Blessed are you who fear the Lord

Verse for the week: “Praise the Lord!
Blessed is the man who fears the Lord,
    who greatly delights in his commandments!”  Psalm 112.1

Prayer for this week: “O God, you have called and gathered a people from the ends of the earth to serve you. Grant the increase of your government among us and give us your Holy Spirit, that your name may be glorified to all who sit in darkness and the shadow of death; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. (K.B. Ritter, Gebete für das jahr der Kirche, 2^nd  ed. Kassel: Barenreiter Verlag, 1948, p.87 )

Bible for the day:  Psalm 112  (notice: this psalm is descriptive, not prescriptive. The verbs are all in the declarative voice, some in the future, but not the hortatory).

¹ Praise the Lord!
Blessed is the man who fears the Lord,
    who greatly delights in his commandments!
² His offspring will be mighty in the land;
    the generation of the upright will be blessed.
³ Wealth and riches are in his house,
    and his righteousness endures forever.
⁴ Light dawns in the darkness for the upright;
    he is gracious, merciful, and righteous.
⁵ It is well with the man who deals generously and lends;
    who conducts his affairs with justice.
⁶ For the righteous will never be moved;
    he will be remembered forever.
⁷ He is not afraid of bad news;
    his heart is firm, trusting in the Lord.
⁸ His heart is steady; he will not be afraid,
    until he looks in triumph on his adversaries.
⁹ He has distributed freely; he has given to the poor;
    his righteousness endures forever;
    his horn is exalted in honor.
¹⁰ The wicked man sees it and is angry;
    he gnashes his teeth and melts away;
    the desire of the wicked will perish!

Prayer (based on TRIP* method): Gracious and almighty Lord, thank you for teaching me the true blessing it is to fear you and at the same time to find my greatest delight in you.  Repent me and my congregation of not fearing you… and of the wicked man’s anger.  Daily steady our hearts in Christ…for then we shall never be shaken, we shall have no fear of bad news, and we shall give freely to our neighbor.  I ask this in Jesus’ name, 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=dTKIqmdfHSk

I am the Lord your God. (Exodus 20.2)

THE FIRST COMMANDMENT

You shall have no other gods.

What does this mean for us?  We should fear, love, and trust God above anything else.  (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.