The Lord Will Answer: A Daily Prayer Catechism

I had been using Portals of Prayer as my evening devotional for a while. They are very short, so I decided to add this into the mix. I have really been enjoying my time in the Catechism. I had found it a little difficult to "pray" the Catechism before, but this gives me different ways of thinking about it. One of the funny things about this book is that it sometimes asks questions but does not answer them. I have been using these questions to think more deeply on the Bible and the Catechism. I think this is helping me to pause to think, rather than skimming over it. This is really a very good book, and I highly recommend it.

I've found "The Lord Will Answer" an excellent devotional based on Scripture using the structure of Luther's Small Catechism. For many years I've heard it mentioned that the Small Catechism can be prayed as well as memorized. Now I see how true that is! I would highly recommend it for personal, devotional use.

What better way to begin your day than to follow the daily devotionals within this book. It has always been my experience that any writings of Dr. Martin Luther are inspirational and Biblically trustworthy as well. I highly recommend this book to those who want to have the Lord by their side as they progress through the day. Don't let the word, "Catechism," scare you off. It is simply a definition of an orderly arrangement of daily prayers and devotions. Use it and feel the comfort.

I finally found a book worth writing a review. This one will surely become a classic and, the Lord willing, shed the light of the Gospel on the daily walk of many Christians for generations to come. The editor not only offers a practical, meaningful and inviting way of praying the Small Catechism, but he also draws from the wealth of the prayers of the Church catholic, from the Church Fathers to the 20th Century. The devotions bring together the text of Luther's Small Catechism, questions that help meditate on the topics, and Scriptural passages that expose the Christian faith. A summary of the confessional Lutheran teaching and a prayer conclude the usual devotion. Another plus is the editor's choice to link the devotions with the Church year. Instead of having a devotion for November 27th, for instance, he offers a devotion for the Monday following the first Sunday in Advent. That means the private devotional life of the Christian home does not replace church attendance on Sundays, but is an extension of our public life of worship and adoration in the fellowship of the believers. I can only thank God for the work of the editor; it is enriching my devotional life and I pray that it will do the same for many others.

I purchased this book from CPH about a week ago, and am quite impressed with it. It's formatted to assist one in praying the Catechism -- something which Wilhelm Loehe recognized to be of great benefit for the Christian. It combines the text of Concordia's Luther's Small Catechism with Explanation with concluding prayers from Luther, Chemnitz, and the early Church Fathers, along with devotional thoughts pertaining to the Chief Parts of the Catechism selected from various sources. It's arranged according to the seasons of the Church Year, and provides an easy way for people to immerse themselves in the Small Catechism in just a few minutes a day. What's more, it is eminently Christocentric, focusing on the chief article of the Faith -- the sinner's justification by grace, through faith, for Christ's sake alone. Particularly noteworthy, in light of the recent LC-MS controversy over syncretism and the question -- Do Muslims worship God the Father -- is the multi-paged treatment of the First Commandment. The questions for reflection on pages 49, 50 and 53 directly address these matters in a clear, forthright, orthodox, confessional way. The editor, the Rev. Edward Engelbrecht, is to be commended for his work on this volume. Well done, Pastor Engelbrecht! As an LC-MS pastor I am considering using this edition of the Small Catechism with future catechumens to help them see that the Catechism is not an academic textbook to be retired upon confirmation, but rather, as the layman's Bible, is a book to strengthen the believer for the life of faith in Christ. As I mentioned earlier, I've only used the book a few days, but have found that its apparently simplicity is in actuality a treasurehouse of rich devotional thought.