Then I came upon another article that sparked a thought recently so I quickly copied the 25 prayer prompts for a heart posture ... that the author wrote for Joy. Yet I believe that each of the themes of Hope, Peace, Love and Joy can in used interchangeable with these thoughts of her prayer prompts. They were written with Joy but I think that you can insert Hope, Peace or Love, even though Joy fits best. You will see as you read each one and choose one of the four.
When I read the following statement (italics & in the box), I became convinced to "step away" and "lay aside" any to-do list to pray using her prayer prompts, journal my thoughts or allow them to lead me to a Bible verse on Hope, Peace, Love & Joy to ponder daily ...
"..This season – God is all we need. He is our hope, our peace, and our source of joy."... {my insert} and of course, "God is LOVE, whoever abides in love, abides in God & God in him/her" (1 John 4:16) ... so "Let’s offer God our gratitude and adoration with a humble heart that longs to connect more deeply with Him. In return, may we find the glorious gift of ..." Alicia Searle |
"... let’s shift our gaze on the glory of our King and posture our hearts ..." |
So I have set up a blog post for each day with just one statement ... not a prayer prompt, because that is available in the excellent article cited above that at times gives a reflective question or a Bible scripture to reflect on. I was thinking that on Sundays, I will remind us of an Advent theme for that week as I light the candle on the Advent wreath (tradition for me) and share or link to a list of Scriptures on that theme. The problem is that this week is half over & Advent started on this past Sunday, November 27th, so I already should have done HOPE.
Meg Bucher called this first week of Advent:
The Thrill of Hope
and shared this prayer, that I say as I light the 1st candle of
HOPE
"God, Abba Father, Yahweh, Elohim and Jehovah. Jesus, Messiah and Savior, Light and Living Water. Holy Spirit, Advocate and Comforter, Breath and Strength. Glory to You for this day, which You have made. We will choose to rejoice and be glad in it. Through the chaos of these current days we vow to seek & focus on You & Your unchanging truth. You loved us so much, You sent Your Son to save us. Through Christ, we are all welcome to come to You. To be adopted into Your family. As we gaze at the landscape around us & the intricate uniqueness of our reflection, may we pause to purposefully give praise to You for Your miracles, Your blessings, Your grace, and Jesus. In Jesus' Name |
25 Top Bible Verses about Hope
Father, this Advent season I come before You with an open heart. I lay my heart before You, asking You to help me in preparing my heart. I long to hear from You. I long to behold Christ in all His beauty. Help me shut out the distractions so I can be fully devoted to You. I want to make room for Christ this Christmas & seek You. |
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Bless you for your visit and encouraging words! I thank you and I am humbly blessed by YOU and the time you spend with me... Peace, "Mazmagi" Peggy