The Counselors' Voice of Wisdom: How fascinating to see so many wise people unable to discern evil plots!

Joseph's voice of direction; How interesting that God did not want Joseph just to be nice!

Zechariah's Voice of Silence: How frustrating to not be able to share the hope with others! Zechariah doubted Gabriel's message from God and became mute for nine months awaiting his child John. When he could speak, he blessed the Lord proclaiming God's faithfulness.

Three misconceptions about answered prayer.

The Israelites after returning to Jerusalem following the exile heard the Word of God read out loud for the first time and they said AMEN and AMEN. They recognized and accepted that God is omnipotent and holy while also seeing that they themselves were not. They wept. But there is hope in that God has provided atonement for our sin through Jesus' death on the cross. To this we all should say AMEN and AMEN.

All God's people said Amen.

God is BIG in our salvation! Over 500 years ago, Luther veered from the false church teachings that said man was big in salvation as Luther returned to the truth of Scripture. Salvation is by grace through faith in Christ alone. God alone is our deliverer from evil/the evil one.

Forgiveness of our sins is by Christ alone. There is absolutely nothing we can do to earn or secure forgiveness: it is in, through, and by Christ alone. Don't fall into the lies and traps of false gospels that preach otherwise. Christ provides complete freedom and final forgiveness for all of our sins. Are you forgiven?

In the Lord's Prayer Jesus laid out the priorities: God's will and God's kingdom come first, before our needs. God knows our needs before we even ask Him; He wants us to seek Him first. He is able to not only give us our earthly daily bread but also the eternally satisfying Bread of Life: Jesus. Are you partaking of God's provisions? Or like the Israelites in the wilderness are you rejecting what God has provided? Are you seeking your will over God's?

What does prayer do? Is it meaningless babble? No. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working, but this is not power from people or of people's desires. Jesus taught us how to pray, we are to pray to our God our Heavenly Father and we are to pray that HIS will be done and that HIS kingdom come. Our will is secondary. We serve the King of kings and His will is what we are to seek first. We are to seek first the God's Kingdom and His righteous; and that is how we should pray