We all think that what we want, the way we think something should be, is a just cause. But is it, really? Lots of things can sound like noble causes, but would they be in God’s eyes? I have been known to think I’m right about something when I’m actually wrong. For example, because texts & emails don’t allow for any verbal cues or body language to help with interpreting the message, they are often misunderstood. I have made the mistake of assuming someone’s intent based on a few words I read on my phone. I have made the mistake of responding unbecomingly – by responding directly to the person with a bad attitude, or worse yet, talking to others about what they sent to me, pleading my “just cause”. I have found myself in the position of having to humble myself and apologize. Maybe you’ve been there, too.
David considered his cause to be just and he wanted God to be the one to vindicate him.
In Psalm 17, David calls on God
To hear him – verse 6b: incline your ear to me; hear my words.”
To show him His love – verse 7a: “Wondrously show your steadfast love,”
To protect him – verse 8: “Keep me as the apple of your eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings,”
David also takes a look at himself
Verse 3b: I have purposed that my mouth will not transgress.”
Verse 4b: “I have avoided the ways of the violent.”
Verse 5: My steps have held fast to your paths; my feet have not slipped.”
David tells God what his enemies are doing
Verse 9a: “the wicked who do me violence”
Verse 10: “they close their hearts to pity; with their mouths they speak arrogantly.”
Verse 12: “…like a lion eager to tear”
David asks God to stop the wicked
Verses 13: “Arise, O Lord! Confront him, subdue him! Deliver my soul from the wicked by your sword,”
David raises his just cause before God. He fully trusts God will see the good and right as well as the ugly and evil. He believes God will respond justly, because that is His character.
Amy Blanchard
Reflection Questions
Taking time to do a self-evaluation can help us see our “causes” (desires) in a more accurate light. When faced with a negative situation, before responding or reacting ask yourself some important questions:
Are my priorities what I want them to be?
Am I being self-centered?
Do I need to right a wrong?
Are you confident in your choices to welcome God’s testing of your heart? If not, what can you do to move in that direction?
Like Psalm 34, which we highlighted yesterday, Psalm 56 for today was also written when the Philistines had seized David in Gath. And just like yesterday’s psalm, this one starts with David begging God for help.
Then, in verses 3 and 4, David says this, “When I am afraid, I will trust in you. In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I will not be afraid. What can mortal man do to me?”
I see a pattern here that David liked to repeat:
He acknowledged his fear, “When I am afraid.” Fear is a natural reaction when in danger – either real or perceived.
David then made a deliberate decision to trust God. This is not a normal reaction, it is an intentional decision, flying in the face of the natural fear.
David praised God for delivering him – before he had been delivered. (In this case, David praised God’s word, but often, he just praised God.) When David did this, he was stepping out on faith, believing God would answer his prayers.
Finally, in the assurance God would help him, David banished his fear, “I will not be afraid.”. Notice he chose to not fear what mortal man could do to him.
This reminds me of Jesus’ words in Matthew 10:28, “Don’t be afraid of those who want to kill your body; they cannot touch your soul. Fear only God, who can destroy both soul and body in hell.”
This is a pattern I have also tried to follow in my own life. Many times, I have cried out to God, confessing my fear. I have then made a deliberate decision to trust that whatever God has for me is best, whether I know it (or like it) or not. Then praise God for his promise that all things work together for my good – because I love God. Finally, with God’s help, I let Him lift my burden off my shoulders, whether it is fear, or whatever else it is.
With the fears swirling around now, whether Covid-19, or unemployment, or difficulty finding what you want at the grocery store, or … You have a choice. You can succumb to fear, or you can follow David’s example.
I challenge you to try this pattern with whatever makes you fearful today. Then you can say, like David wrote in yesterday’s reading from Psalm 34:8, “Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him.” And from today’s reading in 56:11, “In God I trust; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?”
–Steve Mattison
(originally posted April 15, 2020 for SeekGrowLove)
Reflection Questions
What have you been afraid about in the past? What has God already successfully brought you through?
When is fear helpful? Do you have a healthy fear of God? Do you fear only God?
What makes you fearful today (besides God)? Would you like to conquer this fear? Write out David’s steps to replace fear with faith and keep them in a place you will see often and practice working through the steps – over and over again.
What do you do when you think God is taking too long to answer your prayer?
If you are King Saul, you tell the priest to “withdraw your hand” (1 Sam 13:19) – meaning that God is taking too much time responding to a prayer request. King Saul believed that he had some sort of advantage over the enemy and didn’t want that advantage to slip away. So he took matters into his own hands, assembled his men, and went into battle. The outcome wasn’t too good.
Have you ever prayed for something so long, that you become impatient waiting for God to give you directions and end up rushing the timeline just to pursue your own desires, wishes, or dreams? Any time we read a Bible study about an individual doing something for him/herself rather than waiting on God, it never ends well; it’s always a disaster. Why do you think that is?
After some careful self-reflection, I think that I’ve got it figured out for myself: It’s because I like being in charge – to be independent – to not have to rely on someone else’s timing. And even as I type these words, I know it’s ludicrous because my decisions are based on a very limited perspective; whereas, God has a completely different view of my life. His reasons for delaying an answer to prayer, is all about the timing that will give him the most credit.
So the next time you are tempted to move on without God’s response to your prayers, just remember that Saul ended up making some outlandish ultimatums and in so doing, ended up discrediting himself and losing God’s favor.
Stay persistent in your prayers. Do not give up. Keep waiting for an answer to your prayers. At the proper time, God will provide an answer or solution for your need. And in the meantime, always remember that God is by your side – he has not abandoned you.
Bethany Ligon
Reflection Questions
From above: “Any time we read a Bible study about an individual doing something for him/herself rather than waiting on God, it never ends well; it’s always a disaster. Why do you think that is?”
And: “Have you ever prayed for something so long, that you become impatient waiting for God to give you directions and end up rushing the timeline just to pursue your own desires, wishes, or dreams?” What was the outcome?
What are some reasons God works on His time schedule not ours?
Judges 13-16 contains the story of Samson, who led Israel for twenty years. I was raised knowing of Samson and his story, but little me didn’t know all the “extra” information these chapters contained. In fact, we had a black lab german shepherd mixed dog that we named Samson (which suited him the more he destroyed the things he “played with” and the stronger he became). Since I was younger, I don’t remember my parents ever needing to trim/cut his hair, but now I wonder if they ever did. Regardless of my lack of memory, Samson taught my brother and me a good lesson about being responsible and caring for something that might run away (though it took awhile to actually learn these things because we were both hard-headed or “strong-willed”). And here’s a fun fact: he did run away. To me, it felt like I had been betrayed by the dog I loved, and although in Samson’s case Delilah betrayed him (16:18), God worked through his betrayal.
Samson, my dog, eventually returned home after our neighbors found him playing with their animals. But, in the time between not knowing what happened to him and reappearing, I learned how it felt to miss the dog I once had. I’m sure Samson missed the God-given strength he once had when he tried to break free from his bondage and had his eyes gouged out. The phrase, “You don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone,” certainly comes to my mind for both scenarios (and I’m more grateful that I can still see). In Job 1:21 we find a very similar concept, “And he said, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return. The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.”
God filled Samson with His spirit many times in these chapters, and even though it led to the deaths of many people, God used him to lead, judge, and preserve the nation of Israel. Philippians 2:13 states, “for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill His good purpose.” The Spirit of the LORD in Samson (and in us as Christians) is an extension of YAHWEH’s power and authority. Hill & Walton’s A Survey of the Old Testament states, “the Spirit gave people the ability or authority to do what they normally could not have done.” And in Matthew 19:26 we read about Jesus telling his disciples that with man some things aren’t possible (in proper context he was discussing being born again), but with God all things are possible (and we, with God, can be an extension of Him and born again too). Our story, like Samson’s, will likely conclude with death (though I pray that ours doesn’t end by bringing down a building over top of us). However, God, through His son Jesus Christ, has made a way for us to be saved by grace through faith, not of ourselves or our works, but through Him and His son to soon be in His presence for eternity. Samson prayed to the LORD and the LORD answered. And we too should pray to the LORD and await His instructions and directions.
-Jeffrey Seiders
REFLECTION Q’s
In times when you felt betrayed, how did you react? How did God eventually work it out for your good? If God hasn’t worked it out yet, reflect on ways God can use your betrayal for your good.
What are some things in your life that make life easier for you? Is there something that you use daily and overlook that you could be grateful to God for?
In what ways are you letting God and His spirit enter your life? Are there places in your life that you don’t let God and His spirit work in your life? How can you work on these areas?
How often do you take time to pray for the LORD’s instruction and direction?
I’ve been a pastor for 35 years (actually, 40 now, as this was written in 2020). I’ve pastored local congregations. I’ve served on the mission field in a different country. I’ve served as a hospice chaplain with people who have been diagnosed with life ending diseases and as a hospital chaplain with people who are very sick, or having surgery, or recovering from surgery or recovering from pneumonia, or have attempted suicide or are struggling with mental health issues and need extra support. I preach each week to people in the nursing home and those who are suffering from Alzheimers and other forms of dementia. I’ve stood at the bedside and prayed with families whose loved one is about to die or who has already died. I’ve prayed blessings over newborn babies and people over 100 and everywhere in between.
The one common need I find over and over again is the need of the person going through crisis to know that God is with them. Everyone goes through challenges and difficulties, losses and pains in life. It’s not a question of, “Will bad things happen?” or even, “Why do bad things happen?”, it’s more a case of, “When bad things happen what resources do you have to draw from to help you get through it?”
As God’s people, Israel was being transformed from slaves to the people of God who were to be a light to all nations, they were going to face many challenges on that journey of transformation. They had a desert to cross. They had numerous enemies to face who all wanted to prevent them from reaching the promised land, and once they arrived in the land, there were enemies who wanted to take the land away from them and turn their hearts away from undivided loyalty to God.
To get through these challenges Israel needed regular assurance that God knew them and that God was with them. If you’ve been a Christian for most of your life, it is likely that you know these things already. You know that God knows you by name, that before He formed you in your mother’s womb he knew you. You know Jesus’ promise that he will be with you always, to the end of the age, right? There’s no way you would ever forget that God knows you and that Jesus is with you, right? (More about that in a minute).
The people of Israel were spiritual babies. They were just starting to learn about who this God is and to get used to the idea that God would stay with them and not abandon them. They needed a lot of reminders. So, in addition to having a tent of meeting constructed in their midst (see yesterday’s devotion) they needed to know that they had representatives who would go before God regularly on their behalf. So God set aside a group of men who would serve as priests. They had a special calling and were set apart or consecrated to do the work of a priest.
Today’s reading describes the various pieces of clothing that the priests wore and the purpose of each item- ephod, breast piece, robe, tunic, turban, urim and thummin, gold plate, sashes etc… of all of these descriptions in Exodus 28 one in particular stands out: “Engrave the names of the sons of Israel on the two stones the way a gem cutter engraves a seal. Then mount the stones in gold filigree settings and fasten them on the shoulder pieces of the ephod as memorial stones for the sons of Israel. Aaron is to bear the names on his shoulders as a memorial before the Lord.” (11-12). So when the priest went before God, he went bearing the names of the sons or tribes of Israel. This was a reminder that they were there on behalf of the entire people of God. The message for the people was that the priests would bear on their bodies a constant reminder to God of His beloved people.
We might ask the question,” if God is perfect and all knowing, why would he need such a reminder? ” I would say that the reminder wasn’t for God as much as it was for the people to have the assurance that they were being constantly brought before God. Prayer works the same way for us. When someone prays to God on our behalf, they aren’t exactly bringing new information to God’s attention. God knows our needs before we ask. One of the benefits of intercessory prayer is to remind us that we are not alone in the midst of our needs. When I was first diagnosed with cancer and underwent surgery and radiation lots of people were praying for me. It brought me great comfort and encouragement to be reminded regularly that people were remembering me before God’s throne.
In Exodus 29 it provides a description of the rituals that were used to consecrate or set apart the priests for their duties of bringing the people before God. Notice how the consecration involved sacrifices and blood. In order for the priests to go before God on behalf of the people, their sin and guilt had to be covered over by blood. In fact, every day, morning and night, a lamb was to be sacrificed to God. “For the generations to come this burnt offering is to be made regularly at the entrance to the tent of meeting, before the Lord. There I will meet you and speak to you; there also I will meet with the Israelites, and the place will be consecrated by my glory.” (42-43)
This served as a constant reminder that God was holy and sinless, and that human beings are sinful and needed to be cleansed and forgiven of their guilt in order to come near to God’s presence. As a result: “Then I will dwell among the Israelites and be their God. They will know that I am the Lord their God, who brought them out of Egypt so that I might dwell among them. I am the Lord their God.” (45-46) These daily sacrifices served as a constant assurance to God’s people that He was their God and that He was with them.
As Christians, we are not required to sacrifice a lamb day and night in order to be assured that God is with us. Jesus is the lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. He, as the high priest and the sacrificial lamb, went into the most holy place with his own blood and offered a sacrifice that covers over all of our sins once and for all. (Once you read the book of Exodus, the book of Hebrews in the New Testament is much easier to understand… check it out). When Jesus was first prophesied in Isaiah 7 it was said that he would be a sign that God is with us (Immanuel means God is with us). In the name of Jesus we can be assured that God is with us – not because we are perfect or sinless, we are no more sinless than the nation of Israel was, but we have been made holy by the blood of Jesus.
Earlier I asked the question: “There’s no way you would ever forget that God knows you and that Jesus is with you, right?” The fact is, we all have times when we forget that God knows us and that Jesus is with us. This is a danger when everything is going well in our lives- when we are busy enjoying the blessings that God gives us and are on a roll, we can get so caught up in enjoying the gifts that we forget to worship the one who gives them to us, God. It is also a danger when things are tough and we are hurting and feel all alone or worry that God isn’t answering our prayers. When we go through spiritual depression or the dark night of the soul we can forget that the Lord promised never to leave us. We need constant reminders, in the good times and the bad times. That’s why we need to gather regularly with other believers to find encouragement and strength, so we don’t forget. That’s why we need to regularly break bread and drink the cup at communion, to help us remember. You and I need ongoing reminders that God is with us, that God remembers us. We need to know others are bringing our names before God in difficult times, and we need to remember to bring others before God during their difficult times. We may not have to wear ephods and robes and rub lamb’s blood on us, but as Christians we are all priests and we all need to go before God regularly on behalf of each other and on behalf of people in the world, in the name of Jesus. Don’t forget to remember, God is with us and God will never forget you.
Today, I’d like to zero in on just one verse: Genesis 30:22, “Then God remembered Rachel; he listened to her and opened her womb.”
Let’s break this down.
Then God – When I read these two words together, I think that other events had to take place first, before God took action on Rachel’s behalf. The ten sons born to Leah and the two maidservants had to be before Joseph and later Benjamin were born to Rachel. There was a purpose to the waiting. If Joseph had been born before his brothers, he would have had more clout in the family and probably wouldn’t have been sold off as a slave by his brothers and ended up working in the house of Pharaoh.
Remembered Rachel – According to my Bible notes, “remember” doesn’t imply that God forgot. It implies that God expresses concern and He acts with loving care; He shows favor.
He listened to her – Apparently, Rachel never stopped asking God for a son. She believed that it was possible for God to grant her this request, even though many years had gone by.
So what does this mean to us?
God’s timing is perfect. More than likely something needs to take place before our heart’s desire becomes a reality. Maybe it’s a sequence of events or maybe it’s a change in attitude. Whatever it is, we have to trust that God knows what He’s doing.
God hasn’t forgotten about you. “The LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing.” Zephaniah 3:17
Have Big Faith and keep talking to God. Keep seeking after Him. “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all of your heart.” Jeremiah 29:13
Many Blessings,
-Bethany Ligon
(Originally posted for SeekGrowLove August 1, 2016)
Reflection Questions
Looking back on your life can you think of a time when you discovered purpose in the waiting?
Our reading in Job is coming to a conclusion with these chapters. Yesterday we heard God show Himself in the power and breath of creation. In chapters 40-41 we see that now God Himself is answering Job about His power and majesty and challenges him to answer. Job is completely overawed by God and finally sees the folly of his positions and arguments. He reacts as the lesson teaches us that God is everything, all power, all majesty, all strength and all knowledge. We in all our human strength and knowledge are nothing compared to God, and this is Job’s confession that turns the whole narrative.
Job 40:1-5(NLT) Then the LORD said to Job, 2 “Do you still want to argue with the Almighty? You are God’s critic, but do you have the answers?” Job Responds to the LORD 3Then Job replied to the LORD, 4 “I am nothing—how could I ever find the answers? I will cover my mouth with my hand. 5 I have said too much already. I have nothing more to say.”
Proverbs 1:7(NKJV) The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge
Fear here is not that of a frightened mind, but an overwhelmed, overawed understanding of the power of God and the feeble strength of man.
Our ministry today is to explain to a fallen world what the message of God is, showing others the way to the truth. Our message is now in the cross of Christ and what God has done for us in Jesus’ life and death. Our responsibility is to show an Invisible God to a hurting world.
1 Corinthians 1:18-25(NLT) The message of the cross is foolish to those who are headed for destruction! But we who are being saved know it is the very power of God. 19 As the Scriptures say, “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise and discard the intelligence of the intelligent.” 20 So where does this leave the philosophers, the scholars, and the world’s brilliant debaters? God has made the wisdom of this world look foolish. 21 Since God in his wisdom saw to it that the world would never know him through human wisdom, he has used our foolish preaching to save those who believe. 22 It is foolish to the Jews, who ask for signs from heaven. And it is foolish to the Greeks, who seek human wisdom. 23 So when we preach that Christ was crucified, the Jews are offended and the Gentiles say it’s all nonsense. 24 But to those called by God to salvation, both Jews and Gentiles, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25 This foolish plan of God is wiser than the wisest of human plans, and God’s weakness is stronger than the greatest of human strength.
Job 40:6-11(NLT) The LORD Challenges Job Again 6 Then the LORD answered Job from the whirlwind: 7 “Brace yourself like a man, because I have some questions for you, and you must answer them. 8 “Will you discredit my justice and condemn me just to prove you are right? 9 Are you as strong as God? Can you thunder with a voice like his? 10 All right, put on your glory and splendor, your honor and majesty. 11 Give vent to your anger. Let it overflow against the proud.
Job 42:1-6(NLT) Then Job replied to the LORD: 2 “I know that you can do anything, and no one can stop you. 3 You asked, ‘Who is this that questions my wisdom with such ignorance?’ It is I—and I was talking about things I knew nothing about, things far too wonderful for me. 4 You said, ‘Listen and I will speak! I have some questions for you, and you must answer them.’ 5I had only heard about you before, but now I have seen you with my own eyes. 6 I take back everything I said, and I sit in dust and ashes to show my repentance.”
Then we come to the end of the book. In only a few short verses with little explanation or elaboration we see Job pray for friends and then he is restored to life, health and position. Even double the wealth that he had before. What brings this amazing turnabout?
Job 42:8-10(NLT) My servant Job will pray for you, and I will accept his prayer on your behalf. I will not treat you as you deserve, for you have not spoken accurately about me, as my servant Job has.” 9 So Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite did as the LORD commanded them, and the LORD accepted Job’s prayer. 10 When Job prayed for his friends, the LORD restored his fortunes. In fact, the LORD gave him twice as much as before!
The ”miserable comforters” do a sacrifice where they lay their hands on the heads of the bulls, transferring their sin to the animals. Then Job changes from self-justification and promotion to making humble prayer for the friends. When we are right with God then He is able to bless us because of His decision to do it, not because of our merit, works or traditions.
What is the conclusion of the matter?
With God I am everything, Without God I am nothing!
James 5:10-11(NLT) For examples of patience in suffering, dear brothers and sisters, look at the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. 11 We give great honor to those who endure under suffering. For instance, you know about Job, a man of great endurance. You can see how the Lord was kind to him at the end, for the Lord is full of tenderness and mercy.
-Tom Siderius
Questions for Reflection:
Did you have fun reading the book of Job and the lesson in it?
Has the reading changed your thinking about the “Oldest Lesson in the World”?
Has your heart changed about who God is and who we are?
What is one thing that you just adore, something that, when people see it, they think of you? For me, it’s manatees or anything cheery yellow (preferably not a yellow manatee!); when my kids draw a picture for me, their masterpieces regularly feature one or both of those things. When I see libraries, LEGO, monkey bars, and giraffes, I automatically think of my four children, respectively. And I can almost always predict what my husband will choose from a menu before I even hear his order: the most diverse combination of tastes ever imagined in one entree, or anything pumpkin – preferably together.
My family is my tribe. We know each other so well that, when given choices to make for one another, we often don’t even need to ask the other which they would choose.
Nehemiah knew God well. He was in such deep communion with God all day long for much of his life that sometimes he didn’t even need to take time to think about how to respond in tricky situations. Prayers are woven into the narrative of his book, nonchalantly immersed within the historical account; Nehemiah’s heart was so aligned with the heart of God that the next step was clear and he was able to answer quickly and confidently.
Sanballat and Tobiah, who had been conspiring to sabotage the wall-erecting project all along, attempted a new approach – requesting a “friendly” meeting in another town. Four times they invited Nehemiah to join them, and four times, suspecting a sinister scheme, Nehemiah replied, “I am doing a good work and I cannot come down!” (6:3) When that attempt failed, they made false accusations against him, threatening his reputation and leadership. Nehemiah prayed that God would strengthen his hands (verse 9). Then the antagonists hired a prophet – a spiritual leader – to give contrary advice to Nehemiah, but guess what? Nehemiah was so in tune with the One True God that he didn’t even need to pray about it or stew in confusion about this prophet’s words; he was so confident in God’s laws and the work God had called him to do that he already knew what God’s response would be. This potentially confusing situation did not derail him; he saw right through the deception and kept focused on God’s instruction.
I want to be so in tune with God on a regular basis that I can confidently make the right choice when trials and confusion come my way!
Here are correlations between our other passages and Nehemiah:
Psalm 147:2 “The Lord loves the righteous, and sustains the fatherless and the widow, but he frustrates the ways of the wicked.” The plans of the wicked were definitely frustrated in today’s Nehemiah story!
In the John reading today, Jesus died and was buried – a very sad day for his followers. But we now know that was the beginning of something much more wonderful: the fulfilling of a promise, the forgiving of sins, the saving of humanity! Likewise, the residents of Jerusalem who have experienced the death of their faith, dreams, and security, will be experiencing renewed joy, faith, and wonder with the rebuilding of their city.
-Rachel Cain
Reflection:
How well do you know God? Do you know HIM, or know ABOUT Him? What steps can you take to know him better today?
It’s my absolute favorite time. I love the snow falling from gray skies. The world turned crystalline with ice. Warm homes with twinkling lights and fireplaces burning, keeping the dark days bright.
But notice, all the things I am speaking of are the current time of the year. I could be speaking of “the holidays,” a societal collection of days starting usually on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving and going to about January 1st. I’m not speaking of those days. Thanksgiving is a great reminder to give thanks to God, New Year’s is nice to think about the way we want to live differently and better in the year ahead. But the only holiday in “the holidays” that matters is Christmas, its twelve days beginning on December 25 and going on until January 6th! Before this time of Christmastide, we can celebrate Advent (meaning “coming”) about the coming of Jesus. Advent starts four Sundays before Christmas, meaning the first advent Sunday was yesterday.
Though the weeks of Advent are based around familiar themes (hope, peace, joy, love), Advent should also be a time of solemnity. Why? It’s more fun to focus on the love of God and the peace toward men of good will, hope and joy given to those who see the babe in the straw.
Why is the babe in the straw? “Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.” In Advent, similar to Lent (the days before Easter), though not as intense, the Christian world is encouraged to remember our sins and to confess them to God. Daniel, in Daniel 9, embodies this for us well.
Daniel prays to God, but he does so with all the parts of his body. He covers himself with ashes, a symbol of mourning, and itchy sackcloth, and to show his total dependence upon God, he fasts, refraining from food. He claims responsibility for his own sin and for the sin of his people. “We have sinned and done wrong and acted wickedly and rebelled.” (9:5) He recognizes that God is righteous (9:7), merciful and forgiving (9:9), but for the people of God he knows that they are shameful in their disobedience. He recognizes that he and all God’s people transgressed and disobeyed the law, the voice of God.
When was the last time you laid out your sin before the Lord and repented of it? Maybe you do this every day, and recognize those things in you that need to change and course correct at the end of each day. That’s awesome. But maybe it’s been longer than a day, and during this time of Advent, when we consider that Christ had to come to save us from our sins, you can say “God, I’m sorry for the mistakes I’ve made.” If you have never given your life to Christ, that is necessary for forgiveness and hope. We trust that God is merciful, as Daniel says in Daniel 9:18 “For we do not present our pleas before you because of our righteousness, but because of your great mercy.”
And because he is, forgiveness is quick to be given, and hope is not scorned, because we are not calling on a vindictive God but on a loving Father. Gabriel tells Daniel “as soon as you began to pray, a word was sent out.” Daniel gets a visionary message in answer to his prayer… but notice his prayer will be answered! We know now that it was answered. When we come to God and confess, he is faithful and just to forgive us of all sins and cleanse us of all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9)
So today, take the time in this Advent season to confess your sins, to course correct because you want to please the God who saves you and wants to bless you. But do so because of what Advent will receive, and what the season is Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love.
Merry Christmas, and God bless us, every one.
-Jake Ballard
Reflection Questions
What makes the Advent season so special? How can you celebrate it in a way that brings honor to God and to the gift of His Son Jesus Christ?
What role does confession play in your relationship with God? What do you notice in Daniel’s prayer? What does he acknowledge? What are his requests? When was your last prayer of confession?
I am not going to try and convince you that working in the nursery is comparable to being thrown into a den of vicious, destructive predators. Children’s church is much, much worse than that.
Today, I want to talk about the “mis-picturing” that can happen if we have grown up in the church. Quick: what image do you see when you think about Noah’s flood? For me, it was, for most of my childhood, an impossibly small ark floating on top of bright blue waters with impossibly large creatures sticking their heads out of the top of the ark with a rainbow above. Now: what is actually said about the flood and Noah? All life, besides those who got brought aboard the ark, were judged in rain from the sky and flood from the ground. It is darkness, judgement, sin, and death. When we teach this story to our youngest kids in nursery, there is a reason that we leave out these obviously darker parts of the story.
In our reading today, we have another story that gets mispictured: Daniel, a young lad, is thrown into a den of lions because he believes in God, but the lions are more like kitty cats, and then he gets pulled out the next day and everyone forgives everyone and we move on.
But, the story in scripture is much more important: Daniel, an old man who has been faithful, knows about a command from the King to stop praying, and in direct violation of this imperial edict with life and death hanging in the balance, he prays just the same, trusting in the God who got him this far to protect him from the lions, but even he doesn’t… Yet the lions, the ravenous king of beasts, the symbol of power of rulership, are shut up by the God who is above all. And when Daniel is rescued those who set him up are themselves thrown into the den and torn to shreds before they reach the ground.
Notice, faith is not a practice that finds fulfillment because of a “great event” that happens once in youth, but is the choice of decades, of the daily decision to follow God in the most boring business of daily life. It is only in following in the mundane, that we are prepared to follow in the momentous, it is by praying daily in our normal life that we are ready to pray daily when the King says “stop or you die.” Daniel, knowing the King will be bound to kill him, fearlessly bucks the system of power, knowing God is bigger. But even if there is no rescue, Daniel trusts in the God of his fathers. Instead of the lions devouring Daniel, judgement is given to those who thought they would harm God’s man.
But why say more important? Shouldn’t we teach kids at age appropriate levels? Of course we should; the problem happens when we think we know, or, when I think I know the Bible and I don’t take seriously the call of this passage or others on our life. The story of the flood of Noah is about the seriousness of sin and about the totality of the judgment of God; if we think it’s about cute animals, rainbows, and God’s love, we miss the depth of the story. The story of Daniel and the Den of Lions is about the developed faith of a man who had been faithful and successful because of his trust in God and who would allow nothing, not even the threat of death, to come between him and his worship. It’s about overcoming the Imperial powers of this world not by swords and warfare but by turning our face to God and trusting in him.
Starting today, I would encourage you to focus on picturing correctly the stories you read in scripture. God inspired them in the way he did so that we would learn from his actual words, rather than the interpretation of his words from our pastor, our teacher, or even our parents. Some people have given us better or worse interpretations, but nothing compares to reading God’s words ourselves, and understanding how God is speaking through the Bible to us today.
-Jake Ballard
Questions:
Is mis-picturing a problem for you? If you grew up in church, how much did your Sunday School help or hinder you from seeing the Bible as it really is? If you are new to faith or don’t yet believe, do you have any preconceived pictures of the Bible stories, or are they all fresh to you?
Are there other stories that you can think of when mis-picturing might lead us to miss the important points of the story?
“It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas.” If you read the opening chapters of Matthew and Luke, try and see if there are any mis-picturing in our understanding of Jesus at his nativity. Is Mary a scared unwed mother? Is Joseph a clueless, hapless husband? Is Jesus surrounded by wisemen and shepherds and camels and sheep and laying in the straw without making a sound? Think about the reality of stories, rather than our built up theological and social pictures around Jesus.
Seek Grow Love 
