The Lord Will Answer: A Daily Prayer Catechism

Rating:
Summary: A New Devotional Classic - Don't Miss It!
Review: 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.

Rating:
Summary: An excellent devotional treatment of the Small Catechism
Review: 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.