“Stir Up Our Hearts”
Grace to you and peace from God our
Father, and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
We pray: “Stir up our hearts, O Lord.” But that
is a dangerous prayer, for hearts are not stirred up with comfort foods and
soft music. We do not pray: “Lord, give us a warm, fuzzy feeling in our bellies;
make our lives comfortable and leisurely; make us popular with the boys.” We
pray that God would stir up our hearts, that He would disturb us, that He would
prod us into action. Hearts are stirred up by an earnest call to repentance,
with a hearty dose of reality. “Stir up
our hearts” is a plea for God to end our complacency, to defeat our laziness,
to overcome our apathy. We ask Him to intervene for us against our own sinful
flesh.
While we wait for
our Lord’s return, our danger increases. We must continue to endure temptation.
Salvation is closer now then when we first believed. But do we have the same
zeal we had then? It is easy to grow weary, to allow ourselves to be seduced by
the devil. He’s so persuasive. “Why fight me? Why work so hard? Why care about
what God? Does He really care for you? Take care of yourself. Live for today.”
But that is most
certainly the way of death. Stir up our hearts, O Lord, against our own flesh!
Man does not live by statistics and financial reports. He does not find favor
in the eyes of God by finding favor in the eyes of men. The baptized children
of God live by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. My brothers and
sisters in Christ, there is your safe harbor. All other things will wash away.
Nothing else will endure. But the Word of God will. It never lies, never
changes, never stops, never fails.
And so we pray: “Stir up our hearts, O Lord, to make ready
the way of Your only-begotten Son.” On the great and dreadful day of the
Lord, the Son of Man will indeed come in a cloud with power and great glory.
The Muslims, the Buddhists, those Mormons and Jehovah’s Witnesses, and all
those who thought they could come to God apart from the Son, will no longer be
able to deny His power and authority. Satan’s many masks and false names will
finally be stripped away. Then the pagans and heathen—they will know whom
they’ve been worshiping all these years, but it won’t do them any good; they
shall be burned up. But to you who fear the name of the Lord, who trust in the
mercy of the God born of Mary, the Sun of Righteousness shall arise with
healing in His wings. Look up. Lift up your heads. Your redemption draws near.
Your suffering, your trials, your troubles, your grief—all of that will end.
The decisive
battle for your soul has already been won. The Father has pardoned you for the sake
of the suffering and death of His innocent Son. The Spirit of God abides in
you. Still, the devil fights on. It is a dangerous, deadly battle. But the end
is certain. Fear not. Christ has not died in vain. The devil, that liar and the
father of lies, is already defeated. Jesus died and rose again for us and for
our salvation. He reconciled all mankind to His Father. The kingdom of heaven
is open to all believers. Blessed are all those who trust in Him, who find
their rest in Him, who confess His holy name. They shall not be disappointed.
And so we pray: “Stir up our hearts, O Lord!” Prepare
us by Your grace. Receive us now and when we die through forgiveness and mercy.
Secure us in this free salvation unto the end. Feed us with your body and blood.
Make us your own! Come, Lord Jesus! In the name of the Father and of the Son
(+) and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
The peace of God which passes all
understanding will keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus always. Amen.
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