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Author Archives: John D. Willome

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About John D. Willome

I post a blog of daily devotions that are my prayer journals based on scripture.

“Mary” by Patty Griffin

12 Jan

“Mary” by Patty Griffin

Mary, you’re covered in roses
You’re covered in ashes
You’re covered in rain
You’re covered in babies
Covered in slashes
Covered in wilderness
Covered in stains

You cast aside the sheets
You cast aside the shroud
Of another man who served the world proud
You greet another son
You lose another one
On some sunny day
And always you stay
Mary

Jesus said, “Mother, I couldn’t stay another day longer.”
He flies right by and leaves
A kiss upon her face
While the angels were singing 
His praised in a blaze of glory
Mary stays behind and starts
Cleaning up the place

Oh Mary, she moves behind me
She leaves her fingerprints everywhere
Every time the snow drifts
Every way the sand shifts
Even when the night lifts
She’s always there

Jesus said, “Mother, I couldn’t stay another day longer.”
He flies right by and leaves
A kiss upon her face 
While the angels were singing
His praises in a blaze of glory
Mary stays behind and starts 
Cleaning up the place

Oh, Mary, you’re covered in roses
You’re covered in ruins
You’re covered in secrets
You’re covered in treetops
Covered in birds
Who can sing a million songs
Without any words

You cast aside the sheets
You cast aside the shroud
Of another man who served the world proud
You grieve another son
You lose another one
On some sunny day
And always you stay
Mary

Dear God, I have tears in my eyes as I write this to you. My wife introduced this song to me recently, and I’ve had it going in my head ever since I heard it as I arrived at this retreat yesterday.

Mary is a complicated figure in Christendom. Satan has used her beautiful life to divide a lot of Christians over the last 500 years. But there are some things that are simply undeniable about her. One of them is this image of her dealing with the ascension of Jesus. Acts 1:14 tells us that she was among the disciples when they returned from the ascension. I wonder what her interactions with Jesus were like for those 40 days between the resurrection and the ascension. Joyous? Sorrowful? Bitter/sweet?

I know Mary as mother is a huge inspiration to some women. And as I’ve gotten an up-close look at Catholicism over the last 13 years, I’ve learned a lot about the Catholic theology about Mary—and it’s not as scary as I expected it to be as a boy raised in a Southern Baptist Church. If there is a cloud of witnesses, then she is among them. She’s not granting prayers, but she is joining us in prayer. She is caring about our prayers. I can accept that.

The second verse of this song really speaks to me: 

Oh Mary, she moves behind me
She leaves her fingerprints everywhere
Every time the snow drifts
Every way the sand shifts
Even when the night lifts
She’s always there

I’ve seen mothers who have experienced great sorrow receive a lot of comfort as they feel Mary’s empathy—maybe in a way that even you, God, never experienced. That’s probably too far. I’m sure that with the completion of Jesus’s earthly life and your own experiences there is absolutely nothing you cannot empathize with, but I can certainly see why women would find a special kinship with this woman. Motherhood can bring every emotion. From great joy to great sorrow. Sometimes it’s nice to know there’s a woman in heavenly places who knows how these women feel. Mary certainly was not spared any joys or sorrows.

Father, Jesus, Holy Spirit, you know what’s currently on my heart. Things I cannot say publicly for the privacy of others. But you know. Oh, please be in these thoughts and prayers. Please move. Please grant them. If it is your will, Father, please, please grant them. The tears are here again. Oh, Father, please grant this prayer.

I offer this to you through the power of Jesus’s conception, birth, life, death, and resurrection, all of which Mary was a witness,

Amen

 
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Posted by on January 12, 2024 in Hymns and Songs

 

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1 Samuel 3:19-4:11

11 Jan

As Samuel grew up, the Lord was with him, and everything Samuel said proved to be reliable. And all Israel, from Dan in the north to Beersheba in the south, knew that Samuel was confirmed as a prophet of the Lord. The Lord continued to appear at Shiloh and gave messages to Samuel there at the Tabernacle. And Samuel’s words went out to all the people of Israel.

At that time Israel was at war with the Philistines. The Israelite army was camped near Ebenezer, and the Philistines were at Aphek. The Philistines attacked and defeated the army of Israel, killing 4,000 men. After the battle was over, the troops retreated to their camp, and the elders of Israel asked, “Why did the Lord allow us to be defeated by the Philistines?” Then they said, “Let’s bring the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord from Shiloh. If we carry it into battle with us, it will save us from our enemies.” So they sent men to Shiloh to bring the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, who is enthroned between the cherubim. Hophni and Phinehas, the sons of Eli, were also there with the Ark of the Covenant of God. When all the Israelites saw the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord coming into the camp, their shout of joy was so loud it made the ground shake! “What’s going on?” the Philistines asked. “What’s all the shouting about in the Hebrew camp?” When they were told it was because the Ark of the Lord had arrived, they panicked. “The gods have come into their camp!” they cried. “This is a disaster! We have never had to face anything like this before! Help! Who can save us from these mighty gods of Israel? They are the same gods who destroyed the Egyptians with plagues when Israel was in the wilderness. Fight as never before, Philistines! If you don’t, we will become the Hebrews’ slaves just as they have been ours! Stand up like men and fight!” So the Philistines fought desperately, and Israel was defeated again. The slaughter was great; 30,000 Israelite soldiers died that day. The survivors turned and fled to their tents. The Ark of God was captured, and Hophni and Phinehas, the two sons of Eli, were killed.
1 Samuel 3:19-4:11

Dear God, when I read this passage this morning I had two thoughts. First, did Hophni and Phinehas really think they had you going with them as they walked with the Ark of the Covenant? Did they think they owned you? Did they think they could act like they were acting (1 Samuel 2:12-22) and then boldly carry you into their battle? How dare they? Then, my judgmental heart started thinking about the people I think do that. They honor you with their lips but their hearts are far from you (Matthew 15:8). Do they really thinkin they are carrying you into their battles with them? Do they think just because they name you as their god (little “g” intended) they can then expect you to serve them? How dare they? That’s when your Holy Spirit spoke to me and said, “You might want to ask yourself if you ever do that? In fact, have you done that this week? Where has your priority been in spending time with me this week? Are you just expecting me to do what you want, or are you serving me and worshipping me?” So I sit here this morning convicted. Thank you for that conviction.

The other thought I had was the perspective of the Philistines. If they had lost that battle they might have been able to justify the loss. But the way things turned out in 1 Samuel 5 and 6, you left no doubt that you were the God. And instead of turning to you and worshipping you–which would have been an option–they decided they didn’t want any part of you.

Father, Jesus, Holy Spirit, I sit here this morning sorry for not spending more time with you this week. I mean, yes, I did little things here and there, but I didn’t completely submit my heart to you. Help me to do that now. Help me, oh Triune God to be the man you need me to be today. Love through me. Lead through me. Serve through me. Most importantly, draw others to yourself through me.

I pray this in your name,

Amen

 
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Posted by on January 11, 2024 in 1 Samuel

 

Christmas Closure

07 Jan

Dear God, I just attended a lovely worship service on the evening of Sunday June 7. It was organized and led by two young women who attend a Catholic college in Ohio, and they gave it to (I could have said “led it for,” but it felt more like a gift) the church before they head back to school.

Since today kind of marks the end of the Christmas season with the recognition of Epiphany (the wise men), they had a bit of a Christmas season focus for the songs and readings, although they weren’t specifically about Christmas itself. But the thought I had during the service was that I needed it more than I realized. I have had a really good and special Christmas season this year. I was able to really meditate on the Incarnation of Jesus and internalize the beauty of your gift to us. What I was lacking, however, was closure on the season. It was just kind of fizzling out. It’s January 7. What’s next?

But today was a good day. I heard a good sermon my Andy Stanley that challenged me to think a little. Then I helped my wife take down our Christmas decorations and return the house to its normal state. And finally I attended this service. It was really good closure.

So as I sat in that church tonight, sang the songs, and prayed to you, I thought about a lot of things. Most important were a couple who is facing a huge health crisis for the wife and had to go to the hospital. They were going to come to the service, but the ER visit got in the way. I prayed for them a lot. Then there was just worshipping you. Appreciating you. Marveling at you. And I was also really appreciating these two young women and hoping great things for them. Not great as in they will increase and you will decrease, but that the fruits of your Spirit will grow powerfully through them.

I guess I’ll close with some of the words to one of the songs they sang for us. The song is called “Humble.”

Humble and human, willing to bend You are
Fashioned of flesh and the fire of life, You are
Not too proud to wear our skin
To know this weary world we’re in
Humble, humble Jesus
Yeah eh eh

Humble in sorrow, You gladly carried Your cross
Never refusing Your life to the weakest of us
Not too proud to bear our sin
To feel this brokenness we’re in
Humble, oh oh humble Jesus

We bow our knees (We bow our knees)
We must decrease (We must decrease)
You must increase (You must increase)
We lift You high

Humble in greatness, born in the likeness of man
Name above all names, holding our world in Your hands
Oh oh oh, not too proud to dwell with us, to live in us, to die for us
Humble, humble Jesus

We bow our knees (We bow our knees)
We must decrease (We must decrease)
You must increase (You must increase)
We lift You high
We bow our knees oh oh (We bow our knees)
We must decrease (We must decrease)
And You must increase (You must increase)
We lift You high

We lift You high
We lift You high
We lift You high
We lift You high
We lift You high
We lift You high yeah
We lift You high

Humble
You are humble
Make me humble
Like you
We lift You high

Source: Musixmatch

Songwriters: Audrey Nicole Assad

The lines that struck me:

  • Not too proud to wear our skin
  • To know this weary world we’re in
  • Not too proud to bear our sin
  • To feel this brokenness we’re in
  • We must decrease
  • You must increase

Father, make that my final prayer as I move out of the Christmas season and into the rest of the year. May I decrease and you increase. Let me model what you modeled: humble.

I pray all of this in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, my Triune God,

Amen

 
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Posted by on January 7, 2024 in Hymns and Songs, Miscellaneous, Musings and Stories

 

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Mark 15:37-47 “The Descent from the Cross”

06 Jan

The above image is from Revealed: A Storybook Bible for Grown-Ups, written and compiled by Ned Bustard. The image is called “Descent from the Cross by Torchlight“ and was created by Rembrandt Harmenszoon Van Rijn.

37 Then Jesus uttered another loud cry and breathed his last. 38 And the curtain in the sanctuary of the Temple was torn in two, from top to bottom.

39 When the Roman officer who stood facing him saw how he had died, he exclaimed, “This man truly was the Son of God!”

40 Some women were there, watching from a distance, including Mary Magdalene, Mary (the mother of James the younger and of Joseph), and Salome. 41 They had been followers of Jesus and had cared for him while he was in Galilee. Many other women who had come with him to Jerusalem were also there.

42 This all happened on Friday, the day of preparation, the day before the Sabbath. As evening approached, 43 Joseph of Arimathea took a risk and went to Pilate and asked for Jesus’ body. (Joseph was an honored member of the high council, and he was waiting for the Kingdom of God to come.) 44 Pilate couldn’t believe that Jesus was already dead, so he called for the Roman officer and asked if he had died yet. 45 The officer confirmed that Jesus was dead, so Pilate told Joseph he could have the body. 46 Joseph bought a long sheet of linen cloth. Then he took Jesus’ body down from the cross, wrapped it in the cloth, and laid it in a tomb that had been carved out of the rock. Then he rolled a stone in front of the entrance. 47 Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joseph saw where Jesus’ body was laid.

Mark 15:37-47

Dear God, the moments after Jesus’s death are some of the most precious to me because they represent the depths of misunderstanding and lostness for his followers and family, and the wicked delight of those who were threatened by him and killed him. Regarding Caiaphas and those with him, I wonder what the Passover was like for him over the next 24-36 hours. Did he feel convicted over what he had done? Was he afraid of what Jesus’s followers would do (as represented by him asking for guards for the tomb)? Or was it a time of celebration and calculated caution? I don’t know. I do know how Judas felt–guilt to the point of suicide.

What I do know is that the followers and Mary were devastated. Disillusioned, even. This wasn’t what they had dreamed of. This wasn’t what they thought about. Where was the kingdom James and John aspired to help Jesus rule from his right and his left (Mark 10:35-45)? Where was the power? Why was Rome still in charge? What would their standing now be in the church.

With that, I want to look at Rembrandt’s image and see what details he thought about as he pondered this story:

  • Someone is preparing a stretcher on which they can carry his body to the tomb.
  • It looks like they used a sheet to lower Jesus from the cross with someone on the ladder and someone catching him below. The person on the ladder almost looks like a woman with no facial hair and long hair, but I can’t be sure. After reading John’s account, I would think this is Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus (John 19:38-42), but I think Rembrandt had another picture of this.
  • The person on the far right of the image has a special hat so I am assuming this is a Pharisee. Perhaps Caiaphas.
  • There is someone down below the man holding Jesus to the right. It looks like he is ready to help should the man holding Jesus lose his balance.
  • There are faint images of others behind the man preparing the stretcher. I assume these are just onlookers.
  • There is the man holding the torch. This is a unique thought. I don’t think anyone ever thought about the need for light. I would actually assume it wasn’t dark yet because they had to get the body down before sundown for the Passover (that’s why the broke the legs of the other two and put a spear into Jesus’s side (John 19:31-34), but because the Sun wasn’t down yet doesn’t mean they didn’t need a little more light.
  • Now here’s the big one I noticed this morning that I’ve never thought of: The man on the other side of the cross from the man with the torch. He’s on the very edge of the image, and he’s holding a hammer. That’s when I looked to see that one of Jesus’s feet is still nailed to the cross and the man with the hammer is banging it out from the other side. Perhaps one of the feet tore off of the spike as they removed him, but they couldn’t get the other one off without banging it out. I had never thought about removing the spikes before, but Rembrandt must have as he pictured this image in his mind.

Here is the commentary Bustard gave for this scene and story:

One single torch illuminates the extinguished Light of the World. Joseph of Arimathea lays out a white shroud as others struggle to remove Christ’s broken body from the Cross, while one figure still reaches out towards the Savior: But he is not alone. What at first seems to be a very lonely scene upon further inspection fills with a crowd of onlookers and mourners. All their hope is lost for the present, but joy will come on Sunday morning. “We are told that Christ was killed for us, that his death has washed out our sins, and that by dying he disabled death itself. That is the formula. That is Christianity. That is what has to be believed.” –C.S. Lewis.

The only thing I would add to Bustard’s description is that their “hope” and expectation was wrong. They wanted the wrong thing. They wanted what you didn’t want. And you knew better than to give them what they wanted.

Father, you know better than to give me what I want too. I was thinking earlier today about some regrets I have–especially as a parent. There is one decision I made that was the best one I knew to make at the time and was done with an earnest heart, but I would love to change it and have gone down another road. But I started wondering what the unintended consequences of that would have been. As much as I don’t like some of my current circumstances, would the alternative have been even worse? There is obviously no way for me to know this, but that’s where I have to not look back or even forward, but keep myself in this moment. This moment is my reality, and this moment is the one that interfaces with you. Not the past. Not the future. So I offer this moment to you. I worship you. I give you my heart and ask that you would redeem the mistakes I’ve made. Heal those harmed by them, including myself. Let your life and fruit live in and grow out of me.

I pray all of this in your holy, Triune name: The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on January 6, 2024 in Mark, Revealed: A Storybook Bible for Grown-Ups

 

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Micah 6:6-8

04 Jan


6 What can we bring to the Lord?
    Should we bring him burnt offerings?
Should we bow before God Most High
    with offerings of yearling calves?
7 Should we offer him thousands of rams
    and ten thousand rivers of olive oil?
Should we sacrifice our firstborn children
    to pay for our sins?

8 No, O people, the Lord has told you what is good,
    and this is what he requires of you:
to do what is right, to love mercy,
    and to walk humbly with your God.

Micah 6:6-8

Dear God, this passage reminds me of what Samuel told Saul after he went ahead with a sacrificial ceremony instead of waiting for Samuel in 1 Samuel 15 :22-23.

22 But Samuel replied,

“What is more pleasing to the Lord:
    your burnt offerings and sacrifices
    or your obedience to his voice?
Listen! Obedience is better than sacrifice,
    and submission is better than offering the fat of rams.
23 Rebellion is as sinful as witchcraft,
    and stubbornness as bad as worshiping idols.
So because you have rejected the command of the Lord,
    he has rejected you as king.”

Is it that hard to obey? I was listening to this very faithful young woman talk yesterday about her need to repent, and how she loves how her Presbyterian church has part of each service where she and everyone else, including the pastor gets down on their knees and, to the best of their abilities, repent of their sins. She also teaches young children in Sunday school and she said that one of the children asked her about that part of the church service. She told the child that grown-ups make mistakes too, and all of us need to ask you for forgiveness. I have to admit that I really admire this young woman, and one of my thoughts was, “You sin that often?” But then I thought, “Of course she does. What am I thinking?”

I’m sure some people look at me and think much too highly of me. They might think I am more holy than I am. But you know my heart. You know how selfish and insecure I can be. You know the vices against which I struggle. And you know I try. I don’t just expect to be allowed to sin and then walk back arrogantly claiming the blood of Jesus over them without remorse.

That leads me to addiction. I heard about a young woman today I know who checked herself into a rehab facility yesterday. I have addictions of my own, although, thankfully, they aren’t substances like drugs and alcohol. But food is certainly one. Gossip. Oh, there are all kinds of things I could list.

Father, Jesus, Holy Spirit, I want to first pray for this woman. There is a lot of pain in her heart and life right now. Please help her. Please use this to bring her to yourself. Draw her to yourself. Help this to be her bottom. Use this in the lives of those around her too. Bring her your complete and total healing. And help me, Father, to be exactly who you need me to be. Help me to take the vices in my life and be free of them. Help me to be the man you want me to be. Use me. I think of the song “Spirit of the Living God”: “Break me, melt me, mold me, fill me. Spirit of the Living God, fall afresh on me.”

I pray this in your holy, Triune name,

Amen

 
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Posted by on January 4, 2024 in 1 Samuel, Micah

 

My Ideal Church Service

03 Jan

Dear God, I was listening to a podcast today talk about the current paradigm for church services originating 500 years ago when people were mostly illiterate and they needed educated people to teach them what was in the Bible. But this certainly isn’t how the early church worked. There wasn’t a musical prelude, followed by a song, announcements, two more songs, a children’s sermon, an offertory, a sermon, and invitation, and a benediction (with possibly a taking of communion mixed in there somewhere). I would imagine those early church gatherings in Acts looked more like sharing lives, prayer requests, struggles, successes, etc. Maybe there would be a breaking of the bread and taking of the cup in remembrance of Jesus. Maybe someone would feel they had a message from you to share. Maybe someone would have a song they wrote that they wanted to share with everyone.

So I’ve told you many times that I’ve never really liked going to church. I always look at my watch and wonder how long until I can leave. That’s not to say that I don’t get anything out of it. There are times when I really need the experience of singing to you with other believers. Or that the pastor has a message I need to hear. So I’m not saying that I don’t need church. I’ve just never particularly enjoyed going.

So, if I were to start from scratch, take myself back to Jesus’s ascension, and then design what I thought a gathering of believers of The Way should look like, what would I want?

  • I would probably want one or two songs.
  • I would probably want someone to bring a thought for the day. Maybe 5-10 minutes.
  • I can see wanting to spend some time in prayer. Depending on how big the gathering was, I would want to have some time for everyone to go around. Maybe different people take a different aspect of prayer. 1.) Worship 2.) Confession 3.) Thanksgiving and 4.) Supplication.
  • I can see wanting to give people an opportunity to declare in intention or maybe even to accept Jesus as your savior for them.
  • Communion. I would definitely have communion be part of every gathering.

I guess the biggest change for me is the prayer part would largely replace the “sermon” of most churches today. Not that we would have a message, but it would be much less central. There would be a lot more about personal prayer requests and declaring intentions to each other in a pursuit of discipleship.

Father, help me to know what to do with this. You know I’ve had this idea of having a cross-cultural Bible study. Maybe this could be a format for it. I don’t know. I do know that I love you, and I have enjoyed even this time of exploring my heart and seeing how it wants to pursue you through corporate gatherings. Holy Spirit, speak to me and guide me. Jesus, teach me and show me the way to the Father.

I pray this in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on January 3, 2024 in Miscellaneous, Musings and Stories

 

2 Corinthians 5:13-17

01 Jan

13 If it seems we are crazy, it is to bring glory to God. And if we are in our right minds, it is for your benefit. 14 Either way, Christ’s love controls us. Since we believe that Christ died for all, we also believe that we have all died to our old life. 15 He died for everyone so that those who receive his new life will no longer live for themselves. Instead, they will live for Christ, who died and was raised for them.

16 So we have stopped evaluating others from a human point of view. At one time we thought of Christ merely from a human point of view. How differently we know him now! 17 This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!

2 Corinthian 5:13-17

Dear God, going to verse 17, what is the new life? Well, it is the last part of verse 15: “…they will live for Christ…” Live for you. It seems counterintuitive to take this small set of years you give to me and use them living for you. Why wouldn’t I live them for myself?

The fascinating thing is I actually get more out of this life for myself when I live for you. If I spend a couple of days selfishly, it doesn’t take me long before I start to feel pretty empty inside. I’ve had unstructured vacations like that where I’ve just laid around all day and done nothing but indulge myself in lethargy. The result is a terrible feeling. The same would be true if I were to allow myself to pursue my vices, focus on accumulation of wealth, or even go down the road of reacting to fear of losing my idols that my sin nature wants to set up as my source for the fruits of the Spirit instead of your actual Spirit. I think about the people who are wrapped around the axle about political issues and how they are not only angry about everything, but they spend a lot of energy getting other people to be as angry as they are. It is very sad to me to watch, but it’s also a cautionary tale because I can see how I could and I have allowed myself to be tempted by those same idols.

Father, I am here today to live for you. That starts with spending this time with you this morning before I get going on the other parts of my day. I need you. I need you totally and completely. I need you so that this one, short life I have will be full of as much joy, love, peace, etc. as there is in this world. Thank you for offering me this new life. For making me a new creation through my rebirth into your kingdom.

I offer all of this to you because Jesus made it possible,

Amen

 
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Posted by on January 1, 2024 in 2 Corinthians

 

The Attractiveness of Jesus

31 Dec

Dear God, my wife and I had dinner this last week with a young woman who is still in her teens. She’s really terrific, but she is still…searching. I think she’s finding herself. She’s graduated from high school, and is doing some college, but she’s young and unsure. I don’t perceive she has any use for organized religion or a formal relationship with you, but there was one thing I noticed about her that struck me: tattoos and jewelry with Christian imagery. A cross chain. A cross in the midst of wings. A large tattoo of rosary beads. I don’t even think she knew what she was was of rosary beads, but she thought they were pretty.

As I thought about it later, I went back to the talk I heard several months ago by John Dickson and Andy Stanley about the faith and Christian life Jesus authored vs. what Christians end up living (the 43:45 mark of this video). There is something so unique and beyond genius about what Jesus taught us: love your enemies, forgive those who harm you, serve the poor, love you with everything we have, etc. I think there are people who are searching out there and they know at the root that there is something to what Jesus taught us and the path he offers us to you that is the right thing, but they can’t bring themselves to embrace it because of how Christians have represented that path.

I told my wife it reminded me of the movie Jesus revolution. There is a scene where the hippie evangelist is talking to the traditional pastor, and he’s describing the hippies of the late 60s and early 70s (my paraphrase): They are looking for God. They just don’t know they are looking for God. And they are looking in all of the wrong places. And when they find him they are amazed!

I have a friend who shared this with me just a couple of days ago (names deleted for privacy):

“We spent the afternoon and evening with [a family]. Their daughter and live-in boyfriend are here from [another state]. It was obvious that [the parents] wanted their family to be in proximity to us because of our faith life. I kind of dreaded being with them because I knew of [the daughter’s] very liberal bent. She identifies as non-binary and has no point of reference for Christ. However, I immediately felt comfortable and easily connected with [her and her boyfriend]. We spent the evening engaged in lively and energized conversations about God, the world, and other things. We left their house with full hearts and grateful for the opportunity to simply leak out life with the beautiful bonus of observing [the parents] not holding back the joy of their [recent] salvation and their faith journeys. It was a truly beautiful experience.”

I replied, “I think you found to be true what Paul and Jesus taught. It is easy to show Jesus’s love to the lost. And to even be non-judgmental about it because they are lost. It’s when they see our love and come to faith that the Holy Spirit can start to work on them and earnest conversations can begin. But I think [the daughter and boyfriend] would have been very comfortable with Jesus so they were comfortable with you and [your wife] too.”

Father, as my friend puts it, help me to be leaky for you. Give me a bucket that leaks out your fruit into the world. Whether it be on my relatives, my friends, or even strangers who read this prayer I share with the world. You, Jesus, showed us an amazing glimpse of how the Father intends us to live. Holy Spirit, guide me into that. Guide my wife as well. Show us your path.

I offer this to you in the name of my Triune God, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on December 31, 2023 in Miscellaneous, Musings and Stories

 

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The Mockery of Baal – 1 Kings 18:25-40

28 Dec
The above image is from Revealed: A Storybook Bible for Grown-Ups written and compiled by Ned Bustard. The image is called “Prophets of Baal” and was created by Diego Jourdan Pereira.

25 Then Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, “You go first, for there are many of you. Choose one of the bulls, and prepare it and call on the name of your god. But do not set fire to the wood.”

26 So they prepared one of the bulls and placed it on the altar. Then they called on the name of Baal from morning until noontime, shouting, “O Baal, answer us!” But there was no reply of any kind. Then they danced, hobbling around the altar they had made.

27 About noontime Elijah began mocking them. “You’ll have to shout louder,” he scoffed, “for surely he is a god! Perhaps he is daydreaming, or is relieving himself. Or maybe he is away on a trip, or is asleep and needs to be wakened!”

28 So they shouted louder, and following their normal custom, they cut themselves with knives and swords until the blood gushed out. 29 They raved all afternoon until the time of the evening sacrifice, but still there was no sound, no reply, no response.

30 Then Elijah called to the people, “Come over here!” They all crowded around him as he repaired the altar of the Lord that had been torn down. 31 He took twelve stones, one to represent each of the tribes of Israel, 32 and he used the stones to rebuild the altar in the name of the Lord. Then he dug a trench around the altar large enough to hold about three gallons. 33 He piled wood on the altar, cut the bull into pieces, and laid the pieces on the wood.

Then he said, “Fill four large jars with water, and pour the water over the offering and the wood.”

34 After they had done this, he said, “Do the same thing again!” And when they were finished, he said, “Now do it a third time!” So they did as he said, 35 and the water ran around the altar and even filled the trench.

36 At the usual time for offering the evening sacrifice, Elijah the prophet walked up to the altar and prayed, “O Lord, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, prove today that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant. Prove that I have done all this at your command. 37 O Lord, answer me! Answer me so these people will know that you, O Lord, are God and that you have brought them back to yourself.”

38 Immediately the fire of the Lord flashed down from heaven and burned up the young bull, the wood, the stones, and the dust. It even licked up all the water in the trench! 39 And when all the people saw it, they fell face down on the ground and cried out, “The Lord—he is God! Yes, the Lord is God!”

40 Then Elijah commanded, “Seize all the prophets of Baal. Don’t let a single one escape!” So the people seized them all, and Elijah took them down to the Kishon Valley and killed them there.

1 Kings 18:25-40

Dear God, I whenever I use these images from Ned Bustard’s book Revealed: A Storybook Bible for Grown-ups, I start with the image, but today I want to start with Elijah’s prayer to you. Why did he do all of this? He did it for your glory. “O Lord, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, prove today that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant. Prove that I have done all this at your command. 37 O Lord, answer me! Answer me so these people will know that you, O Lord, are God and that you have brought them back to yourself.”

I wonder how much more I should be calling on you to prove your existence to those who do not believe. How much more should I be taking you to them and letting them know about the God who loves them and wants the best for them? I should probably be more mindful of doing this.

Now, as for the image, this is a difficult one for me to see what’s going on. I seethe bull in the bottom right. I see the sun overhead. I see bearded faces in the background. And I see a man in the foreground, but, honestly, I can’t tell if he is Elijah or one of the prophets of Baal working in vain. I haven’t read the description of the image until now, but I’ll go ahead and read it. Okay, so Bustard didn’t interpret the image, but instead talked more about the story in his description. But in the description, he quotes D.A. Carson: People do not drift toward Holiness. Apart from grace-driven effort, people do not gravitate toward godliness, prayer, obedience to Scripture, faith, and delight in the Lord. We drift toward compromise and call it tolerance; we drift toward disobedience and call it freedom; we drift toward superstition and call it faith…we slide toward godlessness and convince ourselves we have been liberated.”

Father, Jesus, Holy Spirit, this is a reminder to me to not drift, but to be bold. As I experience vacation this week, there is certainly a tendency to “drift” towards lethargy. But there is so much to do in your name. Whether it is ensuring my heart is pursuing you and loving you with everything it has or loving on others in your name, there is work to be done. So help me to do this work today. Help me to do it in great faith. Be glorified through my little life.

I pray all of this in the joy of my reconciliation to you through Jesus,

Amen

 
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Posted by on December 28, 2023 in 1 Kings, Revealed: A Storybook Bible for Grown-Ups

 

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Psalm 103:1-5

27 Dec

Let all that I am praise the Lord; with my whole heart, I will praise his holy name. Let all that I am praise the Lord; may I never forget the good things he does for me. He forgives all my sins and heals all my diseases. He redeems me from death and crowns me with love and tender mercies. He fills my life with good things. My youth is renewed like the eagle’s!
Psalm 103:1-5

Dear God, it’s a couple of days after Christmas, and I feel the need to just worship. It’s not like I didn’t worship you over the last week or two as Christmas got nearer, but I didn’t worship you much yesterday. I thought about you. I prayed. I wrote an encouraging letter to a new Christian. But this morning, I walked into a room where my wife had some music playing, and it was just worship music. It hit me in such a refreshing way. Ahhh. Worship!

Then I looked to see what the verse of the day was for Bible Gateway, and this was it. Perfect! Yes. This is what is on my heart right now. Bless the Lord, oh my soul. And all that is within me bless His Holy Name! That is what is in my heart right now. You are my God and I want to worship you. I need to worship you. My soul longs to worship you. And worship you beyond the Christmas story. While the Christmas story is pivotal, it’s only a small piece of what Jesus did. It’s you becoming man for me. But it’s what you did while you were man that is really amazing.

It makes me think of a couple of songs. One is “Bless His Holy Name” by the Gaithers and the other is “Indescribable” by Chris Tomlin. You are amazing, God!

Father, Jesus, Holy Spirit, I have an unstructured day in front of me and you know I don’t usually do well with little structure. Help me to use this day for you and your glory. Help me to use it to have you nurture my soul. Let this be a day when you will use me to help your kingdom to come and your will to be done on this earth as it is in your heaven. Lead me not into temptation, but deliver me from evil. Forgive me of my sins as I forgive those who sin against me. And please give me this day my daily bread. Make me worthy of being your ambassador.

I offer this prayer to you through the grace offered to me through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus,

Amen

 
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Posted by on December 27, 2023 in Psalms

 
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