“Who understands the power of Your anger and Your fury, according to the fear that is due You? So teach us to number our days, that we may present to You a heart of wisdom.” (Psalm 90:11-12)

When things do not go the way we want them to go, we call that Your fury and anger. I suspect You call that the truth. You give a heart of wisdom to those who will come into Your presence and see things as they are. Lead me, O Lord, to see clearly the truth of the life into which You invite those who will come into Your presence. You offer to guide us through these limited days.

Lord, when I was young, I thought in terms of forever. As I get older, I see the foolishness of such thoughts. My days are numbered. Help me to live according to the days You have given me that I may abide in You as You abide in me, doing those things which will grow in me what You have always intended. Help me to be lifted up according to Your will.

Lord Jesus, You have told us that we must be united with You. Saint Paul told us that we must be united in Your death in order to be united in Your resurrection. Help me, O Lord, to overcome the obstacles of the way this age thinks that I might see things as You would have me see them, knowing that all things are in Your hands. Guide me, O Lord, to walk in Your ways now and always. Amen.

“For all our days have declined in Your fury; we have finished our years like a sigh. As for the days of our life, they contain seventy years, or if due to strength, eighty years, yet their pride is but labor and sorrow; for soon it is gone and we fly away.” (Psalm 90:9-10)

The world tells you how much longer we live now than then. No, we don’t. Some live longer and some shorter. What will you do with the days the Lord has given you? Many go in the fury of this world and with vain attempts to gain what they will never have. Come, then, to the Lord and taste and see that He who is forever has invited you into His presence now and forever.

Lord, I have been caught up in the insanity of this age. I think I can gain and obtain, yet the years come rushing at me and I know that my time is short. Turn my heart to look to You and praise You no matter the years I have lived or what they bring. Guide me in Your goodness to see the hope You have given through grace that I may live now and forever in Your presence.

Lord Jesus, lift me up by Your grace that I would now and forever abide in the goodness You have given through the salvation You offer. You have come to lift us up to be with You now and always. Teach me those things which will help me to see that only in You is there hope and a future, and that through the things of this world I will be pulled down. Guide me, Lord, according to the Father’s will. Amen.

“For we have been consumed by Your anger and by Your wrath we have been dismayed. You have placed our iniquities before You, our secret sins in the light of Your presence.” (Psalm 90:7-8)

There is nothing done that You do not know about. Those who think they can hide and continue in their ways do not know You. Lord, bring me out from my pretense to see in You the hope You give that I may live freely knowing that You know all things. Bring Your Spirit upon me to learn to listen and obey all the directions You give in order to mature into the faith You have given me.

Lord, You know my inmost struggles and the ways that I have lived. Lift me up from those things that harm me and teach me to obey all that You have commanded. Keep me from becoming defensive about where I have been that I would freely confess my sin and receive the forgiveness You offer. You have sent the Savior; He is the one thing necessary. Teach me to trust Your provision in all things.

Lord Jesus, You have come to free us from the trap of sin which ignores You and lives with our own ideas as our guide. Lift me up to live according to the Father’s purpose that I may grow in the faith You have given me and do those things which are pleasing to the Father. Walk with me and teach me to walk with You that I may listen as the Holy Spirit speaks to me this day. Amen.

“You have swept them away like a flood, they fall asleep; in the morning they are like grass which sprouts anew. In the morning it flourishes and sprouts anew; toward evening it fades and withers away.” (Psalm 90:5-6)

Life is short, especially in terms of the view of the Lord. We have a few years and then our time here is done. What do we do with this time we have been given? Eternal life is in our hearts and we want to live, but what do we do with this time? The Lord grants us the opportunity to come into His presence and live as He designed us to live. Flourish in the way You were made to live.

Lord, help me to learn to live according to the way You created me to live. There are those around me who live lives as they choose, but You have made me to live according to Your purpose. Guide me, O Lord, that I may now and always live into the life to which You have called me. Guide me by Your precepts to walk the way You know is good and lift me up away from the temptations that would lead me astray.

Savior, You know we need to be saved. Lift me up through grace to learn from You how to navigate this world. Help me now and always to listen to You that I may learn to obey all that You command. Keep me close to You that I may abide in the will of the Father. May I now and always have my heart turned to You, Lord Jesus, and obey all you have commanded. Amen.

“You turn man back into dust and say, “Return, O children of men.” For a thousand years in Your sight are like yesterday when it passes by, or as a watch in the night.” (Psalm 90:3-4)

Everlasting is something beyond our ability to comprehend. History flows by You in a moment. Lead me, O Lord, into Your perspective of things that I may dwell in Your mind’s eye and not in my own imagination. Help me to learn to trust You in and through all things. Lift me up according to Your gracious will to be Your humble follower now and always, and to do Your will.

Lord God, You know all things and You know my heart. You have witnessed all who have passed before Your sight. Though I be dust animated for a short while, help me to learn to praise You, the God through whom all things have their being. Lead me in the way You would have me go that I may now and always look to You, the One true God who is in all and through all.

Come, Holy Spirit, and lift up my countenance to praise You for Your goodness which You bring. Lift me up by the grace You have provided, Lord Jesus. In all that I say or do, help me to be faithful according to the call You have given me. Guide me, O Lord, that I may do what is pleasing in Your sight. To You alone belongs all praise, thanks, honor and glory. Amen.

“Lord, You have been our dwelling place in all generations. Before the mountains were born or You gave birth to the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, You are God.” (Psalm 90:1-2)

The Lord God created all things and all things have their being in Him. Apart from Him, nothing exists. Come into the Lord’s presence and know the One who created all things. Know that He who made you knows you by name. Be comforted in His presence and live in the One who is from everlasting into everlasting. He is the One who has called you by name.

Lord, I cannot begin to fathom that You who made all things know me by name. Yet it is You who knows when a bird falls from the air. Guide me, O Lord, by Your Spirit to walk humbly in Your sight all the days of my life that I may now and always abide in Your goodness and mercy. Lead me, O Lord, in the way You have established that I may know You, the One true God.

Lord Jesus, the Word made flesh who came down from heaven, You have come to call all who would come through You to the Father to abide forever. Lead me in the grace You have established that I may now and always abide in Your goodness and mercy. Help me through all obstacles to see in You the hope of glory and the way of life. May I abide in You and You in me. Amen.

“With which Your enemies have reproached, O Lord, with which they have reproached the footsteps of Your anointed. Blessed be the Lord forever! Amen and Amen.” (Psalm 89:51-52)

The enemies of the Lord look at the havoc they have brought upon others and then say to the Lord’s people, “Where is your God?” The Lord alone endures forever and the wicked have a small amount of time to plot their schemes. Trust in the One who is forever and look to the One who blesses. The Lord in His goodness has shown the way for the righteous to walk upright.

It is a confusing world Lord and there are many paths that may be followed. Yet, there is only one that is right and true. Lead me along the paths of righteousness for Your name’s sake that I may now and always walk humbly with You, my Lord and God. No matter what may come, help me hold on to You, for You are my strength and hope. May I learn to bless Your name.

Lord Jesus, You know adversity and yet You gave grace and mercy. Through Your example, help me also to live giving grace and mercy that I may live into the life to which You have called me. Thank You for what You have done. Thank You for including me in the call You give to live into the salvation You have prepared for those who will learn to love as You love. Amen.

PUT ON THE GOSPEL ARMOR
Devotional for August 26, 2018 based upon Ephesians 6: 10-20

One person said, “When I became a follower of Jesus, I thought that everything would be smooth sailing and that nothing would rock my boat. Since then I have found that becoming a Christian is actually like enlisting in the army. There is a battle going on.”

Yes, according to the Bible, there is a battle going on. There is an entire spiritual world that would like to bring you down. Satan is a real being, who has been roaming the earth since the Garden of Eden. And he is effective. So what kind of a position does that put us in? According to Ephesians 6, we are engaged in a life-and-death struggle against all the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.

Spiritual warfare is going on all around us. You do not need to look any further than the recent ELCA youth gathering to realize that there is a battle going on, including for the hearts and lives of young people. Satan, our enemy is real, powerful, deadly, dangerous, and devious. But, thank God, his power is limited and he is defeated. When our Lord Jesus Christ died on the cross and rose from the dead, He won the decisive, turning point battle against Satan. But now, like a mortally wounded animal, which knows that it is dying, Satan wants to take us down as he goes down.

Because we have an enemy, we have been given armor. But it is critical that we wear that armor. Paul was in a Roman prison at the time of his writing. He was at least being guarded by, if not actually chained to, a Roman soldier. I can see him looking at the various pieces of the soldier’s armor as he is writing his letter to the church at Ephesus, telling them about what God has given them to put on.

First, the BELT OF TRUTH. Truth is like a belt that holds everything else in place. One of the things that was most disturbing about the recent ELCA youth gathering is the number of lies that were spread about human sexuality as well as the fact that the traditional view of human sexuality was called a lie.

Second, the BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS. Like a bullet-proof vest, the breastplate protected the body from the neck to the thighs. Most importantly, it protected the heart. Are we sufficiently disturbed by the attack on Biblical heart-values that was made at the recent youth gathering?

Third, the SHOES OF THE GOSPEL OF PEACE. In battle you need a good pair of shoes to keep you balanced and confident and able to move quickly. So a soldier put on a good pair of boots, to assure him of a good grip. The Roman soldier’s shoes also made him able to march over the toughest of terrain. If young people do not have a close relationship with God, how will they be able to endure the tough circumstances of life?

Fourth, the SHIELD OF FAITH. The Roman soldier covered his shield with animal hide, which could put out flaming arrows before they could destroy his shield. If young people are not given Biblical truth, they will not have a faith that even Satan – with all his flaming darts of accusations and doubts – cannot destroy.

Fifth, the HELMET OF SALVATION. Who would be foolish enough to go into battle without a helmet to protect the head, brain, and central nervous system? So why would anyone go to war against Satan without the helmet of salvation to protect their thought life? Are we sufficiently disturbed by the attack on the thought life of the young people who attended the recent ELCA youth gathering?

Sixth, the SWORD OF THE SPIRIT, WHICH IS THE WORD OF GOD. With the sword of the Spirit, we can keep Satan at bay, just like Jesus did. Every time Satan tempted Jesus, He responded with the exact same answer, “Devil, it is written!” He kept on hitting him – and hitting him hard – with the same three words, “It is written! It is written! It is written!” until, bloody and beaten, Satan had to flee. How can we hope that young people will be able to repel Satan if they do not know, and if they have been taught to doubt and place less value upon, the Bible as the Word of God?

The armor will do us no good if we do not put it on. And we need to put it on and learn to use it before we need it. It is much more difficult to put on your armor after the battle begins.

After they shoot the gun, it is too late to put on the bullet-proof vest. In the same way, after Satan stabs you in your heart values, it is too late to put on the breastplate of righteousness. After you smash your toe on the circumstances of life, it is too late to put on the shoes of the Gospel. After Satan shoots a flaming arrow of despair at you, it is too late to pick up the shield of faith. After Satan knocks you in the head with a club of doubt, it is too late to put on the helmet of salvation. And after Satan starts swinging at you, it is too late to figure out how to use the Sword of the Spirit. Put your armor on today, and learn how to use the weapons today – before another temptation comes or another tragedy strikes.

And then one more thing. Even with our armor on, we still need an ally. So Paul concludes this passage by telling us that the Lord Himself is our ally and we have access to Him and His power through prayer.

It’s not just the armor. It’s also who is on our side, as well as whose side we are on. Whose side are you on? Are you fighting in the battle, or have you gone AWOL, hoping that someone else will fight the battle for you?

Dennis D. Nelson
President of the Board and Director of Lutheran CORE

“Where are Your former lovingkindnesses, O Lord, which You swore to David in Your faithfulness? Remember, O Lord, the reproach of Your servants; how I bear in my bosom the reproach of all the many peoples,” (Psalm 89:49-50)

When trouble mounts the faithful will look to the Lord, but the unrighteous will turn and curse Him. Adversity comes and if you look closely you will see the human hand that brought it about. Do not blame the Lord but look to Him and know that He has a purpose for everything. Be guided by the One who made you and know that He knows what is needed. Love the Lord your God.

I am often perplexed and confused O Lord by the difficulties of this world. I know that it is complex and there are always people who are sinning against You and making a mess of things. Help me to be one of those who always looks to You in season and out of season. Guide my thoughts and prayers that, no matter what may befall me, I am thankful that You are God.

When in times of trouble, minister to my heart, Holy Spirit, that I would hold fast to the gift of faith the You have given. Lead me in the way I should go that I may stay there. Keep the path before me illumined that I may walk in the way of the righteous all the days of my life. May I always heed Your guidance and counsel and be one of the faithful, witnessing to Your love. Amen.

“Remember what my span of life is; for what vanity You have created all the sons of men! What man can live and not see death? Can he deliver his soul from the power of Sheol?” (Psalm 89:47-48)

How much time do you have on this earth? The young will think it is a long time. The old know that it is like vapor, here for a moment and then gone. We were created for eternity. Your life is in the Lord and if not, then here today and gone tomorrow. “Come,” says the Lord, “let us reason together.” Do not shame yourself by thinking that it is in your hands, but come to the Lord and live forever.

Lord, You have planted in us the desire for eternity. You have given the sure promise of eternity. Guide me in the way I need to go that I would walk now and forever in the way of the eternal ones that will be with You forever. Do not let me linger, but grow in me the hope of glory that I would now and always live into the life You hold before me knowing that only in You is there hope.

Lord Jesus, You are the strait gate and only in and through You is there hope for every day. Guide me, O Lord, in the way You would have me go that I would now and forever live into the promise You give through Your salvation. Help me through every obstacle that I would abide in You and You in me now and forever. Keep me close to You that I may abide in Your goodness and mercy. Amen.