An Excerpt from Untamed Prayers: Psalm 123 and Psalm 136
By Chad Bird
09/30/25
8mins

An Excerpt from Untamed Prayers: Psalm 123 and Psalm 136

The following entries are excerpts from Chad Bird’s new book, Untamed Prayers: 365 Daily Devotions on Christ in the Book of the Psalms (1517 Publishing, 2025), pgs. 311 and 335
St. Michael, Defender of God’s People
Amy Mantravadi
Amy Mantravadi
09/29/25

St. Michael, Defender of God’s People

Why did the church dedicate a day to St. Michael anyway? Who is he, and what does he do?
Yardwork and the Antichrist
1517 Guest Contributor
1517 Guest Contributor
09/26/25

Yardwork and the Antichrist

The Antichrist offers another continual presence. It is every whisper that tempts us toward autonomy, that tells us to carry it alone, that insists suffering is meaningless.

All Articles

David Schmitt
David Schmitt
07/17/21

Gospel: Mark 6:45-56 (Pentecost 9: Series B)

When the One who created the world comes to you, there is reason for courage and never reason to fear.
Bradley Gray
Bradley Gray
07/13/21

A Kingdom of Sheathed Swords and Severed Ears

But Jesus didn’t see it that way. He saw his arrest not as the kingdom’s program being thwarted but as it being “fulfilled.”
Chad Bird
Chad Bird
07/12/21

That's a Good Question: Once Saved, Always Saved?

The acquisition of salvation, the giving of salvation, and the keeping of salvation are entirely dependent upon the Savior himself.
David Schmitt
David Schmitt
07/10/21

Gospel: Mark 6:30-44 (Pentecost 8: Series B)

Because Jesus turns desolate, dying places into holy landscapes of life.
John W. Hoyum
John W. Hoyum
07/09/21

The Trinity and the Gospel

What Luther is doing in his Catechism is teaching how the gospel is an action of the whole Trinity, not just one of the persons.
David Schmitt
David Schmitt
07/03/21

Gospel: Mark 6:14-29 (Pentecost 7: Series B)

I would understand if you were a bit offended. This looks more like Game of Thrones than the Kingdom of God.
Bob Hiller
Bob Hiller
07/03/21

Epistle: Ephesians 1:3-14 (Pentecost 7: Series B)

This opening section of Ephesians is a virtual treasure trove of gospel promises, praising God for who He is and the abundant blessings He pours out upon His saints.
Bradley Gray
Bradley Gray
06/28/21

Come to the Waters of Repentance

Mankind’s “thoughts and ways” on the matter of pardon and forgiveness do not even come close to exhausting, let alone fathoming, God’s “thoughts and ways.”
David Schmitt
David Schmitt
06/26/21

Gospel: Mark 6:1-13 (Pentecost 6: Series B)

Jesus will bring good news, send His disciples to bring good news, and, in His death and resurrection, become good news for all.
Martin Luther
Martin Luther
06/21/21

Keeping the Law in its Place

Our certainty is of Christ, that mighty hero who overcame the Law, sin, death, and all evils.
Peter Nafzger
Peter Nafzger
06/19/21

Gospel: Mark 5:21-43 (Pentecost 5: Series B)

The people you serve are still hanging on by a thread, which is another way of saying they are living by faith.
Dan van Voorhis
Dan van Voorhis
06/19/21

Juneteenth and the Proclamation of Freedom

The story of Juneteenth is one of living between proclamation and emancipation, and the story of the Christian faith is one of living in that same tension.
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