An Advent Prayer for Faith
By Emma Danzey
Isaiah 40:3-5 says, “A voice of one calling: ‘In the wilderness prepare the way for the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain. And the glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all people will see it together. For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.’”
As we pray through the second candle of faith for the Advent season, may we be reminded that we serve the God who makes a way and prepares our hearts. Jesus is the Way; He is the One we are celebrating who came and fulfilled every prophecy of the Old Testament. He is the Savior of the world.
Let's Pray:
Our Awaited Savior,
Thank You that this is a season of preparation and anticipation as we wait to celebrate Jesus’ birth. God, we thank You that we live this side of the cross where we already know that He came. As we have read in Isaiah of Your people still awaiting this promised One, it gives us faith that You are the fulfiller of all things, You have a sovereign plan, You are working in the wait, You hear our prayers, and You care for us.
Thank you that Your Holy Spirit is within those who believe in You today. Would You help us to lean into Him and not our own sinful ways as we seek to live lives that honor You. Would you soften our own hearts to the gospel in any ways in which we have become numb or hardened. Would You grow our faith in our prayers, actions, and lives. Help us to know that You are still doing new things today and give us spiritual eyes to see them and to be aware of how You are working.
Give us a renewal of excitement this Christmas season over Bible stories that we may have heard many times over. Help us to have a newfound joy to ponder the faith that we have in such a mighty God. Grow us closer to You in this season. Show us fresh angles of Your Christmas story that launched the gospel.
We know that when we put our faith in you that we will not be put to shame. You say in Romans 10:9-11, “If we declare with our mouths, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in our heart that You raised him from the dead, we will be saved. For it is with our hearts that we believe and are justified, and it is with our mouths that we profess our faith and are saved. As Scripture says, “Anyone who believes in You will not be put to shame.”
Thank You that in our faith we are not put to shame, but we are sealed and confident of the salvation that we have which came first to the Jews and then to the Gentiles. Thank You that You are the God of the world, over every nation. Thank you that Your pursuit and Your declaration of love on the cross was not just for a few, but for anyone who believes in You. Thank You that You care personally about us.
Lord, please forgive us for our lack of faith in You. Please help us to remember that we are being molded into Your image and this is a process. Remind us that we are not stuck in our sin or old habits, but we are transformed and made new. Thank You that faith in You means that everything changes. We are no longer slaves to sin, but we are friends of God. We are no longer lost, we are found, and we are no longer held captive, we are free. We praise You for Your final work on the cross. We glorify Your name.
Thank You for preparing our hearts to remember what You have already done and to receive a new word in this time in our lives of what You want to do in and through us now. Speak to us, we are listening. Amen.
Photo credit: ©GettyImages/Kara Gebhardt
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Originally published Sunday, 04 December 2022.
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