This is a wonderful example of persistent prayer. The kind of determined, tenacious, even stubborn prayer where we refuse to get out of the Lord’s face until He does something. In Luke 18: 1-8, Jesus tells the parable about the widow looking for justice who wore the judge down with her persistence. At the end of this story He instructs His disciples to have the same kind of unabashed audacity in prayer … to not give up.
Tag: christ jesus
Isaiah 9:6 ” For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on His shoulders. And He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”
Jesus the Messiah has come to earth for you and me this Christmas Day. He offers mercy and love, peace and comfort, salvation and eternal life in place of the pain, loss, and hopelessness that may be in your life today. Allow Him to come into your life and change you from the inside out…taking all the negatives and transforming them into hope for the future. A Blessed Christmas to all of you!
Matthew 2:11 ” On coming to the house, they saw the child with His mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped Him. Then they opened their treasures and presented Him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh.”
The Magi came seeking the Messiah, and bringing with them, gifts…but very special gifts. These gifts were expensive luxuries of the day…fit for royal presents. But beyond that, they were also very symbolic in their meanings. The burning of frankincense symbolized prayers rising to heaven like the fragrant smoke it gave off… the prayers of Jesus interceding for us at the right hand of the Father. The myrrh was used for burials and symbolized death…Jesus’s death on the Cross for us. Finally, the gold was given to symbolize His royal status…and also for the very practical reason – His parents would soon need finances as they escaped to Egypt to flee from King Herod.
Isaiah 60: 3 ” Nations will come to Your light, and Kings to the brightness of Your dawn.”
The Magi traveled from afar…following the brightest star in the constellation they had ever witnessed. They knew that at the end of their journey they would find Him…the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. And even today men still seek Him…Jesus Messiah.
Luke 2: 10-12 ” But the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; He is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.’ “
On that dark night the heavens were suddenly split apart by the biggest light show ever seen. The entire heavenly host sang in unison, praising God and the birth of His Son Jesus. All this pomp and ceremony to the most unlikely group of people…the shepherds. God chose the social outcasts…those considered unclean by the Priests due to their routine handling of dead animals to be the very first to know about the birth of Jesus. Yes, the Lord chose very common people to tell this wonderful news to…people like you and me.
Matthew 2: 4-5 ” When he had called together all the people’s Chief Priests and Teachers of the Law, he asked them where the Christ was to be born. ‘In Bethlehem in Judea.’ they replied…”
When King Herod needed information, he went to the source. That’s why he called in the most intelligent and learned Jewish historians of the day…who in turn quoted the Prophet Micah as to the birth place of the Messiah. But we also have that same source today at our disposal, for the future has been foretold to us. And in Revelation 22:20 it is made quite plain…”Yes, I am coming soon.”
Luke 2:4 ” So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David.
Caesar Augustus had decreed a census of the entire Roman world…and so everyone had to travel to their home town to register. If it hadn’t been for that, Joseph probably wouldn’t have subjected his very pregnant wife, Mary, to the long, hard journey on bumpy roads. But God used a godless Roman King to fulfill His ultimate purpose and plan. What we see as just common, ordinary, unrelated threads in our life, God is using to weave a tapestry of unbelievable beauty according to His will.
Micah 5:2 ” But you 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.”
Even 700 years later, this prophecy written by Micah was still revered as the telling where Jesus Christ would be born. The Messiah would be born in a humble place, in very humble circumstances, amongst humble people…people like you and me.
Luke 1: 26-27 ” In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary.”
The fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy came to pass in the small town of Nazareth…to a young girl named Mary. This miraculous conception was wonderfully accomplished by the overshadowing of the Holy Spirit. A tiny baby born of man, but born also of God…perfectly holy, yet sharing in our humanity.
Malachi 3:1 ” See, I will send My messenger, who will prepare the way before Me.”
Malachi was speaking of the coming of John the Baptist and Jesus Christ. The forerunner, John the Baptist, came preaching a very simple sermon…Repent! His message from the start was that someone much more important than he was soon coming, and everyone should ready themselves. John’s words ring true even today…Repent! For the time is short. Change your ways, for the King is coming!
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