Tag: Bible devotion

Midweek Message – Hidden Surprises

church devotions, Devotions, Lectionary devotions, Psalm devotions, Sunday devotions

Psalm 42: 10b “…my foes taunt me, saying to me all day long,” Where is your God?”

They say that life is full of hidden surprises and one morning that turned out to be true at a church I served. A contractor, who was clearing a ditch behind the church offices, dug through a hidden gas main, causing an unexpected emergency. Within minutes, fire engines and utility trucks swarmed into our parking lot. Local businesses were all shut down and for about an hour everything was intense. An explosion could have occurred at any time, but thankfully the professionals managed to cap the pipe and quickly repair it.

This all happened because the pipe was not where it was supposed to be. A painted yellow line was meant to indicate where the pipe was, but it turns out that the gas pipe was twelve feet away from the actual line. Someone somewhere had made a serious miscalculation, which could have resulted in a fatal explosion. If the pipe had been properly marked and located, this error would not have occurred. We learned that day that knowing exactly where the gas pipe rested was crucial to any ditch digging around the building.

The writer of today’s highlighted verse from Psalm 42 was deeply troubled and tormented. His painful experience caused those around him to ask whether or not God actually existed. The inevitable question of ‘where is God when it hurts?’ must have crossed the psalmist’s mind, so he dug deep into his soul to find an answer. And that’s where he found God, right at the heart of his suffering, right in the midst of all his pain.

We each go through ‘dark nights of the soul’ and crises of faith. In the midst of heartbreak, illness, and sorrow, it’s very easy for us to lose our hold of God, But, as one of my Hebrew professors used to say, “It’s not our grasp of God that is important, but that God still has a grasp of us.” In other words, knowing where God is located is not as crucial as God knowing where we actually are.

Point to ponder: Have I ever felt isolated from God? How did God find me?

Prayer:           Lord God, life is full of hidden surprises, and we seek Your presence every day. It helps us to know that You are with us, no matter what we experience or endure. Reveal to us Your whereabouts this day and remind us that Your mindfulness of us is far more important than our understanding of You. In Christ’s Name, we pray. Amen.

John Stuart is a Scottish Presbyterian pastor now living in Knoxville, Tennessee.

Sabbath Psalms – On the Edge – Psalm 14

Devotions, Lectionary devotions, Psalm devotions, Sunday devotions

Psalm 014sPsalm 14:1 The fool says within himself, “God does not exist.” They are immoral, their deeds are disgraceful; there is nobody who does good things.

Like everyone else, I struggle with my faith at times. I’ve always believed in God as far back as I can remember, but it’s what I believe in God that keeps changing. When I first became a Christian, I wanted to convert the entire world. I actually preached on street corners in Scotland and sang hymns outside Glasgow pubs. I was fearless for Christ and wanted to show the world what unbelievers were missing. I guess I must have appeared like a religious freak to most of my drunken audience, but I was on fire for the Lord, and it didn’t bother me.

These days, I would find it tough and perhaps be too embarrassed to preach outside a city bar. I got in enough trouble preaching from the relative safety of a church pulpit. Sometimes my zeal to get the Gospel message across caused some people to get upset and leave the church. A sermon that stings is sometimes too close to the truth, even for me.

Faith is a precious gift from God, but sometimes we foolishly take it for granted or allow ourselves to cast it aside in order to indulge in sinful things. We stumble on the edge of foolishness which, for some people, can lead to affluence and unbelief, indifference and apostasy. I’m not one of those who subscribes to the belief that ‘once saved means always saved.’ I think that we can lose our salvation if we lose ourselves to the wiles of the world, which is why Jesus says in Mark’s Gospel: “Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him.”(Mark 4 v 25). If we were saved for all time, we could give our hearts to Christ at the age of three and spend the next 97 years doing whatever we liked.

When I preached the message on Sunday mornings, I was very much aware that we’re all just living on the edge of eternity. Who knows what tomorrow may bring, so that is why we all need to get our hearts and minds, our lives and ways right with God through Christ today. To do anything else or to leave it for another time is plainly foolish and just as spiritually harmful as the person with no belief at all.

Point to ponder: What things disrupt my belief in God? How does Christ restore me?

Prayer: Lord Jesus, let this be the day when we all completely surrender our lives to You. Let this be the time when we allow You totally into our hearts, to change us forever. Enable us not to keep back anything or any part of us from You. Take away our foolishness and fill us with true faith. In Your Holy Name, we humbly pray. Amen.

John Stuart is a retired Scottish Presbyterian pastor now living in Knoxville, Tennessee.

Sunday Shorts – Busy Doing Nothing

Devotions, Lectionary devotions, Sunday devotions

Ordy 16BsMark 6:31 Jesus said to them, “Come away to a deserted place all by yourselves and rest a while.” For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat. (NRSV)

Over many years of pastoral ministry, I saw some dedicated people who were always present for Sunday worship and church programs. They were totally immersed in the life, work, and ministries of the congregation and it seemed as though every time we opened the church doors, they were among the first to arrive. Their faith community was their family and they simply devoted themselves to serving God in their local church.

Sometimes, however, these lovely servants were too busy and stretched themselves beyond what they could do effectively for God. They did too much, said “yes” too many times, and often wouldn’t let others help them. They thought that if they temporarily gave up their work for the Lord or handed it over to someone else, the ministry or mission would suffer. Frequently, the ministry was suffering because they didn’t like to share or delegate the responsibility to some other person. However, when Covid came and forced us all to stay away from church, those people reflected on their chosen roles, soon realizing that God was working through the whole church membership, and not just them. After Covid, they fully reassessed their own service and, for the first time in years, they allowed others to work with them.

I like what Jesus suggests to His disciples in this Bible verse. They have all been very busy helping Him with His ministry. They are devoted to the Kingdom of God, but they are also sapped of their spiritual strength, so Jesus urges them all to take a break from the mission to go to a quiet place and replenish their spirits. This reveals to us how much Jesus cared for His closest followers and did not expect them to always be on duty wherever He went. By giving them time to be alone with Him, Jesus was encouraging them to do nothing for a while. The mission would always be there, and the Kingdom of God would continue, but they were only human with weaknesses and limitations. Like the writer of Psalm 23, Jesus was inviting them to find a quiet place to restore their souls.

Perhaps you need permission to let go of some of the ministries and missions in your own congregation. Maybe you’ve overextended yourself and instead of feeling the joy of serving God, it is a heavy burden to you. Let Christ encourage you to find a quiet place, to release you from your responsibilities, to enable you to reflect on how best to serve God, to replenish your weary spirit, and to refresh your tired soul. Go ahead and be busy – doing nothing.

Point to ponder: How do I serve God in my local church? Am I too busy?

Prayer: Lord Jesus, You know us more fully than we know ourselves. We love You completely and want to serve You faithfully, but sometimes we are tired and need to rest. Help us to find a peaceful quiet place where we can be refreshed by Your Spirit and restored to God’s Kingdom. In Your Holy Name, we humbly pray. Amen.

John Stuart is a retired Scottish Presbyterian pastor now living in Knoxville, Tennessee.