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Devotional Series on the Lord’s Prayer
TLH #319 “In Thee alone, O Christ, my Lord”
Allein zu dir, Herr Jesu Christ; Translator: Arthur T. Russell (1851, alt.); Author (attributed to): Johannes Schneesing (1542, ab.) Tune: ALLEIN ZU DIR; Harmonizer: Johann S. Bach, c. 1750
1 In Thee alone, O Christ, my Lord,
My hope on earth remaineth;
I know Thou wilt Thine aid afford,
Naught else my soul sustaineth.
No strength of man, no earthly stay,
Can help me in the evil day;
Thou, only Thou, canst aid supply.
To Thee I cry;
On Thee I bid my heart rely.
2 My sins, O Lord, against me rise,
I mourn them with contrition;
Grant, thro’ Thy death and sacrifice,
To me a full remission.
Lord, show before the Father’s throne
That Thou didst for my sins atone;
So shall I from my load be freed.
Thy Word I plead;
Keep me, O Lord, each hour of need.
(To hear the tune of this Reformation era hymn, see the YouTube link at the end of this devotional.)
“For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.” Matthew 6:14-15
Clearly connected to the petition, “And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors,” Jesus points out a truth we often are ready to forget: “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.”
Does our heavenly Father forgive our sins because we forgive others? No, but rather, we forgive others because He forgives us; and, if we are unwilling to forgive those who have sinned against us, it indicates that we have not really accepted and grasped in faith God’s mercy toward us in Christ Jesus — His pardon and forgiveness won for us by the shed blood of His own dear Son.
A refusal to forgive another who has offended us in some way, after God Himself so loved us that He sent His only-begotten son into the world to suffer and die upon the cross for our sins and the sins of all that we might be forgiven, is really a refusal to take hold of God’s mercy toward us in Christ Jesus.
In Matthew’s Gospel, chapter 18, verses 21 through 35, Jesus speaks of this further, illustrating with the parable of the servant who was forgiven a great, great debt by his master but who then would show no mercy and forgiveness toward a fellow servant who owed him a very small debt in comparison. Since the servant who had been forgiven so much was unwilling to show mercy to his fellow servant, he was delivered to the torturers until he paid all that was owed to his lord. Jesus concludes by saying: “So My heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses” (v. 35).
Clearly, Jesus’ words are to us a warning against refusing to pardon and forgive others as we have been pardoned and forgiven by our heavenly Father for the sake of His Son, the crucified and risen Messiah and Savior. Rather than being without mercy and love in our dealings with others, the Scriptures encourage us to: “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you” (Eph. 4:32).
And how can we do this? Consider your own sinfulness according to God’s law, and consider the great debt of sin God has forgiven you because He sent His only-begotten Son and punished Him in our stead. When we consider and receive God’s forgiveness through faith alone in Christ Jesus, forgiving others for their sins against us will suddenly grow easier.
Dear Father in heaven, I have deserved nothing but Your wrath and punishment and am undeserving of the loving-kindness and mercy which You have shown to me for the sake of the innocent sufferings and death of Your beloved Son in my stead. Thank You for graciously forgiving and pardoning my great debt of sin against You. Grant to me also a merciful and forgiving heart toward others who sin against me, that I may be like You and show mercy and loving-kindness for Jesus’ sake. Amen.
Luther’s Morning Prayer
I thank You, my heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ, Your dear Son, that You 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.
OR
Luther’s Evening Prayer
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.
Lord’s Prayer (NKJV)
Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.
TLH #319 “In Thee alone, O Christ, my Lord”
Allein zu dir, Herr Jesu Christ; Translator: Arthur T. Russell (1851, alt.); Author (attributed to): Johannes Schneesing (1542, ab.) Tune: ALLEIN ZU DIR; Harmonizer: Johann S. Bach, c. 1750
3 O Lord, in mercy stay my heart
On faith’s most sure foundation
And to my inmost soul impart
Thy perfect consolation.
Fill all my life with love to Thee,
Toward all men grant me charity;
And at the last, when comes my end,
Thy succor send.
From Satan’s wiles my soul defend. Amen.
[Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.]