Your heart

Verse for the week:  “…the King of kings and Lord of lords. ¹⁶It is he alone who has immortality and dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see; to him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen.  I Timothy 6.15-16

Prayer for the week:  “O Lord, our most gracious Redeemer and King, dwell and reign within us, take possession of us by your Spirit, and reign where you have a right to reign; spread your kingdom throughout the world, now and forever. Amen” (Father John of the Russian Church, nineteenth century, in Fox, A Chain of Prayer, p.104). 

Bible reading for the day: Psalm 95 (note: The congregation is called into God‘s presence with thanksgiving and a song of praise. In the midst of the call to praise and thanksgiving, there is a warning. The priest does not want us to harden our hearts (v.8) and thereby exclude ourselves from entering God‘s rest (v.11).

 ¹Oh come, let us sing to the Lord;
    let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation!
² Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving;
    let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!
³ For the Lord is a great God,
    and a great King above all gods.
⁴ In his hand are the depths of the earth;
    the heights of the mountains are his also.
⁵ The sea is his, for he made it,
    and his hands formed the dry land.

⁶ Oh come, let us worship and bow down;
    let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker!
⁷ For he is our God,
    and we are the people of his pasture,
    and the sheep of his hand.
Today, if you hear his voice,
⁸     do not harden your hearts, as at Meribah,
    as on the day at Massah in the wilderness,
⁹ when your fathers put me to the test
    and put me to the proof, though they had seen my work.
¹⁰ For forty years I loathed that generation
    and said, “They are a people who go astray in their heart,
    and they have not known my ways.”
¹¹ Therefore I swore in my wrath,
    “They shall not enter my rest.”

Prayer (based on T.R.I.P. method*): Gracious and Almighty Father, the king of love you indeed are; in Christ you have made us the people of your pasture, the sheep of your hand. Thank you. Keep our hearts soft toward you, that among us would always rise to you a humble, joyful song of praise and thanksgiving. In Jesus’ name I ask this, amen.

Hymn: follow this link to a beloved classic which gives further voice to today’s conversation with the Lord:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DD2e2N9Nvbk  

“I believe in God the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.”

What does this mean?

I believe that God has created me and all that exists. He has given me and still preserves my body and soul, my eyes and ears, my reason and all my senses, together with food and clothing, home and family, and all my property. Every day he provides abundantly for all the needs of my life. He protects me from all danger and guards and keeps me from every evil. All this he does purely out of fatherly and divine goodness and mercy, though I do not deserve it. Therefore, I surely ought to thank, praise, serve, and obey him. 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

 

*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.