Fervent Cries and Tears

"During the days of Jesus' life on earth, He offered up prayers and petitions with fervent cries and tears to the One who could save Him from death, and He was heard because of His reverent submission." Hebrews 5:7

Jesus, being our gentle, faithful, and persistent Savior, prayed with fervency and reverence. Fervency means to show great warmth and intensity of spirit. Reverence means an attitude of deep respect tinged with awe. With the warmth of great love and with the intensity of His own spirit, Jesus prayed to His Father with such respect, His posture was in awe of Who His Father is.

It takes serious contemplation on our parts to pray in this manner. Life is so busy, often times we can pray on the fly. Without intention, we can neglect the warmth and awe of our prayers. As we approach this Christmas, let us take time to be in awe of our Great God, Who, without hesitance gave us His Son as our perfect High Priest.

Just imagine the awe and the exhilaration the shepherds felt when the angel said to them "Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord." (Luke 2:11). "Today" meant that finally true redemption, eternal salvation has been born and total freedom to enter God's rest through His Son is here! Bask in this concept reflecting on what life would be like "Today" if we did not have Jesus. My heart pangs at the thought! I shudder to know what my life would be like. I'm so grateful to our Savior who loves us with tears of love and the persistence to show this to us on the cross!

Dear God, 

We love you and we honor You today with our stillness. You have given us Jesus, a gift we cannot repay. But we receive Him with great warmth and awe. Lord, our life would not be filled with joy and peace without Your Son, Jesus. Thank you for giving us salvation and gracing us with Your eternal salvation that resides in our souls. We pray with fervency that each person in Fredericksburg would feel the tug for You and be drawn by Your Spirit to come to the Christmas Eve services at River Club; we pray that they receive You as their High Priest and Savior. Never give up on these people who are caught up in the distractions of sin and life; give them reason to pause and reflect on their deep need for You; and give them courage to do something about it. 

In Jesus Name, Amen.