“So it was, when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, that the shepherds said to one another, ‘Let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us.’ And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the Babe lying in a manger. Now when they had seen Him, they made widely known the saying which was told them concerning this Child. And all those who heard it marveled at those things which were told them by the shepherds.” ~ Luke 2:15-18
Lord, be found in me. In the beauty of Your holiness … be found in me.
As the shepherds hastened to Bethlehem to find You, to recognize You, and then to proclaim Your salvation to all they met, I want to be that life that was changed. I want Your light to radiate, Your love to overflow into the lives of others.
I want Your Name to be magnified in all that I say and do.
You call us to be holy as You are holy. That is our desire, Lord. That is also our impossibility … without You.
You are the Sanctifier, but we must be the yielded heart. You are the Potter, but we must be the clay that remains pliable in Your hands as You transform us into Your vessel of honor, Your dwelling place.
Your Bethlehem.
A place where You belong.
Return us to the place of quiet and simplicity away from the chaos.
Return us to humility where pride doesn’t dictate our words and actions.
As the stable in Bethlehem became a place of worship, we desire to be that as well. Though a baby, You were recognized as King and Messiah.
You were Emmanuel — God with us.
That is such a miracle, Lord! Such an expression of Your great love.
We, too, recognize You as King and we worship You. O come, let us adore You! Let us sing Your praise and be forever awed by the wonder of it all.
May we never take You for granted. May we always go to great lengths and inconvenience to seek You first, to be enthralled by who You are — the One True God who loves us with an everlasting love.
And, like the shepherds, we want to proclaim the Good News to everyone we meet — unreservedly, authentically, and passionately, just the way You have loved and accepted us as Your own.
You are the Great God, King of kings, and Lord of lords! There is none like You, Lord. Help us take hold of these truths.
We prepare You room in our hearts this Christmas — we want to be Your Bethlehem. Be Lord of our lives and be glorified through us.
In Jesus’ Name I pray,
Amen
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Please don’t carry your burdens alone. I would be honored to pray with you.
You may contact me directly at nan@nanjones.com
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Thank you for all of your prayers for my baby girl, Nancy. Her wedding this past Saturday, December 22nd, was absolutely wonderful! She was able to walk/limp down the aisle with her bum knee which had gone out again just two days before the wedding. She could put no weight on it without excruciating pain. But we bombarded heaven on her behalf and God heard us out of His Holy hill. What a gorgeous bride! Thank you for lifting her before the Father. We go back to her surgeon on January 3rd to see where we go from here. I’ll keep you posted.
From my family to yours, we wish you a very Merry Christmas!
Absolutely beautiful Nan, I want Jesus to always be found in me too. Merry Christmas! I love you.
Me, too, Marcie girl … me, too. I’m so thankful for you and that we have the awesome wonder of seeking Jesus together.