Ep.262: Psalm 127: Unless the Lord Builds the House.

Hello, I’m Daniel Westfall on the channel “Pray with Me”.

Psalm 127 begins:

Unless the Lord builds the house,
the builders labor in vain.
Unless the Lord guards the city,
the guards keep watch in vain.
In vain you rise early
and go late to rest,
eating the bread of anxious toil;
for he gives his beloved sleep (vv. 1-2).

The poet has quickly disposed of the myths of the self-made man, the lone ranger, and the workaholic. Success is not the result of human effort alone; success comes when God and people work cooperatively.

The Taliban recently returned to power in Afghanistan, quickly filling the vacuum left by departing Americans. The United States spent twenty years and billions of dollars building and supplying the Afghan government, Afghan infrastructure, the Afghan army, the house of Afghanistan. But it all imploded in one week in August. As the poet says, unless the Lord builds the house, unless the Lord guards the city, the army and the politicians labor in vain.

The second half of the psalm talks about family:
Children are a heritage from the Lord . . .
Like arrows in the hands of a warrior
are sons of one’s youth.
Blessed is the man
whose quiver is full of them.
He will not be put to shame
when he contends with his enemies in the gate.

In an ancient, patriarchal, agricultural society, it was good to have sons to work the fields, protect the family, and defend the city from enemies at the gates. The poet gives God credit for building the family: children are indeed a heritage from the Lord.

Let’s pray.

Our father, how often we append a prayer to our plans, asking you to bless them. But the poet sees a more cooperative process, in which we build the house when you are building, or we guard the city you are guarding, or we leave our work undone when you invite us to rest. Give us, we pray, that inner sense of how to cooperate in the work you are doing.

How different was the poet’s life from ours. We are less patriarchal, less agricultural, more technological. No walled cities. No enemies gathering at city gates. Instead, the threats to our religion and way of life are corrupt ideologies, lying conspiracy theories, and violent fundamentalist movements in Islam and Christianity. The lure of hedonism calls our sons and daughters away from the godly heritage we have tried to give them. Our children are a heritage from you, our city and country a gift from you. Guard our heritage as we try to preserve what is good and resist what is evil.

Amen.

I’m Daniel on the channel “Pray with Me”.

YouTube channel: Pray with Me – YouTube

Ep.261: When Faith Doesn’t Work.

Hello, I’m Daniel Westfall on the channel “Pray With Me”.

Hebrews 11, the great chapter about faith, says:

What more shall I say?
I do not have time to tell about
Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel and the prophets,
who through faith
conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised;
who shut the mouths of lions, quenched the fury of flames,
and escaped the edge of the sword;
whose weakness was turned to strength. . .

There were others who were tortured,
refusing to be released so they might gain a better resurrection.
Some faced jeers and flogging, chains and imprisonment.
They were put to death by stoning; they were sawn in two;
they were killed by the sword.
They went about in sheepskins and goatskins,
destitute, persecuted and mistreated—
the world was not worthy of them.
– Hebrews 11:32-38a

There it is: two sides of faith. One is a glorious and victorious side, where the faithful do mighty works to conquer kingdoms, escape death, and turn weakness into strength.

And then there’s the other side, where the faithful are abused, punished, imprisoned, and killed.

Which faith outcome do you prefer? Do you think God presents a smorgasbord of options so you can choose your own meal?

The prosperity gospel emphasizes one part of faith. It says that by faith you can become “all God intends you to be”. Live inspired. Reach your dreams. Don’t associate with naysayers and doubters. Let faith lift you to success and happiness and wealth.

Fortunately, Hebrews tells the rest of the story. Some by faith faced jeers and flogging, chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, sawn in two, killed by the sword; destitute, persecuted, mistreated–the world was not worthy of them (vv. 37-38).

I try to live in a safe zone between these two options, these extremes. A place of North American riches. . .but not too rich. A place of comfort. . .but not too comfortable. A tolerant society where I am not persecuted for my faith. A peaceful life where I don’t try to conquer kingdoms, shut the mouths of lions, or quench the fury of flames.

How does that old doggerel go?

The high soul takes the high road and the low soul takes the low,
And in between on the misty flats, the rest drift to and fro.
(John Oxenham, The Ways, paraphrased).

Let’s pray.

Our father, we do not understand our motives. Satan accuses us, as he did Job, of following you because you’ve made our lives easy. We have tried to be faithful, but our faith has not conquered heights or faced persecution.

Is there room in your kingdom for us average people? For those of us on the misty flats, surviving but not thriving, faithful but not outstanding, honest but not to a fault?

The apostle Paul’s description of faith includes slaves who work for their masters, women who endure unreasonable husbands, men who try to be kind, church leaders who are helpful and sober.

O Jesus, are these works of faith? Receive our lives as we live them, our hearts as we offer them, our goods as we give them, and our prayers as we pray, “Your kingdom come”.

Amen.

I’m Daniel, on the channel “Pray with Me”.

YouTube channel: Pray with Me – YouTube

Ep.260: Psalm 126: Song of the Dreamer.

Hello, I’m Daniel Westfall on the channel “Pray with Me”.

Psalm 126 begins,

When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion,
we were like those who dreamed.
Our mouths were filled with laughter,
our tongues with songs of joy.
The Lord has done great things for us,
and we are filled with joy (vv. 1-3).

The poet doesn’t tell us what recent disaster needed God’s intervention and restoration. But he does say how it felt to see God’s work: It felt like living in a dream! Who could believe God had showed up after the awful happened, and changed it all to good.

And now the poet needs another miracle. He prays,
Restore our fortunes, Lord,
like streams in the Negev (v. 4).
Once again the poet’s circumstances require God’s intervention. “Like streams in the desert” he says–streams that most of the year are dry and dusty; but when the yearly rains come, they fill with refreshing water.

Then the poet gives another image of the yearly cycle.
Those who go out weeping,
carrying seed to sow,
will return with songs of joy,
carrying sheaves with them (v. 6).

I have always wondered why anyone would sow with tears. I once heard a missionary say: As planting time approaches and the family food supply runs low, the father protects their precious stock of spring seed. Yes, it could be used to meet immediate needs, but the farmer resists the crying of his family, and in sorrow sows the seed in hope of harvest.

When harvest happens, it is another example of God restoring the fortunes of the poor. The farmer returns with sheaves of wheat, singing songs of joy. He too is a dreamer, who can hardly believe that the long year has brought fruition to his dreams.

Let’s pray.

Our father, my dreams of late have been anxious: I am late to class, unprepared, unclothed, and fearful. Where do these dreams come from? Restore my fortunes, drive out my anxieties, bring me back to peaceful dreams.

Father, I have a small garden this year, with tomatoes I grew from seed and scarlet runner beans and a raspberry bush that has withered in the heat. I did not sow in tears, but I feel the power of the poet’s metaphor. There is a season for sowing and one for harvesting, and a time for weeping and time for joy.

Be with us in these seasons of our lives. Tend us as we grow, remember us in your harvest at the end of the age.

Amen.

I’m Daniel on the channel “Pray with Me”.

YouTube channel: Pray with Me – YouTube

Ep.259: Psalm 125: A Theology of the Mountains.

Hello, I’m Daniel Westfall on the channel “Pray with Me”.

Psalm 125 moves between two visions of Jerusalem: one is the city destroyed by the Babylonians; the other is Jerusalem, the city of God–permanent, secure, protected.

I think the poet navigates these two conflicting pictures by focusing on Mount Zion, the rather small mountain on which Jerusalem is perched. Unlike the city, the mountain is settled, unshakeable. It becomes a picture of God’s faithful people, who are also settled and unshakeable in his protection. Like the mountains surrounding Mount Zion, the Lord arranges himself around his people to protect them.

The poet’s choice of images is instructive. We too want a secure city, a reliable world free of chaos and destruction. But we live in Jerusalem, the city of human culture and civilization, subject to devastation, disease, and decay. So we turn our eyes from the failing city of man to Mount Zion, God’s dwelling place. The earth below, the skies above, and the mountains around are enduring signs of God’s care and protection.

Let’s pray.

Our father, on vacation in the Rockies, I saw mountains surrounded by mountains, and mountains beyond mountains. You surround your people like mountains–beautiful, breath-taking, permanent.

And yet, like the city of Jerusalem, our lives keep changing. We live in a pandemic that reorders society, the smoke of wildfires invades our cities, social order fragments, morality declines. Our bodies turn to dust.

We say with the hymn writer,
Change and decay in all around I see,
O Thou who changest not, abide with me. (Henry Francis Lyte. Abide with Me, 1847).

With the poet we pray,

May the rod of wickedness not rest
on the portion of the righteous (v. 3a).
Do good to those who are good,
to those who are upright in heart (v. 4).

Yes, Lord, deliver us from evil. In our lives and in our world, replace the rule of wickedness with your reign of righteousness. Bring your kingdom to our churches, our cities, our world. Renew us with hope, revive us with life, do good to those who are good.

Amen.

I’m Daniel on the channel “Pray with Me”.

YouTube channel: Pray with Me – YouTube

Ep.258: Psalm 124: The Big If.

Hello, I’m Daniel Westfall on the channel “Pray with Me”.

Psalm 124 talks about the Big If. It says,
If the Lord had not been on our side
when people attacked us,
they would have swallowed us alive
when their anger flared against us;
the flood would have engulfed us,
the torrent would have swept over us,
the raging waters
would have swept us away (vv. 1-5).

That’s the Big If:
If the Lord had not been on our side (vv. 1a, 2a).

Occasionally, the Bible encourages us to imagine a different reality than the one we are experiencing. God did this before the flood, when he saw endless evil in his humans. He regretted he had made them (Gen 6:5). Clearly, he imagined a different reality, a reality where people would love him, honor one another, and respect creation. So God decided to start over with the righteous Noah to see if his imagined reality might become real. Sadly, it didn’t. The sin infection ran just too deep in the human race.

In today’s psalm, the poet imagines a different life than the one he is living. What would have happened if God had not been on the side of his people? What if God had ignored their needs, or sided with their enemies? The poet imagines the disasters that would have come–swallowed alive, like a snake swallowing a mouse. Trapped, like a bird in a snare. Swept away like a tsunami, destroying life and property.

Let’s pray.

Our father, our lives are haunted by the Big If.
– What if we were born into poverty instead of riches?
– What if we were born to war instead of peace?
– What if we were born to drug addiction and homelessness?

And what if we had made different choices? Choosing
– Despair instead of faith?
– Hatred instead of love?
– Darkness instead of light?

Our father, with the poet we shift our gaze from the things we imagine to the things that are. You have watched over us so that:

We have escaped like a bird
from the snare of the fowler,
Our help is in your name, O Lord,
maker of heaven and earth (vv. 7-8).

Thank you for being our helper and guide, for delivering us from evil that might have occured, for leading us to a place of peace, for promising us a place called home.

Amen.

I’m Daniel on the channel “Pray with Me”.

YouTube channel: Pray with Me – YouTube

Ep.257: Psalm 123: Servant’s View of God.

Hello, I’m Daniel Westfall on the channel “Pray with Me”.

In Psalm 121, the poet said, “I will lift up my eyes to the hills.” Now, in Psalm 123, he says:
To you I lift up my eyes,
O you who are enthroned in the heavens (v. 1).

Then the poet prays to this God in the heavens:
As the eyes of slaves
look to their master,
as the eyes of slavegirls
look to their mistress,
so our eyes are on the Lord our God
until he grants us mercy (vv. 2-3).

This is one of the quietest, most peaceful, most hopeful prayers in the psalms. It doesn’t reek of desperation, it doesn’t try to cajole God into action, it doesn’t petition God for help or advantage. Instead, it waits quietly and patiently for God to acknowledge the poet’s gaze and respond.

Let’s pray.

Our father, we are distracted people. We have business to conduct, food to prepare, news to read, and the internet to surf. Places to go and people to meet. Is it not your job to smooth our way and monitor our schedule and bless our activities?

But today, with the poet we take a break from our restless activity. We look to you, we wait for you.

My dog waits patiently by the door, watching intently as I tie my boots, get a water bottle, put on sunglasses and hat. He knows that good things are coming soon–a walk in the smells of summer, the society of other dogs, a picnic table where he will share my muffin. But for now, he’s patient, waiting for my signal to go.

Perhaps I could live with my eyes on you, God, waiting for you to look at me, waiting for your signal. Like the poet, I could be quiet and at peace with you.

With the poet we pray,
Grant us grace, O Lord, grant us grace,
for we have been objects of contempt.
Long have we suffered
the ridicule of of the arrogant
and the contempt of the proud (vv. 3-4).

O Lord, we do not seek the riches of the stock market, nor the fame of Hollywood, nor the respect of politicians who game the system. Grant us your grace to lead humble, quiet lives, looking only to you.

Amen.

I’m Daniel on the channel “Pray with Me”.

YouTube channel: Pray with Me – YouTube

Ep.256: Who Had Faith?

Hello, I’m Daniel Westfall on the channel “Pray With Me”.

Hebrews 11 says:
By faith the Israelites passed through the Red Sea as on dry land
but when the Egyptians tried to do so, they were drowned.
By faith the walls of Jericho fell,
after the army had marched round them for seven days.
By faith the prostitute Rahab,
because she welcomed the spies,
was not killed with those who were disobedient.
– Hebrews 11:29-31

The passage tells us the Israelites passed through the Red Sea by faith. And that the Egyptians, lacking faith, were drowned.

This sounds like a different story than the Old Testament tells. Exodus highlights the Israelite’s fear and doubt, not their faith. They complained that Moses should have left well enough alone, instead of leading them to certain death, caught between the Red Sea and Pharaoh’s army. If there was faith, it was not the people, but Moses, who stretched his rod over the sea and parted it. And stretched it again to drown the pursuing army.

Did Rahab have faith when she hid the Israelite spies? Her explanation was that she heard about the plagues God sent on Egypt, and about the military victories he gave the Israelites. She wanted to place her bet on the winners and their God, instead of siding with her local team. Which, judging from her occupation, wasn’t treating her all that well anyway.

Did the Israelites have faith when they marched around Jericho? They were obeying Joshua’s instructions, but did they really expect the walls to fall down?

Let’s pray.

Our father, our prayers often feel like an endless march around Jericho, but the walls we circle don’t fall in seven days.

Our prayers often feel like Rahab. In uncertain times, we place our bet on the party we think will win.

Our prayers often feel like the Israelties by the Red Sea, caught between an impossible ocean and Pharaoh’s army.

Lord, we invite you to accept our fears, our calculations, and our marching round and round. We do it in your name, trusting that you will hear us and answer our prayers.

Amen.

I’m Daniel, on the channel “Pray with Me”.

YouTube channel: Pray with Me – YouTube

Ep.255: Psalm 122: Jerusalem, Jerusalem.

Hello, I’m Daniel Westfall on the channel “Pray with Me”.

Psalm 122 celebrates the excitement of a pilgrim entering Jerusalem. The pilgrim rejoices in the majesty and tranquility of the city, and looks forward to worshipping at the magnificent temple.

When Psalm 122 was written, Jerusalem was the capital of southern Israel, ruled by the house of David, home to the temple where God’s special presence resided. To a pilgrim, Jerusalem symbolized everything that was good–safety and security, political stability, just laws applied justly, and worship at God’s temple.

The name Jerusalem means city of shalom, that is, city of peace and well-being. But its history tells a different story. King David conquered Jerusalem from the Jebusites (1 Chron 11:4-5), launching a three-thousand-year history of national and international violence. David’s son Absalom staged a coup against King David. His grandson Rehoboam implemented policies that split the kingdom. And so the story goes, until David’s line of kings failed when Babylon sacked Jerusalem. And then the city fell again and again: Persia, Greece, Rome, Arabia, the Crusaders, and the Ottoman Turks. Israeli democracy today continues the problems: internal strife, and ongoing violence in Palestine, Iran, and Syria. Where is the peace of Jerusalem?

Let’s pray.

Our father, with the poet we say,
I was glad when they said to me,
“Let us go to the house of the Lord.”
Our feet are standing
in your gates, Jerusalem (vv. 1-2).
The psalm reminds us of glad times when we experienced your presence in church or conferences, when you revealed yourself in preaching, sacraments, and worship music.

But the poet’s joy in Jerusalem reminds us how transient such experiences may be. When has Jerusalem lived up to its name: city of peace and well-being? Even Jesus cried, “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill prophets and stone those sent to you. I have longed to gather your children as a hen gathers her chicks, but you were not willing” (Mat. 23:37).

The poet urges us to pray for the shalom of Jeru-shalom, saying:
Pray of the peace of Jerusalem:
May those who love you be secure.
May there be peace within your walls
and security with your citadels” (v. 7).

Yes, Lord, in our transient lives, we look for a city of peace. In our dangerous world, we want a place of security . . . in our conflicted world we look for community . . . in our unstable world we look for a firm foundation. O Lord, help us be instruments of your peace. Help us to create:
peace in our families,
harmony and good works in our churches,
neighborliness in our communities,
righteousness in our cities.

O Lord, help us fulfill the promise of Jerusalem, to build a city of peace in a war-torn world, a temple of worship in a civilization of idolatry, a place of truth in a world of lies. May your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Amen.

I’m Daniel on the channel “Pray with Me”.

YouTube channel: Pray with Me – YouTube

Ep.254: Psalm 121: Daytime Heat and Midnight Madness.

Hello, I’m Daniel Westfall on the channel “Pray with Me”.

Psalm 121 is a favorite, perhaps second only to Psalm 23. It begins,
I will lift up my eyes to the hills.
Where does my help come from?
My help is from the Lord,
maker of heaven and earth (vv. 1-2).

The poet is not hoping for help from the hills. He is looking beyond them to the hand that created them, the hand that is strong and present and willing to help.

And what kind of help is on offer? That helper is God, acting as your bodyguard, or keeper.

The poet celebrates the protection service God provides. Here’s his the menu of services: – He watches you, guarding you round the clock, 24/7 (vv. 3-4).
– He protects you from all harm, or evil (v. 7).
– He protects you from burning daytime heat, and from night time crazies caused by the moon (v. 6).
– He guards your life (v. 7b).
– He watches over your travels–your coming and going (v. 8).
– He’s locked into a permanent contract, watching you forever. He doesn’t plan to quit or retire (v. 8).

Let’s pray.

Our father, we lift our eyes to the hills, and to you who live beyond them. With poet we say,
My help comes from you
who made heaven and earth.
You guard us with unsleeping vigilance,
You watch us all day and all night (v. 2, 4).

Lord, we sleep but you watch wakefully.

We have attention deficit disorder, but you are always attentive.
We lose focus and get confused, but you multitask with ease.

We forget what we are doing and lose track of our goals, but you are always there to guard and guide us.

With the poet we believe that:
The sun will not harm harm us by day
nor the.moon by night (v. 6).

This week’s heat wave in western Canada is setting record temperatures in British Columbia, Alberta, and Saskatchewan, burning up wheat and canola crops, baking those of us too cheap to install air conditioning. But we trust your promise, that the sun will not harm us by day

You also promise, “The moon will not harm you by night.” Save us then from our midnight madness, from the anxieties that trouble us as we go to sleep, from the dreams that disturb our peace, from the darkness that invades our souls. Be to us a God of sunlight and sweet dreams.

With the poet we say,
You will guard us from all evil.
You will guard our lives.
You will guard our coming and going
now and forevermore (vv. 7-8).

Guard us then, Lord, as you have promised. Watch our wandering wills and conform them to your will. Watch our wandering ways, and direct them on a straight path. Watch our wandering lives and teach them to bear fruit for you. Guard us with unsleeping care until we find our home in you.

Amen.

I’m Daniel on the channel “Pray with Me”.

YouTube channel: Pray with Me – YouTube

Ep.253: Psalm 120: Song of the Homeless.

Hello, I’m Daniel Westfall on the channel “Pray with Me”.

Psalm 120 is the first of 15 psalms, which each carry the title, “A Song of Ascents”. It is not clear whether these were songs for pilgrims ascending the road to Jerusalem, or whether it is a musical term, perhaps suggesting a crescendo.

In Psalm 120, the poet has been the victim of vicious slander and reputational assassination. He says,
Lord, save my life from lying lips,
from tongues of deceit (v. 2).

Then he laments,
Woe is me that I am an alien in Meshech,
that I live among the tents of Kedar! (v. 5).

Meshech was probably in present-day Turkey, and Kedar probably far south-east in Arabia. While it’s doubtful the poet travelled to those distant places, maybe he’s telling us that slanderers and deceivers made him feel like an alien, an outcast in his home country. Hence, he raises his pitiful cry to God:
Too long have I lived
among those who hate peace.
I am for peace,
but when I speak, they are for war (vv 6-7).

Those who love violence and make a living by it are unsympathetic to his call for peace. The world that made him feel homeless was a world fascinated by and addicted to violence.

Let’s pray.

Our father, with the poet we pray,
Save us from lying lips
and deceitful tongues (v. 2).

Where can we find the truth? The media is awash with pandemic deniers and anti-vaxxers. Conspiracy theories abound. Politicians obfuscate, corporations spin. O Lord, lead us to truth. To truth in science, truth in society, truth in relationships, truth about how to grow healthy and wise. Lead us to truth in our hearts, for our hearts have led us astray, into futile attempts to justify ourselves, to exonerate our motives and defend our actions. Help us live in the light of your truth, letting it burn out the deceits we cling to.

O Lord, help us understand and resist the spirit of our age: a spirit which polarizes people about politics and morals and race and religion. Help us understand when to defend the truth we know, when to change our opinion, and when to be at peace with ambiguity.

With the poet, we say:
Woe is me that I am an alien in Meshech,
that I live among the tents of Kedar! (v. 5).
Too long have I lived
among those who hate peace (v. 6).

This world is our home, the garden you gave us to tend, but some days we feel like strangers in our own country. We want to live in peace, but many oppose our vision, preferring the pursuit of violence and power.

Help us build communities of peace, churches of caring, societies of love. Show us the path that leads through our violent world to security and hope.

Amen.

I’m Daniel on the channel “Pray with Me”.

YouTube channel: Pray with Me – YouTube