Speaking to God, Speaking of God
Today’s Verse:
Psalm 116:10a ESV
“I believed; therefore I have spoken.”
Today I want to reflect upon the differences between our prayers and the creeds of the church. Prayers and creeds are different. There are moments when we speak to God with open hearts—offering Him our fears, joys, and needs. This is prayer. And there are moments when we speak about God, boldly declaring what we believe. This is a creed.
Both are essential in the Christian life.
In prayer, we pour out our soul. Like King David, we cry out in our distress or dance with thanksgiving. We ask for mercy, wisdom, healing, and hope. In the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus Himself teaches us to speak to the Father with childlike trust, bringing all things before Him.
In the creed, we speak with clarity. We say with the Church of all ages, “I believe in God the Father Almighty…”—not just as a formula, but as a testimony to the truth we hold dear. In our uncertain world, the creed is our anchor. It reminds us that we belong to a story far greater than ourselves—the story of God’s salvation through Christ.
Prayer is intimate. The creed is communal. One is a plea, the other a proclamation. And yet, both flow from the same heart—a heart that trusts in Jesus.
When we believe, we speak. To God in prayer. Of God in creed..
Prayers
A Prayer for Today:
Heavenly Father, thank You for giving us both words to pray and words to confess. Teach us to come to You with boldness in prayer, and to stand firm in the truth of what we believe. In Jesus’ name. 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.
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