SHEPHERD OF THE VALLEY LUTHERAN CHURCH
DEVOTION, READINGS and PRAYERS
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2023
This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. Psalm 118:24
NEWS: Please refer to the Shepherd of The Valley Church Newsletter that Allen Kolkman sent by email yesterday.
Linda Johnson wishes to thank everyone for their thoughts and prayers as she goes through chemom and radiation treatments for breast cancer. She truly appreciates all in her church family.
PRAYERS: Today we remember Suzette and Leonard Prokopin in our prayers. We continue to pray for Alba Reilly and give thanks that she is now home recovering from having a tumor removed. We also pray for Shepherd of The Valley and our congregation.
In our Summer of Prayer series, we pray for all the persecuted Christians in China. We ask the Lord that through the persecuted church there he can make China a Christian nation.
READINGS: Ezekiel 5; Psalm 67; 1 Timothy 1:12-20
DEVOTION:
Daily Devotions from Lutheran Hour Ministries
“Not Just a Formality”
Psalm 32:5b, 7 – I said, ‘I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,” and You [O Lord] forgave the iniquity of my sin. … You are a hiding place for me; You preserve me from trouble; You surround me with shouts of deliverance.
This devotion pairs with this weekend’s Lutheran Hour sermon, which can be found at lutheranhour.org.
All at once, it hit me, like a wave of regret, a flood of guilt. In that moment, I knew I had hurt them, my future father- and-mother-in-law. How I hurt them is a longer story. But, even without the details, you can imagine how I was feeling. You know that when you hurt someone, you make it more difficult for them to trust you. Think of trust like a reservoir of water that you need to sustain and support a relationship with someone. In this case, if you do harm to them, it’s like a crack in the dam. And if it’s not repaired, the bonds will fail. Trust will be lost. The relationship dries up.
When someone has been wronged by you, they can choose to repair the breach in trust, they can make it worse, or they can ignore it (which is the same thing as making it worse). When I had wronged my future father- and-mother-in-law, they could have made it worse. They could have nursed a grudge. They could have cranked on that crack until the dam broke and we all drowned in its flood. But they didn’t. They chose not to hold it against me. They chose not to withhold their love. They chose to sustain the relationship. They chose to forgive.
Forgiveness, in a biblical sense, is just that. It isn’t just a formality. It is part of a larger commitment to support a lasting relationship. Take Psalm 32 for example. David, the author, knows he has wronged the LORD—the Creator God who has bound Himself to David, to His people, and ultimately to all the families of the earth (see Genesis 12). God made a covenant promise to sustain this relationship forever.
Forgiveness is part of that. David rejoices, not only because the LORD chooses not to hold his sin against him, but also because God remains committed as ever to being there for him. And when God forgives us—ultimately through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus His Son—He doesn’t merely decide to no longer be offended by our sin. He doesn’t just patch things over. He chooses to keep on filling the reservoir.
Over the last 22 years, my mother- and-father-in-law have shown me that sort of forgiveness, the covenantal love reflective of what God has done for each of us in Jesus. They gave themselves, filling a reservoir of trust by traveling across the country to be there when our four children were born, by opening their home when we were traveling, by covering countless costs, listening, advising, or just being present. When God forgives you in Jesus, it’s not just a formality. He surrounds you with His steadfast love, through your Baptism, through His people, the church, through the Lord’s Supper, through Christ-centered preachers and conversations with Christian friends, through His Word. He is there for you. He is your hiding place. He gives—not just forgiveness—He gives Himself.
WE PRAY: Father, forgive me and fill me with Your steadfast love, through Jesus Christ. Amen.
This Daily Devotion was written by Rev. Dr. Michael Zeigler, Speaker of The Lutheran Hour.
Reflection Questions:
1. On a human level, when have you felt the blessedness of being forgiven?
2. Read Psalm 32 aloud. How are you responding to the range of emotions present in the poem?
3. In what ways has God been or could be more of a “hiding place” for you?
Today’s Bible Readings: Isaiah 3-4 2 Corinthians 12
Luther’s Morning Prayer
In the morning, as soon as you get out of bed, you are to make the Sign of the Cross and say:
“God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit watch over me. Amen.”
Then, kneeling or standing, say the Apostles’ Creed and the Lord’s Prayer. In addition recite this prayer as well:
“I give thanks to you, my heavenly Father through Jesus Christ your dear son, that you have protected me this night from all harm and danger, and I ask you that you would also protect me today from sin and all evil, so that my life and actions may please you completely. For into your hands I commend myself: 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.”
After singing a hymn or whatever else may serve your devotion, you can go about your day joyfully!
Luther’s Evening Prayer
In the evening, when you go to bed, you are to make the Sign of the Cross and say:
“God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit watch over me. Amen.”
Then, kneeling or standing, say the Apostles’ Creed and the Lord’s Prayer. In addition recite this prayer as well:
“I give thanks to you, my heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ your dear Son, that you have graciously protected me today, and I ask you to forgive me all my sins, where I have done wrong, and graciously to protect me tonight. For into your hands I commend myself: 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.”
You can now go to bed quickly and cheerfully.
OTHER RESOURCES:
Our church website is: https://www.svlchurch.org/
Below is our Facebook page:
www.facebook.com/shepherdofthevalleyoceanside
Here is the website for Lutherans for Life: https://lutheransforlife.org/
Here is the website for Lutheran Hour Ministries: https://www.lhm.org/
Lutheran Public Radio is listener supported and has two channels, one for sacred music and the other for talk, including news, current issues, politics and spiritual matters from a Lutheran perspective. Hosted by Pastor Todd Wilken, Issues, Etc. airs live Monday thru Friday from 1 to 3 pm Pacific, with the “Best Of” running at other hour s: https://lutheranpublicradio.org/
KFUO is the listener supported radio station owned and operated by the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod. Based in St. Louis, their format consists of teaching, preaching, ministry and sacred music: https://www.kfuo.org/
A very blessed Friday to everyone! For any needs or prayer requests, please contact us
Pastor Joel, pastor@svlcchurch.org
