December Prayer Guide 2021
INDIA — Words of Hope’s Director shares this encouragement: “We must use all our God-given intelligence, physical strengths, and the available resources in our network. However, we must never forget that in spite of all our efforts, we must seek God’s will, God’s favor, God’s given principles, and God’s Kingdom on top priority, even at […]
The Beginning
Read: Psalm 145 The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. (v. 1) Advent is a new beginning. Advent is a fresh start for the cosmos. Today, Mark brings us to this beginning. That first verse packs a wallop. In his usual terse way—Mark is never one to waste words—Mark tells […]
Open Hands, Fulfilled Needs
Read: Psalm 145 Every day I will bless you and praise your name forever and ever. (v. 2) When we choose to hold the things of this world loosely, letting go and letting God, we open up our lives to worship him more fully. As one of David’s psalms of praise, Psalm 145 reminds me […]
Embrace
Read: Luke 15:11-24 But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him. (v. 20) “Letting go, and letting God” is a theme that has allowed us to consider what it means to let go of control, fear, bitterness, and expectations; […]
Lowering the Bar
Read: Philippians 1:12-30 For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. (v. 21) Expectation is a regular part of life. While we know a new day is not promised, it’s likely most of us get up in the morning expecting to have a day much like the last. We might anticipate […]
Overwhelmed
Read: Psalm 61:1-3 Lead me to the rock that is higher than I. (v. 2) According to the New England Journal of Medicine, the first confirmed case of a COVID-19 infection in the United States was reported on January 20, 2020. The first year of the pandemic brought what felt like countless questions, unknowns, and […]
Only One You
Read: Psalm 139 For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. (v. 13) It shows up on Facebook, words laid over a flowered background: “Be yourself; everyone else is already taken.” I have seen this quote more frequently lately and deeply appreciate it in a time when comparison is […]
The Gift of Forgiveness
Read: Colossians 3:12-17 As the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. (v. 13) Yesterday we focused on the apostle Paul’s admonishment to release bitterness, one of a long list of sins he urged the Ephesian believers to steer clear of. Today we consider his words to the church at Colossae, specifically his […]
Cast Out Bitterness
Read: Ephesians 4:24-32 Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. (v. 31 NIV) Perhaps you’ve heard this quote or a variation thereof: “Don’t get bitter, just get better.” Easy to say for the person who wasn’t just hurt by a friend, fired […]