John 5:46-47 “If you believed Moses, you would believe me, for he wrote about me. But since you do not believe what he wrote, how are you going to believe what I say?”

This hit me like a load of bricks, because of one individual in particular. Dennis Prager is a devout Jew whom I respect very highly. He has done a great deal of good with his emphasis on a rational approach to the world and to God, basically espousing common sense. He has written a 5-volume commentary on the Pentateuch, the five books of Moses at the beginning of the Bible, which he titled, The Rational Bible. He has a very good relationship with Christians, but has not been able to come to the point of acknowledging that Jesus is the One of whom all the Old Testament writers wrote, from Moses to Malachi. He has said that he has trouble with the idea of loving God, but says that obedience to Him is the only logical course. At this moment he is in the hospital, having been badly injured in an accident of which I know no details. His mind is clear, but he is able to do very little. His organization, Prager U, is still functioning at a very high level, but his personal involvement seems to be minimal at this point because of his injury. I have been praying for him from the point I first learned what sort of a person he is, that he would have a revelation of God’s love for him, that is so great that Jesus would have died even if he were the only person who needed it, and so open his heart in repentance and faith. He is an expert on the Law of Moses, yet Jesus says here that he doesn’t really believe it, because he doesn’t believe Jesus. He has read the New Testament, and quotes it fairly frequently, but obviously not from the standpoint of it being the Word of God to him. My urgent, earnest prayer for him is that this injury and hospitalization would be the shock that he has needed to understand his personal need for a Savior, that he cannot be good enough on his own to rate eternity with his Creator, but that God indeed loves him enough to make salvation available to him.

I think one reason I care so deeply about Dennis Prager is that I can identify very easily with him. He was raised in a religious home, as I was. He was raised with great familiarity with Scripture, as I was. He was given intellectual gifts, as I was, but to this point seems to have made better use of them than I have! His opinions have been valued and trusted, with his being an active public speaker since he was in his 20s, and I think that generated a level of intellectual pride that is very familiar to me indeed. He is a genuinely good person, which makes it all the harder for him to realize the huge danger of his pride. I pray for him the sort of experience I had, of God showing me, just for an instant, the state of my own soul. It would be totally devastating for him, probably even more so than it was for me, because it will be much later in his life than mine was, but if he has such an experience it would bring multitudes into the Kingdom, because his influence is very great. He doesn’t know me personally at all, but I pray for him like he was a close relative, because that is how the Lord has placed him in my heart.

Father, this was completely unexpected. Thank You for showing me what the numbers were supposed to be for today’s reading. I pray that everyone using this Scripture list would be guided by Your Spirit to know what the reading was actually supposed to be! I pray that we would all be humble before You to hear what You are saying to us, to respond as You desire, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!