pastorjohnb

Thoughts and musings on faith and our mighty God!

Tag Archives: hope


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Stand Firm, Hold On

Reading: 2nd Thessalonians 2:13-17

2nd Thessalonians 2:15 – “So then, brothers and sisters, stand firm and hold on to the traditions we taught you.”

Photo credit: Emma Gossett

Reading the second part of this week’s passage from 2nd Thessalonians, we encounter Paul’s prayer for these churches. This prayer begins with thanksgiving. Paul is first thankful that these churches are loved by God. This love is revealed in their being chosen by God to be “the first fruits of the harvest.” Paul is thankful that God’s plan included these churches as early models of the faith. From their witness, more fruit is surely to come. Their faith, along with belief, has brought salvation to the followers who accepted and are now living out the good news of Jesus Christ. Paul is thankful for their connection to Jesus that empowers their faithful living.

Moving into verse 15 we see Paul inviting those in these churches to remember why all of these things matter. In verse 15 we read, “So then, brothers and sisters, stand firm and hold on to the traditions we taught you.” These things that Paul is thankful for? Hold onto them, use them to help you stand firm in the faith. The false teachers? The persecution and abuse? All the other noise that the world makes? Hold fast to the good news of salvation, trust in God’s love, stand firm on all that you have been taught and have come to believe.

Paul closes by reminding the believers that in love and grace God has given them “eternal comfort and a good hope.” These blessings cannot be taken by the world. They were not given by the world. Therefore, Paul says, be encouraged and receive strength for all that you do and say. Standing on and holding fast to our faith in Jesus Christ, may we do the same.

Prayer: Lord God, thank you for the reminders today that we are loved by you, chosen by you, and saved by you. In this place of love and care, encourage and strengthen us to live faithfully amongst the noise and challenges of this world. Thank you, Lord. Amen.


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A Long Line

Reading: Ephesians 1:11-23

Ephesians 1:13 – “You too heard the word of truth in Christ, which is the good news of your salvation.”

Photo credit: Anne Nygard

Paul first reminds us in today’s passage that we who believe have “received an inheritance in Christ.” Paul sees this outcome as a part of God’s plan for all people. If God were to have God’s way, all people would be disciples of Jesus Christ. That is God’s plan for all people as we are created in the womb. But we do have a choice in the outcome. Sometimes people choose to live by their own way and not God’s way.

For those who have chosen God’s way, choosing to follow Christ, we are called to bring God glory through the living out of our faith. We do this by living as Christ lived. In this living we take our place in a long line of disciples who have shared the faith with others. On this All Saints’ Day we recall those who have lived as Christ, teaching and modeling for us what living a life of faith looks and feels like. In turn, we teach it to and we model it for others – in our homes, in our church, in our workplace, in our community…

We can do so because we have “heard the word of truth in Christ, which is the good news of your salvation.” Accepting this good news we are indwelled by the Holy Spirit. Paul describes this constant presence of the Spirit as a “down payment on our inheritance.” This is a foretaste of being in glory in eternity. The Spirit in us keeps us connected to God. Deposited in our hearts, we are empowered by God. Through this power at work in and through us, we can pass on the faith to others, to the next generation of saints. May it be so!

Prayer: Lord God, today we pray for one another as Paul prayed for the church in Ephesus. Lord, give us “a spirit of wisdom” so that we can know you more and more. Open the “eyes of our heart” so that we can live out the hope that we find in Christ Jesus. Lead us to spiritually kneel before Christ, the head of all things. Amen.


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Worthy in His Power

Reading: 2nd Thessalonians 1:11-12

2nd Thessalonians 1:11 – “We are constantly praying for you for…”

Turning to our second part of this week’s passage from 2nd Thessalonians 1, we read Paul’s prayer for these model churches. For Paul, this is like the many prayers that we lift up each day. As an example, every morning I pray for my whole family, each by name. Paul’s prayers for these churches are like our prayers in another way: he prays for specific things.

Paul first prays that “our God will make you worthy of his calling.” In these faithful and enduring churches, each person has been called by God to follow Jesus. Without God’s call being felt in their hearts or heard in their spirits, they would still be wandering in the darkness of this world. Without this call they would be lost in their sin. All who come to a saving faith in Jesus Christ have received this call from God. At one point we each heard or felt the call and responded by committing to walk in a personal relationship with Jesus.

Next Paul prays that God will “accomplish every good desire and faithful work by his power.” Paul reminds the believers in these churches (and us today) that these things will be accomplished only by and through God’s power. It is not by our power that we move a mountain or comfort a grieving neighbor.

When we live lives that are worthy of the call of God, it is then that Christ is honored, as Paul prays. Note that Paul adds a second honoring: “you will be honored by him.” Christ living in us will honor our faithful walk, bringing us hope, joy, peace, strength, courage… May it be so for you and for me.

Prayer: Lord God, we submit to your will and way, to your presence and power. In humility we ask that you would lead and guide us to live faithfully this day, seeking all that you desire for us and for our world. Bless our works towards this goal, empowering us to share the good news with those who don’t yet know Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Amen.


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Obedience and Righteousness

Reading: Psalm 119:137-144

Psalm 119:144 – “Your laws are righteous forever. Help me understand so I can live!”

In today’s portion of Psalm 119, the psalmist focuses on God’s righteousness. This is one of God’s enduring, unchanging characteristics. In verse 139 we read, “Lord, you are righteous, and your rules are right.” There is a sure connection laid out here. Because God is righteous, all things that comes from God are right, true, tried and tested, and completely trustworthy. The psalmist declares to God that he or she “loves your word.”

These truths are important for the psalmist. As he or she writes, life is not easy. The author feels “insignificant and unpopular.” It feels as if all of those causing the “stress and strain” are like enemies, like people who have completely forgotten God’s Law. This causes anger to rise up in the psalmist. Yet stronger still is their trust in God and in God’s righteousness in particular. The psalmist knows that these truths will endure forever, long after the current hardship passes. Rooting their hope in this fact brings joy even in the midst of the trial.

Today’s reading is in the “Tsade” section of this acrostic Psalm. The Hebrew letter itself is formed from the Hebrew letters Nun and Yod. In the image above the Nun is on the left and bottom. It is bent slightly to represent a humble servant bent in humble submission before God. The Yod is the upper right portion, representing an arm being lifted towards heaven in prayer. Together these images connect obedience and righteousness. Together, the psalmist’s faithful obedience combined with God’s righteousness yields joy and hope in the psalmist’s life. May it be so with you and with me as well.

Prayer: Lord God, we rejoice in your enduring righteousness and in your constant presence in our lives. In the trials, whisper your love into our hearts, drawing us closer to you. In the storms, put your arms around us, assuring us, bringing us strength, helping us to walk in obedient faith and sure trust. Amen.


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A New Covenant

Reading: Jeremiah 31:27-34

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

The prophet’s words that we read today brought great hope to a people living in exile. Just as God had watched over a time of digging up, pulling down, and overthrowing, soon God will watch over a time of planting and growth. The season of experiencing the consequences of the previous generation’s collective sin is coming to a close. The proverbial taste of “sour grapes” will no longer be in their mouths. There is a personalization, an individualization, that will soon occur. Each person will be responsible for their own sins. While there can be great power – for better or for worse – in the collective, the true strength lies within the individuals that are a part of that collective or group or community of faith.

Beginning in verse 31 God speaks of a “new covenant.” It will be very different than the old covenant. The difference is found in verse 33: “I will put my instructions within them and engrave them on their hearts. I will be there God and they will be my people.” Imagine how God’s people, living in exile, would hear these words of hope. God’s will and way will be internalized, “written” on our hearts. Within God’s people, the voice of the Spirit will guide us, lead us, convict us, teach us… We will not have to say to one another, “Know the Lord!” Living within us, we will walk daily in a close, intimate, personal relationship with the Lord our God. What words of hope!

The hope and promise of the new covenant felt by the exiles has been realized in and through Jesus. His teachings and example are what work to “engrave” God on our hearts. His death and resurrection wash away the “sour grapes” of our sin and shame. Jesus’ ongoing presence through the Holy Spirit living in our hearts allows us to walk daily with the Lord our God. For this new covenant, we shout, thanks be to God!

Prayer: Lord God, what a gift, what a friend we have in Jesus! Your living presence in us, showing us the way to go, forming our will to your will – what a personal, loving, powerful way to connect to you, to dwell in your presence, to live out the new covenant. Thank you, Lord, for being our God and for having us as your people! Amen.


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Resolve

Reading: Jeremiah 29:1 and 4-7

Jeremiah 29:5-6 – “Build houses and settle down; cultivate gardens and eat what they produce. Get married and have children…”

In the opening verse we learn that Jeremiah sends a letter to those who have been brought into exile – to the elders, priests, prophets, and people taken to Babylon from Jerusalem. The typical thought process would be figuring out how to get back home ASAP. For us, when we’ve sinned and find ourselves in exile, this is normally our thought process. It will not be so for Jeremiah and for Israel.

This is part of God’s proclamation to Israel: “Build houses and settle down; cultivate gardens and eat what they produce. Get married and have children…” In other words, settle in and become a part of where God has sent you. Treat whatever city of exile as your new homeland. Contribute to the community’s welfare and pray for it. Israel will spend almost two generations in exile (70 years.) During this time God will produce a small but faithful remnant to return to Jerusalem and to the Promised Land.

Jeremiah is calling Israel to the fifth movement of Ignatuis’ Examen: resolve. In more modern language, God is asking Israel to “bloom where you are planted.” Being there for the long haul, God invites Israel to make the most of their new reality. A better future is out there for God’s people. But there is work to be done. Like Israel, at times we must resolve that tomorrow can and will be different. Working through request, relish, review, and repent we arrive at a place of heart prepared to look and move forward with hope. As we resolve to live more like Christ, God’s transforming Spirit leads us forward, deepening our relationship with God and with one another. May it be so each day as we learn to practice this powerful spiritual discipline.

Prayer: Lord God, lead and guide us to walk the walk, not just to talk the talk. Lead and guide us to work the steps, not just to give them a tip of the hat. Only when we put in the effort, only then will you work in and then through us, transforming our hearts and the communities in which we live and in which we worship. Strengthen and encourage us, O God. Amen.


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Fire and Water

Reading: Psalm 66:5-12

Psalm 66:10 and 12 – “But you, God, have tested us – you’ve refined us like silver… we’ve been through fire and water.”

In today’s verses from Psalm 66, the author invites the reader to remember how “awesome” God’s works have been. The specific event remembered is the crossing of the sea. With Pharaoh’s army in hot pursuit, God “turned the sea into dry land” so that Israel could pass through the waters. The nation rejoiced in God’s power as the water closed back in on the Egyptians, freeing Israel. The rebellious leader (and his army) that had exulted self over God was no more. Israel took this as a word of warning against exulting self over God.

The third step in the Examen is “review” – the practice of looking back over the past day. While the corporate review of a major act of God is good for Israel and for our faith, it is the daily reflection that will shape and form us more intentionally. In reviewing the past day we ask ourselves questions like these: When did my words, actions, and thoughts bring healing or hope or light into another’s life? When did my words, actions, or thoughts bring harm to another or to myself? Where was God present? When did I miss or ignore God’s presence? How was I blessed? When did I bless others? When and how did I sin or otherwise fall short?

While the psalmist first celebrates God’s saving acts (relish), the second part of our reading reveals thoughts on these kinds of “review” questions. In verses 10 and 12 we read, “But you, God, have tested us – you’ve refined us like silver… we’ve been through fire and water.” The movement of review reminds us of the waters and fires of our previous day. Both the blessings and the struggles have things to teach us – most profoundly when we are very intentional in our time of reflection. May it be so for us each day as we practice this deep spiritual discipline.

Prayer: Lord God, be with us in Spirit as we pause to reflect on our past day. Help us to be honest – both with the good and with the bad of the day. Guide us to be truthful with ourselves and with you. Lead us to see where change and faith can be applied in order to deepen our walk with you and with one another. Amen.


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A Simple Walk

Reading: Luke 17:5-10

Luke 17:10 – “When you have done everything required of you, you should say, ‘We servants deserve no special praise. We have only done our duty.'”

In the opening verses of chapter 17 Jesus calls the disciples to live in a community of faith that both holds one another accountable and forgives a repentant brother or sister in Christ again and again and again and… Hearing this call to really love well, the disciples think themselves incapable of being this faithful. In response to this feeling, they say to Jesus, “Increase our faith!” In verses 6-10 Jesus gives two responses to their request. In both responses the bottom line is clear. The disciples have enough faith – they just need to act on the faith that they already have. The same can often be said for most of us who profess faith in Jesus Christ.

Faith, like the roots of a tree, are our “unseen” foundation. Claiming faith in Jesus establishes those roots in our hearts. As we live out our call to be light and love in the world, our roots develop and grow stronger. Growth that is visible begins to emerge in small ways – helping a neighbor, standing against an injustice, feeding the hungry. While the idea of doing these kinds of things may feel outside of our comfort zones at first, Jesus tells us that if we just had “faith the size of a mustard seed” and if we put that faith to work, then we could do all these things and so much more. If we would trust the power of the faith that is already in our hearts, then we will experience God moving in and through us.

The small, incremental acts of faith are what lead to a greater and greater application of our faith. The path Jesus calls us to walk, though, is quite simple at its core: love God, love neighbor. This is everything required of us. It is our duty, it is our call, it is our means to share the good news of Jesus Christ with a world in need of love and hope and peace.

Prayer: Lord God, at the dawn one can sense that the sun is about to poke through. It is simply what happens every time. At the moment of opportunity, when we are in a place to love well, may our faith poke through. Lead and guide and empower us daily, Lord, so that as we grow in our faith, loving well is simply what happens all the time. Amen.


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Finding Hope and Strength

Reading: Psalm 137

Psalm 137:5 – “Jerusalem! If I forget you, let my strong hand wither!”

Photo credit: Wylly Suhendra

Psalm 137 wrestles with holding onto faith during a time of deep grief. This is a struggle we’ve all faced or will face at some point in life. The emotions of the Psalm are real and honest, especially in verses 7-9. If grief we feel these emotions too, but usually choose not to give them voice. The psalmist and fellow Israelites find themselves in Babylonian exile, grieving alongside a river. They have put away their musical instruments, thinking, who could sing at a time like this? In grief we too can set aside certain practices or activities that we used to do with the departed loved one. It feels too painful for these things in the midst of grief. The departed loved one for Israel is God, personified in Jerusalem. While God is still present, it doesn’t feel like it for Israel. When their “tormentors” mockingly call for a song, the Israelites wonder, “How could we sing a joyful song at a time like this?!”

Yet there is something in the psalmist that knows they must maintain a connection with God. In verse 5 we read, “Jerusalem! If I forget you, let my strong hand wither!” Verse 6 offers a similar pledge. For the psalmist, hard as it might be, music is a way to remember and to honor and to be connected to God. Music brings the Israelites into the presence of God and it brings them into community. In times of grief, we often just want to be alone. It feels like that would just be easier. Frankly, it is. But healing comes most often in community, in being with others, in being reminded of God’s presence with us. Here one finds the beginnings of those seeds of hope and the strength to ponder next steps. In their grief, with the gifts of hope and strength, the Israelites began to step forward in faith. May it be so for you and for me in our times of grief.

Prayer: Lord God, sometimes life is hard and it rains down grief, feelings of disorientation, moments of withdrawal. When this happens to those we know, send us into their lives, being your light and love, your hope and strength. And when we find ourselves in this hard place, guide us into community – with you and with our brothers and sisters in Christ. Amen.


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Wait For It

Reading: Lamentations 3:19-26

Lamentations 3:22 – “Certainly the faithful love of the Lord hasn’t ended; certainly God’s compassion isn’t through!”

Photo credit: Nathan Dumlao

Moving ahead two chapters in Lamentations, the voice we now hear is that of the writer. In the opening verses of chapter 3 he or she recalls how the fall of the city and the temple has personally impacted him or her. This is summarized in verse 19 where the author recalls suffering and homelessness as “bitterness and poison.” On the theological level these events and their outcomes are incomprehensible to the people of God. What has happened feels totally beyond God’s will and character. This disorientation is forcing new understandings of God and faith as God’s plan for Israel is being worked out in real time.

There have been times in my life and likely in your life when the difficult time itself has ended. As the dust settles, so to speak, we can take a breath and look around. Hopefully, like the author, we wait. We wait to see what’s next. In Lamentations 3 the waiting begins with this thought: “Certainly the faithful love of the Lord hasn’t ended; certainly God’s compassion isn’t through!” Hope begins to rise up. The writer then remembers that God’s love and compassion are “renewed every morning” because of God’s faithfulness. Trust starts to rebuild as the author declares, “The Lord is my portion.” Hope and trust are present as the writer proclaims, “I’ll wait for him.”

In verse 25 we’re reminded that God is indeed good to those who “hope in him… who seek him.” To wait upon the Lord, to trust and hope in God’s plan for us – sometimes this is all we can do. Often it is what we should do. And this is good. The writer will wait in silence. This too is good. We can hear God better. Yes, the Lord’s deliverance is coming. May we wait for it.

Prayer: Lord God, after the immediacy of the trial or loss or suffering it can be tempting to do or say something. To do so feels like relief, like a return to life. But we’re often still scattered or we’re just groping for something we really can’t identify. In these moments, still our spirits. Calm our tendency to “do.” Guide us to wait upon you, to seek your voice and direction, to trust and hope in your great faithfulness. Amen.