Chris' prayer: Jars of Clay's "Needful Hands"

I feel your hands around my heart

As men and women, we have an innate need to be touched. We crave, subconsciously, and sometimes even consciously, human touch.

I was reading Purpose Driven Youth Ministry, a book on how to create a successful youth ministry program, a few weeks ago, and one of the points the author, Doug Fields, made was to be sure to physically touch each youth every time you see them. This could be through a hug, a handshake, a high five, a pat on the shoulder, anything. It could be the only positive touch they have all week, he suggested.

A simple touch, even the briefest of contacts as in a high five, changes something inside of us. It connects us with those around us in a way that doesn't even make sense. Such a small gesture provides much too powerful a result to be logical.

How much greater is the result, then, when we allow God to touch us? What could change inside of us if we allowed ourselves to feel God's hands around our hearts?

You Tube | iTunes | Lyrics

Marie's Prayer: Jars of Clay's "Needful Hands"

Staring up in awesome wonder

I find myself today looking at my life and all of the good things this past year has brought. Maybe I've been focusing on all the negative lately, but that's going to change. I realize how much God has given me, especially the day before He gave me His only son. How awesome is that? It's amazing that someone could think that much of me that He would try to save me from sin. Especially since I bring sin upon myself. God has faith in me, enough to save me. AWESOME.

Erinnicole's Prayer: Jars of Clay's "Needful Hands"

I'm reaching up a needful hand

Who amongst us truly isn't reaching up a needful hand? We all need something, none of us (by human nature) are ever satisfied. God can fill the empty spot in our hearts. Thinking about all of the other people that need as much, and far more, than i makes me grateful that we are smack dab in the middle of the season of giving. maybe with this newfound awareness, i (or we?) can help a little more so that there can be less needful hands and more helpful ones.

Megan's prayer: Jars of Clay's "Needful Hands"

Tomorrow we celebrate the birth of Jesus. God’s son. Sent to the Earth to share God’s love, to proclaim the Good News, to sing God’s song. Today’s song includes a beautiful prayer:

Sing through me.

God is present in all of us. He is inside, ready to use us as a vessel to share his love, ready to use us to sing his song and share his Good News. All we have to do is to break down the walls inside of us to let God show through. Only problem is, this is easier said than done.

I pray that God continues to write these songs of hope, songs of love, songs of joy on my heart so that I can be reminded of how important it is to share those with the world and truly let God sing through me.