David Bahn - Reflections

So much happens because of God's providential care for the creation we enjoy, and sadly too often abuse. Without him I am certain we would have driven the world to oblivion. Without those who truly do respect the creation litter and pollution would engulf us. But even with the best efforts of the most ardent environmentalists without God's continuing care our world would be an even greater mess.

And think of this: God does all of this out of his "fatherly, divine goodness and mercy, without any merit or worthiness in me..." So we join with the psalmist and cry: Praise is due to you, O God, in Zion, and to you shall vows be performed.

This is most certainly true!

God is omnipresent. We cannot hide from him. He is with us always. But he is with us in a very special way when we gather with others in Jesus' name. Those gatherings in Jesus' name transform a place into holy space. The presence of Jesus is what being in church is all about. The temple (and before that the Tabernacle) was the place of God's holy presence. So whether we gather with others in a space and place dedicated specifically to the worship and presence of God, or in a home, or park, or at a hospital bedside, there God is. There joy is. There is the dwelling place of God: with those who mark themselves with Jesus' name and gather with others in his name.

This Psalm reminds me that God has not just wound up the universe and is sitting back and watching it run. It reminds me of God's many ways of caring for me and all creatures. It reminds me that I can come to him with my prayers and requests, and my thanks and praise. It opens my eyes to the breadth of his care for us all. For all this it is my duty to thank, praise, serve, and obey him. This is most certainly true!

We repay God's favor when we praise him. When we come to him in repentance and faith, we are giving God his due. When we take the cup of salvation, celebrating God's deliverance in the Lord's Supper, we are repaying God for his gifts. When we extend the same kindness and mercy to others that God has extended to us, we are repaying that debt. We do this to give him the thanks and praise that is due his name.

Whether the sting of death has bitten hard, or you are crawling out of a dungeon of your own sin, when you seek God's grace there comes along with it, the joy of God's salvation. And what a joy it is! Jesus earned it for you and all people when he died for the sins of the world. He secured it when he rose from the dead. God promises it to all who believe in him. And like David, if we continue that prayer we will recall that the joy of God's salvation is to be shared so that transgressors will be taught the truth of God's salvation and sinners will return to God.

Talk about joy! Take a quick look at Luke 15 and you see played out how complete that joy is. It's shared by God and all the angels in heaven when one sinner repents. What glorious joy that is!

We have begun our observance of the season of Lent. It is a time of repentance and sorrow. It is a time to reflect on the harsh realities of life here and now. Soon we'll celebrate Easter, the feast of victory, the foretaste of the consummation of all that God has promised.

This prayer, especially the verses beginning, "Create in me a clean heart, O God..." are a favorite of many. This is a worthy prayer for us all during this season, and every day.

We need God's mercy, grace, and forgiveness for all three. And it's not just the acts of sin and transgression, it's the condition of our hearts. Fallen, broken, sinful beings that we are, we have no hope of gaining God's favor on our own. But God is rich in grace, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love. This is the good news we believe and share. Jesus came to redeem us from the penalty of our sin, forgive us for our transgressions, and rescue us from our self-inflicted entanglements so all manner of sin.

Just as we are not sinners because we sin, God is not gracious because he forgives. We sin because we are sinners. And God forgives us because he is gracious.

We can make excuses for our sins. We can try to deny their true depth and destructive impact. We can pretend they're not all that bad. We can even say, that God will forgive us since we didn't mean to, or because it wasn't all that bad, or that everyone slips up once in a while. But none of that avails before God.

The only thing we have going when we discover we've sinned and turn to God in repentance is his character, nature, grace and steadfast love. Thank God for his steadfast love!

This Psalm is a cry to God for mercy. If grace is receiving something we do not deserve. Mercy is not receiving what we do deserve. And we deserve condemnation, judgment, and every evil consequence for our sin. But God in his mercy withholds more than we know from us in those areas. He does not treat us as we deserve. He relents, and does not willingly bring suffering or grief to anyone (cf. Lamentations 3:33).

Rather than giving us what we deserved (judgment, condemnation, and hell), God in his mercy gave us Jesus, his gift of grace, forgiveness, and life. God not only withholds his wrath from us, he forgives. He saves. He gives life. This psalm has been answered, is being answered, and will be answered whenever we pray it. Thanks be to God for his mercy!

A hope devoid of lament is shallow and easily set aside. It sets us up for catastrophic disappointment. Lament without hope is a prescription for depression. It robs us of the joy of God's salvation. God calls us to both lament and hope, and this psalm expresses that beautifully. Let your cries of anguish, pain, discouragement, and lament call out to God. But in the end, join David in speaking of our eternal hope, found in Jesus' death, burial, and resurrection. This will be fully experienced on the Great Last Day when the salvation of God will be fully and completely revealed. Then hope will become reality.