10-11-26_Day and Night

Joshua 1:7-9, Romans 12:14-21, Matthew 6:5-13/ Pr. John Kim, LLC

A little boy is saying his bedtime prayers. And his voice keeps getting louder. “Dear God! For my birthday! I want a new bike! Please!”

His younger brother asks, “Why are you yelling? God isn’t deaf.”

The older brother whispers, “I know. But Grandma is.”

Cute, isn’t it? Smart kid, too. He knew exactly who he was really talking to.

And if we’re honest, we’ve all prayed a little like that. Maybe not yelling for Grandma. But hoping that if we say the right words enough times, something will happen. If I pray this every day, if I memorize this verse, God will bless me.

God doesn’t need us to shout or repeat ourselves. He hears us the very first time. And yet this same God tells Joshua, “Meditate on it day and night.” Why? Because the one who needs to hear the Word over and over is us.

Not long ago, I had a heavy day. We had shown kindness, generosity, and patience, but what came back was anger and sharp words. Words aimed at our church.

That day, as I prayed, God comforted me. Psalm 23 came to mind: “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.” Then Malachi: “You shall go out leaping like calves from the stall.” And Habakkuk: “The earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.” God was telling me he would show his goodness through this church. My heart was at peace.

Then, within three minutes, I had forgotten all of it.

The criticism and the attacks came rushing back.

That’s when it hit me. Oh. This is why God says, “day and night.”

The voices of this world don’t come once and leave. Criticism, fear, and worry keep coming back. They come from outside, and they rise up from within. So, the Word must come day and night too.

Meditating day and night is not homework meant to wear us down. It is God’s protection. He doesn’t want us pulled into evil, or stained by it. He wants to keep us alive and moving forward on the path of salvation. That is God’s love.

In the Lord’s Prayer we pray, “Deliver us from evil.” What is that evil? Our enemy is not the person who spoke sharp words to us. Paul says, “Our struggle is not against enemies of blood and flesh, but against the spiritual forces of evil.” Behind our conflicts with people, there is an unseen power. And that evil wants one thing: for us to stop walking God’s path.

In my early twenties, I read something in Scripture that still shakes me. Numbers 14. The people rise up in fury. They are ready to pick up stones. And Moses doesn’t fight back. He doesn’t defend himself. He immediately falls on his face before God.

Moses wasn’t afraid of the people. He was afraid of getting tangled up with the crowd, and stopping on God’s path.

And Joshua was there. That day, the ones the people wanted to stone were Joshua and Caleb. Joshua saw Moses fall on his face, right beside him.

Years later, God says to that same Joshua: “Do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left.”

The moment we fight back in anger, we stop on God’s path. That is the trap evil has hidden for us.

So let us overcome evil with love. Lay down whatever stirs up your heart: resentment, or the anger that says, “I’m right.” Receive peace instead. When love is betrayed, it hurts. Bring that hurt to the Lord. He is the one who gives comfort, rest, and new strength. Then the hurt grows small, and we move forward again.

But we cannot do this on our own. The power to overcome evil is not in us. It is in God’s Word. Jesus said, “The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life.” God’s Spirit lives in his Word. That is our strength.

I can never forget the story of Brother Yun, a house-church leader in China. As a teenager, he fasted and prayed for 100 days for a Bible. When he finally received one, he memorized the whole Gospel of Matthew in 28 days. Years later, locked in prison without a Bible, he meditated on the Word he had memorized, and sang praises day and night.

Last week I told you that the Hebrew word for “meditate,” hagah, is also used for a lion growling over its prey. The lion doesn’t let go. It keeps chewing.

Meditation isn’t complicated. While driving, while doing the dishes, before falling asleep, quietly bring one verse to mind and think of God. That is chewing on the Word.

And the Spirit makes that Word living. Yesterday’s verse speaks in a new way today. Today’s verse becomes tomorrow’s strength. Jesus said, “The Advocate, the Holy Spirit, will remind you of all that I have said to you.” When we forget in three minutes, the Spirit reminds us. Through the Word, God comes to us. And we go out leaping like calves from the stall. And with his strength, we keep walking the path of love and salvation.

Conclusion: Meditation Is Our Confession of Faith

When I was young, I used to wonder: Why does the church say the same things every week? Love one another. Share. Forgive. And we don’t even seem to live it. So why keep repeating it? In my proud eyes, Christians even looked like hypocrites.

Now I understand. Because we don’t live it, we gather every week to hear the Word again, and confess it again. Pastors included.

Every week we confess our sins, receive forgiveness, and come to this table, where we hear the same words: “In the night in which he was betrayed, our Lord Jesus took bread… Do this for the remembrance of me.”

The same words, every week. But not empty repetition. When we remember that night, Christ is here with us, now. In the bread and in the cup. In that repetition, a holy union takes place.

And the covenant we forget within three minutes, God has never forgotten. Not once.

Remember that boy? He shouted at Grandma to get a bike. We repeat words at this table too, but not to get something. Our repetition is aimed at God. And before we even ask, God gives first. A gift far greater than a bike.

He gives himself.

This is the table of Psalm 23. “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; my cup overflows.” In the middle of any attack, God sets a table. There is no need to fight. As Jesus said on the cross, “It is finished.”

This table proclaims that victory, and truly gives it to us.

That is why I believe there is hope in this worship. Ezekiel saw water flowing from the temple, a small stream that became a river too deep to cross. “Everything will live where the river goes.” The grace flowing from this table brings life to our souls, to our community, and to this city. And so, as the waters cover the sea, I believe the knowledge of God will fill this place.

So, this week, keep chewing on the Word, and keep walking, one step at a time. Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. Don’t stop. The promise God gave Joshua is still ours today: “The LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”

It’s okay if you forget. Just come back. And next Sunday, we will meet again at this table.

This is how we walk with God, day and night.

Prayer

God of the Word, thank You for meeting us in worship through Your Word and Spirit. Through Christ, You give us everything—Your love, joy, peace, and healing power. May we cherish these grace-filled gifts in our hearts, so Your love takes root and grows. Keep us in Your presence this week, protect us from evil, and lead our steps along Your path. In the name of Jesus Christ, our Good Shepherd, we pray. Amen.