A “How Long O LORD?” Song (2019 Rerun)

Posted on April 7, 2026 by Pete

Doing something a little different as I read through the Psalms this year — I’m doing it with Dane Ortlund. Well, with his devotional on the Psalms. And something he points out this morning about Psalm 79 strikes me.

. . . we have a unique advantage over God’s people in Asaph’s time. For we see that if we are united to Christ by faith, then no disaster that ever washes into our lives is because of God’s frustrated anger. All of that was poured out on Christ at the cross. God may be disciplining us; he may be chastening us; he may be testing us. But it is all out of love. Jesus has washed away any reason for God to be angry with us in a punishing kind of way.

(Ortlund, In the Lord I Take Refuge, p.224)

God doesn’t get angry when we sin. Hmm . . .

True statement? I’m thinkin’ . . .

While there may be a correlation between our sin and our suffering, it’s not God’s anger. It could simply be a matter of cause, effect, and consequence. It could be loving discipline. But it is not anger. To quote another, ‘He loves us. Oh, how He loves us.”

It looks like I was kind of “in the neighborhood” of Ortlund’s thought as I chewed on this song back a few years ago. But not really . . .

Thanking God for the “united to Christ” connection this morning.

Here’s how I thought about it back in 2019 . . .

It’s not a happy song. Not gonna set your toe to tapping. It’s a sad song. A lament.

I’m guessing it was written after the Babylonian invasion. Also referred to as the Chaldeans, these nation conquerors had added Israel to their list. They had encroached for years. Took their time as they laid siege to God’s great city. Even taking over the throne in advance of taking over the land with their puppet kings. But eventually, they had “come into” God’s inheritance, had defiled His holy temple, and had laid Jerusalem in ruins. All the while they had poured out blood and taken life, feeding the bodies of God’s people to the birds and their flesh to the beasts. So many dead that there was no one to bury them (Ps. 79:1-3). And to add insult to injury, insult was added to injury:

We have become a taunt to our neighbors,
       mocked and derided by those around us. (Psalm 79:4 ESV)

It had been hard, really hard. And it had been going on for a long time, a really long time. And there was no apparent end in sight. So, the songwriter pens a song — a “how long O Lord song.”

How long, O LORD? Will You be angry forever?
       Will Your jealousy burn like fire? (Psalm 79:5 ESV)

It’s not the first “how long O Lord” song in the Psalter. David had penned a couple:

How long, O LORD? Will You forget me forever?
       How long will You hide Your face from me? (Psalm 13:1 ESV)

How long, O Lord, will You look on?
       Rescue me from their destruction,
       my precious life from the lions! (Psalm 35:17 ESV)

And a guy by the name of Ethan the Ezrahite would write another:

How long, O LORD? Will You hide yourself forever?
       How long will Your wrath burn like fire? (Psalm 89:46 ESV)

And as I chew on it, I’m guessing we’ve all sung a “how long O Lord” song at one point or another. Finding ourselves in a trial that just keeps on trying us. Enduring hard stuff that never seems to get easier. Waiting on God to step in. And yet, heaven seems disinterested. No apparent resolution in sight. Not quite sure what to do, but also not quite sure how long we can keep going the way we’re going. How long O Lord?

Sometimes, as in this song, there’s a direct correlation between our sin and our suffering. Asaph & Co. had been warned repeatedly by a myriad of prophets that Israel’s spiritual infidelity would not be left unjudged if they refused to repent and return to their first love. But they refused . . . and continued to rebel . . . and the walls came tumbling down, literally.

But other times there doesn’t appear to be a cause and effect connection. Nothing that clearly says you’re here because you did that. Instead, life sometimes is just hard. Sometimes God’s permits stuff in our world for purposes that only He understands. And though we may not know why we’re in the fire, nor have any indication of when things will cool down, something I remember from Hebrews reminds me of what good can come of it.

It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline? . . . For they disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but He disciplines us for our good, that we may share His holiness.

(Hebrews 12:7, 10 ESV)

God disciplines, or trains, those He loves. It’s in the “how long O Lord” seasons of life that, if nothing else, we learn to lean into Him, His power, and His promise. It’s then that we realize how powerless our self-sufficient strength really is and, in our weakness, know experientially the almost tangible power of His sustaining grace.

If nothing else, it’s when we learn to trust to the next level–internalizing what it means to lean not to our own understanding, to acknowledge Him in all our ways, and to somehow rest, with a supernatural rest, that He will, in fact, direct our paths (Prov. 3:5-6).

Nobody likes to sing a “how long O Lord” song. But everybody’s sung it . . . or will some day.

Father, use the song in Your people to draw them to Yourself. To trust in Your steadfast love, and to, even in the storm, rejoice in Your salvation (Ps. 13:5).

By Your grace. For Your glory.

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Praise God! He Chose Judah (2015 Remix)

Posted on April 6, 2026 by Pete

Gather round, says the songwriter, and listen up. Incline your ears and I’ll tell you a story. A story comprised of many stories. Stories you have heard and known. Stories which we should not forget. Stories that should be passed on to our children and to our children’s children. Stories of “the glorious deeds of the LORD, and His might, and the wonders He has done” (Ps. 78:1-4).

And so Asaph the psalmist recounts the mighty works of God from of old concerning His people — those He desired as His heritage. And set against God’s wondrous work of deliverance from Egypt . . . set against His faithful and abundant provision in the wilderness . . . are the stubborn and rebellious hearts of a people who, again and again and again, forgot His mighty works and took for granted that He should care for them in the manner to which they thought they were deserving. And so, for sixty-seven verses, the song is sung. The opus of God’s glorious deeds counter-melodied with the minor chords of a people who did not believe and whose hearts were set only on themselves.

But . . . and what a glorious word, “but” . . . but then, at the end, the song takes a turn . . .

He rejected the tent of Joseph;
       He did not choose the tribe of Ephraim,
but He chose the tribe of Judah,
       Mount Zion, which He loves.
He built His sanctuary like the high heavens,
       like the earth, which He has founded forever.
He chose David His servant
       and took him from the sheepfolds;
from following the nursing ewes He brought him
       to shepherd Jacob His people,
       Israel His inheritance.
With upright heart He shepherded them
       and guided them with His skillful hand.

(Psalm 78:67-72 ESV)

But He chose the tribe of Judah . . .

Though God’s people would provoke Him to anger with their rebellion, though they would move Him to jealousy with their unfaithfulness, though He would judge them for their sin, yet — oh what a synonym for grace is YET . . . .

Yet He, being compassionate,
       atoned for their iniquity
       and did not destroy them;
He restrained His anger often
       and did not stir up all His wrath.

(Psalm 78:38 ESV)

Yet, He would not disown them, He would not utterly destroy them, but He would persist in providing for their redemption and their care.

And so, He chose the tribe of Judah. There He would establish His holy dwelling place . . . a little bit of heaven on hearth. And from there He would choose a man to shepherd His people. He would raise up His servant, one who had proved faithful and fearless. A man with an upright heart. And who could skillfully gather the flock of God’s people and lead them to feed only on the pastures of God’s provision and to offer praise only to the holy name of the One who had delivered them.

But He chose the tribe of Judah. And He chose David His servant.

And my mind goes to the greater David. To Him who is called the Lion of the tribe Judah and the root of David. To Him who is conqueror over sin and death though, when He is beheld, He is seen as “a Lamb, as though it had been slain” (Rev. 5:5-6).

Praise God! He chose Judah.

For this Lion came not to devour, but to deliver. Not to reject, but to redeem. Not to judge, but to justify. Not to shun, but to shepherd.

I am the good shepherd. I know My own and My own know Me, just as the Father knows Me and I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep.

(John 10:14-15 ESV)

And for all who will believe and receive, this One of Judah has promised to give new life so that they might become children of God (John 1:12-13). To lead them on their own exodus from the bondage of sin and the fear of death. To gather them to Himself and lead them to a land of promise. How can I be sure? Because of yesterday’s joyous celebration of an empty tomb. The Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Lamb of God, is risen! He is alive!

Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, equip you with everything good that you may do His will, working in us that which is pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.

(Hebrews 13:20-21 ESV)

Gather round. It’s a story worth retelling and worth remembering. Amen?

A story of His grace. A story for His glory.

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Unseen Footprints (2017 Rerun)

Posted on April 3, 2026 by Pete

“Unseen footprints” . . . that’s what I’m chewing on this morning. Had a familiar taste to it, pretty sure it was a meal that must have been served up in the past. So, I searched the archives. Nine years ago, six weeks after my wife went to be with the Lord, “unseen footprints” was served for my morning meditation. Nine years later, and a few more “great waters” passed through, it’s true, He does provide a way, He does lead down a path, and that with “unseen footprints.”

This evening, Lord willing, we’ll gather as a church and consider again God’s “unseen footprints” as we see again, with our mind’s eye, His Son’s very visible nail prints. We’ll focus on the finished work of our redemption, though, at the moment Jesus gave up His spirit, seemingly an unsalvageable situation. The hope of Israel hung on a cross. The Son sacrificed. Where was the Father? Visible nail prints, unseen footprints. Behold, the Lamb of God! And Sunday’s a comin’ . . .

Chewing on Psalm 77 this morning. Don’t know the situation, but recognize something of the symptoms. The songwriter speaks of sleepless nights when it was as if God were holding open his eyelids (v.4). Of a mind that can’t stop racing as it takes repeated inventory of all that is not going right and anticipating what else could go wrong. Of seemingly unending soul searching, “Is God still there? Has His unfailing love failed? Have His promises been forgotten? Has the deep well of grace gone dry? Will I not know His kindness again?” (v. 6b-9). So much running through the psalmist’s head as he lays in his bed at night that any attempt at prayer comes out only as mere groans (v.2-3).

Yet, by God’s enabling power, the channel changes in the midnight hour. Previews of the next disaster are replaced with re-runs of the “wonders of old.” The mighty deeds of the LORD are remembered. His past deliverance replayed. His faithful provision recounted. Every evidence of His powerful presence recalled (v.11-12). And then, the breakthrough . . .

Your way, O God, is holy.
       What god is great like our God?
You are the God who works wonders;
       You have made known Your might among the peoples.

(Psalm 77:13-14 ESV)

Yeah, sounds familiar.

But here’s what kind of grabbed me this morning–the God-breathed words that resonated deeply in my soul.

Your way was through the sea,
       Your path through the great waters;
       yet Your footprints were unseen.

(Psalm 77:19 ESV)

I guess God could have made the way out of Egypt easy. But He didn’t. He led His people to stand before a seemingly impassible sea as they looked over their shoulders at a fast approaching enemy. Situation bad . . . and soon to get worse. No going forward. No going back. What to think? Is God still there? They were trapped. Or so it appeared.

But the way of the Almighty was to encounter the sea and then pass through it. The path of the One who had gathered them to Himself as a flock was to lead them through great waters, though they couldn’t imagine how. And this, all accomplished with unseen footprints.

Though there was every indicator He had gone before them, yet there was no forensic evidence. His ways of working were deep. The manifestation of His power the only proof of His presence. But no visible footprints.

And so, as he lay awake, his mind racing, the songwriter has hope that just as God had delivered in the past, God would lead in the future, even if His footprints were unseen.

Such, I guess, is the walk of faith. Knowing He has. Believing He will.

“Fear not, for I have redeemed you;
       I have called you by name, you are Mine.
When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
       and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you;
when you walk through fire you shall not be burned,
       and the flame shall not consume you.
For I am the LORD your God,
       the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.

(Isaiah 43:1b-3a ESV)

Counting on unseen footprints to make plain the path forward.

By His grace. For His glory.

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Kingdom Power (2011 Remix)

Posted on April 2, 2026 by Pete

“Arrogance subdues the kingdom” . . . Those words from some thoughts penned 15 years ago strike a chord with me today. In a day when “loud and proud” seems often portrayed as the way for the church to bear witness, I can’t help but wonder if our rhetoric might not distort what it truly looks like to be under His reign. Spent a little time reworking those 2011 thoughts. Thinking they might have some 2026 application.

You get the sense that the Corinthians thought they had it all. And, in a sense they did — they had been abundantly graced. Paul says that, in every way, they “were enriched in Him with in all speech and all knowledge” and that they were not “lacking in any spiritual gift” (1Cor. 1:5-7). Saved . . . knowing the word . . . having down the lingo . . . equipped with all the tools heaven had to offer . . . BUT . . . there was something amiss . . . something not quite right.

Rather than walking in a manner worthy of their calling, they were having problems walking at all. In fact, in some ways, they were still crawling like infants. They were plagued by petty jealousies, reflecting an air of prideful partisanship as each chose his tribe — “puffed up in favor of one against another” (4:6b).

They viewed themselves as rich in Christ (4:8), as wise in Christ, as strong believers to be held in honor (4:11). They actually had a pretty high view of themselves. A lot of big talk.

But for Paul, talk was cheap.

But I will come to you soon, if the Lord wills, and I will find out not the talk of these arrogant people but their power. For the kingdom of God does not consist in talk but in power.

(1Corinthians 4:19-20 ESV)

For the kingdom of God does not consist in talk but in power . . . noodle on that for a bit.

The kingdom of God is about power. Not just talking about power but actually demonstrating power.

While all those who enter the kingdom do so by faith and through the grace of God, the kingdom is not just a matter of words, it is also a proclamation through our works. The kingdom is not just theological theory to be discussed, but a counter-cultural dynamic to be demonstrated.

The word for power is “dunamis”, from which we get the word “dynamite.” The kingdom is about “inherent power.” I can say I’ve entered the kingdom, I can talk about kingdom principles, I can glory in the kingdom’s future, but if there’s no “dynamite”, no power, then I really don’t know the kingdom at all.

And, it seems from this passage of Scripture, that arrogance subdues the kingdom.

Paul was just as graced as the Corinthians — just as knowledgeable, just as equipped — but, unlike the Corinthians, he didn’t view it as something to boast in.

If there was ever a “super apostle” it was Paul. But the “S” we might imagine born on Paul’s chest stood not for Super, but for Steward (4:1-2) . . . for Servant . . . for Slave of Christ. And in being a trustworthy steward of the gifts of God, in being diligent to faithfully put into effect that which God had entrusted him with, there was power, real upside-down, not of this world, kingdom power.

But not so with the Corinthians. “For who sees anything different in you?” Paul asks the Corinthians, “What do you have that you did not receive? If then you received it, why do you boast as if you did not receive it?” (4:7)

That they were knowledgeable and spiritually gifted was not in dispute. But take knowledge and gift and mix it with arrogance and pride and what you end up with is just talk. No real spiritual maturity, no moving on to the meat of the faith, nothing different from the world. Instead, for all its bravado it’s a pretty listless Christianity, an anemic dynamic, something less than the kingdom of God.

Oh, that I would resist any inclination to view myself worthy of God’s favor. That I would be on guard against feeling that, somehow, I deserve the grace. Instead, might I always view any understanding I have, any gifting I’ve been given, any calling I’ve sensed, all as a stewardship to be faithfully administered for the sake of the kingdom.

And then, with gospel-infused humility, as a servant of the King, would my words “always be gracious, seasoned with salt” (Col. 4:6) so that the real power of the kingdom might be His power alone.

Only by His grace. Always for His glory.

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I’m Only Human Doesn’t Work Anymore (2016 Remix)

Posted on March 31, 2026 by Pete

“Give me a break, I’m only human!”

Ok, scratch that one from the list. If I’m picking up what’s being laid down this morning, that excuse really is no longer available to me.

I might be a work in progress. Might even be a fragile work in progress, kind of like a jar of clay. And while I’m certainly just a sinner saved by grace, I can’t hide behind “I’m only human.” Being merely human wasn’t something Paul was settling for in the church.

“But I, brothers, could not address you as spiritual people, but as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ. I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for it. And even now you are not yet ready, for you are still of the flesh. For while there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not of the flesh and behaving only in a human way? For when one says, “I follow Paul,” and another, “I follow Apollos,” are you not being merely human?”

(1Corinthians 3:1-4 ESV)

Are you not being merely human?

This band of believers were acting like mere men (NIV, NASB). They were carnal (NKJV). They were living after the flesh. Though people of the vertical, they were navigating life according to the horizontal. Settling for 2-D behaviors when they were people of a 3-D world. And you sense it kind of frustrates Paul.

Here they were, the people of God, the local testimony of the power of heavenly love and divine grace, and they were being merely human. Bickering. Dividing. A polarized people. Strife and jealousy, an undercurrent in their midst. Some wearing “I Haul for Paul” baseball caps while others sported “I Follows Apollos” t-shirts. And Paul says, “I can’t even talk to you!”

By faith in Christ, they had become “new creations”, the old had passed away and the new had come (2Cor. 5:17). They were born again (1Peter 1:3). So yeah, Paul knew that after a birth you’re gonna have a baby — for a while. But babies are intended to grow up and so are “born agains.” But that wasn’t happening in the Corinth church.

Instead, spiritual people were still being merely human. Still behaving like infants in Christ. Though they had been in the game for a while, they were still playing like rookies. Though they were people of the light, they were acting as those who were of the darkness.

Are you not being merely human? A question worth chewing on, I think.

Now I know I’m not to think of myself more highly than I should, but I’m also to think with sober judgment (Rom. 12:3). I am to appropriately recognize who I am in Christ and conduct myself in a manner consistent with that. And, if I’m picking up what Paul is laying down, then I am not merely human. I’m not superhuman either — by no stretch of the imagination — but I am more than just a “natural man” subject to the “natural ways” of my “natural being.” I, according to the word of God, am “spiritual people.”

When I, by faith, acknowledged Jesus as Lord and Savior and received His death on the cross as the atoning sacrifice for my sin, I got re-wired. When I believed that Jesus rose from the dead, is alive, and wants to live in me, I underwent an “extreme makeover.” My spiritual DNA went from being twisted in sin to being tuned to the kingdom of heaven. The cloud that enveloped my brain was replaced with the mind of Christ. I underwent a heart transplant, my old heart of stone replaced with a “heart of flesh”, capable of being soft and supple to the things of God. The “old man” was given an eviction notice and the Holy Spirit moved in, taking up residence, and offering to take control. None of this was my doing, all of it God’s doing. Mine, however, is to grow up. To live in a manner worthy of my calling. To stop being merely human.

So, “I’m only human” doesn’t work anymore.

Because of His grace. Wanting to live for His glory.

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His Dove

Posted on March 30, 2026 by Pete

Hovering over Psalm 74 this morning. It’s one of those “why?” songs to God. Why have You left us? Why does Your “anger smoke against” us? (v. 1)

It’s also one of those “How long?” songs (v.10).

Given that the temple has been set on fire and brought “down to the ground” (v.7), it seems to be a song born out of the sufferings during the Babylonian destruction of Jerusalem before Israel’s exile.

And what first captures my attention are the different ways the songwriter describes God’s people at the beginning of the song. They are “the sheep of Your pasture”; they are His “congregation”; they are those “purchased of old” and redeemed to be His “heritage” (v. 1-2). So, I’m thinking that’s why I was primed to pick up on a reference for God’s redeemed which I don’t think I’ve ever noticed before.

Remember this, O LORD, how the enemy scoffs,
       and a foolish people reviles Your name.
Do not deliver the soul of Your dove to the wild beasts;
       do not forget the life of Your poor forever.

(Psalm 74:18-19 ESV)

Only place, I think, that you’re going to find God’s people referred to as Your dove.

Hmm . . . chew on that for a bit. A picture’s worth a thousand words. What picture comes to mind when you think of a dove? What words are you coming up with?

Innocent as a dove? Harmless as a dove? Gentle as a dove? White as a dove? Ancient Israel wasn’t innocent. At their military peak, far from harmless or gentle. Pure? Nope — remember we’re talking about Israel at the time of exile.

But what if the bible itself defines the picture from which we draw some of those “thousand words?”

“O my dove, in the clefts of the rock,
       in the crannies of the cliff,
let me see your face,
       let me hear your voice,
for your voice is sweet,
       and your face is lovely.”

“Open to me, my sister, my love,
       my dove, my perfect one,
for my head is wet with dew,
       my locks with the drops of the night.”

“My dove, my perfect one, is the only one,
       the only one of her mother,
       pure to her who bore her.
The young women saw her and called her blessed;
       the queens and concubines also, and they praised her.”

(Song of Solomon 2:14, 5:2, 6:9 ESV)

What if the psalmist saw God’s people — even when they were in the midst of the “why?” and the “how long?” of God’s severe discipline — in this light? As a dove still secure and protected in the clefts of the rock. As a dove still very much desired, her beloved longing to see the beauty of her face and hear the sweetness of her voice? What if, despite all her imperfections and failures and yes, even her sin, she remains no less the dove — counted as God’s perfect one, the one called blessed, the one yet to be praised?

What if this is a reminder that, despite their failures and even in times of deserved correction, God’s people are always loved and sought by God, are always His dove?

What if the Spirit takes a divine “rabbit trail” from this song of lament to remind me this morning that on my best day God loves me no more, and that — praise God! — on my worst day He loves me no less?

For I am in Christ — the One who is my purity, my perfection, and my promise.

And that, along with all the redeemed through the ages, I am His bride. His beloved. The one He has promised to present “to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish” (Eph. 5:27).

For I am His dove.

Only by His grace. Only for His glory.

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Enriched in Christ

Posted on March 27, 2026 by Pete

It’s the air we breathe. It’s the water we swim in. It’s second nature, we barely give it a thought. But, if I’m picking up what Paul is laying down this morning, it’s the riches of God.

I’m reading in 1 Corinthians this morning. And three words lift off the page.

I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that was given you in Christ Jesus, that in every way you were enriched in Him in all speech and all knowledge — even as the testimony about Christ was confirmed among you.

(1Corinthians 1:4-6 ESV)

Enriched in Him . . . That’s what popped. That’s what I’m chewing on.

So many benefits from our union with Christ, so many blessings from being in Him. How many? SO many! In every way, writes Paul, enriched in Him.

Enriched in Him. Just sit in that for a moment.

Regardless of the season, despite the suffering, especially in the sunshine, the great constant is that, from the first moment we believed, we were made rich in Him. All the resources we need for the season, grace sufficient for whatever our suffering, reason upon reason for thanksgiving and rejoicing when we walk in the sunshine. If we are in Christ — and we are — then we are enriched in Him.

Still need convincing? Then chew on how Paul’s “in every way” gets very specific.

. . . in every way you were enriched in Him in all speech and all knowledge . . .

Do you have, as Wuest puts it, a measure of “aptitude in proclaiming the Word”, of talking about the truths in your Bible? Or, do you have, as he again translates it, some “experiential knowledge” of what it’s meant to walk with the Savior — a story or two to tell of how God has shown up in your life through encounters of the divine kind? If so, then see the evidence that you are enriched in Him.

We take for granted that things as simple as knowing our bibles, at whatever level, or of knowing Him, even if we feel it’s way too little, are evidence that we truly are children of light and no longer people of darkness. That any understanding we have of the kingdom, and any experiences we have had with the King, are the fruit of not only being in Christ but, even more, of being enriched in Him.

Does that make sense?

Regardless of how long we’ve walked with Christ, despite how far we think we still have to go, no matter what might be considered the degree of our spiritual maturity, if we are in Him then we are enriched in Him.

And that’s something to rejoice in. That’s something to give thanks for. That’s something worthy of our praise. Amen?

Because of the grace of God that was given you in Christ Jesus . . .

For His glory alone.

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Sated with Favor

Posted on March 25, 2026 by Pete

“I’ll take lesser-known sons of Jacob for 400, Alex.”
(I guess that’s Ken now. Whatever.)

“He is the 6th son of Jacob, the son Moses blessed as ‘sated with favor'”

“Who is Naphtali?”

“That is correct!”

That is amazing!

And of Naphtali [Moses] said,

“O Naphtali, sated with favor,
and full of the blessing of the LORD,
possess the lake and the south.”

(Deuteronomy 33:23 ESV)

Sated with favor . . . That’s the phrase I’m chewing on this morning.

Some translations say satisfied with favor. But it’s more than satisfied, it is satisfied to the full. It’s abounding with favor (NIV). It’s rich in favor (NLT). As Peterson puts it, “Naphtali brims with blessings.”

And in that respect, Naphtali pictures those who are in Christ. We too are sated with favor.

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen His glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. . . For from His fullness we have all received, grace upon grace.

(John 1:14, 16 ESV)

Grace upon grace. Sated with favor. That’s who we be. That is the blessing of Naphtali that we possess in Christ.

More than a promised inheritance, we have been given God Himself. The Father betrothing us to the Son through the Spirit. Our Bridegroom being Him who laid down His life for us, and rose victorious from the grave on the third day, so that we might live in Him. Without merit of our own. Covered by His robe of righteousness. Grace upon grace.

More than waiting for entrance into a promised land, we live, walk, and breath each day in His always present, overflowing favor. Grace greater than our sin (Rom. 5:20). Grace present and sufficient for every weakness (2Cor. 12:9). Grace to help in time of need (Heb. 4:16). Grace that brought us safe thus far, and grace that will lead us home (John Newton).

Sated with favor.

Always filled to the full with His grace.

To God be the glory!

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The Rock

Posted on March 24, 2026 by Pete

Been home for a few days now, but routine has alluded me. Too many late nights . . . too many abbreviated mornings. Too few extended times to put a couple of thoughts down. This morning, though, a little time to noodle on a big thought. Our God is the Rock.

“The Rock, His work is perfect,
       for all His ways are justice.
A God of faithfulness and without iniquity,
       just and upright is He.”

(Deuteronomy 32:4 ESV)

Hovering over a song of Moses this morning. A song written so the people would remember. In a time and culture where things are passed on verbally rather than visually, putting words to music helped towards retaining truths that needed to be remembered. And in this song, the God of Israel is five times pictured as the Rock.

This song is the first time Yahweh is extolled as the Rock. But the image of God as a sure foundation, a mighty fortress, and a Rock of ages (“everlasting rock” in Isaiah 26:4) will be found repeatedly in Samuel, the Psalms, and the Prophets.

God is the Rock. Chew on that.

Unfailing. Immovable. Faithful. Reliable. True to His promises. Able to deliver. Ready to sustain. A reliable refuge. The world may have their “rocks”, but as Moses sings, “their rock is not as our Rock” (Deut. 32:31).

“There is none holy like the LORD:
       for there is none besides You;
       there is no rock like our God.”

(1Samuel 2:2 ESV)

No rock like our God.

And He is our Rock. Ours through covenant. Ours through blood. Ours forever. Ours experienced in and through Christ (1Cor. 10:4).

. . . blessed be my Rock,
       and exalted be my God, the Rock of my salvation.

(Psalm 18:46 ESV)

Oh, to rejoice in the Rock.

Oh, to rest in the Rock.

From the end of the earth I call to You
       when my heart is faint.
Lead me to the Rock
       that is higher than I.

(Psalm 61:2 ESV)

Oh, lead me to the Rock — the Rock of my salvation!

By His grace. For His glory.

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A Liturgy for the Local Church

Posted on March 17, 2026 by Pete

Often, I read Paul’s letter to the Romans through only the lens of a “great theological treatise” and forget it was written to a group of people. When I do this, I can take such pleasure in dotting theological i’s and crossing dogmatic t’s that I forget it’s written to correct some out-of-whack behaviors. The beliefs of chapters 1 through 11 are the foundation for the behaviors laid out in chapters 12 through 15. And so, as I hover over the latter part of Romans 12 this morning, I hear me saying to myself, “Self, wouldn’t these verses make for a powerful liturgy for the local church?”

The church leadership team I serve with is “into” liturgies. Not just our Sunday morning liturgy of intentional rites and rhythms of worship, but also other, targeted, functional liturgies — what Webster defines as a repeated “repertoire of ideas and phrases.” As a group of elders, we start our elder meetings with a liturgy, five simple points we read together as a reminder of who is the Chief Shepherd of our church, how He’d have us care for each other as a well as for our flock, and the reason for why we meet. We have a preaching liturgy which is read whenever we are able to get together to provide feedback on each other’s sermons. They are another five simple reminders to keep us focused on what a sermon is and what it is not. I have found these regular reminders so helpful. I need the repeated grounding in what constitutes not just Christian beliefs but also Christian behaviors.

Cue Romans 12:9-21. Depending on how you parse it, twenty or so brief commands that Paul wanted to mark the body of believers at Rome. A church which, if any church needed to combat the potential for division, they did.

They were a hybrid congregation of Jew and Gentile. Background biases? More than you could count. Depths of theological understanding? All over the map. Socio-economic standings? Talk about diverse! A kaleidoscope community if ever there was one. And yet, one body. Each one in Christ and thus a brother and sister and member of each other. Each a work in progress. Each waking up every morning with the old man in them warring with the new creation in Christ they had become. Each one in need of a reminder of how to intentionally live together as one body — as Paul puts it to the Ephesians, of how to “maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (Eph. 4:3). And Paul gives them what I think could be a liturgy (though perhaps, a little longer liturgy). Simple reminders serving to refocus them on sanctified relationships.

Saddle up for a longer than normal reading this morning . . .

  • Let love be genuine.
  • Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good.
  • Love one another with brotherly affection.
  • Outdo one another in showing honor.
  • Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord.
  • Rejoice in hope.
  • Be patient in tribulation
  • Be constant in prayer.
  • Contribute to the needs of the saints.
  • Seek to show hospitality.
  • Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them.
  • Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.
  • Live in harmony with one another.
  • Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly.
  • Never be wise in your own sight.
  • Repay no one evil for evil.
  • Give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all.
  • If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.
  • Never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.”
  • If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink;
  • Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

(Romans 12:9-12 ESV)

Imagine reading these together every Sunday morning together as a fellowship. If not every Sunday, how about once a month, or at least at every members meeting? Could it impact the polarization in our churches and the division in our hearts? I’m thinkin’ . . .

Not because we’d double down and try harder, but because, through the power of God’s word and the sanctifying work of the Spirit, we’d be transformed by the renewing (repeatedly) of our minds as we preached to ourselves the gospel of what God’s will is, of what is “good and acceptable and perfect” (Rom. 12:2).

Just a thought.

That we might be the local church by His grace.

That we might be the local church for His glory.

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