Unto Us A Child

For unto us a Child is born,
Unto us a Son is given;
And the government will be upon His shoulder.
And His name will be called
Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

—Isaiah 9:6 (NKJV)

Immanuel, God With Us,

Thank You for the sacrificial gift of Yourself that You gave to us when You came into our world as a baby, lived a sinless life, took our sin and died for us to win the victory over sin and death for us, so that we could forever live with You in freedom, peace and joy.

You were born into the world, through a virgin girl—to be fully human—and You were conceived in her womb, by the Holy Spirit, as the Son of God—to be fully God—and sent to a world in desperate need of a Savior. 

You brought a new government, a new covenant—perfect and just in all its ways—that would rest on Your shoulders, and not our own, so that it would never end.

You are my Wonderful Counselor—awesomely wonderful in all Your ways and perfectly wise in all Your counsel.

You are my Mighty God—strong and powerful on my behalf, protecting me from my enemies, preserving me with Your mighty right hand and never letting me slip from Your loving grip.

You are my Everlasting Father—the One who gave life itself in the beginning, the One who gave life to me when I was conceived in my mother’s womb, and the One Who gives me life forevermore in You.

You are my Prince of Peace—as in You alone do I find that peace that is far greater than I can understand, when I humbly submit myself to Your will for me.

Thank You for the sacrificial gift of Yourself that You gave to us when You came into our world as a baby, lived a sinless life, took our sin and died for us to win the victory over sin and death for us, so that we could forever live with You in freedom, peace and joy.

In Your Holy and Glorious Name, Amen.

Making Your Plan Mine

How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow? Your life is like the morning fog—it’s here a little while, then it’s gone.  What you ought to say is, “If the Lord wants us to, we will live and do this or that.”  Otherwise you are boasting about your own plans, and all such boasting is evil.

—James 4:14-16 (NLT)

Heavenly Father,

Let me always, first trust You to guide me as I make my plans—and keep me ready to have my plans interrupted by Your even better plans and purposes for me—knowing that You always will do what is best for me and will always work in every situation for my good.

You know everything about my past—every thought I have had, every word I have spoken, every deed I have done, and the motive of my heart that has driven each one—while I have forgotten much of my past.

You know everything about my present—all the “whys” of where I am now, for You are in my every moment, never letting go of my right hand—while I am uncertain of all that my present may mean in Your divine plan.

You know everything about my future—for You know the plans You have made for me and You have already been to where I am going (and even still remain there, waiting for me)—while I have no idea what my future may hold.

How arrogant and foolish it would be for me to presume to tell You what I am going to do—as if each moment that I live, each breath that I take, is not a gift from You that could be my very last.  How foolish it is to waste the time You have given me by not fully living every moment right now!

Keep me from arrogantly boasting about my own plans and let me only boast in what You have done, what You are doing, and what You have graciously shown me about what You will do—so that You will receive all the glory, honor and praise for my life.

Let me always, first trust You to guide me as I make my plans—and keep me ready to have my plans interrupted by Your even better plans and purposes for me—knowing that You always will do what is best for me and will always work in every situation for my good.

In the name of Jesus, Amen.

That Which Stands Forever

A voice said, “Shout!”
    I asked, “What should I shout?”

“Shout that people are like the grass.
    Their beauty fades as quickly
    as the flowers in a field.
The grass withers and the flowers fade
    beneath the breath of the LORD.
    And so it is with people.
The grass withers and the flowers fade,
    but the word of our God stands forever.”

—Isaiah 40:6-8 (NLT)

Heavenly Father,

Let me not be tempted to put my hope in a person or group of people—but help me always put my hope in Your Word, which stands forever.

Help me to see that people will come and go, rise and fall, inspire and then disappoint, all too quickly—just like the withering grass or the quickly fading flowers of the field.

Help me not to forget that people are always in motion, continually being changed, along with their ideas of how things ought to be—that what the world holds dear mutates with the winds of time—but that Your Word is immortal and unchanging, reliable and constant, standing true forever and ever.

Help me to see that Your Word is the only place I can find the eternally lasting answer to my every problem, the unrelenting supply for all of my needs, and the only hope of my salvation.

Let me not be tempted to put my hope in a person or group of people—but help me always put my hope in Your Word, which stands forever.

In the name of Jesus, Amen.