May 16: Morning Devotion

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Good Morning, Lord!
I Am Baptized
In one Spirit we were all baptized into one body – 1 Corinthians 12:13

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
O Lord, as this day begins, I have hopes of tasks accomplished and plans for things done. Some of the day will be in work. Some will be in leisure. Bless both. Help me to work hard and efficiently while I work. Help me to play hard and joyfully in leisure. Let me receive this day as a gift from you, and let it be full of your peace. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

I Believe …
I believe in God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth.
And in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the
virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried. He
descended into hell. The third day He rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven
and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty. From thence He will come to judge
the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Christian Church, the communion of saints, the
forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.

Bible Reading – Psalm 3
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]
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
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.
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.
8 Salvation belongs to the Lord;
    your blessing be on your people! Selah[1]

When David wrote this Psalm, his foes were people. In Jesus, the foes are personal and spiritual. For us, the foes span from spiritual, to physical, to our very selves. There are three great enemies that we face in our lives: they are the devil, the world, and our own sinful nature. These would all tell us that there is no salvation for any of us in God.

I’ve been thinking about the current pandemic, and it strikes me that our foe is a microscopic virus. I have heard voices speaking fear to us, that there is no salvation from God, we must wait for the government and the sciences to save us.

We do well to remember that the Lord is a shield around us. He protects us – and the government and science are among the tools he uses in this world to protect us, but, as powerful as these are, they cannot save us from death. Only God can do that, and he does save us from death through Jesus’ death and resurrection.

So, at the end of the day, lay down and sleep. He will wake you and sustain you. It may be that you or I will die from COVID-19 or complications. We will certainly die of something someday, but God will still wake us. So be at peace. Salvation belongs to the Lord. He blesses you. He is more powerful than death, so 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 church, the pastor, and the staff.
Pray for the needs of your fellow church members – parents, children, youth, the elderly, the ill, and the dying.

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 the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, 21 equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen. (Heb. 13:20-21 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.


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