Read this first: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm%2072&version=NIV

Endow the king with your justice, O God,
    the royal son with your righteousness.
² May he judge your people in righteousness,
    your afflicted ones with justice.

May he defend the afflicted among the people
    and save the children of the needy;
    may he crush the oppressor.

This is a prayer for the king and his son. Do you pray for the president? I don’t think I have personally though we do at church on occassion. Regardless of your party affiliation- he needs prayer. The president always has and always will. Presidential kids also need prayer. The kids are put in the spot light and raised in circumstances unlike anyone else. Pray for the congress and supreme court as well. When you pray for them you’re praying for the good of country and in a sense your own good too.

I’ve never been more away of politics nor watched more interviews with the president than I have now. There’s very little other entertainment going on- so I’m treating it like it’s entertainment which it is not. I’d like to see major changes in our country-I’d like to see better leadership. I’d like an end to corona so we can have an end to quarantine. This is not something I can make happen. God can though. These are good reasons to pray for our president and our country. Lately we think sharing our opinion about mask wearing or social distancing or schools being open or closed on twitter or facebook is going to affect change somehow and the answer is nope it won’t. See injustice in the world- sure you can protest and vote to make changes and post away- but start with prayer. It may be your most effective method of making change.

Pray continuously! Pray for our nation! We need it!

Read this first: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+71&version=ESV

You who have made me see many troubles and calamities
    will revive me again;
from the depths of the earth
    you will bring me up again.
²¹ You will increase my greatness
    and comfort me again.

Another brutally honest prayer. Super fitting for my week. I’ve been seeing troubles in myself again. Lots of stress from planning an online VBS. I do have lots of help and yet I’m alone and so I feel alone. It’s always a lot of work and it’s messing with my head. I have lots of anxiety about the future and yet today other than my anxiety everything is fine. Why do we make ourselves feel bad just to feel bad? I don’t know but it’s nice to know in that we’re not alone.

The psalmist has the audacity to say you have made me see troubles. I believe that’s true. Our sin requires us to see trouble. We have done wrong and deserve nothing but trouble and honestly the last 38 years of my life in hindsight seem kind of amazing. I can count lots of blessings. Yet even now almost half a year into quarantine I’m still able to find blessings but they’re harder to look for and oddly I’ve never thought about this way before but I have a hard time counting blessings into the future. I only see the problems in the future. I feel like that’s something to work on.

But the other side is God’s going to bring the psalmist greatness again. It’s rare that I see someone cocky and confident in prayer. I’m rarely confident in life and certainly not in my prayers, but God please increase our greatness so others might see your greatness and please we plead bring us comfort! We need it right now.

Today is a shorty so I think for the first time I’m going to put the whole psalm here:

Make haste, O God, to deliver me!
    O Lord, make haste to help me!
² Let them be put to shame and confusion
    who seek my life!
Let them be turned back and brought to dishonor
    who delight in my hurt!
³ Let them turn back because of their shame
    who say, “Aha, Aha!”

⁴ May all who seek you
    rejoice and be glad in you!
May those who love your salvation
    say evermore, “God is great!”
⁵ But I am poor and needy;
    hasten to me, O God!
You are my help and my deliverer;
    O Lord, do not delay!

I want things done now. Some things aren’t like that. I’m working on an online VBS and there’s a lot to be done and things were supposed to be in last Friday from folks but they’re not. I point the finger at them yet I’ve been procrastinating as well- yet it’s still 2 weeks away which is a significant amount of time. I just want all the work to be done so I can focus on other things. Instead I live with tension and also cry out make haste to help me Oh Lord! I need help! Yet there’s no one after my life, if a family is mad they didn’t get some paint in their bag, that’s not a big deal. I need to figure out how to let some of this stuff go. It’s good to hear that others have felt the same way. I like the impatient prayer. It’s very real. It’s ok to plead to beg God to change our situations. They remind us that we can leave our panic at heaven’s door and pick up some hope while we’re there.

So we still pray for the Lord to lead us! I pray that God would help me to see that even though I’m stressing God is still blessing and He is even now in this season.

God bless your day, may you be well!

Eric

Read Psalm 69 here: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+69&version=NIV

This spoke to me:

Save me, O God,
    for the waters have come up to my neck.
² I sink in the miry depths,
    where there is no foothold.
I have come into the deep waters;
    the floods engulf me.
³ I am worn out calling for help;
    my throat is parched.
My eyes fail,
    looking for my God.
⁴ Those who hate me without reason
    outnumber the hairs of my head;
many are my enemies without cause,
    those who seek to destroy me.
I am forced to restore
    what I did not steal.

You, God, know my folly;
    my guilt is not hidden from you.

I thought I was going to get ahead this week and instead the technology failed me and I tried to do too much with the Children’s sermon. I worked longer hours to get the same thing done as usual even though we didn’t have any filming at church for worship this week. Satan fought hard. Yesterday it seemed like everyone wanted something from me. Now I have a plan but I’m still to be honest a little scared. Ironically the topic of what I’m trying to make happen is called Fear Not. I should just relax and let things happen.

Someday I will get there! I’m tired. And to be honest I put myself in the position I’m in. I have no one to blame.

Then these words come in:

But I pray to you, Lord,
    in the time of your favor;
in your great love, O God,
    answer me with your sure salvation.
¹⁴ Rescue me from the mire,
    do not let me sink;

I haven’t had as much quality prayer time and day 2 of vbs is all about prayer and worship helps us to fear not. It will all get figured out eventually. One way or another.

Take time for prayer. Know that God won’t let you sink. Even when the worst happens like it did for Daniel in the lions den, Shadrack, Meshack, and Abendigo in the firey furnace they survived and thrived. The same will be true for us.

God bless!

Read this first: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+68&version=NIV

Nothing worked this week. I had extra time I was going to focus on VBS and start filming stuff. It didn’t work out. I have big plans and they didn’t happen. Progress was made on our worship service and then things went backwards. Then I read this song and it’s long and I just want to get through it- but I’m looking for hope. And at the end it came:

Sing to God, you kingdoms of the earth,
    sing praise to the Lord,
³³ to him who rides across the highest heavens, the ancient heavens,
    who thunders with mighty voice.
³⁴ Proclaim the power of God,
    whose majesty is over Israel,
    whose power is in the heavens.
³⁵ You, God, are awesome in your sanctuary;
    the God of Israel gives power and strength to his people.

Praise be to God! There’s reasons to sing. There are reasons to hope when everything seems to be falling apart. God is still God and He is our rock even when the world around you falls apart he will be strong he will be strong.

God I just ask that you watch over us as we face another day. Your grace is enough. Your plans are greater than ours. Make things come together for our work, for your good. Amen!

Just to mix it up I’m putting the whole Psalm here: no outside links!

For the director of music. With stringed instruments. A psalm. A song.

¹ May God be gracious to us and bless us
    and make his face shine on us—^[b]
2 so that your ways may be known on earth,
    your salvation among all nations.

³ May the peoples praise you, God;
    may all the peoples praise you.
⁴ May the nations be glad and sing for joy,
    for you rule the peoples with equity
    and guide the nations of the earth.
⁵ May the peoples praise you, God;
    may all the peoples praise you.

⁶ The land yields its harvest;
    God, our God, blesses us.
⁷ May God bless us still,
    so that all the ends of the earth will fear him.

May we all praise God! May what we do and are help others to praise God! As we are blessed others may be blessed. Would you say that’s true for you- when you’re blessed do you use those blessings to help others? I’ve been blessed with a nice house with a guest room I set up years ago. Only one person that I can think of has used it- that’s my brother. I don’t have people over often. I guess I don’t have the gift of hospitality. It’s something I’d like to cultivate. However, oddly now that it’s the pandemic- my house is my workspace and my church. I invite people in online all the time to come sit around my coffee table and have a chat. I can’t say that most of my purchases have been used to bless others.

However in the early church blessings weren’t seen as material things. No sickness and persecution for being Christians were seen as blessings. I’ve rarely been persecuted or hurt for my faith, but I have gone through some trials. Sometimes others knew I was going through them and helped me through. Others I was able to tell people about after wards to help them go through similar times.

Which do you share more with others? The blessings that come from prosperity or the blessings that come from pain? Both have their place. Both help us connect. God works in all things! He works to connect us around a dinner table but also the communion table where we participate in the sacrifice Jesus gave for us- the biggest pain. I’m missing that right now- the joy of being with other believers to participate in the eucharist- which ironically means thanksgiving- to be thankful for the death of another.

It’s odd to think about being thankful for bad things- but perhaps that’s the best thing we can do right now. What are you thankful for today? What are you giving praise to God for that you would never thought about before the year 2020?

66 seems like a scary number- read at your own risk: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm%2066&version=NIV

The last verse stood out to me:

Praise be to God,
    who has not rejected my prayer
    or withheld his love from me!

Last night I wasn’t in a good place. It had been an especially long week- I think it had been at least two weeks since a day off and even that I’m not certain on. Had done a ton of work on our upcoming VBS, voters meeting, worship service and I threw a pretty amazing video for the youth to celebrate Camp Perkins even though we couldn’t go. I was stoked about the work I’d done. Then of course my most consistent youth group ever doesn’t show up to zoom at the usual time. I fumble my words saying dad instead of grandpa in asking about their life and did a similar word salad mix up with the next person who came on. I went to show the video and there was no sound on zoom. The Bible study went great and eventually most of the folks got on but I was so mad at myself.

I had high hopes as I knew how awesome the night would be in my head and I screwed it up. I’ve done similar things before. When you live alone and have nothing else to focus on it’s easy to reject yourself and with hold love from yourself. Also I think my phone is killing me. I’ve decided to block people on it and try to use it less which has always felt wrong before. Not blocking people I actually know just politicians and celebrities make me angry. But at the same time when you live alone in quarantine you need the phone. Much like people who need to lose weight- also me- still have to eat.

So I got away today. There’s a lot that needs to be done and I just said- no not now- not today. Got away, sat near a waterfall and finished reading Bob Goff’s new book, “Dream big” ended in a real tear jerking story- but everybody always is my favorite out of Bob’s work. Anyway, before all that it talked about failing huge. Go big. He shared many of his failures and yet he said fail trying, don’t fail watching. Well I felt good knowing I failed trying not watching. I was doing the best I could just technology got in the way- and even though the kids didn’t get to see the video the way I wanted them too- I still have the video and can share it in other ways. And maybe we’ll do it again.

That’s the best part. Rarely in life do you get one shot at something. You almost always get a bunch. So things I used to get very dramatic about- well that children’s message or that Bible study didn’t go well. Guess what? I get to do another one next week and hopefully that one will be better. It’s highly unlikely it will go as bad as I think it did and most people are much less critical of me than I am.

So anyway, all of that to say I’m glad that when I reject me- God doesn’t. God provided the means to find the perfect spot to weather a 100 degree day and the words of Bob Goff to give me some grace. Dream big- keep moving forward- fail trying. Know that God’s love is still there when you fail and He doesn’t reject your prayer nor you. May we love ourselves in some similar way to how He loves us.

Read this first: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm%2065&version=NIV

This part stood out to me-

Blessed are those you choose
    and bring near to live in your courts!
We are filled with the good things of your house,
    of your holy temple.

⁵ You answer us with awesome and righteous deeds,
    God our Savior,
the hope of all the ends of the earth
    and of the farthest seas,

You care for the land and water it;
    you enrich it abundantly.
The streams of God are filled with water
    to provide the people with grain,
    for so you have ordained it.

This stands out to me because I have dirt under my fingernails because I destroyed a sprinkler head with my lawnmower tonight. A quick run to home depot and I swapped out a couple sprinkler heads because as long as you’re doing one may as well do a couple and I have to say it was the most satisfying part of my day. Why? Well I was inside working for most of the day and just knowing that hopefully I got in the dirt and made things better and got to enjoy the night air after an afternoon of phone calls for making VBS just seemed satisfying.

My life has become rather routine and just a simple change up helped a lot. I’m sure the same is true for you too. It’s good to take a moment to breathe. I definitely was reminded of the good things. We had a voter’s meeting today that was stressful and I hadn’t looked forward to it all week. I got a run in before that and took a nap. Now I feel awesome. Work has been tackled, issues have been addressed, it’s time for sabbath. I can’t say I have that feeling every week.

There’s moments when we’re satisfied with our work. There’s also moments when we’re satisfied with God’s work. A sunset or sun rise, a flower, all of these things point to God’s majesty. There’s also moments where God’s work enters our work. That’s the most special thing. If you can say look what God and I worked on today that’s incredible. This is true of small things like gardening. I can’t say I grew the grass I mowed nor the blueberries I picked from today but God and I worked on it together. I bought the property both are on, planted the berries, and someone put down the sod, but I’ve watered them, but living in Oregon God has watered them more.

In my work life I get to share stories of the faith with kids. Some times I teach the kids, often they teach me, always God blesses the conversation with something new for some of us. I pray that’s true for your conversations too.

Also this verse struck me today from Ephesians 1 “I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better.  I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, and his incomparably great power for us who believe.”

I pray this is true for you as you read these. I pray it’s true for me. May God help us to grow in Him during this difficult time and all times.

Read this first: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+64&version=NIV

The righteous will rejoice in the Lord
    and take refuge in him;
    all the upright in heart will glory in him

Do you glory in the Lord? I suppose when I think about that two things give me the feeling of giving glory to the Lord- when I’m out in creation and when I’m singing with God’s people. I recall many awesome Easters where after helping flip pancakes and wearing my pink jacket, when I’d come into the sanctuary and be greeted with brass horns, tympani, and the choir and congregation singing Alleluias to the king. That’s glory. Seeing the sun set over the lake in Glacier and singing God of wonders is up there for high points of thinking of God’s glory.

But faith isn’t feelings. Over the last few months I’ve spent time with kids sharing the faith. It’s been amazing having one on one time with them, but to be honest the editing and the creating the lesson sometimes feels like work. Great work and awesome to hear kids share their faith and have one on one time I would never have. But it’s become rote somehow? I feel like that happens with God’s glory too. Those things that feel like amazing moments of God’s glory like the first time we figured out how to get our choir to sing virtually now happens each week. It’s still just as amazing but it’s not noteworthy.

I suppose this year is the same way. March was noteworthy. Since then every week has been similar. It’s like school with no vacations and no hanging out with your friends. It’s weird.

God has been doing good things for us forever. So it’s easy to take it for granted. His glory is a bit like air to us or water to a goldfish. This is just typical. Yep there’s water in my sink, grace and forgiveness in God, blueberries on the bush, those things are clock work. But they’re also miracles.

May you and I see the glory of God around us today!

Read this first: https://classic.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm%2063&version=NIV

You, God, are my God,
    earnestly I seek you;
I thirst for you,
    my whole being longs for you,
in a dry and parched land
    where there is no water.

Do you thirst for God? No really do you thirst after Him? Do you want to spend time with him? Do you desire a stronger relationship and get up just to dig into His word? For me my answer is too often no. I think of him like a friend I take for granted because I know He’s there. He’s always there. It’s easy to take consistency for granted. When we first started doing online worship viewcount and numbers were up lots of positive thoughts and emails shared- now it’s not doing it for folks- it’s become old hat.

What would change that? I honestly don’t know. I find that this is helpful- sitting and writing and reading, but even that isn’t giving me the joys it once did. I do think a community of believers is huge in making me want to know God more.

Yet the psalmist says:

I have seen you in the sanctuary
    and beheld your power and your glory.
³ Because your love is better than life,
    my lips will glorify you.
⁴ I will praise you as long as I live,
    and in your name I will lift up my hands.
⁵ I will be fully satisfied as with the richest of foods;
    with singing lips my mouth will praise you.

Food should make us praise God- that’s when we pray. I feel like food has tasted better since the pandemic hit. Now that I make it all myself I’m more grateful for it. I am very satisfied with life right now. There are things in the future that concern me, but right now things are fine. Why isn’t that enough for me to want more time with God and to grow in Him? I don’t know the answer. But I do know that digging into His word and looking for Him is going to help and that walking away won’t.

Prayer also helps- I ask God to help you and me to thirst for Him. God be our desire. Amen!