Today we take our Old Testament Reading from Malachi 4:1–6. Our devotional reading comes from Luther’s Works: volume 18, speaking on the Last Day and the kingdom of Christ. 

Habakkuk is one of the minor prophet books of the Bible we traditionally gloss over—it’s only three chapters long, and its prophecies are mostly God responding to Habakkuk’s questions about the impending judgment on Judah.

This book, however, speaks greatly of God’s compassion in the midst of waiting. God is just, and He will avenge sins. But we can also be sure of His grace because of the work of Jesus Christ!

Today our Old Testament Reading comes from Exodus 3:1–15. We take our devotional reading from LifeLight Leaders Guide: Exodus, Part 1.

Our Old Testament Reading for today comes from Isaiah 1:10–18. Our devotional reading is from Reading Isaiah with Luther by Brian L. Kachelmeier, focusing on the last few verses from today’s passage.  

Today we take our Old Testament Reading from Genesis 4:1–15. In our devotional reading today, Luther speaks on the story of Cain and Abel, understanding God’s reasoning behind His reaction to Cain’s and Abel’s offerings to Him, and offering insight into their relationships with their parents, Adam and Eve.

Today, we remember influential hymnwriters Philipp Nicolai, Johann Heermann, and Paul Gerhardt. Our devotional reading about Paul Gerhardt is adapted from Paul Gerhardt as a Hymn Writer and his Influence on English Hymnody by Theodore Brown Hewitt.

Today we celebrate Dorcas (also known as Tabitha), Lydia, and Phoebe, the faithful women of the Bible. Dorcas and Lydia we meet in Acts. Phoebe we learn about in Romans as the woman who delivered Paul’s letters. 

First Timothy, one of the Pauline Epistles, is written to a young pastor named Timothy. It is the first of two letters written to him from his mentor in ministry, Paul.

Luther noted that 1 Timothy “provide[s] a model to all bishops of what they are to teach and how they are to rule Christendom in the various stations of life, so that it may not be necessary for them to rule Christians according to their own human opinions” (Luther’s Works, vol. 35, p. 388). Today, we trust that all pastors—young and experienced alike—teach and preach the Word of God faithfully.

The Gospel for today comes from Luke 18:1-8. Our devotional reading today is adapted from the Concordia Commentary Luke 9:51–24:53 by Arthur A. Just Jr. 

The number one comment I hear from people about prayer is this: “If only I could pray like that.”

I think we often see the prayers we pray in church or that pour from our pastor’s mouth as “fancy” prayers. I admire lovely words, so on the one hand, I really appreciate prayers that use lovely words in such a way that they sound fancy, holy, and absolutely worthy of a God who is just that—very worthy. Fancy, prewritten prayers definitely have benefits. They keep us on a straight path so that we don’t end up saying something that contradicts God’s Word because we haven’t given it a thought ahead of time.