The Park Forum

May 4, 2026May 2, 2026

Confrontation and Hope

Links for today’s readings:

May 4 Read: Micah 4 Listen: (2:33) Read: Psalms 83-84 Listen: (3:20)

Scripture Focus: Micah 4.1-4

1 In the last days, the mountain of the Lord’s temple will be established

as the highest of the mountains;

it will be exalted above the hills,

and peoples will stream to it.

2 Many nations will come and say,

“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,

to the temple of the God of Jacob.

He will teach us his ways,

so that we may walk in his paths.”

The law will go out from Zion,

the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.

3 He will judge between many peoples

and will settle disputes for strong nations far and wide.

They will beat their swords into plowshares

and their spears into pruning hooks.

Nation will not take up sword against nation,

nor will they train for war anymore.

4 Everyone will sit under their own vine

and under their own fig tree,

and no one will make them afraid,

for the Lord Almighty has spoken.

Reflection: Confrontation and Hope

By John Tillman

Today’s passage is one of Micah’s most hope-filled.

Micah and Isaiah were contemporaries, using similar imagery and language. It makes sense that God spoke similar things to prophets speaking in the same time period.

Micah saw his nation slipping down a rebellious path to war and destruction. He saw systematic corruption and oppression of the poor, the idolatry and hypocrisy of false worship, and the misuse and misrepresentation of God’s name.

Both prophets delivered unflinching messages about coming judgments for sin. They warned of war, destruction, death, slavery, and exile. However, every warning of woe held a promise of hope.

Micah and Isaiah both proclaimed that the mountain of the Lord, where the temple stood, would become the highest mountain and Jerusalem would be like the garden of Eden. All peoples and nations would stream up the mountain to worship God.

Micah and Isaiah were also very different. Isaiah was an insider. Micah was an outsider. Isaiah was powerful, frequented the palace, and personally knew and spoke to kings, leaders, and high officials. Micah was from a rural area of Judah with no powerful connections other than the God in whose name he spoke.

Both the kings and the citizens needed to be confronted with the realities of their sins. They also needed to know the hope God had planned for them. Prophets don’t flinch from either confrontation or hope.

We need prophets from different perspectives, like Isaiah and Micah. Those close to the powerful must hold them to account. Those close to the oppressed must speak from their perspective. Too often, those in halls of power are corrupted by that power rather than confronting its sins. And too often those speaking for the oppressed forget that the oppressed also need repentance. And everyone needs hope.

Where has God placed you? Are you a powerful insider or an oppressed outsider? Most of us are somewhere in between. No matter where you are, you must both confront and inspire.

We need both truthful confrontation and hopeful exhortation to overcome the gravity of sin pulling us down. Only then can we “stream” upward to the city of God and seek him in its temple. (Micah 4.1)

The gospel is good news about bad news. The bad news is the destiny sin has earned us. The good news is the destiny Jesus won for us. The gospel dies without truth and hope. Share both.

Divine Hours Prayer: The Refrain for the Morning Lessons

God looks down from heaven upon us all, to see if there is any who is wise, if there is one who seeks after God. — Psalm 53.2

– From The Divine Hours: Prayers for Springtime by Phyllis Tickle

Everyone

Links for today’s readings:

May 1 Read: Micah 1 Listen: (2:46) Read: Psalm 79 Listen: (1:50)
May 2 Read: Micah 2 Listen: (2:11) Read: Psalm 80 Listen: (1:58)
May 3 Read: Micah 3 Listen: (1:51) Read: Psalms 81-82 Listen: (2:36)

Scripture Focus: Micah 1.1-2, 8-9

1 The word of the Lord that came to Micah of Moresheth during the reigns of Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah, kings of Judah—the vision he saw concerning Samaria and Jerusalem.
2 Hear, you peoples, all of you,
listen, earth and all who live in it,
that the Sovereign Lord may bear witness against you,
the Lord from his holy temple.

8 Because of this I will weep and wail;
I will go about barefoot and naked.
I will howl like a jackal
and moan like an owl.
9 For Samaria’s plague is incurable;
it has spread to Judah.
It has reached the very gate of my people,
even to Jerusalem itself.

Reflection: Everyone

By John Tillman

In the 1994 film, The Professional, Gary Oldman delivered a one-word line that became legendary. Oldman’s character tells a man near him, “Bring me everyone.” The henchman replies with a questioning tone, “Everyone?” Oldman explodes, screaming, “EVERYONE!”

Screaming the line was intended as a joke to make the director laugh. But the director, Luc Besson, used the screamed version in the film. To this day, fans will shout “EVERYONE” to Oldman when they see him.

Micah, the prophet, had dire warnings from the Lord. If you asked him who they were for, he might reply, “EVERYONE!” They are for Samaria, Judah, and all the peoples of the earth. Micah starts with Samaria, but in the course of his message, he will leave no one out.

Like the lines in a film script, we read the prophets’ words but must imagine their inflections and voices. When we read condemnatory passages, we might imagine shouts like Gary Oldman’s “Everyone!” And we might be right. When we read other passages, we might hear sarcasm, bitter irony, or an insulting sneer.

Prophets say angry, critical words and do strange and offensive things, like Isaiah and Micah walking around naked. (Isaiah 20.2-4; Micah 1.8) Today, we call people like that angry extremists. Many people dismiss such critics as “hateful” or “deranged.” This would sound familiar to biblical prophets. John the Baptizer was called demon-possessed. Jesus was called a drunkard. (Luke 7.33-35) Elijah was called a “troubler of Israel.” (1 Kings 18.7) This doesn’t, however, mean every kook is a prophet.

Angry prophets, like the God they speak for, are driven by love, not hate. Anger against corruption is not hatred of country; it is love for country. Anger against oppressors is love for the oppressed. Anger against false gods is love for the true God. We see this in Micah’s mourning. He weeps. He wails. He denies himself clothing to take on shame. These are acts of love. The Holy Spirit has gifted some to be prophets. But some prophetic responsibilities are for “everyone.” Yes, everyone.

Don’t be ashamed to weep and wail at injustice, harm, and oppression. Don’t be ashamed of making others uncomfortable so long as you are telling the truth.

Don’t be ashamed of making good trouble. Don’t be ashamed to call everyone to repentance. Don’t be ashamed to tell everyone about God’s love.

Divine Hours Prayer: The Call to Prayer

Sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the whole earth. — Psalm 96.1

– From The Divine Hours: Prayers for Springtime by Phyllis Tickle

Exit the Spiritual Rollercoaster

Links for today’s readings:

Apr 30 Read: Jonah 4 Listen: (1:56) Read: Psalm 78.38-72 Listen: (7:12)

Scripture Focus: Psalm 78.35-39, 52-54

35 They remembered that God was their Rock,

that God Most High was their Redeemer.

36 But then they would flatter him with their mouths,

lying to him with their tongues;

37 their hearts were not loyal to him,

they were not faithful to his covenant.

38 Yet he was merciful;

he forgave their iniquities

and did not destroy them.

Time after time he restrained his anger

and did not stir up his full wrath.

39 He remembered that they were but flesh,

a passing breeze that does not return.

52 But he brought his people out like a flock;

he led them like sheep through the wilderness.

53 He guided them safely, so they were unafraid;

but the sea engulfed their enemies.

54 And so he brought them to the border of his holy land,

to the hill country his right hand had taken.

Reflection: Exit the Spiritual Rollercoaster

By John Tillman

Israel has spiritual ups and downs. Depending on where you start or stop the story, it’s inspiring or tragic.

The second half of Psalm 78 begins in the wilderness with Israel rebelling against God. They forget God’s goodness in bringing them out of Egypt and they suffer the consequences. Despite being oppressed in Egypt, the wilderness struggles caused Israel to recall enslavement fondly. They were willing to go back to slavery just to get some cucumbers. (Numbers 11.4-5) If the story stops there, it’s a tragedy. Israel needed their hearts, not just their bodies, freed from enslavement.

Psalm 78 closes with Israel in the promised land, settled under David’s rule. Stopping the story there gives it a happy ending, but we know dark things happened during David’s reign and the rest of the story wasn’t pretty.

Our stories also have ups and downs. Our faith oscillates, turning fully toward Jesus then turning away again. We might turn away because of sin and shame, or due to tiredness or burnout, or when experiencing suffering or struggle.

Jesus bears with us and understands our sufferings and our temptations. As God did for the psalmist and Israel, Jesus does for us. He remembers that we are “flesh…like a passing breeze.” (Psalm 78.39) As he said to his disciples in the garden, “the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.” (Mark 14.38) He is merciful, forgiving our iniquities (Psalm 78.38). Jesus awaits the moment we turn to his face in repentance to be healed, restored, and accepted.

This does not mean that God does not grieve our wandering, our failures, our sin, and our rebellion. He does. Jesus works in us to destroy and eliminate sin and its influence. Like Israel, we need our hearts, not just our bodies, freed from sin and death.

With maturity, our roller coaster of rebellion and repentance smooths out to higher highs and fewer drops and dives. Eventually, Jesus, the true and better David, comes and we exit this rollercoaster for good. Instead of up and down, it will be, as CS Lewis wrote, “further up and further in.”

As desires for Egypt still affected Israel, desires for sin still affect us in our wanderings. Reflect on the destruction of Egypt described in Psalm 78.42-55 as you imagine God destroying the pull and power of sins in your life.

Moses told Pharaoh to let Israel go. Speak to your sins, saying “Let me go.”

Divine Hours Prayer: The Prayer Appointed for the Week

I thank you, heavenly Father, that you have delivered me from the dominion of sin and death and brought me into the kingdom of your Son; and I pray that, as by his death he has recalled me to life, so by his love he may raise me to eternal joys; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

– From The Divine Hours: Prayers for Springtime by Phyllis Tickle

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April 29, 2026April 27, 2026

Won’t He Do It

Links for today’s readings:

Apr 29 Read: Jonah 3 Listen: (1:31) Read: Psalm 78.1-37 Listen: (7:12)

Scripture Focus: Jonah 3:5-6

5 The Ninevites believed God. A fast was proclaimed, and all of them, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth.

6 When Jonah’s warning reached the king of Nineveh, he rose from his throne, took off his royal robes, covered himself with sackcloth and sat down in the dust.

Reflection: Won’t He Do It

By Erin Newton

How far gone is too far? How evil can a person be before we declare there’s no going back? Whose repentance do you think is impossible?

Sometimes it’s easier to hope in a miracle of healing than to believe that bad people will suddenly repent. And Jonah agrees.

The story of Jonah is full of impossibilities. You’d think being thrown overboard, not drowning but being swallowed by a fish, not dying but hanging out for three days, and being spewed from the fish onto dry land would make Jonah and us, the readers, staunch believers in anything. (Even if you read the story as hyperbole, the point is the ridiculous impossibility of it all.) But I’ve still got a side eye toward the Ninevites.

Nineveh was a large Assyrian city, serving as the capital. The Assyrians were formidable enemies against Israel and notoriously ruthless. It’s easier to sympathize with Jonah’s reluctance than to hope for their change of heart. But God likes to surprise us.

The prophet Jonah looks at the quest as an exercise in futility. Nineveh, against all expectations, responds in repentance. It was the most improbable outcome, and later Jonah will be grumpy about it.

Why is their reaction shocking? Because we expect people to keep doing what they always do. We expect evil people to keep being evil with little to no hope the word of God will affect them. Is our faith in people too big and our faith in God too small? Perhaps.

We need stories like Jonah to shock us out of our routine expectations. We need to be reminded that the unexpected still happens. We need something to hope in—that the message of God still has power to change people.

I know how tired we are of living in “unprecedented times.” The word has lost its meaning. Each day is a new set of horrors and we are at risk of believing that it will only continue getting worse. It feels a lot more compelling to hop on the nearest boat to get away from it. Even jumping overboard sounds like the reasonable thing to do. How can anything turn out right?

Believe that God calls you. Believe that God can find you in the middle of the sea. Believe that God will use creation to save you. Believe that God will meet you in the depths. And believe that God can change even the worst of humanity.

Divine Hours Prayer: The Refrain for the Morning Lessons

The Lord is near to those who call upon him, to all who call upon him faithfully. — Psalm 145.19

– From The Divine Hours: Prayers for Springtime by Phyllis Tickle

Marks of Identity and Destiny

Links for today’s readings:

Apr 28 Read: Jonah 2 Listen: (1:20) Read: Psalm 77 Listen: (2:12)

Scripture Focus: Psalm 77.7-12

7 “Will the Lord reject forever?

Will he never show his favor again?

8 Has his unfailing love vanished forever?

Has his promise failed for all time?

9 Has God forgotten to be merciful?

Has he in anger withheld his compassion?”

10 Then I thought, “To this I will appeal:

the years when the Most High stretched out his right hand.

11 I will remember the deeds of the Lord;

yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago.

12 I will consider all your works

and meditate on all your mighty deeds.”

Photo Note: Today’s image is of a Baptist church in the southeastern Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia struck by a Russian KAB-1500L laser-guided precision bomb during a prayer meeting this month, killing at least one person, a minister, and injuring at least eight others. (The Christian Post)

Reflection: Marks of Identity and Destiny

By John Tillman

Federico Villanueva’s commentary on Psalm 77 begins with a story.

“In the aftermath of Typhoon Yolanda…newspapers printed a photo of a woman standing in front of the ruins of a chapel after the typhoon devastated the city of Tacloban. Alone and soaked in the rain, the woman’s face is turned towards the place where the altar had stood. This image captures the persistent faith of Psalm 77.” (Asia Bible Commentary Series)

Something horrible happened to the psalmist. In context with the surrounding psalms, the event the psalmist mourned seems to be the destruction of the temple. Why else would the poet fear that God’s promise failed? Why else would the poet wonder if God’s unfailing love vanished?

Have you experienced something that inspired similar doubts? Have you stood, like the Filipino believer and the psalmist, witnessing a wrecked place of worship? Maybe one wrecked by something other than a physical storm? Have you lamented wreckages, damages, abuses, or failures that challenged your picture of God?

Defining moments leave marks of identity. Holocaust survivors have physical tattoos from Nazi camps, but also carry tattoos on their souls and psyches. Other traumatic events such as mass shootings, sexual abuse, unjust incarceration, violent crimes, or acts of war or terrorism can leave similar marks. These marks don’t ruin you unless you let them, but they also can’t be ignored or swept away.

Without experiencing such things, you might struggle understanding those who have. You might cringe at the honesty of someone saying, “It is all the same…He destroys both the blameless and the wicked.” (Job 9.22) You might want to plead, “You shouldn’t say that!” But God welcomes brutal honesty.

The psalmist was irrevocably marked by the temple’s fall, however, a greater event left a greater mark. The psalmist reflected on God’s saving work in the Exodus. This defined God’s and Israel’s identities. This reflection didn’t erase suffering or doubt but provided reassurance of God’s holiness and love which sustained the souls marked by tragedy.

For Christians, the cross and resurrection are our Exodus story. In moments of loss, confusion, doubt, and pain, reflecting on the cross sustains us. The cross is the event upon which Jesus stakes his identity and in which we find ours.

No matter what has marked you, it doesn’t have the final word on your identity or destiny. The cross settles both our identity and destiny as united to Christ.

Divine Hours Prayer: The Refrain for the Morning Lessons

When the Lord restores the fortunes of his people, Jacob will rejoice and Israel be glad. — Psalm 14.7b

– From The Divine Hours: Prayers for Springtime by Phyllis Tickle

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Posts

Confrontation and Hope

Links for today’s readings:

Scripture Focus: Micah 4.1-4

Reflection: Confrontation and Hope

Divine Hours Prayer: The Refrain for the Morning Lessons

Read more: A Hill That Defeated the Mountains

Read more: The Mountain of the Lord

Everyone

Links for today’s readings:

Scripture Focus: Micah 1.1-2, 8-9

Reflection: Everyone

Divine Hours Prayer: The Call to Prayer

Read more: Wail-Patterned Baldness

Read more: When Temples Fall

Exit the Spiritual Rollercoaster

Links for today’s readings:

Scripture Focus: Psalm 78.35-39, 52-54

Reflection: Exit the Spiritual Rollercoaster

Divine Hours Prayer: The Prayer Appointed for the Week

Read more: Hardest Words to Say: “I’m Sorry”

Read The Bible With Us

Won’t He Do It

Links for today’s readings:

Scripture Focus: Jonah 3:5-6

Reflection: Won’t He Do It

Divine Hours Prayer: The Refrain for the Morning Lessons

Read more: When Ninevites Believe

Read more: The Maddest Prophet, The Saddest Prophet

Marks of Identity and Destiny

Links for today’s readings:

Scripture Focus: Psalm 77.7-12

Reflection: Marks of Identity and Destiny

Divine Hours Prayer: The Refrain for the Morning Lessons

Read more: Who Tells Your Story?

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