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Ezekiel 18:23

14 Mar

23 Have I any pleasure in the death of the wicked, says the Lord God, and not rather that they should turn from their ways and live? 

Ezekiel 18:23

Dear God, I think I am going to try something different today when I use the passage from Restore: A Guided Lent Journal for Prayer and Meditation by Sr. Miriam James Heidland. Instead of looking at the passage and praying on it, I’m going to start with reading what she has to say about it.

I really like her first paragraph:

As Adam and Eve are shattered in the garden by their decision to listen to the enemy and not to rely upon the truth of who God is, so are we. We hold God in suspicion, we blame him, we try to create our own reality apart from him, and we fear being seen by him. We fear being seen by the only one who can actually do anything to heal us.

I’ve mentioned a couple of times now the video I saw of Dustin Hoffman quoting Robert De Niro on what he would say to you if he were to meet you on the other side of this life. According to Hoffman, De Niro’s quote was, “You’ve got a lot of explaining to do.” First, I doubt he would have the courage to say that if presented with your presence. No way. But just the thought of that animosity towards you goes back to this in some way. I mean, I understand being upset with you and how you do things. I understand legitimate awful things going on in the world that upset us and lead us to ask why you would allow such a thing (e.g., war, human trafficking, hunger, etc.). I’ve been disappointed with you in the past. But what would I have you do? What would we have you do differently? Where would the mighty hand of your justice end? Could any of us justify our survival?

Father, her is Sr. Miriam’s last paragraph. I offer it to you as my prayer:

When we spend time with God in prayer listening, receiving, speaking, pondering, and responding, our lives are changed. As we drink deeply from the scriptures and let this living Word settle into the marrow of our souls, the poison of sin and lies is drawn out. As we meditate and contemplate upon who God is and engage in conversation with him, our stony hearts are softened and made new. As we confess our sin and weaknesses and ask for his heart to meet us in our misery, new light dawns.

So draw out the poison of sin and lies in my heart. Meet me in my misery. Bring a new light into my life today.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on March 14, 2025 in Ezekiel, Restore: A Guided Lent Journal for Prayer and Meditation

 

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Joel 2:12-13

12 Mar

12 Yet even now, says the Lord,
    return to me with all your heart,
with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning;
13     rend your hearts and not your clothing.
Return to the Lord your God,
    for he is gracious and merciful,
slow to anger, abounding in steadfast love,
    and relenting from punishment.

Joel 2:12-13

Dear God, this is the passage from Sister Miriam in Restore: A Guided Lent Journal for Prayer and Meditation. I don’t know that much about Joel as a prophet or as a book, so I went back to read the introduction in my NIV Study Bible from the 1980s. When describing the overall message of the book, the NIV Study Bible says at the end, “…he describes the day as one of punishment for unfaithful Israel as well. Restoration and blessing will come only after judgment and repentance.”

Oh, God, can I skip the judgment and just go to repentance? Does judgment have to come first? Coincidentally, I was talking with my wife yesterday about standing before you at judgment day. What will you say? How horrifying will it be to stand before you, even with Jesus’s blood covering me to atone for my sins? Will you make an account of my sins, or will you give me a pass? What will that look like?

Then there is our country now. I’ve talked about my conversations with friends about our country and how things are currently going. I have no idea what to make of what is happening at a national level. I know there are plans. I know they are being executed. Will the ultimate results of them be good, bad, or just kicking the can down the road one more election cycle? Will they give the Christian church that has thrown its weight behind the current administration the power it craves and finish off its corruption, thereby causing its collapse and leaving those faithful to you as a remnant? Will the church and the country have to take three steps back in order to start moving forward again?

This all plays into Joel’s call to return to you. All of us start to create idols. Idols of power. Idols of money and what we think is security. Idols of our spouses and our children. I could go on and on. And you will allow our idols to fail. You will allow pain. You will allow us to wander away so that we might come to the end of ourselves. What kind of judgment from you will be waiting for me at the end of my rope? Will it be as Joel describes here, or will it be more like the Prodigal Father who waits for his son to come home after he’s learned how much he needs his father.

Father, my God, I love you and I am grateful for you. Forgive me of my sins as I forgive those who sin against me. Lead me away from temptation. Deliver me from evil. Give me my daily bread–no more and no less. You are the one and only glorious God. Once again, I love you.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on March 12, 2025 in Joel, Restore: A Guided Lent Journal for Prayer and Meditation

 

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Psalm 90:1-4

11 Mar

Psalm 90:1-4

God’s Eternity and Human Frailty

A Prayer of Moses, the man of God.

1 Lord, you have been our dwelling place
    in all generations.
2 Before the mountains were brought forth
    or ever you had formed the earth and the world,
    from everlasting to everlasting you are God.

3 You turn us back to dust
    and say, “Turn back, you mortals.”
4 For a thousand years in your sight
    are like yesterday when it is past
    or like a watch in the night.

Dear God, I have had so many reminders during this Lenten series, but the big one is the one I always seem to need. You are so big. More than I can even imagine. More than I can even imagine imagining. And I am so small. Smaller than I can imagine imagining.

I have a relative whose health is failing. He may die fairly soon. While his life is as small as mine, is soul is as precious as the finest things in the universe to you, and therefore to me. It’s hard to know how to reach out to him or to those relatives I have who are closer to him than I am. Help me to know how to do that.

My wife and I were talking this morning about a couple we know who are in the throws of busyness with their children, careers, and even building a house. It sounded completely overwhelming. And yet to remember that their lives are so small, but their souls are so precious.

I guess that’s the reality I’ve been sitting with the last few months. As I’ve seen larges people groups suffer. People die by the tens of thousands. Hundreds of thousands. Lives are so small, but each soul is so precious to you and to those who know them.

In Restore: A Guided Lent Journal for Prayer and Meditation, Sister Miriam focuses in on your trustworthiness from Psalm 90:1 when it says, “Lord, you have been our dwelling place in all generations.” You are trustworthy, although I would say that many would say you are not. It kind of goes back to what I said I heard Dustin Hoffman say when asked what he would ask you were there to be a heaven. He quoted Robert De Niro and said you’d have a lot of explaining to do. They don’t see you as a dwelling place, trustworthy for protection. They have listened to Satan in the garden when he says, “Would an all-loving God really allow you to suffer at all?” But they’ve missed the point, in my mind. In my way of thinking, we are once again seeing our lives as so big, but I think our lives are so small. It is just our souls that are precious to you.

Father, I could be wrong about all of this. I’m not promoting anything I’m saying as accurate or even theologically sound. It’s just how I’m thinking about it this morning. If I’m wrong, show me where I am wrong. If I’m right, show me how to use this knowledge to love others and show them how precious they are to you. You are the great God. You are precious to me. Thank you for making my soul precious to you.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on March 11, 2025 in Psalms, Restore: A Guided Lent Journal for Prayer and Meditation

 

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2 Corinthians 6:1-10

10 Mar

6 As we work together with him, we entreat you also not to accept the grace of God in vain. 2 For he says,

“At an acceptable time I have listened to you,
    and on a day of salvation I have helped you.”

Look, now is the acceptable time; look, now is the day of salvation! 3 We are putting no obstacle in anyone’s way, so that no fault may be found with our ministry, 4 but as servants of God we have commended ourselves in every way: in great endurance, afflictions, hardships, calamities, 5 beatings, imprisonments, riots, labors, sleepless nights, hunger; 6 in purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, holiness of spirit, genuine love, 7 truthful speech, and the power of God; with the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and for the left; 8 in honor and dishonor, in ill repute and good repute. We are treated as impostors and yet are true, 9 as unknown and yet are well known, as dying and look—we are alive, as punished and yet not killed, 10 as sorrowful yet always rejoicing, as poor yet making many rich, as having nothing and yet possessing everything.

2 Corinthians 6:1-10

Dear God, Paul really gets on a roll here. Sister Miriam focuses on verse 2 in Restore: A Guided Lent Journal for Prayer and Meditation, but it’s verses 3-10 that really struck me this morning. I am just picturing Paul sitting somewhere either writing this feverishly or dictating it to someone who is feverishly trying to keep up with what he is saying here.

I like how I see Paul’s “fruits of the Spirit” from Galatians 5 weave their way into his other writings. It’s one of his themes. Part of his stump speech. They appear here: patience, kindness, love.

But I think the point of all of this is to encourage the Corinthians (and me) to accept the responsibility inherent in receiving your grace. To whom much is given, much is required. What do you require of me today? I doubt it will be to physically suffer as Paul did, but it might mean exposing myself to ridicule out of my love for you. It might mean embarrassment. It might even mean losing a donor who doesn’t like my devotion to you. I don’t know. But I know that I need to be prepared now for when that moment comes. I cannot wait until I am challenged to decide I will stand up to that challenge. I need to decide it now.

Father, I am your child. I love you. I make mistakes all of the time. Not only ever day, but as much as every hour or more. I am sorry. But I accept both your grace and the responsibility that comes with that grace. Sister Miriam talks about the courage to explore the parts of our heart that we have kept from you and hear you say, “It’s time now. Let’s look at these things together. I am with you. You are never alone. it is time to allow these places to surface so you can be well.” So I invite you in. I accept your presence in every part of my heart. I pray that you will be gentle with me.

I pray all of this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on March 10, 2025 in 2 Corinthians, Restore: A Guided Lent Journal for Prayer and Meditation

 

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Roman 10:5-13

09 Mar

5 Moses writes concerning the righteousness that comes from the law, that “the person who does these things will live by them.” 6 But the righteousness that comes from faith says, “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’ ” (that is, to bring Christ down) 7 “or ‘Who will descend into the abyss?’ ” (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). 8 But what does it say?

“The word is near you,
    in your mouth and in your heart”

(that is, the word of faith that we proclaim), 9 because if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For one believes with the heart, leading to righteousness, and one confesses with the mouth, leading to salvation. 11 The scripture says, “No one who believes in him will be put to shame.” 12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; the same Lord is Lord of all and is generous to all who call on him. 13 For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

Romans 10:5-13

Dear God, I never get excited about reading Romans. I probably should. I guess it just seems so academic to me. It feels like he’s teaching a class, and I cannot just take bits and pieces here and there like I prefer to do. For example, today, Sister Miriam just has verse 11 as her verse of meditation from Restore: A Guided Lent Journal for Prayer and Meditation, but it’s really out of context without the verse around it. But then they are out of context without chapter 9. And when you go back to chapter 9, you realize it is a continuation from chapter 8. It’s just very verbose and almost cryptic. I’d rather someone like Paul, Peter, or John just beat me over the head with what they are saying instead of taking so many words to build the foundation and justification for their argument. Don’t get me wrong. I understand why they did it that way, and I think that way is right. It can just be hard for me to digest given how I tend to read scripture (which is probably wrong since these were mainly written as letters to groups of people or individuals).

So what is Sister Miriam trying to get me to focus on by just pulling out Romans 10:11?

On this first Sunday of Lent, we are led by the Spirit into the desert with Jesus…In the desert, things become very clear. We see our idols–the things we grasp at for salvation other than God. We see where we hide behind our fig leaves of self-righteousness and shame. We see where our sin has wreaked havoc in our lives and in the lives of others.

I had an email exchange with a friend whom I respect as a Godly man. He loves you. He is also very upset right now and some developments in the world. While we lament the same things, I feel like I am reminded time and again the last few years that there is a difference between despair and lament. As long as you are my God, I will not despair (except when I lose faith and I do, indeed, despair), but I will lament things that make me sad and concerned. And you use that lament to comfort me, motivate me, and draw me closer to yourself. If someone came along tomorrow and fixed everything that I am currently lamenting, I might be tempted to worship that person and turn my eyes from you. I might want to make them my idol. I like how Sister Miriam says, “In the desert, things become very clear. We see our idols.” Why does it often take a desert to reveal our idols? Maybe because we look to our idols to comfort us in the desert, and when they fail us (and they will always fail us eventually) we see them for what they are. Or at least you are trying to reveal them for what they are. We just have to be willing to let go of them and allow the Holy Spirit to help us see them as you see them.

Father, I know I still have idols I’m not aware of. My bank account and how much is in it is an idol. I’m sure it is. I know how I feel if I have different amounts in it. A lot makes me happier. Just a little makes me fearful. So it’s certainly in there somewhere. And I know there are other idols. I know I can look to see who is or isn’t in any given political office and make it an idol to get my person in that position one way or another. But that is fool-hearted. One I’ve talked to you about in the past is my interest or need for the U.S. military to be the strongest in the world so I will feel safe. But am I really safe? Do I need to be safe? My nice little neighborhood in my small town can be a place where I find refuge instead of finding my refuge in you. The examples are everywhere. I confess them to you this morning, in this desert place. Be glorified. You are my God.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on March 9, 2025 in Restore: A Guided Lent Journal for Prayer and Meditation, Romans

 

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Psalm 69:16

08 Mar

Psalm 69

Prayer for Deliverance from Persecution

To the leader: according to Lilies. Of David.

1 Save me, O God,
    for the waters have come up to my neck.
2 I sink in deep mire,
    where there is no foothold;
I have come into deep waters,
    and the flood sweeps over me.
3 I am weary with my crying;
    my throat is parched.
My eyes grow dim
    with waiting for my God.

4 More in number than the hairs of my head
    are those who hate me without cause;
many are those who would destroy me,
    my enemies who accuse me falsely.
What I did not steal,
    must I now restore?
5 O God, you know my folly;
    the wrongs I have done are not hidden from you.

6 Do not let those who hope in you be put to shame because of me,
    O Lord God of hosts;
do not let those who seek you be dishonored because of me,
    O God of Israel.
7 It is for your sake that I have borne reproach,
    that shame has covered my face.
8 I have become a stranger to my kindred,
    an alien to my mother’s children.

9 It is zeal for your house that has consumed me;
    the insults of those who insult you have fallen on me.
10 When I humbled my soul with fasting,[a]
    they insulted me for doing so.
11 When I made sackcloth my clothing,
    I became a byword to them.
12 I am the subject of gossip for those who sit in the gate,
    and the drunkards make songs about me.

13 But as for me, my prayer is to you, O Lord.
    At an acceptable time, O God,
    in the abundance of your steadfast love, answer me.
With your faithful help 14 rescue me
    from sinking in the mire;
let me be delivered from my enemies
    and from the deep waters.
15 Do not let the flood sweep over me
    or the deep swallow me up
    or the Pit close its mouth over me.

16 Answer me, O Lord, for your steadfast love is good;
    according to your abundant mercy, turn to me.
17 Do not hide your face from your servant,
    for I am in distress—make haste to answer me.
18 Draw near to me; redeem me;
    set me free because of my enemies.

19 You know the insults I receive
    and my shame and dishonor;
    my foes are all known to you.
20 Insults have broken my heart,
    so that I am in despair.
I looked for pity, but there was none;
    and for comforters, but I found none.
21 They gave me poison for food,
    and for my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.

22 Let their table be a trap for them,
    a snare for their allies.
23 Let their eyes be darkened so that they cannot see,
    and make their loins tremble continually.
24 Pour out your indignation upon them,
    and let your burning anger overtake them.
25 May their camp be a desolation;
    let no one live in their tents.
26 For they persecute those whom you have struck down,
    and those whom you have wounded they attack still more.[b]
27 Add guilt to their guilt;
    may they have no acquittal from you.
28 Let them be blotted out of the book of the living;
    let them not be enrolled among the righteous.
29 But I am lowly and in pain;
    let your salvation, O God, protect me.

30 I will praise the name of God with a song;
    I will magnify him with thanksgiving.
31 This will please the Lord more than an ox
    or a bull with horns and hoofs.
32 Let the oppressed see it and be glad;
    you who seek God, let your hearts revive.
33 For the Lord hears the needy
    and does not despise his own who are in bonds.

34 Let heaven and earth praise him,
    the seas and everything that moves in them.
35 For God will save Zion
    and rebuild the cities of Judah,
and his servants shall live[c] there and possess it;
36     the children of his servants shall inherit it,
    and those who love his name shall live in it.

Dear God, this is the passage for today’s Lenten meditation from Restore: A Guided Lent Journal for Prayer and Meditation. Sister Miriam has us focusing on verse 16, but as I read the psalm this morning, it was verse 6 that struck me:

6 Do not let those who hope in you be put to shame because of me,
    O Lord God of hosts;
do not let those who seek you be dishonored because of me,
    O God of Israel.

I want to love you. I want to love others. But one thing that scares me is leading others who earnestly love you astray. Or leading those who are earnestly seeking you astray. Or just having some failing that comes back on you and on those around me who worship you. I have a friend who is becoming a good friend. He is a pastor. I have my little pieces of theology that go against the grain and can be considered kind of weird. And I could be incredibly wrong. I have found myself regretting saying some things about what I think to him because, if it is heresy, I don’t want to lead him down the wrong path and away from you.

Father, I am about to spend time today with that very friend, a relative, and many other men as we hear encouragement about what boys in our world need to be a man in today’s culture. I confess I am skeptical of the topic and what will be taught. But with this reading today, I want to be careful about how I share that. I want to be careful how I love them, love the boys in my life, and love my own children, who are now grown. I certainly made mistakes in their lives. I might have done things that put a wedge between them and you, I don’t know. But I know that I have this day. This moment. Help me to be very careful in it.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on March 8, 2025 in Psalms

 

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Collect for Mass of the Day (Thursday after Ash Wednesday)

07 Mar 
Prompt our actions with your inspiration, we pray, O Lord
And further them with your constant help
That all we do may always begin from you
And by you be brought to completion

Collect for Mass of the Day (Thursday after Ash Wednesday)

Dear God, I accidentally did the wrong day yesterday. I skipped a day in Restore: A Guided Lent Journal for Prayer and Meditation. I did today’s yesterday. Oops. So let me back up and get yesterday’s meditation.

I remember 23 years ago, after having been inspired to leave a safe job to venture out and follow you blindly, listening to another guy talk (or maybe I read it) and he was talking about being in the middle of your will. He said that there was a moment in his life when he had followed you faithfully, and he knew that he knew that he knew he was doing something weird but he was doing exactly what you wanted him to do. It’s what he said next that stuck with me: “Knowing I was in God’s will in that moment made me not want to cross the street if I thought it wasn’t in his will.”

Knowing your will is hard because my will can be a powerful influencer over me. I can justify just about anything I want as being your will. I recently purchased a new vehicle and part of how I justified it to myself was that we were selling our old vehicle, which ran fine, really cheap to a sweet family that could use it. Surely that was in your will, right? Well, I don’t know, but I sure used that to justify it to myself whenever I had misgivings.

To quote Sister Miriam from the book: “During Lent, the Lord is calling us to something very intimate–far beyond the mere surface of ‘praying more’ or ‘giving up dessert.’ He is calling us into union with him in the heart. This is why we must allow the Lord to prompt our actions with his inspiration and further them with his help. We are not making the journey of Lent on our own or from our own will. We are being led by the Lord as the Holy Spirit led Jesus out into the desert.”

Father, lead me today. There were a couple of times yesterday when I felt you answering my prayer from yesterday morning about sharing the piece of you I know with others and receiving that piece they know back from them. You are good. You are so good. There is so much of you to know. Help me to know you just a little better today, and lead me into the center of your will, whether I end up there intentionally or accidentally.

In pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on March 7, 2025 in Restore: A Guided Lent Journal for Prayer and Meditation

 

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Psalm 30

06 Mar

Psalm 30

Thanksgiving for Recovery from Grave Illness

A Psalm. A Song at the dedication of the temple. Of David.

1 I will extol you, O Lord, for you have drawn me up
    and did not let my foes rejoice over me.
2 O Lord my God, I cried to you for help,
    and you have healed me.
3 O Lord, you brought up my soul from Sheol,
    restored me to life from among those gone down to the Pit.

4 Sing praises to the Lord, O you his faithful ones,
    and give thanks to his holy name.
5 For his anger is but for a moment;
    his favor is for a lifetime.
Weeping may linger for the night,
    but joy comes with the morning.

6 As for me, I said in my prosperity,
    “I shall never be moved.”
7 By your favor, O Lord,
    you had established me as a strong mountain;
you hid your face;
    I was dismayed.

8 To you, O Lord, I cried,
    and to the Lord I made supplication:
9 “What profit is there in my death,
    if I go down to the Pit?
Will the dust praise you?
    Will it tell of your faithfulness?
10 Hear, O Lord, and be gracious to me!
    O Lord, be my helper!”

11 You have turned my mourning into dancing;
    you have taken off my sackcloth
    and clothed me with joy,
12 so that my soul may praise you and not be silent.
    O Lord my God, I will give thanks to you forever.

Dear God, a psalm of reorientation. That’s what this is. I thought about Walter Brueggemann’s classifications for psalms as I read that this morning, and also as I saw the heading for this psalm the compiler of Psalms provided. Things were good, then they were bad, now they are good again because you provided. I was oriented, I was disoriented for a time, and now I am reoriented in a wiser, better position that I was before the disorientation. I’ve lived this psalm. I am still living it in some ways. In some ways I am oriented. There are parts of my life that are disoriented, and I still can’t make sense of them. And then there are areas in which I am reoriented and wiser than I was before. I suppose that is the journey I will continue to be on as long as I am here.

Sister Miriam James Heidland, the author of Restore: A Guided Lent Journal for Prayer and Meditation focused on verse 10 today: “Hear, O Lord, and be gracious to me! O Lord, be my helper.” That is the cry of a lot of hearts right now. It is the cry of people in war zones. It is the cry of victims of domestic abuse, human trafficking, the poor, the sick, parents, etc. It is the cry of so many.

Here is a quote from Sr. Miriam’s entry for today on this verse that resonates with me: “Each person’s relationship with Christ is unique and unrepeatable. As God loves each of us in a way he loves no other person, so too we love God in a way that no one else loves God. The shape of our heart is precious to him; he knows the distinct contours that belong to us alone.”

Father, one of the reasons I like to be around other Christians is that I get to know they God they know. And I get to share with them the God I know. The piece of you that I feel like is unique to me. The pieces of you that is unknown to me, but they can share. Thank you for…well, everything. Thank you for everything, Father. Thank you for everything, Jesus. Thank you for everything, Holy Spirit. May I use everything you’ve given me to honor you and take the piece of you I know about to others.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on March 6, 2025 in Psalms, Restore: A Guided Lent Journal for Prayer and Meditation

 

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Wisdom 11:21-26

05 Mar

21 For it is always in your power to show great strength,
and who can withstand the might of your arm?
22 Because the whole world before you is like a speck that tips the scales
and like a drop of morning dew that falls on the ground.
23 But you are merciful to all, for you can do all things,
and you overlook people’s sins, so that they may repent.
24 For you love all things that exist
and detest none of the things that you have made,
for you would not have formed anything if you had hated it.
25 How would anything have endured if you had not willed it?
Or how would anything not called forth by you have been preserved?
26 You spare all things, for they are yours, O Lord, you who love the living.

Wisdom 11:21-26

Dear God, my wife and I have decided to use a Lenten devotional book together called Restore: A Guided Lent Journal for Prayer and Meditation that a friend gave her. Since she’s Catholic and her friend is Catholic the books is Catholic as well. I’m actually interested to see what kinds of things might be outside of my experience. What scriptures from the Catholic Bible will be new. In this case, we are starting off with something from Wisdom. Okay. I’m in. What do you have for me this morning from Wisdom?

When I read this, I think about your restrained power. I saw a YouTube video yesterday of actors being asked, “If there is a heaven, what do you hope God says to you when you arrive?” In it, Dustin Hoffman leads off by quoting Robert DeNiro in saying, “If there is a God, he’s got a lot of explaining to do.”

My thoughts immediately went to Job and your words to him starting in chapter 38. Who are we to question you. You owe me no explanation. You owe me nothing.

But then I also thought about kind of my age-old questions when people complain about how you work: “How would you prefer God act?” Do we want you to smite and kill evildoers? Well, what if my sins put me on the wrong side of that line? Do we expect you to stop all natural disasters and question why you didn’t make the earth completely stable and safe for us? That doesn’t seem reasonable. Do we want you to eliminate all illness? I don’t think we want to never die. That doesn’t make sense. Do we want you to eliminate all injustice and harm we do to each other like human trafficking, war, etc.? Maybe that should be our responsibility. I guess I would ask Mr. Hoffman and Mrs. DeNiro what you have to answer for and how they would prefer you handle it.

Father, there is a lot of anger in people out there, and I’m sorry it gets misdirected at you. I know that is Satan’s plan, and it’s a good plan. And I know I’ve blamed you for things. There have been times when I haven’t liked how you get things done. I haven’t liked your plan. But you are my God. I am your creation. You owe me nothing. I owe you everything. And yet, as Wisdom puts it here, you show such restraint! You overlook my sins so I have a chance to repent. You could smite the whole lot of us, but you don’t. Thank you, Father. And thank you for the reconciliation you gave to all of us through the journey of Jesus. The entire journey of a piece of you. From before creation to this moment, you made a way for all of us. You made a way for me. You have done more than I could ever have asked you to. I love you.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

P.S. I forgot to read the commentary for this passage from the book. The first paragraph is important: “Here we begin, dear friends. Ash Wednesday. Our foreheads are marked with the blackness of death while the words ‘Repent and believe in the gospel’ or ‘Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return’ are spoken over us.” That’s a nice humble reminder of our place in this world and your creation as well. Why do any of us think we deserve your goodness. We don’t. You freely give it. You freely love us. But it’s not something that you owe us. So here I am to worship you with nothing to offer but the life you gave me.

 
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Posted by on March 5, 2025 in Restore: A Guided Lent Journal for Prayer and Meditation, Wisdom

 

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Mark 10:17-28

04 Mar

17 As Jesus was starting out on his way to Jerusalem, a man came running up to him, knelt down, and asked, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

18 “Why do you call me good?” Jesus asked. “Only God is truly good. 19 But to answer your question, you know the commandments: ‘You must not murder. You must not commit adultery. You must not steal. You must not testify falsely. You must not cheat anyone. Honor your father and mother.’[e]”

20 “Teacher,” the man replied, “I’ve obeyed all these commandments since I was young.”

21 Looking at the man, Jesus felt genuine love for him. “There is still one thing you haven’t done,” he told him. “Go and sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”

22 At this the man’s face fell, and he went away sad, for he had many possessions.

23 Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the Kingdom of God!” 24 This amazed them. But Jesus said again, “Dear children, it is very hard[f] to enter the Kingdom of God. 25 In fact, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of God!”

26 The disciples were astounded. “Then who in the world can be saved?” they asked.

27 Jesus looked at them intently and said, “Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But not with God. Everything is possible with God.”

28 Then Peter began to speak up. “We’ve given up everything to follow you,” he said.

Mark 10:17-28

Dear God, Peter reveals in verse 28 that they all had the same question this man had: What must I do to inherit eternal life? The same is true today. This can be a preoccupation for some. It can be what everything is all about. Why do I worship God? So I can have eternal life. Why do I do nice things for others? Go to church? Because I think there is a carrot for me at the end of it. There is eternal bliss. Power.

So why am I here this morning? Is that my goal? Am I trying to check a box and justify myself to you like Peter did in verse 28? Or am I just here to worship the God of the universe? Am I here because this is where I find peace, comfort, and direction for my life? Like most things in my life, the majority of the time I am here for the right reasons, but I know there are times when I’m here because I’m trying to justify myself before you.

Father, you are my God. I worship you. My life is worth nothing to me (mostly). At least, I want my life to be worth nothing to me. If the reality is that I lived this one life on earth and I used it to worship you and love others and there is no eternal reward at the end of it, then I’m okay with that. It’s not about me anyway. It’s about you. I don’t know what being with you one day will be like. “I can only imagine.” But I trust you that, if that is what you have for me, then it will be an existence that transcends everything I can know now. And I recognize that I will be the least in your new earth. But I welcome that if it means I get to keep worshipping you. So, for however many days I have left on earth, I offer then to you with no reservations or regrets. Prepare my heart today for Ash Wednesday and the Lenten season. Be glorified through me.

I pray all of this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on March 4, 2025 in Mark

 

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