Heavenly Father, good morning. Thank you for letting me see the many ways that we can help those around us, especially those who are critically ill. And thank you for the scriptures to use for today’s prayer for your daughter Lindsey:
4 As it is written in the book of the words of Esaias the prophet, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.
5 Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be brought low; and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways shall be made smooth;
6 And all flesh shall see the salvation of God. (Luke 3:4-6)
And we find that Isaiah did say this:
3 The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.
4 Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain:
5 And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it. (Isaiah 40:3-5)
But what is interesting is that in the very next sentences Luke tells of how John the Baptist warned the people who came out to him! He did not mince words but came right out and told them that they could not just sit back and do nothing claiming to be a son or daughter of God! They had to DO things too! Their ACTIONS had to confirm their BELIEF!
8 Bring forth therefore fruits worthy of repentance, and begin not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, That God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham. (Luke 3:8)
And so the people ask him … well, just what ARE we supposed to do? And it was interesting that his answer varied depending upon who they were and what they did for their living!
10 And the people asked him, saying, What shall we do then?
11 He answereth and saith unto them, He that hath two coats, let him impart to him that hath none; and he that hath meat, let him do likewise.
12 Then came also publicans to be baptized, and said unto him, Master, what shall we do?
13 And he said unto them, Exact no more than that which is appointed you.
14 And the soldiers likewise demanded of him, saying, And what shall we do? And he said unto them, Do violence to no man, neither accuse any falsely; and be content with your wages. (Luke 3:10-14)
Lord, I’m here. I’m here on behalf of your daughter Lindsey. Lord, I think that she may be asking you the same thing all these people were asking of John the Baptist! She may be saying, “Yes, I am a daughter of God … so what must I DO?” Lord, I pray that you answer her. I pray that you speak clearly to her, just as clearly as John the Baptist did! He told the Tax Collectors to only collect the correct amount of tax and nothing more (nothing extra for themselves). He told the Soldiers that they must do something different than that. The soldiers were to be content with their wages – and to not extort money nor accuse people falsely. Lord, Lindsey is not a soldier. She is not a tax collector. She is one of the crowd though … and so it seems that one thing she might do is to give clothes and food to those who need them. But what else specifically for a talented touring musician? Lord, I pray for you to sit with Lindsey and to let her know the answer to this very important question “What must I DO?” I pray that you let her know it is you speaking to her. I pray that you take her aside every now and then to remind of of the things you are asking her to DO. And we will give all the glory to you Lord. The glory is all yours. I pray this in the name and authority of Christ Jesus, King of kings. Amen
New Testament (Luke 3:4-6 NIV) [see other New Testament below Old Testament comparison]:
4 As it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet:
“A voice of one calling in the wilderness,
‘Prepare the way for the Lord,
make straight paths for him.
5 Every valley shall be filled in,
every mountain and hill made low.
The crooked roads shall become straight,
the rough ways smooth.
6 And all people will see God’s salvation.’”
Old Testament (Isaiah 40:3-5 NIV):
3 A voice of one calling:
“In the wilderness prepare
the way for the Lord;
make straight in the desert
a highway for our God.
4 Every valley shall be raised up,
every mountain and hill made low;
the rough ground shall become level,
the rugged places a plain.
5 And the glory of the Lord will be revealed,
and all people will see it together.
For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”
Other scriptures from the prayer:
Luke 3:8 NIV:
8 Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham.
Luke 3:10-14 NIV:
10 “What should we do then?” the crowd asked.
11 John answered, “Anyone who has two shirts should share with the one who has none, and anyone who has food should do the same.”
12 Even tax collectors came to be baptized. “Teacher,” they asked, “what should we do?”
13 “Don’t collect any more than you are required to,” he told them.
14 Then some soldiers asked him, “And what should we do?”
He replied, “Don’t extort money and don’t accuse people falsely—be content with your pay.”
A daughter of God 