3rd. December. 2021. Daily Devotion.

“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. “Isaiah 9:6

Reflect

The son who was to be born was the one who would give council. He has both wisdom and compassion. In the New Testament the Holy Spirit is called a counsellor. He is one who gives sound advice, who is close enough to the situation to understand what needs to be done. Many people live in the darkness of confusion, weighed down by the decisions that they need to make. In God we have one who is the supreme counsellor. He is able to bring light and direction into even the most confusing of situations. It may be that during this Advent you are facing a difficult decision and are not sure what direction to take. Ask the Wonderful Counsellor for light and direction.

Wonderful Counsellor, we ask for your guidance at this time. Help us to take the right paths and the correct decisions. Lord be our guide. And even when we take a wrong turning, help us to trust that you are with us, healing, restoring and forgiving. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Prayer for All People

O God, the creator and preserver of all mankind, I humbly pray to you for all sorts and conditions of humanity; that it might please you to make your Word known to them and bring your saving health to all nations. In particular I pray for the entirety of your church, in all of its many forms; that it may be guided and governed by your Holy Spirit, and that all who profess your name and call themselves Christians may be led into the way of truth. May all of us live in that unity of spirit which our faith in Christ provides to us, in the bond of peace, and in righteousness of life.

Finally, I commend to your fatherly goodness all those who are ill or in distress, in their mind, body, or circumstances. May it please you to comfort and relieve them in accordance with their needs, giving them patience during their suffering, and a fortunate outcome to all of their problems. And this I ask in the name of Jesus Christ, who was always pleased to relieve the suffering of those he encountered. Amen.

Expectant God

The heavens can no longer hold your abundant love,
So you pour out the gift of your embodied self,

Relinquishing the beauty of your majesty,
To adorn the pale colours of our humanity.
Choosing to enter into this world in a place of scarcity and need.

Reveal to us this hidden world of poverty, of refugees,
of suffering. As you choose this as the place of your birth
Let us choose this to be the place of our rebirth.

Rebuild us, Transform us, Make us anew. We ask this through Christ our Lord,
Amen.