lectio divina:: john 2/ the wedding at cana

I've mentioned this before, but my friend Mike has challenged me to memorize one chapter of the Bible a month. We have been working on this project for years. We did all of the New Testament letters, and we recently started the Gospel of John. I recently memorized the story of the wedding at Cana, and I come away with some new thoughts that I never discovered before:

verses 1-3 say, "On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus' mother was there, and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. When the wine was gone, Jesus' mother said to him, "They have no more wine."

This interaction between Jesus and His mother makes me smile. She doesn't ask Him to fix the wine situation, she tells him that the wine ran out. All of us ask Jesus for things all of the time- and when we do, we fast, or we get on our knees, or we hold a special meeting at 5am, but when Mary asks for a miracle, she doesn't even ask- she just tells Him that the wine ran out. She assumes that He knows what she's saying.

Also, she asks for a miracle, but not for her, for the people who are hosting the wedding.

All of this leads me to a question, "how did she know that He could do it?" Had He been doing little miracles around the house? Was this leftover from when the angel spoke to her before He was born? Either way, she knew that He was the guy to fix the problem.

Verse 4 says, "Dear woman, why do you involve me?"Jesus replied, "My time has not yet come."

From the sound of things, Jesus wasn't interested in doing this miracle. But He does it anyway because of His relationship with the asker. Maybe He is one of the people that dislikes weddings. I also think its funny that He directly asks her a question and she does not answer Him. She assumes that He knows what she needs Him to do. 

Verse 5 says, " His mother said to the servants, "Do whatever he tells you."

She doesn't say, "Thanks Son! I know that you can do this!" She just looks over at the servants and says, "Do whatever he tells you."

To me, that is what the bible is talking about when it talks about faith. Zero doubt. Complete confidence.

Verses 6-7 says, "Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing, each holding from twenty to thirty gallons. Jesus said to the servants, "Fill the jars with water"; so they filled them to the brim."

From what I can tell, these are hand-washing jars. They were filled with gross water that was crawling with germs. I wouldn't drink out of that. But Jesus was able to redeem these hand-washing jars to hold gallons and gallons of the most choice wine. He takes what is common and dirty and uses it to hold the sacred.

verse 8-9 say, " Then he told them, "Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet." They did so, and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He did not realize where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew."

From what I know about wine, it takes a long time to make. Everything has to be perfect for the wine to turn out right: the weather, the soil, the vines, the roots, the barrels, the wine cellar, etc; but Jesus is able to make great wine in an instant. He didn't touch the water, or talk to the water or even wave His hand over the water. He just told them to draw some of the water out. Jesus can transform hand-washing water to the choicest of wines in a heartbeat.

Not only that- Jesus gave this wedding party 120-180 gallons of choice wine. How much would that cost? It cost Jesus nothing.

When did it become wine? My guess is when they acted in faith and drew it out. I'm sure that these servants thought that He was crazy by asking them to give hand-washing water to the master of the banquet and to call it wine. But they did- and they were included on His secret. That was always His style- to share the best with the least. To give honor to those who had none.

verses 9-10 say, " Then he (the master of the banquet) called the bridegroom aside and said, "Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now."

What does the bridegroom do? Does he say, "I don't know where that wine came from!" Does he say, "I had nothing to do with that wine!" Nope- he just takes that compliment with pride. Maybe he was so drunk that he actually thought that it was his decision to bring out all of that wine.

This is my biggest take-away from this story: the master of the banquet when to the bridegroom and complimented him on the wine. The bridegroom accepted that compliment! Yet the bridegroom had absolutely nothing to do with the wine. He didn't even ask Jesus for help- Mary was the one who did that. If I were Jesus I might say, "hey now- let's give credit where credit is due..." But Jesus doesn't do that. He lets the bridegroom get credit for a miracle that He did. He didn't mind making the bridegroom look good.

I feel like I'm the bridegroom. I get a lot of credit for things that I didn't do, Jesus did them. He does a miracle, but its me that is the one who gets credited. Its me who gets the accolades. I need to remember that I had nothing to do with the miracles that He does. He has been doing amazing things in me and through me for years, and I have been content to take credit. All along it was Him.

As leaders in ministry, we are the bridegroom- we have been taking credit for the miracles that Jesus has done- and He has been happy to let us look good and to take the credit. We must always remember that its all Him. 

As ministry leaders, we are the hand washing basins- we are just vessels that bear the miraculous. Apart from Him, we aren't much. We are unclean. But with Him, we are sacred vessels.

As ministry leaders, we are the servants who follow Him in obedience- who "do whatever He says," and then we get a front row seat to the miraculous. We are the ones who risk looking like a fool; but step out in faith and participate in the service of the Messiah.

God is love.
-rev-rob

lectio divina:: 1 kings 19

when I was in seminary, my hebrew class was pretty dry. the professor was brilliant, but during this time, he had some major health and personal issues and wasn't very engaged in the class. but in one class, he taught a devotional on 1 kings 19 that has stayed with me ever since. I read it in my daily reading today and was reminded of his devotional.

some backstory first:
israel's king was the wicked ahab and his wife jezebel. they both worshipped baal and ashera. God sent elijah, and elijah told them that there would be no rain on the land until elijah had allowed it. and he was right. the land went through a severe famine: the crops died, the animals died, and the people died off in droves. ahab put a price on elijah's head, but elijah wasn't afraid. 

elijah met ahab on mt. carmel along with 400 prophets of baal and a crowd of israelites. there, elijah famously challenged the prophets of baal to call on their god to burn up a sacrifice. baal was the god of fire- so this would be no problem for baal. the prophets called, but no answer. they wailed and cut their skin, but no answer. finally elijah asked that a trench would be dug around the altar and filled with water. in a drought-stricken-land, this was outrageous. but they did, and elijah called on God, and God zapped the sacrifice, the altar and all of the water with a burst of lightning. 

elijah called on the spectators to kill all of the prophets of baal, and they did. and then it began to rain.

jezebel, the queen sent a messenger to elijah with this message: "may the gods deal with me, be it ever so severely, if by this time tomorrow I do not make your life like that of one of them (the prophets of baal).”

so what does elijah do in response? does he say, "bring it on!"? does he say, "good luck with that!"? the bible says, "elijah was afraid and ran for his life."

why is he afraid? he has seen the power of almighty God over and over again in his life. for some reason, jezebel's power exceeded God's power in his mind at that moment. so he ran.
while he was running, he was so depressed, that he prayed that God would end his life.

then he travels for 40 days to a place called horeb, the mountain of God. what was so special about horeb? what is in horeb that is worth traveling for 6 weeks to get there?

my seminary prof said that the mountain of God was referring to mount sinai- and that elijah was looking at mount sinai for the same thing that moses found when he was there.

way back in exodus 33, the bible says that God spoke to moses at mt. sinai, face to face- like a man speaks to his friend.in exodus 34, moses hid in a cave while the glory of the LORD passed in front of him, and left his face glowing for weeks after. 

my prof suggested that this is what elijah was looking for: something incredible, supernatural, fantastic, that would leave his face glowing.

back to 1 kings 19: elijah arrives at the mountain. he finds the cave. he sleeps in it and waits for the morning. the bible says in 1 kings 19:1 "And the word of the Lord came to him: “What are you doing here, Elijah?”

it has always amazed me that God would address elijah tenderly and with a question. God knows why he's there- but He allows elijah to give his answer.

elijah says, "I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, torn down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.”

basically he is telling God that the queen's power exceeds God's power. then God says this: "Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.”

this is what he came for- to experience what moses experienced and to glow like moses did.

the story goes on and says, "then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind."

what?! I'm sure that elijah thought that this was the amazing thing that would happen and that God would declare something epic after this hurricane level wind; but God was not in the wind. 

"After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire."

all of these crazy, natural disasters are happening right in front of elijah's eyes. he is expecting to hear the booming, powerful voice of God strengthening him and giving him instructions on how to defeat jezebel; but God was not in the earthquake, and God was not in the fire. and then something unexpected happens:

"And after the fire came a gentle whisper."

what did it sound like? instead of booming, God whispered elijah's name and called him to come close. I remember reading this in hebrew class and slowly sounding out the words, and fumbling through my translation in front of the class. when I got to that sentence, the hairs on my arms stood up: "and after the fire came a gentle whisper." can you imagine God whispering your name after these violent acts of nature?

"When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave."

I'm sure he trembled as he walked. again, God gently repeats His question, and elijah fearfully repeats his answer: 

"What are you doing here, Elijah?”

He replied, “I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, torn down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.”

God realizes that elijah feared jezebel more than Himself, and that wasn't going to change- not after the miracles, not after the fire from heaven, not after the wind and the earthquake. God very gently told elijah that he was fired.

He says, “Go back the way you came, and go to the Desert of Damascus. When you get there, anoint Hazael king over Aram. Also, anoint Jehu son of Nimshi king over Israel, and anoint Elisha son of Shaphat from Abel Meholah to succeed you as prophet."

I love this story- I love the wild acts of nature, I love the plot twists, but most of all, I love the gentle nature of God who whispers for elijah and gently replaces him only after several opportunities to change his thinking.

when God disciplines, He does it gently, and with love. He doesn't shout or rage, He asks questions, and listens for our answer.

and faith is always what has impressed Him more than anything else.

these are good lessons for these days:

that God is bigger than the bullies in front of us. 

and when its our job to discipline, we are like God when we discipline with gentleness instead of disappointment and anger.

God is love.-rev-rob

lectio divina:: like 15

the other day I walked past jane's room and she looked particularly sad. she was playing with her second new playset that she bought with her own money; a bakery for her dolls, but she didn't seem to be enjoying it much. she just stood there, moving the dolls around slowly.

"what's the matter Jane?"
"I can't find a loaf of bread."
"you mean this one?" I asked-
"no- there are three of them. I can only find 2 of them."
I started looking around. I opened a drawer and found one billion plastic accessories.
"here is a loaf of bread!" I said.
"that's not the right kind of bread. its too long. I'm looking for the shorter bread."

so we looked all over her room. under the bed, behind the bookshelf, in the drawers, no bread. no bread = blue girl.

"let's walk backwards a bit. when did you last see the bread?"
"well, Sarah had the bread in the basket of her bike. she was bringing it home from the bakery when she fell off of her bike. she fell over there-"

so we looked over where Sarah (the little doll on the left) fell off of her bike- which led to a gap between Jane's desk and her dresser- we pulled away the furniture, and there was the bread, resting on a ledge on the side of Jane's dresser. I would have never found it, but Jane spotted it immediately. that girl went from gloomy to elated. she rushed in to tell Deanna the good news.

what surprised me is that she even noticed that it was missing. that playset came with 85 pieces, but jane immediately knew when one was missing. she even had other bread loaves that she could have used, but was not interested. she wanted that particular piece. the set wasn't complete without it. to me, it was just a plastic piece of bread, but to jane it was very important.

it reminded me of that story that jesus told about the woman looking for her lost coin in luke 15:
"suppose a woman has ten silver coins and loses one. doesn’t she light a lamp, sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it? and when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together and says, ‘rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin.’"

it sounds just like jane and her plastic bread! but then Jesus continues- and says that God is like Jane when she is looking for her lost bread- He concludes the story by saying:

"in the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”

God is searching for His lost kids just like a lady searches for her lost coin, or like a shepherd searches for his lost sheep, or like a nine year old searches for her lost plastic bread. those lost kids may be insignificant to you and me, but to Him, they are very, very important. and when He finds them, He is elated. the entire realm of heaven celebrates.

so if you're off hiding, let Him find you.
and if you've been found, join Him in His search.

God is love.
-rev-rob

lectio divina:: timothy

I just finished writing a series for the students called, “the super-amazing-adventures-of-an-ordinary-church-kid,” about the New Testament leader named Timothy. let me just say that I have read A LOT about Timothy in the last month or so. if there is a book about him, I'm pretty sure I've got it and I've read it. but there aren't many. he's still just as invisible as he seemed to be in the first century. I like Timothy- he reminds me of me. Throughout the series, I make the case that Timothy is not your average leader- and probably wouldn’t be considered as a leadership-type of person these days. here are some of his characteristics-

// he’s quiet, timid, and probably nervous.

2 Timothy 1:7 says, “For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.” Paul is reminding Timothy that timidity is not from God- Timothy was probably timid. I like this statement in 1 Corinthians 16:10: “When Timothy comes, see to it that he has nothing to fear while he is with you, for he is carrying on the work of the Lord, just as I am.” its almost like he’s saying, “go easy on the kid- he’s a little skiddish.”

// timothy is kind of fragile, physically.

in 1 Timothy 5:23, Paul tells Timothy, “Stop drinking only water, and use a little wine because of your stomach and your frequent illnesses.” sounds like Timothy was making a lot of trips to the first century bathroom…

// he’s just a kid-

at the END of his life, Paul is still telling Timothy to not let his youth bother himself or anybody else- 1 Timothy 4:12: “Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity.”

// timothy had some social issues-

in Acts 16, we first meet Timothy- he lives in a little town called Lystra; and the bible says, “Paul came to Derbe and then to Lystra, where a disciple named Timothy lived, whose mother was Jewish and a believer but whose father was a Greek.” since he is half Greek, timothy would not have been allowed to worship with the other jews. he would have been teased and left out. it sounds like he had some problems among his parents too- he wasn’t circumcised when he was a baby. it sounds like his parents had a conflict in how to raise the boy- dad wanted him greek, and mom wanted him jewish.

so- here is a kid who comes from a little town, has conflict at home, no friends, is fragile, and is probably socially awkward. doesn’t sound like much of a leader- but God used this kid, and made him a leader. when this kid met Jesus everything changed- he never really got brave or strong- but God used him.

and I think about me when I was a kid: from a small town. socially awkward. conflict at home. physically fragile. not really leadership material. but everything changed when I met Jesus. just like timothy, I’m still shy and somewhat awkward, but I get to do some cool things for God. and just like Timothy I can just shake my head and think, “I don’t deserve it, but I’m taking it- and I’m going to take it as far as I can.” I have often said that when I was a kid, I never thought that I would be anyone's leader in a million years. I never thought that I would get anywhere near a stage or a microphone- or that God could use me to help crowds of people, but by His grace, here I am. an ordinary church kid. I look forward to meeting Timothy in heaven someday and sharing a few stories.

if you ever think that you are not qualified to do something for God, think again. if you think that you're too quiet to be a leader, or that you're not "leadership material" or that you don't come from the right family, or that your past has too many problems in it, or that you could never be a leader for God, its just not true. there is an old missionary saying that goes, “God doesn’t call the qualified, He qualifies the called.” and I’m taking that one all the way to the bank. and you can too.

God is love.
-rev-rob

lectio divina:: ephesians 6

I always find it interesting that the apostle paul gives prayer requests in his letters- here is a prayer request that got me thinking yesterday:

Ephesians 6:18 “And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.

 19 Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.”

paul ask for prayer for a couple of things here:

1- he asks for prayer that he would have the right words to say when he is sharing the gospel

and
2- he asks for courage when he is sharing the gospel. the word fearlessly is used twice in that passage.

to me this is comforting, because I’m often intimidated to share my faith. I often fear that I won’t know what to say, or how to say it, or that I’ll sound dumb, or closed-minded, or like some kind of religious sales person. I’m afraid that by sharing my faith, I’ll do more damage to this person’s journey toward jesus than good!

I have a friend who shares his faith so fluidly with so many cool people, and it always goes over so smoothly. for me, I get all nervous and end up with regrets over not saying all that I should have when I had an opportunity.

but paul asks his readers to pray that he would have the words, and the courage- because even paul himself struggled with finding the words and the courage! and I think that he is saying that it’s a little normal to struggle with the right words and having the guts to say what is in your heart.

and paul also seems to give the prescription for this fear: prayer.

he’s aware of the problem, and he’s praying about it- and he is asking others to pray about it.

and that’s a good thing for you and me too- to be aware of the fact that God wants us to share with others the wonderful things that He has done for us-

and to understand that its going to be intimidating and maybe a little frustrating to find just the right words- but with God’s help we will have the courage and the words to say.

so my encouragement to you and to me is to pray for your friends and family that are far from God- and pray for yourself, that when the time is right, you will be able to have the words to say, and the courage to say them with love.

so I’m with paul, and I'm asking you: pray for me- that when I get the chance to share my faith, that God would give ME the right words and the courage to speak them with boldness and love.

God is love.
-rev-rob

lectio divina:: ephesians 5

I’ve been studying and thinking through the book of Ephesians lately- and there are some interesting phrases in there that make me stop and think. one of them is in the beginning of Ephesians chapter 5: “be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children…”

the other day, a friend of mine called, who I haven’t talked to in awhile. He commented that I seem to have a lot of pictures of me and jane spending time together. I responded like I often do, “oh- she’s an only child- she is the apple of my eye- she is a joy and a delight to me…” and then I subconsciously added, “she is a dearly-loved child…”

jane happened to be on the playground while I was talking to my friend, and after we hung up, I kept thinking of that “dearly-loved-child; dearly-loved-children" as I watched jane skip around the playground- 

paul says that you and me- we are God’s dearly-loved-children.

I’m to Him, what Jane is to me.

You and I, we are the only-child to Him: the apple of His eye- His delight- His joy. a little spoiled, and free to be completely comfortable with Him; we can ask Him for anything, because we know that He loves us so much, that He will say yes. He can’t resist.

We are God’s dearly-loved-children. wow. that’s a thought that you could dwell on forever I suppose-

but then paul says, “be imitators of God as dearly loved children…” I started thinking of the ways that jane imitates Deanna and I. Sometimes I look at her and think, “someone shrunk Deanna!” because she sits and laughs, and talks just like her. jane loves to dress like me, she loves to read like me, and she loves to be doing the things that I am doing. she loves to watch the shows that I watch- sitting right next to me on the same couch. sometimes she imitates things about me that I wish she never even noticed. but she notices and she copies.

and paul seems to says to you and me, “God is your dad- who loves you, and spends time with you and showers you with gifts, so imitate Him! be like Him! love like He loves. be gracious and compassionate just like He is. be forgiving and humble and gentle just like He is with you. love what He loves; love who He loves. walk like He walks, talk like He talks, follow Him around in His footsteps. watch how He works and be just like Him! be a little version of your dad.”

after all, we are dearly loved children. isn’t that the way that all dearly loved children behave?

God is love.
rev-rob

lectio divina:: psalm 139

I’ve shared with a few close friends that I’ve recently had a struggle with anxiety. I don’t think that anyone else around me can detect it, but sometimes in my heart I freak out over things.

Over the last year I have been in the habit of pre-game coaching myself through situations that I know will be difficult. Sometimes when I feel like anxiety is rising in me, I think to myself, “its ok, its ok.” Or “settle down rob.” Sometimes I spell the word QUIET in my mind or in a whisper.

I’ve been reading a couple of great books on introversion lately, and I’m starting to wonder if anxiety is just part of how I’m wired- if it’s a tension that needs to be managed as opposed to a problem that can be solved.

The scripture-memory exercises that I’ve been doing have been good and bad for anxiety. Learning new verses, especially these really complex ones with all of these parenthetical phrases can be stressful, especially if there is a lot of noise around me; but when I’m past the learning phase and into the reviewing phase, quoting scripture- especially in solitude in the morning, can be an amazing way to chase off anxiety.

recently I was sitting in church, listening to my boss, tim speak on psalm 23. as he was speaking, he referenced psalm 139:23-24:

“Search me, O God, and know my heart;

 test me and know my anxious thoughts.
24 See if there is any offensive way in me,
 and lead me in the way everlasting.”

that phrase, “know my anxious thoughts” caught my attention- I have never associated psalm 139 with anxiety before. I started reviewing this verse and finding great comfort in it, and it has been something that I either quote in a whisper or in my mind when I feel anxiety rising in me- and it has been something that has snapped my mind back to reality and given me better perspective.

like a lot of verses I like to review, I think of it in parts:

when I feel anxious, instead of talking to myself, I talk to God through the psalm:

“Search me O God, and know my heart;”

 this is an invitation to God into my very heart- saying to Him, “look inside of me, listen to these fears and concerns and worries- understand me, diagnose me, search me.”

I continue- “test me and know my anxious thoughts.”

I ask God to listen in on what is freaking me out- to step into the things that are making me anxious; knowing that God is not freaking out; He is perfectly content; He is my non-anxious-presence that calms down everything around me.

“See if there is any offensive way in me,”

This is the space that I give to the Lord to reveal to my heart where I have been wrong and my opportunity to get right with Him.

“and lead me in the way everlasting.”

this is another invitation to God: “even though I’m freaking out, show me what’s the right decision to make. lead me to do what you would have me to do. move me to say what You want me to say; take me by the hand and lead me into the way everlasting.”

I pray this prayer a lot. and its been really good for me. it’s a whole new perspective- instead of talking to myself, and coaching myself, I’m praying to God and asking Him not to just settle me down, but to diagnose my problem and lead me into what’s right.

God is love.

rev-rob

lectio divina:: psalm 22

they say that when jesus was on thew cross that He said 7 words-
they are:
1.Father forgive them, for they know not what they do (Luke 23:34).
2.Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise (Luke 23:43).

3.Woman, behold your son: behold your mother (John 19:26-27).
4.My God, My God, why have you forsaken me, (Matthew 27:46 and Mark 15:34).
5.I thirst (John 19:28).
6.It is finished (John 19:30).
7.Father, into your hands I commit my spirit (Luke 23:46).

I have heard it say that maybe He wasn't saying these words from the Cross, but singing them-
that's a wild thought isn't it?
that when jesus was hanging on the cross- covered in blood and writhing in agony, He was actually singing?

how many of these 7 words come from psalm 22?
psalm 22 opens with the phrase:
"For the director of music. To the tune of “The Doe of the Morning.”
A psalm of David." it was a song before it was a psalm-
and jesus had it memorized-
and as He was hanging on the Cross, dying for your sins and mine- He sang it-

can you imagine Him singing these words there?

"My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
Why are you so far from saving me,
so far from the words of my groaning?
² O my God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer,
by night, and am not silent."

(we actually have it recorded that He said this in matthew 27:46)

"Yet you are enthroned as the Holy One;
you are the praise of Israel.
⁴ In you our fathers put their trust;
they trusted and you delivered them.
⁵ They cried to you and were saved;
in you they trusted and were not disappointed."

(even while dying He is praising His Father in heaven-)

"But I am a worm and not a man,
scorned by men and despised by the people.
⁷ All who see me mock me;
they hurl insults, shaking their heads:
⁸ “He trusts in the LORD;
let the LORD rescue him.
Let him deliver him,
since he delights in him.”

(we have it recorded that the crowd who saw Him said this as they passed by in matthew 27:42)

" ⁹ Yet you brought me out of the womb;
you made me trust in you
even at my mother’s breast.
¹⁰ From birth I was cast upon you;
from my mother’s womb you have been my God.
¹¹ Do not be far from me,
for trouble is near
and there is no one to help."

(the Christmas story and the story of Good Friday are intersecting as He prays to God about His mother-)

" Many bulls surround me;
strong bulls of Bashan encircle me.
¹³ Roaring lions tearing their prey
open their mouths wide against me.
¹⁴ I am poured out like water,
and all my bones are out of joint.
My heart has turned to wax;
it has melted away within me.
¹⁵ My strength is dried up like a potsherd,
and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth;
you lay me in the dust of death.
¹⁶ Dogs have surrounded me;
a band of evil men has encircled me,
they have pierced my hands and my feet.
¹⁷ I can count all my bones;
people stare and gloat over me.
¹⁸ They divide my garments among them
and cast lots for my clothing."

(those soldiers must have been like bulls and lions around Him- nailing Him to the cross and gambling for His clothes- keep in mind that this psalm was written hundreds of years BEFORE the cross-)

"But you, O LORD, be not far off;
O my Strength, come quickly to help me.
²⁰ Deliver my life from the sword,
my precious life from the power of the dogs.
²¹ Rescue me from the mouth of the lions;
save me from the horns of the wild oxen.
²² I will declare your name to my brothers;
in the congregation I will praise you.
²³ You who fear the LORD, praise him!
All you descendants of Jacob, honor him!
Revere him, all you descendants of Israel!
²⁴ For he has not despised or disdained
the suffering of the afflicted one;
he has not hidden his face from him
but has listened to his cry for help."

(even from the Cross He is telling us who fear the LORD to praise Him- even. from. the. Cross.)

"From you comes the theme of my praise in the great assembly;
before those who fear you will I fulfill my vows.
²⁶ The poor will eat and be satisfied;
they who seek the LORD will praise him—
may your hearts live forever!
²⁷ All the ends of the earth
will remember and turn to the LORD,
and all the families of the nations
will bow down before him,
²⁸ for dominion belongs to the LORD
and he rules over the nations.

 (even from the Cross- at His lowest moment He declares that God wins and that God is in control. whew.)

" All the rich of the earth will feast and worship;
all who go down to the dust will kneel before him—
those who cannot keep themselves alive.
³⁰ Posterity will serve him;
future generations will be told about the Lord.
³¹ They will proclaim his righteousness
to a people yet unborn—
for he has done it."

(from the Cross He is looking forward- because this is not the end for jesus-
the last line says, "He has done it." or said another way:
"IT IS FINISHED.")

when God put these words in david- He was planning the crucifixion of his Son- and preparing for the redemption that paid for your crimes and mine-
I wonder how long jesus had been planning to sing this song with His dying breaths-
since He was a boy?

God brought together the words of David, and the cruelty of the Roman Empire, and the innocence of His Only Begotten to form a moment that would be remembered from all time-

the Word of God was quoted by The Word in the form of a song-
a love song-

God is love.
-rev-rob

lectio divina:: 2 chronicles 20

I was reading in 2 Chronicles today at lunch and found something that I haven’t found before- it’s a story about king jehoshaphat- and he has a big problem-

verse 2 says: “Some men came and told Jehoshaphat, “A vast army is coming against you from Edom, from the other side of the Sea.”

that’s a big problem. what does king Jehoshaphat do in response?
I guess the bigger question is, “what do you do when you have a big problem?”
what do I do?

I usually freak out for a bit- worry, feel sorry for myself, and think about how I’m going to get out of the big problem. sometimes I try to just work and work until my problem is fixed. some people talk about the problem or throw money at the problem (unless money IS the problem). look at what Jehoshaphat does:

verse 2 says: “Alarmed, Jehoshaphat resolved to inquire of the LORD, and he proclaimed a fast for all Judah.”

Jehoshaphat first response was to pray about the problem. I need to develop this habit. Jehoshaphat resolved to pray about the problem- and he invited everyone else to pray about it too- because it was their problem too. I love what it says in verse 4: “The people of Judah came together to seek help from the LORD; indeed, they came from every town in Judah to seek him.”

I love that! even though it must have been really scary, everyone got together and prayed and sought God and His help. this is a cool moment.

as a leader- I really appreciate jehoshaphat’s humility here. as leaders we want everyone to think that we know what to do in every situation. we want everyone to feel like we’re the best person for the job because of how smart we are.
but in this situation, Jehoshaphat doesn’t know what to do- or maybe he does.
the best thing to do is not to preach or teach or administrate or delegate, the best thing to do is to pray. even his prayer are pretty cool.

verse 5 says, “Then Jehoshaphat stood up in the assembly of Judah and Jerusalem at the temple of the LORD in the front of the new courtyard and said:
“O LORD, God of our fathers, are you not the God who is in heaven? You rule over all the kingdoms of the nations. Power and might are in your hand, and no one can withstand you.  O our God, did you not drive out the inhabitants of this land before your people Israel and give it forever to the descendants of Abraham your friend?”

he doesn’t start his prayer with a big “HELLLLLPPP! fix my problems! get me out of my mess! be my magic genie!” he begins with worship- and reminding God (but really himself) just how powerful that God is.

then he gets to the requests:

verse 10 says, “But now here are men from Ammon, Moab and Mount Seir, … coming to drive us out of the possession you gave us as an inheritance. O our God, will you not judge them? For we have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us.”

verse 12 is my favorite part: “…we do not know what to do, but our eyes are upon You.”

I love that prayer! it represents so much humility and wisdom-
and I think it was the tipping point that urged God to act. what happens next is pretty amazing:

verse 13: “All the men of Judah, with their wives and children and little ones, stood there before the LORD. Then the Spirit of the LORD came upon Jahaziel … as he stood in the assembly. He said: “Listen, King Jehoshaphat and all who live in Judah and Jerusalem! This is what the LORD says to you: ‘Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God’s.”

how wild is that?! they were all just standing there, waiting for God to answer, and this message bursts out of this guy Jahaziel- wouldn’t that be amazing if that happened every time we prayed? I think I would pray a lot more! and I love his message to the people: “for the battle is not yours, but God’s.”

when are motives are right, and our cause ir right, God has the freedom to step in for us like a big brother and say to us, “I’ll handle this…” and He is so much better at handling our problems than we are. there have been several situations that I can remember where I have been stressed over a problem and God just seemed to handle it for me. I didn’t need to get in an argument or confrontation, God stepped in and made it all better.

verse 17 says, “You will not have to fight this battle. Take up your positions; stand firm and see the deliverance the LORD will give you, O Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Go out to face them tomorrow, and the LORD will be with you.’”

that will give you confidence- the LORD will be with you- and we can have that confidence if our cause are our motives are right.

I love what the Israelites did as they stepped into this battle:

verse 18: “Jehoshaphat bowed with his face to the ground, and all the people of Judah and Jerusalem fell down in worship before the LORD. Then some Levites from the Kohathites and Korahites stood up and praised the LORD, the God of Israel, with a very loud voice.”

they didn’t get overconfident, they just kept on praying and worshipping.
I wish I could say that I did that too in every problem that I‘ve faced-

verse 20: “Early in the morning they left for the Desert of Tekoa. As they set out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, “Listen to me, Judah and people of Jerusalem! Have faith in the LORD your God and you will be upheld; have faith in his prophets and you will be successful.” After consulting the people, Jehoshaphat appointed men to sing to the LORD and to praise him for the splendor of his holiness as they went out at the head of the army, saying:
“Give thanks to the LORD,
for his love endures forever.”

how is that for leadership?! “you guys are in charge of the singing and worshipping!” somehow jehoshaphat knew that prayer and worship- and really humility, were the keys to winning this battle and getting on the other side of this problem.
God loves humility- and its amazing how people are drawn to it and want to work with humble people.

God did defeat their enemies just like He said He would. Jehoshaphat worshipped his way into this problem, and then he worshipped his way out of it-

verse 27: “Then, led by Jehoshaphat, all the men of Judah and Jerusalem returned joyfully to Jerusalem, for the LORD had given them cause to rejoice over their enemies. They entered Jerusalem and went to the temple of the LORD with harps and lutes and trumpets.”

I love it. what a model of humilty, faith and leadership-

I don’t know what problem you’re facing today, but before you talk to your friends about it or seek advice from the internet, talk to God about it. before you act and start fixing it, stop and tell God that He is big enough to step over the obstacle that is in front of you. take time to say to God, “I do not know what to do, but my eyes are upon You.”

God is love.
-rev-rob

lectio divina:: genesis 16

way back in Genesis 12, God promised Abraham that he would make him into a great nation; but Abraham and his wife were old and they had no children. in chapter 16, they get impatient and force the promise to come faster. Abraham’s wife Sarah tells Abraham to sleep with her Egyptian servant Hagar and he does. (which also raises some questions; because that’s a wrong thing to do…right? God never brings it up.)

so Hagar gets pregnant and the bible says that she despised Sarah. (I probably would too). then the drama comes out. Sarah tells Abraham: “You are responsible for the wrong I am suffering. I put my servant in your arms, and now that she knows she is pregnant, she despises me. May the LORD judge between you and me." and Abraham basically shrugs his shoulders and says, “Your servant is in your hands, do with her whatever you think best." the bible says that Sarah mistreated Hagar- so much that Hagar ran for her life. way to go Abe.

then it says that the angel of the LORD found Hagar near a spring in the desert. (the commentators all have all sorts of ideas about the angel of the LORD. This angel speaks for God in such a way that its pretty much God speaking. and when people speak to the angel, its like they are speaking to God- so is it an angel, or is it God? or is it Jesus Himself, before He was made into flesh?)

the angel asks Hagar, “Hagar, servant of Sarai, where have you come from, and where are you going?" (I love this question- did Hagar even know where she was going? or was she just running?)

“"I'm running away from my mistress Sarai," she answered. Then the angel of the LORD told her, "Go back to your mistress and submit to her." The angel added, "I will so increase your descendants that they will be too numerous to count."
The angel of the LORD also said to her:
"You are now with child
and you will have a son.
You shall name him Ishmael,
for the LORD has heard of your misery.”

Ishmael means “God sees.” and even though this lady was just a servant in Abraham’s house, God saw her. and when Hagar was the victim of Abraham and Sarah’s dumb decisions, God saw that too.

I love what it says next:
“Hagar gave this name to the LORD who spoke to her: "You are the God who sees me," for she said, "I have now seen the One who sees me."

we all deal with messes- some of them are our faults, some of them are the result of someone else’s decisions, but through it all, God watches us and watches over us. He sees. He sees the patriarch and he sees the servant girl, and He sees you and me- and He cares.

“May you now see the One that sees you.”

God is love.
-rev-rob