Life-Giving God,
During this time of Advent, help me to prepare myself to once again remember your Son's coming to this Earth. May I behold the love that led you to send him in the midst of all humanity. How wonderful it is that in seeing Jesus I can see you.
May my heart be a manger where your Son is born. Help me to see what new can be birthed within me because of Christ in me. May my living be a manifestation of the wonder of the Christ-child in me.
May Christ be in the Christmas that I come to celebrate. In Jesus' name. Amen.
Thursday, December 19, 2013
Thursday, December 12, 2013
A Prayer with a Spiritual Twist
"I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of you hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which has called you..." Ephesians 1:16-18
In this rather long passage from Scripture, we find the apostle Paul praying for the Christians at Ephesus. As I came across this passage the other day, two emphases hit home for me.
First of all, Paul gives thanks to God that they have received the Gospel. Have you thought about giving thanks in your prayers for others you know who have come to faith? Maybe there is someone who was baptized recently or even someone who has come back to church after being absent for a long time. We ought to remember those for whom the Spirit of God has been working.
Secondly, I thought of how Paul prays for the spiritual enlightenment of those in the faith. He prays that they might have wisdom and know the hope to which they have been called. The wisdom from God is different from the world. We can pray that those in the faith would have God's wisdom in which to be guided in life. I like this emphasis on hope as well. With so much despair in our world, people really need God's hope. This season of Advent ought to remind us that we are, indeed, people of hope.
In the end, may you have other believers in your prayers and think of their spiritual welfare.
In this rather long passage from Scripture, we find the apostle Paul praying for the Christians at Ephesus. As I came across this passage the other day, two emphases hit home for me.
First of all, Paul gives thanks to God that they have received the Gospel. Have you thought about giving thanks in your prayers for others you know who have come to faith? Maybe there is someone who was baptized recently or even someone who has come back to church after being absent for a long time. We ought to remember those for whom the Spirit of God has been working.
Secondly, I thought of how Paul prays for the spiritual enlightenment of those in the faith. He prays that they might have wisdom and know the hope to which they have been called. The wisdom from God is different from the world. We can pray that those in the faith would have God's wisdom in which to be guided in life. I like this emphasis on hope as well. With so much despair in our world, people really need God's hope. This season of Advent ought to remind us that we are, indeed, people of hope.
In the end, may you have other believers in your prayers and think of their spiritual welfare.
Wednesday, December 4, 2013
Answered Prayer and Your Response
I have often wondered about the affect of answered prayer in the lives of people. Maybe it is to give thanks for what appears to have been granted from God. God came through in a difficult time and there is happiness and a cause for giving thanks.
Now, I wonder, too, if answered prayer has changed the person who has prayed in a much deeper way. I came across these words of the psalmist that made me ponder this concern. The psalmist wrote: "I love the Lord, because he has heard my voice and my supplications." (Psalm 116:1)
Imagine the end result of answered prayer that leaves you in a state of love (or a stronger love) for God! No, this is not a one time thanks for deliverance; but from the psalmist's viewpoint, that action of God resulted in a deeper change. The psalmist felt a deeper relationship to God.
I invite you to reflect on your own life in terms of what your response is to answered prayer? Is it short term or long term? How will it impact your relationship to God?
Now, I wonder, too, if answered prayer has changed the person who has prayed in a much deeper way. I came across these words of the psalmist that made me ponder this concern. The psalmist wrote: "I love the Lord, because he has heard my voice and my supplications." (Psalm 116:1)
Imagine the end result of answered prayer that leaves you in a state of love (or a stronger love) for God! No, this is not a one time thanks for deliverance; but from the psalmist's viewpoint, that action of God resulted in a deeper change. The psalmist felt a deeper relationship to God.
I invite you to reflect on your own life in terms of what your response is to answered prayer? Is it short term or long term? How will it impact your relationship to God?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
