Before the Lord

Before the Lord is a daily Christian devotional that goes beyond surface-level encouragement. Each episode digs into a single passage of Scripture with pointed observations, honest questions, and a practical application you can carry into your day. The name "Before the Lord" comes from the Latin phrase Coram Deo — "before the face of God" — the idea that everything we do is carried out in His presence: with Him, under His authority, and for His glory. Whether you're in your car, at your desk, or starting your morning, these short episodes are designed to help you know and experience the Lord o

Before the Lord is a religion podcast hosted by Blake S. Crawford, with 115 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80.

Blake S. Crawford hosts Before the Lord, a religion show with 115 episodes published.

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  Episode #115

  Trust is Standing Still

  Oct 5, 20269 minS1

  When we're waiting on God and the answer won't come, Blake says the hardest thing He asks isn't to keep believing — it's to hold still. In this episode he unpacks why: everything in us equates action with progress, so we scramble to fix and manage even when we haven't heard from God. Drawing on Henry Blackaby's memorable inversion — “Don't just do something, stand there” — he shows that our frantic activity is often a quiet confession that we're not sure God will come through, so we'd better handle it ourselves. Anchored in Psalm 46:10, “Be still, and know that I am God,” Blake reframes stillness not as idleness but as the doorway to remembering who actually runs the world. He names the hard part — being still when those who ignore God seem to thrive (Psalm 37) — and lands on the promise: when we stop scrambling and let God be exalted, we discover He's been our fortress all along. It isn't weakness to be still. It's trust. Follow Before the Lord on Facebook (@BeforeTheLord) and Instagram (@beforethelorddevo). Get devotionals delivered to your inbox at blakescrawford.com/sign-up, or listen anytime at blakescrawford.com/listen. Available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, and iHeart.

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  Episode #114

  Wait Expectantly

  Oct 2, 202611 minS1

  Few things test our faith like waiting on God — we pray, and then nothing. In this episode, Blake names the two ditches we fall into: forcing an answer ourselves, or going passive and checking out. Biblical waiting, he says, is neither — it’s active trust. He walks through what happens when we rush ahead (“creating an Ishmael,” from Abraham to Saul to Israel), then reframes the silence itself: God isn’t slow or absent, and the delay is often where He does His deepest work in us. Anchored in Psalm 5:3, Blake shows how David waited — praying and watching like a watchman on the wall, expecting God to act. And he gets personal about his own unresolved waiting season: stepping away from a business and a church he loved, “retired” at forty-nine and unsure of his identity, still watching for the fuller chapter while doing the two things God has made clear. Waiting, it turns out, isn’t idle time — it’s watchman’s work. So don’t just wait. Wait expectantly. Follow Before the Lord on Facebook (@BeforeTheLord) and Instagram (@beforethelorddevo). Get devotionals delivered to your inbox at blakescrawford.com/sign-up, or listen anytime at blakescrawford.com/listen. Available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, and iHeart.

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  Episode #113

  Bold in the Lord

  Oct 1, 202610 minS1

  Where does real boldness come from? In this episode, Blake opens 2 Corinthians 3:12 — “since we have such a hope, we are very bold” — and draws the line between the self-made confidence the world sells (built on success, competence, and money) and a God-powered boldness that holds steady no matter the circumstances. The difference is the source: one collapses the moment life strips it away; the other never changes. That kind of boldness isn’t something we’re born with, Blake explains — God grows it through testing, as we trust Him in the very places we can’t control. He shares one of the hardest seasons of his business, when God met him with a frightening assignment, and how a single bold, obedient conversation — born of trusting God more than the outcome — changed everything. From David and Esther to Peter and John, Scripture is full of ordinary people made bold by trusting God. So step into the next hard thing, trust Him with the outcome, and let Him grow your courage one test at a time. Follow Before the Lord on Facebook (@BeforeTheLord) and Instagram (@beforethelorddevo). Get devotionals delivered to your inbox at blakescrawford.com/sign-up, or listen anytime at blakescrawford.com/listen. Available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, and iHeart.

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  Episode #112

  A Happy Heart in the Lord

  Sep 30, 202612 minS1

  In this episode, Blake tells a simple story that reoriented his walk with God. While hosting longtime mentors for the weekend, he caught sight of his friend early one morning on the lanai — just a man and his Bible, deep in conversation with the Lord. It sent Blake into an honest reflection on his own quiet time, cluttered with journals, software, and highlighters, and wondering why his friend seemed to need nothing but Scripture. The answer came that evening in a single line: “My goal in my quiet time is to get my heart happy in the Lord” — an echo, Blake later realized, of George Müller. Anchored in Mark 1:35, where Jesus rose early to be with His Father, Blake unpacks the difference between gathering information about God and actually encountering Him — and offers a practical way to make your next quiet time about meeting God rather than mastering the Book. Follow Before the Lord on Facebook (@BeforeTheLord) and Instagram (@beforethelorddevo). Get devotionals delivered to your inbox at blakescrawford.com/sign-up, or listen anytime at blakescrawford.com/listen. Available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, and iHeart.

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  Episode #111

  A Godly Man

  Sep 29, 202620 minS1

  In this episode, Blake opens one of his all-time favorite books — Larry Crabb’s The Silence of Adam (later Becoming a Man of Courage) — and lays out five marks of a godly man in his own words: strong, not powerless; active, not aggressive; at peace; always room to move; and free and purposeful. It’s a quieter, sturdier picture of manhood than the culture’s loud caricature — and, as Blake frames it through 1 Corinthians 16:13-14, one built on strength exercised in love. Then he turns it practical for two audiences. For the men: stop just reading the marks and start hunting for them in ordinary moments, with a friend or two alongside for honesty. For the women: you’re your man’s helper — so notice where he’s growing, pray him toward the vision of godly manhood, and resist the urge to fix him. Blake closes with a candid word to the women about the quiet voice that says, “I need him to be stronger for me to be okay,” and the freedom that comes when our security rests in the Lord rather than in who our husband becomes. Follow Before the Lord on Facebook (@BeforeTheLord) and Instagram (@beforethelorddevo). Get devotionals delivered to your inbox at blakescrawford.com/sign-up, or listen anytime at blakescrawford.com/listen. Available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, and iHeart.

  ListenShow Notes

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