maranatha church - advent devotional layout 5.5x8.5 ......maranatha, o lord jesus, come! we need...

ADVENT PRAYER DEVOTIONAL

Preparing for the Coming of Jesus

2020

INTRODUCTION

As our world is shaking around us in many ways, it is morecritical than ever to fix our eyes on Jesus as our only true sourceof HOPE, LOVE, JOY and PEACE if we are to remain rooted andgrounded in Him through the turmoil both now and to come. AsGod’s children and chosen people, He calls us to lead the wayin demonstrating and offering His truth and light to the world,and that means we must first know it deeply for ourselves andembody it as a Church. Using the Psalms and other Scriptures asa guide, may these next four weeks of Advent be a time ofreflection, consecration, adoration, and deepening of ourunderstanding and longing for Jesus to come—in our ownhearts, in our church and in the earth. By actively engaging God through prayer, the Scriptures andresources provided, and perhaps even fasting if you feel led todo so, we can prepare our hearts and be united in prayer as acommunity, even through this season of uncertainty and separa-tion, to receive afresh the hope, love, joy and peace that is oursin Christ Jesus. Maranatha, O Lord Jesus, Come! We need You!

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as youtrust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the powerof the Holy Spirit” (Romans 15:13 NIV).

Tips to get more out of this devotional:

IDEAS FOR SCRIPTURE MEDITATION:

• DAY 1 – Read the Psalm DAY 2 – Write it down DAY 3 – Say it out loud DAY 4 – Sing it* DAY 5 – Pray it

• After reading the whole passage, focus on a few verses eachday and ask God what He wants to say to you through them.

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• Read the passage in a different version of the Bible to gainnew insights.

• *For more information on how singing Scripture can be apowerful meditation and memorization tool, read:https://www.biblegateway.com/resources/scripture-engagement/singing-scripture/home

PRAYER WALKING:

For the “Preparing As a Church” focus each week, considerwalking or driving around the church, if you are able to, prayingon the church property. Praying “onsite with insight” can help usfocus our prayers and intentionally listen and hear what God hasto say specifically about our church. Open your heart in faith tosee through His eyes and declare His Kingdom come and His willbe done here and in this city! *For more information about the purpose of prayer walking, read:http://kairoscompany.co/article/the-purpose-of-prayer-walking/

FASTING:

Fasting is a powerful spiritual practice. Giving up food for aperiod of time allows us to experience more dependence on Godand be more focused and empowered in our prayers. Prayerfullyconsider fasting in some way throughout this Advent season as yougo through this prayer devotional. (**Only fast if your health allows.) *For more detailed information about fasting, read:https://assets.speakcdn.com/assets/1927/prayer_fasting5.pdf

FAMILY DEVOTIONS:

• If you have a subscription to RightNow Media, the familydevotional video series by Phil Vischer called “1 Peter—Where does HOPE come from?” and “Philippians—Wheredoes JOY come from?” are a fun and informative study ofthese themes for both children and adults!

• Focus on the Family also offers a downloadable Advent devo-tional with activities and daily family devotions. Request afree copy at: https://FocusOnTheFamily.ca/Advent

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https://www.biblegateway.com/resources/scripture-engagement/singing-scripture/homehttp://kairoscompany.co/article/the-purpose-of-prayer-walking/https://assets.speakcdn.com/assets/1927/prayer_fasting5.pdfhttps://FocusOnTheFamily.ca/Advent

WEEK ONE: HOPE

John the Baptist—Preparing the Way of HopeRead Luke 1:5-17

Is there an area of your life where you need hope? There aremany promises in God’s Word that give us hope and encour-agement not only to endure the trials we experience on earth,but to remember how fleeting those trials are in light of theeverlasting life that Jesus came to give us. Take time this weekto meditate on where our true hope is found and give thanks toGod for His many promises.

“Through Christ you have come to trust in God. And because Godraised Christ from the dead and gave him great glory, your faithand hope can be placed confidently in God” (1 Peter 1:21 NLT).

PREPARING OUR OWN HEARTS

Meditation Focus: PSALM 146

• Spend time reading this Psalm every day (see meditationideas on previous page). As you meditate on His Word, allowGod to ignite hope in your heart because of WHO HE IS –He takes care of us and we are safe with Him; nothing andno one else can save us.

• Ask God to reveal any areas you have lost hope in your lifeor doubt that God can or will break through in your struggle.Confess that and ask Him to give you renewed hope as youspend time reminding yourself of what He says in His Wordand of what He has done through Jesus.

“How abundant are the good things that you have stored up forthose who fear you, that you bestow in the sight of all, on thosewho take refuge in you” (Psalm 31:19 NIV).

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PREPARING AS A CHURCH

• Ask God to reveal any ways you may have lost hope for ourchurch. Confess that and ask Him to show you again Hisdesire and purpose for us.

• Pray Psalm 25:4-10 for our church, seeking God’s mercy anddirection, and putting your hope in Him for our future.

“For I know the plans I have for you…plans to prosper you andnot to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future”(Jeremiah 29:11 NIV).

“I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in orderthat you may know the hope to which he has called you, the richesof his glorious inheritance in his holy people, and his incompara-bly great power for us who believe” (Ephesians 1:18 NIV).

PREPARING FOR THE END OF THE AGE

• Read Isaiah 61 and Romans 15:12-13. What do theseScriptures say to us about God’s intentions and promises forJesus’ return?

• How does this give us HOPE now?

• Pray for God’s Kingdom to come and His will to be done inthis time of history. Pray for our hearts and those of believ-ers around the world to not give in to fear and waver in faithbut rather to grow in boldness and confidence of thepromised glory that is coming for those who belong to Him!

“These trials are only to test your faith….So if your faithremains strong after being tried by fiery trials, it will bring youmuch praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christis revealed to the whole world” (1 Peter 1:7 NLT).

GOING DEEPER

• Read and study the book of 1 Peter, which offers encourage-ment and hope to those who are suffering, as well as instruction,

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using Christ’s example, of how to conduct holy lives in themidst of trials.

• SONGS to encourage: “My Hope,” “In Christ Alone,”“Do ItAgain,” “Praise You in the Storm,” “Living Hope,” “You KeepHope Alive,” “The Hope of Christmas,” “Hope is Alive”

• Consider doing a word study (using a concordance or Bibleapp) of the word “hope” in the Bible, or use the followingScriptures to get started:

Luke 2:8-12, Ephesians 1:17-23, Psalm 71:14, Psalm 42:5,Romans 12:12, Psalm 31:24, Isaiah 40:31, Lamentations3:22-26, Hebrews 6:19-20, Romans 8:28, 2 Corinthians4:16-18, Matthew 19:26, Hebrews 11:1

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WEEK TWO: LOVE

Mary—Receiving God’s Gift of LoveRead Luke 1:26-38

We can never comprehend or even imagine the fullness andmeasure of God’s love towards us, but we can see His greatestdemonstration of that love in the gift of His Son, Jesus, whosecoming secured our hope and salvation. The antidote to hope-lessness, fear, and all other human conditions is found in thelove of God in Christ Jesus. But it takes faith to believe andreceive all that He actually offers us, and faith comes by hearingthe Word of God. So take time this week to meditate on theScriptures and ask God to deepen your understanding of thesurpassing greatness of His love for you and what that means foryour life today and for eternity!

“And I pray that Christ will be more and more at home in yourhearts as you trust in him. May your roots go down deep intothe soil of God’s marvelous love. And may you have the powerto understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long,how high, and how deep his love really is….Then you will befilled with the fullness of life and power that comes from God”(Ephesians 3:17-19 NLT).



• Spend time reading this Psalm every day. As you do, allowGod to remind you of His wonderful goodness and unfailinglove towards you, not because of what you have done, butbecause of WHO HE IS—God is full of love and satisfies allwho trust in Him.

• Ask God to reveal any areas you doubt or question His abil-ity to love you or His desire to share the fullness of His love

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with you (because of how you feel about yourself or whatyou believe about Him). Confess that and ask Him to giveyou a new revelation of His love, affection and commitmenttowards you as you spend time in His Word, praying for Histruth. Remember that the Holy Spirit is the one who does thework of transforming our hearts, so what seems impossibleto us (and is!) is possible with Him. We simply need to openour hearts in faith and ask Him to change us—and He will.

“Come to me with your ears wide open. Listen, for the life ofyour soul is at stake. I am ready to make an everlasting covenantwith you. I will give you all the mercies and unfailing love thatI promised to David” (Isaiah 55:3 NLT).

“May you experience the love of Christ, though it is so greatyou will never fully understand it. Then you will be filledwith the fullness of life and power that comes from God”(Ephesians 3:19 NLT).


• Read 1 John 4:7-21 and Colossians 3:12-24. Ask God toreveal where you may be struggling to love or forgive abrother or sister the way He calls us to, or to love the churchthe way He does. Confess that and ask the Holy Spirit to giveyou a greater love for the body of Christ and to guide you inreflecting His love to those around you. Acknowledge thatlove comes from God and as we receive from Him withoutfear, we become clothed with the character of Christ to loveothers without fear.

• Pray Ephesians 3:14-21 for our church, asking the Holy Spiritto rekindle our first love and empower us to know Christ’slove in greater measure, in order that He may do more thanwe can ask or imagine for His glory.

“If God is for us, who can ever be against us? Since God did notspare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won’t God,

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who gave us Christ, also give us everything else?... Nothing in allcreation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God thatis revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:31,39 NLT).

“O Lord, you are a great and awesome God! You always fulfillyour promises of unfailing love to those who love you and keepyour commands” (Daniel 9:4 NLT).


• Read Isaiah 55 and Psalm 98. What do these Scriptures sayto us about God’s promise of salvation now and when Jesusreturns? How are we to prepare for and live out our lives inlight of His coming?

• Pray for God’s people to “seek the Lord while He can befound” and turn away from unrighteousness in order toreceive mercy in our time of need. Pray that we would trustthe ways of the Lord of God, who knows the end from thebeginning and who will not forsake His children!

“But you, dear friends, by building yourselves up in your mostholy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves inGod’s love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ tobring your to eternal life” (Jude 1:20-21 NIV).

GOING DEEPER

• Write your own “psalm” based on Psalm 136, listing all theways that God has shown His love to you and declaring withpraise, “His love endures forever!”

• SONGS to encourage: “Good Good Father,” “EverlastingFather,” “Even So Come,” “Sovereign Over Us,” “Who YouSay I Am,” “Reckless Love” “Your Love Defends Me”

• Further study: Romans 5:8, Ephesians 3:20-21, Galatians2:20, Titus 3:4-5, Romans 8:31-39, Deuteronomy 7:9,Psalm 36:5-7

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WEEK THREE: JOY

Elizabeth—Responding in Joy to JesusRead Luke 1:39-56

The presence of Jesus changes us and everything aroundus! When we spend time in His presence and allow the HolySpirit to reveal to us the glorious hope of who He is and thepower of His great love for us, JOY is the natural responsewithin us. The awareness of Him lifts us out of self-focus andgives us a greater purpose and perspective of our life and cir-cumstances. And we can’t help but praise Him and walkthrough our days more ready to please Him and share His lovewith others. So take time this week to spend time with Jesus,recognizing the work of the Holy Spirit in your life andresponding with joy and thankfulness!

“Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior.The Sovereign Lord is my strength” (Habakkuk 3:18-19 NIV).

“Blessed are those who dwell in your house; they are ever prais-ing you” (Psalm 84:4 NIV).



• Spend time reading this Psalm every day. As you do, allowGod to show you how He is always with you and how you canbecome more aware of His presence and live with a sense ofjoy because of WHO HE IS in your life.

• Ask God to reveal any areas you have allowed worry or sad-ness or complacency or despair or anything else to keep youfrom enjoying His presence. Confess that and ask Him togive you renewed joy in His presence as you spend time withHim in quietness and trust.

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“May all who search for you be filled with joy and gladness inyou. May those who love your salvation repeatedly shout, ‘TheLord is great!’” (Psalm 40:16 NLT).

“Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer”(Romans 12:12).


• Jesus takes joy in His church—we are His people, His body!He gave His life for us and then gave us His glory so we canshow the world who He is. Ask God to reveal any ways youmay have lost sight of the passion Jesus has for His churchor faltered in your own love for and enjoyment of His peo-ple. Confess that and ask Him to give you renewed passionand joy in serving Him as a part of His body, the church.

• Turn Colossians 1:2-24 into a prayer for our church so wemay all grow in wisdom, knowledge, patient endurance andjoyful thanks by the power of the Holy Spirit.

“…Giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified youto share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom oflight” (Colossians 1:12 NIV).

“His intent was that now, through the church, the manifoldwisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and author-ities in the heavenly realms… (Ephesians 3:10-11 NIV).

“Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts.They broke bread in their homes and ate together with gladand sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of allthe people. And the Lord added to their number daily thosewho were being saved” (Acts 2:46 NIV).


• Read Isaiah 65:17-25. What does this Scripture say aboutwhat is to come for God’s people at the end of the age?

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• How does that give us JOY and anticipation today?

• Pray for God’s people to draw near to Him in awe and faithand gratitude, no matter what troubles come, in order toexperience the supernatural joy that only comes from Him—joy that can bless Him at all times!

“Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again—rejoice! Leteveryone see that you are considerate in all you do. Remember,the Lord is coming soon” (Philippians 4:4-5 NLT).

“To him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to presentyou before his glorious presence without fault and with greatjoy—to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power andauthority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, nowand forevermore! Amen” (Jude 1:24-25 NIV).

GOING DEEPER

• Read and study the book of Philippians, which reminds us thatwe can find joy in suffering, in serving, in knowing God, in giv-ing—in all things—by following the example of Jesus andallowing Him to develop our inner strength and character.

• Read Acts 2:24-36 as it relates to what David prophesiedabout Jesus in Psalm 16:8-11.

• SONGS to encourage: “Christ is Mine Forevermore,”“Joy,” “Here in Your Presence,” “Psalm 16–Fullness of Joy,”“Joy to the World (Unspeakable Joy)” “We Will Dance”

• Further study: Luke 2:20, Hebrews 12:2-3, James 1:2-4,1 Peter 1:8, Psalm 51:12, Psalm 28:7, Psalm 95:1-7,Psalm 100

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WEEK FOUR: PEACE

Zechariah—Proclaiming the Path of PeaceRead Luke 1:57-80

How much peace do you experience in your life? Or is itmore marked with anxiety, fear and strife? Jesus is called thePrince of Peace because He offers us peace with God for eter-nity and also because His Spirit in us allows us to have peacehere on earth. Having that peace, however, requires one thingfrom us—trust. As you meditate on God’s Word this week, taketime to examine how much of your security or peace of mind lieswith the people, circumstances and things around you ratherthan trust in God, the Maker and Keeper of all things.

“You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, whosethoughts are fixed on you! Trust in the Lord always, for theLord God is the eternal Rock” (Isaiah 26:3 NLT).

“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the govern-ment will be on his shoulders. And he will be called WonderfulCounselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace”(Isaiah 9:6 NIV).



• Spend time reading this Psalm every day. As you do, let goof all that troubles you and allow the Lord to wash over youwith His peace, not because there is nothing in our lives tocause us fear or anxiety, but because of WHO HE IS—ourShepherd who gives us everything we need to live a life ofpeace and strength in Him.

• Ask God to reveal any areas you have given in to fear oranxiety in your life or have struggled with trusting Him.

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Confess that and ask Him to comfort and assure you of Hispower and presence in every circumstance you face and tohelp you be still and fix your eyes on Him and Him alone foryour salvation.

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, byprayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests toGod. And the peace of God, which transcends all understand-ing, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus”(Philippians 4:6-7 NIV).

“The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still”(Exodus 14:14 NIV).


• Ask God to reveal anywhere you may be anxious about thefuture of our church and struggle to trust Him. Confess thatand ask the Holy Spirit to help you “be still in His presenceand wait patiently for Him to act” (Psalm 37:7). Pray that ourchurch would “trust in the Lord and do good,” not give in tofear, but surrender, trust and obey Him in every way.

• Thank God for our church, for all that He has given us, donein us and will do in us, for the people He has placed in thiscommunity, for His faithfulness to us, for the refining workHe is doing in us, and for His grace that sustains us. Committo having a thankful heart for this church as a sign of yourtrust in Him.

“Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as mem-bers of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful”(2 Thessalonians 3:16 NIV).

“Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at alltimes and in every way. The Lord be with all of you”(Ephesians 1:18 NIV).

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• Read Isaiah 51:11-16. What does this passage tell us aboutwhat will happen when Jesus returns? What comfort can wefind in that?

• Read 2 Corinthians 1:2-11 and Psalm 46. How do theseScriptures direct us to respond to the pain, turmoil and trou-ble we encounter in the world now, with even more to come?

• Pray for faith to arise in God’s people as we look at God’ssovereign and powerful plan on the earth. Pray that fearwould be eradicated in our hearts, that we would trust Himwith both the big picture and the smallest details of our lives,in order to experience His perfect peace and be a peoplethat brings glory to His name!

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace.In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I haveovercome the world” (John 16:33 NIV).

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give toyou as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled anddo not be afraid” (John 14:27 NIV).

GOING DEEPER

• Write down a list of all the assurances described in Psalm 23and apply them to your own life.

• SONGS to encourage: ”Still,” “You Are My Hiding Place,”“Be Still My Soul (In You I Rest),” “Peace Be Still,” “Goodnessof God,” “My Lighthouse,” “It is Well”

• Consider doing a word study (using a concordance or Bibleapp) of the word “peace” in the Bible, or use the followingScriptures to get started:

Luke 2:13-19, Romans 15:13, Isaiah 26:3, Numbers 6:24-26,Galatians 5:22-23, 1 Peter 5:7

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maranatha church - advent devotional layout 5.5x8.5 ......maranatha, o lord jesus, come! we need...

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