pastorjohnb

Thoughts and musings on faith and our mighty God!

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Hear Our Cry, O God!

Reading: Psalm 130

Verses 1-2: “Out of the depths I cry to you, Lord; Lord, hear my voice.”

Photo credit: Stormseeker

The psalmist cries out to God. From “the depths” the psalmist goes to God full of emotion and from a place of discontent. If you’ve walked with God for a while then you, like me, have found yourself in a place very similar to the place the psalmist finds himself or herself. Sometimes we place ourselves there. Our sins or other poor choices have led us to a place in our relationship with God and/or with others that is discomforting and charged with emotions. At other times we find ourselves needing to cry out to God because of something someone else has done or because life simply happens. From these depths we too cry out to God.

In the rest of verse 2 we read, “Let your ears be attentive to my cry for mercy.” The psalmist is asking God to not just hear the words of his or her lips. He or she is asking God to really listen, to receive these words, to pay attention to this cry of the heart. This is an invitation to God to receive us into a deeper relationship, into a more personal connection. To cry out in such a way is an expression of trust and faith. One would not pour out one’s heart unless there was a foundational trust and faith in a response. We are invited to go to God in such a way.

What are the cries of your heart? Are you angry or hurt? Are you lost or filled with questions? Are you lonely or experiencing unwanted change? Are you drowning in grief or wrestling with a big decision? Are you in a tight place financially or are you bone tired? There is no place that we cannot cry out from. There is no cry that God will not hear. So in faith and in trust and with hope, may we cry out to God.

Prayer: Lord God, hear my cry from the depths of my heart to the depths of yours. Through your son, feel what I am feeling, know what pulls at my heart and soul. Attune your ear to my cry, O God. Amen.


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Will We Choose to Listen?

Reading: Psalm 95:8-11

Verse 8: “If only you would hear his voice, do not harden your hearts.”

Photo credit: Einar Storsul

Turning to the second section of Psalm 95 we are connected back to Exodus 17. The psalmist is reflecting back to a time when the Israelites tested and tried God, when they grumbled against God and Moses. We recall this ugly moment came right after experiencing miracle after miracle after miracle from God. This seems so impossible. Yet the reality is that we too can go from a high moment of faith to questioning or doubting the next moment as life unexpectedly crashes down around us.

The psalmist declares that God was “angry with that generation.” They are identified as a people “whose hearts go astray” and as ones who “have not known my ways.” This generation has proven itself to be stubborn and rebellious. Again and again. At the end we read, “They will never enter my rest.” This generation will die in the desert. Even Moses, because of a moment of anger and exasperation with these people, will not be allowed to enter the Promised Land.

So how does this story from thousands of years ago apply to our lives and faith today? I believe one could make a strong case that our generation is stubborn and rebellious. One could easily argue that our hearts go astray and that we follow our own desires more often than not. The advice that begins our passage very much applies to us as we seek to follow Jesus in the wilderness of today’s world: “If only you would hear his voice, do not harden your hearts.”

God continues to speak today. God speaks through the Bible and through modern day prophets. God speaks through the Holy Spirit – in whispers and nudges, in convictions, in revelations. God speaks through ordinary people like you and me. The question is whether or not we will choose to listen to God’s voice when we hear it. Or will we wander in the wilderness, ultimately ending up outside of God’s love and grace?

Prayer: Lord God, it is easy to default to grumbling and testing and trying your love. It’s tempting to succumb to the pleasures and lures of this world. These voices can be so loud, the lies so compelling. Or they can be whispered so seductively. Lord, strengthen my resolve to walk as a disciple, deepen my trust in you alone, gird me up with your Spirit. I desire to be fully yours. Be with me moment by moment. Guide me through the battle ahead. Amen.


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The Divine Inside

Reading: Psalm 2

Verse 1: “Why do the nations conspire and the peoples plot in vain?”

When the disciples saw someone outside of their group doing good in Jesus’ name, they questioned Jesus about it. They even thought the man should be stopped. But Jesus welcomed this co-worker in ministry. In our Psalm today we see a similar choice: are nations or individuals for or against God? Are we working with God or against God? While penned years and years ago, we continue to wrestle with this question.

The Psalm begins with a question: “Why do the nations conspire and the peoples plot in vain?” It is a good question. Even though we as individuals and we as a nation have and do experience good when living according to God’s way, we often seem to forget this. We wander and we chase after power, status, success. We turn inward and think only of self. Matters like justice and compassion and equality fall by the wayside as we chafe at not having what we want or what we think we deserve. Like the kings of old, thinking of God we desire to “throw off their fetters.” We step away from God. We begin working against God. The human inside all of us can rail against the divine at times.

Sometimes this is shown in simple ways, in our decisions and indecisions. The divine inside prompts us to care for another or to stand up for justice or someone’s plight. But the human inside questions it, wonders what it might cost. It is in these moments that we are weighing our will versus God’s will. In these moments let us remember the conclusion of the Psalm. God has made the nations and all peoples Christ’s inheritance. God’s intent is for Christ to rule in our hearts and lives. We are called to “be wise” and to “serve the Lord with fear” – to choose our steps, our words, our actions wisely. Echoing the Matthew 17 reading for this week, we are called to listen to Christ. Doing so we will walk in his ways. May it be so for you and for me.

Prayer: Lord God, how tempting are the things of this world. How easy it is to get just a little off track, just a little bit. But when I finally look upward I wonder how I got so far away. Lord, when the flesh rises up, may your voice be louder. When the world pulls, may your grip be stronger. Amen.


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A Heart Turned to God

Readings: Deuteronomy 30:15-20 and Matthew 5:23-24

Verse 19: “This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death.”

In Deuteronomy 30 Moses presents a choice: God or not God? It is a choice all people must make. Most people in our modern world come across God. They hear of or know of God and faith. Some are drawn in and accept faith and others reject it. And then there are those who live and die without ever hearing about God or Jesus. Some of these folks sense good within and in the world and they live reflecting this spark of the divine within them. Others in this situation reject the good and choose to live for self. All people choose between life and death, between good and evil.

Moses is presenting this choice to the people of God. They clearly know and understand who and what God is. Moses makes it clear that it is a choice: “This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death.” The choice that Moses lays out is more about the way we choose to live day in and out rather than checking off more of the boxes that represent us keeping each and every law. Faith is not a giant balance scale. It is not a grand race to become “perfect.” Faith is about a heart turned to God. In verses 20 Moses describes the outcome of such a heart: “that you may love the Lord your God, listen to God’s voice, and hold fast to God.” These words ooze covenant love and presence and relationship.

Turning to the Matthew text for today, Jesus connects our relationships with one another into what it means to choose God. In verses 21-37 Jesus uses “But I say…” statements to guide us to look within, to look at what drives our choices, our actions, our inactions. In today’s 2 verses Jesus hones in on the importance of living in right relationship with each other. He places this as a prerequisite to coming before God. He tells us that we cannot be in a place of brokenness or sin with one another and think it okay to come before the Lord in that state. Jesus says, “First go and be reconciled… then come.” Made right with one another then we can come before God. This is a powerful statement. It reveals how much God values community and living in right relationship with one another. Both are revealed in a heart turned to God. May this be our heart.

Prayer: Lord God, where and when I struggle to offer reconciliation, help me. Lead me and guide me past self. Make my heart to better reflect yours, O God. Amen.


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Hold Fast

Reading: Jeremiah 8:18-9:1

Verse 19: “Listen to the cry of my people.”

Photo credit: Noah Silliman

In the opening verses of chapter 8 God details the many sins of the people and the punishment waiting on their doorstep. The weight of all this is reflected in the world that we read today. These words are heavy upon Jeremiah’s heart and soul. In the opening verse today we read, “My heart is faint within me.” He is overwhelmed with the suffering and the struggle, with the pain and sorrow soon to befall the people of God. It is as if the brokenness of the world has caught up with him. Jeremiah longs for comfort and strength from God.

We too live in a broken world. At times our hearts can grow faint. People continue to struggle with poverty, oppression, injustice, unfair systems… Many are filled with despair and their hearts are also heavy. Like Jeremiah, we can shout out, “Listen to the cry of my people.” The brokenness of his world leads Jeremiah to cry out to God, to seek to maintain his faith in God and in God’s goodness. When overwhelmed we can feel just as Jeremiah does in today’s text.

In verse 22 Jeremiah asks, “Why then is there no healing for the wound of my people?” He questions God not to doubt God but to show that he still believes that God is listening and that God’s heart is still bent towards the people. Even through his tears and grieving, Jeremiah trusts that God is faithful and just and loving and kind and compassionate. May we hold onto these truths, trusting in the Lord our God. Even in the struggle or trial, even in the brokenness, may we hold fast to the God who loves you and me.

Prayer: Lord God, when the world around me or when life itself begins to overwhelm, flood me with your love and truth. Raise up my heart and spirit, give me the faith and strength to offer your love to those in need, be it me or others. Amen.


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Following Instructions

Reading: John 21:1-8

Verse 7: “Then the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, ‘It is the Lord!'”

Photo credit: Fredrik Ohlander

Today we begin a 3-day journey through the first part of John 21. It is a three-part passage, so each day will bring us part of the story. Today we delve into the fishing part of the story and what it reveals to us.

As the story begins we learn that Peter and six other disciples go fishing. One evening Peter says, “I’m going out to fish.” The others decide to go along. We don’t know why Peter decided to go fishing. Maybe it was his way of returning to some sense of normalcy after all the recent tumult in his life. Maybe it was to take his mind off of these recent events. Maybe it was practical – food and other resources could have been getting tight. Maybe the Holy Spirit led him to this decision so that God’s plan could unfold.

The disciples fish all night but catch nothing. Early in the morning a yet unrecognized Jesus asks about the fishing and then suggests trying the right side of the boat. Following his instructions, the nets become so full that they can’t haul them in. They go from total scarcity to absolute abundance. It is then that John says to Peter, “It is the Lord!” Except for the last three years with Jesus, fishing is all that John has known his whole life. He recognizes the miracle in the catch. This leads him to know that it is Jesus standing on the shore.

In your life, when has Jesus made himself known to you? When has Jesus become presence to you in a way that you know “It is the Lord?” For the disciples, they came to recognize Jesus because they followed his instructions. That led to the miraculous catch. We too have Jesus’ instructions – we can read the Bible and we can listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit. May we learn to follow Jesus’ instructions so that we too experience his presence in our lives. May it be so!

Prayer: Lord, make me more open to following your instructions, to allowing you to lead. Grant that I may hear and be obedient, opening up the possibilities of the revelation of your power in my life. Amen.


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Hearing and Listening

Reading: Luke 15:1-3 and 11b-32

Verse 32: “But we had to celebrate and be glad… he was lost and is found.”

Today we return to the story of the “lost son.” He was the one who checked out early, squandered his wealth, came home defeated, and was received generously. Throughout the story we see the father. He met his younger son’s demand, longed for his return, and celebrated when the lost were found. The elder son formally enters the story in verse 25. Coming in from working in the fields, he gets angry over the celebration, at this welcoming home of his brother. We have the details or the facts of the story. But we don’t have much of the “why.” Why did the younger son ask such a thing of his father?…

We live around and interact with all sorts of people. We see their actions and we hear some of their words. And as is the case with the parable of the lost son, we can read into or infer some things. Yet we must be careful. These “insights” are guesses that come from within us and are often our perceptions or our own preconceived notions. We work with someone, for example, and we watch them for a bit and then we make assumptions about them. This is dangerous.

Each of us is unique and we all have our own stories. To really understand each other we must be willing to go beyond observations. We must become involved with one another, hearing and listening to each other’s stories. Only then do we enter into authentic relationships with one another, only then do we find space for ministering to one another. May we each be willing to spend time investing in our relationships, deepening our commitment to one another.

Prayer: Lord God, slow me down. Help me to be fully present to the one in front of me. Give me ears to hear and a heart to listen. Amen.


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Faithful and Loving

Reading: 1st Samuel 2: 1-10

Verse 2: “There is no one holy like the Lord; there is no one besides you; there is no rock like our God.”

Today’s passage contains Hannah’s spirit-filled prayer. She is celebrating the God who heard her prayer for a child after all of these years. In the opening verse we read, “my heart rejoices” as Hannah praises God for lifting her strength up high. Hannah delights in God’s deliverance. Her suffering, the taunting, the feelings of being less than – they all have been wiped away with the birth of Samuel.

In our lives, when God answers a big prayer of ours, do we rejoice and praise God as Hannah did? When we have entered into a time of prolonged prayer, when we have persevered as Hannah did, and then when God answers – how great is our praise and thanksgiving? At these junctures in our walk of faith we should raise the roof of heaven with our praise of the God who listens.

In verse two Hannah prays, “There is no one holy like the Lord; there is no one besides you; there is no rock like our God.” She recognizes that God alone is God. When we are in an extended time of suffering or trial it can be hard to hold fast to God’s presence. In seasons of hardship we can feel alone. Even though Hannah has just given her one and only child – just weaned – to serve in the temple under Eli, she is full of joy. Samuel will always be her firstborn. Hannah recognizes that she must be faithful to the promise she made to a faithful God.

In verse ten Hannah prays, “It is not by strength that one prevails.” She could not will herself to have a child. She could not control the behaviors of Peninnah or the looks and gossip as others judged her barrenness. Hannah knew God as faithful and loving. May it be so for you and for me as we live out our faith today!

Prayer: Lord God, hold onto me. Let me feel your presence and your strength in the trials and sufferings. Keep my eye on you. Amen.


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Good and Perfect Gifts

Reading: James 1: 17-21

Verse 17: “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights”.

Photo credit: Erik Van Dijk

As we begin delving into the book of James, we begin a journey with the brother of Jesus and one of the early leaders of the church. The book of James will focus on two main ideas: putting our faith in action and being aware that our words have power. As we begin today, James reminds us that “every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights”. All good things come from God. Every gift, talent, ability… that we have is a gift from God. In the picture above, for me, the many rays of light represent the generous abundance of God’s gifts. For James, the first or primary gift from God is the new birth we experience through the “word of truth” – the Lord Jesus Christ. As followers of Jesus we know that Christ is the greatest gift that God has given to humanity. In and through Christ we receive grace, mercy, love, forgiveness, salvation, eternal life… What an amazing gift Jesus Christ is to you, to me, to all people.

This gift is not one to be received and cherished, put up on the shelf to be admired from time to time. No, we are to be “first fruits” – we are to live as an offering to others, as a conduit of the gifts we have received from God, sharing these gifts with the world. We are to be the living examples of Jesus Christ’s grace, mercy, love, forgiveness… In order to help us live this way, James gives us some practical advise: “be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger”. These three guidelines are effective tools for using the power of our words for good instead of for evil. When we are quick to listen we are giving value and worth to the other. We are taking the time to invest in them and in the relationship. We are seeking to better understand the other. When we are slow to speak we measure and weigh our words. Words of encouragement and affirmation become more genuine and heartfelt. When our thoughts or opinions differ, being slow to speak allows our words to be filled with consideration and meekness. Love is still present even though we disagree. Both of these tools or practices help us to be slow to anger. When we think more of the other than of self, not only are we fully present, but we are less likely to be angry or hurtful in our conversations, whether in person or online.

Being quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger reveals the condition of our heart. James’ advice to “get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent” improved the condition of our hearts. If we guard our hearts against the filth and evil of this world, then we are better able to be quick to listen… If we “humbly accept” the word of God into our hearts, then the words we speak will be filled with love and grace and mercy and kindness and humility and… Simply put: what we fill our hearts with is what will overflow from our hearts and mouths out into the world. May God’s righteousness and love guide us today.

Prayer: Lord God, thank you for the many, many blessings – those good and perfect gifts that you rain down from above. Most of all, thank you for the new life in Christ available for all people. Open my ears to hear as you hear, open my mouth to speak your words, and work within my heart to temper my anger. Fill me with your generous love. Amen.


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A Friend

Reading: John 15: 12-15

Verse 12: “My command is this: love each other as I have loved you”.

Photo credit: Priscilla du Preez

As we continue in our passage from John 15 our focus shifts slightly. We look at how our relationship with Jesus informs our relationships with others. Love remains the centerpiece. Understanding yesterday’s call to agape love – that unconditional and often undeserved love – Jesus calls us today to live out that love just as he did. In our opening verse Jesus says, “My command is this: love each other as I have loved you”. It is a command not just to love the other as the world does but to love the other as Jesus loves us.

Imagine that the father of a young family living two doors down died unexpectedly. You buy a gift card from a local restaurant, slip it inside a nice sympathy card, and tuck it in their mailbox. That is loving as the world loves. You have chatted with them on your walks so you know them a little bit. You make the kids’ favorite meal and bring it over to the house. You help a shaken mom get the kids fed and you clean up as she gets them ready for bed. You hang around to see what else she needs – prayer, someone to listen, someone to watch the kids while she goes to the funeral home… You show up tomorrow and each next day as long as needed. This is loving as Christ loves. This is laying down one’s life for the other.

When we truly love as Jesus loves us, when we follow his commands, we are living out his agape love. We are not so much serving Jesus as we are being his hands and feet and heart in the world. When we live this way, Jesus calls us “friend” instead of servant. When we learn and internalize all that Jesus has passed along from the Father, we become a true friend of Jesus. It becomes natural to care well for that family two doors down. It becomes our rhythm of life to step into opportunities to share Jesus’ love. Loving like Jesus becomes who and what we are. Day by day may he become more of each of us.

Prayer: Lord of love, thank you for calling me friend. I want to be more, to be just like you – loving one and all without condition, without reserve. Continue to prune and shape me, molding and forming me more and more into your image. Each day, use me as you will. Amen.