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PRAYER FOR TODAY
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Monday December 22 - Bethlehem
Joseph went up... to Bethlehem, because he belonged to the house and
line of David... to register with Mary, who was expecting a child. Luke 2:4-5
Bethlehem (meaning ‘house of bread’) was where the ‘Bread of Life’ was born. A few miles south of Jerusalem, Bethlehem is first mentioned in the Bible as the place where Jacob buried his beloved wife, Rachel. Her name in Hebrew means ‘ewe’ and some say that unblemished male lambs born in Bethlehem were carefully wrapped and brought to Jerusalem as Passover sacrifices at the Temple, perhaps an allusion to Jesus being the ‘Lamb of God’. King David spent his boyhood tending his father’s flocks in the nearby fields. Micah 5:2 prophesied: ‘Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.’ The Jewish religious leaders had studied this and believed it would be the Messiah’s birthplace, so when ‘Jesus of Nazareth’ appeared they dismissed him, not realising he was actually born in Bethlehem! How this all happened is the wonderful story of God’s intervention throughout history so that scripture was fulfilled. God’s purposes are unchangeable. He spoke Creation into being, ordered Israel’s history, prepared precise circumstances around Christ’s birth, ordained everything that led to the cross, raised him from the grave and has assigned the Day when Jesus will return in glory. Likewise, he has good plans for us and, as we submit to his lordship, we can trust that they will come to pass.
Sovereign God, please help me to rest in your perfect will for my life. Amen.
Tuesday December 23 - John the messenger
“Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him. Every mountain and hill shall be made low... All people will see God’s salvation.” Luke 3:4-6
Throughout Scripture God conveys countless messages of encouragement, instruction, warning, judgement and compassion – by way of angels, visions, dreams, prophets, personal revelation of his very self, and all culminating with the coming of Jesus. The Bible is a treasury of divine words that often reach beyond the context in which they were written, referring to more than one situation and able to speak right into our hearts!
It is good to listen expectantly for the Holy Spirit to whisper truth, comfort, direction and love to us as we wait before him with prayer and praise and, at times, in silence. He wants his people to be ready for what lies ahead, and so when the time came for the ministry of Jesus to begin God revealed his plan through John – Jesus’ close relation – who as a baby in Elizabeth’s womb had first recognised Jesus! (Luke 1:41-44).
John the Baptist was likened to the prophet Elijah; both came to urge people to repent of their sins. When Jesus came to be baptised John confessed that he was not even worthy to untie Jesus’ shoe (Luke 3:16). “I must decrease that he may increase,” he said (John 3:30). We do not know much about their relationship, but John played an incredibly significant part in God’s purposes; Jesus said of him, “No-one is greater than John the Baptist” (Matthew 11:11).
Holy Spirit, please help me to learn from John the importance of hearing from and obeying God, and be inspired by his devotion to Jesus. Amen.
PRAYER FOR TODAY