Tag: god’s power

Our Creator and Sustainer (Psalm 104:24-34, 35b)

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Christian Spirituality Blog, Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year BLeave a comment
Bible Art

Our Lord, by your wisdom
    you made so many things;
the whole earth is covered
    with your living creatures.
But what about the ocean
    so big and wide?
It is alive with creatures,
    large and small.
And there are the ships,
    as well as Leviathan,
the monster you created
    to splash in the sea.

All of these depend on you
    to provide them with food,
and you feed each one
with your own hand,
    until they are full.
But when you turn away,
    they are terrified;
when you end their life,
    they die and rot.
You created all of them
    by your Spirit,
and you give new life
    to the earth.

Our Lord, we pray
that your glory
    will last forever
and that you will be pleased
    with what you have done.
You look at the earth,
    and it trembles.
You touch the mountains,
    and smoke goes up.
As long as I live,
I will sing and praise you,
    the Lord God.
I hope my thoughts
    will please you,
because you are the one
    who makes me glad…

With all my heart
I praise you, Lord!
    I praise you! (Contemporary English Version)

In the wake of the Day of Pentecost, we are reminded by the psalmist that the Spirit was not only involved in forming the church, but was already experienced in forming creation. Everything about the Spirit’s work at the origins of the earth was immensely good, wonderfully complex, and intricately interrelated. Indeed, it all reflects the wisdom and majesty of God.

According to the psalmist, God is the Creator and is therefore sovereign over all of this vast dominion of earthly space and ecological systems. We humans are workers in this ordered world; and created in God’s image and likeness as the Lord’s vice-regents over this incredible domain. Humanity is thus both intimately connected with and distinctly separate from all the rest of the world.

As the Creator and Sustainer of all things, the entire world depends upon God for every need; no one can survive, let alone thrive, without the Lord’s continuing presence by means of the Spirit.

This sustaining force of God includes gracious, loving, and compassionate guidance. Everything holds together and has its meaning within God. The breath of God – the Spirit – gives life to both our physical and spiritual selves.

The psalmist paints a picture of creation as full of life – with life itself as the highest expression of its purpose. Our delight in living and being comes from a profound connection with the Creator, Sustainer, and Guide of the universe.

Because of humanity’s deep connection with God and the rest of creation, everything we do as people on this earth impacts God and God’s big world. Every human action exerts an influence. Theology, anthropology, and ecology all exist with complex interconnectedness. God, people, and the world are bound to each other. Since God is relationship itself, relational connection is built into all creation.

Humanity is the apex and climax of God’s creative activity; yet, at the same time, we are but one piece within this intricate whole of creation. We humans are tasked by God to serve the earth and care for it – not to rule in such a way that exploits its grand resources, but to maintain and strengthen the existing connected systems of the earth.

This means we are meant to think of the common good of all earth’s citizens, as well as to consider future generations, and equip them to steward our vast world with practical wisdom and spiritual sensitivity.

Everything that brings disconnection, and thus harm, is to be weeded out and discarded. Wickedness, injustice, oppression, exploitation, unrighteousness, and arrogance are to be purged from the good earth, so that all creatures great and small can thrive and enjoy what God has provided.

Even the seemingly uncontrollable elements of this world – sea monsters and leviathans, chaos and evil – are ultimately subject to the sovereign God of this realm. It is the Lord who brings order from chaos, life from death, and calms the churning waters – quieting all of those ancient leviathans which cause so much of a stir.

It would be great if everyone everywhere found joy in their lives, brought God joy, and enjoyed being with everyone else and caring for all creation. Yet, those chaotic disconnecting powers are there – causing harm and division, splitting that which is designed to be connected, and disrespecting the inherent goodness of God’s image bearers and God’s world.

By being in harmony and in sync with God’s Spirit, we can work together against wickedness and not separate or dismantle what God has built and joined. Through our spiritual awareness, we can help, and not harm. In maintaining our proper spiritual connections, we can be agents of upholding the good, the right, and the just; and not underhandedly undermining God’s sovereignty.

Let us then offer our hallelujahs; our praise, adoration, and gratitude, to God who is the source of life. Because it’s awfully hard to be bad when you’re being good.

May you be able to say with the psalmist – and with all creation, including the trees and even the rocks – that with my whole heart I praise you, almighty God, Creator and Sustainer of heaven and earth.

And may your prayers be pleasing to the Lord and be full of mercy and love. Amen, amen.

The Lord Is My Shepherd (Psalm 23)

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Christian Spirituality Blog, Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year BLeave a comment
Psalm 23, by Cliff Gleason

The Lord is my shepherd;
    I have all that I need.
He lets me rest in green meadows;
    he leads me beside peaceful streams.
    He renews my strength.
He guides me along right paths,
    bringing honor to his name.
Even when I walk
    through the darkest valley,
I will not be afraid,
    for you are close beside me.
Your rod and your staff
    protect and comfort me.
You prepare a feast for me
    in the presence of my enemies.
You honor me by anointing my head with oil.
    My cup overflows with blessings.
Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me
    all the days of my life,
and I will live in the house of the Lord
    forever. (New Living Translation)

This is one of the best known places in the Bible – even for people who are not religious. And that is for good reason. The psalm is timeless in it’s relating to us in our human condition. It taps into our human need for a compassionate presence, secure protection, and abundant provision. I believe that, most of all, Psalm 23 effectively goes to our inner selves and reminds us of our greatest need: God.

My underlying conviction concerning this wonderful psalm is that the reason we adore it so much is because we humans have an innate primal desire for God. Whether we are consciously religious or not, our deepest longing is for connection with the Divine.

Much of humanity, it seems to me, have repressed this desire. Many people bury this longing underneath multiple layers of other interests and competing desires. Others experience the primal desire for God as a yearning for wholeness, completion, or fulfillment.

Yet, regardless of how particular individuals or groups may frame it, humanity’s basic need is to love and be loved – to move ever closer to the source of love. This inner craving is the essence of the human spirit, and it is captured well in a biblical psalm which pictures a person who settled into the God who is Love.

“Our hearts are forever restless until we rest in God.”

St. Augustine

With Psalm 23, our human longing is spelled out in a mere 50 or so words – we can imagine not only being transported, but also being actually transformed into an enjoyable divine/human relationship, set within an idyllic landscape of settled peace, safety, and strength.

Serenity for our anxious racing thoughts becomes a real hope, for there is a shepherd who protects the human flock and ensures that they have everything they need.

It is understandable that the relationship between God and humans is likened to that of a shepherd and sheep. In reality, sheep need a shepherd. They require someone to look out for them and provide for them. Sheep, in my opinion, are not stupid and clueless; they are skittish animals who only function well if they are non-anxious and at peace.

The presence of a caring shepherd makes all the difference. And, more than that, the shepherd does a myriad of needed things for the sheep that they are not able to do themselves, such as protecting them from wolves, finding adequate pasture to feed upon, and relieving them of the intestinal gas from eating all that grass which would literally kill them without the shepherd’s intervention.

Whereas human shepherds may or may not be faithful in their duties and extend genuine care to the flock, God is always present and loving. Moving to the rich pasture of the New Testament, Jesus is described as the Good Shepherd who will care for and preserve the sheep in every way needed. (John 10:1-21)

Psalm 23, by Cliff Gleason

Indeed, with Jesus as the consummate shepherd, people want for nothing and have everything they need. No wolf can snatch them out of his hand, and the mundane tasks of washing their feet is lovingly done for them. With Jesus, the deep yearning of the inner person becomes satisfied; the soul is restored.

Even the implements of a rod and a staff are used for good, and not for ill. An unfaithful shepherd will likely beat the sheep and berate them, only concerned for fleecing them to sell their wool on the market. But Jesus uses the rod to guide and direct in the way we ought to go, for our benefit and well-being. And the staff – the shepherd’s crook – is benevolently used to rein in the strays who don’t realize how in danger they’re in.

Truly, discipline and encouragement are not mutually exclusive concepts; they instead go together as two forms of loving leadership and care. Only those who take the time and effort to correct another are the ones who really care enough to do so.

In the shepherd’s presence, we can exist with a sense of security, even though there is danger all around us. Our longing for peace, and to be secure within oneself, is not a pipe dream, but a real possibility. To be provided for by God in the face of hard circumstances strengthens faith, awakens hope, and fosters love. It becomes an overflowing feast of the soul.

And this goodness is not fleeting. It can be a continuous present reality. Since God is good, all the time, and there is never a time when God is not good, we are continually and actively pursued and shepherded by goodness and not by harm, all the days of our lives.

The threat of death – and even death itself – cannot thwart the avenues of righteousness from being available to us. We can walk the true path toward inner peace and fulfillment, of genuine connection with God and others, without moral or spiritual harm.

There are good and right paths of life. Those avenues are guarded by a gracious God; they will never be destroyed or damaged. If the psalm is correct, and if my core convictions are right, then there is no longer any reasonable or justified basis for fear.

A good care-taking Shepherd is protecting the flock, and providing the sheep with everything they need. We can live a morally strong, ethically sound, and eminently happy life, without being constantly afraid.

Blessed and Good Shepherd of all, by laying down your life for the flock, you reveal your love for all. Lead us from the place of death to the place of abundant life, so that guided by your care for us, we may rightly offer our lives in love for you and our neighbors. Amen.

Spiritual Sight and Power (Acts 3:1-10)

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Christian Spirituality Blog, Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year BLeave a comment
Peter and John heal the crippled man, by Gustave Doré (1832-1883)

Peter and John were going to the temple courtyard for the three o’clock prayer. At the same time, a man who had been lame from birth was being carried by some men. Every day these men would put the lame man at a gate in the temple courtyard. The gate was called Beautiful Gate. There he would beg for handouts from people going into the courtyard. When the man saw that Peter and John were about to go into the courtyard, he asked them for a handout.

Peter and John stared at him. “Look at us!” Peter said. So the man watched them closely. He expected to receive something from them. However, Peter said to him, “I don’t have any money, but I’ll give you what I do have. Through the power of Jesus Christ from Nazareth, walk!” Peter took hold of the man’s right hand and began to help him up. Immediately, the man’s feet and ankles became strong. Springing to his feet, he stood up and started to walk. He went with Peter and John into the temple courtyard. The man was walking, jumping, and praising God.

All the people saw him walking and praising God. They knew that he was the man who used to sit and beg at the temple’s Beautiful Gate. The people were amazed and stunned to see what had happened to him. (God’s Word Translation)

Peter and John at the gate of the temple, by Rembrandt

Money isn’t everything; and neither is having a lot of talent or giftedness. Yet, we often live our lives as if we cannot do much because of our lack of personal abilities and financial resources. But we can. All we need to do is give something that we all have to give.

Peter and John were disciples of Jesus. Though Jesus has ascended to heaven and the gift of the Spirit has come, they still maintained a daily rhythm of prayer three times a day at the temple.

As the two of them were about to attend afternoon prayer, they encountered a man at the gate. We are told that this particular guy was crippled. He came every day to the temple in order to beg. What is interesting to me is that this surely was not the first time Peter and John encountered the guy who begged at the gate.

Did they just ignore him? Was he one of many? Whatever the reason, they never put their eyes to him before. But on this occasion they did. In fact, they fixed their gaze on him and really took the time to stop and look at him.

I remember when my late brother-in-law had a complete turn around of his life to Jesus. At the time, he walked to work every day in the city. And every day there was a beggar on the corner. Most every day he had ignored him. One day he even spit on him.

The day after his great awakening to the Lord, he was walking to work and saw the beggar. But this time he really saw him. And when he looked into the man’s eyes, he had pity upon him. My brother-in-law – who took his lunch with him each day – surrendered it to the beggar. Eventually, he began a practice of bringing enough food for two, sitting down with the man, and talking with him as they ate together.

Perhaps for the first time, these disciples of Jesus, Peter and John, see the man who was there every day at the temple. They have not a thing with them. No money. No lunch. But they had something better: the power of grace and love.

In our contemporary Western society, we prefer things to be efficient and simple. Giving money, preferably online and dispassionately, is ideal for us. This way, we can give without any strings attached while feeling good about ourselves.

Yet, my brother-in-law and Peter and John decided to give the gift of connection. And that meeting of the eyes was the conduit for spiritual power to flow from one person to another. Doing what they saw Jesus do, the disciples gave the man who could not walk his legs back.

As a result, the guy was no longer lame nor a beggar. He became a fellow witness of God’s mercy and power. He went right up into the temple with Peter and John – walking and jumping and praising God.

It is not really money that gets things done. And it’s not our ingenuity or intelligence that really makes things happens. Throughout the book of Acts, demonstrations of God’s mighty power in the name of Jesus Christ is paramount. And those with alternative sources of power are shown to be powerless when it comes to life transformation.

In all of human history, including today, people like power; and power attracts wealth, as well as wealth attracting power. But the power of Christ’s resurrection is completely disconnected from worldly wealth. And it is never used for personal gain or popularity. And what’s more, this sort of power is available to every Christian – and not just a special class of super-Christians or clergy persons.

If we trace apostolic work in the New Testament, we shall find that the people with such spiritual power received it not because of extraordinary faith or exceptional virtue; instead, the Spirit grants us the ability to make a difference in this world by granting us the gift of sight – to truly see another as the precious image bearer of God that they are.

There are people right in front of us every day that we might not see. If we are wondering how to tap into the spiritual power of resurrection, we have no further to look than observing and gazing upon the folks within our eyesight, so that we can see them in new and redemptive ways.

Holy Lord, you gave us something more powerful and more valuable than riches; you have given us healing and hope. Please bring that healing and hope into our world and show us evidence of your presence in our lives. Amen.

Keep Your Spiritual Confidence (Psalm 135)

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Christian Spirituality Blog, Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year BLeave a comment

Praise the Lord!
    Praise the name of the Lord;
    give praise, O servants of the Lord,
you who stand in the house of the Lord,
    in the courts of the house of our God.
Praise the Lord, for the Lord is good;
    sing to his name, for he is gracious.
For the Lord has chosen Jacob for himself,
    Israel as his own possession.

For I know that the Lord is great;
    our Lord is above all gods.
Whatever the Lord pleases he does,
    in heaven and on earth,
    in the seas and all deeps.
He it is who makes the clouds rise at the end of the earth;
    he makes lightnings for the rain
    and brings out the wind from his storehouses.

He it was who struck down the firstborn of Egypt,
    both humans and animals;
he sent signs and wonders
    into your midst, O Egypt,
    against Pharaoh and all his servants.
He struck down many nations
    and killed mighty kings—
Sihon, king of the Amorites,
    and Og, king of Bashan,
    and all the kingdoms of Canaan—
and gave their land as a heritage,
    a heritage to his people Israel.

Your name, O Lord, endures forever,
    your renown, O Lord, throughout all ages.
For the Lord will vindicate his people
    and have compassion on his servants.

The idols of the nations are silver and gold,
    the work of human hands.
They have mouths, but they do not speak;
    they have eyes, but they do not see;
they have ears, but they do not hear,
    a nose, but there is no breath in their mouths.
Those who make them
    and all who trust them
    shall become like them.

O house of Israel, bless the Lord!
    O house of Aaron, bless the Lord!
O house of Levi, bless the Lord!
    You who fear the Lord, bless the Lord!
Blessed be the Lord from Zion,
    he who resides in Jerusalem.
Praise the Lord! (New Revised Standard Version)

Idolatry in the Bible is greatly discouraged. To trust in or worship an idol is a big deal in Holy Scripture, precisely because it is totally worthless. Trusting an idol to do anything for you would be like talking to a bowling ball and asking it to balance your checkbook. In other words, there is no chance whatsoever of a bowling ball or an idol helping you in your life with anything at all.

An idol has zero power or authority to accomplish what you need. Idols are impotent and helpless and can do nothing. Anybody who focuses on something that has no agency to act in the world will soon lose their own personal agency to act in the world. One who practices idolatry will become just like their idol: worthless.

So, if idolatry is so irrelevant, then why do many people put their trust in “gods” other than God? Because so many of us have a form of spiritual attention deficit disorder in which we become attracted to all the shiny deities in front of us. It is no coincidence that idols are consistently lacquered over with gold or silver in order to display an extravagant wealth, communicate prestige, and attract new worshipers.

Slick idol marketing presents that worthless thing as valuable, as something you cannot live without. This ability to seduce others into placing trust and value into the irrelevant object is largely why much of the Old Testament condemns idolatry and encourages destruction of idols.

But this is how you must deal with them; break down their altars, smash their pillars, hew down their sacred poles, and burn their idols with fire… The images of their gods you shall burn with fire. Do not covet the silver or gold that is on them and take it for yourself, because you could be ensnared by it; for it is abhorrent to the Lord your God. (Deuteronomy 7:5, 25, NRSV)

Idolatry drains the energy we could be using for worship and life toward the One true God. The idols are an affront to a committed life of faith relational connections. They are a distraction, siphoning away resources that are better used elsewhere. Perhaps most of all, idolatry skews our worldview; the idolator ceases using common sense, and begins moving toward useless endeavors that do not enrich the entire community.

Instead, we can praise the Lord, because God is good and has our best interests at mind. Not only that, but God also has the ability to follow through with divine promises made. A bowling ball can’t do that! (it can’t even make it so you can throw a perfect 300 bowling game).

God is gracious, and holds us close. We belong to God. Remember all the ways the Lord has delivered people in the past, and let that memory give you confidence moving forward.

One of the best ways to know if the worship of God is intact, is by noticing if worshipers act in generous, gracious ways to uphold the unity and peace of the faith community.

But if a community is characterized by division and special interest groups, and by distortions of faith that only champion their particular brand of belief, then you are likely looking at idolatry. If you observe this, get out fast, while you can.

Whenever people are able to bless one another and bless the world, they themselves have received blessing from God. But if they continually curse each other and bemoan the world, then its time to leave. This earthly life is too short for messing around with a bunch of useless idolatry that gets us nowhere.

Maintaining faith in God – and not in something or someone else – will enable us to deal with our doubts and see the power of the Lord all around us.

O God, come to my assistance; O Lord, make haste to help me. Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit—as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen. Alleluia.