Wednesday, September 10, 2014

Psalm 34:12-22

¹² Whoever of you loves life
    and desires to see many good days,
¹³ keep your tongue from evil
    and your lips from telling lies.
¹⁴ Turn from evil and do good;
    seek peace and pursue it.

¹⁵ The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous,
    and his ears are attentive to their cry;
¹⁶ but the face of the Lord is against those who do 

    evil, to blot out their name from the earth.

¹⁷ The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them;
    he delivers them from all their troubles.
¹⁸ The Lord is close to the brokenhearted
    and saves those who are crushed in spirit.

¹⁹ The righteous person may have many troubles,
    but the Lord delivers him from them all;
²⁰ he protects all his bones,
    not one of them will be broken.

²¹ Evil will slay the wicked;
    the foes of the righteous will be condemned.
²² The Lord will rescue his servants;
    no one who takes refuge in him

    will be condemned.

Reflection

Yesterday, we explored what good things we don’t lack as we are rescued by God. (Do note that verse 17 mirrors the poetic rhythm of  4 and 6 from yesterday.) Reread verse 18. God draws close to the brokenhearted.  God is always listening to our prayers. God draws closer in our times of trouble not to make the problem disappear but as a good friend who sits with us in our time of trouble. Jot down some ideas about how God could possibly save us and

deliver us simply by being present in the midst of our struggles. How could God give us the good things we should not lack through struggles and hurts?

Tuesday, September 9, 2014

Psalm 34:1-11

¹ I will extol the Lord at all times;
   his praise will always be on my lips.
² I will glory in the Lord;
   let the afflicted hear and rejoice.
³ Glorify the Lord with me;
   let us exalt his name together.

⁴ I sought the Lord, and he answered me;
   he delivered me from all my fears.
⁵ Those who look to him are radiant;
   their faces are never covered with shame.
⁶ This poor man called, and the Lord heard him;
   he saved him out of all his troubles.
⁷ The angel of the Lord encamps around those who  

   fear him, and he delivers them.

⁸ Taste and see that the Lord is good;
   blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.
⁹ Fear the Lord, you his holy people,
   for those who fear him lack nothing.
¹⁰ The lions may grow weak and hungry,
    but those who seek the Lord 

    lack no good thing.
¹¹ Come, my children, listen to me;
    I will teach you the fear of the Lord.

 Reflection

Reread this scripture, this time looking for two sets of phrases that have similarities. Verses 4 and 6, have a similar poetic connection. Look at the actions. In verse 4 “I sought,  God  answered, and  God delivered me.” In 6 another called, God heard, and God saved. The repetition of this sequence is important. Also, hear the repeat of the idea that those who seek  God will lack nothing. What does it mean to you that you can call God, God will hear you ,and rescue you so that you lack no good thing?   

Monday, September 8, 2014

Psalm 88

¹ Lord, you are the God who saves me;
  day and night I cry out to you.
² May my prayer come before you;
  turn your ear to my cry.

³ I am overwhelmed with troubles
  and my life draws near to death.
⁴ I am counted among those who go down

  to the pit; I am like one without strength.
⁵ I am set apart with the dead,
  like the slain who lie in the grave,
  whom you remember no more,
  who are cut off from your care.

⁶ You have put me in the lowest pit,
  in the darkest depths.
⁷ Your wrath lies heavily on me;
  you have overwhelmed me with all your waves.
⁸ You have taken from me my closest friends
  and have made me repulsive to them.
  I am confined and cannot escape;
⁹ my eyes are dim with grief.

   I call to you, Lord, every day;
   I spread out my hands to you.
¹⁰Do you show your wonders to the dead?
   Do their spirits rise up and praise you?
¹¹Is your love declared in the grave,
   your faithfulness in Destruction?
¹² Are your wonders known in the place of darkness, or your righteous deeds in the land of oblivion?

¹³ But I cry to you for help, Lord;
   in the morning my prayer comes before you. 

¹⁴ Why, Lord, do you reject me

    and hide your face from me?

¹⁵ From my youth I have suffered and been close

    to death; I have borne your terrors 

    and am in despair.
¹⁶ Your wrath has swept over me;
    your terrors have destroyed me.
¹⁷ All day long they surround me like a flood;
    they have completely engulfed me.
¹⁸ You have taken from me friend and neighbor—
    darkness is my closest friend.

Reflection

Psalm 88 is  a lament Psalm. These Psalms are  addressed to God with a complaint, request, and sometimes a statement of trust. These particular Psalms cry out to God  in the midst of our human struggles. In this lament the author is distraught that the Lord has not heard the

author’s prayers. Have you ever felt like God was not listening to you? How did this feel? Be honest and tell God. 

Weekly Theme September 7 through 13

Why are there Unanswered Prayers

 I love the Lord, for he heard my voice;

    he heard my cry for mercy. 
 Because he turned his ear to me,
    I will call on him as long as I live.

Psalm 116:1-2

             

 It can feel at times like God is distant and or absent. This  feeling becomes worse when it feels like God is not listening to us. Being ignored or not being listened to makes us feel hurt, lost, abandoned, and alone. But as the authors of Psalms will give witness to, our God is always listening and always responsive.  The reason that many of us doubt this is because we take God’s answer of “no” as an unanswered prayer. The scriptures show us clearly that God is listening to us. It even goes as far to tell us that God inclines his ear to hear us. In fact the word in Hebrew that is often translated lovingkindness or unfailing love is derived from the word to bend over or to come close. God’s witness to us through God’s love is that God always comes close to hear our prayer.

The news that we have a God who is responsive is good news. On the surface it is hard to understand why a God who loves us and is always listening would not give us whatever we want. But when we think about being parents or what we have learned from our parents,  we can reflect on  what it would mean to have everything just given to us. The things in our lives that mean the most were gained through struggle, loss, and grief. And our God who loves us so much wants us to have gained something in this life. Even more, God is there in the midst of that pain walking us through whatever we go through. God could give us whatever we want, but instead God endures the pain with us so that God can give us what we need.

Saturday, September 6, 2014

Psalm 23

¹  The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
²     He makes me lie down in green pastures,
     he leads me beside quiet waters,
³     he refreshes my soul.
     He guides me along the right paths
       for his name’s sake.
⁴ Even though I walk
    through the darkest valley,^[a]
I will fear no evil,
    for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
    they comfort me.

⁵ You prepare a table before me
    in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
    my cup overflows.
⁶ Surely your goodness and love will follow me
    all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the 

   house of the Lord forever.

Reflection

This is a very familiar Psalm. It has helped many people over the years. There many people who have said that these verses were a comfort to them in times of trouble. We should consider that verses like Psalm 23 are anchor verses. Anchor verses are things that will help us hold on even in the midst of the storm. Do you have an anchor verse that reminds you that God’s steadfast love is with you? What about that verse is calming? If you do not have one yet is there something in the 23rd Psalm that would provide comfort in the midst of the storms of your life?

Friday, September 5, 2014

John 4:401 4

¹⁶ No king is saved by the size of his army;
    no warrior escapes by his great strength.
¹⁷ A horse is a vain hope for deliverance;
    despite all its great strength it cannot save.
¹⁸ But the eyes of the Lord are on those who fear   

   him, on those whose hope is in his

   unfailing love,
¹⁹ to deliver them from death
    and keep them alive in famine.

²⁰ We wait in hope for the Lord;
    he is our help and our shield.
²¹ In him our hearts rejoice,
    for we trust in his holy name.
²² May your unfailing love be with us, Lord,
    even as we put our hope in you.

Reflection

Today we are reminded that our hope is only in the Lord and the unfailing love He has for us. How do you think the love of God is our hope? What does this mean for you in the midst of the hard times of life?

Thursday, September 4, 2014

Psalm 86:1-7

¹ Hear me, Lord, and answer me,
    for I am poor and needy.
² Guard my life, for I am faithful to you;
    save your servant who trusts in you.
You are my God; ³ have mercy on me, Lord,
    for I call to you all day long.
⁴ Bring joy to your servant, Lord,
    for I put my trust in you.

⁵ You, Lord, are forgiving and good,
    abounding in love to all who call to you.
⁶ Hear my prayer, Lord;
    listen to my cry for mercy.
⁷ When I am in distress, I call to you,
    because you answer me.

 Reflection

Today our psalmist reminds us of the steadfast love that God provides when we pray. Why do you think it is so important to link prayer and God’s love when we are in the midst of trouble?