From Our Dear Friends at National Day of Prayer! Merry Christmas!
Friend —
Greetings!
As we step into December, we pray that there is a fresh filling of adoration in your heart; praise for the King of Kings, as we prepare to celebrate His birth. His unchanging attributes not only allow us to praise Him in all circumstances but strengthen our faith and love for Him as we speak and sing His praise.
Psalm 95:1-7a “O come, let us sing for joy to the LORD, Let us shout joyfully to the rock of our salvation. Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving, Let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms. For the LORD is a great God And a great King above all gods, In whose hand are the depths of the earth, The peaks of the mountains are His also. The sea is His, for it was He who made it, And His hands formed the dry land. Come, let us worship and bow down, Let us kneel before the LORD our Maker. For He is our God, And we are the people of His pasture and the sheep of His hand.” NAS
What are some of your preparations, traditions, and celebrations that you love during this time of year?
Our wonderful Mountain States National Area Leader, also known as “Grandma Gina,” who heads up the National Day of Prayer’s “Children in Prayer for America” ministry has shared an idea that she is doing with the children at her church. She printed gift labels and wrote the name of a nation on the label in the “to:’ space. She will then have a child write their name in the “from:” space, and as each child hangs their label on a tree they pray, “Light of the World, Jesus, minister to the people of_____.” And they say the name of their nation. When all the tags are on the tree she plugs in the lights and they praise Jesus together for being the Light of the world.
This is a great way to teach children about various countries and to pray for them. You could even research how they celebrate Christmas as well. Another idea is to put the names of Jesus, or His attributes on a homemade ornament each day and hang it on your tree in a month of “adoring Him.” You can teach children that this is how we praise God; recognizing and responding to who He is. Older children may want to try to make a list from A-Z. This could also be done by making a garland chain and adding one each day with the names of Jesus, the things they are thankful for, or the name of a different person each day that they want to pray for during the Christmas season. After Christmas you could take the chain apart and mail the link or ornament with the person’s name on it and let them know that your family prayed for them.
A wonderful Christmas present would be to give the entire family prayer journals and encourage them to take the habits of praise, thankfulness, and intercession that you developed in December and put it into practice every day throughout the year.
You can do this at home during the whole month of December with your family, friends, students, or children you babysit. These are more than activities or lessons, more than traditions; they are discipling moments that can lead to a life-long passion for prayer and watching how God moves when we pray.
Know that we are praying for you through this beautiful season.
Can we pray together now?
Lord Jesus, we adore You! Our affection and awe come together to praise Your unchanging, uncontainable characteristics. We know that You are not only able to do more than we could ever think or imagine but You are more than we can ever imagine. How wonderful and wonder-filled it is to try to recount Your attributes and affection. Help us to raise up the next generation of intercessors as we grow in our own intimacy and awe of You.
Serving Him with Gladness,
Kathy Branzell
President
National Day of Prayer Task Force
About the National Day of Prayer
The National Day of Prayer tradition predates the founding of the United States of America, evidenced by the Continental Congress’ proclamation in 1775 setting aside a day of prayer. In 1952, Congress established an annual day of prayer and, in 1988, that law was amended, designating the National Day of Prayer as the first Thursday in May.
To learn more, or to find a National Day of Prayer event in your community, visit www.NationalDayofPrayer.org.
