pastorjohnb

Thoughts and musings on faith and our mighty God!

Tag Archives: belief


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Listen, Save, Deliver

Readings: Psalms 37-41

‭Psalm 37:37 – “Observe those who have integrity and watch those whose heart is right because the future belongs to persons of peace.”

As we close our Book 1, today’s Psalms have a more personal, more intimate feel. Psalm 37 lifts up the life of righteousness. I love verse 3: “Trust the Lord and do good… farm righteousness.” What a great image – plant it, water it, feed it, tend it, nurture it, produce a crop. There’s an honest admission in verse 23: the righteous will trip up. But they won’t be thrown down because God holds their hand! We find great advice in verse 37: “Observe those who have integrity and watch those whose heart is right because the future belongs to persons of peace.” And let us tend to the other side of this equation too: may we model the faith well; may we be persons of peace in this world.

Psalms 38-41 all share connected themes. They speak of the consequences of our sin, of God’s forgiveness, and of the brevity of life. In Psalm 38 the writer acknowledges that the weight of our sin is “way too heavy for me.” Psalms 38 and 41 speak of how people abandon us when we struggle in our sin. In Psalm 40 their wrongdoings have caught up with them. We too have played this game. Psalm 41 begs for healing from their sin. These Psalms also express a strong belief and trust in God’s forgiveness and restoration. There is a deep confidence in God’s unconditional love. Psalm 40 closes with these words: “You are my help and rescuer. My God, don’t wait any longer.” Save me NOW!

Sitting in the middle is Psalm 39. It is a reflection on the brevity and difficulty of life. The psalmist tried holding their tongue to avoid sinning. It did no good. Sin resides in not just our words. The psalmist compares our lives to “a puff of air.” Our blip is just that on God’s eternal timeline. Yet, even so, the psalmist says to God, “Please don’t ignore my tears.” They matter to us, each day. God, don’t ignore our tears either. Listen to our cry. Deliver us, O God.

Prayer: Lord God, what are we, really, that you are mindful of us? Our lives come and go with a blinking of your eye. Yet from our perspective, our years hold meaning. Moments and seasons matter. Teach us to value our time, to use it wisely, to live it all for your glory. Be our helper and rescuer, O God. Hold our hand. Walk with us each of our days. Amen.


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The First Steps

Readings: Psalms 25-28

‭Psalm 25:10 – “All the LORD’s paths are loving and faithful for those who keep his covenant and laws.”

Photo credit: David Brook Martin

Psalm 25 is a prayer for forgiveness and protection. The psalmist’s declaration of trust is followed by a request to prevent any shame from coming their way. The psalmist edges up to asking God for forgiveness – don’t remember my sins. Verse 10 sums up the psalmist’s belief and what they hold to be true: “All the LORD’s paths are loving and faithful for those who keep his covenant and laws.” If one is faithful, one experiences God’s love. That is the hope. Closing the Psalm, because he or she looks to the Lord, well then, God should forgive their sin and end their suffering. Save me God – because I seek you.

The next Psalm declares the author’s innocence. There are echoes of the book of Job in Psalm 26. Give me justice, God, because I have integrity. Examine me, God, because I’m innocent. I don’t spend time with the wicked. No, I love being in your presence, God. So save me! As was the case with Job, we too feel injustice when good people suffer – especially when it is us.

Psalm 27 is a song of hope during suffering. There is a trust in God’s light and salvation. It is a trust that counters fear. Again the psalmist seeks to be in God’s presence. There God will shelter us, will hide us, and will set our feet high upon a solid rock, above the storms of life. The Psalm closes with a “sure faith” that he or she will experience God’s goodness. In our storms, may this be our hope and our trust.

We close today’s readings with a petition that God would hear and respond. Psalm 28 begins by saying “don’t refuse to hear me” because “you are my rock.” Today I read this and other parts of these Psalms as transactional. I too can treat God that way at times. Returning to the text, a request is made to give the wicked what they deserve. This too would bring relief to the psalmist. The Psalm closes with a declaration of hope, trust, and rejoicing.

Throughout these four Psalms there is a common theme. We must be faithful to and connected to God if we desire for God to hear and respond to our prayers. While this is true, it pre-supposes a relationship as the first step. I am also struck today by the lack of introspection, confession, and repentance. These are essential elements – steps – for a healthy relationship with God. May we take these first steps today. It is where our relationship with God begins anew each day. May it be so.

Prayer: Lord God, you’ve created us in your image, designed us to live in a relationship with you. We can sense this connection, this call. But we are not always faithful. We stray and we fall short. Have patience. Build our trust and faith. Guide our steps. Order them according to your heart. Bless us as we seek to walk daily with you. Amen.


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Belief and Reality

Readings: Job 15 through Job 21

‭Job 16:6 – “If I speak, my pain is not eased; if I hold back, what have I lost?”

As we read cycle 2 of the discourse between Job and his friends, our initial reaction might be to condemn Job’s friends, to think them cruel and downright unfriendly. We must remember, however, that they are defending who and what they truly believe God to be and they are defending the ancients understanding of how and why the world works according to long held beliefs. To them, Job’s arguments rail against God and question how the justice of God really works.

Much of the friend’s conversation in today’s readings focuses on the wicked and what their lives look like. (These thoughts will apply to Job’s life in cycle 3.) Eliphaz argues that “all the days of the wicked are painful.” Bildad adds that the wicked are “snatched from the safety of their tents” and that “nothing they own remains.” Zophar notes that “the rejoicing of the wicked is short.” He adds “the fire that no one stoked consumes them.” All three friends argue from the belief that God swiftly punishes the wicked and sinful. God is just and cannot tolerate the ways of the wicked.

Job’s response to Eliphaz addresses how his “friends” are treating him. Job calls them “sorry comforters.” Job asks, “If I speak, my pain is not eased; if I hold back, what have I lost?” In his suffering he might as well cry out to God. Nothing to lose! In his response to Bildad, Job returns to his innocence. He points to how suffering has afflicted the righteous. God’s punishment is apparently not just for the wicked. And in his last speech for today, he counters his friends’ arguments. Job points to the reality of the actual world: “the wicked grow old,” “they spend their days contentedly,” and “on the day of disaster the wicked are spared.” Job states that the world is not as his friends would make it out to be. For Job, that simple understanding of God and the world does not match reality.

Prayer: Lord God, what a wrestling today with who and what you are and with who and what we are to be to one another. We are called to trust in your love and care and guidance. And we are called to be these things to others. We are called to walk in a right relationship with you. And we are called to help others back into that path when they stray. Lord, guide us as we walk this difficult journey with you and with one another. May we ever lead in love and grace. Amen.


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Out of the Heart

Reading: Matthew 15:10-20

Verse 18: “The things that come out of a person’s mouth come from the heart, and these defile them.”

As Jesus calls the crowd to himself he is really unpacking the clash that he just had with the Pharisees. Chapter 15 opens with a question from the Pharisees: “Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders?” This law-focused religious group is “concerned” that the disciples didn’t wash their hands before eating, making them ceremonially unclean. This is not following the traditions established by the ancient elders of the faith.

Gathering the crowd – which would still have included the Pharisees – Jesus tells them that it is not what goes IN the mouth that defiles. Food simply passed through our digestive system. The stomach… has nothing to do with the condition of our soul. Instead, Jesus teaches, it is what comes OUT of our mouth that can make one unclean. The heart has everything to do with the condition of our soul. When we sin, this is always rooted in what we’ve allowed to come into our heart. That seed of lust or envy or greed or pride or… has grown into a sin and as that makes its way out of our hearts, that is what makes us “unclean” or unfit for entering into God’s presence in worship.

Today we are not immune from forms of legalism. We can surely get caught up on whether or not someone did this ‘thing’ – like going to church every Sunday – rather than being concerned with the condition of their heart – how they are living out God’s love in their lives and in the world. Yes, communal worship is an essential part of a Christian’s faith and life. But sitting in a pew each Sunday does not make one a Christian. It is that good that fills and then flows out of the heart that reveals our connection to, our belief in, and our relationship with Jesus Christ.

Prayer: Lord God, by the power of the Holy Spirit, guard against the evils that I am tempted to allow into my heart. By that same power, lead me to fill my heart with the love and light of Jesus Christ. May this then be what flows out into the lives of all I meet. Amen.


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Revival

Reading: Romans 9:1-5

Verses 4b and 5a: “Theirs is the adoption… Theirs are the patriarchs…”

Paul himself had a very radical and powerful conversion experience. He encountered the living Christ and was struck blind. Three days later he experienced a miraculous restoration of his sight. His life changed forever as he now saw with fresh eyes. Most of us do not have a “lightning” type conversion experience. For most of us, faith comes slowly, over time, with many small steps leading to our intentional choice to follow Jesus as Lord and Savior.

In the last two verses of our Epistle reading Paul speaks of his people, of “the people of Israel.” He lists the many things that they have that could lead them to also accept Jesus as Messiah: adopted as God’s chosen people, receivers of the Law and covenants and promises, worshippers in the temple. He adds that they also have the patriarchs. These are the greats of the faith – Abraham, Moses, Elijah… From Paul’s perspective and new understanding all of this points to Jesus as the Messiah. It all adds up for Paul. But for most of the Jews, it does not. They do not have an encounter or experience that has moved them across the line of belief.

Today there are many people who were raised in the church as children and youth but are not part of a church anymore. This is not to say that they don’t believe in Jesus Christ. Many do. Yet active participation in a church community does not add up for a lot of people. They have the Bible, they know Jesus’ teachings and promises… Just as it did for Paul, my heart and soul aches for these folks. We long for a revival in our communities and in our nation. May it begin with you and me as we seek to minister to our brothers and sisters in Christ.

Prayer: Lord, use my hunger and hurt for the disconnected, for the hurt, for the disenfranchised to rebuild connections, to rekindle fires for you. In love use me to help folks re-cross the line of active belief. Show me the way to rebuild this part of your kingdom here on earth. Amen.


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Surrender, Trust, Belief

Reading: Psalm 31:1-5 and 15-16

Verse 5: “Into your hands I commit my spirit; deliver me, Lord, my faithful God.”

Photo credit: Shane Rounce

In Psalm 31 David turns to God in the midst of a trial. He begins by reminding God that he has taken refuge in God before. Maybe he’s reminding himself too. Then David turns to the Lord for help, leaning into his current trial. Seeking protection and deliverance and rescue, David asks God to “be my rock of refuge, my strong fortress.” When we too are in a time of trial we pray such prayers. It is natural to turn to the one who has been there before, trusting them to be there once again.

There’s a slight shift in verse 3. It is subtle but here David begins to include God in the prayer. Because God is David’s rock and refuge, “for the sake of your name,” David prays, “lead and guide me. Free me… for you are my refuge.” Others are watching God. Others know that David turns to God and relies on God. David is saying, in essence, ‘God, you gotta come through.’ At times I’ve prayed along these lines. In desperation I’ve tried playing this card. Yet, doing so, it is also a reminder of God’s faithfulness.

Verses 5, 15, and 16 carry a different tone. These are words of surrender and trust. “Into your hands I commit my spirit; deliver me, Lord, my faithful God.” Jesus prayed these words on the cross. Stephen echoed them as he was being stoned. There is a calm in these words, a belief that God has it, that God is in control. As we bring our needs, our trials, our confessions, our concerns to the Lord, may we do so with the same surrender, trust, and belief.

Prayer: Lord God, I praise you for your steadfast love and for your faithfulness. Time and time again you’ve been there for me. Continue to walk with me, to guide me, to lead me. Be the Lord of my life. I surrender to you. Amen.


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Stand Firm, Hold Fast

Reading: 2nd Thessalonians 2:1-5 and 13-17

Verse 15: “Stand firm and hold onto the teachings we passed on to you, whether by word of mouth or by letter.”

The first five verses address some of the false teaching that has been a challenge to the people of faith in Thessalonica. Of focus is the event of Christ’s return. Some are falsely preaching that Christ already returned and that the church there missed it. Others are raising themselves up into the role of the Lord in an attempt to gain a following. While we can be susceptible to being led away from the truth, we tend to struggle today with what the world says is important: success, power, status, popularity, wealth… So verses 13-17 are still very relevant to our lives today as we seek to live faithfully.

In verse 13 Paul thanks God for this group of believers, chosen and saved by “the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit and through belief in the truth.” He next attributes the gospel or good news of Jesus Christ as that which drew them to faith. Our personal relationship with Jesus, the ongoing work of the Spirit, the way of life we find through reading and studying the scriptures – these are the foundations that enable us to live faithfully as strangers or foreigners in this world. This is what Paul is encouraging in verse 15 when he writes, “Stand firm and hold onto the teachings we passed on to you, whether by word of mouth or by letter.” Continue to walk the walk of faith. Hold fast to the Lord Jesus Christ.

Paul closes this section with a blessing. He asks for Jesus and God to “encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and work.” May this too be our blessing as we seek to walk in faith.

Prayer: Lord God, give us the will and the courage to stand firm and to hold fast to all we have received from you. Open our hearts to the guidance and direction of the Holy Spirit. Open our minds to the words of life that we find in the scriptures. Open our hands and feet to the call of Christ to unconditionally love and humbly serve others just as he did. Amen.


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Our Stronghold

Reading: Psalm 43

Verse 2: “You are God my stronghold.”

Turning to Psalm 43 today it feels as if we are continuing on from yesterday. It is not just because we are staying in chronological order. It is not just because the authors remain the same. It is not just because verse 5 matched verses 5 and 11 from Psalm 42. In some ancient Hebrew manuscripts these were one Psalm. So in many ways we are continuing. The authors pour out emotions over the shame of their father’s rebellion. They try and make sense of how it has impacted them and their ministry.

There are times in life when we too are “collateral damage”. It can be personal, like it was for the Sons of Korah. Someone close to us does something wrong or sinful and it taints us by connection. Sometimes we are that person whose words or actions negatively impact those in our lives. It can also be more corporate. A poor choice of words or an inappropriate action by a leader or member of a group or organization adversely affects the whole entity. This can be far reaching. Again, we can be that person. We can all relate to the Sons of Korah.

In today’s passage the sons desire vindication. They do not want to be connected to Korah’s rebellion. It wasn’t their fault. We’ve been here too. Guilt by association is never good. Yet they do not stay here. In the next verse we read, “You are God my stronghold.” There is a deep trust and hope in God. There is a belief that God will see them through. May this be our faith as well!

Prayer: Lord God, thank you for the interconnectedness that you designed. In the good ways, it builds us up, it draws us together. Even in the tough or hard days it leads us to offer grace and forgiveness and mercy to one another. Even though challenging at times, I am grateful for your design and for your love that keeps it all together. Amen.


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Rejoice

Reading: Romans 5:1-2

Verse 2: “We rejoice in the hope of the glory of God.”

‘Peace and Joy’ is the title of the first section in Romans 5. In chapter 4 Paul has worked the path from Abraham being “credited as righteous” by God to Jesus’ followers being justified (or made right) through his death and resurrection. This is the basis for Paul’s opening statement in chapter 5: “Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” Our sins no longer separate us from God. We have peace with God because Jesus’ work has paid the price and made atonement for our sins.

Continuing on in verse 2 we read that it is our faith that gives us access to the grace we find in Jesus. To make the choice to believe in Christ as Lord and Savior, that opens the door for his grace to actively work in our lives. Before choosing Christ, grace is at work. It is that sense of right and wrong, that feeling that we should forgive others, that little nudge in this direction or that. Recognizing these things as God at work in our lives, we are drawn towards relationship, towards inviting Jesus into our hearts. Choosing faith, we become an active partner with grace. Through grace we are drawn to be like Christ. Practicing his love and mercy, his servant’s heart, and his compassion for the lost, we enter into justification. The Spirit works in us, refining and reshaping and renewing us, helping us to become more and more like Christ.

As we live out this life of faith we begin to experience peace and joy more and more. Living this life of faith, we, like Paul, “rejoice in the hope of the glory of God.” Peace and joy in our heart leads to hope in the glory of God that will be fully revealed when we see Christ face to face. Until that day grace draws us closer and closer to the image of Christ. Thanks be to God.

Prayer: Lord God, I rejoice in the ways that you drew me into relationship long ago. Your love and kindness, your mercy and grace – they were water for my thirsty soul. I rejoice too in the work you have done in me and I ask you to continue refining and reshaping me day by day, drawing me deeper into your renewing love, guiding me closer and closer to experiencing your glory here on earth. Amen.


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Step by Step, Day by Day

Reading: John 16:12-15

Verse 15: “The Spirit will take from what is mine and make it known to you.”

Photo credit: Simon Berger

Jesus’ “Farewell Discourse” continues in today’s passage. In chapters 14-17 Jesus gives final instructions and encouragement to the disciples. Although he has told them repeatedly about his impending death and resurrection, words do not always prepare us for what we experience. We’ve all been there ourselves. Whether the loss of a loved one or the trauma of a pandemic or some other event, we have all found ourselves taken by surprise. In verse 12 Jesus recognizes the emotional state of the disciples. Here he says, “I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear.” This is a universal truth about faith. It is not a one-time fill up at the altar. Faith, hope, trust, belief… are built in small, incremental steps, over and over again, one built upon another.

In the 3 remaining verse Jesus speaks of the coming Holy Spirit. This too is an experience one cannot fully prepare for. The early believers could not have anticipated Pentecost any more that we can prepare for the change in our lives once the Holy Spirit comes into our hearts. Through the Spirit, Jesus promises guidance and wisdom. Jesus also connects the Holy Spirit to God and to himself. In verses 14 and 15 Jesus tells them that the Spirit will “take what is mine” and will “make it known to you.” Via the Holy Spirit, Jesus and God come to live in and through all who believe. The Godhead, the 3 in 1, walks with us day by day, teaching us and guiding us and building up our faith, hope, trust, belief… step by step. Thanks be to God for this ongoing, constant work in our lives of faith. To God be the glory!

Prayer: Lord God, thank you for not simply giving us the words found in scripture and then leaving us on our own. What a sorry scene that would be. Without your presence, all would be lost. So thank you for continuing to be with us. Amen.