Brrr…
Saturday’s Verses:
From Psalm 145:16-17 ESV
"You open your hand; you satisfy the desire of every living thing. The Lord is righteous in all his ways and kind in all his works."
Over this weekend, as the frost spreads across the windows and the wind begins to howl, we naturally want to hide. We burrow deep under the blankets, raise the heat a few notches, and hunker down in a climate that seems to care less whether we are comfortable.
But the Psalmist teaches us differently. Even when it is cold, the hand of God is not a fist. He does not draw His hand back into a “winter sleep.” His hand is open.
Martin Luther says it so well in the Small Catechism’s explanation of the First Article of the Creed. God clothes us with “clothing and shoes, food and drink, house and home… and all that I need to support this body and life.” When it is cold outside, we see His provision on display. We experience His goodness wrapped up in cozy walls that keep the cold outside, warm cups of tea, and neighbors who call to make sure our pipes haven’t frozen.
The desire of every living thing is not a designer wrapped; it’s day-to-day life itself. This weekend, the cold reminds us we were made dependent on His “kind works.” We desperately need the God who rules the winter and spring. The same God who blankets us in snow will never let His grace toward us grow cold.
✝️ A Prayer for Today:
Dear Lord, keep all warm and protected this weekend as icy weather flies in from the north. Amen.
Apostles’ Creed:
I believe in God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth.
And in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried. He descended into hell. The third day He rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty. From thence He will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Christian Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.
The Lord’s Prayer:
Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name, Thy kingdom come, Thy 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; 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.
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.