Colin S. Smith's Blog, page 11

A Prayer for Forgiveness

Our Father in heaven, we bow before You so grateful for the grace by which You have reconciled us to Yourself in and through Jesus Christ, our Savior and our Lord. We are very conscious of being Your wayward children. We are profoundly aware of things we have thought, said, and done, that are displeasing and dishonoring to You. Please forgive us for these sins.

And Father we are aware of not only what we have done, but of what we have not done. We have not loved You with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. We have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. We’re not even close. We are profoundly aware of our debt, and we ask that You forgive us for our frequent failure to love others well.

Father, we are sinners, but we also have been sinned against. We bring before You the pain of where we have been wronged. By Your grace, help us to wring out our pain at the foot of the cross of Jesus.

Father, thank You that our many sins can be forgiven through our Lord Jesus Christ. Thank You for Your promise to put our sins behind Your back, to bury them in the depth of the sea, and to remove them from us as far as the east is from the west. Let the blood of Jesus cleanse us from every sin we pray.

Now Father, give us the grace we need to forgive others, as You forgive us. Help us to love others well. Grant that we may grow in consideration, empathy, grace, and forgiveness. Let Your grace to us flow out from us in this harsh and unforgiving world, so that Your name will be honored, Your kingdom extended, and Your will done, through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.

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This prayer is adapted from the sermon “God’s Forgiveness” from the series on the Lord’s Prayer, Six Things to Ask of God.

A Prayer for Deliverance from Temptation and Evil

Our Father in heaven, we come before You today profoundly aware of our utter dependence on You. We grieve that Your name is not honored, that Your will is not done, and we long to see Your kingdom come in power and glory.

Father, today we pray, ‘deliver us from evil.’ Our world is in turmoil. Deliver us from hate. Deliver us from violence. Deliver us from sickness. In our polarized society, raise up people of reason, wisdom, and goodwill. We sometimes fear that what we experience may be an outpouring of Your wrath, that You may be giving us up to sins we have persisted in choosing. O Lord, do not give us up. In wrath, remember mercy, we pray.

And lead us not into temptation. The roots of sin lie deep within us, so we ask that You will help us to watch and pray. Help us to watch our lives, and when the inclination to sin rises within us, help us, by Your grace, to deal with it early and decisively. We need Your Holy Spirit to do this, so help us we pray.

Father, we thank You that You are the God of all grace. Our hope is in You. In Your common grace, restrain the worst and promote the best in our community, our nation, and in our world. Where we are tested, give us special grace that we may be able to carry the load. Where we have failed, restore us, O Lord, we pray. You are our light, so help us to turn again, and to rise up.

Save people today, dear Lord, by Your grace and through Your Word. And hasten the day when our faith will be turned to sight. For Yours is the kingdom, and the power and the glory forever and ever. Amen.

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This prayer is adapted from the sermon “God’s Deliverance” in the series on the Lord’s Prayer, Six Things to Ask of God.

You may also enjoy: 4 Ways God Answers Our Prayers for Deliverance

4 Ways God Answers Our Prayers for Deliverance

The last petition of the Lord’s Prayer asks God to “lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil” (Matthew 6:13).

God answers this last petition, like all the others, by His grace. This means that deliverance is undeserved that is freely given. God delivers us by common grace, special grace, restoring grace, and saving grace.  And grasping the varieties of God’s marvelous grace will help us to see how God works in our world and in our lives.

1. Common Grace – God’s kindness to all people including those who defy Him.

Why do so many unbelieving people live peaceful, happy, and productive lives? Why is it that those who live at a distance from God are often kind, patient, and considerate? The answer lies in common grace: God’s kindness to all people including those who defy Him.

Our Lord described common grace in Matthew 5:44–45:

Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.

Every good gift comes from the hand of God and that includes the good gifts enjoyed by those who do not believe. The blessings of love and family; the creative gifts of music and art; the discoveries of science and medicine, and the brilliant minds that led to them… Where did all this good come from? It came from God, in whom the person who enjoys these gifts may not even believe. That’s common grace.

The LORD is good to all, and his mercy is over all that he has made. – Psalm 145:9

In His kindness to all, God gives what is good, and He restrains what is evil. However bad this world is, it could be worse.  The worst of people are not as the demons of hell, and the reason for this is common grace.

When God loosens the restraint of common grace, it is a sign of His wrath. Romans 1 speaks about how God may give sinners up to the evil they persist in choosing, (v24, 26, 28). The point here is that God’s usual way is to restrain the worst in us for the common good.

God restrains through conscience, which is His gift to us, and He restrains through government, which is also a gracious gift from God (Romans 13:1-7).  Conscience and government can both be corrupted, but any conscience and any government is better than none.

So when we pray, ‘deliver us from evil,’ we are asking God for common grace. ‘Lord, in your mercy restrain the worst in us, in our community, in our country, and in our world. Raise up people of good will, and grant that peace and justice will prevail in Your world.’

2. Special Grace – God’s kindness when we are tested.

Here is something very wonderful that is yours as a believer: God gives special help for particular trials in especially difficult times.

Paul describes this from his own experience. There were times when he had plenty, and there were times when he was in need, and for these times, God gave Him special help. “I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength” (Philippians 4:13). God gave strength to match the trial that Paul was facing, and God will do the same for you. He will give you all that you need for all that you face, especially in a time of great testing, temptation, or trial.

You see the same thing in 2 Corinthians 12 where Paul speaks about a great trial that he endured over a long period of time. He does not tell us what this was, but he describes it as a ‘thorn in my flesh,’ indicating that it was always with him, and that it was very painful. God did not take this thorn away, but He gave special grace to bear it.

My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. – 2 Corinthians 12:9

When you are feel that you are stretched to your limit, God’s grace will be sufficient for you. God will infuse His strength into your weakness, so that you will be able to endure. That’s special grace.  An old hymn describes this well:

All the way my Savior leads me,
cheers each winding path I tread
Gives me grace for every trial,
feeds me with the living bread. [1]

3. Restoring Grace – God’s kindness when we have failed.

On the night He was betrayed, Jesus said to Peter, “Before the rooster crows you will deny me three times” (Matthew 26:34). Our Lord knew that Peter would fall into temptation, but Jesus gave him this promise:

Simon, Simon, behold, Satan demanded to have you, that he might sift you like wheat, but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned again, strengthen your brothers – Luke 22:31-32

Jesus knew that Peter would fail, but He prayed that Peter’s faith would not fail. And that’s why sin did not have the last word in Peter’s life. The prayer of Jesus was answered. Peter “turned again.” That’s restoring grace.

Jesus died for sinners like Peter and like us. He rose from the dead, and ascended into heaven, where He intercedes for us. He speaks to the Father and prays on our behalf, just as He did for Peter. That’s why sin will never have the final word in your life. Like Peter, you will fail, but like Peter, you will ‘turn again,’ and when you repent, you will be restored. Why? Because Christ has prayed for you. Like Peter, you may fall into temptation, but Christ will never let you go.

There is a wonderful verse in Micah that will help you when temptation overcomes you, especially if you feel defeated by your own repeated failure.

Rejoice not over me, O my enemy; when I fall, I shall rise; when I sit in darkness, the LORD will be a light to me. – Micah 7:8

That’s restoring grace! The Lord is the light in your darkness. The Lord is your shepherd and He will restore your soul. The enemy may have knocked you down, but by God’s grace you will rise up forgiven and restored. Sin can never have the last word in a believer’s life. Christ intercedes for you, and God’s grace will never let you go.

4. Saving Grace – God’s kindness in bringing us to faith and repentance.

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God – Ephesians 2:8

When you believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, God brings you into an entirely new relationship with Himself, and as a child of God you will have more than common grace. You have received saving grace, and when you are tested, God will give you special grace, and when you fail God will give you restoring grace.

When you have this new relationship with God, you begin a new journey in which all of the petitions of the Lord’s Prayer will be fulfilled in your life.

You will have a new desire that God’s name will be honored because He is your Father, and you have discovered His great love.

You will have a new hope because of the coming of His kingdom to which you belong.

You will have a new strength to do His will.

You will have a new confidence because you know your Father will provide for you.

You will have a new peace because you know that Christ has forgiven you.

And You will have a new security because you know God will deliver you.

All of these are gifts of God’s grace, and when these gifts are yours, you will be able to say with all of God’s people,

Amazing grace how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me
I once was lost but now am found, was blind but now I see.
Through many dangers toils and snares I have already come
Tis grace that brought me safe thus far, and grace will lead me home. [2]

—

[1] Fanny J. Crosby (1820-1915), Hymn: “All the Way My Savior Leads Me,” 1875.

[2] John Newton, Hymn: “Amazing Grace,” 1772.

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This article is adapted from the sermon “God’s Deliverance” in the series on the Lord’s Prayer, Six Things to Ask of God.

Living Normally in an Abnormal World

I ‘borrowed’ the title of this article from a sermon I heard many years ago. The pastor shared how Moses’ parents chose to ‘live normally’ and build a family while enslaved in Egypt under a death sentence on infant boys. With all the adjustments I’ve encountered during the pandemic, I feel I need a new injection of normality.

As believers who reside outside the Garden, we continuously live in a world foreign to the perfect Creation God intended for us. God has planted eternity in our souls, and we feel out of place in a world with an expiration date. Creation itself groans, longing for what God intended. (Romans 8:22). Enamored with the Creation, creatures define reality by what they can touch, taste, hear, see, and feel.

The abnormality of our times expresses itself in fear and anger. In the early days of the pandemic, my husband commented how erratically people were driving. It appeared the mere act of leaving the house to run a quick errand filled drivers with fear and anxiety. I marvel how a simple comment on the Nextdoor app can unleash a flurry of angry responses.

Watching cable news, I’m tempted to quote Pilate, “what is truth?” Pseudo-science and mind-numbing statistics mingle with political aspirations to pull me in one direction and another. Opinions become more valuable than data. Social media adds new levels of peer pressure, and paints pictures of airbrushed reality. Sadly, these skewed views tempt even believers to take sides.

How can I live normally, honoring the Lord, in such an “abnormal” world?

Embrace Truth

My soul cries out for the normality of truth, for a worldview that considers the reality beyond our five senses. I want to live as God intended, not influenced by the fear, anger, and false perspectives of our pandemic culture. But unlike Pilate, who failed to see Truth standing in front of him, I do have access to the Truth that defines normal for the believer. 

The psalmist writes, “If your law had not been my delight, I would have perished in my affliction. I will never forget your precepts, for by them you have given me life” (Ps. 119:92, 93). During an extended period of unemployment, these verses described my lifeline. God’s Word, His truth, gave me perspective when circumstances tempted me to despair.

Jesus Christ is the embodiment of truth. “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14). When my world seems off track or tempts me to think otherwise, Christ in His Word shines the light of truth on my misconceptions. 

Cultivate Trust

The prophet Jeremiah knew life in an abnormal world. While Judah continued to ignore his warnings, even openly persecuting him for speaking the truth, Jeremiah continued to obey the Lord. He offers his wonderful description of the man who can live outside the constraints of culture, trusting in the Lord, during difficult times. “Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose trust is the LORD. He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit.” (Jer. 17:7-8) 

More than knowing the Word intellectually, I need to trust in the saving work of Christ and the hope I have in Him. Of His many promises, Jesus assures me I can find rest from the weariness and heaviness of living in this world by coming to Him; He promises rest for my soul (Matthew 11:28, 29). I realize the hope of this promise as I seek to obey Him day by day.

An Anchor for the Soul

As Christ followers, we will never feel normal in this world. Sin’s influence keeps the sands shifting beneath our feet. Pandemics, politics, pseudo-science all threaten our security. But as I keep my eyes on the One who secured my salvation and holds my future, I can live steadied by His truth. I can trust in His transforming power to exhibit His character to a fallen world, and I can extend His love to those around me. “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” 

Trusting in Him, I can find the ‘normal’ in my abnormal world.

 

Christmas Through Mary’s Eyes

The following is a first-person account of the Christmas story from Mary’s perspective. For more stories like this, read the short book Christmas Stories.

 

The day that changed my life forever started out like any other. I had been following my unusual routine of chores, when suddenly I felt the presence of someone else beside me.

Slowly I looked up and there he was. God sent an angel to me and when he appeared, I have to tell you, I was terrified. My heart was pounding, my knees were shaking, and if I hadn’t sat down, I would probably have passed out.

When God draws near, there is something in all of us that assumes the worst. We feel safe with God at a distance, and we fear that if He gets too close we might be in trouble.

But the angel said to me, “Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God.” Favor simply means ‘grace,’ God’s kindness – not deserved, but freely given, and God was showing grace to me.

Seeing God’s Power

What the angel said next was absolutely stunning, “Mary, you will be with child and you will give birth to a son. You are to give Him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord will give him the throne of His father David, and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever.”

A child? How can that be? I was a virgin.

A child of mine on the throne of David? How could that ever happen? I come from an ordinary family. We were certainly not the kind who lived in palaces or socialized with kings.

A child who would reign forever? Nothing in this world lasts forever, so how could that possibly be?

But most baffling of all, the angel said that the child to be born would be “the Son of the Most High.” How could any child of mine ever be the Son of God?

The angel had the answer: “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So, the Holy One to be born will be called the Son of God.”

I still marvel at the mystery of what God accomplished. He caused a new life to be conceived in my womb, and that life was the life of His own Son. It was in and through me that God took flesh and was born into the world as a tiny, helpless baby.

There was more. The angel told me that my older cousin Elizabeth, who had longed for a child of her own for many years, had now conceived and was already in the sixth month of her pregnancy. “Nothing will be impossible with God,” the angel said.

I hardly knew how to respond. What was promised to me was beyond my understanding, and what would be required of me I dared not even think. And yet, at that very moment, I knew that God’s Spirit was with me, and that He would give me all that I would ever need.

“Let it be to me according to your word,” I said. And then the angel was gone.

Elizabeth and Joseph

I decided to go and stay with my cousin Elizabeth, and when I arrived at her house, we were both overwhelmed with joy. “Who would have imagined that after all these years of longing for a child, God would bless you with this marvelous gift,” I said.

Elizabeth looked radiant as she stood in the doorway with the palms of her hands gently placed over the child she was carrying. “When the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leapt for joy,” she said. That meant that three of us were rejoicing, and there was no doubt in my mind that God in heaven was rejoicing too.

Then God’s Spirit came upon Elizabeth, and in a loud voice she said to me: “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child that you will bear.”

How did she know that I was expecting? I had not yet said anything to Elizabeth about the child I was carrying. The only way she could have known was that God had revealed this to her.

Then Elizabeth said some words I will never forget: “Blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.”

I had already believed that God’s promise would be fulfilled. But Elizabeth came alongside me and strengthened my faith: “Mary, the promise will be fulfilled. What God has said will be accomplished.”

I couldn’t contain the joy that I felt. The Son of God was coming into the world and I was carrying His life within me. My whole being was filled with praise that burst out and overflowed in words that were given to me:

“My soul magnifies the Lord,
And my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
For he has looked on the humble estate of his servant.
For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed;
For he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name.”

Throughout my time with Elizabeth, I kept wondering what Joseph would do. We were pledged to be married, and both of us had been eagerly awaiting our wedding day. Joseph was a good man and I knew that he loved me deeply, but I could hardly expect him to grasp what God was doing. I thought that he might divorce me, and if this was the price of the calling God had laid on my life, I was ready to pay it.

So you can imagine my joy when Joseph told me that an angel had spoken to him in a dream. “Do not fear to take Mary as your wife,” the angel had said, “for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. And there’s something else,” Joseph said. “I am to give Him the name Jesus.”

What the angel said to Joseph matched exactly what the angel had said to me. It was another confirmation of God’s promise.

Bethlehem and the Shepherds

Shortly before the child was born, a decree was issued requiring everyone in the country to register in the place where they were born. That meant that I had to travel with Joseph to Bethlehem.

The little town only had one inn, and when we arrived it was already full. So we found a place of shelter with the animals and it was there that Jesus was born.

It seemed strange being there, just the three of us. The greatest miracle the world had ever known lying in my arms and, as far as I was aware, Joseph and I were the only ones who knew what God had done.

But that soon changed. Before the night of His birth had passed, I heard the sound of some men coming toward our shelter. One of them told us that an angel had appeared to them, and that they had all been filled with fear. I smiled, knowing exactly what they had felt.

Then another stepped forward “But the angel told us not to be afraid, and then he said, “I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David, a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.”

A Savior! The angel had told Joseph, “You shall call His name Jesus for He will save His people from their sins.”

God had spoken to these shepherds and I listened intently to what they said. They confirmed again that Jesus is the promised Messiah, that His birth is good news for all people, and that He is the Lord of all.

Everything they said matched what had been revealed to Joseph and to me. So I stored all these things in my memory and pondered them in my heart.

The Temple and the Cross

Some weeks after Jesus was born, we went to the temple in Jerusalem to offer a sacrifice and to present Jesus before the Lord. While we were there, an old man came up to us and asked if he could hold the child in his arms. He told us that all his life, he had been waiting for the promised Messiah and that God had told him he would see the child before he died.

Taking Jesus in his arms, the old man blessed him, and then he pronounced a blessing over Joseph and me.

Speaking words that were clearly given to him by the Holy Spirit, he said, “This child is appointed for a sign that is opposed.” And then, looking directly at me with sadness and compassion in his eyes, he said, “and a sword will pierce through your soul also.”

The child opposed? And a sword piercing me?

There were words that I often pondered, and they painfully proved to be true for Jesus and for me. He came to His own, but His own did not receive Him. Plots against Him began early in His ministry, and in the end they hung Him on a cross.

I was there. And when the nails pierced His hands, it was as if a sword pieced my soul, just as the old man had said. But the agony I suffered was nothing in comparison to the pain He endured. Jesus bore our sins when He suffered on the cross. He took them on Himself so that we might be forgiven, saved, and at peace with God.

I was overwhelmed with sorrow when Jesus died. But thank God it didn’t end there. On the third day, He rose from the grave. He ascended into heaven and opened its gates for me and for all who trust in Him.

Prayer

Father, thank you for your grace that is ours in the coming of Jesus Christ. Thank you that He came into the world and died to save every person who will place their faith in Him. Help us to believe that nothing is impossible with You!

This is an excerpt of the book Christmas Stories. Read the Christmas stories from the perspective of 5 different biblical characters, including the angel Gabriel, Mary, Joseph, Simeon, and even Herod! Taken together, these first-person narratives will help draw you and your loved ones into the story of our Savior’s birth.

Get your copy today for a gift of any amount.

25 Christ-Exalting Christmas Hymns and Worship Songs

What follows are twenty-five Christmas songs about Jesus Christ*, ranging from traditional hymns and carols to modern worship songs.

Our desire is that they would set your hope on the Lord Jesus Christ this Christmas. He alone can satisfy the longings of our dark and broken world because He alone is the Light of the World, the Bread of Life, and the Savior of sinners.

Traditional Christmas Songs about Jesus Christ

1. Angels We Have Heard on High by Anonymous/Unknown (translated by James Chadwick, 1862)

Angels we have heard on high / Sweetly singing o’er the plains,
And the mountains in reply / Echoing their joyous strains.

Gloria in excelsis Deo! / Gloria in excelsis Deo!

2. Angels, From the Realms of Glory by James Montgomery (1816)

Angels from the realms of glory / Wing your flight o’er all the earth;
Ye who sang creation’s story / Now proclaim Messiah’s birth.

Refrain:
Come and worship, come and worship / Worship Christ, the newborn King.

3. Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus by Charles Wesley (1745)

Come, Thou long-expected Jesus / Born to set Thy people free;
From our fears and sins release us / Let us find our rest in Thee.
Israel’s Strength and Consolation / Hope of all the earth Thou art;
Dear Desire of every nation / Joy of every longing heart.

4. For Unto Us a Child Is Born from The Messiah (based on Isaiah 9:6) by George Frederic Handel (1741)

For unto us a Child is born / Unto us a Son is given,
And the government shall be upon His shoulder/ And His name shall be called
Wonderful, Counsellor, The Mighty God / The Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace

5. Go Tell It On the Mountain by an Unknown Author (1907)

While shepherds kept their watching / O’er silent flocks by night,
Behold, throughout the heavens / There shone a holy light.

Refrain:
Go, tell it on the mountain / Over the hills and everywhere;
Go, tell it on the mountain / That Jesus Christ is born.

6. God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen by an Unknown Author (18th Century)

God rest you merry, gentlemen / Let nothing you dismay,
For Jesus Christ our Savior / Was born on Christmas Day
To save us all from Satan’s pow’r /When we were gone astray.

Refrain:
Oh, tidings of comfort and joy, comfort and joy / Oh, tidings of comfort and joy.

7. Good Christian Men Rejoice by an Unknown Author, translated by John M. Neale (1853)

Good Christian friends, rejoice,
With heart and soul and voice;
Give ye heed to what we say:
Jesus Christ is born today;
Ox and ass before Him bow;
And He is in the manger now.
Christ is born today!
Christ is born today!

8. Hark! The Herald Angels Sing by Charles Wesley (1739)

Hark! The herald angels sing / “Glory to the newborn King;
Peace on earth, and mercy mild / God and sinners reconciled!”
Joyful, all ye nations rise / Join the triumph of the skies;
With th’angelic host proclaim, “Christ is born in Bethlehem!”

9. It Came Upon the Midnight Clear by Edmund Sears (1849)

It came upon the midnight clear / That glorious song of old,
From angels bending near the earth / To touch their harps of gold;
“Peace on the earth, good will to men / From Heav’n’s all-gracious King.”
The world in solemn stillness lay / To hear the angels sing.

10. Joy To the World by Isaac Watts (1719)

Joy to the world, the Lord is come! / Let earth receive her King;
Let every heart prepare Him room / And heav’n and nature sing,
And heav’n and nature sing / And heav’n, and heav’n, and nature sing.

11. Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silent paraphrased by Gerard Moultrie (1864)

Let all mortal flesh keep silence / And with fear and trembling stand;
Ponder nothing earthly-minded / For with blessing in His hand,
Christ our God to earth descendeth /Our full homage to demand.

12. O Come All Ye Faithful by John F. Wade (1843) 

Oh, come, all ye faithful, joyful and triumphant / Oh, come ye, oh, come ye, to Bethlehem.
Come and behold Him, born the King of angels

Refrain:
Oh, come, let us adore Him, oh, come, let us adore Him / Oh, come, let us adore Him, Christ the Lord.

13. O Come, O Come Emmanuel by an Unknown Author, translated by John M. Neale (1851)

O come, O come, Emmanuel / And ransom captive Israel
That mourns in lonely exile here / Until the Son of God appear

Refrain:
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel / Shall come to thee, O Israel.

14. O Holy Night by Placide Cappeau (1847)

Oh, holy night, the stars are brightly shining
It is the night of the dear Savior’s birth!
Long lay the world in sin and error pining
Till He appeared and the soul felt its worth.
A thrill of hope, the weary soul rejoices
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.
Fall on your knees, oh, hear the angel voices!
Oh, night divine, oh, night when Christ was born!
Oh, night divine, oh, night, oh, night divine!

15. O Little Town of Bethlehem by Phillips Brooks (1867)

O little town of Bethlehem, how still we see thee lie
Above thy deep and dreamless sleep the silent stars go by.
Yet in thy dark streets shineth the everlasting Light
The hopes and fears of all the years are met in thee tonight.
For Christ is born of Mary, and gathered all above
While mortals sleep, the angels keep their watch of wond’ring love.
O morning stars, together proclaim the holy birth
And praises sing to God the King, and peace to men on earth!

16. Silent Night by Joseph Mohr (1863)

Silent night, holy night! / All is calm, all is bright
Round yon virgin mother and Child / Holy Infant, so tender and mild,
Sleep in heavenly peace / Sleep in heavenly peace.

17. What Child Is This? by William C. Dix (1865)

What Child is this who, laid to rest / On Mary’s lap is sleeping?
Whom angels greet with anthems sweet / While shepherds watch are keeping?
This, this is Christ the King / Whom shepherds guard and angels sing;
Haste, haste to bring Him laud / The Babe, the Son of Mary.

Contemporary & Modern Christmas Songs about Jesus Christ

18. Welcome to Our World by Chris Rice (1997)

Tears are falling, hearts are breaking / How we need to hear from God
You’ve been promised, we’ve been waiting / Welcome Holy Child / Welcome Holy Child

Hope that you don’t mind our manger / How I wish we would have known
But long-awaited Holy Stranger /Make Yourself at home / Please make Yourself at home

19. O Come, All You Unfaithful by Bob Kauflin, Lisa Clow (2020)

O come, all you unfaithful / Come, weak and unstable / Come, know you are not alone
O come, barren and waiting ones / Weary of praying, come / See what your God has done

Chorus: Christ is born, Christ is born / Christ is born for you

20. In the First Light by Glad (1988)

In the first light of a new day / No one knew He had arrived
Things continued as they had been / While a new born softly cried.
But the heavens wrapped in wonder / Knew the meaning of His birth
In the weakness of a baby / They knew God had come to earth.
As His mother held him closely / It was hard to understand
That this baby not yet speaking / Was the Word of God to man.

21. To the Mystery by Michael Card (1987)

When the Father longed to show / A love He wanted us to know
He sent His only Son and so / Became a holy embryo

That is the Mystery / More than you can see
Give up on your pondering / And fall down on your knees

22. Sing We the Song of Emmanuel by Matt Bowsell and Matt Papa (2015)

Sing we the song of Emmanuel / This the Christ who was long foretold
Lo in the shadows of Bethlehem / Promise of dawn now our eyes behold
God Most High in a manger laid / Lift your voices and now proclaim
Great and glorious Love has come to us / Join now with the hosts of heaven

23. Mary, Did You Know by Mark Lowry (1984), music by Buddy Greene (1991)

Mary, did you know / that your Baby Boy would one day walk on water?
Mary, did you know / that your Baby Boy would save our sons and daughters?
Did you know / that your Baby Boy has come to make you new?
This Child that you delivered will soon deliver you.

24. Gather’ Round, Ye Children, Come by Andrew Peterson (2004)

Gather ’round, ye children, come / Listen to the old, old story
Of the pow’r of death undone / By an infant born of glory
Son of God, Son of Man

Gather ’round, remember now / How creation held its breath
How it let out a sigh / And it filled up the sky with the angels
Son of God, Son of Man

25. Born in Bethlehem by Third Day (2006)

Baby Jesus, born in a stable / Humble Savior’s birth
You left Your throne in Heaven above / To live here on the earth
Baby Jesus, lying in a manger / Crying for the world
The angels told the shepherds / Of the good news for us all
Hallelujah, the King is here / Given for all men
For today the holy son of God / Is born in Bethlehem

 

You may also enjoy: Christmas Light Shines on Humanity’s Wounds

** Disclaimer: Links to YouTube do not carry any endorsement other than the original song and lyrics.

7 Tips for Fighting Distraction in Prayer

Ever feel frustrated that you can’t focus for prayer? Concentrating on God in prayer feels like trying to nail jello to the wall. You can’t stop the flurry of thoughts ranging from what your day ahead looks like to that email that needs your attention to the last cat video you saw on YouTube.

If you struggle with distraction in prayer, you’re not alone. In fact, most believers say it is one of their biggest struggles. Even Jesus, who faced every temptation that we do, had to escape the crowds and distractions for private prayer (see Mark 1:35; Matthew 14:23; Luke 6:12).

How do we fight distraction to better concentrate in prayer? This article provides a simple framework to help you answer that question. Before we move forward, why not ask God for help in fighting distractions caused by the world, the flesh, and the devil?

7 Tips for Fighting Distraction in Prayer1. Remember Who you pray to: God Your Father.

The most important thing about prayer is remembering Who we are praying to. That’s why Jesus taught his disciples to pray by beginning with, “Our Father in heaven” (Matthew 6:9). Often we focus on our actions and words in praying that we forget at its simplest, prayer is responding to God who started the conversation with us by revealing Himself in His Word.

2. Diagnose why you may be distracted.

Look at the voluntary and involuntary distractions you face most often. What are the distractions that you can control? These are voluntary distractions. I am tempted to let my phone or a noisy environment keep me from focusing in prayer. There’s a reason Jesus told us to go into our rooms, shut the door, and then pray (Matthew 6:6).

Involuntary distractions are the ones we don’t have control over. These are the random thoughts that pop into our minds of what chores we need to do or who we need to text back. Sometimes these thoughts are important. These distractions aren’t necessarily sinful, but we do need to find ways to keep praying and not let them derail us. I’ll share a couple ideas for that later on.

We may be distracted for prayer for simple reasons like we have no mental energy left after a long day of work. Or, the root may be a more complex issue in our lives. Is some of your distraction in prayer caused by responsibility avoidance, idolizing your work (and thus thinking about it all the time, even during prayer), or just plain laziness? Maybe deep emotional pain prevents greater focus. Ask God for wisdom and His help in working through the heart issues that cause distraction.

3. Optimize Technology for prayer.

Let me suggest a simple rule: use technology when it helps you focus in prayer and ditch it when it hinders.

Even if we follow the spirit of Jesus’ command in Matthew 6:6 for private prayer, bringing a phone into our prayer room can bring in the whole world in with us. That’s why I recommend disconnecting entirely from technology when possible. Turn off your phone, put it in airplane mode, or put it in the other room. You may also want to limit technology use throughout the day because, if you’re like me, you realize the more you’re constantly distracted with technology, the more likely you will be distracted during the spiritual disciplines of prayer and Bible reading.

But there are also tech tools that help foster faithful prayer. The PrayerMate app helps me pray by organizing a myriad of prayer priorities and requests into prayer cards that it regularly cycles through. But I have to exercise self-control using it, because it is after all on the most distracting device known to mankind!

4. Find an offramp for distractions.

If you’re wondering, what about the distracting thoughts that are important? I need to return that call! I can’t forget to pay that bill! If important thoughts come to mind while praying, write them on a piece of paper and then organize those thoughts after prayer. Once you write down a thought, get back to prayer. This keeps one small stray thought from hijacking a perfectly good prayer time.

5. When distracted, re-engage.

This is perhaps the simplest tip: when you notice that you lost focus in prayer, refocus. Run back to God. Puritan Thomas Brooks writes: “Vain thoughts pass through the best hearts; they are lodged and cherished only in the worst hearts.”

6. Find practical tools to help you focus.

This point may be the most practical. Implement focus-inducing tools when distracted. Here are a few to consider[1]:

Use a mental path for prayer. You might pray the Scriptures, follow the petitions of the Lord’s Prayer as a template, pray using the A-C-T-S acronym, or create your own path. A path helps us focus and refocus after being distracted.Write down your prayers. A journal, word processor, or piece of paper are all you need to scribble down your prayers to God. This practice helps visual learners like me, because writing focuses our minds on the words we write. An added advantage of writing down your prayers is that it enables you to see how God has answered past prayers and see how you have grown.Set an Alarm. For some reason it is easier for me to focus when I know there’s a time-limit to my prayer session. An added benefit is that often when the timer buzzes, I add more time because I’ve warmed up and entered a flow state of prayer.Go for a walk. This could be walking around your neighborhood or pacing in your living room. My practice is to write Scriptures and requests on a notecard and refer to it as I walk. Walking takes me away from many distractions, and my notecard gives me the mental structure I need to have a profitable prayer time.7. Realize God is honored by our fight.

Have you ever wondered why God doesn’t remove all of our distractions with the snap of His fingers? He has the power to do that. I think one reason He doesn’t is because He is pleased with our fight because our efforts tell Him He is worth it. Our fight for focus is a fight to worship.

Focus on Him

Let this encourage you: you may battle to squeak out just a few sentences in prayer, but God can hear them and can change your life and even the world through them. Just because distractions land a punch against you doesn’t mean you can’t fight back in God’s strength and serve them a knockout blow. Don’t give up!

—

[1] For more paths to take in prayer and practical ways to focus, read Kevin’s book When Prayer Is a Struggle: A Practical Guide for Overcoming Obstacles in Prayer .

A Prayer for Our Daily Bread

Our Father, we bow before You in worship and gladly acknowledge that every good gift comes from Your loving hand. We thank You today for the beauty of the earth, for the love of friends and family, for our food, for our homes, for our work, for Your church, and most of all for the gift of Your Son.

We confess our impatience, and we ask Your forgiveness. We know that patience is the fruit of Your Holy Spirit, and we ask that You produce this good fruit in our lives. Deliver us from grumbling. May we never despise what You have provided. May Your anger not blaze hotly against us. Use the times when things we enjoy are taken away to increase our gratitude for what we have. Help us to rejoice in what You have given, rather than complain about what You have withheld.

Father, Your Son has taught us to ask You for what we need. Some of us need work, and we ask that You provide. Some among us are sick, and we ask that Your healing hand may be upon us. Some are hungry and we cry out to You, “Give us this day our daily bread.”

Father, Your world is in trouble. Please, in Your mercy, give us relief. We pray for those who carry the weight and burden of great responsibility. We pray for our mayors, for our governor, and for our president. Grant to those who lead us, strength to bear the burdens they carry and wisdom that will promote our common good.

We pray that You will deliver us from anxiety. You know what we need. Help us to trust You and to seek first Your kingdom, knowing that we can trust You in all things.

Help us to measure Your love for us by what You have done in sending Your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. Thank You that He is the living bread. Thank You that this bread was broken so that His life should be in us. Help us, by faith, to feed on Him, and so nourish our souls to eternal life, through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.

—

This prayer is adapted from the sermon “God’s Provision” from the series on the Lord’s Prayer, Six Things to Ask of God.

Top Articles of 2021

As 2021 winds down, we give thanks to God for another year of His grace and faithfulness. It’s also a good time to thank God for ways He has used the online ministry of Unlocking the Bible to build up His church.

Oh, magnify the Lord with me,
    and let us exalt his name together! (Psalm 34:3)

The following list is a combination of most-read articles and “Editor’s Choice” selections. I aim to be as objective as possible.

If you would like to share how the Unlocking the Bible blog has encouraged you in the past year, please send us an email. We’d love to hear how God is at work and how to serve you better.

Top 10 Articles of 2021

1. 25 Classic Hymns the Church Should Rediscover by David Lovi

2. 7 Traits of False Teachers by Colin Smith

3. For Anxious People Like Us by Tim Augustyn

4. What does it mean to pray ‘Your Will Be Done’? by Colin Smith

5. To Those Frustrated with the Church by Colin Smith

6. Is the World Getting Better or Worse? Yes. by Colin Smith

7. Why Our Secular Age Needs Ecclesiastes by Kevin Halloran

8. Why God May Not Listen to Our Prayers by Kevin Halloran

9. 5 Ways to Benefit from the Lord’s Supper by Colin Smith

10. Ask God for Gospel Workers by Laura Eder

Other highlights from Unlocking the BibleThree Ways to Discover the Whole Story of the Bible by UTB Staff (an exciting announcement about the update to OpentheBible.org)God is Not Idle by Laura EderHow the Lord’s Prayer Can Help You Overcome Your Prayer Struggles by Kevin HalloranCleaning Up Accumulated Sin by Bethany McIlrathThree Benefits of Church Membership for College Students by Cary HughesFive Truths about the Body of Christ by Colin SmithJesus’ Resurrection Changes These Four Things by Colin Smith5 Psalms to Pray When the Wicked Prosper by Kevin HalloranYour Work Matters More Than You Think by Colin Smith5 Ways the Bible Will Help You Grow by Colin Smith

 

How Mary’s Song Bridges The Old and New Testament

Where does your worldview come from? The Christmas story might seem like a surprising place to go to explore that question. But it’s my conviction that these familiar passages actually contain great challenges for the way we approach life and faith.

Take Mary’s song in Luke 1:46-55. Mary has a lot to think about. She is pregnant, by means of the Holy Spirit, with a son she’s been told is the Son of God (v 35). Now her relative Elizabeth has greeted her with the exclamation, “Blessed are you among women!” (v 42). Mary’s response offers her own interpretation of what is going on.

His mercy extends to those who fear him,

    from generation to generation.

He has performed mighty deeds with his arm;

    he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts.

He has brought down rulers from their thrones

    but has lifted up the humble.

He has filled the hungry with good things

    but has sent the rich away empty. (v 50-53)

What extraordinary things to say! It’s not just that Mary has the emotional and spiritual maturity to respond humbly and worshipfully. (That is of course amazing in itself. I’d be stressed out of my mind.) No, it’s the way Mary understands the gift of Jesus. It really doesn’t seem very Christmassy! “He has scattered those who are proud”? “He has brought down rulers from their thrones”? What’s any of this got to do with Jesus’ birth?

An Ancient Story

The end of the song explains it:

He has helped his servant Israel,

    remembering to be merciful

to Abraham and his descendants forever,

    just as he promised our ancestors. (v 54-55)

Mary is talking about the history of Israel. For her, Jesus’ birth is a continuation of what God has been doing for generations—the latest installment in his faithful and merciful behavior towards his people. The whole way she understands what God is doing is based on the narratives of the Old Testament. 

I remember as a child standing up on stage at church one Christmas and reading the lines, “Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever” (Isaiah 9:7). The words were almost meaningless to me. Why? Because I didn’t see what David—or governments—had to do with Jesus. Raised in an individualistic age, this was my understanding of faith: Jesus was my friend; he had died for me; I had a relationship with him. That was all true—and remains so. But it was a very different way of expressing it to Mary’s, and a much more limited one.

Beyond Myself

Of course, one reason for the difference is the New Testament. Mary didn’t know that Jesus would die. She didn’t have the benefit of reading the explanations of it we have today in the New Testament epistles. We can understand the details of God’s salvation plan and its implications in a way Mary couldn’t. 

But how I wish that I had learned as a child to have a worldview like hers—an understanding of the great sweep of the story of God’s chosen people and his faithfulness to them. The coming of Jesus changed the course of history, but it was also the continuation of a far older story. If only I had understood that if I had a relationship with God, it was only as part of his people, as a new shoot grafted onto the old tree. If only I had seen what it meant that Jesus was a king like David—and one who would reign with perfect justice and peace. 

If only I had seen beyond myself.

Then, like Mary, I would have truly glorified the Lord, mindful as I would have been at last of my own humble state (Luke 1:47-48). I would have seen how big God is, and how utterly extraordinary it is that he should step down to earth at all, never mind dying or choosing anyone to be part of his people. I would have stopped taking Jesus, my friend, for granted. 

A Worldview Shaped By Old Testament Promises

Once you start seeing it, you can’t stop: the writers of the New Testament, especially in the Gospels, have a worldview shaped by the Old Testament. They constantly refer to the history of God’s people; their whole understanding of God comes from there. People around Jesus made sense of him by referring back to what God had always been like and what he had always promised. 

So let’s teach these Old Testament stories the way that people in Jesus’ time would have taught them. Let’s point out how they figure Christ, illustrating what he is like (David the king, Boaz the redeemer, Moses the rescuer). Let’s seek to understand their concepts and categories—clean and unclean, work and rest, holiness, redemption. Let’s notice how they lead up to Christ—how the overarching narrative of the Old Testament can’t find its conclusion until it reaches Jesus.

Above all, let’s read the Old Testament, even where it’s strange or complicated. It’s the best way I can think of to get a right view of ourselves, our world, and our God.

–

Katy Morgan is the author of The Promise and the Light , a captivating and biblically faithful retelling of the Christmas story for 8-12 year old’s.