December 31 Prayer
A blessing for the Lasts and endings The Firsts and beginnings Where is the true light shining? Where is the word speaking? From the Eternal day of earth and heavens Let this blessing cover you Let this prayer rise up within you To seek His glory and His face In unsuspected places Let this blessing lead you in the lasts and the firsts to come To find the graces laid out before you Take up the cloak to cover Put on the crown of wisdom Hold out the scepter of truth and peace Let this last day of This last year Pass behind you as you stand at the threshold of a new entry Let a fresh wind blow through you and raise up your feet to dancing with a new start With new steps to take and learn a new beat to follow in The rhythms of grace Yes! Let joy begin to stir in your heart A new day is coming Let it begin now in you Amen John 1:1-18 Dee Brill December 30 Prayer
What is the grace I need for this coming year? I ask what it is I am looking for? Looking back Looking ahead I sit at the window of reflection Push back the curtains of shame to peer into the clear space The open sky where a newness expands To write a story for the ordinary and the unforeseen. Can I choose to hope beyond hope that things will be better? Can I rest in the sense of knowing there is one that knows me and knows what is to come? Can I lean into the grace being extended to me right now at this moment? I breathe in the air of today with the expectation of your spirit rising within me. “May Your peace break into the places of worry and foreboding. May your grace provide for what we need this coming year. Shut out the gloom and doom. Raise up the hopes of your people. We pray, That we may be a light to show the way For right thinking and a joy filled perspective. For we are not meant to stay in the world but leave it better with the grace of God. May we grow in strength and wisdom In your gracious love. Remember us because of your goodness and your gracious love.” Amen Psalm 25:1-7, Psalm 103:12, Luke 2:40 Dee Brill December 29 Prayer
Light has come The light that has always been and always is The light shines upon The old and the new The word that holds true in Him and is already in you The simple truth Where there is light there is love and where there is hate there is only darkness that leads to blindness As we come near the end of this year may our hearts be led by the light to show the way we are to go. Pause here to pray “Show us the way to love Lead us in the light and when we wander bring us back into your everlasting, unfailing love May every thought that rises against love be brought into your light so we do not fall in the dark. May this year ahead of us become a brighter one that will begin anew With thanks With joy In the light of life you bring for us to see The light of love in you and in me. Amen” 1 John 2:7-9, Psalm 36:7-9 Dee Brill December 28 Prayer
Anna, a prophet Widowed and old never left the place of worship and prayer Blessed and happy was she Longing to see the promises fulfilled She carried with her the generations that came before expectantly waiting Her family came from the line of Asher which means happy and gladness An olive tree is their symbol Holding out a branch of hope to the world. To those who seek redemption and justice, Deliverance from fear and destruction She prays all day and night until He appears, as the young Jesus, The promise Pause here to pray and wonder what Anna felt as she recognized Christ in the small child. ‘Lord, strengthen our feeble hearts that are torn by the world's heaviness and worries. We cry out to you and seek what is right to come forth in all that is wrong in our world. We feel the sorrow of those that have been treated badly and have suffered for generations. And we feel the gladness and nearness of your coming now. What the enemy means for evil will not succeed! Give us the courage and faith to pray and lay down our gifts like Anna and the wise men, for the young that will rise up to replace us. May we bless them and gladly share with them all that we know about the rule and reign of Jesus. Bless the young with wisdom and strength, courage and hope over any fear. Let us speak out boldly to those who are seeking and call out the promise that is within them. That the world would know there is another kingdom greater than what we see now that will last forever.’ May your peace rule and reign in us we pray Amen Luke 2:26-38 Dee Brill December 27 Prayer
See and believe Lean in and bend low See the swaddling clothes become the linen wrapping left behind by a crucified body No longer there Believe He is here now Miracles indeed happen! The impossible becomes possible When we say yes and believe To Hope and love When we say Yes to the unfailing love Who redeems and gifts us with the grace to receive Look and see the consolation you have long been waiting for, the answer to your prayers God is here with you His light and his glory will be seen. Lord, we praise you And believe We give to you our impossible situations The ones we love that are in danger of losing their lives Those in hopeless situations Show your compassion and mercy Turn things around for your glory We pray Mighty redeemer Come to birth your light and hope in us to all who believe Amen John 2:2-5, Lk.2:15-32 December 23 Advent prayer
“A child shall be born for us. He will be called God, …and everyone will be blessed in Him.” Is.9:6-8 Here we are almost at Christmas. The day we celebrate the greatest gift ever given to humans. Are we the recipients of this grace, this covenant , this word that never leaves us? O may we come humbly to bow before the miracle manger. Where all of God became all of man. The gift of grace for all on the earth. O what treasure can we bring him? What offering of gratitude will rise in our hearts? Pause a moment in all your busyness to pray; We bend our knee and surrender all of us for all of you. We open up a space for you to come and dwell within us now. Fill us with your spirit and word that never leaves us. May we this day speak only words of heavenly grace. May we come to your truth to refine and purify us as gold to become holy people who are wholly yours. To shine the glory of love, compassion and grace. When we fail may we always remember you are the gift of grace for us to return once again. Fulfill your promise though us this day We pray Amen Malachi 3:1-4 Is.59:19-21 Dee Brill December 20 Advent Prayer
A Messenger brings a word After the silence comes a song Maybe we all need the quiet in this busy season to listen again. What does the messenger say…? From another world from the silence what is to come A song of mercy Of the light to dawn Of the peace that is for us all! Take a moment of quiet yourself and listen.. ‘Lord Today in our waiting and excitement In our weariness we come in a quiet moment to listen to your song of hope This day Let your light be spoken over us May we become your very messengers of peace for our world Give us an opening A break in the clouds To speak forth of the light that is coming The light that is here. O Come, O wisdom Lord and ruler Rising Sun King of the nations Come Emmanuel Amen Luke 1:26-38,76-80 Is. 55:10-11 Dee Brill December 16 Advent Prayer
Yesterday was a long day of waiting for us. Awaiting for a favorable response and answer to prayer. When it finally came we were filled with relief and joy but in the midst of the waiting was the feeling of struggle and tension. There will always be a time to wait. A time of learning how to trust with faith without dread of what is to come. A time to trust in the God who is here with us. “Be not ashamed, fear not!” Isaiah speaks boldly the words of God. There will be a day and time for his mercy to come. So be ready, strengthen and expand where you live in your soul. Do not be ashamed of the fear you feel, for there is where you will find his love. May your heart expand in expectancy for his love to grow within and his compassion to show without. He gives us a covenant of peace through Jesus. We have that peace already by faith and the assurance that it will never leave us. So be strong and have courage today. This battle we all find ourselves in, belongs to the Lord and the victory has already been given. Pause to pray; Lord, expand our hearts to make more room for your peace to dwell within us and for your compassion to grow. Help us to know how much your love is for us so we may gaze outwardly through your eyes of love. No matter what we are facing today, we make the space to choose joy that will sustain us as heavenly food for the journey ahead. May we live in your peace through Jesus We pray Amen Isaiah 54:1-10 Luke 1:74-76 Dee Brill December 15 Advent Prayer
“ I am the Lord, and there is no other.” As we wait another day pause and be in this present moment to recognize Emmanuel, God with us. He goes before, He is behind, past and present. Where do I need God to be present in my life right now? Where do I long for light to come? Hear our prayers O Lord as we cry out to you. Come to where we are today. Come to where we see the needs all around us. Come to the world with hope in desperation and power to bring light from darkness. Thank you that you are the lord and there is no other creator that has suffered with us. That lives with us and carries our burdens. Today we choose in our waiting to have joy in knowing we have everything in You. May we carry your truth and light to others this day. LIght a candle to light up the darkness. “Open up, O heavens and pour out your righteousness. Let the earth open wide so salvation and righteousness can sprout up together. I, the Lord, created them.” Amen Isaiah 45:5-8 Dee Brill December 13 Advent Prayer
Mary’s song exclaims; “The Lord has remembered to show his extravagant mercy!” The kind of mercy that can only come from heaven and is not human. When we ask for mercy and favor Who are we asking it from? God or man? Human mercy is not always just or freely given but true mercy is from the hand of God. So today, where you need mercy ask for it and believe that the Lord's mercies are new every morning and they are more than enough.. Offer up to God now a situation where mercy is needed in the world. Lord we come with hands lifted up to You and ask for Mercy to roll down from heaven and impact the earth. Come upon the rulers and judges of our world and rend their hearts humbled before you. We pray for your truth and mercy will come together in just decisions and mandates over others. Oh God of heaven, reign down your compassionate mercy for those who have faith in you. We put our complete trust in your faithfulness this day to hear the cries of those in desperate need. Come , Lord Jesus! Emmanuel, Come Amen Isaiah 30:18-21,Lam.3:20-23, Lk.1:50 Dee Brill #heavenlymercy #advent |