D * E * C * E * M * B * E * R

December 1

My soul takes flight, my God, and soars to your throne. I leap from star to star in wonder. I arrive at your gate of priceless pearl and it is opened for me. I rush up your street of gold and purity, lined with the tree of life until I see ahead of me ~ ah, I see ahead of me your throne. There, in tears of love and rapture, I bow at your wounded feet. The feet that were impaled in agony in my place. You reach down and place your hand ~ the nail-pierced hand ~ under my chin so I can look at your lovely face. I ask your forgiveness once again as I have so many times in my life for my many sins. You smile and wipe away my tears, then invite me to sing a song with you.  What joy. What unimaginable joy.

Father, someone told me something the other day and, without allowing them to explain further, I became angry. I did not wait. I just interrupted and became judgmental. Later I learned the rest of the story and became so ashamed. Forgive me. I need to ask their forgiveness and set things right.

I was sad and you became sorrowful with me. I was overjoyed and you celebrated with me. I was tired and you rested with me. I was energetic and you ran with me. I was bereaved and you grieved with me. I was confused and you pondered with me. I was awestricken and you marveled with me. My Lord, you treat me as though I am the only person in the world. You are everywhere at once. You are in my heart, my spirit, my soul. Thank you for being God of the universe.

December 2

Lord God, your mightiest works are usually unseen because they are too large, too small, or too far away.  They are marvelous and astounding. You are always working, always helping us draw closer to you and your wondrous glory. You only want the best for us and we continually fight you because we’re unwilling to give up what we want right now, not believing what is later will be so much better.  Strengthen my faith, Lord, so I may see you as you are. It is my hope, my desire, my longing to see you face to face. The time will come someday and I will glory in it. Always I worship you.

Father, forgive me when I become impatient and frustrated over so few souls in this city coming to you. Perhaps you are hard at work somewhere else among the more receptive. Don’t forget this city. Forgive this city and come back to try again.

I thank you for my garden and growing new plants I partnership with you in a way I do not understand. I plant the seed and miraculously you make it grow. You make so much happen that I do not understand. You are even at work in the darkness all around and I don’t even know it is happening. Always working to defend me, delight me, and strengthen me. Always at work in my heart and soul. I thank you for all this. I am filled with gratitude.

December 3

Ah, Jehovah God, you did not hide yourself from us.  You did not make us and then forget us.  You did not remove yourself so high we could not reach you.  You poured out your heart to us in your Bible so we could know how you think and where we stand with you. You want us to be close to you. You actually do!  Wonder of wonders. The God of the universe, our Maker who is larger than the cosmos, wants us to be close to him.  And so, I worship you.

For a long time, my dreams have been negative. I do not know why. Is it because I am at war with the negative and it is fighting me back when my mind roams free?  Make them go away, Father. If I am the cause of them, help me rid myself of them.

Your Bible reveals the answers to all my questions about life, good, evil, death, eternity, you.  It is so amazing. It is so incredible. I don’t have to worry and fret over a foggy past or unknown future. I can know all I need to know so I can prepare for whatever happens in my future. I am enraptured by your every word, for thereby my mind touches your Mind. My spirit intermingles with your Spirit. My soul soars to your throne. Thank you, Lord.

 

December 4

How can you do it, Lord God? I am so small in thinking and working and doing. Yet, you notice me and even praise me for my little bit. You praise me when I neglect to praise you. You follow me when I neglect to follow you. You believe in me when I neglect to believe in you. I am not worthy of such devotion. But your love is tough and powerful and unbreakable. Your love defies all that I do wrong and refuses to let me go.

Father, I let my pride rule. I started bragging to some friends how I bought some food for a family. That did not have to be said. All it accomplished was to lead my friends to believe I think I am better than them.  I am not better, but it came out that way. I must brag on them the next time I see them. Forgive me, please.

Thank you for the air I breathe, the pure water I drink, the nourishing food I eat. May I never take them for granted. Thank you for the clothes I wear, the roof over my head, and my transportation ~ all which keep me sheltered from the cold outside. Thank you for my family, my friends, and yes, my enemies.  They all keep me from thinking only of myself.  May I reach out to them in their joy and laugh with them and in their pain and ease their wounded hearts. Thank you for all this and more.

 

December 5

Ah, my Lord, you never tire, you never run out of patience, you never reject even the worst person in favor of others. How do you do it when you know they are self-destructing? You insist on free will for everyone. What love to allow others to run away from you because they’ve been listening to Satan’s candy-coated lies. Such glorious love that transcends world and penetrates even the hardest of hearts. Such an amazing God you are.

Forgive me when I let little things bother me about other people. Help me not even see those things, but only see the good in them. Not only that, but help me praise them and thank them for their good qualities. Give me a good and positive attitude like the Apostle Paul did. He praised everyone, even those who were doing wrong. He found a way into their hearts. Help me do that.

Thank you, Lord God, for our Christian ancestors who kept the faith despite the organized majority who hunted them down to taunt them, badger them, imprison them, torture them to death. If it weren’t for them, where would Christianity be today? So strong in their weakness. They refused to denounce you, the only true God, and your Bible. They turned down a life of happy everydays in exchange for a life of fear and running and enduring the unimaginable. Thank you for keeping them strong and being our example.

December 6

Ah, great God, you are so far above my comprehension in power and might, glory and love, wrath and mercy. I understand such a little of you. You poured out your heart to me in your Bible and think about me all the time. Your Bible is so amazing with examples of what works and what doesn’t work, of people who followed you and left you, of proverbs and songs, of prophecies of when and where and why you would materialize and come to earth to walk with us again as you did with Adam and Eve.  I bend my knees and worship you.

Forgive me when I complain. And when I get so busy, I don’t call people or go see them. And when I don’t tell people about the final judgment and remind them to ask forgiveness before that day.

The day before you died, there were rumblings in the sky over the temple. They were the voice of the Father. In the midst of your crucifixion misery, there was a strange darkness everywhere because this was the darkest hour in the history of mankind. The moment you died, there were rumblings on earth as though the earth was objecting to the cross that was plunged into it. Three days later there were rumblings on earth again. Rumblings and quaking and waking the dead. The deed was done. Satan was tricked. Oh, glorious day. Day of light. Day of life. Day of eternal day.  I thank you and will for eternity.

 

December 7

My Lord and my God. If you are at my side, who can possibly hurt me?  Street gangs cannot hurt me because I will still be the Bride of Christ. Robbers cannot hurt me because with you I am rich. Distracted drivers cannot hurt me because I can survive without a vehicle.  Tornadoes cannot hurt me because I do not have to have a fancy house. Murderers cannot hurt me because they will just hasten my eternity in heaven. Safe. I am always safe with you.

Father, I helped someone on the street today. It was a woman with two suitcases and I took her someplace safe to spend the night and encouraged her to try to get some peace in her life. Now I’m tempted to tell someone about what I did but it would serve no purpose. It would just be bragging or a conversation starter about poor people. Help me never tell this.

God, you have given me some gifts, some talents that I can use to make this world a better place in my own way.  Other people I know have different talents ~ teaching, giving, encouraging, etc. We all work together to complement each other. What I cannot do someone else can. So, we work, each in our way, some with dark hues, some with light, some in little ways, some in large. At the end of the day we have formed a marvelous mosaic that only you can see. But we know it is there, for you make it so. How delightful and meaningful you have made our life together. Thank you.

December 8

Why would I want to glorify a cross? It’s a hideous instrument of torture by suffocation, taking days to die, and reserved only for hardened criminals.  Because a part of you, Lord God, willingly died on it in my place. Why would I want to glorify the electric chair or a noose or the executioner’s needle? It’s for the most hardened criminals? If a part of you, my Lord, had died on it in my place, I would glorify any of them. I would carry a miniature gold or silver electric chair or noose or needle on a chain around my neck if that is how you died in my place.  I would glory in the electric chair, the noose, the needle. Why? Because it would symbolize what you did to save me from hell and allow me into the safety of your heavenly home.  All because you took my punishment for me, paid the ransom, and set me free.

Can you forgive me Father? I was so selfish. Instead of worshipping you together with others so we could keep each other encouraged, I went to a party. It was an important party. All my friends at work were going to be there.  I put temporary pleasures before my responsibilities to you. What if Jesus had gone to a party that day instead of being crucified in my place? I am so sorry, Father.

Thank you, Lord, for modern forms of communication. I remember only hand-written or typed letters, the smudged newspaper, radios with a lot of static in them, messy mimeograph machines, and telephones that had to be plugged in at home. Everything was so slow and even slower if a message went to the other side of the world. Methods were slow then, but I thought they were fast. I did not comprehend fast, so I appreciated what I had. Now I have instant everything ~ telephones I can carry around with me and the internet. I can communicate all over the world instantly. Thank you. It helps me a wee bit to understand how you can hear everyone all over the world at once. But only a little bit. This whole communication thing is mind-boggling, Lord. I wonder what you have in store for me in heaven.

December 9

It is dawn. I look at the glow that will soon be sun. As it grows, so does my soul. You are so great and magnificent, God. Greater than I can understand. Scientists say there are around two trillion galaxies out there. You are in them, around them, through them, and above them all! No wonder you had to materialize in a single human body.  You are too large to see.  In comprehension of you, I feel like a child. But, if I did completely understand you, you wouldn’t be God. You would be equal to your creation. In that case, you would not have created me. How amazing you are. I worship you.

Father, I collected some money to give to a homeless shelter, then they got a rich benefactor and didn’t need the money. I have kept the money and have not told the donors. I do not remember who all of them were. This is wrong. I need to give it back to those I know donated and try to find the others. Forgive me for almost swindling that money out of them.

Thank you for my skin. That may sound silly, but it protects everything inside of me keeping my body working properly. Exposing just a little bit of what is under my skin is so painful. I wouldn’t be able to function with no skin. Plus, all my insides would fall out! My skin is something I take for granted.  Not today. Today I give special thanks for the protection of my body, but mostly for the Protector of my soul, spirit, and body ~ you..

 

December 10

I lift up my heart to you, Jehovah God, in wonder and adoration. You are so powerful, yet you do not punish immediately You gave me a way out ~ the part of you that was Jesus. Always you are giving me second chances and third and tenth chances. You want to forgive. You long to forgive. You want to wash the dirt of our sins away. I think, if I do not ask forgiveness as soon as I do a wrong, I tend to forget it. How long my memory when others offend me, but short my memory when I offend you. Yet, you stay by me.  Sometimes sad. Sometimes relieved I finally figured out what my sins are. You are patience beyond understanding and I worship you.

Father, when I wake up in the night and cannot return to sleep, my mind is filled with negative thoughts. Where are they coming from? Help me eliminate them from my mind and my life.

Jesus, you left the safety of heaven to enter a body and be tempted like we are. You left the perfection of heaven to associate with hateful people in order to prove your love for us. You left the Source of Life in heaven to walk the earth so you could die in our place and free us from Satan.  We were sinning against you; we were your enemy, but you loved us anyway. We found it impossible to be perfect, so you lived that perfect life for us. We couldn’t pay the terrible price Satan demanded in order to free us, so you paid the blood price for us. I cannot begin to thank you. I will spend eternity trying.

December 11

Great God afar and yet so near, I see you with my eyes and behold your glory on your throne of splendor. I hear you with my ears and absorb the grand timbre of your voice as you sing with the stars. I walk toward you with my feet and, once near, I fall to my knees in worship. I feel you with my hands as I touch yours, the ones that were cut open and tortured for me.  My Lord and my God, there is no other like you. You are larger than the universe, yet you dwell in my heart.

Father, I fight being unforgiving every day. Every time I complain about something involving people, I am refusing to forgive them. It is so hard. Satan wants me to keep accusing them. Make Satan leave me alone. Help me be positive and merciful and forgiving. How can I ask you to forgive me when I do not?

My soul is full of sunshine today, for the glow of your love radiates from it. My heart breaks forth in song today, for the joy you spread everywhere is irresistible. My spirit is resting in sweet peace today, for the serenity you provide with saving me from Satan touches me in gentle stillness. Thank you for filling me with yourself, Lord, God.

 

December 12

Holy!  Holy!  Holy you are, mighty God, Creator of the universe and my mind, spirit and soul. My mind worships you by learning more and more about you, knowing I can never know it all.  My spirit worships you by keeping my soul alive and vibrant in all I do for you.  My soul worships you by absorbing your Holy Spirit into mine and becoming one with you. With all my being, I worship you.

Father, forgive me, please, when I help other people out and expect them to thank me. I must keep my motives in check. You send the sunshine and rain on both the just and unjust with hardly a thank you from anyone. Help me be more like you.

Lord God, you gave me the choice of being a miniature form of you or of Satan.  I do not like that choice. But you made me responsible for what I am. A little child waits to be told what to do, but you want to challenge me, put spiritual muscles on me, strengthen me. How can I do that unless I have burdens to bear and battles to fight?  So, when Satan attacks me, help me stand up to him, turn my back on him, and be a miniature you. Thank you for entrusting me to fight along with you.

December 13

When thieves encounter you, they stop stealing and rise up to call you holy. When heartless ones encounter you, they stop being stingy and rise up to call you holy. When people with tempers encounter you, they stop being angry and rise up to call you holy. When the lazy encounter you, they get to work and rise up to call you holy. The whole world will rise up and call you holy someday. And in the meantime, my spirit, body, and soul will continually rise up and call you holy.

Father, I saw someone on the street corner asking for money because he was hungry. I passed him by because I judged him harshly. I do not know his story. And I do not know what he would have done with my money. But I could have at least gotten out of the car and talked to him, then taken him to the restaurant down a few buildings from him. I was stingy and selfish. You make gardens grow so everyone can have food, not just the worthy. You make trees grow so everyone can have shelter, not just the worthy. Forgive me. I will go back tomorrow to see if he is there again.

Rays of glory glisten from the pages of your Word and bring light to the world. Showers of sparkling water flow through the pages of your Word and bring life to the world.  Roots of truth position themselves under your Word and declare it unmovable to the world. Paths of holiness stretch from cover to cover of your Word and show the way home.  Thank you.

December 14

This morning I woke up to a new day, one more day closer to being with you.  During the morning I shall go to the market for food for my family, and I will be a few more hours closer to being with you. All afternoon I will volunteer as a voting poll worker, and I will be half a day closer to being with you. Tonight, I shall lie down. And perhaps, just perhaps, when I close my eyes in the darkness, it will be my turn to open them to the brightness of your glory. Home at last. Home at last.

Father, you gave me a talent and I love using it. My family and friends tell me they love the way I use it. But yesterday, a lot of my friends were bragging about someone else with my talent in a way they never bragged about me. They were enthusiastic in a way they were never enthusiastic about me. I envied that person so much I got sick over it. Lord, it may not be my time. It may never be my time. Help me be happy for this other person and tell them so.

Books.  Thank you for books, Lord. At first people wrote them on clay, then reed soaked and flattened out, then animal skins rolled up, then pulp from trees and bound on one side. Finally, they were on screens electrically written. No matter in what form books have come to us, they have always informed and fascinated and brought exciting new knowledge to anticipating minds. Books open up the world. Most exhilarating of all is your Book that opens up your world. Along the way, it reveals our Maker ~ your heart, your knowledge, your emotions, what makes you weep in sadness and laugh in happiness. Thank you for your Book.

 

December 15

Mighty and magnificent God, you have ultimate control over all things but only interfere to adjust them for the Big Picture, the Plan. You do not interfere with my daily decisions and actions though you try to influence them with your Word. Your word is full of your wisdom, and when I need to know what to say or do next, all I have to do is go to your Word and see how people through the centuries have done the same thing and ended up worse off or better. Everything runs according to your Plan. Such wisdom.  Always may your will be done.

Father, when I am discouraged or anxious, I do not turn to you for help. I am always afraid the answer will be no, and I cannot handle no very well. I do know that whatever happens is your will and I accept it as I go along. Help me turn to you more.

Jesus, you made my salvation from Satan possible. I do not know how to thank you enough. I dream of being with you in heaven. When I go for a walk and feel the breeze teasing my cheeks, I think of you and the day when it will be your wounded hand that will touch my cheeks. I envy my Christian friends who have gone before me. Fear death? Never! I long for it. I ache for it. In the meantime, may I thank you by passing on the news ~ you died for all!

December 16

All continents of the earth praise you, God of Glory. Every tongue on earth praises you, Lord of Splendor. Mountains, valleys, swamps and deserts praise you, the great I AM.  The moon, the sun, and stars on high praise you, Divine Maker. All thrones, both great and small, praise you, King of the Cosmos. My mind, soul and body praise you now and forever, most Holy one

Father, I slandered someone in my public prayer. I asked you to guide someone through a problem no one else knew that person had. I revealed too much and hurt their good name. I am so sorry.  Help me become a better friend to that person and keep my mouth shut.

You saved me from Satan’s clutches, Lord God. Not only that, but you made me your personal priest to offer you the sacrifices of my words and deeds every day. Then you gave me a crown and made me a king among mankind to represent you to the world. Someday I shall walk through your gate into your home, approach your throne, bow at your feet, and give that crown back to you, satisfied to just be in your presence at last.

December 17

My life, thus far, as made turns in directions I had not planned or even dreamed of. Sometimes I ended up in places I did not want to be. That is where you had led me and had wanted me.   I do not know what the future will bring. But wherever you lead me, I will follow you, however unknown and frightening it may be to me. If you lead me to joblessness, to famine, to wars, to prison, I will follow where ever you go. Someday while I follow you up unknown paths, you will pause, turn, smile, and say, “We’re here.  Welcome home.”

Father, someone had a ring on the other day that I noticed. It was the most striking and beautiful ring I have ever seen.  I think about it all the time now. It would be a waste of money for me. Help me not lust after other people’s possessions

Lord, I was sick last week.  I was lying there thinking about how miserable I was. I rolled in it. Wallowed in it. Savored in it. Then a new thought occurred to me. If I thought about how blessed I am, it would take my mind off my misery. It worked, Lord! I really worked! I even got up, fetched a piece of paper, and began listing my blessings. Pretty soon I was smiling. You were smiling too. Now I was able to fall asleep. When I awoke, I felt healed.  The touch of your heart to mine had healed me.

December 18

My Maker and my God, I surrender my life to you.  You have prepared me from the womb to accomplish something for you, whether it be a day-by-day thing or an only-one-time thing. I accept it.  Whatever it is, I surrender all that I have and am to you. My hands to work for you, my feet to go for you, my eyes to seek for you, my lips to speak for you. Mostly, I surrender my will to you. May I be able to comprehend your will so I may follow your lead with all the spiritual vigor and physical energy I have. Why? Because I love you.

Father, someone told me the other day that something was in the Bible that I did not realize was there. I refused to listen. I was opposed to the truth. But when I got home and looked it up, it was indeed there. Forgive me when I put my ego before truth.

Before Jesus came, the world was wrapped in the darkness of sin. When you ~ the Light of the world ~ came, dawn came with you. The world blinked in wonder at the glare when you died, then returned to life.   Ten thousand tongues of the world rejoiced, welcoming the morn, and sang aloud “Praise the Lord!” The world still stands in awe of you, and I with them. Thank you, Lord Jesus, for revealing God to us.

December 19

No matter what corner of the world I occupy, you are there.  Though clouds encompass my corner, you look through them and whisk away the shadows.  Though mountains rumble in my corner, you whisper, “Peace!  Be still!” and they obey. Though I am sinking in watery mire in my corner, you reach down and pull me out, wash me, and make my soul as white as snow. I can never escape you, nor do I wish to. You are my God and love me fiercely.

Father, yesterday I saw a beautiful car. I lusted after it. I wondered what I could do to have one of my own. Father, I do not need a fancy vehicle to go to the store or school or place of work. All that matters, is that I arrive and can return home. Forgive my lust for things.

Sometimes, Lord, I face something I cannot face. I feel bewildered and weak. I feel broken. Paralyzed. It is then that you come to my rescue while I rest.  You take care of the problem in your own way. Sometimes I have fears that haunt me and I cannot get rid of them. I dread falling asleep at night because those fears fallow me even there. It is then that you come to me and protect me under your wings. Sometimes I am just so tired, I can hardly move. It is then that you sit beside me, lean my head on your shoulder, and wipe away my listless tears. You are my Friend, my Helper, my Father.

December 20

Jehovah God, you transcend space and time. I do not. I sometimes think back about the clouded past and wonder how many wrong decisions I made. I think, too, about the future and how my decisions of today will influence it. At other times I wonder why unethical people often get rich at the expense of the poor.  As I slide uneasily through time step by step and wonder with uneasy mind, I just do not know what the future will bring. But you do. You have already been to the future. So, I rest in you knowing you will guide me through the unknown and someday will lift the fog of time.

Father, forgive my ingratitude. I want more hours in the day to do more, then I want more hours in the night so I can sleep more. When it is winter, I want it to be summer, then when it is summer, I want it to be winter. When I have an interesting job with low pay, I want a boring job with high pay. And on and on I go. Never content and grateful for what you have given me. I am so sorry.

My Jesus, when I am lonely, I remember how your heart must have ached when the world went after you only for your miracles, only to use you. When I feel nearly broken by my burdens, I remember how you suffered and died to free an ungrateful world from Satan’s clutches.  You understand everything I go through because you have been there. You have been tempted as I have been, you have been heavy ladened as I have been, you have laughed and wept as I have. You understand. And for this, I thank you, my Lord.

December 21

Ah, my Lord, I am tired and afraid to hope. The hopes I shouted about before are now just a whisper in the mist.  What shall I do? I will rest and wait in you. I will hope in you. Oh!  What is that?  It’s you! I hear you now, “Come to me. Are you languishing in helplessness? Come.” Lord, I bring to you my wounded heart. I will sit at your feet and lean on you. You will lift me up and comfort me. I will be refreshed. Then, once again, my heart will soar.

Father, I am holding a grudge against someone who said something that offended me. That person probably didn’t even know it had that effect on me. Help me let it go.

I feel a kind of peace right now. Past turmoils seem lost in a fog and wandering farther and farther away. I will rest in this new peace. I will not hope or dream or desire. I will just sigh and bask in your love. It feels warm and good. Is that you smiling, my Lord? Thank you. You always know just what I need.  I bow my head and silently worship you.

December 22

Jehovah God, you are my guiding star. Without you I am lost. You are my hope. When my eyes drift from you, you step down and walk silently beside me until I can see and feel you again.  You are my strength. When I am tired, you continue my work for me. You are my light among the shadows. When I sometimes lose faith in you, you never lose faith in me and you forgive my doubts. How can you love me so perfectly? I offer you my soul and worship.

Father, I was a real coward the other day. I was at a diner alone and heard some people talking about the meaning of life. I should have gotten up and asked to join them. But I did not. Forgive me for passing up this opportunity.

God, it is morning. The sun is not quite up yet but it will be. It always does. You keep your promises. You never change. I can always trust in you, hope in you, rely on you. No matter how much I change and want you to change, you remain stable, my sure anchor. Thank you for being my God.

December 23

Jehovah God of the universe with its two trillion galaxies, you have all things ultimately under your control, even tiny specks in the universe ~ humans.  You gave us free will, but you have the master Plan that nothing and no one can stop from being carried out. You delegate and we try to understand. Sometimes we refuse to carry out our assignments, preferring to wallow in our problems and blame you. Sometimes you step in and adjust things.  Always you are working to carry out your glorious Plan to the finish ~ of saving us from Satan and chaining him forever. You work whether or not we do. You love whether or not we do. You stay on course, no matter how much we get sidetracked and follow Satan’s offers of pleasures. Onward you go, despite politics and disasters and selfishness and Satan’s diversions. You are the brightness of the stars, the depths of the oceans, the mountain tops. You are the glory of the universe and I adore you.

Forgive my hypocrisy, Father. I sing on Sunday “I Love to Tell the Story,” then don’t do it. I sing on Sunday, “Bring them in,” then I don’t.

You, Lord, are the light that leads me through the gloom of night as I walk the path you have given me in this world. One step at a time until I am home. Sometimes you lead me through torrents of storms and other times through sunny meadows. Thank you. May I never be too proud to take your will as my own and keep following. Lead on, my Lord. One step at a time lead on. And someday we will be home.

December 24

Ah, my God, I live in an era of airplanes and rockets, televisions and computers. They are mind-boggling how they work.  Just how does people doing things together jump into a tiny wire, travel hundreds of miles, and pop up out of that wire as a picture on my TV screen?  And to think you are so far above the most technical thing mankind has invented.  I can only begin to grasp your power ~ a universe with two trillion galaxies.  I cannot fathom just one galaxy.  My mind becomes dizzy just in the trying. So, I give up and smile and know you are smiling too.  Someday I will understand. Someday.

Father, I was so angry at someone for insulting me in the store parking lot that, when she followed me to get a cart, I took the only one left and didn’t even need it.  All I did was provoke her even more. Why did I do that? Why didn’t I smile and wheel the cart over to her? Forgive me.

My Creator and Maker, you love me as your child. I look up to you in awe and try to follow in your footsteps and be like you. But your footsteps are so large. I flounder and often have to take many steps to your one and trip along the way. You just smile and take my hand. Someday I will face the journey you are leading me on.  I have no fear of death, for there awaits me no punishment, only more exciting things and sweet forever with you. Thank you.

 

December 25

God, you are the potter; I am mere clay for you to form any way you desire just as you did long ago in Eden.  You are the cleanser; I am the one with murky sins that need washing away, just as you did on the cross that day long ago.  You have the Master Plan of the universe; I am the one stumbling through life not quite understanding which way to go. You are the compass; I gladly cling to you as you take me one step at a time safely Home.

Father, I sometimes have trouble forgiving people. How many years am I going to do this, letting my pride and resentments build up until they are too heavy to bear? Lighten my load, Father, and help me forgive.

You were in that grave, your body still and lifeless. The soldiers outside paced with their weapons and dared anyone to take that body away. Your followers hid and prayed that no one would disturb the fleshly form of the one they had lived with and loved those three years. Both worried in vain. Like a lightning flash, you re-entered that body and showed yourself triumphant over Satan and over Death. Everything was under your control as it always is.  Thank you, dear Lord. Thank you for being strong for me.

 

December 26

Ah, Lord God, my heart burns within me for you. Burning with the rays of your sun that grace my day. At night it breaks through the darkness from each star firelit with your majesty. Then dawn again. In a blink, your sun is back. But it never really leaves me. For your love keeps my heart warm and bright with the flame of your grace. Someday I will ride one of those sunbeams to you and, in your presence, I shall see your throne ablaze with glory.

Father, I stole something precious from you. I knew other Christians were coming together to encourage each other and worship you, but I said I did not have time. I used that time to go to the store I stole that hour from you. Forgive me, my Father. Forgive me.

I thank you for your love that will not let me go. Though I sometimes wander from you, carelessly, letting Satan have his way, you run after me calling out, “No! Do not go with him. He is dangerous. He will hurt you. His smiles mean nothing but treachery. Let go of Satan and come back to me! Run! Run away from him! Come back!”  When I am blind, you send me your light so I can find my way back to you. Thank you for loving me that much.

 

December 27

Jehovah God, they may take my income from me, but I will be content as long as they leave me behind with you. They may take my laughter, but I will be content as long as I have you. They may take my health, but I will be content with you. There is nothing anyone can do to me that would cause me to let go of your hand. There is nothing they can do to me that would cause me to miss walking through the gates of heaven, finally Home with you. Forever Home.

Father, I bragged about a good work I did for someone yesterday. That’s what Satan wants me to do. Help me bury my ego and quietly do your work.

Ah, my Lord, I grow so impatient sometimes, waiting for my time to join you ~ impatient over days and months and years. How you must laugh because you work in decades and centuries and millenniums.  Thank you for time.  All things change and all things will eventually pass away.  With time, the consequences of my sins eventually pass away. You give me an opportunity to try again. You are the God of second chances. I will forever bend my knee to you in the shimmering gratitude that permeates my soul.

December 28

God, you love every one of your children and we love you in return. But sometimes one wanders away. You need to leave the rest of us behind to find the lost one and that is fine with me. I will be okay while you’re gone. Oh, me? You mean me? You want me to go for you and find your missing child? Ah, let me think a moment. Are you sure?  Ummm…  Yes, yes! If you will fill my spirit with your kind of love, then I must go. I will not be able to resist the search. Help me find the lost soul in time. Give me courage to go where ever I must go. And, Lord, help that lost one keep praising you until I arrive.  Me too. I will keep praising you.

Father, I used flattery to get what I wanted at the store. I wanted to convince the clerk to lower the price on an item. All efforts failed until I began flattering the clerk. Then I got my way. How terrible. Forgive me. And I need to take the discounted money back tomorrow.

Forever I will thank you, Lord for all you did to pay the terrible blood ransom to free me from the one who has been a liar and evil from the beginning. You left the safety of heaven to enter this world controlled by Satan. You challenged Satan and won!  You won! It was not easy, but you were the victor. You didn’t have to give up everything for me. You took the chance and became the champion. Thank you, my Lord. Forever, thank you.

 

December 29

Jehovah God, your Master Plan of saving us from Satan is perfect and grand.  It will continue, no matter how much we humans and Satan fight it. It will be carried out to the glorious end. Your will shall be carried out because you have the strongest will of all ~ love, justice, mercy. You shall win over Satan and take me home to heaven. I worship at your feet.

Forgive me when I blame others for sinning and am not willing to look at my own sins. Help me overlook and forgive them, and bury my ego.

Thank you, Lord, for all those who have gone before me in the faith. People like Abraham and Joseph and Elijah who stood alone to believe in and follow you. Thank you for the apostles, their hard work, and enduring terrible pain when he slowly killed them rather than deny you.  Thank you for Christians around the world who believed in you, even when the other people in their countries ~ China, India, Africa, Europe ~ did not. Thank you for those who stood up against changing your rules, even though it meant being burned at the stake. Thank you for my own ancestors, some of whom were loyal to you to the end. May I follow their example and be a faithful Christian ancestor to my descendants.

December 30

Majestic God of the heaven and earth with all their bewilderments and surprises and astonishments. You made all that exists. You made it all for our pleasure and benefit. You also made it as a proving ground to test the power of love through us. Hate can and never will overcome love. Hate wants to accuse and punish. Hate wants instant gratification no matter who it hurts. Hate loves to hate. Love covers up the wrong in others because it is merciful. Love wants to patiently develop and grow. Love always is strongest. That is you, my God. You are Love and I worship you.

Father, I am so weak in sharing your Words of life to people walking in darkness and not even realizing it. Help me overcome my indifference.

Ah, how can I thank you, my Lord, for making this earth, then becoming flesh and walking among us? We saw your love, we felt your love, we were saved by your love.  Without you, my life would only be getting and earning, building and making ~ all the while, trying to find some meaning in life. You provide the meaning: Life with you is life to its fullest and it is eternal.

December 31

Praise God, stars on high spreading sparkles in the darkness. Praise him, all planets and comets and moons. Praise him mighty mountains that overlook the plains. Praise him, shimmering oceans deep and rivers that flow playfully over a thirsty land. Praise him, all misty clouds above and rainbows gracing the sky. Praise him, great eagles and delicate butterflies. Praise him, mighty trees and lacy ivy. Praise him old men and young. Praise him young women and old. Praise him children everywhere and angels on high. Praise and worship our Creator and God always.

Father it is so hard to see my own sins. Open the eyes of my soul and help me see myself as you do.

Another year has slipped by on wings of a whisper and a sigh. A year of dreams I have made that sometimes floated away. A year of you trying to straightening out my messes, running after me so I’ll return to you, answering millions of prayers at one time, weeping and laughing along the way, and rejoicing when I, your little child, please you. Thank you for always being with me.