Luther’s Morning Prayer:
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.
October 31 of this year is the 500th Anniversary of Martin Luther posting "The 95 Thesis" on the door of the Wittenberg Church ... thus sparking the Protestant Reformation. One of Luther's passions was equipping average people with a knowledge of God and the tools to grow in faith. Thus, he wrote a short simple course on the Christian faith, called the Small Catechism.
This Fall at Spirit of Joy we're analyzing pieces of the Small Catechism and focusing on basic tools and doctrines of the Christian faith. Last Sunday, we focused on Luther's Morning Prayer.
I should have printed and handed out this prayer to you on Sunday Morning! Since I didn’t, I do it here (along with the quick commentary I offered.) In the Small Catechism, Luther wrote ...
· In the morning when you get up, make the sign of the holy cross and say: In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
· Then, kneeling or standing, repeat the Creed and the Lord's Prayer (or, I'll add, read a devotional book or a chapter in Scripture. Grab a cup of coffee, head to porch, and intentionally sit in God's presence. Now, you don't legalistically have to do your devotional time first thing in the morning; however, there's something powerful and transformative about dedicating your day to God before charging out into it.)
· Then, if you choose, you may also say this little prayer: (see above)
· Then go joyfully to your work, singing a hymn ... [based on] whatever your devotion may suggest.
Now, you can say this prayer word-for-word. That can indeed be a wonderful discipline. But you can also use this as a pattern for prayer. For example, in Sunday's sermon, I suggested several categories worth acknowledging each new day:
· I thank You, my Heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ, Your dear Son ... Start with THANKSGIVING. Thankfulness is an attitude of worship that lifts our hearts above our own accomplishments. And what what should we thank God for? By listing Father and Son, the Trinitarian roles of each should give us a clue. We think Father-Creator for the gift of life, the wonder of the world, and the gift of a new day. We thank the Son-Redeemer for the gift of forgiveness that leads to eternal life.
· that You have kept me this night from all harm and danger How often do we take for granted God's PROTECTION? We woke up this morning! Thank him. But more than that, we hope to make it through this upcoming day. Ask for his care over your life and your family.
· and I pray that You would keep me this day also from sin and every evil. Next is PROVISION. God "keep me" in the palm of your hand, provide for my every need. And when praying for God to, essentially, lead us not into temptation and deliver us from evil, part of the protection that we are praying for – and hoping to put on - is the FULL ARMOR OF GOD.
· that all my doings and life may please You OBEDIENCE is the simplest way to please God! Follow his precepts, do his will, obey his commandments, listen for the Spirit's prompting and obey. That brings joy to God, blesses our daily life, and makes a huge impact in the Kingdom.
· For into Your hands I commend myself, my body and soul, and all things. Are you willing to give God everything? Are you willing to TRUST and ENTRUST him with everything? Yes, we need to commend and commit our entire lives to God … but it starts with the daily commitment. We need to commend this a day to him!
· Let Your holy angel be with me, that the evil foe may have no power over me. The last part of Luther's Morning Prayer reminds us that we are about to set forth into battle. Our day will be filled with SPIRITUAL WARFARE. As Luther's old song sings, "that old Satan foe has sworn to work us woe." Therefore, we ask God's holy angels to have charge of us! We pray for God himself to fight on our side. We are not alone!
I urge you to take a moment to pray Luther's prayer Word for Word today. And then to pray through the pattern with each major theme. And may you have a blessed and holy day!
In Christ's Love,
a guy who was greeted on the way
out of church last Sunday, by a family
who daily uses Luther's morning
and evening prayers with their family.
And you can see the fruits that
it's working in the lives of their children!
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