What shall I render to the Lord...

for all his benefits to me?

Verse for the week:  Cast all your anxieties on him, for he cares for you.  I Peter 5.7

Prayer for the week: “Grant us, O Lord, not to mind earthly things, but to love things heavenly, and while we now dwell among things that are passing away, to cleave to those that shall abide forever; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen” (Adapted from the Leonine Sacramentary by Frederick B. Macnutt, The Prayer Manual, p. 17). 

Bible reading for the day: Psalm 116

¹ I love the Lord, because he has heard
    my voice and my pleas for mercy.
² Because he inclined his ear to me,
    therefore I will call on him as long as I live.
³ The snares of death encompassed me;
    the pangs of Sheol laid hold on me;
    I suffered distress and anguish.
⁴ Then I called on the name of the Lord:
    “O Lord, I pray, deliver my soul!”

⁵ Gracious is the Lord, and righteous;
    our God is merciful.
⁶ The Lord preserves the simple;
    when I was brought low, he saved me.
⁷ Return, O my soul, to your rest;
    for the Lord has dealt bountifully with you.

⁸ For you have delivered my soul from death,
    my eyes from tears,
    my feet from stumbling;
⁹ I will walk before the Lord
    in the land of the living.

¹⁰ I believed, indeed I spoke:
    “I am greatly afflicted”;
¹¹ I said in my alarm,
    “All mankind are liars.”

¹² What shall I render to the Lord
    for all his benefits to me?
¹³ I will lift up the cup of salvation
    and call on the name of the Lord,
¹⁴ I will pay my vows to the Lord
    in the presence of all his people.

¹⁵ Precious in the sight of the Lord
    is the death of his saints.
¹⁶ O Lord, I am your servant;
    I am your servant, the son of your maidservant.
    You have loosed my bonds.
¹⁷ I will offer to you the sacrifice of thanksgiving
    and call on the name of the Lord.
¹⁸ I will pay my vows to the Lord
    in the presence of all his people,
¹⁹ in the courts of the house of the Lord,
    in your midst, O Jerusalem.
Praise the Lord!

Prayer (based on T.R.I.P. method*): Gracious and almighty Father, thank you: time and again, you have done your work when I have been brought low... and you haven’t left me there; you have brought me up, saved me, returned my soul to you. Thank you! Guard me and my congregation from the trap of looking for deliverance in and calling on any other but you. What shall I render to you but thanksgiving... not just privately, but in the presence of all your people… in the midst of my congregation, in the courts of your house oh Lord, every Sunday and in eternity; through Jesus Christ, your Son, our Lord. Amen.

Hymn: follow this link to a beloved classic that gives further voice to today’s conversation with the Lord: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nx0rCabJ16c

The First Commandment and a Promise:

I am the Lord, your God… Exodus 20.2

First Commandment: You shall have no other gods before me. Exodus 20.3

What does this mean?  We are to fear, love, and trust God above anything else.

The Second Commandment: You shall not take the name of the Lord, your God, in vain.

What does this mean?

We should fear and love God so that we do not use his name superstitiously, nor use it to curse, swear, lie or deceive; but to call on him in prayer, praise, and thanksgiving. (from The Small Catechism, by Martin  Luther)

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).  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.