Wednesday of the Tenth Week After Trinity

August 12, 2026Today's Reading: 1 Samuel 28:3-25Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 28:3-25; 1 Samuel 29:1-30:31; 1 Corinthians 6:1-20“The Lord has done to you as He spoke by me, for the Lord has torn the kingdom out of your hand and given it to your neighbor, David.’” (1 Samuel 28:17)In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.In 16 years of shepherding God’s kids, I’ve heard and seen almost everything. The most disheartening thing, though, are the people who are… “doing fine.” The people who see the Divine Service, the preaching of the Word, and the faithful reception of The Sacraments as just one of the many things they ‘do’ to have a fine life. As difficulties come up, as they often do, in a fallen world, these dear souls consult Siri, ChatGPT, Google, or WebMD for answers. Some check horoscopes, tarot cards, or ask the Magic 8 Ball for guidance. By the time I see them again, they’ve usually exhausted all other avenues for comfort and are beaten down with anxiety, fear, and depression.There was a king named Saul, who lived before the internet, newspapers, and apps… who looked for answers to the problems of this fallen world in acts of violence, power, and self-reliance. Saul had witnessed the death of the prophet Samuel, whom God had sent to guide him. David was in exile on account of fear for his life, and war loomed. Feeling isolated and alone, Saul sought advice from a witch.How’d Saul get to this point? He spent his time looking for answers in every place but where God promised they’d be… then, when Saul inquired of the Lord, “the Lord did not answer him, either by dreams or by Urim or by prophets” (v.6). God had given Saul over to his hardened heart, to the schemes of the fallen world. So Saul disguised himself, visited the witch by night to conjure Samuel for advice. The witch feared for her life because Saul, under Samuel’s guidance, had banned witchcraft. She cries out in terror and recognizes Saul’s deceit.Luther wrote: “Whatever you set your heart on and put your trust in is truly your god.” (Large Catechism, I: First Commandment.) Saul trusted every earthly thing, and when these false gods failed, Saul cried out— hearing only God’s silence and Samuel’s judgment. The Apology IV.45 explains, “Faith receives the mercy promised for Christ’s sake.” Though we are often unfaithful, trusting in temporal wisdom, strength, and power, our Eternal Lord—the Son of David and David’s Lord—stoops low to find us, takes the form of a servant to bear our sins to death. Thanks be to God who bestows the Holy Spirit, calls us by the Gospel, enlightens us with His Gifts, sanctifies and keeps us in the true faith.In the Name + of Jesus We pray: When darkness veils His lovely face, I rest on His unchanging grace; in every high and stormy gale my anchor holds within the veil. On Christ the Solid Rock I stand; all other ground is sinking sand. Amen (LSB 575:2)Rev. Adam DeGroot, pastor of Calvary Lutheran Church in Rio Rancho, NM.