Pastor Ben’s Ponderings

“Oh give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever.”
(Psalm 136:1)

Isn’t it good to know that we don’t have to talk God into being good or doing good things in our lives every day? His mercy is fresh every morning, and His love lasts forever. He invites us to “taste and see” just how good He is, for “blessed is the man who trusts in Him” (Psalm 34:8).

The Lord has been good to me all of my life. I’ve made mistakes, just as we all do, but when I humbled myself and took responsibility for my sins, He forgave me and let me start over. He has been proving His goodness to me every day since I started to trust Him.

There have been times when, as the psalmist says, “I would have lost heart, unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living” (Psalm 27:13). David, too, must have felt this despair at times, yet the Bible says King David was a man after God’s own heart. One of the ways that King David honored the Lord was by expecting to experience the goodness of God in his life. We don’t have to have a perfect record to believe that the Lord will prove His goodness to anyone who trusts Him. I know this is true because He has continually shown His enduring goodness to me and my family. Thank You Lord!

Pastor Ben’s Ponderings

“For You have delivered my soul from death, my eyes from tears, and my feet from falling. I will walk before the Lord in the land of the living.”
(Psalm 116:8-9)

As an American consumer, it’s very easy for me to think that salvation is all about me — my forgiveness, my church, my Jesus, my heavenly home. And while those are certainly all by-products of God’s salvation, the bigger picture really has to do with all that God is doing to reclaim, redeem, and restore a fallen world of which I am just a small part. The biblical story is really about God getting back all that was lost in the Fall. This world is not a failed experiment. God tells John and us in Revelation 21:5, “I make all things new.” That’s what He’s doing in me, and that’s what He’s doing in all of creation. That’s why Paul writes in his letter to the Romans, “The creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God” (8:19).

As I have gotten more acquainted with the big picture of salvation, I’ve discovered so many passages of scripture, like Romans 8 and 1 Peter 2, that have helped me to understand my purpose and reason for being as a child of God and follower of His Son, the servant-king, Jesus. I have the awesome privilege of being part of the evidence that the kingdom of God is indeed at hand. And what does that look like? I like the way Peter states it in 1 Peter 2:12, “Having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that . . . They may, by your good works which they observe, glorify God in the day of visitation.”

Pastor Ben’s Ponderings

“You are the God who does wonders; You have declared Your strength
among the peoples.”         (Psalm 77:14)

We’re all looking for a miracle at some time or another.
I need a miracle:     to help my son or my daughter…          to heal this cancer…
to pay my bills…     to get through to my husband/wife…
so that my dad will quit drinking…     to get through the day…
so that my mom will not be depressed…
to stop eating or drinking or smoking…
of self-esteem, to feel valued…
All these things God can do! Jesus demonstrated this miracle power many times. He healed the sick woman who, believing in His power and grace, simply touched His robe (Mark 5:24-26). He healed the crippled man in Capernaum whose friends lowered him to Jesus from the roof (Mark 2:3-5). He gave the woman at the well dignity and a new life (John 4:1-42). He raised Lazarus from the dead (John 11:43).

We often think of a miracle as a resolution of something we want or need at that moment: to be healed of a disease, to have our kids change, or to have someone we love stop a destructive behavior. And when we get that miracle, it’s great and wonderful and easy to share, to rejoice over with others.
But what if we’ve prayed and wished and hoped, and He doesn’t give us the miracle? Could it be that in His plan, a different sort of miracle than what we are asking is occurring, not as a complete miracle as we envision, but as a chance for a new, changed life? Often it means an outcome that is different from what we would have chosen. Some miracles we may not understand or see until we get to heaven. Given our limited understanding of how God works His will in and through our lives, we often experience outcomes which are left unsettled and still searching for the miracle. Try as we may, we are unable to wrench miracles from God’s hands. And thus, we are forced to really lean on God and trust in His plan.

In the midst of our desire for an answer, He blesses us with the miracle of perseverance, the ability to hold on, to persist in prayer, or even, sometimes, to let go of our wishes. Often, it’s in our quest for change that He changes us! And He gives us the grace to make it through.
But the ultimate miracle that He gives us is eternal life, a new life. He can take us from a life with no peace and give to us — even in the midst of trouble, heartache, or pain — a life of hope and purpose, saving us and changing our lives both now and for eternity.
What miracle could be yours today?

Pastor Ben’s Ponderings

“But know that the Lord has set apart for Himself him who is godly; the Lord will hear when I call to Him.”         (Psalm 4:3)

As a Pastor, people talk to me about a lot of things. A lady shared with me once all the wrong turns she had made in life, and more recently, the right choices that brought her to a godly perspective and peace. Another time, after I had preached a sermon on heaven, I was blessed to talk to a man who had recently lost his wife and he said, “As you were preaching, I could picture my wife walking down the streets of gold.” Another time, I was pulled aside by a young lady who poured out her heart, telling me about what she was experiencing in her life at that time. She finished, smiled, and hugged me and said, “You have really helped me.” I had not even said one word.

You see, I have learned through the years that sometimes all we need to do is listen to people. We live in a loud world. To get someone’s attention is no easy task. I try to listen to people, but I know I sometimes miss their signal and fail to hear. But I know from personal experience that there is someone we can talk to who is always listening. Our voices matter in heaven. God takes us very seriously. No need to fear that we will be ignored. Even if we stammer or stumble, even if what we have to say impresses no one, it impresses God, and He listens. He listens to the plea of the elderly in the rest home. He listens to the confession of the death-row inmate. When the substance abuser begs for mercy, when the spouse seeks guidance, when the worldly person steps off the street into the church, God listens. Our prayers are honored. Our words do not stop until they reach the very throne of God.

Consider the prayer of Moses for the children of Israel in Exodus 32:30-32, or the prayer of Hezekiah in 2 Kings 20:5. We may not understand the mystery of prayer. We don’t need to, but this much is clear: action in heaven begins when someone prays on earth. Talk to God because God listens.

Pastor Ben’s Ponderings

“I will speak, that I may find relief; I must open my lips and answer.”
(Job 32:20)

One of the things I have always admired about Job is that he never shut up. Despite enduring unthinkable hardships, despite knowing that God Himself was allowing these things to happen, despite having so-called friends tell him it was his own fault and maybe he should just curse God and die — Job kept raising his voice. He raised it in protest. He raised it in argument. He complained bitterly, wept, and tried to reason things out with everyone — even God! Job needed to make sense out of this horrible situation he found himself in, and he needed to do it out loud. These days we call that processing — and the fact that Job kept it up for 40 chapters has always made him a man after my own heart.

When I read chapter after chapter of Job engaging in vigorous discussion with his friends and long conversations with God, I totally get it. Job cared too much to just clam up and hope this nightmare would go away. He needed to know why this was happening to him because his understanding of a gracious God didn’t include winding up covered with boils and sitting in a pile of ashes! So he kept pushing, and he kept talking. Giving up and giving in wasn’t a option for him.

Never let the pain of this world silence your voice. As long as you have breath, raise your thoughts, your questions, and even your complaints to heaven. The God of the universe can take it — He loves you and longs to hear from you.

Pastor Ben’s Ponderings

“Then Haman said to King Ahasuerus, ‘There is a certain people scattered and dispersed among the people in all the provinces of your kingdom; their laws are different from all other people’s.’”         (Esther 3:8)

When Torrie & I were newlyweds, we had many friends who were young parents. As we listened to them commiserate about potty training and behavioral problems, the conversation often turned to how hard it was to raise godly children in the middle of an ungodly world. I remember self-righteously thinking that they all seemed just a little bit overprotective and old-fashioned because, in my mind, kids needed to be exposed to the “real world.” They couldn’t grow up in some kind of Christian bubble!

But then, I had kids! Believe me, before they were even out of diapers I would have paid big money for a nice, safe Christian bubble to raise them in! As they grew older, I became increasingly aware of the fact that without prayer and perseverance, the world around them had the potential to drown out the still, small voice of the God inside them.

In the story of Esther, God’s people had assimilated themselves so deeply into the pagan culture of Persia that their own faith and identity had almost completely disappeared. It seemed wiser to try to fit in than to draw attention to themselves by practicing an unpopular religion. Even Esther’s Uncle Mordecai insisted that she hide the fact that she was a Jew, perhaps hoping that would increase her chances of being chosen by the king. Maybe she could help the Jewish people without anyone ever finding out she was one of them.

Ironically, it was Mordecai himself who ended up spilling the beans! When the law of the land required him to kneel down and pay honor to Haman, his Jewish soul rose up inside of him and he refused. He may have been a resident of Persia, but on that day, Mordecai publicly claimed his real identity as a follower of the one true God.

We all face situations in our lives when we have to decide if we are going to speak up for what we believe, or just duck our heads and go with the flow. But the truth is, God never intended for His people to seamlessly blend into this world. We honor Him most when we stand up and stand out.

Pastor Ben’s Ponderings

“And David inquired of God…”         (1 Chronicles 14:10)

When the Philistines heard that David had been anointed king of Israel, they began searching for him. David retreated into the stronghold until he received word that they had raided the Valley of Rehaim. His natural inclination was to defend the valley; however, David did not rush to battle. His response to this and most other events of his life was simple: He inquired of the Lord. He asked, “Shall I go up against the Philistines?” And the Lord answered, “Go” (1 Chronicles 14:10).

David drove the Philistines out of the valley and removed their idols. When they returned to the valley, David did not assume that God’s response would be the same, but he again reverted to his default response and inquired of the Lord. The Lord’s answer was different this time, “You shall not go up after them . . . When you hear a sound of marching in the tops of the mulberry trees, then you shall go out to battle” (vs. 14-15). David obeyed the Lord and was again victorious.

When David inquired of the Lord, God exalted him and all nations feared him. When he failed to do so, he made reckless decisions with horrible consequences that affected not only him but others.

We, too, benefit by inquiring of the Lord for every aspect of our lives. Like He did for David, the Lord has prescribed the best path for our future and our decisions carry consequences not only for us but for others, too. Since the Lord hears our petitions even before we ask them, doesn’t it make sense that we should inquire of Him as well?

Pastor Ben’s Ponderings

From The Desk Of Pastor jBen

“Now therefore, send and gather all Israel to me on Mount Carmel, the 450 prophets of Baal, and the 400 prophets of Asherah, who eat at Jezebel’s table.”
(1 Kings 18:19)

The day after success can be dangerous. We’ve all heard the stories. The gifted high school quarterback is signed by the college of his dreams, only to be killed in a car wreck while celebrating and driving drunk. The prolific young musician gets the recording contract but then buckles under the pressure of sudden fame. The faithful worker is given the prestigious gold watch and retires, only to discover he is hopelessly bored and feels suddenly old.

In 1 Kings 18, Elijah faces a skeptical audience in a showdown with the 450 prophets of Baal. It’s the biblical pageantry that great theater thrives on: the bad guys cutting themselves, dancing frantically, and calling out to their gods in vain versus the lone Elijah, soaking the sacrifice, filling the trenches with water and calling on the name of the One, true, living God. Miraculously, the God who answers by fire consumes Elijah’s sacrifice completely and the scene climaxes with the skeptics confessing the God of Abraham as their God and Elijah slaughtering all 450 false prophets. Talk about impressive!

Sadly, the next day in 1 Kings 19, Elijah learns that one woman, Jezebel, is threatening his life, so he runs away into the wilderness, crawls under a tree, throws himself a major pity-party and begs God to kill him. He is so exhausted and disillusioned, he actually believes he is the only one left on the planet serving God. Bless his heart.

What is so remarkable is the grace-filled process of restoration the Father lovingly administers to His burned-out prophet. God sends angels to feed Elijah with sustaining supernatural bread and water. He cradles the prophet under the shadow of His wings with rejuvenating rest and restores Elijah’s ability to hear the still small voice of the Lord.

Isn’t it comforting to know whether we are celebrating on the mountain or hiding in caves of depression, we have a Father who loves us and understands all our faults and frailties — both the shame of defeat and the pompous pride of victory?

Is it just my imagination, or does Jezebel still threaten us with her fearful lies? Maybe the next time we slay a dragon or two, let’s go home, say a prayer of thanksgiving to the true Champion, make a sandwich, and take a nap!

Pastor Ben’s Ponderings

From The Desk Of Pastor Ben

“And so it was, when Gideon heard the telling of the dream and its interpretation, that he worshiped. He returned to the camp of Israel, and said, ‘Arise, for the Lord has delivered the camp of Midian into your hand.’”       (Judges 7:15)

The story of Gideon is one of those stories that is better than fiction. From everything we read in Judges, Gideon was a lot like many of us. He needed to know what was going to happen before it happened. His name means “mighty warrior” but it looks like to me he preferred to play it safe. When God told Gideon He wanted to use him to rescue Israel, Gideon wanted proof. His first sign was given by an angel, but he needed more proof. (More proof than an angel?)
He laid wool outside on the ground at night, and he told God that if He really wanted to use him to help rescue Israel, to make the wool wet with dew in the morning but keep the grass around it dry. Well, he woke up the next morning and the wool was so wet he could wring the water out of it in a bowl, and the grass around it was completely dry. But Gideon still wasn’t satisfied! He asked God to keep the wool dry the next night and make the ground all around it wet. God humored him and did exactly that. I guess since Gideon was going to be leading his army into an enemy camp, he wanted too make sure he was hearing God right. And who can blame him? Leadership can be a scary thing!
When he gathered his army, he sent messengers all over the place and gathered thousands of men to help him win the battle. He wanted to make sure his army was stronger than his enemies! But then, God told him to send everyone home who was afraid and didn’t want to fight. So 22,000 men went home and he was left with 10,000 men. Then, God went on asking Gideon to test his men and be sure they were really fit for battle and, long story short, his mighty army that started off with 32,000 men strong had dwindled down to 300!
When the time came for Gideon and his little ensemble to approach the enemy camp, did they bring weapons? NO! They came in the dark with trumpets, clay pots and torches. Gideon stationed his men throughout the camp, and then when he gave them the cue, they started blowing their trumpets, smashing their clay pots, waving their torches and shouting “The sword of the Lord and of Gideon!” The Midianites freaked out! They got so crazy that they turned on each other and started killing each other with their swords! Only God could have come up with that scheme!
I love that God forces us to trust Him. Well, I don’t always love it. It’s uncomfortable. But when we are most dependent on Him, we are reminded that HE is the mighty One. He is the One winning our battles for us. I don’t know about you, but that helps me sleep a whole lot better at night!

Pastor Ben’s Ponderings

From The Desk Of Pastor Ben

“You know in all your hearts and in all your souls that not one thing has failed of all the good things which the Lord your God spoke concerning you. All have come to pass for you; not one word of them has failed.”         (Joshua 23:14)

Joshua lived to be 110 years old. I can’t even imagine living 11 decades! And just think, 40 of those years were spent wandering around in the wilderness with a bunch of whining, ungrateful Israelites and eating the same thing (manna) every single day! If only reality TV cameras had been around back then so we could watch all the drama unfold. Joshua was the original survivor!
If I had been Joshua, all those years wandering around in the wilderness would have brought up some serious questions I would have had to ask: “Is this seriously what God had in mind, or did I miss the boat somewhere?” “We’re eating this again?!” “Am I a fool for believing that God is going to keep all these big promises He has made?” Come to think of it, I’ve asked those questions in my own life at one time or another. I guess maybe we all want to be sure God is really, really going to be faithful when we know how weak we are.
Joshua was hand-picked by the God of the universe to succeed Moses. Talk about some big sandals to fill! He was just as human as you and I, yet the entire Book of Joshua is a story about his courage, his faithfulness, and his ability to find God in the middle of what must have felt like utter insanity at times.
At the end of his 110 years, after leading the Israelites into the Promised Land, conquering Canaan, organizing and governing the people, he knew he was getting old and his job was about done. So he gave his farewell address. In the middle of that farewell address, he makes the statement to his people found in Joshua 23:14. NOT ONE SINGLE PROMISE FAILED!!
I’ve never spent 40 years in the wilderness with a bunch of whining weaklings, but I have spent my entire life living with a bunch of imperfect humans. And I have asked plenty of questions about how God can use people like us to carry on the work He started back in the Old Testament with people like Joshua. I love knowing that no matter how many questions we have or how many times we mess up, His promises are never going to change.
We have all been hand-picked by the God of the universe for a unique purpose just like Joshua. If we’re still breathing we are here for a reason. And He has promised us that He will never leave us, that He will complete the work He has started in us and that His love will never end.
When I get to heaven, I can’t wait to meet Joshua and hear his stories about leading those bratty Israelites through the wilderness. But I wonder if he might enjoy hearing our stories, too, about how God still kept His promises in our lives thousands of years after he delivered that farewell address.