It brings me great joy to wish you a happy Christmas! Whether you’re experiencing unadulterated joy with the gathering of your dreams or you’re feeling sad about changed plans – or somewhere in between – may you know the wonder of the Gift of Christmas, Jesus, God and Man.
I’m grateful to know that so many of you have been enjoying my dad’s art (and yes, my reflections) in Celebrating Christmas. I know many have read it during Advent, but I wonder if it’s best read starting today on the eve of the season of Christmas – read two a day during today and the twelve days of Christmas, sitting under the tree with something hot and mulled in your hand.
May you know peace and laughter and joy and wonder and rest. As we in my family adjust to a different Christmas, we’re grateful for so many prayers and well-wishes.
I’m pausing the prayer guest blog series for a few weeks over the holiday period; I look forward to sharing some more wonderful contributions later in January. Here’s a prayer from Celebrating Christmas for this Advent season.
As we move toward Christmas, we can become overwhelmed with plans and carol concerts and baking and shopping and wondering whether or not to host that Christmas meal in these pandemic times. We can overlook the reason for all of this activity – Jesus being born.
Why not stop for a few moments and ponder the earthly vessel who hosted his earlier life, Mary? I love this painting of my dad’s – one similar to it appears in Celebrating Christmas. To be honest, I can’t remember why we chose that one over this one just now – you’ll have to check out the book to compare the differences!
You can use this painting as a prompt for prayer. Spend some time asking God to speak to you, perhaps reading through the story in Luke’s gospel of the angel Gabriel appearing to Mary with God’s special invitation. You could open your heart to any invitations God might have for you – perhaps to collaborate with him on a new project or perhaps simply to spend some time enjoying each other’s presence.
May we like Mary respond to God, saying, “Be it done unto me according to your word.”
To buy a copy of Celebrating Christmas, see purchase options here.
[Image – painting by Leo Boucher. Used with permission. All rights reserved.}
Reading Ruth’s blogpost makes me smile. I love hearing her story of noticing God at work through his creation, as the robin darted to and fro during her daily walk. Practicing God’s presence can be achieved simply by noticing. I trust you’ll enjoy Ruth’s post – and do check out her lovely new book too (details in her bio).
I’d just finished my radio show for the day and as is my habit, I headed out the studios and down the lane for a brisk walk to the telephone pole and back before tucking into my lunch and preparing for the next day’s guests. As I made my way to the lane through the car park, I spotted a robin. I love that bird and seeing him there made me smile. “Thank you Lord for letting me see him.”
The broadcast studios are in a beautiful country setting with wide, expansive views and on this particular day, the sun was streaming down as I picked up my pace. The lane is lined with a hedge on either side and within in a few short meters I spotted the robin again. He darted out and hopped on the road in front of me. I laughed out loud and pointed, “I see you!” and then, he was gone, back into the hedge. I lifted my head to the horizon, closed my eyes for a moment and felt the warmth of the early afternoon sun sink deep into my skin. I breathed in and felt a sense of wonder. “I love you my Lord. I worship you. Thank you God that I get to do this. Thank you for helping me today. Thank you for my guests. Thank you for the listeners. Jesus please heal Mary and intervene on Steve’s behalf. Thank you for making a way for Marion to hear that song today. Forgive me Lord for being short with my colleague. I’m sorry. I worship you. ”
Out darts the robin from the hedge again. “That’s you Lord! I see you!” I laugh again. “That’s you Holy Spirit. That’s you! I see you. Thank you my God.” I laugh again. I’m smiling big now. I sense the presence of God all around me, like all of creation is singing His praise. The robin darts out of the hedge and hops on the road ahead of me a few more times before disappearing altogether. I feel a lightness within me. I know I am seen by my Maker. I am loved.
I go for a walk most days after my show. It’s an opportunity for me to process the last few hours and gives me a chance to encounter God in creation, but it doesn’t always result in the experience I’ve just described. It’s often far more mundane, but I am intentional about using the opportunity to reflect on the show and speak to God about the things on my mind and in my heart.
The story of the robin illustrates the way I’ve learnt to pray in recent years though and perhaps it’s something you can try. I’ve become deliberate about including God in everything. I choose to be intentionally aware of His goodness, strive to be vocal in my gratitude and am forthcoming with my foibles. This is how I’ve come to ‘pray continually’ as the Apostle Paul urges us to do in 1 Thessalonians 5:16–18. I used to think people who prayed for a parking space or asked God what clothes they should wear were weird, but I do that now, and I think it’s wonderful. Maybe I’m just weird, but these seemingly insignificant moments make me aware of bringing God into my every waking moment.
In what ways can you intentionally invite Jesus into the everyday moments of your life? I start my day with a time of stillness where I read my Bible and give the day to the One who made it. I ask God to help me stay close and be aware of him throughout. And then, I look for him in everything. Be on the lookout for your Maker today and acknowledge him with a thankful heart – that’s prayer.
Ruth O’Reilly-Smith was born in South Africa and has lived in the UK since 1999. Here she met and married her husband and they have twin boy and girl. Ruth started as radio broadcaster in 1995 and currently hosts a weekday radio show called, This Is My Story on UCB2, which is part of United Christian Broadcasters, a global Christian media charity. Ruth also enjoys writing and wrote for the Our Daily Bread Ministries publication for a number of years. She’s author of God Speaks – 40 Letters From The Father’s Heart, published by Authentic Media. You can read more of Ruth on her website, which is also where she posts regular Bible study blogs. Ruth’s Christian faith is central to all she does and her heart is to communicate God’s love in as tangible a way as possible. Find her at her website, on Twitter, and on Instagram.
Order 7 Ways to Prayhere, including in the US, UK, and Australia. You’ll also find lots of resources for small groups – videos and a leader’s guide – here.
The experience of heart-wrenching trials has pushed Claire even closer to God, especially as she has rediscovered the prayer of lament. She shares movingly and gives a helpful example of how to pray this way, based on Psalm 13. You won’t want to miss this.
These are all a regular part of my days right now, as I watch one of those dearest to me struggle in ways I almost cannot bear. Suffering (whether your own or of one close to you) can rend you speechless, spiralling into the abyss of a dark unknown, even as you cry out to God for rescue, for a glimmer of hope… for anything that shows he is at work.
Unfamiliar territory
I have to confess lament was not something I practised regularly until around five years ago. I come from an evangelical church that is not big on tradition, and does not follow a traditional church calendar. But it was when my sister’s marriage fell apart and my mum’s health began to deteriorate rapidly that the emotional turmoil inside of me needed an outlet. In the midst of this, a dear young mum in our church died, leaving a husband and three small children. All of a sudden I was grieving privately in my family but also publicly with my church family. As my husband and I tried to lead our congregation through it (he as the pastor, me the worship pastor) I felt suffocated, alone and with no way of releasing the pain within. When I gathered the worship team who would be playing that first Sunday after her death, I realised that we had no language to express what we needed to as a community, but also as individuals.
A God-given language
During that season, I was drawn back to the Psalms, gently reminded by God that so many are songs of lament, and that I had utilised them once before. In an incredibly painful time in my marriage, I had opened Psalm 38 and the words had leapt off the page to me, as they seemed to describe exactly what I was experiencing then: ‘My wounds fester and are loathsome because of my sinful folly. I am bowed down and brought very low; all day long I go about mourning… I am feeble and utterly crushed; I groan in anguish of heart’ (Psalm 38:5–6,8).
Back then, it was a revelation of my own sinfulness and the resulting pain that caused me to lament. But in more recent years, it has been a cry from deep in my soul that has been almost unstoppable. It has become a way I have desperately tried to remain connected to God through circumstances that have threatened to engulf me or those I dearly love. Some days it can sometimes feel like all hope is lost – and yet lament is the bridge that helps me find my way back to God when he seems distant or hidden.
I don’t relish the experiences that have revealed how vital lament is to me, but I do cherish the renewed understanding that God has given us permission to vent all our anger, frustration, anguish, as well as our questions, through the examples in the Psalms and Lamentations – as well as of Jesus himself.
Faith and intimacy
I am walking a particularly painful path right now – and it has seemed relentless for the last few years. My mum passed away just before Covid, and almost immediately we were swept into working hard to keep our church community feel connected during the lockdowns, and now we are in the midst of an excruciatingly painful situation in our immediate family.
When my mum died, God spoke to me so clearly through John 11 – revealing an image of Jesus weeping alongside me. That has been a real comfort at times, but in other moments the sense of loss and pain has been overwhelming. In those times, I have come to view lament as part of my survival kit – an absolutely necessity to stop me from going under.
Lamenting with the Psalms
The pandemic has brought suffering to so many families, and this life is full of troubles (as well as joys). If you don’t regularly practise lament, I encourage you gently to try finding a psalm that seems to echo the cry of your heart and turn it into a prayer.
Here is an example of the way in which I use particular psalms as launchpads for my own prayers – I hope it is helpful to you, but of course do feel free to find your own individual way of lamenting before God.
1 How long, Lord? Will you forget me for ever? How long will you hide your face from me?
God I can’t see you at work in this situation. It feels like I am having to cope on my own. I know you are there – please reveal yourself to me. Show me you haven’t forgotten us.
2 How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and day after day have sorrow in my heart? How long will my enemy triumph over me?
This all feels relentless, and it does feel like the devil is having a field day. I am finding it hard to keep batting away the discouragement, and my own depression. How long is this going to go on for Lord?
3 Look on me and answer, Lord my God. Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death, 4 and my enemy will say, ‘I have overcome him,’ and my foes will rejoice when I fall.
We need you to move – we need release! Come and act, move so that those around will know that you are God. And bring me your discernment and wisdom to know what to do – and your energy. I am so tired Lord…
5 But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation. 6 I will sing the Lord’s praise, for he has been good to me.
I do trust you Lord, however hard that is to say at times – and I do know that you are good and that your character cannot change. I also choose to worship you, singing songs of thanks, because I know they stir my heart and do me good. Thank you for the salvation you have brought me, thank you for the way you have led me in the past – and thank you for the way you have upheld my family. I know that you love them more than I do – and trust that you have a hope and a future for each one of us.
Claire Musters is a writer, speaker, editor and author of several books. You can follow her at @CMusters on Twitter and on Facebook or visit her website. Her most recent book, Grace-Filled Marriage (Authentic Media), was written with her husband and is available to buy from clairemusters.com – it is also part of the Big Church Read initiative (see thebigchurchread.co.uk/grace-filled-marriage/ for videos, reading plan and discussion questions). The devotional she wrote while her mum was dying, Every Day Insights: Disappointment and loss (30 readings and reflections to help bring comfort and hope), can also be bought direct from Claire, as can all her books – contact Claire on cmusters@Icloud.com for more details (including special Christmas offers).
Order 7 Ways to Prayhere, including in the US, UK, and Australia. You’ll also find lots of resources for small groups – videos and a leader’s guide – here.
Here we are in Advent, and I haven’t yet set up the Advent wreath or figured out if I’m going to read something different for my daily devotional time. Can you relate?
Whether we are super organized and have all of our Christmas shopping already done (and yes I do actually know a few people in this enviable position) or we are catching our breath, wondering where November went, it’s all grace. I am guessing God is more delighted that we’re preparing our hearts for Jesus rather than him chastising us for being a wee bit late.
Advent used to be a time of fasting, not feasting. Similar to Lent in that it’d be a season of preparing for the feast of Christmas. Culturally we’ve turned things around, however, and for many people, Christmas ends on the 26th. I so respect those who observe Advent in the historic sense, but I’m so much a creature of culture that I tend to do a bit of both – I set up the tree around now and have been known to listen to Christmas carols before Christmas Eve, but we like to observe Advent as a family and definitely like to extend the Christmas celebrations to Epiphany (for us even something as simple as eating our evening meal in the dining room makes it more festive).
However you’re celebrating the season, I hope you will sense God’s presence, drawing you closer to him.
Here’s a prayer from the first entry in Celebrating Christmas, which focuses on light. You can read the introduction and this first meditation in this sample, courtesy of BRF, my publisher. And yes, you can read this book day by day during Advent (it has 25 chapters) or while curled up by the Christmas tree during the twelve days of Christmas.
Jesus, you bring light and life. As I yield to you, your presence within me burns away that which is not holy. Help me to welcome your clarifying light, that I might be free of any sin that clings. May your light within be a gentle and welcoming beacon, a signal in these dark times of a safe haven. Amen
To buy a copy of Celebrating Christmas, please visit a Christian bookshop if you can. Here’s a list of places to purchase, including online.
Anne shares vulnerably about getting overwhelmed by her prayer lists – while having nothing against this way of praying. She is a woman of prayer who has much to offer. She encourages us to keep in tune with God and look to him for how we pray. I welcome you to read on. . .
It was Mum I missed most when we moved away from our smallisland home of Guernsey to London’s vast metropolis. Prior to the advent of email, texts and Facetime, she and I kept in touch through snail-mail and a fortnightly 59 minute, 59 second landline call. This was our special weekend perk; free calls for up to an hour before the charges kicked in. A vital and deeply special point of contact.
To make best use of that time we kept lists of the things we wanted to ask or tell one another, taking turns to work through our points. ‘Anything else on your list?’ we’d say as the minutes drained away, invariably running out before we could enjoy free-flow conversation.
But when Mum came to visit, we relished simply being together. Listening, talking or enjoying silent companionship with our favourite brew, engaging at a deeper level… This precious principle still nurtures my relationship with God.
In contrast, when I started following Jesus, I was advised to keep a prayer list. But my personal needs alongside family, friends, church, charities and mission organisations, not least educational bodies, health agencies, governments and worldwide issues, fast outgrew a list. In fact, they could have filled a shelf of notebooks! And whether I prayed for ten minutes or an hour a day, it was impossible to pray about everything, even over the course of a week.
I have nothing against prayer lists. They’re a helpful prompt and focus my attention on needs aside of my own. I still keep a shorter list and receive a couple of prayer diaries for certain people and situations God has specifically laid on my heart. But God never expected us to be pray for everyone and everything we hear about. Nor did He intend for prayer to be a ‘to-do’ list; a task that leaves us feeling guilty, ashamed or an underrate Christian if we fail to pray through the endless needs bombarding us. Prayer is so much more than just asking. Like my relationship with Mum, prayer is God’s gift to help us enjoy His presence and engage at a deeper level.
Just being with God in prayer is key, whether through enjoying a pot of tea or stomping up hills and along river banks or strolling through bustling streets. Loving and being loved by God in meaningful, transformative relationship is about being in prayer rather than doing it. Of sitting or walking with God to seek and to hear His heart. Taking time to nurture the infinite pleasure of dwelling—remaining, settling—in the awareness of His presence.
Amy’s book, 7 Ways to Pray, is a perfect companion to develop and enrich this encounter with God; helping us to prayerfully meet Him through His Word, through lament, through the practice of examen or the mindful awareness of His presence through the day.
Asking in Jesus’ name, wrestling in prayer and interceding for others are vital, but how tiresome a task these prayers might be if not birthed from a heartfelt relationship. One of sharing and listening. Of pondering what has been said. Of thanks and adoration. Of laughing and crying. Of honesty. Transparency. And relishing times available for silent companionship; assured, at peace and infused with the pleasure of each other’s company.
So, please don’t ditch your prayer lists, but ask God what He has entrusted you to pray for, and try balancing that time with space to just be with Him in prayer.
Anne Le Tissier loves to disciple others in their ongoing walk with God as an author, preacher and conference speaker. She has written six books, contributed to a seventh, but also writes daily Bible reading notes, blogs and magazine articles. Anne also enjoys growing her own veg, chatting to her chickens and sharing quality time over meals with friends. You can find out more about her work or connect with her on social media through her website www.anneletissier.com
Order 7 Ways to Prayhere, including in the US, UK, and Australia. You’ll also find lots of resources for small groups – videos and a leader’s guide – here.
Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good. His love endures forever. Give thanks to the God of gods. His love endures forever. Give thanks to the Lord of lords: His love endures forever. (Psalm 136:1–3)
God has given us so much; my heart overflows with thanks. I pray you will have a spring of gratitude welling up within you, wherever in the world you are today. May the Lord bless you and keep you.
[Art by Leo Boucher. Used with permission; all rights reserved.]
What a moving post by Lynne! I love how she shares her experiment with one of the prayer exercises in 7 Ways to Pray, and the difference that it’s been making as she meets with God. Maybe you could give this practice a go?
I’m a busy mum to 5 children – the youngest of which are twins who are nearly 3 years old. As well as being a wife and mother, I am also launching my own business. Finding time to breathe let alone finding time to be with God is almost impossible. So when I saw that Amy Boucher Pye had a launch team for a book she had written about different ways to pray, it stirred something inside me. Even though I didn’t really have the time I knew I needed to read the book … and I wasn’t disappointed.
I read through the first chapter soaking up her words. Amy not only opened my mind, but she opened my eyes and my heart too. I received some wonderful ideas on how I could read through the Bible and pray at the same time. Amy writes about how we can meet God in a tangible way as we pray with the Bible.
“God always makes himself known to us, and a primary way he reveals himself is through his Word. When we pray with the Bible, God infuses the experience with his Spirit.”
7 Ways toPray, page 11
How I met with God
In using Amy’s suggestion of re-writing scripture, I decided to set myself a challenge. For the month of October I developed Bible based affirmations about how God saw me and what His heart was for me. My hope was to use these Bible affirmations to change a mindset I had which was doing me no good. I needed to see myself as God sees me.
One of the affirmations I wrote was on being brave. I used the Bible verse Isaiah 41:10:
“Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”
Using Amy’s technique, I personalised it and re-wrote it in my own words what I believed God was saying to me:
Lynne, do not be afraid for I am by your side. I am your God and you do not need to be scared. I will provide you with the strength you need and I will be here to help you. Lynne, you will no longer feel invalidated because I am here to encourage you and lift you up. You are not alone. You are brave.
As a result of Amy’s suggestion on making the Bible verses personal to ourselves, it has really helped me to view God in a different way. Most importantly it is helping me to change my mindset on how I view myself.
Why not have a go at personalising a Bible verse and re-write in your own words what you feel God is saying to you.
Lynne Cole is a wife and a stay-at-home mother to 5 children. She is currently setting up a business in arts and craft called Lumina Creations. She also blogs in the (very little) free time that she has. She believes that a broken past does not mean a broken future and that we are all beautiful despite what we have been through. Through her creations and her writing, her desire is to bring hope and encouragement to others and shed some light into the darkness that is experienced.
Order 7 Ways to Prayhere, including in the US, UK, and Australia. You’ll also find lots of resources for small groups – videos and a leader’s guide – here.
Sometimes we get hung up on the mechanics of prayer – are we doing it right and what if we can’t find the right words to say. Matt assures us that God loves to hear from us, whatever words we use. I think you’ll be encouraged by his post, so please read on…
Just before lockdown here in the UK, a young lady I know bravely shared about some mental health challenges she had been facing. She didn’t go to church (I knew her through a secular job I used to do). So, I thought this was an opportunity to not only offer some support, but also a chance to share something of Jesus with her.
I simply asked if I could pray for her.
Her response completely took me by surprise. It was clear that she had no idea what I was talking about, what prayer was or why I would be offering to do some weird thing on behalf of someone else. She just didn’t understand.
It was a little awkward, so I didn’t push it. I still prayed for her on my own as I intended to anyway; it just didn’t provide the opening I was hoping for.
Another story I would like to share is one when my wife and I were newly married, just over ten years ago now.
A lady from my work had come to our wedding and had since met Jesus and joined our church. We had just started a small Bible study in our home, and she was attending regularly. One thing we liked to do was to invite others in the group to pray if they wanted to so that it wasn’t just my wife and me talking the whole time.
In the first few sessions some of the others prayed, but my friend from work remained silent. Some time later, we discovered that she felt unable to pray because she said she could not think of the big or ‘posh’ words that some of the others were using. She also felt nervous that she might say the wrong thing.
We explained that prayer is like having a conversation with God – a chat. You don’t have to use big or grand words. It doesn’t have to be something written down in a big heavy book somewhere for it to ‘qualify’ as an actual prayer. We also encouraged her that God knew her heart and even if she thought she may have said something wrong, she should not worry about it. God is bigger than our mistakes. He loves us and wants to talk to us. He desires relationship more than perfection.
Over time with a bit of encouragement and support, this lady began to pray in our Bible study group. Her prayers were simple, yet heartfelt. She stumbled over her words and said ‘Umm’ a lot. But she was praying – communicating with God.
Those humble, awkward prayers taught me something.
Firstly, some of the people we encounter may have no idea about the overwhelming possibility we have to communicate with God. They may have no concept of God, let alone any idea about prayer. We need to be prepared to show the love of God to them and to pray for them anyway.
If they do have some idea about prayer, they may have some misunderstandings that get in the way of them engaging.
Secondly, with a bit of understanding of what prayer is and is not, we can learn how to do it. I don’t mean we will all one day be able to pray grandiose prayers filled with thousands of words, most of which need a dictionary near by to make any sense of.
No.
Jesus tells us:
And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. (Matthew 6:5-8, NIV)
We can learn how to pray.
We can learn how to listen and how to respond.
We can learn how to talk with God and be ourselves whilst doing it.
The best way of learning is by doing. Don’t worry if you think you can’t find the ‘right’ words. Don’t worry if you stumble and say ‘Umm’ a lot.
Right where you are now as you read these words, turn your attention towards God. What would you like to talk to Him about?
Come, let us pray…
Matt McChlery is an author, songwriter and an Overseer (elder) at his local church based in Wisbech, northeast Cambridgeshire, UK. He has written numerous songs for the church that can be found on digital streaming platforms and has penned three books, including the much-anticipated memoir about his journey through non-Hodgkin Lymphoma called Standing in the Storm: Living with faith and cancer (Instant Apostle), which will be released in May 2022. Find out more at www.mattmcchlery.com
Order 7 Ways to Prayhere, including in the US, UK, and Australia. You’ll also find lots of resources for small groups – videos and a leader’s guide – here.
