Day by Day

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"Trust in the Lord"

Psalm 37:5 "Commit your way to the Lord; trust in Him, and He will do this."

The Lord invites us to place our confidence in Him and in His power to act. We can put all our problems, concerns, and burdens upon Him to bear them for us.

But that often does not satisfy us. We still want to manage everything by ourselves. Instead of peace and security, we experience anxiety, and our human heart is filled with unrest and fear. When cares and troubles multiply and weigh heavy upon us, or afflictions of one kind or another strike and bother us, we become alarmed and insecure about the future and wonder how we shall manage.

How precious the invitation then becomes to go to the Lord with our problems and to commit our way to Him! We can place ourselves into His hands and rest assured that He will take care of us, for we are His children whom Christ has redeemed.

The reassuring appeal, "Fear not," occurs about 300 times in the Bible. Over and over God bids us to confidently place our hand in His and walk with Him in full trust of safety and care. When we stay close to the Lord, our fears will vanish and our heart and soul will be strengthened on our way.

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"God is Love"

1 John 3:16 "This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down His life for us."

Sometimes an adult tells a child, "God does not love you when you are bad." That is really not true. God always loves us. God loves us when things are going well and when things are going wrong. He loves us when in hurt and anger we ask why. God hates our sins but loves us sinners.

God could have remained in heaven cursing His creatures for spoiling His beautiful creation. Instead He laid aside His divine might and majesty for a while. In the person of His Son He took our human form and experienced our problems and pains. Finally, He let the forces of evil take His life. But He came back to life. By trusting in Him through the power of the Holy Spirit we can be sure of living with God forever.

We may be battered and shattered by life's blows. Some of our troubles may never go away. Many things puzzle us. We may think nobody cares. But God cares for us right now. Love gives, and God gave all. Through the cross -- God's positive, permanent proof of His amazing love -- He tells each of us clearly: "You mean a lot to Me. I really love you."

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"Feeding His Flock"

Isaiah 40:11 "He tends His flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in His arms."

These words portray one of the most beautiful pictures of our Lord, namely, that of a faithful shepherd who tenderly and patiently cares for His own, the sheep of His pasture.

The little ones, the lambs, receive special attention from their shepherd. They are not able to keep up the pace of the grown-ups; so the shepherd lovingly carries them in his arms. The mothers and those who will soon give birth are also given special concern, and they are led gently, tenderly.

What a lovely picture of our Lord's love and concern for each of us, His sheep and His lambs! He knows each of us by name; He knows our needs, our weaknesses, and our cares.

As our Good Shepherd, Jesus Christ has given His life for us. He continues to provide for our spiritual needs through Word and Sacrament. None of us escapes His all-embracing care. Faithfully He leads and guides us past all the dangers and pitfalls of life to our eternal fold with Him in heaven. Truly we say with King David, "The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, He leads me beside quiet waters" (Psalm 23:1-2).

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"This is the Day!"

Psalm 118:24 "This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it."

The Christian religion has often been criticized for being too otherworldly -- for putting too much emphasis on the life that lies beyond the grave, and too little emphasis on the life that is here and now. The Christian religion, it is claimed, offers the believer only "pie in the sky," while providing little joy in the work-a-day world in which we live. What shall we say to this?

It is true that our Lord expects us to keep the eyes of faith fixed on the glories that lie at our journey's end. But He does not want us to forfeit all the legitimate joys, heart-lifting gladness, and soul-refreshing beauty that grace our path from here to there.

That is why He has David exclaim: "This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it." Today is ours to enjoy. We need not keep our "hallelujahs" in moth balls; we can live the "hallelujah" life today. No matter how hard the road, no matter how steep the path, we are walking arm in arm with the God of all goodness, whose Son has claimed us as His own. With each new morning we can say:

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"Everlasting Joy"

Isaiah 61:7 "Instead of their shame My people will receive a double portion, and instead of disgrace they will rejoice ... everlasting joy will be theirs."

Do you have everlasting joy? Now before you start feeling guilty about a lack of joy, you should remember this: Happiness is a surface emotion, dependent upon circumstances. Joy is a deep sense of serenity that endures, whatever the circumstances.

Through the extremes of our mood swings, and regardless of circumstances in life, God remains the same. His saving love toward us in Christ Jesus is constant. His promises hold true. His assurance of victory through our Savior, risen from the dead, always stands.

Our degree of feeling close to God can vary a great deal, but our moods and emotions may have little to do with God's truth. Satan tries to undermine the reality of our faith by planting doubts. But our hope is fixed firmly in the accomplished reality of Jesus' life, death for our sins, and resurrection. Nothing can change that fact. The joy we have as His redeemed people is a lasting reality; it is for eternity!

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"God Will Finish His Work"

Philippians 1:6 "I always pray... confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus."

In six days God completed His creation. On the seventh day He rested, for "the heavens and the earth were completed." In Christians God has begun another work -- that of creating them anew in Christ. Will He finish also this work?

We have often witnessed an infant Baptism. Through the Sacrament God created faith in the child and received it into the kingdom of His dear Son. He began His good work. Will faith survive during the lifetime lying ahead for this child?

The same question occurs as we look at ourselves. Much of our Christianity seems to be at loose ends. Our faith is plagued by doubts. Our life is far from perfect, for the struggle with sin continues as long as we live. We may wonder: Will God uphold us until the end?

Saint Paul states it as his conviction that God will sustain us and bring us to perfection in heaven. He will not leave our faith an unfinished symphony; He will bring it to a grand climax. On the target date -- the day of Jesus Christ -- He will have put the final touches on each Christian. That will be a day when we give all glory to God -- to the Father who created us, to the Son who redeemed us, and to the Holy Spirit who kept us in the faith.

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"A Bruised Reed"

Isaiah 42:3 "A bruised reed He will not break, and a smoldering wick He will not snuff out."

The suffering Savior, Jesus, is gentle with those who suffer. He wants to see that truth and righteousness will prevail in the earth.

The fact that our Lord will not break the bruised reed nor quench a dimly burning wick shows His great love for fallen sinners, a love that prompted Him to go into death for them and that continues to move Him to receive sinners.

A reed or stick that has been bruised is in danger of total breakage. The least little snap could break it. Persons who have been bruised by their sins are especially vulnerable to the attacks of Satan, but the Savior will not let that weak faith be broken. Through His call to repentance and faith, extended in the Gospel, He allows the reed to stay intact, that is, the person does not succumb to despair or to Satan's lures.

A wick that burns dimly could easily be quenched, but our Lord does not let the lamp of faith go out. He sustains us, even as He calls and pleads, "O sinner, come home to Me." Our sometimes small faith is replenished through Word and Sacraments. We praise our patient, pardoning God for making His strength perfect in our weakness.

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"Cure of the Soul"

1 Thessalonians 5:23 "May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ."

Body and soul are inseparable in God's eyes. The soul receives spiritual power to live out in the body what it means to be sanctified "through and through." Yet when bodily illness strikes, we tend to pray more for healing of the body than of the soul. It is healing of the soul that enables us to bear illness. What we need more than anything at the moment of illness is the strength to bear it while we await bodily healing from God. Yet we may find that bodily illness remains and is not cured. Then more than ever we realize the great gift God gives in the offer of the healing of the soul. Since much of life is an accumulation of bodily problems that will not go away, cure of the soul becomes essential in life.

Cure of the soul -- and strength to bear bodily illness -- takes place when we begin to appreciate the sufferings of Jesus Christ on the cross. Then we come to experience all of life as lived in faithfulness to God, whether in sickness or in health. In the "cure of the soul" we will find spiritual medicine to bear all things. "May God Himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through" (1 Thessalonians 5:23).

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"The Work of Healing"

Acts 10:38 "He went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with Him."

These words are a summary of Jesus' ministry. The four gospels overflow with accounts of those healed by His loving hand. Some were upset that Jesus claimed the authority to forgive sin. But Jesus answered, "Which is easier: to say, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Get up and walk?' But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins... . He said to the paralyzed man, 'Get up, take your mat and go home'" (Luke 5:23-24).

We, too, look for healing for our various aches and pains, for arthritis or cancer, for limbs paralyzed or senses dulled. Often healing is beyond our reach, but not beyond the reach of our Lord who went about "doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil." In our Baptism we received healing: the forgiveness of our disease of sin. With the forgiveness of sin, we are made whole and holy and given the promise of incorruptible resurrection bodies in heaven which will be free of every ailment.

Though physical ills and disabilities may remain for now, we have been healed of oppression from the devil and the fear of death. Thank God, our Great Physician has healed us!

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"Real Security"

John 10:27-28 "My sheep listen to My voice ....I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of My hand."

Security is important to us. Many people today have security systems to protect their homes. Businesses hire security guards. People in our nation are hoping Social Security will still be there for them.

While we all need and want physical security, it is even more important in our spiritual lives. We need to be secure in knowing that God loves us and has good plans for our lives. We want the security that when we fall or fail, our God is there to forgive us and pick us up. We desire the confidence that God has an eternal home waiting for us when we pass through the gate called death.

Sin makes us doubt or question God's security for our lives. But Jesus is our Good Shepherd. He laid down His life for us, His sheep, then rose again in triumph so that we never need doubt His care and compassion. He reminds us that we are secure in Him and that no one will ever be able to snatch us out of His hand. Our faith is made secure as we listen to the voice of the Good Shepherd, Jesus Christ, who knows us, who died and rose for us. His Word assures us of His security.

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"Listen as the Good Shepherd Speaks!"

John 10:27 "My sheep listen to My voice."

A young boy who had been blind from birth underwent surgery which the doctors were confident would give him vision for the first time in his life. You can imagine the excitement of his mother as she waited for the bandages to be removed. How would her son react the first time he saw her? The bandages came off, and the boy could indeed see. But when he looked at the woman at the side of his bed, there was no smile, no sign of recognition. It was only when his mother spoke that he smiled, and the tears of joy flowed.

You see, he had never seen his mother. But he had learned to love and trust her voice. That's the way it is with Jesus and His sheep. We have not seen, but we believe. We live by faith, not by sight. We, too, love and trust the voice of our Good Shepherd.

"My sheep listen to My voice," Jesus says. And we know that's a voice we can trust. The voice that says, "Come to Me" and "Believe in Me" does not hold out an empty promise. Heaven and earth will pass away, but not His Word. What He says is based on what He did on the cross and at the empty tomb. As His sheep, let us hear and follow that voice. It will never fail us.

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"The Meaning of Trust"

Psalm 37:5 "Commit your way to the Lord; trust in Him, and He will do this."

When traveling in the Far East, one sees many interesting sights, especially toward evening. It is interesting to observe the people as they return home from a day at the market. Some return with heavy packs on their backs. Others drive half-filled, three-wheel put-puts. Still others lumber along with a beast of burden pulling a near-empty wagon.

Sometimes one will even see a cart without a driver. At first it appears as if the cart and the animal are all alone. A closer look, however, reveals the driver sound asleep in the cart. If we would ask one of the villagers why the driver is asleep, he would answer, "Why not? The animal knows the way home. And he'll take the driver right to his house."

If only we could relax like that and have more trust and confidence! And why shouldn't we? We know the answer and have the solution -- Jesus Christ. He traveled our way before. He knows the way. In fact, He is the way. He leads. None of us can reach the Father's home but by faith in Him.

Men often trust animals but not one another. Should we not have more trust in God than what the farmer has in his animal?

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"What Lies Beyond"

John 14:5 "Thomas said to Him, 'Lord, we don't know where You are going, so how can we know the way?'"

For travelers, a map is as basic and vital as the alphabet. Explorers have relied on maps to open up new worlds. The maker of an early map of America wrote across unknown and unexplored regions such frightful comments as, "Here there are fiery scorpions," "Here there are dangerous giants," and "Here there are dragons." A brave explorer, who was also a Christian, crossed out all these warnings and wrote in large letters, "Here is God!"

Times come when God seems far away. Troubles and worries overwhelm our lives. Our sin has created a vast chasm between us and God. We may feel like we are lost without a map.

Yet through Jesus, God comes near to us and shows us the way. "God was reconciling the world to Himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them" (2 Corinthians 5:19). Jesus assures us, "I am the Way" (John 14:6). Take a map, place your finger on the place where you are, and write, "God is here!" Take your calendar, with future scheduled events that worry you, and write, "God is here!" For He says, "I will never leave you nor forsake you" (Joshua 1:5). The way to God is Jesus Christ. He has gone ahead to prepare a place for us, and has come back to lead us there.

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"Too Low!"

Psalm 121:1-2 "I lift up my eyes to the hills -- where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth."

Some people do not look high enough. This is tragic. Think what happens when we look too low. If we look only at our troubles, our difficulties, our problems, our sicknesses, our trials, we shall finally throw up our hands in despair. The troubles of life will loom so large that we shall lose courage and say, "What's the use?"

The secret of the Christian life is to look up. "I lift up my eyes to the hills -- where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth." When we lift our gaze above the troubles of life and look up to the Lord, we find new strength and courage. As we lift up our eyes, we see the almighty God, who is also our loving heavenly Father. We lift up our eyes "to the hills," particularly the hills of Calvary, and see the great love of God as He gave His only Son to die for our sins and to accomplish our eternal salvation. We lift up our eyes and see the Good Shepherd leading us every step of the way through life until we reach heaven.

Let us not look too low! Rather hour after hour and day after day let us lift up our eyes to the Lord. So shall we find the burdens of life lighter and the strength inside us greater!

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"The Rock That is Higher Than I"

Psalm 61:2 "I call as my heart grows faint; lead me to the rock that is higher than I."

To what does a drowning man cling when he feels that death is only a moment away? To his watersoaked briefcase which he is hugging to his breast? To his wet clothing which can finally only drag him down to a watery grave? No! He reaches out and away from himself to something solid and immovable -- something to which he can hold fast despite the undertow of the swirling water.

It was such a crisis moment that made David cry out: "Lead me to the rock that is higher than I." It is significant how often David refers to the Lord as his rock. He says: "The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer" (Psalm 18:2). Again, "He alone is my rock and my salvation" (Psalm 62:2).

David knew that his own heart was not reliable in moments of crisis. When the storms of life were upon him, he dared not look in (there was only doubt, uncertainty, guilt, and despair); but he could always look out and up to the rock that was higher than he. That rock was the changeless Lord and His changeless Word. In that rock is safety, in that rock is salvation not only for David, but also for you and for me. That is why we pray: