A December Prayer of Praise

Hello and welcome to my blog! Thank you for being here. Your Presence is a gift.

Throughout the ups and downs that is December, I am purposing to share a short series of prayers that are Scripture based, each with a different focus (comment below if you want to see a particular emphasis). I know my mind can often be scattered and needs a focus point. I have linked to a lot of Scripture in this post and I encourage you to pick one to ground you during the holidays. With Thanksgiving being so recent, I though it would be appropriate to start with a prayer of praise.

One more thing…This post is in collaboration with my sweet friend, Emily Boulter who writes over on Alpine Penned. She has published a piece on gratitude. Definitely go check it out!

Let’s pray.

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Lord, You say that godliness with contentment is great gain (1st Timothy 6:6). Yet in this season of celebration, acquiring more, and a world that screams to us that we lack, lack, lack, contentment can feel nearly impossible. Forgive us for so quickly forgetting how blessed we are. Thank you that our feelings do not determine what is true (Jeremiah 17:9) and they are not the boss of us.

We are broken, childlike, and longing for You. We echo Ann Voskamp’s plea, “I want to see beauty. In the ugly, in the sink, in the suffering, in the daily, in all the days before I die, the moments before I sleep.” (Ann Voskamp Quotes). Open our eyes to the delightful, the resplendent, the small. Today, instead of focusing on what we wish we had we open our mouths to thank You.

Thank you for being our candle that always shines and never sleeps (Psalms 121:4-5). Thank you that You are our Strong Tower (Proverbs 18:10). In this world of chaos, we are safe in You (Proverbs 18:10).

You are the Creator. You did not have to make the trees and sketch out the intricacies of their leaves but You did, showcasing Your gentleness and compassion (Psalms 103:13). You watercolored the different shades of the flowers. You invented the art of charcoaling when You constructed the stones, the granite, the coal. You composed symphonies for the birds to sing as You knit their lungs together. The angels tested out the softness of a kitten’s fur and marveled at how such big hands could make something so small.

We give you glory that despite everything the sun keeps rising, the clouds keep moving, the seasons keep changing. Thank you for continually painting marvelous sunrises and sunsets as gifts for humanity, whom you died for. If you could repeat history, You would still choose to die for us.

Incredible.

We love You.

In Jesus’ Name, Amen.