Zion Lutheran Church (LCMS)

A Guide for Daily Prayer and Meditation: August 4-11, 2024

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)

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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.

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 August: LSB 645 Built on the Rock

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

Verse of the Week: John 6:35

I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.

Daily Lectionary

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.

(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: Pastor Carlson, Dan Drinkman, Ben, Louis Gettler, Arlene Hakes, Marlys Jones, Pastor Jones, Greg Leland, Missy Lien (Thomas family friend), Lacie Miles (Chrystal’s sister-in-law), Marlene Paulson (Dianne Schroeder’s sister), Arlene Potts, Michael Potts, Mark Radl, Jesse Schweisthal, Sarah Schweisthal, Kara Simmons (Pastor and Susan Thomas’ goddaughter), Marlys St. George (Pastor Jones’ great aunt), Pastor Szedlak, Ben Thomas, Jeff Thomas

Collect for the Eleventh Sunday After Pentecost

Merciful Father, You gave Your Son Jesus as the heavenly bread of life. Grant us faith to feast on Him in Your Word and Sacraments that we may be nourished unto life everlasting; through the same 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 Fourth Petition

Gracious Father, You open Your hand and satisfy the desire of every living creature. Teach us to acknowledge You as the Lord who provides for all of our needs in body and soul and so give thanks to You for all of Your bountiful gifts; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

Let us bless the Lord.

Thanks be to God.

Excerpts from the Large Catechism on the Fourth Petition Lord’s Prayer

- [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.

- Matthew 5:45, 2 Thessalonians 3:10-12, 1 Timothy 5:8, 1 Timothy 4:4-5, 1 Timothy 6:8-10, 1 Timothy 2:1-4