pastorjohnb

Thoughts and musings on faith and our mighty God!

Tag Archives: praise


by Leave a comment

Genuine

Reading: 1st Peter 1:6-7

1st Peter 1:7c – “Your genuine faith will result in praise, glory, and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.”

Photo credit: Kim West

Earlier in the week, when we read from 1st Peter 1, we focused on our inheritance. As you’ve maybe observed or even experienced, inheritances don’t always come easily. Yes, there are the “silver spoon” examples that come to mind. And, yes, many come to us naturally or organically, without much fuss. To a degree faith can fall into this category. I grew up going to church, so faith was “assumed.” But singing the songs and learning the Bible stories of Noah, Daniel and the lions, Jesus and the children… are much different things than actually having a faith of one’s own.

As a junior in high school I was at a youth group event, a rock-a-thon. My fun and enjoyable time in a rocking chair was disrupted by news (via a knock on the church door in that pre-cell phone world) that a good friend was in a horrible accident. Praying for him in the sanctuary balcony with two friends, I felt that tangible presence of the Holy Spirit. Held in those “arms,” I rejoiced in hope, even in the midst of a time of distress.

Through this experience and other moments of trial, my faith was “tested by fire.” In time I came to have a sure faith that is my own. One day I, like all believers, hope to experience what Peter points to at the end of verse 7: “Your genuine faith will result in praise, glory, and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.” O Lord, may it be so.

Prayer: Lord God, in the moment, no, I wouldn’t have chosen any of the experiences that refined and tested my faith. However, you are far, far wiser than I am. Each moment, each tear, each time of despair – small stepping stepping stones to this place in my journey of faith. Thank you for each of them and, more so, for your abiding presence in each of them. Please continue to walk with me day by day. Amen.


by Leave a comment

Faithful, Loyal Love

Reading: Psalm 36:5-11

Psalm 36:6 – “Your righteousness is like the strongest mountains; your justice is like the deepest sea.”

Photo credit: Freestocks

As I read the first few verses of today’s passage, I could hear the words of Third Day’s “Your Love Oh Lord” in my mind. Hearing these words reminds me that the Psalms are really songs. They are expressions of an array of emotions: joy and defeat, praise and lament. Expressing one’s emotions opens the doors of communication with God. Today’s reading is an expression of praise for God’s faithful and loyal love.

The psalmist rejoices that God’s faithful love is everywhere. David then celebrates the character of God’s righteousness and justice. They are “like the strongest mountain… like the deepest sea.” There is an unshakable and unending quality to God’s love, justice, and righteousness. This is why they flow like a river into our lives and world. David then proclaims that God’s love is “priceless.” Humankind finds “refuge” in God, and in God we find “the spring of life.” Walking in God’s light and love, we know the way to abundant life here and now. Oh how great is the Father’s love for you and for me!

In verse 11 David asks God to “extend your righteousness” to those whose heart is right with God. When we know God’s faithful love in our hearts, we experience it in our lives. This love dwells in us and flows out of us, into the world. In this way, we are living extensions of God’s loyal love. As we live each day, may we bear God’s faithful and loyal love into the world around us, bringing light and joy, justice and refuge, life and hope. May it be so.

Prayer: Lord God, may our love be like your love, reaching to the furthest corners of our lives, working down into the deepest darkness of this world. May your justice break forth, being poured out for all people everywhere. In and through your love, may all come to experience the joy of your salvation. Amen.


by Leave a comment

You Are My God!

Reading: Psalm 118:1-2 and 19-29

Psalm 118:28 – “You are my God – I will give thanks to you! You are my God – I will lift you up high!”

We turn to Psalm 118 today. It is a psalm about a person who comes to the temple to gives thanks to God for deliverance – even in the face of current distress and trouble. At times we pray this way, thanking God for past deliverance, hoping it comes again during our current trial. The psalm begins and ends with a declaration of praise for God’s goodness and faithful love. Like the psalmist, we too give thanks for these blessings from God.

Turning to verses 19 and 20, we hear a request to enter the temple, to come into God’s presence. For the psalmist, the presence deepens in verse 27, where he or she is invited to come to the altar. Thanks is given in verse 21 for the author’s presence in the temple. Verses 22-27 are thought to be the choir’s response to the psalmist. These verses celebrate God’s rescue and salvation. Verses 22-29 are often connected to Jesus in the New Testament: the cornerstone rejected, the blessedness of the one who comes in the name of God, the one who is present to us.

The gift of being in God’s presence is a gift that we enjoy and celebrate too. This presence is strongest and most assured when we open our hearts and lives to the Holy Spirit. The Spirit guides us to walk in God’s will and way. It brings us to the altar of forgiveness when we fail. It keeps us on the narrow way when the world calls us to the wide way that leads to death. Following the path of God, with this presence within, we find life abundant now and are assured of it in the life to come. Because of these blessings, we can join the psalmist as we too declare, “You are my God – I will give thanks to you! You are my God – I will lift you up high!”

Prayer: Lord God, thank you for the open door into your presence. In our times of distress, you are there with us, bringing peace, assurance, guidance. In the times of worship and praise, you are there within us, drawing us closer, refining and teaching us, filling us with joy and love, lifting us high. Thank you for being our God. Amen.


by Leave a comment

Hope, Peace, Love, Joy

Reading: Psalm 130:7-8

Psalm 130:7 – “Israel, wait for the Lord! Because faithful love… because great compassion is with our God!”

Returning to Psalm 130 today, we hear a call to community as we prepare to join together for worship. This song sung on the way to praise and worship in the temple reminded Israel of their journey together – with God and with one another. As we gather today, let us also remember the blessings of community: support, encouragement, presence, love, help in times of need.

Reflecting back on this week’s readings, we recall how God brings life to dry bones, faith to those lost in despair and hopelessness. We remember that Jesus offers us resurrection and new life, both here and now and one day eternally. And we once again hear the call to live in and by the Spirit, freed from our selfish and sinful nature. We remember because this is the God that we praise and worship today.

Verse 7 of Psalm 130 reminds us that as we journey, as we head to worship, we do so with hope. We read, “Israel, wait for the Lord! Because faithful love… because great compassion is with our God!” Because of God’s faithful love and great compassion, we know hope and peace. We also know forgiveness and redemption through God’s love and compassion. As we journey towards Easter, especially in our times of waiting, may we hold to the hope and peace and to the love and joy that we find in communion with God and with each other. May it be so for you and for me.

Prayer: Lord God, as we head to worship today, be that in a sanctuary, on the couch, or anyplace else, draw us deeply into your loving presence. As we gather in community, connect us to one another as we connect to you. In you and in the community of faith, may we find hope and peace, love and joy. Amen.


by Leave a comment

Being and Doing

Reading: Matthew 5:13-16

Matthew 5:13… 14 – “You are the salt of the earth… You are the light of the world.”

Returning to the Sermon on the Mount today and tomorrow, Jesus declares first that we are salt and light for the world. We begin with a question: Is Jesus talking about our being or about how we are to act in the world? Are we light or are we to be light?

As there should be a connection between our being and doing, the answer is “both.” We are salt and light. Our faith flavors all aspects of our life. Our faith is the light that guides us to walk as Christ calls us to walk. Our salt and light are not just for our benefit, though. We are to act and be in the world in ways that flavor or season the world around us. Just as salt makes food taste better, so too should our faith make the world a better place. In the same way, the light of Christ that is within us should shine out into the world, helping others to see the way that they too are called to be and to walk in the world.

We are also reminded today of what happens when we do not live our faith out in the world. People get trampled under foot. People get lost in the darkness of this world. These things should not be so. Instead, may we let our faith be known, seen, and tasted, so that people “can see the good things you do and praise your father who is in heaven.”

Prayer: Lord God, be present in us, flavoring our lives with your love, grace, mercy, peace, joy, compassion, hope… Let your light shine upon injustice, oppression, marginalization, violence, addiction… moving our hands and feet into action against the darkness of our world. Use our actions and words, O Lord, to do and to bring good into the world. Amen.


by Leave a comment

Worship and Praise the Lord!

Reading: Psalm 147:12-20

Psalm 147:12 – “Worship the Lord, Jerusalem! Praise your God, Zion!”

Photo credit: Jeremy Perkins

This week’s Psalm is a song of praise for God’s sustaining care and power. Verses 12-20 focus on God’s care specifically for Israel. In the opening verse of our reading, the psalmist issues an invitation: “Worship the Lord, Jerusalem! Praise your God, Zion!” It is a charge to praise and worship God for all that God does and is for the faithful. It is a charge that goes out to you and to me too.

God’s protection and blessing are the focus of verses 13 and 14. Peace and security, safety and provision come to God’s people. These are the loving actions of God. The peoples’ role? Our role? Praise and worship the Lord. This response is easy when life is good, when all is well. But the charge does not change in hard times. God’s presence, protection, and blessing are ours even in the hardest of times.

God’s command over the created world is the focus of verses 15-18. God speaks and the snow, frost, and hail come. Another word brings the warm winds and the water again flows. The reminder of God’s power over creation is a reminder that God is in control of our lives too. In good, sunny times, God is with us. In cold, dreary times, God is with us. For God’s presence in all of life, we worship and praise the Lord.

Our Psalm closes with a reminder of what makes Israel and us unique as the people of God. God’s word, God’s will and way, they are with us in a physical form. In each day of life, the scriptures remind us of God’s love and care for us and for our world. The written word of God also holds the promises of God, anchors for us in all of life. For God’s presence in the word, we worship and praise God this day and every day.

Prayer: Lord God, we praise and worship you for your constant and steadfast presence with us. In all ways and at all times you guide and lead, care for and provide, comfort and encourage, convict and forgive… Your love for us knows no bounds. Thank you, God! All praise and worship is yours! Amen.


by Leave a comment

Good for Our Hearts

Reading: Jeremiah 31:10-14

Jeremiah 31:12 – “They will come shouting for joy on the hills of Zion, jubilant over God’s gifts: grain, wine, oil, flocks, and herds.”

Photo credit: Eugene Zhyvchik

As we come to the end of the year, many will pause to look back over 2025, both for good and for bad. This review or assessment process prepares us for 2026. Some people will make resolutions, some will set goals, others will just ponder and reflect. This process often causes emotions to well up in our hearts. While some things are sorrowful, many others cause gratitude to rise up in our hearts for that special time with family, for that promotion, for that trip, for… It is good for our hearts to look back and to give thanks to God.

In today’s passage Jeremiah is giving thanks for something that God will do. The return from exile has not happened yet. In fact, Jeremiah will die in exile. Yet he praises God for what he trusts God will do. The prophet is sure that God will bring Israel home. He believes that God will deliver them. Jeremiah knows in his heart that “They will come shouting for joy on the hills of Zion, jubilant over God’s gifts: grain, wine, oil, flocks, and herds.” Because Jeremiah knows that God is trustworthy and good and loving, he praises God for what he believes God will do.

Because God is good and trustworthy and loving, we too can pray for what we know God will do. A community of faith can pray for that just-right next leader. A church can pray for a family to become a part of their group so that there are young voices in church again. Another congregation can pray for affordable senior housing to become a part of their ministry. We can pray these things and others like them, trusting in our good and loving God, believing in where God is calling and/or leading us. And we give thanks for what God will do in and through our prayers. It is good for our hearts to look forward and to give thanks to God. May it be so for us all.

Prayer: Lord God, we rejoice in your goodness and in your steadfast love for us. Your word tells us that you have good plans for those who love you. It is with this promise in our hearts that we rejoice in all that you will do in us, in our faith communities, and in our world. Thank you God for your faithful love. Amen.


by Leave a comment

Praise Be to God!

Reading: Psalm 148

Psalm 148:13 – “Let all of these praise the Lord’s name, because only God’s name is high over all.”

Psalm 148 is a song of praise to God. The word “praise” appears 11 times in these 14 verses. This call to praise goes out to all parts of our world. In verses 1-6 the psalmist invites the heavens to praise God. The sun, moon, and stars are called to praise God because they were each created at God’s command, set in place “always and forever.”

Verses 7-10 call on the created world to praise God. From sea monsters to hail and snow, to mountains and hills, to animals wild and tame – all are invited to praise the Lord. These too are the work of God’s hands. We are the focus of verses 11-12. The psalmist calls “every single person,” whether young or old, to praise God. We too are the beloved work of God’s powerful and mighty hands. Like the stars and the trees, we would not exist if not for God forming each of us in the womb.

Psalm 148 closes with a universal plea: “Let all of these praise the Lord’s name, because only God’s name is high over all.” Our creator is reigning on high. God’s majesty is over all the earth! For all that we are and for the one who formed us and walks with us today, we shout with all of creation, thanks be to God!

Prayer: Lord God, thank you for your creative power and work that is evidenced by all of creation. Looking within and without we can see your fingerprints on all things. That divine touch continues to shape and form us, to lead and guide us. Thank you, Lord. Amen.


by Leave a comment

Serving Humbly

Reading: Luke 1:46-55

Luke 1:47 – “In the depths of who I am I rejoice in God my Savior.”

In our passage today Mary praises God. Her prayer of thanks contains many of the themes found throughout Luke’s gospel. Considering Mary’s circumstances, these are amazing words to speak. She is barely a teenager. Mary is unmarried yet pregnant. This likely led her to travel to see Elizabeth, perhaps an even more unlikely mother-to-be. Elizabeth has been barren all her life and is very much past child bearing years. Yet she too is pregnant. Both pregnancies have been blessed by an angel’s prophetic words. Mary humbly accepted these words, declaring, “I am the Lord’s servant.”

We see Mary’s commitment in verses 46 and 47. Mary glorifies God “with all my heart” and rejoices in God from “the depths of who I am.” Because God chose her, the lowly has become “highly favored.” This theme continues as Mary celebrates a God who shows mercy and lifts the lowly and feeds the hungry. Recognizing the coming reality of God in the flesh, Mary declares prophetically, “He has come to the aid of his servant Israel.” Mary truly understands the incarnational nature of the one in her womb. Young Mary’s faith is amazing.

While the role we are called to play will never be exactly like Mary’s role, we too are called to humble servanthood. God has a plan and a purpose for each of us in the work of building the kingdom here on earth. Sometimes the call invites us to places or to people who are difficult or challenging. As we play our role, especially in the hard moments, may we choose to trust as Mary trusted, knowing that the Lord our God will look with favor upon all who serve the Lord.

Prayer: Lord God, thank you for the reminder of how simple faith can be. Playing our roles comes down to leaning into the call, trusting that you are present and will walk with us. When we don’t know the steps to take or the words to say, help us to trust that you know and that your Spirit will guide us in those moments. In this way may we each humbly serve you with all of our heart. Amen.


by Leave a comment

Practice, Practice, Practice

Reading: Philippians 4:4-9

Philippians 4:9 – “Practice these things… The peace of God will be with you.”

Paul begins today’s reading with an encouragement to “Be glad!” The apostle is inviting the Philippian Christians to find joy in all of life. Paul, like us, has his ups and downs in his life and in his faith. He has endured more than most of us will ever come close to enduring. As he writes, Paul sits in prison, likely nearing his death. Even so, his focus, his perspective, his faith – they all find a joy and peace in Christ.

Paul offers us a guide to living with joy and peace in all circumstances. First, treat others gently. This brings to mind various expressions that all remind us that we never know what another person is going through. We should always offer grace. Second, pray. Instead of being anxious about this or that, take it to God in prayer. And take time to give thanks to God for the blessings and for the presence. In prayer and then in life, a peace beyond our circumstances will keep our hearts and minds safe in Jesus Christ.

In verse 8 Paul invites us to focus on the ways of God, on all that is “excellent… and admirable.” Focus on these things and we will find God in them. Paul also encourages us to pay attention to our own thoughts too. He encourages us to focus our thoughts on all that is “true… holy… just… pure… lovely… worthy of praise.” Focusing on these thoughts, we will be Christ to the world.

When we choose to live and practice our faith in these ways, then we will develop a Christ-centered heart and mind. The challenges, the difficult circumstances, they will still come. But when we “Practice these things… The peace of God will be with you.” May it be so for us all.

Prayer: Lord God, walk closely with us, strengthening and encouraging us in each step of faith. In all things, remind us of your love. In all ways, use us as examples of your love. Rooted and grounded in love, guide us to trust in you and lead us to hope in you. Deeply connected, fill us with a peace that leads to joy. Use us to offer these things to the world. Amen.