Author: The Redeker Respite

Psalm 91 You Do Not Walk Alone

/ The Redeker Respite / Leave a comment

Hello Family!

This is the First Sunday in Lent, which always begins with the Temptation of the Christ–Christ Jesus.

Lent is the time that many Christians will give up something–bad habits, chocolate, or whatever. We focus on our sins, which is the reason God sent His Son into this broken and fallen world to save us from ourselves.

Sometimes we can focus so much on ourselves that we can lose sight of what God has done–and continues to do–for the world and for you. The Temptation of the Christ and Psalm 91 reminds us of this as the focus remains on Jesus. He walked the lonely road all alone so that we don’t have to.

Reading for Lent 1C: Deuteronomy 26:1-11; Psalm 91; Romans 10:8-13; Luke 4:1-13

Click here for the message

Have a blessed Lenten season!

I love you guys! Dad

Psalm 138:8 Just Another Ordinary Day: Coals to Cross to Commissioned

/ The Redeker Respite / Leave a comment

Saturday, February 15, 2025

Just Another Ordinary Day: Coals to Cross to Commissioned

138:8   The LORD will fulfill his purpose for me;

                        your steadfast love, O LORD, endures forever.

                        Do not forsake the work of your hands.

            “What’s my purpose in this life?” Youth and young adults ask this question. So do most older and old people. 

“I’m so old. Why does God still have me around?” I’ve heard this from older Christians many times in my ministry as well.

God indeed has a purpose for you. He created you and brought you into His Creation.

Look at Isaiah in this week’s Old Testament lesson. It was just another ordinary day; ordinary, that is, until Yhwh brought him to his knees. Sin and God’s holiness don’t mix. They can’t. However, Yhwh solved Isaiah’s sin-problem with a coal from His altar:

Isaiah 6:7 And he touched my mouth and said: “Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for.”

Notice, and notice very well, the present tense in verse 7. God’s reality for forgiveness and Isaiah’s restoration trumped the reality of Isiah’s guilt and sin. This was YHWH’s initiative. HE took the highroad by coming down to Isaiah, and not the other way around. After his restoration and assurance, God commissioned Isaiah to be His prophet.

Peter and the fishermen with him were confronted by God in the person of Christ Jesus. They, too, were brought low only to be lifted up by Jesus:

Luke 5:10 and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men.”

The Christian too is fully restored, and thus you and I have “purpose” here on this side of eternity. I’ve met many-a-Christian who worries and wrings her hands fretting about not knowing why she’s here. I’ve met many-a-Christian who prays and prays and then prays some more trying to figure out how he will be a “purpose” for God.

It’s not our purpose for God, but rather God’s purpose for “me.” This is how David ends this wonderful little Psalm. He knows that there’s more to come in his life on this side of eternity. David also knows that GOD is the One who will direct him in his daily life.

Dr. Leslie Allen says this in his commentary:

Yahweh is praised as one whose wont it is to deliver him from affliction and to restore him to fullness of life. Such protection and vindication are a pattern he has experienced time and time again. For the positive sense of God’s outstretched hand, one may compare Prov 31:20.

      The psalmist is personally qualified to sing the motto of the thanksgiving service (Jer 33:11) concerning the constancy of divine grace. Yet he dare not take it for granted: it must ever be balanced by constant submission. So his final word is a prayer that, just as he has known God’s molding hand upon his life thus far, he may continue to encounter God’s gracious presence (cf. Job 10:3, 8–12; Eph 2:10; 1 Pet 4:19).[1]

            God molded you from sinner to saint with the coals of the cross. From the cross comes the cooling waters of Baptism from the Savior’s side, who has washed away all of your sins. God has already been using you for His purpose and continues to do so—even if you don’t realize it.

         God is carrying out for and through you HIS purpose.

784 Take My Life and Let It Be

1      Take my life and let it be
Consecrated, Lord, to Thee;
Take my moments and my days,
Let them flow in ceaseless praise,
Let them flow in ceaseless praise.

5     Take my will and make it Thine,
It shall be no longer mine;
Take my heart, it is Thine own,
It shall be Thy royal throne,
It shall be Thy royal throne.

6     Take my love, my Lord, I pour
At Thy feet its treasure store;
Take myself, and I will be
Ever, only, all for Thee,
Ever, only, all for Thee.

Text: Public domain

[1] Allen, Leslie C. Psalms 101–150. WBC 21. Accordance electronic edition, version 2.7. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1983. 315.

Psalm 138:7 Just Another Ordinary Day: With the Future in Sight

/ The Redeker Respite / Leave a comment

Friday, February 14, 2025

Just Another Ordinary Day: With the Future in Sight

138:7               Though I walk in the midst of trouble,

                        you preserve my life;

             you stretch out your hand against the wrath of my enemies,

                        and your right hand delivers me.

            David trusts Yhwh and knows that His promises are sure. David looks toward the future when all God’s promises will finally be fulfilled. Until that day, however, David knows that he still exists and lives in the midst of trouble. And so do we as we live out our lives in Christ in a fallen and broken world.

            David made a confession to Yhwh;

Though I walk in the midst of trouble,

                        you preserve my life;

             you stretch out your hand against the wrath of my enemies,

                        and your right hand delivers me.

            God is not only the creator of life, but He also preserves your life. We confess this in the First Article of the Apostles’ Creed;

I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth.

What does this mean?

I believe that God has made me and all creatures; that He has given me my body and soul, eyes, ears, and all my members, my reason and all my senses, and still takes care of them.

He also gives me clothing and shoes, food and drink, house and home, wife and children, land, animals, and all I have. He richly and daily provides me with all that I need to support this body and life.

He defends me against all danger and guards and protects me from all evil.

All this He does only out of fatherly, divine goodness and mercy, without any merit or worthiness in me. For all this it is my duty to thank and praise, serve and obey Him.

This is most certainly true.[1]

            Like David look to the certain future of God’s promises, which brought him strength in this life, so too the Christian. We know that Jesus is returning on the Last Day. That’s a “for certain” certainty. Until that Day God in Christ Jesus remains with you today.

411 I Want to Walk as a Child of the Light

2     I want to see the brightness of God.
I want to look at Jesus.
Clear Sun of Righteousness, shine on my path,
And show me the way to the Father. Refrain

ref  In Him there is no darkness at all.
The night and the day are both alike.
The Lamb is the light of the city of God.
Shine in my heart, Lord Jesus.

3     I’m looking for the coming of Christ.
I want to be with Jesus.
When we have run with patience the race,
We shall know the joy of Jesus. Refrain

Text: © 1970, 1975 Celebration. Used by permission: LSB Hymn License no. 110000694

[1] Luther, Martin. Luther’s Small Catechism with Explanation – 2017 Edition (p. 133).

Psalm 138:6 Just Another Ordinary Day: Is Jesus A Bowling Buddy or God?

/ The Redeker Respite / Leave a comment

Thursday, February 13, 2025
Just Another Ordinary Day: Is Jesus A Bowling Buddy or God?
 
Psalm 138:6   For though the LORD is high, he regards the lowly,
                        but the haughty he knows from afar.
 
            There are times in the Christian’s life when we can get really quite comfortable with Jesus. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. However, the Christian in his comfortableness dare not lose sight that Jesus is really God—the loving, merciful, compassionate God—but God, nonetheless.
            The excerpts below are from Ancient Church bishops and scholars.
 
God Watches over the Humble[1]
 
THE LORD OBSERVES THE LOWLY. AUGUSTINE: Perhaps because [the psalm] said, “The Lord is sublime and observes lowly things,” you say to yourself, “Then he does not observe me.” What could be more unfortunate than you, if he does not observe you but ignores you? Observing indicates compassion; ignoring indicates contempt. But no doubt, because the Lord observes lowly things, you imagine you escape his notice, because you are not humble or lowly, you are high and mighty, you are proud. That is not the way to be missed by the eyes of God. I mean, just see what it says there: “The Lord is sublime.” Sublime indeed. How are you going to get to him? Will you look for a ladder? Look for the wood of humility,5 and you have already gotten to him. “The Lord is sublime, he observes lowly things, but high and mighty things” (do not imagine you escape notice, you that are so proud) “but high and mighty things he knows from afar.” He knows them, all right, but from afar. “Salvation is far from sinners.”6 SERMON 70A.2.
 
GOD SEES THE PROUD FROM AFAR. AUGUSTINE: We have heard, and it is clear; we had gone outside, we have been sent within. “O would that I had found,” you said, “some high and lonely mountain! For, I believe, because God is on high, he hears me from a high place.” Because you are on a mountain, do you think that you are near God and that you are heard quickly, as if shouting from nearby? He dwells on high, but “he looks on the lowly.” “The Lord is near.” To whom? Perhaps to the high? “To those who are contrite of heart.” It is a wondrous thing: he both lives on high and draws near to the lowly. “He looks on the lowly, but the high he knows from afar.” He sees the proud from afar; the higher they seem to themselves, so much of the less does he approach them. TRACTATES ON THE GOSPEL OF JOHN 15.25.1.
 
LIFT UP YOUR HEARTS TO THE LORD. CAESARIUS OF ARLES: Today we are keeping the solemn festival of the ascension. If, therefore, we celebrate the Lord’s ascension in a manner that is right, holy, faithful, devout and pious, we must ascend with him and lift up our hearts. Now as we ascend, let us not be lifted up with pride or presume on our merits as if they were our own. For we ought indeed to lift up our hearts, but to the Lord alone. A heart lifted up but not to the Lord is called pride; a heart lifted up to the Lord is called a refuge. See, brethren, the great miracle. God is on high. You exalt yourself, and he flees from you; you humble yourself, and he descends to you. Why is this? Because “the Lord is exalted, yet the lowly he sees, and the proud he knows from afar.” He recognizes what is lowly from close at hand in order that he may raise it up; what is high, that is, what is proud, he knows from afar in order that he may bring it down. Christ truly arose from the dead in order to give us hope, because the person who dies rises again. He gave us assurance, so that we might not despair in dying and think our whole life ended in death. We were troubled about our very soul, but by rising from the dead he also gave us confidence in the resurrection of the body. SERMON 210.2.
 
729 I Am Trusting Thee, Lord Jesus
5     I am trusting Thee for power;
    Thine can never fail.
Words which Thou Thyself shalt give me
    Must prevail.
 
6     I am trusting Thee, Lord Jesus;
    Never let me fall.
I am trusting Thee forever
    And for all.
Text: Public domain


[1] Blaising, Craig A. and Carmen S. Hardin, eds., Psalms 51–150. ACCS 8. ICCS/Accordance electronic edition, version 2.6. Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2007. 381-382.
 

Psalm 138:4-5 Just Another Ordinary Day: Light Brings Darkness to Darkness

/ The Redeker Respite / Leave a comment

Wednesday, February 12, 2025

Just Another Ordinary Day: Light Brings Darkness to Darkness

Psalm 138:4    All the kings of the earth shall give you thanks, O

  LORD,

                        for they have heard the words of your mouth,

5          and they shall sing of the ways of the LORD,

                        for great is the glory of the LORD.

            Have you ever been in a very familiar room when it’s pitch-black in that room? Though it’s familiar, it’s still dark and the familiarity is all but gone. You move slowly through the room, maybe bumping your shin. You feel around in the air to make sure you don’t run into anything else while you’re also looking for the light switch, a flashlight, a candle, and match—ANYTHING to bring a little light into the room. RELIEF! A match was found.

            A little light dispels a bunch of darkness. A lot of light casts darkness into darkness.

            David is so thrilled with Yhwh’s help and promises that he simply can’t imagine he’s the only one to experience it. More need to hear about Yhwh and His awesomeness! David knew that, as Yhwh has acted in the past, so too there’s a whole lot more to come from Yhwh.

            Fast forward about 1000 years and we witness how Yhwh acted once again. God enfleshes all His glory in the Baby born in Bethlehem’s manger. The Light of God has come into the world, but this Light is still unknown to most people.

            Fast forward thirty-three more years to a cross on a hill. There God acts once again where Jesus exchanges His glory for our sins; where the Light of the world was extinguished for three days; where the King of all Creation wore, not a royal crown, but rather the crown for sinners.

            The world took notice on that first Easter morning when the Light of the world rose from the deepest darkness of the grave in all His majesty and glory, never to be extinguished again. Jesus called His first disciples to bring His light to those who seek God’s love in the darkness of this world.

            You have this Light. This Light has dispelled the darkness of sin and death in your life. The Light of Jesus has cast your darkness into darkness, never to concern you again.

            David saw a time when all the kings of the earth would know the LORD in the way He knew the LORD. David’s single life of praise was not enough for this most awesome God. Others just simply had to hear about Yhwh so that they too could know and experience Him in their lives.

            You have the Light of Christ indwelling in you so that you can share this hope and love with someone else; to praise Jesus along with you. Is there someone you know who is looking for a candle or match in their life?

411 I Want to Walk as a Child of the Light

1     I want to walk as a child of the light.
I want to follow Jesus.
God set the stars to give light to the world.
The star of my life is Jesus. Refrain

ref   In Him there is no darkness at all.
The night and the day are both alike.
The Lamb is the light of the city of God.
Shine in my heart, Lord Jesus.

Text: © 1970, 1975 Celebration. Used by permission: LSB Hymn License no. 110000694

Psalm 138:3 Just Another Ordinary Day: Eat Your Spinach

/ The Redeker Respite / Leave a comment

Tuesday, February 11, 2025

Just Another Ordinary Day: Eat Your Spinach

Psalm 138:3   On the day I called, you answered me;

                        my strength of soul you increased.

            Ok. I’m going to date myself again. When I was a kid, I always loved to watch Popeye, the Sailer Man. Whenever scrawny little Popeye got into a fix with Bluto the bully, or another scoundrel, he’d pull out a can of spinach, pour the whole thing down his throat, and then get some super-charged power to take out Bluto with one wallop.

             God was always there for David, and God is always there for you. Some days we need a little more spinach than other days; my strength of soul you increased. Scholars debate the Hebrew word used here for “increased,” and that’s ok. Things like this keeps them in academia.

            There’s one translation however, I like:

            You made me great;

            Into my soul came strength[1]

            When you’re having just another ordinary day—uhg!, remember that God is always with you and hears your prayers. Remember that Jesus had the worst, yet most important, “uhg!” day on the cross for you. There on the cross Jesus exchanged our “uhgs” for “wows!” When you were Baptized, God didn’t fill your hearts with spinach. He filled you with His Holy Spirit. When you receive the Lord’s Body and Blood in bread and wine, God reminds you that He is the One Who is in charge of your day, because He is the One Who gives you His might and strength to face the Blutos in life.

[1] Advocated by two scholars named Staerk and Kittle; Rüterswörden. Botterweck, G. Johannes, Helmer Ringgren, and Heinz-Josef Fabry, eds. Theological Dictionary of the Old Testament. Revised; Accordance electronic edition, version 1.4. 15 vols. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2006. Vol. 13.352.

“It’s Just Another Ordinary Day.” Oh Really?!

/ The Redeker Respite / Leave a comment

Thoughts & Devotions on Psalm 138

The 5th Sunday After Epiphany—C

Psalm 138

“It’s Just Another Ordinary Day.”

Oh Really??

Propers: 5th Sunday after Epiphany; Series C

Isa 6:1-8, 9-13

   It was just another ordinary day for Isaiah. He went to the temple as he had always done before. Today, however, would be not “just another ordinary day” for him. God gave him a unique experience that changed his life from that day forward. God allowed Isaiah to experience and see God’s eternal council. It was real as he experienced it all with his five senses; he saw, he smelled, he heard, he felt, and he tasted the burning coal.

   Rather than condemning Isaiah, like he thought would happen to him, Yhwh did what He always enjoys doing; He forgave Isaiah his sins and restored a sinner to the holiness he needed to be in the presence of the almighty and all-holy God. The LORD then commissioned Isaiah for His purpose. In his renewed life and spirit, Isaiah went out to do the LORD’s work.

1Cor 14:12-20

   Paul challenged the Corinthian Christians to use their God-given gifts directed in the proper way. Rather than striving to see who was the best, or who belonged to what group in the congregation, Paul directed their attention and efforts to do things God’s way. Rather than doing things for their own purposes, Paul reminds them that they were to do things for God’s purpose since it was God who called them God who made them Saints in His eyes (1Corinthians 1:2), God who gave them their various gifts, and God who by His Holy Spirit dwelled among them and empowered them for service. “Are there any further questions?”, asks Paul. “If not, then excel in building up Christ’s Church.”

Luke 5:1-11

   It was just another ordinary day for Peter and the other fishermen. They had come in from a long time of fishing catching nothing. They’re probably tired, pooped out, and frustrated.

   Jesus is just in the beginning of His earthly ministry and He’s seeking helpers. Why not fishermen? Well, yes. They’re rough around the edges, but God uses some of the unlikely people to carry out His work.

   Jesus tells Peter and the others to give it one more try, so at His word they do. Never have they ever witnessed, let alone experienced for themselves, something of this magnitude. Certainly, this Jesus is no ordinary mortal.

   Like Isaiah, they realized they were in the presence of God. At that moment, like Isaiah, they realized that they were sinners who should not be in the presence of this Jesus. Nevertheless, this is why Jesus came to earth as one of us. He came to save sinners, restore them with His holy precious blood and His resurrection. And He came to commission and use broken sinners for His work for His Kingdom.

Collect: O Lord, keep Your family the Church continually in the true faith that, relying on the hope of Your heavenly grace, we may ever be defended by Your mighty power. Amen.

826 Hark, the Voice of Jesus Crying

1      Hark, the voice of Jesus crying,
    “Who will go and work today?
Fields are white and harvests waiting—
    Who will bear the sheaves away?”
Loud and long the Master calleth;
    Rich reward He offers thee.
Who will answer, gladly saying,
    “Here am I, send me, send me”?

2     If you cannot speak like angels,
    If you cannot preach like Paul,
You can tell the love of Jesus,
    You can say He died for all.
If you cannot rouse the wicked
    With the judgment’s dread alarms,
You can lead the little children
    To the Savior’s waiting arms.

3     If you cannot be a watchman,
    Standing high on Zion’s wall,
Pointing out the path to heaven,
    Off’ring life and peace to all,
With your prayers and with your bounties
    You can do what God commands;
You can be like faithful Aaron,
    Holding up the prophet’s hands.

4     Let none hear you idly saying,
    “There is nothing I can do,”
While the multitudes are dying
    And the Master calls for you.
Take the task He gives you gladly,
    Let His work your pleasure be;
Answer quickly when He calleth,
    “Here am I, send me, send me!”

Text: Public domain

Summary/Overview of Psalm 138

New window, fresh eyes

       It was one of those occasions when a single experience opened up a whole new vista—on the nature of the Lord (1-3), the future of the world (4-6) and personal security (7-8). Of the experience itself we only know that prayer was answered in a way that gave David new vitality so that he wanted to sing the Lord’s praise into the face of every so–called ‘god’. He felt he knew the Lord as never before (2). He knew that no trouble or foe (7) could ever beat him or prevent the realisation of the Lord’s purpose (8).

       Maybe it all happened in 2 Samuel 5:17-21 when the Philistines challenged David’s infant kingdom, and in answer to enquiring of the Lord, a signal victory was won and the ‘gods’ of Philistia became the litter of battle. Maybe, but it all arose simply through prayer and answered prayer. The place of prayer is the place where the Lord’s revelation of himself takes on new dimensions (2), the place of renewal (3), world–vision (4) and confidence in God (7-8).[1]

Overview: A sincere confession of sins means confession of all sins, not just a particular sin or one category of sin (JEROME). God-pleasing worship includes, among other things, an awareness that we are praising God in the presence of angels (BEDE). God directs his attention to those who are humble and lowly; the proud and mighty he knows only from a distance (AUGUSTINE). We must lift up our hearts only to God; to lift them up to anyone else is pride (CAESARIUS).[2]

[1] Motyer, J.A. The Psalms. New Bible Commentary: 21st Century Edition. Edited by D. A Carson, R. T France, J. A. Motyer, and Gordon J. Wenham. Accordance electronic edition, version 2.3. Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 1994. 577.

[2] Blaising, Craig A. and Carmen S. Hardin, eds., Psalms 51–150. ACCS 8. ICCS/Accordance electronic edition, version 2.6. Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2007. 331.

Monday, February 10, 2025

Just Another Ordinary Day: Uhg or Wow!

Psalm 138:1    I give you thanks, O LORD, with my whole heart;

                        before the gods I sing your praise;

2          I bow down toward your holy temple

and give thanks to your name for your steadfast     love and your faithfulness,

                        for you have exalted above all things

                        your name and your word.

            “It’s just another day. Uhg!” “It’s just another day! Wow!” What’s your attitude when you wake up in the morning, especially a Monday morning when the work or school week is facing you? When Monday arrives it sure seems like a looooong road to Friday! How you awake can affect how you’re going to go through the day, or the week for that matter.

            King David had a Wow! attitude in this Psalm. He knew how Yhwh had acted on his behalf in the past and in the present. With a bold approach David comes before Yhwh with a Wow! in his heart; before the gods I will sing your praise! Yhwh had been with him through thick and thin, and Yhwh promised to be there for David today and into the future.

            Yet David also knew that he was in the presence of Yhwh. He knew that he really didn’t deserve to be there; I bow down toward Your holy temple. This is what happened to Isaiah when he actually witnessed Yhwh upon His throne and saw into the heavenly, eternal council. This is what happened to the fishermen in Luke 5 when they realized that this Jesus is no ordinary man.

            In both cases, however, God acted in His grace and mercy. He restored Isaiah and used him for His purpose. Isaiah was ecstatic because of what Yhwh had done for him; Here am I! Send me! Every day after that was a far different just another day.

            Your sins have been forgiven, which really means quite a lot when you truly consider your sins against the almighty, holy, and righteous God. This moves the Christian to humble boldness as we awake each day—even on Monday mornings.

   Have an “it’s just another day! Wow!!”  today.

729 I Am Trusting Thee, Lord Jesus

2     I am trusting Thee for pardon;
    At Thy feet I bow,
For Thy grace and tender mercy
    Trusting now.

3     I am trusting Thee for cleansing
    In the crimson flood;
Trusting Thee to make me holy
    By Thy blood.

Text: Public domain

Have You Been Around The Block–With God? Psalm 71

/ The Redeker Respite / Leave a comment

Hi Family! Getting back track with the Daily Devos as well. Below are the devotions from this week all in one fell-swoop. These are on Psalm 71.

Have you been around the block? The older we get the more we’ve “been around the block,” as the old saying goes. There’s wisdom from those who have been around the block. God’s been around the block since eternity!

The Fourth Sunday after Epiphany

Series C

Psalm 71

Have You Been Around the Block A Few Times?

God’s Been Around The Block From The Beginning of Eternity

The Propers for the Fourth Sunday After Epiphany, Series C

Collect of the Day

Almighty God, You know we live in the midst of so many dangers that in our frailty we cannot stand upright. Grant strength and protection to support us in all dangers and carry us through all temptations; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Old Testament Reading: Jeremiah 1:4-10, 17-19

   This is known as the call of Jeremiah. Jeremiah was young when God called him to be His prophet. Jeremiah was inexperienced. Afterall, he hadn’t even been a quarter of the way around the block, let alone living a life that goes around the block a few times.

   God assures Jeremiah not to worry. God knew him long before he was born. God was with him at that moment, and God would be with Jeremiah every moment of his life.

Epistle Reading: 1Corinthians 12:31-13:13

   This reading is read very often at Christian weddings, and understandably so. Paul speaks about love. However, in context this reading isn’t simply for Christian weddings. This reading is for ALL Christians as we travel around the block of life.

   As we go around the block year after year we encounter all kinds of people. These people are in our own families. These people are in our places of work and school. These people are in the circles of our daily lives. And, when you think about it, we too are in the circles of other Christian’s lives, so these words apply to them when they encounter us.

   Substitute the name “Christ Jesus” every time you read the word “love” and see how this passage applies to you as you go around the block with God.

The Gospel Reading: Luke 4:31-44

   Jesus begins His healing ministry, and it begins by taking care of the devil and demons and putting them in their place. I personally know a couple of people who have worked in this realm, and I have absolutely no reason to doubt that the devil and demons continue their work to this very day. We should not discount this, but we shouldn’t focus and freak out about this either.

   Behind every problem and “nothing good” is the kingdom of darkness. Jesus’ healing ministry shows us what life eternal will be like for all people when He returns and our trip around the block of life comes to an end. Until that day, we commend everything over to our heavenly Father Who’s been around the block since the beginning of eternity.

Luther’s Morning Prayer

I thank You, my heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ, Your dear Son, that You have kept me this night from all harm and danger; and I pray that You would keep me this day also from sin and every evil, that all my doings and life may please You. For into Your hands I commend myself, my body and soul, and all things. Let Your holy angel be with me, that the evil foe may have no power over me. Amen.

Luther’s Evening Prayer

I thank You, my heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ, Your dear Son, that You have graciously kept me this day; and I pray that You would forgive me all my sins where I have done wrong, and graciously keep me this night. For into Your hands I commend myself, my body and soul, and all things. Let Your holy angel be with me, that the evil foe may have no power over me. Amen.

Psalm 71

1          In you, O LORD, do I take refuge;

                        let me never be put to shame!

2          In your righteousness deliver me and rescue me;

                        incline your ear to me, and save me!

3          Be to me a rock of refuge,

                        to which I may continually come;

             you have given the command to save me,

                        for you are my rock and my fortress.

4          Rescue me, O my God, from the hand of the wicked,

                        from the grasp of the unjust and cruel man.

5          For you, O Lord, are my hope,

                        my trust, O LORD, from my youth.

6          Upon you I have leaned from before my birth;

                        you are he who took me from my mother’s womb.

             My praise is continually of you.

7          I have been as a portent to many,

                        but you are my strong refuge.

8          My mouth is filled with your praise,

                        and with your glory all the day.

9          Do not cast me off in the time of old age;

                        forsake me not when my strength is spent.

10        For my enemies speak concerning me;

                        those who watch for my life consult together

11        and say, “God has forsaken him;

                        pursue and seize him,

                        for there is none to deliver him.”

12        O God, be not far from me;

                        O my God, make haste to help me!

13        May my accusers be put to shame and consumed;

                        with scorn and disgrace may they be covered

                        who seek my hurt.

14        But I will hope continually

                        and will praise you yet more and more.

15        My mouth will tell of your righteous acts,

                        of your deeds of salvation all the day,

                        for their number is past my knowledge.

16        With the mighty deeds of the Lord GOD I will come;

                        I will remind them of your righteousness, yours alone.

17        O God, from my youth you have taught me,

                        and I still proclaim your wondrous deeds.

18        So even to old age and gray hairs,

                        O God, do not forsake me,

             until I proclaim your might to another generation,

                        your power to all those to come.

19        Your righteousness, O God,

                        reaches the high heavens.

             You who have done great things,

                        O God, who is like you?

20        You who have made me see many troubles and calamities

                        will revive me again;

             from the depths of the earth

                        you will bring me up again.

21        You will increase my greatness

                        and comfort me again.

22        I will also praise you with the harp

                        for your faithfulness, O my God;

             I will sing praises to you with the lyre,

                        O Holy One of Israel.

23        My lips will shout for joy,

                        when I sing praises to you;

                        my soul also, which you have redeemed.

24        And my tongue will talk of your righteous help all the day long,

             for they have been put to shame and disappointed

                        who sought to do me hurt.

Monday, February 3, 2025

Going Around the Block With God: He’s Always There

1          In you, O LORD, do I take refuge;

                        let me never be put to shame!

2          In your righteousness deliver me and rescue me;

                        incline your ear to me, and save me!

3          Be to me a rock of refuge,

                        to which I may continually come;

             you have given the command to save me,

                        for you are my rock and my fortress.

            Are you pessimistic or optimistic about the future? Maybe it depends on your age or what generation you’re in. I recently heard that that GenZ is pessimistic on the American Dream—owning their own home—because of the current state of the economy, the interest and mortgage rates, the inventory of homes available, and the increasing prices of available inventory. I guess if I were GenZ, I might be a little pessimistic as well.

            It doesn’t matter if your age puts you in GenZ, Millenialists, GenY, or the Silent Generation. Every age, every generation, every century and millennia has its challenges. As times change there are two constants. One constant is that there will always be change. The other constant is that God NEVER changes.

            The Psalmist is in his old age as he writes this psalm. He’s been around the block. The one thing he knows for sure is that he’s never too old for God. No one ever outgrows his or her need for the Lord in their life.

            God is the One in Whom we take refuge because God is faithful. God will never ever disavow Himself of you. That’s the promise He made to you in your Baptism.

            God’s righteousness is not something that’s abstract. His righteousness is action, and that righteousness is seen in full display on the cross.

            God is your rock of refuge. He’s not a pebble, and He’s not a big stone. God is a rock, an immovable boulder as evidenced on the boulder of Calvary. Jesus’ arms are always open 24-hours a day, 7-days each week, 52-weeks out of the year.

656 A Mighty Fortress Is Our God

1     A mighty fortress is our God,
    A trusty shield and weapon;
He helps us free from ev’ry need
    That hath us now o’ertaken.
The old evil foe
Now means deadly woe;
    Deep guile and great might
    Are his dread arms in fight;
On earth is not his equal.

Text: Public domain

Tuesday, February 4, 2025

Going Around the Block With God: He Knew You Before Time Even Started

4          Rescue me, O my God, from the hand of the wicked,

                        from the grasp of the unjust and cruel man.

5          For you, O Lord, are my hope,

                        my trust, O LORD, from my youth.

6          Upon you I have leaned from before my birth;

                        you are he who took me from my mother’s womb.

             My praise is continually of you.

            The Psalmist seems to be playing Monday morning quarterback. After all, isn’t it always easier to see what’s going on after the fact? However, the Psalmist is still in the game of life, and so are we.

            The Psalmist didn’t know exactly what awaited him in the future, except for death. He knew that. The older we get the more attuned we are to our mortality as each day brings us one

step closer to Death’s door.

            The Psalmist knew something about God, however. He knew that God was always faithful even when the Psalmist wasn’t faithful to God. It’s God’s constant and never-changing faithfulness in which he trusted, and he trusted God from his youth.

            God knew the Psalmist. And God knows you. God knew you way back from the beginning of eternity. It was His plan to bring you into His very good creation. Yes. Satan disrupted God’s creation, but the devil can never disrupt God’s plan nor God’s plan for you.

            “Hope” is an expectation, an optimistic outlook. The only reason the Psalmist and we can have an optimistic outlook is because of Jesus’ perfect life lived for you, His death on the cross for the complete and total forgiveness of everyone’s sins, and His resurrection leading to the new and perfect life freed from any consequences of sin.

            This hope has an eternal home in the Christian’s heart. This hope has an eternal home in your heart too. You are a part of God’s plan; therefore, you can lean on Jesus at any time.

Wednesday, February 5,  2025

Going Around the Block With God: Escape To Reality

7          I have been as a portent to many,

                        but you are my strong refuge.

8          My mouth is filled with your praise,

                        and with your glory all the day.

9          Do not cast me off in the time of old age;

                        forsake me not when my strength is spent.

10        For my enemies speak concerning me;

                        those who watch for my life consult together

11        and say, “God has forsaken him;

                        pursue and seize him,

                        for there is none to deliver him.”

            Aging is difficult. There’s no doubt about that. Our bodies give way to time as parts wear out. The older we get the more we attend funerals of our friends and family members. For some, maybe for many, the retirements we dreamed about don’t seem to materialize for one reason or another.

            The unbelieving world may look at the Christian in these circumstances and say silently or out loud, “Where is your God? Maybe He’s forsaken you. Maybe He’s not real at all.”

            The Psalmist has been around the block a number of times, and he’s been around the block all those times with God. There’s a different reality he knows, and that reality is God’s reality for him. He looks back on his long life and remembers how God has always been with him and seen him through the good as well as the tough times. We know this because he continues to come back to God; the same God of his youth, the same God of his middle-age, and this is the same God in his old age.

            YOU are my strong refuge. My mouth is filled with YOUR praise; and with YOUR glory all the day.

            God’s reality for the Psalmist is the same reality for you, despite what the world, the devil, or our pasts and sins say otherwise. Your enemies of sin, death, and the devil will not succeed. They’ve been defeated at the cross and the empty Easter tomb. Because of this, God will never leave you nor forsake you.

656 A Mighty Fortress Is Our God

2     With might of ours can naught be done,
    Soon were our loss effected;
But for us fights the valiant One,
    Whom God Himself elected.
Ask ye, Who is this?
Jesus Christ it is,
    Of Sabaoth Lord,
    And there’s none other God;
He holds the field forever.

Text: Public domain

Thursday, February 6, 2025

Going Around the Block With God: Count Your Blessings, Name Them One By One

12        O God, be not far from me;

                        O my God, make haste to help me!

13        May my accusers be put to shame and consumed;

                        with scorn and disgrace may they be covered

                        who seek my hurt.

14        But I will hope continually

                        and will praise you yet more and more.

15        My mouth will tell of your righteous acts,

                        of your deeds of salvation all the day,

                        for their number is past my knowledge.

16        With the mighty deeds of the Lord GOD I will come;

                        I will remind them of your righteousness, yours alone.

            Verse 13 seems rather odd, and on the surface very non-Christian like. Are we to wish that our accusers to be put to shame? Are we not supposed to love them according to Jesus’ own words? Absolutely! We are to love them!

            The Psalmist is not wishing these things upon his enemies. After all, no one is righteous, no not one, including you and me. While we still enemies of God, He sent Jesus to die on the cross for us all. The Psalmist predicts what will happen to them if they don’t repent and turn to Jesus.[1]

            The Psalmist returns to his own situation. He knows that he’s accepted God’s reality for him, which is God’s undeserved and unmerited grace and forgiveness. After being around the block so many times with God the Psalmist continues to count his blessings from the LORD and praises Him for them. Likewise, he doesn’t want to keep these a secret, but rather he lives them out daily.

            When life in this broken world, and your sins begin to get the best of you, go around the block with God counting your blessings. Begin with your Baptism and see what God has done, and continues to do for you. God has blessed you in so many innumerable ways!

656 A Mighty Fortress Is Our God

3     Though devils all the world should fill,
    All eager to devour us,
We tremble not, we fear no ill;
    They shall not overpow’r us.
This world’s prince may still
Scowl fierce as he will,
    He can harm us none.
    He’s judged; the deed is done;
One little word can fell him.

Text: Public domain

Friday, February 7, 2025

Going Around the Block With God: The Best Is Yet To Come

Psa. 71:17       O God, from my youth you have taught me,

                        and I still proclaim your wondrous deeds.

18        So even to old age and gray hairs,

                        O God, do not forsake me,

             until I proclaim your might to another generation,

                        your power to all those to come.

19        Your righteousness, O God,

                        reaches the high heavens.

             You who have done great things,

                        O God, who is like you?

20        You who have made me see many troubles and calamities

                        will revive me again;

             from the depths of the earth

                        you will bring me up again.

21        You will increase my greatness

                        and comfort me again.

            Yup. The older we get the more we experience life—the good, the bad, and the ugly. Those who have been around the block a number of times have gained wisdom through all these experiences.

            I’ve met many people who have been around the block and are bitter. And I’ve met many people who have been around the block who, though having gone through very tough times, remain thankful to God for having Jesus in their life. In fact, a common confession that I often hear is, “I don’t know how people can go through life without Jesus.”

            This is what the Psalmist says in so many words. It’s very easy to become bitter with life, with others, and sometimes with ourselves. However, the Christian looks forward. He knows the best is yet to come. The Christian’s view of life begins at the cross and the empty Easter tomb. There is where the unholy trinity of sin, death, and the devil have been completely defeated.

            The older a Christian gets, the more he sees the grace and mercy of God who sees him through thick and thin. The Christian believes that, no matter what may come his way, the best is yet to come because the best will happen when Jesus returns on the last day.

            Until that time older Christians have a lot of valuable wisdom to share with the younger generation of Christians. The older ones have been through the wilderness of life and have experienced God’s grace and presence. The younger Christians are truly open to hearing about these things because they want to know how God works in the life of Christians. Who better to hear this from than from older Christians who have been through these things—who have been around the block with God? This is what the aged Psalmist does; he proclaims God’s might and goodness to the next generation. That’s because the older Christians can look back on a long trail of trust in God.

            For those of you who are older Christians (remember that fine wine is aged wine!), who do you know who are younger in church or your daily circles who could benefit from your experiences with God in your life? For those who are younger Christians, tap into the lives and experiences of older Christians so that you too may see how God works.

            As you go around the block with God, the best is still to come!

656 A Mighty Fortress Is Our God

4     The Word they still shall let remain
    Nor any thanks have for it;
He’s by our side upon the plain
    With His good gifts and Spirit.
And take they our life,
Goods, fame, child, and wife,
    Though these all be gone,
    Our vict’ry has been won;
The Kingdom ours remaineth.

Text: Public domain

Saturday, February 8, 2025

Going Around the Block With God: Praise Him All Along The Way

Psa. 71:22       I will also praise you with the harp

                        for your faithfulness, O my God;

             I will sing praises to you with the lyre,

                        O Holy One of Israel.

23        My lips will shout for joy,

                        when I sing praises to you;

                        my soul also, which you have redeemed.

24        And my tongue will talk of your righteous help all the day long,

             for they have been put to shame and disappointed

                        who sought to do me hurt.

            As with verse 13, so too with verse 24b. This is not a vindictive wish upon the enemies. The Psalmist is not showing a malicious ill will and a desire to hurt or despise his enemies. Rather, God’s faithfulness to the Psalmist will be played out by God.

            The Christian lives each day in the faithfulness of God as demonstrated in the cross. God is not just any god; He is my God. He is the Holy One Whose holiness continues to work and fill this world. He is the Holy One who has claimed you and given you the rights and privileges that go along with living in His Kingdom which has no end. And God has made you a part of His eternal grand plan through faith in His Holy Son, Jesus.

            The older we get, the more we go around the block. Regardless of our age, it’s merely a blink of an eye to God. He’s been around the block since the beginning of eternity. The devil will try to convince us otherwise, but he’s only been around the block since the beginning of time, not the beginning of eternity.

            Continue to trust God in any and all situations. God goes around the block with you every step of the way as the best is yet to come.

[1] H. C. Leupold, Exposition of the Psalms (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1959), 514.

Psalm 138:6 & 8 Just Another Day?

/ The Redeker Respite / Leave a comment

Hello Family!!

Yup. It’s been a LONG time since posting these. Lots of things in December and January, and I simply got out of the habit. I have someone who will be keeping me on task.

Do you have those days when it’s “just another day?” You go along day after day in your regular routine. It’s predictable–for good or for ill. But what if today wasn’t just another day? What if tomorrow wasn’t just another day as well?

Isaiah, Peter, and the others with Peter found out that, with God, your life isn’t just another day.

Reading for Epiphany 5C: Isaiah 6:1-13; Psalm 138; 1Corinthians 14:12-20; Luke 5:1-11

Click Here for the message.

I love you guys! Dad

Psalm 93:1a BIG ANNOUNCEMENT: The Matter Is Settled!

/ The Redeker Respite / Leave a comment

The Last Sunday of The Church Year

Good Morning Family!

Yup. It’s been a few weeks since I’ve posted. I apologize and I’ll try to get a couple of them up. But I wanted to make sure I “end the year” by getting back on. End of the year? “Dad, have you lost it? There’s still over a month left. We still have Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, and then it’s the New Year!”

Well, yes. According to that particular calendar. However, the Church Calendar runs differently. It begins with Advent 1 (next week) and runs through The Last Sunday of the Church Year (this week). And this week there’s a BIG ANNOUNCEMENT that I didn’t want you to miss.

Readings for Proper 29B (Last Sunday of the Church Year); Isaiah 51:4-6, Psalm 93, Jude 20-25, Mark 13:24-37

Click Here for message

I love you guys! Dad