A Prayer for Christmas Hope

The thrill of hope, the weary world rejoices, For yonder brinks a new and glorious morn. Fall on your knees, O, hear the angel voices. O, night divine. O, night when Christ was born. O, night divine. O night, O night divine.

Lord Jesus, as we celebrate the season of Christ’s birth, there’s nothing that stands brighter than hope. The thrill of hope. The excitement that no matter what life brings us, we can still have hope because of that night divine, that night when our precious Savior was born in a stable.

This life is hard, sometimes unbearable.

The loss of a loved one who fought the fight against cancer so valiantly.

The unwanted divorce that left us wondering if anything in our lives had been real.

The pain of infertility that leaves us devastated every single month.

The hurt of watching a child walk away from the truth of God’s word.

There’s no end to the painful circumstances we face in this life, but no matter the pain, we always have the thrill of hope, the promise that our Savior has won the victory.

Our hope does not lead to disappointment because we know how dearly You love us, because You have given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with your love (Romans 5:5). How beautiful is your overwhelming love, your love that pursues us relentlessly, that chases us down and fills every fiber of our beings. Thank you for your unfathomable love, a love that gives more than we could ever understand.

Help us in the midst of life’s circumstances to rejoice in our confident hope. Help us to always be patient in trouble, and keep on praying (Romans 12:12). Help us remember you always have a plan, that even in the midst of deafening silence, you are near. You are always working in the background to help our circumstances work for our good. Let your hope penetrate our hearts, our souls, as we remember your promises.

I pray not only for myself, but also for those around me. I pray that You, the source of hope, will fill each of my friends completely with joy and peace because we trust in you. I pray we will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit (Romans 15:13). Give us faith to cling to you in the most hopeless situations, in those times when it seems we should just throw in the towel, to give up. Strengthen our faith as we seek to trust in you.

I pray that all of our hearts will be flooded with light so we can understand the confident hope You have given to those you called—us, your holy people, those of us who are your rich and glorious inheritance (Ephesians 1:18). I pray we never lose sight of who we are in Him, of who You say we are. I pray we will grasp the gravity of our adoption into the family of Christ, an adoption that gives us all the rights of a biological child.

This hope you give us is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls. It leads us through the curtain into God’s inner sanctuary (Hebrews 6:19). I pray we cling to your hope as it keeps us anchored safely while the storms of this life seek to toss us, to drown us. May you, your hope, allow us to be a symbol of strength pointing the world to you as we remain steadfast, securely anchored. Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, knowing you can be trusted to keep your promises (Hebrews 10:23).

Father, we need you. Let your unfailing love surround us for our hope is in you alone (Psalm 33:22). Help us keep our eyes firmly focused on you. Don’t let us get distracted by the waves crashing all around us. Keep us securely in your grip.

And so, Lord, where do I put my hope? My only hope is in you (Psalm 39:7). Nowhere else. Nothing else. You and you alone. We know you alone are our hope. You know we’ve trusted you from childhood (Psalm 71:5). We know you will never leave us. There’s nothing else in this life that gives us the strength, the hope, the joy that comes from you. You are our rock, our cornerstone, our firm foundation.

When doubts filled my mind, your comfort give us renewed hope and cheer (Psalm 94:19). We know when we focus our hearts and minds, we will find overflowing comfort, joy. We know your hope is what gives us the ability to keep going, even in the midst of crushing circumstances that rob us of life.

Now may you, our Lord Jesus Christ, and God the Father, who loves us and by his grace has given us eternal comfort and a wonderful hope, comfort us and strengthen us in every good thing we do and say (2 Thessalonians 2:16-17). May we find the same hope. May we all find the same comfort I have found in my Savior.

May we always be ready to give an answer for the hope we have as a believer (1 Peter 3:15). May our hearts be so firmly established, our minds so controlled by you, that your words flow from your lips.

And may we always let the world know your name is the hope of all the world (Matthew 12:21).

O holy night, the stars are brightly shining. It is the night of our dear Savior’s birth. Long lay the world in sin and error pining, Till he appeared and the soul felt its worth.

From my family to yours, we pray the most wonderful Christmas blessings over each of you.