“I give thanks to You, my Heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ Your dear Son, that You have protected me this night from all harm and danger and I ask that You would also protect me this day from sin and every evil, that all my doings and life may please You. Into Your hands I commend myself: my body, my soul, and all that is mine. Let Your Holy Angel be with me so that the wicked foe may have no power over me. Amen.”
You may recognize this as “Luther’s Morning Prayer”, written by the Reformer himself. Some of you may know this prayer by heart. While the words are not from Scripture, they do espouse Biblical truths in recognizing God’s protection when we are asleep and are most vulnerable. It then recognizes our need for God to also protect us during the day when we are conscious, alert, and about our regular activities. Our God is a God Who never sleeps and Who always watches over us at all times!
We remember our vulnerability on this Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day when America was so viciously attacked. We thank God that He never sleeps and always watches over us.
God’s protection is not just physical, it is often more spiritual. I have found myself awake at night stirring over events that make me feel guilty or replaying in my mind things that I have wrongly done or left undone. I think the devil likes to use that time when all is silent to attack my mind and heart and plant seeds of doubt. I know too that these thoughts often effect my dreams and I wake to mental and spiritual exhaustion. What I have found helpful is to take away the devil’s control at these times and begin to pray. Oh, he hates that! Just when he was getting a foothold on my being, I bring up the Name, Jesus, and begin to petition for His will. When I do so, I find the devil fleeing, sometimes in a little while, sometimes longer, but nevertheless, he eventually flees.
When these things happen, I wake to a new morning already empowered because I know that Lord has protected me that night and will also protect me this day. When I say “Luther’s Morning Prayer” as I wake, I am reaffirmed of God’s protective love. Perhaps this is a great reason to make prayer a regular habit when we lay down to sleep and when we wake. We begin the night with the Lord’s power and know that His mercies are new every morning. I pray we will all know this truth and sleep tight so that we can wake to a new day!
Know that you are loved!
Peace and Joy,
Pastor Kilian