For Personal and Family DevotionsApril 1 to June 30, 2021
Written by
Dcs. Noemi Guerra, Johnston, IowaDevotions for April
Mr. Benjamin Petersen, Grafton, WisconsinDevotions for May
Dr. James Freese, Germantown, WisconsinDevotions for June
Edited by Rev. Scot A. Kinnaman and Rev. Paul T. McCain
V O L . 8 4 , N O . 4 5 1
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Meet the AuthorsNoemi Guerra and her family came to the United States as missionaries from Panama in the year 2000. She is married to Rev. Lincon Guerra, and they have three children: Joash, Lincon, and Lizzie. Noemi served at St. Paul Lutheran in Houston, Texas (2000–2001), at Christ for all Nations in Raeford, North Carolina (2001–2004), at CFC Lutheran in Houston (2004–2012), and at Shepherd of the Valley in West Des Moines, Iowa (2014 to present). She graduated from Concordia Seminary, St. Louis.
Benjamin Petersen lives in Grafton, Wisconsin, with his two children and his wonderful wife. Benjamin has a BA in theological languages from Concordia University Wisconsin and an MA from Concordia Theological Seminary. He currently works in quality assurance for an air-filtration and cleanroom-testing company. His hobbies include playing cello, writing music, singing in his church choir, studying Greek and Hebrew, and spending time with his kids.
Dr. James Freese is professor of music, university organist, and director of the Master of Church Music and Parish Music programs at Concordia University Wisconsin, where he has taught since 2000. He is also cantor at Mount Calvary Lutheran Church in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where he taught elementary school from 1979 to 2000. He and his wife, Jill, have two children and six grandchildren. Dr. Freese’s devotions are drawn from hymn texts in Lutheran Service Book. This is his third set of devotions on great hymns of faith.
ORDER OF FAMILY WORSHIPLeader: In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
All: Amen.
Leader (With all repeating each phrase): Lord, have mercy. Christ, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.
A PSALM may be read by the leader or by the family in response.
All: Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit; as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.
THE SCRIPTURE READING THE MEDITATION THE PRAYER 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.
Leader: Let us bless the Lord.
All: Thanks be to God.
Leader: The almighty and merciful God, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, bless us and keep us.
All: Amen.
Martin Luther’s Morning PrayerMake the sign of the holy cross and say:
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
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.
Martin Luther’s Evening PrayerMake the sign of the holy cross and say:
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
I thank You, my heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ, Your dear Son, that You have graciously kept me this day; and I pray that You would forgive me all my sins where I have done wrong, and graciously keep me this night. 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.
—Adapted from Luther’s Small Catechism
See prayer section for daily prayers, as well as prayers for Church festivals and other special occasions.
Mealtime PrayersAsking a Blessing
The children and members of the household shall go to the table reverently, make the sign of the holy cross, fold their hands, and say:
The eyes of all look to You, [O Lord,] and You give them their food at the proper time. You open Your hand and satisfy the desires of every living thing. (Psalm 145:15–16)
Then shall be said the Lord’s Prayer and the following:
Lord God, heavenly Father, bless us and these Your gifts, which we receive from Your bountiful goodness, through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
Returning Thanks
Also, after eating, they shall, in like manner, reverently make the sign of the holy cross and with folded hands say:
Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good. His love endures forever. [He] gives food to every creature. He provides food for the cattle and for the young ravens when they call. His pleasure is not in the strength of the horse, nor His delight in the legs of a man; the Lord delights in those who fear Him, who put their hope in His unfailing love. (Psalm 136:1, 25; 147:9–11)
Then shall be said the Lord’s Prayer and the following:
We thank You, Lord God, heavenly Father, for all Your benefits, through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit forever and ever. Amen.
—Adapted from Luther’s Small Catechism
Thursday, april 1holy (Maundy) Thursday
kRead Matthew 26:17–30 ✦ Psalm 115
And they were very sorrowful and began to say to Him one after another, “Is it I, Lord?” Matthew 26:22
Not It!
The bell rang and recess started. “Tag, you’re it.” We have all played tag. How fun was that! Jesus was about
to begin His journey to the cross. On the night before His crucifixion, Jesus remembers us and blesses us through His body and blood, offered at His table for the forgiveness of our sins. On that same night, someone was going to betray Him. It’s like Adam and Eve told Judas: “You’re it.” Not much fun in that.
You and I were “it”; we were the ones who betrayed Jesus. We have broken the Law of God and deserve the consequences. Our consciences do not rest at the thought of becoming Judas, the one who betrayed the innocent one.
The good news is that Jesus’ body and blood are still being offered for us today. We are “not it” anymore because Jesus willingly took our place on the cross and paid the price for the consequences of our sins. We can now eat His body and drink His blood and receive forgiveness in remembrance of our guilt-free lives bought on Calvary.
Lord, we praise You and thank You because You have remembered us. You sent Jesus, and He forgave our sins.
Because of Him, we are not “it” anymore. We pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Friday, april 2Good Friday
kRead John 19:17–30 ✦ Psalm 69:16–33
After this, Jesus, knowing that all was now finished, said (to fulfill the Scripture), “I thirst.” A jar full of sour wine stood there, so they put a sponge full of the sour wine on a
hyssop branch and held it to His mouth. John 19:28–29
Well Balanced
It’s hot; you have a dry mouth and throat and a strong desire for liquids—you are thirsty! Thirst is a way for our
brain to tell us that we have unbalanced fluids or too much salt in our body.
Jesus noticed that we are very unbalanced. Every day, we did not do the good things that we were supposed to do and instead did the bad things we were not supposed to do. On top of that, we had too much salt of ourselves. Quite unbalanced we were.
But Jesus thirsted for and fulfilled the Father’s redemptive plan on the cross for us. He earned a perfectly balanced life in our place. He forgave our sinful habits and made us new. He now invites us to His kingdom through the Word and guides us to respond to His gift with praise.
Lord Jesus, for Your thirst, they gave You sour wine to drink. That was our sour wine to drink. But You drank it for us so
that we can have a perfect, balanced life before God through Your merits. For that, we praise Your name; we magnify You
with thanksgiving! In Your name only we pray. Amen.
saTurday, april 3holy saTurday
kRead Matthew 27:57–66 ✦ Psalm 16
And Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen shroud and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had cut in the rock. And he rolled a great stone to the
entrance of the tomb and went away. Matthew 27:59–60
To Wrap Up . . .
Tying our shoes, locking our doors, putting our seat belts on—we all have marks that wrap up the different blocks
of time that divide our day. Because of our sins, death wraps up our time on earth. But thanks to Jesus’ death and victory over our sin, death is no more than a temporary separation.
After His death, Jesus was wrapped in linen and placed into the rocky tomb. It looked like death had won. But death and the devil were undone. Jesus Christ rose victoriously. Being wrapped in the linen of our life’s challenges or even death does not mean defeat. The Holy Spirit wraps our stony, rocky hearts in Christ’s forgiveness. Jesus gave up His life to wrap up a joyful life on earth for us in the midst of life’s challenges and also beyond the grave.
We bless You, Lord, because You are always beside us, keeping us from being shaken. Our hearts are glad,
and our whole beings rejoice; our bodies dwell secure. You make known to us the path of life; in Your presence
there is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
sunday, april 4EasTEr
kRead Mark 16:1–8 ✦ Psalm 8
And they were saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?”
And looking up, they saw that the stone had been rolled back—it was very large. Mark 16:3–4
This Is How We Roll
The women were worried about the stone in front of Jesus’ tomb. It was a huge obstacle that would prevent
them from getting to Jesus. But the thing that worried them the most had already been taken care of by the power of God. We face the biggest stone of all times: our sin. Calling in sick when we don’t feel like going to work, tweaking the numbers on our income taxes, or nurturing our bad thoughts and feelings about those who hurt us all erect a very large stone between God and us.
But just the thing that worried us the most was already taken care of by the power of God. Jesus rolled away the stone of our sin when He powerfully took His life back just as He humbly gave it up. In Baptism, we receive His power and forgiveness. We are now free to roll like Christians who are forgiven, who share Jesus with a world full of people trying to carry their sins like heavy stones.
O Lord, how majestic is Your name in all the earth! What are we that You are mindful of us? Yet You have crowned us with glory and honor. You have given us
dominion over the works of Your hands; You have put all obstacles under our feet. In the name of Jesus. Amen.
Monday, april 5
kRead Ephesians 6:10–20 ✦ Psalm 28
Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all,
to stand firm . . . praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance,
making supplication for all the saints. Ephesians 6:13, 18
Sinful Germs
We wash our hands with soap and water, have our vitamin C every day, and keep hand sanitizer close
because we trust these practices get rid of germs and protect us from getting sick. God equipped us with all the tools we need to fight the lies and traps of the germs from the evil one, the world, and our sinful nature. But we sinned anyway, yielding our weapons and tools.
God saw the germs of our sins and how spiritually sick we were. So He sent His Son to heal us. Now when we are faced with challenges or suffering, we do not need worldly solutions, we need the cleansing blood of Jesus. He puts on us a complete armor in our Baptism and defends us. We are equipped by Him to thrive in this world and come out victorious as we trust only God in prayer.
We pray to You, Lord, for You have heard our voices. You are our strength and our shield; in You our hearts trust,
and we are helped; You are the strength of Your people. Be our shepherd and carry us forever.
In the name of Jesus. Amen.
TuEsday, april 6
kRead Job 14:1–9 ✦ Psalm 51
For there is hope for a tree, if it be cut down, that it will sprout again, and that its shoots will not cease. Though its root grow
old in the earth, and its stump die in the soil, yet at the scent of water it will bud and put out branches like a young plant.
Job 14:7–9
Cut Down
We were like unhealthy trees, with a scent of rot. We were cut down, our roots grew old, and our stump
died in the soil of sin, selfishness, and hate. We were dead; we would never recover. There was no life in us. Then came the gracious gift of Baptism. That water and Word gave us life. We were reborn in faith and made fruitful in Jesus.
Through the Holy Spirit, our cut-down, sin-rooted tree-hearts can bud and put out branches through forgiveness and grace at the scent of the baptismal waters. Our new branches of joy, praise, and victory are secured to the almighty power of rebirth and new beginnings in Christ.
Lord, wash us thoroughly from our iniquity, and cleanse us from our sin! Wash us in our Baptism, and we will be whiter than snow. Create in us a clean heart and restore to us the
joy of Your salvation. May the waters of our Baptism keep our new hearts budding and putting out branches
of love and joy. In the name of Jesus. Amen.
WEdnEsday, april 7
kRead John 5:19–29 ✦ Psalm 73:21–28
You who tear yourself in your anger, shall the earth be forsaken for you, or the rock be removed out of its place? Job 18:4
The Rhythm of Our Lives
When the line is flat on an electrocardiogram, it means that a heart is no longer alive; but when the line goes
up and down, the heart is healthy and alive.Because of our sins, as long as we are on this earth, our
lives will have ups and downs. That just shows that we are alive. No matter how difficult our situation might be right now, it will pass. The earth will not be forsaken because of it, nor will the rock be removed out of its place. Jesus died on the cross to give us life. In our Baptism, we passed from death and fear to life and joy. So we do not need to have a “sky is falling” fear. In Word and Sacraments, the rhythm of life is found in Jesus, who redeemed us on the cross. These become the foundation of our sharing the Good News with others.
Lord, You are all we want in heaven! You are all we want on earth! You are rock-firm and faithful. Our bodies and
hearts may fail, but You are the strength of our souls and our portion forever. Oh, how refreshing is Your presence!
We’ve made You our home. God, we are telling the world what You do! In Jesus’ name. Amen.
saTurday, May 1
kRead Leviticus 19:9–18, 33–37 ✦ Psalm 119:1–8
You shall love your neighbor as yourself. Leviticus 19:18
The Redirection of Love
Selfishness has been mankind’s problem since Adam and Eve. As sinners, we lie to build ourselves up, hoard
our possessions, and reward our emotions by lashing out at others. Even the words “You shall love your neighbor as yourself” suggest that we find it easy to be self-focused (Leviticus 19:18, emphasis added).
Certainly, selfishness may help us in this life. Through selfishness, we may have more stuff, more monetary security, and more personal time. But selfishness also destructively defies God’s command to love our neighbor, and it futilely looks to the self for security rather than to God. For temporary gains, our selfishness puts us on a path toward eternal punishment.
However, despite our sinful selfishness, Jesus died selflessly upon the cross so that we might have forgiveness, life, and salvation. Through Christ’s selfless gift, God transforms us. In Christ, we look beyond ourselves and consider how we can serve our neighbor. In Christ, we see all that God has given us—our time, possessions, money, and talents—as service opportunities. In Christ, our selfish love is redirected so that we reflect Christ’s selfless love throughout the world.
Lord Jesus, You selflessly gave Your life for our sins. May we be a reflection of Your selfless love every day. Amen.
sunday, May 2
kRead Luke 11:37–54 ✦ Psalm 52
Now you Pharisees cleanse the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness. Luke 11:39
True Cleansing
If we avoid obvious, visible sins and appear pious in the eyes of the world, do we forget the sinful grime within
us? Are we, like the Pharisees, confident in our external shininess? Today, Jesus’ woes against the Pharisees beckon us to recall our more secret sins—to remember that sin pollutes us to an immense degree.
If we are honest, our hands are anything but clean. Some of us have spoken kind words to our neighbor while being secretly hateful. Some of us have celebrated a friend’s success while being envious. Some of us have harbored lustful feelings. Perhaps we have done all these things and more.
But Jesus reminds us of the magnitude of our sins because He wants to cleanse us. Unlike the Pharisees, Jesus is not concerned about cleaning cups or external, ritual washings. No, Jesus is concerned with cleansing His people, inside and out. In Baptism, He washes away the sludge of sin and saves us from eternal condemnation. When sin stains us, He offers us His body and blood to cleanse us. Our external piety does not purify us—only Jesus Christ offers true cleansing.
Father, we know that we are dirtied by our iniquities. Thank You for sending Your Son to cleanse us
from all of our sins. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Monday, May 3
kRead Leviticus 20:1–10, 22–27 ✦ Psalm 119:9–16
You shall be holy to Me, for I the Lord am holy and have separated you from the peoples, that you should be Mine.
Leviticus 20:26
God’s Holy People
Israel’s pagan neighbors foolishly sought supernatural benefits through child sacrifice and other detestable acts.
But God set apart the Israelites to be His holy people and showed them the path of life. For the Israelites, conformity to pagan practices meant certain death. By God’s grace, the Israelites were conformed to God’s will and distinct from the world around them.
As He did for the Israelites, God has enabled us to respond to the pagan practices of the world that defile His holiness. One such practice is abortion, where unborn children are often sacrificed to lessen personal responsibility. With heavy hearts, we hope and pray that our Lord will save their lives, and we stand up for the unborn in the political realm. By God’s grace, our words and deeds reflect our status as His holy people.
And our actions are truly by God’s grace. The Lord has set us apart through Baptism and placed us in the promised land of His Church, where forgiveness, life, and eternal salvation flow as milk and honey. Through the Gospel’s proclamation, the Holy Spirit’s work, and the gift of His body and blood, the Lord makes and keeps us holy. As God’s holy people, we make His holy will known in the world.
Lord, may we always be Your holy people. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
TuEsday, May 4
kRead Luke 12:13–21 ✦ Psalm 39:1–8
So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God. Luke 12:21
Our Most Precious Gift
H is crops, his barns, his grain, his goods, his soul—the rich man is entirely focused on what he has.
From a worldly perspective, he seems to be making a wise investment to ensure his long-term security. From a heavenly perspective, he is an utter fool. Though he should find ultimate security in God, the giver of all good gifts, he foolishly trusts in himself and his possessions.
With the parable of the rich fool, Jesus reminds us that all of our blessings are from the one true God. Jesus does not want us to hoard our blessings for ourselves but to be rich toward God by sharing our gifts with others. Some of us can give money to a ministry like Orphan Grain Train. Others can share their time with the shut-ins of their church. Still others can sing in the church choir. Regardless of the specifics, each of us has blessings that can enrich the world.
When we are rich with our blessings, we are rich with Christ’s Gospel too. We share the love of our Savior by sharing with our neighbor. With Christ beside us, we proclaim that life is not found in an abundance of possessions but in Jesus Christ, our most precious gift.
Lord Jesus, You give us the riches of eternal life. Help us to richly share the life we have in You with others. Amen.
WEdnEsday, May 5
kRead Leviticus 22:17–33 ✦ Psalm 116
You shall not offer anything that has a blemish, for it will not be acceptable for you. Leviticus 22:20
Acceptable Offerings
God’s sacrificial regulations for Israel may seem burdensome or trivial. Yet these regulations appointed the means that
set Israel apart as the people of God—a chosen nation—even while condemning Israel for neglecting them and trespassing against them. These rules may seem tedious at first glance, but they were part of God’s meticulous, loving plan to save His people. The laws regarding acceptable, unblemished sacrifices were no exception. God used unblemished sacrifices to remove the sinful blemishes of the Israelites.
Like Israel, we are blemished by sin. Our thoughts, words, and actions are defective. But despite our blemishes, God Himself has provided us with a perfect, unblemished sacrifice. Jesus is the Lamb of God who took our sins upon Himself and shed His blood upon the cross. Because of His sacrifice, we are unblemished before God.
Since Christ has made us unblemished, all of our acts of service are acceptable offerings to our Father in heaven. When we serve at the local soup kitchen, pray for the woman next door who has the flu, chaperone the church youth trip to a baseball game, or serve our neighbors in other ways, God sees acceptable offerings of thanks and praise. Following in the footsteps of Jesus, we can offer our entire lives as acceptable offerings to our Lord.
Lord, may our lives be acceptable offerings to You. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Thursday, May 6
kRead Luke 13:1–9 ✦ Psalm 6
Unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. Luke 13:5
Repentance and Life
We might expect that when Jesus was told of Pilate’s vicious act against the Galileans, He would condemn
Pilate’s actions or pray for the victims’ families. Instead, Jesus says to the crowds, “Unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.”
Jesus’ startling words teach us that tragedy is a call to repentance. Though God may graciously spare us from a mass shooting or a hurricane, tragedies remind us that our sins deserve a horrific end: eternal death.
However, eternal death doesn’t have to be our destination, and tragedy need not lead us to complete despair, for tragedy also directs us to our Savior, who suffered tragedy upon the cross. Through tragedy, we have eternal salvation. When we feel the tragic burden of our sins, Jesus invites us to turn to Him for life.
But tragedy isn’t just for us. Jesus wants the whole world to turn to Him. Jesus—the vinedresser—is urging God to delay the final judgment so that more might repent of their sins and believe in Him. To that end, we can aid those who have suffered tragedy. We can counter hurricanes and shootings with words and prayers, time and money, labor and skills. As the Spirit works through us, we hope more people will bear the fruit of repentance and find life in Christ.
Lord Jesus, may the whole world find life in You. Amen.
Friday, May 7C. F. W. WalThEr, ThEoloGian
kRead Zephaniah 3 ✦ Psalm 34:1–5
I will change their shame into praise and renown in all the earth. Zephaniah 3:19
Shame into Praise
Shame, Zephaniah writes, is in store for Judah. Judah’s shameful defeat by the Babylonians will make them
ashamed of their rebellion against God. But, graciously, shame is not the last word for God’s people. Despite Judah’s rebellion, God promises a time when Judah will no longer be put to shame.
When we sin and realize our guilt before God, shame is what we feel too. Shame accuses us: “Why did you, a member of God’s family, lust after lewd images?” “Why did you lie to your parents?” “Why are you envious of your brother’s success?” “Why are you rebelling against the almighty God?” When all is said and done, shame causes us to despair in ourselves and the rebellious choices we have made.
When we feel the shame of our sins, God’s love quiets the tumult within us. God says: “Rejoice and exult with all your heart, dear saint, for My Son has taken all of your shameful sins on Himself and died on the cross. Because of His shameful death, you are worthy of praise. Because of your mighty Savior, Jesus Christ, I will rejoice over you with gladness!” Thanks be to God for changing our shame into praise!
Lord, when we feel ashamed of our rebellious sins, remind us that You have made us praiseworthy in Christ.
In Jesus’ name. Amen.
TuEsday, JunE 1
kRead Exodus 33:21–23 ✦ Psalm 61
And while My glory passes by I will put you in a cleft of the rock, and I will cover you with My hand until I have passed by.
Exodus 33:22
Rock of Ages, Cleft for Me (761)
This month’s devotions are based on great hymns of faith that can be read, sung, and prayed as part of the
devotion.St. Bonaventure wrote that he wanted to go and hide
himself in the cavern of Christ’s wounds and there remain quietly. What a beautiful, reassuring image! Whereas God hid Moses in the cleft of a rock and covered him with His hand as He passed by, we can hide from all that is harmful to our faith in the assurance of Christ’s wounded hands and cleft side, there remaining quietly as the storms of life swirl around us.
Even as Thomas and the disciples were assured by Christ after His resurrection inviting them to touch His wounds, we grasp them by faith and find comfort, knowing that He loved us enough to give His life as a ransom for our souls. We know that when we draw our last breath, we have a sure promise that we will be with our Lord. Wounds can be gory. In this case, they are beautiful, reminding us that we were bought with Christ’s holy, precious blood and innocent suffering and death.
Dear Savior, hide me in the cavern of Your wounds until the storms of life have passed. Amen.
WEdnEsday, JunE 2
kRead Revelation 22:1–6 ✦ Psalm 16:11
They will see His face, and His name will be on their foreheads. Revelation 22:4
Jerusalem the Golden (672)
Bernard of Cluny’s Latin verse satire De Contemptu Mundi, is a 3,000-verse poem of sorrow, lament, and
scorn of all things earthly. That’s a huge load of contempt! To be sure, there are times when we are sick and tired of the world. The apostle and evangelist John agreed when he wrote the following: “Do not love the world or the things in the world” (1 John 2:15).
In the midst of this diatribe, Cluny’s focus changes, and he tries to describe the indescribable—heaven! Any words will fall short, yet he does admirably, filling our hearts with the anticipation of what is yet to come: milk, honey, walls of Zion, saints, angels, martyrs, the Prince, serene daylight, release from cares, white robes, songs to Christ, a sweet and blessed country, faithful expectation, and eternal rest. How can we be certain of this being ours? The hymnwriter tells us: Christ conquered in the fight. His crushing defeat of Satan on Good Friday and glorious resurrection on Easter Sunday make absolutely certain that all of this will be ours by faith in Him. Hold on to that image of heaven amid all the disappointments and dissolutions of life. The best is yet to come!
Dear Jesus, bring us at last to that dear land of rest where we will be forever in Your presence in indescribable joy. Amen.
Thursday, JunE 3
kRead Luke 24:28–35 ✦ Psalm 139:11–12
But they urged Him strongly, saying, “Stay with us, for it is toward evening and the day is now far spent.”
So He went in to stay with them. Luke 24:29
Abide with Me (878)
The hymnwriter Henry Francis Lyte was abandoned as a little boy, and he never forgot it. His hymnody
portrayed the terrible fear of a motherless and fatherless child facing loneliness and darkness—two of a human’s greatest fears. By faith, he was able to turn these fears into great expressions of trust in God. Christ Jesus was abandoned by His Father on the cross on Good Friday, later to be welcomed home after His resurrection and ascension into heaven. Lyte’s trust was founded on this truth.
The text draws its inspiration from the Emmaus disciples on Easter evening as Christ walked with them (Luke 24:28–31). Abiding has a different feel from just staying. It has an aura of stability and staying fixed. We, too, have our dark and lonely moments—times of great terror and uncertainty of both body and soul. God knows this and promises, “I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5). Lyte rehearses these terrors, then bursts forth with a statement of great conviction of faith: “I fear no foe with Thee at hand to bless.” Yes, in life and death, our Lord will abide with us.
Abide with me, dear Savior, and help me to abide in You. Amen.
Friday, JunE 4
kRead Romans 8:31–39 ✦ Psalm 16:10
He who did not spare His own Son but gave Him up for us all, how will He not also with Him graciously give us all things?
Romans 8:32
Jesus Lives! The Victory’s Won (490)
Nothing. Nothing? Nothing! What an absolute word. When Jesus exclaimed from the cross, “It is finished!”
(John 19:30), the word nothing came into play. He defeated all our enemies, anything that could keep us from living forever in heaven with Him. The apostle Paul made it crystal clear in Romans 8 that nothing will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus.
The hymnwriter weaves this marvelous message in a powerful Easter hymn of triumphant victory, ending each stanza with the bold statement “This shall be my confidence.” Each stanza trumpets forth a part of the Easter message: God will recall us from the grave; we will go where He has gone; we will live and reign with Him in heaven; nothing will separate us from Him; God will be our sure defense; our trembling breath will be calmed when we die. The hymn ends with the great shout of faith as our senses fail: “Jesus is my confidence!”
Thanks be to God! We can live in that Easter joy throughout the year assured that nothing will ever be able to separate us from Christ, our Lord. Nothing!
Ever-living God, thank You for the sure confidence of Jesus’ resurrection. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
saTurday, JunE 5
kRead Philippians 3:20–4:1 ✦ Psalm 37:23
But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body
to be like His glorious body, by the power that enables Him even to subject all things to Himself. Philippians 3:20–21
Let Us Ever Walk with Jesus (685)
While in elementary school and later teaching in the same school, I loved the graduations, which had a
time-honored tradition: singing “Let Us Ever Walk with Jesus” as the processional hymn. The promises of God are sure in the hymn, and they buoy our spirits: “The grave that shuts us in Shall but prove the gate to heaven”; “Joy will follow all our sadness”; “Though today we sow no laughter, We shall reap celestial joy”; and “All discomforts that annoy Shall give way to mirth hereafter.”
“Let us also live with Jesus, He has risen from the dead.” Here is the key: Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, is the head of the Church. We are His living members, the Body of Christ. “So we are always of good courage. We know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord, for we walk by faith, not by sight.” (2 Corinthians 5:6–7). Yes, we walk with Jesus through earthly life to life eternal in His presence. Celestial joy awaits.
God our Father, help us to walk by faith and not by sight. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
sunday, JunE 6
kRead Hebrews 4:9–13 ✦ Psalm 85:8
So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God. Hebrews 4:9
Savior, Again to Thy Dear Name We Raise (917)
I love the line “For dark and light are both alike to Thee.” Children aren’t the only ones afraid of the dark.
This hymn is a beautiful prayer for the close of the service, one last lifting of our voices to our Savior before leaving His house. I am reminded of how company lingers at the doorway at the end of a visit, reluctant to leave, having had the best of times together. So also with God’s children leaving church. Leaving the fellowship of believers, going back out into the world, we want and receive assurances that God will be with us on our homeward way, through the night, and throughout our earthly life, in sorrow and strife.
Because of Christ Jesus and the salvation won for us on Calvary, we have the sure confidence to know that when our earthly life is over, His voice will call us out of this vale of tears to Himself and eternal peace at just the right time. We are told that when we are safe at home in heaven, “Night will be no more. They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever” (Revelation 22:5).
Lord God, be the light in the dark days of my life. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Monday, JunE 7
kRead Revelation 7:13–17 ✦ Psalm 145:5
They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Revelation 7:14
Holy, Holy, Holy (507)
As a little child, I would close my eyes very tightly and try to imagine what heaven would look like. Perhaps you
have done the same. Reginald Heber, Bishop of Calcutta, must have also done so when writing this hymn. Who can capture something so magnificent with any words? As an older adult, I closed my eyes very tightly after my parents died and wondered what they were now seeing in heaven. This imagery in the hymn, “Casting down their golden crowns around the glassy sea,” filled me with such peace and joy, knowing that they were experiencing the inexpressible.
All of God’s children who have entered heaven by faith in Christ Jesus have indeed washed their robes in the blood of the Lamb and are ever before His throne in His nearer presence. The inspired apostle Paul himself struggled to find words to describe what God has prepared in heaven for us, finally writing, “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love Him” (1 Corinthians 2:9).
Yes, we love Him because He first loved us. Thanks be to God for the assurance of the magnificence of heaven!
Eternal God, I long to see You face-to-face, along with all who live forever in heaven. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
