pastorjohnb

Thoughts and musings on faith and our mighty God!

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God Is Still God

Readings: Psalms 73-75

‭Psalm 74:1 – “Why does your anger smolder at the sheep of your own pasture?”

Psalm 73 faces a reality that we all deal with from time to time. The psalmist envies the wealth and blessings of the wicked. The psalmist states, “I’ve kept my heart pure for no good reason.” He feels as if he stayed innocent for nothing – except to be weighed down by hard work. We can feel this way. We can question if holding onto our faith is really worth it. We can be jealous of what others have: wealth, power, health, popularity. The psalmist then enters the sanctuary. He prayed. He understood that the wicked will perish and that God is always with him. He declares that God is “my heart rock and my share forever.” Hallelujah!

Communal tragedy has struck in Psalm 74. The enemy has won, the temple is burned down, no prophet is left. The psalmist asks the “how long?” question: “Why does your anger smolder at the sheep of your own pasture?” A shift comes in verse 12. Remembered are the mighty works of God’s hand. The psalmist calls on God to remember the covenant. He cries out, “God, rise up! Make your case!” Prove to us and to the world that God is still God.

Psalm 75 closes today’s readings. It “balances” Psalms 73 and 74. It is a promise that God’s justice will come. It is a reminder that God will bring this person down (the wicked) and that God will raise up that person (the righteous.) It is a Psalm that trusts deeply in who and what God is and will be. May we too live righteous lives, trusting in our God of justice and righteousness.

Prayer: Lord God, when our flesh longs for the things of this world, remind us of your everlasting love. When envy or jealousy rises up in our hearts, remind us that you are a jealous God. And when tragedy strikes, remind us of your peace that passes all understanding. Lead us to rest and trust in you. Amen.


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God Is Still God

Readings: Psalms 73-75

‭Psalm 74:1 – “Why does your anger smolder at the sheep of your own pasture?”

Psalm 73 faces a reality that we all deal with from time to time. The psalmist envies the wealth and blessings of the wicked. The psalmist states, “I’ve kept my heart pure for no good reason.” He feels as if he stayed innocent for nothing – except to be weighed down by hard work. We can feel this way. We can question if holding onto our faith is really worth it. We can be jealous of what others have: wealth, power, health, popularity. The psalmist then enters the sanctuary. He prayed. He understood that the wicked will perish and that God is always with him. He declares that God is “my heart rock and my share forever.” Hallelujah!

Communal tragedy has struck in Psalm 74. The enemy has won, the temple is burned down, no prophet is left. The psalmist asks the “how long?” question: “Why does your anger smolder at the sheep of your own pasture?” A shift comes in verse 12. Remembered are the mighty works of God’s hand. The psalmist calls on God to remember the covenant. He cries out, “God, rise up! Make your case!” Prove to us and to the world that God is still God.

Psalm 75 closes today’s readings. It “balances” Psalms 73 and 74. It is a promise that God’s justice will come. It is a reminder that God will bring this person down (the wicked) and that God will raise up that person (the righteous.) It is a Psalm that trusts deeply in who and what God is and will be. May we too live righteous lives, trusting in our God of justice and righteousness.

Prayer: Lord God, when our flesh longs for the things of this world, remind us of your everlasting love. When envy or jealousy rises up in our hearts, remind us that you are a jealous God. And when tragedy strikes, remind us of your peace that passes all understanding. Lead us to rest and trust in you. Amen.


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God Is Still God

Readings: Psalms 73-75

‭Psalm 74:1 – “Why does your anger smolder at the sheep of your own pasture?”

Psalm 73 faces a reality that we all deal with from time to time. The psalmist envies the wealth and blessings of the wicked. The psalmist states, “I’ve kept my heart pure for no good reason.” He feels as if he stayed innocent for nothing – except to be weighed down by hard work. We can feel this way. We can question if holding onto our faith is really worth it. We can be jealous of what others have: wealth, power, health, popularity. The psalmist then enters the sanctuary. He prayed. He understood that the wicked will perish and that God is always with him. He declares that God is “my heart rock and my share forever.” Hallelujah!

Communal tragedy has struck in Psalm 74. The enemy has won, the temple is burned down, no prophet is left. The psalmist asks the “how long?” question: “Why does your anger smolder at the sheep of your own pasture?” A shift comes in verse 12. Remembered are the mighty works of God’s hand. The psalmist calls on God to remember the covenant. He cries out, “God, rise up! Make your case!” Prove to us and to the world that God is still God.

Psalm 75 closes today’s readings. It “balances” Psalms 73 and 74. It is a promise that God’s justice will come. It is a reminder that God will bring this person down (the wicked) and that God will raise up that person (the righteous.) It is a Psalm that trusts deeply in who and what God is and will be. May we too live righteous lives, trusting in our God of justice and righteousness.

Prayer: Lord God, when our flesh longs for the things of this world, remind us of your everlasting love. When envy or jealousy rises up in our hearts, remind us that you are a jealous God. And when tragedy strikes, remind us of your peace that passes all understanding. Lead us to rest and trust in you. Amen.


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In All of Life

Reading: Psalm 98

Verse 1: “Sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous things.”

Photo credit: Rainier Ridao

Psalm 98 is a song of praise and worship. The psalmist lifts up salvation and God’s righteousness and faithfulness as reasons to sing praises to the Lord. In our lives, we certainly can offer lots of praise and thanksgiving to God when we are experiencing these and other blessings in our lives. In the good days it is easy and natural to praise God and to lift our worship heavenward.

It is not always easy, though, to praise the Lord. When we experience unwanted change or loss, when we receive that sobering diagnosis, when we feel isolated or lonely – it can be hard to find joy and to have praise on our lips. Today I am reminded that worship or praise doesn’t always have to be loud or joyous or exuberant. It can be prayerful or quiet or meditative. It can be centered on our understanding that as a child of God, God loves us and has plans to prosper us and wants to bring good into our lives.

Yes, I am sure that God enjoys listening in on a good old hymn or a communal prayer. But our faith is also personal and intimate. A quiet moment, a heartfelt prayer, a stillness simply resting in God’s presence – these too are deeply pleasing to God. In and through all things, we know that God is in control. Praise and worship is sometimes simply reflecting this truth back to God. May our praise and worship reflect this in all of life.

Prayer: Lord God, in the days of sunshine and beauty, in the days of darkness and despair, in the days of intermittent clouds and the everyday of life – may I ever praise and worship your holy name. You are my constant in all of life. For that I can always rejoice. Amen.


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Greater Still

Reading: Zephaniah 3: 18-20

Verse 19: “I will rescue the lame and gather those who have been scattered.”

Photo credit: Kelly Sikkema

Continuing to point towards the day when the Lord God will restore Judah and Jerusalem, Zephaniah speaks hope to those who are separated from God. The people’s disobedience offended God’s sense of justice. Because of their great sin they were almost unrecognizable to God. Disaster would befall the people. But God’s love was greater still. The God who is mighty to save will one day restore Israel as well as the other nations of the world.

In verse nineteen we read, “I will rescue the lame and gather those who have been scattered.” The army that Zephaniah predicted will come and destroy, leaving behind a small remnant while carrying many off into exile. The remnant was a shell of what was and will struggle to survive. They are the lame that God will rescue. Those carried off will lose connection with God. Living in a foreign land they will be unable to worship in the temple; they will not be able to celebrate the annual holy feasts. They too will become a shell of what once was. These are the scattered that God will gather. Reflecting back upon Zephaniah’s words many years later, the Israelites will see and better understand the need for both God’s justice and God’s love.

At times we too can find hope in these words. At times life will leave us struggling – illness or disease, unwanted change, bad decisions… We can find ourselves in need of rescue. At times we will wander off, straying from our faith. We too can end up far away from God, as if we were living in a foreign land. Once there, we need God to gather us back in. At times these forces can intertwine and build one upon the other. “Life” happens and we begin to doubt or to question God, leading our faith into a place of uncertainty or maybe even separation from God. In this place we need both rescue and gathering. As it was with God’s people of old so it will be with us today. “At that time I will gather you: at that time I will bring you home.” God’s love is greater still. Thanks be to God.

Prayer: Lord God, when I find myself in a place that feels void of your presence, stir up the Holy Spirit in my heart. Remind me of your living presence and of your great love for even me. Thank you for your steadfast love. Amen.


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A Trusting Place

Reading: Psalm 51: 1-7

Verse 2: “Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin”.

In Psalm 51 David is very honest with God. God has just revealed how all-knowing and all-seeing he is through the words of Nathan the prophet. Using Nathan, God revealed the depth to which David had sunk in his lust for Bathsheba. This harsh shock was a wakeup call to David’s cruise control life and faith. When David finally sees clearly the condition of his heart he is staggered by what he sees. This Psalm is the outpouring of this realization. David knows without doubt that he is a sinner in need of God’s mercy.

David begins by asking for God’s mercy. It is a mercy rooted in God’s unfailing love. Then, in verse two, David pleads with God, saying, “Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin”. David needs God to take away his sin; this is something he cannot do. David needs God to make him clean. Again, this is something David cannot do. In those times when we sin we too need God’s mercy and forgiveness. We too need God to cleanse and restore us to a right relationship with him. Like David, we must also first come to a place of recognizing and owning our sin and then we must take it before God with a contrite heart and humble spirit.

Lent is a season in the Christian year when we focus in on our relationship with God. Quiet time in prayer and reflection bring us to the place that Nathan brought David. David knew that “against you, you alone, have I sinned”. David recognized the truth that sin comes against God alone. So to God alone David went. In Lent we are invited to do the same – to seek God out in the solitude, to be still and silent before God, to yearn for the Holy Spirit to speak into our hearts. In this place we learn truth and we are “taught wisdom in the inmost place”. This place is a vulnerable place, a trusting place. And it is a place where our God of unfailing love will pour out his mercy, washing us clean, renewing our souls and reconciling our relationship with God. May we trust God with all that we are, becoming new and clean each time we kneel at his throne of grace. May it be so for you and for me.

Prayer: God of mercy and grace, draw me into your light, to the place where all is revealed. Call out my failures and my shortcomings; wash away the guilt and shame. Whisper your truths and your love into my being, empowering me to share your saving grace and redeeming mercy with a world in need. Amen.


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Ascribe Glory and Strength to the Lord!

Reading: Psalm 29: 1-4

Verse 2: “Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name”.

David begins our Psalm for today ascribing glory and strength to the Lord. To ascribe means to give credit to or to attribute to. In verse two, then, David is asking us to attribute to the Lord the “glory due his name”. Connecting into the Genesis passage from yesterday, thinking of the creation story, it is easy to attribute glory and strength to the Lord. God spoke and created the world and all that is in it. Each day ends with the pronouncement that it is “good”. As David calls us to “worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness” it is easy to do so with the creation story fresh in our minds.

In the Psalm David hears the voice of God in the thunder that is over the waters. During a good thunderstorm one can certainly hear and feel the power in the thunder claps. It is a good physical representation of the power of God. In the remainder of the Psalm, which we will turn to tomorrow, the voice of God breaks cedars and shakes the desert, again revealing the awesome power found in the voice of God. In verse four David writes, “The voice of the Lord is powerful… is majestic”. Yes it is! All praise and glory and honor are yours, O Lord!

Volume does not always equal strength. Thinking of the power found in the voice of the Lord, my mind is drawn to a passage found in Luke 8. A fierce storm arises and the disciples fear drowning. They awaken Jesus and with a few words he brings total calm to the lake. In 1 Kings 18 the power of God is shown as Elijah calls upon God to turn the people’s hearts back to God. In response to his quietly spoken prayer in verse 37, the fire of God falls from heaven, consuming both the sacrifice and the altar. Having spoken, the people do turn back to God.

Yes, the voice of the Lord is powerful and majestic. It speaks out in many ways – in the thunder and the fire, in the softly spoken words, and, even now in the still, small voice of the Holy Spirit. As you ponder today how you hear the voice of God, may you join David, ascribing glory and strength to the Lord.

Prayer: Dear Lord, I have felt your power in the spoken word, in the written word, and in the sung word. I have felt your strength in times of testimony and witness and in the softly spoken words beside the deathbed and at the grave. Your Spirit’s voice has brought me calm in the storm and peace in the chaos. Thank you for your words spoken to me, always in love. Amen.


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Hear, Listen, (Follow)

Reading: Psalm 78:1

Verse 1: “O my people, hear my teaching; listen to the words of my mouth”.

Just one simple verse today. It is God’s plea for our attention and focus. It is spoken to you and to me: “O my people”. To adhere to this plea anchors our life in something more important than anything else: our relationship with God. This, in turn, anchors all of our other relationships, leading us to walk each of our days in truth and love.

“O my people, hear my teaching; listen to the words of my mouth”. It is such a simple plea. Hear and listen – take in and understand the words of life, make them your guiding light. I’ve often thought that I could do better if I lived in a monastery. But even there, isolated from the world, there’d be the longing to be the next head monk. The thoughts that I was the most pious or hardest working would creep in. At times I’d long for the things of the world. Even in an isolated place I would be driven to gain the approval of others. Most all of us would struggle with these things.

No matter where we lay our heads down and no matter where we spend our working hours, we must all strive to be “in the world but not of it”. Defining what is most important in our lives and then living by it is a challenge to us all. Tuning out the other voices, the distractions, the shiny and the enticing – for all of us this is a constant battle. God longs for us to stop each day, to be still, to hear his voice, his word. When we do stop and hear, we are better able to listen and then to follow. May it be so. Amen.

Prayer: O great teacher, life is found in you and in your words. In your son’s example we see what it looks like to really hear and listen and live the words out. May I understand and follow the words of life each day. Amen.


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Helper and Deliverer

Reading: Psalm 37: 7-11 & 39-40

Verse 39: “The salvation of the righteous comes from the Lord; He is their stronghold in times of trouble”.

Our passage from Psalm 37 begins with words that are hard for many of us to live out: be still and wait patiently for the Lord. Yes, in our minds we can understand the idea that God’s timing is not our timing. But oh how we want it to be at times! We see and think day to day in very concrete, time-bound ways. That concern, that answer, that worry – we do not like to sit with these things. Yet sometimes we must wait. In reality, we come to understand that we are in control of very few things. God is in control of it all. In the next few verses, David reminds us of God’s bigger and better plan.

David encourages us to stay away from evil things like anger and wrath and from evil men because they will be cut off. He reminds us to hope in the Lord. Those who place their trust in God instead of in earthly things will one day inherit the land. For some, it may be in the eternal sense, when they pass on to the next life. For some it will be when the new earth comes with Jesus’ return. For others it is in this life that some blessings will come. Ultimately, all who are faithful will “enjoy great peace”.

At the close of our passage David begins to address why we wait upon the Lord in the eternal or big sense. In verse 39 he writes, “The salvation of the righteous comes from the Lord; He is their stronghold in times of trouble”. For those who are righteous – those living right according to God’s ways – salvation is the final outcome. Our spirits or souls are saved from this world, from the power of sin and death, and are able to envision the time when we will dwell in His light and love. Because of this we who are faithful live with hope. Because of this, we need not worry or fret in this life. That is why God is our stronghold in times of trouble. We know the big plan.

The Psalm closes with a great reminder: the Lord helps and delivers us. In the present, in the day to day of life, God helps and delivers us. There is no better help than that! When we turn to the Lord, trusting in our helper and deliverer, we find refuge in Him. He is our stronghold. Thanks be to God.

Prayer: Lord of Lords, thank you for your saving work on the cross and in my life. Help me to ever trust in you as my strength and shield, as my helper and deliverer. You are so good to me. Thank you Lord! Amen.


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Praise

Reading: Psalm 104: 1-9, 24, 35c

Verse 24: “How many are your works, O Lord! The Earth is full of your creatures”.

Is it on a mountain top? Is it by a lake or quiet stream? Is it along the seashore or on a winding path in the woods? Is it on the porch as the sun sets or rises? Is it at the picture window as the lightning flashes? Is it in the garden, fresh with the smell of tilled earth? Where is it in creation that you sense God’s presence?

The Psalm today speaks of the works of God in the created world. In verses 1-9 we get a great sense of God’s power and majesty. Our world is an amazing place. We notice this when we slow down enough to be still for a few moments. We notice this when we are intentional about seeking God in His created world. When we do, we connect to these words we find in verse 24: “How many are your works, O Lord! The Earth is full of your creatures”.

Can we slow down the pace at which we live our lives enough to connect to the Creator in creation? It is a choice we must make. Today, may we find a few minutes to just soak in God’s handiwork. And then, in that time communing with God, may we join the psalmist in declaring, “Praise the Lord, O my soul. Praise the Lord”.

God, today help me to be still. Calm all within so that I can know you more. In the voices of the birds, in the motion if the breeze, on the broken sidewalks, may my soul be still. In the stillness, draw me in, O God. Amen.