Prayerful Pondering

by Pat Luffman Rowland

Author: Pat Luffman Rowland

  • “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” (Matthew 3:17, NAS). This is what each one of us as God’s children will hear. As “heirs to the promise” (Galatians 3:29), we share in the blessings of Jesus. This is a lot to digest, the part of God being well pleased with me.…

  • The song, In the Presence of Jehovah, was written by Damaris Carbaugh (lyrics) and Becky and Geron David (music). When I hear it, I feel as if I am being escorted into the very throne room of God; it touches something inside me in a supernatural way. The words express the simple truth, that we can find healing…

  • At a women’s conference some years back, we were taught the value of having a prayer table, giving a focused way to draw into communion with God.  On the table we were to place things that reminded us of our spiritual journey, the concept coming from the book of Joshua where God told the Israelites…

  • I am reading a book of near-death experiences, I Believe in Heaven: Real Stories from the Bible, History and Today. Written by Cecil Murphey and Twila Belk, it is a compilation of many people’s stories of going to heaven and returning to tell about it. In each case the individual did not want to return, but…

  • It is in fear that faith is lost, confusion reigns and miracles are denied. When we close the door on God’s abilities because our own are inadequate, we hamper not just His love but the fullness of it.  He would provide so much, but we keep refusing Him in our little faith. David, the psalmist,…

  • When the Spirit does not open the Scripture, the Scripture is not understood even though it is read. –Martin Luther The Amplified Bible says that Selah (often used in the Psalms) means “to pause and calmly think about what you’ve read.” When we do this, we digest the words and their message, rather than move across…

  • Advance Directives Give You Control Mr. Randall stood by his wife’s bed and watched.  She had been in a persistent vegetative state for weeks, but he had been unable to accept her condition.  Her doctor did his best to explain, but love and hope overruled.  On occasion, Mr. Randall talked about taking his wife off…

  • How many people did Jesus heal in His days on earth? We have the stories of just a few (I count 26 separate individuals whose stories have been written), but there are scriptures that tell us the accounts reported in the gospels were a very small number of the entirety. In Matthew alone, there are eight references to…

  • Scriptures on casting out demons/evil spirits: Matthew 8:16, 8:28, 9:32, 15:22 Mark 3:11, 5:2, 7:25, 9:17 Luke 4:32, 4:41, 8:27, 9:39 Of all the healing miracles, the one reported on most was of those possessed of evil spirits or demons. Matthew, Mark, and Luke give four reports each of the Lord casting out demons; some of…

  • Daughter of Jairus (Matthew 9:18, 23-25; Mark 5:22-24, 35-43; Luke 8:40-56) “Then a man named Jairus, a ruler of the synagogue, came and fell at Jesus’ feet, pleading with Him to come to his house because his only daughter, a girl of about twelve, was dying” (Luke 8:4-42 NIV).  The story is reported by three…