Daily Archives: August 16, 2026

Today in the Word

Today in the Word – Moody Bible Institute – When You Pray

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Read Matthew 6:5–15

Billy Graham described prayer like this: “At its deepest level, prayer is fellowship with God: enjoying His company, waiting upon His will, thanking Him for His mercies…listening in the silence for what He has to say to us.” Any biblical study on communication must include the discipline of prayer, and Matthew 6 is a central passage to consider. The Lord’s Prayer (vv. 9–13) comes in the middle of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 5–7). In Matthew 6:1–4, Jesus reframes His followers’ righteous practices as communication with God—not performance for others. He warns them not to announce their good works with a trumpet, but to serve in secret—for God alone.

Jesus then applies this to prayer. We are to pray in private (v. 6)—assured that God will hear and answer. The communication God longs for is authentic and does not need amplification. In verses 7–8, Jesus warns against “babbling like pagans”—the common practice of repeating nonsensical sounds. God is not impressed by a meaningless torrent of language. Instead, Jesus connects prayer to relationship. “Your Father knows what you need before you ask him” (v. 8b). God is continually attentive and aware. Our prayers are not about providing Him with needed information. Rather, they align our hearts with His.

This carries into the Lord’s Prayer. This template begins by elevating God’s name, His kingdom, and His will (vv. 9–10). God’s purpose takes precedence over our own. Only after He is honored do we ask. Notice that these requests are expressed communally—“our daily bread,” “our debts,” “lead us not,” and “deliver us” (vv. 11–13). Our communication with the Father is intertwined with our communion with one another.

Go Deeper

What does it look like to demonstrate humility when we pray? What else does Jesus model in the Lord’s Prayer?

Pray with Us

As we reflect on what we’ve already learned this month about communication in the Bible, we thank You for letting us know You fully. Please align our hearts with Yours.

Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.Jeremiah 33:3

 

 

 

https://www.moodybible.org/

Our Daily Bread

Our Daily Bread – Wounds That Build and Heal

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Let a righteous man strike me—that is a kindness; let him rebuke me—that is oil on my head. Psalm 141:5

Today’s Scripture

Psalm 141

Listen to Today’s Devotion

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Today’s Devotion

According to research, Gen Z can detect a false compliment from a mile away. While the intention might be kindness, the members of that generation value something deeper: genuine respect and honesty. Not looking to be flattered, they want to be believed in. When truth is spoken, they feel respected, taken seriously, and are challenged to grow. But this is likely true for most of us.

Psalm 141:5 gives voice to this wisdom. David wrote, “Let a righteous man strike me—that is a kindness; let him rebuke me.” In his prayer to God, he asks that he would welcome loving wounds from friends as kindness (v. 5; see also Proverbs 27:6). David was intimating that real love doesn’t dodge difficult conversations. It tells the truth, not to shame people but to help them be drawn to God and not “be drawn to what is evil” (Psalm 141:4). This passage reminds us that wise, truthful feedback isn’t about tearing others down but building them up.

Let’s not fear receiving correction from the right sources, and let’s not shy away from offering it either. We don’t need more sugarcoated words. We need people who are willing to speak the truth in love. Sometimes the words that sting the most are the ones that build us, heal us, and help us become who God made us to be.

Reflect & Pray

Why can it be hard to offer correction to other believers? How do you respond to loving correction from others?

Dear God, please help me to give and receive wise feedback and correction as gifts of Your grace.

Today’s Insights

Scripture has much to say about the power of our words. A familiar New Testament passages is James 3:1-12. According to James, keeping control of our tongue is difficult. However, before we lose hope in being able to speak good words to one another, consider what David says in Psalm 141.

Here, tucked in the middle of his other requests, the psalmist asks God to “set a guard over [his] mouth” (v. 3). He desires to live a life that contrasts with the evildoers around him (v. 4), a life that welcomes words of truth from others. He says, “Let a righteous man strike me—that is a kindness; let him rebuke me—that is oil on my head” (v. 5). Today, God can help us use our words well and speak truthfully to others.

 

 

http://www.odb.org

Days of Praise

Days of Praise – Who Shall Bring Me Down?

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by Henry M. Morris, Ph.D.

“The pride of thine heart hath deceived thee, thou that dwellest in the clefts of the rock, whose habitation is high; that saith in his heart, Who shall bring me down to the ground?” (Obadiah 3)

The little book of Obadiah is entirely devoted to a prophecy against the strong nation of the Edomites, descended from Jacob’s carnal and careless brother, Esau. At the time he wrote, Edom’s capital was in what seemed to be the impregnable rock fortress of Petra, and the Edomites had been a great people in the Bible lands for many centuries.

But God had pronounced their doom through Obadiah and other prophets because of their inordinate pride and rebellion against the Word of God, following their father Esau. No one today seems to know exactly how it all came about, but now Petra and the land of the Edomites are a barren wilderness—a marvel to tourists, but nothing more.

Edom’s gradual decline and eventual abandonment constitute one of many fulfilled Bible prophecies dealing with ancient nations and cities. Many other great nations of the past—Assyria, Babylonia, Philistia, Moab, and the Hittite empire, to mention just a few—all rebelled against their Creator, and all have finally vanished, just as the prophets had warned. “The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God” (Psalm 9:17).

Though the Edomites are no longer a distinct people, their spiritual and intellectual heirs are legion. Like Esau, their father, and King Herod, their best-known descendant, these modern spiritual heirs of the Edomites have abundant opportunity to know and serve the true God, but their heart is full of pride, manifesting itself in various ways: pride of wealth, intellect, appearance, strength, or position. May God deliver us from the sin of pride! HMM

 

 

 

https://www.icr.org/articles/type/6

Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – Come as a Little Child

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And He called a little child to Himself and put him in the midst of them, And said, Truly I say to you, unless you repent (change, turn about) and become like little children [trusting, lowly, loving, forgiving], you can never enter the kingdom of heaven [at all].

Matthew 18:2–3 (AMPC)

One of the beautiful things about children is that they are not com- plicated. They will always let you know what they need, they’ll run into your arms when they are frightened, and they’ll give you a big kiss, sometimes for no apparent reason. It is refreshing to communicate with children, because they don’t try to hide their fears or their feelings.

I believe that’s how God wants us to be when we talk with Him. He is pleased when we approach Him with childlike simplicity and faith. Just as children are naturally inclined to trust their parents completely, we can also be pure and full of enthusiasm as we trust God. Share your whole heart with God and remember: You can entrust everything in your life to Him and know that He cares.

The Lord is not looking for complicated relationships. He is looking for sincere hearts and childlike faith. You can let God know what you want (Philippians 4:6), and you can run to Him when you feel afraid (Psalm 91:1–7). God wants you to feel free to show your affection for Him and to share your heart openly with Him. The more you learn to come to God with a childlike faith, the closer you’ll grow in your relationship with Him.

Prayer of the Day: Father, please help me trust You with childlike faith. Teach me to come to You honestly, depend on Your care, and grow closer to You every day, amen.

 

 

http://www.joycemeyer.org