In the busyness of the season, a Christmas breath prayer can help your soul find rest and your mind return to Jesus’ presence. In this article, we share a special breath prayer of submission inspired by Mary.
Mary offered a prayer of faith to receive the birth of Christ and the world has never been the same. It’s like a breath of heaven for Christmas! It’s a powerful prayer of submission that helps us abandon to God the outcomes of situations.
When God spoke to Mary that she was to become pregnant with the Messiah out of wedlock, she had many emotions. In her shock, fear, and confusion, she may have wanted to hold onto life as she knew it and stay in control, but she stepped into the anxious unknown and yielded totally to God’s will. Then she experienced great dignity and joy!
In the 21st Century, the Christmas season can be hectic for us. Many people find their calendars too full of holiday activities and they are hurried and stressed. For some, there are family conflicts or financial problems to deal with. Others are lonely. These things—whether happy or unhappy—may distract us from appreciating the great joy of the Christ of Christmas.
All of us, whether we realize it or not, long to participate in a close friendship and dynamic partnership with Jesus Christ. Mary’s prayer of submission to God that birthed the first Christmas can birth Christmas in your heart today:
“Let it be to me… According to your Word” (Luke 1:38, NKJV).
You might find it helpful to meditate on this Scripture by breathing it in and out this way:
Breathe in to appreciate the life of Christ flowing into you: “Let it be to me…”
Breathe out to submit to God: “According to your Word.”
Smile as you pray! The Holy Spirit is helping you to breathe the heavens into your soul.
After you spend a little time meditating on the Breath Prayer from the Bible, try focusing your prayer on a particular stress or opportunity in your life that needs to be offered to God. To do this simply pray, “Lord as I __________, let it be to me… According to your Word.”
Then see if you can remember to repeat this prayer with a breath now and again as you do what you’re doing throughout the day. In this way, you can devote to the Lord each activity and each interaction with another person.
Try this for a day or a few days. You’ll be amazed at how you begin to experience more of the flow of God’s love, joy, and peace into your life and through you to those around you.
You can explore more “Advent Breath Prayers” featuring prayers of the heart inspired by Bible characters in the Nativity. Surprising Joy Advent Cards featuring Mary and 15 others from the Nativity story are another way to experience Christmas afresh this year and for years to come.
We pray that this Christmas breath prayer of the heart inspired by Mary will facilitate the miracle of Christmas for you today!
