David Bahn - Reflections

As Jesus' disciples enjoy this time of fellowship and food, it is also a foretaste of an eternal feast that will never end. This day will have come and gone. The meal will be remembered and even reported to us centuries later through John’s witness. This third time Jesus appears is the last John will record. But one day he will appear for all to see. And he will take us to be with him in his h...

In the case of the disciples' failure to catch any fish that night, Jesus' question seems like more of an invitation than a challenge. But it is an invitation to admit their failure and lack of resources. And it became an opportunity for Jesus to show his gracious provisional power. Who would have thought it? So now, the questions I posed more than two weeks ago seem ever so appropriate. W...

This fish-eating (or rather the recording of it) is meant to show that Jesus is not an apparition. He's not a ghost. He is real. He has a real body. Thomas can touch his hands and side. Jesus can eat fish. Jesus' resurrection, God's promises, heaven's hope, and our future joy in the life of the world to come is as real as the fish the disciples caught and Jesus enjoyed with them th...

153 fish. That is a remarkable number of fish. Maybe you have some wonderment-worthy numbers of your own. Perhaps you’ve seen Jesus show up and bring resources you had no idea of until he made himself known. That relief may come tomorrow. Who knows? And if it does, take a moment to count the fish and praise God for his gracious provision.

I wonder how many times I've struggled with no apparent success only to have Jesus show up and bring a degree of success I could never imagine. I wonder if God has not engineered some things in my life so that I did not succeed until I recognized Jesus' presence and went his way. I do believe Jesus wants to show himself to us because of his love for us. He doesn't come to chide. He com...

This is an Easter psalm. And as we celebrate Jesus' resurrection from the grave it is much easier to give thanks for the day he has made. Jesus' resurrection is the great show of God's creative power. It also  provides us with a reminder of God's goodness and steadfast love. For Jesus' resurrection not only vindicates him and his faithfulness to the heavenly Father. It also bri...

The message of Jesus is getting to new people. Lives are being changed for all eternity. People are being brought to faith. God is at work there. New churches are being planted through the Harvest Partnership . We look with anticipation to the harvest. You can see this worldwide in places like Ethiopia, Uganda, Tanzania, and  the baltic states where PLI is at work training pastors and lay leaders...

The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. (Psalm 118:22) I wonder how this verse might apply to us today. Certainly as a reminder that Jesus is the chief of the corner. He defines the building of the church. He defines its angles, dimensions, and measurements. He is essential to our faith. You cannot attach a true hope apart from Jesus. In fact so important is Jesus' res...

Through this psalm we call out,  that I may enter through them and give thanks to the Lord. And comes the answer:  This is the gate of the Lord; the righteous shall enter through it. Jesus is both the door ( John 10:9 ) and the one who has opened it. He died, and says, "behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades." (Revelation 1:18) He has opened up heaven to al...

Psalm 118 is a great Easter psalm. This is the day the Lord has made, let us be rejoice and be glad in it. O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good. His steadfast love endures forever. Steadfast love. Pure goodness. God’s making of each day. Redemption. These are the makings of the purest joy.

Jesus triumphed over evil by resisting every temptation, manipulation, intimidation, and pressure to abandon faith in God and give into the deceitful plans of Satan. All Satan wanted was for Jesus to give up reliance on his heavenly Father. All he wanted was for Jesus to fail in his perfect obedience to God. All he wanted was for Jesus to come down from the cross and save himself. But Jesus did no...

This is a Psalm of remembrance and of anticipation. That the right hand of the Lord has done valiantly is history. But it is also prelude. And singing it implies that we are thankful for God's past deliverance and that we are looking for God's future salvation.  We have been saved by Jesus' death and resurrection. We are being saved by the Holy Spirit's continuing work in our heart...

Maybe today you're looking for God's redemption, help, blessing, or salvation. Perhaps you have looked for some time and yearned for the hand of God to be revealed for your good. It might not yet have come. And you might be tempted to find help, relief, hope, peace, or comfort elsewhere. Today we must remember, it it better to trust in God than in horses, kings, man, or woman. God alone sa...

We are all called on to let others know what Jesus has done; whether it seems good to them or not. And you never can tell who will be happy or sad. You can never tell who will welcome Jesus or who will not. The most respectable people of Jesus' day wanted nothing to do with him. They realized that he would turn their world upside down. They realized that their little fiefdoms would be shaken t...

We'll be staying with this Psalm for two weeks. There is so much here. And we begin with shouts of praise, honor, glory, and petition: Save us, O LORD, you who come in the Name of the LORD.  Holy week begins with a triumphant procession of Jesus with his disciples entering Jerusalem. Coming down the road from the Mount of Olives crowds cheer him. Palm branches are cut from the trees, waved in...

I often conflate the coming and going of this psalm, when offering this blessing during baptism. I'm trying to convey the idea that we come into God's house by his blessing, and leave to be a blessing to others. Jesus came to save. He sends us saved ones to save others. We don't just come into the place of God's grace. As long as we live we also go as his ambassadors to offer grace...

Most often God protects us from the dangers that come by day or at night. We can lament the times trouble intrudes. God receives such prayers. The Psalms are full of them. But we must also thank God daily for his protection, provision, and presence. For that is the far greater and more common experience for most all of God's people.

There is one exception to God's absolute 24/7/365 care for his people. It was 2000 years ago from 9:00 in the morning to 3:00 in the afternoon. That was the time his only Son was on the cross. It was then that God took his eye off Jesus. Jesus cried out, "My God, my God! Why have you forsaken me?" He did that so that we could enjoy the eternal blessings of God's glorious grace. T...

Jesus promises that when we call on God in his name, he hears us. A humble cry reaches the heart of God, and he delights to be known by us. Our help comes from the LORD, maker of heaven and earth, redeemer of lost and broken sinners, friend of repentant sinners, and keeper of our lives who has taken on human flesh. He is known as Jesus whom we confess as Lord. When we call on God in Jesus' nam...

When trouble comes, God never says, "I didn't see  that coming!" There are no surprises in the courts of the heavenly realm. He has good plans for his people. Sometimes those plans are to help others in their time of need. Sometimes those plans are to strengthen our faith through trials and struggles. And sometimes his plans are to send help at an opportune time. In every case when w...

Pause today and remember to  be still and know that God is God. He will be exalted among the nations and in all the earth.  As we pause and refresh, we will discover not only the life we’ve always wanted, but also the gracious blessing of bearing fruit. All this for the glory of God, your joy, and the blessing of many. For now, though, enjoy the pause that refreshes. And just so you know, I’m not...

We're all looking for paradise. We want to live in a garden of God's favor and delight. We yearn for his true grace and goodness. We yearn for God himself to be present. This psalm points us to God. And 1500 years later God would speak through the Apostle John with this promise: And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell w...

God's desire is for his people to be fully blessed, completely glad. Experiencing his grace and love is the essential beginning of that gladness. The completion of it comes when we pass along those blessings to others. Such is the river of gladness: It flows to us with great and gracious blessing, and from us to others as we give that which we have received from God.

I need both a reminder of God's fear-worthiness as well as the encouragement to draw near to him when the world's dangers threaten. Whether it's direct threats of violence and natural disaster, or the subtle influences of peer pressure or temptation, I need God's help and a reminder that he is worthy of healthy and godly fear. That may be a secondary motivation to faithfulness, but...

The world sees God as an interloper, an intrusion, and a killjoy. All they see is the outward formidable expression of God's refuge and strength. Those of us who are inside that refuge, know it to be a place of beauty, joy, life, comfort, and true security.