"See round Your ark the hungry billows curling; See how Your foes their banners are unfurling; And with great spite their fiery darts are hurling, O Lord, preserve us.
"Peace in our hearts, where sinful thoughts are raging, Peace in Your Church, our troubled souls assuaging, Peace when the world its endless war is waging, Peace in Your heaven."
Do churches ever experience trouble? Sadly enough, we know the local congregations may struggle with difficult issues. A church may face financial problems, arguments among members, or declining attendance. At such times, as always, church members turn to the Lord in prayer, asking for His help, His blessing, and His peace.
Our hymn describes a church in trouble. It is called an ark, a reminder of the ark that God directed Noah to build to keep his family and pairs of animals safe in the flood. The ark that carries us through the flood of sin and death is the ark of the church, the body of Christ. This sacred and unsinkable ark is surrounded by the threatening and "hungry billows" that swirl around it. The church faces spiteful foes as the members of Christ's body suffer the "fiery darts" of ridicule and persecution. An unbelieving world wages "its endless war" against believers.
The body of Christ on earth will suffer just as our Lord suffered. On the night He was betrayed into the hands of His enemies, Jesus warned that the same rejection He experienced awaited those who followed Him: "If the world hates you, know that it has hated Me before it hated you" (John 15:18). The world did its worst to Jesus. He was betrayed and condemned to death, but everything that happened to Him was carried out according to God's design. Jesus suffered and died as the atoning sacrifice for the sins of the world that hated Him and then He rose from the dead, overcoming sin, death, and Satan. Jesus bore His cross and His body, the church, that is, all who trust in Him alone for salvation, must also bear the cross of suffering. Yet we take heart because through faith in Jesus we will overcome the "hungry billows" that threaten us.
When we struggle with anger against those who seek to harm the church or when we are tempted to sin against our enemies, we pray that Jesus' peace would reign in our hearts. We ask for the ability to forgive our enemies as Jesus forgave those who crucified Him. We pray for peace in the world, that it might cease its war against the church. Bearing the cross as we follow Jesus, we want to be bold witnesses for our Lord. We pray that the Holy Spirit would enlighten people through the Gospel and bring them to eternal safety in the ark of the Savior's church.
WE PRAY: Lord Jesus, preserve Your church in every time of trouble. Amen.
This Daily Devotion was written by Dr. Carol Geisler. It is based on the hymn "Lord of Our Life," which is number 659 in the Lutheran Service Book.
Reflection Questions:
1. Does it ever seem like your church is under attack from outside forces?
2. How would conscientiously living a Christ-like life bless your church?
3. If the church is under attack from Satan, how can we combat these attacks to maintain peace in our congregations?
Today's Bible Readings: 1 Kings 5-7 Acts 7:44-60
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