Psalm 121:7-8
Luther’s Small Catechism:
But deliver us from evil.
What does this mean? We pray in this petition, in summary, that our Father in heaven would rescue us from every evil of body and soul, possessions and reputation, and finally, when our last hour comes, give us a blessed end, and graciously take us from this valley of sorrow to Himself in heaven.
Every hour in our lives is important. Think of the very first hour. Imagine the pride and excitement that your parents must have experienced as they held their tiny child in their hands for the first time.
Think of the hour when you were received into the family of God through the Sacrament of Holy Baptism. Imagine the joy among the angels in heaven over one sinner who repents (Luke 15:7).
For most of us there have been many hours that have passed since those hours that began our earthly and eternal life. Yet it is true that another hour awaits us all, our last hour. What we have done with all the hours of our lives will take on different meaning then. All that is worldly will be meaningless and only that which comes from Christ will remain valuable.
God’s ultimate will for you is to welcome you to His eternal mansions when your last hour arrives. He has worked everything out in your life so that you would hear the Gospel and believe that He sent His only Son to die on the cross for your sins. He has sent the Holy Spirit to bring you to that faith and keep you in the faith. He will graciously take you from this valley of sorrow to Himself in heaven.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, we live in an overwhelmingly evil world where sin and death are on every hand. Preserve us from that evil now and when the time is right bring us to yourself in heaven for Christ’s sake. Amen.
God’s richest blessings in Christ,
Pastor Philip Quardokus
Download a pdf of all the Lenten devotions here.
No comments:
Post a Comment