Lutheran Devotional 9th August 2026, Sunday Message
TOPIC: Lord, Take My Hand and Lead Me
“Lord, take my hand and lead me Upon life’s way; Direct, protect, and feed me From day to day. Without Your grace and favor I go astray; So take my hand, O Savior, And lead the way.”
“Lead me … direct, protect, and feed me.” These demands sound like something that newborn infants—if they could speak—might say to their parents. Of course, even the youngest children have ways of making their needs known! As children grow, they need leadership, direction, protection, and—especially important to them as it is to us all—feeding. In our hymn we rightly bring these same petitions before our Lord in prayer. Jesus told His disciples that they must turn and become like children to enter the kingdom of heaven (see Matthew 18:3). In Baptism we are born again of water and the Spirit to become children of God. From that moment on, we need leadership, direction, protection, and feeding as we begin to “to grow up in every way into Him who is the Head, into Christ” (Ephesians 4:15b). With childlike humility and trust empowered by the Holy Spirit, we grow in grace as we follow our Savior.
Children are not always willing and eager to be directed and protected, and neither are we. So often we want to go our own way rather than following the Savior. Instead of walking with the Lord on the paths of righteousness, we stubbornly wander off to follow paths of sin. We resist the Lord’s direction because we want to make our own, often unwise, choices. We do not love others as we should. We know God’s commandments, but we choose instead to follow our own desires. We reject God’s leading and direction and even neglect His nourishing gifts of Word and Sacrament.
Our Heavenly Father loves the world and His wayward children. He sent His own Son to be our Savior. Jesus suffered the penalty of death that we deserve for our sins. He rose in triumph over death. At work in the Word, the Holy Spirit calls us to repent of our sins and, in repentant humility, we admit our need for the Lord’s direction and protection. Through faith in Jesus’ Name, our sins are forgiven. Our Savior watches over us and protects us by His grace. He guides and directs us through His Word and feeds us with His own body and blood in the Sacrament of Holy Communion. Whatever our age in earthly years, we are children of God, always growing in grace and maturing in faith as we grow up into Christ. Each day we make this humble, trusting childlike prayer our own: “Take my hand, O Savior, and lead the way.”
WE PRAY: Jesus, I need Your leadership, direction, and protection. Feed and nourish me with Your gifts of Word and Sacrament. Amen.
Reflection Questions:
- Do you know any elderly folk who really exemplify a childlike faith in Christ? In what areas?
- How should we be like children in our relationship to God?
- What is it about our nature that keeps getting in the way of loving others and serving God?
Today’s Readings:
Psalms 147-148
1 Corinthians 4
This Daily Devotion was written by Dr. Carol Geisler. It is based on the hymn, “Lord, Take My Hand and Lead Me,” which is number 722 in the Lutheran Service Book.