The Questions of Life, Part One
Today’s Bible Verse:
Psalm 27:1 ESV
The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?
My sermon this weekend caused me to spend a lot of time after Sunday church services pondering the questions of life. In our weekend Gospel reading, Jesus is sleeping on a boat when high winds and waves start battering their boat. Water is pouring into the boat, and the disciples traveling with Jesus are scared. They wake up Jesus and ask Him why He isn’t doing anything to help them as they face doom. Jesus’ answer was a question - don’t you have enough faith?
That question is brilliant because we already know the answer. None of us has enough faith! This got me thinking about the questions of life and how I, as a Christian, deal with them. At the core of my worries is that, at times, I do fear and am afraid! King David, who wrote Psalm 27, faced so many troubles and threats in his life that he, too, feared and was afraid. But David focused on himself and questioned why he should be afraid or have fear. Why? He believed in the one true God who promised He’d always be with Him. He was promised redemption through the one who would sit on his throne, the one Jesus Christ, his and our Lord. By having faith in our Triune God, we know the blessings of God through faith in His Son. While life's challenges are before us, let us not fear or be afraid. God loves us and promised us salvation from all of our enemies. Jesus won that for us on the cross.
PRAYERS
Keep in Your Prayers:
Those struggling to make ends meet.
All people dealing with cancer
Those who reject Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.
A Prayer for Today:
Heavenly Father, as I begin this new week, instill in me the joy of salvation won for me by Jesus Christ, Your Son, on the cross. In His name, I pray. Amen.
Luther’s Morning Prayer:
I thank You, my heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ, Your dear Son, that You have kept me this night from all harm and danger; and I pray that You would keep me this day also from sin and every evil, that all my doings and life may please You. For into Your hands, I commend myself, my body and soul, and all things. Let Your holy angel be with me, that the evil foe may have no power over me. Amen.
Apostles’ Creed:
I believe in God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth.
And in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried. He descended into hell. The third day He rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty. From thence He will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Christian Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.
The Lord’s Prayer:
Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name, Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven; give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever. Amen.
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