Verse for the week:
What does the Lord require of your but to do justice, and to love
kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?
Micah 6.8
Prayer for the week: “Lord God, grant unto us your
Holy Spirit that we may hear and accept your word, in order that, being
cleansed in mind and renewed in life, we may live to you, here and hereafter;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen” (K.B.
Ritter, Gebete fur das jahr der Kirched, 2nd
ed. Kassel: Barenreiter Verlag, 1948, p.207).
Bible reading for the day: Amos 8.4-12 (note: Amos was a herdsman &
nurseryman called by God to prophesy during the reign of Jeroboam, 786-746
BC. During the long reign of Jeroboam,
Israel enjoyed the height of its luxury, military security, and economic
affluence. Several hundred years earlier,
God’s people had been slaves to Pharaoh…now they have become slaves to
themselves. Dishonest business and taking advantage of your neighbor bring a
heavy cost: a famine of hearing God’s word)
4 Hear this, you who trample on the needy
and bring the poor of the land to an end,
5 saying, “When will the new moon be over,
that we may sell grain?
And the Sabbath,
that we may offer wheat for sale,
that we may make the ephah small and the shekel great
and deal deceitfully with false balances,
6 that we may buy the poor for silver
and the needy for a pair of sandals
and sell the chaff of the wheat?”
and bring the poor of the land to an end,
5 saying, “When will the new moon be over,
that we may sell grain?
And the Sabbath,
that we may offer wheat for sale,
that we may make the ephah small and the shekel great
and deal deceitfully with false balances,
6 that we may buy the poor for silver
and the needy for a pair of sandals
and sell the chaff of the wheat?”
7 The Lord has sworn by the pride of Jacob:
“Surely I will never forget any of their deeds.
8 Shall not the land tremble on this account,
and everyone mourn who dwells in it,
and all of it rise like the Nile,
and be tossed about and sink again, like the Nile of Egypt?”
“Surely I will never forget any of their deeds.
8 Shall not the land tremble on this account,
and everyone mourn who dwells in it,
and all of it rise like the Nile,
and be tossed about and sink again, like the Nile of Egypt?”
9“And on that day,” declares the
Lord God,
“I will make the sun go down at noon
and darken the earth in broad daylight.
10 I will turn your feasts into mourning
and all your songs into lamentation;
I will bring sackcloth on every waist
and baldness on every head;
I will make it like the mourning for an only son
and the end of it like a bitter day.
“I will make the sun go down at noon
and darken the earth in broad daylight.
10 I will turn your feasts into mourning
and all your songs into lamentation;
I will bring sackcloth on every waist
and baldness on every head;
I will make it like the mourning for an only son
and the end of it like a bitter day.
11 “Behold, the days are
coming,” declares the Lord God,
“when I will send a famine on the land—
not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water,
but of hearing the words of the Lord.
12 They shall wander from sea to sea,
and from north to east;
they shall run to and fro, to seek the word of the Lord,
but they shall not find it.
“when I will send a famine on the land—
not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water,
but of hearing the words of the Lord.
12 They shall wander from sea to sea,
and from north to east;
they shall run to and fro, to seek the word of the Lord,
but they shall not find it.
Prayer (based on
T.R.I.P. method**): Gracious and almighty Father thank you for your
generous mercy in Christ for a sinner like me… thank you! Repent me and my
brothers and sisters of any and all cheating, dishonesty, and greed... for these only lead to the worst famine of all: the famine of hearing your word. Give us ears and hearts that hear you, O
Lord, that while we await Jesus’ return we may deal honestly and fairly with
one another and be a good help to each other. In Jesus’ name I pray, amen.
“Give us this day our daily bread…”
What does this mean?
God indeed gives daily bread to all sinners, even without
our prayer, but we pray in this petition that he would help us to recognize
this so that we would receive our daily bread with thanksgiving.
What is meant by daily bread?
Daily bread includes everything required to meet our earthly
needs, such as food, drink, clothing, home, property, employment, necessities,
devout parents, children, and communities, honest and faithful authorities,
good government, seasonable weather, peace, health, an orderly society, a good
reputation, true friends and neighbors, and the like.
Benediction: The
peace of God which surpasses all understanding keep your hearts and your minds
in Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen. Phil 4.7
*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
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.
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