A Prayer for an Open Heart This Holiday Season
By Emma Danzey
Bible Reading:
“Don’t worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” - Philippians 4:6-7
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The holiday season is upon us. With so many traditions, travel, meals, and memories to be made, it can be easy to feel anxious and overwhelmed by what is ahead. However, God teaches us in Philippians not to worry about anything but to pray and share our petitions with Him with gratitude. His peace, which is not of this world, will guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Today, as we pray together, I want you to think through anything that is causing you to dread or feel stressed about the months to come. What is already ruining your time with family? What is already robbing you of joy for the reason of celebrating? What causes you to overcommit or isolate?
When we remember our identity is rooted in Jesus and not in events, gatherings, meals, or moments, we can have a better time enjoying the gift of celebrations. When we remember that even when things are chaotic or messy, He is still God, and we are still His children, we can have true peace. We are going to pray for an open heart this holiday season because when we are surrendered to what the Holy Spirit wants to do in our lives and in the lives of our communities, we are filled with joy and glorify God. We can have open eyes to the ways that the Lord is working and be sensitive to the needs and desires of others to whom we can minister during this unique time of the year. Back to back holidays may feel daunting or busy, but we can guard our hearts and our calendars to pray through what God wants us to say yes to this year and how we can be obedient to His kingdom work.
Let's Pray:
Dear Lord,
We pray for an open heart this holiday season. We confess that we have lots of fears, stressors, and doubts when it comes to family, gatherings, hosting, and schedules. Dread and panic can creep in, and we can spiral into a headspace of negativity. Forgive us. Remind us why we celebrate gratitude, the Savior’s birth, a new year, and love. Open our eyes to the beauty of the changing of the seasons and the blessing of having holidays during the fall and winter when it is more challenging to be outside in the cold weather.
Thank you for the gift of families and church families. We know that we are all broken people. Give us the grace to love well and be kind to those with us during the holidays. Help us to put on the mentality of servanthood and selfless love. Where there are political differences, economic differences, or spiritual differences, guide us as believers in You to represent you well and share your gospel in the ways that we communicate. Help us not to worry ahead of time about conversations, tensions, or history. Help us to focus on the present, knowing that You will give us our daily bread.
Thank you for the opportunities to connect, host, and participate in events. Help us not become overwhelmed and overcommitted. Guide us in who to invite and include at our tables this holiday season. Help us remember the poor and the outcasts, the widows and the orphans. Help us build Your name, not our own. Please lead us to let our yeses be yeses, and our nos be nos. God, lastly, we pray this would not just be a repeated time of the year where we check out and go through the motions. We ask for tender and sensitive hearts to Your working in this moment of history. Enable us to look to You and Your Word. We pray that Your Spirit would fill us and empower us to share the gospel boldly, clearly, and lovingly this holiday season.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.
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