"Give me your son..."

Verse for the week: Come to me all you who labor and are heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Mt 11.28

Prayer for the week: “Almighty God, grant to your church your Holy Spirit and the wisdom which comes down from heaven, that your word may not be bound but have free course and be preached to the joy and edifying of Christ’s holy people, that in steadfast faith we may serve you and in the confession of your name abide to the end; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. (Andreas Althamer, Katechismus,  1528 – first Lutheran Catechism – text in Alligemeines Evangelisches Gebetbuch, 1955, p. 435)

Bible reading for the day:  I Kings 17.17-24

¹⁷ After this the son of the woman, the mistress of the house, became ill. And his illness was so severe that there was no breath left in him. ¹⁸ And she said to Elijah, “What have you against me, O man of God? You have come to me to bring my sin to remembrance and to cause the death of my son!” ¹⁹ And he said to her, “Give me your son.” And he took him from her arms and carried him up into the upper chamber where he lodged, and laid him on his own bed. ²⁰ And he cried to the Lord, “O Lord my God, have you brought calamity even upon the widow with whom I sojourn, by killing her son?” ²¹ Then he stretched himself upon the child three times and cried to the Lord, “O Lord my God, let this child's life come into him again.” ²² And the Lord listened to the voice of Elijah. And the life of the child came into him again, and he revived. ²³ And Elijah took the child and brought him down from the upper chamber into the house and delivered him to his mother. And Elijah said, “See, your son lives.” ²⁴ And the woman said to Elijah, “Now I know that you are a man of God, and that the word of the Lord in your mouth is truth.”

prayer(based on the TRIP** method): Gracious and almighty Father, your Word is truth… the breath of life in our ears. Thank you!  Deliver me and my brothers and sisters from the proud trap of taking our need to any other but you.  We’re slow to hear you O Lord and we so often want to live above you instead of kneel before you. So teach us the same truth that you here taught this widow and Elijah: that you are Lord and that we can and indeed must call on you in all need and in thanksgiving.  I ask this in Jesus’ name, amen.

The Second Commandment

You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain; for the Lord will not hold guiltless those who take his name in vain.

What does this mean?

We should fear and love God so that we do not use his name superstitiously or to curse, swear, lie, or deceive, but call upon him in every time of need, and worship him with prayer, praise, and thanksgiving. (from The Small Catechism, by Martin Luther ©Reclaim Resources, Sola Publishing, 2011)

benediction:  Now to him who by the power at work within us is able to accomplish abundantly far more than all we can ask or imagine, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen. (Eph 3:20-21) 

*There are many patterns for devotions.  This pattern has been followed by God’s people for centuries.

**The T.R.I.P. approach to prayer is based on the way Martin Luther prayed and taught others to pray.  It was later developed by Walter and Ingrid Trobisch and then adapted by Mount Carmel Ministries (Alexandria, MN www.dailytext.com).  The method is founded on scripture and easy to remember:

T: thanksgiving

                                                          R: regret (repentance)

                                                          I: intercession (asking God to take a specific action)

                                                          P: plan or purpose

Reading a biblical text and then applying this method gives one a sound, simple way to form one’s prayers...not to mention that it helps one learn how to faithfully reflect on God’s Word and talk to God.