Five Prayers to Pray at Christmastime - Part Two
As Christmas day approaches, I want to share the last three prayers to pray at Christmastime. It may be better stated that these are universal prayers that can be prayed at any time of the year, but they are inspired by the biblical narrative of the birth of our Savior.
As we learned in the first blog, trustworthiness is the foundation of being chosen by God, but obedience is required if God’s plan is going to come to pass. All the major players of this story uniquely trusted in God and immediately obeyed God in the face of many obstacles.
In part 1 of this blog, we were led to the first two prayers:
Prayer #1. Help me be trustworthy.
Prayer #2. Give me strength to obey when it doesn’t make sense.
I hope you have already felt the power of praying these prayers! Now it is time to dive in a little deeper. Here we go!
Prayer #3. Lord, let me operate in revelation rather than legalism.
While this principle was important to all principal players in the story, it was especially important to Joseph. Matthew began his narrative with this amazing man:
“Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost. Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a public example, was minded to put her away privily” (Matthew 1:18–19).
Mary had a mysterious pregnancy. Joseph knew he hadn’t fathered the child, yet he couldn’t verify her story. Being a righteous man, Joseph knew the Law would put Mary to open shame. He refused the legalistic approach, saying, “I will break the engagement privately. I will do the righteous thing, but I won’t use the Law to hurt my beloved even though I don’t understand.”
Joseph didn’t just react. He pondered. He waited on God for understanding, and God gave it to him. The Scripture explains:
“But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost” (Matthew 1:20).
Thank God, Joseph allowed fresh insight into his situation! Because he was righteous and not legalistic, Joseph could receive fresh revelation. Revelation changed the whole dynamic of his relationship with Mary and their future. Instead of shame and embarrassment, Joseph wondered in awe at the handiwork of God.
I’ve learned to pray, “Lord, let me operate in revelation and not with reactionary, legalistic thinking. Lord, teach me to test things first. Help me try the spirits. Give me discernment that transcends tradition, bias, and even my own emotions. Help me better recognize Your work in the lives of people around me as well as in my own life, in Jesus’ name.”
Prayer #4. Teach me how to stay in step with the Spirit.
Another theme laying the foundation of the story is the coordinated moves all through the timeline. God unfolds a beautiful and glorious plan right in front of us. While we see it all as one story, those who took part in this story experienced it in real time not always knowing the other players involved.
Zacharias and Elizabeth didn’t know about Mary’s story, but they were used to bear witness to a young virgin about to conceive the Son of God. Elizabeth wasn’t planning to prophesy when she first saw Mary, but the baby leaped in her womb. Zacharias didn’t expect to get his voice back when he named John, but a powerful word suddenly came out of his mouth.
Shepherds didn’t know about Mary, Joseph, and the newborn Messiah just over the hill, but they played a powerful role sharing the good news after a vision of angels and a visit to a manger.
What about Anna and Simeon prophesying? Did they know about Elizabeth and Zacharias? Did they hear about the shepherds? God directed these two elders to be at the right place at the right time.
Last but not least, here came the Magi nearly two years later. They were extraordinarily led by the Spirit via a star. Herod sent them to Bethlehem where Jesus was, but they followed the star to find Him. After offering great gifts fit for a king, they were warned in a dream and left a different way than they came.
When you put it all together, it is truly remarkable. All of these individual stories were divinely wrapped around the lives of two obedient young people. It was not enough for Joseph to have a prophetic dream once. Joseph had to stay in step with God and His Word so they could connect with all the other players in the story.
Not just Bethlehem but a cave. Not just any cave but the right cave reserved for ceremonial lambs. The only cave with a manger—a cave easily found by the shepherds. Every detail was orchestrated by God as Joseph continued to walk in the gentle prompting of the Spirit. Even his trip to Egypt was strategically planned by God. Joseph was still having prophetic dreams and being obedient—even leaving in the middle of the night to escape Herod.
“Lord, help me not to hear Your voice just once and obey just once, but Father, help me to stay in step with Your perfect plan for my life. Lord, there are people You are sending me to and people You are sending to me. Help me walk in Your perfect will and Your perfect timing in Jesus’ name! Thank You for guiding me every day.”
Prayer #5. Confound the enemy’s plans.
Not every character in the story had a pure motive. Herod was a fake. He only pretended to be a worshipper. He wanted to find Jesus for the wrong reason. Often, when we are experiencing the biggest breakthroughs, our enemy will seek to destroy us before we can do all of God’s will. The enemy fears our potential and sees us as a threat before we even understand the full weight of what God is doing in us and through us. This is why it is so important to stay in step with the Spirit.
Joseph led his little family well. They were always one step ahead of their enemy. Herod’s plans were thwarted. Jesus escaped the sword of the tyrant and fulfilled His destiny. You can too!
Today we pray, “Father, reverse the enemy’s plans. Deliver me from evil. Reverse the enemy’s weapons and confound his plans. Let Your kingdom and Your will be done in Jesus’ name.” Today we stand in agreement with the prophet:
“Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even forever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this” (Isaiah 9:7).
© 2025 Jason Sciscoe