June 28, 2025

Today's Reading: Introit for Pentecost 3 - Psalm 85:8-10, 13; antiphon: Psalm 85:7

Daily Lectionary: Joshua 3:1-17; Acts 9:1-22

“Show us your steadfast love, O Lord, and grant us your salvation.” (Psalm 85:7)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

When God feels far away, how would you pray to Him? What do I do when God is angry with me?

The sons of Korah ask these questions of God in Psalm 85.

Israel has endured the exile, and no one wants to endure that again. The future looks unclear, and history shows that for Israel the days of David and Solomon were not coming back.

Life can be equally as anxious for us. Times have changed. Friendships come and go. Relationships end. Opportunities we hoped for never turn out, and life never seems to slow down. It can seem like we never quite have a handle on things.

The life of the Psalmist and for the people of Israel was not about getting the upper hand. It certainly was not about going back to how things used to be, no matter how grand they appeared. We often romanticize the past and hold on to nostalgia. Those days aren’t coming back, though.

The life of the Psalmist is knowing where our peace and salvation come from. It comes from God Himself. Israel was passed around like a nobody to the nations. It wasn’t that they didn’t deserve it; it was that they did, and God heard their cries, remembered His promises, and brought them back.

You may be mourning a loved one, unsure of where to go next in life, or suffering from illness in the mind and body. When you reach the edge where doubt is near, and God feels far away, remember what the sons of Korah demanded of God. “Show us your steadfast love, O Lord, and grant us your salvation.”

You have a God who loves you and sent His Son to die for you. Whose word tells you the steadfast love God has for you through our Lord Jesus. In Jesus, your salvation is near—it is yours. It’s not a matter of what I have to do to earn it, but a matter of your sins being forgiven. Nothing will take you away from the love your Father has for you. Not political uncertainties, not momentary crises of life, not sickness, and not death.

God’s salvation is revealed to you in your crucified, risen, and ascended Lord Jesus. You have your Baptism to remind you of that day you were made a child of God—united to your Savior so that as you endure these final things in these last days, you find comfort in the Word, knowing your identity is sealed in the water. You are strengthened in the eating and drinking of His Body and Blood under the bread and wine. Come, Lord Jesus.

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

All glory to the One Who lavishes such love; The triune God in love Assures our life above. His means of grace for us Are gifts He loves to give; All thanks and praise for His Great love by which we live! (LSB 602:6)

- Justin Chester is a seminary student at Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, IN.

Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, KY.

In Clarifying the Great Commission, Rev. Daniel Christian Voth identifies common omissions from our collective understanding of Jesus’ farewell discourse—omissions that turn Christ’s promises of forgiveness, life, and salvation into a legalistic command. Come and discover a richer understanding of The Great Commission.