03 Dec 2025
Testifying about what the Lord has done for us encourages us and others. It reminds us of God’s love and faithfulness and gives us hope because of the evidence that shows what He is capable of doing. Hopefully, we will always testify of the Lord’s goodness, and also be around people who also testify of the Lord’s goodness. May Jehovah also keep doing amazing things in our midst so that our testimonies abound. Psalm 71:14-18.
Daily Prayer for December 4
Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come on the whole world to test the inhabitants of the earth. I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown. Revelation 3:10–11, NIV Lord our God, strengthen our hearts today through your Word. You are our Father and we are your children, and we want to trust you in every aspect of our lives. Protect us on all our ways, and grant that we may always watch and wait for the coming of your kingdom, for the future of our Lord Jesus Christ. Keep us from becoming confused by present-day events. Help us to remain free, that we may serve you and not be led astray, no matter what happens in the world. Grant us your Holy Spirit in everything, for without your Spirit we can do nothing. Help us, and accept our praise for the many ways you have given us help. Amen. Recent articles on Plough Can Beauty and Justice Meet in Architecture? Kelly W. Foster An architect feels forced to choose between beauty for the rich and justice for the poor. A tuberculosis sanatorium shows him he doesn’t have to. Read now The Dangers of Advent J. B. Phillips No amount of familiarity with the trappings of Christmas should blind us to its quiet but explosive significance. Read now Stuck in Mexico Joseph Sorrentino With the US border effectively closed, a photojournalist finds migrants in limbo at Casa Tochan, a shelter in Mexico City. Read now Let the Children Rage Reynolds Chapman A father reads Katherine Rundell’s The Poisoned King, the second book in the Impossible Creatures series, to his twelve-year-old and six-year-old. Read now Blank Pages in the Family Book Amelia Buzzard When asking my Korean grandmother about my roots, I learn to listen to her silences. Read now
Today’s Verse – Matthew 1:22-23
All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: “The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” — which means, “God with us.” —Matthew 1:22-23 Thoughts on Today’s Verse… God had repeatedly promised his people his presence. During the Wilderness wanderings, he was with them with the cloud during the day, the pillar of fire at night, and in the Holy of Holies above the Ark of the Covenant in the Tabernacle. Men, women, and angels (1 Peter 1:10-12) had long anticipated our receiving God’s presence close to us. Then, with Jesus’ incarnation, his coming in human flesh, it happened. God came to us in his Son. Jesus is Immanuel – Immanu-El, God with us! We live on the visited planet, touched by the very presence of God the Creator among us, as one of us, who lived, died, and was raised from the dead for us (See John 1:1-18; Hebrews 1:1-3; and Colossians 1:15-23 for the declaration of these truths). And it was just as the prophets of old had said. My Prayer… LORD God, my heavenly Father, thank you for keeping your promises, especially when it was so incredibly costly for you to do so in Jesus. You came to us in Jesus, the Son, to reveal yourself to us and show us how to live. I want to know you better, O God, not just as someone I study in Scripture, but as someone I encounter in my daily life. Please make your presence known as I seek you and use the Holy Spirit to transform me and mold me into someone who is truly JESUShaped (2 Corinthians 3:18; Colossians 1:28-29)! In the name of Jesus of Nazareth, our Immanuel, we pray. Amen. All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House.
Today’s Verse – Matthew 1:20-21
But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” —Matthew 1:20-21 Thoughts on Today’s Verse… Jesus. Yeshua. Joshua of the spiritual world. Mary’s boy, God’s Son, comes to help us tear down the strongholds Satan has built in our lives. He comes to bring peace to our troubled spirits and joy to our nights of despair. He comes not only to minister to us and bless us, he comes to do what no one else could do: he comes to deliver us from our sins – our spiritual blemishes, neglects, rebellions, mistakes, transgressions, and failures. Praise God! A deliverer who actually conquered what we could not defeat to make us what we are not – pure, perfect, and holy children of God, like him (Colossians 1:22, 28-29). My Prayer… Thank you, Father, for your forgiveness, cleansing, and transformation given to me by Jesus and the gift of the Holy Spirit that the Son poured out on me to cleanse me and make me holy.* In Christ’s name I pray. Amen. * See 1 Corinthians 6:11 and Titus 3:5-7 for these amazing truths!All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House.
02 Dec 2025
I pray that the Lord will not give up on us. We are creatures of habit and there may be things we do that displease Him. May He continue to help us and may we trust in Him. If there are adjustments He would like us to make, may we not be fearful. I pray that we shall all have brethren who can help us deal with our situations so that we don’t feel overwhelmed. Psalm 71:9-13.
Daily Prayer for December 2
The Lord has done it this very day; let us rejoice today and be glad. Lord, save us! Lord, grant us success! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. From the house of the Lord we bless you. Psalm 118:24-26, NIV Lord God, our hearts are full of praise and thanks for your promise. You comfort and help us with this promise every day, enabling us to hold true through all distress. Remember us in these times, and let the cry, “Hosanna,” arise often in our hearts. Let a bright light shine out now as you once let it shine around the Lord Jesus, showing him as King and Savior. Protect us and bless us. Bless our land and all those appointed to govern. May your Spirit be with them so that they may carry out your will. For your will must be done and shall surely happen. In this we trust, and in this we hope. We praise you, O Lord our God. Hosanna! Hosanna in the highest! Amen. Recent articles on Plough Stuck in Mexico Joseph Sorrentino With the US border effectively closed, a photojournalist finds migrants in limbo at Casa Tochan, a shelter in Mexico City. Read now Let the Children Rage Reynolds Chapman A father reads Katherine Rundell’s The Poisoned King, the second book in the Impossible Creatures series, to his twelve-year-old and six-year-old. Read now Blank Pages in the Family Book Amelia Buzzard When asking my Korean grandmother about my roots, I learn to listen to her silences. Read now From the Annunciation to the Visitation Joel Clarkson After an angel tells Mary she will bear the Savior, she sets out to visit her cousin Elizabeth. Both encounters are rich in meaning for Advent. Read now What Makes a Home? Brittany Hurd Being blind hasn’t stopped me from trying to picture a perfect home. Read now
Today’s Verse – Matthew 1:20
But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. —Matthew 1:20 Thoughts on Today’s Verse… Reassurance beyond understanding! That’s the beginning of the Christ story for Joseph: like with Mary and the angel at the annunciation, God’s reassurance of things beyond human understanding was what Joseph received in this glorious visitation! What he could not understand and what he had no part in creating will now be the groundbreaking journey of his own faithful and generous heart. He was to be the human daddy to the Savior of the world and the Messiah of Israel. He would live the rest of his life knowing that a miracle happened with Mary without his input or involvement. As a righteous and kind man, he would bear the disgrace of the world’s misunderstanding about the conception of their child. His faith and God’s use of him in this story should awaken each of us to the incredible possibilities that God may have in store for us. Why not use this December to re-awaken your heart to the Holy One, born Jesus of Nazareth, and let’s ask God to bless us through Jesus with reassurance beyond our human understanding! My Prayer… Father, I have long admired Joseph for his trust in you – a trust that helped him deal with what he could not understand. Now I come, with wild-eyed Joseph-like excitement and bewilderment, to be reminded again of the miracle of your Son and my Savior. Please make him real to me as I seek to know him better and bless me with reassurance beyond my limited human understanding! In Jesus’ name and because of his miraculous conception and incarnation, I pray this. Amen. All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House.
01 Dec 2025
The Lord has watched over us from January until now. He has done so too from our conception to this day. He will not stop. May we continue to trust and hope in Him. Let us not forget to thank and praise Him for His consistency. Psalm 71:1-8
Today’s Verse – Proverbs 31:30
Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised. —Proverbs 31:30 Thoughts on Today’s Verse… Want to find a really good woman? Look for one that honors and reveres the LORD with all of her heart, soul, mind, and strength and loves her neighbors as she loves herself (Matthew 22:36-40). Appearance, physical strength, and even personality can change and degrade. A woman whose heart is anchored and enlivened by the presence of God in her life will be a lifelong blessing to others and a woman worthy of our praise, and the praise of her Father in heaven! My Prayer… Father, once again, I want to thank you for the important women in my life who have helped shape my faith and guided me to you… (Please pray by name for godly women who have blessed you!) Father, please help me to value godly women in ways that bless them, honor you, and build up your Church. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen. All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House.
Today’s Verse – Philippians 1:29
For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for him… —Philippians 1:29 Thoughts on Today’s Verse… Suffer! How is suffering a privilege? It’s not unless it is for Jesus or to help redeem others with Jesus. Remember how the early apostles were joyful because they were counted worthy to suffer for the name (Acts 5:41). Let’s reawaken ourselves to Jesus’ reminder that if we follow him, we will likely suffer for him at some time in our lives (Mark 10:29-30). Many believers around the world are actually suffering, are persecuted, and even martyred today. So, let’s realize that while God IS working things out for our good and his glory (Romans 8:28), part of that work means our being conformed to the likeness of his Son, the Suffering Servant (Romans 8:29; Mark 10:45). Jesus suffered for us so that we could be saved. Now, when we face suffering for the cause of Christ and his Kingdom, we can help inspire others to live faithfully in adversity and show to all, even those who hate us, the genuineness of our faith. So few in the world today have anything worth living for, dying for, or suffering for. We, however, have many reasons to live, die, and suffer in honor of Christ. Our lives will be caught up in Jesus’ victory because we have shared in his trials (Romans 8:17)! My Prayer… Please grow our courage, LORD! Help us, your people, O God, to be faithful in times of trouble, strong in times of persecution, and steadfast in times of suffering and martyrdom. May the world see our faith under fire and be drawn to our hope in Jesus, in whose name we pray. Amen. All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House.