Christmas is a wonderful time of year where the world is reminded of the Christ-child. Most people may not care about Jesus, but they will run into Him everywhere during this season. There will be nativity scenes on street corners, Christmas specials on television, and Christmas carols that they cannot avoid.
As the world is reminded of Jesus, let us use this Christmas as a reminder to pray. Jesus came to the earth to make a way for people to come to God, therefore our prayers can partner with God’s heart for this season. Here are 12 things to pray for this Christmas:
12 Things to Pray for This Christmas
1. Pray that people will feel God’s love for them. God sent His Son because He loved the world. As we celebrate the season, may it remind us to pray His love showers on everyone He brings to our mind.
2. Pray that people will reach out to loved ones in order to communicate that love. God made us to love and be loved. Pray that people would participate with God in loving others.
3. Pray for healing over strained relationships. While loving people opens your heart for deeper connections, it also creates exposure for deep wounds. God put us in families to invite us to push past pain in order to restore relationships. We are ambassadors of reconciliation after all.
4. Pray for God’s protection for everyone who is traveling. The Christmas holidays create a lot of crowds and traffic. Combine this with winter weather, and we all could use some extra angelic protection.
5. Pray for God’s comfort for those unable to be with their family. We mentioned this a couple weeks ago with missionaries, but military and some work positions will also have people separated. May they find a group of friends to be family with.
6. Pray for God’s incomprehensible peace over those that have lost loved ones this year. They may know their loved one is in a better place, but they will still miss them. God’s peace and joy can come because He wants to be with that person in grief.
7. Pray that no one would feel forgotten this Christmas. If God brings someone to mind, give them a call or stop by for a visit. You may think they have several friends, but maybe God brought them to mind because they need someone to notice them.
8. Pray for practical ways to teach your kids to give. Maybe they can buy some toys for kids in need, make a Christmas card for people in the hospital or assisted living, or serve at a soup kitchen. Pray for ways to fight the materialism many put into the holidays.
9. Pray that joy would fill our hearts because God wants to be with us. It is easy to get focused on the hustle and bustle of the season and forget the glad tidings and hope in the Christmas message.
10. Pray that people would fixate on every message of love God gives them, so they would, in turn, love those around them. Pray for wars to end, political parties to work together, and for people to find common ground so that we can fulfil the second commandment of loving one another.
11. Pray that churches would represent the love God has for people. Most churches get a lot of visitors this time of year. May people leave those services feeling that God really loves them and that following Jesus would be something they would want to do.
12. Pray that people would see Jesus as the most beautiful person they ever heard of and that they would fall in love with Him.
I pray this would be one of your favorite Christmas times of your life. God is good and He loves you very much. Merry Christmas!