Daily Devotion for 09 March 2026 (Lent 3, Monday)

Welcome to the Daily Devotions Podcast from Confident Faith.

I am Corey J. Moller, a contributor here at Confident Faith and I will be your reader today.

This Monday in the third week of Lent, the 9th of March, in the year of our Lord, 2026,

in the time of Easter.

There are no feasts, festivals or commemorations on the calendar today.

Our readings for today are Psalm 38, Psalm 54, Psalm 130, Genesis 29, verses 1 through 30.

Mark 9, verses 14 through 32, and paragraphs 48 through 54 of Article 2 of the Solid Declaration

of the Formula of Concord.

We will close, as always, with the Lord's Prayer.

Today's first reading from the Psalter is the 38th Psalm.

O Lord, do not rebuke me in your anger, nor discipline me in your wrath, because your arrows

were stuck in me, and you clamped your hand on me. There is no healing in my flesh from before

your wrath. There is no peace for my bones, from before my sins, because my acts of

lawlessness went over my head. Like a heavy burden they weighed on me. My wounds sank and

festered from before my foolishness. I was wretched and bowed down completely. All day long

I would go around looking sullen, because my loin muscles were filled with mockeries,

and there is no healing in my flesh. I was vilified and humiliated utterly.

I would roar due to my heart's groaning. O Lord, before you is all my desire,

and my groaning was not hidden from you. My heart was troubled, my strength failed me,

and as for the light of my eyes it too is not with me. My friends and my fellows approached

opposite me and stood, and my next of kin stood far off. And those who seek my soul took to violence,

and those who seek my hurt spoke vanities, and treacheries they contemplated all day long.

But as for me I, like the death, would not hear, and like a mute not opening his mouth,

and I became like a person that does not hear, and that has no retort in his mouth.

Because in you, O Lord, I hoped, it is you, O Lord, my God, who will listen, because I said,

only let not my enemies be happy over me, and when my feet were shaken, they bragged against me,

because I am ready for scourges, and my pain is ever with me, because my lawlessness I will report,

and I will show anxiety over my sin. But my enemies are alive and are stronger than I,

and those who hate me unjustly multiplied. Those who render me evil for good would slander me

since I would follow after righteousness, and they cast me the beloved off like a horrid corpse.

Do not forsake me, O Lord, O my God, do not stand far from me, attend to helping me, O Lord,

of my deliverance. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit,

as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forevermore. Amen.

Today's second reading from the Psalter is the 54th Psalm.

O God, in your name save me, and in your power you will judge me. O God, listen to my prayer,

give ear to the words of my mouth, because strangers rose up against me, and strong ones sought my soul,

they did not set God before them. For look, God helps me, and the Lord is supporter of my soul.

He will repay the harm to my enemies, with your truth destroy them.

Freely, I shall sacrifice to you, I will acknowledge your name, O Lord, because it is good,

because you rescued me from every affliction, and my eye looked among my enemies.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning,

is now, and will be forevermore. Amen.

Today's third reading from the Psalter is the 130th Psalm.

Out of the depths I cried to you, O Lord, Lord, listen to my voice,

let your ears become attentive to the voice of my petition. If you mark lawlessness,

O Lord, Lord, who shall stand? Because with you there is atonement, for the sake of your law,

I waited for you, O Lord. My soul waited for your word. My soul hoped in the Lord,

from morning watch until night, from morning watch let Israel hope in the Lord,

because with the Lord there is mercy, and much redemption is with him, and it is he who will redeem

Israel from all its acts of lawlessness. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit,

as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forevermore. Amen.

Today's Old Testament reading comes from the book of Genesis, and we will be reading the 29th chapter,

verses 1 through 30. And Jacob lifting up his feet, went to the land of the east,

to Laban the Son of Bathuel, the Syrian, and brother of Rebecca, mother of Jacob in Esau,

and he was looking, and there was a well in the plain, and three flocks of sheep were resting

there near it. For out of that well they would water the flocks. Now a large stone was on the

well's mouth, and all the flocks would be gathered there, and they would roll the stone from the

mouth of the well, and water the sheep, and restore the stone to its place on the mouth of the well.

And Jacob said to them, brothers, where are you from? And they said, we are from Karan.

Then he said to them, do you know Laban the Son of Nahor? And they said, we know him,

and he said to them, is he well? And they said, he is well. And see his daughter Rachel was coming

with the sheep. And Jacob said, there is still much daylight, it is not yet time for the livestock

to be gathered together. Water the sheep go off and pasture them. But they said, we shall not be

able to until all the shepherds have been gathered together, and they roll the stone from the mouth

of the well, and we shall water the sheep. While he was still speaking with them,

then Laban's daughter Rachel was coming with her father's sheep, for she was tending her father's

sheep. Now it came about when Jacob saw Rachel, daughter of his mother's brother Laban,

and the sheep of his mother's brother Laban. That then Jacob drawing near rolled the stone from

the well's mouth, and watered the sheep of his mother's brother Laban. And Jacob kissed Rachel,

and crying out with his voice he wept, and he told Rachel that he was her father's

kinsmen, and that he was Rebecca's son. And running off she reported to her father concerning

these matters. And it came about when Laban heard the name of his sister's son Jacob,

that he ran to meet him and embracing him, kissed him and brought him into his house.

And he related to Laban all these particulars. And Laban said to him, you are of my bones and of my

flesh. And he was with him a month of days. Then Laban said to Jacob, indeed because you are my

kinsmen, you shall not be subject to me for nothing, tell me what your wages. Now Laban had two daughters,

the name of the bigger was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel. And Leah's eyes were weak,

but Rachel was shapely in figure and lovely in appearance. Now Jacob loved Rachel, and he said,

I will be subject to you seven years for your younger daughter Rachel. And Laban said to him,

it is better that I give her to you than that I give her to another man, dwell with me.

And Jacob was subject seven years for Rachel, and they were in his sight like a few days because he

loved her. Then Jacob said to Laban, give up my wife that I may go into her, for my days have been

completed. And Laban gathered together all the men of the place and made a wedding feast. And

evening came, and Laban taking his daughter Leah, brought her into Jacob, and Jacob went into her.

Now Laban gave to his daughter Leah his maid Zelpha as a maid for her. Then morning came, and there

was Leah. And Jacob said to Laban, what is this you have done to me, was I not subject to you for

Rachel, and why have you deceived me? And Laban said, it is not possible thus in our locality to

give the younger before the elder. Therefore finish the heptad of this one, and I will give you this

one also, in return for work that you shall do at my place for yet another seven years.

And Jacob did so and fulfilled her heptad, and Laban gave him his daughter Rachel as a wife for him.

Now Laban gave his maid Bala to his daughter Rachel as a maid for her, and he went in to Rachel,

and he loved Rachel more than Leah, and he was subject to him another seven years.

This is the word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.

Today's New Testament reading comes from the book of Mark, and we will be reading the 9th chapter

versus 14 through 32. And when they came to the disciples, they saw a great crowd around them,

and scribes arguing with them, and immediately all the crowd when they saw him were greatly

amazed and ran up to him and greeted him. And he asked them, what are you arguing about with them?

And someone from the crowd answered him, teacher, I brought my son to you, for he has a spirit that

makes him mute, and whenever it sees him it throws him down, and he foams and grinds his teeth and

becomes rigid. So I asked your disciples to cast it out, and they were not able. And he answered

them, O faithless generation, how long it might be with you, how long it might to bear with you,

bring him to me. And they brought the boy to him, and when the spirit saw him, immediately it

convulsed the boy, and he fell on the ground and rolled about foaming at the mouth. And Jesus asked

his father, how long has this been happening to him? And he said, from childhood, and it is often

cast him into fire and into water to destroy him. But if you can do anything, have compassion on us

and help us. And Jesus said to him, if you can, all things are possible for one who believes.

Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, I believe, help my unbelief.

And when Jesus saw that a crowd came running together, he rebuked the unclean spirit,

saying to it, you mute and deaf spirit, I command you come out of him and never enter him again.

And after crying out and convulsing him terribly, it came out, and the boy was like a corpse,

so that most of them said, he is dead. But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up,

and he arose. And when he had entered the house, his disciples asked him privately,

why could we not cast it out? And he said to them, this kind cannot be driven out by anything but

prayer. They went on from there and passed through Galilee, and he did not want anyone to know,

for he was teaching his disciples saying to them, the son of man is going to be delivered

into the hands of men, and they will kill him. And when he is killed after three days, he will rise.

But they did not understand the saying, and they were afraid to ask him.

This is the word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.

Today's reading from the book of Concorde comes from the solid declaration of the formula of Concorde,

and we will be reading Article 2, Paragraphs 48 through 54.

Conversion. For this reason, we will now explain further from God's word, how a,

a person is converted to God, b, how and through what means,

namely through the oral word and the holy sacraments, the Holy Spirit wants to be effective in us,

to work in bestow in our hearts true repentance, faith, and a new spiritual power, and the ability

to do good, and see how we should respond to these means and use them. It is not God's will that

anyone should be damned, but that all people should be converted to him and be saved eternally.

Say to them, as I live declares the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked,

but that the wicked turn from his way and live, Ezekiel 33-11. For God so loved the world that he

gave his only son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life, John 3-16.

Out of his immense goodness and mercy, God provided for the public preaching of his divine eternal

law and his wonderful plan for our redemption, that of the holy only saving gospel of his eternal

son, our only Savior and Redeemer Jesus Christ. By this preaching he gathers an eternal church for

himself, from the human race, and works in people's hearts true repentance, knowledge of sins,

and true faith in God's son Jesus Christ. By this means and in no other way, that is through his

holy word when people hear it preached or read it, and through the holy sacraments when they are

used according to his word, God desires to call people to eternal salvation. He desires to draw

them to himself and convert, regenerate, and sanctify them. For since in the wisdom of God the world

did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those

who believe, 1 Corinthians 121. Peter will tell you what to do, Acts 10-6. So faith comes from

preaching and preaching through the word of Christ, Romans 10-17. Sanctify them in the truth,

your word is truth. I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through

their word, John 17-17-20. The eternal Father calls down from heaven about his dear son,

and about all who preach repentance and forgiveness of sins in his name. Listen to him, Matthew 17-5.

All who want to be saved ought to listen to this preaching, for the preaching and hearing of God's

word are the Holy Spirit's instruments. Buy with and through these instruments the spirit desires

to work effectively, to convert people to God, and to work in them both to will and to do.

A person can hear and read this word outwardly, even though he is not yet converted to God in

regenerate. As said above, a person even since the fall has a free will to a certain extent

in these outward things, so he can go to church and listen or not listen to the sermon.

God works through this means that is the preaching and hearing of his word. He breaks our hearts

and draws us to him. Through the preaching of the law, a person comes to know his sins in God's

wrath. He experiences in his heart true terrors, contrition and sorrow. Through the preaching of and

reflection on the Holy Gospel about the gracious forgiveness of sins in Christ, a spark of faith is

kindled in him. This faith accepts the forgiveness of sins for Christ's sake and comforts itself

with the gospel promise, so the Holy Spirit who does all this is sent into the heart.

This concludes our reading from the book of Concord.

I now invite all of you to join me in reciting the Lord's Prayer, one of the most ancient prayers

of the church. I do encourage you to say it aloud if you are somewhere would be reasonable to do so,

but praying it silently is, of course, also fine. The Lord knows what is in your heart.

Lord, remember us in your kingdom and teach us to pray.

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. By kingdom come, thy will be done,

on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses

as we forgive those who trespass against us. It lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil

for thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever. Amen.

Go in peace and grace to serve our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,

in whatever calling has been given you or tasks set before you. Until tomorrow,

God be with you.