by Andy Wood on December 26, 2019
in Prayers
As the night falls on another Christmas and you face a new
year, my prayer for you is that in your waiting, working, and worship you’re
drawn afresh to the abundant life and fulfilled purpose we’re all seeking.
I pray that regardless of the challenges or hardships you
may face or the mountains you may climb, you will live with the expectancy that
the breakthrough you await is getting here soon.
I pray that your sorrows and losses will point you to the healing
and joy that comes from knowing the steadfast, ceaseless love of the Lord as
you draw closer to Him.
I pray that your limitations, that others may use as excuses,
point you instead to a Christ whose strength is made perfect in your weakness
and His grace.
I pray that the birth of Jesus is a reminder to you of the faithfulness
of God to swaddle His message of love in an intimate language you and I can
understand.
I pray that this Christmas will remind you of the blessings God
has shown you through the years and that His goodness will inspire new
dimensions of gratitude and draw your heart to want Him more.
In all the buying and giving and receiving this Christmas, I
pray your soul awakens to your Pearl of Great Price, who offers beauty for your
ashes, and for your spirit of heaviness He offers a garment of praise to adorn
you.
In the fatigue of the busyness and the grind of the
schedule, I pray that “peace on earth, good will toward men” is more than a
phrase or song – that in Him that’s something you see for yourself.
Finally, in those seasons when you feel most alone, I pray
that you would find in Him that the nearness of God is your good, and that the promise
of Emmanuel – “God with us” – isn’t just for the world… it’s up close and
personal for you as well.
Merry Christmas
by Andy Wood on December 25, 2018
in Prayers
As the stillness of a silent night gives way to the glory of Christmas dawn, I pray for you this year that the message of the coming of Jesus into this world would speak peace and delight to your longing for life.
I pray that the Birth that continues to bring joy to the world would give birth to new joys and gratitude in your own life and your family.
I pray that you would find in a little town of Bethlehem the heart of a Heavenly Father who was willing to find an answer for your sin and sorrow because of His yearning for you. [click to continue…]
In the stillness of the night or the glory of the morning that is Christmas, my prayer for you is that beyond the traditions and trappings, through the gifts and the connections, you approach it all with a heart that is fully awake and aware of the Larger Story and the part you still must play.
I pray that you would fall in love again this Christmas with a first-love kind of desire for Jesus, whose birth we celebrate. I pray that your soul would find in Him and in those whose lives you touch the sweetest of love that gives graciously, forgives completely, and waits patiently when you or I fail miserably.
I pray that you have those God-breathed encounters in which your heart is so full you are lost in the moment. I pray that your heart is so captured with the wonder and joy of the presence of God, even in the simplest of experiences, you could stay in that moment and hold Him tightly. [click to continue…]
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. [click to continue…]
