Morning Prayer & Daily Devotion September 23

The Unknown God

+ DAILY PRAYER +

+ MORNING +

This Daily Devotion covers the entire New Testament in a period of two years in a Monday through Friday format, the Psalms and order of devotion follow those presented in The Treasury of Daily Prayer from Concordia Publishing House.

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

Amen.

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

in the morning I prepare a sacrifice for You and watch.

My mouth is filled with Your praise,

and with Your glory all the day.

O Lord, open my lips,

and my mouth will declare Your praise.

Psalm 51:5-13

      Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity,

and in sin did my mother conceive me.

          Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being,

and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart.

          Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;

wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

          Let me hear joy and gladness;

let the bones that you have broken rejoice.

          Hide your face from my sins,

and blot out all my iniquities.

    10      Create in me a clean heart, O God,

and renew a right spirit within me.

    11      Cast me not away from your presence,

and take not your Holy Spirit from me.

    12      Restore to me the joy of your salvation,

and uphold me with a willing spirit.

    13      Then I will teach transgressors your ways,

and sinners will return to you.

Acts 17:22-34

Paul Addresses the Areopagus

22 So Paul, standing in the midst of the Areopagus, said: “Men of Athens, I perceive that in every way you are very religious. 23 For as I passed along and observed the objects of your worship, I found also an altar with this inscription: ‘To the unknown god.’ What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you. 24 The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, 25 nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything. 26 And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, 27 that they should seek God, and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is actually not far from each one of us, 28 for

             “ ‘In him we live and move and have our being’;

as even some of your own poets have said,

             “ ‘For we are indeed his offspring.’

29 Being then God’s offspring, we ought not to think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and imagination of man. 30 The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent, 31 because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.”

32 Now when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked. But others said, “We will hear you again about this.” 33 So Paul went out from their midst. 34 But some men joined him and believed, among whom also were Dionysius the Areopagite and a woman named Damaris and others with them.

Lord’s Prayer

Daily Prayer

Lord of all power and might, You are author and giver of all good things. Because you delight in truth in the inward being, and you teach wisdom in the secret heart, sow in us the love of Your Name, increase in us true faith, nourish us with all goodness, and of Your great mercy keep us in the same, through Jesus Christ, our Lord, 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.