February 1, 2026
Hi friends,
“Why aren’t you outraged?”
The Pour Over gets this question often in the wake of contentious and tragic headlines—like the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti by ICE in Minneapolis. The question begs another question…
What does the world need from believers in moments like these?
Daniel, the biblical superstar of upholding faith in a hostile culture, points the way forward. When his government overreached and promised to violently enforce its law against prayer, Daniel “got down on his knees three times a day and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as he had done previously” (Daniel 6:10 ESV).
If someone told you that, for 30 days, you could move the levers of government against injustice but you couldn’t pray, would you think that’s a fair trade?
Daniel didn’t. The only outcome that was unacceptable to him was prayerlessness. His place before the God of Israel was so important that he’d die in the lions’ mouths before giving it up for even a month.
And he’s not even shaken up about it. Everyone in Daniel’s world is worked up and stressed except him, the one facing death. He’s calm as a Veggie Tales cucumber, because he’s leaving injustice in the hands of a quite sovereign, plenty powerful King. He might ask us,
Why aren’t you prayerful?
Let’s come to Him now:
Almighty Father,
forgive my prayerlessness.
I have been worldly and distracted and self-dependent and rebellious.
There are no sneaky officials or tyrannical kings or hungry lions1 in my way—
only my own coldness of affection and hardness of heart.
Spirit of the Living God,
Warm me and soften me and draw me near.
Grow love where there is contempt in me;
grow joy when I am dull and despairing;
grow peace in my restless discontent and chaos;
grow patience in places of hurry and agitation;
grow kindness that overcomes my harsh severity;
grow goodness where I have selfish ambition;
grow gentleness that quiets my quick, sharp tongue;
grow faithfulness where I am wayward and fickle;
and grow self-control that’s stronger than my fleshly cravings.2
Peacemaking Savior,
do Your redeeming, renewing, healing, helping work
in Minneapolis and in places of unrest in my own life.
Stir up my zeal for Your Kingdom,
my desire for Your presence, and
my desperation for Your intervention
so that my first instinct is to come to You—
whether in celebration, mourning, or pleas for help.
You meet me, You hear, and You answer.3
Amen.
Yours in Christ,
Steph Juliot
Recommended Reading
1. Daniel 6
2. Galatians 5:16-26
3. Matthew 7:7-12
Recommended Resource
I’m in the era of chores + audiobooks after bedtime rituals, and I love sneaking in a Scripture session. But listening to a robot read Leviticus is… suboptimal. Dwell’s audio Bible is so much better. I can choose my favorite human voice (shoutout to Gregory), background music, translation, and my sweet-spot speed. Check out Dwell.*
*from TPO’s partners
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