, brethren, lest ye be condemned: behold, the judge standeth before the door.
5:10 Take, my brethren, the prophets, who have spoken in the name of the Lord, for an example of suffering affliction, and of patience.
5:11 Behold, we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy.
5:12 But above all things, my brethren, swear not, neither by heaven, neither by the earth, neither by any other oath: but let your yea be yea; and your nay, nay; lest ye fall into condemnation.
5:13 Is any among you afflicted? let him pray. Is any merry? let him sing psalms.
5:14 Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord:
5:15 And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.
5:16 Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.
5:17 Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months.
5:18 And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit.
5:19 Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth, and one convert him;
5:20 Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins.
1 Peter 3:1–12 KJV · In this guide
Context: Instructions to wives and husbands lead into shared compassion, blessing, peace, and the Lord’s attention to prayer.
3:1 Likewise, ye wives, be in subjection to your own husbands; that, if any obey not the word, they also may without the word be won by the conversation of the wives;
3:2 While they behold your chaste conversation coupled with fear.
3:3 Whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel;
3:4 But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price.
3:5 For after this manner in the old time the holy women also, who trusted in God, adorned themselves, being in subjection unto their own husbands:
3:6 Even as Sara obeyed Abraham, calling him lord: whose daughters ye are, as long as ye do well, and are not afraid with any amazement.
3:7 Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honour unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered.
3:8 Finally, be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another, love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous:
3:9 Not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing: but contrariwise blessing; knowing that ye are thereunto called, that ye should inherit a blessing.
3:10 For he that will love life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile:
3:11 Let him eschew evil, and do good; let him seek peace, and ensue it.
3:12 For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil.
Apostolic testimony 1 selections
2 Corinthians 12:1–10 KJV · In this guide
Context: Paul’s account of revelations turns to the thorn, repeated petition, and Christ’s sufficient grace.
12:1 It is not expedient for me doubtless to glory. I will come to visions and revelations of the Lord.
12:2 I knew a man in Christ above fourteen years ago, (whether in the body, I cannot tell; or whether out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) such an one caught up to the third heaven.
12:3 And I knew such a man, (whether in the body, or out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;)
12:4 How that he was caught up into paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter.
12:5 Of such an one will I glory: yet of myself I will not glory, but in mine infirmities.
12:6 For though I would desire to glory, I shall not be a fool; for I will say the truth: but now I forbear, lest any man should think of me above that which he seeth me to be, or that he heareth of me.
12:7 And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure.
12:8 For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me.
12:9 And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
12:10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.
Apostolic exhortation 11 selections
Ephesians 6:10–20 KJV · In this guide
Context: The armor exhortation culminates in persevering prayer in the Spirit for the saints and for Paul’s bold witness.
6:10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.
6:11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
6:12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
6:13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
6:14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;
6:15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
6:16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.
6:17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:
6:18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;
6:19 And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel,
6:20 For which I am an ambassador in bonds: that therein I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.
Philippians 4:4–9 KJV · In this guide
Context: Concluding instructions join joy, gentleness, prayer, thanksgiving, guarded hearts, truthful thought, and practiced obedience.
4:4 Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice.
4:5 Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand.
4:6 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.
4:7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
4:8 Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.
4:9 Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you.
Colossians 4:2–6 KJV · In this guide
Context: Concluding exhortations join watchful prayer, gospel opportunity and clarity, wise conduct, and gracious speech.
4:2 Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving;
4:3 Withal praying also for us, that God would open unto us a door of utterance, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in bonds:
4:4 That I may make it manifest, as I ought to speak.
4:5 Walk in wisdom toward them that are without, redeeming the time.
4:6 Let your speech be alway with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.
1 Thessalonians 5:12–24 KJV · In this guide
Context: Concluding community exhortations join peace, care, patience, joy, prayer, thanks, discernment, and God’s sanctifying faithfulness.
5:12 And we beseech you, brethren, to know them which labour among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you;
5:13 And to esteem them very highly in love for their work’s sake. And be at peace among yourselves.
5:14 Now we exhort you, brethren, warn them that are unruly, comfort the feebleminded, support the weak, be patient toward all men.
5:15 See that none render evil for evil unto any man; but ever follow that which is good, both among yourselves, and to all men.
5:16 Rejoice evermore.
5:17 Pray without ceasing.
5:18 In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
5:19 Quench not the Spirit.
5:20 Despise not prophesyings.
5:21 Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.
5:22 Abstain from all appearance of evil.
5:23 And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
5:24 Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it.
Hebrews 4:14–16 KJV · In this guide
Context: The exhortation to hold the confession leads to drawing near because Jesus is the sympathetic, sinless high priest.
4:14 Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession.
4:15 For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.
4:16 Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.
James 1:1–8 KJV · In this guide
Context: The opening addresses dispersed believers, trials, endurance, asking for wisdom, and divided trust.
1:1 James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad, greeting.
1:2 My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations;
1:3 Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.
1:4 But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.
1:5 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.
1:6 But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.
1:7 For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord.
1:8 A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.
James 1:12–18 KJV · In this guide
Context: James distinguishes endurance under testing from being enticed to evil and directs attention to God’s good giving.
1:12 Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.
1:13 Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man:
1:14 But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.
1:15 Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.
1:16 Do not err, my beloved brethren.
1:17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.
1:18 Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.
James 4:1–10 KJV · In this guide
Context: Community conflict and self-serving desires lead into a call to humble repentance and drawing near to God.
4:1 From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members?
4:2 Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not.
4:3 Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.
4:4 Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.
4:5 Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy?
4:6 But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.
4:7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
4:8 Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.
4:9 Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness.
4:10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.
James 4:13–17 KJV · In this guide
Context: James challenges boastful certainty about commerce by recalling life’s brevity, God’s will, and responsibility for known good.
4:13 Go to now, ye that say, To day or to morrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain:
4:14 Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.
4:15 For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that.
4:16 But now ye rejoice in your boastings: all such rejoicing is evil.
4:17 Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.
1 Peter 5:5–11 KJV · In this guide
Context: Humility and casting anxiety on God accompany vigilance, suffering, steadfast faith, and hope in God’s restoration.
5:5 Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.
5:6 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:
5:7 Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.
5:8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:
5:9 Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.
5:10 But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you.
5:11 To him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.
Jude 1:17–25 KJV · In this guide
Context: In contrast to divisive opponents, believers build in faith, pray in the Spirit, await mercy, and care for others.
1:17 But, beloved, remember ye the words which were spoken before of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ;
1:18 How that they told you there should be mockers in the last time, who should walk after their own ungodly lusts.
1:19 These be they who separate themselves, sensual, having not the Spirit.
1:20 But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost,
1:21 Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.
1:22 And of some have compassion, making a difference:
1:23 And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh.
1:24 Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy,
1:25 To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen.
Apostolic prayer 1 selections
Colossians 1:3–14 KJV · In this guide
Context: Thanksgiving for faith and love develops into prayer for knowledge, fruitful conduct, endurance, and gratitude for redemption.
1:3 We give thanks to God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you,
1:4 Since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus, and of the love which ye have to all the saints,
1:5 For the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, whereof ye heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel;
1:6 Which is come unto you, as it is in all the world; and bringeth forth fruit, as it doth also in you, since the day ye heard of it, and knew the grace of God in truth:
1:7 As ye also learned of Epaphras our dear fellowservant, who is for you a faithful minister of Christ;
1:8 Who also declared unto us your love in the Spirit.
1:9 For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding;
1:10 That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God;
1:11 Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness;
1:12 Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light:
1:13 Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:
1:14 In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:
Apocalyptic vision 1 selections
Revelation 6:9–11 KJV · In this guide
Context: The complete fifth-seal scene portrays slain witnesses appealing to the holy and true Lord and being told to rest longer.
6:9 And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held:
6:10 And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?
6:11 And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellowservants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled.
Go deeper
Sources & interpretation
The teaching starts with the cited Scripture. These consulted works inform wording, context, and interpretive questions. No qualified human review has been recorded for this guide.
How do the broad promises and the Father’s will belong together?
Matthew 7:7–11 promises good gifts; Mark 11:22–24 speaks with extraordinary breadth and calls for faith in God. John 14:13 names the Father’s glory, John 15:7 names abiding, and 1 John 5:14 names God’s will. In the same Gospel that records the mountain saying, Mark 14:36 shows Jesus asking and submitting. These are textual features requiring explanation, rather than conditions added simply because some requests remain unfulfilled.
- An unqualified outcome reading takes every requested result as guaranteed whenever the petitioner has sufficient certainty. It honors the breadth of Mark 11:24 but struggles with Jesus’ submitted request, Paul’s continuing thorn, and the Father’s stated will.
- A confidence-within-relationship reading takes the promises as real invitations to God’s action, within trust, abiding, forgiveness, and his purposes. Plummer treats the healing promise similarly, while West’s accessible abstract cautions against diminishing the boldness of the promises.
- A restriction to the apostles’ miraculous commission recognizes the original hearers and mission context. On its own it does not account for the wider invitations to believers in James and 1 John.
- A solely inward reading makes prayer’s answer chiefly a change in the petitioner. Scripture certainly depicts that change, but it also records provision, healing, and deliverance as divine action.
STRONG: retain bold expectation and the stated relational and moral scope. Do not identify faith with a technique that guarantees a chosen result, or make requests ineffectual by definition. PROBABLE: the full relation of each saying’s rhetoric to its immediate mission setting deserves continued study; no cause for an individual’s unanswered request is inferred.
Further study: Donald S. West · Robert L. Plummer
Further examination: What in each passage identifies the giver, recipient, request, purpose, and promised action? How does Mark 14:36 help you hear Mark 11:22–24 without erasing either passage?
What does it mean to pray in Jesus’ name?
John 14:13 links Jesus’ name to the Father’s glory, and John 15:7–17 links requests to his words and fruitful love. John 16:26–27 assures disciples of the Father’s own love. Ephesians 2:18 describes access through Christ by the Spirit. Acts 7:59 records Stephen addressing the Lord Jesus directly.
- A spoken-formula reading makes a particular ending the decisive condition. The immediate passages instead explain belonging, purpose, obedience, and access.
- A relational and representative reading connects prayer to reliance on Christ and requests fitting his person and work; this fits the stated purposes in John.
- A Father-only-address rule notices Jesus’ model prayer but would have to explain the direct invocation of Jesus in Acts 7:59.
STRONG: teach approach to the Father through Christ in the Spirit, without reducing Jesus’ name to a closing formula or denying biblical addresses to Jesus. Sibley’s abstract supports only the narrow relational point; his full article was inaccessible. The scope of all Christian liturgical practices is outside this guide.
Further study: Thomas Sibley
Further examination: How do the purpose in John 14:13 and the conditions in John 15:7 explain the name? What does John 16:27 say about the Father’s attitude?
Does persistent prayer overcome God’s reluctance?
Luke 11:8 uses the difficult term rendered importunity in the KJV. Luke 18:1 explicitly identifies perseverance, and 18:7–8 contrasts the judge’s conduct with God’s vindication of his people and ends with the Son of Man’s coming. Matthew 26:44 records Jesus repeating the same words sincerely.
- NET probably takes Luke 11:8 as the requester’s persistent boldness. The pronoun and story’s opening focus favor the requester.
- Other readings emphasize shameless audacity rather than duration, or the sleeping neighbor’s concern for honor. These affect the story’s mechanism, but verses 9–13 still encourage asking a good Father.
- Lose distinguishes goodness, eventual justice, and the widow’s pursuit of justice as emphases. The narrative frame supports perseverance for vindication, while the judge’s corrupt motives should not be transferred to God.
STRONG: persevere in trust because God is good and just. PROBABLE: Luke 11:8 focuses on the requester’s bold persistence; it is not a secure lexical proof of a required number of repetitions. Luke 18 supplies explicit perseverance even if Luke 11’s disputed word is read differently.
Further study: Biblical Studies Press · David Lose
Further examination: Which traits belong to the unwilling friend or unjust judge, and which does Jesus actually attribute to God? What do Luke 18:1 and 18:8 add to the story’s meaning?
What does James promise when the church prays for the sick?
James 5:14–16 speaks of the sick, elders, oil, prayer in the Lord’s name, raising up, possible sins, and healing. The Lord is the agent of restoration. James 5:17–18 then explicitly recalls Elijah’s drought and rain, not a healing account.
- Bodily sickness with a real promise under God’s will: Plummer favors this and understands oil symbolically. The sick person’s condition, raising up, healing, and the Mark 6:13 parallel support a bodily reference.
- Spiritual weariness: Hand argues from the possible senses of weakness words, refreshing oil, and Elijah’s discouragement. This fits concern for endurance but requires an unstated move from the drought-and-rain example to Elijah’s later experience.
- Guaranteed restoration through an exceptional gift of faith, or fulfillment chiefly in resurrection: these readings preserve aspects of the promise but respectively introduce an unstated restriction or move the main answer beyond the immediate healing setting.
PROBABLE: bodily sickness is primary, with spiritual care and confession genuinely included. STRONG: obey the call to seek the elders’ prayer, pray in faith, and depend on the Lord. The precise function of oil and the promise’s relation to non-recovery remain disputed; lack of recovery does not authorize assigning deficient faith or a particular sin to the sick person.
Further study: Robert L. Plummer · Brian Hand
Further examination: Which details support bodily illness, and what evidence would be needed to establish spiritual weariness as primary? How do James 5:15’s if-clause and 1 John 5:14 affect the claims made to a sufferer?
How does the Spirit help when words and understanding fail?
Romans 8:22–27 moves from creation’s and believers’ groaning to the Spirit’s help and intercession according to God’s will. Ephesians 6:18 and Jude 1:20 call for prayer in the Spirit. First Corinthians 14:13–19 explicitly discusses tongues, understanding, and the benefit of other hearers.
- The Spirit’s own wordless intercession is the explicit assurance of Romans 8:26–27.
- The Spirit may intercede through believers’ groaning; the precise experiential manner is less explicit than his agency and accordance with God’s will.
- Some connect this passage to tongues in 1 Corinthians 14. Romans 8 does not name tongues, so that identification cannot be required of every believer from this passage.
VERY_STRONG: the Spirit helps and intercedes in weakness. UNCERTAIN: the full experiential manner of the groanings. The main teaching assures help without prescribing an experience. The church’s intelligible participation remains important in the passage that actually discusses tongues.
Further study: Erin Heim
Further examination: What does Romans 8 explicitly promise about the Spirit, and what does it leave undescribed? How does 1 Corinthians 14 identify the needs of the other people present?
How should wording differences affect using Jesus’ prayer?
Matthew 6:9 introduces a pattern of prayer; Luke 11:2 also tells disciples what to say. The pinned KJV includes the doxology in Matthew and fuller wording in Luke that NET’s textual notes prefer to omit. The KJV also contains Mark 11:26 and and fasting in Mark 9:29. All displayed selections must retain the pinned KJV exactly.
- Jesus’ words may be used as a prayer and as instruction shaping other requests. Matthew’s pattern wording and Luke’s say support these complementary uses.
- The rare bread adjective has daily, coming-day, and necessary-provision proposals. The common dependence for bread is clearer than the precise lexical choice.
- NET prefers the shorter textual forms and probably understands Matthew 6:13 as referring to the evil one, while a general reference to evil is possible. These are attributed editorial judgments; this package has not collated manuscripts.
STRONG: meaningful use of Jesus’ prayer and repeated petitions is consistent with his teaching; Matthew 6:7 addresses empty verbosity and its motive. Preserve exact KJV. Keep the detailed textual comparison here, with essential meanings in the main article. Prayer, forgiveness, praise, and fasting are also taught in passages unaffected by these particular differences.
Further study: Biblical Studies Press · Biblical Studies Press · Biblical Studies Press · Biblical Studies Press · Biblical Studies Press
Further examination: What does each petition teach you to desire? How do the Father’s knowledge in Matthew 6:8 and Jesus’ repetition in Matthew 26:44 clarify the difference between sincere repetition and empty speech?
How do particular promises and limits guide intercession?
Second Chronicles 7:11–22 identifies Solomon, the temple, Israel’s land, and covenant consequences. Jeremiah 29:1–14 addresses exiles and a promised return after seventy years. Matthew 18:15–20 places agreement in prayer within the recovery of a sinning brother and the church’s responsibility. First John 5:16–17 also names a difficult limit concerning sin unto death.
- Transferring a historical land or restoration promise directly to every nation or individual removes its stated recipients and setting.
- Receiving the enduring calls to humility, repentance, and prayer while retaining particular promises in their setting preserves both instruction and scope.
- First John’s sin unto death has been read as decisive rejection leading to spiritual death or as sin punished by physical death. The short paragraph alone does not settle the issue or give a general list of people to abandon.
- Exodus 32:11–14 records Moses’ appeal and the Lord’s relenting from the announced destruction. Interpretations of how this relates to divine foreknowledge differ, but a merely inward account of prayer does not exhaust what the narrative says.
STRONG: pray in response to God’s revealed character and instruction while respecting audience and covenant scope. The two-or-three saying encourages the community in its stated setting rather than establishing a numerical technique. UNCERTAIN here: the exact referent of sin unto death and a full philosophical account of divine relenting. No unsupported verdict about an individual’s fate is offered.
Further study: Meda Stamper · Donald S. West
Further examination: What recipients, circumstances, and purposes does each promise name? Which responses remain directly warranted for Christian prayer, and which outcomes belong to the particular account?
- Commentary on Luke 11:1–13
Meda Stamper · Working Preacher, Luther Seminary · 2016-07-24
Connects the Father’s goodness, the petitions, and the Spirit’s gift.
What was reviewed
Complete commentary body and its two notes, from the opening about prayer’s petitions through the closing claim about shaping the petitioner. Accessed 2026-09-25.
Its account of forgiveness and its closing restriction of prayer to shaping us require qualification from Matthew 6:14–15 and Scripture’s accounts of divine responses. Those restrictions are not adopted.
- Promises to and limitations upon petitionary prayer in the New Testament: A study of their relationship
Donald S. West · Edith Cowan University, PhD thesis · 2009
The abstract argues that broad promises and limitations should both be retained within God’s saving purposes, rather than weakening the invitations.
What was reviewed
Repository abstract and award metadata only; the page explicitly states that thesis access is restricted. Accessed 2026-09-25 · Read in part.
ABSTRACT_ONLY. The thesis’s exegesis, chapters, and evidence were not inspected or credited. Scripture was independently read for the article’s actual claims.
- NET Bible: Matthew 6:11, translator note 1
Biblical Studies Press · NET Bible
Establishes that the precise meaning of the rare bread adjective is uncertain.
What was reviewed
Verse page and complete note 1 on the alternatives daily, coming day, and necessary for existence. Accessed 2026-09-25.
The lexicons cited by the note were not independently inspected. The article retains the KJV and explains the common sense of dependence for provision.
- NET Bible: Matthew 6:13, translation and textual notes 1–2
Biblical Studies Press · NET Bible
Documents consequential wording alternatives and the editors’ preference for the shorter text without the doxology.
What was reviewed
Complete notes 1–2: testing/protection, the doxology’s textual status, and evil/evil one. Accessed 2026-09-25.
Manuscripts and the cited textual commentary were not independently inspected. The proposed liturgical origin is an editorial reconstruction, not established history in this package.
- NET Bible: Luke 11:2 and 11:4, notes on the prayer’s form
Biblical Studies Press · NET Bible
Explains the shorter Lukan form preferred in NET and interprets debt as sin and the final petition as protection.
What was reviewed
Luke 11:2 notes 1–4 and Luke 11:4 notes 1–2, the latter at https://classic.net.bible.org/verse.php?book=Luk&chapter=11&verse=4. Accessed 2026-09-25.
The manuscript evidence is mediated through the notes. The main article does not replace or silently shorten the pinned KJV.
- In Jesus’ Name Is More Than a Closing Phrase of a Christian’s Prayer
Thomas Sibley · Kairos: Evangelical Journal of Theology 9/1, pp. 79–87 · 2015-05-25
The abstract connects invoking Jesus’ name with belonging to Christ and the responsibilities of that relationship.
What was reviewed
Journal record, metadata, and abstract. The linked PDF failed through web retrieval and direct retrieval, including HTTP 418. Accessed 2026-09-25 · Read in part.
ABSTRACT_ONLY. No argument from pages 79–87 or any work cited within the article is claimed as read. John 14–16 supplies the main exposition.
- NET Bible: Mark 11:26, textual note 1
Biblical Studies Press · NET Bible
Identifies a material difference readers will encounter when comparing the prayer passages.
What was reviewed
Complete textual note explaining inclusion in the KJV tradition and omission from NET. Accessed 2026-09-25.
No independent manuscript collation; forgiveness in prayer is already present in Mark 11:25 and Matthew 6:14–15.
- NET Bible: Mark 9:29, textual note 1
Biblical Studies Press · NET Bible
Records why NET and KJV differ in the disciples’ instruction after the boy’s deliverance.
What was reviewed
Complete note on the inclusion or omission of and fasting. Accessed 2026-09-25.
An older online apparatus was consulted, not a fresh critical edition or manuscript audit. No claim depends on the note’s individual witness list; the fasting teaching uses Matthew 6 and Acts 13.
- Should the Sick Be Anointed with Oil? (James 5)
Robert L. Plummer · Crossway; adapted from ESV Expository Commentary, volume 12 · 2022-03-09
Argues for bodily sickness, symbolic oil, and a genuine healing promise read with God’s will; compares eschatological and special-faith readings.
What was reviewed
Complete article, especially Elders Should Pray, Should All Sickness Be Healed?, and Confess Your Sins. Accessed 2026-09-25.
This excerpt is the inspected work, not the complete commentary volume. Its denominational polemic and modern illustration are not adopted.
- The Prayer of Faith Will Save the Sick: Revisiting the Interpretive Difficulty in James 5:13–18
Brian Hand · BJU Seminary, Seminary Viewpoints · 2023-10-12
Argues for spiritual weariness using word usage, social anointing, and Elijah’s discouragement; challenges qualification of a physical-healing promise.
What was reviewed
Complete article: opening alternatives, Contextual Clues, Textual Allusions, and Conclusion. Accessed 2026-09-25.
The lexical census and dating assumptions were not independently established. James expressly names drought and rain; an allusion to Elijah’s later collapse remains inferential.
- NET Bible: Luke 11:8, translator notes 1–3
Biblical Studies Press · NET Bible
Prefers, with qualification, persistent boldness by the requester; reports the alternative concerning the neighbor’s honor.
What was reviewed
Complete verse page notes, especially note 3 on audacity, persistence, and the referent of his. Accessed 2026-09-25.
A translation judgment rather than agreement among all interpreters. The article preserves the uncertainty and relies also on Luke 18:1 for persistence.
- Commentary on Luke 18:1–8
David Lose · Working Preacher, Luther Seminary · 2016-10-16
Compares emphasis on God’s goodness, eventual justice, and the widow’s persistence; highlights the Son of Man setting.
What was reviewed
Complete commentary: introduction, God the Good Judge, God the Just Judge, The Widow as Pursuer of Justice, and A Contextual Homiletic; originally published 2010-10-17. Accessed 2026-09-25.
The article’s reconstructive and homiletical options do not determine what the final narrative means. No literal threat of physical assault by the widow is asserted.
- Commentary on Romans 8:26–39
Erin Heim · Working Preacher, Luther Seminary · 2026-07-26
Reads intercession within creation’s groaning, present weakness, and assurance in Christ’s love.
What was reviewed
Complete body, particularly Prayers of the Spirit, God’s goodness and suffering, and Confidence in God’s love. Accessed 2026-09-25.
The broader claims about whether God causes suffering and about divine violence exceed the narrower prayer argument used here. Those positions are not imported.
