Advent 2021: Presence of God

[Scripture reference: Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:18-24]

Father God who is near, who is with me now.

I welcome you, your presence here with me

I invite you God to be near to me

Help my heart to always welcome and remember your presence

You are Immanuel, God with us.

You are not sometimes Immanuel, God who is sometimes with us

It’s a name of yours

Whether I feel it or not, you are here

You are Immanuel, God with us

I am tempted to forget that you promise to always be there

Help me to remember

Help me to see your heart for me, for your children

“God is with you” is not a platitude or something to say, but rather a beautiful, powerful, truth of a God who loves his people so much that will never leave them

You are Immanuel, God with us

You’ve created man to be with God, you’ve made covenants with your people

You’ve promised never to abandon them, you’ve promised to never abandon me

You mercifully, humbly sent your son Jesus to Earth to be physically present among man on Earth

A precious baby present in his mother’s womb destined to one day leave Earth for the sake of our souls, but even then when his time had come, a holy presence remained

The holy spirit indwelled in those who believe

You are Immanuel, God with us

You are so good to us, Lord

Your heart and your mercy is a beautiful display of your love for your people, for me

I pray your name Immanuel would be a peace and an encouragement to me always

I rejoice in that because you are with me, I get to be the hands and the feet of Jesus to the people around me

Hallelujah!

Thank you for the opportunities you have already provided

Would you bring more opportunities, especially in this Advent season, for me and our community to care for the people near to us -- in mind, body, and spirit

It’s in King Jesus’ name that I pray,

Amen

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Music: https://www.chosic.com/free-music/all/

Prayer for the Grieving

[Scripture references: Psalm 34, Isaiah 53, Revelation 21:1-5]

Father, Comforter, Counselor, Creator of all, Dearest Friend,

I come in sadness, in grief, to you now

I come grateful that you are Lord who is near to the brokenhearted,

and I bring my grief here with me, as I sit at your feet, Jesus

Grief and loss, it can come in so many forms

Being separated by a loved one through death

Mourning the loss of hope, time, a dream

An expectation for something that hasn’t come

Or, perhaps there’s something in my heart that I’m grieving unknowingly

Sometimes I am tempted to dismiss my own grief,

To push it to the side, ignore it

Heavenly Father, you don’t dismiss my grief

You don’t encourage me to push it to the side, to ignore it

You invite me to lay it all before you

To come to you in my joys, sorrows, and everything in between

You love to care for me, to love me, especially in these moments when I am needy before you, Jesus

Help me now, Jesus, to set my grief before you

To share it with you -- comforter and dear friend

Even you, Jesus, were acquainted with grief

Man of Sorrows

You bore my grief, carried my sorrows

It’s what brought peace

Hear me now, Jesus

Would you move my heart toward peace now in these moments

-- -- --

Jesus, my thoughts move to heaven

A beautiful promise for a restored paradise

A place with no loss, no grief

Perfect fullness and union with you

Even in my grief

Here, in the in-between; the not-yet

I can experience comfort and goodness

A whisper of the paradise that’s coming

Oh Jesus, my heart leaps for joy at the thought of what you’ve promised

My eyes are teary, my heart humbled and in awe of the truth in your Word that says:

Revelation 21:1–5 (ESV)

[1] Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. [2] And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. [3] And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. [4] He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”

[5] And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”

I pray in your name Jesus, the one who bore it all, through whom I hope and long for the promise to come,

Amen

Prayer for the Anxious 

[Scripture references: 1 Peter 5:6-7; Psalm 94:19; Matthew 6:34]

Father thank you for being here

For this space between us

A space where I come as I am, vulnerable before you

Thank you for your kindness to me in my vulnerability, in my messiness

Lacking words to even say sometimes

God, my mind feels so swirly

Thoughts circling

Foggy

I can barely see what’s before me

And, the pieces that I can see just play on loop in my mind

What ifs

What thens

Then whats

The fog before me impairs my vision

I often feel afraid of what I can’t see

Will I be safe there?

What’s coming?

Can I at least prepare so I’m ready?

What should I do?

Will I be caught up in something I could have avoided?

There are so many things I don’t know, things I can’t know

And I’m distracted by these thoughts

My mind and even my heart, God, can feel so captive

I long for this fog to be lifted, for the path ahead to be clear

And this- this is a result of my anxious heart

My fearful heart

My heart, my flesh, which longs to control

To predict

To plan

To prepare

To know

To protect itself

I confess, Father, that my heart is anxious

I am tempted to fear what I don’t know

What I can’t see, touch, understand

God it can be so overwhelming

So much ahead is uncertain

Unknown

F ather, calm my anxious heart

Grow my heart into one of trust

Of peace

Of dependence

Of surrender to your will

What if I were able to be calm and at peace, even in the fog?

Even as I move forward into uncertainty?

It’s possible, Father

You invite me into rest

Deep soul-level rest

You still the swirl

The circling thoughts calm and settle

You console

And, the fog lifts

It lifts and, to my surprise, what’s revealed is beautiful

A calm oasis, a place that just looks like rest

It’s quiet, it’s bright and beautiful

Full of life

Abundant, vibrant, growing life

This peaceful place, this sacred space with you, it was here all along

This place of beauty, it’s what dependence and union with you feels like

It’s not perfect future circumstances,

It’s the refuge offered to me by you, my loving Father

A beautiful invitation

I couldn’t see it before

The anxiety was so great before me

And now, here in your presence, your consolation brings me such joy (Ps 94:19)

I come into your presence, Father, and I leave differently

When my heart is anxious

Help me savor, Father

Be present in the moment

To come humbly before you

To notice

To remember your faithfulness

I know the fog will come and go (may it be quicker and quicker each time, Father)

but help me to remember that I abide in your meadow

Whether I can see clearly, whether anxiety causes me to doubt,

I can be sure I am still in your loving arms

Help me to trust you more, now

You, the God of right now, is the God of the uncertain

The God of the meadow is the God of the fog

You are trustworthy; you are working all things together for my good and your glory

And, I surrender before you, Father

Would you increase, and I decrease

I surrender

In the name of our wonderful, kind, loving Jesus, I pray,

Amen.

Prayer for the Workaholic

Scripture reference: Hebrews 13:5; Proverbs 23:4-5; Ecclesiastes 3:12-13; Psalm 127:1-2

Father, thank you for your presence.

Thank you for never leaving me, for never forsaking me.

Thank you that I have to do nothing to enjoy the peace your presence brings.

How often do I forget this simple truth?

How often do I spend my time trying to organize myself and others,

Trying to create this perfect environment,

This perfect household,

This perfect community,

This perfect church,

This perfect body,

This perfect mind,

When you have already done the necessary work?

Help me to cease my striving and lean into you.

I surrender my love of money and success,

Of notoriety, my love of importance, my love of control.

Reveal to me the other idols I’ve made for myself in this area

So that I can freely lean back in your loving arms,

and remember that  to be with you is the most important thing to do.

Help me to be content with you.

Help me to remember my work is not my identity,

My accomplishments, my weariness, my busyness -

They are not badges of honor.

The only honor you desire for your people is Christlikeness.

Our honor is Christ in us, our hope of glory.

Help me to be more like you. Help me to be shaped into your character

Into a person who rests with their identity firmly planted in their Heavenly Father.

Though accomplishment and wealth seem to be the marks of success in this earthly kingdom,

Let me be marked by you.

Let me fly on your wings, not my own handmade forgeries.

And help me to enjoy the fruits of my labor! To enjoy the life you’ve gifted me with.

Let the rest in you and let the release of control over work manifest in continuous joy and gratitude to you. Let me not be marked by bitterness or busyness or criticism, but peace in you, joy towards you and all your creation, and endless gratitude.

I find peace in your presence, rest in your presence, and wholeness in your presence.

Thank you for these wonderful gifts and the work you’ve done to make it so, work that I don’t have to do.

Glory to the Father, to the Son and to the Spirit.

Amen

Prayer for the Weary

[Scripture reference: Isaiah 40:28-31]

Father, I feel so weary

Tired in my soul

Exhausted in strength

Endurance waning

Little energy, maybe too little to even hope?

My weary spirit may not be able to handle another disappointment

Another hurt

A change of course

The ongoing uncertainty

These things, they feel like they’re swelling up

Waves growing bigger, coming toward me from a distance

It feels like they just keep coming

God, I fear I might get overtaken by these waves

Father, you will not let these waves overtake me

The waters may feel uncertain, dark, scary

I only see part of them; I don’t know these foreign waters

But You know these waters; You are powerful over these waters

They obey You, they are at the direction of your hand

They may come but they will not destroy me

And, I am not alone in these waters

Father, your desire is for me to be free

Free even from this veil of weariness that can feel so heavy

To be free from its weight

I long for that too, God

You never become faint or weary, Father

I marvel at this aspect of your character

And God, not only do you never become faint or weary but you give this strength to the faint

You give this strength to me

I don’t have strength to fight this weariness on my own

And you’re not asking me to

Help me to abide in You, Father

You who strengthens the powerless

For those who trust in You, You renew their strength

I need for my strength to be renewed

And, I trust You

I won’t remain weary or faint

As I trust in You, I will be renewed

I will soar on wings like eagles

I will run and not become weary

I will walk and not faint

God, I believe you

I trust you to sustain me and to refresh, to renew my Spirit

What a beautiful, loving promise

from a beautiful, loving God, who directs the waves

It’s in Jesus’s name- Jesus, the one who invited the weary and the heavily-burdened to come to him for deep soul-rest, it’s in His name that I pray,

Amen

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