By Keona Tann
The joy and hope of Christmas dates back to the very first one, a great joy to the world was born, for the Savior was born. Earth received its long-awaited king in the form of a tiny babe born in a manger. All of heaven and nature joined in singing Jesus’ glorious praises, for the great hope for mankind was born that very night!
Mary, a virgin, conceived a child through the Holy Spirit and gave birth to Jesus who is Immanuel = ‘God is with us.’ Matthew 1:23
The first Christmas also birthed a new season, a season of miracles. Jesus’ life on earth revealed miracle after miracle. Jesus boldly declared: “For I have come down from heaven to do the will of God who sent me, not to do my own will.” (John 6:38 New Living Translation). He invested his life into others by teaching them how they could walk in relationship with God and complete His work on earth.
Christmas is an opportunity to reflect upon the great Christmas miracle - Jesus’ birth. It’s an opportunity to choose worship over chaos; peace over turmoil; joy over despair; and forgiveness over hurt. We can allow the ‘silly season’ to consume us or we can celebrate the fact that it is a season of miracles.
I was reminded of the Prayer of Saint Francis and as I reflected upon that prayer I felt a great desire to make that prayer my focus for Christmas and the coming year. This is my version of that prayer:
Lord may I walk in and exude
Your peace
Where there is darkness, let
me shine Your light
Where hatred reigns, let me
sow Your extravagant love
Where hurt runs deep, let me
sow Your miracle healing
Where grief is overwhelming,
let me sow Your great comfort
Where doubts surround
hearts, let me sow Your faithfulness
Where despair rules, let me
sow Your unending hope
Where there is dryness, let
me sow Your bubbling joy
O my glorious Lord may I be
empowered to comfort others
May I receive divine
revelation so that I have great understanding in each and every situation I
face
Because You love me so much
I can love others
Because You bless me
abundantly I can always bless others!
Because You have forgiven me
I can forgive others
Because You laid down Your
life for me I can live eternally with You
Because of the great work
You’re doing in my life I can impact the world around me!
Lord enable me to do Your
work, I ask that my words, actions and deeds would draw people to You Lord
Lord help me to live a
life of honour
Jesus may I become more like
You
Abba Father may I truly
grasp hold of my identity
Holy Spirit fill me to
overflow
In Jesus’ name, Amen
I am so grateful for all that God has done, is doing and will do in my life.
I hope and pray that Christmas for you will be a season of miracles, that the longings of your heart will be fulfilled.
Many blessings, Keona
Keona
Also posted at https://internationalchristianfictionwriters.blogspot.com today.
Also posted at https://internationalchristianfictionwriters.blogspot.com today.
In September 2016 God declared healing over my life. This set me on a path of restoration and transformation.
My passion for writing was reignighted and I wrote the following mission statement:
I desire to impact the world through the words I share. I long to enrich, empower and encourage others whilst delivering my stories with empathy and understanding.
“He has given me a new song to sing, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see what he has done and be amazed. They will put their trust in the LORD.”
Psalms 40:3 NLT
I've started a weekly blog which you can find at: https://keonajtann.wordpress.com/
I'm currently working on my testimony as well as my journey with endometriosis and adrenal fatigue. I hope that I'll launch my first book soon. Many blessings, Keona
Love your heart for God, Keona. And thank you for sharing your beautiful prayer.
ReplyDeleteThanks Jo-Anne! Have a wonderful Christmas. Blessings xx
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