Mourning then Mercy

 

Zechariah 12:10 – “And I will pour a spirit of mercy and compassion on My people, and they shall look on Him Whom they pierced, and they shall mourn for Him as for an only child and weep bitterly for Him as one weeps over a firstborn.”

 

Lord God, Heavenly Father, we can’t begin to imagine how much You suffered! Lifted high on the cross for all to look upon, Your Son felt the nails, brutally piercing His hands and feet. Below the cross His mother wept, and surely You did too.

Thinking about this moment also draws our tears, but only momentarily for we know the ending. We know Jesus Christ arose from the dead, appeared to many, comforted His mother and followers, and ascended into Heaven, where He pours out His Holy Spirit of mercy and compassion onto His people – onto us! Praise God!

from the book, Kneeling on the Promises of God

 

Pre-prayer the Way with Zechariah

This prayer by the father of John the Baptist reminds us to prepare the way for Christ, our Christmas present from God presented in our homes then gifted to all peoples in need of God’s forgiving love.

 

Luke 1:68-70, 76, 77 – a prayer of Zechariah

from the King James Version of the Bible

 

Blessed be the Lord God of Israel;

for he hath visited and redeemed his people,

 

And hath raised up an horn of salvation

for us in the house of his servant David;

 

As he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets,

which have been since the world began:

 

And thou, child, shalt be called the prophet

of the Highest: for thou shalt go before

the face of the Lord to prepare his ways;

 

To give knowledge of salvation unto his people

by the remission of their sins.

 

From the Book of KJV Prayers - actual prayers from the King James Version of the Bible (KJV) collected by Mary Sayler

 

Luke 1:68-70, 76, 77 – Zechariah’s prayer

paraphrased into contemporary English

 

Blessed are You, Lord God of Israel!

You have visited us and provided

redemption for Your people!

You have raised up a mighty Savior

from the house of David,

just as You promised ages ago

through the holy prophets.

 

And, now my child will be

a prophet of the Most High

to go before the Lord

and prepare the way

for You to give people

good news of salvation

as You forgive our sins.

 

From the Book of Bible Prayers – actual prayers of the Bible collected from a variety of translations researched on Bible Gateway then paraphrased into everyday English by Mary Sayler

 

…

 

Bible Prayer to Prepare the Way for Christ

In this prayer from the Bible, the Jewish priest Zechariah praised God and prophesied over his son John, who was to prepare the way for the coming of Christ.

May this season of Advent help us to do the same as we make more and more room in our lives for the Lord Jesus.

Luke 1:68-70, 76, 77 – a prayer of Zechariah

Blessed be the Lord God of Israel;

for he hath visited and redeemed his people,

And hath raised up an horn of salvation

for us in the house of his servant David;

As he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets,

which have been since the world began:

And thou, child, shalt be called the prophet

of the Highest: for thou shalt go before

the face of the Lord to prepare his ways;

To give knowledge of salvation unto his people

by the remission of their sins.

From the Book of KJV Prayers – actual prayers from God’s Word collected by Mary Harwell Sayler, ©2019, from the King James Version of the Bible

…

Luke 1:68-70, 76, 77 – a prayer of Zechariah

Blessed are You, Lord God of Israel!

You have visited us and provided

redemption for Your people!

You have raised up a mighty Savior

from the house of David,

just as You promised ages ago

through the holy prophets.

And, now my child will be

a prophet of the Most High

to go before the Lord

and prepare the way

for You to give people

good news of salvation

as You forgive our sins.

From the Book of Bible Prayers – actual prayers of the Bible collected from a variety of English translations and paraphrased by Mary Harwell Sayler, ©2019

…