“Pre-Revival: Jesus, When Did You Get Here?” Pastor Hines August 1, 2021

 

“Pre-Revival: Jesus, When Did You Get Here?”

Pastor Hines

August 1, 2021

 

The gospel of John is all about Jesus. The other gospels, Matthew, Mark, and Luke focus on the kingdom of God, the community of Christ. But the gospel of John is all about Jesus. John’s emphasis is on Jesus as wisdom, Jesus as the forerunner of the Holy Spirit that comforts. There are said to have been more people converted by reading the gospel of John than any other readings. So be it. Who wrote the gospel of John? God knows. We often think it was John, the son of Zebedee. Perhaps, since scriptures talk about a savior who loved justice and spoke against evil, the precious ancient scrolls had to be hidden in caves in hopes of retrieving them after persecutions, riots and wars had ended, perhaps more than one had a hand in writing the Word. Isn’t it wonderful that we have God’s word? There are some in this world who, at this time, are not allowed to possess it or read it or speak it.

In A.D. 301-304, the Roman Emperor Diocletian burned thousands of copies of the Bible, commanded that all Bibles be destroyed and decreed that any home with a Bible in it should be burned. ... Five hundred years after Diocletian's death, his grave (a huge mausoleum) became a Christian church. (Wikipedia) Even today an organization called Voices of the Martyrs works to get bibles in countries that don’t cherish it. The United Methodist Church has missionaries whose names cannot be shared because their lives are in danger for spreading the gospel in certain countries. We ought to pray for those ready to sacrifice their lives to spread good news in a terrible time.

John begins his gospel story with these words in chapter 6:

²⁴ When the crowd saw that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they got into the boats and came to Capernaum looking for Jesus. When was the last time you came looking for Jesus? Was it to give thanks for good news? Perhaps you were looking for Jesus in order to receive good news. If you are looking for Jesus, at all, you are doing a good thing. One Bethel leader noted that so many in the world are not going to church anymore, not loving God and one another as much as we have known. The values of treating one another as human beings and caring for those who are suffering are being replaced with behavior that is foul and sad.

The crowd was looking for Jesus. Verse 25 says   ²⁵ When they found him on the other side of the lake, they asked him, “Rabbi, when did you get here?” They had worked so hard to keep up with Jesus, following his every move that they could not understand how they did not see him leaving and going to the other side of the lake. Ours is to seek him even when we do not know where he is or where he is going. But he knows all about us.

  ²⁶ Jesus replied, “I assure you that you are looking for me not because you saw miraculous signs but because you ate all the food you wanted. Jesus knows our hearts and if you stand still enough, he will tell you about yourself.

Perhaps that crowd had been fed along with the 5,000 a few verses earlier in John.  You might wonder if the crowd looking for Jesus was a crowd with what is called “food insecurity.” There are so many churches, synagogues, masjids, and organizations working day and night in order to feed children and their families who are otherwise without food. Not only is there a risk that some won’t have enough food, especially fresh foods, but some in this world are indeed “food insecure.” They don’t know if there will be enough food to eat. While some are stocking and over stocking shelves with food so much so that much of it becomes outdated, while some are hoping a few apples or a dozen eggs can be stretched a few more days, stores and restaurants are tossing food into garbage bins because they are overstocked or slightly irregular.

One documentary showed a very conscientious couple safely retrieving groceries on purpose for several weeks from garbage bins behind grocery stores and restaurants to show how unconscionable it is that people are food insecure when food is being tossed away.

As a public school teacher, my mother noted that government regulations required that boxes of extra, good, unopened milk and juice could not be given to children. They had to be thrown away. Sometimes, she confessed, she just broke the rules and gave some to a child according to her discretion. We do well to follow the example of Jesus with the many ways we are finding to feed those who would otherwise be hungry. 

Nevertheless, even when we are hungry, Jesus tells us in verse 27:

²⁷ Don’t work for the food that doesn’t last but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Human One will give you (or the “Son of Man will give you as other versions say in order to emphasize that Jesus was human as well as divine). God the Father has confirmed him as his agent to give life.”

Life is certainly precious and valuable in God’s sight. At the same time, as the song says, God’s lovingkindness is better than life. Culturally speaking, we are often primed to save our lives at all costs. Still, there are some things even more important even than life.

Jesus wanted the crowd to know that even though they hungered for physical food that could sustain their physical life, spiritual food is a higher priority because it nurtures us on the inside. It strengthens us, roots us and grounds us in the spiritual foundations of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. ²⁸ The crowd was willing to focus a moment on spiritual food and not just their hunger for physical food. So they asked Jesus, “What must we do in order to accomplish what God requires?”

²⁹ Jesus replied, “This is what God requires, that you believe in him whom God sent.” What a testimony that this crowd wanted directions on how to please God! But they also wanted something else. Listen to verse 30.

³⁰ They asked, “What miraculous sign will you do, that we can see and believe you? What will you do? ³¹ Our ancestors ate manna in the wilderness, just as it is written, He gave them bread from heaven to eat.” They wanted Jesus to do a miracle. They went right back to the idea of eating physical food. Physical hunger does that to us. Dr. Oz says that in order to strengthen his body, he stops eating at a certain point in the day. While others suggest that are healthier if we don’t eat after 7 p.m. Dr. Oz has said he stops eating at 3 p.m. He says if we take his advice, we will definitely feel hunger. Don’t stay up too late because the hunger will nag at you. But for the sake of your health, give your body a chance to rest from eating for at least 12 hours, if you can.

³² Jesus told them, “I assure you, it wasn’t Moses who gave the bread from heaven to you, but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. ³³ The bread of God is the one who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” Jesus moves them away from the manna, the physical food and back to the true bread of heaven.

The true bread is the real bread, not a simulation like cubic zirconia simulates a diamond. The true bread is not like a knock off perfume my friend gets in the dollar store that sort of smells like the expensive version but is missing some key ingredients. The true bread is the original, where the idea of nurture starts. The true bread is like the true vine, where God begins growing something great and doing something good. We can pinch a piece off and start new growth from that true vine. We can get a copy of the recipe of the true bread from heaven. If we miss one ingredient, we miss having the true bread from heaven, we come short of that which is most glorious.

The true bread fills you up and satisfies your needs and longings. The true bread, is the true feast, is the true sustenance. The true bread is as Jesus said, to believe in Jesus, to act like you know God is good and has a wonderful plan for our lives, to trust. Just as we sit in a seat with confidence that it will support us. We believe, we act as if Jesus is the way, the truth and the life. We act like Jesus matters, Jesus cares, Jesus knows us and will guide us to something greater than a common loaf of bread. We are guided to the bread of heaven. That is what we have today as we take communion. This is no ordinary table. This is not just any kind of bread.

The crowd believed. They understood that Jesus had a lot to offer. We pray also that our neighbors, family and friends that crowd around us will know that Jesus has a lot to offer. We pray that they will find a church or a community with rich fellowship, with the word of God preached and taught, with the spirit moving in the hearts of God’s people so much so that their souls would be satisfied. That is what we want for our loved ones, isn’t it. We want them to be in the path of all the blessings God has ordained for all of us.

³⁴ The crowd continued to listen to Jesus. They believed. They said, “Sir, give us this bread all the time!” And that is what we can say too. Give us this bread all the time. And we will receive it with thanksgiving. Remember this table all the time, every day, in every situation, in the happy moments, in the sad moments. All the blessings we need in life are at this table, all the guidance, all the help, all the hope, all the answers, it’s all here. It is a prayer a way. Remember today and always. Jesus is here for you. Jesus is all we need. He’s closer to you than your next breath.

 

“Let the Praises Flow: Psalm 89:20-37 CEB” Pastor Hines July 18, 2021

 

“Let the Praises Flow: Psalm 89:20-37 CEB”

Pastor Hines

July 18, 2021

 

This morning’s Psalm tells of God’s servant king David. God anointed him chose him, and made loving promises to him. David is known as the greatest king in all of our Judeo-Christian history. He was a musician and writer of many of the Psalms. He was not perfect, but he was, as we all aim to be, someone who takes after God’s own heart, who is like God in many ways, who takes on the character and the manner and ways of God, whose intention is to love us, to do justice by us, and to be merciful to us, to forgive our transgressions, to lift us up on every leaning side. 

David ruled and reigned, as we all aim to rule and reign, with an ear to hear what God, the ultimate king, had to say about various matters in life. For as we all know, it’s not just what the people say, it’s what God says. During our upcoming revival, we will focus on hearing what God says. David was in a position that God put him in. We all are.

You do understand that you are where you are by the grace and the will of God. You do know that the steps of the righteous are ordered by the Lord? So says Psalm 37.23.

God as ruler, king, and authority is omnipotent, omnipresent, and omniscient. God has all power, is present everywhere, and knows all. We often wonder, why God does not use all that power to do away with some of the unspeakable things that are happening in our world. We often wonder if God is present everywhere all the time, why does God not always show us plainly where God is. If God knows all, does God really know how devastating our suffering is to us? Does God understand? Does God care? It is easy to praise God and to credit God when our experiences and situations are pleasant and easy and just what we want them to be. But, when we are suffering that is the best time to prove that God is in control, large and in charge. When we are suffering we want to know, why me? Why now? Why is this happening in a world created by a good God? Why is it happening to anyone?

Psychiatrist Victor Frankl (1905-1997) studied under Sigmund Freud and Alfred Adler and he worked at Vienna’s Rothschild Hospital, the only hospital that admitted Jewish persons. Frankl was successful in treating students in an epidemic of suicides that occurred during report card season, and before being deported to a concentration camp, he helped mentally disabled people avoid euthanasia. I recall from his writings his direction not to obsess about why terrible things are happening, but to search for ways to make the situation meaningful. As Christians, we can always find meaning in all situations of our life. God always has a purpose and a plan that takes us to a place of justice, mercy, and righteousness, which all lead us to inner peace. 

The story of Gideon’s suffering found in the book of Judges 6 tells of Gideon hiding from the oppressive Midianites while he sorted grain, knowing they would try to take it. An angel, a messenger, came to Gideon with an encouraging word. He said, “The Lord is with you, you brave man!” (Even when we hide in fear and weakness, God sees something great in us.) Instead of being elated that God had sent a messenger to encourage him personally, instead of doing a happy dance upon hearing that God considered him courageous – even though he was in hiding, Gideon asked the same questions that come to all hearts that are suffering. Gideon asked, “If the Lord is with us, why is all this happening to us, and where are all the miracles which our fathers told us about?” The angel did not answer any of Gideon’s questions directly, and we may feel that God has not answered our questions directly either. What did happen was that the angel told Gideon God chose to use him to save his people from the hand of those who were worrying them?

Still we ask the questions, were God’s people suffering because they were under judgement? I say, if the shoe fits me, I may need to wear it. Were God’s people innocent victims? If so, they had a great God who, like always, can lead and guide them to a safe and peaceful place, a God who was an ever present help to comfort and care for them in their time of trouble, no matter how bad it got.

Rather than get stuck on the questions, for even Ecclesiastes 7.10 reminds us how unwise it is to just get round and round with questions. Rather, it is good to humble ourselves before God and submit to the rule and reign of the one who sits high and looks low. There are answers we have only when we worship, when we trust and obey. There are things we can only understand better when we look for God’s face and not just for what God has in God’s hands. There is a difference, even for us as leaders and Christians being watched and followed by others. Looking at the face of God means we want to see God’s feelings and responses because we want to know and understand God. Looking only at God’s hands suggests that receiving something from God matters more than being in a right and loving relationship with God.

One of my classmates at Eastern College in St. Davids, PA was blind at birth due to harmful birth control pills that were later taken off the market. We lived together on the same dorm floor in Doane Hall. It was helpful for her to feel our faces, one time, enabling her to “see” us. It was a special look. It reminds me of the song, Only A Look. One look at Jesus can turn us from sin, bring us salvation, and eternal life. Having an intimate connection with the face of God as well as the voice and the hands of God deepens our relationship with God. Having even one personal experience with God sparks an eternal fire in our hearts and lives. One of TBN’s movies was entitled, “One Night with the King” The lyrics of an associated song are this: One night with the king, changes everything. One day in his courts did forever change my course. One moment in his presence and I’ve never been the same. One night with the king changes everything.”

One of the most common reasons we reject God and the church is that we are so angry. Anger is not sustainable in the church. Anger hides the face of Jesus. One survey conducted by the Olympic Committee suggested that there were people around the world that were more familiar with the name Ronald McDonald than they were with the name of Jesus. Some are more familiar with advertising symbols than the Christian Cross symbol. So, it is no small thing when the church has a billboard with our name on it or a postcard inviting others to come. Of course, our loving relationships are the best advertising of all.

The world seems angrier than it has ever been. We see this in the increased incidence of road rage as only one example. Rage psychologist Dr. Leon James gives us several reasons people respond with road rage. 1. Restrictions from moving forward on the road raise anxiety and intense desires to escape the restrictions and prompt some to perform risky and aggressive maneuvers. 2. Regulations are inconvenient and we just ignore them. 3. Lack of self-control. 4. Being put in danger results in negative emotions such as fear, helplessness, depressed mood, and resentment. 5. Some are tempted by the energizing rush that comes when you let it all out, share all the foul gestures and words but consequences of impaired judgment is the price that is paid. 6. Unpredictability of highways bring drama and uncertainty. All these feelings often come to a boil and create road rage and rage in other areas of our lives.

Regardless of what keeps us away from the God, from the church, and from each other, there is no good excuse for not accepting God as a king to rule and reign over our lives. Clearly, we cannot handle our lives on our own. Only when we turn to God in good times as well as tough times, when we look for God’s face as well as God’s hands, we see that God is greater than our worst problem. Turning to God increases the chance that we will have a personal experience that moves us forward spiritually and helps us to grow content and safe. We can then see clearly that no matter how bad a situation is, God is working for good, God delights in us, and is a present help in a time of trouble and always has something good for us to taste and see – some fruit of the spirit, some love, or joy, or peace, or patience, or kindness, or goodness, or faithfulness, or gentleness, or self –control to share with us – and enough to share with others.

 We serve a good God who is worthy of our thanks and praise. Whether we shed tears of joy, tears of remorse, or tears of grief, it is good to also let our praises flow toward God for the great things God has done, is doing, and promises to do among us. So, let praises to God flow, for your sake, for God’s sake, and for the sake of the whole world.

“Deceptively Simple” Rev. Larry Leister July 11, 2021

 

 “Deceptively Simple”

Rev. Larry Leister

July 11, 2021

 

As a baseball fan I found this bit of history interesting. Charles Eliot, who was president of Harvard from 1869-1909, frequently expressed his misgivings about sports, including football and baseball, both of which he sought unsuccessfully to abolish at Harvard. At the end of one Harvard baseball season he announced that he was thinking of dropping the sport. Pressed for an explanation, he said, "This year I'm told the team did well because one pitcher had a fine curve ball. I understand that a curve ball is thrown with a deliberate attempt to deceive. Surely this is not an ability we should want to foster at Harvard."

Well, times have changed at Harvard. A Wall Street Journal article some years ago reviewed teaching practices at Harvard’s School of Business. Instructors added a new dimension to their courses designed to familiarize students with various unethical business practices used by corporate America. The article questioned if students might view the new course content as tacit approval of unethical behavior. 

Maybe modern-day Harvard could stand more of Dr. Eliot's concern about teaching deceptive practices, which seem to be so prevalent in our society.  While his call for integrity was admirable, I'm not sure Dr. Eliot understood the place of the curve ball in the rules of baseball. Can something be truly deceptive if opponents are actually looking for it?

By contrast something is truly deceptive if opponents have no inkling it’s on the way because deceivers violate the rules of the game. Sticking with baseball, for example, when a pitcher throws an illegal pitch such as a spit ball that's clearly deceptive. 

In life we are thrown deceptive pitches every day... false advertising claims, doctored resumes, email scams, and pyramid schemes, fake news...to name only a few deceptions pitched our way every day.

The O.T tells of God's judgment upon the deception of Ahab & Jezebel.  Ahab wanted Naboth's vineyard and made a fair offer to buy it. Naboth tried to explain it was an entrusted ancestral inheritance... so Jezebel with Ahab's complicity, chose to violate the rules of the game by breaking the terms of God’s covenant.  Jezebel threw Naboth an "illegal" pitch he couldn't hit. With the help of some "respectable" scoundrels Naboth is cheated out of not only his property but his life as well. They resorted to perjury, theft, and murder to satisfy Ahab's greed.

It’s amazing how easily we are taken in by deceit! On a flight out of Philly, a passenger was seated next to a packaging engineer who was jubilant over a project he had just pulled off.  A manufacturer had retained the engineer’s services to help him push several thousand coffee makers that weren't selling, even when the retail price was lowered to cost:  $20 per unit.

The packaging engineer told how he had succeeded in peddling the percolators at a handsome profit by having them gilded with a thin layer of imitation gold, placed in a large white carton lined with imitation purple velvet, and topped off with a glistening, dome-shaped plastic cover.  The aesthetic effect was, to hear the packaging engineer, something akin to "turning a sow's ear into a silk purse." 

Though the gilding and carton added less than a dollar a unit to the percolator's cost, the coffee makers sold out in less than a month at $49.95 each. Deception did the trick. One could argue that consumers ask for it because time and again deceiving consumers seems Deceptively Simple. Yet we're also reminded by Psalm 5:6 that God condemns such deception, "...the Lord abhors blood-thirsty and deceitful men."

Even though we know how easily deceived we are, there are times when we’re tempted to be deceptive in our own dealings with others. We may even justify it as in the other person's best interest.

Example: a college town pub frequented by students ran an ad in the campus paper in the days leading up to Parents' Weekend: “Bring your parents for lunch Saturday. We'll pretend we don't know you!" The clever ad was humorously countered by the school chaplain who posted a similar one on the campus bulletin board: "Bring you parents to chapel Sunday.  We'll pretend we do know you!" 

Both amusing notices, however, each was really a deception within a deception. The fact that they were  humorous doesn’t mean the deceit was harmless.

Paul warns us to be neither deceived nor deceive, nor can we escape consequences: "God is not mocked, for whatever a man sows that will he also reap."  A  Deceptively Simple warning!  He knew we may be able to deceive others but we deceive ourselves too if we think we can pull the wool over God’s eyes.

 

A often cited quote on the subject of deception by A. Lincoln usually omits the equally astute last phrase: "You may deceive all of the people some of the time, and some of the people all the time, but not all the people all the time (but then there's the part that’s frequently omitted) and not God at any of the time."

Isn't that the point of the Jezebel and Ahab story? They appear to get away with their conspiracy with no one but their fellow conspirators any the wiser. That is until God's word of judgment comes through Elijah. Nor was it the first time he confronted the king's sin.  Ahab sees it coming "Have you found me, O my enemy?" God's judgment: Ahab's house will be exterminated.  Jezebel will die within the walls of Jezreel (the scene of her conspiracy) and her flesh will be eaten by dogs.  The prophecy is born out proving to those with ears to hear that "God is not mocked!"

Like Elijah, Paul's message from God is similar, but it brings not only words of judgment but also of promise "For he who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption; but he who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life...do good to all men... in due season we shall reap, if we do not lose heart."

Knowing how Deceptively Simple people can be, and how vulnerable those who’ve been deceived can feel, Paul goes on to assure his readers that his letter is no deception...he ceases his dictation to the person actually penning his letter and pens the closing words himself, "See with what large letters I am writing to you with my own hand."

Paul is not done.  He turns his attention to those within the church who’d been intentionally deceptive by undergoing circumcision and encouraging others to do the same, "in order that they may not be persecuted for the cross of Christ." This was written during a period when Judaism was tolerated by Rome but Christianity wasn't. So some Christians underwent circumcision to escape persecution by passing themselves off as Jews. It was doubly deceptive, Paul said, because it not only hid one's Christianity, it mocked Mosaic Law which they did not otherwise keep.

Neither circumcision or un-circumcision counts for anything with God. What does is being: "a new creation ...Far be it for me to glory except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world."

It’s easy to fall prey to living by this world’s rules and to wink at deceptions that violate God's ways. Only a change within can we lead to straightforward, honest lives that point to Christ. It's he who transforms us through faith in his death for us and our salvation.

Paul concludes, "Peace and mercy be upon all who walk by this rule." Christians know the way that leads to eternal life.  Our lives are to be lived so as to produce not deceit but "good to all." We can live by the world’s rules of deception or we can surrender to God who sees thru our deception and live by his rules.

If we deceive and our deception is discovered we are not only embarrassed, we are held accountable as a story out of Japan demonstrates. In Japan a man of wealth and influence demanded a place in Japan's Imperial Orchestra, a select group, because it played for the emperor. The rich man  insisted even though the he couldn’t read music or play a single note.

Under pressure the conductor relented and allowed the man to sit in the second row of the orchestra.  When the music began he would raise the flute to his mouth, pucker his lips and go through the motions of playing but never make a sound. The deception continued for two years, apparently fooling everyone, until a new conductor took over who required personal auditions from each player. One by one each orchestra member played a solo. Then came the fraudulent flutist's turn. Frantic with worry he feigned sickness. A doctor was called and declared him well. Shame-faced he had to confess he was literally unable to "face the music."

We are all held accountable for our lives.  We must all face the music one day for like the new conductor in the story, "God is not mocked" or deceived.  Others may be deceived by falsehoods we perpetrate or the lies that we live, but God is not. Numbers 32:23: “Your sins will find you out” if not by those around you than by God. That’s the point of Ahab and Jezebel’s sordid tale, as well as Paul’s message.

But herein lies the Good News...news Paul proclaimed which Elijah could not: not only does God see through our deceptions, God also offers us a way out that is in itself Deceptively Simple– Jesus Christ.  Jesus Christ, who did not feign death but died on the cross for our salvation. Jesus Christ, the only one who can truly leads us from a life of sinful deceptions into a life of joyful obedience. Jesus who, if we surrender our lives to him, will transform us into new creatures and by the Holy Spirit empower us to walk by the rule of God. 

When that transforming power shapes our lives, our lives become our witness.  Our lives point to the very one who transforms us...to Jesus.  The last thing any of us thus transformed should want is to deceive others as to who and whose we are really are.  Rather we should seek to proudly proclaim, as did Paul in the verses that follow, that we “carry the marks of Jesus.”

So that when it comes right down to it, our message to those around is, like Paul's, a Deceptively Simple one if by the grace of God we live the lives to which he's called us.

 

“Let the Praises Flow” Pastor Hines July 4, 2021

 

“Let the Praises Flow”

Pastor Hines

July 4, 2021

 

The book of Psalms is known for bringing us comfort in our times of distress. The Psalms are songs for all occasions, just like our hymn book has songs for every season of the year from Christmas to Lent, so the 150 Psalms in the bible sing of the birth of Christ, thanksgiving for the greatness of God, the need to change our ways for the better and hope in time of trouble.

Music soothes us and technology creates wonderful…cd’s sound more appealing than 45’s and 78’s and cassette tapes. Voices are like fingerprints. The sounds that come out of our mouth are as unique as our faces. Even the sounds from instruments are all different when they are made with wood, strings, and metals. They all delight us. We all have our favorite sounds and rhythm and words. God has provided plenty for all of us and just when it seems we have learned our favorite tune and it fades away into history, there comes a new song, new lyrics, and we embrace new favorites. 

Psalm 48 is a psalm like no other. The very first verse tells us that God is great and greatly to be praised. It points to God’s high mountain, a mountain so high and beautiful that it brings great joy. We all need and appreciate God blessing us with joy - that fruit of the Spirit that refreshes, energizes and strengthens us for the journey. 

Verse 4 tells us that kings assembled. Metaphorically, everybody who was anybody gathered and they could see the holy mountain. No one either high or low in this life can miss God. The Heavens declare God’s glory. Don’t you know that everywhere you go you leave the footprints of Jesus? When you walk into a room, others can see the light of Christ in you and on you. They may not even know what hit them. Every breath you take and every beat of your heart represents the incomprehensible and imperceptible presence of almighty God of Creation. The blood of Jesus flows through your veins, and if someone would give you a DNA test they would find royalty. You are marvelously and meticulously made – a work of art – designed by God, and you are beloved. Aren’t you grateful to be a child of God? We have so much to be thankful for and there are so many ways to live a lifestyle where we give thanks and show our delight in the goodness of God and share our love for God and for one another. There are multiple ways to do justice and love mercy.  The pandemic, like any crisis, has challenged us and changed us. Families remind me that they are still disoriented, still squeamish about the virus, concerned about jobs and school, wondering about the future of primary relationships, and medical situations. Even the mail system has not returned to normalcy 100%. 

Music is a gift from God to help us cope. Music lifts our spirits, brings pleasant thoughts to mind that pushes difficulties aside just long enough to let us rest and rejuvenate. The songs of the Psalms engages our hearts to help us get over some of the humps we may be going through.

Psalm 48, written by the family of Korah, known for its musical skill, assigned to make a joyful noise, appointed to uplift the spirits of those who were on a journey with God, practiced in the faith. They were oh so human. Still their music was divine! The psalms are not about the singer or the sinner. The psalms are about the creator. The Psalms are about God’s peace that is like a river, God’s joy that is like a fountain, and God’s love that is like an ocean.

The scripture tells us to put God first, to seek first the kingdom of God and its righteousness and everything we need will be provided for us. God’s promise to provide does not mean we will instantly receive everything we want. I don’t have to make excuses for what God does or does not do, what evil God does or does not allow in our lives. Knowing God will provide does not mean we can make out a wish list and expect God to act like a butler and deliver everything we want according to our instructions. No, God’s promise to provide is an invitation to a partnership.

When we pray, we are partnering with God. If we think we can give God orders, or that God is just going to issue us a blank check, we need to think again. If we think that we don’t have any responsibilities in building the kin-dom of God and we can do what we want to do in the church and God won’t care, ‘cuz an invisible God don’t matter. We need to think again. We can’t go anywhere and do only what WE want to do.

Just as we pray that God will bless a harvest of plant crops, we pray asking God’s blessing on the harvest of our prayers. All prayers will not bear fruit just as all plants will not bear fruit. Prayer is a partnership. Our part is to pray – planting a seed for certain spiritual blessings. Our part is to do what God guides us to do or risk rebuke and refinement. As we see in verse 5, panic, turmoil, and destruction can happen suddenly. Our part is to praise God with our whole being, for it is our whole being that God loves and cares for.

Jesus has invited all of us to this table. Everything we need is at the table. Everything we want is at this table. With such a feast set before us, our hearts are made glad, our souls cry out hallelujah, thank God for saving me, healing me, rescuing me, calming me, guiding me, protecting me, challenging me, chiding me, and thank God for my sisters and brothers near and far who pray for me and serve me and whom I serve and pray for and partner with. God has provided all this and more. God is great and greatly to be praised. Let the praises flow, for your sake, for God’s sake, and for the sake of the whole world.