Ep.158: Ripping Off the Master?

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

After the story of the prodigal who wasted his inheritance on wild living, Jesus tells another story about wasted wealth. In Luke 16, a rich landowner summons his manager and says, “I hear you’re wasting my wealth instead of managing it. You’re fired!”

The manager doesn’t know what to do. He has no unemployment insurance. He could try begging, but that’s way below his social status. He’s not strong or humble enough for manual labor. And he certainly doesn’t want to tend pigs like the prodigal.

Then he gets a brilliant idea! What he really needs to tide him over is not money, but friends. Friends who will supply bed and breakfast, take him for a leisurely lunch, and open a bottle of wine in the evening. But where can he find friends like that? “Perhaps among my master’s tenants,” he thought. “I just need to reinvent myself as a helpful friend instead of a hard-hearted rent collector. “

So the manager made friends by writing off part of every tenant’s debt. He gave the first one a 50% discount on the olive oil he owed. And the next one a 20% discount on the wheat he owed. And so on, down the list of tenants.

When the owner heard about the deals his ex-manager was cutting, he changed his mind and said, “That’s a creative solution to your problem. I like your style. Why don’t you stay on as my manager?”

What’s up with this? Wasn’t the manager ripping off his master by cooking the books?

There are three ways we can look at this.

The first thought: maybe the ex-manager was not falsifying accounts. Maybe these were deadbeat accounts, and the master was glad to get any payment out of them. This view makes the bookkeeping in the story work out. But when did Jesus ever show concern for accurate bookkeeping? In another story, the master forgave a multi-million dollar debt with a shrug of his shoulders.

Here’s a second thought: perhaps the owner gave the manager a contract to collect rent. In this view, all the owner wanted was a fixed franchise fee. The manager could charge the tenants whatever he wanted–fair commissions or wild extortions–and he could keep the overage. If this is how it worked, then the manager was shrewd but not dishonest, because it was his own commissions he reduced to make friends.

And there’s a third way to look at this curious story: Perhaps the manager did indeed act illegally and immorally by reducing debts that were not his to forgive. The master’s response was completely unexpected and surprising. Perhaps he was a friendly, jovial, party-throwing type of owner, almost like the prodigal son’s father who didn’t complain that his wealth was wasted in a far country. Maybe this owner didn’t care that his manager was giving away bundles of money. Instead, he was pleased that the manager finally focused on building relationships instead of counting and accounting for all the money.

Whatever interpretation you choose, here’s Jesus’ conclusion. He said to his hearers, ”Use the wealth of unrighteousness to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings” (Luke 16:9).

Let’s pray.

O Jesus, your story points out that we are far too focussed on bookkeeping. We in the rich world have accumulated the “wealth of unrighteousness” and we hoard it to protect our lifestyle.

We are the unjust manager. You gave us the world, and we waste its wealth to make our lives comfortable. We rip off your tenants all over the world to maintain our standard of living. We pollute the atmosphere, oppress migrant workers, and treat the poor like slaves. We are hard managers, proudly self-sufficient and independent. In the economy we have built, the man robbed by thieves or choked to death by police is “Not Our Problem.”

O Jesus, help us be like the manager in your story, to use the wealth you give us for good, to share it with every tenant who works on your land in the world.

May we gladden the heart of God by using his resources to make friends for this life and the next.

Amen.

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

For interpretations of the parable see:

Beavis, Mary Ann. Ancient Slavery as an Interpretive Context for the New Testament Servant Parables with Special Reference to the Unjust Steward (Luke 16:1-8) in Journal of Biblical Literature, Vol. 111, No. 1 (Spring, 1992), pp. 37-54. Found at: https://www.jstor.org/stable/3267508?Search=yes&resultItemClick=true&searchText=luke&searchText=16&searchText=1-8&searchUri=%2Faction%2FdoBasicSearch%3FQuery%3Dluke%2B16%253A1-8%26amp%3Bfilter%3D&ab_segments=0%2Fbasic_search%2Fcontrol&refreqid=search%3A2272f7cd05dbb56c7c242b2363b3d17e&seq=15#metadata_info_tab_contents

Gachter, Paul. The Parable of the Dishonest Steward after Oriental Conceptions in The Catholic Biblical Quarterly, Vol. 12, No. 2 (April, 1950), pp. 121-131. Found at:
https://www.jstor.org/stable/43720193?Search=yes&resultItemClick=true&searchText=unjust&searchText=steward&searchText=oriental&searchUri=%2Faction%2FdoBasicSearch%3FQuery%3Dunjust%2Bsteward%2Boriental&ab_segments=0%2Fbasic_search%2Fcontrol&refreqid=search%3A2c508063082f61a10cb2640420da4f1e

Capon, Robert Farrar. The Parables of Grace. Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1988. pp. 145-151.

Ep.157: Psalm 69: The Song of Drunkards.

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

Psalm 69 opens with a disturbing picture of a drowning man. The writer says,
The water is up to my neck,
My feet are sinking in the muddy bottom,
The flood is going over my head (vv. 1-3).

The poet tells God that this situation, caused by his enemies, is dangerous and that it might become embarrassing both to God and to his people. The writer says,
Lord, the Lord Almighty,
may those who hope in you
not be embarrassed because of me.
God of Israel,
may those who seek you
not be put to shame because of me (vv. 6-7).

The poet describes his vulnerability saying,
Those who sit at the gate mock me,
and I am the song of the drunkards (v. 12).

Surely, says the poet, if I drown in the scorn, shame, insults, and mocking of my enemies, it will look as if you, God, are powerless to save me. It will look like trust in God is ill-founded. It will look like only dreamers hope for your salvation. Surely you can do better than that, God. Surely you are offended that the idle mock me and drunkards sing about me!

God, he says, you must intervene. You have promised to protect my reputation and my life. You also need to think about your reputation, God. You’re famous for loving your people and keeping your promises to save and deliver. Don’t let that slip.

Let’s pray.

Our father, the flood water is up to our neck. Our feet sink into the muddy bottom. We are drowning.

…We see America descend into chaos with police brutality, race riots, curfews, and conspiracy theories.

…We see the world shifting as it is pummeled with pandemic and social distancing, with churches closed and businesses failing, and the future all unknown.

…We see forces of evil promote radical politics, alienation, violent protests, and violent responses.

O Lord, your heart in this is not for law and order, but for justice. Your way of doing things is not to stop the pain of the world, but to redeem it through a Saviour you left helpless on a cross. We join with him in his protest against pain and injustice, as we hear his voice in Psalm 69:
I endure scorn for your sake,
and shame covers my face.
I am a foreigner to my own family,
a stranger to my mother’s children;
Zeal for your house consumes me,
and insults directed at you fall on me (vv. 7-9).
Those who sit at the gate mock me,
and I am the song of drunkards (v. 12).

Where can we go for help and healing? Because:
Scorn has broken our heart
and left us helpless.
We looked for sympathy but there was none,
for comforters, but we found no one (v. 20).
They put gall in our food
and gave us vinegar to drink (v. 21).

O Lord,
Rescue us from the mire,
do not let us sink.
Deliver us from those who hate us. . . (v. 14).
Do not let the floodwaters engulf us,
or the depths swallow us up,
or the pit close its mouth over us (v. 15).

Then we will praise your name in song, and glorify you with thanksgiving (v. 30).
The poor will see and be glad —
those who seek you will live! (v. 32).

O God, make a place for us, where
. . . those who love your name will dwell in safety (v. 36).

Amen.

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

Ep.156: Repent or Perish!

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

Do you ever read National Enquirer headlines while in line at the supermarket? Stories like “Housewife’s Death Reveals Hubby’s Corpse in Freezer” (Jan 10, 2020) or “Columbian Drug Lord. . .Plotted to Kidnap JFK Jr. . .” (Feb 20, 2020)?

Jesus didn’t have a National Enquirer subscription, but he had other news sources for his inquiring mind. In Luke 13, people told him about some Galileans who were making sacrifices to God in Jerusalem when the Romans killed them, mixing their blood with the blood of their sacrifices. That headline might have been, “Daily Devotions Go Bizarrely Wrong” or “Sacrificed on Their Own Altar”.

In response, Jesus had his own headliner story, about eighteen men who died when a tower fell on them.

He said about the stories: “Do you think these violent deaths prove that the victims were worse sinners than others? Don’t believe it. Unless you repent, every one of you will perish.”

“Unless you repent you will perish?” What did Jesus mean? Was he saying, “You are sinners like the people who died, and you too are headed for horrible and unexpected deaths if you don’t repent”?

But everybody dies, whether they repent or not. Was Jesus offering a bonus to people who repent? Perhaps those who repent will be spared a horrible, violent death that makes headlines. Instead, they will get a nice peaceful death?

Then Jesus told this story: A landowner’s fig tree didn’t bear fruit for three years. So he said to his gardener, “Chop it down. I don’t want it using up my good soil!” But the gardener answered, “Let’s give it one more year. I’ll dig around it and put on some manure. Maybe it will bear fruit next year. If not, you can cut it down then.”

Do you ever feel that God is a gardener in your life, digging around, and pruning and fertilizing and inspecting? And that his activity makes your life painful and difficult?

If Jesus’ gardening story is his comment on the shocking news of the day, perhaps this is what he’s saying: Your life is God’s gift, it’s a tree where God wants to find fruit. Perhaps the fruit of love, or thankfulness, or faith.

Jesus’ call to repent, to change your ways, might be God saying to you, “Quit complaining at me! Tell me some things you’re thankful for. Don’t blame and criticize me for everything that’s wrong in your life and in your world. Give me credit for the good things I do down there.”

And perhaps, like the landowner and gardener in the story, God is conflicted about whether to cut down your tree. Part of him thinks, “I’ve given this customer all the time he needs.” And part of him says, “But maybe if I’m patient for another year, and dig a bit fertilize a bit, he’ll turn out OK.”

Let’s pray.

Our father, you have been waiting a long time for us to bear fruit. Thank you for your activity in our lives–digging and pruning and fertilizing and inspecting. Here is our repentance:

…We confess that we are wrong to complain endlessly about you and others and our world.

…We thank you for the opportunity to enjoy the world, to appreciate its beauty, and to build relationships with the people you have put here.

…Thank you for time to correct our faults, to love our neighbors, to talk with you.

…We pray, “Your kingdom come.” Fix what is wrong in us, in our church, in the world. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Amen.

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

Ep.155: Psalm 68: Rider on the Clouds.

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

Psalm 68 contains some of the most memorable and some of the most mysterious verses in the entire book of Psalms. It presents the complex personality of God. He is the God of war, the God of temple worship, the God of law, and the God who cares for individuals.

The psalm opens with an imperative,
Let God arise,
his enemies be scattered.
May you blow them away like smoke–
as wax melts before the fire,
may the wicked perish before God (v. 1a-1b).
I wish I could blow away my enemies like smoke.

In praise of the personal justice God gives to individuals the poet writes:
Sing to God. . .
extol him who rides on the clouds. . . (v. 4)
He sets the lonely in families
he leads out prisoners with singing;
but the rebellious live in a sun-scorched land (v. 6).
That’s what our God does: he rides the clouds of heaven, he sets the lonely in families, he leads prisoners on a journey of song and freedom.

For sheer poetic beauty, try these lines:
Even while you sleep among the sheepfolds,
the wings of my dove are sheathed in silver,
its feathers are shining with gold (v. 13).
Not sure what exactly it means? Neither is anyone else, but it’s beautiful and mysterious imagery.

In similarly beautiful and enigmatic imagery, the poet describes God, perhaps when he moved from Mt. Sinai where he delivered the law into his temple in Jerusalem. The poet says:
When you ascended on high,
you led captives in your train,
you received gifts from humankind,
even from the rebellious —
that you, Lord God, might dwell there (v. 16).
Consider for a moment: Do you think of yourself as God’s captive, giving him gifts, inviting him to dwell with you?

One of the greatest comfort verses in the Bible is in Psalm 68:
Praise be to the Lord, to God our Saviour,
who daily bears our burdens (v. 19).
Think about yourself in this verse. Does God bear your burdens in the COVID crisis? In your troubled family?

The poet calls on God to defeat his enemies, saying:
Rebuke the beast among the reeds. . .
Scatter the nations who delight in war (v. 30).
Part of the horror of our age is the nations who take delight in war, who want to use their armaments, who look for excuses to kill and destroy.

The psalm concludes with this memorable praise:
You, God, are awesome in your sanctuary,
the God of Israel gives power and strength to his people (v. 35).

Let’s pray.

Our father, this psalm opens for us new ways of thinking about you, new images of your strength and activity.

We praise your power that melts your enemies like wax and blows them away like smoke.

We praise you that you ride on the clouds, that you shook the earth at Mt. Sinai, that you send abundant showers to refresh your weary inheritance (vv. 4, 8-10). We are your weary inheritance. Refresh us we pray.

We praise you for placing the lonely in families and releasing the prisoners with singing (v. 6). Lead us out of our prisons, prisons of fear and lethargy and despair. Place us in the family you are building.

We praise you that you ascended on high, taking captives in your train and receiving gifts from humankind (v. 18). As Geroge Matheson wrote, “Make me a captive Lord, and then I shall be free” (poem: Make Me a Captive Lord).

We praise you that you daily bear our burdens (v. 19). Bear the burdens of today with us: COVID-19, personal isolation and family troubles, a world in chaos. Defeat those who think that order and justice are born in war and anarchy.

You are awesome in your sanctuary, God. You give power and strength to your people. We praise you God, you alone. (v. 35).

Amen.

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

Ep.154: The Master’s Slaves.

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

In Luke 17, the disciples asked Jesus, “Increase our faith.” Jesus replied, “If you have faith the size of a small mustard seed, that’s all it takes to uproot this mulberry tree and plant it in the sea”.

Then he told this story: “Suppose your slave ploughs your field all day. When he comes in at suppertime, will you say, “Thanks for ploughing. Why don’t you take a break while I get you some supper?” Not likely, says Jesus. You’re probably a calloused slave master who will say, “I’m hungry. Go wash up, get my supper ready, open a bottle of wine, and serve me as soon as possible.”

The slave has only done his duty, Jesus says. He hasn’t done anything remarkable. Jesus says that’s like our relationship with God. We’re his slaves, and when we have obeyed every command, we can say, “Looks like we’re rather worthless slaves. We’ve only done our job.”

Do you think it increased the disciples’ faith to imagine themselves as calloused slave masters and as God’s unworthy slaves? Did Jesus’ story bring them closer to that mustard seed of faith that can chuck a perfectly good tree into the ocean? Here’s what I think Jesus was telling them: “Don’t focus on a faith that does weird and wonderful tricks. It’s better to focus quietly on your duty to God and others. Plough the fields, prepare the suppers, don’t calculate how much reward you’re earning. Faith is God’s gift that helps you faithfully do your duty.”

In Luke 12, Jesus told another story about slaves. This lot were waiting through the night for their master to return from a wedding. Jesus said that when the master returns and finds his slaves awake and waiting, he will call them to the table and serve them dinner.

That’s strange. In the previous story, at the end of a long day, the slave master said, “Make my supper!.” But in this story, it’s flipped: the master is making supper for the slaves.

I see two lessons in these stories.

1. First, we are God’s slaves so our job is to do everything he tells us to do. That’s big. I find it hard enough to keep the Ten Commandments, much less follow the Sermon on the Mount and love my neighbour as myself. For me, that’s mission impossible, even though I’ve chosen to accept it. Jesus is right–we’re not very good slaves. Perhaps Jesus is saying that trying to earn God’s blessing by doing everything right is “mission impossible”. Perhaps the way forward is to receive God’s mercy that forgives our failures and gives us a heart of love and service.

2. The second lesson is this: If we wait patiently for God, one day he will turn the tables on us. It won’t be us serving him at his table. It will be him serving us.

Let’s pray.

Our father, we thought faith was the key to this Christian life. But we don’t have even the mustard seed level of faith that can relocate trees into the sea. Help us to hear and believe Jesus’ story. Help us to shift our focus from amazing works of faith to quiet service for others. Help us to work steadily without expecting appreciation or reward. Help us love you and our neighbors quietly, faithfully, graciously, even when we are unrecognized and unrewarded.

Our father, we wait for you as slaves wait for their master, serving you through our lifetime, hoping for Jesus’ return. Help us to be faithful. Bring us quickly to that time when you will invite us to sit at your supper table, and you will serve us the meal that begins an eternity of feasting with you.

Amen.

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

Ep.153: Psalm 67: God Smiles.

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

Almost 250 years ago, hymn writer William Cowper became severely depressed and attempted suicide. During that dark year of his life, he wrote a poem called Light Shining out of Darkness, which includes these lines,
Judge not the Lord by feeble sense,
But trust him for his grace;
Behind a frowning providence,
He hides a smiling face.

Maybe you know this poem as the hymn, God Moves in a Mysterious Way. What a wonderful picture of God. Our feelings and life circumstances may be frowning, dark, difficult, sorrowful. But behind our difficulties, God cares for us and smiles on us.

Like Cowper, the poet in Psalm 67 trusts God to smile. He says,
May God be gracious to us and bless us
and make his face shine on us (v. 1).

In the psalm, God smiles not just on his own people. He is creator and sustainer of the world. He smiles at all he has made. The favor he shows his chosen people is his invitation that flows through them to the whole world, inviting all the nations to praise God and to enjoy the favor of his smile. As the poet says,
May the nations be glad and sing for joy,
for you rule the peoples with equity
and guide the nations of the earth (v. 4).

Brueggemann says of Psalm 67, “The sum of the entire poem is gladness for the life-giving, world-ordering power of God that makes a viable, shared life in the world possible.” (Brueggemann, Walter, and Bellinger, William H., Jr. 2014. Psalms. In New Cambridge Bible Commentary. New York:: Cambridge University Press. p. 290).

Let’s pray.

O God, be gracious to us and bless us
and make your face smile upon us–
so that your ways may be known on earth,
your salvation among all nations (vv. 1-2).

For us, as for ancient Israel, your plan is not to create a cowering, fearful chosen people. You don’t want us just to hide out of sight in a dangerous world until the coming Messiah rescues us. Rather, in all generations you order the world for the benefit of all people. Summer and winter, springtime and harvest, oceans and mountains and plains give us a place to call home, to experience your beauty, and to grow food that sustains and satisfies us. You send your rain on the just and the unjust. You care for your creation, both the earth and the people. As the poet says,
The earth has yielded its increase;
God, our God, has blessed us. . .
let all the ends of the earth praise him (vv. 6, 7b).

We also hear the poet say,
May the nations be glad and sing for joy,
for you rule the peoples with equity,
and lead the nations of the earth (v. 4).

God, we do not see that happening yet. We see a world caught in the COVID-19 pandemic. Nations bicker internally, castigate other nations for perceived faults, and move toward political and economic isolation and self-reliance. O God, as the pandemic exposes the fractures and foolishness of our world systems, as nations move toward self-protection and isolation, it is time for you to act as the poet suggests: to rule the peoples with equity and to lead the nations of the earth. Just do it, God! Bring justice to the earth. Bring leadership that will guide the nations wisely. Show the world your smiling face. Let the whole world be glad and sing for joy.

Amen.

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

Ep.152: Building Bigger Barns.

Ep.152: Luke 12: Building Bigger Barns.

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

In Luke 12, a man said to Jesus, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me.” Jesus replied, “Friend, who made me your judge?” Which is a rather polite way of saying, “I wouldn’t touch family arguments like that with a 10-foot pole!”

Then Jesus told this story. A rich farmer had a bumper crop, and no place to store it. So he said to himself, “Self, this could be very good. I think I’ll tear down my barns and build them bigger. Then I’ll have food security and financial security, and I can eat, drink, and be merry.”

But God said to the man, “You’re going to die tonight, and then you can explain to me how you’ve used your life. And by the way: who gets all your stuff?”

What a great story. How many people do you know whose life plan is to ride the stock market up, to win the lottery, or to earn a pension? And then they will retire in luxury with good food, good Scotch, and lots of golf. Some of us have more modest aspirations: pay the mortgage, get a good used vehicle, and retire comfortably on Social Security or the Canada Pension Plan.

So what’s wrong with that? We’ve earned it, haven’t we?

Jesus explained his story by saying of the barn-builder, “That’s how it will be for people who store up riches on earth but are not rich toward God.” Death interrupts their plans, and then they face a new reality.

Here are three misguided ways to look at this story.

The first is a prosperity-gospel approach that says Jesus talks more about money than about any other single topic, including faith or prayer. This view concludes that if money is that important to Jesus, it should be that important to us too.

I suggest that Jesus uses money as shorthand for what you value, what you think will make your life rich. Jesus’ punchline is, “It’s foolish to be rich in money and not rich toward God.”

A second misguided way to interpret this story is to say, “Jesus makes the exciting point that you can have it all! He wants to help you maximize the profits on your earthly farm. Just be sure that at the same time you stack up a bit of wealth toward God. Then you’ll have the best of both worlds.”

The only flaw of this theory is that it’s not what Jesus taught.
Another misguided interpretation tells us that what Jesus is really talking about is the farmer’s ATTITUDE, not his money. The farmer’s problem is that he’s FOCUSED on building his net worth and his comfortable lifestyle. The solution is clearly to supplement his wealth-management with a bit of focus on God, and then it will all be good.

The flaw in this theory is that Jesus doesn’t just fix attitudes, he changes lives. His program is the cross, which might require changes to both your attitudes and your finances.

In summary, the farmer’s problem is that he has everything out of balance. He can’t solve that by adding a bit of God to his life. He needs to change everything! Perhaps he needs to start over at the beginning, like being born again.

Let’s pray.

Jesus, if you were a bookkeeper, you would have told us how much to give. Do you want a 10% tithe, or 15%, or (heaven forbid!) 25%? If you were a financial planner, you could help us minimize taxes and maximize income and still be rich toward God. But the vocation you chose is savior of the world. And you tell us that our wealth is passing, that life ends in death, and that after death the ONLY thing that matters is God! O Jesus, make us rich toward God.

Amen.

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

Ep.151: Psalm 66: The Poet Prays and Praises.

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

Psalm 66 is a hymn of thanksgiving and praise to God. It has four stanzas and each one begins with a call to praise:
– verse 1: Shout for joy to God, all the earth
– verse 5: Come and see what God has done
– verse 8: Praise our God, all peoples
– verse 16: Come and hear, all you who fear God.

“Shout for joy” the poet says, but it isn’t something we do much of these days. Part of the deep appeal of Pentecostalism and other more expressive forms of faith is that they create space for the noisier and more chaotic expressions of emotion that frequent the psalms.

Another key message from Psalm 66 is that we need to pay attention.
– We can pay attention with our memory, reciting and rejoicing in what God did for his people in the past (vv. 5-7).
– We can pay attention to our world, reflecting on and talking about what God is doing today (vv. 1-4).
– We can pay attention to our experience, telling others what God is doing for us and in us (vv. 16-20).

Let’s pray.

Shout for joy to God, all the earth
Sing the glory of his name;
Say to God, “How awesome are your deeds!
Your enemies cringe before your great power” (v. 1-2a).

Our Father, when we look at what is wrong with our world, we are tempted to think you are weak. Wars continue unabated, selfish tyrants promote their own power and glory, the poor everywhere are hungry and oppressed. And now the Covid-19 pandemic cuts a brutal swath through our healthcare systems, our economy, our comfort.

But with the poet, we lift our eyes to what is right with the world. The sun rises and sets, the moon regulates the tides, we rely on the seasons for planting and harvesting. The beauty of mountains and fields and sky is not obscured by human troubles. How awesome are your deeds, O God.

We remember and pay attention to what you have done. Long ago you parted the Red Sea so your people could pass, humiliating the rebellious Pharaoh and drowning his pursuing army. You led your people through the Jordan River to the Promised Land. Empires rise and fall at your command. Long gone is the greatness that was Babylon, Egypt, Greece, and Rome. Passing is the greatness that is America and China. You stilled the black plague and the world wars and the Spanish flu. On your timeline, God, only Christ’s kingdom will grow and flourish without end.

With the poet we pray,
Praise our God, all peoples. . .
he has preserved our lives
and kept our feet from slipping (v. 8a, 9).

Thank you, God, for saving our lives, for bringing us through sickness and danger, through busyness and joblessness, through good times and bad.

You have tested us,
You have refined us as silver,
You have brought us through fire and water
into a spacious place (v. 9, 12b).

Thank you, God, for being active in our lives, for testing us, training us, and bringing us through fire and water to a good place. In everything you work for the good of those who love you (Rom 8:28). As the pandemic restrains and haunts us and world politics confuse us, we thank you for helping us grow upward and outward into this good space in which we live.

Amen.

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

Ep.150: The Annoyers.

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

Here’s a story Luke placed immediately after the Lords’ Prayer (Luke 11:1-4).

Jesus said, “Imagine a friend comes to town late and stays at your place. But you don’t have anything to feed him, so at midnight you go to the neighbor’s, bang on the door, and shout, ‘Hey! Can you lend me some snacks? I have a visitor to feed.’”

Your friend will be totally annoyed that you destroy his sleep and wake up his kids. But, says Jesus, if you keep knocking annoyingly your friend will soon enough get up and give you all the snacks you need.

In Luke 18, Jesus tells another annoying story (Luke 18:1-8). A widow who wants justice against her adversary petitions a hard-nosed judge who doesn’t believe in God and doesn’t care about people. The judge tells her to shove off, but she doesn’t. She keeps on asking. Finally, he gets so annoyed he renders a favorable judgement, just to shut her up.

Some observations on these stories.

First, many people believe I have skills at being annoying, rather like the householder and the widow in Jesus’ stories. But these days I try to use my skill sparingly. When I annoy people, I’m more likely to arouse anger than helpfulness. Perhaps the people in Jesus’ stories had better skills than I do.

Second, the judge gave the woman what she wanted. I’m glad I wasn’t the defendant in that case. A judge who doesn’t care about God or people probably doesn’t care that much about the law either. When he gets into his “I just need to make this widow stop” mode, will he deliver a just judgment?

Third, in both stories, the person who receives those untimely and persistent requests represents God. Is Jesus suggesting that God is like the man in bed, unenthusiastic about helping his neighbor? Or is God like the judge who doesn’t really care about people and justice?

These are wonderful metaphors, not because they teach us that God is easily annoyed, but because they teach us about ourselves. Prayer is the easiest thing in the world to give up on. You know the routine: you ask for something a couple times, but God isn’t listening or answering, so you conclude, “Well, that was a waste of time!” and you quit praying. That’s precisely the attitude Jesus pinpoints in these stories.

Here’s his message: “The biggest risk to prayer is giving up too soon and too easily.” His suggestion: “Don’t give up. Keep asking, even if your prayer doesn’t work. Even if you feel you’re annoying God.”

4. And finally, I observe that in both stories, the “annoyer” has an element of faith. The householder knows his neighbour well enough to believe he’ll share from his well-stocked cupboard. The widow believes that the judge will help her if she can just motivate him to act.

Let’s pray. (scene change)

Our father, we would find it helpful if you were more responsive to our prayers, if we felt we didn’t have to annoy you into action. Teach us to press on in the face of our desperate need and your persistent silence, until we understand that you will give us everything, in your time and your way.

Amen.

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

Ep.149: Psalm 65: You Water the Land.

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

Psalm 65 is notable for what is absent from the psalm and what is present.

First, what is missing?

The poet’s enemies are absent. They aren’t threatening him, they aren’t building traps or shooting arrows, they have disappeared for now!
The poet’s desperation has also disappeared. He’s no longer stuck in a dark pit, pleading for rescue and salvation.
The poet’s thirst and longing for God? That’s absent too. There’s no hint of his “dry and weary land where there is no water” (Ps. 63:2). This poem is full of refreshing water!
And finally, the sense of God’s anger and rejection is absent, very different from Psalm 60 where the poet said,
You have rejected us, God. . .
you have been angry–now restore us (Psalm 60:1).

So. . .if all that is absent from Psalm 65, what is present?

The most striking presence in the poem is an atmosphere of peace and confidence, because God is redeemer and creator.

As redeemer, God:
– answers prayer
– he forgives overwhelming sin
– he gives hope to all the earth
– he welcomes people into his house
– and stills the tumult of the nations.

As creator, God:
– quiets the roaring sea of chaos
– he calls forth joy at morning and evening
– he waters the land with gentle rain
– and dresses the land with grass for the livestock and grain for the people

Let’s pray this joyful psalm.

Praise awaits you, our God, in Zion;
to you our vows will be fulfilled.
O you who answer prayer,
to you all people come (vv. 1-2).

Our God, we praise you for this work as redeemer. You are the God of answered prayers, the God who receives our good works, who welcomes all people into your presence.

When we were overwhelmed by sins
you forgave our transgressions.
We are filled with the good things of your house,
and of your holy temple (vv. 3, 4b).

Our sins and the sins of the world overwhelm us. But you forgive them all. You replace our overwhelm with joy in your house, with joy as we worship you. Our sense of despair and emptiness gives way to fullness of life under your care.

You formed the mountains by your power,
having armed yourself with strength.
You stilled the roaring of the seas,
the roaring of their waves,
and the turmoil of the nations (vv 6-7).

You are the God of creation. You flexed your muscles and raised up the mountains. You rebuked the primordial sea of chaos and stilled its angry waves. You silence the turmoil of the nations, until all the earth is quiet before you.

The whole earth is filled with awe at your wonders,
where morning dawns and evening fades,
you call forth songs of joy (v. 8).

O creator God, we see in sunrise and sunset the glory in the skies you created. We rejoice in your faithfulness as you call each day into being, then let it pass with a glorious sunset.

You care for the land and water it (v. 9a).
You drench its furrows and level its ridges,
you soften it with showers and bless its crops (v. 10).
… the hills are clothed with gladness
The meadows wear flocks like a robe,
the valleys wear grain like a garment,
they shout for joy and sing (vv. 12b-13).

Each year you continue the work of creation. You water our crops and soften the soil and make grain and flowers grow again. The hills are glad under your care, the valleys shout for joy at the robe of grain you clothe them in.

And we, your people, join all creation in glad song to you, our creator and redeemer.

Amen.

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