When the king asked why his face was sad, Nehemiah was very much afraid. You just didn’t come into the king’s presence with anything but a smile; it could ruin your whole day. So Nehemiah did what was his practice in good times and in bad: he prayed. You would be mistaken if you did … Continue reading Prayers and plans are potent partners
Tag: Bible
I was born too late for Korea and too early for Vietnam. Though the prediction in the early 70s was that children not yet born would fight in Vietnam, thankfully, that was not to be. When I became eligible for the draft in 1975, there was no need for my services. At the time, I … Continue reading Giving honor where it is owed
His job was not to set the table and to make sure that everyone had a cup. No, the cupbearer to the king was a drink-bodyguard. That’s what Nehemiah did. His job was to choose and to taste the wine to make sure it wasn’t poisoned before bringing it to the king. It was a … Continue reading Do the first things first
John Piper said, “One of the great uses of Twitter and Facebook will be to prove at the Last Day that prayerlessness was not from lack of time.” I read that quote recently and it convicted me down to my toes. And, to my knees. The typical experience of Christians is that they read their … Continue reading You can learn to pray
I met Jerry and Frances in 2006 when I got a hand written letter in the mail. Frances read my column every week and asked me to come by and talk to her husband about the Lord. Jerry had questions about salvation. That day I had the privilege that every Christ-follower dreams of, to lead … Continue reading Frances knew her shepherd
If you have been following my columns about the book of Esther, you know that a great reversal occurred when the king signed the second edict, which gave the Jews permission to take up arms and defend themselves against their aggressors. Before this, the enemies of the Jews were licking their chops to go into … Continue reading Learn from the great reversals
J. Mark Fox 