Author: Dave Dishman (Page 189 of 480)

Many of us experienced storms this summer where falling limbs knocked out power. When the power’s out nothing works. The TV stays blank, the internet is inaccessible, air conditioners don’t cool and if the grid stays down long enough, food in the freezer starts to rot.

Power lines overhead remind me of our prayer life. The psalmist wrote:

If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened; but God has surely listened and heard my prayer. Praise be to God, who has not rejected my prayer or withheld his love from me!

The best way to pull the plug on my prayer life is to cherish sin in my heart. To cherish means to dwell upon my particular sin, to hold it close and hide it from others. I don’t do anything to stop it, and I manipulate circumstances to keep it alive.

What do you and I cherish that displeases the Lord? Pride, lack of forgiveness, jealousy and anger come to mind. Perhaps coveting what others possess, or treasuring immorality from hidden sessions on social media or the internet. Do I despise my neighbor and enjoy the thought of their frustrations in life?

Regardless of the sin, cherishing it cuts off access to the Lord. Power failure—the lines are down. Frustrated in prayer? Look inward and remove the debris, then the Lord will listen once again.

Psalm 66 in reading the Bible in 2023

Photo by fabian jones

I’m no wine connoisseur, but I know that certain wines are mixed, or blended, before bottling. Blending is the process of combining different varieties to create a medley that’s better than any of the wines on their own.

Mirroring a fine blend, the prophet Isaiah reveals an aspect of the Lord’s heart tuned toward you and me:

The Lord longs to be gracious to you; therefore he will rise up and show you compassion. For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for him!

Our world rarely blends grace and compassion with justice. We present justice as harsh, punitive and crushing, opposite of the lightness of grace. Those in need of justice deserve no compassion. It’s either/or, not both/and.

But in the Lord we experience an exquisite blend. God’s justice mixes with his grace and compassion to release us from our captivity to self and turn us toward him. The Lord models this for us, and in turn we can be both just and compassionate with those around us.

While I never hope to understand the intricacies of winemaking, I can live under the hope found in the Lord’s matchless blend of justice, grace and compassion.

Isaiah 30 in reading the Bible in 2023

Photo by Rodrigo Abreu

Paul wrote a long letter to church members in Corinth, addressing their slide into religiosity and immorality. Members spoke arrogantly to one another, proud of their ways. Paul called them to the carpet, speaking as a father to wayward adolescents:

I will come to you very soon, if the Lord is willing, and then I will find out not only how these arrogant people are talking, but what power they have. For the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power.

Many in Corinth talked too much and instead of the Living God, they worshipped a placebo, a saccharine god, rough edges sanded and polished.

Placebo worship focuses on self. The placebo worshipper believes that God primarily wants them to be happy, so avoids any complications getting in the way. The placebo allows for most any lifestyle, as long as it feels good. Selective readings from the Bible proof text the experience. Placebo worshippers drift along, fingering their handmade god.

Fortunately, the kingdom of God supersedes such drivel. The raw God of the Scriptures brings power, the Holy Spirit indwelling those who follow him. One who follows the Lord doesn’t drift, but climbs aboard to endure storms and raging seas. The living God isn’t about my happiness, but rather my holiness.

Worship the Lord in all his power and glory, humbly wrestling with the full breadth of the Scriptures. Move beyond talk into the kingdom of God.

1 Corinthians 4 in reading the Bible in 2023

Photo by Michał Parzuchowski

Sometimes the Scriptures speak circumspectly, in round about ways that slowly melt into understanding. But other times straight up.

Like when the Lord spoke through the prophet Isaiah:

You turn things upside down, as if the potter were thought to be like the clay! Shall what is formed say to the one who formed it, “You did not make me”? Can the pot say to the potter, “You know nothing”?

How often do I pray, Lord, what are you doing? Why don’t you move slower? Or faster? Or stop already?

It helps me to remember that every comment of mine rises from the pot to the potter. It also encourages me to know that the Lord, our gracious potter, welcomes my honest prayers, my anger and musings and grateful reflections.

But shaking my fist and proclaiming, You did not make me! You know nothing! is simply foolish. The potter shakes his head at such hubris. He patiently waits to see if I’ll move beyond this posture to a deeper understanding of the pot/potter relationship.

Because as much as I might like to twist it around, I remain the pot and the Lord remains the potter.

Isaiah 29 in reading the Bible in 2023

Photo by SwapnIl Dwivedi