Passage, Paragraph, and Prayer
“Passage, Paragraph, and Prayer” is a biweekly devotional podcast. Each episode consists of a passage from the Bible, a paragraph meditating on that passage, and a closing prayer. This podcast is produced by Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church in Winner, South Dakota.
Episodes
395 episodes
Same Tree, Different Apples (Genesis 9:20–23)
Shem and Japheth’s reaction to their father’s drunkenness was very different than Ham’s. In seeing the very different reactions of three men who all shared the same father and mother, we are reminded of how children inherit both the best and th...
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Season 6
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Episode 87
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4:30
Make Your Face Shine on Me (Psalm 119:135)
The concept of God making his face shine toward us or on us is repeated in Scripture. But what does it mean?Music Credit: Johann Sebastian Bach, Trio from Brandenburg Concerto, No. 1, Movement 4
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Season 6
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Episode 86
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3:37
Faithful Men or Frat Boys? (Genesis 9:18, 20–22) *with BONUS Content
It quickly becomes clear after the Flood that God did not preserve Noah and his family on the ark because of their own merits, but out of his grace.Music Credit: J. S. Bach, “Wir eilen mit schwachen, doch emsigen Schritten,” aria from “J...
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Season 6
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Episode 85
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5:40
God Cares about Human Oppression (Psalm 119:134)
When we talk about God ransoming and redeeming, we are usually, and rightly, talking about his rescuing us from sin, the devil, and eternal death in hell. But in Psalm 119:134, the psalmist makes clear that God also cares about, and rescues fro...
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Season 6
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Episode 84
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4:00
A Common Blood (Genesis 9:18–19)
There is a place for noting and observing differences between humans and groups of humans. But it is also healthy for us to note the commonalities we share, including our common blood.Music Credit: J. S. Bach, “Wir eilen mit schwachen, d...
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Season 6
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Episode 83
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3:50
Wickedness—Ruling or Ruled Over? (Psalm 119:133)
Christians are not just both sinners in themselves and saints in Christ. They are also both sinners and masters over sin.Music Credit: Johann Sebastian Bach, Trio from Brandenburg Concerto, No. 1, Movement 4
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Season 6
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Episode 82
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4:26
God’s Two Covenants with Noah (Genesis 9:12–17)
God had told Noah before the Flood that he would establish his covenant with him (Gen. 6:18). Now, after the Flood, he makes a covenant not just with Noah, but with all flesh. Are these two covenants the same or different?Music Credit: J...
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Season 6
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Episode 81
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5:09
What’s in God’s Name? (Psalm 119:132)
What’s in a name? These days it seems like less and less, as parents simply pick names for their children that have a nice ring to them. But when the psalmist talks about the benefits of loving God’s name, he doesn’t just mean we should love th...
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Season 6
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Episode 80
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3:55
The Meaning of the Rainbow (Genesis 9:12–17)
When the sun peeks through the clouds after a storm, we usually start looking around for a rainbow. It’s one of the most beautiful sights in nature, and can be observed throughout the world. But did you know it’s not merely a natural occurrence...
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Season 6
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Episode 79
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4:36
When Exaggeration Should Capture the Reality (Psalm 119:131)
The psalmist says that he longs for God’s word so intensely that he opens his mouth wide and pants. Really?Music Credit: Johann Sebastian Bach, Trio from Brandenburg Concerto, No. 1, Movement 4
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Season 6
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Episode 78
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3:30
God’s Most Inclusive Covenant (Genesis 9:8–11)
The covenant God makes in Genesis 9:8–11 is not his most generous covenant, but it is his most inclusive, including all creatures on earth, both humans and animals, until the end of time.Music Credit: J. S. Bach, “Wir eilen mit schwachen...
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Season 6
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Episode 77
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4:10
Enlightening the Simple (Psalm 119:130)
God’s word gives light and understanding to simple people. Does that category exclude you?Music Credit: Johann Sebastian Bach, Trio from Brandenburg Concerto, No. 1, Movement 4
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Season 6
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Episode 76
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3:04
Overpopulation? (Genesis 9:7)
We sometimes hear about overpopulation and population control. But is there such a thing?Music Credit: J. S. Bach, “Wir eilen mit schwachen, doch emsigen Schritten,” aria from “Jesu, der du meine Seele,” BWV 78 (Leipzig, 1724).
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Season 6
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Episode 75
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3:48
Divine Wonders at Our Disposal (Psalm 119:129)
What do you think of when you hear about a cave of wonders or a palace filled with wonders? We have heavenly wonders, of infinitely greater value than those wonders, right at our fingertips.Music Credit: Johann Sebastian Bach, Trio from ...
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Season 6
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Episode 74
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2:53
Taking Human Life, Part 3 (Genesis 9:4–6)
The reason God gives for his prohibition against taking human life is that he made mankind in his image. Is this referring to a present reality? Is mankind still made in God’s image? Or is this referring back to when God first made mankind, and...
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Season 6
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Episode 73
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4:51
Christianity Is Not a Buffet (Psalm 119:128)
There are plenty of churches and church bodies today that have narrowed their doctrinal basis for membership or fellowship down to just a few basics, and have said or implied that we can agree to disagree about anything beyond that. Is that a C...
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Season 6
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Episode 72
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3:55
Taking Human Life, Part 2 (Genesis 9:4–6)
In Romans 13 Paul says that God has established all governing authorities. To where can we trace that divine establishment? And within that establishment, is the death penalty acceptable, or is it inherently evil and un-Christian?Music C...
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Season 6
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Episode 71
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4:53
Greater than Pure Gold (Psalm 119:127)
The psalmist says he loves God’s commands even more than pure gold. Is he just trying to avoid the threat of God’s punishment by flattering him? Or is God’s word actually that valuable and lovable?Music Credit: Johann Sebastian Bach, Tri...
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Season 6
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Episode 70
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3:40
Taking Human Life, Part 1 (Genesis 9:4–6)
In explicitly giving “all that lives and moves” to humans for food, God makes two exceptions. The first we covered last week. We now begin covering the second, that human life should not be taken for food, or for any reason, except as punishmen...
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Season 6
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Episode 69
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4:48
Time for the Lord to Act (Psalm 119:126)
How and when can we tell the Lord that it is time for him to act?Music Credit: Johann Sebastian Bach, Trio from Brandenburg Concerto, No. 1, Movement 4
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Season 6
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Episode 68
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4:04
Animals Explicitly Given as Food (Genesis 9:1–3)
Genesis 4:2–4 seems to strongly suggest that humans were already eating meat from animals before the Flood. So why does God specifically sanction the human eating of meat after the Flood? And why does he only give one restriction here, when he ...
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Season 6
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Episode 67
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4:40
Being God’s Servant (Psalm 119:125)
As Americans, we don’t like the idea of being someone else’s servant or slave. But the psalmist freely confesses that he is God’s servant. In this devotion we consider what being God’s servant means for us.Music Credit: Johann Sebastian ...
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Season 6
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Episode 66
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3:53
Why Do Wild Animals Fear Humans? (Genesis 9:1–2)
Why do animals that could easily overpower and kill humans run away from them? Why do bugs and critters and fish fly and scurry and swim away as humans approach? Moses gives us the answer as he continues to record God’s promises to Noah and his...
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Season 6
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Episode 65
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4:06
What Is Mercy? (Psalm 119:124)
In Psalm 119:124, the psalmist asks God to deal with him according to his mercy. What is mercy, as opposed to other love words that are used of God?Music Credit: Johann Sebastian Bach, Trio from Brandenburg Concerto, No. 1, Move...
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Season 6
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Episode 64
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3:56
“Be Fruitful and Multiply” 2.0 (Genesis 9:1)
Think of the load of responsibility on the shoulders of Noah and his sons as they look out over the vast and empty earth and realize that the future of mankind depends on them. Except God graciously makes sure it doesn’t.Music Credit: J....
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Season 6
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Episode 63
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4:01