pastorjohnb

Thoughts and musings on faith and our mighty God!

Tag Archives: steadfast


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“Crazy” Promises?

Reading: Genesis 15: 1-18

In Genesis 15 we hear one of God’s “crazy” promises.  He again tells Abram that he will have an heir after all these long years.  You see, Abram had heard this promise before – first at age 75 when God also told him to move to a foreign land and again years later after Abram had moved to Canaan.  At age 99, almost 25 years after first hearing the promise, God tells Abram that is will soon occur.  God renames him Abraham and at 100 an heir is borne to him by his wife Sarah.  It is true that 100 then is not what 100 is now – his father Terah lived to 205 after all.  Abraham remained faithful to God’s promise and, in the end, the promise came true.  This should not surprise us – it is God making the promise.

I imagine it was hard for Abraham to wait all of those years without doubting, without starting to question the promise.  At least a little.  In my times of uncertainty, it can be really hard to keep faithful and to fully trust in God.  It can be all to easy to worry and fret and to become lost in the midst of the uncertainty.  It can be hard to remember His promise to us: “I will never leave you, I will never forsake you” (Deuteronomy 31:6).

Yet this ancient promise still rings true for each of us.  In faith we can face whatever uncertainty we may have.  Maybe life seems to be heading in a direction like Abraham’s.  The questions of “Do what?” and “Now?” may be ringing loudly in our heads.  But quietly, underneath these noises, is the quiet and sure voice of God.  It is steady and unchanging.  He reminds us that He created us just as He intended so that we could fulfill just the purpose He has for our lives.  The road may be rocky at times and fear may rise up from the uncertainty, but God has it.  He will carry us when we need carried; He will strengthen us when we falter.  He reminds us that He has given us the skills and talents for the task at hand.  In faith, we step forward into God’s plans, fully knowing He is in control.


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Past Confession

Communion is a time we gather once a week or once a month as a community of faith.  In this sacrament we remember both what Christ did for us at the cross and what He continues to do for us.  Through Christ we can be cleansed, forgiven, and restored to a right relationship with God.

In Psalm 51 we find ourselves with David just after he has been convicted of his transgressions with Bathsheba and Uriah.  In the opening verses we can hear David’s pain and sorrow just pouring out.  A man who is known for being close to God’s heart finds himself away from God because of his own actions.  David acknowledges the sinful nature inherently in all of mankind.  He acknowledges that his sin is against God.  And he acknowledges that God desires more.  All of this is true of us and our relationship with God as well.

Our reality is that we sin more than once a week and certainly more than once a month.  We need to come before God more regularly than at the communion table.  And His good news is that we can.  Lamentations 3 reminds us that God’s mercy and compassion never fail.  They are new every morning and great is His faithfulness.  Each day, each hour, each moment we can come before our loving God to be made new.

David goes on past confession and we must also go there.  In the second half of the psalm he asks God to create in him a pure heart and a steadfast spirit.  He asks God to restore the joy of His salvation within.  May the God of all love, hope, and mercy create in each of us a pure and willing heart and a steadfast spirit that willingly kneels at the cross of Jesus Christ each day, each hour, and each moment.

Scripture reference: Psalm 51: 1-12


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Amazing Love

The psalmist cries out to God and He strengthens him.  The psalmist’s reaction?  Praise.  He is delivered from a time of trial and he exalts God’s love and care for him.  There is an element in the psalm of the writer feeling unworthy of God’s love and attention.

I can relate.  At times God is present and active in my life and it amazes me.  Even at times when I drifted a bit, I can look back and see God’s presence in my life.  He was still right there with me.  As I look back on my seasons of not following Jesus closely, it amazes me that He was faithful then too.

At those times and points I certainly did not deserve His love.  There must have been someone more worthy of it.  Yet God certainly was faithful and steadfast.  For this I too lift up a shout of praise.  For this I am grateful.  For this I am amazed.

This stumbling block of not feeling worthy is not all that uncommon.  I think a good number of people look at themselves and think some version of “not a sinner like me.”  Many can relate to this at point sin their life.  But God’s love and faithfulness are not contingent upon us.  Thank God!  If not, we would all be on the outside looking in.  Yet we are not.  This day may we find one on the outside.  May we share our love and God’s love unconditionally.  Radically.  In a way that makes them stop and think.  May we be a part of another experiencing God’s amazing love this day.

Scripture reference: Psalm 138


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These Truths Remain

“Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; for His steadfast love endures forever.”  These same words begin and end Psalm 118.  These eternal promises of God are reaffirmed by Jeremiah and he adds, “His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness.”

The middle of the psalm is filled with the trials of life – anger, hate, rejection.  These are the things Christ battled in the week leading up to His crucifixion and they are the thing we face too at times in our lives.  Trials are sure to come our way.

But, thanks be to God!  Just like this psalm, at the beginning and end of each day, God is still the same.  He is good, His love never fails, and His mercy is unending.  In the midst of whatever we are going through, these truths remain.  Thanks be to God.

Scripture reference: Psalm 118: 1-2 & 19-29


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Steadfast and Constant

Hardships are a part of life.  At times we suffer because of choices we make but at other times our trials are simply part of life.  When we are in the midst of a struggle, it can feel like we are out in the wilderness or are lost at sea.  We feel alone and become tired and worn down.  And then, in the middle of the struggle, we cry out to God.

We recall that we are a child of God – like it were some long lost truth – and we begin to cling to Him.  We acknowledge our inability to calm the storm on our own and we begin to trust in God.  Maybe we had been praying all along, but when we cry out to God, when we offer total surrender, when we are turning fully to Him, then His presence is greatest.

When the storm ends, we want to kiss the ground. Once our feet return to solid ground and life becomes good again, we look back to God with a new sense of thanksgiving in our hearts.  In our inner being we know the struggle could not have been won on our own.  We realize God’s unlimited love for us as we come to know our dependence on Him was and is a really good thing.

We thank God for His constant and unfailing love and learn to turn quicker to Him when the next storm clouds gather on the horizon.  Thank God for His steadfast love and constant presence.

Scripture reference: Psalm 107: 17-22


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Imperfect Yet Loved

As imperfect people we are prone to sin.  Temptation is around us all day, from the leanings to think unkind thoughts all the way up to the more serious actions we may ponder.  In the mix, pride and rationalization toy with us and society tells us anything is okay, just go for it.  Yet an innate part in all of us also senses when we are about to do something wrong, whether to self or another, and it cautions us.

Even though we can admit to all of this, at times we are still reluctant to admit our sins, to bring our faults out into the light.  Often sin is also seen as a shortcoming or a weakness – things we are unlikely to admit to as well.

But perhaps the biggest thing that holds us back from admitting our sins is the idea that once we confess our sin before God, then it is out there and we are called to repent, to begin to battle that sin in our life, to turn away from it.

In Psalm 51, David writes, “Against you, you only, have I sinned.”  Our sins too are between us and God alone, for He alone can offer the mercy, forgiveness, and cleansing of our soul that we so need.  David goes on to ask God to “create a pure heart within” – something we all need as well.

We are imperfect.  We all sin.  Our God of steadfast love and unending mercy knows this.  When we come with a broken and contrite heart, His love washes over our sin and He renews our spirit.  In turn, may our lips sing His praises!

Scripture reference: Psalm 51: 1-17


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Witness to Our Eternity

God is everlasting.  He always was and always will be.  He was before He created the earth.  God will continue to be long after ‘earth’ is gone and the new heaven is here.  God is the one that binds us together – from Adam and Eve on forward.

While on earth, God is our peace and comfort. our strength and shield, our home.  In Him we live and breathe and have our being.  All of this will continue when our earthly body breathes its last.  God is before, now, and after.

As we live daily, we hold onto this promise.  It makes each day easier to get through and provides our ultimate hope – resurrection from the dead.  Until that day, God is steadfast to us.  His mercies are new every morning and His love never fails.  Surely as that day is coming for all of us, we are to live reflecting the fact that we do not fear death.  We live reflecting the hope and love we find in Christ.  But not all are destined for heaven.  It is our call to be a living witness to our eternity, allowing all the opportunity to come to know Him.  By word, action, and deed, we are to share Christ with all we meet.

Scripture reference: Psalm 90: 1-6 and 13-17


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We Are Not Alone

When Moses encounters God in the burning bush he has some questions for God.  When we meet God in our own particular circumstance and we sense that God has a task or mission for us, we too have our own questions.  And maybe we ask the same two questions that Moses asked.

Moses first asks who is he that God should send him to Pharaoh.  Often, when we feel that God is leading us somewhere, ask the same basic question ‘ “Me? Are you sure?”  We seek two things with this question – reassurance that God is indeed choosing us because we have the gifts and talents to accomplish this mission and, secondly, that He will be with us.

His second question seeks to define who God is.  Jesus asked the disciples the same question – “Who do you say I am?”  It is important to know who we serve and to whom we belong.  Much like us when we go forth to share the good news or to serve, Moses wants to be able to tell them who sent him.  We do not go on our own.  We go in and through God.  He is a steadfast and true God.  We do not go alone.

Scripture reference: Exodus 3: 1-15


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Confidence Forward

Have you ever taken the time to look back over your life to see God’s fingerprints on it?  Do you see how He guided you to this job instead of that other one and how you were blessed there?  Or maybe there was a challenge there – see how it forced you to grow and mature?

Can you see all the other decisions and event sin your life were God is there too?  Maybe it is the college you went to, the  major you ended up with, the person you dated or married, or the places you lived.  Maybe it was the college you did not go to, the person you did not date, and so on.  Maybe it is in the birth or a child or in that heart-wrenching loss.  Maybe it is that divorce or breakup, in that firing, or in that addiction.  As you take time to look back over your life, can’t you see that God was in each and every one of these points of your life?

As we look back and see how God led, directed, and loved into our lives, we gain a confidence to move forward.  In this reflection we build a reserve to know that He will be there in our next difficulty, decision, or event.  We know God will continue to be a part of our lives because He loves us so.  “The Lord is good to all; He has compassion on all He has made.” (Psalm 145:9)

Scripture reference: Psalm 105: 1-11 and 45b


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Ever Closer

It is pretty easy to drift sometimes.  Even when we are at work and are being paid to produce something or to perform a task or to provide a service, we can drift off every now and then.  During the time each day away from work or school requirements, we can choose to do what we want with our time.  During this ‘free’ time, it is pretty easy to drift away from God.

Yet it is essential to spend time each day with God and Him alone.  Whether it is in the morning or evening or around the noon hour, it is important to set aside time each day.  We must be real and intentional about developing our relationship with God.  To read His word reveals Him to us.  To pray and to ask Him to search us allows Him to know us more fully, and in turn, to know ourselves more.

Daily submission allows God to become king of our lives 24/7.  As He searches, finds, and redeems us, we are drawn ever closer to Him.  We read in Psalm 51, “Create in me a clean heart, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.”  We become more like Him through our steadfast devotion to Him.

Scripture reference: Psalm 139: 23-24