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VOL. 84, NO. 451For Personal and Family DevotionsApril 1 to June 30, 2021Written byDcs. Noemi Guerra, Johnston, IowaDevotions for AprilMr. Benjamin Petersen, Grafton, WisconsinDevotions for MayDr. James Freese, Germantown, WisconsinDevotions for JuneEdited byRev. Scot A. Kinnaman and Rev. Paul T. McCain
Copyright 2021 Concordia Publishing House3558 S. Jefferson Ave., St. Louis, MO 63118-39681-800-325-3040 cph.org portals@cph.orgAll rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, ortransmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, orotherwise, without prior written permission of Concordia Publishing House.Portals of Prayer is a registered mark of Concordia Publishing House (CPH). Use of the mark requirespermission of CPH.Scripture quotations are from the ESV Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version ), copyright 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rightsreserved.Small Catechism quotations are from Luther’s Small Catechism with Explanation, copyright 1986,2017 Concordia Publishing House. All rights reserved.Quotations from the Lutheran Confessions are from Concordia: The Lutheran Confessions, secondedition, copyright 2006 Concordia Publishing House. All rights reserved.Quotations from Luther’s Works are from Martin Luther. Luther’s Works. American Edition. Generaleditors: Jaroslav Pelikan, Helmut T. Lehmann, and Christopher Boyd Brown. 82 vols. St. Louis:Concordia, and Philadelphia: Muhlenberg and Fortress, 1955–.Quotations marked LSB and hymn texts are from Lutheran Service Book, copyright 2006Concordia Publishing House. All rights reserved.This publication may be available in Braille or on cassette tape for the visually impaired. Please allow8 to 12 weeks for delivery. Write to Lutheran Braille Workers, P.O. Box 5000, Yucaipa, CA 92399;call toll-free 1-800-925-6092; or visit the website: www.LBWinc.org.PORTALS OF PRAYER (ISSN 0032-4884) is published quarterly by Concordia Publishing House,3558 S. Jefferson Ave., St. Louis, MO 63118-3968.A regular print edition is available, with a 1-year subscription of 16.00. A digest print edition isavailable, with a 1-year subscription of 17.00. A large print edition is available for the visuallyimpaired, with a 1-year subscription of 18.00.To order or inquire on bulk discounts, call 1-800-325-3040 or visit cph.org/portals.Periodicals postage paid at St. Louis, MO, and at additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Sendaddress changes to PORTALS OF PRAYER, 3558 S. Jefferson Ave., St. Louis, MO 63118-3968.Manufactured in the United States of America078777 064891511056Printed in USANo. 451Cover photo Shutterstock.com
Meet the AuthorsNoemi Guerra and her family came to the United States asmissionaries from Panama in the year 2000. She is marriedto Rev. Lincon Guerra, and they have three children: Joash,Lincon, and Lizzie. Noemi served at St. Paul Lutheranin Houston, Texas (2000–2001), at Christ for all Nations inRaeford, North Carolina (2001–2004), at CFC Lutheran inHouston (2004–2012), and at Shepherd of the Valley in WestDes Moines, Iowa (2014 to present). She graduated fromConcordia Seminary, St. Louis.Benjamin Petersen lives in Grafton, Wisconsin, with histwo children and his wonderful wife. Benjamin has aBA in theological languages from Concordia UniversityWisconsin and an MA from Concordia TheologicalSeminary. He currently works in quality assurance for anair-filtration and cleanroom-testing company. His hobbiesinclude playing cello, writing music, singing in his churchchoir, studying Greek and Hebrew, and spending timewith his kids.Dr. James Freese is professor of music, university organist,and director of the Master of Church Music and ParishMusic programs at Concordia University Wisconsin, wherehe has taught since 2000. He is also cantor at MountCalvary Lutheran Church in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, wherehe taught elementary school from 1979 to 2000. He andhis wife, Jill, have two children and six grandchildren. Dr.Freese’s devotions are drawn from hymn texts in LutheranService Book. This is his third set of devotions on greathymns of faith.
ORDER OF FAMILY WORSHIPLeader: In the name of the Father and of the Sonand of the Holy Spirit.All: Amen.Leader (With all repeating each phrase): Lord, havemercy. Christ, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.A PSALM may be read by the leader or by the familyin response.All: Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the HolySpirit; as it was in the beginning, is now, and will beforever. Amen.THE SCRIPTURE READINGTHE MEDITATIONTHE PRAYERTHE LORD’S PRAYER: Our Father who art in heaven,hallowed be Thy name, Thy kingdom come, Thy willbe done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this dayour daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses as weforgive those who trespass against us; and lead us notinto temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine isthe kingdom and the power and the glory forever andever. Amen.Leader: Let us bless the Lord.All: Thanks be to God.Leader: The almighty and merciful God, the Father,the Son, and the Holy Spirit, bless us and keep us.All: Amen.
Martin Luther’s Morning PrayerMake the sign of the holy cross and say:In the name of the Father and of the Son and of theHoly Spirit. Amen.I thank You, my heavenly Father, through JesusChrist, Your dear Son, that You have kept me thisnight from all harm and danger; and I pray that Youwould keep me this day also from sin and every evil,that all my doings and life may please You. For intoYour hands I commend myself, my body and soul, andall things. Let Your holy angel be with me, that theevil foe may have no power over me. Amen.Martin Luther’s Evening PrayerMake the sign of the holy cross and say:In the name of the Father and of the Son and of theHoly Spirit. Amen.I thank You, my heavenly Father, through JesusChrist, Your dear Son, that You have graciously keptme this day; and I pray that You would forgive meall my sins where I have done wrong, and graciouslykeep me this night. For into Your hands I commendmyself, my body and soul, and all things. Let Yourholy angel be with me, that the evil foe may have nopower over me. Amen.—Adapted from Luther’s Small CatechismSee prayer section for daily prayers, as well as prayers for Churchfestivals and other special occasions.
Mealtime PrayersAsking a BlessingThe children and members of the household shall go to thetable reverently, make the sign of the holy cross, fold theirhands, and say:The eyes of all look to You, [O Lord,] and You givethem their food at the proper time. You open Yourhand and satisfy the desires of every living thing.(Psalm 145:15–16)Then shall be said the Lord’s Prayer and the following:Lord God, heavenly Father, bless us and these Yourgifts, which we receive from Your bountiful goodness,through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.Returning ThanksAlso, after eating, they shall, in like manner, reverentlymake the sign of the holy cross and with folded hands say:Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good. His love enduresforever. [He] gives food to every creature. He providesfood for the cattle and for the young ravens when theycall. His pleasure is not in the strength of the horse,nor His delight in the legs of a man; the Lord delightsin those who fear Him, who put their hope in Hisunfailing love. (Psalm 136:1, 25; 147:9–11)Then shall be said the Lord’s Prayer and the following:We thank You, Lord God, heavenly Father, for all Yourbenefits, through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives andreigns with You and the Holy Spirit forever and ever.Amen.—Adapted from Luther’s Small Catechism
Thursday, April 1Holy (Maundy) ThursdaykRead Matthew 26:17–30 Psalm 115And they were very sorrowful and began to say toHim one after another, “Is it I, Lord?” Matthew 26:22TNot It!he bell rang and recess started. “Tag, you’re it.” Wehave all played tag. How fun was that! Jesus was aboutto begin His journey to the cross. On the night before Hiscrucifixion, Jesus remembers us and blesses us throughHis body and blood, offered at His table for the forgivenessof our sins. On that same night, someone was going tobetray Him. It’s like Adam and Eve told Judas: “You’re it.”Not much fun in that.You and I were “it”; we were the ones who betrayedJesus. We have broken the Law of God and deserve theconsequences. Our consciences do not rest at the thoughtof becoming Judas, the one who betrayed the innocentone.The good news is that Jesus’ body and blood are stillbeing offered for us today. We are “not it” anymore becauseJesus willingly took our place on the cross and paid theprice for the consequences of our sins. We can now eatHis body and drink His blood and receive forgiveness inremembrance of our guilt-free lives bought on Calvary.Lord, we praise You and thank You because You haveremembered us. You sent Jesus, and He forgave our sins.Because of Him, we are not “it” anymore.We pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Friday, April 2Good FridaykRead John 19:17–30 Psalm 69:16–33After this, Jesus, knowing that all was now finished,said (to fulfill the Scripture), “I thirst.” A jar full of sour winestood there, so they put a sponge full of the sour wine on ahyssop branch and held it to His mouth. John 19:28–29IWell Balancedt’s hot; you have a dry mouth and throat and a strongdesire for liquids—you are thirsty! Thirst is a way for ourbrain to tell us that we have unbalanced fluids or too muchsalt in our body.Jesus noticed that we are very unbalanced. Every day,we did not do the good things that we were supposed todo and instead did the bad things we were not supposed todo. On top of that, we had too much salt of ourselves. Quiteunbalanced we were.But Jesus thirsted for and fulfilled the Father’sredemptive plan on the cross for us. He earned a perfectlybalanced life in our place. He forgave our sinful habits andmade us new. He now invites us to His kingdom throughthe Word and guides us to respond to His gift with praise.Lord Jesus, for Your thirst, they gave You sour wine to drink.That was our sour wine to drink. But You drank it for us sothat we can have a perfect, balanced life before God throughYour merits. For that, we praise Your name; we magnify Youwith thanksgiving! In Your name only we pray. Amen.
Saturday, April 3Holy SaturdaykRead Matthew 27:57–66 Psalm 16And Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a cleanlinen shroud and laid it in his own new tomb, which hehad cut in the rock. And he rolled a great stone to theentrance of the tomb and went away. Matthew 27:59–60TTo Wrap Up . . .ying our shoes, locking our doors, putting our seat beltson—we all have marks that wrap up the different blocksof time that divide our day. Because of our sins, deathwraps up our time on earth. But thanks to Jesus’ death andvictory over our sin, death is no more than a temporaryseparation.After His death, Jesus was wrapped in linen and placedinto the rocky tomb. It looked like death had won. But deathand the devil were undone. Jesus Christ rose victoriously.Being wrapped in the linen of our life’s challenges or evendeath does not mean defeat. The Holy Spirit wraps ourstony, rocky hearts in Christ’s forgiveness. Jesus gave upHis life to wrap up a joyful life on earth for us in the midstof life’s challenges and also beyond the grave.We bless You, Lord, because You are always beside us,keeping us from being shaken. Our hearts are glad,and our whole beings rejoice; our bodies dwell secure.You make known to us the path of life; in Your presencethere is fullness of joy; at Your right hand arepleasures forevermore. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Sunday, April 4EasterkRead Mark 16:1–8 Psalm 8And they were saying to one another, “Who will rollaway the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?”And looking up, they saw that the stone had beenrolled back—it was very large. Mark 16:3–4TThis Is How We Rollhe women were worried about the stone in front ofJesus’ tomb. It was a huge obstacle that would preventthem from getting to Jesus. But the thing that worried themthe most had already been taken care of by the power ofGod. We face the biggest stone of all times: our sin. Callingin sick when we don’t feel like going to work, tweakingthe numbers on our income taxes, or nurturing our badthoughts and feelings about those who hurt us all erect avery large stone between God and us.But just the thing that worried us the most was alreadytaken care of by the power of God. Jesus rolled away thestone of our sin when He powerfully took His life back justas He humbly gave it up. In Baptism, we receive His powerand forgiveness. We are now free to roll like Christianswho are forgiven, who share Jesus with a world full ofpeople trying to carry their sins like heavy stones.O Lord, how majestic is Your name in all the earth!What are we that You are mindful of us? Yet You havecrowned us with glory and honor. You have given usdominion over the works of Your hands; You have put allobstacles under our feet. In the name of Jesus. Amen.
Monday, April 5kRead Ephesians 6:10–20 Psalm 28Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you maybe able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all,to stand firm . . . praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayerand supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance,making supplication for all the saints. Ephesians 6:13, 18WSinful Germse wash our hands with soap and water, have ourvitamin C every day, and keep hand sanitizer closebecause we trust these practices get rid of germs andprotect us from getting sick. God equipped us with all thetools we need to fight the lies and traps of the germs fromthe evil one, the world, and our sinful nature. But wesinned anyway, yielding our weapons and tools.God saw the germs of our sins and how spiritually sickwe were. So He sent His Son to heal us. Now when we arefaced with challenges or suffering, we do not need worldlysolutions, we need the cleansing blood of Jesus. He putson us a complete armor in our Baptism and defends us. Weare equipped by Him to thrive in this world and come outvictorious as we trust only God in prayer.We pray to You, Lord, for You have heard our voices.You are our strength and our shield; in You our hearts trust,and we are helped; You are the strength of Your people.Be our shepherd and carry us forever.In the name of Jesus. Amen.
Tuesday, April 6kRead Job 14:1–9 Psalm 51For there is hope for a tree, if it be cut down, that it will sproutagain, and that its shoots will not cease. Though its root growold in the earth, and its stump die in the soil, yet at the scent ofwater it will bud and put out branches like a young plant.Job 14:7–9WCut Downe were like unhealthy trees, with a scent of rot. Wewere cut down, our roots grew old, and our stumpdied in the soil of sin, selfishness, and hate. We were dead;we would never recover. There was no life in us. Thencame the gracious gift of Baptism. That water and Wordgave us life. We were reborn in faith and made fruitful inJesus.Through the Holy Spirit, our cut-down, sin-rooted treehearts can bud and put out branches through forgivenessand grace at the scent of the baptismal waters. Our newbranches of joy, praise, and victory are secured to thealmighty power of rebirth and new beginnings in Christ.Lord, wash us thoroughly from our iniquity, and cleanse usfrom our sin! Wash us in our Baptism, and we will be whiterthan snow. Create in us a clean heart and restore to us thejoy of Your salvation. May the waters of our Baptismkeep our new hearts budding and putting out branchesof love and joy. In the name of Jesus. Amen.
Wednesday, April 7kRead John 5:19–29 Psalm 73:21–28You who tear yourself in your anger, shall the earth be forsakenfor you, or the rock be removed out of its place? Job 18:4WThe Rhythm of Our Liveshen the line is flat on an electrocardiogram, it meansthat a heart is no longer alive; but when the line goesup and down, the heart is healthy and alive.Because of our sins, as long as we are on this earth, ourlives will have ups and downs. That just shows that we arealive. No matter how difficult our situation might be rightnow, it will pass. The earth will not be forsaken because ofit, nor will the rock be removed out of its place. Jesus diedon the cross to give us life. In our Baptism, we passed fromdeath and fear to life and joy. So we do not need to have a“sky is falling” fear. In Word and Sacraments, the rhythmof life is found in Jesus, who redeemed us on the cross.These become the foundation of our sharing the GoodNews with others.Lord, You are all we want in heaven! You are all we wanton earth! You are rock-firm and faithful. Our bodies andhearts may fail, but You are the strength of our souls and ourportion forever. Oh, how refreshing is Your presence!We’ve made You our home. God, we are tellingthe world what You do! In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Saturday, May 1kRead Leviticus 19:9–18, 33–37 Psalm 119:1–8You shall love your neighbor as yourself. Leviticus 19:18SThe Redirection of Loveelfishness has been mankind’s problem since Adamand Eve. As sinners, we lie to build ourselves up, hoardour possessions, and reward our emotions by lashing outat others. Even the words “You shall love your neighboras yourself” suggest that we find it easy to be self-focused(Leviticus 19:18, emphasis added).Certainly, selfishness may help us in this life. Throughselfishness, we may have more stuff, more monetarysecurity, and more personal time. But selfishness alsodestructively defies God’s command to love our neighbor,and it futilely looks to the self for security rather than toGod. For temporary gains, our selfishness puts us on a pathtoward eternal punishment.However, despite our sinful selfishness, Jesus diedselflessly upon the cross so that we might have forgiveness,life, and salvation. Through Christ’s selfless gift, Godtransforms us. In Christ, we look beyond ourselves andconsider how we can serve our neighbor. In Christ, we seeall that God has given us—our time, possessions, money,and talents—as service opportunities. In Christ, our selfishlove is redirected so that we reflect Christ’s selfless lovethroughout the world.Lord Jesus, You selflessly gave Your life for our sins.May we be a reflection of Your selfless love every day. Amen.
Sunday, May 2kRead Luke 11:37–54 Psalm 52Now you Pharisees cleanse the outside of the cup and of thedish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness. Luke 11:39ITrue Cleansingf we avoid obvious, visible sins and appear pious in theeyes of the world, do we forget the sinful grime withinus? Are we, like the Pharisees, confident in our externalshininess? Today, Jesus’ woes against the Pharisees beckonus to recall our more secret sins—to remember that sinpollutes us to an immense degree.If we are honest, our hands are anything but clean. Someof us have spoken kind words to our neighbor while beingsecretly hateful. Some of us have celebrated a friend’s successwhile being envious. Some of us have harbored lustfulfeelings. Perhaps we have done all these things and more.But Jesus reminds us of the magnitude of our sinsbecause He wants to cleanse us. Unlike the Pharisees,Jesus is not concerned about cleaning cups or external,ritual washings. No, Jesus is concerned with cleansingHis people, inside and out. In Baptism, He washes awaythe sludge of sin and saves us from eternal condemnation.When sin stains us, He offers us His body and blood tocleanse us. Our external piety does not purify us—onlyJesus Christ offers true cleansing.Father, we know that we are dirtied by our iniquities.Thank You for sending Your Son to cleanse usfrom all of our sins. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Monday, May 3kRead Leviticus 20:1–10, 22–27 Psalm 119:9–16You shall be holy to Me, for I the Lord am holy and haveseparated you from the peoples, that you should be Mine.Leviticus 20:26IGod’s Holy Peoplesrael’s pagan neighbors foolishly sought supernaturalbenefits through child sacrifice and other detestable acts.But God set apart the Israelites to be His holy people andshowed them the path of life. For the Israelites, conformityto pagan practices meant certain death. By God’s grace, theIsraelites were conformed to God’s will and distinct from theworld around them.As He did for the Israelites, God has enabled us to respondto the pagan practices of the world that defile His holiness.One such practice is abortion, where unborn children areoften sacrificed to lessen personal responsibility. Withheavy hearts, we hope and pray that our Lord will save theirlives, and we stand up for the unborn in the political realm.By God’s grace, our words and deeds reflect our status asHis holy people.And our actions are truly by God’s grace. The Lord hasset us apart through Baptism and placed us in the promisedland of His Church, where forgiveness, life, and eternalsalvation flow as milk and honey. Through the Gospel’sproclamation, the Holy Spirit’s work, and the gift of Hisbody and blood, the Lord makes and keeps us holy. As God’sholy people, we make His holy will known in the world.Lord, may we always be Your holy people. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Tuesday, May 4kRead Luke 12:13–21 Psalm 39:1–8So is the one who lays up treasure for himselfand is not rich toward God. Luke 12:21Our Most Precious GiftHis crops, his barns, his grain, his goods, his soul—the rich man is entirely focused on what he has.From a worldly perspective, he seems to be making awise investment to ensure his long-term security. From aheavenly perspective, he is an utter fool. Though he shouldfind ultimate security in God, the giver of all good gifts, hefoolishly trusts in himself and his possessions.With the parable of the rich fool, Jesus reminds usthat all of our blessings are from the one true God. Jesusdoes not want us to hoard our blessings for ourselves butto be rich toward God by sharing our gifts with others.Some of us can give money to a ministry like OrphanGrain Train. Others can share their time with the shut-insof their church. Still others can sing in the church choir.Regardless of the specifics, each of us has blessings thatcan enrich the world.When we are rich with our blessings, we are richwith Christ’s Gospel too. We share the love of our Saviorby sharing with our neighbor. With Christ beside us,we proclaim that life is not found in an abundance ofpossessions but in Jesus Christ, our most precious gift.Lord Jesus, You give us the riches of eternal life. Help us torichly share the life we have in You with others. Amen.
Wednesday, May 5kRead Leviticus 22:17–33 Psalm 116You shall not offer anything that has a blemish,for it will not be acceptable for you. Leviticus 22:20GAcceptable Offeringsod’s sacrificial regulations for Israel may seem burdensomeor trivial. Yet these regulations appointed the means thatset Israel apart as the people of God—a chosen nation—evenwhile condemning Israel for neglecting them and trespassingagainst them. These rules may seem tedious at first glance,but they were part of God’s meticulous, loving plan to saveHis people. The laws regarding acceptable, unblemishedsacrifices were no exception. God used unblemished sacrificesto remove the sinful blemishes of the Israelites.Like Israel, we are blemished by sin. Our thoughts,words, and actions are defective. But despite our blemishes,God Himself has provided us with a perfect, unblemishedsacrifice. Jesus is the Lamb of God who took our sins uponHimself and shed His blood upon the cross. Because of Hissacrifice, we are unblemished before God.Since Christ has made us unblemished, all of our actsof service are acceptable offerings to our Father in heaven.When we serve at the local soup kitchen, pray for thewoman next door who has the flu, chaperone the churchyouth trip to a baseball game, or serve our neighbors inother ways, God sees acceptable offerings of thanks andpraise. Following in the footsteps of Jesus, we can offer ourentire lives as acceptable offerings to our Lord.Lord, may our lives be acceptable offerings to You.In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Thursday, May 6kRead Luke 13:1–9 Psalm 6Unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. Luke 13:5WRepentance and Lifee might expect that when Jesus was told of Pilate’svicious act against the Galileans, He would condemnPilate’s actions or pray for the victims’ families. Instead,Jesus says to the crowds, “Unless you repent, you will alllikewise perish.”Jesus’ startling words teach us that tragedy is a call torepentance. Though God may graciously spare us from amass shooting or a hurricane, tragedies remind us that oursins deserve a horrific end: eternal death.However, eternal death doesn’t have to be our destination,and tragedy need not lead us to complete despair, for tragedyalso directs us to our Savior, who suffered tragedy upon thecross. Through tragedy, we have eternal salvation. Whenwe feel the tragic burden of our sins, Jesus invites us to turnto Him for life.But tragedy isn’t just for us. Jesus wants the whole worldto turn to Him. Jesus—the vinedresser—is urging God todelay the final judgment so that more might repent of theirsins and believe in Him. To that end, we can aid thosewho have suffered tragedy. We can counter hurricanes andshootings with words and prayers, time and money, laborand skills. As the Spirit works through us, we hope morepeople will bear the fruit of repentance and find life in Christ.Lord Jesus, may the whole world find life in You. Amen.
Friday, May 7C. F. W. Walther, TheologiankRead Zephaniah 3 Psalm 34:1–5I will change their shame into praise andrenown in all the earth. Zephaniah 3:19SShame into Praisehame, Zephaniah writes, is in store for Judah. Judah’sshameful defeat by the Babylonians will make themashamed of their rebellion against God. But, graciously,shame is not the last word for God’s people. Despite Judah’srebellion, God promises a time when Judah will no longerbe put to shame.When we sin and realize our guilt before God, shame iswhat we feel too. Shame accuses us: “Why did you, a memberof God’s family, lust after lewd images?” “Why did you lieto your parents?” “Why are you envious of your brother’ssuccess?” “Why are you rebelling against the almighty God?”When all is said and done, shame causes us to despair inourselves and the rebellious choices we have made.When we feel the shame of our sins, God’s love quiets thetumult within us. God says: “Rejoice and exult with all yourheart, dear saint, for My Son has taken all of your shamefulsins on Himself and died on the cross. Because of His shamefuldeath, you are worthy of praise. Because of your mighty Savior,Jesus Christ, I will rejoice over you with gladness!” Thanks beto God for changing our shame into praise!Lord, when we feel ashamed of our rebellious sins,remind us that You have made us praiseworthy in Christ.In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Tuesday, June 1kRead Exodus 33:21–23 Psalm 61And while My glory passes by I will put you in a cleft of the rock,and I will cover you with My hand until I have passed by.Exodus 33:22TRock of Ages, Cleft for Me (761)his month’s devotions are based on great hymns offaith that can be read, sung, and prayed as part of thedevotion.St. Bonaventure wrote that he wanted to go and hidehimself in the cavern of Christ’s wounds and there remainquietly. What a beautiful, reassuring image! Whereas Godhid Moses in the cleft of a rock and covered him with Hishand as He passed by, we can hide from all that is harmfulto our faith in the assurance of Christ’s wounded handsand cleft side, there remaining quietly as the storms of lifeswirl around us.Even as Thomas and the disciples were assured by Christafter His resurrection inviting them to touch His wounds,we grasp them by faith and find comfort, knowing that Heloved us enough to give His life as a ransom for our souls.We know that when we draw our last breath, we have asure promise that we will be with our Lord. Wounds canbe gory. In this case, they are beautiful, reminding us thatwe were bought with Christ’s holy, precious blood andinnocent suffering and death.Dear Savior, hide me in the cavern of Your woundsuntil the storms of life have passed. Amen.
Wednesday, June 2kRead Revelation 22:1–6 Psalm 16:11They will see His face, and His name will be on their foreheads.Revelation 22:4BJerusalem the Golden (672)ernard of Cluny’s Latin verse satire De ContemptuMundi, is a 3,000-verse poem of sorrow, lament, andscorn of all things earthly. That’s a huge load of contempt!To be sure, there are times when we are sick and tired ofthe world. The apostle and evangelist John agreed when hewrote the following: “Do not love the world or the thingsin the world” (1 John 2:15).In the midst of this diatribe, Cluny’s focus changes,and he tries to describe the indescribable—heaven! Anywords will fall short, yet he does admirably, filling ourhearts with the anticipation of what is yet to come: milk,honey, walls of Zion, saints, angels, martyrs, the Prince,serene daylight, release from cares, white robes, songs toChrist, a sweet and blessed country, faithful expectation,and eternal rest. How can we be certain of this being ours?The hymnwriter tells us: Christ conquered in the fight.His crushing defeat of Satan on Good Friday and gloriousresurrection on Easter Sunday make absolutely certainthat all of this will be ours by faith in Him. Hold on tothat image of heaven amid all the disappointments anddissolutions of life. The best is yet to come!Dear Jesus, bring us at last to that dear land of rest where wewill be forever in Your presence in indescribable joy. Amen.
Thursday, June 3kRead Luke 24:28–35 Psalm 139:11–12But they urged Him strongly, saying, “Stay with us,for it is toward evening and the day is now far spent.”So He went in to stay with them. Luke 24:29TAbide with Me (878)he hymnwriter Henry Francis Lyte was abandonedas a little boy, and he never forgot it. His hymnodyportrayed the terrible fear of a motherless and
our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever. Amen. Leader: Let us bless the Lord. All: Thanks be to God. Leader: The almighty and merciful God, the Father,
