kneeling fisherman

kneeling fisherman

Wednesday, January 13, 2021

The serpent's voice

...and your Shepherd's voice.

Verse for the week: “I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
Wonderful are your works;
    my soul knows it very well.”
Psalm 139.14

Prayer for the week: O Lord, you have searched me and known me! You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar. You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways. Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O Lord, you know it altogether. Search me, O God, and know my heart! And lead me in the way everlasting; through Jesus Christ, your Son, our Lord. Amen. (from Psalm 139)

Bible reading for the day: Genesis 3.1-13  

Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made.

He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?” And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.’” But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate. Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths.

And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?” 10 And he said, “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.” 11 He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?” 12 The man said, “The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate.” 13 Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this that you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”

Prayer (based on the TRIP* method): Gracious and almighty Father, thank you for sending Jesus to destroy the devil and all his crafty works. Daily defeat that old liar for us, deliver us from listening to his smooth voice and to our own words… otherwise we are left in our old hiding and blaming games. You are my creator, my Champion, and my sanctifier Lord; so come and keep on doing your work on my behalf, in Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

Hymn: follow this link to a beloved classic that gives further voice to the good fight of faith and our Champion in that fight: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=68XlFK4UIiU

Lead us not into temptation…”

What does this mean?

God indeed tempts no one to sin, but we pray in this petition that God would guard and protect us so that the devil, the world, and our sinful nature may not deceive us or lead us into false belief, despair, and other great and shameful sins, and we pray that even though we are tempted in these ways, we may finally prevail and gain the victory. (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.  (Philippians 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.  

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