When you hear the names of George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, or Martin Luther King, Jr., what comes to mind? What do you think of? These are easy question, for each one of these names recalls a gifted and dedicated leader who helped our nation through difficult and challenging moments. Whether they were talented military strategists or gifted visionaries, each one helped center our fragmented and hurting nation once again upon our important founding principles and truths.

Such was a man named David who became king of the fragmented and hurting people of God who had endured a devastating civil war and wondered whether or not they would ever recover. David’s desire in his life? It was simple: to put the presence of God, his law and worship at the center of the people so they could be the blessing God had called them to be.

This weekend, as Lutheran Christians we also celebrate a difficult moment in the life of God’s people when he raised up a man to help us put the presence of God and his Word once again in the center of our lives. The man? Martin Luther whose gifts and passions transformed and helped the church rediscover the power of God’s love shown in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

God has a way of working in the messy moments of life to raise up those leaders who can be his instruments of healing as he refocuses us on his continuing love and faithfulness in all situations. What a God we have!