Advent Prayer Challenge Day 26 - December 22
There Can Be Miracles
Read Luke 1:46-56
Light four candles and say together
O Rex Gentium: O King of all the nations,
the only joy of every human heart;
O Keystone of the mighty arch of man,
come and save the creature you fashioned from the dust.
Reflection
Christmas music starts early in our house. It is something my husband looks forward to as soon as the porch lights are extinguished on Halloween. He always turns on a ‘Christmas Classics’ playlist (not to be confused with ‘Classical Christmas’). This is the music that reminds him of the Christmasses from his childhood.
Unfortunately, I got tired of Christmas Classics after approximately one Christmas together. I want one of two Christmas-music extremes: classical and/or choral Christmas music or new Christmas pop music. An easy choice is always to put on Pentatonix Christmas music, a popular acapella group, and tonight as I was sitting down to write this, a Pentatonix "Christmas” song came on the smart speaker. It was actually a cover of a song from the 1998 animated film, The Prince of Egypt called “When You Believe.” I turned up my speaker and started belting out the song.
The Prince of Egypt movie depicts the exodus from Egypt led by Moses and in the movie, this song is sung by Miriam and Tzipporah. In Scripture, Miriam does lead a song of praise for what God had done. Later in the Bible, another prophet, Deborah, sings a song of praise thanking God for delivering Israel's victory. Similarly, Hannah sings a song of praise in 1 Samuel after God answers her broken-hearted prayers for a child. While Mary’s song of praise is one of the few praise psalms in the New Testament, she sings with a chorus of Biblical women who sang praise songs generations before her.
The wonder and amazement of Christmas can cloud our understanding of Mary’s full experience while singing her Magnificat, but by looking at all four of these women-led songs in Scripture, we can see how these songs are even more powerful because of the depths of the experiences surrounding these songs; A miraculous delivery from slavery and plagues, a military victory after 20 years of suffering in Canaan, a new life after years of barrenness and heartbreak, and the Messiah coming to save Israel and the whole world being born to a humble, nearly unmarried girl.
We may read these songs, amazed at the depth of faith of these women, but we shouldn’t miss the invitation to look at our circumstances as these women do. In Advent, we celebrate that God was active in our world once but that’s not all. We look for ways that God continues to work in our lives today. We anticipate how He will work through our current circumstances.
As Christmas nears and we are putting together the last of our preparations, do not allow yourself to be blinded by the depth of your circumstances, but look for how far God will go to show up in your life.
Reflect and Discuss
- Do you believe that God can work through your circumstances?
- Where have you seen God work in your circumstances in the past? What is the most recent experience of this you can name? Praise God for this.
- How can you set a practice of looking for God and remembering what He has done in your life?
Pray
Lord, you love us enough to meet us exactly where we are and change our circumstances. There is no one like you, Lord. You are our strength, an ever-present help. Let us see you and rejoice in you this Christmas.
Amen
Advent in Action
Give someone a compliment today. Change someone else’s circumstances with the power of your positive words.
More information about our Advent Prayer Challenge can be found here.
Click here to subscribe to daily reminders.
Advent Prayer Challenge Day 25 - December 21
Joy Inside Read Luke 1:39-45 & Zephaniah 3:14-18 Light four candles and say together O Oriens: O Radiant Dawn, splendour of eternal light, sun of justice: come, shine on those...