A prayer to prepare your heart for December
Written by Lynette Kittle
Bible reading:
“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, and may you overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” – Romans 15:13
Listen or read below:
December evokes various thoughts and emotions in us. Of course, many of us think of the joy of Christmas along with snow, cold, city lights, gifts, and family gatherings.
However, in the months leading up to the end of the year, some people are grieving as the days go by unfulfilled before they achieve their desired goals and dreams.
Some people may feel great joy over the events of the year, while others may feel sad about loss, disappointment, or unfinished business. So whether we’re looking forward to December with joy or sadness, we can take steps to prepare our hearts for the month ahead. There are five preparation methods:
1. Count our blessings
For those who have experienced the blessings of this year, December is a sweet end to a wonderful year and a year to look forward to.
For those who enter it trembling, we may not be satisfied. But we can count our blessings for how God has looked after us throughout the year, remembering His protection and provision.
Even if this year doesn’t bring us the contentment we had hoped for, we can continue to feel the fullness of God’s faithfulness and love.
James 5:11 explains, “You know that we count blessed those who endure. You have heard of the patience of Job, and you have seen what the Lord brought about in the end. The Lord is merciful and full of mercy.”
2. Look forward with hope
Whether our year has been fruitful or seemingly wasted, looking forward with hope can help us prepare for December.
As Hebrews 11:1 explains, faith in God involves hope. “Faith is confidence in what we hope for and confidence in what we do not see.”
3. Feed on God’s Word
Whether we enter December full or empty, it gives us the opportunity to feed on God’s Word, grow spiritually, strengthen our faith, and prepare our hearts and minds for what lies ahead.
1 Peter 2:2 urges: “Like a new-born baby, desire pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up to salvation.”
4. Spread your arms
Whether our hands are full or empty, we can open our hands and look to heaven for God’s mercy. Full hands mean you may need to put something down to receive from God, but empty hands are just waiting to be filled.
God is a giver, and Psalm 145:16 says, “You open your hand and satisfy the desires of every creature.”
5. Seek joy in God
We can seek God’s pleasure by preparing our hearts and focusing on obeying His commands. In doing so, we remain in God’s love, and the fullness of that love brings us joy.
In John 15:10-11, Jesus tells us how we can be filled with joy. “If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in the love of God. I have said this to you, so that my joy may be in you, and your joy may be complete.”
Full or empty, we can trust God for December.
Let’s pray:
Dear father,
As we prepare our hearts for December, we ask you to remember the blessings you have given us this past year. Let us remember your tender consideration for our lives.
I ask that you strengthen your faith as you look toward December with hope.
Lord, strengthen us to feed on Your Word so that we may become spiritually strong and our faith in You may grow deeper.
I open my arms to receive from you. If our hands are full, let us be willing to let go of things that are not important so that we can receive from you.
And if our hands are closed with despair and despair, we ask You to pry them open with Your hand of love, so that we may receive Your mercy.
We ask you to fill us with your joy.
In the name of Jesus,
Amen.
Share your thoughts on today’s devotion in the Daily Prayer discussion in the Crosswalk Forum.
Photo credit: © Pexels/Jill Wellington
Lynette Kittle is married and has four daughters. She enjoys writing about faith, marriage, parenting, relationships, and life. Her work has been published in Focus on the Family, Decision, Today’s Christian Woman, kirkcameron.com, Ungrind.org, StartMarriageRight.com, and elsewhere. She holds a master’s degree in communications from Regent University and is an associate producer at Soul Check TV.
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