Prairie Faith Devotions

29/04/2026

28/04/2026

Psalm 100
Shout joyfully to the Lord all the earth.
Serve the Lord with gladness. Come before him with joyful singing.
Know that the Lord Himself is God; It is He who made us; We are his people and the sheep of His pasture.
Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him, bless His name
For the Lord is good; His loving kindness is everlasting and his faithfulness to all generations.

Luke 19:40
Jesus answered, "I tell you, if these people become silent, the stones will cry out."

27/04/2026

Thoughts from Pastor Russ…

"I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need." Philippians 4:11-12

I’ve been thinking a lot about contentment lately. More accurately, I’ve been thinking a lot about my lack of contentment lately. I confess that I have bought into the mindset of our society: I always need to have something better, the biggest and best. It has cost me countless dollars, energy, and contentment. It has taken my mind off what I should be thinking about, namely what Jesus has done for me, and not just the “material blessings”. Honestly, I think God could care less about what kind of car/motorcycle I have, etc. God cares for me in ways that I’ll never understand, and for that I ought to be content.
I’ve seen a few people in my life who are truly content. Some have had “material blessings”, and some have not. Some of the most content people I’ve ever known have been folks who seemed to be lacking in every area of life, except contentment. I’m troubled because I haven’t found that kind of contentment. What I’m beginning to learn is that contentment is not automatic, it’s learned; it’s not instant, it grows over time. I’m starting to take stock and I’m learning, little by little.
As I stated in the previous paragraph, contentment is independent of circumstances. I’ve seen a wealthy person who seemed fairly content, but I’ve seen more of the opposite. I’ve seen those who seem to have nothing to show for their lives, who have debilitating illnesses, and who seem to be very content. (Doreen comes to my mind on the health portion of that last statement.) I’ve also seen some rather “entitled” folks under the same circumstances. So it’s not tied to one’s circumstances, rather it’s tied to one’s spirituality. The closer one is to God…
The next verse after the ones cited above is “I can do all things through Christ, who gives me strength.” So many folks misquote that verse, thinking it’s a secret code to wealth beyond imagination or through a devastating time. In context, it has to do with being rooted in Christ (sound familiar), and allowing God to be our contentment. That’s harder than it sounds, because we want what we want when we want it.
It is not about having happy circumstances, but about choosing to remain joyful, peaceful, and unworried during challenging times. Joy is not tied to our circumstances either. Being glad is based on happenings, but joy is a by-product of our contentment.
Contentment involves focusing on one's identity and position in Christ rather than fleeting earthly possessions or successes. The more rooted and grounded we are in Christ, the more joyous and content we become. Becoming joyous and content involves study of God’s word, rather than trying to do everything for ourselves.
Back to the “secret”, some interpret this “secret” as relying solely on the love, grace, and presence of Jesus, rather than relying on human strength or situations. That’s true, but it does take practice and work on our part.
Hopefully my thoughts “on paper” help you and me.

Respectfully,
Pr. Russ

24/04/2026

"When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars that you have established; what are humans that you are mindful of them, mortals that you care for them?" - Psalm 8:3-4

In North Dakota and other big sky states, it is easy to be awed by the wide horizons and majesty all that one can see outside. I find this to be extra true when standing up on a butte in the Badlands or on a slight hill. There is so much one can see. What do you spot in this picture taken last September in Theodore Roosvelt National Park?

That larger perspective we get from time to time in our own lives, is the same perspective God has all the time. God sees it all and yet God still notices us and cares deeply for the concerns of even those whom the rest of the world seems to not notice. What a comfort?! And also so humbling.

That reminder of God's powerful reach, control, and also care is something that can ground us when we can be overwhlemed by everything going on in our world.

Pastor Mary Wiggins
Associate Pastor
St. John Lutheran Church
Dickinson, North Dakota.

21/04/2026

Good morning and welcome to Prairie Faith Devotions for Tuesday, April 21, 2026.
I’ve been thinking a lot about the readings the past two Sundays – Jesus visiting the disciples who were gathered behind locked doors and Jesus walking with the two on the road to Emmaus. We hear them a week and two weeks after the big celebration when churches are full and folks are shouting, “Christ is Risen! Christ is Risen Indeed, Alleluia!” but these two encounters occur on the same day that the tomb was discovered empty and we are hard pressed to understand how they could be fearful and heartbroken and not recognize Jesus on the most glorious of days.
Grief! Who among us has not experienced grief on some level? And yet it’s a tangled thing that doesn’t often fit the box that we want to put it in. We think we know how grief is supposed to work – how we’re supposed to be sad for a time and then move on somehow. Shouldn’t the good news from that first Easter morning have simply erased all that grief, we ask. Ah, but there was that whole ugly mess – the betrayal and the arrest – the mockery of a trial – the fear they felt as it all unfolded – the scattered disciples and Peter’s denial – and that horrible, horrible display of cruel torture – the crucifixion! Even if they wanted to believe the news about the empty tomb, there would be no erasing those events from their hearts and minds.
In this Easter season, grief has not left us – it never really does. Grief changes us – yesterday marked the anniversary of two deaths of friends who left us much too soon – for one it was nine years ago – for the other it was two – both left grieving widows and children who are in different places in their journeys of grief – even as another family is dealing with a very recent death under some particularly difficult circumstances with lots of questions and heartache attached – be it the cancer diagnosis or the Parkinson’s grueling journey or the news of war and inflations and so much more. And they are not alone – grief is all around us and in us as we try to make sense of all the brokenness that surrounds us. But that’s where these pieces of the Easter story that we’ve encountered these past two Sundays meet us. The stories of Jesus visiting the disciples who were gathered behind locked doors and Jesus walking with the two on the road to Emmaus aren’t there to point fingers at the disciples who were fearful or doubting or so saddened that they couldn’t even recognize Jesus – they are there to show us that Jesus walks with us even (or especially) in those deep darks places of grief.
In this Easter season, may you find comfort and joy in the news of the resurrection in and through the empty tomb, but also the stories of Jesus visiting the disciples who were gathered behind locked doors and Jesus walking with the two on the road to Emmaus (John 20:19-31 and Luke 24:13-35). And if you’re in North Dakota, enjoy some 80 degree sunshine even as you prepare for Friday’s forecasted snow! Christ is Risen! Christ is Risen Indeed! Alleluia!
Pastor Janet Gwin, Kenmare, Retired

20/04/2026

Pastor Elaine Sveet
Zion Lutheran, Minot ND
Luke 24:28-35

17/04/2026

Pastor Lisa Ahlness from Lutheran Church of the Cross in Bismarck. Open your Bible with new eyes today.

This is a repost after some technical difficulties with the original post from this morning!

14/04/2026

Tuesday, April 14, 2026 Psalm 104
Pastor Kathi's Nygaard

13/04/2026

Pastor Trisha DeBoer from Bethlehem Evangelical Lutheran Church in Wing, North Dakota talks a little bit about what it means that Christ is risen indeed!