pastorjohnb

Thoughts and musings on faith and our mighty God!

Tag Archives: unwavering


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Our Faithful God

Reading: Psalm 66:10-12 and 16-20

Psalm 66:10 – “But you, God, have tested us – you’ve refined us like silver.”

Psalm 66 is a celebration of God’s mighty acts and of God’s faithfulness. It reminds us that God’s love, grace, and mercy remain constant – no matter how faithful or unfaithful we are. As followers of Jesus Christ, we strive to live a faithful and righteous life. And as creatures living in this fallen world, at times we sin. Our sin and the sins of others affects our faith. We read of this in verse 10: “But you, God, have tested us – you’ve refined us like silver.” When we choose to return to God, we find that our faith is a little stronger, a little more aligned with God’s will and way. As this process occurs again and again in our lives and on our journey of faith, we feel as if we too have “been through fire and water.”

Verses 16-20 are an invitation to faithfulness based on the psalmist’s experiences with God. If we’ve walked very long in faith we likely have similar experiences to share. The author invites us to “come close and listen.” He or she wants us to know what God has done in their life. First they praised God with a pure heart. Then they lived their prayer to God. With a pure heart he or she could sense that “God definitely listened.” God heard their prayer. God did not reject it. Our faithful God never withholds God’s faithful love. Thanks be to God!

Prayer: Lord God, thank you for your unwavering and steady love, mercy, and grace. When we fall short, you still love us. When we turn back to you, your mercy welcomes us back. When we repent of our sins, your grace washes us clean. Again and again and again. And when we need you, crying our from a pure heart, your ear is ever tuned to our cries. Thank you for your faithfulness, O God. Help us to model all of this to the world. Amen.


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Truths and Promises

Readings: Psalms 57-59

‭Psalm 58:11 – “Yes, there is a reward for the righteous! Yes, there is a God who judges people on the earth.”

Photo credit: Tyler Milligan

Psalms 57-59 are attributed to David, continuing the run that began with Psalm 51. All three of today’s Psalms contain the phrase “Do not destroy.” in the superscript. Psalms 57 and 59 identify Saul as the cause of the oppression and threats that David faced in these Psalms. In all three Psalms we find a confidence in God and in God’s sense of justice and righteousness. In the end, David trusts these will prevail.

The setting for Psalm 57 is when David fled from Saul, hiding out in the caves in the wilderness. David first seeks mercy and refuge “until destruction passes by.” His desire is to safely ride out this present trial. He is in “the middle of a pack of lions” – a great visual for being surrounded by Saul and his army. Verse 6 perhaps refers to when David cut off the corner of Saul’s robe, sparing his life (1st Samuel 24.) The Psalm closes with an “unwavering heart” that gives God thanks for God’s faithful love that saw David through this trial.

We return to the David-Saul conflict in Psalm 59. David cries out for deliverance from “enemies… evildoers… the bloodthirsty.” They lie in ambush outside of David’s house, waiting to attack. David’s response: “Get up when I cry out to you!” Come and act, God! But David does not wish for their deaths. He wants God to deal with them but also to leave them alive so that they can serve as examples for other traitors. The Psalm closes with singing and shouts of praise to God his shelter and stronghold when David was distraught. This God is our God too. So may we too stand on these truths and promises in our times of trial.

Prayer: Lord God, your faithful love always surrounds us. In the midst of the trial we can forget that you are all around us. Help us to remember that you hedge us in and form a wall of protection around us. Be our strength and stronghold. Be our refuge and fortress. From there, guide us to proclaim your faithful love to all. Amen.


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Unwavering Love

Reading: Mark 7: 24-30

Verse 29: “For such a reply, you may go; the demon has left your daughter”.

Jesus has left Galilee and enters into a non-Jewish region. It appears to be an intentional choice as our passage tells us that He “did not want anyone to know it”. His little get-away is soon discovered and a woman from the regions appears, seeking healing for her daughter.

People today often seek ways to make things better. Sometimes they go someplace else where the chances or circumstances at least appear better. People from all over the world, for example, come to America for a better life. Sometimes people go to a place where the reputation is excellent. For example, lots of people go to the nearby Mayo Clinic for treatment of difficult or complex medical issues.

Even though Jesus is in a “foreign land”, apparently His reputation for being a healer is known there too. A local woman comes to Jesus because her daughter is possessed by demons. She is seeking healing. Jesus gives her a version of “I’m on vacation”. It is also indicative of His focus on the lost sheep of Israel. The situation reminds me of parents with sick children going to the doctor without an appointment, insistent on their child being seen anyway. If the situation is bad enough, they will sit there and wait for an “opening”. In essence, they are saying they will sit there until the child is seen by the doctor.

Jesus tries to dismiss her. The woman ignores the “dog” slight and says, ‘But, yes, Jesus even we may have a little of you. Even us dogs might catch a crumb or two that happens to slip off the table. Yes, Jesus, maybe we can have a little healing too”. She demonstrates that, yes, she will sit there all day, just waiting for a crumb or two to fall. Jesus is impressed – maybe with her faith, maybe with her persistence – but definitely with her love for her daughter.

Lord, in this woman I see unwavering love. In Jesus’ response, I see love given to love. May I too have unwavering love as my guide, following Jesus and His Spirit as I seek to be light and love in the world. Amen.