Ari Umble

🙏Prayer: History and Purpose

1. Prayer in the Ancient Near East (ANE) Cultural Context: Prayer in the ANE was often transactional and ritualistic, deeply tied to temple worship and appeasement of deities. Gods were seen as needing persuasion or offerings. Key features included: * Incantations and petitions: Recited by priests or individuals to seek favor.

🌀Jesus Rebukes a Tempest As If It Were a Demon

The Greek word “seismos” (σεισμός) means “shaking” or “earthquake,” and it often signals a divine disruption—a moment where heaven invades earth or God asserts His power in dramatic fashion. Below is a breakdown of its use in the passages you’ve listed, and the deeper insights each one offers

🎶A Song of Worship Only God Can Hear

Let’s walk through what Scripture reveals about God’s heart for obedience, especially in light of: * His complaints against Israel in the Old Testament * Jesus’ rebukes to the religious leaders of His day * His warnings and encouragements to the churches in Revelation 🔥 What Grieved God in the Past? 1.

🚩Legion’s Connection to the Decapolis

The Decapolis (“Ten Cities”) was a group of Greco-Roman cities in the region east and southeast of the Sea of Galilee and Jordan River during the time of Jesus. These cities were known for their Greek culture, architecture, and pagan religious practices, distinguishing them from the predominantly Jewish regions

🧠Remember Lot’s Wife

I. 1. The Cost of Looking Back Lot’s wife wasn’t just looking behind her physically—her heart was still tied to Sodom. She longed for what she was leaving, and it cost her her life. * Luke 17:33: “Whoever tries to keep their life will lose it, and

💰What It Costs To Follow God

I. 🔑 1. Matthew 8:18–22 – The Cost of Following Jesus Two individuals approach Jesus—one eager, one hesitant: * Scribe: “I will follow You wherever You go.” ➤ Jesus replies that He has nowhere to lay His head. Discipleship is not glamorous—there’s a cost in comfort, security, and control.

III. 💫👑What Kind of Man is This?

Matthew 8, Mark 4–5, and Luke 8 all pair the story of Jesus calming the storm with His encounter with the demon-possessed man—and that pairing is deeply intentional. These passages explore how Jesus confronts and conquers chaos both in nature and in the spiritual realm—in line

II. 🐉From Chaos to Calling: Jonah, Jesus, and the Sea Monster in Ancient Imagination

In the ancient world, the sea wasn’t just water—it was a symbol of everything terrifying and uncontrollable. To people of the Ancient Near East (ANE), the deep was the domain of chaos, death, and cosmic monsters. Yet within the pages of Scripture, these symbols are not only acknowledged—

I. 🐋The Sign of Jonah

1. Jonah 1:17 “Now the Lord provided a huge fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.” * Theme: Divine intervention and deliverance; obedience and mission; a symbolic “death” and “resurrection.” * Jonah is swallowed by a fish after running from

🌄 Devotional: The Valley Before the Climb

* “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.” — Psalm 23:4 We often dream of the mountaintop—of standing in the high places of life, full of clarity,

🧍‍♂️Who Was the 12th Apostle?

1. Casting Lots: A Pre-Pentecost Method * Acts 1:26: “Then they cast lots, and the lot fell to Matthias; so he was added to the eleven apostles.” * Casting lots was a common Old Testament practice for discerning God’s will (cf. Proverbs 16:33), but this happened before the

🚫The Reconciliation of All Things?

🔥 1. The Nature of Their Rebellion Spiritual beings like Satan and the fallen angels (or Watchers in some traditions) seem to have rebelled with full knowledge of God’s glory. Their rebellion is often described as deliberate and direct defiance in the very presence of God (cf. Ezekiel 28, Isaiah