Today’s Bible Verse:
2 Corinthians 4:18 NIV

“So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”

Life can be overwhelming. We often find ourselves bombarded with challenges, disappointments, and uncertainties that seem to shake the very foundation of our lives. In his letter to the Corinthians, Saint Paul speaks to this directly by encouraging us to look beyond the immediate struggles to what is truly lasting.

Paul faced immense hardships—persecution, shipwrecks, imprisonment, and suffering—yet he continued to live with a remarkable sense of hope and purpose. How? By fixing his eyes on what is unseen—on the promises of God that stretch beyond the present reality. He embraced the eternal hope in Jesus Christ and clung to the assurance of God's unfailing love and ultimate victory over sin and death.

Lutherans are called to trust that God's grace sustains us through every trial. Martin Luther once wrote, “Faith is a living, daring confidence in God’s grace, so sure and certain that a man could stake his life on it a thousand times.” This faith anchors us, allowing us to trust in God's eternal promises even when all else seems unsteady.

When our circumstances weigh heavily, let’s remember that they are temporary. Illness, financial struggles, broken relationships, and loss—these things, painful as they are, do not have the final say. Our hope in Christ surpasses the trials of this world because it is grounded in what is unseen: God's kingdom, His mercy, and His unending love for us.

Prayers

A Prayer for Today:

Gracious Father, help us to fix our eyes not on what is seen but on what is unseen. Strengthen our faith in Your eternal promises and fill us with hope even when life’s challenges overwhelm us. In Jesus’ 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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A Song for Today