A Year of Prayer: Season One Weekday DevotionalsSample

Follow this awkward inquisition with us as John stands before the religious leaders of his day. The scripture found in John 1:21-25 (NIV) has been slightly simplified for clarity:

Leaders: Then who are you? Are you Elijah?

John: I am not.

Leaders: Are you the Prophet?

John: No.

Leaders: Who are you? Give us an answer to take back to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?

John: I am the voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way for the Lord.’

Leaders: Why then do you baptise if you are not the Messiah, Elijah, or the Prophet?

Talk about mistaken identity! Are you this person? No? This one, then? No? Poor John was asked if he was more famous, anointed, or an incarnation of someone more respected and well-known.

But John doesn’t say, ‘I’m the cousin of Jesus, I’ve been anointed since birth, I am this, I am that.’ His identity doesn’t need to be defended, and his ego isn’t fragile. He points to Jesus every time. Jesus is at the centre, led by the Spirit, and through Jesus, the hope of God will be revealed.

Action: How does wilderness reflect God to you?

Prayer: God, what are you asking of me in this prayer journey?