Christian Reflection and Prayer

Read Psalm 9.

TEXT: For He has not despised or abhorred the affliction
of the afflicted, and He has not hidden His face from him,
but has heard, when he cried to Him (Psalm 22:24).

Jesus, our conquering King, goes on to give all glory and
credit to His Father for the great deliverance He won on
the cross. Jesus was the afflicted One, rejected by His
 people, His priests, the Roman governor and soldiers.
Yet despite the shame and humility, the blood and gore,
the pain and agony, the Father did not despise Him as the
Jewish leaders taunted Him. The Father did not abhor, or
utterly detest Jesus' terrible afflictions. The Father did not
forsake Jesus forever, but heard His bitter cry, "My God,
My God, why have You forsaken Me?" The Father accepted
His sacrifice, delivered Him from hell, and gently brought His
Son's soul to paradise, even as loving hands took His body
down from the cross, wrapped it for burial, and gently laid it
in the unused tomb.

We too are often afflicted in life. We wonder how God
responds to seeing us in pain, fear, doubt, agony. Does He
despise us as weak and insignificant? Does He abhor us,
wanting nothing to do with creatures so helpless and
unclean? Does He hide His face and stop His ears from our
pain and suffering?

No, our gracious Father is always with us to look upon us in
need, to hear our groans and pleas, and to deliver us from all
troubles, from all enemies, and from death and hell. It was
that great love which moved Him to send His only begotten
Son as our victorious Savior. That is why we fear Him, praise
Him, glorify Him, and stand in awe of Him.

THE PRAYER:

'Heavenly Father, through Your Son Jesus
Christ, You always watch us, hear our prayers, and deliver us
 from all trials. Receive our thanks and praise for Jesus' sake.
Amen.

(Lenten Devotions from Lutheran Hour Ministries)

Read Matthew 21:1-11.

TEXT: You who fear the Lord, praise Him! All you offspring of
Jacob, glorify Him, and stand in awe of Him, all you offspring
of Israel! (Psalm 22:23).

On this first day of Holy Week we recall the multitude of Jews
welcoming Jesus into Jerusalem. This week it is fitting to
consider Jesus Christ the mighty Victor, coming to battle and
soundly defeat sin, Satan, death and hell through His horrific
suffering described so vividly in the first part of Psalm 22.
Today's verse describes four things we are to do as we gather
to receive our conquering King: "fear the Lord," "praise Him,"
"glorify Him," and "stand in awe of Him."

"Fear God." Through Jesus' sufferings on the cross, we learn
the severity of God's wrath at our sins. True fear of God includes
taking that wrath seriously and confessing that we rightly
deserve to fall under His wrath.

"Praise Him." We praise our Lord Jesus for His willingness to
go to the cross, to drink the full cup of God's wrath in our place,
and to win our salvation by His suffering and death.

"Glorify Him." We glorify Him by telling others what He has
done, and by letting Him transform our thinking, our attitudes,
and our goals for this life, so we walk in His holy ways.

"Stand in Awe of Him." Jesus deserves our awe and wonder
because He took on our enemies all by Himself, and won
complete forgiveness and salvation for each of us.

In the context of this part of Psalm 22, Jesus takes all our
praise and directs it to His Father, who delivered Him from the
power of Satan on the cross, and from the grip of the tomb on
Easter morning.

THE PRAYER:

Lord Jesus Christ, thank You for coming as our great Victor to
conquer sin and death for us and to open wide our heavenly
home. Amen.

(Lenten Devotions from Lutheran Hour Ministries)

Read Psalm 40.

TEXT: I will tell of Your Name to my brothers; in the
midst of the congregation I will praise You
(Psalm 22:22).

In the moment before His death Jesus loudly
proclaimed "It is finished," showing He had
completed His Father's plan to save all people. We
return to the final section of Psalm 22 where Jesus
predicts His resurrection, and what will come after.

After being delivered from death and hell by His
faithful Father, Jesus appeared to His brothers the
apostles, and revealed God's gracious plan of
salvation. Through their words in the New Testament
He continues to declare the Lord's Name to all
believers. He gathers us together into a great
worshiping assembly. And there in the midst of that
congregation Jesus praises the Father who was the
Source of God's plan of salvation.

Three times each year the whole nation of Israel
gathered together in Jerusalem to worship God,
recall His promises, and call upon Him for help in the
future. The first was the great Feast of Passover, when
Israel recalled God's deliverance from slavery in Egypt.
This was the very feast in which God's Passover Lamb,
Jesus Christ, carried the sins of the world and delivered
His people from slavery to sin, death and hell.

The second great feast followed 50 days after Easter.
At Pentecost the nation gathered again to thank God for
the harvest. At this feast Christ declared His great
salvation through His apostles in Jerusalem and the
Christian church was born. Each time we gather to
worship in local congregations Jesus is there with us,
proclaiming His Father's great love in sending His Son.
On the Last Day He will gather His scattered believers
from around the world into His eternal kingdom.

THE PRAYER:

 Lord Jesus Christ, thank You for declaring the Father's
love to us. Give us faith to remain in that love forever. Amen.

(Lenten Devotions from Lutheran Hour Ministries)