Verse for the week:
Behold, the kingdom
of God
Prayer for the week:
“Lord, you have promised to grant what we pray in the name of your
Son. Teach us to pray aright and to laud
and praise you with all your saints in the fullness of life everlasting;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.” (K.B. Ritter, Gebete
fur das jahr der Kirched, 2nd ed. Kassel: Barenreiter Verlag, 1948, p. 152).
Bible reading for the day: Genesis 18.20-33 (note: this is only the
first part of the account of God’s rescue of Lot and his judgment on Sodom; you
can read more of the story in Genesis 19)
20 Then the Lord said, “Because the outcry
against Sodom and Gomorrah is great and their sin is very grave, 21 I
will go down to see whether they have done altogether according to the outcry
that has come to me. And if not, I will know.”
22 So the men turned from there and went
toward Sodom, but Abraham still stood before the Lord. 23 Then
Abraham drew near and said, “Will you indeed sweep away the righteous with the
wicked? 24 Suppose there are fifty righteous within the city. Will
you then sweep away the place and not spare it for the fifty righteous who are
in it? 25 Far be it from you to do such a thing, to put the
righteous to death with the wicked, so that the righteous fare as the wicked!
Far be that from you! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do what is just?” 26
And the Lord said, “If I find at Sodom fifty righteous in the city, I
will spare the whole place for their sake.”
27 Abraham answered and said, “Behold, I have
undertaken to speak to the Lord, I who am but dust and ashes. 28 Suppose
five of the fifty righteous are lacking. Will you destroy the whole city for
lack of five?” And he said, “I will not destroy it if I find forty-five there.”
29 Again he spoke to him and said, “Suppose forty are found there.”
He answered, “For the sake of forty I will not do it.” 30 Then he
said, “Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak. Suppose thirty are found
there.” He answered, “I will not do it, if I find thirty there.” 31 He
said, “Behold, I have undertaken to speak to the Lord. Suppose twenty are found
there.” He answered, “For the sake of twenty I will not destroy it.” 32 Then
he said, “Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak again but this once.
Suppose ten are found there.” He answered, “For the sake of ten I will not
destroy it.” 33 And the Lord went his way, when he had finished
speaking to Abraham, and Abraham returned to his place.
Prayer (based on
T.R.I.P. method**): Gracious and almighty Father, thank you for
sparing wicked ones like us for the sake of one righteous man – Jesus Christ. Thank
you! Repent me and my brothers & sisters of obstructing your justice and of
being casual about your mercy… perceiving it as something to which we are
entitled. Each day, humble us and teach us to pray like Abraham… that we and
our neighbors may learn to live under your merciful sovereignty. In Jesus’ name
I pray, amen.
song: for a rock
song that gives further voice to today’s conversation with the Lord, give a
listen to U2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ByuyP1PNqKQ
“Thy will be done
on earth as it is in heaven…
What does this
mean?
The good and gracious will of God is surely done without our
prayer, but we pray in this petition that it may be done also among us.
How is this done?
God's will is done when he hinders and destroys every evil
design and purpose of the devil, the world, and our sinful nature that would
keep us from hallowing his name and prevent the coming of his kingdom. And
God’s will is done when he strengthens us and keeps us steadfast in his Word
and in faith to the end of our earthly lives. This is his good and gracious
will. (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
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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