Good Morning, Lord!
I Am Baptized
[God] has delivered us from the
domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in
whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. – Colossians 1:13-14
Make the sign of the cross as
you say, “In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.”
A Morning Prayer
Lord Jesus, you would often rise
early and go off by yourself to pray. As I arise today, I would take this time
to pray and to hear your Word. Fill me with your Holy Spirit that I might hear
and believe what you say in the Scriptures. But do not let me merely be a hearer
of your Word, but also a doer of your Word. When I believe in your forgiveness
of sins, let me extend that forgiveness to others. When I trust that there is
reason to hope because of your resurrection, let me not be driven by fear, but
instead be led by love. When I learn that you love justice and mercy, let me be
just and merciful as I deal with others. When I experience that you are pure
and holy, let my life reflect your purity and holiness. Confident of your
blessings and your constant presence, I go into this day in your name. Amen.
I Believe …
I believe that I cannot by my
own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ, my Lord, or come to Him; but
the Holy Spirit has called me by the Gospel, enlightened me with His gifts,
sanctified and kept me in the true faith. In the same way He calls, gathers,
enlightens, and sanctifies the whole Christian church on earth, and keeps it
with Jesus Christ in the one true faith. In this Christian Church He daily and
richly forgives all my sins and the sins of all believers. On the Last Day He
will raise me and all the dead, and give eternal life to me and all believers
in Christ.
This is most certainly true.
Save Me, O My God
A Psalm of David, when he fled from Absalom his
son.
3 O Lord, how many are my foes!
Many are rising against me;
2 many are saying of my soul,
“There is no salvation for him in God.” Selah[a]
Many are rising against me;
2 many are saying of my soul,
“There is no salvation for him in God.” Selah[a]
3 But you, O Lord, are a
shield about me,
my glory, and the lifter of my head.
4 I cried aloud to the Lord,
and he answered me from his holy hill. Selah
my glory, and the lifter of my head.
4 I cried aloud to the Lord,
and he answered me from his holy hill. Selah
5 I lay down and slept;
I woke again, for the Lord sustained me.
6 I will not be afraid of many thousands of people
who have set themselves against me all around.
I woke again, for the Lord sustained me.
6 I will not be afraid of many thousands of people
who have set themselves against me all around.
7 Arise, O Lord!
Save me, O my God!
For you strike all my enemies on the cheek;
you break the teeth of the wicked.
Save me, O my God!
For you strike all my enemies on the cheek;
you break the teeth of the wicked.
Do you ever wonder why God
allows people to experience such suffering as is described in this Psalm? Why
are there enemies, and conflict, and those who cast doubt on our faith? These
are versions of that classic question, “Why do good things happen to bad
people?” and, trust me, that is line of question that gets really murky in a
hurry! In theology we call that theodicy, and it wrestles with the question of
why there is evil if God is good. You can call me a coward if you like, but I’m
not going to go there today. Where I will go is a little piece of good news
when for you do experience the trials and troubles of this life. It comes from
Romans 8:28, and it says, “[W]e know that for those who love God all things
work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.”
All things – all things work together
for good for those who love God and are called according to his purpose. (That
is you by the way. You are those who love God and are called by him.) It might
not be easy to see how somethings work to our good, but that is God’s promise.
Now, I am on the verge of some
dangerous territory. It might sound like I am saying that God allows evil in
order to do good to us. It is more like: there is evil in the world that seeks
to harm us and steal our hope, but God turns those efforts on their head and
leaves us with a blessing. What kind of blessing? God’s blessings vary, but his
richest and most desirable blessings are those that give us greater faith.
Martin Luther observed a pattern
in Psalms related to this conflict with enemies. He identified three steps that
God uses in our lives to shape and grow us as his people. He identified them
as: Prayer, Meditation, and Trouble. As God’s redeemed children we do not
approach him out of our competence or great ability. We come to him in our need
praying, Teach me! Instruct me! Show me! So God teaches, instructs, and shows
us his love, his will, his forgiveness in Christ through the Word, and as we
meditate on that Word we begin to live as God teaches, instructs, and shows,
that is we begin to live by faith trusting God’s promises for our salvation.
And here is where we find trouble, because the devil, the world, and our sinful
nature – our enemies – cannot tolerate us finding the comfort, hope, and
consolation that God gives us in his Word. Luther says, “This is the touchstone
that teaches you not only to know and understand but also to experience how
right, how true, how sweet, how lovely, how mighty, how comforting is God’s
Word, wisdom above all wisdom.”
I am not saying that God causes
evil to happen because he wants to teach us a lesson. I am saying that it is in
difficult times that you are driven back to prayer, which leads you to God’s
Word, which brings you back to trouble, and, as that pattern repeats over and
over again, we learn that God answers prayer, keeps the promises he speaks in
the Word, and overcomes our troubles. (Dare I say, we learn that everything is
going to be okay!)
Question for Meditation
What does this reading teach you
about Jesus, what He said and did, or what He wants His followers to believe?
What does it teach you about God’s love and forgiveness?
What does this reading lead you
to be thankful for?
What behavior, thought, or
attitude does this reading challenge? What sin does it lead you to confess?
How might you pray for God to
have a richer impact on your life through this reading?
Prayer
Pray
for your spouse, parents, family, and friends – and for your enemies.
Lord’s Prayer
Our Father who art in heaven,
hallowed be Thy name,
Thy kingdom come,
Thy will be done on earth
as it is in heaven;
give us this day our daily
bread;
and forgive us our trespasses
as we forgive those
who trespass against us;
and lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For Thine is the kingdom
and the power and the glory
forever and ever. Amen.
Benediction
Now may our Lord Jesus Christ
himself, and God our Father, who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good
hope through grace, comfort your hearts and establish them in every good work
and word. (2 Thess. 2:16-17 ESV)
[1] English
Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard
Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good
News Publishers.
Comments