From Reading the Psalms with Luther
(St. Louis, MO: Concordia, 2007):

The 116th psalm is a psalm of thanks in which the psalmist is joyful and gives thanks that God has heard his prayer and has rescued him from the distress of death and the anguish of hell.  Like several other psalms before it, it speaks of the deep spiritual affliction, of which few people know.

He laments in this psalm that things are so bad, yet he confesses his faith and the truth of God.  He calls all human holiness, virtue, and confidence only falsehood and emptiness.  This world will not and cannot hear nor tolerate.  Thus it comes that the godly suffer, tremble, and fear all kinds of misfortune.

But despite all, he is comforted by this, that God’s Word is true and will only motivate us the more: “They give me to drink from the cup of their wrath.  All right, then I will take the cup of grace and salvation and drink myself spiritually drunk (and through preaching) pour out from this cup on those who will drink with me and who draw their grace from the Word.” This is our cup, and with this cup we will worship God and praise His name.  We will fulfill our vows, namely the First Commandment, that we receive Him as the one God and praise Him as the only God worthy to preach and to be called upon.  You find here also that giving thanks, preaching, and confessing God’s name before all people is the true worship of God.

But as for you, O man of God, flee these things. Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness. (1 Timothy 6:11)

Father in Heaven,

On this day that you have made, I bend my head and bow my heart in worship to you, for you good and your love endures forever. In your holiness, your perfect spotless righteousness, you are worthy to be praised, because you alone made all things. In you, I am held together, and apart from you, I would be subject to your holy wrath and judgment. Thank you again for the gift of your one and only begotten, Jesus Christ my Lord and Savior: for giving him freely to me as a gift to be received by faith, trusting in his atoning work on the cross in my place for my sins. His blood has washed away my sins, and for that, I am thankful everyday of my life.

Oh Lord and my God, I desire to be a man of God, just like your servant Timonthy. I desire to be faithful and strong in light of persecution and difficulty, a slave of one Master and a worshiper of one Lord. May I never selfishly desire renown of my own name or seek after earthly fame, but in all things and in every part of my life — personal and public, church and family — may I be known for what I flee from, who I follow after, what I fight for, and who I am faithful to. I know that perfection in obedience is impossible in this life where sin is still present in my body, and yet I am convinced that through the Scriptures divine submission may be produced within my heart. Though sin may still abound in my flesh, your grace shall abound in my life through Spirit-empowered repentance all the more.

O Great God of highest Heaven, let my outward behavior be continually righteous and honorable in your sight, that people around me would wonder what God I serve who has transformed my heart.  Conform my heart and soul to the shape of Jesus’ cross, so that I would be more and more like Christ and less and less like those of this world.  In reverence and in fear, may I come boldly into your presence, where angels even fear to tread, to ask that your kingdom would come and your will be done in my life and the life of my beloved.

In the name of Christ I pray,

Amen.

Know the LORD

“Thus says the LORD: ‘Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight,’ declares the LORD.” -Jeremiah 9:23-34

• Take a moment to quiet your heart before God.
• Ask God to increase your love, fear, and awe of him.

Turn to the LORD

“If you return, O Israel, declares the LORD, to me you should return. If you remove your detestable things from my presence, and do not waver… then nations shall bless themselves in him, and in him shall they glory.” For thus says the LORD to the men of Judah and Jerusalem: ‘Break up your fallow ground…’” –Jeremiah 4:1-3

“Though our iniquities testify against us, act, O LORD, for your name’s sake; for our backslidings are many; we have sinned against you…. Yet you, O LORD, are in the midst of us, and we are called by your name; do not leave us.” –Jeremiah 14:7,9

• Ask the Lord to convict us of our stubbornness of heart and idolatrous desires.
• Pray that he would awaken us to the reality of God’s judgment against sin.
• Pray that the Lord would pour out a spirit of repentance on our church and that we would see and turn from our sin, trusting in the mercy of our King.

Celebrate Mercy

“Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah… I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. …they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.” –Jeremiah 31: 31-34

• Thank God for fulfilling his promise and establishing a new covenant in Jesus Christ.
• Praise God for the glorious salvation he planned and accomplished through the death of Jesus upon the cross.
• Give thanks that through Christ our Mediator we may approach and know the Holy One of Israel, and are adopted as his sons and daughters.
• Give thanks for the Holy Spirit, through whom God writes his law on our hearts and helps apply it to our lives.

Delight in His Word

“Your words were found, and I ate them, and your words became to me a joy and the delight of my heart, for I am called by your name, O LORD, God of hosts.” –Jeremiah 15:16

• Ask God to deepen your love and reverence for his words.
• As one who is called by his name, pray for your own times of meeting with God, that you may encounter him daily through his words.
• Ask the Holy Spirit to open Scripture to you–to help you apply and be changed by it.

Community

“But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the LORD on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare.” –Jeremiah 29:7

• Ask God to give you a deeper compassion and desire to minister to the needs of the poor and hurting in our community.
• Pray for boldness to share the truth of the gospel with friends and family who don’t know him.
• Pray that members of our church–in their jobs, their schools, and their neighborhoods–would be a blessing to our community and represent the gospel.

World

“At that time Jerusalem shall be called the throne of the LORD, and all nations shall gather to it, to the presence of the LORD in Jerusalem, and they shall no more stubbornly follow their own evil heart.” –Jeremiah 3:17

• Pray that God would cause the gospel to go forward throughout the earth, and that those who have not yet heard the gospel would hear.
• Pray for the 3 billion throughout the earth with no viable church. Pray for the 1.2 billion Muslims in the “10/40 window,” most of whom have no access to the gospel.
• Pray for believers around the world who are persecuted for their faith. Ask God to protect them, give them boldness in the face of opposition, and make them powerful witnesses of the gospel.

(HT: Josh Harris)

Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.
John 15:13

On this day when many of us are occupied with chocolate, candy, and all things red and pink, I would like to share with you some prayer requests from a fellow member of my church who is serving with the U.S. Marines in Iraq. His name is Gary, and I found his prayer card at church:

• That God will use whatever instrument, my unit included, as a means to restrain the lawless deeds of lawless men and then providentially open a door for others to bring the Gospel to the people in the area
• That I may lead my Marines and obey my commanders well so that in every case I may honor the Lord through my service and earn the right to speak of Him to others
• That if I must fire my weapon, it will never be in anger or out of hatred for my enemy. And also, that if I must fire my weapon, that I will shoot straight and hit every target center mass.
• That if I die, my parents may find comfort in the Scriptures and the saints so that they might not grumble against the Lord.
• That if I do not die, but am physically maimed, that I will find comfort in the Scripture and the saints so that I might not grumble against the Lord.
• That God will grant our nation repentance. For if we are to be an instrument to judge another nation, we must all the more be a just people ourselves unless we desire the justice of God against us.
• That I do not cease to pray for the saints at Immanuel Baptist Church.

• Pray also for Gary and his unit’s safe return.

May we pray for Gary and all the other men and women who are serving in dangerous places for our freedom and that of the oppressed. Their love for country and God is an example to us all.

The 13th psalm is a psalm of prayer against the sorrow or sadness of the spirit that comes at times from the devil himself, or at times from those who act against us with spite and evil tricks. As a result, we are cast down and grieve when we see such evil aligned against us. But prayer is stronger than all misfortune. This psalm gives us an example by which we certainly may be comforted and learn in every kind of calamity not to become anxious or downcast, nor let these troubles eat at our hearts. Instead, we learn to turn to prayer, crying to God about all of these things. We know that we will be heard and finally be delivered, as James 5:13 also says: “Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray.” This psalm belongs in the Second Commandment and the First and Last Petitions, that we may be delivered from evil.

To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.

1 How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever?
How long will you hide your face from me?
2 How long must I take counsel in my soul
and have sorrow in my heart all the day?
How long shall my enemy be exalted over me?

3 Consider and answer me, O Lord my God;
light up my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death,
4 lest my enemy say, “I have prevailed over him,”
lest my foes rejoice because I am shaken.

5 But I have trusted in your steadfast love;
my heart shall rejoice in your salvation.
6 I will sing to the Lord,
because he has dealt bountifully with me.

Lord Jesus,

who by Your incarnation was a Man of Sorrows and acquainted with grief, graciously remember us who are yet walking in this vale of tears and who must enter Your kingdom through many tribulations.

As You have promised to be with Your own and to support them to the end, grant us Your Holy Spirit, the Spirit of joy and of peace, to comfort our hearts and the hearts of all Your afflicted Christians with Your everlasting comfort.

Amen.

(Source: Reading the Psalms with Luther. St. Louis, IL: Concordia, 2006.)