The Nativity of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ and the Power of Prayer
Glorify our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ at His Nativity as did His Holy Mother, His earthly father Joseph, the choirs of angels, the shepherds and the Three Wise Men. His birth in Bethlehem was part of God’s eternal plan. The Christ Child came into this world taking on human nature while maintaining His Divine nature to redeem and reconcile us to God the Father after the Fall of Adam and Eve.
When we glorify God, when we worship and obey Him, we find true peace within our spirit. We experience the favour of God and we are reconciled to Him and to one another by His coming into the world. We come to understand the words of the angels at Bethlehem, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men” (Luke 2:14).
Spending Time in Prayer
We attend Church, cross ourselves, venerate the icons, focus on the prayers, and partake of the Holy Eucharist - all discernible manifestations of our faith. But are we contemplating Christ’s message when the Liturgy concludes? How do we live our Christian faith for the rest of the week and throughout the year? Do our thoughts, words and actions reflect His message during the week? Do we practice praying, along with proper fasting, so that we can come closer to God? Do we read the Bible and pray daily? Do we set aside time in devotion to Him, or do we only turn to the Lord when we are facing trials, illness or death? And what if our trials and tribulations persist even after we pray? Do we grumble at God or do we experience “the peace of God which surpasses all understanding” (Philippians 4:7)?
At this Nativity season God sent His Son so that we would understand the depth of His love for us. Our awareness and understanding of His love only intensify when we spend time with Him in prayer. Nothing is as important as prayer - because it places God first, and gives us peace about the cares of this world. Christ tells us: “ask [in My name] and you will receive that your joy may be full” (John 16:24).
Trusting His Will for Us
When it comes to asking God for things in prayer, we need to remember that God knows us better than we know ourselves. We don’t know our true condition or what will bring us peace and joy. We don’t know the depth of our sin, or the sin around us, or what is required of us. Our shallow understanding leads us to think that God will give us what we want, forgetting that it is not our will, but His.
And thus, we are often unprepared for the answers we receive from God. His answers may resemble struggles which cause greater soul searching. Time and again, how God answers us does not seem to align with what we’ve asked of Him. Our prayers are supposed to align with His will.
For example, if we ask God to be closer to us in times of trouble, and we believe that it is good for us to cling near to God (Psalm 72[73]:28), He may answer in ways that break our hearts, for God is near to the broken hearted (Psalm 33:19 [34:18]).
If we ask God for His Kingdom to come (Matthew 6:10) in our own lives and in our community, He may answer in a way that reveals our deep spiritual poverty and our need to repent, for the Kingdom of God is given to the poor in spirit (Matthew 5:3).
If we ask God to “increase our faith” (Luke 17:5), He may answer by repeatedly putting us into situations where we must learn to trust Christ’s promises, “for we walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:7).
Expect the Unexpected
As God proceeds to answer our prayers, we may find His answers mysterious. Events may take unexpected turns, health may deteriorate, painful interpersonal changes may develop, finances may tank, and new spiritual and emotional struggles may emerge. We may ask: “Are we going backward, because we sure don’t seem to be moving forward?”
We feel like crying out as David did: “How long, O Lord? Will You forget me to the end? How long will you turn Your face from me” (Psalm 12[13]:1)? All the while, God is answering our prayers. The problem is, we expect the answer to look a lot different.
Every time we approach God in prayer, especially if we are asking for something, we should always expect nothing…but hope for everything. When we expect something, we do so from a position of pride that we know what’s best. We may approach God with our prayers and expect quick fixes.
“Lord, my father is suffering from cancer…heal him.”
“Lord, I just lost my job…please find me another one!”
“Lord, my child is suffering bullying and struggling with a learning disability…please spare my child the pain.”
While these are all perfectly normal prayers and requests, we often feel God is ignoring us when He doesn’t fulfill our expectations. Worse still, we may even become angry with Him.
“How horrible it is that an “all-loving God” would let my father suffer?
“If God is so great, why would He leave my family to stress out about finances by not finding work for me?
“What kind of God would allow a child to wallow in the darkness of distress and disadvantage?”
If we kneel before God with humility and trust, no prayer will ever go unanswered, even if a situation in life doesn’t go the way that we had expected.
“My father has finally found rest from his battle with cancer in Your arms O Lord…let it be according to Your will.”
“Lord, I have not yet found work…continue to allow my stresses to help me grow in Love and appreciation for family, and for You…for I know You will never abandon me. Let it be according to Your will.”
“Lord, I know not that my child has special needs and other classmates don’t understand and bully him, but I humbly trust You will guide us and will provide Your grace to everyone in the school. Let it be according to Your will.”
Christ sets the foremost example for us to pray to God in faith and trust Him in every circumstance. We don’t pray “our will be done,” but rather “Your will be done.” This is the key to prayer and personal peace - that we give Glory to God in the highest Who grants us His peace and good will. We also pray to God for our neighbours, and share with them the good blessings He has given us.
The spiritual life is one of gratitude in all circumstances, in everything and for everything. This thanksgiving is rooted in the firm conviction of God’s merciful providence and care in all things, in the steadfast faith that “God works in everything for good with those who love Him” (Romans 8:28). By being grateful we experience, most importantly, peace. This peace then fosters satisfaction, joy, freedom from cares, detachment from material things, and ultimately a prayerful inner stillness.
Glorify the Christ Child in humble prayer with thanksgiving for His Nativity. “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you” (James 4:8).
Christ is born! Truly He is born!