Christian prayers for Advent give you words to pray during the four weeks before Christmas, when the church remembers that God came to us once and promises to come again. You can pray the prayer below slowly in the morning, at a lit candle in the evening, or whenever the season feels more like a rush than a waiting. Read it aloud as written, or use it as a starting point and speak in your own words.
Christian Prayers for Advent
Lord, this season comes with a long list, and I bring it to you before I touch any of it. Some days I feel the pull to make Advent about the decorations, the gifts and the schedule, and I forget that I am meant to be waiting for you. Slow my heart down. Let the lighting of each candle remind me that the darkness is real, and that you have already started to answer it.
Be near to those who are waiting for something this December that they cannot name or cannot have yet. Be near to the one who is grieving an empty chair at the table, the one who has no work or no money to spare, the child who is anxious about what the week will bring, and the friend who is far from home. Where I have hurt someone and not yet made it right, give me the courage to go and make it right before the year closes. Give me patience with the people I love, especially the ones who are tired and short with me. Fill the gaps in my hope with your presence. Teach me that waiting with you is not empty but full. Thank you for coming once in humility, and for the promise that you will come again in glory. Keep me ready. Amen.
A Shorter Version to Pray in a Moment
Jesus, I am waiting, and I am tired of waiting. Meet me in this moment of Advent and steady my breathing. Help me remember that you came to a dark world and that you are coming again to make all things new. Give me enough hope for the next hour and enough peace for the people around me. Amen.
Scriptures to Pray Alongside
Isaiah 9:6
For to us a child is born. To us a son is given; and the government will be on his shoulders. His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
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Pray this verse when the season feels too small for what it is supposed to mean. Thank God for the child who was given, and ask him to make his peace real in the places where you feel least peaceful this week.
Psalm 130:5
I wait for the LORD. My soul waits. I hope in his word.
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Use this verse on the nights you are waiting up, worried or unable to sleep. Name the thing you are waiting for, and let the psalmist’s patience become your own as you wait for the Lord’s word.
Luke 1:38
Mary said, “Behold, the servant of the Lord; let it be done to me according to your word.” The angel departed from her.
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Mary’s answer to the angel is a model for Advent prayer. Pray it as an offering, placing your plans, your fears and your schedule into God’s hands and asking him to do what he wills in you this season.
Romans 13:12
The night is far gone, and the day is near. Let’s therefore throw off the deeds of darkness, and let’s put on the armor of light.
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Paul calls believers to wake up and put aside the works of darkness. Pray this verse as a request for a clear, awake heart in a month when distraction is everywhere, asking God to show you what to lay down and what to pick up.
Revelation 22:20
He who testifies these things says, “Yes, I come quickly.” Amen! Yes, come, Lord Jesus.
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This is the closing prayer of the whole Bible, and it fits Advent perfectly. Pray it slowly as your own longing for Christ’s return, asking him to make you faithful while you wait and to keep your hope alive.
How to Pray This Prayer
Many people find it helpful to pray this prayer each evening as they light an Advent candle, or first thing in the morning before the phone and the to-do list take over. Choose a quiet chair, a kitchen table or a spot by a window where you can see the light change. You might hold a small object in your hands, such as a candle, a smooth stone or a string of beads, so that your fingers have something to do while your mind settles.
If you pray with a spouse, a child, a roommate or a friend, take turns reading the lines aloud, or pray the main prayer together and let each person add one name at the end. Advent is a good season to pray for people you have lost touch with and for those who do not yet know Jesus. Let the prayer be a shared waiting rather than a private duty.
A Blessing to Close
May the God who came in a manger make his home in your heart this Advent. May the light of Christ steady your steps through the dark days, and may his peace settle over the people you love. May you wait with hope, love and a quiet joy until the day he comes again.
