Ears That Hear

Day 8

Day 8 reading: Matthew 1:18-25

(Photo by Robert Thiemann on Unsplash)

“…after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” -Matthew 1:20-21 (NIV)

A Prayer:

Lord God, our Father in heaven, we worship you as the God who speaks. You spoke into the darkness and light and life came forth. You spoke to Abraham and Moses, to Samuel and Elijah, to Isaiah, Jeremiah and Ezekiel; and you have spoken to us through the person of your Son, Jesus Christ.

Thank you Lord for the messengers that you have sent: for the shepherds, the angels and the Magi, as well as visitations to Elizabeth and Zechariah and Mary and Joseph. Thank you for Joseph and the courage you give him to believe and to obey what you called him to do.

Lord God, you are still speaking today, and we pray that you would give us ears to hear what it is that you are saying to us. Grant to us hearts that clearly discern your voice, coming to us in a variety of ways; whether it be in a dream or through the voice of a friend, or in times of silence or in the words of Scripture, we want to hear what you are saying to us.

In this season of Advent, help us to hear even in the midst of the hustle and bustle of daily life. Indeed we would posture ourselves to receive your words of life in the midst of daily life. Today we ask for our spiritual ears to be open in a new and fresh way to what you would say to us, believing that your words would strengthen us to ‘choose Christ in this world’.

We offer this prayer through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever, Amen.

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