I am not quite sure what to write about the explosions in Boston yesterday, but considering the topic I listed as the title for today I think I need to say something. I will be praying for the people in Boston, but not only for the victims. The people who did this need to be struck the way that Saul was struck on the road to Damascus. I pray that God will strike them down and reach into their souls and show them how much He loves them and brings about change in their hearts. I, also pray that people everywhere see how horrible this was and turn to God, that people recognize that only God can protect us from something like this. All too often we turn to the “authorities” after a tragedy like this rather than turning to The Authority who can truly offer protection and healing.
     I have been using One Year Bible Online for my daily Bible study for almost a year. For today, One Year Bible Online links here. I hope that by posting these ruminations others may get some benefit as well. If you have any thoughts or comments regarding these verses or what I have written about them, please post them. I hope that the Spirit is moving in others through these posts as the Spirit has definitely been convicting me.

     When Joshua grew old, God described to him the lands left for the Israelites to conquer. God told Joshua that He would drive the peoples from those lands ahead of the Israelites, so Joshua should include that land as he divided the land up among the tribes. The passage goes on to describe how Moses had allotted land to some of the tribes and to tell us that Joshua and the priest Eleazar assigned lands to the rest of the tribes.
     Today’s passage concludes with the story of Caleb coming to Joshua to request his land. Caleb recounts how he was one of the spies who Moses sent into the land from Kadesh-barnea. Caleb reminds Joshua that he was the only one of the spies besides Joshua who encouraged the people to invade right away. He says that Moses promised him that he would have the lands which he had explored as his part of the mission. Caleb asserted that, at 85, he was as strong and able to travel and fight as he was when he went on the spy mission and 40 years of age. Joshua heard Caleb’s petition, blessed him and gave him the Hebron as his portion of land.
     All too often today, some of us think we are too old to do much, yet here was Caleb, at 85, requesting permission to go forth and conquer the land which had been promised to him. Joshua was no younger than Caleb, so that means that Joshua was around 80 years of age when he took over from Moses as leader of the Israelites. Moses himself was around 80 years of age when God appeared to him in the burning bush. When God comes to us with a task, we should not think that we are too old for that task.

     Jesus told His disciples a story about a widow who was seeking justice. The judge from whom she needed a ruling was corrupt and had no concern for justice, public opinion or righteousness. The judge initially ignored the widow’s request. However, the widow did not give up, she continued to come to the judge and pled for justice. Eventually the judge got tired of her pleas and granted her justice to get her to stop bothering him. Jesus tells us that we should cry out to God day and night for relief from our troubles and that God will give us justice quickly. Then Jesus says something that appears to be a non sequitur (I don’t think that it is, I just don’t see how it fits). He asks, “But when the Son of Man returns, how many will he find on the earth who have faith?” When He returns, will He find that you and I have faith?
     Jesus then tells another story, one which tells us quite a bit about how we should view sin and those around us. He tells of two men who went to the Temple to pray. One was a Pharisee (who in the view of those of the day would have been considered an exemplar of righteousness) the other was a tax collector (who in the view of the day was the prototypical sinner). The Pharisee stood by himself and thanked God that he was such a righteous man, recounting all of the things he did to serve God. The tax collector, on the other hand, stood with his head down, beat his breast in remorse, acknowledging that he had no righteousness and crying out to God for mercy. Do we come before God recognizing that we are sinners? Or are we confident in our “righteousness”? Jesus tells us that it is the one who acknowledges his sin before God who returns home justified. Let us humble ourselves before God so that He may raise us up, rather than exalt ourselves so that He needs to humble us.

     This is a wonderful song of hope and pleading with God. The psalmist requests that God “restore us again” and “revive us again”. I will echo the psalmist’s plea. I ask that God restore me again and revive me again. That He brings me back into a right relationship with Him. But more than that I ask that He do the same for those who seek to worship Him throughout the world. Restore us, revive us dear God, not just me, but all who call on Your name. Show us Your unfailing love.
     But there is more to what the psalmist says. After asking God to grant us His salvation, the psalmist says that he will listen carefully to what God has to say. He also asks God to not allow His people to return to their foolish ways. I desire to make that my prayer. Dear Lord, do not allow me to return to my foolish ways. I know that I tend towards doing sin and I request that You guide my steps away from such foolishness.

     Today’s proverb tells us that some who are poor pretend to be rich, while some who are rich pretend to be poor. Then the writer warns us of the danger of pretending to be rich. The writer tells us that there are dangers that result from being perceived as wealthy and the rich may be able to ransom themselves from that danger. But if someone who is poor faces such danger, they will be unable to escape it if they are perceived as wealthy. It is better to be rich and pretend to be poor than poor and pretend to be rich.