Listen here.
Welcome to Devotions for Worship where we meditate on the
appointed Scripture readings for the upcoming Sunday. Thank you for being with
me today.
I am Pastor Eric Tritten from Gloria Dei Lutheran Church in
Hudson, OH.
This coming Sunday is the 1st Sunday of Advent. As
I have said before, Advent is a penitential season. Our king is coming and we
prepare to be with him through repentance. The Psalm this week has several
themes that fit with Advent as it looks for God’s salvation and restoration
while confronting our sin and its impact on our lives.
Psalm 80:1-7 (ESV)
Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel,
you who lead Joseph like a flock.
You who are enthroned upon the cherubim, shine forth.
2 Before Ephraim and
Benjamin and Manasseh,
stir up your might
and come to save us!
3 Restore
us, O God;
let your face shine, that we may be
saved!
4 O LORD
God of hosts,
how long will you be angry with
your people's prayers?
5 You have
fed them with the bread of tears
and given them tears to drink in
full measure.
6 You make
us an object of contention for our neighbors,
and our enemies laugh among
themselves.
7 Restore
us, O God of hosts;
let your face shine, that we may be
saved!
(Ps. 80:1-7 ESV)
Read again, slowly
Comments
Luther advocated a study of theology that was very different
from the monks of his time. He found in the Psalter a pattern of study that he
summarized in three words: oratio,
meditatio, and tentatio. In English: prayer, meditation, and struggle.
The pattern works something like this: We pray for God to
teach us, which the Holy Spirit gladly does through the Scriptures. He leads us
to meditate on God’s Word, He guides us by the Word to understand it, teaching it and live
according to it. This leads us into conflict. “For,” as Luther says, “as soon
as God’s Word goes forth through you the devil will afflict you and make you a
real doctor and teach you by his temptations to seek and to love God’s Word.”
So as we face those temptations we find ourselves wanting, weak, and unable to
cope. What should we do? We turn back to the Lord in prayer! We are met by Him
in His Word. The Holy Spirit continues His work in us.
So in this psalm I imagine the psalmist turning to God in
brokenness, recognizing his sin begging to be heard and saved yet again. And
perhaps that is something we can sympathize with. That in our sin we look about
struggling, and we turn back to the Lord in prayer and He answers us out of His
mercy through His Word to assure us that our sins are forgiven and He will save
us when He comes again.
Prayers
O God, our heavenly Father, please hear our prayers. It is
not for our sake that our prayers should be welcomed in your presence, for we
sin and we ask for the wrong things, but our Lord Jesus has redeemed us and He
teaches us to pray. Thank You for the salvation you have won for us in Jesus’
death and resurrection. Thank You for the working of your Holy Spirit in our
lives. Forgive us for falling into sin and for failing in our prayers. Please
lead us to pray more boldly, to deeper trust and faith in You, and, in the end,
into Your eternal kingdom. Amen.
Thank you so much for using Devotions for Worship, I pray
that our time together has blessed you and given you something to meditate on –
some reminder of God’s grace to rattle around in your brain – for the rest of
the day.
I want to remind you to be prayerfully and thoughtfully
generous in the giving of alms during this Advent season. Pray that God open
your eyes, your heart, and your hand to help others in need.
Another devotional habit we can use to help us meditate on
God’s word is memorization.
Memory Verse: Isaiah 64:4 – From of old no one has heard or
perceived by the ear, no eye has seen a God besides you, who acts for those who
wait for Him.
Would you do me a favor? If you got something out of this
devotional time, would you like and/or share it on Facebook, Twitter, or
wherever you do social media? That would help me get the word out, and
hopefully help these devotions be a blessing to others.
God bless you!
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