A Prayer to the Child Who is Born

                              

“For to us a Child is born, to us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulders. And He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” Isaiah 9:6 (NIV)

 

My God, I come into Your Presence. I thank You for Your many names.

 

I praise You, Wonderful Counselor.  You are wise. Things that puzzle me are clear to You. I come to You asking for wisdom. Guide me in decisions, both big and small. Thank You, my Wonderful Counselor.

 

I praise You, Mighty God. You are always strong and mighty.  I am often weak and frail. I ask for Your strength, as I step into a new day. Thank You, my Mighty God.

 

I praise You, Everlasting Father. Earthly fathers leave this world, but You are always here. Your love never fails. You bring comfort when I hurt. You provide when I am needy. Thank You, my Everlasting Father.

 

I praise You, Prince of Peace. This world is full of chaos and unrest. You are full of peace. Your peace passes all understanding. I bring to You my cares, my fears, my anxieties. Take them and replace them them with Your peace. Thank You, my Prince of Peace.

 

Precious Child, You were born and placed into a manger. Thank You for coming into this world. Thank You for dying for my sins.  Thank You for being my Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.  Amen.

Joyful Christmas Season

                                                          

 

“Rejoice in the Lord always. Again, I will say rejoice.” Philippians 4:4

 

Always.  At all times.  On all occasions. How often does God want us to rejoice? Always. To emphasize the point, the verse continues: “Again, I will say rejoice.”

 

God does not tell us to be “happy”.  Happiness depends on circumstances.

 

The verse tells us to rejoice “in the Lord”.  Circumstances change from day to day. The Lord never changes. 

 

In Psalm 16:11, David says to the Lord: “In Your Presence is fullness of joy.” When he wrote this Psalm, David was fleeing from Saul who was trying to kill him. David’s joy was found in the Presence of God.

 

During this season of the year, we have an even greater reason for joy. We remember God’s precious gift, the Babe in the manger.

 

John 3:16 says: “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” 

 

This year, may we enjoy all the lights and music and food and celebration. Let us also remember the Babe in the manger. May we sing out the familiar carol with great exuberance: “Joy to the World! The Lord has come!”  Wishing all of you the Most Joyous Christmas ever!

 

 

Thanksgiving 2023

                                                         

 

“And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, returned, and with a loud voice glorified God, and fell down on his face, giving Him thanks.” Luke 17:15-16a”

 

Ten lepers were healed by Jesus. Only one went back and thanked Him. Where were the other nine? The lives of all ten were radically changed. From leprosy to health. From no hope to abundant hopefulness. Perhaps the other nine were so busy with their new lives that they didn’t have time to say thank you. 

 

So often, I am like the nine.  God showers me with blessings every day. So often I don’t take time to thank Him.

 

Let’s make an effort during the month of November to thank God for His many gifts. I challenge each of us to make a gratitude list. Every day write down 5 things that we are thankful for. Then thank God for each gift.  

 

There are so many things to thank Him for. A new day of life. A beautiful sunrise. Flowers. Birds. Friends. Family. Food. Shelter. The list goes on and on. 

 

Who will join me in the Thanksgiving challenge? Let’s make this November the most thankful one yet. And as we sit down for our dinner on Thanksgiving Day may our hearts overflow with gratitude. Happy Thanksgiving to all.

Morning and Evening

                                                         

 

“It is good to give thanks to the Lord, and to sing praises to Your name, O Most High; to declare Your lovingkindness in the morning, and Your faithfulness at night.” Psalm 92:1-2

 

What are your first thoughts in the morning? What are your last thoughts at night?  

 

Recently, I read Psalm 92 and was introduced to a psalmist who had very specific first and last thoughts. In the morning, the psalmist declared the “lovingkindness” of the Lord. In the evening, he declared God’s “faithfulness”.

 

I have challenged myself to begin each day a simple prayer: “Thank you, Lord, for a new day of life. Thank for loving me.”  We don’t know what the day holds. But we do know that God loves us and will be with us each step of the day.

 

As evening approaches, I am challenged to remember the ways in which God has been faithful to me that day. Lying in bed, I thank Him, one by one, for His acts of faithfulness. 

 

God is loving. God is kind. God is faithful.  We all know that. But so often we forget. Let’s begin the habit of thanking Him for His lovingkindness each morning and for His faithfulness each night.

 

 

Weeping

                                                          

 

“Jesus wept.” John 11:35 NKJV

 

She weeps. Some people look away. Some say, “Don’t cry.” Others say, “I’m sorry.” But only the ones who love her most, stop and weep with her.

 

Jesus stopped to weep. Lazarus, the brother of Mary and Martha, had died and was buried. When Jesus came to visit, Mary ran out to meet Him. Her pain was raw. She wept. And Jesus wept.

 

Anyone who grew up in church knows the rest of the story. Jesus told the people to remove the stone. In a loud voice, He cried out “Lazarus, come forth!” And the man who had been dead for 4 days walked out of the grave. An astounding miracle! Truly, Jesus was the Son of God! Only God could bring a dead man back to life.

 

I am in awe of the miracle of Lazarus coming back to life. I am also amazed that Jesus took time to comfort Mary. How deep the love which brought the Son of God to tears!

 

What an amazing God we serve!  He is powerful enough to bring a dead man back to life. Yet, He is tender enough to weep with a grieving woman.

 

Let us praise our God whose power and whose love are beyond comprehension!

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

Deer Pants for Water

                                                    

 

‘’ As the deer pants for the water brooks, so pants my soul for You, O God.” Psalm 42:1 NKJV

 

The deer’s steps become slower. He walks through the woods, panting.  A deer only pants when his body is ready to overheat. A panting deer is desperate. Without water he will die.

 

In Psalm 42 the psalmist says that his soul pants after God. The soul, the deepest part of us, is desperate for God. Have you ever had a panting soul? Have you known an emptiness inside that could not be satisfied? Maybe you tried to fill the emptiness with possessions, relationships,  alcohol, or something else. But at the end of the day, nothing satisfied. 

 

If we are honest, we all have been there. But there is good news.

 

Jesus said in John 10:10, “I have come that they may have life, and that they have it more abundantly. “ In John 14:6, He says, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”

 

There is a God-shaped vacuum in everyone’s soul. It can only be filled with one thing: God. And there is only one way to God and that is through Jesus.

 

God is holy, and we are sinful. Jesus came and died for our sins. If we confess our sins and surrender our lives to Jesus, He forgives our sin and comes into our lives.

 

The same Jesus who died for us is the One who desires to give us abundant life. He doesn’t promise an easy life. But He does promise to be with us as we walk through life. 

 

Is your soul thirsty today? Turn to Jesus.  He alone can quench the thirsty soul. 

 

 

 

 

 

Invitation to Surrender

                                                  

 

“Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” Matthew 11: 28-30 NKJV

 

“You are surrounded! Come out with your hands up! Surrender now!” The police officer speaks with a stern voice. Multiple officers stand with guns pointed. The man opens the door. He is handcuffed and taken to jail. A common ending to many popular crime shows.

 

Jesus calls us to surrender our lives to Him. So often we resist. I wonder if we imagine God to be like the police officer in the tv show, stern and angry, eager to take us away to a life of misery.

 

Yes, God is asking us to surrender, but that is where the similarity ends. The One who calls us is the Holy God, the Creator, the King, the Lord. He has the authority to call us. He has the right to rule our lives.  He also is the God who loves us more than we could possibly imagine. “Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore with lovingkindness I have drawn you.” Jeremiah 31:3 NKJV

 

In Matthew 11:28-30 Jesus invites the weary and the heavy laden to come to Him. He describes Himself as “gentle and lowly in heart”. With a kind, gentle voice, He calls us to surrender our lives to Him. His intention is not to give us a life of misery. Instead, He offers a life of peace and joy and “rest for your souls”. What do we do with an invitation like that? We come to Jesus. We simply come.