Good Morning, Lord!
I Am Baptized
Baptism … now saves you, not as
a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience,
through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. (1 Pet. 3:21 ESV)
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 morning dawns, I
know that much has happened in the night. I think of the many terrible things
that I have seen and heard in the news this week and I know that there is much
trouble in the world. Sometimes those troubles and the troubles of my own life
are overwhelming. Nevertheless, as I arise I thank You for this new day. I
place my troubles and sorrows into Your hands, along with the troubles and
sorrows of this world. You are God and You love all of Your creation. As I
trust in You, all will be well in my soul, and You give me peace, strength and
joy to face this day. Amen.
I Believe …
You shall have no other gods.
You shall not misuse the name of
the LORD
your God.
Remember the Sabbath Day by
keeping it holy.
Honor your father and mother.
You shall not murder.
You shall not commit adultery.
You shall not steal.
You shall not give false
testimony against your neighbor.
You shall not covet your
neighbor’s house.
You shall not covet your
neighbor’s wife, or his manservant or maidservant, his ox or donkey, or
anything that belongs to your neighbor.
To the choirmaster: with
stringed instruments; according to The Sheminith. A Psalm of David.
6 O Lord, rebuke me not
in your anger,
nor discipline me in your wrath.
2 Be gracious to me, O Lord, for I am languishing;
heal me, O Lord, for my bones are troubled.
3 My soul also is greatly troubled.
But you, O Lord—how long?
nor discipline me in your wrath.
2 Be gracious to me, O Lord, for I am languishing;
heal me, O Lord, for my bones are troubled.
3 My soul also is greatly troubled.
But you, O Lord—how long?
4 Turn, O Lord, deliver my
life;
save me for the sake of your steadfast love.
5 For in death there is no remembrance of you;
in Sheol who will give you praise?
save me for the sake of your steadfast love.
5 For in death there is no remembrance of you;
in Sheol who will give you praise?
6 I am weary with
my moaning;
every night I flood my bed with tears;
I drench my couch with my weeping.
7 My eye wastes away because of grief;
it grows weak because of all my foes.
every night I flood my bed with tears;
I drench my couch with my weeping.
7 My eye wastes away because of grief;
it grows weak because of all my foes.
8 Depart from me, all
you workers of evil,
for the Lord has heard the sound of my weeping.
9 The Lord has heard my plea;
the Lord accepts my prayer.
10 All my enemies shall be ashamed and greatly troubled;
they shall turn back and be put to shame in a moment.[1]
for the Lord has heard the sound of my weeping.
9 The Lord has heard my plea;
the Lord accepts my prayer.
10 All my enemies shall be ashamed and greatly troubled;
they shall turn back and be put to shame in a moment.[1]
I don’t know what life event
moved David to write this Psalm, but there is a feeling of desperation and a
tone of pleading. When he writes that his bones and soul are troubled, that word
can also be translated dismayed and even terrified. Something has happened that
has shaken David to his core. He believes that he deserves God’s anger and
wrath, but he pleads for mercy and deliverance.
This Psalm is what is called a
Penitential Psalm. There are seven of these Penitential Psalms, and they are
rooted in the anguish people sometimes feel when they are cut to the heart as
they are confronted with the wretchedness of their sin.
Can you relate? Have you ever
been in that place where your sin weighs so heavily upon you that you feel like
there must not be any hope? You feel like God has turned against you and he is
actively punishing you for what you did? It gnaws away at your mind, your
heart, your spirit, and you even feel it in your body. It is a terrible
sensation – but it’s real, and many Christians across history talk about this
dark awful sensation as if God had removed his love because of their sin.
How does one get through such a
bleak time? By faith. Even in your despair, throw yourself on the Lord’s mercy
and grace. Remember his promises – especially the promises you have in baptism:
forgiveness, salvation, resurrection, the comfort of the Holy Spirit because
Jesus died and rose for you. You cling to v. 9, “The LORD has heard my plea;
The LORD accepts my prayer.” We trust this because he gave his only begotten
Son to bear your sin. He will not abandon you.
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?
Petitions of the Lord’s Prayer – The Sixth Petition
“And lead us not into
temptation.”
Father in heaven, You tempt no
one. Please guard and keep us so that the devil, the world, and our sinful
nature may not deceive us or mislead us into false belief, despair, and other
great shame and vice. Although we are attacked by these things, we pray that we
may finally overcome them and win the victory through Jesus, our Savior and
Lord. Amen.
Prayer
Pray
for those who are sick, injured, grieving, dying, lonely, bullied, and
experiencing injustice.
Benediction
Now to him who is able to keep
you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his
glory with great joy, 25 to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus
Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time
and now and forever. Amen. (Jude 1:24-25 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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