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After great-grandma Clara passed away, her ten-foot-long prayer list became a family heirloom. On the long roll of paper were typewritten names of people for whom she prayed regularly. There were many extended family members, her friends, and people her friends were praying for, and the names of high-profile evangelists, pastors, and ministries. New family members and specific prayer requests are handwritten in the margins. I became emotional seeing my mother’s name on the list, added when she was just a child.
The apostle Paul wrote to the early church, “Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer” (Romans 12:12). In his letter, Paul exhorted believers to do many things that displayed love in action—hating evil and loving good (v. 9), honoring others above yourself (v. 10), passionately serving God (v. 11), and practicing hospitality (v. 13). All these good works would be empty without the love of Christ working in us. That’s where faithful prayer comes in. Paul called his friends to “join [him] in [his] struggle by praying to God for [him]” (15:30). Specific requests for safety from opposers and a favorable reception in Jerusalem (v. 32) were on Paul’s list. I wonder if they ended up on the private prayer list of a great-grandma in Rome too.
Prayer empowers us to live in a way that “overcomes evil with good” (12:21). Though we may not always see the outcome, it creates a legacy of faithfulness for generations to come.
Many people are smart, but not so many are wise. Dr. Tony Evans explains that the difference between the two is dramatic and can have a greater impact on your life than possessions or success combined.
Joe Jordan shares with us his true story.
Visit our podcast website to learn more about this ministry, unshackledpodcast.org.
Gas prices spike and the first instinct is to blame “greedy oil companies,” but that explanation falls apart once you follow the math of a global commodities market. We sit down with former Congressman Bob McEwen to untangle a listener’s question: if America has so much oil, why do Americans still feel the pain at the pump? The answer runs straight through supply and demand, worldwide buyers, disruptions in major producers, and the reality that prices are signals, not slogans.
From there, we take on the loaded term “price gouging” with a simple example that hits home: what happens to a business when replacement costs jump overnight? That retail logic applies to oil too, and it exposes why a snapshot of “profit” can be misleading when tomorrow’s inventory costs more than yesterday’s. We also talk about government price caps, why socialist-style price controls create shortages and empty shelves, and how political promises to “set the price” usually end by breaking the incentives needed to produce, refine, and deliver energy.
We wrap by digging into futures markets, the risk entrepreneurs take to stabilize pricing, and the constitutional idea of limited government as a servant of the people, not a manager of every decision. Finally, we connect economic freedom to a deeper foundation: liberty works best when a society has shared moral restraints, because without them the pressure for more government control only grows. If you found this helpful, subscribe, share the episode, and leave a review, then tell us what you think: where should the line be between smart regulation and harmful micromanagement?
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Across the political spectrum, do we forget that people read, listen to, and are shaped by words? Tune in to The Public Square® today to hear more.
Topic: Deep Questions
The Public Square® with hosts Dave Zanotti, Wayne Shepherd, and Alan C. Duncan
thepublicsquare.com
Air Date: Wednesday, May 6, 2026
When worry keeps you awake at night, remember that the God who governs the world can also carry the burdens you cannot.
Healthy couples constantly make and accept bids to connect.
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