Prayers: December 19, 2021

Dec 19, 2021   •  

Prayers

  

Always be joyful. Never stop praying.  Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

 

  • Thank God for His gift to us – “But when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law, so that He might redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.” – Galatians 4:4-5 NLT
  • Thank God for this Advent season reminding us of the hope, peace, joy and love that enriches our lives no matter our circumstances.
  • Thank God that we are precious in His sight.
  • Thank God for the joy of worshiping in person again.
  • Thank God for His good and perfect gifts, individually bestowed on each of us to be used for His glory.
  • Pray for those who are in frail health or going through health struggles.
  • Pray for those suffering tremendous loss this Christmas after tornadoes and storms ravaged their communities.
  • Pray for the ability to express God’s truths clearly to others because we have studied and experienced them ourselves
  • Pray that just as we prepared for Jesus’ birth during Advent, we may also continue to look for Jesus’ return daily going forward.
  • Pray that when we don’t understand why things are, we can trust that God is working out His plan.
  • Pray that every believer becomes a “shining star” for God through the power of the Holy Spirit so that we can overcome the darkness in the world.
  • Pray for continued healing of the heart for those traumatized and in distress
  • Pray that when we are faced with options, we choose to follow God’s way, not our own.
  • Pray for missionaries, family members, and friends who are far away from us.
  • Pray for our church to be renewed for duty in 2022.

 

 

To Think about: Fourth Sunday of Advent

 

During the church season of Advent, we focus on the birth of Jesus and the four things which God gives us through his Son’s birth: hope, peace, joy, and love.  We light candles signifying that God has found a way to bring us out of the darkness which we deserve as sinful people.

 

We can think about the candle of Love, at least in a two-fold way this Sunday before Christmas. For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16. ‘I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”—John 13:34-35. God knew that we could not atone for our sin by ourselves, and loving us so much, He planned for Jesus to come into the world and be the sacrifice that paid for our sins.  We celebrate God’s love at Christmas because our faith in Jesus can make us right with God and our loving one another is our outward sign of being obedient like Jesus.  The greatest gift of all came that first Christmas. It wasn’t wrapped in pretty paper nor set under a tree, but it came wrapped in the flesh of baby Jesus and laid in the rough wood of a manger. Our perfect gift would later be rewrapped in the scars of our sin and nailed to the rugged wood of a cross on Calvary, all because of love.  Praise God!

 

 

 

禱告事項

要常常喜樂，不住地禱告，凡事謝恩，因為這是神在基督耶穌裡向你們所定的旨意。

帖撒羅尼迦前書 5:16-18

  • 感謝神賜給我們的禮物——“及至時候滿足，神就差遣他的兒子，為女子所生，且生在律法以下，要把律法以下的人贖出來，叫我們得著兒子的名分。” – 加拉太書 4:4-5
  • 感謝神用將臨期提醒我們，無論我們的環境如何，希望、和平、喜樂和愛都能讓我們的人生豐富多彩。
  • 感謝神，因我們是祂眼中的至寶。
  • 感謝神讓我們再次有實體敬拜的喜樂。
  • 感謝上帝爲了讓我們都能榮耀他的名而將他的美好和最美的禮物賜給每一個人。
  • 為身體虛弱或正與疾病在掙扎的人禱告。
  • 為那些在今年聖誕節來臨時遭受龍捲風而遭受巨大損失的人祈禱。
  • 求主賜給我們有能力向別人清楚表達神的真理，因為我們自己學習和經歷了神話語的真諦。
  • 讓我們像在將臨節期間準備迎接耶穌的誕生一樣，繼續每天期待耶穌的再來。
  • 當我們不明白事情的原因時，願我們可以相信神正在實施他的計劃。
  • 祈求每一位基督徒都能藉聖靈的能力成為神的“閃爍之星”，使我們能夠勝過世界的黑暗。
  • 為身心受到創傷的人可以得到神的醫治禱告
  • 當我們面對選擇時，我們要選擇跟隨神的方式，而不是我們自己的方式。
  • 為遠離我們的傳教士、家人和朋友禱告。
  • 為我們的教會在 2022 年新的事工禱告。

 

思考：將臨期的第四個星期日

在教會的將臨期期間，我們專注於耶穌的誕生以及神通過他兒子的誕生賜給我們的四樣事物：希望、和平、愛和喜樂。我們點燃蠟燭，象徵神已經找到了方法將我們帶出我們罪人原本應當落在的黑暗。

在聖誕節前的這個主日，讓我們至少從兩個方面思考上帝的愛。因爲神是以這樣的方式愛著這個世界：神愛世人，甚至將他的獨生子賜給他們，叫一切信他的不致滅亡，反得永生。（約翰福音 3:16）。我賜給你們一條新命令，乃是叫你們彼此相愛，我怎樣愛你們，你們也要怎樣相愛。 35 你們若有彼此相愛的心，眾人因此就認出你們是我的門徒了。」（約翰福音13:34-35）。神知道我們不能靠自己來贖罪，他是這樣地愛我們，他安排了耶穌來到這個世界，作爲祭物，成為我們罪的贖價。我們在聖誕節慶祝上帝的愛，因着我們相信耶穌，使我們與上帝和好，而且我們彼此相愛是順服的外在表現。最偉大的禮物是第一個聖誕節。它不是用漂亮的紙包起來的，也不是放在樹下的，而是用嬰兒耶穌的肉包裹起來，放在粗糙木頭製成的馬槽里；後來，因爲我們的罪，這最美的禮物將被再次包裹在纍纍傷疤的軀體内，並釘在髑髏地十字架的堅固木頭上，這一切都是因為愛。讚美神！

Share