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1 Samuel |
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| Chapter 1 | Prayer | Devotional | Chapter 17 | Prayer | Devotional | |
| Chapter 2 | Prayer | Devotional | Chapter 18 | Prayer | Devotional | |
| Chapter 3 | Prayer | Devotional | Chapter 19 | Prayer | Devotional | |
| Chapter 4 | Prayer | Devotional | Chapter 20 | Prayer | Devotional | |
| Chapter 5 | Prayer | Devotional | Chapter 21 | Prayer | Devotional | |
| Chapter 6 | Prayer | Devotional | Chapter 22 | Prayer | Devotional | |
| Chapter 7 | Prayer | Devotional | Chapter 23 | Prayer | Devotional | |
| Chapter 8 | Prayer | Devotional | Chapter 24 | Prayer | Devotional | |
| Chapter 9 | Prayer | Devotional | Chapter 25 | Prayer | Devotional | |
| Chapter 10 | Prayer | Devotional | Chapter 26 | Prayer | Devotional | |
| Chapter 11 | Prayer | Devotional | Chapter 27 | Prayer | Devotional | |
| Chapter 12 | Prayer | Devotional | Chapter 28 | Prayer | Devotional | |
| Chapter 13 | Prayer | Devotional | Chapter 29 | Prayer | Devotional | |
| Chapter 14 | Prayer | Devotional | Chapter 30 | Prayer | Devotional | |
| Chapter 15 | Prayer | Devotional | Chapter 31 | Prayer | Devotional | |
| Chapter 16 | Prayer | Devotional |
Lord God, You have granted to us many blessings. Though we grieve for what we cannot have, surely You hear the cries of Your loved ones. We know of nothing that can be given to us that would take away our pain, but You are God, and You will help Your people. We give our lives to You. Our children are surely gifts from You. Though love for others opens the door to loss and sorrow, You will help us when we are troubled in spirit. There is an assurance of Your love that can only come from You. Even when we cannot feel any joy, surely one day we will laugh, for You will give to us our heart’s desire. In Your Son, we have everything we need for the greatest happiness. You are so kind to us. Though we live in this world of misery, You are with us. We give our lives to You again. As we are able, we also give You the lives of our children. As long as they live, they are Yours. Even when they die, they are in Your hands. Blessed be Your Name.
Sovereign God, we praise Your Name in the presence of Your great congregation. There is no one like You. You are full of knowledge, power, and wisdom. In You the last shall be first, and the first shall be last. You give life, and You bring men down to the grave. You bring the rich to poverty, and You allow the destitute to sit with princes. You accomplish a salvation that we could never attain with our limited wisdom and strength. You bring new hope to a home of sin and sadness. Father, we mourn the foolishness and evil within our own families. You must bring us strong help from on high, or we will die in our sins. Grant to us hope and fruitfulness. We trust in You. Have mercy on us. Give us the wisdom to see things rightly, and the courage to bless and to discipline with Your love. What can we do if people will not listen to Your Word? Surely those who will not repent are headed toward trouble. Grant us hope again beyond the grave, and beyond the depth of the sin in our midst. Those who despise You are in great danger, but You will raise up for Yourself faithful priests who will believe in You and will humbly serve You forever.
God of Truth, speak to Your servants through Your holy Word. Teach Your church to hear Your voice in the sacred Scriptures. Help us to listen and obey as You correct and encourage us. Though Your Word may warn us sternly, it is the truth, and we must hear what You are saying to us. We will listen to Your Word, O Lord. There is no other way of life for us but the one way that You have provided for us in Your Son Jesus. You have revealed Yourself to us in Him.
O Lord God, be our help today in the face of enemies seen and unseen. Do not allow us to be defeated today by those who hate You. Be present with us, for You have said that Your church is the temple of the Holy Spirit. May Your foes flee and run in fear because of Your Almighty power. In the day of the sons of Eli, Your ark was captured and this sacred gift came into the hands of the Philistines. In this day of Christ, we have no sacred objects made by Your command. But we, Your people, are Your sacred possessions. Help us now Lord! Accomplish all of Your holy will. Preserve life in the day of disaster, lest the whole of Your people be an Ichabod, and Your glory depart from among us.
Lord of our Salvation, even when the events around us seem to suggest Your defeat, help us to remember that this is only a temporary vision on a cloudy day of disaster. False idols will surely fall on their faces and be utterly destroyed, and Your enemies will face horrible panic and retribution. Give us confidence today that we are Your children, beloved by You, and that the day of vindication is surely coming soon.
Lord of the Presence, Your power in the midst of Your enemies will only mean disaster for those who are determined to attack Your Name and Your people. Even though they might seem to respect You in some slavish fear, we know that their show of devotion is not the way of true faith. We not only fear You as our Lord, but we also love You as our Father. We need no sign to distinguish today between coincidence and divine purpose. The Word that You have given us assures us that You are working all things for our good and Your glory. We offer to You our lives like a whole burnt offering, for we are Yours, and the blood of Your Son has secured our redemption and bound us forever to Your most blessed Name. How fearful a thing it would be to face Your anger, but Christ has secured our freedom and our safety. Draw us near to You again today.
We need You, O Lord. The day of trouble has been near to us in recent times. The memory of it afflicts our soul still today. If this is by Your design so that we will put away all foreign gods, we pray that You would give to us the strength to do this very thing immediately. We will not cease to cry out to You, O Lord. May our great Prophet, Priest, and King perfect our prayers that we offer to You today. Till now You have helped us, even through the horror of loss. Yet You are here with us, and we are Your humble servants.
Father, one day we will be old, if it is Your will. What will our children be? Will they walk in Your ways? Lord, be our God and the God of our children. We need You. Do our young ones seem to go their own way for a season? Do they seem to follow the ways of the world more than is safe for their souls? We weep here before you, for we do not understand Your providence in Your church. Have we gone after a false King? We know that You are good – yes, very good. Be our only King, and fight all our battles for us. We will not trust in anyone but You.
Lord God, will we be so foolish as to think that we know who should lead us by looking at the outward features of a man? By this way we would choose a Saul, and reject the Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son. What do we have today to give to You that You might show us the way to heaven? We have nothing to give but our sorry lives. These moments and days of both trouble and opportunity we offer up to You. We live for You. Father, You know that we love You. We have no confidence in ourselves that we will do any better than we have done, since our weakness is evident. In a moment we can fall. If we are to be more courageous and noble than we have been thus far, it must be from Your strength and not from our own desires or power. Therefore be glorified as we come to You in the Name of the great Messiah of Israel. Send us on our way in peace. You are God.
Glorious Lord, You have anointed Your Son to be Prince over His heritage. We bow before this mighty King, the Lord Jesus Christ. You know all things. You could easily tell us the details of the days ahead of us, since these are all known to You. Fill us with Your Spirit and give us a heart to do the good that our hands find to do. Grant to us a fuller communion with our great Prophet, Priest, and King. Draw us near to Him again in solemn covenant assembly that we might know that we have been chosen by You. Remind us that our worth is in our Messiah. Send us forth day by day in peace and security, despite the opposition that may come to us from worthless men.
O God our Protector, Your enemies would eagerly desire to hurt us and bring disgrace upon us. Even now our brothers and sisters suffer at the hands of brutal foes. Send forth the strongest Deliverer, Christ our Lord, that He might put violent men to flight. May even the most brutal enemies of Your church become Your friends through the only Way of peace. Work salvation throughout Your church as many people are drawn to Your Son. We rejoice greatly in Him.
Father God, we hear the words of our Mediator calling us to a life of faith and obedience. We have no word of testimony against the Lord Jesus Christ. He has done all things well. He has not defrauded us or oppressed us. Far be it from Him to sin in any way. You are our witness today that we find no evil thing in our great Redeemer, and we have no excuse to withhold from Him our full devotion. He has rescued us from every adversary, defeating even sin and death, and making Satan flee from us whenever we would sincerely resist that father of lies. We will obey the voice of the Lord. May Your hand be with us because of our great Messiah King. Our wickedness has been great. We fear You. May Your Son pray for us that our souls will not return to empty things that cannot profit or deliver. We are a people who live for Your Name’s sake. We will serve You faithfully with our whole heart. Do not utterly sweep us away in Your righteous wrath.
Great Ruler over Your people, You have defeated our mortal foe, for Your Son has won a decisive battle on our behalf. We do not need to hide in secret caves, trembling from fear of man. Your Son has offered up His life as a whole burnt offering. He never did anything foolish. He never attempted to get that which was not rightly His. Therefore, You have blessed Him in every battle, and He has won for us both heaven and eternity. Powerful enemies will never rule over us in the land of our Messiah, for You will cleanse Your home completely from any disturbing adversary, and we will dwell in peace with You forever.
God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, in ways that we may never fully understand, Your Son has won an astounding victory for us. As a solo warrior, with none to help Him, He waited for just the right time and place to answer the taunts of a deadly foe. Through the cross, Your Son has utterly defeated the devil, making a public spectacle of Him. In the ranks of the enemy there is great confusion to this day as a result of this mighty victory. You have brought us into a land that is dripping with the honey of Your presence. In Word, sacrament, and prayer, You have made our eyes bright with the gift of the sweetness of Your Spirit. Help us to enjoy You with the eager desire of hungry people who have been denied food for longer than is necessary. We ask you to grant us victory in the spiritual battle before us. Restrain our foolishness, for we would destroy one another for no good cause if we were left to our own devices. May we not die from self-righteous and empty deeds that come from our own wicked imaginations. Grant that we would serve You truly and valiantly according to Your Word, for we are Your people, and the Commander of our forces is our great Redeemer and Lord.
Father, there have been so many kings who have refused to follow Your Word with a full heart. Yet Your Son, the Lord Jesus, has followed You to the very end. This complete devotion cost Him His life. He has performed the commandment that You gave Him to do. He has left nothing undone. You have raised Him now in great power, and granted to Him all authority. He could never be blamed for any deed left undone, for He has not shirked any duty. In Him we are now acceptable in Your sight, though we have sinned so obviously and grievously. Please accept us in Him. We cling to the hem of the robe of Jesus Christ. He is enough for us. You will not turn away from us, for Your Son has done all things well, and then died for our sake. We will live with Him forever.
O God of all Comfort, how long will we grieve over our disappointments? You are the Sovereign Lord of All, and You do all things well. Consecrate us by Your Spirit in the depths of our souls. Teach us how to see with the eyes of faith. There is much that You have not revealed, but there is also so much that You have made known to us. Teach us to hear Your Word and to move ahead in love. Do not take Your Holy Spirit from us. Have we grieved You deeply and neglected the duty of repentance? We fear that this is the case. Show us our hidden sins again that we might turn from them in truth immediately. Play music for our hearts that will refresh us in Christ, for surely You will rejoice over us again with singing, for we are Your beloved children, and the bride of Your Son.
Mighty God, You can use the faith of a boy to slay a man of the most powerful stature. Though our enemies may be superior in natural strength, though they may have better weapons and proud taunts, we have You, O Lord, and we fight in the strength of the resurrected Jesus Christ. Your foes defy You openly, and claim that Your church is nothing. Within our ranks, even strong men fear to use the means of grace that You have given to Your people. We imagine that if we speak the Word forthrightly that we will be unable to gather the lost. We have not used Your sacraments in accord with Your instruction, thinking that people would leave if we did things Your way. We do not pray because we see it as powerless and useless, so we retain the form of strong spiritual armor, but we deny the truth and power of Your love. We are afraid to obey You. The man that speaks in favor of Your Word and Your worship can expect criticism as so many would dismiss him as naive. Grant to us David’s courage to use the simple tools of warfare that You have given to Your church. You have delivered us from sin and death. Place in our hands again the spiritual weapons that we need for the battle ahead. Take off our backs the heavy weight of the world’s armor, for we will never win the battle with the unbearable burden of worldliness. Grant to us godliness, faith, hope, and love. Let us move ahead with truth and gospel peace. Send us forward in the Name of our Savior Jesus, and grant us victory in the fight that rages throughout the church and into the world. We need no Goliath for success. You can make a simple stone that comes from the hand of our Redeemer powerful. You can win any battle against any champion that the world may deem undefeatable. Make us bold, that we might see a great day of vindication for the cause of Christ now, and even beyond our mortal lives. Whose Son is our Redeemer? He is the Son of Man to be sure, but He has shown Himself to be Your Son, and He is mighty in battle.
Father God, our souls are knit to the soul of Your Son. We cast our crowns before Jesus. He is our Leader, and we follow Him with songs and dancing. Your Son has won the greatest victory for Your people. Would we be jealous of the One who has loved us with an everlasting love, and has proven His commitment to You and to us with His own blood? Would we be the murderers of Him who willingly went to the cross for our sake? But we have been treacherous against this One good Man. He came in godliness and lowliness. He was not haughty or proud. He raised Lazarus from the dead, and more than this, was demonstrated to be the very Son of God through His own resurrection to an immortal body. This is the true Son of David, and yet we have sinned against Him. We plead with You now for forgiveness. Return to us the blessings that come from knowing Jesus as our Lord and friend, and grant to us a good inheritance again in the power and holiness of Christ.
God of All the Earth, will You allow wicked men to destroy Your church? Even leaders among Your covenant people turn against us and against our holy Messiah, the Son of David. They are treacherous in their words and unstable in their hearts. Yet Your Son continues to win the victory in every battle. Why would men who claim to walk in His Name turn against Him and deny Your Word? Why are there so many Sauls and so few courageous Davids in positions of authority in Your church? Why are so many determined to bring harm upon Your people? These traitors commit themselves to hatred and are full of lies. Have mercy on us. Send us the Spirit of truth, and true and godly men full of the Spirit of Christ to lead us. We will live in the strength and holiness that You provide. We willingly give our lives for Him who died for us.
Father God, wicked men seek the lives of Your saints. Show us the truth. We long for the revealing of Your true Sons. Even now, let the wicked leader within Your church be exposed as faithless. Bring repentance to many as the truth is boldly preached. Godless men would consume Your people as thoughtlessly as they eat bread with their meals. They swear falsely about their affection for You and their love for Your people. They love the world only for the things that the world can give, for they only love themselves. They do not love the Son of David. Expose them for who they are. In the day of the greatest apostasy, when the man of lawlessness is shown to be who he really is, send forth Your Son again to rescue us in the fullness of resurrection power. Cast down the vile enemy from His seat of honor, where He claims to be god, and where he demands absolute obedience from slavish worshippers. This anti-Christ even now shows forth who he is in fits of anger against Your children. His end will soon come. Though He might seem to have full sway within Your church for a brief moment, Your Son will surely win the victory in the Day of His power. Until then, we swear before You that we belong to the true Son of David, and not to any servant of the father of lies.
Lord of Hosts, the righteous flee from the wicked in a time of necessary retreat. The day is full of danger, and evil men lurk in shadows even within Your church to destroy her ministry. Grant us bread from heaven for our warfare on earth. Though we hide for a moment among the Philistines, we will never forget who we serve, for You are God. Though we seem mad in the eyes of the foolish, You will use every means to protect us and to preserve us, for the gates of hell will not prevail against Your church. We sound the retreat of necessity, but only for a moment, in a day of dire trouble, for we are always on the offense in our service of You.
Lord have mercy on us. Evil men have slaughtered priests among the priesthood of all believers. How can murderers have such power? We know that Your purposes cannot be stopped. In the day of trouble, the wicked traitor speaks against Your saints. He finds favor from an envious king of Your own nation, and is willing to kill Your true servants to gain what He supposes he can get from those in power. Yet on that day of mourning, the holy priests of the Lord go to a place of eternal hope, but a vicious man outside of your covenantal protection, though he seems to have safety for the briefest moment, soon faces Your eternal wrath. O how we mourn the evil done by Your enemies. Yet we know that with Your anointed Son we are safe forever.
O God in Heaven, though Your Son has saved a people, how can it be that those who are saved by Him, would yet turn against Him? We do thank You for Your extraordinary mercy, for if You had no saving grace for a wicked church, how could there be any hope for us? We confess today two remarkable truths: first, the great Son of David has saved us by His mighty power through the cross; but second, we have given up the precious gift of gospel joy when we have turned against Your Son in sin. We have feared men more than You. The battle continues to rage to this day, but by still more grace from You, we are coming to our senses. We hate our rebellion against our Savior, and we thank You for Your wonderful and full mercy for Your unworthy servants. Our hope has never been rightly in our own faithfulness, but only in the righteousness and blood of Your perfect Son, who redeems traitors.
Father, could there be some hope of heaven for a man like King Saul? Was He so oppressed by demonic spirits, and so foolish in the stubbornness of sinful envy, that he damaged his soul to a point of utter weakness? David showed Him mercy. He cut off the corner of His robe, but would not take his life. This seemed to soften the heart of the wicked king. He called David his son and wept. This was a good day for him, Lord, though the assault of demons would quickly return. But on that good day of faith, Saul even professed the truth that David would surely be king, and David swore that he would do no harm to Saul. What powerful mercy! O Lord, is there eternal hope for King Saul? Then perhaps there is hope for us, for we have shown madness in our sin and rebellion against You. You will have mercy even on us.
Lord God, we live in a world of death and folly. You are the source of all life and wisdom. You have provided everything necessary for us, and have protected us from many dangers. Would we then forget Your kindness to us, and decide that we have no obligation to You? You have provided the way of redemption from eternal destruction through the blood of Your Son. Will we have no gratitude? Will we return to You evil for good? Send forth messengers of wisdom. Give us repentance, so that we will not bring further guilt upon ourselves in our foolishness. Help us to see the only hope for us in the way of faith, lest we die in hopelessness and unbelief. Grant to us the security of the Perfect Husband, for we are Your servants, and You are the Lord.
Father God, treacherous men would betray Your Son and His church. Deliver us from evil and danger. Even within the people of Your promise, leaders and armies would rail against the Lord’s true Anointed. Grant us restraint and wisdom in our daily response to wicked men and dangerous situations. Watch over us and help us in times of great trouble and opportunity. May we be innocent of further evil today. Forgive our sins. We will not serve other gods. We will show due respect for those in authority according to Your Word. We will turn away from our foolish mistakes. The life of Your Son is precious in our sight. He lives. We will go forth in peace, and pursue all righteousness with confidence in Your grace.
Lord Almighty, will we perish today at the hands of Your enemies? You are the hope of the redeemed. Protect us in one place or another, that we might live to serve You another day. Keep our lives even in the land of the wicked, and give us strength in body and soul, that we might serve You well wherever You lead us.
O Lord of Hosts, You are the God of the Living. Though Your servants of former days have died, yet they still live. We are not to be those who wickedly inquire of them, yet we know that those who are in You are safe in Christ whether they live or die. Keep us far from evil inquiry, lest we follow the doctrines of demons, but make us strong in hope according to the Word of Christ. You have spoken clearly in Your Word. Will we not obey Your voice, O Lord? Give us courage and strength, especially as we face the day of danger and impending death. Bring us home to You in peace, and forgive all our wickedness and sin.
Father God, the world knows that we are different. Though they cannot rightly find fault with You, they know that we have a different Lord than they have, and a different life than that of Your enemies. Make us blameless in the sight of the world as Your holy angels are blameless, lest the world rightly accuse us of sin and hypocrisy, and we bring disgrace upon the name of Your Son.
Lord God, what will we do in the day of the worst news? Is there hope when the city has been burned with fire, and our families have been captured in battle? What will we do in the day when our own comrades in mission blame us for great evil that has come upon us? We will strengthen our souls in Your presence. We will inquire of You, O Lord. We will surely move forward again in Your service. We will have mercy on the weak, and You will grant us victory. Your Son has redeemed what was captured by an enemy. We have complete confidence in Him. Not one soul in Your family will be lost. Therefore we are safe, for we belong to Your Son. Grant to us a great victory in Your service. When You bring blessing into our hands, help us to be generous with all our brothers and sisters who are in need. Let us also honor the leaders of Your people out of reverence for Your Son.
Eternal Father, when great men of consequence die, it is a day of mourning. Though they may have been afflicted by evil spirits, and moved in grossly unprofitable ways, yet we honor them for what they once were, and especially because You are their Maker, and even their Redeemer. The wicked would want to expose them, showing brutal disrespect, but we honor the departed, and care for their bodies. We believe in the resurrection, and we trust in Your mercy for Your people. We belong to You, even in the greatest weakness and sin.