pastorjohnb

Thoughts and musings on faith and our mighty God!

Tag Archives: guidance


by Leave a comment

Right Living

Readings: Proverbs 12 and 13

‭Proverbs 13:13 – “Trouble will come on those who despise a word, but those who respect the commandment will be rewarded.”

One theme that we see in today’s readings is the value of being willing to listen to God. Fools tend to think that their way is the right way but the wise are willing and open to advice. A wise son (or daughter) listens while mockers do not. Parents who love their children discipline them. Those who withhold discipline “hate their children.” When we choose to listen to and to follow God’s will and ways, we grow in both wisdom and in our faith.

We also grow in God’s favor. This is a second theme that we see today. God favors the good but condemns the wicked. The way of the righteous leads to life. The detestable path of the wicked leads to death. As the righteous walk this good path, they rejoice in the light. The lamp of the wicked will go out, leaving them in darkness. May our light shine for all to see.

This theme of right living is also revealed in how we impact or affect others. The plans of the righteous are just and their words are full of truth. This gives good guidance to their neighbors. The wicked deceive, leaving neighbors to wander. There’s a personal application too. Righteousness guards our words and our lives. Wickedness only misleads. Actions matter too. The prudent act intelligently but fools display stupidity. Walk with the wise and become wiser. Befriend fools and invite trouble.

We also find some practical advice in today’s readings. If one works the land, they will have plenty to eat. Empty pursuits yield nothing good. The lazy have strong desires but get nothing. The diligent are satisfied. Not wealthy, but satisfied, content, blessed. May it be so for you and for me.

Prayer: Lord God, in all we do and say and think, may we honor you and bring you the glory. In all that we seek, work, and strive for, may we consider first your will and your way. In our interactions and encounters, may our lives be a witness to your design and purposes for our lives and for our world. Amen.


by Leave a comment

Samuel Grieves Saul

Readings: 1st Samuel 14, 1st Samuel 15

1st Samuel 15:22 – “Does the LORD want entirely burned offerings and sacrifices as much as obedience to the LORD?”

What a contrast we find between Saul and his son Jonathan. In the battle with the Philistines, Jonathan looks to God for guidance and he trusts in God’s presence for the victory. The Philistines invite battle, indicating God has handed them over. Saul’s scouts notice the panic in the Philistines’ camp. His initial reaction is to seek God’s guidance. But when the panic increases, Saul tells the priest, “Withdraw your hand.” Saul decides on his own to engage in battle. He makes the troops swear a foolish pledge heading into battle.

Inadvertently, Jonathan breaks the pledge. When told of it, he astutely notes that his father’s pledge has “brought trouble on the land.” Because of this pledge, the battle will be less than complete. The exhausted troops sin by eating meat with blood in it. Saul acts to stop this sin. He now wants to continue the fight. This time he is prompted to ask God. God is silent. Sensing God is angry, Saul senses what he thinks is sin. Lots are cast and the lot falls to Jonathan. Saul pledges to follow through – Jonathan must die! But the troops intervene, rescuing Jonathan from Saul’s folly.

Samuel then comes to Saul and shares God’s direction with him. Saul is to attack the Amalekites and to place them under the ban. This means to totally destroy everything. Victory is won but disobedience is present too. King Agag and the best sheep, cattle, and everything else of value is kept. Saul tells Samuel he followed God’s directions. Samuel asks then why he hears the bleeding of sheep. Saul makes excuses. Samuel asks, “Does the LORD want entirely burned offerings and sacrifices as much as obedience to the LORD?” Samuel informs Saul that God has rejected him as king. Saul knows he has sinned. Samuel and Saul return to their homes after worshipping God. Samuel grieves over the man he will never see again.

Prayer: Lord God, where and when do I try to offer rivers of oil and piles of offerings instead of surrendering my heart fully to you? When and where do I try do for you instead of simply being present to you? By the power of your Holy Spirit teach me obedience and reverence over doing and striving. Draw me to your heart, welcome me into your presence. Amen.


by Leave a comment

Pour Out Water, O God

Reading: Psalm 78:1-4 and 12-16

Verse 15: “He split the rocks in the wilderness and gave them water as abundant as the seas.”

Psalm 78 is one of many songs that the Israelites would sing at major festivals to remember the acts of God on their behalf. It begins with a declaration in verses 1-4. Asaph declares that they will tell the stories, that they will “tell the next generation.” As the people of God, we continue in this practice. Tomorrow, the Bible that we will read and learn and worship from is the same story of faith that it has been for 2,000 years. We too stand in a long line of many witnesses who have told the next generation of God’s love and power.

However, our faith is not solely based on events that happened long ago. We are also very much a people of the here and now. Yes it is important to remember how God has been faithful. It is also very important to remember that God is faithful and that God will be faithful.

Today verse 15 stood out to me: “He split the rocks in the wilderness and gave them water as abundant as the seas.” It drew me to consider how it applies to my life today. Feeling like we are in the desert or wilderness is a regular part of life. Having a “rock” in the road of life happens. Stepping forward and seeking God’s presence and guidance is an act of faith. Here we draw upon our past experiences with God’s acts in our lives. With that strength we can call upon God to pour out waters upon us and in our lives. What is your rock? How can you draw upon our God who is faithful and cares for you?

Prayer: Lord God, that rock can seem so big. It can cause me to get stuck. Yet that rock is a tiny pebble to you. In the desert you brought forth the water of life from a rock. Nothing is impossible with you. Lead me to step forward today, knowing that you are faithful, trusting in your love for me. Amen.


by 1 Comment

Three P’s

Reading: Exodus 16:6-15

Verses 6-7: “In the evening you will know that it was the Lord who brought you out of Egypt, and in the morning you will see the glory of the Lord.”

Continuing on in Exodus 16 we see 3 traits of God on display. Two are obvious and one is found “between the lines.” In verses 6-7 we read about one: God as provider. Because the people are hungry and are unable to provide for themselves, God brought quail at night and manna in the morning. God is our provider too. Sometimes food is what we need. Sometimes it is peace or joy or strength or the opening of a door or guidance for a next step.

The second trait is found in both the manna and in the cloud. God’s presence is found in the glory in the cloud and in the thin flakes that appear on the desert floor. In their doubt and in their want, God’s presence fills these voids. God is present to us too. Maybe it is in worship. Maybe it is on a walk. Maybe it is when you bow your head in prayer. Or maybe it’s in those moments of great need when you feel God’s arms and love surrounding you.

The third trait is God’s patience. The testing and the grumbling are already frequent, just days into this journey. It’s like your child asking “Are we there yet?” before you’re out of the driveway. Moses even makes it clear that the Israelites are really grumbling “against God.” It doesn’t seem to bother God. At all. God knows the big picture, the master plan. And God knows us too. God created us. God is not done with the Israelites and God is not done with you or with me. Although we also grumble… and doubt and question and worry and… God is ever so patient. Hallelujah!

Prayer: Lord God, you are indeed provider, presence, and patience. We need each in large volume. You give and give and give out of your great love for us. May our response be to live there out with one another. Amen.


by Leave a comment

Our Shepherd

Reading: Psalm 23

Verse 6: “Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life.”

Photo credit: Patrick Schneider

“The Lord is my shepherd…” These are such familiar words. We know them and the words that follow mostly by heart. These verses bring comfort, peace, strength, assurance. These words are right up there with “Our father who art in heaven…” The image of a shepherd evokes thoughts of care and guidance, of direction and provision. All of this is found in the 23rd Psalm.

“I shall not be in want.” This is such a summary statement. It speaks of God’s all-inclusive, all-encompassing care for us. In a world that promises to satisfy our wants, we soon enough find out that all the world offers is shallow and temporary. God alone provides what we really need deep down – green pastures, still waters, the restoration of our soul, guidance in this life. These feel maybe a bit mundane or basic yet they are essential to our lives. In the good seasons of life, it can be easy to forget the source or to become ungrateful for all of these simple blessings that God provides.

“Even though I walk…” This verse reminds us of our deep need for God. In the valley – whether because of grief or loss or because our enemies seem all around us – God is with us, the rod drawing us close, the staff protecting us from all that assails us. This comfort and protection are both also all-inclusive and all-encompassing. So too are the blessings that follow in the Psalm. The table, the anointing, the cup – they all overflow. God is so good. “Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life.” Thanks be to God.

Prayer: Lord God, thank you for always shepherding your people. From the wilderness experience to the quiet whisper on the mountaintop and in many other ways, you lead and guide, you provide, you restore, you rescue. In the incarnation you gave voice to who and what you are in a new expression. You led and taught, you reconciled, you set for us an example to follow. And in the Spirit you continue the conversation, the provision, the guidance, the love and care. Thank you God for shepherding your people, for shepherding me. Amen.


by Leave a comment

Remembering

Reading: Micah 6:1-5

Verse 5: “My people, remember… remember your journey… that you may know the righteous acts of the Lord.”

Yesterday I co-led a workshop at a church about an hour south of where I live and serve. This unique congregation was birthed when four small churches came together. Just over thirty years ago I taught school for two years in one of these communities. As we drove down, I thought about those years and hoped that I would see some familiar faces. It was wonderful to get reacquainted and to remember our time together. I was also reminded that not all was wonderful. I was young and I was inexperienced. I learned a lot, some of it the hard way. Yet this too was good to remember. Even in hard times we learn and grow and change.

As Micah 6 opens God first lodges a case against Israel. Then God invites Israel to remember. The people have wandered from God. They are living outside of the covenant. Micah has come and has worked to call the people back into right relationship with God. To begin that journey, God invites the people to remember their rescue from slavery, to remember Moses, and to remember God’s guidance on their journey. Through Micah, God says, “My people, remember… remember your journey… that you may know the righteous acts of the Lord.” God is seeking to rekindle their faith, to get the people of God back on track. To remember can also call us into account. To remember can call us back to our roots, to our foundations. Taken together these processed can draw us back into right relationship with God as we find hope once again in our covenant with God.

Where are you today in your relationship with God? Are you walking in covenant love? If so, celebrate and rejoice! Are you wayward, in need of restoration? If so, remember how God has redeemed and guided you in the past. In that remembering, claim again the hope and love of God.

Prayer: Lord God, as I consider these questions, I find myself somewhere in the middle – mostly good in our relationship yet not quite completely devoted. So I ask you to draw me in deeper, to make me more wholly thine. May it be so, O God. Amen.


by 2 Comments

Hard But Not Impossible

Reading: Psalm 145:1-5

Verses 2-3: “Every day I will praise you… Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise.”

Photo credit: Kyle Johnson

The psalmist declares that today is a day to praise the Lord. David declares that he will extol and praise God “forever and ever.” In verses 2-3 we read, “Every day I will praise you… Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise.” One cannot argue with the second half of this statement. God is great and worthy of our praise. For emphasis, David adds, “God’s greatness no one can fathom.” True!

Speaking of truth, I struggle with the “every day” part. Maybe David wrote these words when everything was going great – peace abounded, the nation prospered, the family was all getting along swell. I have those days, even those seasons, when life is great, when God seems to be smiling down upon my life. During these times it is easy to extol God’s name and to be grateful as I praise the Lord. The challenge of “every day” comes when life is a challenge. Does this ring true for you too?

When something goes totally off the track at work, when your son or daughter enters the terrible 2’s or their independent streak teen years, when you read that post or snap that rockets your blood pressure way north of normal, when your spouse or close friend begins a journey with a terrible disease or illness… The list can go on and on concerning the “every day” challenge.

There are days when it is hard to praise God. God is still great and absolutely worthy of my praise. It’s me and how I’m seeing and reacting to a temporal, earthly circumstance or situation. When my focus slips down to this place, then it can become a hard thing to extol and praise the Lord. Hard but not impossible. The second half of our Psalm 145 reading offers guidance. Join me later in the week as we see what helped David to praise God every day.

Prayer: Lord God, steady my faith. Level out what sometimes feels like a roller coaster – so strong one day and seemingly absent the next. You are a constant presence through the Holy Spirit. Help me to be more constant. Less of me and more of you, O God. Amen.


by Leave a comment

Walking with Others

Reading: Psalm 34: 1-8

Verse 2: “My soul will boast in the Lord; let the afflicted hear and rejoice.”

Having narrowly escaped his encounter with King Achish, David writes this Psalm. (For more detail on this event read 1st Samuel 21: 10-15.) David could’ve written about how clever he was to escape this dangerous situation. He could’ve celebrated outsmarting an enemy. David does not do any of this. David correctly identifies the source of the guidance that led him past this dangerous place: God.

The Psalm begins with praise. David extols God, boasts about God, and glorifies God. He is so thankful. But don’t miss the second half of verse two. It begins with, “My soul will boast in the Lord.” This is the ‘what.’ The second half is the ‘why’: “Let the afflicted hear and rejoice.” David writes to let others who find themselves in a dangerous situation to know that God is good, powerful, and on their side too. David shares his experience of when God rescued him so that others can trust God to do the same for them. In verse four David writes, “I sought the Lord, and the Lord answered me; the Lord delivered me from my fears.” He is giving witness to God’s protection and guidance.

The reality is that we who have walked a while with the Lord also have stories of God’s intervention in our lives. We can all identify times when God rescued us, when God guided us through, when God saved us… Now you or I might not write a beautiful Psalm to express these experiences, but we are still called to share our stories of faith. As we too praise and witness to our faith and to the power and might of God, we help others to “taste and see that the Lord is good.” Doing so we will help others to experience how “blessed is the man [or woman] who takes refuge in the Lord.” As God presents opportunities to walk with others in faith may we make the most of them, drawing others deeper into relationship with God.

Prayer: Lord God, we never like the valleys that we walk through at times. These times that are just part of life are often times and places of growth in our faith. They become opportunities to help others walking a similar valley. Empower and use us to see the opportunities and to trust into you as we witness to our faith experiences as we walk alongside another, reminding them of your love and power, of your grace and might. Amen.


by Leave a comment

Humble Connection

Reading: 1st Kings 3: 3-14

Verse 12: “I will do what you have asked. I will give you a wise and discerning heart”.

As we continue in 1st Kings 3 today we see that Solomon’s burnt offerings and humble request were pleasing to God. Instead of asking for long life or wealth or the death of his enemies Solomon asks to be able to lead this “great people of yours”. Solomon recognizes both the role he has been called to play and the significance of God’s people among the nations of the earth.

Each of us has a call upon our lives. For most of us it is not to lead nation or even a huge organization. Yet we are each called to lead and to exert influence on the people around us. David was “righteous and upright in heart” – he led Israel this way and passed this faith along to Solomon. As Christians we too are called to lead by example. Whether our families or a business, whether our circle of friends or a church – we all have spaces that can and should be influenced by our faith. Understanding that, what are the offerings and requests that we bring to God?

In our areas of influence, are we giving of ourselves? Are we generous with what we offer to God and to those around us? When others are blessed by our presence in their lives, then we are bearing witness to the love of God within us, then we are shining the light of Christ into the world. To parallel David’s and Solomon’s hearts for God, are our requests in alignment with God’s heart? Do we pray for guidance and direction in the building of God’s kingdom here on earth? If these are the humble prayer requests that we bring to God, then God will use you and me for his purposes. Our lives will be a pleasing and fragrant offering to the Lord our God.

In verse twelve God responds to Solomon’s humble request with these words: “I will do what you have asked. I will give you a wise and discerning heart”. As we walk in humble connection to God this day may we seek to live with an upright and righteous heart, pleasing God and lifting up our neighbors in love. May it be so.

Prayer: Lord God, to acknowledge the call and to accept the role can be scary and intimidating. All things are possible with you. Nevertheless, I humbly bow and offer all of me to you. Use me as you will, O God. Amen.


by Leave a comment

Spirit Touch

Reading: Mark 6: 14-29

Verse 20: “Herod feared John and protected him, knowing him to be a holy and righteous man”.

Photo credit: Sharon McCutcheon

Herod Antipas became king after his father died. Herod “the great” was the ruler when Jesus was born, the one who had all the baby boys killed in a fear-driven attempt to remove potential competition. His son, Herod Antipas is not so violent, not so decisive. Today’s passage begins with this Herod hearing about Jesus. As he was with John the Baptist, he is intrigued with Jesus. And as rumors begin to fly about Jesus, Herod wonders if John the Baptist has returned to haunt him.

The bulk of the passage recounts the beheading of John. Herod had John arrested for speaking out against his marriage to Herodias. This greatly angered her. Given the choice, she would have killed John immediately. But Herod “feared John and protected him, knowing him to be a holy and righteous man”. Herod sensed something in John. In the same way he sensed something about Jesus that night that Jesus was on trial. There too he failed to stand for what he knew was right. There too he allowed the crowd and the opinions of others to lead him to make a decision that he knew was wrong.

When we are intrigued by Jesus instead of sure of our faith, we too can easily be led astray. When we become more concerned with the things of this world than with God’s ways, we too can be drawn away from the things of God. We can be just like Herod. Yet in these moments the Holy Spirit whispers to us, nudges us in the right way, in the holy way. Unlike Herod, we have an ally, a guide, a friend. When put to the test may we open our hearts and minds to the direction of the Holy Spirit, bringing glory to God. May it be so.

Prayer: Lord God, when the voices of the world howl loudly, when the pressure of peers pushes in, help me to hear the quiet whisper, to feel the gentle nudge. Day by day may there be more of you and less of me. Amen.