Lectionary Readings for August 8, 2021
Reading One: 1 Kings 19:4-8 (NRSV)
Song: Eye of the Storm (lyrics here)
Reflection
For the third Sunday in a row we find ourselves with images of bread and themes of God’s provision, but we enter those images and themes differently this week. Two weeks ago we read about God providing for the army of Israel, through the prophet Elisha, last week it was the Hebrew people receiving manna from heaven, but today it is not a crowd with whom we sit. Today we sit with a single person, the prophet Elijah, who has fled to the wilderness in the face of hardship and hatred.
The issue in this story is not scarcity—it is fear..
In a verse just before our passage it reads “he got up and fled for his life” (v. 3), but there is an interesting alternate way of reading the Hebrew: “he arose and went for his soul.” He knows he has reached the end of himself, he is wounded to his very soul. In fact, Elijah is so exhausted and terrified that he actually asks God to let him die. Thankfully, God does not grant his request. Instead, God provides rest and nourishment that enable Elijah to keep going. In subsequent verses, God will meet with Elijah in ways that speak to his loneliness and despair and enable him to continue his mission as God’s prophet.
As we continue to meditate on God’s provision, it is good to think about the ways God shows up when we have reached the end of our ourselves. Even when we are so worn out we don’t even know what to ask for, God knows what we need. In the eye of the storm, God is faithful still.
How have you known God’s faithfulness and provision in times of emptiness or despair? Have you ever felt as Elijah felt, consumed by loneliness, frustration, or an overwhelming sense of failure? How did God meet with you in that place? Perhaps that is the place you even find yourself today. Spend some time in prayer and communion with God, thanking him for his provision and care, and asking him to surround even the darkest times with a sense of his love, presence, and faithfulness.
Reading Two: Psalm 34:1-8 (NRSV)
Song: Rock of Ages (lyrics here)
Reflection
Our psalm reading for today comes from a time when David, like Elijah, feared for his life. He is on the run from King Saul, who wants him dead. He is so desperate for a place to hide that he actually heads into the territory of the Philistines, the enemy of Israel. After a close call that leads David to extreme measures to escape, God proves faithful and delivers David from harm. This psalm was born from that experience.
Looking back, David sees God’s faithfulness in a terrifying situation:
“I sought the Lord, and he answered me, and delivered me from all my fears.” (v. 4)
“This poor soul cried, and was heard by the Lord, and was saved from every trouble.” (v. 6)
And then a verse that has become well-known and beloved by many people:
“O taste and see that the Lord is good; happy are those who take refuge in him. (v. 8)
David’s fears led him to seek refuge in enemy territory, but in retrospect David realizes that the only true refuge is God himself. The goodness of God does not falter. He is our hiding place (Ps. 32:7), and those who rest in the shadow of his wings find deliverance from fear, peace for their souls, and true happiness that is rooted in the faithful love of the one who created us and knows our every need.
As you reflect on times of struggle and fear, can you recall a time when you sought refuge in “enemy territory?” What are some of the unhealthy coping mechanisms that tempt you when times are difficult? What practices and disciplines help you stay rooted in the faithful love of God as you take refuge in him?
Reading Three: Ephesians 4:25-5:2 (NRSV)
Song: Perfect Peace (lyrics here)
Reflection
The apostle Paul continues to offer thoughts on unity in the body of Christ, pleading with the church in Ephesus to leave behind the sin and habits that so easily lead to conflict and turmoil. In this passage he covers everything from honesty to theft, anger to “evil talk.” He exhorts those reading to abandon everything that tears apart, and instead embrace that which brings wholeness and unity:
“Put away from you all bitterness and wrath and anger and wrangling and slander, together with all malice, and be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ has forgiven you.” (vv. 31-32)
As I reflected on this passage in light of our Old Testament texts, something occurred to me in a way it never had before: when I am in a dark place, struggling with frustration and fear, I am very prone to behaviors that tear down others instead of building them up. When am I most bitter, most filled with anger? When I am struggling internally. I can lash out at people who have absolutely nothing to do with what I’m going through. My lack of inner peace leads to outer turmoil.
Laura Story’s song “Perfect Peace,” sung from the perspective of God to us, this lyric speaks powerfully to me:
In this time of trial,
Pain that no-one sees,
Trust me when I say,
I will give you perfect peace.
How often the “pain that no-one sees” causes us to hurt others. If we truly want unity in the body of Christ, it will come from sisters and brothers who have discovered the perfect peace that God alone can give, who then allow that peace to work its way outward into our relationships and kingdom work.
Spend some time with God thinking about your own journey of internalized struggle and how it manifests in your relationships. Ask God to give you his perfect peace, so that you might be an agent of peace. Let these lyrics from Laura Story guide you as you pray. Imagine these words are God speaking to your soul right now:
Stay close by My side,
Keep your eyes on Me,
Though this life is hard,
I will give you perfect peace.
In this time of trial,
Pain that no-one sees,
Trust me when I say,
I will give you perfect peace.
And you'll never walk alone,
And you'll never be in need.
Though I may not calm the storms around you,
You can hide in Me.
Burdens that you bear,
Offer no relief,
Let Me bear your load,
Cause I will give you perfect peace.
Stay close by My side,
And you'll never walk alone,
Keep your eyes on Me,
And you will never be in need.
Though this life is hard,
Know that I will always give you perfect peace,
I will give you perfect peace.
Reading Four: John 6:35, 41-51 (NRSV)
Song: How Sweet the Name of Jesus Sounds (lyrics here)
Reflection
In all of Jesus’ teachings about the “bread of life,” there is one constant focus: Jesus himself. Yes, these passages and the miracles that lead into them are about provision, and they echo the stories of miraculous feedings in the Old Testament, but they serve a greater purpose: they point to the truth of who Jesus is. They tell us of God’s greatest provision, the gift that he sent to atone for our sins and restore us to fellowship with him.
In short: it’s all about Jesus.
We can get so distracted by deep theological thoughts that sometimes we just need to set them all aside and meditate on the person of Jesus Christ. We need to come back to the simple truth that he is, as the hymn says, “manna to the hungry soul.”
Let’s use this final song to spend some time simply seeking fellowship with Jesus. This classic hymn of the church is a wonderful invitation to meditate on the name of Jesus and all it means to us.
As you pray, consider these questions: what are good ways for you to re-center on Jesus when your life, mind, and heart get filled with other things? What does the name of Jesus mean to you? How does it “soothe your sorrows, heal your wounds, and drive away your fears?”
Perhaps use the names and titles for Jesus from the final verse of the hymn as words to sit with and consider. Which of these speaks most powerfully to your heart today?
Jesus! my Shepherd, Brother, Friend,
My Prophet, Priest and King,
My Lord, my Life, my Way, my End,
Accept the praise I bring.