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A beautiful prayer to help with Christmas disappointment
Since you came to Jesus, you've prayed, you've had faith in the Lord and you've done the best you could to meet God halfway - but now, near the end of the year, you feel a sense of disappointment because God hasn't responded in the way you thought he would or hasn't responded at all.
What to pray when you are disappointed.
Highlights
Catholic Online (https://www.catholic.org)
12/21/2017 (6 years ago)
Published in Christmas / Advent
Keywords: Christmas, disappointment, patience, God, prayer
LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - God is a deliberate being. What he chooses to do is precise and executed at exactly the right moment but sometimes it's hard to see or understand.
There is a reason God is a mystery - Humanity can understand him to a point and, like children, we learn from his ways every day of our lives.
People struggle with mental illness, physical ailments, financial hardships and relational issues but God is with us every step of the way.
The thing is, he has an amazing habit of lifting us up at the last minute.
Learning to be patient and to take on some of the responsibility of bringing about change in our lives are important lessons and practices but sometimes we just need to take a knee and go to Christ for help.
The following prayer was written by Cindi McMenamin, a writer for Crosswalk.com.
She captured the truth found in the Gospel and has transformed it into a beautiful prayer for those in need. Take a moment to gather yourself and lay all your troubles at the foot of the cross. Pray this prayer with your whole heart and remember: God will always be there for you.
Lord, Jesus, I thank You for what You are doing in and around my life. Not because I feel good about it, but because Your Word commands me to "give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus" (1 Thessalonians 5:18). I truly want Your will in my life, but I want Your grace and Your wisdom to not only recognize it, but to accept it and be grateful for it, as well.
I know You are in control of all things. I know You are the giver of "every good and perfect gift" (James 1:17). And yet for some reason You have chosen not to give me what I am asking for at this time. Your Word says You are "a sun [to light my way] and shield [to protect me from harm]" and that "no good thing" will You withhold from those whose walk is blameless (Psalm 84:11). Therefore, I choose to believe You are still good even when You withhold something from me and I don't understand why. I choose to believe You are still loving, and You are still protecting me in the midst of what still feels disappointing.
Lord, at this time of the year when people are focused on giving, help me to remember that You have given me the greatest gift I could ever receive - salvation through my faith in Your Son, Jesus. And because of that great gift of Your Son, I also have peace, comfort, provision, and many blessings I might have missed because I was focused on the disappointments and the letdowns instead.
Thank You for all the days You have heard my cries, seen my tears, and worked behind the scenes in my life when I didn't even realize it. Thank You for the many times you have walked before me or alongside me, "though your footprints were not seen" (Psalm 77:19).
Thank You for the air I breathe, for the ways I am healthy, for the fact that as disappointing as life has been, it could be far worse. Thank You for the people in my life who have reached out to me and been the arms of Jesus to embrace me, the hands of Jesus to serve me, and the month of Jesus to provide words of comfort. Thank You, that even on days when I received none of that, You were still there, speaking to me through your Word, through the circumstances in my life, and through Your quiet whispers on my heart.
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As Christmas approaches, help me to love and serve others around me from a heart that loves You and trusts You no matter what has happened, and no matter what lies ahead. Thank You that my hope is not in my circumstances, nor in the odds, nor in "luck" nor in others; my hope is in You (Psalm 62:5). "My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth" (Psalm 121:2). "For you have been my hope, Sovereign Lord, my confidence since my youth" (Psalm 71:5).
And Lord, in the midst of my disappointment, don't let my heart grow bitter and don't let me begin to doubt Your love and presence. In these difficult times, "May integrity and uprightness protect me, because my hope, Lord, is in you" (Psalm 25:21). May I be a light to others this Christmas season as I focus on Who You are, and may my heart of gratitude and faith in Your unseen promises please Your heart. In Jesus' name, amen.
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