Evening Prayer for Friday, December 20, 2024
Praying the Scriptures
Friday Evening Prayer
December 20, 2024
See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way before you. (Matthew 11:10)
Heavenly Father,
As the sun sets behind the rugged desert hills, casting golden hues across the New Mexican sky, I come before You in the stillness of this Advent evening. The cool December air reminds me of the hope and anticipation that fills this sacred season.
Lord, I hear Your promise in the words of Scripture that You send messengers to prepare the way for Your Son. Tonight, I pause to reflect on how I am called to prepare my own heart, my life, and my community for the coming of Christ.
Guide me, Lord, as I strive to be a messenger of Your love in the places I call home. Whether it is a kind word to a neighbor, a moment of charity to those in need, or a quiet prayer for the weary, may my actions reflect Your light in this world.
I thank You for the beauty of the land that surrounds me, for the mountains that stand as sentinels of Your creation and the wide-open spaces that invite me to dream of Your boundless grace. I thank You for the traditions that remind me of my roots and for the sacred stillness of the desert nights that draw me closer to You.
Lord, as I light the Advent candles, I am reminded that the path ahead is illuminated by the promise of Your Son. Help me to walk that path with humility and joy, knowing that You have gone before me to prepare the way.
In the quiet of this night, may my heart be still and my spirit renewed. Let me prepare for Your coming with the same faithfulness and courage as those who have gone before me.
I offer this prayer in the name of Jesus, the One who is to come.
Amen.
"Come, Lord Jesus, come."
The Bible passages come from the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) Bible, copyrighted © 1989, 1993 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America and are used by permission. All rights reserved. Praying the Scriptures is penned daily by Kenny Sallee, ThM.
