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: Jeremiah 23.16-22 (note: prophesied
in Jerusalem from 627-580 BC, during the time of Josiah and the last kings of
Judah. He denounced Judah’s apostasy, idolatry, rejection of the law, breaking
of the covenant, and dependence on the temple.)
16 Thus says the Lord of hosts: “Do
not listen to the words of the prophets who prophesy to you, filling you
with vain hopes. They speak visions of their own minds, not from the mouth
of the Lord. 17 They say continually to those
who despise the word of the Lord, ‘It shall be well with you’; and to
everyone who stubbornly follows his own heart, they say, ‘No disaster
shall come upon you.’”
18 For who among them
has stood in the council of the Lord
to see and to hear his word,
or who has paid attention to his word and listened?
19 Behold, the storm of the Lord!
Wrath has gone forth,
a whirling tempest;
it will burst upon the head of the wicked.
20 The anger of the Lord will not turn back
until he has executed and accomplished
the intents of his heart.
In the latter days you will understand it clearly.
to see and to hear his word,
or who has paid attention to his word and listened?
19 Behold, the storm of the Lord!
Wrath has gone forth,
a whirling tempest;
it will burst upon the head of the wicked.
20 The anger of the Lord will not turn back
until he has executed and accomplished
the intents of his heart.
In the latter days you will understand it clearly.
21 “I did not send the
prophets,
yet they ran;
I did not speak to them,
yet they prophesied.
22 But if they had stood in my council,
then they would have proclaimed my words to my people,
and they would have turned them from their evil way,
and from the evil of their deeds.
yet they ran;
I did not speak to them,
yet they prophesied.
22 But if they had stood in my council,
then they would have proclaimed my words to my people,
and they would have turned them from their evil way,
and from the evil of their deeds.
Prayer (based on
T.R.I.P. method**): Gracious and almighty Father, you have not
left me and your church with comfortable, false words and empty hope; you have
given us the truth and full hope in Jesus Christ…thank you! Repent me and your
whole church of being taken in by those who speak visions of their own minds
and who stubbornly follow their own heart. Send for us preachers who stand in
your council; who preach the law without diminishment and the gospel without
limit… our lives depend on this. In Jesus’ name I pray, amen.
hymn: click on this link for a beloved classic that gives further voice to today’s conversation with the Lord: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X2bhHosLHmI
“hallowed be thy
name…
What does this
mean?
God's name is indeed holy in itself, but we pray in this
petition that it may be kept holy also among us.
How is this
done?
God's name is hallowed when his Word is taught in its truth
and purity and we, as God's children, lead holy lives in harmony with it. Grant
this to us, dear Father in heaven! But whoever teaches and lives in ways other
than what God's Word teaches dishonors the name of God among us. Prevent us
from doing this, heavenly Father! (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.
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