Revised Common Lectionary – Year B: Tenth Sunday after Pentecost

2 Samuel 11:1-15; Psalm 14:1-7 (or 2 Kings 4:42-44); Psalm 145:10-18; Ephesians 3:14-21; John 6:1-21

Doing the will of the Lord

‘May the Lord do what seems good to Him’ (2 Samuel 10:12). This is the attitude we ought to have. This is the ideal: ‘Your will be done in earth as it is in heaven’; ‘Not as I will, but as You will’ (Matthew 6:10; 26:39). Often, we do not live up to the ideal - ‘the thing that David had done displeased the Lord’ (2 Samuel11:27). Throughout life, there are choices between our own will and the will of the Lord. Sometimes, we make wrong choices. We choose our own way rather than the Lord’s way. Throughout life, God is speaking to us. He is trying to get our attention. He wants it to be less of self and more of Him. He is leading us to say from the heart, ‘As for God, His way is perfect’ (2 Samuel 22:31; Psalm 18:30). May we have this testimony: ‘I have kept the ways of the Lord; I have not done evil by turning from my God’ (Psalm 18:21).

Seeking the blessing of the Lord

Life can be testing and trying. In all of this, God makes Himself real to us. This is our assurance of faith: ‘The Lord restores the fortunes of His people’. He makes us ‘glad’ - In Him, we ‘rejoice’ (Psalm 14:7). God Himself is the Sure Foundation for our lives: Build on Him, and you ‘shall never be moved’ (Psalm 15:5). We long for God’s blessing, ‘O that salvation...would come...’ (Psalm 14:7). He will not disappoint us. Do not be ‘the fool’ who ‘says in his heart, “There is no God”’ (Psalm 14:1). ‘Fear the Lord’ - ‘and give Him glory’ (Psalm 15:4; Revelation 14:7). We are to ‘act wisely’ - ‘seeking after God’, ‘calling upon the Lord’ (14:2, 4). Do you want to ‘dwell on God’s holy hill’ (Psalm 15:1)? - ‘There is a way for man to rise to that sublime abode...’ (Church Hymnary, 357): Christ is the Way to God and Heaven (John 14:2-6).

Making a new beginning with the Lord

The situation seemed hopeless - ‘The child was lying dead on his bed’ (2 Kings 4:32). What did Elisha do? - He ‘prayed to the Lord’ (2 Kings 4:33). What are we to do when everything seems hopeless? Pray: ‘Restore us again, O God of our salvation… Will You not revive us again, that Your people may rejoice in You?’ (Psalm 85:4,6). When we are at our lowest ebb, God is waiting to hear from us. Our prayer may not be eloquent - but it must come from the heart! Perhaps, we can hardly put our prayer into words. God looks beyond our inadequate words. He looks into our hearts. If, in our hearts, we are saying to Him, ‘Restore the joy of Your salvation to me, and provide me with a spirit of willing obedience’, He will hear and He will answer (Romans 8:26-27; Psalm 51:12). You can make a new beginning with God - right now!

Worshipping the Lord

‘Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised. His greatness is beyond understanding’. Let us worship our great God: ‘I will exalt You, my God the King. I will praise Your Name for ever and ever. Every day I will praise You and extol Your Name for ever and ever’ (Psalm 145:1-3). The God whom we worship is so much greater than the worship we bring to Him. Our worship is to be a ‘joyful celebration.’ We celebrate His great love: ‘The Lord is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love.’ We rejoice in His great faithfulness: ‘The Lord is faithful to all His promises.’ Here on earth, we have only begun to worship our great God. Our worship will continue in His ‘everlasting Kingdom.’ There, we will ‘praise His Name for ever and ever’ (Psalm 145:7-8, 13, 21).

Receiving strength from the Lord

By the grace of God we are called to salvation - ‘saved through faith’ - , sanctification - ‘for good works’ - , and service - ‘according to the gift of God’s grace… by the working of His power’, we are enabled ‘to preach the unsearchable riches of Christ’ (Ephesians 2:8-10; 3:7-8). When we consider all this, we say in our hearts, ‘To God be the glory’! (Ephesians 3:21). We are ‘strengthened with power through His Spirit in our inner being’so that we might live as those who are saved, sanctified and serving. Even when we are deeply conscious of our own great weakness, we draw encouragement from this: God is ‘able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us’ (Ephesians 3:16, 20). We grow in grace as we share in fellowship - ‘eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit’ (Ephesians 4:3).

Trusting in the Lord

‘Search the Scriptures’- and make sure you ‘come to Christ and receive life’ (John 5:39-40). From Jesus’ miracles - the feeding of the five thousand (John 6:1-13) and His walking on water (John 6:16-21) - we learn about faith in Christ. Jesus is more than a ‘prophet’. He is ‘the Bread of God... which comes down from heaven’ (John 6:14; John 5:33). He is not merely a human ‘king.’ He is the divine King - ‘Lord of lords and King of kings’(15; Revelation 17:14). When the storms of life are raging, Jesus says, ‘It is I; do not be afraid’ (20). He assures us of His final victory - ‘they will make war on the Lamb, and the Lamb will conquer them’ (Revelation 17:14). ‘Will your anchor hold in the storms of life?... We have an anchor that keeps the soul... Grounded firm and deep in the Saviour’s love’ (Church Hymnary, 412).