The Lord's Prayer - The Third Petition (continued):
How does this come about?
Whenever God breaks and hinders every evil scheme and will - as are present in the will of the devil, the world, and our flesh - that would not allow us to hallow God's name and would prevent the coming of the Kingdom of Heaven, and instead whenever God strengthens us and keeps us steadfast in his word and in faith until the end of our lives. This is God's gracious and good will.
To Ponder:
Inside of me there are two dogs. One is mean and evil and the other is good and they fight each other all the time. When asked which one wins I answer, the one I feed the most.
- Sitting Bull, in Sitting Bull: The Collected Speeches
Fight The Good Fight:
In his attempt to reform the church of his day, Martin Luther made many enemies - people who did not agree with him and his interpretation of the scriptures. At times, Luther felt as if the whole world had turned against him. He believed that his fiercest enemies, however, were the devil, the world, and his own sinful nature. Luther's inner struggle was so intense that he once threw an inkwell at a wall in his room, as if throwing it at the devil.
Eventually Luther found consolation and assurance in the fact that he was a baptized child of God. God's grace had been poured out on him and would not let him go. Luther could confidently say, "I am baptized!"
Prayer:
Lord, keep me faithful to your will for my life and the world. Amen
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