God's got his eye on you

Verse for the week: He will not break a bruised reed or quench a smoldering wick.  Matthew 12.20

Prayer for the week: “Lord God, heavenly Father, you desire not the death of sinners, but rather that they should turn from sin and live.  Mercifully turn away the punishment of our iniquities and, that we may be edified, grant us your Spirit and your power; through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.” (K.B. Ritter, Gebete fur das jahr der Kirched, 2^nd  ed. Kassel: Barenreiter Verlag, 1948, p. 197). 

Bible reading for the day:  Psalm 34.15-22

 ¹⁵ The eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous
and his ears toward their cry.
¹⁶ The face of the Lord is against those who do evil,
to cut off the memory of them from the earth.
¹⁷ When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears
and delivers them out of all their troubles.
¹⁸ The Lord is near to the brokenhearted
and saves the crushed in spirit.

¹⁹ Many are the afflictions of the righteous,
but the Lord delivers him out of them all.
²⁰ He keeps all his bones;
not one of them is broken.
²¹ Affliction will slay the wicked,
and those who hate the righteous will be condemned.
²² The Lord redeems the life of his servants;
none of those who take refuge in him will be condemned.

prayer(based on the TRIP** method): Gracious and almighty Father, you have your eye on me and you are my refuge. Thank you!  Repent me and my brothers and sisters therefore, of self-pity and of ever setting our face against yours. Pour your holy Spirit upon us that in every affliction we may be confident in you and look for the work you are doing on us.  I ask this in the name of the one who was afflicted, but not crushed, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Hymn: follow this link to a beloved classic which gives further voice to today’s conversation with our Lord: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O6k8DFb8fWs

“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)

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.