The countdown continues…six more days until Christmas. Sometimes the closer it gets to the big day, the more hectic your schedule becomes. You find yourself praying in shopping malls, “Lord, please let me find a gift for Dad” and parking lots, “Help me find a space to park!” You utter petitions at Great Aunt Sally’s, “God, please allow me to bite my tongue.”

Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from the belly of the fish.

Jonah 2:1

Prayers can happen anywhere! Today’s passage is proof of that. Jonah prayed from the belly of a whale. When you pray, God listens. “And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us.” (I John 5:14) It doesn’t matter where you are or what you are praying. He hears your prayers for parking spots and healing. All prayer is important to God.

During the craziness of the season, stop and pray. Thank God for the gift of His Son this Christmas. Then ask Him to help the people of this nation and its leaders to focus on the true reason for the season – Jesus.

Recommended Reading: Psalm 66:16-20