Welcome to Day 1 of Prepare My Heart for the Holidays, an 8-day heart-boosting prayer experience! I'm so glad you're here and look forward to taking time to pray together.
What if, at the very brink of the Christmas crazy, before we even think about setting the Thanksgiving table, and before we drag out boxes of tangled lights, sift through glittery decor, and tenderly unpack nativity sets, we allow ourselves the luxury of a holy pause? What if instead of allowing the briskness of the season to scoot us forward on its endless current, we stopped and bowed our hearts before the One who stepped out of heaven, in awe and wonder of all He has done?
What if, at the very brink of the Christmas crazy, before we even think about setting the Thanksgiving table, and before we drag out boxes of tangled lights, sift through glittery decor, and tenderly unpack nativity sets, we allow ourselves the luxury of a holy pause? What if instead of allowing the briskness of the season to scoot us forward on its endless current, we stopped and bowed our hearts before the One who stepped out of heaven, in awe and wonder of all He has done?
What if we allowed our hearts to marvel at His
unfathomable journey from eternity into an unassuming, most unroyal manger?
What if we pondered the miracle of His birth and the reason behind it? What if
we asked Him to fill our hearts to overflowing with the reality of the
priceless gift of His presence?
And what if that made all the difference? What if making
time to be with the One Christmas is all about changed the very atmosphere of
our hearts?
Here’s the challenge: let’s make the decision to engage
in a holy pause each day this holiday season. A simple pause. An exquisite
shift of perspective. An abiding heart transformation.
{Let’s
Pray}
Lord,
You
are awesome and mighty. Right now I stop and bow my heart before You. Lord, I always long to connect with You
in a meaningful way, but I especially long to experience meaningful moments
with You now, before the holidays sweep in.
Please help me to make time for a daily
holy pause all throughout the holidays, so that my heart can relax and focus on
You…so that I am not overwhelmed, stressed, scowling, or cranky. Lord, shift my
perspective. Change the atmosphere of my heart and fill me with Your peace and joy.
Help
me to ponder Your willingness to step out of heaven to walk on earth,
recognizing that You don’t always do things the way we might expect, as Your
humble birth proves. Thank you for filling my heart with Your abundant,
overflowing love, Your grace, and Your peace. Help me to turn my heart toward
You daily. In the precious name of Jesus, Amen.
Christmas
Box Give-Away! On Wednesday, November 23, TWO random winners
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Christmas box containing lovely goodies, including a signed copy of my
devotional, “Prayers for a Woman’s Soul”, and a Christmas mug courtesy of my
sweet daughter-in-law’s Mostly Smiling Sticks (design may vary).
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2 comments:
Julie, love your idea of encouraging everyone to take time for special moments with the Savior this holiday season. Fyi, I shared on Facebook but couldn't seem to get the giveaway widget to let me leave my url to get credit for it. Not sure if others are having that trouble, too, but thought I'd let you know. Maybe I just didn't know how to do it right :)
Hi Cheryl, thanks so much for participating. And not to worry, I just checked my Rafflecopter entries and you are definitely there! Yay! Sometimes technology glitches on one end or the other, but all is well. Blessings to you, my friend!
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