Wherever you are and whoever your companions this Christmas, wherever your sojourns take you in the coming year, I pray that as you follow hard after Christ, that all your ways be merry and bright…
I pray that you rediscover the glorious freedom that comes in the way of surrender, and that in yielding yourself to Him, you are offering the most significant Christmas gift ever.
I pray that as you embrace the way of worship, you discover new forms, new joys, new expressions and new offerings of honor, reverence and delight in Him as the Dearest of affections.
I pray that even as you encounter the way of hardship, you find the joy of knowing you don’t face hardships alone – that His discipline is a sign of His love, and that in Him (and in your truest companions) you will find a Friend who’s faithful.
I pray that you find loves, ambitions, passions and dreams that are worth waiting for, and in the waiting that you find the perseverance and teachability to stay fixed and true – knowing that however long the way of waiting carries you, it is oh, so worthy.
I pray that you are ever more alert to the voice of the Spirit, aware of the needs of those around you, sensitive to the dangers you may face, and buoyed by the friends who join you in the way of watching – precious God, how that’s needed!
I pray that in the busyness of the holidays as well as the frenzy that is life, you take the time – you make the time – to be quiet and still in the way of reflection and wonder. Only there can we find the wisdom, perspective and peace you and I most need.
I pray that when enemies rise up against you (and they will) and you find yourself in the way of warfare, you will be reminded and encouraged that the same armies of heaven who went to war for a baby in Bethlehem still fight for you today – and they have yet to miss an assignment.
I pray that in the tradition of Christmas and in the truest nature of the Kingdom of God, you will devote yourself year-round to the way of sharing – and that in sharing your gifts, your resources, your time and your love you will receive back a hundredfold from God for what you have given.
I pray that in the curious places of unanswered questions, the sad places of unfinished relationships, and the painful places of unfulfilled longings, you discover that the way of searching always leads you back to Him and His kindness.
I pray that as you are reminded of those you love who are gone from this lifetime, whether you dance or tiptoe, plow through or soak in the way of mourning, you discover afresh that the richness of their legacy and the vibrancy of His love still live.
I pray that the relationships that are yours in the holidays aren’t limited to the holidays – that you will enjoy the sturdy, established relationships of family and friends, as well as the delight of new life, new faces, and timely rich blessings as the way of connection leads you toward home.
And finally I pray that the God of the Wise Men, the Lord of the Angel Armies, the Architect and Builder of bridges to souls, the Spirit of Miraculous Creation, and the Christ of the Manger lead you in the way of revelation to His heart – whether in a grand display of His glory and power, or in the simplicity and wonder of a still… silent… night.