30 Jun July 9 – Daily Devotional

A SERIES OF DEVOTIONS BASED ON THE BOOK OF HEBREWS

GOD IS SPEAKING – LISTEN TO HIM

Hebrews 12:25 “See to it that you do not refuse Him who speaks. If they did not escape when they refused Him who warned them on earth, how much less will we, if we turn away from Him who warns us from heaven?”

There are many Christians that believe the worship service is something they do.  I’ve even heard Christians say that worship is hard work.  In fact, worship is just the opposite.  Through the worship service God is the one doing the work.  He invites you into His presence to speak with you. He feeds you through His Word and the Sacraments. He receives your honor and praise and listens to you speak your prayers to Him.  You can think of worship as God ministering to you and your response to His ministry.

In the worship service, you and the entire congregation are privileged to hear God’s Law which shows you your sins and calls you to confess them.  And, you hear His Gospel which announces to you His forgiveness through the words of Absolution and the message of Jesus shedding His blood for the forgiveness of your sins.  You come into the worship service “a poor miserable sinner” and leave forgiven of your sins and assured of eternal life in heaven.  You leave filled with joy and thanksgiving.

Hearing God comes first.  It is through His word the Holy Spirit opens up your heart to hear His word and give you faith to believe what God tells you.  In turn, through the faith the Holy Spirit works in you and your heart to believe in Jesus you see your heavenly Father with outstretched arms inviting you into His presence to receive all of His holy blessings of pardon and peace.

Because of your heavenly Father’s unconditional love for you, because He desires all men to be saved, because His Son died for all, because of His persistence in speaking His word to you, through the sending of His Son to conquer all evil in your behalf and substitute Himself to pay the wages of your sins, He now sends to You His Spirit to open up your ears to hear and eyes to see Him through His Son.

Prayer:  Open the eyes of my heart Lord to see You in all your holiness and glory, to know Your love and forgiveness and be blessed with Your peace.  In Jesus’ name.  Amen.

(This hymn is normally sung at the beginning of a worship service)

Open now thy gates of beauty; Zion, let me enter there,

Where my soul in joyful duty Waits for Him who answers prayer.

Oh, how blessed is this place, Filled with solace, light, and grace!

Gracious God, I come before Thee; Come Thou also unto me.

Where we find Thee and adore Thee, There a heav’n on earth must be.

To my heart, O enter Thou; Let it be Thy temple now!

Here Thy praise is gladly changed; Here Thy seed is duly sown.

Let my soul, where it is planted, Bring forth precious sheaves alone,

So that all I hear may be fruitful unto life in me.

Thou my faith increase and quicken; Let me keep Thy gift divine,

How-soe’er temptations thicken; May Thy Word still o’er me shine

As my guiding star through life, As my comfort in all strife.

Speak, O God, and I will hear Thee; Let Thy will be done indeed.

May I undisturbed draw near Thee While Thou dost Thy people feed.

Here of life and fountain flows; Here is balm for all our woes.

(LSB 901)