Christian Prayer Thread - Joy to the world, the Lord is coming

[DutchOma]

I thought it was time to set up a new thread for Christmas.

Will just leave it short and give you all the opportunity to add your own prayers.

Nickelbabe Prayers of thanks for the delivery of her little girl, continuing prayers for her and the baby. We look forward to you to be able to update us.

MHD prayers that the medical team will get their act together, but also that you will be able to be at home and stay at home over Christmas.

Soozi we know how hard things have been for you for such a long time. Prayers that you will find the strength to cope, especially at this Christmas time.

CaptainDippy Prayers for comfort and joy.

Prayers for all of us that we will proclaim the birth of the Saviour to a world in need.

praying mhd. hope you are home for christmas.

I feel like giving up tonight. I just feel so sad.

I'm sorry you're feeling sad FoD - don't give up !

hi dorothy. how are you doing this morning?

I have puffy eyes and I feel like my heart is broken today. I am just not looking forward to either my birthday or Christmas.

FoD, hang in there, be gentle on yourself

try and take it easy today. `((( hugs)))

Darling Friend of Dorothy, this is not the time to feel despair. You say in an earlier post that your period is due next Friday, on your birthday and you feel unable to cope with either.
Could you actually wait until Friday and see what happens? At least your birthday is good news, give thanks that the Lord has spared you another year.
And IF your period comes, give thanks that you can try again. By grieving so much before it happens you add to the grief.
There is a Dutch hymn which says (in translation)

Man often suffers most through the grief that never comes. And should that grief come to visit then God gives strength to bear the cross.
Blessings for you to remain calm and peaceful and trust in the Lord who will never leave you.

madhairday has asked me to update you all as she doesn't have internet in the hospital.
She is looked after well and on good strong iv meds now. She will hopefully be out for Christmas eve and day and then back in! Thanks to all for prayers!

I've been up since 4.30am this morning with the worst bladder infection I ever had. Went to docs and on antibiotics now :( she sent off a sample to be tested.
Please pray it is just a bladder infection and nothing worse.

Now getting ready for my work Christmas parties :) one for Branches ( 4-11 year olds) and one for Roots (9-13 year olds)

I wondered though if Auntie Flo might well have paid an early visit to our friend.
Damn relatives at Christmas - always changing their plans

I remember finding those times really sad and challenging too though FoD

• but now I have two children scraping like puppies sitting on the sofa watching Wallace and Gromit.

I think a big part of the problem could be that because it's never happened to you (I'm assuming) you don't think it will. ( I know you've been ttc for quite a while too) But really it's one of God's everyday miracles and it could well come to pass for you as well.

Christmas is a time for hope ? Can you find just a little ?

Also wondered if you have any friend's or family's children in your life ATM ?
I enjoyed being an Auntie to my sister's DCs before I had my own. And I also really value the "Aunties" in my children's lives and all they do with and for them.

I hope this post has been OK and not made you feel worse FriendofDorothy

Wishing you a peaceful Christmas x

Spot on Juggling. Being without children and not having managed to get pregnant yet makes Christmas a particularly sad time for me this year. I feel like it is never going to happen ? moving onto month 16 of trying and it feels very routine and rather hopeless at this point. I feel absolutely hopeless this Christmas. I cannot find anything about it that encourages me to think positively ? it just reminds me of what hasn?t happened.

My younger sister has two children and I love being with my niece and nephew. I love them to pieces and wouldn?t want to be without them but every time I look at them I wish I had my own. I see the pleasure she gets from them and I feel denied that experience.

If someone could tell me that I would be pregnant in a few months, or a year, then I would be able to relax a bit. It?s the not knowing that is so unbelievably painful and disappointing.

My blog kind of sums it up for me... auntiedoris.wibsite.com/2011/12/16/christmas-the-good-the-bad/

mil is v ill. the cancer has gone to her liver and lungs. fil said the situation is dire. I have told h that if he wished he could spend the day with his mum on christmas day.

I am feeling a bit lonely at the moment.

((hugs)) BES. And prayers for the whole situation.

That's very generous and loving of you BES
Your DH may want to be with his Mum.
Cancer can be awful can't it ?

Sometimes Christmas has to be different to the one we were hoping for.
Maybe thinking about Christmas day you can consider all possibilities
eg. If DH can't be with you I wonder if you have any friends who might like to share the day with you? I'm hoping to go with DCs to a friends house in the afternoon as it can be nice to see friends too !
There might be other people who are a bit lonely too and get two lonely people together and you have company ... even a party !

Haven't been here for some while. So much support - and some tough love which I needed! - when I posted about my DS3 who refused to go ahead with the confirmation programme. I felt as though I had failed - you lot didn't think so. Thanks.

Anyway, DS1, 2 and 3 and DH aren't believers - the DSs claim they are in fact atheists. Rather nice ones but non believers in spite of my best efforts at a happy, Christian upbringing. Do I go to Church alone on Christmas day or draft them along? Anyone else in this predicament?

Prayers for BES and family - I know what cancer in the family is like. It's very, very important to look after and be gentle with yourselves.

Dorothy - stay strong and hopeful, please.

Sending prayers up as I read - and feeling at what some of you are facing.

Praise God that mhd is being sent home for Christmas, as it sounds like hospital is the best place for her healthwise in the meantime. I hope you feel that's a good compromise, mhd.

bes - I cannot imagine. It sounds hideous, your poor pils. Praying for them, that they can find a small seed of hope in all this and also for you - that you will experience love, joy, peace from some direction over Christmas.

Cerys - go to church by yourself, but pray for them there, so that they are remembered before God? I would find that situation very difficult - that's my gut reaction, but I don't know, really.

Oh, almost forgot, I hobbled to hospital successfully, but got a big blister on the palm of my hand, so decided to wait what ended up as 4 hours for dh to pick me up rather than attempt the homeward journey! so much waiting in my life at the moment. Still, could be worse - I could be busy!

...that they're planning to send mhd home for Christmas, I should've said. Am still praying!

agggggggggggggghhhhhhhhhhhhh train timetables are meaning that the children are only getting 2 half days with h on friday and saturday. he was going to be visiting on and off from today (seeing pils in this city) til monday. however, he has arranged to see his friend tomorrow so could not come til fridayafternoon and now the children are losing 2 and a 1/2 days of when he was around to see them. i have told him to consider hiring a car or rearranging his friend as I have just rearranged for his benefit. i want to shout at his "i can't" attitude. it is highly likely mils last christmas on earth and I can get my head round missing out to mil but the children missing out to his friend is a bit galling to be honest. I should know that this is the case as pils have always been higher in the pecking order than children and I. the big relationship splitting fight was over putting his needs to see his ps rather than the childrens need for a nappy/toilet stop on the way.

he doesn't get unsupervised contact for the children's safetys sake and so I do not get time off. get sod all support from church, not even a listening ear. had more support from strangers off the internet! my ps are too poorly to do much more than lend a listening ear, for which I am very grateful. the only half break I get is when h is here to entertain them whilst I get on with jobs or eating my tea without as many interuptions. I wa s hoping for time to wrap the childrens presents whilst he was here and needed to go to asda to get a birthday cake and last bits and bobs. asda is the only place that sells cakes that are egg free. (and that dd will eat) he comes and puts them to bed too. which incidently I am failing spectacularly at tonight as I am a bit of an emotional basket case this evening and ds is poorly and has been sleeping. I was banking on him being around a couple of evenings to put them to bed to give me a break.

I was looking forward to cooking a lovely dinner on christmas day whilst ds slept and h entertained dd. now I need to know what is happening to get the ruddy turkey out the freezer in time and to do the extra stuff I have not done because I thought I had more time and more help.

There are times when words utterly fail me and when I am grateful that the Holy Spirit intercedes on our behalf.

Definitely yes to going to church on your own Cerys. God believes in atheists, there is nothing you can add to that.

I wouldn't drag them along Cerys, but i would say "it would be nice if we could go as a family". Then if they go, all well and good. All families have to start somewhere. :)

Prayers

I can persuade mine to go to the Christmas Crib service - do you have any short, child friendly services they might consider ? I also kind of bribed my DS to be good during the Carol Service at the Cathedral by saying I'd get him a new game for his PSP if he was good - he was getting very bored and fidgety and wanted to go and sit on a pillar ! - also I thought a new game for existing gadget would actually make a good Christmas present.

Hello! I have internet as dh bought me a wotsit.

Things going well - getting IV training which may even mean I am out for christmas and can stay home for the remainder of the course.

Very tired and zonked by the meds but being looked after well.

Thanks so much for prayers.

hi mad hair. glad to hear from you.

well after all that he has gone back to coming over christmas because it is too difficult to drive forward and back. the children will be happy, and I will get to cook in peace. also I will be able to go to church at least once over christmas which having not been for a month or so will be lovely.

Phew! Glad to hear it, bes, after all that worry and frustration. Hope it works out well.

Sleep well, mhd! Well, hope it is restful; I know medicated rest can leave you feeling just as tired afterwards...

Popping in with prayers for all.

MHD - I am glad they are looking after you well and hope you'll be well enough to enjoy Christmas with your family. Rest and look after yourself.

BES - I am so sorry about your MIL and sorry - in this situation, at least - for your H, who must feel really torn between wanting to spend time with his mum and with his children. I hope, though, that he is able to give a little to you too over the Christmas period and to try to make your life a little bit easier too.

Cerys - Sympathy and understanding. My DH is not a believer and my DD1 insists that she, too, is an atheist and won't come to church with me and DD2. I am not inclined to force her to come with us at the moment, as I fear that may be counterproductive, though I hope and pray that she may change her mind in time. She's coming to our Christingle/Nativity service on Christmas Eve, though as her sister is a narrator.

Lost - I hope that Christmas back in the UK is fun for you and your family and that you're not missing Africa too much. Prayers for really good healing for your leg too.

Dorothy - I am so sorry for your situation and am praying for you.

Prayers for all those I haven't mentioned too. I have a manic day tomorrow as I have to get dd1 to the hospital for a check up on her broken finger and dd2 to the cathedral for a Nativity rehearsal simultaneously (!!!). Lovely lady who runs Junior Church has said I can drop dd2 off early to help make Christingles, so I can get dd1 to the hospital. Phew!