A Prayer to Lead Us to the Manger

The story of Christ’s birth is filled with divine reversals—moments where God chose humility over grandeur and simplicity over splendor. Instead of being born in a palace fit for a king, Jesus entered the world in a lowly manger among livestock, revealing a Savior who draws near to the humble. The Magi, guided by God’s star and later by His Spirit, demonstrate how no one finds Jesus on their own—He leads us to Himself. This season, we are invited to return to the manger with hearts open to wonder, worship, and the profound meaning of Christ’s humble arrival.

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Main Takeaways

• You’ll learn why Jesus’ humble birthplace reveals God’s upside-down kingdom and His heart for the lowly.

• Discover how the Magi’s journey shows that God Himself leads people to Christ.

• Understand the prophetic connections between Isaiah 53, Luke 2, and Matthew 2.

• Reflect on how the Holy Spirit guides believers today to continually rediscover Christ.

• Be encouraged to seek Jesus wholeheartedly and worship Him with the same joy and reverence as the Magi.

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Bible Verse References

• Luke 2:7 – https://www.biblestudytools.com/luke/2-7.html

• Isaiah 53:2 – https://www.biblestudytools.com/isaiah/53-2.html

• Matthew 2:1–2 – https://www.biblestudytools.com/matthew/passage/?q=matthew+2:1-2

• Matthew 2:3–6 – https://www.biblestudytools.com/matthew/passage/?q=matthew+2:3-6

• Matthew 2:7–8 – https://www.biblestudytools.com/matthew/passage/?q=matthew+2:7-8

• Matthew 2:9–12 – https://www.biblestudytools.com/matthew/passage/?q=matthew+2:9-12

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Your Daily Prayer

Dear Father,
As we enter this Christmas season, lead our hearts to the manger—to Jesus. Open our eyes to the wonder of His humble birth and the beauty of Your plan. Help us seek Him wholeheartedly, like the Magi, and worship Him with joy, awe, and reverence. Soften our hearts to lay our treasures before Him and guide us by Your Holy Spirit to know Him more deeply and to lead others to Him.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:02):
Life Audio. Thank you for listening to your daily prayer,
where we help you find the words you need to
connect to your Father in Heaven. No matter what's happening
in your life today, you can trust that God wants

(00:24):
to hear from you. Right after the short word from
our sponsors, we'll pray through today's prayer to lead us
to the Manger. A Prayer to lead Us to the Manger,

(00:51):
written by Lynette Kittle, read by Leah Gerard. And she
gave birth to her first born, a son. She wrapped
him in cloths and placed him in a manger because
there was no guest room available for them Luke two seven.

(01:13):
Most people looking for the coming Messiah wouldn't have started
by combing the nearby stables in obscure villages outside Jerusalem.
It's not likely they'd be searching for a manger holding
the new born boy to be the King of kings. Rather,

(01:34):
they would look for him in palaces, places where nobles lived,
places deemed worthy of hosting the birth of the Savior
of the world, offering a luxurious, clean and secure setting
where a newborn baby would receive the best of care
and provisions. But instead Jesus was born in a straw

(01:58):
bedded stable, among the lowly livestock, far from the comforts
and cushions of worldly wealth and nobility. As Isaiah fifty
three to two describes, he grew up before him like
a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground.
He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him,

(02:20):
nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. During
the time of Jesus' birth, the magi, who had studied
the prophecy concerning the coming of a Messiah, followed God's
glorious star. It led them to Jerusalem to look for
the newborn king. Matthew two one through two describes their arrival.

(02:43):
After Jesus was born in Bethlehem and Judea during the
time of King Herod, magi from the east came to
Jerusalem and asked, where is the one who has been
born King of the Jews. We saw his star when
it rose and come to worship him. In sync with
God's plan, the Magi were on the right track to

(03:06):
be led to the manger by following the star. Their
quest led them to Jerusalem and to the attention of
King Herod. As Matthew two three through six explains when
King Herod heard this, he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem
with him. When he had called together all the people's

(03:28):
chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them
where the Messiah was to be born? In Bethlehem and Judea.
They replied, for this is what the prophet has written.
But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by
no means least among the rulers of Judah. For out

(03:48):
of you will come a ruler who will shepherd my
people Israel. Fearful of being replaced by a new king
and losing his power, Matthew two seventh through eight tells
us Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from
them the exact time the star had appeared. He sent

(04:11):
them to Bethlehem and said, go and search carefully for
the child. As soon as you find him, report to me,
so that I too may go and worship him. After
being questioned by King Herod, Matthew two nine through twelve
records the Magi's response and actions. After they had heard

(04:33):
the king, they went on their way, and the star
they had seen when it rose went ahead of them
until it stopped over the place where the child was.
When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. On coming
to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary,
and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened

(04:55):
their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, franken,
sin and mirror. And, having been warned in a dream
not to go back to Herod, they returned to their
country by another route, again led by God. The Magi
followed God's lead rather than reporting to the king. Like

(05:19):
the Magi, we don't come to Jesus in the Manger
on our own, but are led by the guidance of
His Holy Spirit. Without him, we wouldn't be able to
find the Messiah, just like Herod couldn't. Let's pray, Dear

(05:39):
Father today, especially as we look forward to another Christmas.
We ask your Holy Spirit to lead us to the
Manger to Jesus and to help us lead others there too.
Open our eyes, ears, and hearts to experience the wonder
of the Manger and to see that beauty and simplicity

(06:00):
surrounding his birth reveal to us the spiritual meaning and
significance of Jesus, Savior of the world, being born in
a stable, lying wrapped in a cloth and laid in
a manger, rather than in a jewel crested cradle lined

(06:20):
with fine linen. Let us be willing, like the Magi,
to seek him with our whole heart, and share in
and experience the joy and reverence they did in finding
him so long ago. Soften our hearts, to lay our
treasures before him, bow down, and worship him as the

(06:46):
King of kings in Jesus' name. Amen. Your Daily Prayer
is a production of Life Audio and Salem Media. If

(07:07):
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