December 24

Zechariah 6:1-7:14, Revelation 15:1-8, Psalm 143:1-12, Proverbs 30:24-28

Prayer: Lord, our prayer today is to express our awe and deep appreciation that You left heaven and came to earth so we could find our way to heaven and a relationship with You now and eternally. We are ready to celebrate Your birthday, so we may celebrate and remember our spiritual birthday.

Read: With angels, chariots, bowls and plagues in both Zechariah and Revelation, one can get confused and overloaded with metaphor and symbolism. One overarching commonality that both texts reveal is that the Lord God of heaven's armies—the Lamb who has come to take away the sins of the world is ultimately in charge. The Lamb will bring justice and for those who have put their faith and trust in Him there will be a day of rejoicing.

Edify: The prayers of a child are often some of the most honest among us. No editing, no worries as to who is listening, but honest requests. One child once prayed, “…and Lord please take care of Yourself for if anything happens to You we are all sunk.” The little fella was on the right track. The Psalmist is just as honest in saying that his depression deepens and if the Lord was to turn away from him he would surely die. The other side of this is also true that God’s love is unfailing and when we turn our lives to God then we have life.

Practice: There is no greater request, no more important prayer, second only to receiving Christ as Lord, than to ask God, “teach me to do Your will”. You see, our flesh gets in the way. We are not born knowing how to do God’s will. By accepting Christ as Savior, then committing to Him as our Lord, we take the first step. The second greatest step is to be pliable enough to ask the Holy Spirit living within us to teach us to do the will of God. We know it always has to do with two things, “love the Lord your God and love your neighbor as yourself.” So, attend worship each weekend and each week attend to the needs of your neighbor and you will be living into the prayer of the Psalmist.