Sarah Sandoval, Author at The Captivating Woman

December 17, 2015

Advent – Day 19

“For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called: Wonderful Counselor. Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. His government and its peace will never end.” – Isaiah 9:6-7a

We are getting closer to celebrating the birth of Christ. I could go on and on and talk about how Christmas has become commercialized, but I’m not. I want my heart to rest on the fact that Jesus came to dwell with us and to save us.

Think about it.

He did life with many people. He held hands with strangers. He wiped tears away from the broken heartened. He slept on the floors of many homes – a nomad with a mission. He ate with friends. He spent time with the outcast.

A Baby born a King.

A Baby with the title: Wonderful Counselor. Mighty God. Everlasting Father. Prince of Peace.

Royalty in a manger.

Mary and Joseph knew that their son was the Son of God. They knew that He was long expected. I can only imagine how Mary was feeling when she was holding Jesus. This baby was going to change the world. The prophecy of His arrival had come. God’s promise was fulfilled.

“Praise the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has visited and redeemed his people. He has sent us a mighty Savior from the royal line of his servant David, just as he promised through his holy prophets long ago. Now we will be saved from our enemies and from all who hate us. He has been merciful to our ancestors by remembering his sacred covenant—the covenant he swore with an oath to our ancestor Abraham. We have been rescued from our enemies so we can serve God without fear, in holiness and righteousness for as long as we live. And you, my little son, will be called the prophet of the Most High, because you will prepare the way for the Lord. You will tell his people how to find salvation through forgiveness of their sins. Because of God’s tender mercy, the morning light from heaven is about to break upon us, to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, and to guide us to the path of peace.” – Luke 1:68-79 
There is so much to love about this scripture but I want to focus on this last line:
Because of God’s tender mercy, the morning light from heaven is about to break upon us, to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, and to guide us to the path of peace.
This Baby radically changed everything. So much so, that light from heaven broke upon us. For the first time, a deep breath was inhaled and exhaled and peace was about to saturate the people.

Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus
Words by: Charles Wesley

Come, Thou long expected Jesus,
born to set Thy people free,
From our fears and sins release us,
let us find our rest in Thee:
Israel’s strength and consolation,
hope of all the earth Thou art,
Dear Desire of every nation,
joy of every longing heart.

Born Thy people to deliver,
born a child and yet a king,
Born to reign in us for ever,
Now Thy gracious kingdom bring:
by Thy own eternal Spirit
Rule in all our hearts alone,
by Thy all-sufficient merit
raise us to Thy glorious throne.

Credit: Stephanie Ko // http://simplystephko.com // Instagram: @simplystephko

December 13, 2015

Advent – Day 15

We have just finished week 2 of Advent.

What has God been stirring up in your heart? What has He been revealing? Do you feel like there has been distraction upon distraction? Though this Christmas season is a special time of the year, have you felt like you might be missing out on what God wants to say to you?

I have a friend of mine who goes on “retreat”. She drives away from the city to Santa Cruz beach. She’ll stop at her favorite breakfast spot to fuel up before she heads to beach. Once she is there, she turns off her phone and opens up her bible to read and prayer. Though she only an hour and a half away from home, she knows she has to go on retreat to get away from distractions to focus on the Lord.

I love this idea because I know in my life I need to go on retreat. I get so distracted by my own house because I can’t even focus.

You might be thinking, “Sarah, I have kids. I can’t go away.” or “Sarah, I can’t afford driving away to step away from distractions.” I understand, completely.

Think of a place in your house or backyard where it can become your retreating place. My place is my bathroom. I know, it’s weird. I find no distractions in there. It has become a secret place because I can lock the door.

I love what Bob Sorge says about time spent with God in a secret place.

“Everything in the kingdom depends upon whether or not we hear the word of God. I will endure months of silence if He will but speak one creative word from His mouth to my spirit. Our devotional life with God is more like the planting of a garden. When we arise from sowing into the secret place, we will not usually be able to point to immediate results or benefits. What we sow today will require an entire season of growth before the results are manifest. The wisest thing you’ll ever do in this life is to draw close to God and to seek Him with all your heart. I never consider time invested in the secret place to be wasteful; and even if it is, I gladly waste it upon my Lord! When you neglect the secret place, He’s not disappointed in you, He’s disappointed for you. One day of exhilaration in the Holy Spirit is worth a thousand days of struggle! The greatest things in life—those things that carry eternal value—always come at the steepest price. The closer you get to God, the more you realize He’s in no hurry. No one can mentor you into an abiding relationship with Christ. We all have to find our own way to abiding in Christ. When all is said and done, we must shut the door, get into the secret place with God, and discover what an abiding relationship with Christ will look like for ourselves.”

Read this line again:
“I never consider time invested in the secret place to be wasteful; and even if it is, I gladly waste it upon my Lord!”

Going into these secret places is powerful. Even if we spend months in silence to hear just one word from Him, we should long for that. There is spiritual growth that comes with waiting.

Let’s pray.

Prayer One
O God, early in the morning I cry to you.
Help me to pray
And to concentrate my thoughts on you:
I cannot do this alone.

In me there is darkness,
But with you there is light;
I am lonely, but you do not leave me;
I am feeble in heart, but with you there is help;
I am restless, but with you there is peace.
In me there is bitterness, but with you there is patience;

I do not understand your ways,
But you know the way for me…
Restore me to liberty,
And enable me to live now
That I may answer before you and before me.

Lord, whatever this day may bring,
Your name be praised.

Prayer Two
Lord,
We long for You. May we enter into Your courts with hands opened to receive whatever You may give. Prepare our hearts to wait. Press into our hearts that there is growth when we wait. Lord, help to become more like You. Slough off anything that doesn’t look like You. Help us to understand that You are not in a hurry. Help us to sit in silence with You. Lord, we want to draw close to You. Draw close to us. Restore us. Minister to us. Shape us. May we understand that being in Your presence we will experience the fullness of Your joy.
In Your Name, Amen.

Credit: First prayer by Dietrich Bonhoeffer // Photo by Sarah Simon; Instagram: @themintgardener

December 7, 2015

Advent – Day 9

My mornings look like this:

Jumping out of bed, rubbing my eyes, wishing I had another hour in bed. Crawling to my bathroom, staring at myself, wondering if I could go another day, again, without washing my hair. “I have no time” I say to myself. I’m already looking forward to crawling back into bed because the day is scheduled to be hectic.

In the whirlwind of my day, I have been busy, snappy, and restless. I’ve told God that I’m too busy for Him – that He can take a number with everything else in my life.

Yes, I’ve shoved God to side with making my bed and cleaning out my car.

As I write this in November, my heart struggles to get into the Advent season. My Christmas to-do list is a little wild and my mind is not finding peace.

What is Advent all about, again?

Waiting on the arrival of Christ.

Waiting…something I have much difficulty in.

I love Psalm 62. It’s this powerful anthem that I want tattooed on my heart.

“I will wait quietly before God, for my victory comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress where I will never be shaken.” – v.1

I don’t know what you’re waiting for in life or even if you’re waiting at all. Maybe you have lists like me. Lists that keep growing. Lists that have caused God to be shoved off to the side, as well as shoved off your deepest needs.

Maybe your deepest need is silence, but the craziness have buried that need.

Maybe your need is joy.

Or friendship.

All these needs just pushed off to the side because our lives have taken us away. I feel in my heart that God is saying, “Why has this become the normal? Why is being busy the thing you need to be doing? Why aren’t you taking care of yourself?”

Maybe you don’t even know what your need is.

I love what Frederick Buechner says about waiting.

“I think we are waiting. That is what is at the heart of it. Even when we don’t know that we are waiting, I think we are waiting. Even when we can’t find words for what we are waiting for, I think we are waiting. An ancient Advent prayer supplies us with the words. “Give us grace,” it says, “that we may cast off the works of darkness and put upon us the armor of light.” We who live much of the time in the darkness are waiting not just at Advent, but at all times for the advent of light, of that ultimate light that is redemptive and terrifying at the same time.”

You may not even know what you’re waiting for, but you’re waiting. Your heart is waiting for what God is going to give, even when you didn’t even realize you have a need.

God is so in tune with us, that He knows us so intimately.

We find fullness of joy being in the presence of the Lord.

“You will show me the way of life, granting me the joy of presence and the pleasure of living with you forever.” -Psalm 16:11

As we quietly wait for the Lord, with intention or no intention, may we walk into His courts knowing that being in His presence is where we will find our source for life and light – that our deepest needs will be met. As we get closer to celebrating the birth of Christ, my prayer is that we can bring the Kingdom to earth so that our friends and family will also experience His presence -that their ultimate needs will encounter Christ and He will breath life on the most buried desire.

The Advent of Our God
Words by: Charles Coffin

The Advent of our God
Our prayers must now employ,
And we meet him on his road
With hymns of holy joy.

The everlasting Son
Incarnate soon shall be:
He will a servant’s form put on,
To make his people free.

Daughter of Zion, rise
And greet thy lowly King,
And no not wickedly despise
The mercies he will bring.

As Judge, in clouds of light,
He will come down again,
And all his scattered saints unite
With Him in Heaven to reign.

Before that dreadful day
May all out sin be gone;
May the old man be put away,
And the new man put on!

Praise to the Savior Son
From all the angel Host:
Like praise be to the Father done,
And to the Holy Ghost.

Credit: Photo by Sarah Simon // Instagram: @themintgardener

December 6, 2015

Advent – Day 8

Our first week of Advent has passed. How did it go?

Did the thought of Christmas and preparing for family already stress you out? Have you not purchased all your gifts yet? Are you wondering how you can stretch your days and find 3 more arms? Is reading all of this making you anxious?

Take a deep breath & let all that anxiety go.

Let’s meet the Lord in prayer.

Father,
Capture our hearts. Capture our minds.
May our minds rest on You. This season was not to bring stress upon us, but to celebrate You and Your arrival. Fill our homes, schedules, and bodies with peace. Daily, come for us. Take away anything that doesn’t look like You. Add to us. Nourish our minds with You – with Your love, grace, compassion, generosity. Lord, grow our desire for You. May we feel it in our bones that we need You and only You. We welcome You into our homes, our parties, our festivities. During this Advent season, unveil Yourself more into our lives. We wait for You.
In Your glorious Name, Amen.

As we enter into the second week of Advent, we pray that our desire as a community of women will be that wake up and think of Christ. When we rise in the morning, let’s celebrate Him. Advent is not a time to think about everything we are doing wrong and what we can be doing right. It’s a time to shift our focus. He wants us to love Him, think about Him…find joy in Him.

Credit: Photo by Meg // Instagram: @eastofseventh

November 29, 2015

Advent – Day 1

Advent was a term that I wasn’t familiar with until I entered college. Well, to be honest, I had heard of Advent. The phrasing I had heard it in was: Advent Calendar.

You might be familiar of an Advent Calendar. Everyday you open a little door on a Christmas house display and a tiny gift is revealed. We never had one in our house but I remember my aunt did. She never put gifts in it. She just used it as a decoration to put in her home.

That was my core knowledge of Advent – little gifts.

I was 21 when I learned what Advent really meant.

“Advent is coming.”

This phrase started trickling in during the month of November. The pastor shared that their staff had created a bible study for the season of Advent.

Why had I never heard of Advent up until now? Was my church back home missing something? Am I a terrible Christian for not knowing/participating in Advent?

You might be going through those same thoughts. Let me introduce to you the sweet season of Advent.

Advent (noun): coming or arrival

Advent is celebrated for 4 weeks. It begins on the fourth Sunday before Christmas and ends December 24th. The focus of Advent is prepare for the coming of Christ. There are two advents that happen: when Jesus is born and when Jesus comes back. It’s not receiving a daily gift from a Christmas decoration, but a time to focus your mind and heart on the arrival of Christ. During December 17th to 24th, our main focus is to prepare for the celebration of Jesus’ birth. Advent is a time to long for His glory to encompass and shape us.

“The day will come, says the Lord, when I will do for Israel and Judah all the good things I have promised them. ‘In those days and at that time I will raise up a righteous descendant from King David’s line. He will do what is just and right throughout the land.'” – Jeremiah 33:14-15

Waiting in our culture is difficult. We get instant messages. Our coffee is ready in minutes. We get angry when our phones don’t load faster.

Yet, God is calling us to wait for the arrival. He is calling us to focus our minds on Him and practice living in His presence. There is a restlessness that resides in our souls. We are anxious for the arrival of Christ.

“I will wait with longing for the Lord.” – Psalm 130:5

Our prayer is that you may use this Advent season to wait on the Lord. May He speak to you as you spend time with Him and rest in His truth. We pray that the community that God has formed through The Captivating Woman will press into Him and wait.

May our hearts reset and beat with His. May we wait anxiously, but with excitement, like a mother waits for the birth of her child. And as we draw closer to the arrival, may we celebrate in His birth.

Things we want you to know:

Every Sunday we will share an Advent prayer. Prayer brings us to a closer intimacy with the Lord. We hope that during your Sundays, you may meditate on these prayers.
Monday through Saturday there will be a Advent study. We hope that our study will help you to draw closer to the Lord and focus your mind on Him. We have 4 guest bloggers joining us and we are very excited to share their words with you.

Prayer
Lord of our longing,
fill us with hopeful anticipation
of as we wait for the fullness of your Kingdom on earth.
Help us to see that only you can satisfy the deepest desires of our hearts.
Remove any temptation to settle for something less.
May our Advent prayer and worship increase our confidence in your holy Word
so that sin and evil never lead us to despair.
As we ready our hearts and minds for the celebration of Jesus’ birth,
may we reach out in charity and kindness to those most in need.
Amen.

Credit: Photo by Sarah Simon // Instagram: @themintgardener

Subscribe to The Captivating Woman via Email