Prayer – Lord, today is the day we begin to celebrate Your birth. We joyfully rejoice every day because of what You have done for us as our Lord and Savior—but today is special because we are united with other believers—rejoicing together, no matter where we live. You came as a little baby—fragile and vulnerable—and grew into a man who obediently gave up Your life as a living sacrifice for the sin of mankind. We rejoice because You not only became the sacrifice—but You rose from the dead to live forever and to offer us that same eternal life…if we believe in You. I believe. I celebrate You as my Savior.
A psalm of David.
Praise the LORD, who is my rock. He trains my hands
for war and gives my fingers skill for battle. He is my loving ally and my
fortress, my tower of safety, my rescuer. He is my shield, and I take refuge in
him. He makes the nations submit to me. O LORD, what are human beings that you
should notice them, mere mortals that you should think about them? For they are
like a breath of air; their days are like a passing shadow. Open the heavens,
LORD, and come down. Touch the mountains so they billow smoke. Hurl your
lightning bolts and scatter your enemies! Shoot your arrows and confuse them!
Reach down from heaven and rescue me; rescue me from deep waters, from the
power of my enemies. Their mouths are full of lies; they swear to tell the truth,
but they lie instead. I will sing a new song to you, O God! I will sing your
praises with a ten-stringed harp. For you grant victory to kings! You rescued
your servant David from the fatal sword. Save me! Rescue me from the power of
my enemies. Their mouths are full of lies; they swear to tell the truth, but
they lie instead. May our sons flourish in their youth like well-nurtured
plants. May our daughters be like graceful pillars, carved to beautify a
palace. May our barns be filled with crops of every kind. May the flocks in our
fields multiply by the thousands, even tens of thousands, and may our oxen be
loaded down with produce. May there be no enemy breaking through our walls, no
going into captivity, no cries of alarm in our town squares. Yes, joyful are
those who live like this! Joyful indeed are those whose God is the LORD. Psalm
144:1-15
Meditate as you begin to celebrate Christmas Eve—the day
and evening before the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ.
O LORD, what are human beings that you should notice
them, mere mortals that you should think about them? Joyful indeed are
those whose God is the LORD.
These verses were written by David years before Jesus was
born, but still joyous and appropriate expressions as we celebrate Christmas.
We are blessed that the Lord found human beings still worthy of His notice even
after disobedience became part of our character, beginning with Adam and Eve. David
expressed the value of our Lord who is our rock, our shield and defender, our
rescuer, and our provider. He keeps us safe from our enemies and because of Him
our abundant crops allow us to be prosperous. Joyfully successful spiritually,
too, since God is our Lord. Today we celebrate Jesus as our Lord and Savior.
Verse of Salvation ~ For God says, "At just the right time, I heard you. On the day of salvation, I helped you." Indeed, the "right time" is now. Today is the day of salvation. 2 Corinthians 6:2
 |
| A Pathway through the Wilderness. Hiking near Parker, Arizona |
Happy Christmas!
© 2022 Text, photos, and illustrations by Mickey M. Hunacek. All
rights reserved.
All scripture quoted from the New Living Translation (NLT) unless
otherwise noted.
New Living Translation copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale
House Foundation.
Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream,
Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Biblical search from Blue Letter Bible - http://v3.blueletterbible.org/search.cfm.
Books by Mickey M.
Hunacek
Available as e-books or paperbacks at Amazon.com
Parenting Day By Day - Daily Devotional for Building Character
Coins in the Bible: New Testament Stories
No comments:
Post a Comment