The following resource is from desiring God.org.

Let's pray.

Father, I pray for two kinds of things.

The technology, we just pray that you just get it out of our way in the sense that we don't

think about it much. We're thankful for it. We're thankful for these folks who are experts and what they're doing and we pray that you would put your

hand on it and make it work so that undistracting excellence could mark what we're doing.

But mainly, Lord, we pray that truth would hold sway in this session.

Give me a big portion of your Holy Spirit. I'm encouraged by the words of Jesus that

which of you who has a son who asks him for a loaf of bread would give him a stone?

Or if he asked him for an egg, would give him a scorpion.

If you then being evil know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will

your father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask?

And so I'm asking for the Holy Spirit to come because you're a good Father.

You won't give us a scorpion or stone or snake. May the Holy Spirit awaken understanding in those who hear and clarity

and faithfulness in me.

I ask this in Jesus' name, Amen.

I'm deeply thankful that God has put it in the heart of Brad Nelson to conceive of this series on growing

a heart for the nations and that I get the chance to kick it off here and we'll just do this through the fall from different

angles. Now as I reflected on what I want to say, it occurred to me that the older I get, the clearer it becomes to me that human beings by nature don't draw the same conclusions that God does from many facts.

And we don't feel the same way God does

about the conclusions that he draws from the facts.

What I mean by human nature is phrases like,

...