Give Praise for the One Heralded to Come

[Prayer-Soldier]

Give Praise for the One Heralded to Come

Scripture:

Give praise, O daughter of Sion: shout, O Israel: be glad, and rejoice with all your heart, O daughter of Jerusalem. The Lord has taken away your judgment, he has turned away your enemies: the king of Israel, the Lord, is in the midst of you, you shall fear evil no more. In that day it shall be said to Jerusalem: Fear not: to Sion: Let not your hands be weakened. The Lord your God in the midst of you is mighty, he will save: he will rejoice over you with gladness, he will be silent in his love, he will be joyful over you in praise. The triflers that were departed from the law, I will gather together, because they were of you: that you may no more suffer reproach for them. ( Zephania 14-18 )

Rejoice in the Lord always: again, I say, rejoice. Let your modesty be known to all men. The Lord is nigh. Be nothing solicitous: but in every thing, by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your petitions be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. ( Philippians 4:4-7 )

And the people asked him, saying: What then shall we do? And he answering, said to them: He that has two coats, let him give to him that has none; and he that has meat, let him do in like manner. And the publicans also came to be baptized and said to him: Master, what shall we do? But he said to them: Do nothing more than that which is appointed you. And the soldiers also asked him, saying: And what shall we do? And he said to them: Do violence to no man, neither slander any man; and be content with your pay. And as the people were of opinion, and all were thinking in their hearts of John, that perhaps he might be the Christ: John answered, saying unto all: I indeed baptize you with water: but there shall come one mightier than I, the latches of whose shoes I am not worthy to loose. He shall baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire; whose fan is in his hand: and he will purge his floor and will gather the wheat into his barn: but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire. And many other things exhorting did he preach to the people. ( Luke 3:10-18 )

Reflection:

The Lord looks over us, but also leaves us to our choices. Through our faith He lifts us up. Through our faith He guards our hearts. In the worst of moments He is there with us. He desires that we make the choices to follow His commandments for in so doing we care for one another and enjoy the blessings of love. When we fail, the ways of evil are served and sorrow spreads. When we keep Him in our midst, His blessings abound, but when we turn our backs upon Him, we create the conditions for our own suffering.

The peace of the Lord is ours if we choose to accept it. He listens to our prayers and will guide us with His love, but we must listen for His voice and open our hearts to Him. Blessed are we when we seek Him in prayer, for He will bring comfort and peace to our soul.

The one who came before Him, the one who was sent to herald His coming would speak of His ways and the greatness of what He would bring. John warned all to follow the ways of charity and love, to be satisfied with their blessings and to do no harm to others. He calls us to share of the gifts He grants us and the vocations to which He calls us. It is through such means we fulfill His commandments. If all listen to His Word, peace will spread from heart to heart; but when we fail, selfishness drives the conflicts which plague our daily existence.

In prayer, we should reflect upon the blessings of what was heralded to us. In prayer, we should offer thanks and praise that He came to baptize us with the Holy Spirit so that we might understand the truth and blessings of His Word. Blessed are the faithful for He will gather them to His kingdom where there will be no more sorrow, no more tears; for all who are gathered with Him will know the blessings of His eternal love.

May the peace and blessings of the Lord be with you always,
Prayer Soldier