pastorjohnb

Thoughts and musings on faith and our mighty God!

Tag Archives: faithful


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Love and Compassion… Forever

Reading: Jeremiah 30-33

Jeremiah 31:33b – “I will put my Instructions within them and engrave them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people.”

Today we read chapters 30-33, known as “The Book of Comfort.” This “scroll” offers words of hope and restoration. It opens with a declaration that the time is coming when God will bring back the captives. This section has the “what you’re about to go through will be really, really hard, but…” feel to it. There will be “screams of panic and terror… a time of unspeakable pain,” but God will deliver them; God will break the yoke on their necks. God will restore and rebuild. There will be laughter and joy. The Davidic line and the Levitical priesthood will both be reestablished. “You will be my people, and I will be your God.”

The defeat and time in exile will be part of the process. This refining and reshaping process will lead to a new covenant. God declares, “I will put my Instructions within them and engrave them on their hearts.” The sin that has been deeply engraved on their hearts will be written over. God states, “They will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest.”

Chapter 32 shares with us a critical moment for Jeremiah, offering him some tangible proof for these promises of God. Jeremiah is in confinement for prophesying the downfall of Jerusalem… He receives word that a cousin is coming to sell him some land. It all happens as God said it would. Jeremiah buys the land. In a practical sense this makes no sense. Judah is about to be conquered. Jerusalem and its temple will be destroyed. Most will die or go into exile. But this is an act of trust and faith. Jeremiah buys the land. God then declares that houses, fields, and vineyards will one day be bought and sold again in this land. Jeremiah responds with a beautiful prayer that recounts God’s power and might, that recalls the sins of Israel and Judah, and that reviews God’s promises of restoration and covenant renewal. Yes, hard times are ahead. Really hard times. But God is faithful. God’s love and compassion endure forever. Thanks be to God.

Prayer: Lord God, we are reminded once again today of our frailty and failures, set against the hope and promise of your enduring and unending love and grace. What a sharp contrast. How different we are from you in so many ways. And yet, yet you hold on, yet you love us anyway. So great is your love for us, O God. Strengthen and encourage us today to be your people. Today. Amen.


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Yes, There Is Hope

Reading: Isaiah 45-48

‭Isaiah 48:10 – “See, I have refined you, but not like silver; I have tested you in the furnace of misery.”

In today’s readings we see the movement towards the end of the exile. God has chosen Cyrus, king of Persia, to be the instrument of change. Even though Cyrus does not yet know God, he will be used by God. Some people must have questioned the choice of Cyrus. In verses 9-13 God addresses these doubters, asking, “Are you questioning me about my own children?” God then again asserts the right to use Cyrus as the method to end the exile.

The last part of chapter 44 and most of 45 remind Israel of the worthlessness of idols. The idol makers will be shamed and disgraced. The idols don’t respond to cries for help, they can’t save anyone from their distress. In contrast, God speaks truth and announces what is correct. God carries Israel – from the womb to old age. These worthless idols – they must be carried from place to place.

The dethroning of Babylon is announced in chapter 47. Yes, God was angry at Israel and Judah. Yes, God chose Babylon to punish them. But Babylon went too far. They took no pity on God’s children. The yoke was heavy. Babylon did not “stop and think… didn’t consider the outcome.” Now destruction is upon them.

Chapter 49 is a reminder of what could have been and hope for what may yet be. God reminds Israel and Judah that they are “stubborn,” with necks of iron and foreheads of bronze. Today we’d say they were selfish and really slow learners. If only they’d follow the commands… then well-being would flow like a river, righteousness would come in waves. If only… their descendants would be like the grains of sand. Yes, and God said in chapter 48, “See, I have refined you, but not like silver; I have tested you in the furnace of misery.” The time has come to try again. God will free Israel from Babylon. They will leave shouting, “The Lord has redeemed his servant Jacob!” Yes, there is hope. Thanks be to God.

Prayer: Lord God, you offer us hope, love, relationship, mercy, blessing. You also remind us that we are prone to chasing after the things of this world as our selfish nature rises up. If only we ever chose you. If only we always were holy and faithful. Like Israel, we fail again and again. Yet with you there is always hope. You long to redeem us. You do so again and again. Thank you, God. Amen.


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In Spite of…

Reading: Isaiah 28-31

‭Isaiah 28:17 – “I will make justice the measuring line and righteousness the plumb line.”

Photo credit: Markus Spiske

Today’s reading is largely judgment against Israel and Judah. Isaiah condemns their wayward leaders, their decisions to trust in anything but God, and their choice to ignore his/God’s words. There is also hope found in these chapters. God will one day lay a cornerstone, a firm foundation. And God’s compassion and mercy will win out in the end.

In chapter 28 Israel refused to hear Isaiah’s words. They act like it is baby talk – senseless babble. God will treat Israel’s prayers and cries for help the same way. Israel will not escape the coming flood. God says, “I will make justice the measuring line and righteousness the plumb line.” By these standards Israel falls woefully short.

Isaiah turns to Judah’s fate in chapter 29. Yes, the drive will come. There will be mourning and lamentation in Jerusalem. But God will save them. The enemy “will be like a dream.” They will die in the night. Even with this rescue, the lip service will continue and their hearts will be far from God.

Judah instead turns to Egypt in chapter 30. This misplaced trust will lead to rebellion and then to defeat. Their sin will be like “a crack in a high wall.” This misplaced trust will lead the wall to suddenly fail. And even though swift defeat and time in exile will come, God will again show mercy and compassion. God will redeem and restore. God will spare and rescue. God will provide. Assyria will fall.

This too is our experience. In spite of our sins and failures, in spite of our wandering and disobedient hearts, God remains faithful to us too. Thanks be to God, our redeemer and rescuer.

Prayer: Lord God, it is amazing that even though your people turn to anything and everything except you, you remain steadfast and faithful. This too is our reality. As weak and sinful and idolatrous as we can be, your compassion and mercy are always greater still. Thank you God for being our sure foundation, our rock of refuge. Amen.


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A Healthy Fear

Reading: Proverbs 14

‭Proverbs 14:22 – “Don’t those who plan evil go astray? Those who plan good receive loyalty and faithfulness.”

Today’s key verse summarizes the overarching idea of Proverbs. The goal of Solomon and other sages who contributed to this book was to teach naive young men how to walk faithfully with God. To ignore this wisdom is to turn away from God, to “go astray,” to choose death.

The naive have and will always exist. Therefore Proverbs will be ever relevant. The naive think they know it all but can also fall prey to believing anything. Their sphere of thinking is fairly small, usually centered on self. Common sense is in short supply. All of this can lead to lurching forward in awkward ways. The inward focus can lead to things like “despising” those with needs. With wisdom and maturity brings a thoughtfulness to one’s steps, words, and actions. One begins to see beyond self. Care and concern for others becomes a new reality.

As one gains wisdom and maturity, one also begins to understand the heart. Wisdom brings an understanding of our own heart and of the hearts of others. One grasps and grapples with joy and sorrow, happiness and distress. Empathy develops. We read, “Wisdom resides in an understanding heart.” One moves from considering to prioritizing other over self.

Wisdom eventually leads to a revrent fear of the Lord. This guides one’s choices, words, actions. One chooses integrity over the “crooked path.” One develops a strong confidence and trust in God’s care for us and for our families. Wisdom and a healthy fear of the Lord draws us close to the “fountain of life.” There we are guided to seek a continual walk in God’s will and way. May this be our path and our choice.

Prayer: Lord God, on this journey of life we mature in many ways: physically, emotionally, relationally, vocationally, spiritually. All tend to come with age and experience. We can be a part of the process or we can just go with the flow of life. As your disciples, guide us to engage the process, to invest in our lives, especially in our faith. Rooted deeply in you we find strength, compassion, empathy, love. In you we find meaning and purpose. Draw us deeper and deeper into you, fountain of life. Amen.


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Faithful Love Forever

Readings: Psalms 131-136

‭Psalm 135:14 – “The LORD gives justice to his people and has compassion on those who serve him.”

We begin with Psalm 131, a song of humility. The psalmist isn’t proud or conceited, doesn’t stray from his or her lane. There is contentment in God’s presence. So, “Israel, wait for the Lord.” Psalm 132 speaks of why they can and should. God dwells in the temple and God made a covenant with David. The promise was to have a Davidic king on the throne forever – if they’re faithful. God’s presence provides food, salvation, and protection. The faithful one will shine.

Psalm 133 speaks of unity: “how good and pleasing it is.” Living in unity brings blessings and leads to eternal life, two gifts of God. Psalm 134 gives a pattern of response: lift your hands, bless the Lord! Praise the maker of heaven and earth! Psalms 135 and 136 develop this theme.

Psalms 135 and 136 are very similar. Both call for praising the Lord. Both recall acts that show God’s wonder, power, and might in nature and in Israel’s history. Psalm 135 reminds us that idols are “just gold and silver.” How we still need that reminder. Wealth, in whatever form we chase, is “just gold and silver.” Psalm 136 repeats the line, “God’s faithful love lasts forever,” 26 times. It is the repeated response to all that God has done and to all that God is. May it be our response as well!

Prayer: Lord God, lead us to walk humbly today with you and with all that we encounter. Guide us to live as light, as ones anointed in your love. Remind us too of all the ways that you have compassion on us, your children. And use us today to reveal your faithful love to all of creation. Amen.


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Wait for the Lord…

Readings: Psalms 128-130

‭Psalm 130:6 – “My whole being waits for my Lord — more than the night watch waits for morning; yes, more than the night watch waits for morning!”

Today’s three Psalms form the rest of the “Songs of Ascent.” Now, that’s not to say that Psalm 17 or Psalm 136 couldn’t be sung on one’s way up to Jerusalem. This is so because just like yesterday’s Psalms 120-127 and just like almost any “set” of Psalms, within these three we find cries to God, oppression by the wicked, trust in God to act, and praises for God’s blessings and presence.

Psalm 128 equated being faithful and working hard to having a truly happy life. It offers blessings for a fruitful wife who produces many children, who are like “freshly planted olive trees.” It closes with a hope to “see your grandchildren” – to experience long life, another sign of God’s blessing.

The psalmist cries out for relief in Psalm 129. The enemy has “plowed my back like farmers.” This implies being scourged. Yet God rescued the writer. He or she prays the enemy would be like “grass on the roof” – that they’d experience a very short life because they are evil.

Today’s reading closes with Psalm 130. It is part cry for help, part recognition of God’s great mercy, part encouragement to “wait for the Lord!” The psalmist is in need of forgiveness. They cry out for mercy. They are grateful that “forgiveness is in you” and they acknowledge that without God’s mercy, no one would make it. So they wait eagerly, “More than the night watch waits for morning!” The repetition emphasizes their desperation. The Psalm closes by encouraging Israel to also wait for the Lord. May we do so as well.

Prayer: Lord God, you are so good to us. Your mercy never ends, your grace abounds, your love never fails. You are our guide and our strength, our shield and our defender, our gracious redeemer and our sure hope. Thank you, O Lord our God! Amen.


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The Ebb and Flow

Reading: Psalm 119:89-176

‭Psalm 119:159 – “Look at how much I love your precepts. Make me live again, LORD!”

The first half of Psalm 119 painted a picture of a new and growing faith. In verses 89-176 we find a more mature faith, one that quickly turns to God, one that expects God to act on behalf of the faithful. The overarching theme of these 11 sections can be summed up in today’s key verse: “Look at how much I love your precepts. Make me live again, LORD!” Much like Job, the psalmist wrestles with the good/reward, bad/punish framework of the ancient faith. We wrestle with this too.

This wrestling can be found in verses 126-127 and in 165-166. In the first the psalmist almost demands God’s actions because others have “broken” God’s law and because he or she loves the law more than gold. In verse 165 the statement is made that the faithful enjoy peace and do not stumble. Then in 166 the psalmist says, “Lord, I want your saving help.” I’m good, God. You should save me!

Throughout these sections we also find a consistent theme of loving God’s law and being angry at or hating those who don’t love God’s law. We see this played out in the New Testament too as the religious leaders clashed with Jesus and then with his followers. They couldn’t stomach how Jesus ate with and touched sinners. We too can be a bit like this. We can look down our noses at those who aren’t acting or believing like we act and believe. We can struggle with brothers and sisters in Christ who seek to minister to “those” people.

Overall these sections of Psalm 119 paint an accurate picture of our faith – for good and for bad. We sincerely want to know, understand, and live out God’s will and ways. We can judge and demand. And we can find ourselves as the psalmist did in verse 176: “I’ve wandered off like a sheep, lost.” And we can pray as the psalmist prayer: “Find your servant because I haven’t forgotten your commandments!” No, likely they’re just conveniently misplaced. Lord, help us.

Prayer: Lord God, the ebb and flow is part of the journey. The call to love the least wrestles with our inclinations towards judgment and condemnation. How fickle we are too. So, yes, help us Lord to know you more, to love you more completely, to serve more steadfastly. Continue to gather us back in. Shepherd us on your path. Amen.


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An Extension

Readings: Psalms 108-112

‭Psalm 111:3 – “God’s deeds are majestic and glorious. God’s righteousness stands forever.”

Psalms 108 and 109 seek God’s presence in the struggles against enemies. Psalm 108 begins with praise to God. The psalmist’s “unwavering heart” will make music for all people, proclaiming God’s faithful love. The Psalm celebrates God choosing Gilead, Manasseh… and rejecting Moab, Edom… Yet the writer turns in verse 11, asking the familiar question: Where are you, God? The psalmist asks for God’s help because “human help is worthless.” Psalm 109 seeks God’s help too – just on a personal level. Verses 6-19 detail the “hateful words” spoken by the enemies. From a place of weakness the psalmist begs God to shame and disgrace his or her enemies.

Psalm 110 speaks of kingship. It invites God’s presence with the king, allowing the “mighty scepter” to reach far. The psalmist calls to mind God’s “solemn pledge” to establish the kings. The Psalm closes with a reminder that God’s justice will reign.

Psalms 111 and 112 are similar. They praise God’s work and the workings of a righteous life. There is a parallel here. In Psalm 111 the psalmist praises God’s works as magnificent, majestic, and glorious. God’s righteousness, mercy, and compassion are celebrated. God’s handiwork is honesty and justice. God brings redemption. It closes proverbially: “Fear of the Lord is where wisdom begins.” Psalm 112 echoes these traits of God. The people of God are to be an extension of God. We are to be righteous and generous, merciful and compassionate. In the end, then, we too will see our enemies’ defeat. Death and pain and oppression and struggle will be no more. Thanks be to God.

Prayer: Lord God, your presence is what we need. Whether beset by enemies or praising your glorious reign, we need your presence. On the stormy days and on the days of joy and peace, be present to us, O God. Guide us to walk and live faithfully, shining your love onto and into the world. Amen.


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Ups, Downs, Highs, Lows

Readings: Psalms 85-89

‭Psalm 86:2 – “Guard my life because I am faithful. Save your servant who trusts in you — you! My God!”

Photo credit: Franzie Allen Miranda

Today’s Psalms rise and fall like the highs and lows of our lives. Like these Psalms, our faith can bounce from “Praise God!” to “Where are you, God?” more often than we’d like. Psalm 85, for example, begins with thanks for God’s forgiveness then quickly pivots to a God who seems angry, who yet needs to forgive their sins. The Psalm closes beautifully and with hope. “Truth springs up… righteousness looks down.” Walk with the Lord!

Psalm 86 begins with a series of petitions, each followed by a “because.” In verse 2, for example, we read, “Guard my life because I am faithful. Save your servant who trusts in you — you! My God!” Do these things, God, because I have faith! After celebrating times when God was faithful, the psalmist invites God to act once again: “Come back to me! Have mercy on me!” A faithful one asks, “Where are you, God?”

A short Psalm 87 celebrates that those from Zion are blessed.

Next we turn to Psalm 88. Frankly, it is hard to read. It is a lament that goes down and down, ending in hopelessness. The psalmist cries out to God but feels beyond help. Friends have abandoned the writer. It feels like God has too. The Psalm concludes: “My only friend is darkness.” So why read Psalms like this? There is a really good reason. They remind us that life is not easy. Many people end up here. If you’re not one, then read this Psalm and allow yourself to feel the pain and darkness. The connection will bring a measure of empathy to how you minister to those who walk in the darkness.

We close with Psalm 89 as book 3 ends. A lengthy remembrance of God’s power and of God’s promises to David and his dynasty is followed by 15 verses that ask where God is. It seems that God has broken the covenant. It begs God to let the anger pass. There is an implied plea for restoration. Because you promised this God and because I am faithful… We can certainly relate.

Prayer: Lord God, we encounter so many ups and downs, so many highs and lows today in our readings. Thank you, Lord, for the reminder. We all struggle. We all need support, encouragement, understanding – from you and from one another. We can all offer these things to others. Guide us, O God, each day. As we receive, may we give. Amen.


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Compassionate, Forgiving

Readings: Psalms 76-78

‭Psalm 78:38 – “But God, being compassionate, kept forgiving their sins.”

Photo credit: Shane Rounce

Today’s three Psalms begin with praise, turn to lament, and close with a remembrance of God’s redeeming actions throughout Israel’s history. Psalm 76 recognizes God’s presence in Israel and God’s power over “the shield, the sword.” The psalmist praises God’s justice and care for the poor – another side of God’s compassion. In response, the invitation is given to keep their promises and to bring gifts to God.

The mood shifts in Psalm 77. The psalmist cries out to God day and night. They wonder if God has “rejected me forever.” In verse 11 the mood reverses. The author recalls God’s deeds and power. These are revealed both in the redemption of God’s people with “a mighty arm” and in the power of the thunderstorm. The Psalm closes by remembering Moses and Aaron’s leadership in the wilderness.

This line transitions us into Psalm 78, a teaching on God’s activity with Israel. Asaph begins by declaring the charge to tell future generations these stories. He then summarizes Israel’s history. He is honest, sharing again and again how “they didn’t keep the covenant.” He also recounts how God split the sea, provided manna and quail, gave them the Promised Land. “How often they rebelled” is followed by a review of the ten plagues that led to their freedom from Egypt. And again we read, “They tested and defied…” Shrines and idols replaced God. The Israelites were then delivered into the enemy’s hands. But they weren’t rejected forever. God chose David to lead them back and used Solomon to build the temple – God’s presence amongst the people of God.

We too can be a stubborn and sinful people. We can stray from God, turning to the idols of our time. Yet God’s unconditional love remains: “But God, being compassionate, kept forgiving their sins.” Thanks be to God.

Prayer: Lord God, I am so grateful for your love and mercy. Like the Israelites we try to walk obediently. Yet we fail at times. We separate ourselves from you and eventually cry out, seeking you once again. In your covenant faithfulness you draw us back into relationship. Again and again. Thank you, God. Amen.