Have you ever been to a celebration where everyone joined in?

Maybe it was a wedding reception where people of all ages crowded onto the dance floor. Or perhaps it was a sporting event where thousands of fans stood and cheered together. Even people who are normally quiet can get caught up in the excitement.

There’s something wonderful about a celebration that brings everyone together. That’s how the book of Psalms ends.

Psalm 150 is one great invitation to praise the Lord.

The psalmist calls for trumpets, harps, lyres, tambourines, strings, pipes, and cymbals. It’s quite a collection of instruments! Strike up the band and the orchestra! Then, after calling for all those instruments, the psalm ends with an invitation that includes everyone:

“Let everything that has breath praise the Lord!”

What a way to end the book of Psalms!

Think about everything in the book of Psalms.

• We’ve heard David cry out to God in suffering.
• We’ve wrestled with the prosperity of the wicked.
• We’ve confessed our sins and rejoiced in God’s forgiveness.
• We’ve been reminded of God’s care in times of trouble.
• We’ve His faithfulness in times of uncertainty.
• And we’ve experienced His steadfast love that endures forever.

The Psalms have taken us through nearly every emotion we experience in life. And we will still experience the struggles and joys of life, both highs and lows. But now, at the end, we’re invited to praise the Lord.

Why?

The psalmist tells us:

“Praise him for his mighty deeds; praise him according to his excellent greatness!”

We praise God because of who He is and what He has done.

We praise Him because we know whether we are in a high or low of our life, there is another reality that always exists. God is good, He loves and cares for us, and His mercies never come to an end.

And as Christians, we have the greatest reason of all to praise Him.

Jesus Christ has redeemed us.

Through His death on the cross, He has paid for our sins. Through His resurrection, He has defeated death. Through His Word and Sacraments, He continues to give us His gifts of forgiveness, life, and salvation.

Because of Jesus, we know that our present troubles are not the end of the story.

One day, Christ will return. The dead will be raised, and all who belong to Him will live in His presence forever. The suffering, sorrow, struggles, and sin of this present life will be gone.

If you think the celebration at the end of Psalms is big, imagine the celebration when Christ returns!

Revelation gives us a glimpse of it. People from every nation, tribe, people, and language stand before God’s throne, praising Him and the Lamb.

The praise that fills Psalm 150 will continue into eternity, but we don’t have to wait until then to join in.

Every Sunday, when Christians gather for worship, our voices join with the whole Church in praising the Lord. We sing with believers around the world and with the saints who have gone before us. And throughout the week, we praise God as we receive His gifts with thanksgiving and use them to love and serve our neighbors.

As we’ve read through Psalms, we’ve seen that the Psalms give us words for every season of life. When we’re afraid, we can pray the Psalms. When we’re grieving, we can lament. When we’ve sinned, we can confess. When we’re thankful, we can rejoice.

Whatever we’re experiencing, we can bring it before the Lord and there’s probably a Psalm that fits the situation.

And through it all, we have a Savior who hears us, loves us, and has promised never to forsake us.

So, let’s finish today where the Psalms finish.

“Praise the Lord!”

Let’s pray…

Heavenly Father,

Thank You for the gift of the Psalms and for all that You have taught me through Your Word. Thank You for hearing my prayers, forgiving my sins, and caring for me in every season of life. Above all, thank You for Jesus Christ, whose death and resurrection have given me eternal life. Fill my heart with praise and thanksgiving, and help me to glorify You in all that I do until the day I join all Your people in praising You forever.

Amen.

As part of your devotion time, I encourage you to also pray for at least some of the following:

• Your family
• Your local church
• Your pastor
• Some of your fellow church members
• The people on your B.L.E.S.S. list
• Your country and her leaders
• Your community

After praying for these people, you may want to finish your devotion time with the Lord’s Prayer…

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. They will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom and the power, and the glory, forever and every. Amen.

Have you found wisdom?

Imagine discovering that someone has been trying to give you something incredibly valuable, but you’ve been too busy to notice. They’ve called, sent messages, and even come looking for you. Yet somehow, you’ve managed to miss every opportunity.

That’s something like the picture we find in Proverbs 8.

Throughout the book of Proverbs, we’ve been encouraged to seek wisdom. We’ve been told to treasure it, pursue it, and value it more than silver or gold.

But here, the picture changes. Wisdom is looking for us.

Proverbs describes wisdom as a woman standing at the crossroads and calling out to everyone who passes by. She isn’t hiding in some distant place where only the most intelligent or educated people can find her. She’s out in the open, inviting ordinary people to listen and learn.

And her invitation is for everyone.

That’s an appropriate place to conclude our thirty days in Proverbs, because Biblical wisdom has never been merely about becoming smarter or learning how to make better decisions.

It’s about knowing God and learning to live in His ways.

• We’ve explored what that means in our relationships, our work, our finances, our words, and our attitudes.
• We’ve considered the dangers of pride, anger, envy, and dishonesty.
• We’ve been reminded of the importance of generosity, humility, diligence, and trust.

And if you’ve been paying attention, you’ve probably noticed something along the way.

Living wisely is harder than it sounds.

It’s one thing to know that a gentle answer turns away wrath. It’s another to respond gently when someone has just insulted you. Similarly, it’s one thing to recognize that pride leads to destruction. It’s another to recognize pride in ourselves.

Even when we know the wise thing to do, we don’t always do it.

That’s why we need more than good advice. We need a Savior.

There’s something remarkable about the way the New Testament speaks of Jesus. The apostle Paul calls Christ

“the power of God and the wisdom of God” (1 Corinthians 1:24).

He also tells us that Christ has become for us wisdom from God, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption (1 Corinthians 1:30).

In Proverbs 8, wisdom is personified as a woman who was with God before the creation of the world. Christians have long recognized a connection between this description and Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God through whom all things were made.

That doesn’t mean every detail of Proverbs 8 is a direct description of Jesus. Proverbs uses poetry to teach us about wisdom. But the New Testament reveals that God’s wisdom finds its fullest expression in Christ.

And what does that wisdom look like? A Savior hanging on a cross.

To the world, the cross looked like foolishness. How could a man being executed as a criminal possibly be God’s answer to humanity’s greatest problems? Yet through that cross, God accomplished what no amount of human wisdom could ever achieve.

Jesus took our sin upon Himself. He suffered the judgment we deserved. And through His death and resurrection, He has given us forgiveness and eternal life.

That’s the wisdom of God.

As we finish these thirty days, I hope you’ve gained some practical wisdom for everyday life. I hope you’ve been encouraged to think more carefully about your decisions, your relationships, and the way you use the gifts God has given you.

But even more than that, I hope you’ve been drawn closer to Jesus.

Because ultimately, the goal of biblical wisdom isn’t to become the kind of person who never makes a mistake. It’s to know the Lord, trust His promises, and walk in His ways.

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,
and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.” (Proverbs 9:10)

And when we stumble, as we inevitably will, we return to the One who has already rescued us.

Proverbs began by telling us that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge.

That’s where wisdom begins.

And as Christians, we know the Lord who has revealed Himself to us in Jesus Christ, His Holy One.

Remember what Proverbs 8 has told us, Wisdom is calling. This, also we see most clearly in Jesus. We said wisdom doesn’t hide and neither did Jesus. He came to us in the flesh. He continues to come to us in His Word and sacraments.

So keep listening to His Word. Keep learning. Keep growing in wisdom. Above all, keep looking to Christ. For in Him, we have something far greater than the wisdom to navigate this life.

We have life itself.

Let’s pray…

Heavenly Father,

Thank You for the wisdom You have shared with me through Your Word. Forgive me for the many times I have ignored Your instruction and followed my own foolish desires. Continue to teach me to live wisely in my relationships, my work, and every part of my life. Above all, thank You for sending Your Son, Jesus Christ, who is Your wisdom and our Savior. Through His death and resurrection, You have given me forgiveness, righteousness, and eternal life. Keep me growing in faith and wisdom, always trusting in Christ and looking forward to the day when I will live with You forever. In Jesus’ name.

Amen.

As part of your devotion time, I encourage you to also pray for at least some of the following:

• Your family
• Your local church
• Your pastor
• Some of your fellow church members
• The people on your B.L.E.S.S. list
• Your country and her leaders
• Your community

After praying for these people, you may want to finish your devotion time with the Lord’s Prayer…

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. They will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom and the power, and the glory, forever and every. Amen.

Daily Prayers

How do you begin your day?

Perhaps you reach for your phone to check the time, read your messages, or see what’s happening in the world. Maybe you head straight for the coffee maker or start getting the kids ready for school.

Whatever your routine, it probably doesn’t take long before your attention turns to everything that needs to get done.

Martin Luther, and indeed God’s Word, has a suggestion for how Christians should begin their day.

Pray.

Near the end of the Small Catechism, Luther includes prayers for the morning and evening, along with prayers to use before and after meals. They are simple prayers, intended to help Christians make prayer a regular part of everyday life.

Luther’s Morning Prayer begins with thanksgiving to God for keeping us through the night. Then it asks Him to protect us from sin and every evil throughout the coming day.

His Evening Prayer follows a similar pattern, thanking God for His protection during the day, asking forgiveness for our sins, and entrusting ourselves to His care through the night.

There’s something beautiful about that rhythm.

In the morning, we place the day ahead into God’s hands. In the evening, we acknowledge that the day has been in His hands all along. And throughout the day, we pause to thank Him for His provision.

These prayers reflect something we’ve been learning throughout this series: the Christian life is a life of receiving from God.

Think back over the past devotions in this series.

We began with the Ten Commandments, which showed us God’s holy will and revealed how far we fall short of it. We learned that sin isn’t limited to outward actions but reaches into our thoughts, desires, and motives.

Then we turned to the Apostles’ Creed and heard what God has done for us. The Father created and preserves us. The Son redeemed us through His death and resurrection. The Holy Spirit calls us to faith and keeps us in Christ.

In the Lord’s Prayer, we learned to approach God as our loving Father, bringing Him our needs and trusting in His promises. Those needs are of both body and soul and we remember that it was Jesus who taught us to pray for these things. If God asks us to pray for them, He wants to provide them.

Through Baptism, the Lord’s Supper, and Confession and Absolution, we saw how God continues to deliver His forgiveness and strengthen our faith. God continues to come to us. His work sustains us.

Now, at the end of the catechism, we come back to something remarkably ordinary.

Getting up in the morning. Eating meals. Going to bed at night.

Because Christianity isn’t simply something we practice for an hour on Sunday or during a few minutes of devotion.

Our faith shapes our whole life.

Like everything else, we don’t do this perfectly. We don’t always remember to pray. Some mornings are rushed. Some evenings we fall asleep before we finish our prayers. There are days when our thoughts are so consumed by problems that we barely acknowledge God at all.

And even when we do pray, our minds wander and our words sometimes feel empty. I’ve had plenty of morning where I woke up, started to pray, and then five minutes later realized I thinking about something entirely different and had to bring my mind back to the prayer.

But our relationship with God doesn’t depend on how consistently we maintain our devotional routines.

It depends on Christ.

Jesus lived in perfect fellowship with His Father. He prayed throughout His earthly ministry, and even as He died on the cross, He entrusted His spirit into His Father’s hands.

Through His death and resurrection, He has reconciled us to God. Because of Him, we can approach our heavenly Father with confidence, knowing that He hears us and loves us.

So when you forget to pray, you can begin again. When your mind wanders, you can return to His promises. When you don’t know what to say, you can use the words Jesus taught us or the prayers Luther provided.

Prayer isn’t about impressing God with our devotion. It’s about living in the relationship He has graciously given us.

I think that’s the beauty of this. These simple prayers throughout the day are more than just the words that we are praying or the things we are praying for. They return us to our God and Father. They remind us that we need Him and rely on Him. They remind us that He loves and cares for us. This strengthens our relationship with God and teaches us to trust Him in the bigger things…in all things.

And that’s a fitting place to end our journey through the catechism.

We haven’t learned everything there is to know about the Christian faith. Far from it! The catechism is something we can return to throughout our lives, continually growing in our understanding of God’s Word and promises. And, of course, God’s Word continues to teach, transform, and strengthen us throughout our lives.

But everything we’ve studied brings us back to the same wonderful truth:

Our lives are in God’s hands.

The Father who created you, the Son who redeemed you, and the Holy Spirit who called you to faith will continue to care for you.

So tomorrow morning, when you wake up, take a moment to thank God for the new day.

Ask Him to guide and protect you.

And then go about your work, your responsibilities, and your relationships, trusting that the Lord is with you.

That’s a wonderful way to begin another day in Christ.

I thought today we would end with Luther’s morning prayer. I think many of you do these devotions in the morning. However, I’ll also put the evening prayer after the morning prayer. So, if you are finishing your day right now…or when you finish you day later, you can end with the evening prayer.

Let’s pray…

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.

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.

As part of your devotion time, I encourage you to also pray for at least some of the following:

• Your family
• Your local church
• Your pastor
• Some of your fellow church members
• The people on your B.L.E.S.S. list
• Your country and her leaders
• Your community

After praying for these people, you may want to finish your devotion time with the Lord’s Prayer…

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. They will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom and the power, and the glory, forever and every. Amen.

Throughout history, kingdoms and empires have risen and fallen.

The ancient Egyptians, Babylonians, Persians, Greeks, and Romans all wielded tremendous power. Their rulers commanded armies, conquered nations, and shaped the lives of millions of people. Many of them seemed invincible in their day.

Yet none of their kingdoms lasted.

In Daniel 7, God gives Daniel a vision of four terrifying beasts rising out of the sea. Each represents a kingdom that would exercise power over the earth. The beasts are frightening, destructive, and hungry for more power.

Then the scene changes.

Daniel sees the Ancient of Days seated upon His throne. This is a reference to God the Father. The earthly kingdoms that seemed so powerful are brought before Him for judgment. Their authority is temporary, but God’s authority is eternal.

Then Daniel sees someone else approaching the throne.

He describes Him as

“one like a son of man,”

coming with the clouds of heaven. This figure is given dominion, glory, and a kingdom so that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him. His kingdom will never be destroyed.

For people living under the power of earthly empires, this was an extraordinary promise.

The kingdoms of this world would not have the final word. God would establish a kingdom that would never end.

Centuries later, Jesus began His public ministry, and one of the titles He most frequently used for Himself was

“the Son of Man.”

At first, that might sound like a simple way of emphasizing His humanity. And Jesus certainly is truly human. But the title also points us back to Daniel’s vision.

Jesus is the Son of Man who receives everlasting dominion and glory.

Yet there is something surprising about how He exercises His authority.

During His earthly ministry, Jesus didn’t gather an army to overthrow Rome. He didn’t establish a palace in Jerusalem or demand that the nations bow before Him. Instead, He healed the sick, welcomed sinners, cast out demons, cared for the outcast, and proclaimed the coming of God’s kingdom.

Then He allowed Himself to be arrested, condemned, and crucified.

During His trial before the high priest, Jesus referred directly to Daniel’s vision, declaring that they would see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power and coming with the clouds of heaven.

The One standing before them as a prisoner was the very One who would reign over all creation.

After His resurrection, Jesus ascended into heaven and took His place at the right hand of the Father. His kingdom is already established, even though we do not yet see its fullness.

That can be difficult to remember.

We look around and see wars, political turmoil, injustice, and suffering. Powerful people sometimes seem to do whatever they want without consequences. The world often appears to be governed more by ambition and selfishness than by righteousness.

But Daniel’s vision reminds us that appearances do not tell the whole story.

Jesus reigns even now.

His kingdom does not depend upon election results, military strength, or economic stability. And because His kingdom is everlasting, nothing in this world can bring it to an end.

One day, Christ will return in glory, just as He promised. Every earthly kingdom will give way before Him, and His reign will be fully revealed. Every knee shall bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord!

For those who belong to Christ, that day is not something to dread. The One who will come as Judge is the same Savior who gave His life for us. Through faith in Him, we already belong to His kingdom. This will be a day of great joy and celebration.

For those who are not in Christ, however, this will be a day of dread and terror. Whether powerful or weak, famous or unknown, everyone will stand before The Ancient of Days and the Son of Man. Even those who seemed untouchable in this earthly life, will not be able to stand, unless they have been saved by faith in Jesus.

So whatever uncertainty tomorrow may bring, we can face it with confidence. The future is not ultimately in the hands of earthly rulers or the powers of this world.

It belongs to Jesus.

And His kingdom will never end.

Let’s pray…

Lord Jesus,

You are the Son of Man to whom the Father has given all authority and an everlasting kingdom. When the world around me seems uncertain or frightening, remind me that You are reigning even now. Forgive me when I place too much hope or fear in earthly powers. Strengthen my faith in Your promises, and help me to live as a citizen of Your kingdom as I await Your glorious return.

Amen.

As part of your devotion time, I encourage you to also pray for at least some of the following:

• Your family
• Your local church
• Your pastor
• Some of your fellow church members
• The people on your B.L.E.S.S. list
• Your country and her leaders
• Your community

After praying for these people, you may want to finish your devotion time with the Lord’s Prayer…

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. They will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom and the power, and the glory, forever and every. Amen.

What goes through your mind when you hear that Jesus is God?

This is something people have struggled with, including the people who knew Jesus in the flesh. The women come to Jesus’ tomb early Sunday morning with a simple purpose: to finish preparing His body for burial.

They had watched Him die. They knew where He was buried. And now they were bringing spices to anoint His body.

But there is something interesting about their plans.

Jesus had told His disciples several times that He would be killed and rise again on the third day. The women had heard Jesus’ teaching, too. Yet they weren’t going to the tomb expecting to find it empty. They were going to care for a dead body.

As they walked, their biggest concern was who would roll away the large stone covering the entrance.

They weren’t expecting a resurrection.

Neither were the men.

When the women arrive, the stone has already been rolled away. Inside, they find a young man dressed in white who tells them something extraordinary.

“You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen; he is not here.”

Imagine what must have been going through their minds.

They had seen Jesus heal the sick, cast out demons, and even raise the dead. They may not have realized it at the time, but these miracles were both revealing that Jesus was God and the eternal life that He would bring for those who believe in Him. They had heard Him predict His own resurrection. Yet now, standing in an empty tomb, they are overwhelmed.

Mark tells us that they flee, trembling and astonished, and that they are afraid.

It’s a striking way to end the account.

We might expect the women to immediately celebrate, shouting for joy that Jesus is alive. Instead, they are terrified.

But perhaps we shouldn’t be surprised. They have just encountered something beyond anything they had ever experienced. Their understanding of reality has been turned upside down.

The One they watched die is alive!

They had gotten used to Jesus in the flesh. He is God, but He is also man. He hungered, slept, and bled. He walked with them and taught them. It would be easy to get comfortable and familiar with Jesus and forget there’s something more.

Back in Mark 4, the disciples had a similar experience when Jesus stilled a raging storm with two words. They were terrified.

If you’ve heard the account of the death and resurrection for years, maybe your whole life, it can become familiar, too. We can lose the awe of the moment. We can become a little too comfortable with Jesus, but we need to remember, He is God…all-powerful, perfectly holy, creator and judge of all.

Even those who walked with Jesus struggled to understand and believe His promises.

But notice that Jesus did not abandon them.

In fact, the messenger specifically tells the women to tell the disciples, “and Peter,” that Jesus is going ahead of them into Galilee.

Peter, who had denied Jesus three times, is specifically included in the invitation.

Jesus has risen, and His mercy toward His failing disciples has not changed.

You may notice that some Bibles include a note after verse 8 explaining that the earliest manuscripts of Mark do not contain verses 9–20. These verses, often called the longer ending of Mark, summarize Jesus’ appearances after His resurrection and His commission to proclaim the Gospel. Although there are questions about whether Mark originally wrote these verses, the central events they describe are also taught elsewhere in the New Testament.

And those events remind us that the resurrection was not the end of Jesus’ work through His disciples.

It was the beginning of their mission to proclaim what He had accomplished.

Throughout this series, we have watched Jesus reveal Himself as the Son of God. He came to serve sinners, gave His life as a ransom for many, and rose victorious over death.

The women came to the tomb expecting death.

Instead, they encountered the greatest news the world has ever heard, even if it terrified them.

Jesus is alive!

Personally, I like the short ending better. The abrupt ending forces use to be left with the moment. And we should sit with this moment for a while. Don’t let it pass you by. If this is all new to you, this Gospel is for you. Jesus’ promises are for you. His death and resurrection secured the gift of your salvation. Receive that gift in faith.

If you’ve heard the account of Jesus’ death and resurrection many times, let it sink in again. Let the awe of the moment return. The God of the universe took on flesh in order to die for your sins and rise again.

And because He lives, sin has been paid for, death has been defeated, and everyone who trusts in Him has the promise of eternal life.

The same Jesus who called His first disciples to follow Him now calls us, calls you, to believe His Word, trust His promises, and share His good news with the world.

Let’s pray…

Risen Lord Jesus,

Thank You for conquering sin and death through Your death and resurrection. Forgive me for the times I doubt Your promises or become complacent in my faith. Thank You for Your patience and mercy toward those who struggle to believe. Strengthen my faith through Your Word, fill me with the joy of Your resurrection, and help me share Your good news with others.

Amen.

As part of your devotion time, I encourage you to also pray for at least some of the following:

• Your family
• Your local church
• Your pastor
• Some of your fellow church members
• The people on your B.L.E.S.S. list
• Your country and her leaders
• Your community

After praying for these people, you may want to finish your devotion time with the Lord’s Prayer…

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. They will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom and the power, and the glory, forever and every. Amen.