What our mouths are for

Verse for the week: Blessed be the name of the Lord from this time forth and forever more!  Psalm 113.2

Prayer for the week: “Lord God, grant unto us your Holy Spirit that we may hear and accept your word, in order that, being cleansed in mind and renewed in life, we may live to you, here and hereafter; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen” (K.B. Ritter, Gebete fur das jahr der Kirched, 2nd  ed. Kassel: Barenreiter Verlag, 1948, p.207). 

Bible reading for the day:  Psalm 113

¹ Praise the Lord!
Praise, O servants of the Lord,
Praise the name of the Lord!
 
²Blessed be the name of the Lord
            From the time forth and forevermore!
³From the rising of the sun to its setting,
            The name of the Lord is to be praised!
 
⁴The Lord is high above all nations,
            And his glory above the heavens!
⁵Who is like the Lord our God,
            Who is seated on high,
⁶who looks far down
            On the heavens and the earth?
⁷He raises the poor from the dust
            And lifts the needy from the ash heap,
⁸to make them sit with princes,
            With the princes of his people.
⁹He gives the barren woman a home,
            Making her the joyous mother of children.
Praise the Lord!

Prayer (based on TRIP method*):  Gracious and almighty Father, thank you for your good name and all that stands behind it and all that is given to me in it. Repent me and your whole church of wanting praise for our own name, wanting to seat the self on high. Send your Holy Spirit from on high with the news of Christ for me; raise me up out of the mire of myself… that my lips and life may yield the praise for which you created me in the first place. I ask this in Jesus’ name, amen.

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

I believe in Jesus Christ, God’s only Son, our Lord…

What does this mean?  I believe that Jesus Christ — true God, begotten of the Father from eternity, and also true man, born of the Virgin Mary — is my Lord. He has redeemed me, a lost and condemned creature, and has freed me from sin, death, and the power of the devil, not with silver and gold, but with his holy and precious blood and his innocent suffering and death. He has done all this in order that I might be his own, live under him in his kingdom, and serve him in everlasting righteousness, innocence, and blessedness, even as he is risen from the dead and lives and reigns for all eternity. This is most certainly true! (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

*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.