God’s Love

WEEKLY MEDITATION 29 DECEMBER – 4 JANUARY 2026

Lord, as we begin this new year, we thank you for coming into our world as the light and the way. We ask that you help us understand your word through the guidance of the Holy Spirit and open our hearts and minds so that we may incorporate your word into our daily lives. We know we can do all things through you. Jesus, we thank you for your peace and comfort. Your wisdom, guidance, grace, and forgiveness. Your provision, blessings, and healing. You are our rock and salvation. Please help us to see your blessings in our lives and give us a spirit of gratitude to you and for you…in Jesus’ name, we pray.

– Amen

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” – 2 Corinthians 5:17

“But those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” – Isaiah 40:31

“Your beginnings will seem humble, so prosperous will your future be.” – Job 8:7

World Watch List 2025

As we prepare to enter 2026, we encourage you to become aware of the massive persecution of our Christian brothers and sisters around the world, and then do something. Anything. Pray. Call or email your leaders in Congress, your state leaders, your friends, fellow Christians, contact your local media, and organize.

Christians are in trouble around the world. “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” – Matthew 5:10-12

Please review the World Watch List – Open Doors’ annual ranking of the 50 countries where Christians face the most extreme persecution. https://www.opendoors.org/en-US/persecution/countries/

Here are some quick, alarming data points

  • 4,476 Christians were murdered for their faith last year
  • 1 in 7 Christians are persecuted worldwide
  • 1 in 5 Christians are persecuted in Africa
  • 2 in 5 Christians are persecuted in Asia
  • 7,679 Churches and Christian properties attacked

COUNTRY LIST – https://www.opendoors.org/en-US/persecution/countries/

Most Christians are persecuted by Islamic Oppression, followed by Communist or dictatorial oppression, and others.

Here are the top oppressors in order

  • North Korea
  • Somalia
  • Libya
  • Eritrea
  • Yemen
  • Nigeria
  • Pakistan
  • Sudan
  • Iran
  • Afghanistan
  • Central African Republic
  • Mauritania
  • Myanmar
  • Mali
  • Syria
  • Saudi Arabia
  • Maldives
  • China
  • Algeria
  • Tunisia
  • Morocco
  • Burkina Faso
  • Turkey
  • Cuba
  • Niger
  • Ethiopia
  • Laos
  • Tajikistan
  • Qatar
  • Egypt
  • Brunei
  • Jordan
  • Oman
  • United Arab Emirates
  • Colombia
  • Democratic Republic of Congo
  • Mozambique
  • Bangladesh
  • Vietnam
  • Bhutan
  • Kazakhstan
  • Kuwait
  • Malaysia
  • Indonesia
  • Kyrgyzstan
  • Russia
  • Sri Lanka
  • Western Sahara
  • Kosovo
  • Bahrain

Notice that most of these countries are “allies” or trade with the USA. We encourage you to reach out to Secretary Rubio and the State Department to put more pressure on these countries to protect Christians, or you won’t be doing business with the USA, nor will we protect you if you can’t protect us.

The Lord has told us we would be persecuted for his name, but we also have a duty to stand up for our fellow Christians here in the USA and around the world. This is the greatest level of persecution in the world that NO ONE is talking about. It’s time that changes before it’s too late. Even here in the USA, we are facing existential challenges.

According to Russell Contreras, in his article in Axios titled “The Great Unchurching of America” – https://www.axios.com/2025/12/26/great-unchurching-america-religiously-unaffiliated The U.S. is undergoing its fastest religious shift in modern history, marked by a rapid increase in the religiously unaffiliated and numerous church closures nationwide. Why it matters: The great unchurching of America comes as identity and reality are increasingly shaped by non-institutional spiritual sources — YouTube mystics, TikTok tarot, digital skeptics, folk saints, and AI-generated prayer bots.

Christianity is under fire. When you are facing the fire of persecution, what you do or don’t believe suddenly becomes very clear. Throughout human history, tyrants have tried and failed to stamp out the Christian faith. The same thing is true in our time on a global scale. Countless believers are choosing imprisonment or death rather than choosing to deny Christ.

If you were faced with the same choice, what would you choose? Stand up while you can. Even in the USA, we are under threat. You might want to think about that, because the global persecution of Christians is only going to intensify during the very challenging years that are ahead of us.

“If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you” – John 15:19-20

This week, we begin the fourth prayer of Advent.

Advent Week 4 – Prayer for Love

Heavenly Father, the whole meaning of Christmas can be explained in a simple four-letter word…LOVE. You sent your gift of pure love to us that first Christmas. Love descended from heaven to be born of a virgin. Love lay in the scratchy hay of a manger in a meager barn in Bethlehem. All of your love, God, was robed in the delicate skin of a baby and wrapped in swaddling clothes. This final week of Advent helps us to reflect on the magnitude of love that was made manifest in Jesus.

The greatest gift of all came that first Christmas. It wasn’t wrapped in a beautiful package and set under a decorated tree. The greatest gift came wrapped in the flesh of baby Jesus and laid in the rough wood of a manger. Our perfect gift would later be rewrapped in the scars of our sin and nailed to the rugged wood of a cross on Calvary, all because of love.

Father, this final week of Advent, fill our hearts and minds with the significance of that truth. Thank you, Lord, for loving us enough, even in our flawed and sinful state, to send Jesus. In Jesus’ precious name, Amen. 

This week, we begin the third prayer of Advent.

Advent Week 3 – Prayer for Joy

This third week of Advent, let us remember that the good news of Jesus’ birth has the power to bring us great joy this Christmas season. Our joy isn’t dependent on what is going on in our life, in our world, or the people that we are with. It doesn’t depend on the gifts we give or the gifts we find under the tree. No earthly thing can ever give us complete joy. Our joy comes from you. That joy that flooded the hearts of the shepherds, the angels, the wise men, the hosts of heaven, and Mary and Joseph is the joy that still has the power to overwhelm our hearts with rejoicing. 

Father, you offer that same joy to us now if we know you and recognize Jesus as our Savior and Lord. You gave us a reason to celebrate when you gave us the unspeakable gift of Jesus Christ. You came to dwell among us. You went to Calvary’s cross for us. You overcame death and rose from the dead for us. You forgive our sins and give us eternal life when we believe in you. 

Our joy doesn’t come from our jobs, our family, our relationships, our finances, or our success. Our joy doesn’t come from what we have on earth or who we are with. Our joy is a gift. It is the gift that you gave us on that first Christmas in Jesus Christ. Our joy is encompassed in our Savior, King Jesus. Flood our hearts with joy this Advent season as we reflect on the good news of Jesus’ birth.

In Jesus’ precious name we pray. Amen.

This week, we begin the second prayer of Advent.

Advent Week 2 – HOPE.

Prayer for Peace

Father, in a season when every heart should be happy and light, many of us are struggling with the heaviness of life’s burdens that steal the joy right out of our stockings. Tragedy arrives as innocent victims suffer, and an inner voice whispers, “Be afraid!” We need your peace, Jesus. We confess that our hearts are too often filled with wonder of a different kind: wondering when the bills will be paid, when the fear will stop, when rest will come. Will it ever? Is the message still true? In a world where worry, not peace, prevails, stir up that good news again.

This Advent, make it real in our hearts. Never have we needed Your joy and peace more than now. Thank You for the gift of Jesus, our Immanuel, the Word made flesh. We not only need Your peace and joy, Lord, we crave it. You’ve promised rest for the weary, victory for the battle-scarred, peace for the anxious, and acceptance for the broken-hearted—not just at Advent, but every day of every year. Your name is still called “Wonderful,” “Counselor,” “The Mighty God,” “The Everlasting Father,” and “The Prince of Peace.”

We know that peace on earth can only come when hearts find peace with You. You are still our Joy. You are still our Peace. You are no longer a babe in the manger. You are Lord of lords and King of kings. And we still celebrate You as Lord—this Christmas and always.

In Jesus’ precious name, we pray. Amen. 

WEEKLY MEDITATION 1-7 DECEMBER 2025

This week, we begin the first prayer of Advent.

Advent Week 1 – HOPE. A Prayer for Hope

Father, every word in scripture points to the gift of hope that we have because of Christ Jesus. The Christmas story wasn’t the beginning of that message of hope because the Old Testament is full of glimpses of your plan to redeem your people and restore them into a relationship with you, but we can truly begin to see and understand just how great your love for us is when we read the story of Jesus’ birth in scripture.

Help us to see that you are with us. Nothing is too difficult, too messy, or too dirty for you. Jesus came to give us the gift of eternal life through the salvation that only you, our Heavenly Father, can give when we believe in your Son, repent of our sins, and confess Jesus as our Lord and Savior. 

On that first Christmas, you gave us the gift of hope wrapped in swaddling clothes and laid in a manger. Thank you, Father, for your immeasurable gift. In Jesus’ precious name, we pray. Amen. 

WEEKLY MEDITATION 24-30 NOVEMEBER 2025

Lord, we thank you for coming into our world as the light and the way. We ask that you help us understand your word through the guidance of the Holy Spirit and open our hearts and minds so that we may incorporate your word into our daily lives. We know we can do all things through you. Jesus, we thank you for your peace and comfort. Your wisdom, guidance, grace, and forgiveness. Your provision, blessings, and healing. You are our rock and salvation. Please help us to see your blessings in our lives and give us a spirit of gratitude to you and for you…in Jesus’ name, we pray.

– Amen

“Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise; give thanks to Him and praise His name.” – Psalm 100:4

“Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” – 1 Thessalonians 5:18

“Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise.” – Hebrews 13:15

WEEKLY MEDITATION 17-24 NOVEMBER 2025

Lord, we thank you for coming into our world as the light and the way. We ask that you help us understand your word through the guidance of the Holy Spirit and open our hearts and minds so that we may incorporate your word into our daily lives. We know we can do all things through you. Jesus, we thank you for your peace and comfort. Your wisdom, guidance, grace, and forgiveness. Your provision, blessings, and healing. You are our rock and salvation. Please help us to see your blessings in our lives and give us a spirit of gratitude to you and for you…in Jesus’ name, we pray.

– Amen

“Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” – 1 Thessalonians 5:18

“Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.” – Psalm 100:4

“And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” – Colossians 3:17

WEEKLY MEDITATION 20-26 OCTOBER

Lord, we thank you for coming into our world as the light and the way. We ask that you help us understand your word through the guidance of the Holy Spirit and open our hearts and minds so that we may incorporate your word into our daily lives. We know we can do all things through you. Jesus, we thank you for your peace and comfort. Your wisdom, guidance, grace, and forgiveness. Your provision, blessings, and healing. You are our rock and salvation. Please help us to see your blessings in our lives and give us a spirit of gratitude to you and for you…in Jesus’ name, we pray.

– Amen

“The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in His love, He will no longer rebuke you but will rejoice over you with singing.” – Zephaniah 3:17

“Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong.” – 1 Corinthians 16:13

“The Lord is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in Him.” – Nahum 1:7

WEEKLY MEDITATION 13 -19 OCTOBER 2025

Lord, we thank you for coming into our world as the light and the way. We ask that you help us understand your word through the guidance of the Holy Spirit and open our hearts and minds so that we may incorporate your word into our daily lives. We know we can do all things through you. Jesus, we thank you for your peace and comfort. Your wisdom, guidance, grace, and forgiveness. Your provision, blessings, and healing. You are our rock and salvation. Please help us to see your blessings in our lives and give us a spirit of gratitude to you and for you…in Jesus’ name, we pray.

– Amen

“When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.” – Isaiah 43:2

“Cast your cares on the Lord and He will sustain you; He will never let the righteous be shaken.” – Psalm 55:22

“Jesus looked at them and said, ‘With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.’” – Matthew 19:26