David's Prayer

Bend down, O Lord, and hear my prayer; answer me, for I need your help. Protect me, for I am devoted to you. Save me, for I serve you and trust you. You are my God.

Psalm 86:1-2 NLT

Let's pray and praise in unison as David prayed and praised the one true God.

Be merciful to us, O Lord, for we are calling on You constantly. Give us happiness, O Lord, for we give ourselves to You. O Lord, You are so good, so ready to forgive, so full of unfailing love for all who ask for Your help. Listen closely to our prayer, O Lord; hear our urgent cry. We will call to You whenever we're in trouble, and You will answer us.

No pagan god is like You, O Lord. None can do what You do! All the nations You made will come and bow before You, Lord; they will praise Your holy Name. For You are great and perform wonderful deeds. You alone are God.

Teach us Your ways, O Lord, that we may live according to Your truth! Grant us purity of heart, so that we may honor You. With our whole heart, we will praise You, O Lord our God. We will give glory to Your Name forever, for Your love for us is very great. You have rescued us from the depths of death. from Psalm 86 NLT

Prayer:

O Lord,
             You are a God of compassion and mercy, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love and faithfulness. Look down and have mercy on us. Give Your strength to us; save us, O God. Send us a sign of Your favor. Then those who hate us will be put to shame, for only You, O Lord, help and comfort us. In Jesus' Name we pray, Amen

Lent - Day Thirty-One - Light Shining in Darkness

 Lent Devotions from Concordia University 2024 

46 I have come into the world as light, so that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness. 

John 12:46

Our readings are nearing the end of Jesus’ public ministry. His message remains consistent: he has come to save the world, to bring all people out of darkness into his saving light. Yet not all receive this. Some saw signs and refused to believe, so God’s word sealed them in their rejection. Others believed but with a secret faith that would not confess Christ publicly. They seem to love the praise of men more than the praise of God.

Why does faith make its way into the lives of some but not others? Honest reflection shows that we are just as sinful as unbelievers. So why has faith taken root in us? Searching our own hearts, we find that we also seek and crave the praise of others. But we rarely consider that our desires may be at odds with seeking the praise of God.

This short section of Scripture demonstrates how precious and mysterious the gift of faith really is. The Holy Spirit calls us with the gospel to receive God’s grace in humility. God’s word reminds us to consider how needless the praise of people is when, in Christ, we have already received praise and glory from God himself.

Finally, we are encouraged to lives of persistence as we talk with those who do not yet believe, because his light still shines and rescues from darkness.

Prayer: 

Gracious Savior,

                        I sin against You daily and am prone to wander from Your grace. Forgive me. Remove all doubt and unbelief from my heart. Strengthen me to humbly shine the light of Your Gospel. Amen.

Reading Further - John 12:37-50

37 Though he had done so many signs before them, they still did not believe in him, 38 so that the word spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled:

“Lord, who has believed what he heard from us,
and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?”
39 Therefore they could not believe. For again Isaiah said,

40 “He has blinded their eyes
and hardened their heart,
lest they see with their eyes,
and understand with their heart, and turn,
and I would heal them.”

41 Isaiah said these things because he saw his glory and spoke of him. 42 Nevertheless, many even of the authorities believed in him, but for fear of the Pharisees they did not confess it, so that they would not be put out of the synagogue; 43 for they loved the glory that comes from man more than the glory that comes from God.

44 And Jesus cried out and said, “Whoever believes in me, believes not in me but in him who sent me. 45 And whoever sees me sees him who sent me. 46 I have come into the world as light, so that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness. 47 If anyone hears my words and does not keep them, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world but to save the world. 48 The one who rejects me and does not receive my words has a judge; the word that I have spoken will judge him on the last day. 49 For I have not spoken on my own authority, but the Father who sent me has himself given me a commandment—what to say and what to speak. 50 And I know that his commandment is eternal life. What I say, therefore, I say as the Father has told me.”

Psalm 34 - NLT

I will praise the Lord at all times. I will constantly speak his praises. I will boast only in the Lord;
let all who are helpless take heart. Come, let us tell of the Lord’s greatness; let us exalt his name together.

Psalm 37:1-3

4 I prayed to the Lord, and he answered me.
He freed me from all my fears.
5 Those who look to him for help will be radiant with joy;
no shadow of shame will darken their faces.
6 In my desperation I prayed, and the Lord listened;
he saved me from all my troubles.
7 For the angel of the Lord is a guard;
he surrounds and defends all who fear him.

8 Taste and see that the Lord is good.
Oh, the joys of those who take refuge in him!
9 Fear the Lord, you his godly people,
for those who fear him will have all they need.
10 Even strong young lions sometimes go hungry,
but those who trust in the Lord will lack no good thing.

11 Come, my children, and listen to me,
and I will teach you to fear the Lord.
12 Does anyone want to live a life
that is long and prosperous?
13 Then keep your tongue from speaking evil
and your lips from telling lies!
14 Turn away from evil and do good.
Search for peace, and work to maintain it.

15 The eyes of the Lord watch over those who do right;
his ears are open to their cries for help.
16 But the Lord turns his face against those who do evil;
he will erase their memory from the earth.
17 The Lord hears his people when they call to him for help.
He rescues them from all their troubles.
18 The Lord is close to the brokenhearted;
he rescues those whose spirits are crushed.

19 The righteous person faces many troubles,
but the Lord comes to the rescue each time.
20 For the Lord protects the bones of the righteous;
not one of them is broken!

21 Calamity will surely destroy the wicked,
and those who hate the righteous will be punished.
22 But the Lord will redeem those who serve him.
No one who takes refuge in him will be condemned.

Prayer:

Father,

          Thank You for Your Word - alive and powerful and always ready with an answer to whatever comes our way. Let it go deep into our hearts and produce righteous fruit. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Recognizing an Honorable Man Who Chose to Do Right *

So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Romans 12:1-2a The Message Bible

This past weekend, a young woman was killed in a terrible car accident that wasn't her fault. Why? I have no idea. I'm not God. However, I know God was there. Thank God there are people who quickly respond to what He wants them to do. A man named Patrick McCabe wrote the following on Facebook. I don't know Mr. McCabe, but I thank God he listened to the leading of the Holy Spirit this past Saturday.

On January 24, 2015, Mr. McCabe wrote:

"Life is choices, today choosing to go to Food Town instead of Walmart for groceries. Upon finishing my duties of filling the shelves of my house and emptying the Food Town shelves, I chose to turn right to go home instead of the quick way home by turning left. I chose to turn on Canada Street to go to Fairmont Parkway and take the long way home. While approaching the light at Fairmont, a most horrific accident took place. My first thought was to go the other way as fast as I could to get away but I chose to run up to the cars of which one was on fire and a person was trapped inside. I chose to help as others were trying to extinguish the fire, I was checking on the person in the vehicle. It was obvious to me that that soul was in the process of leaving our realm and was traveling to the next plateau. I chose to hold the hand of this soul while others were extinguishing the flames and prayed that the passage to Heaven would be a wonderful experience and that no one should go on alone without a gift of a small prayer. From my past experiences, I am praying for this person's family and all that were touched by this soul while here on earth. I am continuously running this through my mind and wonder if there was any more i could have done. I am hoping that I helped the soul of this victim attain the Peace that is awaiting all of us at the moment we are called Home. God Bless all of those who made the choice to stop and help."

What a comfort it is for those of us who know the family. And unspeakable thanks to those who rescued her baby.

Prayer:

Father,
           Please comfort Susan and Kenny and the baby as only You can. Reveal Yourself, O God, and please bless all those who stopped to help. We pray that You heal their hearts and minds and free them from the mental images of the tragedy they witnessed. Bring Your Peace, Father, the only kind that passes all understanding. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen