As we considered the word we want to live and pray during December, we thought about present. We love a good play on words and we thought this one was doubly appropriate because it is presents season.
This season, we pray we are present—with Jesus, with our family and friends, with our neighbors and community. We know December can be one of the most harried and overcommitted months in our year. To quote the song, we have parties for hosting, marshmallows for toasting, and caroling out in the snow. Not to mention Advent devotions, choir performances, gift exchanges, and light tours. There’s just a lot going on.
December also calls us to reflect on the past year. Some of us may have had triumphs and celebrations all year long. But we would venture to guess that most of us had some sorrow. We had failures and trials and challenges.
We begin to look toward our future in December. We start planning the new year—goals, habits, changes.
That’s another reason we like the word present for December. We want to live in the present. We don’t want to look back with regret or look forward with worry. We want to celebrate this day, focus on Jesus’ grace to us now, and soak in the time with those surrounding us.
The verse we’re memorizing and meditating on this month comes from Psalm 118. Psalm 118 celebrates a victory while praising God. The verse we’re focusing on this month may be familiar to you.
This is the day the Lord has made;
let us rejoice and be glad in it.
Psalm 118:24
Perhaps ending this year feels like it deserves a victory song for you. Maybe you, too, are praising God for answering you in times of distress (v. 5). Maybe you are singing with the psalmist, “His faithful love endures forever!” (v. 1).
We chose this verse because it talks about today. In order to rejoice and be glad in this day, we have to be present in it. We have to choose to be fully invested in where God has placed us now. Let’s pray together that we will be present in December.
Use the hashtag #PrayersFor2016 on Twitter and Instagram so we can see what God is showing you about release this month. We’ve also included some wallpapers and art below. Just right click or tap and hold to download (sometimes it takes a couple of tries).
Instagram Art:
Facebook Cover:
Phone Wallpaper:
Computer Wallpaper 1280×1024:
Computer Wallpaper 1920×1080:
