“Lord God, You have appointed me as a Bishop and Pastor in Your Church, but you see how unsuited I am to meet so great and difficult a task. If I had lacked Your help, I would have ruined everything long ago. Therefore, I call upon You: I wish to devote my mouth and my heart to you; I shall teach the people. I myself will learn and ponder diligently upon Your Word. Use me as Your instrument—but do not forsake me, for if ever I should be on my own, I would easily wreck it all.”
–Martin Luther (1483–1546)
Source: Martin Luther, “A Sacristy Prayer,” trans. James Kellerman, in Dr. Martin Luthers Werke: Kritische Gesamtausgabe, vol. 43 (Weimar: Hermann Böhlaus Nachfolger, 1909), 513.
Reflection: How might my communication change if I approached every opportunity to teach, speak, or share my faith with the humility to recognize that my words and abilities need God’s guidance?
