Morning by Morning, December 11 - Preparing the Way of the Lord "with the Spirit and Power of Elijah"
Good morning, Lord Jesus. Put Your thoughts in my mind and Your desires in my heart, as I begin my day centered in You and Your Word and Your 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 the fathers to their children, and the disobedient the wisdom of the righteous, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord'" (Luke 1:13-17).
Before Jesus was conceived and born, John would be conceived and born. Before Jesus would begin His ministry, John would begin his ministry. Just as the angel proclaimed to his father Zechariah, John's ministry would be to prepare the way of the Lord, "to make ready a people prepared for the Lord."
Jesus affirmed that John had the spirit of Elijah (Matthew 17:11-13). He moved with authority in the call to repentance (Matthew 3:1-2). John moved "with the spirit and power of Elijah" in the first level of fulfillment of the prophecy of the last words of the last book of the Old Testament: "Lo, I will send you the prophet Elijah before the great and terrible day of the Lord comes. He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children and the hearts of fathers to their parents, so that I will not come and strike the land with a curse" (Malachi 4:5-6).
John prepared the way of the Lord for the first coming of Christ. And in the ultimate fulfillment of this prophecy, You will send forth a people "with the spirit and power of Elijah" to prepare the way of the Lord, "to make ready a people prepared for the Lord" before the second coming of Christ. You will turn the hearts of fathers to the children and the children to their fathers in repentance and love. And in repentance and love, You will turn the hearts of the children of God back to the heart of our Father God. You will bring reconciliation, healing, and honor among generations and among the people of God. You will make ready the Body and the Bride of Christ, to display Your glory through Your people in this world (Revelation 19:6-8).
Fill us now with Your Holy Spirit, Lord! (Ephesians 5:18) Anoint us now "with the spirit and power of Elijah" to prepare the way of the Lord -- first in our hearts and here in our world!
Father God, You are sending Your Holy Spirt to prepare a Bride for Jesus -- "a people prepared for Lord." This is the Spirit of Revival!
Let us be a people of this earth who have the character of Jesus in our hearts and the authority of the name of Jesus in our words. Grow us up "till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a prefect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ" (Ephesians 4:13).
As You turn our hearts back to You and to one another in unity, reconciliation, and love, let the curse upon on the land of our generations be broken and the blessings of God abound! "Hallelujah! For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns. Let us rejoice and be glad, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His Bride has made herself ready!" (Revelation 19:6-7) In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
My friend, may you be filled afresh with the Holy Spirit to prepare the way of the Lord with the spirit and power of Elijah in our generation, in Jesus' name. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!
Thank you for joining with me on this daily journey of prayer. I write these from my morning prayer time most every day and send them out right away. If you would like to have a collection of these as a 365 Day Prayer Journal for you or a friend, please order a copy today. God bless you!
Tommy Hays | Messiah Ministries
Healing from the Inside Out
Pastoral Director | Rapha God Ministries
4 Dominion Drive, Building 1
San Antonio, Texas 78257
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