Majestic God of the heaven and earth with all their bewilderments and surprises and astonishments. You made all that exists. You made it all for our pleasure and benefit. You also made it as a proving ground to test the power of love through us. Hate can and never will overcome love. Hate wants to accuse and punish. Hate wants instant gratification no matter who it hurts. Hate loves to hate. Love covers up the wrong in others because it is merciful. Love wants to patiently develop and grow. Love always is strongest. That is you, my God. You are Love and I worship you.

Father, I am so weak in sharing your Words of life to people walking in darkness and not even realizing it. Help me overcome my indifference.

Ah, how can I thank you, my Lord, for making this earth, then becoming flesh and walking among us? We saw your love, we felt your love, we were saved by your love.  Without you, my life would only be getting and earning, building and making ~ all the while, trying to find some meaning in life. You provide the meaning: Life with you is life to its fullest and it is eternal.

Jehovah God, your Master Plan of saving us from Satan is perfect and spectacular.  It will continue, no matter how much we humans and Satan fight it. It will be carried out to the glorious end. Your will shall be carried out because you have the strongest will of all ~ love, justice, mercy. You shall win over Satan and some day walk with me home to heaven. I worship at your feet.

Forgive me when I blame others for sinning and am not willing to look at my own sins. Help me overlook and forgive them, and bury my ego.

Thank you, Lord, for all those who have gone before me in the faith. People like Abraham and Joseph and Elijah who stood alone to believe in and follow you. Thank you for the apostles, their hard work, and enduring terrible pain when he slowly killed them rather than deny you.  Thank you for Christians around the world who believed in you, even when the other people in their countries ~ China, India, Africa, Europe ~ did not. Thank you for those who stood up against changing your rules, even though it meant being burned at the stake. Thank you for my own ancestors, some of whom were loyal to you to the end. May I follow their example and be a faithful Christian ancestor to my descendants.

The scripture for today, December 28, is Hebrews 12:28 as found in the New Testament of the Bible:          “Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe.”

Lord God, you love every one of your children and we love you in return. But sometimes one wanders away. You need to leave the rest of us behind to find the lost one and that is fine with me. I will be okay while you’re gone. Oh, me? You mean me? You want me to go looking for you and find your missing child? Ah, let me think a moment. Are you sure?  Hmmm…  Yes, yes! If you will fill my spirit with your kind of love, then I must go. I will not be able to resist the search. Help me find the lost soul in time. Give me courage to go wherever I must go. And, Lord, help that lost one keep praising you until I arrive.  Me too. I will keep praising you.

Forever I will thank you, Lord for all you did to pay the terrible blood ransom to free me from the one who has been a liar and evil from the beginning. You left the safety of heaven to enter this world controlled by Satan. You challenged Satan and won!  You won! It was not easy, but you were the victor. You didn’t have to give up everything for me. You took the chance and became the champion. Thank you, my Lord. Forever, thank you.

The scripture for today, December 26, is John 12:26 as found in the New Testament of the Bible:          “Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me.”

Ah, Lord God, my heart burns within me for you. Burning with the rays of your sun that grace my day. At night it breaks through the darkness from each star firelit with your majesty. Then dawn again. In a blink, your sun is back. But it never really leaves me. For your love keeps my heart warm and bright with the flame of your grace. Someday I will ride one of those sunbeams to you and, in your presence, I shall see your throne ablaze with glory.

Father, I stole something precious from you. I knew other Christians were coming together to encourage each other and worship you, but I said I did not have time. I used that time to go to take a walk in a park.  I stole that hour from you. Forgive me, my Father. Forgive me.

I thank you for your love that will not let me go. Though I sometimes wander from you, carelessly, letting Satan have his way, you run after me calling out, “No! Do not go with him. He is dangerous. He will hurt you. His smiles mean nothing but treachery. I can protect you!  Run! Run away from him! Come back!”  When I am blind, you send me your light so I can find my way back to you. Thank you for loving me that much.

The scripture for today, December 25 is Proverbs 12:25 as found in the Old Testament of the Bible:          “An anxious heart weighs a man down, but a kind word cheers him up.”

God, you are the potter; I am mere clay for you to form exactly what you have in mind just as you did long ago in Eden.  You are the cleanser; I am the one with murky sins that need washing away, just as you did on the cross that day long ago.  You have the Master Plan of the universe; I am the one stumbling through life not quite understanding which way to go. You are the compass; I gladly cling to you as you take me one step at a time safely Home.

You were in that grave, your body still and lifeless. The soldiers outside paced with their weapons and dared anyone to take that body away. Your followers hid and prayed that no one would disturb the fleshly form of the one they had lived with and loved those three years. Both worried in vain. Like a lightning flash, you re-entered that body and showed yourself triumphant over Satan and over Death. Everything was under your control as it always is.    Thank you for being strong for me.  You who were born to die.

The scripture for today, December 24, is Luke 12:24 as found in the New Testament of the Bible:          “Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds!”

Ah, my God, I live in an era of airplanes and rockets, televisions and computers. They are mind-boggling how they work. Just how do people doing things together jump into a tiny wire, travel hundreds of miles, and pop up out of that wire as a picture on my TV screen? And to think you are so far above the most technical thing mankind has invented. I can only begin to grasp your power ~ a universe with two trillion galaxies. I cannot fathom just one galaxy. My mind becomes dizzy just in the trying. So, I give up and smile and know you are smiling too. Someday I will understand. Someday.

My Creator and Maker, you love me as your child. I look up to you in awe and try to follow in your footsteps and be like you. But your footsteps are so large. I flounder and often have to take many steps to your one and trip along the way. You just smile and take my hand. Someday I will face the journey you are leading me on.  I have no fear of death, for there awaits me no punishment, only more exciting things and a sweet forever with you. Thank you.

The scripture for today, December 23, is 1st Samuel 12:23 as found in the Old Testament of the Bible:          “As for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord by failing to pray for you. And I will teach you the way that is good and right.”

Jehovah God of the universe with its two trillion galaxies, you have all things ultimately under your control, even tiny specks in the universe ~ humans.  You gave us free will, but you have the master Plan that nothing and no one can stop from being carried out. You delegate and we try to understand. Sometimes we refuse to carry out our assignments, preferring to wallow in our problems and blame you. Sometimes you step in and adjust things.  Always you are working to carry out your glorious Plan to the finish ~ of saving us from Satan and chaining him forever. You work whether or not we do. You love whether or not we do. You stay on course, no matter how much we get sidetracked and follow Satan’s offers of pleasures. Onward you go, despite politics and disasters and selfishness and Satan’s diversions. You are the brightness of the stars, the depths of the oceans, the height of mountain tops. You are the glory of the universe and I adore you.

Forgive my hypocrisy, Father. I sing on Sunday “I Love to Tell the Story,” then don’t do it. I sing on Sunday, “Bring them in,” then I don’t.

You, Lord, are the light that leads me through the gloom of night as I walk the path you have given me in this world. One step at a time until I am home. Sometimes you lead me through torrents of storms and other times through sunny meadows. Thank you. May I never be too proud to take your will as my own and keep following. Lead on, my Lord. One step at a time lead on.  Then, some day we will be home.

The scripture for today, December 22, is 1st Samuel 12:22 as found in the Old Testament of the Bible:          “For the sake of his great name, the Lord will not reject his people, because the Lord was pleased to make you his own.”

Jehovah God, you are my guiding star. Without you I am lost. You are my hope. When my eyes drift from you, you step down and walk silently beside me until I can see and feel you again.  You are my strength. When I am tired, you continue my work for me. You are my light among the shadows. When I sometimes lose faith in you, you never lose faith in me and you forgive my doubts. How can you love me so perfectly? I offer you my soul and worship.

Father, I was a real coward the other day. I was at a diner alone and heard some people talking about the meaning of life. I should have gotten up and asked to join them. But I did not. Forgive me for passing up this opportunity.

Ah, my Lord,, it is morning. The sun is not quite up yet but it will be. It always does. You keep your promises. You never change. I can always trust in you, hope in you, rely on you. No matter how much I change and want you to change, you remain stable, my sure anchor. Thank you for being my God.

The scripture for today, December 21, is Matthew 12:21 as found in the New Testament of the Bible:          “In his name the nations will put their hope.”

Ah, my Lord, I am tired and afraid to hope. The hopes I shouted about before are now just a whisper in the mist.  What shall I do? I will rest and wait in you. I will hope in you. Oh!  What is that?  It’s you! I hear you now, “Come to me. Are you languishing in helplessness? Come.” Lord, I bring to you my wounded heart. I will sit at your feet and lean on you. You will lift me up and comfort me. I will be refreshed. Then, once again, my heart will soar.

Father, I am holding a grudge against someone who said something that offended me. That person probably didn’t even know it had that effect on me. Help me let it go.

I feel a kind of peace right now. Past turmoils seem lost in a fog and wandering farther and farther away. I will rest in this new peace. I will not hope or dream or desire. I will just sigh and bask in your love. It feels warm and good. Is that you smiling, my Lord? Thank you. You always know just what I need.  I bow my head and in my quiet, worship you.

The Scripture for today, December 19, is Romans 12:19 as found in the New Testament of the Bible:          “Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: ‘It is mine to avenge; I will repay,’ says the Lord.”

My soul takes flight, my God, and soars to your throne. I leap from star to star in wonder. I arrive at your gate of priceless pearl and it is opened for me. I rush up your street of gold and purity, lined with the tree of life until I see ahead of me ~ ah, I see ahead of me your throne. There, in tears of love and rapture, I bow at your wounded feet. The feet that were impaled in agony in my place. You reach down and place your hand ~ the nail-pierced hand ~ under my chin so I can look at your lovely face. I ask your forgiveness once again as I have so many times in my life for my many sins. You smile and wipe away my tears, then invite me to sing a song with you.  What joy. What unimaginable joy.

Father, someone told me something the other day and, without allowing them to explain further, I became angry. I did not wait. I just interrupted and became judgmental. Later I learned the rest of the story and became so ashamed. Forgive me. I need to ask their forgiveness and set things right.

I was sad and you became sorrowful with me. I was overjoyed and you celebrated with me. I was tired and you rested with me. I was energetic and you ran with me. I was bereaved and you grieved with me. I was confused and you pondered with me. I was awestricken and you marveled with me. My Lord, you treat me as though I am the only person in the world. You are everywhere at once. You are in my heart, my spirit, my soul. Thank you for being God of the universe.