A Christmas Prayer Gift

December 15, 2025

The parents began to assemble the special Christmas gift they had for their children. They had ordered a kit for a tree house and received the plans for it. However, the materials they received were for a sailboat. They wrote the company to complain. The company replied, “While we regret the inconvenience this mistake must have caused you, it is nothing compared to that of the man who is out on a lake somewhere trying to sail your tree house.”

Everyone wants everything to go perfect during the Christmas season. When it does, it makes us smile. When it doesn’t, broken hopes, dreams and expectations can really hurt. The first Christmas after a loved one has passed, financial struggles that overwhelm, or a broken relationship that hurts our hearts seem to be worse when we have to deal with it at Christmas. If you encounter someone going through a tough Christmas, I want to encourage you to pray for them… out loud! People are not comfortable praying out loud, on the spot, for people going through difficult times. If you have ever been prayed for, especially when it wasn’t expected, it can be a transforming experience.

One year, Mike was our guest at our Christmas dinner table. We invited everyone to offer a short prayer of thanks. Mike was a new Christian, but explained he had grown up a Creaster, that is, he only worshipped on Christmas and Easter. He confessed he had never prayed out loud before, but he would give it a try. His words did not come out eloquent or polished. He stumbled through words, but the humility was beautiful. His prayer was from the heart, and I know God cherished every word.

In Romans 8:26 we read, “In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans.” Sometimes the Spirit’s help comes in the most uncomfortable way, by putting actual words in our mouths in front of actual people. We feel exposed. Our prayers sound childish, repetitive, inadequate. Good! That is exactly where growth begins.

Jesus Himself prayed out loud. In John 17, we overhear His longest recorded prayer, in a heartfelt conversation with the Father on the night He was betrayed as He prayed for His disciples. At the Last Supper, He blessed bread and cup aloud, commanding us to do the same in remembrance of Him. In the Garden of Gethsemane, though He went farther away, to pray alone, the disciples heard enough to know He was in agony. He prayed out loud to His Abba, Father.

The early church followed His pattern. Acts tells us they “joined together constantly in prayer” (Acts 1:14), and when choosing Matthias, they prayed aloud as a community (Acts 1:24). In the early church, audible prayer was normal, natural, powerful.

Yes, Jesus warned against showy public prayer (Matthew 6:5-8). His point was for us not to perform like the Pharisees did when they prayed in public. The point is never performance; it is intimacy. The prayer closet builds depth so that when we do pray with others, our words come from a heart that already knows God’s nearness.

Mike never stopped praying, and today he is a minister. He prays with a heart that knows Jesus intimately. As you give your heart to Jesus, you may find Him sending you out to pray over hospital beds, in crisis counseling rooms, beside accident scenes, in courtrooms and/or at school board meetings. These are the places where bold, Spirit-filled prayer is desperately needed.

This Christmas, the best gift you can give Jesus is to open your mouth and pray aloud when the moment comes. It may feel clumsy. It may be short. It may crack with emotion. That’s okay. Mary didn’t deliver a polished sermon when the angel left. She simply said, “I am the Lord’s servant, may your word to me be fulfilled” (Luke 1:38). Simple prayers, like “Thank you, Jesus” or “Help my friend” or “Come, Lord Jesus” are a treasure in Jesus’ ears, as well as the ears of a person going through a crisis in life.

The world is groaning, waiting for the children of God to be revealed (Romans 8:22). Part of that revelation happens when we let God use us to pray out loud. When was the last time you prayed out loud with others? How did it feel? What keeps you silent when given the chance to pray aloud in worship or small groups? Who in your life needs to hear you pray for them out loud this Christmas season?

This Christmas, receive the gift. Open it. Use it. The Spirit is waiting to help you speak, that you may exalt the name of Jesus. (To learn more about Al Earley or read previous articles, see www.lagrangepres.org. You can purchase my book, My Faith Journal, at Amazon.com, a compilation of 366 articles as a daily devotional. Check out my podcast on YouTube, called “My Faith Journey”).