Hear my prayer, O God; listen to the words of my mouth. Psalm 54:2
Maybe you've noticed that parents can be confused by the behavior of their offspring. Sometimes they're not certain if they should be proud or embarrassed. To support that thought let me share a story that comes from one of our Daily Devotion readers and, yes, you can send me your stories.
The family had been invited out to eat at a neighbor's house. Mother, father, and their twelve- and six-year-olds were all seated at the table when the food was put out. The younger boy looked confused and asked, "Don't you say any prayer before you eat?"
The host was slightly embarrassed and grunted, "No, we don't take time for that."
The boy was quiet for a moment and then he concluded, "That's just like my dog. He digs right in too."
If we're being honest, most of us have to confess we have also been like that boy's dog. We forget to talk to God and start right in. Maybe we start right in on our vacation or we start right in on a new work project. We may be starting right in on a new day or closing the books on an old.
It doesn't make much difference. We can be just like the dog and start right in. That shouldn't be. That's certainly not the way the Savior was when He was on the heavenly mission to save us. Again and again the Gospels talk about how He spent the night in a private place in prayer.
That's the way it should be for all of us. We need God's help. We expect it.
Now maybe we should ask for it and give thanks for it.
From a devotion originally written for "By the Way"
THE PRAYER: Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for starting right in to save us. If you had waited until we were ready and willing, the job would never have been done. Now we pray that the Holy Spirit may start right in and allow us to witness to our crucified and risen Savior in all we do. In Jesus' Name I ask it. Amen.
In Christ I remain His servant and yours,
Pastor Ken Klaus
Speaker emeritus of The Lutheran Hour®
Lutheran Hour Ministries
Today's Bible Readings: 2 Chronicles 23 Joel 2-3 2 Corinthians 10
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