Tag: Prayer

Ep035: Psalm 9: Judge of the Nations

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

Today we look at Psalm 9. The most striking thing about this psalm is a vivid description of what has happened to the evil nations who were enemies of the poet and his people.

  • The nations stumbled and fell (v. 3)
  • They were filled with terror      (v. 20)
  • They fell into the pit they dug    (v. 15)
  • They were trapped in the snares they set   (v. 15)   
  • They were destroyed                 (v. 5)
  • Endless ruin overtook them       (v. 6)       
  • Their cities were uprooted         (v. 6)
  • They went  to the grave            (v. 17)
  • Even the memory of them perished    (v. 6)

It sounds like someone dropped a nuclear bomb on them, and there’s nothing left — not even a memory. So what caused this unhappy outcome for the nations?  It was God. He was on his throne judging.

But wait, wasn’t the poet talking about the God of Israel, who only had one temple, located in Jerusalem? Wasn’t the poet writing in the ancient near east, where each nation had their own local gods? And weren’t these local gods competing with each other to protect their people and harm their enemies? Who is this international, world-judging God the poet praises?

Israel never saw their God as just a local deity. They worshipped the creator-God of the universe, the salvation-God of his people, the judge of all the earth. He chose Israel as his special nation, but he also judged Israel. In the end, he didn’t even bother to protect his temple in Jerusalem — he let invading Babylonians pillage and destroy it, which convinced the Babylonians that this God of Israel was just another ineffective local god. And it threw the Isralites into a crisis of confusion and doubt.

There’s another striking thing about Psalm 9: this nation-judging God takes special interest in people who are afflicted and downtrodden. He creates social justice for the disadvantaged, he raises them up with dignity and honor, he gives them their share of God’s creation resources, he protects them from evil politicians and corrupt judges, he provides a stronghold to hide them from military conflicts. The poet says, “The needy will not always be forgotten, nor will the hope of the afflicted perish” (v. 18). Part of our job on earth is to join God in his social justice initiatives.

Let’s pray.

Jesus, when you told us to love and pray for our enemies, we hoped that your insight you would set the world at peace and bring your kingdom of love. But we have discovered, as you discovered on your way to be crucified, that the haters go on hating, traitors betray the innocent, empires crucify the unlucky, religions suppress the truth, and the rich and powerful have their way.

With the poet, we call on you as the judge of all the world, as one who values justice in persons and in nations. As China persecutes the church, as Boko Haram terrorizes central Africa, as the Saudis bomb Yemen, as America withdraws from Syria, and Canada says a weak, “Peace, peace,” we ask you, God, to judge the nations. Destroy what must be destroyed, tear down the power structures and fantasies they have built, until the rulers stand naked before you, their creator-God and judge.

With the poet we say “Those who know your name will trust in you, for you, Lord, have never forsaken the ones who seek you” (v. 10).  We know your name, we call you the judge of all the earth. We seek you in our prayers and lives. When all the world around us seems chaos and injustice, we wait for you, God. Be our stronghold in times of trouble. Arrange our affairs with justice.

Amen.

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

Ep034: Are you Drunk or Praying?

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

In our survey of Old Testament stories, today we look at the family of Samuel the prophet. Samuel’s father, Elkanah, had two wives. One was Peninnah who had sons and daughters. The other wife was Hannah and she had no children. This made Hannah very sad, even though Elkanah said to her, “Why are you so downhearted? Don’t I mean more to you than ten sons?”  For Hannah, the clear answer was, “Not really,” but she held her tongue, because there are some things men just don’t understand.

Each year when the family visited the temple in Shiloh, Peninnah provoked and irritated Hanna. One year, Hannah took her bitterness and anguish to God, weeping and praying at the temple. She said, “God, look at my misery. Remember me, don’t forget me. If you give me a son, I will raise him to serve you.”  Eli, the priest, saw her praying and thought she was drunk. (Did I mention that sometimes men just don’t get it?) Eli said to her, “How long are you going to stay drunk? Put away your wine.”

Hanna said she wasn’t drunk, she was praying. Eli said, “Go in peace, and may the God of Israel grant you what you have asked of him.” Not long after, the Lord remembered Hannah: she conceived and gave birth to Samuel, which means, “God has heard.”

Some lessons on prayer from this story:

1.    First, dysfunctional families are not a modern invention, though bigamy like Hannah experienced is not the norm today. Like Hannah, you may need to pray through bitterness and pain and irritation that attends your family relationships.    

2.    Second, the ability to have children is a gift from God, but he doesn’t give that gift to everyone. And not everyone who has received children from God is happy with the result. Whether you have no children, good children, or bad children it is important to bring your feelings on the topic to God.

3.    Third, if your priest or minister misunderstands your situation and maybe even thinks you’re drunk, give the poor pastor a chance. They’re only human, but if they are true servants of God, they will see their mistake and bless you when they hear your prayer.

4.    And finally, bookmark your Bible with Samuel’s name, with the promise that “God has heard”.  Our God is a listening God. He hears your weeping and in his time he will bring you joy.

Let’s pray.
Our father, so often what we want most in life is something you aren’t giving us. Our comforters may say, “Am I not better than 10 sons?” but they do not understand the importance of what we ask. Others mistake our prayers for too much wine or for lack of faith. Give us grace to live patiently with our troubles, and to live graciously with those who don’t understand them. And give us patience to keep praying until you intervene, until we find the faith and wisdom and courage to change ourselves, or to receive changes from you.
Amen.

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

Ep033: Psalm 8: The Majesty of Humanity

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

Today we look at Psalm 8. Since we don’t know who wrote the psalm, I will refer to the author as “the poet.”

The first and last lines of the poem are exactly the same: “O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth.” If I wrote a poem that started majestically like that, I would continue with a vision of magnificent mountains, stunning oceans, rippling rivers, wild forests, and grand canyons. But this poet took a completely different direction. He or she made humans central to the theme.

Building up to this theme, the poet says, “When I consider the heavens you made, the sun and moon and stars, the vastness of the universe, it makes humans look minute and insignificant.” But then verse 5 turns smallness into largeness. The poet says, “People may be small, but look! You made them just a little lower than the heavenly beings — little lower than the angels, a little lower than God himself.”

And he caps this observation with the word “glory.” Verse 2 says, “You have set your glory in the heavens.” That’s easy to agree with. Then verse 5 says, “You have crowned the humans with glory and honor.” There it is, God’s glory in the grand creation of the universe, God’s glory in the special creation of the human race. This human glory looks back to the climax of creation, Day 6, when God created man and woman in his own image. God gave them the gift of all the earth. He delegated to them the job of ruling and looking after creation. That is the glory of the human race, that is what it means to be the image of God — to receive from him the gift of the earth, to accept our job as God’s rulers and caretakers and representatives in the world.

Let’s pray.
Our father, how glorious is the universe you made. And how glorious are the people you created in your image. We see our species in its glory when it obeys to the mission you assigned.

  • When the UN creates World Heritage sites that preserve natural beauty and human history.
  • When national parks protect and honor animals and birds and all created things.
  • When governments are peaceful and well-ordered, when they care for the poor and honor all humans, when they create just laws and reward good behaviour.

But we also see our species in all its ugliness when it disobeys the mission you assigned.

  • When we pollute and overuse and destroy creation to satisfy greed and desire
  • When governments harass and oppress and make war on people, not seeing your image in them, not honoring the glory you gave them.

O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth. But what a mixed bag of glory and corruption we have brought to the task of representing you and caring for your creation. We thank you for Christ, who like us, became a little lower than the heavenly beings, so that he could begin your project to restore people and creation to the glory you intended.
Amen.

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

Ep032: Samson’s Revenge

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

Continuing our survey of Old Testament stories, today we look at with Samson, a leader of Israel when the Philistine army oppressed the Israelites and occupied their land.

Samson was a Nazrite, dedicated to God from birth, and he had superpower strength as long as he didn’t cut his hair. He used his strength to harass and annoy the Philistine oppressors. He was also a womanizer with a volatile temper, and he preferred Philistine women over the local Israelite girls.

At one point when he was engaged to a Philistine, things went badly wrong at the wedding feast, and the bride ended up marrying one of his companions. For revenge, Samson used his strength to collect 300 foxes. He tied them together tail to tail in pairs, attached a torch to each pair of tails, and sent them into the Philistine fields of corn and olives and grapes.

Later, Samson met his match when he fell in love with the Philistine lady, Delilah. She begged him to tell her the secret of his strength until he couldn’t resist. Then she cut off his hair while he was sleeping, and called the Philistines to capture him. Samson wasn’t aware that his hair was cut, that his Nazrite vow was broken, and that God had left him. He started using his great strength to avoid capture, but he was weak. So the Philistines threw him in prison, gouged out his eyes, and set him to grinding corn.

Then the Philistines leaders celebrated their victory over Samson and his God by holding a great feast in the temple of their god, Dagon. They brought Samson to the feast in chains and put him on display. Samson leaned against the pillars of the temple and prayed, “Sovereign Lord, remember me. Please, God, give me strength just once more, and let me get revenge on the Philistines for my two eyes.” Then he pushed on the pillars, collapsing the temple, and killing himself and 3000 Philistines. It looks like God answered his prayer for revenge.

Let’s pray.

Our father in heaven, Samson’s story reminds us of our world today. Like him, many leaders of your people — priests and pastors and prophets and television personalities — have corrupted their ministries with sexual sin and personal vendettas and the love of money. Why do you let this go on, God, don’t you want to protect your name from those who promise to serve you, but end up serving their own appetites and their own anger?

And God, we see your story in the life of Samson. For in the end, Samson accepted his own death in order to deliver your people from their enemies. Is there another saviour you appointed, who chose his own death to save your people?

We pray that you will help us not to follow Samson’s example of service to you. You honored him with the strength of your spirit, and sent him to deliver your people. But as he used the gift you gave him, he walked deeper and deeper into personal sin and chaos. As we serve you, help us to grow in righteousness, that our death may be honorable and that we may receive a rich welcome into your kingdom (2 Peter 1:11).
Amen.

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