Text: Psalm 10:1-11
The devil, prowling around like a roaring lion, watches us, looking for weak spots that he may attack most effectively. Attacking when we are alone and separated from our flock, feeling like we have been forgotten, he whispers in our ear, “God has forgotten, he does not see you,” and, “There is no God, trust in yourself—you know what is best for you.” And so it begins for the lonely person, sick in the hospital, having been given a death sentence to live out until he dies. He hears the whispers, “It’s okay, you could still die with dignity—it’s your life, take control!”
These whispers saying that we are in control are often loud, coming at us from all directions. The soft word that it is, in fact, God who holds all things in His hand can get drowned out in all the noise. But when our ears fail, our eyes may see even more clearly the cross. We see that God Himself became man and came down from heaven to take control of all things, even death itself. He is Lord of all. He has made all of our life dignified until the end He brings—even through sickness and pain. We are His children. He never forgets His children. Satan’s words are just that: words, lies. Meant to cause us little ones to stumble. But our Father’s Word is truth, giving us strength to bear through—especially when our lives are out of control.
Let us pray: Lord of all, we confess that we are often deceived and believe that we are the authority in our lives, with control over all things. Please forgive us for falling into this trap of sin. We thank You, that You are the God who came down to us to fight for us and defeat Satan and eternal death, that we may die in the dignity of Your death and be raised up into the dignity of Your Life! In Jesus name. Amen.
(Brittni Brown, Deaconess Intern)
Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne
κήρυξον τὸν λόγον. Preach the Word.