David Bahn – Reflections

Psalm 22:1-3

Psalm 82:3-4

Give justice to the weak and the fatherless;
    maintain the right of the afflicted and the destitute.
⁴ Rescue the weak and the needy;
    deliver them from the hand of the wicked.”

Psalm 112:1-4

Praise the Lord!
Blessed is the man who fears the Lord,
    who greatly delights in his commandments!
² His offspring will be mighty in the land;
    the generation of the upright will be blessed.
³ Wealth and riches are in his house,
    and his righteousness endures forever.
⁴ Light dawns in the darkness for the upright;
    he is gracious, merciful, and righteous.

Psalm 142

The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001
by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

Then Jesus went with them to the olive grove called Gethsemane, and he said, “Sit here while I go over there to pray.” ³⁷ He took Peter and Zebedee’s two sons, James and John, and he became anguished and distressed. ³⁸ He told them, “My soul is crushed with grief to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.”

³⁹ He went on a little farther and bowed with his face to the ground, praying, “My Father! If it is possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.”

⁴⁰ Then he returned to the disciples and found them asleep. He said to Peter, “Couldn’t you watch with me even one hour? ⁴¹ Keep watch and pray, so that you will not give in to temptation. For the spirit is willing, but the body is weak!”

⁴² Then Jesus left them a second time and prayed, “My Father! If this cup cannot be taken away unless I drink it, your will be done.” ⁴³ When he returned to them again, he found them sleeping, for they couldn’t keep their eyes open.

⁴⁴ So he went to pray a third time, saying the same things again.

– Matthew 26:36-44

We’ve been urging one another to keep our eyes on Jesus during these days of Lent, thinking of betraying eyes, denying eyes, and even murderous eyes. Now we want to encourage our eyes to be praying eyes…looking to Jesus for help, guidance and his will. 

Jesus is our great example here. He is facing the most difficult day of his earthly life. He will be betrayed, arrested, falsely-accused, tried and convicted. He will be mocked, scorged, beaten, and crucified. He will die and be buried. He knows all this and the prospects are daunting. So what does he do? He prays. When we face troubles of any kind, let’s follow Jesus’ example and pray. 

We can pray for God’s help – just as Jesus does. He goes to the Father and asks that the path before him be changed, that he will not have to suffer and die. We can ask for relief from troubles, for a different future than what we see before us. We can ask for God’s help. “Help Lord!” is a beautiful and short prayer. We can pray that simply and directly. 

We can pray for God’s guidance as well. We can pray that God will help us make good decisions. In this current situation, we need guidance and wisdom. Some is simple and straightforward. Wash your hands often. Observe social spacing. If you’re feeling unwell stay home. Cover your cough. Don’t go out unless you have to. We must not put the Lord to the test. We pray for guidance and do the good we are able to do.

We also pray for God’s will to be done. The petition of the Lord’s Prayer, “Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven,” is a beautiful prayer. God’s will – as displayed in heaven is for no sickness, no sin, no satan, no death. Only joy, light, life, and glory will be ours there. We are praying for this to be done here just as it is in heaven. But realize this: even in heaven there are times of waiting for God’s will to be manifest.

We know and believe God’s will is good, and we pray that it be done in and among us – not just by others. 

I hope you will join us for online worship this Sunday. We’ll have this available from our website at St. John: stjohn.tv. 

“When you pray, don’t be like the hypocrites who love to pray publicly on street corners and in the synagogues where everyone can see them. I tell you the truth, that is all the reward they will ever get. ⁶ But when you pray, go away by yourself, shut the door behind you, and pray to your Father in private. Then your Father, who sees everything, will reward you.

⁷ “When you pray, don’t babble on and on as the Gentiles do. They think their prayers are answered merely by repeating their words again and again. ⁸ Don’t be like them, for your Father knows exactly what you need even before you ask him! ⁹ Pray like this:

Our Father in heaven,
may your name be kept holy.
¹⁰ May your Kingdom come soon.
May your will be done on earth,
as it is in heaven.
¹¹ Give us today the food we need,
¹² and forgive us our sins,
as we have forgiven those who sin against us.
¹³ And don’t let us yield to temptation,
but rescue us from the evil one.

– Matthew 6:5-13

Martin Luther centered his theological teaching on the grace of God. John Calvin centered his teaching on the sovereignty of God. Lutherans acknowledge and believe in God’s sovereignty. But it takes a back seat to God’s grace. Calvinists believe in God’s grace as well. Their primary starting point, however, is God’s sovereignty. We prefer to refer to God’s providence – with the emphasis on God’s provision because of his love for us and his desire for all people to be saved. 

As you pray today, use the Lord’s Prayer. But pray it slowly, thoughtfully, faithfully, and hopefully. In the end we’re all like the soldier Olasky speaks of below: taking shelter behind whatever gatepost of God’s special providence he supplies. God knows what we need, but asks that we pray. By doing so we are acknowledging his providential, faithful, loving care. 

Marvin Olasky, writing in World Magazine, provided an insightful commentary regarding how God gives us means to protect ourselves and others. He wrote:

Faith in God’s sovereignty has one thing in common with fatalism:Both words begin with the letter F. I’m impressed with the way many Christians are responding to coronavirus pressure, but depressed by those who blithely equate social isolation and theological surrender.

Here’s a quick reminder of what the past millennium’s prime proponent of God’s sovereignty, John Calvin, wrote in his Institutes of the Christian Religion (Book 1, Chapter 17): “For he who has set the limits to our life has at the same time entrusted to us its care. He has provided means and helps to preserve it. … Thus if the Lord has committed to us the protection of our life, our duty is to protect it; if he offers helps, to use them; if he forewarns us of dangers, not to plunge headlong; if he makes remedies available, not to neglect them.”

What’s the practical application? One Sunday in 1862 pastor and soldier Robert L. Dabney preached a sermon on God’s “special providence,” noting that in a recent battle “every shot and shell and bullet was directed by the God of battles.” Not much later Dabney found himself under fire and took cover behind a large gate post. A nearby officer kidded him: “If the God of battles directs every shot, why do you want to put a gate-post between you and a special providence?” Dabney replied, “Just here the gate-post is the special providence.”

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? ³⁶ As it is written,

“For your sake we are being killed all the day long;
    we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.”

³⁷ No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. ³⁸ For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, ³⁹ nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. – Romans 8:35-39

A comment by Will Mancini caught my attention yesterday. He said, “the opposing force of uncertainty is not certainty: it is clarity.” I like that. We have no certainty in regard to what the future holds as this unfolds, but we have clarity about who holds the future. We have no certainty about what drug will work, which treatment will be effective, or how far the virus will travel. But we have clarity about who will win, and confidence in his call to remain faithful. 

So let’s be clear about our faith, our hope, and our posture as we face these days. We believe in the goodness of God – displayed most clearly in Jesus Christ. His death, resurrection, ascension to the right hand of the Father provides for us forgiveness, hope, peace, and salvation. Our eternal wellbeing has been secured. Our hope is in God and, ultimately, in the life of the world to come. We have a clear promise: We are more than conquerors – in the face of every kind of evil – through our God who loves us.

Our posture must be one of humble faith, clearly displayed in the practice of prayer. I invite you to join us in praying this prayer, written today by Pastor Jeff Doria:

Almighty God and Heavenly Father, I come before You with a humble heart yet boldly in faith knowing You are not only One who hears our prayers, but You care about us as well.  There is great unrest and anxiety spreading faster than the COVID-19 and Influenza put together.  Make Yourself known to all those who reject You by doing marvelous works!  Beat back this spreading virus to amaze people! Change hearts and minds faster than NASCAR drivers change their tires!  To Your faith-filled children, bring joyful songs to their hearts, especially those that struggle and are also filled with anxiety about the unknown.  Help Your Church be generous to people in need while providing for rather than hoarding for their own families.  Help us see the opportunities You bring before us and respond accordingly.  To You, Father, be all glory, with the Son and the Spirit, One God, now and forever.  Amen!

What would you do if you were not afraid? That’s one of the coaching question we use in PLI Leadership Essentials coaching. It captures the imagination of leaders in certain times. It is obviously germaine – and even more so – in these uncertain times.

But this is also a question for you. I’m not talking about being irresponsible. I’m not talking about putting God to the test. I’m talking about not cowering in fear. I’m talking about moving forward in life with the confidence of God’s faithfulness and promises, and an eternal perspective.

How do we get there? Pray. Pray with boldness. Pray believing in God’s promises. Pray in unity with others. Pray in the name of Jesus – that is as though Jesus himself is offering this prayer to the Father. Pray with us this prayer (written by Pastor David Schultz):

PRAYER FOR THE CHURCH

Please join your pastors and leaders at St. John in a time of intimate, but relevant daily PRAYER.

Heavenly Father, we give all glory to You for inviting us into your presence through prayer. Our thinking would encourage us to believe that we had something to do with this invitation, but in reality, we have been short-circuited from Your presence by our sin, our brokenness, and in some cases, by our arrogance. We come only as beggars seeking the promises of your Word. Besides living in a world of sin, we are daily reminded of our own frailty, that if left unattended, would drive each of us to despair. But with You, there is forgiveness, hope and restoration. That helps us to see the world in its present disarray in a different light. We see that lantern of Grace continuing to shine brightly in dark and dismal places to bring hope to the hopeless, confidence to the collapsing, and Your peace to those panicked by fear.

We are not privy to the reasons we are walking on this dangerous road or across the rickety bridge of medical uncertainty with this issue of coronavirus, but You know. Nor are we this day confident that the answers to its cure are even close to being discovered, but You know. What we do know and have confidence in, is that “You will never leave or forsake us”. You are ever present in times of blinding uncertainty, and yet offer this Divine Call, “come unto Me all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest”. Remind us when we are tempted to despair to “PRAY FIRST”. That is our entry into Your place of Grace.

Trusting that You, Jesus, seated at the right hand of the Father, stretch your arms of invitation for us to come, saying, “ask and it shall be given to you”.  And Your Word says, “you receive not because you ask not”. Let us come with boldness to Your throne of grace, giving thanks always for all blessings, living in full confidence that “all things do work together for good to those who love You and are called according to Your purpose”.  Amen.

Bible References From this Prayer:

Hebrews 13:5
Romans 8:34; Matthew 7:7
James 4:1-3
Matthew 11:28

Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again—rejoice! ⁵ Let everyone see that you are considerate in all you do. Remember, the Lord is coming soon.

⁶ Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. ⁷ Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. – Philippians 4:4-7

The young girl sat a couple of pews behind me last Sunday. Her 10-year-old brow was furrowed and her face was invaded by a frown that overcame even the colors of her Sunday dress. She was not happy about having to keep her distance from others in these days of social distancing. She was not happy about not having Sunday School. She seemed quite anxious. Worried. Her parents were as reassuring as they could be. But I could see it in their eyes: they were worried as well.

There’s plenty of that going around these days. Seasonal allergies which bring sneezing and coughing trigger lingering thoughts of possible much more dire illness. Dark hours of the night allow all manner of possible difficult scenarios parade before the landscape of the mind. The news is a steady drumbeat of COVID-19 Virus troubles.

Once in a while an email will come with helpful ideas about coping in one way or another. A government program offers certain financial relief for some. News of more testing options give a glimmer of hope. Time will tell in all these things.

A more substantial and farther-reaching answer to anxiety is offered by God. Rather than being anxious we can pray. This is far better than simply being told, “Don’t worry. Worry doesn’t help anything.” That’s true, and good as far as it goes.

But here we are invited not to worry but, rather, to pray. “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything.” I like to call this the “blank check passage.” There is nothing that needs to take our hearts captive to fear. There is no need to borrow trouble about anything. Through prayer we have access to all of God’s favor, grace, goodness, love, and power. There’s no problem too big that his power cannot handle, and no concern too small that he will dismiss.

I don’t believe we should be dismissive when someone is fretting and filled with anxiety. It’s not enough to dismiss their concerns – especially in the face of these times and fears. But these words are so very appropriate: Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. That’s the anxiety-antidote we all need. Perhaps prayer can serve even a vaccine against the worry virus!

Let us pray…

Dear Father in heaven, forgive me when I worry. I know I cannot add an hour to my life by worrying. I know it is a futile exercise of borrowing trouble. But sometimes – in the weakness of my flesh – I worry. I fret. I think of all the bad possibilities. I imagine all the worst outcomes. Even though I know my eternal salvation is secured by your Son, my Lord Jesus, I still struggle as I think about how I will make it through these difficult times.

But I praise you for your faithfulness. I rejoice in your power. I thank you for your promises. I delight in your mercy. I know that even though my faith may waiver, your faithfulness never wanes. I can rely on you – especially as it becomes obvious that I do not have the necessary strength to navigate the days ahead.

Help me, O God, to maintain a humble attitude during these difficult times. Help me not to presume that I can handle things that I cannot. Help me not to think that I know better than you about how things should, or must, or will work out!

Grant me Jesus’ peace – peace that the world cannot give. Grant me the peace that passes all understanding. Grant me the peace that surrenders my heart to your goodness and love and believes that I am safe in your care.

Give me the mind, by your Holy Spirit’s power, to think on the things that are good and excellent, and the strength to pray rather than worry. Thank you for the hope I have in Jesus Christ through his life, death, resurrection, and in anticipation of his Second Coming on the Great Last Day. Keep me and my loved ones in your care until that time when we will be gathered before your throne on high and rejoice in the consummation of your redemptive love.

In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Psalm 121

⁷ The Lord will keep you from all evil;
    he will keep your life.
⁸ The Lord will keep
    your going out and your coming in
    from this time forth and forevermore.

During these surreal days of the unfolding COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, people are inclined to look to all manner of different places for information, comfort, help, and advice. We determined at St. John that we would utilize Harris County and CDC information sources for our decision making on issues of gatherings and other plans. 

More important, however, we are turning to God for wisdom, comfort, advice, and help. Some people think of prayer as an exercise of vain foolishness. Many people think of prayer as “good vibes” or a calming and centering spiritual exercise.

I think more of it than that. With that in mind, I will use this blog over the next 40 days as a call to prayer. We start today with this prayer asking for help and reminding us to look to God for the help we need. This is not to dismiss good hygiene. This is not to reject careful and sensible precautions. This is to recognize God’s preeminence over all things and the blessedness of our access to the throne of God’s grace through prayer.

So let us pray! Just last night I realized that my prayers – in addition simply to asking God to put a stop to this virus – ought to be that God would help me know what I am to do. In addition to praying for wisdom for doctors, researchers, and medical personnel, I need to pray for discernment for my own actions, witness, and planning.

So let us pray! Pray for wisdom, guidance, protection, help, and discernment for yourself and others. But pray also for a steadfast heart to trust in God above all, and courage to do the things you know you should do. Pray that God would help you to look to him, and remember that the hills are beautiful, they are not the source of our help. Our help comes from God. 

I invite you to pray this prayer from the National Day of Prayer committee…

Heavenly Father, we turn to You in prayer not panic in response to this pandemic. We praise You as our Almighty Creator and Sustainer. You are the author of our days, our refuge and strength. Lord, we humbly ask that You push back and remove this virus from us; glorify Yourself in this national and global emergency. We cry out to You in unified prayer: For those who have suffered loss of family and friends from this virus. Please comfort them. For those who are currently sick we ask that You heal them. For those who are filled with fear and anxiety in the uncertainty of what to do, or in isolation of quarantine, we ask that You be their courage and that they would acknowledge Your presence. Thank You for being our God who never leaves or forsakes us. For those who are not able to go to work and earn a paycheck we ask that You provide for their needs. Please connect them with services who are providing food and other resources at this time. For those who are researching and responding to the pandemic we ask that You pour out Your wisdom, knowledge and understanding in them and through them. Please incline our ears to truth and give us steadfast hearts as our confidence is in You. Give us discernment to divide rumors from reality, help us to make wise decisions and listen to good information. For all hospital and nursing home staff, doctors, nurses, lab technicians, first responders, military personnel, and everyone who is at risk to exposure as they serve and care for those who are or may have been infected. Please protect them and give them and their families peace as they serve. Help them to keep patients calm as they work and walk in faith in You. Lord, help us always to respond with Your love to our neighbors. Prompt us to check on those near and dear to us as well as neighbors we might not have met yet who may need our help. Help us to remember those around us who are most vulnerable to this virus and to help them by bringing them groceries or other things that will help keep them from exposure. For those who are making decisions about closures and cancellations we ask that You guide them to consider what is best for people not profit. Lord that they will trust You and make the safest decision for the population they serve, teach, entertain, and employ. Continue to pour out Your creativity on us in the methods of staying connected and productive through technology. We pray that this unprecedented time in our generation would be used to draw nearer to You and our families. Turn our attention to the many times we have thought or said, “we don’t have enough time to ________.” Help us to use this time to rightly reset and prioritize our relationship with You and our family. Let us draw near to You in faith as our Father and our fortress.  Deliver us from this disease we pray and let Your glory fill the earth as You respond to our prayers. Amen.

Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, ⁷ casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. ⁸ Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. ⁹ Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. ¹⁰ And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. ¹¹ To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen. – 1 Peter 5:6-11

We saw him on the way out of the Serengeti National Wildlife Park in Tanzania. He was nestled in a pocket of brush along side the road. We saw him only because our guide pointed him out. He was neither prowling nor roaring. Had he been, we would certainly have seen him, taken note, and exercised extreme caution. I’m guessing a roaring lion prowling about is far more dangerous than a docile lion passing the hours in the shade.

The same is true regarding sin and temptation. Roaring and prowling temptations are dangerous indeed. Look at me! Taste this forbidden fruit! Enjoy these prohibited  pleasures! Join in these ungodly activities. Cheat on your wife. Gossip about your husband. Pad your expense account. Lie about your co-worker. Watch that video. Go along with the crowd. All these will ensnare you. They will bring you down. They lead to death. 

 More subtle dangers lurk along life’s way as well. They are the more dangerous because we don’t see them until it’s too late. The late-afternoon work session that goes on into the evening suddenly becomes a temptation to a seemingly-harmless emotional connection that leads to a full-blown affair. A lax verification process opens the door to undue reimbursements. Subtle temptations too easily lead to dramatic falls. Like stepping into a hidden pothole, hidden temptations can cause grave spiritual injury.

It is vital we recognize and be on guard against all kinds of evil that Satan would inflict on us. Whether roaring or lurking, Satan’s purpose is to steal, kill, and destroy. Thank God we have Jesus’ promise of strength, the Holy Spirit’s power, and the Word’s truth to fight against the schemes of the evil one. This calls for humility; no hubris about our ability to withstand temptation (like Peter). Humble reliance on God and the Holy Spirit and Word are our greatest help in this vigilance…keeping our eyes on Jesus. 

The truths of these verses from the Psalms give us a reminder of God’s unchanging nature spanning millennia. God is faithful. We need these truths now more than ever! We look to God and seek his help!

Psalm 15