Good morning, Lord Jesus. Help me begin my day grounded and surrounded in Your Presence -- embraced by my Father, centered in Christ, and filled with the Holy Spirit.
"The angel said to him, 'Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you will name him John. You will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He must never drink wine or strong drink; even before his birth he will be filled with the Holy Spirit. He will turn many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God. With the spirit and power of Elijah he will go before Him, to turn the hearts of parents to their children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord'" (Luke 1:13-17).
To day is Ash Wednesday
But before the first Christmas, before the first coming of Christ, God You were preparing as well. Your Holy Spirit was preparing the way of the Lord in the earth. You prepared the wombs of Elizabeth and Mary. You prepared the hearts of Zechariah and Joseph.
And then after the birth of John and Jesus, You would be preparing a people who would turn their hearts in repentance and faith to the Lord their God. By the Spirit and the Word, "in the spirit and power of Elijah," John would help many make room in their hearts for Jesus the Christ, the Messiah of Israel, and the Lord of all the earth. He would "make ready a people prepared for the Lord" (v. 17).
Today, between Your first coming and Your second, by the Spirit and the Word, You are still preparing hearts and releasing hope to "make ready a people prepared for the Lord." Make my heart ready, Lord. Make my world in my generation ready, Lord. May we prepare You room in us, "Christ in (us), the hope of glory" (Colossians 1:27).
We are in the season of proration in the church called Advent. In the spirit and power of Elijah that prepared the way of the Lord for Your first coming, may we be Your messengers and ambassadors preparing the way of the Lord for Your second coming (Malachi 4:5-6; Zechariah 14:4; Acts 1:11; Matthew 24:3; 1 Thessalonians 4:16; Revelation 19:11-16). "So we are ambassadors for Christ, since God is making His appeal through us" (2 Corinthians 5:20).
Come, Lord Jesus -- both here in our hearts today and here in our world forever (Revelation 22:12). "The Spirit and the bride say, 'Come!'" (Revelation 22:17) In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
My Family, I pray you set aside time in Scripture and prayer reading the stories of Jesus’ birth in Matthew and Luke. I pray you experience and embrace the Word and the Spirit preparing the way of the Lord in you and that in the spirit and power of Elijah, the Holy Spirit would use your life to prepare the way of the Lord in our generation and our world, in Jesus' name! Please pray the same of me. God bless you, my friends!
Please share your reflections and prayers in the comment box below.
Can You Be Generous?
As we close out the year, if you have the ability to be generous, I invite you tp partner with me and One Direction Community to support our ministries. My wife Nancy and I are in a new season of our ministry of pouring completely into planting and growing simple house churches in our neighborhoods, and having “boots on the ground” serving in our community.. Please pray over this season in my life and that of my family. We would be so grateful for your one time gift or monthly support. Thank you!
