Verse for the week: “I will pour out a spirit of
compassion and supplication.” Zechariah 12.10
Prayer of the week:
God, our heavenly Father, through your Son you have promised us the
Holy Spirit. Send down upon us that
Spirit, that he may teach us to show forth your praise, not only here on earth
in weakness, since we know your power and glory only from afar, but also in
power and glory on that day when, united with the choir of angels, we shall see
you face to face; through Jesus Christ, your Son, our Lord. Amen. (K.B.
Ritter, Gebete fur das jahr der Kirche,2nd
ed. Kassel: Johannes Stauda-Verlag, 1948, p.150)
Bible reading for the day: Acts 16.9-15
And a vision appeared to Paul in the night: a man of
Macedonia was standing there, urging him and saying, “Come over to Macedonia
and help us.” 10 And when Paul had seen the vision, immediately we
sought to go on into Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the
gospel to them.
11 So, setting sail from Troas, we made a
direct voyage to Samothrace, and the following day to Neapolis, 12 and
from there to Philippi, which is a leading city of the district of Macedonia
and a Roman colony. We remained in this city some days. 13 And on
the Sabbath day we went outside the gate to the riverside, where we supposed
there was a place of prayer, and we sat down and spoke to the women who had
come together. 14 One who heard us was a woman named Lydia, from the
city of Thyatira, a seller of purple goods, who was a worshiper of God. The
Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what was said by Paul. 15 And
after she was baptized, and her household as well, she urged us, saying, “If
you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come to my house and stay.” And
she prevailed upon us.
Prayer (based on
T.R.I.P. method**): Gracious and almighty Father, thank you for
choosing sinners like Paul and me as your missionaries. We likely don’t have to
go hundreds of miles away… people like Lydia are all around us; repent us of
not listening to your directions, not preaching the good news of the
forgiveness of their sins in Jesus. Lord, you will take care of opening
people’s hearts to your Word… send us and open our mouths and our lives to
deliver it; I ask this in Jesus’ name, amen.
Hymn: follow
either of these links to beloved classics that give further voice to today’s
conversation with the Lord: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eZzIiaMDQxs
or https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=64oo7z7tjsw
“I believe in the Holy Spirit…
What does this mean?
I believe that I cannot by my own reason or strength believe
in Jesus Christ my Lord or come to him; but the Holy Spirit has called me
through the Gospel, enlightened me with his gifts, and sanctified and preserved
me in the true faith. In the same way, he calls, gathers, enlightens, and
sanctifies the whole Christian church on earth, and preserves it in unity with
Jesus Christ in the one true faith. In this Christian church, he daily forgives
abundantly all my sins and the sins of all believers. At the last day, he will raise
me and all the dead and will grant everlasting life to me and to all who
believe in Christ. This is most certainly true! (from the Small
Catechism, by Martin Luther, ©Reclaim Resources, Sola Publishing, 2011)
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
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.
No comments:
Post a Comment