A Guide for Daily Prayer and Meditation

 April 16-23, 2023

Pray and confess out loud as much as you are able or based on your family size and ages. You may follow the “Morning” or the “Close of the Day” according to time of day. (Alternative orders are in the LSB hymnal pp. 295-298)

+++

The sign of the cross + may be made by all in remembrance of their baptism.

In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Morning Close of the Day

In the morning, O Lord, You hear my voice;

In the morning I prepare a sacrifice for You and watch

The Lord Almighty grant us a quiet night and peace at the last.

Amen.

My mouth is filled with Your praise,

And with Your glory all the day.

It is good to give thanks to the Lord,

To sing praise to Your name, O Most High;

O Lord, open my lips,

And my mouth will declare Your praise.

To herald Your love in the morning;

Your truth at the close of the day.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit; as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.

Hymn of the Month for April: LSB 493 A Hymn of Glory Let Us Sing

One or more verses from the hymn of the month are sung, or another hymn may be chosen.

Verse of the Week: Romans 6:9; John 20:29b

We know that Christ being raised from the dead will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. Alleluia. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.

Daily Lectionary

  Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday
Old Testament

Exodus

20:1-24

Exodus

22:20-23:13

Exodus

23:14-33

Exodus

24:1-18

Exodus

25:1-22

Exodus

31:1-18

Exodus

32:1-14

Exodus

32:15-35
Psalms  119:9-16; 91 146, 103 26, 41 99, 79 119:25-32; 9 92 106; 68 119:49-56; 79
New Testament

Luke

4:1-15

Luke

4:16-30

Luke

4:31-44

Luke

5:1-16

Luke

5:17-39

Luke

6:1-19

Luke

6:20-38

Luke

6:39-49

The Lord’s Prayer: The Fourth Petition 

      Give us this day our daily bread.

What does this mean?

God certainly gives daily bread to everyone without our prayers, even to all evil people, but we pray in this petition that God would lead us to realize this and to receive our daily bread with thanksgiving.

What is meant by daily bread?

      Daily bread includes everything that has to do with the support and needs of the body, such as food, drink, clothing, shoes, house, home, land, animals, money, goods, a devout husband or wife, devout children, devout workers, devout and faithful rulers, good government, good weather, peace, health, self-control, good reputation, good friends, faithful neighbors, and the like.

The Apostles’ Creed is confessed

Lord’s Prayer

Prayers for Others and Ourselves


Collect for the Second Sunday of Easter

Almighty God, grant that we who have celebrated the Lord’s resurrection may by Your grace confess in our life and conversation that Jesus is Lord and God; through the same Jesus Christ, Your Son, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

Prayer based on the Fourth Petition

Dear heavenly Father, give me Your Holy Spirit, that it may be my sole concern to be and remain Your dear child. Then let me diligently perform my duty as required by my calling and station, wherein You have placed me, and let me always look for my daily bread from Your fatherly goodness. May I in no way burden my heart with heathenish cares; for You are my dear Father, through Jesus Christ, my Savior. Amen. (C.M. Zorn, 1846-1928)

Morning Close of the Day

Almighty God, merciful Father, who created and completed all things, on this day when the work of our calling begins anew, we implore You to create its beginning, direct its continuance, and bless its end, that our doings may be preserved from sin, our life sanctified, and our work be well pleasing to you; through Jesus Christ, our Lord.  Amen.

I thank you my heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ, Your dear Son, that 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

Visit our dwellings, O Lord, and in Your great mercy defend us from all perils and dangers of this night; for the love of Your only Son, our Savior Jesus Christ.  Amen.

I thank You, my heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ, Your dear Son, that You have graciously kept me this day; and I pray that You would forgive me all my sins where I have done wrong, and graciously keep me this night. 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.

Let us bless the Lord.

Thanks be to God.

Excerpts from the Large Catechism on the Fourth Petition

  • [The devil] is sorry if anyone has a morsel of bread from God and eats it in peace. If it were in his power and our prayer (next to God) did not prevent him, we would not keep a straw in the field, a farthing in the house, yes, not even our life for an hour. This is especially true of those who have God’s Word and would like to be Christians. (418:81)
  • You see, in this way, God wishes to show us how He cares for us in all our need and faithfully provides also for our earthly support. He abundantly grants and preserves these things, even for the wicked and rogues. Yet, He wishes that we pray for these goods in order that we may recognize that we receive them from His hand and may feel His fatherly goodness toward us in them. For when He withdraws His hand, nothing can prosper or be maintained in the end. Indeed, we daily see this and experience it.” (418;82-83)

Daily Prayers: “Asking a Blessing” and “Returning Thanks” (from Small Catechism)

  • We pray before and after meals that we might learn to trust in our heavenly Father as the giver of daily bread and everything that we need to support us in this body and life. Our prayers before and after meals begin with assertions (or statements of faith) from the psalms: “The eyes of all look to You, [O Lord,] and You give them their food at the proper time. You open Your hand and satisfy the desires of every living thing” and “Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good. His love endures forever. [He] gives food to every creature…The Lord delights in those who fear Him, who put their hope in His unfailing love.” By praying these truths from God’s Word, we not only speak back to God what He has promised us, but we also learn to believe in these truths and trust God in the way the psalms direct us. As God’s Word, these psalm verses minister to us and serve to strengthen our faith and reliance upon Him.

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