A Guide for Daily Prayer and Meditation: April 20-27, 2025

Pray and confess out loud as much as you are able or based on your family size and ages. (Alternative orders in LSB pp295-8)

+++

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 483 With High Delight Let Us Unite

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

Verse of the Week: 2 Timothy 1:10

[Christ Jesus] abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.

Daily Lectionary

  Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday
Old Testament

Exodus

14:10-31

Exodus

15:1-18

Exodus

15:19-16:12

Exodus

16:13-35

Exodus

17:1-16

Exodus

18:5-27

Exodus

19:1-25

Exodus

20:1-24

Psalms 

96:1-3,6,

11-13; 107

13

59

81:1-7

40

134

135

114

136

145:1-9

94

30:3-12

68

119:9-16

91

New Testament

Hebrews

7:23-8:13

Hebrews

9:1-28

Hebrews

10:1-18

Hebrews

10:19-39

Hebrews

11:1-29

Hebrews

12:1-24

Hebrews

13:1-21

Luke

4:1-15

The Lord’s Prayer: The Sixth Petition

And lead us not into temptation.

What does this mean?

God tempts no one.  We pray in this petition that God would guard and keep us so that the devil, the world, and our sinful nature may not deceive us or mislead us into false belief, despair, and other great shame and vice.  Although we are attacked by these things, we pray that we may finally overcome them and win the victory.

(Go to bottom of next page for related Bible verses and/or excerpts from Large Catechism.)

The Apostles’ Creed is confessed † Lord’s Prayer † Prayers for Others and Ourselves (see LSB 305-318 for prayers)

In Our Prayers: Those who are suffering:  Shirley Arndt, Fred Burkart (Tiffany Drinkman’s father), Anita Dommer, Duane Draeger (Janet Fischer’s brother), Dan Drinkman, JoAnn Ehlers, Lois Eichinger, Louis and Mary Gettler, Harold Grunwald (Susan’s father), Richard Hanson, Marlys Jones, Pastor Jones, Rick Lahner (Carter’s grandfather), Greg Leland, Missy Lien (Thomas family friend), Lacie Miles (Chrystal’s sister-in-law), Marlene Paulson (Dianne Schroeder’s sister), Kathy Peterson, Doris Post, Mark Radl, Dianne Schroeder, Kara Simmons (Pastor & Susan Thomas’ goddaughter), Pastor Szedlak, Anna Thomas (Carol Gale’s mother), Jeff Thomas (Pastor’s brother), Ethel Vance

Collect for Easter Sunday

O God, for our redemption You gave Your only-begotten Son to the death of the cross and by His glorious resurrection delivered us from the power of the enemy. Grant that all our sin may be drowned through daily repentance and that day by day we may arise to live before You in righteousness and purity forever; through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

Prayer based on The Lord’s Prayer: The Sixth Petition[1]

Heavenly Father, guard and keep us from the assaults of the devil, the deception of the world, and the desires of our sinful nature. Protect us that we may not be deceived or misled by lies about You, be overcome by despair of Your mercy, or be seduced into a way of life that leads only to death. Shield us by Your grace and strengthen us by Your Word and Spirit that we may withstand every attack and finally win the victory; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

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 Sixth Petition of The Lord’s Prayer

-Temptation…is of three kinds: of the flesh, of the world, and of the devil. For we dwell in the flesh and carry the Old Adam about our neck. He exerts himself and encourages us daily to unchastity, laziness, gluttony and drunkenness, greed and deception, to defraud our neighbor and to overcharge him. In short, the old Adam encourages us to have all kinds of evil lusts, which cling to us by nature and to which we are moved by the society, the example, and what we hear and see of other people. They often wound and inflame even an innocent heart. (420:101-102)

-Next comes the world, which offends us in word and deed. It drives us to anger and impatience…No one is willing to be the least. Everyone desires to sit at the head of the group and to be seen before all. (420:103)

-   Then comes the devil, pushing and provoking in all directions. But he especially agitates matters that concern the conscience and spiritual affairs. He leads us to despise and disregard both God’s Word and works. He tears us away from faith, hope, and love, and he brings us into misbelief, false security, and stubbornness. Or, on the other hand, he leads us to despair, denial of God, blasphemy, and innumerable other shocking things. (420-421:104)

-  So every hour that we are in this vile life, we are attacked on all sides, chased and hunted down. We are moved to cry out and to pray that God would not allow us to become weary and faint and to fall again into sin, shame, and unbelief. For otherwise it is impossible to overcome even the least temptation. (421:105)

-        This, then, is what “lead us not into temptation” means. It refers to times when God gives us power and strength to resist the temptation. However, the temptation is not taken away or removed. While we live in the flesh and have the devil around us, no one can escape his temptation and lures. It can only mean that we must endure trials—indeed, be engulfed in them. But we pray this prayer so that we may not fall and be drowned in them. (421:106)

Bible verses for meditation on the Sixth Petition of the Lord’s Prayer

-Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”. Mark 4:38 

- Matthew 24:27, 44; James 1:13-14; 1 Peter 5:8-9; and Galatians 5:17                                                                    
 


[1] Luther’s Small Catechism with Explanation. St. Louis: Concordia, 2017. 

Pages