"The biggest battle we each might fight is to stay focused on God long enough to learn to abide in His presence. Before we can redeem the world, we must redeem our time. And we would think that with all the time saving conveniences we have in life, that this would be easy but it is not." - Francis Frangipane
It's easy to miss what is most important during this time of year. With shopping for Christmas presents, festive parties, children's plays, decorating and baking, we can so often feel stressed and exhausted. During the time when we are celebrating the birth of Jesus and want to abide in His presence, we can so easily miss time spent with Him. Making prayer and God's Word a priority in our life during this Christmas season can be difficult. But if we make it our aim to glorify Jesus right in the midst of everything, He can help us to redeem the time in many varied and unusual ways. We can never lose out if we choose to stop and ask Him to enter into our busy holiday lives.
God is calling us to live a focused and dedicated life. A focused life is not scattered in many directions because of the distractions. It always moves to the center even in the busiest times because it is like a magnet attracted to Jesus, knowing that He alone is the one who makes everything work when priorities are in order. God knows that it's difficult and our temptation is to get too busy. We want to concentrate on God's best during this holiday season and not let the good things steal our relationship with Him. Let us remember that prayer and abiding in his presence are of utmost importance to Him.
When feeling overwhelmed with all the work, I encourage you to stop and pray short breath prayers to God throughout the day: "I need You." "I want to abide in You." "Help me Jesus to live for You today." "I worship You." The following prayer will help you and your family to keep God and His Word at the center of your life. You may want to pray it daily and print it for each member of your family, especially when faced with the holiday pressures and the temptation to lose God's peace, joy, and love.
A Prayer to Keep God in the Center at Christmas
Lord, We worship You during this Christmas season. You are our wonderful Counselor, mighty God, everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6). We choose to put You at the center of our family life as we celebrate Your birth. Keep us from distractions and help us to invite You into all our family activities. Teach us to pray and help us to glorify and worship You in our family during this busy time of year. Give us a spirit of wisdom and revelation that we might know You better (Ephesians 1:17).
Thank you for being Immanuel, “God with us.” Open our eyes to realize this each day as we interact with others. Help us to be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving one another, just as You forgave us (Ephesians 4:32). Show us creative ways to love and care for those outside our home. Fill us to overflowing with Your love for the lost. Teach us to do acts of kindness to those who are in need at this time of year. May our family be a refreshment and light to others. We ask You to touch with salvation those in our family who do not know You [Name those individuals]. Open their hearts to Your great love for them. Help us to share Your Truth and be Your light. You are the Savior of the world.
We love Your Word and choose to make it central in our family life. Your Word is alive and active—It’s sharper than any double-edged sword—It judges the thoughts and attitudes of our hearts (Hebrews 4:12). We long to align ourselves spiritually with You and Your Word every day. We want to pray your Word with Your authority, and with greater faith and obedience in our lives as we approach this New Year. We rejoice in following Your statutes as one rejoices in great riches. We meditate on Your precepts and consider Your ways. We delight in Your decrees. We will not neglect Your Word. Open our eyes that we may see wonderful things in Your law. We run in the path of Your commands, for You have set our hearts free (Psalm 119:14-16, 18, 32).
Lord, we want to be passionate about the things you are passionate about. Help each member of our family to be a student of the Bible. Teach us to pray Your Word out loud in our family devotions in such a way that we see mighty spiritual breakthroughs in our home, friends, school, and workplace. Help us declare prophetic promises and decrees from Your Word. We want to experience the life-giving power of Your Word on a daily basis in our family. Show us truth in Your Word, and bring it to life through our prayers. Open the eyes of our hearts that we may be enlightened in order to know the hope to which You have called us, the riches of our glorious inheritance in You and Your incomparable great power (Ephesians 1:18-19). In Jesus’ name, amen.
May you have a peaceful, joyful and blessed Christmas with God at the center of all your family activities as you celebrate the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ.
I am praying for you and God is crazy about you...
Merry Christmas
