Psalm 80:1-7

“O Lord God of hosts, how long will you be angry with your people’s prayers? You have fed them with the bread of tears, and given them tears to drink in full measure.” vss. 7-8 

In general the brutal honesty of the various psalmists is refreshing. This one has a complaint against the Lord God, the One who had led Israel out of Egypt and into the Promised Land. Things are not going well: armies have been defeated, and enemies are threatening on every side. The psalmist can’t understand how a loving God could stand by and let them be ravaged by their foes. His conclusion is that God has become angry with them. That’s not an uncommon feeling among God’s chosen ones. And it’s not only Israel that has a bone to pick. Often we’ll see followers of Jesus who are flummoxed when things don’t go their way. It could be that some loved one has died unexpectedly and when it appears that the death has been arbitrary and unfair, God often gets the blame. For some it’s the first thing that comes to mind! And it’s not only death that triggers our displeasure with God. Anytime things aren’t going our way we’re likely to explode in a tirade of complaints and laments. Our childlike faith convinces us that since we worship regularly, tithe generously, and feed the hungry, we deserve to be taken care of by God. Of course as our faith matures we come to realize that stuff just happens, and God is the One who brings relief.

Thought for the Day: What’s mature faith?

Isaiah 7:13-16

“Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a young woman shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” vs. 14

Isaiah answers the refusal of Ahaz to ask for help by giving him what turns out to be a reassuring sign. A young woman will conceive and bear a son and call his name Immanuel, which means “God is with us.” This was good news for Ahaz. God would not abandon Jerusalem and would in fact deliver her from her enemies by the time the child would be fully weaned. Over 700 years later, early Christians saw in this verse a reference to the birth of Jesus and believed that the name “Immanuel” could be applied to him. And those early believers were exactly right. It isn’t that Isaiah foresaw the birth of Jesus centuries before it happened, but Jesus was what Isaiah described. As the gospel writer John put it, Jesus was the Word made flesh, the incarnation of the invisible God. He truly was Immanuel! And so it is that out of all the holiday songs we’re currently hearing,  the one best reflecting the season of Advent is, “O Come, O Come Immanuel.” So whether we’re facing a crisis like that of Ahaz, or one peculiar to our own situation, remembering the name Immanuel can be a source of comfort and assurance. We are not alone. God is with us!

Thought for the Day: What’s my consolation in a time of crisis?

Isaiah 7:10-12

“Ask thee a sign of the Lord thy God; ask it either in the depth, or in the height above. But Ahaz said, ‘I will not ask, neither will I tempt the Lord.’” vss. 11-12

Ahaz, the king of Judah, was a headstrong man. Even as his kingdom trembled at the news of imminent attacks by the combined forces of Israel and Aram, he refused to ask a sign of the Lord. Evidently he felt that Judah didn’t need any divine intervention, that their armies were capable of fending off enemies on their own. That kind of stubborn refusal is not unknown among us.. How many people, caught up in one addiction or another, will say that they don’t need God, that they can deal with the problem without any assistance at all? They reject even the loving care of their families with their assertion that they can handle things alone. And we certainly don’t have to be addicted to have this sad attraction to self-reliance. Many are by nature inclined to trust in their own abilities and strengths in dealing with any problem–and they certainly wouldn’t be inclined to seek out the help of God! We don’t know why some have such elevated confidence in their own abilities–it could simply be that our old enemy pride has gotten the better of them. How much better it is to daily take our concerns to God in prayer and trust the Spirit to be our guide and strength in every circumstance!

Thought for the Day: When am I most inclined to shut God out?

Matthew 11:7-11

“Truly I tell you, among those born of women no one has arisen greater than John the Baptist; yet the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.” vs. 11

Jesus gives a glowing endorsement of John the Baptist, naming him as the greatest of the prophets, but then he knocks him off his pedestal by saying that the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. At first those words seem puzzling, but when we realize that Jesus isn’t attacking John personally, we can begin to understand. Like the prophets of old John was skilled at pointing out humanity’s brokenness, but his primary message for those who were broken was judgment. As the old aphorism puts it, John had come “to comfort the afflicted and to afflict the comfortable.” Now Jesus could do that too, and we can hear that stinging rebuke in his voice as he chastises the rich and the powerful. But Jesus had a vision of the Peaceable Kingdom that has its roots in Isaiah and Jeremiah, but that became a reality in his message of forgiveness and love. Brokenness in his Kingdom is addressed not by words of judgment but reconciliation and restoration. In him we experience unconditional love and the power of life-changing grace. Cleansed by the fire of the Spirit we are set free to blossom and bring forth the fruit that’s changing the world, one person at a time.

Thought for the Day: What has been the most fruitful period of my life?

Matthew 11:2-8

“When John heard in prison what the Messiah was doing, he sent word by his disciples and said to him, ‘Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?’” vss. 2-3

Since John had begun his ministry some time before Jesus, he was already a celebrity when Jesus came into Galilee to preach and teach. Some thought he might be the Messiah. But when John was arrested by Herod and imprisoned at the desert fortress of Machereus, attention shifted to Jesus. Matthew indicates that even John began to think that he might be the one! But John needed proof, and sent disciples to ask Jesus directly. We have the sense that as his death appeared imminent he wanted to know if God’s promise was being kept. He’s not the only one to have wondered these things as their ending drew near. There are many even now who wonder the same thing. Was Jesus the One? Or is there some other way? We love to have assurance about such things! Jesus told the disciples who came asking that question to go and tell John what they’d seen and heard. And there’s no better advice, even for us. Was Jesus the One? Well, just look at what he said and did! He was the embodiment of divine sacrificial love, and in him we have what is known as “blessed assurance.” In Jesus we know the full extent of God’s mercy and forgiveness, and as near our endings we can be confident that he is the One!

Thought for the Day: What part does wondering play in my life?

James 5:9-10

“Beloved, do not grumble against one another, so that you may not be judged. See, the Judge is standing at the doors!” vs. 9

When James was concerned about the behavior of his community he was not above using threats to get them back in line. Evidently he had become aware of bickering and grumbling within his flock, and warned them that if they continued, they could expect to be judged when the Lord returned. His method is familiar, and has been used by countless pastors through the centuries. It’s commonly believed that the quickest way to get people to change their behavior is to threaten them with impending judgment if they don’t shape up. Many times, as most parents have learned, threats do work! The problem is that when they become a pattern we can easily get caught up in a legalistic system where the gospel of grace is obscured. That’s why some people who have grown up hearing threats and warnings in church are surprised to discover that God actually loves them unconditionally. Even though John the Baptist had success with his threats, Jesus changed the world with his message of grace and forgiveness. While both these methods are still widely used, there is no doubt which is most effective with broken people! Even grumbling folks can be transformed when their environment is infused with words of affirmation and unconditional love. 

James 5:7-8

“Be patient, therefore, beloved, until the coming of the Lord. The farmer waits for the precious crop from the earth, being patient with it until it receives the early and the late rains.” vs. 7

Early believers had a strong conviction that the Lord Jesus would be coming again, and many thought that his return was imminent. James and Paul, not necessarily always on the same track theologically, but recognized leaders in the Church, did their best to encourage people to be patient. They never said, “Forget about it, he’s not coming,” but they did tell their congregations to be patient. James here describes the patience of farmers in waiting for the rains, and says plainly that this is what believers needed to do. It’s not likely that many of us are looking for Jesus’ imminent return in the same way as in the first century, but we are still finding that patience is a virtue for believers. There are times that we would like very much for something to happen, and sometimes we’re even confident that it will happen, but waiting is agonizing. Occasionally we might even feel like we’ll be dead before God acts and our prayers are answered. Paul and James each advised believers to just get on with their lives, and not worry about what was coming next. There is some wisdom in those words! Often we discover that those things we’ve been yearning for come when we least expect it, and at the very time that we need them most!

Thought for the Day: What am I waiting for?

Psalm 146:5-10

“Happy are those whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord their God, who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them; who keeps faith forever;” vss. 5-6

It is certainly good that the future of our world does not depend on the faithfulness of humans. If it did depend on us we’d be in sorry shape. We continue to neglect the environment and the rate of extinctions is increasing at a rapid pace. We’ve decided to put aside caring for the hungry, and instead of giving poor nations food, we give them guns and encourage further bloodshed. We cut back on assistance for the needy and turn our backs on refugees. And there’s no sign that these recent trends will come to an end–because most of us don’t care! What a blessing it is that the future does not lie in our hands–if it did we would be doomed! But it is as the psalmist says. Our hope is in the Lord God who brought all things into existence and who has ordered things in such a magnificent fashion. The One who has breathed life into us and all living things keeps faith forever. And because it’s not our faith or lack of faith that makes the difference, we have a sliver of hope for the future. The One who gave us life is not going to pull the plug! And one day all brokenness will be restored!

Thought for the Day: What are some signs of God’s faithfulness?

Isaiah 35:8-10

“A highway shall be there, and it shall be called the Holy Way; the unclean shall not travel on it, but it shall be for God’s people; no traveller, not even fools, shall go astray.” vs, 8

Isaiah imagined that there would be a highway from the land of exile through the wilderness and back to Zion. He said that it would be called the Holy Way and that it would be solely for God’s people. That kind of language is familiar to those who seek to walk in the Way of Jesus, though we don’t often think of the Way of Jesus as actually leading anywhere. But in reality it too often begins in exile, in whatever brokenness we might happen to find ourselves. We feel trapped in loneliness and sadness, and life seems aimless and pointless. But then we get the invitation to join the people of God and start walking the Holy Way…and we get the sense that we aren’t on a merry-go-round anymore, we’re actually going somewhere. We’re on the road to the Peaceable Kingdom; we see the billboards all along the way. And as we journey we notice our fellow travelers, people of every folk and nation, all living by grace…and we have the sense that we’re never going to go astray again. Even the fools among us are able to find the Way! Sometimes we even catch a glimpse of Jesus–he’s gone this way before us, and he often drops back to give a smile of encouragement. It’s a good Way; it’s the Way home!

Thought for the Day: What brokenness am I escaping?

Isaiah 35:1-7

“Strengthen the weak hands, and make firm the feeble knees. Say to those who are of a fearful heart, ‘Be strong, do not fear!’” vss. 3-4

Those who have a golf addiction will recognize that the instructions given here are very similar to what an instructor might say to a beginning golfer struggling with the correct set-up in addressing the ball. Everything in the swing is dependent on the grip and the posture. Of course Isaiah had no such thing in mind when these verses were written, and it’s doubtful that anyone can get good golf instruction from either the bible or YouTube videos. It seems much more likely that Isaiah is describing the importance of prayer in dealing with the terrors that strike fear in our hearts in the course of our daily walk. He’s writing in the context of Israel’s return from exile and he knows the people are going to need loads of encouragement. At every step of the way they’ll need reminders to stay strong and not be afraid. It’s wonderful to have such affirming words as we try new things and walk a different path. It’s what we hear from the best teaching pros and from our spiritual advisors. It’s hard to figure out things on our own in life, and it’s a huge blessing to have trusted folks who will show us the way. Sometimes all we need to hear from a friend or a teacher is, “Be strong, do not fear!”

Thought for the Day: What’s the best advice I’ve ever gotten?