PRAYER FOCUS: The holidays are times when we gather with friends, family, and loved ones to eat together, to worship together, and to give presents to one another. Such activities are joyful for most, but they can also highlight and exacerbate already existent strain within relationships. For that reason, we encourage you to pray for the Lord, our great Redeemer Jesus Christ, to bring restoration and reconciliation to broken relationships. Ask Him to give you the desire and strength to forgive those who have wronged you. Ask Him to give you the courage to admit wrongdoing to those you have hurt and to ask their forgiveness. Pray that Christ, who makes peace between us and God by His shed blood on the cross, would bring peace between us and our estranged friends and family members.