praise | Craig T. Owens

January 2026
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(Super)Man Of Prayer

March 26, 2014 — Craig T. Owens

King David’s wholehearted devotion to God is well known. We can see it especially in the most trying moments of his life. And what I see is a real man … a (super)man of prayer.

David opens the 108th Psalm with a declaration: “My heart is steadfast, O God; I will sing and make music with all my soul” (108:1).

He is really saying, “No matter what, I will praise God. The situation will never distract me from focusing on the One who is worthy to receive the very best praise I can offer!” And it’s a good thing he made this declaration, because in the very next psalm he begins a nasty description of wicked and deceitful men who would almost cause David to focus on them instead of God.

David responds, “BUT I am a man of prayer” (109:4). David’s knee-jerk reaction when slandered by bad guys was to hit his knees in prayer! And, boy oh boy, did he let loose in prayer!

I love how honest David is with his hurt feelings in God’s presence. Never in all the narratives in the books of Samuel or Kings or Chronicles do we read anything of David saying these sorts of things to his enemies. But since these thoughts are in his heart, he must get them out in the presence of his God.

I also love David’s singular desire for God to receive all the glory—“Help me, O Lord my God; save me in accordance with Your love. Let them know that it is Your hand, that You, O Lord, have done it” (109:26-27).

I pray that I can become more and more a (super)man of prayer like David! Look! Down on his knees … it’s a (super)man of prayer!

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: David, enemies, God's presence, King David, praise, prayer, psalms. Leave a Comment »

Come On In

March 12, 2014 — Craig T. Owens

The Bible tells us that the Holy Spirit is constantly calling us to “Come!” He wants to draw us nearer to God’s presence. But sin separates. Let me be more specific and more personal: My sin can make me believe I can’t come closer to God.

In Psalm 99:8, notice how the psalmist focuses first on God’s forgiveness, and then on His punishment. It’s as though he is saying, “Yes, God punishes sin, but He is first and foremost a forgiving God”—

…You were to Israel a forgiving God, though You punished their misdeeds. (Psalm 99:8)

God is slow to anger, but He must punish sin. His punishment is always to encourage reconciliation. He wants to remove the sin that separates us. This has always been His focus since the very first sin.

In fact the next psalm celebrates coming into God’s presence with joy—

Shout for joy
Worship with gladness
Come in with joyful songs
Remember that God made us and we are His
Enter with thanksgiving
Enter with praise
Come give Him thanks
Praise Him
He is good
His love endures forever
His faithfulness never diminishes

This should encourage me all the more to quickly confess my sin and repent from it, so that I can once again answer the Holy Spirit’s call to come deeper into God’s presence.

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: Bible study, confession, forgiveness, God's faithfulness, God's love, God's presence, Holy Spirit, joy, photography, praise, psalms, punishment, reconciliation, repentance, Scripture, singing, thanks, thanksgiving. Leave a Comment »

Adopted By God

March 3, 2014 — Craig T. Owens

We have been working through our series on the Book of Ephesians, and I am so excited to share the speaking responsibilities with Tom Kaastra. Tom pastored a church in the Detroit area for nearly 40 years, and he is bringing such a richness of knowledge to this series!

“If you had one son in whom you found unspeakable delight, would it not be normal as a father to want many more? It is exactly so with the Eternal Father, Who by nature and choice, has desired and purposed to have a vast family of human-divine sons who are just like His Only Begotten Son.” —DeVern Fromke

The opening section of Ephesians 1 is just loaded with words of God’s delight:

…it gave Him great pleasure… (v. 5)
…the glorious grace He has poured out on us… (v. 6)
…He is so rich in kindness and grace… (v. 7)
…He has showered His kindness on us… (v. 8)
…His own good pleasure… (v. 9)

Not only is God’s delight so ample in this section, but so is be the praise toward God which should be bursting out from us:

…all praise to God… (v. 3)
…so we praise God… (v. 6)
…we bring praise and glory to God… (v. 12)
…we would praise and glorify Him… (v. 14)

What is this thing in which God is so delighted, and for which we should be so filled with praise?

It is quite simply this: God has revealed Himself to us as a loving Father, His Son has made it possible for us to come into God’s family, and the Holy Spirit has given us the assurance that we have been adopted by our Heavenly Father.

That’s right … God’s plan was to adopt you into His family. When did He come up with this idea?

…before He made the world… (v. 4)
…God decided in advance to adopt us… (v. 5)
…a plan to fulfill His own good pleasure… (v. 9)
…He choose us in advance and He makes everything work out according to His plan… (v. 11)
…He promised long ago… (v. 13)

God loves YOU so much that He had a plan from before the beginning of time to adopt YOU into His family. That’s what Jesus made possible through His death on the Cross, and what the Holy Spirit is constantly trying to reveal to YOU!! WOW!!

Please join us next Sunday as we continue our study on this amazing book in the Bible.

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: adoption, Bible, Calvary Assembly of God, Cross, delight, DeVern Fromke, Ephesians, God's glory, God's joy, God's pleasure, God's purpose, grace, Heavenly Father, Holy Spirit, Jesus Christ, kindness, praise, salvation, Scripture, sermon. 1 Comment »

Listen, O My Soul

February 19, 2014 — Craig T. Owens

David wraps up the 35th Psalm with a thought that is familiar to him—

My tongue will speak of Your righteousness and of Your praises all day long. (Psalm 35:28)

Praise is good for the soul! But in the midst of enemies gloating over David, hating him without reason, devising false accusations against him, and making plans to do him in (see verses 19-21), where could David get the strength to sing about God’s goodness?

As I said, it’s the last verse where David declares his unending praise. This verse is the result of seeing God move. But much earlier in this psalm David says, “Say to my soul, ‘I am your salvation’” (v. 3).

Before David could speak it, he had to hear it! He had to quiet himself in the midst of all the assaults on him to hear God say, “I AM your salvation!”

Not “my ears,” but “my soul”: the very center of my being, my mind, my emotions. I need the I AM to reassure the soul He created that He is still there. Unless I hear that assurance at the core of my being, I can only go through the motions. True worship comes from a real, personal encounter with the I AM.

O, listen my soul! Hear your Savior speak the assurance of His salvation. Only then can I open my lips in endless praises all day long.

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: assurance, Bible study, David, meditation, photography, praise, Psalm, quiet, salvation, Scripture, soul, worship. Leave a Comment »

Forethought Or After-Thought?

February 5, 2014 — Craig T. Owens

What is man that You are mindful of him, the son of man that You care for him? You made him ruler over the works of Your hands; You put everything under his feet. (Psalm 8:4-5)

In mythology, humans are an after-thought, a nuisance, slaves and servants of the gods, and usually pawns in the gods’ scheming against each other.

But Jehovah God created man as a part of His creation. He created mankind in His own image and breathed His own life into him. After the first five days of creation, God said, “It is good.” But on the sixth day, after creating man, He said, “It is very good!”

Jehovah God has man at the forefront of His mind. He not only calls us into a relationship with Him, but the Trinity works in divine cooperation to make it possible for us to come to Him.

He doesn’t see a mass of humanity, but He sees each one of us individually and uniquely. And He is attentive to us—“For the Lord has heard my cry for mercy; the Lord accepts my prayer” (Psalm 6:9).

As David burst into praise with this realization of God’s forethought of us, let us echo this praise (Psalm 8:9)—

O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is Your name in all the earth!

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: Bible, Creation, Creator, God's purpose, God's thoughts, Jehovah, praise, prayer, Psalm, relationship, Scripture, Trinity, worship. Leave a Comment »

Thursdays With Oswald—Stir Me, Oh Lord

November 21, 2013 — Craig T. Owens

This is a weekly series with things I’m reading and pondering from Oswald Chambers. You can read the original seed thought here, or type “Thursdays With Oswald” in the search box to read more entries.

Stir me, Oh Lord!

Stir me, oh! stir me, Lord, I care not how,

But stir my heart in passion for the world!

Stir me to give, to go—but most to pray;

Stir, till the blood-red banner is unfurled

O’er lands that still in heathen darkness lie,

O’er deserts where no Cross is lifted high.

Stir me, oh! stir me, Lord, till prayer is pain—

Till prayer is joy—till prayer turns into praise!

Stir me, till heart and will and mind—yea, all

Is wholly Thine to use through all the day.

Stir, till I learn to pray “exceedingly:”

Stir, till I learn to wait expectantly.

From Christian Disciplines

Yes, Lord, yes! Stir me!

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: Oswald Chambers, passion, poetry, praise, prayer. 1 Comment »

See God Bigger

October 30, 2013 — Craig T. Owens

Glorify the Lord with me; let us exalt His name together. (Psalm 34:3)

“I am positively sure after many years of observation and prayer that the basis of all of our trouble today, in religious circles, is that our God is too small. When David says magnify the Lord, he doesn’t mean that you are to make God big, but you are to see Him big. When we take a telescope and look at a star, we don’t make the star bigger, we only see it big. Likewise you cannot make God bigger, but you are only to see Him bigger. … My brethren, God calls us to magnify Him, to see Him big. A meeting is not big because a lot of people are present. A meeting is big because a number of people see a big God in the meeting. And the bigger God is seen, the greater the meeting. A friend of mine has a little saying, ‘I would rather have a big, little meeting than a little, big meeting.’ There are a lot of big meetings that are little because the God in them is a small God. And there are a lot of little meetings that are big because God is big in the midst of them. … That is the first thing—magnify God. Your ministry will be little, and you will live and die little unless you have a bigger God.” —A.W. Tozer

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: A.W. Tozer, David, exalt God, praise, Psalm, video, worship. Leave a Comment »

The Hour Of Darkness

July 1, 2013 — Craig T. Owens

Sometimes when things look bleak—when it appears evil is winning—even the most upbeat of Christians can experience discouragement. Here are some encouraging thoughts for dark times…

But this is your hour—when darkness reigns (Luke 22:53).

Darkness is limited to an hour—God’s light is unquenchable forever!

When Jesus said, “I am He,” they drew back and fell to the ground (John 18:6).

Even in the hour of darkness, Christ’s power causes the forces of darkness to drop in fear!

Jesus answered, “You would have no power over Me if it were not given you from above” (John 19:11).

The power of darkness is limited; it is kept in check by God’s limitless authority!

Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting? (1 Corinthians 15:55).

Even a supposed “victory” for darkness is ultimately an overwhelming victory for Light!

What have I to fear when I am held in God’s power? I am shielded by the Almighty, and for that I can sing out loud praise even in the hour of darkness!

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: death, devil, discouragement, encouragement, evil, God's power, Jesus Christ, light, praise, victory. Leave a Comment »

Prayers Of Thomas Aquinas

June 10, 2013 — Craig T. Owens

I just finished reading a book of prayers compiled from the work of Thomas Aquinas. Here are a few that caught my attention—

Thy wounds, as Thomas saw, I do not see;

Yet Thee confess my Lord and God to be:

Make me believe Thee ever more and more;

In Thee my hope, in Thee my love to store.

Sion, lift thy voice and sing:

Praise thy Savior and thy King;

Praise with hymns thy Shepherd true:

Dare thy most to praise Him well;

For He doth all praise excel;

None can ever reach His due.

Almighty and everlasting God, behold I come to the Sacrament of Thine only-begotten Son, our Lord Jesus Christ: I come as one infirm to the Physician of life, as one unclean to the Fountain of mercy, as one blind to the Light of everlasting brightness, as one poor and needy to the Lord of heaven and earth. Therefore I implore the abundance of Thy measureless bounty that Thou wouldst vouchsafe to heal my infirmity, wash my uncleanness, enlighten my blindness, enrich my poverty and clothe my nakedness.

Grant me a penetrating mind to understand, a retentive memory, method and ease in learning, the lucidity to comprehend, and abundant grace in expressing myself. Guide the beginning of my work, direct its progress, and bring it to successful completion.

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: church history, healing, mind, praise, prayer, protection, sacraments, Thomas Aquinas. Leave a Comment »

Catch ‘Em Doing Right

March 19, 2013 — Craig T. Owens

Listen to the podcast of this post by clicking on the player below, and you can also subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or Audible.

Ken Blanchard is right: we spend way too much time trying to catch someone doing something wrong (or worry that they’re going to do something wrong), and not enough time trying to catch them doing something right.

…if anything is excellent or praiseworthy, think about these things…. (Philippians 4:8)

…love rejoices in the truth…. (1 Corinthians 13:6)

I should be praying for and looking for praiseworthy things. Why? Because people generally live up to someone’s expectations (they live down to their expectations too)—especially someone who has demonstrated they care about them.

Listen to the apostle John’s right-catching statement:

It gave me great joy to have some brothers come and tell about your faithfulness to the truth and how you continue to walk in the truth. I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth. (3 John 3-4)

“The truth” is sometimes taught in a Christian home or in a church, or maybe it’s caught there. The child or the churchgoer has heard the truth, but then do we honestly believe the truth—along with the Holy Spirit reminding them of that truth—somehow becomes ineffectual?

We often act like that.

We seem to be more willing to believe the negative reports than the positive reports. Perhaps, like John, I need to be more ready to catch others doing right. Perhaps I need to be more ready to rejoice in the success stories. Perhaps I need to pray for greater discernment to see the positive changes the truth is making in those I love.

If we make this a matter of prayer, I believe the Holy Spirit will help us catch others doing right.

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