“Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, who alone does wondrous things. Blessed be his glorious name forever; may the whole earth be filled with his glory! Amen and Amen! The prayers of David, the son of Jesse, are ended.” (Psalm 72:18-20)

Whom do you praise? Whom or what do you worship? The Lord God, Creator of all things, is the One in whom all things have their being. Worship the Lord and know His goodness and mercy. Learn to love the Lord with all of your heart, soul, mind and strength. Know that the Lord is good, gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love. The Lord is good.

Lord, teach me to praise You at all times and in all circumstances. Help me to see that in You alone is the hope of glory and the life which I should desire. Guide my heart, mind, strength, and soul to long after You. Grant me the ability to praise You, for You are worthy. Lead me, O Lord, in the way I should go and grant me strength and a grateful heart to fulfill what it is I need to accomplish in all I do for Your sake.

Thank You, Lord Jesus, for Your grace making it possible for me to do this. Without You and on my own, my efforts would be pathetic and feeble at best. With You, and in the righteousness You give, I can do all things because You strengthen me. Guide me, O Lord, in the way I should go and in the power of the Holy Spirit, lift me up to accomplish these things for the Father’s glory. Amen.

“As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.” (John 3:14-15)

When you look at a dead man, what hope is there?  What hope is there in a serpent?

The serpent lifted in the wilderness was an image of a poisonous snake.  The Israelites had hoped to travel with more ease through the wilderness, and for such hope (such impatience!) God sent these snakes to afflict them.  He then provided for his people’s healing by telling them to look at an image of the snake.  He used the serpent to dash their false hopes and make way for His own work.

By linking Himself to this snake, Jesus casts His crucifixion in the same light.   As St. Paul writes, “The wages of sin is death” (Romans 5:23).  We may hope to avoid the sting of death through good and healthy living, but on the cross God turns us to see the Best and Healthiest Man Ever stung to death!  He dashes our meager hope of escaping death and instead makes way for His best work: the resurrection.

There is our hope: the Resurrection!  We trust in God alone for help; we trust in Him to act.  With Him, we may even look on a dead man, yes, even on our dead selves, and look forward to the salvation of God.

LET US PRAY: O God of our salvation, the hope of all the ends of the earth and of the farthest seas: teach me not to dread death, but rather to love Your Son, the Resurrection and the Life, and to live in the hope of His glory; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen

Pastor Steven K. Gjerde

Zion, Wausau

GOD USES BROKENNESS
Devotional for March 18, 2018 based upon John 12: 20-33

Up to this point in His earthly ministry, Jesus has often said, “My hour has not yet come.” But now He has been welcomed by the Palm Sunday crowds. He knows that His death is near. And He hears that some people who are culturally Greek rather than culturally Jewish or Hebrew have come to Jerusalem for the Passover festival, and they want to meet Him. He sees their request as an indication that His ministry is beginning to reach out into other cultures. He sees the beginning of what is going to result from His death on the cross. So He knows that His hour has come. And because His hour has come, He wants to teach His disciples, His friends, a life lesson. Life will be filled with times of brokenness and turmoil. We will all have to face times and experiences in our lives that will challenge us, test us, stretch us, and push us to the very limit. How will we handle those situations? How will we be changed by and how will we grow from those experiences?

To make His point Jesus uses an illustration. “Unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.” Unless a grain of wheat is planted – is buried in the ground – it is never more than just a grain of wheat. But if it is buried, it will sprout and reproduce itself many times over.

Now, generally speaking, there is no comparison between the value of a diamond and the value of a grain of wheat. But it all depends upon what happens to that grain of wheat. If you lock both of them away in a safe or in a safety deposit box for a hundred years, at the end of those hundred years the grain of wheat will still have basically no material value, while the diamond’s value may run into hundreds if not thousands of dollars. The same thing would be true at the end of a thousand years.

But suppose, instead, that you bury that grain of wheat in the warm, moist earth. And year after year, down through the centuries, you let it and everything that it produces keep on producing and producing. Eventually, a single grain of wheat can produce such an abundant harvest that the whole world would barely be able to contain the crop. To save the grain of wheat would mean to lose all that it is capable of producing.

And so, Jesus is saying, GOD USES BROKENNESS. It takes a broken seed to produce a crop. Broken clouds to give rain. Broken grain to give bread. And broken bread to give strength.

It took a broken bottle of perfume to give off such a strong fragrance and to be a love offering for our Lord Jesus to help Him prepare for His death. And it was a broken disciple, Peter by name, who was weeping bitterly after denying Jesus, who returned to greater power and effectiveness than he would have ever imagined. It takes a broken heart to be fully surrendered to the work and will of God. Yes, GOD USES BROKENNESS.

Maybe today you are facing such severe pain – physical, emotional, relational, or spiritual pain – that you wonder how you will ever be able to make it through. Psalm 34: 18 and 19 say – “The Lord is near to the broken hearted and saves the crushed in spirit; many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord rescues them from them all.”

If your heart is broken, you can find God right there. If you get kicked in the gut, He will help you catch your breath. If you find yourself in trouble, He will be right there with you every time. Yes, GOD USES BROKENNESS – to make us whole, to empower us, to help us identity with others, and to draw us to Himself.

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

“May there be abundance of grain in the land; on the tops of the mountains may it wave; may its fruit be like Lebanon; and may people blossom in the cities like the grass of the field! May his name endure forever, his fame continue as long as the sun! May people be blessed in him, all nations call him blessed!” (Psalm 72:16-17)

Look to the Lord and ask for blessings. Do not ask just for yourself, but for everyone. We are called to bless others as we have been blessed. We have not been blessed because we are good, but because God is good. See in the Lord the hope of all people and know that in Him is life and liberty. The Lord allows this age that those who seek Him may come to Him willingly and freely.

Lord, set my eye upon the prize of salvation to know the hope that You implant through salvation. Guide my thoughts, words, and deeds to be those which are pleasing in Your sight. Help me to be a servant of others by the model of Christ and guide me to live in a way that is pleasing to You. May my life be in Your hands as You shape me into the way You have always intended.

Lord Jesus, You are a model of the godly life and You have showed us that the way of truth comes in constantly serving others. You were willing to go the whole distance and did not stop short. By Your example, teach me to be a blessing to others without regard for recompense. Lead me in the godly way to be both inwardly and outwardly the same person, free to receive and free to give the same grace which You have lavished upon me. Amen.

“From oppression and violence he redeems their life, and precious is their blood in his sight. Long may he live; may gold of Sheba be given to him! May prayer be made for him continually, and blessings invoked for him all the day!” (Psalm 72:14-15)

The Lord does not want destruction, but life. Precious in the Lord’s sight is life and He offers it to those who want to flee from oppression and violence. The way of the sinful man is destruction, but the way of the Lord is life. Look to the Lord and He will raise you up to the kind of life for which you were created to live. Pray for those who do not know that one day they will meet Him.

Lord, it is difficult in this age where there are so many who seem bent on violence and destruction, Guide me to live humbly and with care for others. Help me to see them with the same hope that You put in me. May I live in the redemption You have promised and be guided by Your Spirit to see more clearly the ways in which You have called me to live. Guide me always, O Lord.

Lord Jesus, You know violence and oppression and it is because of these things that You went to the cross. There are those who meant it for destruction, but You did it in completion of the Father’s plan as the way of redemption for those who believe. Guide me in Your way of truth, Lord, that I may abide in You now and always and reflect the light of truth in the world for all to see. Amen.

“For he delivers the needy when he calls, the poor and him who has no helper. He has pity on the weak and the needy, and saves the lives of the needy.” (Psalm 72:12-13)

Lord You have always provided even when those who are given the responsibility to do so will not. Help me join in Your work and do those things which are pleasing to You. Help me look beyond the struggles of this age, knowing they are always present, to see the truth that Your ways shall prevail. Lead us, O Lord, in the way of righteousness and peace to take care of our neighbors.

Lord, You know the struggles I have, for I judge others and do not simply do what You ask me to do. Help me now and always to see the truth and walk humbly in Your ways doing what You give me to do. Lead me in righteousness so that I simply do what You place before me and am not hindered by the thoughts in my mind which may get in the way. Lead me in the way of peace.

Lord Jesus, You demonstrated godliness by living a sinless life and taking care of those whom You met each day. By Your example, guide me to do the same. Help me be about Your business and leave all judgements to You. Help me to be both shrewd and innocent in my daily dealings as I live the life to which You have called me. May I this day follow in Your footsteps as You lead. Amen.

“May the kings of Tarshish and of the coastlands render him tribute; may the kings of Sheba and Seba bring gifts! May all kings fall down before him, all nations serve him!” (Psalm 72:10-11)

If the nations would simply acknowledge that the Lord is God and bow before Him, the world would be at peace. See that the Lord is not looking for dominion, for it is already His. We strive for power that will never be ours. Oh that the nations would simply come into the truth and know that the Lord is good and desires that we live in peace. May they come and fall before Him that we may have peace.

Lord, I know this is the desire You place in our hearts and also how the world rebels against this. Help me to live in peace in so far as it is up to me. Keep me from warring against my neighbor and even when others do not bow to You, help me to be a witness of how things truly are. Guide me in the way of peace that I may live in harmony with Your will and Your ways.

Lord Jesus, it was no real temptation when the devil wanted to make you think that He was offering You the nations. All is Yours for You created all things. Let this simple truth resonate within me that I would hold fast to the truth You have revealed knowing that all things are in Your hands. Guide me to be at peace with all around me and not get caught up in the lies of this age. Amen.

“May he have dominion from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth! May desert tribes bow down before him, and his enemies lick the dust!” (Psalm 72:8-9)

What is the goal of the Lord? Is it not that the nations live in peace with each other and that their people love one another as neighbors? Is this not what He has said from the beginning? We are to live toward this goal, for this is the command of the Lord. It does not matter in this age what actually happens; we are to strive for what is right in the Lord’s sight knowing He will make of us what He wills if we trust in Him.

Lord help me to not get caught up in the despair of a world that is in constant conflict, but have the goal of living according to Your will. Let me learn how to press on and simply do what is right in Your sight though all I do goes down in flames. Lead me, O Lord, according to Your purpose to be the kind of person You are creating me to be, knowing that our hope is in You alone.

Lord Jesus, as You walked the earth the crowds gathered around You in hope. Then You were crucified and they scattered. Help me to see the simple truth that You are up to bigger things than we can at first see that I may not become disappointed at what I think are setbacks. Grant the ability to persevere that I may continue to fight the good fight of faith knowing the Father’s will is being done. Amen.

“May they fear you while the sun endures, and as long as the moon, throughout all generations! May he be like rain that falls on the mown grass, like showers that water the earth! In his days may the righteous flourish, and peace abound, till the moon be no more!” (Psalm 72:5-7)

Have compassion on those who do not know the Lord. The Lord desires that none would perish. Those who act wickedly do not know what they are doing. This is no excuse, but the truth. In the Lord, there is love and love covers a multitude of wrongs. The righteous do flourish and the wicked will perish. Live the way life is meant to be lived and be blessed by the Lord.

Lord there are those who do wrong and I react with anger. Lead my heart to be compassionate, gentle, and caring. Teach me what to do in every circumstance, knowing that in all I do, You are to be praised. Lord, water the earth with Your goodness and bring to peace those who do not know it, that we may live in peace and be content in the circumstances in which You have placed us.

Jesus, from the cross You said, “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.” Help me as one who does not know what He is doing to take Your hand and follow wherever You lead. Help me grow in wisdom and lead me in Your righteousness. Grant me a heart of compassion by which I do not see enemies, but only those who do not yet know You. Amen.

“Let the mountains bear prosperity for the people, and the hills, in righteousness! May he defend the cause of the poor of the people, give deliverance to the children of the needy, and crush the oppressor!” (Psalm 72:3-4)

The world has always been filled with those who take and oppress. They do these things and twist words to proclaim that it is good. The Lord gives to all freely and takes care of the orphan and widow. The wicked look at the exception and say God is not good. They lift up that exception to say they are good. See through the lies in this world to perceive how the Lord does provide for all every day.

Lord open my eyes to see through all of the garbage that gets thrown around to see clearly that this world that You have made provides for us all. The wicked one perverts truth and people run amok with lies; but guide me into truth that I would see through the lies and humbly share with others what You have given to me. You are the eternal prosperity for all. Lead me into You.

Lord Jesus, You came humbly into the world to show goodness and mercy and to make possible the eternal salvation for all. You healed the sick, bound up the broken hearted and raised the dead. Let me see and rejoice in the provision You give that I may fill my days with praise and thanksgiving. Lead me, Lord Jesus, into the new life You have given me to help others as You have helped me. Amen.