Tag: Pray with me

Ep029: Psalm 6: How Long, O Lord, How Long?

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

Psalm 6 is titled, “A Psalm of David.”  We are not sure whether this means that David wrote the psalm, or whether someone else wrote it “in the style of David.” Since the Psalms are Hebrew poetry, I will refer to the author as “the poet” instead of calling him or her “David” or “the psalmist.” You can think of your journey through life as an extended poem that you are writing. The Psalms are an invitation to share your poem with another poet.

In Psalm 6, the poet feels vulnerable, exposed, unprotected, hopeless.  

  • He says, “O Lord, do not rebuke me in your anger or discipline me in your wrath.” He feels that God is angry and wants him to shape up. But he can’t. He’s stuck.
  • The poet says, “I am faint, my bones are in agony, my soul is in anguish.” Her body is tired, her bones ache, her insides are constant pain.
  • She says, “No one remembers you when he is dead, who praises you from the grave?”  The poet’s thoughts turn to death. Her life feels like a one-way spiral into the grave.
  • She says, “I am worn out with groaning, I flood my bed with weeping and drench my couch with tears, my eyes grow weak with sorrow.” Eyes are made to see, but all hers do are weep. The poet can’t see beyond her current pain.

Author Anne Lamott writes of a similar experience, “. . .I felt like my heart had been so thoroughly and irreparably broken that there could be no real joy again . . . I just had to lie in the mud with my arms wrapped around myself, eyes closed, grieving. . .” (Operating Instructions: A Journal of my Son’s First Year. New York Anchor Books, 1993).

Hasty Words describes depression as “The assassin inside me”  (Hasty Words, Darker Side of Night. Self-published, 2013. See also https://hastywords.com).

Author Nina LaCour writes, “The sun stopped shining for me. . .”  (Hold Still. Speak: New York, 2009)

Yes, that was the poet’s experience in Psalm 6. Then suddenly, out of the blue, the psalm resolves into hope. “Away from me all you who do evil, for the Lord has heard my weeping, the Lord has heard my cry for mercy, the Lord accepts my prayer.” Where did the poet find hope? Did he order it from Amazon? Did it come unbidden? Was it an answer from God for the pain and tears?

Let’s pray.
Our Father in heaven, Jesus the Savior knows our depths of depression, for he was despised and rejected by men. He felt rejected by you, his father, when he said, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

Today, we bring you our feelings of hopelessness and depression.

  • Don’t be angry at us. Have compassion on our darkness.
  • Don’t turn away from us. Look at our tears.
  • Don’t hide from our misery. Expose and defeat the assassin inside us.
  • Don’t keep your distance, God. Stand with us in our pain.

We believe that you listen, God.
We believe that the sun still shines.
We believe that life is a gift worth living.
We believe that our sadness is not forever.
We believe that you will walk with us through depression.
We believe that your mercy will bring us hope and freedom.

Accept our prayer, O God. Hold us gently in your arms. May your heart of love mingle with our heart of sadness, until our sickness is healed and our life restored. Amen.

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

Ep.028: Samson’s Birth Announcement

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

Continuing our survey of Old Testament stories about prayer, today we consider the birth announcement for Samson the strong-man, one of the judges of Israel.

The Israelites who lived in the promised land persistently ignored God and disobeyed his laws. So God let their enemies–the Philistines–oppress them for 40 years (Judges 13:1). This is similar to Israel at the time of Jesus, which was occupied by the Roman army. In our day, Israel is still a favorite target of local military powers.

During the Philistine occupation, an angel visited an Israelite woman who couldn’t have children. The angel said, “You are going to have a son. Don’t drink wine, and when the boy is born, don’t ever cut his hair. He will be dedicated as a servant of God to deliver Israel from the Philistines.”

After the angel left, the woman told her husband Manoah, “An awesome looking angel told me I will have a son and that I’m not supposed to drink wine. And he said we can’t ever cut the boy’s hair because he will be dedicated as a servant of God to deliver Israel from the Philistines.”

How do you think Manoah received the good news?  He prayed. That’s probably a good thing. But listen to his prayer. He said, “God, pardon me, but can you send that angel back to explain how to bring up the boy we’re going to have?” God answered his prayer. The angel returned and found Manoah’s wife alone in a field. She ran to get Manoah who followed her to meet the angel. Manoah said, “Are you the one who spoke to my wife? Tell us how we’re supposed to raise the boy.”

And the angel said, perhaps somewhat pointedly, “Just do everything I told your wife when I visited her.” Then the angel repeated his earlier instructions.

An interesting story. Let’s start with two observations.

1.    First, Israelite society in Bible times was strongly patriarchal, and the author of this story reflects that. For example, even though the woman is the central character, the author never tells us her name. She is just, “The wife of Manoah.” When she tells her husband about the angel’s visit, he asks God to send the angel back, saying in effect, “Clearly these instructions are too important for me to get second-hand from a woman. You’d better repeat the instructions so I can hear them.”

2.    Second, God simply ignores the politics of patriarchy. He has no problem bypassing the man and sending the angel to the woman. Even after Manoah prays to be included, the angel doesn’t go to Manoah–he goes straight to the woman again. She has to find Manoah who follows her to the field to meet the angel. Who is leader and who is follower in this awkward scenario? And what does the angel say to Manoah? “Just do everything I already told your wife.” Do we catch a hint of rebuke here?  Is the angel saying, “The instructions haven’t changed since the last time I gave them.”

Now, let’s look at a couple lessons for our prayers.  

1.    First, God is serious about communicating good news to his people. He sent an angel to bring good news to Manoah’s wife. When Manoah had trouble accepting the news from her, God sent the angel back to deliver the news to him.

2.    Second, God works both inside and outside our cultural expectations. He bypassed patriarchal norms by going to Manoah’s wife. He honored patriarchal norms by sending the angel again for Manoah’s benefit. God still speaks inside and outside our cultural expectations. Whether our Christianity is conservative evangelical, charismatic, liturgical, Bible-believing independent, or social gospel liberal, God makes himself present to all who seek him in spirit and in truth. He speaks to us in a language we understand, through scripture as we understand it, and through our community and through our whole experience of life.

Let’s pray.  Our Father in heaven, we live our lives in a place and time and human culture that we can’t escape. But we confess that our thoughts are too small for you, our theology is too narrow, our faith is too weak, our culture is too confining. Send your angel to us, tell us the good news of your salvation, lead us out of our narrowness into the wider culture of your kingdom. Amen.

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

Ep.027: Psalm 5: Good Morning God

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

Psalm 4 was an evening prayer. Today’s prayer, Psalm 5, is a morning prayer. It starts with three verses of introduction, followed by 9 verses of alternating suggestions for how God should deal with the wicked and how he deals with the righteous.  

It starts, “Give ear to my words O Lord . . . Listen to my cry for help . . .  In the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation.” This is the morning rhythm of prayer. Waking, we tell God what is on our mind for the day. Perhaps we feel weak and we dread the assault of our enemies, or perhaps today is filled with hope and promise. Checking in with God in the morning prepares us to wait expectantly for him through the day. God might show up at any time, but we won’t notice if we aren’t attentive.

Following the introduction, the psalmist describes his enemies and suggests how God should deal with them.  “The arrogant cannot stand in your presence, you hate all who do wrong, you destroy those who tell lies.” And later in the psalm, “Declare them guilty, O God. Let their intrigues be their downfall. Banish them for their many sins.”

The psalmist also describes the righteous and tells God how to deal with us. “By your great mercy I will bow down toward your holy temple. Lead me in your righteousness . . . make a straight path before me. . . let all who take refuge in you be glad.”  

Let us pray.

Our Father, in the morning our alarm wakes us rudely. We stumble to the bathroom to brush our teeth and put on makeup. And we turn our thoughts to you, because we need your presence today to protect us from our enemies, to give us favor and success in our endeavors. We will wait expectantly for you.  Help us recognize your presence when you visit us. Help us hear your voice when you speak to us.

We ask you to destroy our enemies, God.

  • Destroy the enemy within, the voice that says we are worthless and unworthy, the fear that paralyzes, the brooding introspection that depresses, the arrogance that criticizes friends and colleagues, the malice that repeats gossiping stories.
  • Silence the enemies we meet today — family members who shame us, coworkers who are rude and dismissive, clerks who are sullen and disrespectful.  
  • Banish the arrogant voices in our culture. May all lying, self-promoting politicians be trapped by their intrigues. May all advertisers who promote mediocre products promising infinite happiness come to an unhappy end. May all entertainers who create meaningless drivel be filled with their own empty words.

But may all who take refuge in you, Lord, be glad. In the winding and confusing journey of life, make a straight path for us. When we don’t know where to turn, guide is into wise choices, faithful relationships, true vocations, and holy community.  Amen.

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

Ep.026: Snake on a Stick

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

As Moses was leading the Israelites to the promised land, the desert lacked many conveniences they were accustomed to. In today’s story, the people are complaining again to God and Moses. They said, “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? There is no bread! There is no water! And we detest this miserable food!’”

Clearly, God and Moses haven’t studied management theory on “How to Meet and Exceed Customer Expectations.” If their monthly survey of the people asked, “How likely are you to recommend this experience to your friends and family?” the people would give them a net promoter score of zero.

But God wasn’t trying to increase his approval ratings. His goal was to teach the people to quit complaining. So he sent poisonous snakes into the crowd and people started dying. This got their attention, so they said to Moses, “We sinned when we spoke against the Lord and against you. Pray that the Lord will take the snakes away from us.” So Moses prayed for the people.

God gave Moses a solution. Put a bronze snake up on a pole in the middle of the crowd. Anyone who lis bitten can look at the bronze snake and live.

Odd, isn’t it? Create an image of a poisonous snake, post it in a public place, and look at it and live? I would have thought a better solution would be to get rid of the snakes.

Here are three quick comments on this passage

1. Most of us want our lives to be comfortable, well-fed, and and well-watered. Maybe even a glass of wine occasionally. And we think that God, if there is a God, should commit himself to making our world a better place — surely he could alleviate war and hunger and injustice. But that’s not the program God has designed for our world. Life is a desert journey. Is this really what we signed up for?

2. Second, the solution is not to complain. In an Agatha Raisin novel by E. M. Beaton, Agatha’s neighbour complains to her about everything that is wrong with the Cotswold village in which they live and the people who live there. The author says, “Mrs Hardy’s words seeped like poison into [Agatha’s] brain” (M. C. Beaton, “Agatha Raisin and the Murderous Marriage.” New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1997.)

Complaining is like that. We create our own snakes that poison our view and narrow our vision. God has a different plan. If we receive this desert journey as a gift, it will strip away our shallow complaints and bring us face to face with the truth.

3. And third, the solution is to face squarely the things that bite us. God’s salvation for us complainers is to look away from ourselves, to a place where we see our problems displayed and objectified. A snake on a pole or a man on a cross can expose our sins and heal the poison that infects us.

Let’s pray.
Our Father, we are habitual complainers. We have summoned the snakes that poison our bodies and destroy our relationships. We see the devastation complaining has brought. So we turn our eyes to the snake on the pole. Make us healthy and thankful. Amen.

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

Ep.025: Psalm 4: Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep

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

Psalm 1 and 2 were an introduction to the Psalms. Psalm 3 was the first prayer — David’s prayer of loss and desperation when Absalom betrayed him. Our prayers often start in that same place of loss and desperation. But now Psalms 4 and 5 will introduce another type of prayer — prayers that are not emergency 911 calls to God, but prayers said in the regular rhythm of our lives in good times and bad.

The first rhythm the psalmist introduces is evening and morning. Psalm 4 is an evening prayer and Psalm 5 is a morning prayer. The heart of the evening prayer is to leave the finished and unfinished business of our day with God, to tell him our successes and failures, to entrust our friends and enemies to him. Then we release ourselves to the forgetfulness of sleep, knowing that God will not forget us. This is Psalm 4, our prayer today.

Let’s pray it.

“Answer me when I call to you
my righteous God.
Give me relief from my distress,
have mercy on me and hear my prayer.”
Our Father, we bring to you the things that distressed us today — news of natural and political disasters, family breakups, problems with health and employment and relationships. We ask for a night of relief from our distress. Grant us peace.

“How long will you people turn my glory into shame?
How long will you love delusions and seek false gods?
Know that the Lord has set apart his servants for himself
the Lord hears when I call to him.”
Our enemies turn our glory into shame. They despise our faith, they belittle our prayers, they disparage our good works, they find fault with our view of God. But we are your people, Lord. Thank you that you honor us as servants and listen to our prayers.

“In your anger do not sin;
when you are on your beds,
search your hearts and be silent.
Offer the sacrifices of the righteous
and trust in the Lord.”
Our anger flared up again today, but now at day’s end we search our hearts and we are silent before you. You know us, for we are your people. We know you, for you are our God. We trust you with our heart and mind and soul.

“Many are asking, “Who will show us any good?”
Let the light of your face shine on us.
You have filled my heart with greater joy
than when their grain and new wine abound.”
We circle back to that age-old problem, “Who will show us any good?” What is good, and how can we know it? What is the good life, and how can we live it? Our answer is, “We know goodness when you smile at us, God. We feel goodness in the light of your presence. We experience goodness when you fill our hearts with joy.”

“In peace I will lie down and sleep,
for you alone, Lord,
make me dwell in safety.”
Our day, our life is in your hands. In your care, we give ourselves gladly and joyfully to sleep.
Amen

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

Ep.024: Moses Says, “I Quit!”

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

After Moses led the Israelite slaves out of Egypt, they received the 10 commandments at Mt. Sinai. Then they began a journey through the desert to the promised land. Water was scarce and their only food was manna, a  seed-like substance that had to be cooked into cereal or ground into flour to make bread.

The people quickly grew tired of this diet and started complaining to Moses. “We’ve lost our appetite. All we get is this manna. What’s the problem here? How about something with flavor, like the fish and cucumbers and leeks and onions we had in Egypt?”

The people’s complaining angered Moses. He was annoyed with his job as their leader. Since it was God who  hired him as Chief Executive Officer and Project Manager for the trek through the desert, Moses made an appointment with God, and said to him:

“‘Why have you brought this trouble on your servant?
 What did I do wrong to deserve this burden?”
 Did I conceive all these people? Did I give them birth?
 Where can I get meat for all these people? They keep wailing to me, ‘Give us meat to eat!’
 I can’t carry all these people alone. The burden is too heavy for me.
 If this is how you are going to treat me, do me a favor and kill me right now.” (Numbers 10:11-15)

Some prayer that. “If this is how you treat me, do me a favor and kill me right now.”  When I attended Sunday School, they didn’t use this story as a model for how to pray.

Note that Moses was doing the same thing as his people– he was complaining. They were complaining about food and Moses was complaining his job. God had promised the Israelite ancestors that he would give them the promised land. But after God’s sales pitch about the amazing future, guess who got stuck leading the impossible project? Moses, who complained to God, “You promised them the world, but all I get is a bunch of losers with unreasonable expectations, endless complaints, and zero initiative. I can’t do anything with this riffraff. I’m overworked and underappreciated and I’ve had enough!” Do you ever feel like that about your job? Does your boss think of you as unmanageable, complaining riffraff? Are your colleagues all impossible losers?

God, to his credit, didn’t start an argument with Moses. He didn’t give him a lecture about complaining. He didn’t send him on a project management course or a course on how to deal with difficult people. He didn’t suggest a new methodology like “Agile Leadership”. Instead, he quietly listened to Moses’ complaints, and he took two steps to address the underlying problems. God put his spirit on 70 elders to help Moses lead the people. And he sent a flock of migrating quails to provide meat to go with the manna.

Let’s pray. Our Father in heaven, we too are on a journey to the land you promised. But sometimes you seem to lead us the long way around. You didn’t warn us about the restricted diet and the difficult working conditions and the complaining people we get to travel with. Give us wisdom and leadership and courage to continue.  Amen.

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