Humble and confident

Invitatory[1]: “O Lord, in the morning you hear my voice;
    in the morning I plead my case to you and watch.” Psalm 5.3

Prayer for the week: “Almighty God, you richly and unceasingly furnish us with all good things and preserve us day by day.  Make us to acknowledge this with our whole heart, that we may thank and praise you for your lovingkindness and mercy here and for evermore; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. (K.B. Ritter, Gebete fur das jahr der Kirchen, 2^nd  ed. Kassel: Barenreiter Verlag, 1948, p. 200). 

Bible reading for the day:  Proverbs 25.6-7

⁶ Do not put yourself forward in the king's presence
or stand in the place of the great,
⁷ for it is better to be told, “Come up here,”
than to be put lower in the presence of a noble.

prayer(based on the TRIP** method): Gracious and almighty Father, thank you for being the King and for taking the cross as your throne. When I or anyone else in your church want to be king or queen, dethrone us and teach us your cross. Raise us up as your humble, confident, beloved servants…that we may live and serve in your kingdom.  I ask this in Jesus’ name, amen.

“Thy kingdom come…”

What does this mean?

The kingdom of God comes indeed by itself, without our prayer, but we pray in this petition that it may also come to us.

How is this done?

God's kingdom comes when our heavenly Father gives us his Holy Spirit, so that by his grace we believe his holy Word and live a godly life now and in eternity. (from The Small Catechism, by Martin Luther ©Reclaim Resources, Sola Publishing, 2011)

Hymn: follow this link to a classic that gives further voice to today’s conversation with the King: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=37EcV88TRrg

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

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[1] As the word implies, an invitatory is a verse that invites or invokes the Lord’s ear and presence.

*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.