Today we once again welcome Pastor Eric Brooks from Strathcona Baptist Church to our series.
Day 14 reading: Matthew 2:1-12
(Photo by Ben White on Unsplash)
“On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.” -Matthew 2:11-12
A Prayer:
Heavenly Father, would you, this Advent, Christmas and Epiphany, make us true worshippers? Would you, Father, stir in us the the desire, and the need, to bow down in adoration of Your Son? Would you open our eyes and stir our hearts, even as you did those of the Magi, even as you did those of Simeon and Anna in the temple courts? Would you bring to us our own epiphany—allowing the revelation of the Son of God to pierce our understanding and stir our affections?
Lord Jesus, we would offer to you what we have to bring: our own gifts and offerings. Jesus, we lay before you all that we have: our riches—and our poverty, our strengths—and our weakness, our righteous acts—and our filthy rags, and we present them to you, our King, our Saviour!
Spirit of God, multiply our meagre offerings until they are worthy of our King! Fill us with Your gifts, that we might present them back in gratitude! Take our weak efforts and fill them with Your power—the very power that raised Jesus from the dead—that we may offer all that we are in worship of our God! Fill our hearts with hope and our mouths with songs of joy that we might sing in Your presence!
And as we worship, Father, as we lift up Jesus, would you draw men and women to him? In our devotion and love, would you glorify yourself? Would you, O God, add our hymns of praise to the songs of those who have gone before, and to the wordless songs sung by your creation, that there might be an endless chorus of worship before your throne! For you are worthy!
Eternal God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit—you we worship! To you we pray! Amen.
Missed a day? No problem! You can find previous posts here.
Stir in us the desire AND THE NEED to bow down and worship.
This is great. I love this. Powerful prayer today.
Donna
This sentence in particular captures my own longing: "Would you bring to us our own epiphany—allowing the revelation of the Son of God to pierce our understanding and stir our affections?"
Thanks Eric!