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
359 episodes
Extending the Olive Leaf (Genesis 8:10–11)
“Doves are not considerate birds who bring men tokens of the state of affairs upon the earth. That this dove brought a leaf in its beak [to Noah] is to be attributed alone to an impulse divinely directed” (Leupold, Exposition of Genesis, 1:3:16...
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Season 6
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Episode 51
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3:37
Constant Attention to God’s Word (Psalm 119:117)
In Psalm 119:117, the psalmist says that God’s sustaining and saving merits our constant attention to his Word. When we give constant attention to other things, it is usually called an unhealthy obsession. Why is it different with God’s Word?
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Season 6
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Episode 50
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3:19
A Tale of Two Birds (Genesis 8:6–9)
Moses definitely wants to draw our attention to the two birds Noah released from the ark. So we give a little more thought to them in this devotion—the unclean black raven that feeds on death and keeps its distance, and the pure white dove that...
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Season 6
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Episode 49
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4:48
Ashamed of Your Hope? (Psalm 119:116)
Do you remember the first time you encountered someone who tried to make you feel stupid and ashamed for having your Christian hope? Sometimes this is a turning point for the worse in the lives of Christians. The psalmist leads us to pray that ...
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Season 6
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Episode 48
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3:59
The Raven, a Minister of Death (Genesis 8:6–7)
Since it had taken forty days to flood the earth, Noah waited forty days after the ark came to rest to conduct some experiments to gauge the living conditions out of the ark. For his first experiment, he released a raven.Music Credit: J....
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Season 6
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Episode 47
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4:04
“Get Away!” (Psalm 119:115)
Too often we’re eager to go along with the suggestions and plans of evildoers, because what they want to do seems more cool and fun and exciting than what God wants. The psalmist teaches us the correct attitude to have when we’re in the middle ...
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Season 6
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Episode 46
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3:02
Patience Pays Off (Genesis 8:3–5)
Delayed gratification, when people are willing to wait for a bigger payoff down the road instead of gratifying their desires right now, has been called “the most effective trait of successful people.” Christians in the habit of waiting on God’s...
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Season 6
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Episode 45
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4:40
Our Shelter and Shield (Psalm 119:114)
In Psalm 119:114, the psalmist calls God his shelter and shield. What is the difference? And what do those names or descriptions means for us?Music Credit: Johann Sebastian Bach, Trio from Brandenburg Concerto, No. 1, Movement 4
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Season 6
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Episode 44
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3:01
God’s Purpose in the Wind (Genesis 7:24—8:2)
When the wind began to blow on the one hundred and fiftieth day of the Flood, initially Noah and his family may have thought that things were getting even worse. But God had a twofold plan with that wind.Music Credit: J. S. Bach, “Wir ei...
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Season 6
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Episode 43
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4:45
Vacillating People (Psalm 119:113)
In Psalm 119:113, the psalmist says he hates vacillating people. That’s strong language. Whom does he mean? And why does he hate them?Music Credit: Johann Sebastian Bach, Trio from Brandenburg Concerto, No. 1, Movement 4
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Season 6
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Episode 42
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3:38
God Will Not Be Mocked (Genesis 7:21–23)
What was going through the minds of those treading water and clinging to floating debris during the Flood? What should we take away from this complete and devastating destruction?Music Credit: J. S. Bach, “Wir eilen mit schwachen, doch e...
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Season 6
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Episode 41
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4:08
Bending Our Heart (Psalm 119:112)
Is your heart something you follow, or something you bend? And if you bend it, in which direction do you bend it?Music Credit: Johann Sebastian Bach, Trio from Brandenburg Concerto, No. 1, Movement 4
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Season 6
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Episode 40
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3:46
Dark Days (Genesis 7:17–20)
Have you ever stopped to think about what those first forty days of the Flood must have been like for Noah and his family? How did they cope with it? And what applications are there for us in our dark days?Music Credit: J. S. Bach, “Wir ...
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Season 6
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Episode 39
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4:49
An Eternal Inheritance (Psalm 119:111)
Have you ever received an inheritance? How did it become yours? How long did it last you? In Psalm 119:111, the psalmist tells us that God’s word is an inheritance, but one unlike any other.Music Credit: Johann Sebastian Bach, Trio from ...
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Season 6
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Episode 38
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3:46
Shut and Sealed In by the Lord (Genesis 7:11–16)
The day had arrived. It was time for Noah and his family and the animals that had come to him to board the ark. Noah made sure he had everything and everyone he was supposed to. And the Lord took it upon himself to shut the door behind Noah.
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Season 6
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Episode 37
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4:23
Traps to Get Us to Stray (Psalm 119:110)
In Psalm 119:110, the psalmist helps us to be on the lookout for the sinful allurements all around us every day. The devil wants us to see them as exciting opportunities to inject some fun into our lives, but the psalmist helps us to see them a...
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Season 6
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Episode 36
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4:08
Sources of the Floodwaters, Part 2 (Genesis 7:11–12)
Moses names two sources for the floodwaters. In this devotion we look at the second one—the opening of the sluice gates of the heavens. (Sluice gates are sliding gates or other devices for controlling the flow of water.)Music Credit: J. ...
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Season 6
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Episode 35
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4:58
A Life Continually at Risk (Psalm 119:109)
Generally speaking, Americans used to be more religious years ago than they are now. Part of the reason for that may be that modern comforts have led us to forget what the psalmist says in this verse—that our lives are continually at risk.<...
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Season 6
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Episode 34
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4:17
Sources of the Floodwaters, Part 1 (Genesis 7:11–12)
Moses names two sources for the floodwaters. In this devotion we look at the first one—the rending asunder of the springs of the greet deep.Music Credit: J. S. Bach, “Wir eilen mit schwachen, doch emsigen Schritten,” aria from “Jesu, der...
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Season 6
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Episode 33
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4:21
Freewill Offerings of the Mouth (Psalm 119:108)
The psalmist describes the words that he directs to God as “freewill offerings of [his] mouth.” But it is the words that God directs to us that put the “freewill” in our mouth-offerings and make them pleasing to him.Music Credit: Johann ...
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Season 6
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Episode 32
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3:13
Both Expected and Unexpected (Genesis 7:11)
Moses wanted his audience to know the precise chronological framework of the Flood. The dates that he gives us suggest that, when the rain first began falling, it was expected. Which is precisely why its ultimate disaster was unexpected....
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Season 6
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Episode 31
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5:00
Exceedingly Afflicted (Psalm 119:107)
Psalm 119:107 is the sixth verse in which the psalmist has explicitly referred to himself being afflicted. This tells us something about Christians and affliction, and the psalmist also tells us where we find restoration and revival in our affl...
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Season 6
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Episode 30
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3:17
Stressful Days and Restless Nights (Genesis 7:6–10)
Did you know that Noah loaded up his family and all the animals into the ark seven days before the Flood came? What were those days and nights like, as they made sure they had everything they were going to need and that everything was prepared?...
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Season 6
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Episode 29
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4:11
Christian Vows (Psalm 119:106)
In Psalm 119:106, the psalmist says he has made and ratified a vow to keep the decrees of God’s righteousness. Christians are not always comfortable with religious vows, so this verse gives us the opportunity to talk about them.Music Cre...
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Season 6
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Episode 28
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3:29
A Picture of Baptism (Genesis 7:6–7)
In 1 Peter 3:20–22, the apostle Peter says that the water of the Flood was a type, foreshadowing, symbol, or picture of the water of baptism. What the water of the Flood did for Noah and his family, the water of baptism does for us.Music...
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Season 6
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Episode 27
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3:56