Tag: prayer

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.

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.

Luke 21:34-38

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year BLeave a comment
            We are now in the first season of the year on the Christian Calendar – the time of Advent.  Advent literally means “anticipation” as we anticipate Christmas, the coming of Jesus the Messiah.  While we wait, we pray.  Jesus himself tells us to “watch yourselves… stay awake at all times, praying….” The reality of our lives is that there is no patience apart from prayer.  Show me an impatient person and I will show you a person who has little discipline for prayer.  But show me a patient person and I will show you a person given to prayer in all circumstances for all kinds of matters.
 
            This season of the year, despite all of its secular busyness and rush, is one of the most ideal times in the Christian Calendar to reconnect with a disciplined prayer life.  Many Christians throughout the world desire more of God than a once-a-day quiet time; they want their entire lives to be a continual offering of prayer and connection with Jesus the Messiah.  If one is not in the habit of punctuating each day with short designated times of prayer, perhaps beginning with taking the time in both the morning and evening to intentionally read Scripture, sing, and pray might be the place to start.  More outgoing persons may want to recruit others to participate with them.  However it is done, let this Advent season be the reconnecting with prayer that so many long for.
            O God, you know I desire to know Jesus better.  Please show more of yourself to me in this Advent season.  Help me to persevere in prayer as I anticipate your glorious coming.  Amen.

Psalm 80:1-7, 17-19

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year BLeave a comment
            Restoration is a beautiful thing.  I don’t often watch makeover shows on television, but if I am channel surfing and catch an old house which seems best suited for the wrecking ball getting restored to its original charm and beauty, I’m hooked.  We as people seem to resonate deeply with things being repaired and rejuvenated to looking brand new again.
 
            For that to occur, someone needs to have the vision to see the old become new.  If not, then the drab discouragement of a gray and dreary environment can easily take over, forgetting the original shine of how things once were.  In the context of today’s psalm God’s people once enjoyed the covenant and the promises of God.  But over time the relationship was not maintained and cared for; the people gradually slid into disrepair.  Centuries of sheer neglect brought a situation where it seemed that the only recourse was to do away with the people and begin again.
 
            The psalms have been the prayer book of God’s people for millennia.  Suffering and hard circumstances provide the backdrop for many a psalm.  Sometimes the difficulty is external – another nation oppressing the people.  But other times, like here in this psalm, the problem is internal – sheer neglect of God’s commands over time to the point that God is just plain angry over the whole dilemma.
 
            I certainly do not want to make God angry.  No, I much rather would like to enjoy his favor.  The work of prayer becomes the tool we need to begin restoring our broken lives and churches back to their original beauty.  God is patiently waiting for us to come to him.  And we must come to him, again and again.  Like the persevering of using the hammer, pounding nail after nail, so we must offer our prayers morning, noon, and night, day after day, crying out to God with the great cry of the church:  “Restore us, O God; let your face shine, that we may be saved!”
             O loving and gracious God, bring restoration to my life, to my church, to my family, to my workplace, and to my community.  Things are not as they once were.  Send your Holy Spirit so that we might enjoy seasons of blessing again.  Restore, renew, revive and rejuvenate our disordered churches.  May your face shine upon us once again through the mighty name of Jesus.  Amen.