David Bahn - Reflections

God's nature never changes. Our ability to experience him is certainly limited. Our comprehension of God is finite. Our faith in him and his promises wavers. But God is constant. He is the rock. He is the One who will be there whenever we turn to him. From everlasting to everlasting he is. Known by faith. Redeemed by Jesus. Sanctified by the Holy Spirit. Attested to in Scripture. Proven by an empt...

When we praise God, we express truths that bind the soul in grace and love. It aligns our souls with the reality of God's greatness and our unworthiness in the face of his majesty. Praising God is good for the soul, not just the thing we ought to do. Furthermore, when we sing our praises, something Martin Luther commended, we don't just express joy, we find it. As I've often said, praising God is...

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. A...

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 spa...

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 m...

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...

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...

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...

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 o...

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 repent...

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. Lamen...

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...

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-goer...

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 anxi...

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...

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 de...

"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 Spiri...

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. Jesu...

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 he...

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 pra...

The blessing of God's presence will be fully enjoyed by those who love him and yearn for his guidance, provision, and salvation. That's the promise of God recorded in Revelation 21:1-3 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a b...

The first step in the AA 12-Step recovery program is to admit that you have a problem. That's an attitude of humility. Other steps require confession, obedience, and even helping others along the way. That's the path of obedience. That's nothing new. These are God's ways from of old. Blessed is the one who will humble himself before God, and who will fully experience the blessings of God in follow...

David - 1000 years before Jesus was born - writes about the LORD being his shepherd. And all that he does is good. Safety, security, and rich supply are the LORD's gifts. Eternal joy in his presence is his hope. Confidence in the face of challenge and danger is his fortune. David identifies the One who supplies all this: the LORD. This is the holy name of God, the One who is, who revealed himself...