“Listen to me, My people; hear Me, My nation: Instruction will go out from Me; My justice will become a light to the nations” (Isaiah 51:4).
Our Father and our God, there is no place where Your voice is not heard—You speak over all creation:
The voice of the Lord is over the waters; the God of glory thunders, the Lord thunders over the mighty waters. The voice of the Lord is powerful; the voice of the Lord is majestic. The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars; the Lord breaks in pieces the cedars of Lebanon. The voice of the Lord strikes with flashes of lightning. The voice of the Lord shakes the desert…The voice of the Lord twists the oaks and strips the forests bare. And in His temple all cry, “Glory!” (Psalm 29: 3-5, 7-9)
O awesome God who speaks over sweeping waters, who shatters mighty trees with Your voice, what a privilege it is to receive instruction from You! Open our ears to hear You speak—open our hearts to respond with eager obedience, declaring like young Samuel, ‘Speak, Lord, for Your servant is listening’ (1 Samuel 3:9, 10).
You speak to us of Your justice, O Lord. Throughout Scripture, You have shown us that the perversion of justice (Exodus 23:2, Leviticus 19:15, Deuteronomy 16:19, Proverbs 17:23) is one of the most detestable marks of sin in our world. You have shown us that injustice is an affront to Your love and Your holiness, because "Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne; love and faithfulness go before You" (Psalm 89:14).
And in sending Your Messiah, You put in motion Your plan to right all wrongs, to "let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream" Amos 5:24)! Through Him You ordained Your justice to "become a light to the nations" (Isaiah 51:4). You announced His mission of justice through Your prophet:
“Here is My servant, whom I uphold, my chosen One in whom I delight; I will put My Spirit on Him, and He will bring justice to the nations. In faithfulness He will bring forth justice; He will not falter or be discouraged till He establishes justice on earth (Isaiah 42: 1, 4; Matthew 12:18).
So as we pray, O Lord, let Your kingdom come, Let Your will be done on earth as in heaven, help us make the connection between Your kingdom ways and the actions You require of us. Move us to obey what You have explicitly instructed, "He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God" (Micah 6:8).
Teach us true regard for justice, and mercy, and righteousness. Remind us of Your concern for the poor and the defenseless, the widow and the orphan, the foreigner and the "outsider." Let us by our lives and our actions share the message of Christmas—the story of Your love.
Forgive us for our exacting standards and our quickness to judge and to condemn. Remind us of the words our Savior taught us to pray: "Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us" (Luke 11:4). Remind us of the "much" we have been forgiven.
We wait for the time when Your appointed One, Jesus, will restore order and justice to the world, when "with righteousness He will judge the needy, with justice He will give decisions for the poor of the earth. He will strike the earth with the rod of His mouth; with the breath of His lips He will slay the wicked. Righteousness will be His belt and faithfulness the sash around His waist (Isaiah 11:3-5).
Lord, we know we cannot stand before Your righteous judgment on our own merit. Thank You for providing salvation through the birth, death and resurrection of the Son You sent us. Thank You that through Him, Your justice has been satisfied in the power of Your love. Thank You that all who accept Your precious gift will not be counted among the wicked.
We pray that this Christmas, many will understand the message of Your grace as we reflect the light of Your mercy, compassion, and justice to the nations.
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