pastorjohnb

Thoughts and musings on faith and our mighty God!

Tag Archives: forgot


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They Forgot

Reading: Psalm 106:19-23

Psalm 106:21 – “They forgot the God who saved them, the one who had done great things…”

Returning to Psalm 106 today, we read of the incident that happened in Exodus 32. It is the sin of the writer’s “ancestors” that was referenced in verse 6. It is the remembering of how their great grandfathers or great, great grandmothers “acted wickedly.” It is a reminder of how capable the current Israelites are of going down this same path. And it is a warning about how quickly we can turn to idols and sinful behaviors.

As we walk daily with God, we might wonder how this could happen to Israel. God has done so much for them lately: the plagues, the Passover, the parting of the sea, the manna and quail, the water from a rock… If we are tending to our faith, one of our daily habits is thanking God for the blessings, guidance, direction, protection… in our lives. We too should be able to quickly come up with a list of what God has done for us. With this in mind, we do wonder how they ended up worshipping an idol, “a bull that eats grass.”

The answer comes in verse 21: “They forgot the God who saved them, the one who had done great things…” They forgot God. We do this too. We allow temptation to become sin. We turn to our own devices and means instead of to God. We grasp control and seek power instead of surrender. And I am pretty sure that God has gotten ready a time or two to smite us. Or maybe that number is closer to four billion.

In the second part of verse 23, the psalmist reminds Israel of how Moses interceded and of how God’s anger subsided as love and mercy won the moment. This same love and mercy pours out over us when we are less than we are created to be. Thanks be to God.

Prayer: Lord God, thank you for the reminder that even when we chase after promotions and possessions and pleasures, you are nearby, waiting to reconnect with us, ready to pour out your great mercy and love. We are grateful for your Spirit that works and works within us and for your Son who intercedes for us. You are an awesome and amazing God. Amen.


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The Way to Abundant Life

Reading: Psalm 106:1-6 and 19-23

Verse 6: “We have sinned, even as our ancestors did; we have done wrong and acted wickedly.”

Psalm 106 begins by praising and giving thanks to God because God is good and because God’s love endures forever. To praise and give thanks to God for these things is something that we should do every day. The psalmist then notes that we are blessed when we “maintain justice” and when we “do what is right.” Living in alignment with God’s will and ways is a blessed way to live. This is the experience spoken of in verses 4-5. The people of God – when living as the people of God – they enjoy prosperity and joy. What blessing!

The Psalm suddenly turns in verse 6. It gets real honest. Here the psalmist writes, “We have sinned, even as our ancestors did; we have done wrong and acted wickedly.” This is as true for us as it was for the psalmist. Humanity is prone to sin. Left unchecked by the will and way of God, we become selfish and greedy and prideful… We become the one on the throne or we try and surround ourselves with things that make us feel safe and secure. We seek to achieve and gather, these things soon growing into idols. It might not be a golden calf, but it is certainly as temporal and manmade.

We make idols and lose our way for the same reason that the Israelites did: “They forgot the God who saved them.” We do this when we fail to do what the psalmist prescribed in verses 1-6. Praising God for the love and blessings, living out God’s justice and righteousness, and frequently confessing and repenting of our sins – these are the antidotes to becoming selfish, greedy, prideful… This is the way to abundant life, both now and into eternity. May this be the way that we choose to live day by day.

Prayer: Lord God, forgive my wayward and selfish decisions and choices. Strengthen me to change, to grow less selfish and prideful. Replace these with your justice and righteousness. Open my eyes to your works, filling my heart with praise and thanksgiving – for your mighty deeds and for your gentle touches. All praise and glory to you, O God! Amen.


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For You and Me

Reading: Romans 5: 1-11

Verse 5: “Hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit”.

Paul begins chapter five by reminding the Romans and us that because we have been justified by faith (made right with God), we have peace, joy, and hope. As the saved, we stand within Jesus’ grace and within the glory of God. Paul also acknowledges that at times the place we stand will bring a degree of suffering. I love the progression that Paul details in verses three and four. If we keep the faith, suffering will produce perseverance, which will produce character, which will produces hope. Paul concludes his opening thoughts with these words: “Hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit”. Over and in and through all of this, God pours his love into us. God does so by the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is God’s living presence within us. Becoming incarnate and living among humanity for 30+ years was a wonderful gift. Becoming the constant indwelling presence in our hearts: amazing!

Earlier this week we looked at Moses and the Israelites out in the wilderness. Their suffering did not lead to perseverance. Instead, remember how quickly they forgot all that God had done for them very recently and how they turned to grumbling? We too can do this. When trial or suffering or unwanted change comes, we too can lose sight of our faith and seek to work things out on our own. Taught to be independent and self-sufficient, our instinct isn’t always to turn to God first. Even though our own faith journey has taught us that God can and will be present to us and will see us through the valleys, sometimes we forget. In these times, the gift of the Holy Spirit is so important.

The Holy Spirit reminds us of God’s love – that love that has been poured into our hearts. The Holy Spirit calls us back to trusting in God, to seeking that peace, joy, and hope once again. The Holy Spirit calls to mind both the Biblical narrative and our own encounters with our loving and gracious God. And in verse eight we also find a powerful reminder: “God demonstrates his own love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us”. Jesus Christ died to justify us, to save us from our sins, to reconcile us to God. It came at a cost. God gave his only Son so that the rest of his children could be saved. God did this for you and for me. Thanks be to God.

Prayer: God, as I ponder the depth and breadth of your love, I can barely begin to wrap my head around it. But this love is a matter of the heart, not the head. Your love fills my heart. Grant me opportunities today to shed that love abroad. Amen.