Author: John Tillman

Scripture: Isaiah 46.5
With whom will you compare me or count me equal?
To whom will you liken me that we may be compared?

Reflection: On Idolizing Man :: Throwback Thursday
By Richard Baxter (1615-1691)

This iniquity [idolizing man] consists not simply in the heart’s neglect of God, but in the preferring of some competitor, and prevalence of some object which stands up for an opposite interest. So obeying man before God and against him, and valuing the favor and approbation of man before or against the approbation of God, and fearing of man’s censure or displeasure more than God’s, is idolizing Man, or setting him up in the place of God.

It turns our chief observance, and care, and labor, and pleasure, and grief into this human, fleshly channel, and makes all that to be but human in our hearts and lives, which should be divine.

As all other creatures, so especially man, must be regarded and valued only in a due subordination and subserviency to God. If they be valued otherwise, they are made his enemies, and so are to be hated, and are made the principal engine of the ruin of such as overvalue them.

See what the scriptures say of this sin:

Cursed is the one who trusts in man,
who draws strength from mere flesh
and whose heart turns away from the Lord. — Jeremiah 17.5

The Lord is with me; I will not be afraid.
What can mere mortals do to me? — Psalm 118.6

It is better to take refuge in the Lord
than to trust in humans.
It is better to take refuge in the Lord
than to trust in princes. — Psalm 118.8-9

Understand well what the nature of this sin consists of, that you may not run into the contrary extreme, but may know which way to bend your opposition—how far we may and must please men, and how far not.

*Abridged and language updated from Directions against Idolizing Man.

Prayer: The Call to Prayer
Come, let us sing to the Lord;…for the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods. — Psalm 95.1, 3

– Prayer from The Divine Hours: Prayers for Springtime by Phyllis Tickle.

Full prayer available online and in print.

Today’s Readings
Isaiah 46 (Listen – 2:12)
Revelation 16 (Listen – 3:17)

Additional Reading
Read More about What Slavery We Choose
What a task have people-pleasers! They have as many masters as beholders! No wonder it takes them from the service of God.

Read More about Idolatry of Self-Confidence
Shall I tell you where the men are who believe most in themselves? The men who really believe in themselves are all in lunatic asylums.

Scripture: Isaiah 43.9, 12
All the nations gather together
and the peoples assemble.
Which of their gods foretold this
and proclaimed to us the former things?
Let them bring in their witnesses to prove they were right,
so that others may hear and say, “It is true.”
…I have revealed and saved and proclaimed—
I, and not some foreign god among you.

Reflection: For Your Goodness :: Worldwide Prayer
A prayer of devotion from Hong Kong

We thank you for your goodness,
Lovingkindness and everlasting love;
May your glory be showered upon us.
Let us worship you in spirit and in truth,
For there is no other God like you in heaven or
Earth, keeping covenant and showing
Lovingkindness to your servants
Who walk before you with all their heart.

O Lord, our God,
Help us to humble ourselves and pray,
To seek your face and turn from our wicked ways;
Hear our prayer,
Forgive our sins and heal our land.

O Lord, our God,
Yours is the Kingdom,
And the power,
And the glory,
Forever and ever.

*Prayer from Hallowed be Your Name: A collection of prayers from around the world, Dr. Tony Cupit, Editor.

Prayer: Request for Presence
O Lord, watch over us and save us from this generation forever. — Psalm 12.7

– Prayer from The Divine Hours: Prayers for Springtime by Phyllis Tickle.

Full prayer available online and in print.

Today’s Readings
Isaiah 43 (Listen – 4:06)
Revelation 13 (Listen – 3:20)

Additional Reading
Read More from Not Abandoned :: Worldwide Prayer, from the USA
Then came the times of my rebellion, the days
of my senseless rage, when I abandoned
The ways of God, and followed in the vanity
Of trusting in the strength of men.

Read More about God, the Wall Breaker :: Worldwide Prayer, from Japan
God, help us to break down dividing walls of ignorance, indifference, prejudice, and discrimination.

Scripture: Revelation 10.10-11
I took the little scroll from the angel’s hand and ate it. It tasted as sweet as honey in my mouth, but when I had eaten it, my stomach turned sour. Then I was told, “You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, languages and kings.”

Guided prayers and meditations are a common part of Christian spiritual practice. Return to this prayer through the day or over the weekend, as it will be a different experience based on your mood and surroundings. — John

Reflection: The Weight of Nations :: A Guided Prayer
By John Tillman

Isaiah 40 is one of the most loved and read sections of Isaiah. It starts out sweet in our mouths. As we recite some passages we hear the music of Handel thrumming beneath them.

Comfort, comfort my people,
says your God.

Thank God for this passage which speaks from our future.

But as we read, like the scroll John eats in Revelation 10, there are passages that sound sour notes as well.

A voice says, “Cry out.”
And I said, “What shall I cry?”

“All people are like grass,
and all their faithfulness is like the flowers of the field.

Our faithfulness is often beautiful, but does not last. Reflect on a time your faithfulness waned and confess it to God.

Flowers fade and wither, yet they also bloom again. Ask the Holy Spirit to renew your faithfulness.

One way we can be unfaithful is replacing God in our hearts with other concerns.

Surely the nations are like a drop in a bucket;
they are regarded as dust on the scales…

Before him all the nations are as nothing;
they are regarded by him as worthless
and less than nothing.

Strong feelings of love and affection for our nation are not evil, but how do they compare to our feelings for God’s kingdom? Do we equate loving country with loving God? Do we confuse the one with the other?

Imagine standing with Christ at the scales mentioned in the passage. Separate your feelings of patriotism and country from your feelings toward God’s kingdom. Place them on opposing sides of the scale. What happens?

Ask the Holy Spirit for the answer.

Ask the Holy Spirit to help you realize the true scale of God’s kingdom.

He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth,
and its people are like grasshoppers…

He brings princes to naught
and reduces the rulers of this world to nothing…

“To whom will you compare me?
Or who is my equal?” says the Holy One.

Praise God for His incomparable kingdom and the peace and comfort we can access as its citizens and representatives on earth. Through word and deed, go out and proclaim this good news and comfort.

You who bring good news to Zion,
go up on a high mountain.
You who bring good news to Jerusalem,
lift up your voice with a shout,
lift it up, do not be afraid;
say to the towns of Judah,
“Here is your God!”

Prayer: The Call to Prayer
Bless our God, you peoples; make the voice of his praise to be heard;
Who holds our souls in life, and will not allow our feet to slip. — Psalm 66.7-8

– Prayer from The Divine Hours: Prayers for Springtime by Phyllis Tickle.

Full prayer available online and in print.

Today’s Readings
Isaiah 40 (Listen – 5:09)
Revelation 10 (Listen – 1:59)

This Weekend’s Readings
Isaiah 41 (Listen – 5:00) Revelation 11 (Listen – 3:24)
Isaiah 42 (Listen – 4:11) Revelation 12 (Listen – 2:58)

Additional Reading
Read more from A Prayer for My People from China :: Worldwide Prayer
Loving God,
For my people, I cry out to you…

Read more about Praying for Political Leaders :: Readers’ Choice
When people are caught in a system dominated by hate there is an opportunity for Christians to participate in redemption.

Scripture: Isaiah 39.8
“The word of the Lord you have spoken is good,” Hezekiah replied. For he thought, “There will be peace and security in my lifetime.”

Reflection: Pride and Short-sightedness :: Throwback Thursday
By John Tillman

The remarkable life of Hezekiah ends in pride and short-sightedness. Pride in showing off his kingdom’s wealth to the Babylonians—planting the seeds of Israel’s future looting and exile. Shortsightedness in his interpretation that at least his life would not be affected by his mistakes.

Richard Baxter (1615–1691) discusses how the temptation of pride is aimed at the strong:

The tempter overcomes very many, by making them presumptuously confident of their own strength: saying, “You are not so weak as not to be able to bear a greater temptation than this. Can you not gaze on beauty, or go among vain and tempting company, and yet choose whether you will sin? It is a child indeed that has no more government of themselves. Cannot your table, your cup, your house, your lands, be pleasing and delectable, without you over-loving them, and turning them to sin?”

O know your own weakness, the treacherous enemy which you still carry with you, who is ready to open the back-door to the devil! Remember that flesh is on the tempter’s side, and how much it can do with you before you are aware. Remember what an unsettled wretch you are, and how many a good purpose formerly has come to nothing, and how often you have sinned by a small temptation.

Remember that without the Spirit of Christ, you can do nothing, nor stand against any assault of Satan; and that Christ gives his Spirit and help in his own way, and not to those that tempt him to forsake them, by thrusting themselves into temptations.

Shall ever a mortal man presume upon his own strength, after the falls of an Adam, a Noah, a Lot, a David, a Solomon, a Hezekiah, a Josiah, a Peter and after such ruins of multitudes of professors, as our eyes have seen?

“These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the culmination of the ages has come. So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall!” 1 Corinthians 10.11-12.*

The recent falls of many Christian leaders have been dominating news cycles. Some of the fallen had enemies who might be tempted to glee and friends tempted to excuse them. Instead of either of these, may we turn to inward examination.

As Beth Moore posted this week, “These things ought to scare us to death…Only a fool gloats when others fail.”

*Abridged and language updated from Christian Ethics: Temptations to Particular Sins

Prayer: The Morning Psalm
In the beginning, O Lord, you laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands;
They shall perish, but you shall endure; they all shall wear out like a garment; as clothing you will change them, and they shall be changed… — Psalm 102.25-26

– Prayer from The Divine Hours: Prayers for Springtime by Phyllis Tickle.

Full prayer available online and in print.

Today’s Readings
Isaiah 39 (Listen – 1:35)
Revelation 9 (Listen – 3:30)

Additional Reading
Read more about Pride and Cowardice
The separation of cowardice and pride is a false one, for these two are really one and the same.

Read more about Pride, the Enemy of Pleasure
When our lives take on a posture of humility it affects not just our relationships with others, but our relationships with the objects and pleasures of this world.

Scripture: Isaiah 38.2-3
Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord, “Remember, Lord, how I have walked before you faithfully and with wholehearted devotion and have done what is good in your eyes.” And Hezekiah wept bitterly.

Reflection: Prayer Beyond Petitions
By John Tillman

The adage, “Prayer doesn’t change things, it changes us,” is a cop-out.

If it is anything other than a cop-out it is at best a description of only part of what prayer is. It diminishes prayer to a self-counseling tool, a mere coping mechanism.

Todd Edmondson discusses this in his essay, Praying for a Change:

Such a perspective, however neat and tidy it might be, is profoundly unsatisfying and contradictory to what the Church has long held to be true.

When we envision prayer solely as something we do, as a work of human agency, it is almost impossible not to see it as a ritual designed for our benefit, as an incantation in which only the most superstitious or simple-minded people believe.

The healing of Hezekiah from his illness is a unique scriptural example of a prayer for change for several reasons.

• God directly tells Hezekiah that he will not survive. This is not an event where God’s will is unknown.
• There is no reason given for this illness. It is not a punitive judgement, like David’s child.
• Hezekiah’s prayer is bitter, but he makes no direct request for healing. He simply asks to be remembered, as the thief on the cross did.
• Isaiah delivers the message that God has changed his mind due to hearing Hezekiah’s prayer.

There is not a formula to be applied in a prayer for change other than giving ourselves to a relationship with God. We cannot attribute success to Hezekiah’s words or the words of any recorded prayer. We must, instead, get to know Hezekiah’s God.

That our prayers to God would bring the realities of this world into contact with divine purposes, or that God would join us in our this-worldly struggles, should not strike us as odd or irrational, because it is exactly what God has been doing for thousands of years… Indeed, other methods of affecting change and other recipients of our trust—from politics to technology to military might—would seem to be far less proved than prayer, if our memories were not so short and our imaginations so easily manipulated by the kingdoms of this world.

It is more important that we know God through prayer than petition him. God answers Hezekiah’s unasked prayer through relationship. Our needs, like Hezekiah’s will be apparent to God, when we invest time in a relationship that goes beyond petition.

Prayer: The Call to Prayer
Bless our God, you peoples; make the voice of his praise to be heard;
Who holds our souls in life, and will not allow our feet to slip. — Psalm 66.7-8

– Prayer from The Divine Hours: Prayers for Springtime by Phyllis Tickle.

Full prayer available online and in print.

Today’s Readings
Isaiah 38 (Listen – 3:20)
Revelation 8 (Listen – 2:15)

Additional Reading
Read more about Pleading Prayer
When we run out of pretty prayers and Sunday School answers, pleading is an intimate, ugly cry that dares to cast away its pride.

Read more about Finding God :: A Guided Prayer
Even today my complaint is bitter;
his hand is heavy in spite of my groaning.