philressler.com

I am finding it difficult to get my head around all of this that is happening. Last night, I hosted an online prayer gathering for our church. We prayed for a long list of people who are affected by this crisis. I know how my life is being affected by this. But as we began to pray, I realized there are so many different situations where people are being affected in ways that I could not have imagined. We may not be able to fully grasp all of this, but nothing comes as a surprise to God. Throughout history, there have been wars, famines, plagues, and natural disasters. It was in these times … [Read More...]

“When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command the locust to devour the land, or send pestilence among my people, if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” (2 Chronicles 7:13–14, ESV) Your life is dramatically different today than it was last week at this time. Much has changed. Our normal routines have been dramatically interrupted. We are all learning a new normal caused by social distancing. Furthermore, there is … [Read More...]

Rend your hearts and not your garments. Return to the LORD your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love; and he relents over disaster. (Joel 2:13, ESV) Repentance runs deep. Joel describes returning to the Lord as rending your heart and not your garments. He is saying that repentance is more than superficial change. Repentance is a shifting of your attitudes, affections, and priorities. When we face challenges, we look for a quick and easy fix. We often seek technical solutions for problems that are mired in complexity. Our problems are … [Read More...]