“A Lifestyle of Prayer”

Christmas Awe!

“An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.”
Luke 2:9 (NIV)

This week’s prayer emphasis will focus on knowing and sharing the awe of Christmas as experienced by the shepherds.  While I have not experienced a personal angelic announcement directing me toward Jesus, I have been drawn by God’s Spirit into relationship with Him.  It’s in the daily encounters with Jesus that we discover an awe that is our responsibility to share.  As you pray this week, ask God to fill you with an awe of His presence.  Pray that you would always be responsive to the way God directs you through His Spirit and His Word.  Pray that the awe you experience through your relationship with God would compel you to share the good news of Jesus with others.  Pray that the Christmas story of God dwelling among us would be treasured by you and reflected in the way you live.

“And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.”
Ephesians 6:18 (NIV) 

Please pray each day for God’s help in knowing and sharing the awe of Christmas.

Sunday: Pray for your church staff, the preaching and teaching that takes place, the church leadership, the volunteers that are helping in so many areas, the spiritual and financial health of the congregation, and the work of the missions ministry of the church.  Pray for me (Tom Lemler) and the work of Impact Prayer Ministry.

Monday: The Awe of Response.  Pray that your time in God’s Word would always lead you to an obedient response.  Pray that the message of Christ to you would create a continual desire to see His mighty work accomplished in your life.  Pray for a life which calls others to come and see.  “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”  Luke 2:15 (NIV)

Tuesday: The Awe of Discovery.  Pray for a growing sense of awe with each new discovery of how God is fulfilling His promises in your life.  Pray for a growing desire to see God’s presence at work in your life and in the lives of those around you.  Pray for confidence in accepting God’s promise that He will be found.  “So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger.”  Luke 2:16 (NIV)

Wednesday: The Awe of Sharing.  Pray that the awe of encountering Christ would lead you to share about Him to others.  Pray that you would make the most of every opportunity to tell others the good news of Jesus.  Pray that you would include God’s Word in all that you share about your experiences with Jesus.  “When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child.”  Luke 2:17 (NIV)

Thursday: The Awe of Hearing.  Pray that you would always be interested in learning about the work of God in others.  Pray that you would communicate the work of God in ways that others can hear.  Pray that people would be in awe of God as they hear your story of how you have encountered Jesus.  “And all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them.”  Luke 2:18 (NIV)

Friday: The Awe of Wonder.  Pray for a heart that treasures the things of God.  Pray that you would not take God’s presence in your life for granted, but would continually consider how loved you are by Him.  Pray for the ability to find the wonder of God present in your life, in the lives of others, and displayed throughout creation.  “But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.”  Luke 2:19 (NIV)

Saturday:  The Awe of Worship.  Pray that the awe from your encounter with Christ would always lead to worship.  Pray that your worship of God would be done with a pure heart in response to all you have seen and heard.  Pray for a heart of worship which glorifies God in the presence of others.  “The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.”  Luke 2:20 (NIV)