Birthday prayers for guidance, joy and peace
By Vivian Bricker
Bible Reading:
“Even in your old age and gray hair, I am him, I support you. I have made you. I will take you, I will keep you, I will save you.” – Isaiah 46:4
Read or listen to the following:
There are two types of people in the world. People who like to celebrate birthdays and people who don’t. Some people switch between these categories. But many of us are not too excited to see our year pass. One day we turn 20, and the next day we turn 50. Time can feel too fast and moving, and I hope everything will slow down.
Since the pandemic, I have felt that time is accelerating. Time has passed, whether it’s because I’ve just graduated from college and started a new era of life or the pandemic itself. All of these years have been since the pandemic, and time is still speeding up and there are no signs of slowing down. This allows you to feel stressed, hurry, and shorten the time.
I loved my birthday. I make detailed plans for my loved one’s birthday and make my own ideas for the perfect birthday when my birthday comes every year. But when my mother passed away, all this ended. I didn’t want to celebrate my birthday anymore. I just wanted my birthday to be another day of the year and quickly moved it.
My mother passed away, so I’m not doing anything special for my birthday. It was just another day. Sometimes this makes me sad, but I still continue to treat my birthday as something special. Maybe you’ve also found yourself in a similar place to yourself. I don’t want to celebrate my birthday anymore because I feel there’s nothing to celebrate.
We will never feel this way about someone else’s birthday, so why do we feel like we should pass our birthday? After looking back on this question myself, I found the answer in my past. Depression, pain and sadness say there is no reason to celebrate. My mother isn’t here so I don’t feel like celebrating my birthday or really any other holiday of the year. God doesn’t want us to think this way, but I’m still learning. He loves us and wants us to have a happy birthday celebration. We are his children and he still has to teach us in our lives. He has always been our caring father, and they surround us with guidance, joy and peace.
God says to us, “Even in your old age and gray hair, I am him, I support you. I have created you. I will take you. As God says in this passage, he is with us even in our old age, and even when gray hair covers our heads. He supports us, carries us, saves us. From his love, he creates us, and from this same love, he continues to cover us with His goodness.
Our Heavenly Father wants to celebrate his wonderful child with a birthday celebration. He teaches you a lot this year and brings spiritual growth to your life. Anything that may scare you for this next year, bring it all before God and trust him in your year. A great way to start your New Year’s life is to pray to him more frequently, read the Bible every day, and engage with other followers. God helps you see the beauty of life, including the joy of celebrating your birthday. He is good and he will bless you with a beautiful promise this year.
Let’s pray:
Dear God, I offer birthday prayers for this year’s guidance, joy and peace. I need guidance, joy and peace in life this year. Bless me with these things and help me know that you will always maintain, carry and rescue me. Even when I’m old and my head is covered in grey hair, I know you’re with me. In fact, I know you’re with me no matter what my age and what I’m going through. Thank you for staying with me every birthday. In the name of your son, I pray, amen.
Photo credit: ©istock/getty images plus/antonio_diaz
Vivian Bricker received his Bachelor of Mission and a Master of Arts with a focus on theology. She loves theology, mission work, and everything that helps others learn about Jesus. Find out more about her content on Cultivate: https://cultivatechristianity.wordpress.com/.
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