Confession Is Good for the Soul
Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost
Sunday, August 4
Psalm 38:9-22
David did it again. We don’t know exactly what it was, but he owned up to his sin. While some who read this passage may perceive that David is writing from a victim mindset, earlier in the psalm he confesses that he missed the mark and that the consequences he is experiencing are just. He also confesses that they are just plain overwhelming.
Whatever David’s breach of integrity was, part of his healing and restoring of the breach was to agree with what was true. He models that well for us. He also models how safe he is in his Lord’s provision of a relationship in which he can let the truth be known about his poor health of body, mind, and soul. In his confession, we see that even when good is withheld, God provides something else essential on which to secure our hope.
Lord, help me lean into whatever is true and lean into you who are Truth. Amen.
PRAYER FOCUS: TIME ALONE WITH GOD
Gratitude Evaporates Frustration
Monday, August 5
Exodus 16:2-4, 9-15
Of course, the people would grumble. The desert was hot. Food and water were scarce. The days were monotonous. The environment was full of unpredictable risks. Back in Egypt’s miserable conditions, at least they had some certainty about what was going to happen next.
The phrase “Gratitude evaporates frustration” became a core teaching during summer staff training at the Bible camps I served. The days would be long and hot for the staff. The demands on their time and energies would be endless. Food would be plentiful, but menus would become routine. Colleagues would become like family (complete with grace-and-grumble realities).
So our lesson was to look for what we could be grateful for and to actively give thanks. It doesn’t make the frustration go away, but it will make it easier to move through. Vapor is much easier to move through than water—and especially easier than ice.
Lord, in this scenario, __________, I am grateful for __________. Amen.
How Do You Know When You Have Rested?
Tuesday, August 6
1 Kings 19:4-8
At Twin Lakes Bible Camp in Iowa, summer staff gathered weekly for worship and discussion about living with a biblical worldview. During the first of one summer’s such gatherings, knowing their age group’s propensity to give it their all, play hard, and stay up late, after reading a passage about sabbath rhythms, I asked the question in the title above.
The discussion was so engaging and wide-ranging that I knew we’d hit on a felt need, one that perhaps had never been given adequate space in which to be articulated. We did not arrive at an answer.
The next week I surprised them with the same question. We got the same result. I don’t remember how many weeks it took to arrive at an answer, but eventually one rang true for all of us: “I know I have rested when I am eager to serve.”
Lord, thank you for your command to rest. Help me prioritize my relationship with you, so that my service in your name is restfully eager. Amen.
PRAYER FOCUS: GRATEFULNESS FOR GOD’S GOODNESS
Lecture, Lab, Life
Wednesday, August 7
John 6:22-29
One of the principles of adult learning is, “Adults learn best, not when they are told but when they discover.” This is probably true for all ages. While neither John’s nor Matthew’s Gospels explicitly state that Jesus taught the crowd of 5,000 before he fed them and then walked on the water to join his disciples in their boat, we often picture events unfolding in this sequence: Jesus teaches the crowd (lecture). He then feeds more than 5,000 people, and soon after that he walks on the water (lab). Then people (the crowd and his disciples) ask questions about things they truly desire to understand and apply (life).
Sometimes Jesus varies the order: Perform a miracle (lab); leverage the teachable moment (lecture); provide guidance on how to respond (life). Or, a question is raised about why a person is blind (life); Jesus provides an answer (lecture); and then he performs a miracle (lab). Whatever the order, he always provides an opportunity for discovery.
Lord, help me pay attention and connect your dots. Amen.
I Want to Trust You, But…
Thursday, August 8
John 6:30-35
Another effective discussion-starter question is, “What is the criteria for trustworthiness?” This is also a thought-provoking question for self-reflection. Asked with humility, it can lead to deeper questions, eventually arriving at an answer that seems, well, trustworthy.
In his book The Speed of Trust, author Stephen M.R. Covey distills the criteria down to a complementary combination of character and competency.
The crowd in today’s passage had sought out Jesus because they knew they could trust his character (integrity and intent), but they were still asking, “Can we trust you?” questions because they wanted to know if he would be consistently competent (capabilities and results). “What sign will you give?” Like the crowd, we get hung up on a need for a steady flow of new results. But Jesus asks us to take him at his already demonstrated word.
Lord, as I look forward with you, remind me of your proven trustworthiness, even if it didn’t directly involve me. Amen.
PRAYER FOCUS: A SPIRIT OF GENEROSITY TOWARD OTHERS
Curiosity and Conclusions
Friday, August 9
John 6:41-51
“Things are not always as they seem.” “We don’t know what we don’t know.” I know these statements are true, but why do I so often assume I know enough to quickly jump to a conclusion? The crowd in John 6 did the same thing.
Their initial questions came from curiosity. As information accumulated, to give it meaning they processed it through what was familiar—trying to make sense of something deeper than what they could see. As Jesus revealed more of the realm from which he came, their questions came from a place of skepticism. He was no longer providing answers that made sense!
God reveals himself through our senses. He did that wonderfully through Jesus. Yet perhaps our senses are touchpoints through which, with the Spirit’s help, we realize that what we know about Bread is really only a few crumbs.
Lord, help me remain curious, even about my skepticism, and to trust that you are at work for good in ways I cannot yet see. Amen.
Connecting the Dots
Saturday, August 10
Psalm 145:10-18
You’ve probably heard already that God is always at work around us. Even though I know this, I often take it for granted to the point I forget it is happening. Then he reveals what he’s been up to, and I am again pleasantly surprised. (Okay, not always pleasantly.)
As I read through today’s passage for a third time, I realized it references in some way each of this week’s previous insights. So, it could be argued that God has been working all week long to prepare us to worship him through this psalm. Imagine God providing moment by moment that which we need in this realm to participate in a more fully informed worship of its very Creator!
I invite you to invest the time to read today’s passage (and the entire psalm) while reviewing the insights from this week’s earlier texts and see what emerges for you.
O Lord, Maker of dots, help me see how you connect them into paths of revelation. You are so good at what you do! Amen.
