Devotion for January 12, 2021 from Pastor Tim Huff of Holy Trinity:
My God, you will not abandon my hope. You will hear my prayer and satisfy my desires.
I will pray and wait for your grace. Hear me and fulfill my hope.
The following is the prayer which opens a collection of Martin Luther’s prayers edited by Herbert F. Brokering. During the past months, I have been using this collection as a devotional guide.
Brokering in the preface describes Luther’s prayers in the following way:
“The prayers show Luther as one deeply dependent upon grace and mercy. Mercy, mercy, was his(Luther’s) plea, and he trusted that mercy was always present in Christ. Mercy was Luther’s plea. Mercy was God’s promise…Grace had meaning to him in his daily living. He was not a man to go recklessly into the presence of God, but went boldly. He went as one absolutely forgiven.”
Amen!! We too are called to boldly go into God’s presence and into God’s world trusting in justice, mercy, love and grace. If you are like me though even on a good day your bold assurance of God’s grace, peace, and justice diminishes greatly once again, as you navigate our current challenges. It completely goes flat when you realize you are going to be late for the second Zoom meeting today and it is only 10:30 in the morning!!!!
I would like to share with you a few of the prayers I have found helpful during times of stress and strain. Perhaps these will provide strength as you continue to venture boldly into the world.
The first is from Luther’s morning prayer.
I give thanks to you, my God, through Jesus Christ your dear Son, that you have protected me through the night from all harm and danger and I ask that you would also protect me today from sin and every danger, so that my life and actions may please you. Into your hands I commend my body, my soul, and all that is mine. Let your holy angel be with me, so that the wicked foe may have no power over me. Amen
The second devotional I would like to offer is in response to all who are experiencing grief.
A: If your love mourns, come and God shall hold you.
B: We will not be alone in the pain of our loss.
A: If your heart grieves, come, and God’s arms shall enfold you.
B: Our tears of sorrow will mingle with God’s.
A: We will trust in our Keeper and not be afraid. Our God has seen, and shall not turn away. Our God has seen and shall always remain.
B: As every day that has seen the sun, our God is here among us–
A: Preserving life that passes away, while making all things new.
B: Our God is catching the tears from our eyes and raining them gently on the withered earth–
A: Preserving life that passes away, while making all things new.
B: Our God is remembering what frail hearts forget, and banishing death to an unmarked grave–
A: Preserving life that passes away, while making all things new.
B: Until finally, on some triumphant tomorrow, a day unlike all other days, no hearts shall mourn, no souls shall cry, no spirits shall suffer loss. The former things shall belong to the ages, and all the world shall be God’s again. O God, preserve our life, and make our world new!
I hope that these will help and strengthen you as you live out God’s grace, and love in your life. I close with the following quote by Luther:
“Prayer is a very precious medicine, one that helps and never fails.”
May Grace, Hope and Mercy surround us all,
Pastor Tim
