Lord, be gracious to us; we long for you. Be our strength every morning, our salvation in time of distress.

Isaiah 33:2

Prayer for yourself and those on your prayer list…

Today’s prayer and meditation comes from the hymn, “Lord in the Morning” by Isaac Watts

Lord, in the morning Thou shalt hear
My voice ascending high;
To Thee will I direct my prayer,
To Thee lift up mine eye

Up to the hills where Christ is gone
To plead for all His saints,
Presenting at His Father’s throne
Our songs and our complaints. 

O may Thy Spirit guide my feet
In ways of righteousness;
Make every path of duty straight
And plain before my face. 

The men that love and fear Thy name
Shall see their hopes fulfilled;
The mighty God will compass them 
With favor as a shield.

Reflection

When ancient people read today’s text in Isaiah, they looked toward the first Advent of Christ. The Christmas season is time when the coming of Christ is being simultaneously celebrated and ignored.

As earth’s history draws one year closer to its end, we now look to “where Christ is gone to plead for all His saints” and to the Second Advent of Christ.