pastorjohnb

Thoughts and musings on faith and our mighty God!

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If Only!

Reading: Numbers 11:24-34

Numbers 11:29b – “If only all the Lord’s people were prophets with the Lord placing his spirit on them.”

As we lead up to Pentecost Sunday we turn to Numbers 11. A little context first, though. Moses led the people out of slavery in Egypt and they have been wandering in the desert. Not too long after God provided manna – an amazing miracle that came in response to the people’s grumbling – the “riffraff” stir up more complaining, this time about a lack of meat. This is not the first or second or even third time they’ve grumbled against Moses’ leadership and against God’s provision. The weight of leading crashes down on Moses. The grumbling angers God. A depleted and frustrated Moses cannot bear the burden any longer. If things are going to be like this, he says to God, “please kill me.” Moses is done.

We’ve all been in situations where we’ve been doing what God asks of us, walking faithfully, and the road gets bumpy. If the bumps don’t level out but instead get worse, we can feel defeated and frustrated. We can cry out to God in desperation as the weight begins to feel too heavy to bear. We want to give up. As with Moses, God has a plan. We are not left alone in the valley. For Moses, God passes some of Moses’ leadership spirit on to seventy elders. They will help him lead, guided by the spirit. In our valleys, God walks with us in Spirit and often sends a friend to walk with us to lift our burdens.

Two men outside the gathering at the tent of meeting also receive the spirit and start to prophesy. A concerned Joshua alerts Moses, concerned for Moses’ power. Moses does not see it this way. In fact, it’s just the opposite. Moses pines, “If only all the Lord’s people were prophets with the Lord placing his spirit on them.” Indeed, if only all of God’s people were filled with the Spirit. Indeed, indeed. May it be so, O God. Fill us all with your Holy Spirit!

Prayer: Lord God, first, thank you for never leaving us alone in the valley or in other times of trial. Thank you for your loving faithfulness. Second, Lord, fill us with your Spirit – both so we can walk faithfully as we bear one another’s burdens and so we turn to you, our ultimate companion, in our times of need. Be with us all of our days, O God. Amen.


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Greater

Reading: Psalm 130

Verse 3: “If you, O Lord, kept a record of sins, O Lord, who could stand”?

The psalmist begins by crying out to God. Unfortunately, I did not often begin here. I often ended up there, but I did not often begin there. I ended up there when I had failed or come up short, when my efforts were not enough, when I couldn’t just put my head down and push through.

My tendencies towards independence and self-sufficiency, coupled with a sometimes elevated sense of self, usually led me in the opposite direction of turning first to God. The combination of too many failures and crashes eventually coupled with a growing and maturing faith in God that has worked within me to produce a follower more likely to begin with prayer than not. Hindsight reveals that God has always been at work on my broken vessel.

Along the way I learned that my failures were sins, just as my not coming to God in prayer was a sin. In both cases I was placing other gods before God. The psalmist writes, “If you, O Lord, kept a record of sins, O Lord, who could stand”? This idea comes true when one realizes that God’s love and mercy are far greater than any and all sin. This was shown on the cross. As the psalmist continues, “with you there is forgiveness”. Not once or twice or even ten times, but forever and always. What a wonderful God we serve! May we serve him well today.

Prayer: Lord God, thank you for humbling me and breaking me down. Thank you for helping me to see that alone I was lost and destined to fail. Please continue to walk daily with me, guiding me to be a servant to all. Amen.