December 2018 Daily Scripture and Prayer
1st – read Colossians 1:11-20 “May you be made strong with all the strength that
comes from his glorious power…”
Prayer: Gracious God as I begin this month in which your children celebrate the birth
of Jesus, strengthen me and help me to find my hope in you, so that when Christmas
comes I will welcome you anew. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
2nd – read Psalm 24 “The earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it, the world, and
those who live in it…”
Prayer: Gracious God, I give thanks to you today that the whole world belongs to you.
That means that I belong to you, too. Help me to trust you with my life. Tend to me
and all your creation with tenderness and wisdom. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
3rd – read Psalm 145 “…Every day I will bless you, and praise your name forever and
ever…”
Prayer: Gracious God I praise you today with my whole being. Help me to feel the joy
and hope that comes from loving you. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
4th – read Psalm 146 “…I will praise the Lord as long as I live; I will sing praises to
my God all my life long…”
Prayer: Mighty Creator, today I thank you for my life, even with its challenges, it is a
precious gift and I am grateful. Help me today to praise you for every good memory
and every present comfort. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
5th – read Isaiah 66:12-13 “…As a mother comforts her child, so I will comfort you…”
Prayer: Loving God, I long to feel your arms around me today. Please help me to
receive the wonderful comfort that you have for me today. I know you love me, and I
am grateful. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
6th – read Genesis 29:20
“So Jacob served seven years for Rachel, and they seemed to him but a few days
because of the love he had for her.”
Prayer: Dear God, I am not feeling as patient as Jacob today. Help me with your divine
patience to take a deep breath and live today fully knowing that in you I lack nothing.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.
7th – read Isaiah 40:28-31
“…those who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength, they shall mount up
with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not
faint.”
Prayer: God of Divine Patience, oh how I love this image, me soaring free, eagle-eyed,
focused. This is not how I always feel, but just because I don’t feel like it doesn’t mean
that your word is not true for me. Lift me up, O God, and fill me with the strength I
need for today. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
8th – read Psalm 46
“Be still, and know that I am God!”
Prayer: Help me, O God, to quiet my heart and mind so that I may greet you in your
holy silence. Help me to stop worrying so that you may surprise me by speaking into
the stillness of my soul. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
9th – read John 20:19-23
“Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I
send you.” When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them,
“Receive the Holy Spirit.”
Prayer: Holy God, fill me with your peace this day. When events confound me, remind
me that you have already found me! In Jesus’ name. Amen.
10th – read 1 Corinthians 13
“For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then we will see face to face.”
Prayer: Dearest God, sometimes I don’t understand very much. Help me today to focus
on your eternal love even when it seems illusive and mysterious. Hold me close and
give me courage. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
11th – read 2 Samuel 6:14 “David danced before the Lord with all his might.”
Prayer: Today, Lord, help me to do a little dance, even if it is just with my fingers or my
memories. Help me to praise you with all of me, my whole body, mind and spirit.
In Jesus’ name. Amen.
12th – read Isaiah 52:7-10
“How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of the messenger who
announces peace, who brings good news, who announces salvation, who says to
Zion, “Your God reigns.”
Prayer: The time is drawing nearer, Lord, for us to greet you again on Christmas.
Open me to hear the angels’ voices that remind me of your salvation. In Jesus’ name.
Amen.
13th – read John 13:12-17
“After he had washed their feet, had put on his robe, and had returned to the
table, he said to them, “Do you know what I have done to you? ….”
Prayer: Today, Gracious Lord, when I touch a towel, let me think of you. How you have
served me! How may I serve you today? In Jesus’ name. Amen.
14th – read Isaiah 6:1-3
“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory.”
Prayer: Today, Lord, I thank you for all of your gifts to me. My whole world is filled
with your glory. Help me to enjoy it today. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
15th – read John 14:1-4
“Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me.”
Prayer: Gracious God, heavenly builder, calm my troubled heart. Your presence with
me makes my house a home. Remind me today of all that you have in store for me.
In Jesus’ name. Amen.
16th – read Psalm 141:1-4
“Let my prayer be counted as incense before you, and the lifting up of my hands
as an evening sacrifice.”
Prayer: Gracious God I lift my spirit up to you this day. Please accept the prayers of
my heart and fill me with peace. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
17th – read 1 Kings 3:3-14
“Indeed I give you a wise and discerning mind; no one like you has been before
you and no one like you shall arise after you.”
Prayer: Gracious God, thank you for the uniqueness of my life. None has been like it
before. None will be like it after. Fill me with wisdom today to appreciate my own life.
In Jesus’ name. Amen.
18th – read Matthew 3:1-12
“The voice of one crying out in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord,
make his paths straight.”
Prayer: Gracious God, help me today to clear away the clutter in my mind so that you
may have a straight path to come to me. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
19th – read Philippians 4:4-7 “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice.”
Prayer: Dear God, sometimes this season is harder than it is jolly. Help me to find my
joy in you. Remind me this day of all the good things in my life so that I may truly
praise you. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
20th – read Philippians 4:8-9
“Keep on doing the things that you have learned and received and heard and
seen in me, and the God of peace will be with you.”
Prayer: Today, O God of Peace, help me to model my life on Jesus’ life and fill me with
your peace. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
21st – read Philippians 4:19-20
“And my God will fully satisfy every need of yours according to his riches in glory
in Christ Jesus.”
Prayer: O God, your promises are sure and they are enough for me. Satisfy my need
today, O Lord, for only you are able. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
22nd – read Luke 1:39-45
“And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was
spoken to her by the Lord.”
Prayer: God of Mercy, you indeed work miracles. Help me today to learn the lessons of
waiting so that I will be ready to receive your fulfillment. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
23rd – read Luke 1:46-55
“My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he
has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant.”
Prayer: Magnificent Lord, as you did with Mary, look with favor upon me.
As Mary did, I praise you for all your faithfulness to me. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
24th – read Philippians 2:5-11
“Therefore God also highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above
every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, in heaven and
on earth and under the earth, and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ
is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
Prayer: On this holy Eve of your birth, I bend my knee and shout out loud that you are
my Lord and my God. Alleluia! Amen.
25th – read Luke 2:1-20
“The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and
seen, as it had been told them.”
Prayer: Gracious God, how can this great thing be true?!? You have come to dwell
with me. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! In Jesus’ name. Amen.
26th – read John 1:1-5
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was
God.”
Prayer: O Jesus Christ, Word of God, Word of Life, I welcome you today into my little
life. It is holy and meaningful because you share it with me. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
27th – read 1 John 5:1-5
“Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and
everyone who loves the parent loves the child.”
Prayer: Dear God, I do love you. Help me to live that love faithfully and with courage
today. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
28th – read Matthew 18:1-5
“Whoever becomes humble like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of
heaven.”
Prayer: Dear God, there is much in me today that feels childlike, a little frightened, a
little helpless, a little invisible. Help me to learn the lessons of this day and to live
humbly in your provision. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
29th – read John 7:37-39
“Let anyone who is thirsty come to me, and let the one who believes in me drink.”
Prayer: I come to you today, O God, with a thirsty heart. Fill me with your
refreshment. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
30th – read 3 John 1:1-15
“Beloved, I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in good
health, just as it is well with your soul.”
Prayer: Dear God, as my soul enjoys health in you, please tend to the needs of my body
so that in whatever condition I find myself, I may truly be well. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
31st – read Psalm 98
“O sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous things.”
Prayer: Dear God, in my life I have seen many things, many marvels, many changes.
On this New Year’s Eve, help me to welcome what the new year will bring with praise
and a new song on my lips. In Jesus’ name. Amen.