Verse for the week:
“You are not your own; you were bought with a price.” I Cor
6.19-20
Bible reading for the day: Ezekiel 37.1-14 (note: Ezekiel was a priest deported to
Babylon with other community elite ten years before the final exile. He prophesied there from 593-571 BC. He
preached law and gospel, condemning the people’s abomination and proclaiming
new life and hope from the Lord alone.)
1 The hand of
the Lord was upon me, and he brought me out in the Spirit of
the Lord and set me down in the middle of the valley; it was
full of bones. 2 And he led me around among them,
and behold, there were very many on the surface of the valley, and behold, they
were very dry. 3 And he said to me, “Son of
man, can these bones live?” And I answered, “O Lord God, you
know.” 4 Then he said to me, “Prophesy over
these bones, and say to them, O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord.5 Thus
says the Lord God to these bones: Behold, I will
cause breath to enter you, and you shall live. 6 And
I will lay sinews upon you, and will cause flesh to come upon you,
and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and you shall
live, and you shall know that I am the Lord.”
7 So I prophesied as I
was commanded. And as I prophesied, there was a sound, and behold, a
rattling, and the bones came together, bone to its bone. 8 And
I looked, and behold, there were sinews on them, and flesh had come upon them,
and skin had covered them. But there was no breath in them. 9 Then
he said to me, “Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say
to the breath, Thus says the Lord God: Come from the four winds, O
breath, and breathe on these slain, that they may live.” 10 So
I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and
they lived and stood on their feet, an exceedingly great army.
11 Then he said to
me, “Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. Behold, they
say, ‘Our bones are dried up, and our hope is lost; we are indeed cut
off.’ 12 Therefore prophesy, and say to them,
Thus says the Lord God: Behold, I will open your graves and raise you
from your graves, O my people. And I will bring you into the land of
Israel.13 And you shall know that I am
the Lord, when I open your graves, and raise you from your graves, O my
people. 14 And I will put my Spirit within
you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land. Then you shall
know that I am the Lord; I have spoken, and I will do it, declares
the Lord.”
Prayer (based on TRIP** method): Gracious and almighty Father, so much sin
and death… not just a valley full but a whole race full; and you walked right
into it to redeem dried up, sin-filled bones like mine through Jesus. Thank
you! Guard me and your whole church of
going after abominations and rejecting your ways. Send us preachers like
Ezekiel who trust your word and your work more than their own. Morning by morning,
hour by hour, preach meat onto our slain bones and preach the breath of your
Spirit into us… that we may rise and confess you alone as Lord. In Jesus’ name
I ask this, amen.
“Thy kingdom come.”
What does this mean?
God’s kingdom comes
indeed without our praying for it, but we ask in this prayer that it may come
also to us.
When does this happen?
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 on earth now and in heaven forever.
(from The Small Catechism, by Martin Luther)
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=ogxLNlgKM8c
Benediction: Now
to him who by the power at work within us is able to accomplish abundantly far
more than all we can ask or imagine, to him be glory in the church and in
Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen. (Eph 3:20-21)
*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.
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