There Came a Man Sent From God (Part 2)

The Gospel of John the 1st chapter the sixth verse says

that there was a man there came a man sent from God whose name

was John. We've looked at the man, Now

we're looking at how this man was was sent from God many

because how he was sent draws parallels to how you and I are

sent by God. We told you that he was sent

number one personally. Luke chapter 3 verse #2 says

Luke 3 · chapter mention

that the word of the Lord came to John.

God actually spoke to John. How long God had been speaking

to John in the wilderness we do not know, but specifically when

the word of the Lord came to John, it moved him into his

ministry. So he was personally called by

God. Everyone in the room who is a

follower of the Lord Jesus Christ was called by God.

We were called through His word. Faith cometh by hearing and

hearing about a word concerning the Christ.

Romans 10, 17 Paul would say to those in Corinth and 1st

Corinthians one verse #2 that they are Saints.

By calling, God calls us into His Kingdom through the power of

the Spirit of God and through the scriptures that are spoken

to us. And God calls us to be his

children. He calls us to be citizens of

His Kingdom and to represent His glory.

So John was sent from God first of all personally because he was

personally called by God. Second, he was sent from God

privately because Luke 3 verse #2 says the word of the Lord

came to John in the wilderness. He was in total obscurity all by

himself, and how long he was there we do not know.

Most assume that he probably went into the wilderness

sometime around the age of 20, because that's when he would

have entered the priesthood anyway, and he was in line for

the priesthood. But we don't know exactly when

that occurred. But even even a year in the

wilderness, if you've ever been to the Judean wilderness, it's a

dry, dead, hot place. But let's say he was there for

10 years and all he did was read the Old Testament manuscripts,

listen to the voice of God. But personally, he was called by

God and privately he communed with God that there was

something about obscurity, total obscurity that breeds, that

breeds, transforming maturity there.

There's something about being alone with God all by yourself,

listening to his voice as he speaks to you through his Word,

and then responding to him. And we told you last week that

that silence and solitude were the were the most practiced

spiritual disciplines by our Lord.

The Bible says these words in the book of Lamentations.

Lamentations chapter chapter 3. Verse 25.

The Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the person who

seeks him. It is good that he waits

silently for the salvation of the Lord.

Verse 28. Let him sit alone and be silent

since he has laid it on him. Let him put his mouth in the

dust, for perhaps there is hope. Solitude is a a rest of the life

where silence is a rest for the lips.

And so many times we spend so much time talking that we spend

very little time listening. Well, John's all alone in the

wilderness. There's nobody to talk to except

God, and I'm sure that his communion with God was sweet and

special. And you have to ask the

question, what what is my communion with God like in the

privacy of my my home, in the silence of the early morning or

the late evening? Well, we are so busy, you know,

our, our cell phones keep us occupied.

Every time there's a buzz or every time there's a vibration

or every time there's a sound, we jump to our phone.

We're like Pavlov's dog. Every time it goes off, we just,

we just foam at the mouth to see, is there a text?

Is there a notification? Is there something for me?

The the challenge would be to, to go home and, and, and place

your phone in the closet, shut the door and just leave it

there. But see, we can't do that or we

won't do that because we are so occupied or preoccupied with the

busyness of life. We have to know what's going on

in the world. We have to know what's going on

in our community. We have to know what's going on

in, in every area of life. We, we just have to know as if

we're that important, but we think we are.

And so we have to know. We have to know if somebody

calls, if somebody texts, why? When I was growing up, we didn't

have any of that stuff. You had to be home to receive a

phone call. You had to go to mailbox to get

a letter. Those days have long, long gone.

But what I'm trying to say is that we get so preoccupied with

the busyness of life that there's no time for silence and

solitude. And so John, he was forced into

the wilderness. He was there all alone, and

there he grew. Luke 180 tells us that he grew

strong spiritually. Could it be that in today's

society, in today's church, we are as weak as we are

spiritually because we don't spend time alone with God?

John did, and he grew spiritually.

There came a man sent from God, personally called by God,

privately commune with God and #3 that's where we left off last

week, prophetically chosen by God.

You've got your Bible turn. Turn to Luke's Gospel, the 3rd

chapter, the fourth verse, as it is written in the book of the

words of Isaiah the prophet. The voice of one crying in the

wilderness make ready the way of the Lord, make his paths

straight. Every ravine will be filled, and

every mountain and hill will be brought low.

The crooked will become straight, and the rough Rd.

smooth, and all flesh will see the salvation of God.

That's from Isaiah 40 verse #3 Matthew, Luke, and John record

that Mark. Mark quotes Malachi 3 verse #1

which says this, Behold, I am going to send to my messenger,

says the Lord. That's John the Baptist, and he

will clear the way before me, and the Lord whom you seek will

suddenly come to his temple. And the messenger of the

covenant in whom you delight, behold, he is coming.

The messenger of the covenant in whom you delight is, is Jesus

the Messiah, But it's going to send his messenger, and that

messenger will clear the way for him.

Now think about this. You're John the Baptist, you're

in the wilderness, you have Old Testament and manuscripts, and

you're able to read about yourself.

You're able to read about the messenger that's going to pave

the way for the Messiah. And John knows that.

He's the guy. He reads about it in Isaiah.

He reads about it in Malachi. Can you?

Can you imagine the exhilaration he must have felt reading those

texts, The excitement that must have pervaded his heart and mind

as he would read those things to realize that he was coming to

prepare the way for the Messiah? They were specifically chosen by

God to be that man. Other words, His coming was

expected. His coming was anticipated.

The problem was that it'd been 700 years since Isaiah wrote

chapter 40, verse #3 been a long time.

And John is reading this and realizing this and coming to

understand that it's been 700 years and now, now he here he

is. Malachi was written 400 years

and the Lord hadn't spoken. And the people had waited a long

time for the Messiah to come, ever since the the arrival of of

Abraham in the promised land way back in Genesis chapter 12, that

Genesis 12 · chapter mention

his seed would bless the nations of the world.

Even reading the book of Genesis, that the the seed of

the woman would crush the serpent's head.

All this prophecy for hundreds of years, thousands of years.

Now John is realizing that the time has come.

He's the guy. He he's the chosen prophet.

God could have chosen anybody else.

John was the guy and prophetically he was chosen by

God and you know, there, there was no preparation for him to,

to to be culturally relevant because he wasn't in the

culture. He was in the wilderness.

There was no preparation for him to be socially savvy because he

was in the wilderness. He didn't know the lingo of the

people. He was privately in communion

with his God. He didn't know the the modern

language of the day and the the the cliches that people would

use. Didn't know any of that stuff.

Because when God calls you to represent him, he doesn't call

you to have something in common with your culture.

He calls you to be counterculture.

Why? Because you're a prophet of God.

You're going to speak things that the culture is not used to

hearing. You're going to say things that

the culture doesn't want to necessarily hear because you're

going to preach an undiluted message of the truth.

And here is John recognizing that he is the fulfillment of

prophecy. He was prophetically chosen by

God. Now, I want you to listen very

carefully to what I'm going to tell you.

You were prophetically chosen by God as well.

Think about that, John specifically, and to some degree

you specifically as well, because the Lord knows you by

name, but you have been generally chosen by God.

Why? Notice what it says in verse 6

of Luke 3 that all flesh would see the salvation of the Lord,

not just Jews, but Gentiles as well.

The going that's people like you and me see.

But there, there there is, there was a chosen or choosing.

Excuse me of your life and mine turn with me to First Peter

1 Peter 2 · chapter mention

chapter 2. Let me show you this.

And this is really rich when you begin to understand what Peter

is saying. First Peter 2 verse #9 but you

are a chosen race. Peter is speaking to those those

Jews who've been scattered abroad.

In fact, go back to chapter one verse #1 it says Peter and the

Apostle of Jesus Christ to those who reside as aliens scattered

throughout Pontius, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, Bithynia, who

are chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father

by the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to obey Jesus Christ and

be sprinkled with His blood. That's who he's writing to.

He tells them that they are a chosen people, a chosen nation.

Look what it says in verse number six of first Peter

1 Peter 2 · chapter mention

chapter 2, for this is contained in Scripture as Peter quotes

from the prophet Isaiah. Behold, I lay in Zion, a choice

stone, a chosen stone. Who's the chosen stone?

The Messiah. He takes that from Isaiah

Isaiah 42 · chapter mention

chapter 42 verse #1 which says, Behold my servant, whom I

uphold, my chosen one, in whom my soul delights.

The Messiah was the chosen. 1 When was the Messiah chosen?

Did God look down the corridors of time and see the man Jesus

and chose him to be the Messiah? No, He was chosen in the

eternity past, just like you were.

In fact, your name was written in the Lamb's Book of Life.

Revelation 13/8, Revelation 17, Eight before the foundation of

the world. So prophetically, you were

chosen by God. Your name might not be in

Scripture, but it's written in the Lamb's Book of Life.

So before time began, those of you who know Christ as Lord and

Savior, your name was written already in the Lamb's book of

life. The Bible says these words John

1516 You did not choose me, but I chose you.

Say wait a minute, I, I chose Jesus.

And yeah, your choice is subject to his sovereign choice.

You did not choose me, I chose you.

Listen to Acts 1348. It says as many who had been

appointed to eternal life believed as many as had been

appointed. When were they appointed?

When they were chosen? In the eternity past.

Eternity past? They believed.

Paul would say in First Thessalonians one verse #4

knowing brethren, his choice of you.

Wow, His choice of you turn to 2nd Thessalonians chapter 2.

Second Thessalonians chapter 2 verse #13 But we should always

2 Thessalonians 2 · chapter mention

give thanks to God for you brethren, beloved by the Lord,

because God has chosen you from the beginning.

God has chosen you from all eternity from before time began.

Paul says. We're giving thanks for God's

choice of you. We look at John the Baptist.

We realize that this man prophetically was chosen by God

to be the forerunner to the Messiah.

But don't forget that you and I were chosen in the eternity past

because our names are written down in the Lamb's book of life.

And when you and I gave our life to Christ, that's when.

That's when that's when eternity intersected with time and we

gave our life to the Lord Jesus Christ.

And there are certain characteristics of that of that

choosing that you need to understand because they were

characteristic of John as well. Knowing that God chose you from

eternity to past pummels all pride, destroys your pride,

because God chose you. You didn't choose him not by

works of righteousness which we have done, but by the washing of

regeneration and renewing of the Spirit of God.

Listen to what Paul says in First Corinthians chapter one

verse #26 for consider your calling, brethren, that there

were not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not

many noble. But God has chosen the foolish

things of the world to shame the wise, and God has.

Chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which

are strong, and the base things of the world and the despised.

God has chosen the things that are not, so that he may nullify

the things that are so that no man may boast before God.

But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus who became to us

wisdom from God and righteousness and sanctification

and redemption, so that just as it is written, let him who

boasts boast in the Lord. God has chosen the weak things,

the despised things, the the base things of this world, the

foolish things of this world, so no one will boast in and of

themselves. God says I chose you.

You didn't choose me. Your choice was based on my

predetermined foreknowledge. I chose you, and therefore it

pummels all pride. What did John the Baptist say?

He must increase. I must decrease.

That was John. He could have said, hey, I'm the

forerunner. I'm the guy prophesied.

I'm the chosen one to prepare the way for the Messiah.

But he didn't. He said I'm not even worthy to

loosen the straps on a sandals. Because when you see when you're

chosen by God, you recognize that it pummels all pride #2 it

promotes only God. It promotes only God.

Philippians one verse #29 Paul says these words, for to you it

has been granted for Christ's sake to believe in His name.

You are saved for Christ's sake, for His glory.

Three times in Ephesians 1, Paul says to the praise of his glory,

you were predestined by God, you were regenerated by God, you

were sealed by God to the praise of his glory.

And therefore to recognize that you've been chosen by God not

only pummels your pride, but promotes only God and #3

produces joy, produces joy over in first Peter chapter 1, Peter

1 Peter 1 · chapter mention

says this, blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus

Christ. So, according to His great mercy

has caused us to be born again to a living hope, to the

resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain an

inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled, and

will not fade away reserved in heaven.

For you who are protected by the power of God through faith for a

salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

In this you greatly rejoice. You greatly rejoice.

God did that. Remember Luke chapter 10 verse

Luke 10 · chapter mention

#20 when the apostles came back and they saw people healed, they

saw people give their life to Christ.

They, they saw all kinds of miracles and they were ecstatic,

ecstatic about the ministry. And, and, and Christ says to

them, listen, I, I don't want you to be so excited about your

ministry that you forget your destiny.

If you want to get excited, get excited about this, that your

names are written down in heaven.

That's where the joy is, because ministry fluctuates, it comes

and goes. There's positives and negatives,

ups and downs, but heaven, heaven is yours and that's your

destiny. That's your joy.

John the Baptist knew that his joy was in presenting Christ,

knowing that even in chains he was going to heaven.

He knew that he would testify and witness only for the Christ

because he came to promote only his God #4 knowing that you're

chosen only promises, privileges.

Ephesians chapter one verse #3 Blessed be the God and Father of

our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual

blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us

in Him before the foundation of the world.

Knowing that you're chosen by God promises privileges,

produces joy, promotes God, pummels pride, propels holiness.

Colossians 3 verse #12 So as those who have been chosen of

God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness,

humility, gentleness and patience, bearing with one

another and forgiving each other.

Whoever has a complaint against anyone.

Just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you.

As chosen by God. You are to be holy, you are to

be blameless, and when you recognize that God has chosen

you for his Kingdom, it propels holiness.

John was a a Nazarite or took a Nazarite vow because he wanted

to be separate and holy from the world.

And he recognized that the prophetic choice of God upon his

life propelled him to live a life separate from those all

around him because he wanted to be holy, uniquely distinct from

the world. Knowing that you're chosen by

God provides security. Philippians one verse #6 being

confident of this very thing that he who began a good work in

you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ over in

First Thessalonians 523 and 24 faithfully see you calls you who

also will complete it, knowing that you've been chosen by God

only only provokes or provide security.

And lastly, it provokes evangelism because Peter says

that you're a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation,

a people for God's own possession, so that you may

proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness

into his marvelous lights. John was prophetically chosen by

God. Don't think for one moment that

you were not, because so were you.

You were chosen in eternity past.

God's elective love came down upon you and chose you not

because of anything that you did.

Didn't choose you because you were smart, you were wise, or

you were a good athlete and you would just make a good

representative of him. Look at the apostles.

They were a bunch of nobodies, but they turned the world upside

down because they recognized that God had chosen them for

that ministry, chosen them to be a part of His Kingdom.

Same is true for you and me. Those, those of us who know the

Lord, we, we've been chosen by Him from eternity past in the

mind of God. We were prophetically chosen by

God #4 John was providentially cared for by God, personally

called by God, privately communed with his God.

He was the one who prophetically was chosen by God, but was

providentially cared for by God. This is so exciting.

Turn to Luke chapter 1. Luke chapter 1.

Luke 1 · chapter mention Luke 1 · chapter mention

Remember in Galatians 4 it said this in the fullness of time.

Verse #4 Connections 4. In the fullness of time, God

sent forth his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, that

he might redeem those who were under the law.

In the fullness of time in in the perfect time, in the

Providence of God, there was a perfect time to send his son,

born of a woman. It was a perfect time

economically. It was a perfect time socially.

It was a perfect time spiritually.

It was a perfect time politically.

It was just the perfect time to send his son.

Well, if that's the case, then it would have been the perfect

time to send the forerunner. So in the Providence of God, he

perfectly chose John to come six months before the Messiah.

Listen to what it says in Luke one verse #5 in the days of

Herod the King, that you might want to stop right there,

because in those days it was a dark day.

It was a depressing day. Herod was a murderer.

He murdered his sons. He murdered his wife.

He murdered all the babies 2 years and younger.

When he realized that there was another king born in Israel, he

was a murderous man. And so it was a very dark time

in Israel and God had not spoken in over 400 years.

A prophet had not come and it was quiet in the land of Israel,

so it says. In the days of Herod, king of

Judea, there was a priest named Zacharias.

Oh, by the way, his name means God remembers.

You might not want to forget that of the division of Abijah,

which of course is very important to the narrative.

As you will see, he had a wife from the daughters of Aaron.

In other words, his wife was in the land of the priesthood as

well. Her name was Elizabeth.

Her name means God is faithful. You're not going to want to

forget that either because it plays a huge part in the

narrative in Luke chapter 1 says in verse 6 they were both

Luke 1 · chapter mention

righteous in the sight of God, walking blamelessly in all the

commandments and requirements of the Lord, but they had no child

because Elizabeth was barren and they were both advanced in

years. Now those verses say so much

about Zacharias Elizabeth, but more so about God in His

Providence because providentially, providentially,

John was cared for, John was protected, John was under the

sovereign hand of the living God to come at just the right time.

They had been waiting for the sunrise from on high to shine,

but nothing had happened for years, hundreds of years.

But in the fullness of time, God would send forth His Son,

meaning that He would make sure that in the same fullness of

time, John the Baptist would be born.

So you have a very important principle here.

Remember, it says that they had no child.

Why is that important? Well, because of the 613

commandments that the Jews had adopted, number one, was this,

that as a Jew you must be married.

That was #1 #2 was this you must have more than one child?

That was the command in the days of John the Baptist, the days of

Zacharias and Elizabeth. Why did you have to have more

than one? Genesis chapter 2.

Genesis 2 · chapter mention

Be fruitful and multiply. So they adopt the commandment

that you must have more than just one child, you must have

two. In fact, the rabbis taught that

certain people should be excommunicated from from God, a

Jew who had no wife and a Jew whose wife had no child.

So here is Zacharias, a priest, Elizabeth, who's in the land of

the priesthood and marries the guy who's a priest.

They have no children. They're barren.

That was a, a tremendous curse upon a Jewish family.

We, we can't really relate to that today, but in those days it

was huge. Why?

Because they really took to heart Psalm 127, which says that

children are a gift from the Lord.

Children are gifts. I wonder if you recognize that

your child is a gift from the Lord.

They are. They're gifts.

Oh, oh, by the way, when when God gives you a gift, how do you

respond with the gift? Some people respond by not going

to church for weeks because of the gift God gave them for

whatever reason, which for the life of me I'll never

understand. But if God gives you a gift, why

would you not honor him with the gift?

But there's all kinds of excuses as to why why we don't go to

church. It's almost as if we have

maternity leave from church. Just food for thought.

Don't mean to meddle, but sometimes that's what I do.

But we need to think about things biblically more so than

anything else, right? But here was Zacharias and

Elizabeth. They had no children, but

providentially they were cared for.

Note this there is no situation that God does not have a

solution for. There is no situation that God

does not have a solution for. What situation are you in today

that you wonder whether or not there's a solution?

Let me be right up front with you.

The solution is always Christ. Christ that in John 14 one, let

not your hearts be troubled. If you believe in God, believe

also in me. Don't be afraid, don't be

anxious, don't be scared. Why?

Because of me. You believe in God, believe also

in me because He was the solution to their situation of

fear and anxiety. And you have to ask yourself,

what situation are you in whereby you are looking for a

solution? Christ is that solution.

Oh, by the way, there is no affliction that does not have

God's undivided attention. There is no affliction that does

not have God's attention. God knew exactly what He was

doing. He had planned her barrenness.

Providentially. He wasn't going to give them a

child until the right time. Providentially, God was in

charge of her womb. The Bible says that the Lord

opens and closes the womb. No one has ever gotten pregnant

by accident. If you get pregnant, it's by

divine appointment. Twice in the Old Testament, God

says I'm the one who opens and closes the womb.

God's in charge of all that. And God closed her womb.

Did you not think she was in pain?

Do you not think she was lonely and sad, broken hearted?

Of course she was. And yet God in his Providence

was doing something because He didn't want to give them just

any child. He had to give them a specific

child, a forerunner to the Messiah.

He was preparing them. Notice that in a world of

hypocrisy, in a world of rebellion, which Israel was in,

in a world where they had defected from their God, there

were two people, Zacharias and Elizabeth, who the Bible says of

Luke one were devoutly blameless and righteous before God.

In their obedience, in their commitment to God, God took them

through a trial of barrenness. It wasn't like they had sinned.

They had turned their back on the Lord.

Not at all. Luke makes it very clear.

They were true to their God. They were righteous with God.

They had looked forward to the coming sacrifice.

But, but even more so than that, there were 18,000 priests in

Israel during the time of Christ and they were divided up into 24

different orders. They had to be and that those 24

orders, Abijah was the 8th order and they would function 2 weeks

a year, 2 weeks a year. And so it happens, ironically,

coincidentally or providentially, that Zacharias,

during that two week interval, was in the temple performing his

priestly duties when the Angel Gabriel came to him and

announced that his wife would be pregnant with a child.

The Providence of God, Zacharias said.

You know what? I'm done with the priesthood

thing. I'm done serving the Lord.

I'm not going to serve the Lord anymore.

I'm done. I'm out.

I've been serving the Lord, and I got nothing in return.

But notice his steadfastness and his commitment, his faithfulness

to the Lord. He was serving the Lord.

He didn't stay home. He went to work knowing that

this was God's call upon his life.

And in that moment God did something great.

Because there is no affliction that does not have God's

undivided attention, and there is no situation that does not

have God as a solution. And sure enough, God did

something unique and special. Ecclesiastes 3 verse #1 Solomon

says this. There is an appointed time for

everything under the sun. Everything, everything is by

divine appointment. And then he says in verse 11, he

has made everything beautiful in its time, within the realm of

everything being appointed in its time, a time to be born, a

time to die. And he gives some illustrations

about that down through verse #10 there's all kinds of time

for this and for that. Time to cry, time to laugh, time

to be happy, a time to mourn, yadda yadda yadda.

And then he says he has made everything beautiful in its

time. So wait a minute, my affliction

is not beautiful. My situation is not beautiful.

Zacharias and Elizabeth say, well, our barrenness is not

beautiful, but read on. He has also said eternity in

their heart yet so that man will not find out the work which God

has done from the beginning even to the end.

In other words, that man might learn to trust God.

You see, you're trusting God in that moment of appointed time,

and that's what makes the time beautiful, not because of the

time itself, but because of you trusting God in that appointed

time. So Isaiah would say it this way.

Isaiah 49 verse #14 But Zion said Zion is a people.

Here you can read through the Old Testament.

Zion can be a property. Zion could be a place.

Zion could be a proclamation of the gospel.

Zion is a people. It all depends on the context.

Here it's Israel, he says, but Zion said the Lord has forsaken

me and the Lord has forgotten me.

This is Israel. You ever said that?

Oh by the way, Zacharias name means God remembers and the

Bible then tell us that Zacharias Elizabeth got angry or

bitter to the Lord at all. Not at all.

No, because they remembered what Elizabeth's name God is

faithful. They remembered that.

So it says Zion, my, my people say the Lord has forsaken me,

the Lord has forgotten. So the Lord says can a woman

forget a nursing child and have no compassion on the son of her

womb? Even these may forget, but I

will not forget. You notice it didn't say a

father would forget because we do all the time.

I can't even remember my kids names half the time, let alone

my grandkids names. My wife does though.

She knows the birthdays, when they were born, how much they

weighed, how long they were. I don't know any of that stuff.

But a woman? Can a woman forget a nursing

child? Even God says they do.

They might not forget them when they're young, but as they get

older, things happen, he says. Beyond.

I have inscribed you on on the palms of my hands.

Your walls are continually before me.

Your calamity, your heartache, your situation, as impossible as

it may be, your dead ends, your turmoil, it's all on the palm of

my hand because there is no situation that does not have God

as a solution and there is no affliction that does not have

God's undivided attention. Here is Zacharias and Elizabeth

and God was going to give them the perfect son in his time.

They just had to wait and trust and believe that God would act

and God did. And God rewarded the fact that

they remembered Zacharias that God is faithful.

Elizabeth and God answered because God prophetically,

prophetically chose John and providentially cared for all

that would happen concerning the birth of John.

By the way, providentially He cares for you as well because He

knows everything you've been ascribed in the palms of His

hand and He never forgets, He never forsakes.

He is your God. Let's pray.

Lord, God, we thank you for today and all that you've done.

We realized, Lord, that time is so very, very short that you're

at work. You're at work in all of our

lives. And our prayer, Father, is that

each of us would see Your handiwork in our lives, that we

trust you and believe in you. If there be 1 here today who

does not know you, may they, may they come to saving faith in

Jesus Christ our Lord. May they give their life to the

living God. For those of us who do, Lord,

may we trust and believe knowing that you have a solution for our

situation, that you're completely attentive to our

affliction in ways we have no idea, but yet you are there.

For that we are grateful. In Jesus name, Amen.