Friday after the Twenty-First Sunday after Trinity Sunday
Posted on October 29, 2021 by under
Scripture: Isaiah 30:15-19 (NKJV)
30:15 For thus says the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel:
“In returning and rest you shall be saved; In quietness and confidence shall be your strength.” But you would not,
16 and you said, “No, for we will flee on horses”—therefore you shall flee! And, “We will ride on swift horses”—therefore those who pursue you shall be swift!
17 One thousand shall flee at the threat of one, at the threat of five you shall flee, till you are left as a pole on top of a mountain and as a banner on a hill.
18 Therefore the Lord will wait, that He may be gracious to you; And therefore He will be exalted, that He may have mercy on you. For the Lord is a God of justice; Blessed are all those who wait for Him.
19 For the people shall dwell in Zion at Jerusalem; You shall weep no more. He will be very gracious to you at the sound of your cry; When He hears it, He will answer you.
Devotion
The Lord has provided us with the Way of Salvation. But how many people think they know of a better way! They think they are wiser than God, and that they know what is good for themselves better than He does. When we turn from the Way that God has established for us, when we reject the only Means He has provided for us to endure unto the end, we have no foundation, no sure footing, and no courage against our spiritual enemies: the devil, the world, and our flesh. We are afraid of them, and we flee before them. But God is great in mercy and in patience. He always calls us back to Him. As a curb, the Lord lets us endure the consequences of our sins, but as a salve He invites us to return and to be reconciled to Him.
Christ Jesus is the Way—the only Way—that leads to salvation. Through Him we are more than conquerors over those who seek our destruction. He is our Mighty Fortress, and those who wait in faith on Him are kept safe from the trouble that pursues them. The Way of salvation is found in returning to our God through daily repentance. The preservation of the Church is found in its continuance in God’s Word and Sacraments. Continuing in His grace alone gives us strength to endure trial and temptation in quietness and confidence.
Prayer: Lord, we beseech Thee to keep Thy household, the Church, in continual godliness, that through Thy protection it may be free from all adversities, and devoutly given to serve Thee in good works, to the glory of Thy Name; through Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, ever One God, world without end. Amen.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
