Nehemiah 8:10b - "Where Are You Christmas?"

I woke up this morning singing "Where Are You Christmas?" and immediately started praying for some people who feel like they no longer have the joy of the Lord in their heart. Some are believers who are dealing with tough situations. The enemy got a foothold in their life and is playing havoc. Sometimes the enemy gets in by ways we can not even imagine. Sometimes he works through other people to get in and destroy relationships. The hurt becomes so great we think we are not going to be able to continue on with life. The Lord is the Only One who can be the Soothing Balm in such situations. He is the Only One who can heal the hurts. They may still be a part of our life but they will be doable to deal with as we allow Him to enable us with His supernatural empowerment. His strength is the only thing to get us through tough times. His wisdom will be the only thing to enable us to make right decisions. This morning I am praying for...

• Married couples who have grown apart to find common ground.
• Families who are torn apart due to things that have been said or done to find peace and reconciliation.
• Parents with prodigals to not give up on their children but instead pray for them to come back, especially in their relationship with the Lord.
• People with family members dealing with addiction to have the Lord's strength and wisdom on how and when to help them. 
• Parents with children who are out of control to seek the Lord's wisdom on how to punish, reward, etc.
• Single parents to seek the Lord's will for their lives as they raise their children and desire a relationship with another mate.
• Those who have lost loved ones who feel like their heart is breaking no matter if it was this week, a year ago, or twenty years ago.
• Those who are lonely...the widow/widowers; those with their spouse in the military; those away from home; those who feel like they don't have a friend in the world; the orphans; those in hospitals, nursing homes, etc.; mothers with small children who feel cut-off from the world; etc.
• People who have lost family members and friends in tragic accidents this week...car accidents, shootings, weather disasters, etc.
• Those who are struggling with post-holiday depression.

Most of all I am praying everyone of these people will find the joy of the Lord. I pray they will realize we cannot do life on our own but instead need to rely on His strength, wisdom, and empowerment. These cannot be found in the world. They are only available through Him. His joy is available for all who are willing to allow Him control of our lives. It does not necessarily mean problems will be wiped away. We grow in our relationship with Him through dealing with problems. What it means is we can have His joy through the problems. We can have His peace in the midst of the storms of life. This song this morning reminded me of how when He is in our hearts His presence is with us even in the 'bad' days. This part says it all...

I feel you Christmas
I know I've found you
You never fade away
The joy of Christmas
Stays here inside us
Fills each and every heart with love

Yes! Christ is Christmas. His love is the Soothing Balm to help with the hurts of life. His love will enable us to continue on even when we feel like we can't. His joy is possible through times of turmoil. It sounds so simple yet is so hard to live out at times but the way for this to happen is to surrender our whole being to the Lord. It is not easy to do because the world tells us to think only of ourselves but we must put Christ first. This cannot be done just verbally. We must put Him first in our words, actions, and attitude. When we don't, it gives the enemy an open door.

Dear Jesus,

Thank You for the joy You give me. Thank You for the strength and wisdom You enable me with throughout tough days. Thank You for the privilege to pray for and with those who are hurting from circumstances. Father, cleanse me so You can fill me to overflowing with more of You. May You be seen and heard through me today. Father, bless my prayers for so many hurting people. May they find You as their Joy today. Thank You Jesus for being My Soothing Balm. Amen.