By Francis Frangipane
Jesus said His Father's house would be a "house of prayer for all the nations" (Mark 11:17). True intercessory prayer is born of love and comes in the midst of sin and need. It comes not to condemn, but to redeem. The truth is that all nations sin. All cultures have times of crises. Yet these times can become turning points if, in the time of distress, intercessors cry to God for mercy. Thus, prayer brings redemption from disaster.
We must understand: the church is created not to fulfill God's wrath but to complete His mercy. Remember, we are called to be a house of prayer for all nations. Consider passionately this phrase: "prayer for." Jesus taught us to "pray for" those who persecute and mistreat you. Paul tells us that God desires all men to be saved. Therefore, he urges that "entreaties and prayers . . . be made on behalf of all men, for kings and all who are in authority" (1 Tim. 2:1–2). When Job "prayed for" his friends, God fully restored him (Job 42). We are to "pray for" the peace of Jerusalem (Ps. 122:6) and "pray for" each other, that we may be healed (James 5:16)
The Power of Honor; The Curse of Dishonor
By Francis Frangipane
Among all in his era, Noah was the most godly. He alone was considered by the Almighty, blameless. In a time when terrible wrath was about to unfurl, Noah alone found favor with the Lord. Consider this man Noah and what he experienced: Aware that the end of his world was at hand, he faithfully preached repentance for over one hundred years, yet his words converted no one. His eyes beheld the terrible descent of the wrath of God; his ears heard the terrifying cries, the final cries, of an entire civilization. His mind experienced the horrifying destruction of every man, woman and child outside the ark.
What burden does such an experience create upon the human soul? What nightmares? We don't know how Noah processed the catastrophic end of the world, but here's what we do know: After the flood, Noah began mankind's journey anew. He farmed and planted a vineyard. From the harvest he produced juice, which fermented into wine. We don't know if this was the first time he, or any man, tasted the effects of wine, but we do know that he drank it and it made him so drunk that he collapsed in his tent. The great man of God lay unconscious and naked, in a drunken stupor.
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