Devotional Day 61 - 5/16/20
Psalm 66:8-20
Praise our God, all peoples,
let the sound of his praise be heard;
he has preserved our lives
and kept our feet from slipping.
For you, God, tested us;
you refined us like silver.
You brought us into prison
and laid burdens on our backs.
You let people ride over our heads;
we went through fire and water,
but you brought us to a place of abundance.
I will come to your temple with burnt offerings
and fulfill my vows to you—
vows my lips promised and my mouth spoke
when I was in trouble.
I will sacrifice fat animals to you
and an offering of rams;
I will offer bulls and goats.
Come and hear, all you who fear God;
let me tell you what he has done for me.
I cried out to him with my mouth;
his praise was on my tongue.
If I had cherished sin in my heart,
the Lord would not have listened;
but God has surely listened
and has heard my prayer.
Praise be to God,
who has not rejected my prayer
or withheld his love from me!
With a lot of the Psalms written by David, we can make a pretty good guess of what he was going through when he wrote it. This psalm, however, does not mention an author, so it is impossible to know at what point in the history of Israel that this scripture was written. We may not know exactly what the author was facing when they wrote this, but we can still glean some wonderful insight into their spirituality, as well as our own.
When I first read this scripture, I could not help but hum the doxology to myself. It is a song of praise, thanking God for all of the blessings he has given us. This portion of the psalm begins, “Praise our God, all peoples, let the sound of his praise be heard; he has preserved our lives and kept our feet from slipping.” God preserves us. He protects us and shields us from harm, but that does not mean that things will always be easy going. In the midst of this praise, the author continues that we have been tested, placed in prison with burdens laid on our backs. People have trampled over us and we have gone through fire and water. Even though these “negative” things happened, the author is still in a sense of praise as they come back to the notion that God “brought us to a place of abundance.”
We may have to face those troubles and problems, we may enter into those bad places, but God does not leave us there. He is with us in the midst of those problems, he preserves our lives, and he brings us through into the land of abundance. His blessings are present and evident even when life is hard, and so we should praise him for his faithfulness to us. God’s love is evident all around us, and it should prompt us to be thankful for all he has done.
How has God blessed you? How has God been present in your life, even when things were difficult? How have you shown your thankfulness to him for what he has done? God hears us when we call, and he has never turned his back on our prayers. God has surely listened and has heard our prayers. Praise be to God, who has not rejected our prayers or withheld his love from us!
Let us pray: God you love us and have blessed us throughout our lives. Everything we face, we face with you by our side. Help our lives reflect our thankfulness for what you have done for us and in us. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
Devotional Day 60 - 5/15/20
Acts 27:13-26
When a gentle south wind began to blow, they saw their opportunity; so they weighed anchor and sailed along the shore of Crete. Before very long, a wind of hurricane force, called the Northeaster, swept down from the island. The ship was caught by the storm and could not head into the wind; so we gave way to it and were driven along. As we passed to the lee of a small island called Cauda, we were hardly able to make the lifeboat secure, so the men hoisted it aboard. Then they passed ropes under the ship itself to hold it together. Because they were afraid they would run aground on the sandbars of Syrtis, they lowered the sea anchor and let the ship be driven along. We took such a violent battering from the storm that the next day they began to throw the cargo overboard. On the third day, they threw the ship’s tackle overboard with their own hands. When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days and the storm continued raging, we finally gave up all hope of being saved.
After they had gone a long time without food, Paul stood up before them and said: “Men, you should have taken my advice not to sail from Crete; then you would have spared yourselves this damage and loss. But now I urge you to keep up your courage, because not one of you will be lost; only the ship will be destroyed. Last night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve stood beside me and said, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul. You must stand trial before Caesar; and God has graciously given you the lives of all who sail with you.’ So keep up your courage, men, for I have faith in God that it will happen just as he told me. Nevertheless, we must run aground on some island.”
I would encourage you to read more of this story. I do not like to take scripture out of context, but for the sake of brevity, I needed to reduce it to something more manageable for this devotion.
Paul was sailing for Rome, and it got to the point of the year where travel by water was becoming more and more dangerous because of the weather. He warned the sailors not to put out to sea, but they did so anyway. In the midst of their trip, they got stuck in the middle of a Northeaster with hurricane force winds. Paul was no stranger to difficult times. You can read the whole litany of his problems in 2 Corinthians 11. In fact, he lists that he was shipwrecked three times and spent a whole night and day floating in the open waters. So it is no surprise that during this storm, Paul was one of the only ones that was keeping their cool. God had told Paul what laid in store for him in Rome. He knew he would get there. God also showed him that all of them would be safe. So while all of this turmoil raged on around them, Paul calmly helped these people through their storm, and even got them to sit down and take care of themselves in the process by encouraging them to eat something to keep up their strength.
Life is chaotic, even on good days. Troubles occur regularly, things go wrong, and problems pop up everywhere we look. And when things get really bad, we may think that we are on that boat with Paul in the middle of the hurricane. No matter how hard we try, we end up getting swept away wherever the winds and currents will take us. But regardless of what we face, God is always with us and helps us through. He provides peace in the midst of our troubled seas. As Jesus tells us in John 14:27, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” With Jesus in our corner, his perfect peace should reign in our lives. This should provide us with comfort because we know that he is more powerful than any storm we face. We may not always have the smoothest of voyages, but he will bring us safely to shore. If you continue reading this story of Paul in Acts 27, their ship hit a sandbar and broke apart. Those who were able to swim were instructed to swim for the nearby shore, while those unable to swim were able to float to shore by using the debris from the ship. All 276 people on the ship were safe.
We may face difficult times and problems in our lives, but God will see us through it. He has a plan for us and will get us where we need to go. Our path may not be a straight line, and may make some unscheduled stops along the way, but God will get us where we need to go. All we need to do is keep our eyes focused on him and trust that he will guide us and protect us.
Let us pray: Oh Lord, you are more powerful than the most devastating storm. You control all things and we rest in the palm of your hand. Guide us and lead us safe to shore so we can accomplish the plans that you have set for us. May all that we do be for your glory. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
Devotional Day 59 - 5/14/20
Genesis 6:5-22
The Lord saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become on the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time. The Lord regretted that he had made human beings on the earth, and his heart was deeply troubled. So the Lord said, “I will wipe from the face of the earth the human race I have created—and with them the animals, the birds and the creatures that move along the ground—for I regret that I have made them.” But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord.
This is the account of Noah and his family.
Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked faithfully with God. Noah had three sons: Shem, Ham and Japheth.
Now the earth was corrupt in God’s sight and was full of violence. God saw how corrupt the earth had become, for all the people on earth had corrupted their ways. So God said to Noah, “I am going to put an end to all people, for the earth is filled with violence because of them. I am surely going to destroy both them and the earth. So make yourself an ark of cypress wood; make rooms in it and coat it with pitch inside and out. This is how you are to build it: The ark is to be three hundred cubits long, fifty cubits wide and thirty cubits high. Make a roof for it, leaving below the roof an opening one cubit[c] high all around. Put a door in the side of the ark and make lower, middle and upper decks. I am going to bring floodwaters on the earth to destroy all life under the heavens, every creature that has the breath of life in it. Everything on earth will perish. But I will establish my covenant with you, and you will enter the ark—you and your sons and your wife and your sons’ wives with you. You are to bring into the ark two of all living creatures, male and female, to keep them alive with you. Two of every kind of bird, of every kind of animal and of every kind of creature that moves along the ground will come to you to be kept alive. You are to take every kind of food that is to be eaten and store it away as food for you and for them.”
Noah did everything just as God commanded him.
We all know the story of Noah and the ark. God saw that things had gotten pretty bad on this earth and decided to restart with a clean slate. Noah had found favor in the eyes of God, and so God decided to use Noah to help with this project. God had commanded Noah to build a boat large enough to house two of every kind of animal (with the exemption of the sacrificial animals of which they needed to save more), as well as Noah and his family. This scripture describes the details of how Noah was to build the ark.
I do not want to pretend that I know the mind of God. I cannot tell you why God decided to destroy the evil in this world, let alone in that fashion. What I can tell you is that God is God and I am not. He does what is perfect because he is perfect. Since God is all-powerful, he could have accomplished this feat in anyway that he chose, even without using a human to help. But God saw Noah and how faithful he was, and spared Noah and his entire family from being caught up in the flood that drenched the world.
When we are faithful to God, he is more than faithful to us. He provides and protects. He lifts us out of the mud and sets our feet on solid ground. He keeps us from drowning when everything around us is flooding. God used Noah to save the good in this world. It was a hard and difficult task, that even earned Noah some ridicule from his neighbors. But like the last verse of this scripture explains, “Noah did everything just as God commanded him.”
God has big plans in store for all of us. They might not be as large as building an ark to rescue the animals of this world, but those plans are still important. Are we faithful to God? Have we done what is right in the eyes of the Lord? Are we willing to do what God wants us to do, even if we don’t understand the “why” or the “how”? My hope is that we all do as God commands, and that we serve him for his purpose and his glory. God can do amazing things with or without us, but he chooses to use those who are faithful to him. May God find you faithful in all that you do, and may God work through you in amazing ways.
Let us pray: God of all creation, you are more wonderful than we could ever imagine. Help us to see your glory and follow you where ever you lead. May we be faithful in all that we do. Amen.
Song: Flood - Jars of Clay
Devotional Day 58 - 5/13/20
Hebrews 10:19-25
Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.
In a time of social isolation, it is hard to feel connected. Many in the scientific community are doing research to see just what impact this is having on the emotional and physical health of the people. As a pastor, I hear daily just how much people miss going to church, meeting with one another, singing together, praying together, and worshipping together as one body. Sure, we can sit at home and watch a streaming worship service on our TVs or other devices, but it is not the same as sitting shoulder to shoulder with those of like mind. Even when churches begin to reopen and hold regular worship services, those services will be far from regular or normal. Singing is frowned upon because of the how much more forcefully we project our air when we sing, and it is impossible to sit shoulder to shoulder when you are sitting at least six feet apart. So it may seem a little ironic that I chose a scripture today that tells us to “not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing.”
First we need to understand that there is more that unites us than just a proximity to one another. For we who are believers, our faith is a strong cord that binds us together. We place our hope in one God who has all things in the palm of his hand. He is all-powerful and all-knowing and ever-present, and Jesus made it possible to approach his awesome throne. Jesus tore the curtain, he became our high priest, making the perfect sacrifice to atone for our sins. This act is what makes us holy and allows us to stand in God’s presence. Not only are we allowed to approach God, but he actually calls to us. He invites us to come to him because he wants us to be with him.
God wants us to be close to him, to learn more about him and to grow in love of him. One of the things that I talk about when I do premarital counseling is the idea that when God is in a marriage, it creates a tripod which creates a very stable relationship. As a couple grows closer to God, they cannot help but grow closer to one another because they are both moving in the same direction. The same goes with the family of believers. As we all move closer to God, we all grow closer together because we are focused on the same thing. We value what God values, and we all strive to live the way that God wants us to live. And when we all try to live in love of God, we cannot help but show his loving kindness to others.
Even though we are in a time where meeting together is not easily accomplished, we need to hold fast to our faith. We need to work even harder to focus on God and his love, and find new ways to express our faith. And when we do have the opportunity to worship together once again, we need to do all that we can to maintain our fellowship with one another. We cannot give up meeting together as a church, even though it may be difficult at first. We need to be patient and kind, understanding that the leaders are doing all that they can to ensure everyone is cared for physically and spiritually. We need to set aside our differences so that we can focus on building each other up, growing together, and healing together. Enjoy the time that we have been given to grow closer with God, and look forward to a time where we can celebrate our faith together once again.
Let us pray: Lord, we love you. In your wisdom, you created the Church to be a family of believers. Help us to encourage one another and lift each other up as we all focus on loving you and living for you. Guide us, and keep us safe in all that we do. Amen.
Devotional Day 57 - 5/12/20
1 Samuel 3:1-11
The boy Samuel ministered before the Lord under Eli. In those days the word of the Lord was rare; there were not many visions.
One night Eli, whose eyes were becoming so weak that he could barely see, was lying down in his usual place. The lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the house of the Lord, where the ark of God was. Then the Lord called Samuel.
Samuel answered, “Here I am.” And he ran to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.”
But Eli said, “I did not call; go back and lie down.” So he went and lay down.
Again the Lord called, “Samuel!” And Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.”
“My son,” Eli said, “I did not call; go back and lie down.”
Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord: The word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him.
A third time the Lord called, “Samuel!” And Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.”
Then Eli realized that the Lord was calling the boy. So Eli told Samuel, “Go and lie down, and if he calls you, say, ‘Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.’” So Samuel went and lay down in his place.
The Lord came and stood there, calling as at the other times, “Samuel! Samuel!”
Then Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant is listening.”
And the Lord said to Samuel: “See, I am about to do something in Israel that will make the ears of everyone who hears about it tingle…”
I would encourage you to go back and read a little bit more about the story of Samuel, especially the rest of chapter 3. I initially was going to use today’s song for yesterday’s scripture, but I felt that it also spoke to this story as well. And since I like the story of Samuel’s call so much, I figured I would use it today.
Samuel was a miracle child. His parents prayed for a child for years. One year the priest, Eli, blessed them and prophesied that God would hear their prayers. Samuel was born and dedicated to work in the temple under the tutelage of Eli. This scripture speaks to Samuel’s calling into God’s ministry.
Samuel’s job was to help the aging Eli in whatever way was necessary. So if Eli called in the middle of the night, Samuel needed to respond. Today’s story shows the story where Samuel thought that he was being summed for his temple duties to serve the priest. Yet in this instance, it was not Eli that was calling out for Samuel, it was God. Things don’t always register to us at night. We are in that half-awake/half-asleep state, and it is sometimes hard for us to figure out what is going on. I know when my boys wake me up in the middle of the night, it takes me a few minutes to gather my bearings before I can adequately respond. So we can’t blame Samuel for not knowing what was going on at first. We also need to take into account that the nation of Israel, as well as Eli and his two sons who were also priests, were in the midst of a spiritual drought. God did not speak to the people as he once did. Verse 1 says, “In those days the word of the Lord was rare; there were not many visions.” We see later in the scripture that Samuel had not yet heard God calling to him. So Samuel really had no reason to think that this calling in the middle of the night was anything other than Eli calling out to him.
I think what I like about this scripture the most is Samuel’s willingness to answer the call. Three times he answered the call which he thought was from Eli. He got up and ran to his side the first time, and the scripture said he simply went to Eli the second and third. When Eli finally put two and two together and told Samuel that it was God, Samuel responded immediately as he was instructed. God had huge plans for Samuel. As the last Judge of Israel, he was to lead the entire nation, and it was Samuel who anointed the first and second kings of Israel. God did amazing things through Samuel, and it all happened because of his willingness to answer when he was called.
How often does God call to us and we think that it is something else? We may misread a situation, we may not understand what is happening, and we miss out on what is going on around us. God’s call may not always be as loud as a megaphone, telling us exactly what he wants us to do. It may be a quiet nudge as God points out to us someone who is in need of a little extra help or encouragement. I want to encourage you to listen for God to call to you. I am sure that he has big plans in store for you, but we need to hear him and be willing to answer him.
Devotional Day 56 - 5/11/20
Isaiah 6:1-8
In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne; and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him were seraphim, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. And they were calling to one another:
“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty;
the whole earth is full of his glory.”
At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke.
“Woe to me!” I cried. “I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty.”
Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. With it he touched my mouth and said, “See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.”
Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?”
And I said, “Here am I. Send me!”
Isaiah was one of the greatest prophets in the Old Testament. This book, specifically chapter 53, is quoted or referenced in the New Testament more than any other book (85 times to be exact). The book of Isaiah is full of descriptions of the greatness of God, the ministry of Jesus, and the time of tribulation and the millennium, more than any other book in the Bible. God used Isaiah for some pretty amazing things, yet our scripture today shows us a different side to Isaiah that we would come to expect from such a spiritual powerhouse.
Isiah saw a vision of the Lord seated in his holy temple. Some argue that it wasn’t a vision, but that Isaiah actually stood in the presence of God. I love the imagery that Isaiah gives us of God’s greatness and glory, where just the hem of his robe filled the temple completely, a sign of God’s royal power. Isaiah described the angels flying around God, doing nothing but singing his praises with such gusto that it shook the entire temple as smoke filled the temple, a symbol often associated with the presence of God. In the midst of this Isaiah, consumed by his profound inferiority, trembled in fear, knowing that no one can see the full glory of God and survive. He saw himself as being as good as dead. “‘Woe to me!’ I cried. ‘I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty.’” With this cry an angel purified Isaiah’s lips with a hot coal taken from the altar. God then asked a question, one that I feel is slightly rhetorical. “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” And what is Isaiah’s famous response? “Here am I. Send me!”
There is so much to be gleaned from these few verses. I already mentioned how aspects of the vision show God’s power, authority, and greatness. He has angels attending to him constantly, as they sing his praises. His robe, worn by kings to show their power which was symbolized by the length of the robe, filled the entire temple, showing that nothing could come close to God’s power and authority. Isaiah described how God’s glory is unmatched in all of the earth and the universe. God is God of all. He is creator and ruler of all things. He is awesome, and to be in his presence would be more wonderful than anything we could ever imagine. I love the understanding that this scripture brings when we see that it is God who purifies us. Isaiah knew he was unworthy to stand in God’s presence, and so an angel brought a coal to Isaiah’s lips to cleanse him and make him worthy. There is nothing that we could do on our own to be worthy enough to stand in God’s holy presence. Another thing to point out is found in God’s questions. “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” It is God who sends us. He equips us, and when he has something to accomplish, he sends us to go out and serve him. His second question, “who will go for us,” gives us another Old Testament example of God as Trinity. And finally, we see Isaiah’s willingness to serve God.
God is holy. Being holy is defined as being perfect in goodness and righteousness, it is being exalted and worthy of praise. It is being set apart for God’s purpose. There is nothing that compares with God. There is no one and nothing like him. We are called to be holy, but it is only through him that we are made holy. In the Jewish culture, if something unclean came in contact with something that was set aside as being holy and cleansed, it would make that item or person unclean as well, not the other way around. But nothing can make God unclean. Nothing can tarnish the perfection of God. It is his holiness that makes those who stand in his presence holy as well, which we are able to do because of Jesus’ cleansing blood that he shed on the cross.
We cannot lose sight of God’s awesomeness. We cannot lose sight of his power and authority over this world and our lives. He loves us and provided the perfect sacrifice (himself) to make us holy in his sight. Yes, we fail to meet his perfect standards, but we should do all that we can to try to live up to them. This is not an obligation, but should be our desire as a way of us expressing our thankfulness for all that he has done for us. Then when God asks, whom shall I send, we will have the courage and desire to stand up and say, here I am, send me!
Let us pray: Holy and Almighty God, you love us. Help us to express our love for you in ways that are pleasing to you. May all that we do reflect our gratitude for your saving power. Set us apart to be used for you, make us holy as you are holy. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
Devotional Day 55 - 5/10/20
Genesis 1:24-31
And God said, “Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: the livestock, the creatures that move along the ground, and the wild animals, each according to its kind.” And it was so. God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good.
Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”
So God created mankind in his own image,
in the image of God he created them;
male and female he created them.
God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”
Then God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds in the sky and all the creatures that move along the ground—everything that has the breath of life in it—I give every green plant for food.” And it was so.
God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day.
Today is Mother’s Day, and I want to say thank you to all of those mothers out there. You are all truly special.
God is more than our Heavenly Father, he is also our Mother. We see in the beginning of our Bible, God created male and female in his image. If God is only male, how can we say that both male and female were made in his image? We call him “Father,” because that was the societal norm at the time and that is how we see Jesus addressing him, but so often throughout the Bible we see motherly and more feminine characteristics of God. He is infinite, and we need to be careful that when we try to describe him, that we do not put limits on who he is or what he can do. We cannot try to put God into a box. So how should we describe God and not limit who he is?
It is our human nature to want to define the things around us. We use various methods to classify plants and animals, we label things by how they look, and we define things by how they function. We cannot see all of God, nor do we always see God in the same way. Throughout our lives he reveals himself to us in different ways. Sometimes we need kindness, love and compassion, like a mother tending to her children. Sometimes we need correction, discipline, and equipping. Sometimes we need protecting, provision, and mercy. God reveals himself as he is needed. But we need to make sure that we do not limit God to how we see him at that moment, thinking that that is the only way God can be or function.
In one of my seminary classes, we looked at different ways to pray. One of the things that stuck with me from that class was that often times we need to try to meet God through different means of prayer at different times in our lives. We may feel God working in one form of prayer at one point, and then feel like we are in a spiritual drought at another. Maybe that is God’s way of saying we need to seek for him in a different way, that we need to listen to God speaking and connecting with us in some way we are not used to. When we seek after God, we need to leave ourselves open to seeing him in more ways than what we have come to expect.
We cannot help but describe God. He means so much to us because he has created us to be special and used for his purposes. How do you like to describe God? If you had to describe him in one word, what would it be? Would it be a word that describes your relationship with him - savior, friend, parent? Is it a word that describes how he makes you feel - cared for, loved, protected? Or is a word that describes what he does - creator, sustainer, lord? Whatever word you choose, please know that he is so much more than a single word, but those words influence how we view him.
God has created us in his imagine. That is why we are so diverse as a people, because we reflect different aspects of God’s being. He made us out of the dust of the ground, and molded us to be what he wanted us to be. He made us to be beautiful, because he is beautiful. May we look for God everywhere and in different ways, and may we see him in the different people that we meet because he has made us all in his image.
Let us pray: Heavenly Mother and Father, may we look for you everywhere. We are grateful for your love, grace, and mercy. And we thank you for your blessings in our lives. Help us to live for you and to be your representatives in this world. Amen.
