Daily Prayer Devotional - Today's Inspiration

A Prayer to Prepare Our Hearts for December
By Lynette Kittle

Bible Reading:
“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” - Romans 15:13

Listen or Read Below:

December evokes a range of thoughts and feelings within us. Many of us, of course, think of the joy of Christmas, along with snow, cold weather, lighted city streets, gift giving, family gatherings, and much more.

For others, though, there is the sorrow of the months leading to the year’s end, of the days running out unfulfilled, before reaching desired goals and dreams.

While some may have great joy in the year’s events, others may be grieving losses, disappointment, and things left unfinished. So, whether we’re looking forward to December with joy or sadness, we can take steps to prepare our hearts for the month ahead. The following are five ways to prepare.

1. Count Our Blessings

For those who have experienced this year’s blessings, December is a sweet end to a wonderful year, one to look forward to with joy for another year to follow.

For those entering it trembling, we may be feeling less than satisfied. Yet, we can count our blessings of how God has watched over us through the year, remembering His divine protection and provisions.

Even if this year didn’t bring us the satisfaction we had hoped, we can hold onto God’s faithfulness and love in its fullness.

James 5:11 explains, “As you know, we count as blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job’s perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy.”

2. Look Ahead with Hope

Whether our year has been full or seemed fruitless, we can prepare our hearts for December by looking ahead with hope.

Faith in God comes with hope, as Hebrews 11:1 explains, “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.”

3. Feed on God’s Word

Facing December full or going on empty gives us the opportunity to feed on God’s word, to grow spiritually, and to strengthen our faith, preparing our hearts and minds for what lies ahead.

1 Peter 2:2 urges, “Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation.”

4. Open Our Hands

Whether our hands are full or empty, we can open them and look to Heaven for God’s goodness. Full hands mean we might have to lay some things down to receive from Him, but empty hands are just waiting to be filled.

God is a giver, and Psalm 145:16 describes how, “You open Your hand and satisfy the desires of every living thing.”

5. Ask God for His Joy

We can ask God for His joy by preparing our hearts and committing to following His commands, which will keep us in His love and bring us joy in its completeness.

In John 15:10-11, Jesus tells us how we can be filled with joy, “If you keep my commands, you will remain in My love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in His love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.”

Whether running on full or empty, we can trust God as we look towards December.

Let’s Pray:

Dear Father,

As we prepare our hearts for December, we ask that You bring to our minds the blessings You have given us over the past year. Let us not forget Your tender care over our lives.

We ask You to strengthen our faith to look ahead to December with hope.

O Lord, strengthen us to feed on Your word so that we may grow spiritually strong and grow deeper in our faith in You.

Let us open our hands to receive from You. If our hands are full, let us be willing to lay down what doesn’t matter, so that we may receive from You.

And if our hands are clenched shut in despair and disappointment, we ask You to pry them open with Your loving hands, so that we may receive Your goodness.

Fill us to overflowing with Your joy, we ask.

In Jesus’ name,

Amen.

Share your reflections on today’s devotional in the Your Daily Prayer discussion on the Crosswalk Forum.

Lynette Kittle is married with four daughters. She enjoys writing about faith, marriage, parenting, relationships, and life. Her writing has been published by Focus on the Family, Decision, Today’s Christian Woman, kirkcameron.com, Ungrind.org, StartMarriageRight.com, and more. She has a M.A. in Communication from Regent University and serves as associate producer for Soul Check TV.

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