despair ⁽¹⁹⁾

Exodus 33:18-23, Exodus 34:29–35, 1 Kings 19:3–18, John 1:10–18 Have you ever hidden your face? Embarrassment. Shame. Guilt. Avoidance. The Israelites hid their faces from God. Originally it was out of fear. They only understood fearing gods, as gods were capricious and unpredictable. Now they…

Psalm 55, 2 Samuel 16:15–17:10, John 13:21-32 Betrayal. It’s not that we expect our enemies or adversaries to “play” fair, but our friends? Co-workers? Family? It’s hard. It hurts. We often feel absolutely powerless in the midst of it. Then we feel angry. All very…

Psalm 29; Isaiah 43:1–13; Matthew 3:13–17 Many people claim to have heard from God. Often in church culture, we hear about Elijah and the "still, small, voice of God" (1 Kings 19). In Psalm 29, however, the voice of the Lord is anything but quiet.

Psalm 72; Isaiah 6:1–5; Acts 7:44–53 The opening verse of Psalm 72 is a passionate plea to God regarding the transition from David (the king) to Solomon (the king's son). The plea consists of a having a wise, compassionate, righteous, and feared earthly king of…