Trying to Find God in Advent

And some prayer journaling prompts to help

Photo by KaLisa Veer on Unsplash

How’s your Advent going?

I’m usually a big fan of Advent - the candles in the dark and praying through the Old Testament prophets who are ‘preparing a way for the Lord’ and just knowing that Christ has come and will come again. This year, though, it hasn’t been so great for me. I’ve even found myself ignoring the Advent posts and articles I see popping up!

I’m grateful, though, to have had enough up seasons and down seasons to be able to take comfort in the fact that the liturgical year moves along with or without my emotions playing ball. Despite confusing many a store clerk by wishing them “Happy Advent!”, I’m personally ready for Christmas to be over and to start 2026 like a fresh new notebook. But that’s not up to me.

The Christian community, in her wisdom, has been keeping the seasons of the year for centuries: through flood and famine and plague and harvest and victory and success. Surely I can learn from them.

Acknowledging Advent Even When I Don’t Feel Like It

Advent is a season that observes the importance of waiting. Of preparation for something that doesn’t quite make sense. Of making space, interiorly, to receive God’s gift of Himself to us. Whether or not we feel particularly happy about it.

So here’s what I propose, to myself as much to you, my readers! — Maybe we can set aside some quiet time to reflect on what God has been working in our souls this year. Maybe we can sit with Him and ask Him to show us the hidden movements we’ve missed because we’ve been too busy worrying about, well, everything.

Maybe this Advent, we can turn off the noise – the news, the social, the webinars, the podcasts, the music, and the entertainment – and just sit in silence. (Even for five minutes.)

Maybe we can face that silence knowing that no matter how lonely it feels, He is eager to remind us that he is Immanuel: God-With-Us.

Maybe we can bring to that quiet space our fears, our desires, our emotions. Maybe we can ask Him to show us where He has been in all of it.

I found these questions I wrote for Advent of 2020 (remember then??), and they feel just as timely now. I’m sharing them here in case you want some prayer journaling¹ prompts to bring to your quiet time (even if your ‘quiet time’ consists of sitting for 5 minutes in the car alone before the next horde of people begin demanding all your attention and emotional energy.)

Prayer Journaling Prompts for Advent

• What have I been afraid of this year? Specifically? For myself / my family/ my friends/ my community/ the world? Are there small things that I feel are “silly” but are nonetheless real fears? (Lord, where were you when I was afraid?)

• What have I been hoping for this year? Specifically? For myself / my family / my friends / my community / the world? What have I been hoping in? What/ whom have I expected to answer all my hopes? (Lord, have I put my hope in you?)

• What I have been angry about this year? Specifically? For myself / my family / my friends / my community / the world? Why? (Lord, show me what’s behind my anger. Show me where you’ve been in my rage.)

• What good have I seen or experienced this year? In myself / my family / my friends / my community / the world? (Lord, where were you in that?)

• What truths have I been convicted of this year? (Lord, you are the Way, the Truth, and the Life: show me where I’ve succumbed to lies and transform me by the renewal of my mind.)

I hope some of these questions help you scoot a little bit closer to the mystery that is Immanuel, God-With-Us.

Happy Advent!

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And if you’d like to work 1:1 with someone who is steeped in the Christian tradition and understands that making decisions with faith isn’t limited to (a) praying harder or (b) relegating prayer to Sundays while otherwise working our backsides off, but actually is something that we do as whole, integrated persons — well, that’s what I do!

I help you look at your life, see where you want to make changes, and then actually make them. Sometimes that does involve more prayer; sometimes that does involve more practice. We do both.

I love this work, and I’d love to work with you if it’s a good fit. (I have to put my rates up in 2026, so I don’t want readers to miss out before then!)

1. On a practical note: If you’re not already in the habit of noting things down, now is a great time to start. Don’t let yourself get overwhelmed by finding the perfect notebook or trying to write in complete, perfect sentences. Say a prayer, then jot down what comes to mind: there’s no right or wrong answer. You can even just print out the questions to respond to on some blank paper. (The back of a receipt can work wonders.) This is between You and Him.