Last week we re-capped our top 10 articles published last year. Today, we present to you the top five trending SOLA articles from 2024. While these pieces were not published last year, their content has found staying power with our readership.
1 | Bread for 100,000 Children: The Prayer Life of George Muller
Written by Karisa You in 2022 as part of a series focused on missionaries, this article explores the miracles during Mueller’s time in ministry, connecting his persistence in prayer as a testament to God’s providence.
“But before Muller ever called upon God to care for others, he had to learn to trust God with his own life. When Muller first told his father he wanted to become a missionary, his father cut off funding for his college tuition. Though he felt a bit “silly,” Muller fell onto his knees and asked God to support him. A professor knocked on his door within an hour, offering Muller a paid tutoring job.
This stranger convinced Muller that he no longer needed to be anxious about any of his temporal needs. “As long as I really sought to serve the Lord,” Muller professed, “as long as I sought the kingdom of God and His righteousness, these my temporal wants would be added unto me.“”
2 | Paul and Silas in Prison! 3 Ways to Worship and Witness in a Worst-Case Scenario
Originally a microtalk from the SOLA Conference in 2021, SOLA Digital team member Aaron Lee breaks down Acts 16:25-34 to reveal how Paul and Silas both Worship and Witness while stuck in prison. We all have “worst-case scenarios” in our lives, and should be in awe of God’s amazing grace in this passage.
“Being put in prison is no joke. But when we look back to the circumstances of Paul and Silas’s imprisonment, how they were kept together, how they were seeing and witnessing, how God brought the earthquake, how God caused the jailer to come and talk to them, and how Paul and Silas were bold in this situation, whatever happened, God’s hand was all over it. Even in difficult times, in trials and tribulation, in persecution and distress, and pain, God is in control and able to glorify His name. This was the start of the church in Philippi. And isn’t this why Paul and Silas were able to sing?“
3 | A Scandalous Gospel: The Woman Who Washed Jesus’ Feet With Her Tears
This piece is part of, “The Women Jesus Loved” series in 2020 to honor International Women’s Day (March 8), Women’s History Month in the United States, and the Lenten season. The series contains devotions written by women about the women who Jesus ministered to during his time on earth. T. Kim brings to life from the book of Luke the story of the woman who wept and washed Jesus’ feet with her tears.
Her actions were a silent rebuke to the false teaching of her day. No, God’s kingdom is not for the proud; it is for the poor in spirit (6:20). It is for those who mourn (6:21). It is for tax collectors and sinners (15:1-2). For the crippled and blind and lame (14:21). The prodigal (15:11-32). The prostitute (7:50).
4 | Tips and Resources for Teaching Children, Tweens, and Teens How to Pray
Faith Chang, one of our editorial board members, provides practical applications in teaching children how to pray. She provides numerous resources at the end of her piece appropriate to various age groups, and we’re grateful this piece continues to live on past 2023.
“But outside of these immediate moments of “What do I pray?,” the bigger issue remains of how to teach our kids, tweens, and teens how to pray. Here, it can be helpful to consider the 5 W’s (and 1 “H”) around prayer. You might not talk through all these points at once, but having the “who, what, when, where, why, and how” of prayer in mind will serve you as you teach young people how to pray without ceasing (1 Thes. 5:16-18).”
5 | What the Bible Says about Abuse and Desertion in Marriage
Originally published on The Gospel Coalition in 2022, David Schuman writes about an important topic–understanding Abuse and Desertion in Marriage according to Scripture. He carefully treads through this difficult topic to provide assurance for those who may be experiencing abuse, and empowering them to look to the Lord and their trusted friends for wisdom as they consider the future.
“Many pastors and theologians, myself included, believe that abuse can be a form of desertion. Your partner may impose upon you such intolerable conditions that you’re forced to leave the home. This forced abandonment has the same effect as if your partner had packed his or her bags and moved across the country, never to return.“
Photo Credit: Nick Fewings