Awaken The Dawn

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Time to Begin T he news of a prophet preaching and baptizing at Jordan had spread like a prairie fire throughout Galilee, Samaria, and Judea. John the Baptist was leading Israel in a great demonstration of repentance, declaring that “the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” 1 This was the signal that Jesus had waited for; He knew the time had come to begin His public ministry. Now, at the age of thirty, He made His way to the Jordan River. Humbly submitting to John, Jesus was baptized. Luke’s Gospel adds the significant notation that He prayed:

Now it came about when all the people were bap- tized, that Jesus also was baptized, and while He was praying, heaven was opened. 2

This simple statement established that Jesus was already a person of devotion and prayer before He began His 41