An Advent Prayer
Read: Psalm 33 He loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of the steadfast love of the LORD. (v. 5) I remember the moment when an older, wiser Christian asked which psalm was my favorite to pray. I had no answer. Praying the psalms was an entirely new idea to me, but I decided […]
Waiting for Jesus
Read: 1 Thessalonians 1:1-10 . . . to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come. (v. 10) “Early is on time, on time is late, and late is unacceptable.” One of my professors drilled this into me when I was in […]
Not Slow but Patient
Read: 2 Peter 3:1-10 The Lord is . . . patient toward you. (v. 9) During Advent, and then continuing through the end of December, the Words of Hope devotional is written by a group of faculty and staff from Western Theological Seminary. Our community is thoughtful and reflective, and we fully embrace the liturgical […]
God Restores
Read: Psalm 107:39-43 He raises up the needy out of affliction. (v. 41) During my 80 days of working from home last spring, I began using ancient prayers to frame my days. A repeated refrain from the Book of Common Prayer asks, “Let not the needy, O Lord, be forgotten, nor the hope of the […]
Keep Movin’
Read: Psalm 107:33-38 They sow fields and plant vineyards. (v. 37) The people of this psalm had been exiles. God judged Judah for unfaithfulness to him and injustice towards the poor. In faithfulness to his covenant with his people, he reversed their fortunes because of their sin. They questioned how to live in this unexpected […]
At Our Wits’ End
Read: Psalm 107:23-32 He made the storm be still. (v. 29) The sailors in today’s passage are at their wits’ end (v. 27). Life was going according to plan, even smooth sailing. Then, out of the blue, a storm tossed their boat to and fro, and the sailors were knocked to their knees. We are […]
Redeemed Fools
Read: Psalm 107:17-22 He sent out his word and healed them. (v. 20) The “redeemed” of verse 2 are the “fools” of verse 17. Fools do not so much willfully rebel as they carelessly miss God’s way. I am quick to think such fools are those steeped in addictions like drugs, alcohol, or some other […]
Out from the Shadow of Death
Read: Psalm 107:10-16 . . . prisoners in affliction . . . (v. 10) More than 2.3 million people in North America experience imprisonment today, among well over 10 million worldwide. They are incarcerated for violating human law. The prisoners in today’s key verse had done far worse. They had rebelled against God’s words and […]
Satisfied
Read: Psalm 107:4-9 For he satisfies the longing soul. (v. 9) The Irish rock band U2 had a hit in 1987 with the song “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For.” It labels the soul-searching despair for meaning that so many know too well. The redeemed in our verses today knew both the longing […]