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?

Wednesday, September 3, 2014

Psalm 63:1-8
1 You, God, are my God,
    earnestly I seek you;
I thirst for you,
    my whole being longs for you,
in a dry and parched land
    where there is no water.
2 I have seen you in the sanctuary
    and beheld your power and your glory.
3 Because your love is better than life,
    my lips will glorify you.
4 I will praise you as long as I live,
    and in your name I will lift up my hands.
5 I will be fully satisfied as with the richest of foods;
    with singing lips my mouth will praise you.
6 On my bed I remember you;
    I think of you through the watches of the night.
7 Because you are my help,
    I sing in the shadow of your wings.
8 I cling to you; your right hand upholds me.


Reflection
The Psalmist proclaims in verse three that God’s love is better than life. Do you agree with this statement? Why or why not? What would you say God’s love is greater than in your life?

Tuesday, September 2, 2014

Psalm 119:73-77
73 Your hands made me and formed me;
    give me understanding to learn your commands.
74 May those who fear you rejoice when they see     
    me, for I have put my hope in your word.
75 I know, Lord, that your laws are righteous,
    and that in faithfulness you have afflicted me.
76 May your unfailing love be my comfort,
    according to your promise to your servant.
77 Let your compassion come to me that I may live,
    for your law is my delight.

 Reflection
For the rest of the week we will see the word hesed in bold. The Psalmist here connects God’s unfailing love with comfort. How do you see God’s unfailing love as a comfort in the midst of trying times?

Monday, September 1, 2014

Exodus 34:4-7
4 So Moses chiseled out two stone tablets like the first ones and went up Mount Sinai early in the morning, as the Lord had commanded him; and he carried the two stone tablets in his hands. 5 Then the Lord came down in the cloud and stood there with him and proclaimed his name, the Lord. 6 And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, “The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger,  abounding in love and faithfulness, 7 maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation.”

Reflection
Today we hear the phrase, ““The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, “ The phrase we see translated here as abounding in love is the Hebrew word “hesed” (pronounced chesed). This word is so deep a direct translation it is difficult to translate. But, it is one of the most used words in scripture. Most of the time where we see the word good or love translated in English the Hebrew word is hesed. Most scholars agree the best translation we have for this word is steadfast love. A deep love that God has for us. And when we say God is good we should think God is steadfast love. The trouble is that the word good is subjective, it means something different to different people. Do you think it is more important for us to think of God as good or see God by His defining quality God’s steadfast love? Why?


 Fun piece of information. The phrase “slow to anger “ in Hebrew is actually that God is long in the nostrils because they believed that anger was linked to a heated breath and with long nostrils you would be slow to anger.

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