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Ecclesiastes 4:4-6

21 Jun

4 Then I observed that most people are motivated to success because they envy their neighbors. But this, too, is meaningless—like chasing the wind.

5 “Fools fold their idle hands,
leading them to ruin.”

6 And yet,

“Better to have one handful with quietness
than two handfuls with hard work
and chasing the wind.”
Ecclesiastes 4:4-6

Dear God, this kind of follows up on yesterday’s prayer. I heard it in an Andy Stanley sermon I listened to while I was on a bike ride last night. I wonder at what point Solomon emerged from this wisdom of pitying the oppressed and into being an oppressor. I was watching an interview with a movie star this morning and she mentioned that she had won her first major award at 26. She was young and pretty. But then, as she put it, people started to “remove obstacles” from her and she began to take advantage of being a star. Her father sat down with her at one point and told her, you’re becoming an ***hole. She said that she is now a believer in all of our need to have obstacles in front of us. It seems to me that she might be right in that the removal of obstacles from Solomon’s life became a detriment to the wisest man who ever lived.

All of that being said, there is a great message in these verses. When my drive for success is motivated by jealousy of and competition with others, then I will absolutely be chasing the wind. As Andy Stanley put it in the sermon, someone will always have an “er” over me. They will be smart-er, cut-er, rich-er, happi-er. They will have more successful children, better jobs, prettier homes, more fulfilling marriages, or whatever. I can’t chase them all. Better to focus on you and your call to me while ignoring all others. Following your call is the best way to find my contentment. Chasing the perceived success of someone else will only lead to exhaustion and emptiness.

Father, help me to be peacefully quiet. Help me to embrace all that you have for me today. Help me to bless others for their success and to care more about their peace and contentment than I do what they have that I don’t have. Help me to be an instrument of your peace in their lives.

In Jesus’s name I pray,

Amen

 
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Posted by on June 21, 2019 in Ecclesiastes

 

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Mark 8:34-37

20 Jun

Then, calling the crowd to join his disciples, he said, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake and for the sake of the Good News, you will save it. And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul?
Mark 8:34-37

 

Dear God, I was scanning through Facebook this morning when I ran across an essay called “What If All I Want Is A Mediocre Life?” I’m not sure I totally agree with it, but it did come to mind when I read this verse today. Sometimes, oftentimes, there is a price we are asked to pay for great accomplishment and notoriety that is too high. It can cost us relationships, peace, and even our own soul.

In our couples group from church last night, we talked about how the dreams we had when we got married are very different than how things have played out. Any goals we were striving for back then changed. Even one couple (not in the group) that we know that has only been married for two years has already experienced life-altering changes to their dreams. He has health issues that keep him from working full time (and he’s only in his 20’s), and her post-secondary school ended up closing and she lost a couple of years worth of coursework. We can throw everything we have at life, pay the price, and still end up with nothing.

If, however, we hitch our wagon to your train we can at least carry your peace along the journey. And at the end of the journey, we will have our soul. The only thing we have to do is pursue you and then listen for your guidance each day–okay, that’s easier said that done.

Father, please help me to understand what what it means to take up my cross and follow you. Help me to deny my own ego and embrace your call. Help me to love well. Help me to have mercy. Help me to be your ambassador.

In Jesus’s name  I pray,

Amen

 
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Posted by on June 20, 2019 in Mark

 

Ephesians 5:25-33

19 Jun

For husbands, this means love your wives, just as Christ loved the church. He gave up his life for her to make her holy and clean, washed by the cleansing of God’s word. He did this to present her to himself as a glorious church without a spot or wrinkle or any other blemish. Instead, she will be holy and without fault. In the same way, husbands ought to love their wives as they love their own bodies. For a man who loves his wife actually shows love for himself. No one hates his own body but feeds and cares for it, just as Christ cares for the church. And we are members of his body. As the Scriptures say, “A man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one.” This is a great mystery, but it is an illustration of the way Christ and the church are one. So again I say, each man must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.
Ephesians 5:25-33

Dear God, I think (I would certainly hope) I am better at this than I used to be. It’s amazing how my relationship with my wife impacts both of our lives. I mean, it’s kind of obvious that it would, but what I’ve noticed is that the more I follow these verses the more I tend to get from the relationship because I learn from her and she makes me better.

I was actually talking with a friend yesterday about some of the things that I’ve learned from my wife. One of the examples I gave is that she is great at getting people to open up and share. She has always been a great listener. As a journalist, she has really trained herself to draw people out. My ability to recognize this in her as a strength has made me better about truly showing interest in others (now, if I could just remember their names!). If I didn’t have this attitude of respect and service towards her then my arrogance would likely destroy any chance I have at being positively impacted by who she is.

Father, I don’t want to lie to myself and think that I have arrived when it comes to loving this woman, your daughter, to your standard. I’m sorry to you and to her for when I fail her. I don’t mean to. Help me to have open eyes and to love her in the way you want her to be loved. Do it for her sake, and for mine as well.

In Jesus’s name I pray,

Amen

 
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Posted by on June 19, 2019 in Ephesians

 

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Ephesians 6:4

18 Jun

Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.
Ephesians 6:4

Dear God, I was wondering something earlier this week. What did a daily spiritual walk look like for Christians during the time that Paul wrote this letter? There was so much for people to learn about Jesus and the New Covenant you had given them. There was even more for Gentiles to learn about you and who you are. And it’s not like there were bookstores with a lot of written material. And a lot of them were probably not literate anyway.

I say that because it really puts a different light on these letters. The churches to whom they were sent NEEDED these letters. Outside of oral teaching that I’m sure could be very suspect, information, instruction, and admonitions like this were probably all they had. There were no books on how to be a good husband or father, but the apostles took the time to instruct people.

In this case, fatherhood and how we do it is very important. The command here to not exasperate our children is an interesting one. Another common translation says, “…do not provoke your children to anger.” It would be easy to say to not abuse them, but Paul chose to think about the child’s perspective. Now, maybe this was easy for him to say because he hadn’t been a father. I can tell you, there were time that all I had to say was, “Good morning,” to my teen children and it would provoke anger. But I think Paul’s underlying subtext here is to encourage me to always try to put myself in my child’s shoes. The job I do raising them is t about me. It’s about them.

Father, help me to empathize with my children. Help me to love them well, even as they are now young adults. Help me to do the same with others. For each person with whom I interact, help me to empathize with them and respond to them with your love for them.

In Jesus’s name I pray,

Amen

 
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Posted by on June 18, 2019 in Ephesians

 

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Psalm 68:4-5

17 Jun

Sing to God, sing in praise of his name, extol him who rides on the clouds; rejoice before him—his name is the Lord. A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling.
Psalm 68:4-5

Dear God, yesterday I was so mindful of the pain that some people experience on Father’s Day (or Mother’s Day, for that matter). When I did the greeting at church, I wanted to acknowledge it. Then I remembered something important. The experience of parenting gives us a small insight into your heart as you parent us. It’s something that I never considered until I became a parent, and as my children grow and are now young adults I get to see even more of your character, how much you love us, and what kinds of experiences you have as our father.

David reminds us in this psalm that you are a father to the fatherless. I will confess that I don’t know what it’s like to experience this because I still have my earthly father, and he is a good man. I have never experienced the pain of being fatherless. But I know there are those that have, obviously. I could probably spend a whole prayer journal to you exploring that issue, but I don’t think I would really get it because I haven’t been there.

So, Father in Heaven, I will sing praise to you and extol your name. I will do my best to get to know you better and then represent you in the world. I will give what I am able to others and try to find opportunities when I can be your hands and feet in practical ways for those who need you. What do I need from you? I need your forgiveness for my selfishness and sin, wisdom for how I respond to the people and situations around me, and strength to carry on your work. Please lead me into those things.

In Jesus’ name I pray,

Amen

 
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Posted by on June 17, 2019 in Psalms

 

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“The Valley Song (Sing of Your Mercy)” by Jars of Clay

16 Jun

“The Valley Song (Sing of Your Mercy)” by Jars of Clay

You have led me to the sadness
I have carried this pain
On a back bruised, nearly broken
I’m crying out to You

I will sing of Your mercy
That leads me through valleys of sorrow
To rivers of joy

When death, like a gypsy
Comes to steal what I love
I will still look to the heavens
I will still seek your face

But I fear You aren’t listening
Because there are no words
Just the stillness
And the hunger
For a faith that assures

I will sing of Your mercy
That leads me through valleys of sorrow
To rivers of joy

alleluia, alleluia
Alleluia, alleluia

While we wait for rescue
With our eyes tightly shut
Face to the ground using our hands
To cover the fatal cut

Though the pain is an ocean
Tossing us around, around, around
You have calmed greater waters
Higher mountains have come down

I will sing of Your mercy
That leads me through valleys of sorrow
To rivers of joy
I will sing of Your mercy
That leads me through valleys of sorrow
To rivers of joy

Alleluia, alleluia
Alleluia, alleluia

Songwriters: Aaron Sands / Charlie Lowell / Dan Haseltine / Matt Odmark / Stephen Daniel Mason

Dear God, this Father’s Day is less painful for me than past Father’s Days have been, but I still found myself being very aware this morning that Father’s Day and Mother’s Day can be very painful for some. I know several people who are experiencing their first Father’s Day without a child that they lost–some within just the last couple of weeks. I know some who have children leading lives that grieve their parents. Frankly, there are countless reasons Father’s Day can be painful for people, including having lost their own father.

With all of that in mind, I came across this song this morning. I’ve had it on my playlist for a long time, but I really stopped to listen to it while I was driving on a road trip earlier this week. I think it works because it doesn’t gloss over pain or tell me that my job is to push through to the other side. It simply says that sing of your mercy through my pain.

You have led me to the sadness
I have carried this pain
On a back bruised, nearly broken
I’m crying out to You

I will sing of Your mercy
That leads me through valleys of sorrow
To rivers of joy

As I pray all of this to you, I am thinking about three friends, in particular, who are experiencing the grief of having lost a child in the last year. One of the things I learned when watching my wife go through the loss of her mother is to encourage people to allow themselves to be sad. Don’t try to be the person who is handing it “well.” Just let it be sad. For these friends, I sing these words this morning.

When death, like a gypsy
Comes to steal what I love
I will still look to the heavens
I will still seek your face

But I fear You aren’t listening
Because there are no words
Just the stillness
And the hunger
For a faith that assures

I will sing of Your mercy
That leads me through valleys of sorrow
To rivers of joy

alleluia, alleluia
Alleluia, alleluia

“But I fear you aren’t listening because there are no words. Just the stillness and the hunger for a faith that assures.” Sometimes, all we have is a faith that is beyond what we can see (Hebrews 11:1). And I believe that this is when we really have the Holy Spirit groaning for us with utterances beyond words. Our advocate and our helper is with us, walking with us, and praying for/with us (Romans 8:26).

While we wait for rescue
With our eyes tightly shut
Face to the ground using our hands
To cover the fatal cut

Though the pain is an ocean
Tossing us around, around, around
You have calmed greater waters
Higher mountains have come down

I will sing of Your mercy
That leads me through valleys of sorrow
To rivers of joy
I will sing of Your mercy
That leads me through valleys of sorrow
To rivers of joy

Alleluia, alleluia
Alleluia, alleluia

I love that the spirit of this song is to simply sink into the pain and wait on your healing. And yet, in the midst of the pain, we keep singing. We sing of your mercy that leads us through valleys of sorrow to the rivers of joy. One day, there will be not just one river, but many rivers of joy for us. There is a hope. Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!

In Jesus’s name I pray,

Amen

 

 
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Posted by on June 16, 2019 in Hebrews, Hymns and Songs, Romans

 

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Hebrews 12:1-3

15 Jun

Hebrews 12:1-3
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

Dear God, “the sin that so easily entangles.” What is that sin? Probably the easiest way to name it is to go to the “acts of the flesh” in Galatians 5:19-21a:

“The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like.”

That’s a pretty good list. These are, indeed the things that entangle us. I would add lethargy and self-indulgence to it as well. I don’t know that Paul intended this to be a complete list, just one that everyone could relate to.

So how do we “throw off” these things? Part of it is good old self-discipline, but it’s not about disciplining ourselves not to do these things as much as it is disciplining ourselves to pursue you. When I discipline myself to pursue you then I get the fruits of the Spirit that Paul goes on to mention in Galatians 5:22-23a:

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.

The idea isn’t that I can discipline myself into these things, but that I “[fix my] eyes on Jesus” and “run with perseverance.” (Hebrews 12:1-2) That brings me to the question, what does fixing my eyes on Jesus look like in my everyday life?

About a month ago, I put a question out to friends on social media: What things do you do to pursue your relationship with God? Here are some of the answers I got back:

  • I like to study with my first cup of coffee in the morning. I make my coffee then sit at our old antique family table with my Bible study book. First, I put in my earplugs. I do this because I am easily distracted. Putting those plugs in my ears seems to take me to a different place. I begin with a sip of coffee and a prayer. In this prayer, I ask God to open my eyes as I study his word and be open to hearing his voice. I usually add in there that I pray that I would act on what he is teaching me through his word. I take this time to ask for special requests–i.e. persons that have asked for prayers. After praying and listening to him, I am ready to begin my study. I usually have a study book. I make sure I look up all the scriptures in my Bible and read them. I prefer to read a scripture out of the Bible instead of just reading it out of a book. It somehow makes me feel closer to God. I usually study anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour. I end my study with a prayer of thanksgiving for his word and for his grace.
  • Weekend Mass–our family prefers Saturday, 5p at St Francis in Stonewall. But we attend Sunday Mass, too. We’ll try to catch the Life Teen Mass at St Mary’s more often since my son is in high school and that’s his cohort. And I enjoy the contemporary Christian songs their choir performs.
    Daily Mass: St Francis has noon Mass on Wednesdays. I attend first Wed of month because the priest has anointing of the sick and we also have a luncheon.
    When I’m in Comfort at noon time I catch Mass there but that’s infrequent –4 times over past year.
    I attend the school Mass at St Mary’s about once a month. And I catch the Tuesday noon Mass at St Mary’s about once a month.
    Bible studies: the one I started today is Bishop Barron’s Word on Fire (free videos emailed to me). This morning was an hour video about St Francis of Assisi. I think each day will be different…. I’ll find out.
    And we’ve done 2 recent Bible studies at St Francis through Formed.org. 6 week studies. Recent one was about St Paul’s letters to the Philippians.
    And… I’m trying to read the Bible more. After all these years of being a faithful Catholic I’m a bit embarrassed to admit I haven’t read the Bible cover to cover. I’m working on it.
  • This is what I have been improving on to pursue a closer relationship w Christ: I am early riser so I use this quiet time  for prayer in our parlor to thank God for another day of life and multiple blessings and then out the door for a 3 mile run, sometimes recite verses from memory or simply enjoy beauty and majesty of His creation and remind myself how incredible that God would take time to create me and know me even before I was formed in my mothers womb. After returning, my wife and enjoy reading our bible and share scripture readings while drinking our coffee. I think God delights in us when we reach out to him by quiet time, prayer, scripture reading or simply acknowledging him.
  • Not listing all the obvious answers, for me music and spending time in His creation help keep me connected. Small group Bible studies best help me grow, which is different for me than staying connected.
  • I have not been much of a person to get up and go to church these last few years.  But God has put me in the path of Al-Anon.  I believe my purpose is being filled by supporting that group and the fellowship.  It is a very spiritual program.   I have learned to meditate.
  • Prayer Walks…..both listening for His nudging and lifting up petitions.
  • I get up around 5:30 in the morning, get some coffee and sit in a chair in my living room. I read God’s word, sometimes I use a devotional, sometimes I don’t. Right now I’m doing a read through the Bible plan, but God has led me to a more intensive study of Romans 12. I pray, on my knees, beginning with the Lord’s prayer, and then for God to guide my day, then for my family (husband, children and grandchildren) and then for others as God leads. Sometimes I journal but not consistently and my journaling takes on various forms. For example, right now as I read through Kings and Chronicles I’m keeping a list of the Kings of Israel and Judah to keep it all straight in my mind. Aside from this very specific time. I try to listen for God’s voice and pray throughout the day. I try to read Christ focused books (both fiction and non fiction), listen to podcasts, listen to sermons. P.S. I’m not perfect at any of it.
  • I actually “wrestle” with God and talk to him very matter of factly…of course about why [my son] was taken from me.   I’m honest with him about my current emotional state…He knows anyway, so why not say it out loud…example “God I’m right now I’m more excited about getting to see [my son] again than you or Jesus…I know that’s not right, but I also know you are big enough and love me enough to work with me…help me feel differently and work through this feeling!”
  • I feel close to God when I work in my garden, because it is a vehicle for spiritual and emotional connection.. you are already on your knees… and you push a seed into the earth, add water, and wait, and in time the miracle unveils itself. It might not be as dramatic as being witness to the creation of the universe, but it is as close as most of us will ever get to witnessing a miracle firsthand when the green shoot unfolds out of the seed and pushes through the earth.  The whole process – from seed to fruition to dying-off and then renewal in the spring, is a metaphor for human life death and resurrection. It makes me feel close to God.  Oh, and also, sometimes I drink too much and lie on my back in the driveway and yell at him.

As for me, these nearly daily prayer journals are a big part of my fixing my eyes on Jesus and running to finish. I also pray with my wife almost every day. While I attend church, it’s one that ministers more to my wife than it does to me, so I don’t get as much out of that. But I think it is good for our marriage that we worship you together. I have found myself longing for a certain kind of challenging preaching, so I listen to Andy Stanley’s sermons through my podcast app while I’m exercising, driving, or getting ready in the morning. I have a Christian friend with whom I speak nearly every Friday morning and we talk about our lives. And my wife and I are in a couples group through our church that meets once a month.

Yet, with all of that, I still find myself sometimes in the middle of sin that entangles. And there you always are with grace for me. You love me. You forgive me. In fact, you are the one who is able to throw off that sin that easily entangles me and helps me to run to finish this great race.

Father, help me to be the embodiment of your child. Help me to be more and more like Jesus and the example he set for me. Help me to love richly in your presence, regardless of my physical circumstances. And use my life to bring your will and kingdom to Earth, as it is in Heaven.

In Jesus’s name I pray,

Amen

 
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Posted by on June 15, 2019 in Galatians, Hebrews

 

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Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23

13 Jun

That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the lake. Such large crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat in it, while all the people stood on the shore. Then he told them many things in parables, saying: “A farmer went out to sow his seed. 4 As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. 5 Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. 6 But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. 7 Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. 8 Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. 9 Whoever has ears, let them hear.”

18 “Listen then to what the parable of the sower means: 19 When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in their heart. This is the seed sown along the path. 20 The seed falling on rocky ground refers to someone who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. 21 But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. 22 The seed falling among the thorns refers to someone who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, making it unfruitful. 23 But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.”
Matthew 13:1-9,18-23

Dear God, sometimes the only way to take rocky soil and turn it into good soil is to take a jackhammer to it. Sometimes the only way to get rid of the thorns is to take a tool and completely rip the soil up so that I can get the weeds out by the root. Well, when it comes to my heart, I need you to be my jackhammer and my plow. If I want to have fertile soil in my heart into which you can plant your seeds then I need to be ready to have you deal with the parts that are not fertile.

For the first eight years of my Christian life, I had no fertile soil. I was young and my I didn’t know what suffering really was yet. I just knew that I was a sinner and I needed you to forgive me and make me clean. But the part of having the Holy Spirit come and take up residence in a fertile heart that would allow deep roots took something special.

Well, over 30 years later, I am still finding the rocky places that need attention. They need your hammer and your plow. And then I have friends and family members who need the same thing. As I am understanding this concept more and learning to connect the Holy Spirit’s power and authority in my life and the type of soil that my heart provides for the Holy Spirit to live in and grow, I can see how that plays out in others’ lives as well. It is giving me some clarity for them and ways to pray for them that I haven’t before. For the new Christian. For the scorned wife. For the person who has experienced tragedy. I am finding myself praying for them in different ways now.

Father, you know the individuals on my heart this morning, including myself. Make all of our paths straight so that they will lead straight into your presence. And when that soil is ready, we will then be able to have the Holy Spirit growing fruit in our lives (love, joy, peace, patience, gentleness, faithfulness, kindness, self control) that bring you glory and help your kingdom to come and your will to be done on Earth as it is in Heaven.

In Jesus’s name I pray,

Amen

 
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Posted by on June 13, 2019 in Matthew

 

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“Home Free” by Wayne Watson

12 Jun

“Home Free” by Wayne Watson

I’m trying hard not to think you unkind
But Heavenly Father
If you know my heart
Surely you can read my mind
Good people underneath the sea of grief
Some get up and walk away
Some will find ultimate relief

Home Free, eventually
At the ultimate healing we will be Home Free
Home Free, oh I’ve got a feeling
At the ultimate healing
We will be Home Free

Out in the corridors we pray for life
A mother for her baby, A husband for his wife
Sometimes the good die young
It’s sad but true
And while we pray for one more heartbeat
The real comfort is with you

You know pain has little mercy
And suffering’s no respecter of age, of race or position
I know every prayer gets answered
But the hardest one to pray is slow to come
Oh Lord, not mine, but Thy will be done
Let it be…

Home Free, eventually
At the ultimate healing gonna be Home Free
Home Free, oh its more than a feeling
At the ultimate healing
Gonna be Home Free

Songwriters: Bernard Sumner / Gillian Lesley Gilbert / Peter Hook / Stephen Paul David Morris

Dear God, I think I first heard this song around 1992 or 1993. I was a sales rep for Word, the label for Wayne Watson at the time, and I remember being really struck by the words to this song. Now, 26-ish years later, I know it word for word. The amazing thing is how little death I have experienced from my family of origin. At 49, on my side of the family, I haven’t lost anyone beyond grandparents. My parents, siblings, aunts, uncles, and cousins are all still living. But I have watched my wife and her family suffer terrible and tragic losses. The hardest for her was her mother, but she only has one biological aunt remaining, having lost three uncles. Two of her cousins have lost children in horrible accidents. Tragic.

Then there are times when I read a Facebook post like this morning’s from a distant high school friend who lost her mother yesterday. She has simply posted this meme.

I know that’s so true after walking that path with my wife nine years ago–and even still today. So this prayer is for this high school friend, my wife, and everyone else I know who has experienced loss like this recently, including my friend who, last week, discovered his adult daughter, who had died overnight, and the other friend who lost her adult son in a car accident just last week.

Father, you are our ultimate comfort and hope. Help us to know what that means. Help my friends and my wife to discover that hope in a new way. Reveal to us your truth. And let us not forget that it’s okay for us to suffer in loss through death. Jesus suffered too when friends died. Something within us builds around them, and when they are removed it’s just huge. And obviously there’s nothing worse than a child or a parent dying, followed closely I would imagine by spouses and then siblings. Regardless, for these friends and my wife, please comfort them. Help them to just sink into your arms. They will mourn. They will be devastated. Help them to know that it’s okay. They don’t have to rationalize it. They don’t even have to try to convince themselves of the truth of this son so that they will “feel better.” Be their God. Help them to find their comfort in you through others around them.

In Jesus’s name I pray,

Amen

 
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Posted by on June 12, 2019 in Hymns and Songs

 

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Psalm 46

11 Jun

Psalm 46
God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging. There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells. God is within her, she will not fall; God will help her at break of day. Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall; he lifts his voice, the earth melts. The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Come and see what the Lord has done, the desolations he has brought on the earth. He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth. He breaks the bow and shatters the spear; he burns the shields with fire. He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.

Dear God, the actual “Verse of the Day” for Bible Gateway was verse 10 (He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”). The first thing I did after I read it was to read the whole psalm to see what the context of this oft-quoted verse is, and then I read to see who wrote it. The NLT says, “For the Director of Music. Of the sons of Korah. According to alamoth. A song.” After reading that I had a thought I’d never had before—this song was written by brothers.

I saw in Wikipedia some theories about why this psalm was written, but I don’t necessarily trust that and I don’t need to go there with it. I just like the idea of some brothers coming together to write you a song. Maybe it was after a military victory. Maybe they led singing in the temple regularly. Maybe it was something else. Whatever the case may be, the men had enough worship in their hearts for you to work together to write it down and share with others.

So, what did they have to say?

  • You are our refuge and help.
  • We won’t be afraid even though everything around us looks impossible to survive.
  • God lives in our city, and it will not fall.
  • There is a lot going on with other nations, but God is in control.
  • He is so much bigger than anything men do.
  • God is powerful. He is our fortress. Just look at what he’s done.
  • God stops war through bringing victory to his people.
  • God says to be still and know who he is. (Isn’t it interesting that they integrate being “still” as part of this?).
  • God says he is in charge of all of the nations whether they know it or not.
  • This same God is with us.

Father, help me to sing with these brothers today and every day. Help me to remember exactly who you are, exactly who I am, and exactly who others are around me. Bring you will and your kingdom into earth, and do it through me and anyone else you need to use.

In Jesus’s name I pray,

Amen

 
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Posted by on June 11, 2019 in Psalms

 

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