David Bahn - Reflections

Next time you go to worship, consider not only the needs you carry with you, the desire to be fed spiritually, the desire to be inspired, and the hope to meet God. Think also of the others who are gathering there. Seventy-five to ninety percent of the people who visit a church for the first time have just experienced a week they hope never to repeat again. Perhaps not that many regular church-goers carry those same disappointments, but some surely do. And if you are encouraged, look around for others who may need your smile, a friendly greeting, or to hear your robust confession of faith, and maybe even your sincere and humble confession of sins.

You might just be part of the throng of blessings given and received.

Deep calls to deep. God is calling us to a deep love for him, a deep faith in his goodness, a deep love for one another, and a deep desire to be with him and experience his salvation. That is worthy of deep thought, deep thanks, and a deep desire for more of God.

I've been thinking about the encounter between Jesus and the Samaritan woman at the well (cf. John 4:1-42). 

Whenever we face taunting, isolation, fear, sleeplessness, and deep discouragement, God is only a prayer away. We're in good company if we lament our hardships and our sins, and seek God's steadfast love. Whether it's the long way around we take to avoid the taunts of others, the anxious and sleepless moments of dread as we think about possible future happenings, or guilt and shame over past choices and present temptations, we can pray this psalm: with David. With the sinful woman at the well. With the tax collector in the temple (Luke 18:13). And getting to the end of the psalm, we can pray:

Amen.

The worst suffering of Jesus was endured on the cross when he cried out in anguish in the face of God's abandonment. (Matthew 27:46) This psalm is a prayer of yearning for the opposite. One day that prayer will be fully and perfectly answered. In those times of anxiety, fear, and loneliness, we can pray this psalm with the confidence that God is with us. We can draw near as be gather with other believers in the name of Jesus. We can celebrate the real presence of Jesus in the Lord's Supper. We can call on God in prayer, confident that he hears us and answers our prayers. And we can bend our yearnings toward the fullness of God's presence in every moment of every day.

We are all urged to confess our sins to God. We are all urged to acknowledge our need for his deliverance. We are all to recognize and avoid the dangerous torrents of destruction that come to those who do not repent, and to rejoice in God's deliverance. Think about it.

Think about it. We suffer if we don't confess our sins. God forgives the sins of those who acknowledge their transgressions. He delivers us from the catastrophic destruction that comes upon those who do not repent. Pause and ponder these things. Think about it!

"The desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do," says Paul. (Galatians 5:17)

If you struggle with this, take heart! It is proof of the Holy Spirit's work in you. Otherwise we would never worry about sin, repentance, guilt, or failure. But with the Holy Spirit we can embrace this verse wholeheartedly, confident that by remaining steadfast in our repentant spirit, we will not be overwhelmed by the waters.

Confession brings freedom, forgiveness, and fullness of life. I wish I had checked more carefully my own biases and assumptions about Joe's perspective on the constitution rewrite. But an even greater danger lies in any refusal to admit before God our failures and need for God's mercy and forgiveness. John says that if we say we are without sin we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Apart from him we have no pathway to the Father. Truth is essential to our salvation. The truth is we need God's forgiveness. We all do. The truth is also God forgives those who confess their sins, and removes them from us as far as the east is from the west. The danger is that we would deceive ourselves into believing we don't really need it.

If we're hiding something we need to bring it to the light of day. That may require admitting to yourself that you have actually done something wrong and truly sinful. (If so, join the club! All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.) You might need to speak with a pastor or someone you can fully trust in order to get it off your conscience. You surely must say it to God. I've found it helpful to write it out. I've done so, and afterward destroyed the document as a means of actively reflecting the reality of confession and forgiveness.

God removes sin from us as far as the east is from the west. We more fully realize this when we admit it and confess our sins out loud.

We do not deserve the blessing of forgiveness. It is God's gracious and precious gift - through Jesus, for all who repent and believe.

Whatever may happen in our lives we can talk about God, "He..." But we can also talk to God, "You..." That's what David does in this psalm. And so did we during various times of challenge, danger, anxiety, and uncertainty in our lives. So can you. Whatever you are facing, you can talk about God. And you can talk to him. He listens...even though he has much to do. Last night we closed our choir practice with prayer. One choir member prayed, "God, you have so much to do. Thank you for hearing our prayers and answering them." In a way, that was talking about God as well as to him. He does indeed have much to do. And we can talk with him about our needs as well. He hears us. Thank you, God! Amen.