December 9, 2023 

Today's Reading: Psalm 80:1, 8a, 9b, 7; antiphon: v. 3

Daily Lectionary: Isaiah 26:1-19; 1 John 3:1-24

Restore us, O God; let your face shine, that we may be saved! (Psalm 80:3)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.  God delights in the prayers of His people.  He loves for us to call upon His name.  If we are honest, it seems like we usually pray only when we are in desperate need.  When our backs are against the wall and we are at the end of our rope, we finally find ourselves crying out to God for help.  And you know what?  God delights in the prayers of His people.  

Praying to God is faith in action, and the Lord longs for us to put our trust in Him.  That’s exactly what prayer does; it is faith looking to and talking to God.  If you think about it, it’s all a gift.  Faith given, faith in action praying – all given by God.  The Psalms too are a gift from God, for they are a collection of prayers driven by faith calling upon the Lord.  When our prayers are joined to the Psalms, God delights in hearing His Word prayed back to Him. 

Restore us, O God.  The Hebrew word behind restore is the idea of returning or coming back; it is a prayer of repentance.  Repent me, O God  is the cry of faith.  We often think of repentance as something that begins with us, something we must finally decide to do.  Repentance begins with God; it is a work He begins in us.  In other words, repentance is a God’s gift to you.  

We are prone to wander, aren’t we? We often find ourselves on the wrong road either by choice or by deception, we can’t help it.  But our loving and gracious Father will not let us wander off to be lost forever.  He seeks us out, He finds us, He returns us to Himself through his Word and Spirit and thank God He does.  

Let your face shine, that we may be saved.  This is where repentance leads us, to Christ, the light of the world.  The light of Christ’s life shone in the darkness when He hung on a Roman cross that you may be saved.  Even when it seemed like His life was extinguished, three days later He radiated in resurrection glory.  Christ must suffer and on the third day be raised that repentance and forgiveness of sins be preached in His name (Luke 24:46).  

God delights in your prayers.  He repents you, He forgives you, He saves you, all for the sake of Jesus. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

From the cross Thy wisdom shining  Breaketh forth in conqu’ring might; From the cross forever beameth  All Thy bright redeeming light. (LSB 578:4)

- Pastor Darrin Sheek is the Senior Pastor of Prince of Peace Lutheran in Anaheim, CA.

Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.

Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.