Wilderness Wanderings

How long, Lord? Will you hide yourself forever? How long will your wrath burn like fire? Remember how fleeting is my life. For what futility you have created all humanity! Who can live and not see death, or who can escape the power of the grave? Lord, where is your former great love, which in your faithfulness you swore to David? Remember, Lord, how your servant has been mocked, how I bear in my heart the taunts of all the nations, the taunts with which your enemies, Lord, have mocked, with which they have mocked every step of your anointed one. Praise be to the Lord forever! Amen and Amen. (Psalm 89:46-52)

Psalm 89 is a lovely, soaring Psalm. Beautiful things are said of who God is: a God of righteousness, faithfulness, and loving kindness who has created the world, subdued all chaos, and made a covenant with his people.

The Psalm spends long verses explaining the faithfulness of the Lord. It spends long verses describing the covenant made with King David and his descendants: how even if those sons of David were unfaithful to the Old Testament law—that is, the covenant made at Saini—how God would be faithful to his new covenant, made with David, even still. God's faithfulness is everlasting. Eternal. Nothing can break it. And God—who does not lie, the psalmist points out—made this promise to David, unconditionally, to ensure that David's line would continue forever.

But then God broke his promise.

Or at least, it sure did seem that way to the psalmist writing this song. A dramatic turn comes quite suddenly upon us as the psalmist presents us with the devastation and abandonment experienced by God's people. The psalmist demands to know: how long will this continue, Lord? Your promise to David is everlasting—so will this devastation end before the end of time? If you're faithful—it should, and soon—we human people don't live forever! The Psalmist further demands to know: where is this going to happen? Where is your former great love to be displayed? Because it certainly was not evident to the psalmist in any space he could see.

We Christian people hold on to a Christian hope of a future of life with Christ. But when our present life and situation on earth does not look like we hope it to in heaven, these questions are pertinent. It's great we have a future hope—but that doesn't mean that we can't ask God if he will not show his love in our time and in our space. We can pray alongside the psalmist in asking: "will your kingdom not come on earth as it is in heaven so that we might see it and live in it in our times and spaces, O Lord?"

"How is it that we can say such bold things to God though?" you might wonder. Because it is God's own faithfulness that's on the line, that's how. And, because it is ultimately a question about God and not about us, well: perhaps this is exactly why Jesus came to bear out the final lines of this psalm as his own—to allow the mockery of the nations, the wrath of God, and the abandonment felt by God's people to fall on him instead. Only in the ministry of Jesus, therefore—in his death and resurrection—do we finally find an answer to this psalm.

But we don't live that answer of Jesus' resurrection life in fullness yet, do we? It remains only a future hope. And so in each new generation, including ours, we find that we too have to take up our cross, along with the words of this psalm, and journey together with Jesus toward our own death as we wait for God's faithfulness to be proved once again in our own time and space.

Maybe that isn't a happy end or neat resolution to this devotion. But it is where the psalm ends and indeed where Book III of the Psalter ends: by placing our petition before God—demanding that his kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven, soon—and waiting for his response. "Amen and amen."

A Sunday Sermon edition of Wilderness Wanderings! The text is Daniel 9:1-19 from the New International Version of the Bible. Dive In discussion questions are below for further reflection!

To see this sermon in the context of the worship service it comes from, find it here on YouTube. Or, head to our website to connect with the worshiping community of Immanuel CRC: immanuelministries.ca

1. How connected do you feel to other churches? What attitudes do you have towards Christians from other places in the world? from other denominations?

2. How have you personally reacted to the scandals which have plagued the church in the past decade? both the sins of today and those of long ago, even before you were born? If there is only one church of Jesus, what does that mean in this context?

3. Daniel's scripture reading led to his prayer of repentance. How often does our scripture reading inform our prayers? How could you change that? How does he begin his prayer?

4. In Daniel's request that God return to his people, what does he appeal to?

5. What stands at the heart of God's new covenant with his people? Why is repentance and confession still necessary? What must we be prepared to do after confession?

"You have put me in the lowest pit in the darkest depths" (Psalm 88:6).

This text is no 'happy go lucky' religious trope. It's downright depressing. And it's not just this verse, the entire Psalm is dark. We might ask ourselves, why is it in the Bible? Various answers may be given. Paul tells us that all Scripture is for our training in righteousness and being equipped for every good work (cf. 2 Timothy 3:16-17). So, its fair to say that God wants all of us to wrestle with the issues of this psalm.

It recognizes that God's people sometimes get to a place which psychiatrists call 'clinical depression'. This doesn't mean we can diagnosis the psalmist with it. However, many of the things expressed here resonate deeply with those who experience depression. For them, this lament gives Christians permission to be depressed in God's presence. There is no requirement to come before God full of happiness and brimming with faith.

Note that God gets the blame. The psalmist shoves his finger into God's face saying, "Its your fault my life is a mess." The theological accuracy of this accusation is not the point of the Psalm. This is a deeply emotive poem, penned by a believer who hasn't got the foggiest notion where God is; or anyone else for that matter. Everything and everyone important have evaporated.

This is probably the darkest of the psalms. It recognizes the reality that just because we are God's children, doesn't mean that we always see the world as rosy. It stands in complete contrast to Paul's statements that we ought to give thanks always.

It reveals that the Bible is not a neat and tidy book with all life's answers in plain sight. That God's people should always be upbeat is refuted here. Instead, we are given words to express our dark night.

The only apparent hope of this psalm is that it is addressed to God. Somehow, if there is any light at the end of this dark tunnel, God will need to provide it.

This gives us some clues in walking with people who are living Psalm 88. Few of us truly know the darkness of these verses. So, let's not pretend that we do. Further, let us not try to theologize people out of their darkness. We are sometimes guilty of thinking that if we can just pour enough Biblical truth into people, they will snap out of it. Remember Job's friends. Their silence was helpful, their words were a disaster.

Even worse, we sometimes try to guilt Christians out of their darkness. We attempt to give them the proverbial boot in the hind end. They should just pull up their socks and get over it. Pray harder, play only happy worship music, etc., etc.

This psalmist will have none this. The Christian sometimes finds herself in a very dark hole. And no matter how hard we holler from the safety above, there is nothing the Christian can do to get out. And our rope ladders are often too delicate to hold the wait of despair.

Let me suggest what we can do. First, study this psalm to get some understanding of where our friends are at. Secondly, stay with them (without trying to fix them) until they are rescued. Finally, we must pray that God will rescue them. He is their only hope, and sometimes he might just use us to help them out.

Many of us know the song Amazing Grace written by ex-slaver turned Reformed Pastor, John Newton. His close friend, John Cowper, composed Oh, For a Closer Walk with God and God Moves in a Mysterious Way. John Cowper suffered from depression all his adult life. There were times when the depression lifted and, reflecting on his experiences, he wrote songs. Their context gives these old hymns a new depth.

Sometimes John Cowper could only sing Psalm 88. Other times, he could lead the congregation in God Moves in a Mysterious Way. John Newton learned to be his friend, to the very end Cowper's life.

He has founded his city on the holy mountain. The Lord loves the gates of Zion more than all the other dwellings of Jacob. Glorious things are said of you, city of God. "I will record Rahab and Babylon among those who acknowledge me—Philistia too, and Tyre, along with Cush—and will say, 'This one was born in Zion.'" Indeed it will be said of Zion it will be said, "This one and that one were born in her, and the Most High himself will establish her." The Lord will write in the register of the peoples: "This one was born in Zion." As they make music they will sing, "All my fountains are in you." (Psalm 87)

One of the themes that has struck me over and over during the course of my seminary journey so far is that of the unity of the Church. Again this week I have been reflecting on the unity of the body of Christ. This psalm is a wonderful reflection of this theme.

The whole earth belongs to God (Ps 24:1), yet He holds Jerusalem in special regard. God's foundation and the center of His redemptive work is in Jerusalem, the city of God. It is where David reigned, where the tabernacle of God found a permanent home in the temple that Solomon built, it is the place where Jesus died for our sins, was buried, and was resurrected. It is in Jerusalem that the day of Pentecost occurred. And these glorious things and many more were spoken about the city.

Yet…in verses 4-6 God speaks and doesn't only invite the rival nations of Israel into the city to dwell, God claims them as His own. Wow! Rahab, or Egypt, was known for its strength and pride. Both Egypt and Babylon were deadly enemies to Jerusalem. Tyre inflated the importance of material prosperity and Cush was a distant land who knew little of the God of Israel. Yet God says that He will record all these nations as those who acknowledge him.

But not only that. God also says that people in these nations will be regarded as citizens of Jerusalem and be registered among the people of God. It will be as though they were born within the city. Foreign nations aren't captives here, nor are they paying homage to Zion and its glory, but these nations are fully incorporated and registered, by a new birth, among the children of Jerusalem.

All Gentiles are welcome in to honour the God of Israel, not as outsiders, but as born-again citizens in God's holy city. That's us. We are born-again citizens of the city of Zion. No questions about our past, presuppositions about our future or prerequisites for entry into the city. We need simply come in faith in Jesus and we are joyfully welcomed by God. It is God who writes our names on the registry of His people. It is God who declares and records our citizenship and birthright.

The idea of being a citizen and being registered as a born citizen of Zion is also a spiritual concept. Hebrews 12:22-23 says, "But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are registered in heaven."

In Jesus Christ, every believer can have the privilege of registration in Zion and of being a citizen of the heavenly city of God. This doesn't eliminate the special regard God had, has, and will have for the physical land of Israel and Jerusalem. It surpasses it.

And so, our natural response is to praise God. In verse 7, this is done through song and dance. It's God's fountain and life spring that give us new life and new birth into an imperishable city. All who believe in Christ are welcome into this city. None who come in faith are excluded. In Christ we are fully united to God and with one another. What better reason is there to praise our Maker?

Hear, O Lord, and answer me, for I am poor and needy" (Psalm 86:1).

Praying is difficult. Beyond giving us a model for our prayers, Jesus teaches us two things about this spiritual work: don't babble and persevere. One wonders at what point perseverance turns into babbling. The tension between these two is one of the challenges prayers must wrestle with. Wisdom is needed.

The apostle Paul reminds us to persevere in our praying when he writes, "Pray continually" (1 Thessalonians 5:17). Yet, many prayers in the Bible are short and to the point. The longest one, Psalm 119, still won't keep us tied up very long.

Several times I have encountered surveys asking pastors how much time they spend praying. Those who analyze these surveys always seem amazed at how little time pastors commit to prayer. The assumption is that short prayers are indicators of poor spirituality.

This may be true, but not necessarily. A survey of the Biblical prayers does not convince me that this is an adequate measurement. The Bible seems to prefer quality over quantity.

Further, I think we need to distinguish between two different ways that we pray. On the one hand, there is the actual time that we set aside for praying "with hands folded and eyes closed" (or walking through the woods). This is what we normally measure.

But there is also the posture in which we are constantly conscious of the presence of God. In this form, we are constantly asking God (frequently without audible words) to direct our living according to the patterns of His Kingdom and to bring his blessing into the world we are experiencing. To live life this way, a form of 'praying continually', is a difficult discipline.

Psalm 86 helps us live both these approaches to prayer. It's short. We can pray it within minutes. It can be summarized in three words: "God, help me!" a phrase that can shape the way we live.

There is something interesting about this psalm: it's totally plagiarised. All its phrases can be found in other Psalms. Since David probably wrote many of them, I'm not sure it's really plagiarism. But it does suggest that we don't have to make up new prayers all the time. It's OK to make someone else's prayers our own. And repetition is not necessarily babbling.

The themes woven throughout this psalm will also help us in our learning to pray. First, David admits his weaknesses. This is essential to Christian prayer. We need God. This is Jesus' point in his story of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector. The Pharisee doesn't recognize his need for God, the other prayer does (Luke 18:9-14). Those who ask, receive. We all need His help. Not only are we not able to get out of difficulties, our sinful behaviour and thoughts often get us into trouble. Only God can rescue.

Second, David affirms who God is. This prayer includes mention of God's faithfulness to His promises, of His greatness. God has no revivals and is therefore worthy of our worship. Our prayers are bolstered when we remember who we are addressing and recall the God's character and actions.

Third, David prays for an undivided heart. In the face of many enemies and troubles it is difficult to continue relying on God. Relying means waiting. Here too, we find one of the difficulties of prayer: waiting for God's answer while troubles multiply. We want to help ourselves. David prays that God will help him stay the righteous course.

As they say, practice makes perfect. Well, I'm not sure prayers can be perfected, but practicing what we learn is the only way forward. So, keep praying.

I will listen to what God the Lord says; he promises peace to his people, his faithful servants—but let them not turn to folly. Surely his salvation is near those who fear him, that his glory may dwell in our land. (Psalm 85:8-9)

What makes a good listener? Being a parent of elementary aged children, when I think of this question I think of how, or rather how 'well', my kids listen to me. It's not always such a pretty picture. I wonder what God thinks of our listening skills when it comes to our relationship with Him?

When it comes to listening to God, I think that there are a few qualities that make someone a good listener. First off, a good listener tunes out distractions. In the physical, this means turning off screens like cell phones, laptop or tv, and really listening to someone. At times, this can equate to a place of silence or solitude to really hear what God is saying to us.

But God can also use the distractions of life and speak through them to us. When I am paying attention and really "listening well" for God in my days, I often find that the diversions and distractions can become moments of revelation from God about the attitude of my heart or the direction of my day.

Next, a good listener…listens. Meaning that they use their ears more than their mouths in conversation. I think that this is one of the most difficult parts of listening well. Both in the physical and the spiritual. We often pray the same sorts of prayers, and prayer is time well spent. But how often do you take time to listen either during prayer or after you pray? I wonder how we would hear God speak to us through the small sounds, smells, sights around us if we stopped long enough to pay attention?

Lastly, a good listener responds to show that you are listening. In conversation this means giving a nod, or an uh-huh, or say, "tell me more." I think that one of our responses that God loves to hear is, "so what I hear You saying God, is…" as we lean into Him to discern what we are hearing from Him. And "I'm not sure about what You're saying, or where You're taking me God, but let's walk the road together." That's a road where "love and faithfulness meet together" (v 10a).

Just like the psalmist begins the psalm with three verses of the goodness and favour of God, and asks in verse 4 for God to restore His people to this place once again, I believe if we turn our heart and our ears more often to God and less often to the folly of our stubbornness or need for control, that we would see God begin to revive us (v 6), our cities, the Church, and our land.

"[God] promises peace to His faithful servants" (v8). And this also is a road where "righteousness and peace kiss each other" (v10b). The righteousness of God found in and through Christ and His salvation, and the peace of God given freely to us in grace naturally beget our faithfulness in listening and responding well to God. How will you listen well today?

"How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord Almighty! My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God" (Psalm 84:1-2).

What do you want? How would you answer this question if it was popped on you randomly?

Pause your listening or reading and ponder this question for a while. Before you carry on, wonder about it again.

Confession time! I get irritated with stories in which a character immediately knows the answer to such a question. Or, if some conference speaker infers that we ought to know. For myself, I find it depends on the day and its circumstances. I'm not sure if there is one thing that I know I want. Most of us are not so fully in tune with our hearts as to always have an answer ready.

But knowing what we want is important. Consider what G. K. Chesterton once wrote, "Every person who knocks on the door of a brothel is looking for God." The only difference between that person and the one who kneels to receive the Lord's Supper is that the former is looking for satisfaction in the wrong place.

The former does not know that it is God who is being sought for. It's the same with all our appetites and longings: a bigger house; a faster car; better make-up; successful children; political position. We want many things.

The thing is getting these things doesn't satisfy. In fact, they tend to kill us. We humans have an infernal habit of mistaking the things God gives for the God who gives them. We want the creations rather than the creator. It is easier for us to worship the things God gives rather than their Maker. As Paul once wrote, "They exchanged the truth of God for a lie and worshipped and served created things rather than the Creator-who is forever praised! Amen" (Romans 1:25).

God made everything for His glory, to show off His greatness. For God, that is not egotistical; it is just true. His glory puts everything in perspective. The things He created all point back to Him. They remind us that He is our true home, our destination.

Sin is wanting the signs, the created stuff. Sin is making the signs our home rather than God to whom they point. Worshipping God's creation will be our death.

The psalmist knew this. He was away from Jerusalem and longed to be home. Not because he worshipped that city but because in Jerusalem was God's temple. The temple represented God's presence on earth. It was the symbol of God's presence; that is where he encountered God. That was her joy.

This is even truer for us, followers of Jesus. God's house is Christ Himself and we, the church, are his body. God is right here, where we are. But do we want him? Is he our joy?

What do you want? The psalmist answer is simple: to be with God.

If that is what we want to want, how do we shift our wanting from created things to the creator? There is no 'one size fits all' answer to this. We are all on the journey either towards or away from God.

For today, consider this: our spiritual practices (things like communal worship, prayer, scripture, giving) are not ends in themselves. They are meant to be means through which we draw close to God, means by which are "wants" are changed. So, use them well!

Also, this: Jesus suggests that our prayers should not be too long. Many Christian traditions encourage short prayers prayed regularly. Rooted in this psalm, make such a prayer, and offer it several times a day.

O God do not keep silent; be not quiet, O God, be not still. See how your enemies are astir, how your foes rear their heads. With cunning they conspire against your people; they plot against those you cherish…Cover their faces with shame Lord, so that they will seek your name…Let them know that you alone are the Most High over all the earth. (Psalm 83:1-3,16, 18)

Psalm 83 is the last of the psalms of Asaph. Many of these psalms have been laments about the condition of Israel, especially to the threats of opposing nations. Some of these laments concerned the people of God in captivity. But these laments have almost always been accompanied by hope in the Lord. Such is the case in this last psalm of Asaph as well. I want to turn today's devotional into a prayer based on the psalm. I encourage you to read through psalm 83 in its entirety first (it's only 18 verses!) and then take in this prayer which I have written through our modern eyes and words as I reflected on its words and their meaning for us today.

Oh God strong and mighty! I come to You in boldness and in truth. Do not stay silent! Do not shut us out. Move on our behalf! Your enemies are living their lives to the full. Those who hate You God, are plotting evil and conspiring against Your name and Your people. "Let's wipe this nation and this people from the face of the earth," they say. "Wipe God's people from every mind so that they are remembered no more." God, Your enemies plot together to get rid of You. They band together against You.

We are surrounded by opposing forces on every side! Every direction that we look, north, south, east, and west, there are those who are attacking and slandering Your people, Your cherished people. There are those who are attacking You God. For when Your people are attacked, You are also attacked.

We think of the nations and those within them who live far away from us, like the those who drive Christians across the seas into underground churches and those who persecute Christians who openly profess their faith. And those people who are closer to home. Those who are like the opposing nations who trace their family lineage back to Esau, to Ishmael, to Lot. The people who are from Your family line, God, but who do not profess Your name. These are the people who are close to us. Some are national or local public figures and officials. Some people are so much closer to us than this.

When Your people are attacked, You are also attacked, God. Those who don't follow Your ways plot with their mouths to take over the good ground that Your people have planted on the word of truth. Help and hope for the refugee, the racialized, the prisoner, the homeless, and those whose very freedom of speech and personhood is persecuted. Your attackers Lord, want this ground taken back for themselves.

Although we may be surrounded on every side by those who are slandering us, who are slandering You God, we know that we are surrounded in greater strength and power by You God. For You alone are strong and mighty to save. You have never let us down God, and You never will. Let us not be among those who attack, slander, throws blame, or gets involved in petty arguments. May Your people be known as the peacekeepers, the bridge builders, and the restorer of broken walls.

Do to Your opponents as You have to Your opponents through the ages. Reveal to them Your justice Lord for You are a God of justice! Shower Your fiery gaze down on them and throw them into the midst of turbulent storms that cause them great fear.

Yet Lord, You are also a God of mercy. And so I plead with You to also reveal Your mercy through these terrifying storms to these same people. Cover the faces of Your oppressors with shame. May their shame cause them to seek You God. May their dishonour draw them straight to You, Oh Lord. Bring them from the place of terror and shame to a place of repentance and refuge in the shadow of Your wing, so that they may be a witness to the greatness of Your name.

Reveal to Your oppressors, Your attackers, and to those in opposition to Your ways, and Your people, that You alone are the Lord God Almighty. There is none like You. Let them see that You alone, are exalted Most High God over all the earth, and over all of creation. Amen

A Sunday Sermon edition of Wilderness Wanderings! The text is Daniel 8:1-14 from the New International Version of the Bible.

To see this sermon in the context of the worship service it comes from, find it here on YouTube. Or, head to our website to connect with the worshiping community of Immanuel CRC: immanuelministries.ca

"God presides in the great assembly; he gives judgements among the "gods": Rise up, O God, judge the earth, for all the nations are your inheritance" (Psalm 82:1-2).

Not many of us will remember hearing a sermon on this song. And I doubt that it's popular in modern devotional literature. It takes a bit of imagination to grasp its setting.

North American Christianity is extremely monotheistic. There is only One God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. But ancient Israel did not have the same understanding. They believed that other gods existed and were able to influence events in this world.

Thus, Israel was frequently persuaded to worship the gods their neighbours believed in. To encourage the Israelites to be faithful to their Lord, the Psalms include phrases like, "For great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; he is to be feared above all gods" (96:4) and "Give thanks to the God of gods. His love endures forever" (136:2).

Israel's song writers knew that faith is shaped through communal worship. Music speaks to the heart in ways that mere words cannot. So, if you are young, learn the songs of our faith.

Now back to our Psalm, its setting is a council of the gods as they gather to rule the world. The God of Israel presides over the council, and he calls the other gods to account for their poor decisions. They are not ruling according to the values of His kingdom.

Before dismissing this psalm as having no relevance for us, it's important to know that these other gods had human agents who enacted their will. These agents were being called to account as much as their gods were. As such, this psalm invites us to evaluate the values that guide our decision making. Are these values in line with God's law?

Specifically, we must assess our own attitudes and actions towards the oppressed, the weak, the fatherless, and the poor. As we encounter these folks in our daily lives, do we turn a deaf ear, or do we respond with compassion and mercy?

In our society, we're programmed to expect people to shape up, take control, solve their own problems. We applaud self-reliance and scorn any show of dependence or need. When someone asks for help, we instinctually respond with suspicion. "Do they really deserve our help?"

God's structure of law and order is undermined when His people ignore the needs of others; His kingdom is advanced when they do. We may not be elected officials, but we are God's official representatives with our own spheres of influence. And we are accountable to Him to reflect not only His justice, but His mercy as well.

God is the judge of human judges. He created justice and equity. The nations of the world belong to God, and he holds us responsible for our ethics and conduct.

Isaiah 58 reflects how important justice and mercy are to God. In Isaiah 1:14 and Amos 5:21, God says that he hates Israel's worship because her hands are full of blood. She does not practise justice and mercy between worship times. How would God evaluate our worship?

Does your heart resonate with God's mercy? While reading this, what excuses have you been making so you don't need to get involved? In Luke 6:34, Jesus says, "Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful." The way towards mercy is not to try harder, but to receive it first. Ask the Holy Spirit to show you how merciful God has been towards you. Having received mercy, we are able to pass it on.