Today is Friday, Dec. 2, the sixth day in the Advent season.
Morning
Praise and Thanksgiving. Today, we begin by prayerfully reading Psalm 16.
Let’s also praise God, simply acknowledging who God is:
“Father! Son! Holy Spirit! Creator! Redeemer! Sustainer! These words describe you, yet as powerful as they are, no single word describes you in full, Lord of Our Lives. We go left or right, and you are there. We go forward or backward, and you are there. We look in or out, and you are there. This is a good and joyous truth because we realize holiness is offered to us everywhere, through the incredible sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross. We bless you now, as a prelude to eternal blessings. Amen.”
Confession. We easily identify where we have violated God’s will, assuming we take time to stop and consider our actions. As we find those moments, let’s surrender them to God, knowing he will cleanse us while also exhorting us, “Go and sin no more.“
Petitions. We usually are encouraged to focus our prayers outward, but let’s take time today to pray very intentionally for our own needs, knowing that changes in our lives will benefit those around us greatly.
Scripture. Acts 13:32-46. When did we last hunger for the word so greatly that we clamored for it, asking for more?
Silence.
Noon
Let’s continue to pray this prayer together daily:
“Lord, we have entered a season of expectation. We remember the Israelites’ past desire for a savior to arrive, and we mirror what they felt as we long now for the return of Jesus Christ. Come Lord Jesus, come! We pray this with some trepidation, knowing we never feel completely ready for such a day, and that loved ones around us may not be ready. And yet we continue to pray, Come Lord Jesus, come! We trust that your grace at your return will so overwhelm sin and death that all will be set right. As we pray for your full arrival, teach us how to make ourselves ready, living as watchful people. Amen.”
Night
At a minimum, let’s spend some significant time in a quiet, reflective state before retiring for the night. Embrace the day’s spiritual victories and release the failures.
If it has been a while since you tried the meditation techniques offered earlier, might this be a good night to try again?
And as you sleep, may resurrection promises guide your dreams.
Methodist Life 