pastorjohnb

Thoughts and musings on faith and our mighty God!

Tag Archives: flood


by Leave a comment

A Simple Choice

Reading: Matthew 7:24-27

Matthew 7:25 (or 27) – “The rain fell, the floods came, and the wind blew and beat against that house.”

We all live in a broken world where evil, illness and disease, violence, death, and all the -isms cause hardship, trial, and suffering. Add to this our proclivity to sin, which only increases the challenge of living faithfully in this broken world. These things are true for all people: Christ followers, Muslims, atheists, agnostics…

For Jesus, in today’s passage, there are two choices with two distinct outcomes. One can choose to hear and put into practice his words and example, or one can hear and choose not to allow his words to shape and guide one’s life. It is a simple choice: obey or disobey.

And there is an outcome of effect of one’s choice. In our broken world, “The rain fell, the floods came, and the wind blew and beat against that house.” Sin, evil, sickness, prejudice, injustice, pride… will rain down on our lives. The guilt, the stress, the shame, the suffering, the doubt – they will flood into our heart, mind, soul, and body. They will beat against our faith or against our psyche, depending on the choice we made to trust self or to trust God.

Those who choose to hear and obey are the “wise” who chose life and faith. These lives are “firmly set on bedrock.” Jesus is our bedrock, our firm foundation. Those who choose the ways of the world are the “fools.” They are building on sand. It is a simple choice: God or self? Our choices determines if we can withstand the storms of life. May we choose to build our lives upon Jesus Christ, our rock.

Prayer: Lord God, the way of the world is wise and easy and it leads to destruction. Your way is narrow and hard but it leads to abundant life. Surrounded by the voices and other influences of the world, it is hard to stay on your path. The storms of life only increase this challenge. Lord, be near us in all things, at all times. Amen.


by Leave a comment

Our Sure Foundation

Reading: Isaiah 28:14-17

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

The prophet Isaiah spoke to the southern kingdom of Judah. Today’s passage comes from “First Isaiah” (chapters 1-39) where the prophet reminds Judah of God’s sovereignty and holiness. Isaiah also reminds Judah of the consequences of relying on self and on the things and powers of this world.

In the opening verses Isaiah calls out Judah’s leaders, the “scoffers” who do not think that God is mighty enough to protect them from looming Assyria. Instead of turning to and trusting in God, they have made an alliance with Egypt, with “death.” Judah’s leaders have told themselves that the flood won’t reach them, that their hiding place will keep them safe. No, Isaiah says, these will be swept away. The flood of Assyria will overflow the land. The “rushing flood… you will be annihilated by it.”

God has another plan – one of restoration and redemption. Through Isaiah, God declares, “I’m laying in Zion a stone… a valuable cornerstone… a sure foundation.” The invitation is to trust in the stone, in Jesus Christ. In a time to come, upon this solid foundation, faith will center again on the way of the Lord: “I will make justice the measuring line and righteousness the plumb line.” This call to Holy living remains our call today. May it be justice that flows like a flood across the land. May it be righteousness that wells us within us, flowing out to bring healing and wholeness to our land.

Prayer: Lord God, when we too decide that we can handle it, when we tell ourselves that our power or wealth or another earthly thing will save us, remind us of what and what you are: all-powerful, ever present, always seeking our good. Humble us; drive away our arrogance and self-assurance. Raise up in us a longing for justice and a craving for righteousness. In all things, draw us again and again to stand upon Jesus Christ, our sure foundation, our true cornerstone. Amen.


by Leave a comment

Answered Prayers

Reading: Joshua 4:20-24

Joshua 4:21 – “In the future your children will ask their parents, ‘What about these stones?'”

As the Israelites crossed into the Promised Land, they passed through the waters of the Jordan River much like their ancestors passed through the Reed (or Red) Sea. This time, when the feet of the priests who carried the ark of the covenant touched the water, it parted. What has been at flood stage stopped flowing and backed up to the north so that the nation could cross over on dry land. Imagine what the people of Jericho thought as they heard reports of what happened that day.

Joshua commanded each tribe to pick a man, a representative. These men picked up a large stone from the middle of the river as they crossed over. In verse 20 we’re reminded that Joshua set up the twelve stones as a memorial marker of what had just happened. Then he says to the Israelites: “In the future your children will ask their parents, ‘What about these stones?'” Joshua is not just talking about their actual children. He is also speaking of the generations and generations after who will ask the question. The basic response follows in the rest of our reading for today.

To make it a good story it would need some context and perhaps a little build up. One would certainly include the “why” of the story: to fulfill God’s covenant promise to Abraham. And if it were an honest retelling, they’d tell if the prayers they prayed to God – before, during, and after. They are prayers we would have all prayed. To look at a river at flood stage and to think about walking through it -> prayer. To walk through with water piling up beside you -> prayer. To look back as the rushing water returned to its bed -> prayer. Yes, the whole story would’ve held stories of God’s power and might. And it certainly would’ve included stories of how God answered their honest prayers.

Prayer: Lord God, when you move in our lives or in the lives of those we know, open our eyes to see. Just as you parted the Jordan, you continue to make a way for us when only you can. Guide us to connect our honest prayers to your actions, building our faith. Amen.


by Leave a comment

So It Will Be with Us

Reading: Matthew 24-25

Matthew 24:46 – “Happy are those servants whom the master finds fulfilling their responsibilities when he comes.”

Chapter 24 is almost all about the signs of Jesus’ return. The end of chapter 24 and most of chapter 25 is about being ready or prepared for that day. Chapter 25 closes with the consequences of our decisions and actions leading up to that day. The conversation begins outside the temple, where Jesus predicts its destruction. This leads the disciples to ask about the end times when Jesus will return in glory.

Jesus says there will be many things that will happen. There will be false prophets and false christs. There will be war, famine, earthquakes, great suffering, and persecution. Many will fall away. Then the sun and moon will go dark and the planets will shake. Christ will come on the clouds in great splendor and power. The angels will gather the chosen ones. Jesus then reminds us that no one knows the day or hour. It will come upon the earth just as the flood came upon the people of Noah’s day. The message is clear: stay alert, always be prepared for the day.

From 24:45 through 25:30 we find three parables that describe what it looks like to be alert and prepared. In the first parable we read, “Happy are those servants whom the master finds fulfilling their responsibilities when he comes.” The bad or unfaithful servants will be cut to pieces and thrown into hell when the master returns unexpectedly. In the second parable the wise bridesmaids had plenty of oil (faith.) They will enter the wedding (heaven) when the late groom (Christ) arrives. The door will be closed. The foolish or unprepared will hear, “I don’t know you” when they try to get in. In the third parable the faithful who have put their gifts to work will hear, “Come, celebrate with me.” The lazy and evil will be thrown into the “furthest darkness.”

We close with the parable of the sheep and the goats. This summarizes the results of how one lived. The sheep lived for others, feeding the hungry, visiting the prisoners, welcoming the strangers. They did so in the name of Christ. Eternal life is their final reward. The goats ignored the hungry… Their final reward is eternal punishment. So it will be with us.

Prayer: Lord God, how we live day by day matters. Keep us faithful in the small things, attending to all that you place before us, using the gifts and blessings you have given us to bring your kingdom to fruition. Amen.


by Leave a comment

Justice and Righteousness

Reading: Jeremiah 46-49

Jeremiah 49:2 – “The city will be demolished, and its neighboring villages will be burned to the ground.”

Photo credit: Mukund Nair

Chapters 46-49 contain oracles against the nations around Israel: Egypt, Philistia, Moab, Ammon, Edom, Kedar, Hazor, and Elam. They roughly go from biggest or greatest enemy to least harmful. In each oracle God pronounces judgment and devastation. 49:2 sums up well what will happen to these nations: “The city will be demolished, and its neighboring villages will be burned to the ground.” This day, in each place, will belong to the Lord. The victory will be God’s on these days of reckoning.

There will be panic and no place to hide. The enemy Babylon will come in like a raging flood, sweeping over all nations. There will be screams and cries, mourning in the streets. The people’s pride and arrogance will be brought down low. The pain and devastation poured out on Israel and Judah will be poured back out on them. At the end of half of the oracles, God’s mercy declared that the scattered will be brought back.

We too can face difficulty and challenge when we choose to walk in the ways of these nations. When pride or arrogance drives our decisions and actions, when we oppress those without power or voice, when we gather at the expense of others, and when we ignore the injustices in our land, then we too will be brought down low and perhaps even be scattered by the Lord our God, the God of justice and righteousness.

Prayer: Lord God, help us to learn the lessons of the past that you place before us. Fill us with wisdom so we don’t walk these roads ourselves. And when we do make the wrong choices, lead us back home to you. Amen.


by Leave a comment

In Love and in Grace

Readings: Genesis 6, Genesis 7, Genesis 8, Genesis 9:1-17

Genesis 6:9b: “Noah was a moral and exemplary man; he walked with God.”

Today’s readings center on the great flood. God sees that humanity has become “thoroughly evil.” Every thought was “completely evil.” The world was so bad that God even regrets making human beings. This situation leaves God “heartbroken.” Things are almost as bad as they can get. Almost. There is Noah. In Genesis 6:9b we read, “Noah was a moral and exemplary man; he walked with God.” At least there is Noah. At least there is one person that is worth saving.

Today our world is not perfect. It is far from it. Noah was an Old Testament example of piety. I wonder, as God looks down on the earth today, who are the Noahs? Specifically, are you and I modern day examples of an exemplary relationship with God?

In obedience to God, Noah builds an ark and gathers up his family and the animals – a pair of some, seven pairs of others. This gathering up insures not just Noah’s salvation, but the salvation of all of creation. God then shuts the hatch and the rains come down and the “springs of the deep sea” open up. In 7:22 we read, “Everything on dry land with life’s breath in its nostrils died.” The loss of all life is catastrophic, horrific, complete.

Eventually the waters recede. Noah sends out a dove to test the earth’s readiness for life. The third time the dove does not return. God tells Noah to exit the ark. Noah’s first acts on dry land are to build an altar and then to offer a sacrifice to God. This pleases God and moves God to make a covenant. There will never be another flood “to destroy the earth.” God placed “his bow” in the sky – it will be a frequent reminder to God of God’s commitment to stay in relationship with humanity. This is a gift that we rejoice in yet today.

Prayer: Lord God, what a horrible place the world became. Humanity broke your heart. Things deteriorated to the point that your justice required action. Thanks be to you, O God, that we had Noah – an example of faithful living. In your love you provided a way for the world to continue. In your grace you committed to us and to creation forever. Thank you, God. Amen.


by Leave a comment

Step Forward and See

Reading: Joshua 3:10-17

Verses 15-16: “Now the Jordan is at flood stage all during harvest. Yet as soon as the priests… reached the Jordan… the water from upstream stopped flowing.”

If yesterday’s lesson from the first part of Joshua 3 was “come here and listen,” then today’s lesson is “step forward and see.” In verses 10-13 of today’s passage, Joshua tells the Israelites what is about to happen: God will be ahead of you, 12 men will pick up stones for a memorial, the water will be cut off. What is implied is this: we will cross through into the Promised Land. Then, in verse 14, they break camp and the priests, with the ark, lead the way. The ark of the covenant is God’s presence going ahead of them. As they step forward towards the Jordan we learn that “now the Jordan is at flood stage during the harvest.” There is potential in this realization to falter, to doubt, to question moving forward.

We can come to this place in our journeys of faith. We’ve heard the voice or felt the nudge. We’ve been beckoned and have drawn near to hear, to be invited into the plan that God has placed before us. And then that challenge or obstacle appears and it seems huge – “at flood stage.” We can give up or can turn back. Or we can return to what we heard when we drew near, trusting in God’s plan, continuing to move forward in faith.

In the next verse we read, “Yet as soon as the priests… reached the Jordan… the water from upstream stopped flowing.” Yes, see the power of God at work! That step of faith opened the door for God to do an amazing thing. This too is our promise. When we are faithful to draw near and to listen to God, when we step forward in trust, then we too will see the power of God at work. That huge obstacle or giant challenge – nothing to God. With this assurance, may we boldly move forward in faith in the Lord our God.

Prayer: Lord God, you plant seeds and you whisper visions and dreams. You open my heart to acts of mercy, to people and places in need of your experiencing your love and grace. As I draw near and hear your heart for those in need, guide me to step forward, to move out into the world, assured that you go with me and before me in power and might. Amen.


by Leave a comment

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.


by Leave a comment

Covenant God

Reading: Genesis 9: 8-17

Verse 9: “I now establish my covenant with you and with your descendants after you”.

Photo credit: Iker Urteaga

Noah is the central character in our passage but he is far from alone. Noah and family have been on the ark with every other living animal, bird, reptile, insect… for almost a whole year. Imagine being confined to a fairly small space for that long! In reality, though, the current pandemic has felt like that for many. For Noah and crew, the waters finally receed and God calls them out of the ark with the imperative to “be fruitful and increase in number”. The earth must be populated again. New life must return. As they exit the ark, God says, “I now establish my covenant with you and with your descendants after you”. Never again will the whole earth be destroyed by water. A rainbow will remind God and humanity of the covenant.

If the pandemic has not felt like being locked in an ark for you, we all have had other trials and experiences where we wondered if we’d make it through, where we questioned if we’d survive the storm, where we’ve longed to finally catch our breath… As I’m sure Noah and family did from time to time, we have asked why God would allow this terrible thing to happen. This is a questioning born from grief or pain. After these emotions have passed we realize again that death and disease and illness and natural disasters are all part of life. None of these things are God punishing us or the world. At times maybe you, like me, briefly wondered this about COVID. It can sometimes feel that way. At the time of this writing, 2.43 million have died worldwide, with almost half a million of those deaths in the US. This disease has reminded us that we are powerless in many ways and that we can’t totally control everything. In the midst of the loss and grief we have also been reminded again and again of the hope, joy, strength, peace, assurance… that we find in our faith and in our covenant God.

Just as it did for Noah and family, the world as we once knew it has changed forever. We are in a place we never imagined we’d be. Just as the people of Noah’s day said ‘the rain will stop soon’, so too do we think this cannot last forever. We approach a year living in a pandemic. All of us have lost someone or have been impacted by this powerful disease. Yet Noah’s truths remain for us: God is more powerful than any earthly thing and that God is our covenant God. We too need to remember that God is more powerful than anything, even death. God promises to be our God in this life and in the life to come. Thanks be to God.

Prayer: Lord, you are all-powerful and everlasting. You are in total control and you are limitless. Yet you know my name and even the limited number of hairs on my head. You love me. You call me child. Thank you for wanting to be in a personal relationship with even me. Amen.


by Leave a comment

The Light Has Come

Reading: Isaiah 60: 1-6

Verse 1: “Arise, shine, for your light has come”.

The chapter that we read from today is entitled “The Glory of Zion” in my Bible. Zion was another name for Israel and for God’s chosen people. In this, the third section of Isaiah, the prophet writes of hope. He writes of hope because the people are in need of hope. The long years in exile have been difficult. The time in a foreign land has challenged their faith. Life feels dark and dreary. The hope that Isaiah wrote about 800 years before Christ are good words for today.

Chapter 59 leads into today’s passage. At the end of this chapter we find these words: “he will come like a pent-up flood… the Redeemer will come to Zion, to those in Judah who repent of their sins”. These words, read during the era of Jesus Christ, speak of the Messiah. The love of God revealed in Christ swept through Israel and then was carried out across the known world. City by city were swept into faith in Christ as the disciples and apostles brought the good news to those eager to confess and to be baptized into faith. In today’s reading we began by reading, “Arise, shine, for your light has come”. As we read these words just after Christmas we hear these words speaking of Jesus, of our light, of our redeemer.

This week we also read part of the creation story from Genesis 1. It is awesome to think of the complexity and diversity and organization of a world that God simply spoke into being. Passages like today’s remind me that the Bible is much like creation. Today, for example, we encounter a prophet who lived about 800 years before Jesus writing as if he lived right alongside Jesus. It is but one of hundreds of passages that speak of Jesus and of events that will unfold just as they were foretold. Clearly the Bible is part of God’s grand and detailed plan.

As God’s children, as part of the family and community of faith, these 2,800 year old words speak to us. Verse two continues with these words: “the Lord rises upon you, and his glory appears over you”. Yes, the light has come. It continues to shine. May it shine in you today as the Lord’s glory rests upon you.

Prayer: God of glory, the light that brought creation into being was the light that came through the stable almost 2,000 years ago. The light continues to shine. May the light of Christ shine brightly in the world today. Amen.