The Advent and Christmas season can accelerate an already full, and busy life. Our attention can be scattered, our hearts divided, and our prayers infrequent and indifferent. Is this just the reality of life? As followers of Jesus, how do we recenter our hearts, minds, attention, and affection on the person of Jesus - particularly at this time of year?
Prayer and praise anchor the people of God. And the invitation of prayer and praise during the season of Advent is to be present with and to the God who is with us.
Worship and prayer do not flow exclusively from the heart and life of believers.
Everyone prays. Everyone worships. Christian and non-Christian alike. But because of sin, it is not that we cease to worship and pray, but that we aim our worship and words in all the wrong directions. If right worship is to occur, it is first a work of the Holy Spirit - lifting our eyes to behold the beauty, wonder, and work of Jesus. If we are to rightly receive the gift of prayer and praise in the season of Advent those realities must move intentionally from the outskirts and margin of our lives to the deep down center.
This devotional contains the prayers of the saints - those in the story of Scripture, as well as those through the generations. My hope and prayer is that their words become our own as we seek to recenter our prayers and praise this Advent season.