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A Prayer about the King of Kings

by | Dec 4, 2022 | Advent, Christmas, Christmas, Daily Prayer, kingdom living

A Prayer about the King of Kings

The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever.” Revelation 11:15

Mighty King, Lord of Lords,

Over the coming weeks, 

many of us will hum or sing along 

to Handel’s famous Hallelujah chorus: 

“King of Kings, and Lord of Lords…

And he shall reign…

Forever and ever.”

We pray that we will not sing these words mindlessly, 

but that you, by your Spirit, 

would awaken our imaginations, 

that we might truly see 

this very baby who Gabriel said would 

“reign on the throne forever” (Luke 1:33), 

firmly planted on the throne in this very moment. 

We pray that our vision of this reality 

would shove aside bad news and fake news 

of the frail and faulty rulers of this world, 

that it would cheer our hearts 

with the goodness of the truest 

and best news about our Savior. 

He is the “King of kings and Lord of lords” (Revelation 19:6). 

He reigns now, and he will reign forever.

One day he will return and establish his kingdom, 

redeeming us and redeeming this earth, 

making all things new. 

In that day, we will bow before him, 

“reigning forever and ever” 

with him as his servants (Revelation 22:5). 

May we sing this good news loudly and cheerfully.

In the name of our Savior King. Amen.

Read Luke 1:33; Revelation 11:15; Revelation 19:6; Revelation 19:16; Revelation 22:5.

Get Elizabeth’s Advent devotional for free here: https://dl.bookfunnel.com/34no8c805q.

A Prayer about Remembering Redemption Stories

by | Dec 3, 2022 | Advent, Christmas, Daily Prayer, Death and Resurrection, Seasons & Holidays, Suffering, worship, gratitude

A Prayer about Remembering Redemption Stories

And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. Luke 1:36

Lord God,

Thank you for this wonderful story of redemption. 

Even as the angel Gabriel revealed to Mary 

an incomprehensible promise: 

she would conceive and bear a son, 

the Son of God, Jesus our Savior, 

who would reign on the throne forever (Luke 1:31-33), 

he shares a story of redemption to show her, 

“For nothing will be impossible with God” (Luke 1:37).

Father, even today, as we rush 

to finish our giving and our buying and our wrapping, 

or as we miss the days 

when we made all those preparations 

for a typical Christmas, 

press pause in our hearts. 

Help us to sit before you 

to remember our own stories of redemption, 

of the times you came through with the money 

when we didn’t know how we would get through the month, 

of the ways you healed a relationship 

that we thought was irrevocably broken, 

of the baby you brought into our lives 

after we had long given up hope of having a family, 

of how you burst through suffocating darkness

with the light and hope of Jesus.

As we remember, 

may we hope and pray again 

that you would do the impossible 

in this broken and hurting world.

In Christ’s redeeming name we pray. Amen. 

Read Luke 1:31-38.

Image courtesy of Good News Productions International and College Press Publishing at FreeBibleimages.org.

Get Elizabeth’s Advent devotional for free here: https://dl.bookfunnel.com/34no8c805q.

A Prayer about God’s Wonderful Plan

by | Dec 2, 2022 | Advent, Christmas, Daily Prayer, gratitude, Seasons & Holidays, Theology, worship, gratitude

A Prayer about God’s Wonderful Plan

The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the baby to be born will be holy, and he will be called the Son of God.” Luke 1:35 (NLT)

Holy, Majestic, Wondrous God,

No matter how many times I read 

the angel Gabriel’s “explanation” to Mary

 about how she will become pregnant 

with the Son of God, 

I’m baffled every time.

Who else but you 

would think of such a plan? 

What god but you, the Creator of the cosmos,

could actually execute it? 

What god but you, the Merciful Lord, 

would pay such a high price

to save a wayward people?

Yet, because you did,

the Holy Spirit “overshadowed” Mary, 

and she gave birth to Jesus, our Savior, 

so that one day, we could be born all over again, 

as completely new creation, in Christ. 

Only you, our glorious, covenantal, steadfastly loving God 

would and could accomplish such a thing!

May we spend this advent season 

marveling at the many ways you give birth to new things—

Especially new love for you and new love for others.

In Jesus’ saving name.

Amen.

Read Luke 1:26-35.

Get Elizabeth’s Advent devotional for free here: https://dl.bookfunnel.com/34no8c805q.

A Prayer about Jesus’ First and Second Coming

by | Dec 1, 2022 | Advent, Christmas, Christmas, Daily Prayer, Joy, Seasons & Holidays

A Prayer about Jesus’ First and Second Coming

Surely I am coming soon. Revelation 22:20

Lord Jesus,

In this season of celebrating your first arrival, 

our longings are piqued for your second arrival. 

You say, “Surely I am coming soon” (Revelation 22:20), 

and we say, “How soon is soon?” 

As we see the glory and healing and hope 

you brought at your first coming, 

as we see the many wonders that await us 

when you return, 

oh how eager we are, 

far more eager than a five-year-old 

on Christmas Eve. 

For we know the gifts you bring on that day 

will never get old or boring: 

the consummate intimacy with you and others, 

the complete healing from sin and sickness, 

the perfect peace with all who love you, 

the lovely diversity and abundant life… 

All gifts whose shine will never fade away—

these are the things we most deeply long for. 

You say, “Surely, I am coming soon.” 

We say, “Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!”

Read Revelation 21-22.

Get Elizabeth’s Advent devotional for free here: https://dl.bookfunnel.com/34no8c805q.

 

A Prayer about Seeing the Light

by | Nov 30, 2022 | Advent, Christmas, Daily Prayer, Seasons & Holidays, Spiritual Growth

A Prayer about Seeing the Light

The people walking in the darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned. Isaiah 9:2

Light of the World,

I remember being a teenager,

spending hours at the Young Life Christmas tree lot, 

singing noisily along 

with John Denver and the Muppets Christmas album, 

huddling with my friends over a trash barrel fire, 

selling Christmas trees 

to happy (and some unhappy) families. 

Then I would come home to a dark and empty house, 

turn on the Christmas tree lights, 

and sit in the darkness marveling at the twinkling glory. 

I truly was a young woman 

walking in darkness 

who had seen a great light. 

Tim Keller tells us that in the days Christ appeared, 

the world was “filled with evil and untold suffering….

violence, injustice, abuse of power, 

homelessness, refugees fleeing oppression, 

families ripped apart, bottomless grief.” 

As he says, “Sounds exactly like today.”* 

Lord, in this season of Advent, 

may we see the darkness of this world for what it is, 

and may we see your great light, 

your light which has overcome the darkness, 

the light which is the life of all mankind. 

And may we share this light 

with all who live and walk in deep darkness.

In the name of your light-shining Son. Amen.

Read Isaiah 9:2; John 1:4-10; Matthew 4:16.

[Quote from Tim Keller’s Hidden Christmas.]

Get Elizabeth’s Advent devotional for free here: https://dl.bookfunnel.com/34no8c805q.

 

 

A Prayer about the End to Sorrow and Sighing

by | Nov 29, 2022 | Advent, Christmas, Daily Prayer, Grief, Seasons & Holidays, Suffering

A Prayer about the End to Sorrow and Sighing

And the ransomed of the Lord shall return and come to Zion with singing; everlasting joy shall be upon their heads; they shall obtain gladness and joy, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away. Isaiah 35:10

Good Father,

In these days, the calls of “happy holidays” 

may fall deaf on the ears of those 

whose hearts are filled with sorrow and sighing. 

How grateful we are for the hope of Jesus’ first coming 

which brought ransom and redemption 

to “captive Israel,” 

which transformed her mourning into joy.* 

Fill our heavy hearts with the vision Isaiah paints 

of what has already begun 

and of what will one day be full and final 

when Jesus returns:

“The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad; 

the desert shall rejoice and blossom 

like the crocus; 

it shall blossom abundantly 

and rejoice with joy and singing” (Isaiah 35:1-2).

“[We] shall see the glory of the Lord, 

the majesty of our God” (Isaiah 35:2).

May we who have “anxious hearts” 

hear your reassuring voice 

speaking to us from your Word: 

‘Be strong; fear not!” 

Indeed, one day soon, 

Jesus says, 

our God will judge all evil. 

In that day, 

all “sorrow and sighing shall flee away” (Isaiah 35:10), 

and we will know gladness and joy forever and ever. 

In this season of Advent, 

deepen our longing for that day.

In Jesus’ restoring name. Amen.

Read Isaiah 35. 

*Listen to “O Come, O Come Emmanuel.”

Get Elizabeth’s Advent devotional for free here: https://dl.bookfunnel.com/34no8c805q.