The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1908, Page 11

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The Lutheran Pioneer. 11

Holy Spirit. Though He may not restore our body
to health, He will render the sickness of the body
a blessing by giving greater health to the soul.
Though He take from us our beloved ones, He will
assure us of the blessed fact that He will never
leave us nor forsake us. Though He lets us suffer
the loss of property, He will make us certain of our
inheritance with the saints in light. Though He lets
us experience our own weakness, He will lead us to
know that His strength is made perfect in weakness.

for Jesus Christ’s sake whom we have taken hold of
with the hand of faith. In being granted such a
blessed end in Jesus, we know that we shall be de-
livered from every evil of body and soul, property
and honor, and shall enter perfect bliss and happi-
ness; for we shall be with God, at whose right hand
are pleasures forevermore. Then we shall be in
heaven, where “God shall wipe away all tears from
our eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither
sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more

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SEs:

“Deliver us from Evil.”

In short, “our light affliction, which is but for a
moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and
eternal weight of glory,” 2 Cor. 4, 17.

Of course, as long as we are in this life, we shall
never be entirely free from evil. All our evils will
only end with a blessed end. Therefore we also pray,
“When our last hour has come, that our Father in
heaven would grant us a blessed end, and graciously
take us from this vale of tears to Himself in heaven.”
God has appointed an hour of departure from this
life for everyone of us. This our last hour we pray
our heavenly Father to make blessed, that we may
depart in peace, knowing that our sins are forgiven

pain: for the former things are passed away,” Rev.
21, 4. With Paul every Christian longs for the hour
of his departure and says: “I have a desire to de-
part, and to be with Christ: which is far better,”
Phil. 1, 23. And with Paul every believer also has
the certain hope that God will graciously satisfy his

“longing, saying’ with the apostle, “The Lord shall

deliver me from every evil work, and will preserve
me unto His heavenly kingdom,” 2 Tim. 4, 18. —
Luther calls this petition the sum of all petitions,
and such it truly is; for when God has taken us to
Himself in heaven, then all the petitions have been
fulfilled. In heaven God’s name is hallowed, there

—EE