What your guilt is for

Verse for the week:“The Son of Man came to seek and save the lost.” (Luke 19.10)

Prayer for the week:  “Almighty and merciful God, you are not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.  Grant that by your word we may again and again be convicted of our sin, but also fervently grasp anew the comfort of your Spirit and of faith, in order that we may be justified in your Son and be saved through him, Jesus Christ our Lord.   (Kirchenbuch für die Gemeinde (Isenhagen), quoted in Orate Fratres, Gebetsordnung für evangelische-lutherische Pfarrer, Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht 1952, p. 76)

Bible reading for the day:  Psalm 32

Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven,
whose sin is covered.
² Blessed is the man against whom the Lord counts no iniquity,
and in whose spirit there is no deceit.

³ For when I kept silent, my bones wasted away
through my groaning all day long.
⁴ For day and night your hand was heavy upon me;
my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer. 

⁵ I acknowledged my sin to you,
and I did not cover my iniquity;
I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,”
and you forgave the iniquity of my sin.

⁶ Therefore let everyone who is godly
offer prayer to you at a time when you may be found;
surely in the rush of great waters,
they shall not reach him.
⁷ You are a hiding place for me;
you preserve me from trouble;
you surround me with shouts of deliverance.            

⁸ I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;
I will counsel you with my eye upon you.
⁹ Be not like a horse or a mule, without understanding,
which must be curbed with bit and bridle,
or it will not stay near you.

¹⁰ Many are the sorrows of the wicked,
but steadfast love surrounds the one who trusts in the Lord.
¹¹ Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, O righteous,
and shout for joy, all you upright in heart!

Prayer (based on T.R.I.P. method**): Gracious and almighty Father, thank you for instructing me how to deal with my sin: to confess it rather than conceal it… so that you may forgive it!  Thank you.  When I am like a stubborn mule and keep silent about my sin that only leads to my bones wasting away and your hand heavy upon me. When I am on the receiving end of your forgiveness I am blessed… you surround me with shouts of deliverance… and I, too, find myself shouting for joy in you.  Thank you, in Jesus’ name, amen.

Hymn:  Follow this link to a beautiful rendition of Psalm 32 that gives further voice to today’s conversation with the Lord: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8QD-9Mcf2R8

Confession of Sin

What is Confession?

Confession consists of two parts. One is that we confess our sins and the other is that we receive absolution, or forgiveness, from the confessor as from God himself, in no way doubting, but firmly believing that our sins are thereby forgiven before God in heaven.

What sins should we confess?

Before God we should acknowledge ourselves guilty of all kinds of sins, even those of which we are not aware, as we do in the Lord's Prayer. To the confessor, however, we should confess only those sins which we know and which trouble us.

 (from The Small Catechism, by Martin Luther ©Reclaim Resources, Sola Publishing, 2011)

Benediction:  May the God of peace himself grow you in his will entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be kept sound and blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.  The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do this.  Amen.  I Thess 5.23

*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.