pastorjohnb

Thoughts and musings on faith and our mighty God!

Tag Archives: faithful


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Room to Grow

Reading: Exodus 16:1-5

Verse 3b: “There we sat around pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted.”

Just 3 days after witnessing the amazing miracle at the Red Sea, the grumbling begins. The first instance is because the water is bitter and they’re thirsty. Through yet another miracle, their thirst is quenched. A short while later, in today’s passage, the grumbling returns. This time they are in the Desert of Sin. I wonder if that is an actual physical place or if it is just a metaphor.

The Israelites are hungry. They are without food in the desert. They grumble to Moses: “If only we had died by the Lord’s hand in Egypt!” Are they longing to live once again under heavy oppression? Do they want to return to slavery? No, no, and no! When there is a want gnawing at us, we too can grumble. Yet the Israelites still say to Moses (and to God), “There we sat around pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted.” When we look at that shiny new car next to our 2021 model or when we long for the good old days when the pews were full, we too can grumble in ways that don’t really make a lot of sense.

God doesn’t smite us down. God doesn’t say to the Israelites, ‘Fine, then, just go ahead and die out there in the desert.’ Just the opposite! God says, “I will rain down bread from heaven.” It’s not just a morsel. It’s not just enough to tide them over. God rains down bread. It is God’s loving and generous response to the peoples’ grumbling. There are some instructions too – a “test.” God has been faithful. Now that they have been provided for, will they too be faithful? This too is a question that we frequently wrestle with. The Israelites aren’t the only ones with room to grow.

Prayer: Lord God, in my heart of hearts I know that you are faithful. And loving and generous. Yet in my mind, I can go where the Israelites went. Wants and desires can creep in and I find myself grumbling – or complaining. My inner Eeyore rises up – woe is me! In these moments, whisper into my heart how much you love me. With these whispers, lead me back to a place of faith and trust. Amen.


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If the Lord Had Not…

Reading: Psalm 124

Verse 1: “If the Lord had not been on our side…”

Photo credit: Greg Rakozy

Scholars believe that David wrote this Psalm in the wake of Israel’s defeat of the Philistines. David had just become king and the enemy gathered the troops to test this new leader. David turned to God for direction. God led Israel’s army to victory. David knew that God had been with them and gave God all the credit for the victory.

In the early stages of faith, this is Satan’s trick too: attack before the new Christian is really established in his or her faith. The evil one attacks us when we are yet immature in those areas that were our weaknesses before we gave ourselves to Christ. Maybe you’re there now. If so, take courage in David’s story. Turn to God and seek direction and strength. On the other hand, if you’ve walked faithfully for a while now, you’ve experienced these attacks and assaults. I ask you: what new believer can you walk beside, modeling how to trust in the Lord?

The Psalm begins with this great line: “If the Lord had not been on our side…” David references attacks and anger and floods and raging waters. While these represent the army gathered against them, they are also metaphors for the trials and tribulations that we face. David recognizes that without God the outcome would’ve likely been different. Is it not the same with our battles within and without? May we trust in God as David did, eventually rejoicing with David as we too declare: “Our help is in the name of the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.”

Prayer: Dear God, again and again you see us through. Again and again you keep the waters at bay, you calm the raging waters, you make a way when there seems to be no way. You do not leave us or forsake us ever. Draw us to you again and again – every time the enemy comes near, every time life throws something hard our way. Thank you for your unending love and for your constant presence. We love you Lord! Amen.


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Ever at Work

Reading: Genesis 37:1-4 and 12-28

Verses 3 and 4: “Israel loved Joseph more than any of his other sons… they hated him and could not speak a kind word to him.”

Photo credit: Robert Linder

This week’s Old Testament passage is very challenging. Israel’s family is settled in Canaan and the kids are growing up. There are 12 sons in all. Joseph is Israel’s favorite. In the opening verses we read, “Israel loved Joseph more than any of his other sons.” This is a difficult dynamic to live with. I’ve heard many older siblings say that the youngest is Mom’s or Dad’s favorite. Usually this isn’t really the case. But because this exists in most families, we can relate to Joseph or to the brothers – depending on which side of this we were on in our families. In today’s story, though, Joseph isn’t the youngest. But he is the one finally born to Rachel, the love of Israel’s life.

As you can probably imagine, this clear favoritism creates some problems. The fancy, multi-colored coat is clear evidence of the favoritism. Joseph’s tendency to tattle frequently only worsens the situation. Add in his dreams about his family bowing down to him and we pretty easily arrive at this: “they hated him and could not speak a kind word to him.”

One day Israel thinks it is a good idea to send the tattletale out to check up on his brothers. As they see him coming, they begin to plot. As Joseph struts towards them in that fancy coat, their first thought is to kill him. This anger and hatred gets de-escalated into just tossing him into a dry cistern. In the end the brothers sell him to some merchants passing by. It is a win-win for the brothers. Joseph is gone forever and they have a little money in their pockets.

It is a challenging story because on the surface it does not appear that God is anywhere to be found. Sometimes it feels like that in our lives when we find ourselves in an ugly situation. And yet God is at work. God is always at work. The first challenge then is either to not sink down to a lesser level, as the brothers did, or to recognize our role in the problem, as Joseph failed to do. The second challenge is to keep looking forward and upward when we’ve failed to meet the first challenge. Even in the pit we must believe that God is at work. It is true in Joseph’s story and it will be in our story.

Prayer: Lord God, in those moments when we feel like Joseph or one of the brothers, remind us of your presence. If we’ll allow it, lead and guide us through. If we fail, come back around in love. Bring us through to see how you were at work. Thank you for your faithfulness, O God. Amen.


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Again and Again

Reading: Psalm 17:1-7 and 15

Verse 6: “I call on you, my God, for you will answer me; turn your ear to me and hear my prayer.”

Photo credit: Diego Gennaro

When you go to the Lord God, how do you pray? Do you pray with boldness and confidence? Or do you pray with humility and meekness? Or do your prayers typically fall somewhere in between these parameters?

We often think that prayers have to be a certain way. They don’t. We often think that we should leave the praying aloud stuff to the professionals. We shouldn’t. We often think we need to hold back our emotions. Uh, no. We often think that we are bothering God with our little requests. Never ever.

Looking at Psalm 17 we see one model for our prayers. But Psalm 17 is not the one right way to pray. There are many other Psalms and many other models of prayer that we find littered throughout the Bible. In this Psalm we can find elements that are worthy of noticing and emulating. First, David’s heart is right when he comes to God. There is no deceit or sin. He has been walking faithfully with God. Second, there is a trust in their relationship. They are not strangers. In verse 6 David prays, “I call on you, my God, for you will answer me; turn your ear to me and hear my prayer.” David is confident and bold. This is built up on their steady relationship and upon David’s experience with God. David goes to God in prayer again and again. God answers again and again.

Again and again… That’s the way to pray. May it be so.

Prayer: Lord God, your presence never fails. You are always there to hear my prayers. Thank you for your faithful heart. Thank you for desiring such a close and personal relationship with me. Guide me and help me to walk in your way of love, seeking righteousness and holiness and my foundations. Amen.


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Abundant Blessings

Reading: Genesis 24:34-38

Verse 38: “Go to my father’s family and to my own clan, and get a wife for my son.”

In a day and age when we fall in love and court and get married to that very special someone, the story of Isaac and Rebekah might be hard to wrap our heads around. It might feel impersonal. It might feel odd or even icky to seek a spouse from one’s own family. All of this is true. Yet this is not the story of Abraham working everything out. It is the story of God guiding and directing and providing for the continuation of God’s promises to Abraham and Sarah and to you and me.

God continues to be faithful, even when Abraham and Sarah fail to be faithful. God continues to work with their failures and imperfections, working out God’s plan in spite of human-made detours. God’s covenant love flows on, making a connection between Isaac and Rebekah.

Today’s passage is a retelling of the events that just happened. The back story and actual events happen in verses 1-33. We get the recap in today’s verses. The Lord has blessed Abraham abundantly and now has blessed his son Isaac by providing him with a wife. Things unfolded with God’s hand clearly guiding and directing things. This is the culmination of the servant’s oath to “Go to my father’s family and to my own clan, and get a wife for my son.” How could this not be God’s hand at work?

This same covenant love continues to be at work in the world and in our lives. God’s good plans and the fulfillment of God’s promises remain at work, inviting us to be a part of the plans and to partake in the promises. May we choose to walk in covenant love with our God, experiencing God’s abundant blessings as we walk faithfully and obediently.

Prayer: Lord God, I know that you have good plans for those that love you. I know that you have sealed our salvation through the blood of your only son. I know that your love pours out mercy and grace along with provision, guidance, and blessing. Lead me in a faithful and obedient walk day by day as I seek to dwell in your covenant love and in an everlasting relationship with you, my Lord and Savior. Amen.


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Praise, Worship

Reading: Psalm 33:1-5

Verse 4: “The word of the Lord is upright, and all God’s work is done in faithfulness.”

Photo credit: Shane Rounce

Today the psalmist calls us to praise God. We’re called to “sing joyfully” and to “make music” and to “shout for joy.” We are invited to praise and worship God because “the word of the Lord is upright, and all God’s work is done in faithfulness.” While this is most certainly true, it isn’t always easy to live these things out.

Sometimes (or often) life is hard. Bad or sad news about this or that is received. Unwanted change comes. Evil exists and it touches our lives. We battle depression or insecurity or guilt or shame. It is not always easy simply to “praise the Lord.” And yet we are called to do this.

Verses 4 and 5 contain the “how” or the “why.” The psalmist reminds us that God’s word is “faithful and true.” We’re reminded that God is “faithful in all God does.” In the next verses we are reminded of God’s “unfailing love” that fills the earth – especially for “righteousness and justice.” When one begins to accept and stand upon and live into these truths, then praise and worship become possible – no matter what life brings.

God is with us. God is for us. Our brothers and sisters in Christ are with us and for us. Thanks be to God.

Prayer: Lord God, you are with me, you are with us. Your love never fails and it never ends. May righteousness and justice mark our lives, revealing you to others as we live a life of praise and worship. Lead and guide us, O Lord. Amen.


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Credited with Righteousness

Reading: Romans 4:18-25

Verses 20-21: “He did not waver… but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised.”

Our passage begins with these words: “Against all hope.” I bet Abraham could have felt that way later in life. At 75 he was called by God. He was faithful and departed Haran, making his way to Canaan. Upon arriving he again heard God’s blessing to be a “father of many nations.” It is 25 years later and Sarah is still barren. Abraham himself was 100. He was certainly in a position where he could have felt it was “against all hope.”

And yet… “He did not waver… but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised.” He continued to keep the faith. He continued to choose to believe that God was good and faithful and true. Paul reminds us that his faith grew. When most of us would waver, when most of us would doubt, Abraham doubled down. Because he believed, he gave glory to God. He trusted that God would do what God said would be done. Because of this, Abraham is credited with being righteous.

In verse 23 Paul includes us in this scenario. If we believe in Jesus Christ as Lord of our life, we too will be credited with righteousness. If we believe that Jesus died for our sins and that he was raised from the dead, we will be made right before God. We will be credited with righteousness. This is our promise too. Thanks be to God.

Prayer: Lord God, thank you for the great example set by Abraham. His sure and steady faith is a model for us to follow. And thank you for Jesus Christ, the one who died for our sins , the one who opens the way to life eternal. Amen.


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Praise the Lord!

Reading: Psalm 104:35b – “Praise the Lord, O my soul. Praise the Lord.”

Today’s reading is short and sweet. It centers on just one thing. So what does it mean or look like to praise the Lord?

The simplest and perhaps most obvious answer is worship. We gather together on a Sunday morning or a Saturday night or whenever to praise and worship the Lord. This formal setting often includes reading and proclaiming the scriptures, songs and/or hymns, prayer, and fellowship. There may be other elements too. These corporate gatherings are a way that we praise the Lord as the community of faith.

Some of these public worship practices are also a part of our personal faith life. In our daily quiet time we often read and meditate on scripture, we pray, and maybe we journal or write about our reflections on the word. In their quiet time some may thank God for their blessings, offer confessions… Each of these are also a means to praise the Lord.

Every time we listen to the Holy Spirit and follow the guidance or respond to the conviction with confession and repentance, we are praising the Lord. Being obedient and faithful to the voice or the nudge is another way that we bring praise to the Lord – by living a life of faith. The Holy Spirit often leads us to action: loving a neighbor, helping one in need, bringing consolation to the grieving… Not only is being the hands and feet of Jesus an act of praise – it invites the other to praise the Lord for what has been done on their behalf.

As we seek to live a life that praises the Lord, in what other ways do you praise the Lord?

Prayer: Lord God, you are ever present in my life. So I ask that you would use me today ever as a means of praise – whether it is me praising you in word or action or if it is these things drawing another to praise you. Amen.


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Three Lessons

Reading: Acts 1:12-14

Verse 14: “They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers.”

Photo credit: Clay Banks

In yesterday’s portion of Acts 1 Jesus gives the disciples some instructions. They were to stay in Jerusalem until the Holy Spirit was given. And they are to be witnesses of Jesus to the ends of the earth. Now, I do not know about you, but I might have tried to tackle these in reverse order. I am a doer. It is hard for me to wait when a clear task is right there in front of me.

The disciples return to the city and gather in the place they’ve been staying. The 11 gather together with other devoted followers of Jesus: “They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers.” This faithful group was “constantly in prayer.” There are several lessons for us to take away from these three verses.

First lesson: follow Jesus’ instructions. Trust that God has a plan and a purpose and that you are equipped for it. Be obedient to that. Second lesson: include others. Note that the 11 didn’t huddle up and shoo everyone else out. Like them, we need to realize that being witnesses is all of our jobs. It’s not a task just for the pastor or other church staff or even the leadership team. Together we accomplish this task better and more effectively. Third lesson: pray. Pray a lot – “constantly.” Pray about what was spoken to you by the Holy Spirit, by the Bible, by someone… Wrestle with it before God. Seek discernment and direction. Spending time in prayer further connects us to God and to God’s plan and purpose. This deepens our faith. And this better equips us for the task that God has laid before us.

As we all seek to witness to our faith may we be obedient to God’s instructions, may we seek out others to walk faithfully with, and may we pray, pray, pray.

Prayer: Lord God, speak to me today. Lay out your plan and purpose for me. Grant me the will, the courage, and the faith to be obedient. Lead me to those you want me to partner with in ministry. Reveal all we need to know and understand as we spend time in holy and prayerful conversation with you. Amen.


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God at Work

Reading: Acts 1:6-11

Verse 6: “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?”

As we begin in Acts 1 this week, let us first step back to the gospel of Luke. At the end of Luke’s gospel Jesus’ last words are: “But stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.” The gospel closes with Jesus’ ascension into heaven. In Acts, Luke backtracks slightly, sharing a story that happened “on one occasion.” Perhaps it is a retelling of the story at the end of Luke. During this encounter, Jesus instructs them to stay in Jerusalem until they are “baptized with the Holy Spirit.” It is from these statements that the disciples ask, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?”

In their three years with Jesus they had witnessed his power – the teachings, the miracles, the everyday steadfast obedience to God alone. And then they witnessed his power over even death. They heard him saying something about receiving power from on high. It is not illogical to think that maybe now Jesus will establish the kingdom here on earth, restoring Israel along with all of creation. Jesus answers their question in typical Jesus fashion: not yet, just wait.

Jesus first tells them that it is not for them to know the ‘when.’ That’s up to God. He’s clear though that it’s not yet. Jesus then tells them to focus on the task that he is giving them. Jesus clarifies the “power from on high” concept. The power is so that they can “witness in Jerusalem, in Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Just wait, there is much work to do. Jesus calls them to continued faithful discipleship, leaning into and trusting in the power of the Holy Spirit that is coming soon. Then just wait to see how God is at work in your lives and in the world.

We have received the Holy Spirit. We too have the same task. May we be good and faithful witnesses, empowered by the Holy Spirit, blessed as we experience the working of God daily in our lives.

Prayer: Lord God, in those days it was so much for the disciples to take in, to process, to begin to understand. The same can be true for us. So, Lord, help us to lean into and to trust in the power and in the working of the Holy Spirit. Thank you. Amen.