Month: June 2024

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Shocking Prayers and Promises

Scripture Focus: Psalm 109.6-8
6 Appoint someone evil to oppose my enemy; let an accuser stand at his right hand. 
7 When he is tried, let him be found guilty, and may his prayers condemn him. 
8 May his days be few; may another take his place of leadership.

Reflection: Shocking Prayers and Promises
By John Tillman

You’ll probably never hear Psalm 109 or other imprecatory psalms read in church. The condemnations are harsh. The cries for violent retribution are unsettling. Is this praying or cursing?

When the suffering cry out, they don’t consider the feelings of those listening. They chuck civility and cordiality out the window. They employ emotional language and evocative metaphors. They abandon the vocabulary of propriety and politeness. They may even go beyond cursing to “cussing.”

Imagine yourself standing in front of someone shouting out the curses and demands of this psalm…

If you are like me, you probably picture yourself giving one of two responses: disengagement or discouragement. You want to get away from them or tell them to calm down.

“Be respectful.” “Ask nicely and I’ll listen.” “I can’t be around you when you are like this.”

God responds differently. God turns his ear to them. God leans closer. God joins them in their suffering. God’s face looks on them with compassion. God’s hands lift them up and punish their oppressors.

We are not God. We are incapable of his level of listening, patience, empathy, and compassion.

When people protest loudly, we say, “Be quiet.” When they protest at inconvenient times, we say, “Not now.” When they protest in our faces, we say, “Back off.” When they protest in our spaces, we say, “Get out.”

We are also powerless to enact the fullness of God’s justice and righteousness.

There are problems we cannot comprehend. There are oppressors we cannot correct. There are powers we cannot oppose. There are wrongs we cannot make right.

We can, however, lean on the listening, patient, empathetic, compassionate heart of God revealed in scripture. We can work for the problem-solving, corrective, overcoming, good-creating justice and righteousness revealed in scripture. That is what the psalmist is doing.

The psalmist’s cry, “May his children be fatherless and his wife a widow,” (Psalm 109.9) echoes a promise of God from Exodus 22.24 and Jeremiah 18.21. It is God who promised to punish those who harm the vulnerable. We can pray shocking prayers.

Are you hesitant to hear out the hurting?
When the suffering won’t be silent, do you shut your ears?
When the abused are red-faced with anger and shame, do you turn your face away?
When the oppressed open their mouths with curses, do you open the door and leave?


Divine Hours Prayer: The Refrain for the Morning Lessons
Mercy and truth have met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other. — Psalm 85.10

– From The Divine Hours: Prayers for Summertime by Phyllis Tickle.

​Today’s Readings
Isaiah 10.5-34 (Listen 5:14)
Psalm 106 (Listen 4:52)

​This Weekend’s Readings
Isaiah  11-12 (Listen 3:39), Acts 1 (Listen 3:5802)
Isaiah  13 (Listen 3:11), Acts 2 (Listen 6:35)

Read more about An Imprecatory Psalm for Mass Shootings
I went to church…As normal, I paused to think about what I should do in case of a shooting…This shouldn’t be normal.

An Imprecatory Psalm for Mass Shootings

Read more about Wartime Prayers
Imprecatory prayers become expressions of trust in God our Father…not only powerful but…just and loving.

Wartime Prayers

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Evil, Judgment, or Discipline?

Scripture Focus: Isaiah 9.12b
12 …Yet for all this, his anger is not turned away, his hand is still upraised.

Reflection: Evil, Judgment, or Discipline?
By John Tillman

Bad things were happening to Judah. Why?

Three times in this chapter, Isaiah repeats, “Yet for all this, his anger is not turned away, his hand is still upraised.” (Isaiah 5.25; 9.12, 17, 21; 10.4) 

Sometimes “bad things” happen simply because evil exists. Stephen King, who has spent a lifetime writing about evil, put it this way in The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon, “The world has teeth and it can bite you with them any time it wants.”

Sometimes bad things happen as part of God’s judgment. Individuals or groups, by action or inaction, spurn God’s calls for justice, and as Johnny Cash sang, “You can run on for a long time…sooner or later, God’ll cut you down.”

Sometimes bad things happen as part of God’s discipline. Discipline is not “pleasant,” scripture says, but is not intended for harm. Where judgment destroys evil, discipline attempts to turn us from it. Discipline proves that we are loved by God and he intends good things for us.

God’s hand of blessing and protection was lifted from Judah, allowing great suffering, but no matter how bad it got, the people still wouldn’t return to God. They’d do anything other than repent. Anything other than helping the hurting. Anything other than admitting complicity in suffering. Anything other than walking humbly, loving mercy, or acting justly.

Some explain bad things happening saying, “We are being judged because of those sinners over there!” However, Israel’s prophets never say, “This drought is because of those sinful Moabites.” Judgment begins in the house of the Lord.

We need to pause and consider what kind of suffering we are enduring. Are we simply facing an evil world? Are we being judged? Are we being disciplined? Is God’s hand upraised against us?

If we are suffering for doing good, let us rejoice. (1 Peter 3.13-17) In suffering of this kind, God is our comforter and partner.

If we are suffering for resisting evil, let us endure. However, let us not turn to evil means of survival, but rather overcome evil with good.

If we are suffering for sins of commission or omission, for our apathy toward or complicity in the suffering of others, let us repent. For God longs to lead us back to himself. His raised hand of discipline will lower to wipe our tears and “there will be no more gloom for those who were in distress.” (Isaiah 9.1)


Divine Hours Prayer: The Refrain for the Morning Lessons
Let not those who hope in you be put to shame through me, Lord God of hosts; let not those who seek you be disgraced because of me. — Psalm 69.7


– From The Divine Hours: Prayers for Summertime by Phyllis Tickle.

​Today’s Readings
Isaiah  9.8-10.4 (Listen 8:50)
Psalm 105 (Listen 4:02)

Read more about Different Kind of Exile
Peter encourages his exiles not to allow the oppression and suffering they are going through to be something that crushes their faith.

Different Kind of Exile

Read more about The Wrong Fear
This is how people act when they are living in fear. But this is not the reverent fear of the Lord that Peter speaks of.

The Wrong Fear
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Conspiracy Theology

Scripture Focus: Isaiah 8:12, 19-20
12 “Do not call conspiracy
    everything this people calls a conspiracy;
do not fear what they fear,
    and do not dread it.
19 When someone tells you to consult mediums and spiritists, who whisper and mutter, should not a people inquire of their God? Why consult the dead on behalf of the living? 20 Consult God’s instruction and the testimony of warning. If anyone does not speak according to this word, they have no light of dawn. 

Reflection: Conspiracy Theology
By Erin Newton

“Trust no one” is the mantra for our day. We have seen the news turn from a daily source of information to headlines judged for signs of misinformation. As a kid, I was thrilled to hear the screeching tones of AOL dial-up internet. Search engines meant access to facts. Now, we question who is behind each website and even squint to count the number of fingers on a possible AI-generated image.

Who can we trust? Where can we go for answers?

The dawn of social media and artificial intelligence did not create a novel threat—it merely reshaped the old struggle to gauge the trustworthiness of our sources.

For Isaiah, the call to avoid untrustworthy sources meant telling the people to avoid “mediums” and “spiritists”—not our modern warning to avoid “that random post by the username GodLovesOnlyMe38128” or the person behind the pulpit who seems to be selling something. Both the ancient medium and the modern internet troll rely on spewing words that stir up our fear.

The warnings in Isaiah are eerily relevant. God told the prophet to distinguish the work of his hand from purported conspiracy, a word that has been tossed around more frequently today. Conspiracy drives fear and feeds a sense of dread. Conspiracy is easier to manage than divine judgment because people are responsible for conspiracies and can be controlled—or so Isaiah’s community thought.

The conspiracy here is unnamed but could be anything such as political upheavals among the divided kingdom or foreign affairs with the Assyrians or Babylonians. We know that religious practices were corrupted, and the prophets were apt to call them out. Jeremiah was accused of conspiracy when he dared to call out the sin of religious leaders. Whatever crisis plagued the people, they were quick to label it a conspiracy rather than divine judgment.

God rebukes foolishness that confuses divine justice with mortal conspiracy. Such foolishness is like consulting a corpse for advice. If you want answers, don’t go to the cemetery. If you need guidance, don’t consult those who use spirituality for a fee.

The place to find trustworthy answers is with God himself. We have his word, passed down through centuries—studied and analyzed more than any piece of writing on this earth. We have access to his Spirit, who dwells within us—the Word itself abides with us. Consult these things, not the voices that bank on your anxiety.

Divine Hours Prayer: The Refrain for the Morning Lessons
Happy are those who act with justice and always do right! — Psalm 106.3

– From The Divine Hours: Prayers for Summertime by Phyllis Tickle.

​Today’s Readings
Isaiah  8-9.7 (Listen 3:26)
Psalm 104 (Listen 3:37)

Read more about Absurd Little Bird
Many Birds Aren’t Real participants acted out of frustration with friends and family captivated by Qanon and other absurd conspiracy theories.

Absurd Little Bird

Apply or tell a student!
One spot left! (and overflow available) #StudentWritersMonth orientation begins this weekend! #FreeCoaching, seminars by special guests, published work, and a scholarship/stipend.

Student Writers Month
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Proof-Texting Prophets

Scripture Focus: Isaiah 7.10-13
10 Again the Lord spoke to Ahaz, 11 “Ask the Lord your God for a sign, whether in the deepest depths or in the highest heights.” 12 But Ahaz said, “I will not ask; I will not put the Lord to the test.” 13 Then Isaiah said, “Hear now, you house of David! Is it not enough to try the patience of humans? Will you try the patience of my God also?

Reflection: Proof-Texting Prophets
By John Tillman

Trouble was brewing. Enemies were rising. The nation of Judah, Jerusalem, and David’s throne were under threat. While Ahaz was sending out feelers to earthly allies, Isaiah came to the wicked king with a word from the Lord. The first part was encouraging. “…don’t be afraid. Do not lose heart.” (Isaiah 7.4) The second part was a warning. “If you do not stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all.” (Isaiah 7.9)

Even bad kings, like Ahaz, get a chance to turn to God.

The prophet asked the king to select a sign to prove his words true. Ahaz refused. To excuse himself, Ahaz used a “proof text,” quoting Deuteronomy 6.16, “I will not put God to the test.” Isaiah was not impressed with Ahaz’s “proof-texting.” He considered it insulting to him and to God.
Instead of “O King” or using Ahaz’s name, Isaiah calls him the “house of David,” prophesying that his political machinations would fail. A plague of flies would come from Egypt to Judah. (Isaiah 7.18) The plagues that humbled Pharoah would humble Ahaz. Pharoah refused to repent and the plagues escalated to destruction. Ahaz refused to repent, moving David’s house one step closer to exile.

God’s Word may be misquoted, taken out of context, or twisted. Many, like Ahaz, twist it to excuse themselves from doing as God commands. Proof-texting is a bad way to build a faith. It’s also a bad way to deconstruct one. It is still true for us today that if we do not stand firm in our faith, we will not stand at all. Understanding the Bible holistically, within the community of believers, can help us avoid most errors but we still need to be humble and teachable, receptive to human critique and the Holy Spirit’s guidance.

The Bible is true whether we believe it or not and whether we obey it or not. Human errors do not mean God’s Word is in error. Sin is still sin, regardless of whether we use scripture to justify it. God is God regardless of how prideful or arrogant we become.

We all have moments of grace and opportunities for repentance. So consider soberly…

Have you adopted Ahaz’s habits? Are you marshaling earthly resources for spiritual battles? Are you using scriptures as excuses for not obeying God’s clear commands? Are you proof-texting prophets? Are you trying the patience of humans or God? Or both?


Divine Hours Prayer: The Request for Presence
May God be merciful to us and bless us, show us the light of his countenance and come to us. — Psalm 67.1


– From The Divine Hours: Prayers for Summertime by Phyllis Tickle.

​Today’s Readings
Isaiah 7 (Listen 3:51)
Psalm 103 (Listen 2:07)

Read more about Rumors or Repentance
So what do powerful figures do when a prophet is making them look bad? They lie about him. 

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Read more about More Important Matters
The Pharisees had a kind of orthopraxy ADHD…they ignored the more important things by pursuing less important things with hyperfixation.

More Important Matters
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Temple Confrontations

Scripture Focus: Isaiah 6.1-6
1 In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne; and the train of his robe filled the temple. 2 Above him were seraphim, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. 3 And they were calling to one another: 
“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; 
the whole earth is full of his glory.” 
4 At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke. 
5 “Woe to me!” I cried. “I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty.”
6 Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. 7 With it he touched my mouth and said, “See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.” 

2 Chronicles 26.18-19
18 They confronted King Uzziah and said, “It is not right for you, Uzziah, to burn incense to the Lord. That is for the priests, the descendants of Aaron, who have been consecrated to burn incense. Leave the sanctuary, for you have been unfaithful; and you will not be honored by the Lord God.”

19 Uzziah, who had a censer in his hand ready to burn incense, became angry. While he was raging at the priests in their presence before the incense altar in the Lord’s temple, leprosy broke out on his forehead.

Reflection: Temple Confrontations
By John Tillman

Unlike many prophets we have read, Isaiah was no outcast. He was a palace insider, accustomed to power, a friend to kings. According to Jewish tradition, he may even have been of royal blood himself. There is no question, however, that Isaiah’s writing is among the most treasured of the prophetic books. He was a highly educated, poetic, artistic, skilled writer who lived in a golden age of mostly good kings. 

We often think that a bit more power, a bit more influence, one “godly” leader will be just what we need to restore a “golden age.” But earthly golden ages are typically built by corrupt power standing on the backs of oppressed people.

Isaiah saw this power and pride up close. He saw it corrupt the hearts of at least two good kings—Hezekiah and Uzziah. Both were exemplary leaders up to a point. Both were brought down by pride.

Uzziah’s death is mentioned right before Isaiah describes encountering the Lord in his Temple. Uzziah’s experience in the Temple was humiliating (2 Chronicles 26.21), resulting in his exile and death. Uzziah’s fate must have been in the back of Isaiah’s mind as he was confronted by a vision of God’s heavenly throne room overlapping the physical Temple.

Standing where Uzziah was struck with leprosy, Isaiah expected to be ruined. He knew that he, like Uzziah, was unclean before the Lord. But Isaiah’s outcome was different. Uzziah angrily claimed purity and was made unclean. (2 Chronicles 26.18-20) Isaiah fearfully confessed uncleanness and was made pure.

Like Isaiah, we need to be confronted with our individual and collective uncleanness. (Isaiah confesses both.) That confrontation can go like Uzziah’s or like Isaiah’s. When we confess we deserve censure, the censer of God burns away our sin, yet we are miraculously not consumed.

Normally, when ritually clean things touched ritually unclean things, the clean became contaminated. However, the coal from the altar purified Isaiah as Jesus purifies us. Jesus touched unclean lepers, making them clean. No matter how corrupted or sinful we may be, Jesus is willing to make us clean. (Matthew 8.2-3)

Isaiah can testify that golden ages aren’t what they are cracked up to be. Rather than an earthly golden age, we need a heavenly one. When we acknowledge that we deserve ruin, we get renovated instead.

“Here am I, Lord. Send me.”


Divine Hours Prayer: The Greeting
Restore us, O God of hosts; show the light of your countenance, and we shall be saved. — Psalm 80.3


– From The Divine Hours: Prayers for Summertime by Phyllis Tickle.

​Today’s Readings
Isaiah 6 (Listen 2:24)
Psalm 102 (Listen 2:25)

Read more about Where is the Love?
Thank Jesus for caring enough about you to keep kicking over your tables and cleaning up your mess.

Where is the Love?

Apply or tell a student!
One spot left! (and overflow available) #StudentWritersMonth orientation begins this weekend! #FreeCoaching, seminars by special guests, published work, and a scholarship/stipend.

Student Writers Month