Take Courage...and Wait

Psalm 27
Of David


1 The Lord is my light and my salvation
     whom shall I fear?
     The Lord is the stronghold of my life
     of whom shall I be afraid?


2  When the wicked advance against me
     to devour me,
     it is my enemies and my foes
     who will stumble and fall.


3  Though an army besiege me,
     my hear will not fear
     though war break out against me
     even then I will be confident.


...


14 Wait for the LORD;
     be strong and take heart
     and wait for the LORD.


Psalm 27 is one of the lectionary readings for Sunday.  From beginning to end, it speaks of our ability to have confidence in the Lord despite our current circumstances.  No false promises of immediate rescue or the destruction of enemies are made. Rather, it appears to assume the opposite - that days of trouble will come, war will break out and family will desert us.  

Yet in spite of this, the Psalmist displays confidence in the goodness of the Lord. How is this confidence possible?  Perhaps it is due to the realizations contained in the very first verse, which are echoed in Romans 8:31b-32 - 


"If God is for us, who can be against us?
He who did not spare His own Son, but
gave Hi up for us all - how will He not also,
along with Him, graciously give us all things?"


Father, too often we allow the worries and stresses of our lives to crowd out Your voice and block our view of You.  Remind us that You know everything that is happening to us and have promised Your presence, Your love, and Your deliverance. Nothing can separate us from You.  During this season of Lent, encourage us to release to Your care those things that are weighing us down and drawing our energy and attention from You.  Restore to us the joy of our salvation.     Amen

Loving God, call us back...

From Psalm 19:

⁷ The law of the LORD is perfect,
       reviving the soul.
       The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy,
       making wise the simple.
 ⁸ The precepts of the LORD are right,
       giving joy to the heart.
       The commands of the LORD are radiant,
       giving light to the eyes.
 ⁹ The fear of the LORD is pure,
       enduring forever.
       The ordinances of the LORD are sure
       and altogether righteous.
 ¹⁰ They are more precious than gold,
       than much pure gold;
       they are sweeter than honey,
       than honey from the comb.
 ¹¹ By them is your servant warned;
       in keeping them there is great reward.
 ¹² Who can discern his errors?
       Forgive my hidden faults.
 ¹³ Keep your servant also from willful sins;
       may they not rule over me.
       Then will I be blameless,
       innocent of great transgression.
 ¹⁴ May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
       be pleasing in your sight,
       O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.


Loving God, you call us back to you with all of our hearts. I feel your call for me deep in my heart and I know you want me back as much as I want to return. Please, Lord, give me the wisdom to know how to return. Make my journey back to you this Lent one of grace, forgiveness and gentle love.


                   ~~~ http://onlineministries.creighton.edu ~~~

Ash Wednesday Reflections

Lent is observed as a season of reflection, repentance and appreciation for the work of Christ in our lives.  As such, I offer a few reflections:

1. I give thanks to God that I have a house in which to live.
2. I praise God that this house is ours (or the bank's and ours) to steward.
3. I am frequently grateful that this house possesses running water, even when said water runneth over.
4. I exalt the Lord that I am employed, and that my employer allows me to leave without question in the event that #3 occurs and I must leave to meet the plumber.
5. I am extremely grateful that the plumber has come and gone and I need not mortgage the house to pay for the repairs.
6. I am eternally grateful that my concerns of the day are limited to brown ceilings and carpet that squishes, and not the health of my child, the devastation of my city, or whether I will be able to find food for my family.

Take, Lord, and Receive

Take, Lord, and receive all my liberty, my memory,
my understanding, and my entire will.
All I have and call my own.
Whatever I have or hold, you have given me.
I return it all to you and surrender it wholly
to be governed by your will.
Give me only your love and your grace
and I am rich enough and ask for nothing more.


St. Ignatius, from the end of the Spiritual Exercises

Ash Wednesday - 2010

As we enter the season of Lent, let us join together and seek the Lord:

Father, as we turn to you with particular focus over the next forty days, we pray that you would provide the vision and courage we will need to search our hearts for your leading and to respond.

May this season of self-examination restore to us the joy of our salvation, remind us of the freedom from our sin that is provided by grace, provide us with a renewed desire to align our will with yours, andfill us with a passion to share this good news with those who desperately need to hear.

Joel 2: 12 - 18

"Even now," declares the Lord, "return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning." Rend your heart and not your garments. 

Return to the Lord, your God for He is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love,and He relents from sending calamity.

Who knows?  He may turn and have pity and leave behind a blessing - grain offerings and drink offerings for the Lord, your God.

Blow the trumpet in Zion declare a holy fast,call a sacred assembly. Gather the people, consecrate the assembly;gather the children, those nuring at the breast.

Let the bridegroom leave his room and the bride her chamber.

Let the priests, who minister before the Lord, weep between the temple porch and the altar. Let them say, "Spare Your people, O Lord.

Do not make your inheritance an object of scorn,a byword among the nations.

Why should they say among the peoples,'Where is their God?'

I am never alone...

Where can I go from your Spirit?

Where can I flee from your presence?

If I go up to the heavens, you are there;

if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.

If I rise on the wings of the dawn,

if I settle on the far side of the sea,
even there your hand will guide me,

your right hand will hold me fast.

If I say, "Surely the darkness will hide me
and the light become night around me,"

even the darkness will not be dark to you;

the night will shine like the day,

for darkness is as light to you.

Psalm 139: 7-12

Questions as Prayer

Do you ever question God? Is it ok to question God? Is questioning God a form of prayer?


While questioning God may seem like the ultimate example of reckless and ill-advised behavior, scripture provides plenty of examples individuals who did just that. Some well-known examples are below:


"Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?" (Moses)


"My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" (David and Jesus)


"Why have you afflicted us so that we cannot be healed?" (Jeremiah)


"Why do you make me look at injustice? Why do you tolerate wrong?" (Habakkuk)


"Teacher, don't you care if we drown?" (Disciples)


"What must I do to be saved?" (Philippian Jailer)


Curious, annoyed, desperate and angry, these questions contain emotions that are not typically associated with prayer. However, prayer can be any communication that expresses being in relationship with God. And as with any relationship, questions and emotions abound. Refusing to acknowledge this reality doesn't make it any less true.


Wherever you're at, whatever's on your mind, God welcomes your questions.


And in case you're still wondering, yes, asking questions is prayer.

How to think about solitude...

Some people ask, "What do I do when I practice solitude? What should I bring with me?" The primary answer, of course, is—nothing.

At its heart, solitude is primarily about not doing something. Just as fasting means to refrain from eating, so solitude means to refrain from society. When I go into solitude, I withdraw from conversation, from others, from noise, from media, from the constant barrage of stimulation.

"In solitude," Henri Nouwen wrote, "I get rid of my scaffolding." Scaffolding is all the stuff I use to keep myself propped up, to convince myself I'm important or okay. In solitude I have no friends to talk with, no phone calls or meetings, no TV to entertain, no music or books or newspapers to occupy and distract my mind. I am, in the words of the old hymn, "Just as I Am"—just me and my sinfulness, and God.

One of the great obstacles you will likely face is that extended solitude will feel like a waste of time. We're so conditioned to feel our existence is justified only when we are accomplishing something. But also, for me, this feeling comes because my mind wanders so much. I used to think if I devoted a large chunk of time to praying, I should be able to engage in solid, uninterrupted, focused prayer. But I can't.

What I have come to realize, slowly, is that bits of focused prayer interspersed with these wanderings is all my mind is capable of right now. One day I hope to do better. But for now, I have to accept that a large chunk of prayer time will be lost to wandering. Brother Lawrence said it like this: "For many years I was bothered by the thought that I was a failure at prayer. Then one day I realized I would always be a failure at prayer, and I've gotten along much better ever since."

Exerpts from "How to Think about Solitude" by John Ortberg.  For the full article, go to:

           http://blog.buildingchurchleaders.com/2010/02/how_to_think_about_solitude.html