I am the voice crying in the desert

Luke 2:16-21

This is the testimony of John.   When the Jews from Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to him to ask him, "Who are you?"  He admitted and did not deny it, but admitted, "I am not the Christ."   So they asked him,
"What are you then? Are you Elijah?"  And he said, "I am not."  "Are you the Prophet?"  He answered, "No." 
So they said to him, "Who are you, so we can give an answer to those who sent us?   What do you have to say for yourself?"  He said:  "I am the voice of one crying out in the desert, 'Make straight the way of the Lord,' as Isaiah the prophet  said."   Some Pharisees were also sent.   They asked him, "Why then do you baptize if you are not the Christ or Elijah or the Prophet?"   John answered them, "I baptize with water;  but there is one among you whom you do not recognize, the one who is coming after me, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to untie."   This happened in Bethany across the Jordan, where John was baptizing.

I am the voice crying in the desert:

Lord, what I hear you saying to day is that you use the weirdest and weakest and most unlikely people for great things. Why?

To show my power, my love, to give hope to all, especially the weakest and those who feel they have no hope, to show I am God and I can do anything and I love all my creation, especially those who are small and weak and feel hopeless.  There is hope in me but they must trust me and believe.

Lord,  I feel like I fit into that category or did at one time.  I still struggle with and even feel more 'weird' than ever before.  Maybe weird comes from knowing myself better and knowing you better than ever before.  Lord, I love you and believe and know you in a way that I could never have imagined before.  I still find it hard to believe that you would choose me for anything.  And I still doubt it is you who so often speaks to me, even though you so often give me consolations and confirmations that it is you.  And sometimes I doubt, not usually at the time but later, that those confirmations and consolations even come from you.  Lord, help me to believe.  Those in ancient times knew when you were speaking to them.  I don't even remember hearing about any who were unsure if what they heard was from you or the evil one.  Why was it so clear to them and it is not to me?

They had less distractions.  Their lives were simple.  They didn't 'mulit' talk.  They lived in the moment.  That is what I want you to do this year.  You've already chosen living in  the present as your new year's resolution. That means slowing down and doing one thing at a time.  You are not that important 'to the world' -(no one is) that you must be in two places at once,  there is an element of pride there, you know.  You are important to me and I want you, all of you.  Slow down and just be.   When you are in the moment you are alive and living.  When you are here and there - past and future, you are not living right now.  Now, 'The Present' is my gift to you.  Use it and us it up.  I love you too.  You have wasted so much 'time' already, don't do it any more.