12 days of prayer before Christmas
A daily refocus on the reason for the season and our faith in the finished work of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
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Follow along and pray with us
for 12 days before Christmas
We will focus on the 4 gifts of the advent season all pointing to Christ; hope, peace, joy and love. Check here for daily prayer topics and mini-devotionals or follow along on facebook.
JOY
To experience joy, we must understand the true meaning of it. Joy is a feeling of gladness that is not dependent on what is happening in your life or your circumstances. It is a gift of the Holy Spirit. A supernatural relief in times of grief and pain, joy provides strength. Joy is not temporary happiness but instead an unshakable trust in Jesus , the one who will never leave us and the one who will always have our backs no matter what life throws our way. Romans 15:13
Worship can be one way that we express biblical joy. We outwardly sing shout and dance. All of these things are actions of trusting Jesus no matter what life brings. It is where the physical meets the supernatural. Joy connects us to what I have to give to Jesus and to the things that only Jesus can resurrect and make whole and new again. John 15:11
JOY Jesus found joy in His suffering - He endured the cross “for the joy set before Him” (Hebrews 12:2)Jesus, the way the truth and the life.., He took up His cross with joy. To bring us into reconciliation with God it was a joy for Him to take on every burden, every heavy weight, every sin that would separate us. A joy for Him. so that He could have the only thing He ever wanted.. Us. You, Me. That’s all He ever wanted. Relationship with the ones He created. It was His JOY to sacrifice Himself. And to be in complete obedience to His Father, doing His will.
Meditate on this.. That the God who made you, found JOY in His suffering, for your sake..so that He could be in close relationship with you.
Peace
One of the topics of the advent season is peace. We have watched as political leaders attempt to bring peace to war ridden places. That is often how we think as we think about peace...the lack of war. Biblical peace is so much more...deeper. In a culture where young people struggle with high level of anxiety we should be able to decipher that what is missing is peace...peace of mind. I am reminded of the blessing Moses tells Aaron to pray over Israel.
“‘“The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine on you
and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.”’
There is promise in this blessing for peace...in His presence. We pray this over you today...whoever is reading this may the Lord grant you His peace...not as the
world gives...but as Jesus gives...Shalom!
In Luke the angels appear to the shepherds and suddenly there is singing in the air. The song being sung was this; “Glory to God in the highest heave, and on earth peace to those on whom His favor rests.” The in breaking of peace on earth in the form of a baby in a manger. In a place where Roman soldiers were everywhere and fear reigned over peace the message had to seem strange and yet the shepherds moved on it and went and beheld the child.
Jesus later speaking to His friends also gives a promise of peace. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. Rome still rules...the religious order of the day are looking for ways to kill Him and there it is, the promise of peace. You do know if keep reading into the book of Acts the guys were still looking for a governmental peace. If the Kingdom of God was here surely peace would rule and Rome would have to bow.
But this peace would be like the day He calmed the raging waters...like the time He created the earth and brought order to chaos. His peace allows us to go into lions dens or fiery furnaces not knowing how it will turn out but knowing the One who brings peace...we pray for the peace for the Church today... know that if they hated Him they will hate us...and we know who holds tomorrow...shalom shalom...
Hope
Immanuel, God with us. The promised Messiah, The Savior Matthew 1:18-2318 Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. 19 And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. 20 But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” 22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: 23 “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel"
Beloved, as we set aside the cares of this world, let us cling to the HOPE we have in our Savior, the promised Messiah.. As He came down to be ‘Immanuel-God with us’ – and through Him, He has given us an eternal promise and an imperishable inheritance. We can have HOPE for tomorrow, and the next day, and the days to follow into eternity.. all because He came and gave His son to us!
Meditate on the following scripture and ask God to reveal Himself to you through His word: Matthew 1:18-25Matt. 2:1-12Isaiah 9:6-7 Prayer: (I encourage you to slow down, sit with Him) Thank you, God, for sending our Son to be in communion with me! May I cling to the hope you have given in every area of my life and reveal to me where I need to trust you, letting go of any worry or anxiety that can so easily entangle. With Awe and Wonder, America Ligman
Hope of Glory Colossians 1:24-274 Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in Christ's afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church, 25 of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God that was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known,26 the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to his saints. 27 To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.
Jesus is our Hope of Glory! He came to make His home in us when we invited Him into our hearts by breathing eternity into our spirits. He also wants to make His home in our mind, will, and emotions. Jesus is our soul’s hope and source of new life. When we choose the path of our flesh that contradicts the Spirit, we choose to ignore Him as our source of all hope and live life as before we met Him. When we choose this path, we limit God’s ways in our life. He wants access to every part of us.. Not just the parts we decide. When we give him full access and surrender to His ways He moves in with an endless supply of Hope. He is our Hope of Glory!
Meditate on the following scripture and ask God to reveal himself to you in greater measure. Ephesians 3:14-21 Colossians 1:24-27PrayerThank you, Jesus for making your home in me - so my heart can be anchored in the hope that I have in You. I choose to surrender every part of myself to you.. Including my mind, will, and emotions. Have your way in me, Lord.
HOPE - IMAGE OF THE INVISIBLE GOD
2 Corinthians 4:1-6 4 Therefore, having this ministry by the mercy of God, we do not lose heart. 2 But we have renounced disgraceful, underhanded ways. We refuse to practice[b] cunning or to tamper with God's word, but by the open statement of the truth we would commend ourselves to everyone's conscience in the sight of God. 3 And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. 4 In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. 5 For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake. 6 For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
Colossians 1:15-17 He is the image of the invisible god, the visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities- all things were created through Him. And he is before all things, and in him, all things hold together.
Beloved, The glory of Christ is the image of God. He came wrapped in swaddling cloths, took on flesh, to be visible to us through Jesus, the Image of the Invisible God. And We can find hope in these passages of scripture knowing that He holds all things together through Himself and that He was before all things. Let this encourage you today, that He holds all things together.
Prayer: Thank you, God, for making yourself visible to me, taking on flesh, through your Son Jesus, So that I may see you, and be formed into your likeness! You are the One that holds all things together. May I continually find my hope rooted in You, the invisible God, made visible!
LOVE
John 3:16For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.Are you ever overwhelmed by the thought that God loved us so much that He sent His Son to rescue us? There was no flashy entrance. Instead, He arrived quietly, humbly, and vulnerably. Jesus came not as a king in a palace, but as a child in a stable. This season can be full of stress, grief, and sadness. Some feel lonely. Some are missing those who have gone before them. Some have broken hearts or broken families. Christmas doesn’t look the same for everyone. However, one thing is certain: God sent His Son, the ultimate act of love and sacrifice. He sent him for you and me. He loves us so much that He came into this messy world to meet us where we are, to enter our mess, and to stay. May we feel His love during this time. May we remember that His love is not dependent on our perfection, how productive we are, or our performance. It is a love that gives first, forgives freely, and remains faithful. Let’s receive His love, and remember to give it away. Freely it was given, freely we give. As we reflect this Christmas, may we receive His love - and allow it to overflow into how we treat others. Think of someone in your life who may need love - and make it a point to reach out and tell them they are loved.
Prayer:Lord, thank You for loving us enough to come near. Help us to receive Your love fully this Christmas and to share it with those around us. Let Your love be born again in our hearts today. Amen.
Matthew 2:11They saw the child with Mary, His mother, and they bowed down and worshiped Him.When I think about Jesus, my heart fills with so much love, and in response, all I want to do is worship Him. Worship is a natural response when we truly encounter Jesus. We see this at Christmas. As soon as they heard of the birth of Jesus, the shepherds left their fields and flock, and the wise men traveled far distances, just to see Jesus. It says in verse 11 - “And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped HIm. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.” Even as a baby, the natural reaction when meeting Jesus is to worship Him. God’s love didn’t demand attention; it invited surrender. Heaven’s love touched earth, and earth responded with awe. He is worthy of our praise. To be in the presence of Jesus, to know and love Him, and feel His love, brings a natural instinct to worship Him. As we enter this season, let us not get so caught up in the hustle and bustle, that we forget that God loved us so much, He sent His one and only Son. May we reflect on Jesus and His immense love for us, and may our response be to bow before the King, and worship Him. Oh, come let us adore Him, Christ, the Lord. For He alone is Worthy, Christ the Lord.
We give You all the glory, Christ the Lord. Jesus, we love you, and we worship you. Thank you for loving us so much that you came into the world to save us! Our Savior, Christ the Lord!
Prayer:Jesus, You are the greatest gift of love. This Christmas, draw our hearts back to you. Let our worship rise from gratitude, awe, and deep love for who you are. We lay everything at your feet. Amen.
The first and greatest commandment tells us “to love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind..” (Matthew 22:37-38)
As Jesus shared on the parable of the ten bridesmaids, the five wise, and the five foolish..let us be like the wise, with oil in our lamps, ready and continuously burning..may we be found with a love that is burning bright and be ones that are invited into the wedding feast with the Bridegroom(Christ)..unlike the foolish who He turned away and said, “I don’t know you” (Matthew 25)Keeping our oil lamps burning means keeping Him first place in our hearts - loving Him with all that we have.
Prayer and Meditation: God, you can have first place in my heart and I repent for the times of allowing anything else to rule or reign over you. I invite you to come and shine your light on my heart, to be loved by You and expose anywhere that I have let anything settle in first place before you.