“Alas, Sovereign LORD,” I said, “I do not know how to speak; I am too young.” But the LORD said to me, “Do not say, ‘I am too young.’ You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you.”
Jeremiah 1:6,7

Say Whatever I Command You

Devotion based on Jeremiah 1:6,7
https://wels2.blob.core.windows.net/daily-devotions/20250205dev.mp3
See series: Devotions

How do children respond when you ask them to do something unpleasant? They make excuses: “I can’t do that! Do I have to?” Sometimes adults do the same thing: “I don’t have the skills to do that! Can’t somebody else do it?”

When the Lord called Jeremiah to be his prophet, he gave him the unpleasant task of convicting the people of their sin. How did Jeremiah respond? “Alas, Sovereign LORD, I do not know how to speak; I am too young” (v. 6).

Jeremiah was a young man sent to people who valued experience more than youth and who wouldn’t want to hear what he had to say. It was a good excuse, but it was still an excuse, and a childlike one at that.

What excuses do you have? No, the Lord has not called you to be a prophet, but we all have people in our lives who need to hear about God and his promises.

What do you say to yourself to justify staying quiet? “I’m too young. I’m too old. The timing is wrong. I don’t know what to say.” Satan loves excuses because excuses silence the Word so souls headed for hell don’t hear it.

That’s why the Lord tells you the same thing he told Jeremiah: “Say whatever I command you” (v. 7). Jeremiah didn’t speak his own words. He repeated God’s Word. What comfort! The people wouldn’t always like what he had to say, but Jeremiah wasn’t called to be popular; he was called to fearlessly share God’s Word.

Remember this. The power of God’s Word does not depend on you. The power comes from God. That means you don’t need to be afraid to speak the Word of the Lord to people who need to hear it. The Lord does not promise to supernaturally give you words to speak, but he does give you the Bible. That is the Word you speak.

Prayer:
Sovereign Lord, silence my excuses and give me confidence in your Word and care. Amen.

Daily Devotions is brought to you by WELS.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. ™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.

At daybreak, Jesus went out to a solitary place. The people were looking for him and when they came to where he was, they tried to keep him from leaving them. But he said, “I must proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns also, because that is why I was sent.” And he kept on preaching in the synagogues of Judea.
Luke 4:42-44

Sent for Success

Devotion based on Luke 4:42-44
https://wels2.blob.core.windows.net/daily-devotions/20250204dev.mp3
See series: Devotions

One of the quickest ways to become popular is to make life better for people, and Jesus had been doing just that. He had performed one miraculous healing after another. People suffering from all kinds of sicknesses flocked to him, and he cured them one by one.

It’s not surprising, then, that people went looking for him after he slipped out for some alone time. It’s even less surprising that they tried to prevent him from leaving. What is surprising, though, is that Jesus wanted to leave. Why would he go away from a place where he was so popular?

Isn’t that the point? Conventional wisdom states that popularity means success and if you’re popular, it will make your life better.

But while it’s natural for us to think that being popular is a worthy goal, Jesus demonstrated that popularity is not proof of success. Remember what he told the people: “I must proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns also, because that is why I was sent” (v. 43).

It’s true that Jesus had the power to make life better for people and the potential to be extremely popular, but that was not the reason he was there. He was sent not to make life better, but to give us a different life entirely.

Jesus knew that our problems are bigger than the sicknesses that kill us. For Jesus, success meant proclaiming the good news of his imminent victory over sin, death, and the devil. That victory does more than make life better; it gives eternal life to all who believe in Jesus.

That’s why believers in Jesus keep preaching that same good news—to take as many people as possible safely into the kingdom of God.

Prayer:
Heavenly Father, thank you for sending your Son to proclaim good news and letting me hear it. Amen.

Daily Devotions is brought to you by WELS.

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All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. ™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.

At sunset, the people brought to Jesus all who had various kinds of sickness, and laying his hands on each one, he healed them. Moreover, demons came out of many people, shouting, “You are the Son of God!” But he rebuked them and would not allow them to speak, because they knew he was the Messiah.
Luke 4:40,41

Signs of the Ultimate Healing

Devotion based on Luke 4:40,41
https://wels2.blob.core.windows.net/daily-devotions/20250203dev.mp3
See series: Devotions

Jesus had been busy. In the synagogue that morning, he freed a man from demon possession by commanding the demon to leave him. Later he cured a woman of her high fever simply by rebuking the fever. Jesus’ word had accomplished great things that day, and word about him had been spreading like wildfire. He was a popular man.

By sunset, all kinds of sick and demon-possessed people had been brought to Jesus. With a touch from his hands, the sick were healed, and by the word of his mouth, demons were exorcised. No illness resisted him, and demons couldn’t speak without his permission.

In one miracle-packed day, Jesus demonstrated his power over afflictions and his deep concern for every afflicted individual. But if affliction is no match for Jesus’ powerful word, why doesn’t he continue to miraculously heal people today? That is a question every follower of Jesus wrestles with, especially when they are suffering.

To answer that question, we need to remember that everyone Jesus healed could have gotten sick again, and even if they stayed healthy for the rest of their lives, they still died. Those miraculous healings made Jesus popular, but they were only temporary reprieves of a much greater problem. The Bible tells us, “The wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23).

Jesus came to end that problem permanently. His miracles proved he was sent by God to do just that because they demonstrated that he was the Son of God in human flesh. Jesus’ bloody cross and empty tomb leave no doubt that he defeated our afflictions at their source. Jesus’ miracles of healing point to the ultimate healing: the forgiveness of your sins and the perfect restoration of all things on the Last Day.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, you are the Great Physician of body and soul. Remind me of your concern for me. Help me when I suffer and give me strength to endure until the day you restore your creation to perfection. Amen.

Daily Devotions is brought to you by WELS.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. ™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.

The word of the LORD came to me, saying, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.”
Jeremiah 1:4,5

I Knew You

Devotion based on Jeremiah 1:4,5
https://wels2.blob.core.windows.net/daily-devotions/20250202dev.mp3
See series: Devotions

“I thought I knew you.” You might hear those words from someone who thinks you’ve changed. They knew you at one point in your life, but now you’ve apparently changed. The perspective is one of looking back on who you once were. Time and distance have changed you. What they knew about you no longer seems to be true.

The Lord spoke to the prophet Jeremiah and told him: “I knew you.” But the Lord wasn’t surprised at Jeremiah–who he was, how he’d changed, or what he was up to now. No, the Lord’s perspective was different. Before Jeremiah even existed, the Lord knew him and what he would do.

From our perspective, life can feel like a chaotic tornado or a gigantic game of Plinko. When we feel that way, we all too easily give in to temptations. When we think that no one is in control, we decide to take the reins. We start making all the decisions ourselves, regardless of what God says. When it feels like our lives are stuck in a dangerous swamp of question marks, we worry about everything, even though worrying has never worked.

The Lord is here to tell us differently. He knows, cares, and has plans for you. The Lord’s plans started before you were even born. He planned for you before this world was created. His plans included a cradle where his Son, your Savior, was born. He planned for the cross, where Jesus’ punishment brought you peace. In your life, God brought you his Word and Jesus. And Jesus is planning and preparing a room for you in heaven.

The Lord, who has known and planned those HUGE details for you, knows every little detail, too. The Lord knows. He knows you. He loves you.

Prayer:
Lord, you know me better than I know myself. Forgive me for not trusting your loving care. Give me confidence always that you know me, you love me and your plans for me culminate with my happy home in heaven with you. Amen.

Daily Devotions is brought to you by WELS.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. ™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.

The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners.
Isaiah 61:1

Freedom

Devotion based on Isaiah 61:1
https://wels2.blob.core.windows.net/daily-devotions/20250201dev.mp3
See series: Devotions

When we try to guess what God is thinking, we don’t usually get very far. We don’t know what he will bring into our lives tomorrow, much less next year or the year after. But there is one area of life where we can begin to guess what God is thinking with great accuracy, and that is when we’ve messed up. Maybe friends were depending on us, and we let them down. Maybe we said something we regret and wish we could take it back. Maybe it was something bigger than all that, something that eats at us. It’s not as though God has given us something complicated to do—just love. But we get this wrong again and again, and we can sense that God is angry.

But God anointed Jesus to preach God’s mind, and to tell us something we would never have guessed on our own. Jesus preached freedom. Not political freedom. Not financial freedom. The freedom Jesus preached is a release from the darkness of sin and death, forever. And he did more than preach. He rescued us. On his cross, he put himself in our dark dungeon and released us into the light. Jesus didn’t just talk about freedom; he set us free.

You are fully and eternally free from all punishment for your sin. Jesus signed your pardon papers with his blood and sealed them with his resurrection from the dead. Have you ever found yourself caught in a web of guilt, buried under a burdened conscience, terrified by the darkness of death? The message of Jesus is as breathtakingly wonderful as it is simple: freedom.

Prayer:
Dear Jesus, you have suffered and died for me. You have set me free from sin, guilt, and death. Bless me with your peace and joy today and always. Amen.

Daily Devotions is brought to you by WELS.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. ™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.

They will rebuild the ancient ruins and restore the places long devastated.
Isaiah 61:4

Restoration

Devotion based on Isaiah 61:4
https://wels2.blob.core.windows.net/daily-devotions/20250131dev.mp3
See series: Devotions

In April 2019, a fire broke out in the famous Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris. Firefighters worked valiantly, but by the time the blaze was under control, the cathedral was a ruin. It was a smoking, debris-filled wreck.

The people of France, however, were determined to restore it. The effort required 1,500 trees and 46,000 cubic feet of new limestone. They restored the organ with its 8,000 pipes. They restored the stained-glass windows. They restored the wrought iron railings. They re-tuned the cathedral’s massive bells. They built a new roof. They constructed a new steeple. And while they were at it, they carefully scrubbed 450,000 square feet of surface, cleansing it of centuries of ancient grime. As of December, France has reopened this historic structure to the public. The final result of this restoration is truly breathtaking.

Without question, this restoration effort was impressive. As great as this physical restoration was, however, the restoration of spiritual ruins is something else altogether.

In Isaiah chapter 61, the Lord is speaking to a people in ruins. They have seen their home city, Jerusalem, go up in smoke. An enemy nation has carried them off into captivity. Far worse, however, is the brokenness of their souls. They realize they are the ones responsible for having turned their backs on their God. They realize they are the ones responsible for having brought their lives to ruin.

But their Savior-God is a God who keeps his promises. He’s promised to send a Savior from sin. And when he does, this Savior will wash them clean of their guilt. He will cover them in the holiness of the holy life that he will live on their behalf. And in doing this, he will restore them to himself. They will be in ruins no more.

God has kept that promise for you and me too. Apart from him, our lives are in ruins—ruined by our sin. But Jesus has come. Through the good news of what he has done, his Spirit has restored us. He has cleansed us with his blood. Our lives with him are now fresh and clean and new.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, I was in ruins. But you have restored me by your gospel. Thank you. Amen.

Daily Devotions is brought to you by WELS.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. ™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.

They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the LORD for the display of his splendor.
Isaiah 61:3

Witness Trees

Devotion based on Isaiah 61:3
https://wels2.blob.core.windows.net/daily-devotions/20250130dev.mp3
See series: Devotions

One million people visit the small town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, every year. One million. The draw, of course, is the Gettysburg battlefield—the site of the most famous battle fought during the American Civil War.

If you have even a casual interest in history, a visit to Gettysburg is well worth the trip. Thanks to the foresight of people generations ago, the town and the battlefield are in a remarkable state of preservation (if you look carefully, you can even spot cannon balls still stuck in the sides of buildings). If you want to encounter the past even more, however, ask a Battlefield Guide to show you what’s called a witness tree. A witness tree is a tree that’s old enough and sturdy enough to have witnessed the actual battle. Some are still hiding bullets and shrapnel behind their bark. There’s something powerful about showing a witness tree to a young child. It says to a young boy or girl, “This battle was real. This really happened.”

In Isaiah chapter 61, the Lord was speaking to people who felt frail, defeated, and crushed. They felt this way because the consequences of their sin had made them realize what lost, broken sinners they were. God, however, reminded them that he had made a promise. He had promised to send a Savior from sin—someone who would wash away their guilty stains and renew their relationship with their Creator. When this happened, God promised that “they (would) be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the LORD for the display of his splendor.”

God has fulfilled that promise. He has sent his Son. Jesus Christ has washed away our guilty stains at the cross. Jesus Christ has lived a life of solid, perfect faithfulness on our behalf. Through faith in his Son, God declares us holy. And as he does, he also empowers us to be witness trees for the Lord, “to be oaks of righteousness . . . for the display of his splendor.”

When we are—when we absorb the shrapnel and scars of living as Christians in a fallen world—then you and I can tell the next generation, Be of good courage. Christ is your strength.

Prayer:
Lord, my strength, empower me to stand strong for you. Amen.

Daily Devotions is brought to you by WELS.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. ™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.

[The LORD] has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted . . . to comfort all who mourn.
Isaiah 61:1,2

All Who Mourn

Devotion based on Isaiah 61:1,2
https://wels2.blob.core.windows.net/daily-devotions/20250129dev.mp3
See series: Devotions

Are you in mourning? You certainly are if you are grieving the loss of a loved one. But those who study the subject of grief tell us that the loss of a loved one does not even begin to cover all the circumstances that can put us into a state of mourning. Any profound sense of loss can hurl us into a pit of grief. Examples? I can mourn the loss of a relationship. When I have to move, I can mourn the loss of where I used to live. I can mourn the loss of a job position I sincerely enjoyed. I can mourn my childhood friends because time and distance have separated us. I can mourn the loss of my health. I can mourn the loss of my spouse’s health. I can mourn the loss of my parent’s health. I can even mourn what might have been—grieving a sinful failure from long ago that has had consequences right up to the present.

In our Bible reading today, the prophet Isaiah says that the Savior is coming “to comfort all who mourn.” In the immediate context, the people to whom Isaiah is speaking are not mourning the loss of loved ones. Rather, they are mourning the disastrous consequences of their sins and unfaithfulness.

And this is one of the reasons Jesus came. He came so that mourning and grief in your life and mine do not have the last word. Where you and I have been unfaithful, Jesus has lived a life of perfect faithfulness on our behalf. Where you and I have done things—or not done things—that have created for us years of regret, Jesus has taken those sinful failures and washed them away at the cross. And because he has, not only do you and I stand forgiven through faith in him; he also displaces our mourning with his comfort—a comfort that goes beyond words, a comfort that surrounds us in security and contentment and joy and peace. The peace of God that surpasses all understanding.

Prayer:
Lord, I know there are times when I will mourn and grieve. When I do, remind me that my mourning does not have the last word. You do. Amen.

Daily Devotions is brought to you by WELS.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. ™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.

[The LORD] has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim . . . release from darkness for the prisoners.
Isaiah 61:1

Darkness

Devotion based on Isaiah 61:1
https://wels2.blob.core.windows.net/daily-devotions/20250128dev.mp3
See series: Devotions

Some years ago, Smithsonian Magazine published an article about the effects of prolonged darkness and how the lack of sunlight can impact people. It’s a compelling piece. For example, prolonged darkness prevents our bodies from producing vitamin D. This, in turn, can trigger a whole host of problems: Weaker bones, weaker tissues, a weaker immune system, and even weaker teeth.

On the other hand, studies about the impact of sunlight have suggested many benefits. They include reducing the risk of stroke or heart attack, reducing the risk of diabetes and lower blood pressure. Then, there is the impact of sunlight on our brains. It produces chemicals that improve our mood and prevent loss of energy, lack of interest, oversleeping, and feelings of depression.

All of this, of course, comes as no surprise. Thousands of years of shared experience have taught us to associate positive things with light and negative things with darkness.

Of all the kinds of darkness in this dark world, however—the worst kind of darkness is the darkness of sin. Your sin and mine. It separates us from the light of the goodness of God. It isolates us from the Lord and each other. It surrounds us with anxiety. It saturates us in fear. It weighs us down in hopelessness. It crushes us in guilt. It smothers us in despair. It tells us we are trapped, helpless, and alone.

But the light has come—Jesus has arrived. And on his arrival, he has pierced the darkness. Not only has he pierced the darkness, but he has destroyed the very source of the darkness: our sin. In place of our deeds of darkness, Jesus has lived a sinless life of light. And as our substitute, Jesus endured the darkness of eternal death—all to pay our debt of sin in full.

And now he lives. And because he does, the light of his gospel now shines to bathe our dark souls in his brightness. Through faith in him, you and I now bask in his light. He has released us from the darkness. We now live to praise him, who has brought us into his wonderful light.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, move me to bask in your light. Every day. Amen.

Daily Devotions is brought to you by WELS.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. ™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.

[The LORD] has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives.
Isaiah 61:1

Captive

Devotion based on Isaiah 61:1
https://wels2.blob.core.windows.net/daily-devotions/20250127dev.mp3
See series: Devotions

Jose Pereira [pronounced Pah-RAY-rah] was ready to retire. He had worked in the oil business for 35 years. He was a chief executive. He lived with his wife in a beautiful home in Texas. Shortly before his retirement, he had to attend a corporate meeting in another part of the world. Jose thought nothing of it.

Immediately after the meeting, however, guards appeared. They accused him of all kinds of wrongdoing against their government and placed him under arrest. For the next five years, Jose Pereira was a captive. The conditions were often horrific. He sometimes did not eat for days. There were long stretches of solitary confinement. His physical and emotional health began to break down.

You and I were captives, too. We may not have had Jose’s experience. However, in a very real sense, our captivity was just as serious—even more so. Instead of an underground cell with iron doors and concrete walls, ours was a dungeon of our own making: a spiritual one. So toxic was our rebellion against God that we chose to pile up our sins, brick by brick, to isolate ourselves from the only One who can give us goodness, love, life, and light. And there we sat, captives in our own darkness.

But then came the promised Savior. In our place, Jesus lived a life of perfect good—the life you and I have failed to live. On our behalf, Jesus went to the cross and endured the punishment for our every sin—the punishment you and I have deserved. And now, through faith in what our rescuer has done, we are captive no more. We are free.

Jose Pereira is free, too. Yes, his physical captivity came to an end after five years. But he is free in an even greater way. Through those terrible years, the Holy Spirit refreshed him wth a message he had grown up hearing a long time ago. In his cell, the good news of Jesus set him free from the walls of his own sin. “Now,” he says, “Everything I do is for God.”

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, you have set me free. Move me, now, to live for you. Amen.

Daily Devotions is brought to you by WELS.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. ™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.

All the people in the synagogue were furious when they heard this. They got up, drove [Jesus] out of the town, and took him to the brow of the hill on which the town was built, in order to throw him down the cliff. But he walked right through the crowd and went on his way.
Luke 4:28-30

The Power to Walk Away

Devotion based on Luke 4:28-30
https://wels2.blob.core.windows.net/daily-devotions/20250126dev.mp3
See series: Devotions

Jesus had gone to Nazareth, his hometown, and went into the synagogue to worship. The people invited Jesus to preach, so Jesus opened to a part of the book of Isaiah which reads, “The Spirit of the Lord is on me because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” This is a beautiful segment of the Bible which reminds us that God is full of forgiving love! It also teaches that God doesn’t like to deal with us in judgment (Though he will do that if we stubbornly rebel against him.) Rather, he loves to deal with us in mercy and love. Jesus identified himself as the fulfillment of this prophecy, as the promised Messiah.

Unfortunately, the people reacted with unbelief, and Jesus confronted them about it. This made them furious, and they tried to kill him.

How did Jesus deal with that? He walked away. He simply left, and there was nothing the people could do to stop him.

That’s very valuable for us to see. Why? Because later another group of people tried to put Jesus to death. It happened in Jerusalem, and Jesus didn’t walk away. He could have, but he didn’t.

This shows us that when Jesus died, he did so willingly. When Jesus died, he did so because he loved you. He wasn’t forced into it. He had the power to walk away from the cross just as he had walked away from the hill in Nazareth. But he didn’t.

So, we rejoice! We rejoice that Jesus had the power to walk away from the crowd in Nazareth. And we rejoice even more that Jesus didn’t walk away from the cross in Jerusalem.

Prayer:
O Savior, remind me that your love for me is a willing love so that I might know for sure that you love me forever. Amen.

Daily Devotions is brought to you by WELS.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. ™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.