When life feels tight and there is no clear way forward, it is easy to panic. Be reminded that even in the waiting, God is not late and He has not forgotten you.

In a college course about serving in children’s ministry, I remember the professor describing the dangers of a child constantly hearing the gospel. “They can become inoculated to the good news of Jesus Christ,” she told the class. Like receiving a vaccine, which exposes us to a virus so our body can build immunity against a disease, a child who grows accustomed to hearing about Jesus may become immune to presentations of the gospel. It just becomes another part of reality to them––but not in a way that is life-changing.

The same danger applies to adults and, in a different way, to believers. We may be so familiar with the events of Jesus’ death and resurrection, have celebrated Easter for numerous years, that it starts to become overly familiar to the point of being unimpactful. Sure, we wave our palm branches on Palm Sunday, attend the Good Friday sermon, and even hold a vigil until the high and holy day of Easter, but there is the risk that our hearts become cold to the events.

Faith is not about feelings. However, there is an element in which we benefit from keeping wonder alive. We are called, after all, to love the Lord with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength (Mark 12:30). And love inevitably involves emotion, even if feelings are not the sum of true, biblical love.

So, where can we start when Lent and Easter seem to be merely other activities in our schedules?

Prayer.

For prayer has a way of transforming our hearts as we align ourselves with the Lord’s will. The following five prayers and verses are a great place to spark a reawakened desire to grow in Christ and reflect on His salvation with a fresh perspective. May they stir within us the wonder of beholding the risen Christ and spur us on to greater love for Him.

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Paul and Silas did something odd as they sat in a prison cell – they sang (Acts 16:23-25). Being chained and locked away for following Christ are not cheerful events that naturally lead to singing. Of course, those who are happy should raise their voices in praise (James 5:13). But singing is not reserved solely for positive moments; we can be encouraged at any time by song, like Paul and Silas were on that day.

As the Apostle Paul wrote, “Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom he gives. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts” (Colossians 3:16).

To sing, even in times of hardship and suffering, is to remind ourselves of the truth that remains steady even when everything around us is shifting. It is an act that serves to encourage us while simultaneously defying the darkness that tells us to despair.

Christians of old turned to song to bolster their faith in times of suffering. Saint Augustine sang hymns by Ambrose, and the oppressed slaves in America created beautiful spirituals to express sorrow and motivate others to hope. As a family of Christ followers, we have a rich history of singing to remind ourselves of truth and to hold onto hope.

The seven hymns listed here can help us to do just that; as we sing the words in worship to our Savior, we are encouraged to lean onto Him when pain tells us to turn away. May the songs help us to do what Lilias Trotter, the missionary who inspired the beloved hymn “Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus,” said: “Believe in the darkness what you have seen in the light.”

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The following prayer points can help direct your prayers and focus on specific concerns that are unique to Islam and Muslim culture.  

Flashy, colorful beads. Decorative masks. Parades and music. This is what many of us imagine when we think of Mardi Gras. With the general rowdiness of some of the celebrations, Christians may wonder if this holiday is merely secular in nature. They may be surprised to learn, though, that Mardi Gras, or “Fat Tuesday,” is a historically Christian celebration that marks the end of Epiphanytide and occurs the day before Ash Wednesday (the beginning of Lent).  

Another name for this day, which is perhaps more well-known, is Shrove Tuesday. Whereas Mardi Gras emphasizes participation in feasting, Shrove Tuesday is connected to confession and prayer. However, both serve as names for the same day–– the final day of festivities before the penitential season of Lent.  

So, instead of shying away from a holiday that some may associate with negative actions, we can celebrate the goodness found in cultural practices and the historic Christian roots of Mardi Gras. The following five traditions are great starting places for Christ followers to observe the holiday:    

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This year, Valentine’s Day and the start of Lent falls on the same day. What does a day filled with heart-shaped boxes of chocolates and bouquets of roses have to do with a period of fasting and prayer in preparation for Easter?

After taking a spiritual disciplines and formation graduate class, I was convicted about the need to read the Bible more and to spend more time with God in general. How often had I carved out a day to spend an extended amount of time with the Lord, enjoying His presence? Did I even have a plan for Scripture engagement?

At that time, my practice was haphazard. I decided I needed, as my professor suggested, a Bible engagement plan because, as the saying goes, failing to plan is planning to fail. A closer study of God’s Word was not going to happen sporadically. Thus, I took steps to research reading plans, found the one that suited what I needed for spiritual growth, printed the plan, and started working through a three-year sequence to read the Bible with greater understanding and growth.

We all can benefit from thinking carefully about our spiritual life and being intentional about the habits we establish. This new year, we can––like my younger self––find ways to spend more time with the Lord in Scripture. The following six ideas provide a place to begin as we intentionally carve out space and time to invest in our relationship with the Savior.

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The Word made flesh to live among us is miraculous enough. How amazing that the Lord of all humbled Himself to be born as an infant in lowly Bethlehem? This event changed history and continues to impact the present.

His birth, before and after, created ripple effects. For surrounding the events of Jesus’ coming into the world were multiple other miracles. Instead of detracting from the focus of Christmas, they add to the main event of God entering the fallen world to live among us (John 1:14). These miracles, in all their individual wonder, remind us to pause and consider – look what the Lord did! We should follow Mary’s example and treasure these events in our hearts (Luke 2:19).

Not only have these events changed all of history around the world, they can also greatly impact our lives today. So, let us survey these six miracles surrounding the birth of Jesus and spend time meditating on them this Christmas.

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For kids, there is one thought that awakens them on Christmas morning: presents. They bound out of bed and inform the entire household that the day has finally arrived. Only the command from their parents keeps them restrained from tearing into the gifts as soon as they spot the packages under the tree.

We all have our memories of exciting Christmas mornings as children. The whispers with siblings about what Santa might have left. The anticipation bubbling up into jumps and squeals of delight. Or the loud “wake up” greeting that we gave our parents to remind them of the holiday (as if they could have forgotten).

But what if we could add to these memories and create a tradition of families and friends praying together on Christmas morning before the wrapping paper starts flying? To sit amid loved ones and worship the One who is the focus of this holiday. Our eyes will be turned to the Light that makes the day possible, with our hearts re-centered on the love of our great God and Savior. When we pray, we make room for Jesus to come into our celebrations.

So, after the kids have hopped around and tugged at parents’ arms, grandparents and neighbors have arrived for breakfast, and the presents await opening, let us make an intention to pray. The following five Christmas morning prayers give us some ideas and places to start.

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We prepare for what we care about and anticipate.  

The expectant mother devotes a room in the house as a nursery and fills it with furniture and decorations in loving anticipation of the baby’s arrival. A teacher prepares the classroom for the first day of school, planning curriculum and handouts in advance to give the students the best first start he can. A farmer works hard through the planting season with a focus on the harvest to come.

The same should be true for Christmas; on this day we remember the greatest gift that was given to us. But too often, our schedules and checklists are written while our hearts remain anxious. The spiritual preparation for Christmas is just as important as the physical planning. We need to invest time focusing our hearts and minds on what this season is truly about.

Advent gives us this time and space to prepare. It was a period used historically by the church to encourage believers to reflect on Jesus’ incarnation when He came into the world and to look ahead to His return. 

Advent gives Christians intentional time to prepare spiritually for Christmas by reflecting on Jesus’ first coming and looking ahead to His return. These six prayers can help quiet the holiday rush and refocus your heart on Christ throughout the season.

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“Why are they red?” asked the Jehovah’s Witness I was talking to on my porch. She had expressed her confusion when glimpsing the red words spoken by Jesus in my NIV Bible. Having grown up as a Jehovah’s Witness, she had never seen a Bible that was not the official New World Translation version –– not even a King James Version, which most other JWs I have talked to had seen before. I explained the words marked red were meant to highlight the Lord’s words.

“But isn’t the whole Bible important?” She made a good point. Every part of Scripture is inspired and important, not just bold or highlighted text (2 Timothy 3:16-17). One of the pitfalls of a red-letter Bible is that it may lead some readers to assume that certain parts are more significant than others.

All Scripture is God-breathed. However, we should note that everything in the Bible also points to Christ (Luke 24:27). The question is not so much why some Bible versions choose to print His words in red ink. A better and more central question is: “Who is this Jesus, that everything in Scripture focuses on Him?” So, I steered the conversation back to the person of Jesus.

If we want to know who Jesus is, then we need look no further than the statements He made about Himself. The following five verses (which in many orthodox versions do appear in red) present powerful truths about the person of Christ –– the content, not the color, of which reveals the great Son of God who took on flesh to save us.

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Loneliness does not always require a person to be alone. We can experience the pain of this emotion even as we sit in a crowded room surrounded by others. In fact, sometimes a person can feel most lonely when friends and family are around them.

There are many reasons for feeling this way, including grief, illness, depression, or a lack of connection. Becoming isolated does not help, but even those who are socially involved can struggle with feeling lonely.

We often cannot help how we feel, but instead of trying to push the emotions away, we can let them drive us toward the Lord. What does He say about our situation? In what ways can we find comfort in His presence? In these times, we can turn to His Word and talk to Him about what we are experiencing.

The following verses and prayers can give us a starting place to hold onto the promise that, although we may feel lonely, we are never alone.

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Sometimes, when things are difficult, we forget that there is light and hope in the world because the Lord is still good even if our circumstances are not. So, how can we remember God’s love and kindness when life is hard?