“Take heed, watch and pray; for you do not know when the time is. It is like a man going to a far country, who left his house and gave authority to his servants, and to each his work, and commanded the doorkeeper to watch. Watch therefore, for you do not know when the master of the house is coming””in the evening, at midnight, at the crowing of the rooster, or in the morning””lest, coming suddenly, he find you sleeping. And what I say to you, I say to all: Watch!” Mark 13:33-37 (NKJV)

It’s hard to imagine hoping for generations that something will come to pass.

A long-awaited messiah. A deliverer king.

It’s easy to cast a little bit of blame on the cast of characters around Jesus who didn’t realize that He was in their midst and recognizing Him for who He was. Or the ones who had waited for so long, they’d given up hope that they’d see Him.

It’s something we see in this work, too.

We pray for the deliverance of our society from abortion. For revelation to come, and for the scales to fall from people’s eyes. We pray for the world to be awakened to the painstaking care that our Heavenly Father used when crafting each precious soul for a purpose.

And we wait.

But what do we do in the time of waiting?

We watch! 

Just like we can’t know the hour when Christ will come again (we are told the appointed hour will surprise us like His birth surprised the Jewish people), we also never know the hour when God will call upon us to be advocates for not just life, but ABUNDANT LIFE. 

We hope for the opportunity to stand in the gap for a vulnerable life.

That’s why we need to pray without ceasing, and always look for that moment of leading in our own lives. When He opens the door to have a life-or-death conversation with a family member or friend facing a pregnancy decision, we need to be prepared to step through it boldly to offer the compassion, hope, and help that she or he needs to embrace the new life””and new path””that lays before them.

Are you ready?

This week, please join me in praying:

For women and men who are waiting for “a sign” that the lives of their children are ones worth cherishing and protecting, that it would come to them in the way of a family member, friend, or member of their community willing to stand with them and support them through their times of trouble.

For those who are waiting for the “right moment” to have a hard conversation with someone they know or love about choosing life for their unborn child, that they would be emboldened to speak the truth with love and empowered by the Holy Spirit to speak words that offer hope into even the bleakest of situations.

For those who are waiting to make Christ their personal Lord and Savior, that they would be freed of whatever excuses or guilty feelings are preventing them from submitting to His authority and welcoming the King of Kings fully into their hearts.


You can download the entire Praying Through Advent devotional for free at the secure link below.