5 Prayers for the Holidays (Soon to be Upon Us)
It’s November! What?!
We’re less than three weeks away from Thanksgiving and it always seems like Christmas follows in a blink after that. And for most of us, we can’t help but think about what that means for us and for the other people with whom we’ll interact over the holidays.
Because there are always emotions attached to the way we look at the holidays. Emotions attached to past memories and emotions connected to our current relationships.
Praise God, He understands our emotions, loves us, and invites us to bring all of those amped up feelings to Him in prayer so He can help us.
I’m so excited that my friend Sue Donaldson, of Welcome Heart, is sharing wisdom concerning many of the ways our thoughts, attitudes, and emotions can affect us over the weeks ahead. And I love that she’s doing it by taking it all to the Lord in prayer.
So, please make her feel welcome and don’t forget to say “hello” and bless her with a comment.
5 Prayers for the Holidays
(Soon to be Upon Us)
How we feel about the holidays-soon-approach may have everything to do with how we were raised, whose turn it is to host, or how badly the turkey turned out in 2008 which is now the stuff of family legend, no (stuffing) pun intended.
Here are 5 Scriptures and prayers for the holidays to ready our minds and hearts for seasonal festivities. May this be the best year yet all because God invites us to know Him deeper and follow Him better.
PRAYER FOR EXPECTATIONS
Expectations are great in their place but their place may only be in my imagination. I get into trouble when I expect someone to read my mind and do and say exactly as I was thinking they would do or say.
My favorite Scripture that helps me balance my best-laid plans and the reality of the moment…
“My soul, wait silently for God alone, For my expectation is from Him.”
Psalm 62:5 (NKJV)
Father, I give you all my hopes and dreams for the holidays. Please grant the ones that glorify you most and which grow me best into Your likeness. May I allow You to be in control. And when things don’t turn out exactly as I thought they might, may I let it go and rest in You. Thank You and Amen.
PRAYER FOR COMMUNICATION
Whether or not your family is a talkie-bunch, how we communicate can make or break a holiday event. I was anxious about how I might talk with an almost-relative who I knew I would be seeing soon. A friend counseled me: “Brag on her son when you see her.” That was great advice and smoothed over any awkwardness. You don’t need to make things up to be nice, but you can always be kind with your words.
Paul wrote…
“Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.”
Ephesians 4:29 (NIV)
Lord God, I want to use my words for blessing (not cursing!) this holiday season. I will see some people I don’t know well nor see very often, and only You know what’s going on in their lives. May I look for ways to say kind things and believe the best about another even if they say something offensive to me. Help me respond rather than react, and if I know I’m getting impatient, may I give myself a time-out until I spend time communicating with You. Thank You and Amen.
PRAYER FOR PEACE
God’s presence brings peace so I wonder, “Why don’t I always feel peaceful?” It’s a matter of the mind. Preparations for the holidays can fill my mind so much so I leave God on the perimeter and start wringing my hands in worry instead of folded in prayer to the One Who can actually do something about my anxieties. Jesus understood our proclivities to stew in the details of how much stew to make for how many guests as He recalls His Father’s loving care…
“So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs.Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.”
Matthew 6:31–33 (NLT)
Father God, I’m so glad you are in the details. Remind me every day that You’ve got it all under control even if I don’t have it on the list or, God forbid, I lose those precious lists. Thank you that You know what I need and what my guests and family needs. Teach me how to seek Your kingdom above all else. As I set each table may I set my mind on things above. Thank You and Amen.
PRAYER FOR FORBEARANCE
I love that old-fashioned word. Think: patience. My sister heard this great definition: “Forbearance is putting up with more than you are due (or that you THINK you are due!)” The funny thing about forbearance is that we want everyone else to “forbear” with us but forget to forbear with everyone else, depending on how much coffee we’ve had or how little sleep we’ve managed. It can be tricky to rub shoulders and hips in close proximity in a kitchen meant for one and now there are five, and you just wish everyone would go away for thirty minutes so you could get yourself together. Instead, we are called to forbear…
“Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.”
Colossians 3:13 (NIV)
Dear Father, I have no excuse for not exercising patience with others. After all, You are amazingly patient with me. Grant me the grace to forgive, the cognizance to hold my tongue, and the humility to keep my huffiness at bay. May I love lavishly and find You at every turn of the shopping aisle and what space is left at the kitchen island. Thank You and Amen.
PRAYER FOR CELEBRATING
Holidays are for celebrating! I love a great tradition that brings joy and sweetness to friends and family. However, my love for Christ and my purpose to make all my life all about Him gets lost in the trappings of tradition and wrappings of “we-must-do-it-this-way-again-because-that-is-what-we’ve-always-done.” I’m fairly certain flexibility–not cleanliness–is next to godliness.
When I remember Who I treasure and surrender each event to God–no matter how small, commit each task to His favor–no matter how simple, I can celebrate with abandon: my family and friends, the music, food, decor, the dark nights and special lights, the fire in the fireplace or a simple candle.
I want my heart’s cry to be like the Psalmist’s…
“Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.”
Psalm 73:25–26 (ESV)
Oh, God, I love You so! I celebrate You and what You purpose through my life. May I not be trapped by my traditions. I offer them all to You. Show me how to celebrate You best and foremost. May your love and sacrifice sink deep into my bones so that when people come into my home they know that they have been with Jesus. Now that’s something to celebrate! Thank You and Amen.
Sue Donaldson and her husband, Mark, live in San Luis Obispo, California. Sue taught high school English, part of the time in Brazil with Wycliffe Bible Translators. She and her husband, Mark, have raised 3 semi-adult daughters who keep them at the bank and on their knees. Sue loves connecting people to one another, to God, and to His Word, and has been speaking for the last 20 years or so with long pauses for babies, diapers and soccer pasta parties. She blogs at Welcome Heart.com – Ordinary Hospitality, Extraordinary God.
Sue’s books include:
Come to My Table: God’s Hospitality and Yours
Hospitality, 101: Lessons from the Ultimate Host, a 12-Week Bible Study
Table Mentoring: A Simple Guide to Coming Alongside
Thank you for this advance preparation for joyful yet sometimes trying times.
Very fitting prayers that I feel seem to be spot on for the feelings that we so often feel during these Holiday months. I like when you said so we can celebrate with abandon…yes,that is what I want to keep in mind. I want to let go of what I want and go through the Holidays with my expectations given over to Jesus.
I love that prayer for communication! Why do I forget that I can ask God to help me with things like this?! He is so faithful to answer in all things, and He cares so much about how we relate with others.
What a nice surprise to find Sue’s smile and her words here today.
“My soul waits…” is such a great premise to carry into a season in which our minds and bodies are going at full steam ahead. God, help us to have quiet hearts of worship and waiting as we celebrate gratitude and then, your incarnation.
Thanks so much, Sue, for these prayerful reminders on how we should view and embrace the holidays. Blessings!
Oh, my! That prayer right before Sue’s picture, particularly this…”May I not be trapped by my traditions. I offer them all to You.” So much goodness here. And then this…”when people come into my home they know that they have been with Jesus.” Such a beautiful prayer. I’m going to make that my own. ????
Thanks for sharing your spot here with Sue, Deb! I especially appreciate that prayer for expectations, that we would place them in God. For me, it’s easy to have unrealistic expectations about how wonderful the holidays will be. Then when they’re over, I feel blue. So it’s good to remember GOD is my hope! Every day of the year. It keeps the holidays in perspective.
It’s amazing how quickly the holidays engulf us once the time is set back an hour. Over the past few years I’ve made a concerted effort to enjoy each holiday with thanksgiving and remembrance of my Savior. I have so much to be thankful for every day. I enjoy the time with my family, but nothing compares to the time alone conversing with my Savior. I pray for those who are hurting at this time of years as well. My grandmother who helped raise me passed away around Thanksgiving. So every year that is hard to forget. I’m thankful that God gives comfort to my mother. I look forward to the holiday time but my life is more in balance than before, and that’s because of Christ.
Matthew 6:31–33 has brought me back many times when my heart starts to worry. Thanks for this great post to prepare ourselves for the holidays. And thank you for highlighting my post!
Thank you, Deb for hosting a spot in your space for my words. I need to pray these everyday!
I like the thought of your nations Thanksgiving tradition Deb, we don’t have that day here in Australia.
Blessings,
Jennifer
Hi Deb and Sue, thank you so much for blessing me with your words about forbearance, please pray for me in this area. I ask God to help me to be merciful to all, which is a very hard thing to do when others offend me. I ask God to help me be kind and patient with others at all times, even when I don’t feel compelled to do so. I love this blog and I’m always looking forward to learning new things to better serve God and others. So thank you Deb and Sue for your service to us.
May God Bless You Both,
Andria Thompson
Los Angeles, California
I love this list! Especially the advice/prayer about expectations. About this time each year, I get so excited for the holidays and build up all kinds unrealistic expectations. Only to be disappointed. Working on not doing that this year. Great post, Sue! And thanks for sharing, Deb!
This is just what I needed. My favorite part is to have the humility to keep my huffiness at bay. My loving husband just told me the I didn’t need to get huffy. Pride is my biggest problem. Thanks for your insights.
Hi, Jan! Thanks for visiting and stopping to say hello. Your comment made me smile. I think keeping “huffiness” at bay during this busiest of seasons is challenging for many of us. Thanks for your honesty … it’s God’s mercy and grace awesome! Blessings!