Category: Year B

Psalm 46

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year BLeave a comment
            For centuries the psalms have been the beloved prayer book of God’s people.  Pious Jews would know all one-hundred fifty of them by memory; medieval monks would recite them all over the course of a week, going over each one fifty-two times a year.  The psalms do more than present sound theology for modern humans; they give voice to our deepest feelings and greatest fears.
             Psalm 46 is one of the finest pieces of Hebrews poetry you will find.  Its message is one of comfort; its God is one who is in control; its prose is simply beautiful.  “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.  Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, though the mountains tremble at its swelling.”  The psalms inspire trust in God, and help relieve the chaos that seems to envelop all around us.
             It is therefore a small thing to recite this psalm many times, and allow it to become part of memory.  Being able to draw from its well in times of trouble and meditate on it can be significant in the heat of a situation.  Knowing this psalm intimately is not a shot that inoculates us from difficulty and brings instant deliverance.  But it can point us to a faithful and trusted God who knows what he is doing and is always with us, even in the cataclysmic events of our lives.
             O God, you are my refuge and my strength.  Bolster my faith in all the difficult situations around me so that I might not fear, but trust you.  I will be still and wait for your deliverance without trying to orchestrate my own.  In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

Jeremiah 19

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year BLeave a comment
            There is a prophetic rhythm in the Old Testament between judgment and grace, wrath and mercy.  This chapter in Jeremiah is clearly in the groove of judgment:  “This is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel says: ‘Listen!  I am going to bring on this city and the villages around it every disaster I pronounced against them, because they were stiff-necked and would not listen to my words.’”
 
            Judah and Jerusalem had the Temple, the covenant, the promises.  The problem was not that they had forgotten these realities because they continued to offer their sacrifices and attended much of their religious practice.  The issue was that they sacrificed to other gods and practiced the ways of religions other than the worship of Yahweh.  The ancient Jews used the worship of the one true God as a sort of rabbit’s foot to do whatever they wanted.  They believed that since they offered worship to the LORD, the rest of their time and money was theirs to do with however they chose.  They were wrong.
 
            Jeremiah prophesied judgment on them for not giving their whole selves to God and for not listening to God when he repeatedly called them to repent from such proclivities.  What we must continually grasp is that God is the Lord over all our lives, not just part of them.  God cares deeply about everything we do and say.  It is a travesty and offense to God when we have an attitude that we put in our time going to church and give a portion of money in the offering plate, and the rest of our lives is for us to with as we please.  Everything belongs to God, not just the “religious” parts.  This is a message not just for ancient people, but for all of us today who claim the name of God. 
            O God Almighty, all things belong to you, and you deserve my exclusive praise and adoration.  I unreservedly give my life to you, body and soul, so that I will serve my faithful Redeemer, the Lord Jesus, every day in every way.  Amen.

Genesis 16:1-14

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year BLeave a comment
            The way the daily lectionary readings work is that Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday lessons reflect on the Scriptures for Sunday; and, the readings for Thursday, Friday, and Saturday anticipate the Scriptures for the upcoming Sunday.  So, in today’s Old Testament lesson, we get some further rumination on the theme from this past Sunday on listening to the voice of the Lord.
 
            God had told Abram that he would give him and his wife Sarai a son.  But years had passed and the promise had still not materialized.  Thus, in contrast to hearing and internalizing God’s voice, the text says that “Abram listened to the voice of Sarai” to have a child through her servant, Hagar.  In his impatience and discouragement, Abram thought that maybe he had to use some ingenuity and think up a plan in order to see God’s promise realized.
 
            But this was not God’s intention.  All along the Lord had promised to give Abram and Sarai a son, the two of them, despite their advanced age and Sarai’s barren womb.  It did not seem very probable, especially when times passes and nothing seems to be happening.  We might understand why Abram and Sarai went with their own plan, thinking that it might be God’s means of fulfilling his plan.  Yet, it was neither sage nor right.
 
            I wonder if you, like me, expect immediate results to the promise that Christ will build his Church?  Perhaps you, like me, grow weary waiting for God’s promises and his Word to be fulfilled.  Sticking with basic spiritual disciplines such as silence and solitude so that we can listen well to God is a wise plan; going off the spiritual reservation to look for answers to problems or dilemmas because we are not sure if God is going to show up to help is a foolish plan.  We must trust God in what he says, and live our lives consistent with what he has told us he will do.
            O God, I admit that I am growing weary waiting for you to work!  Forgive me for my impatience, and strengthen me in my faith so that I will fully trust your revealed promises in Jesus Christ.  Amen.

Psalm 86

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year BLeave a comment
            This psalm is a prayer of David.  David was a guy who knew what it was like to have evil men pursuing him and hating his life through no fault of his own.  I don’t know about you, but, although I have never faced adversity to such a degree as David, I do know something about people who, to put it bluntly, just flat-out hate my guts.  It is not a good feeling, and it can be terribly draining emotionally and even spiritually.  Having disrespectful and rude people who talk behind your back (and sometimes even to your face) is in direct contrast to who God is.
 
            God is described by David as merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.  Whereas insolent people objectify others and do not seek their best interests, God always acts in accord with his basic character of love and grace.  Based upon the nature of God, we can choose to cry out, just like David did, to show us a sign of God’s favor.  That is, we can pray for God to provide us with some tangible communication of his love on our level that we can grasp and understand so that we can be helped and receive the kind of comfort we need through our adversity.
 
            We can be assured that God will not only hear, but that such ungodliness will not go unnoticed.  While we receive divine guidance and help, we can trust God to address the insolence that exists around us and toward us.
            O God, I cry out to you!  Give me a sign that you are with me, that your love and grace are my twin companions through the difficulties I face.  Help me, strengthen me, and comfort me so that I can keep going for the sake of Jesus, my Savior.  Amen.