Advent is the four weeks before Christmas, when the church waits for the coming of Christ. Many families light one more candle each Sunday, often for hope, peace, joy and love. In 2026, Advent begins on Sunday, November 29.
Here is a prayer for each week of Advent, plus a prayer for lighting the candles. Each is drawn from the promises of the coming Savior.
Isaiah 7:14
Lord God, You promised a sign: the virgin will give birth to a son, and His name is Immanuel. As I light this candle, I wait for Him again. Clear a place in my busy heart for Jesus. Where I am afraid, remind me that You are God with us. Make me ready to welcome Him this Christmas and when He comes again. Amen.
Pray along with the voice →Isaiah 9:2
Lord God, Your people walked in darkness, and they saw a great light. As I light the first candle of Advent, I bring You the dark places in my life and in this world. Let Your light dawn there. Give me hope that rests on You, not on how things look tonight. Come, Lord Jesus, light of the world. Amen.
Pray along with the voice →Luke 1:78-79
God of tender mercy, Your Dawn has visited us from on high. As I light the second candle, shine on every place where I sit in darkness and fear. Guide my feet into the path of peace: peace with You, peace in my home, and peace where there has been quarreling. Make me someone who carries Your peace to others. Amen.
Pray along with the voice →Zephaniah 3:14-15
Lord, You tell Your people to sing for joy and rejoice with all their heart. As I light the third candle, I thank You: You have taken away my punishment, You have turned back my enemy, and You are among us. Lift my heavy heart. Teach me a joy that does not depend on a perfect Christmas, because it rests on You. Amen.
Pray along with the voice →1 John 4:9-10
Father, this is how You showed Your love: You sent Your one and only Son into the world so that we might live through Him. I didn’t love You first; You loved me. As I light the fourth candle, fill me with that love. Make my home warm with it, and send me to love someone this Christmas who needs it most. Amen.
Pray along with the voice →“Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin will be with child and give birth to a son, and will call Him Immanuel.”
— Isaiah 7:14 · Pray this verse →
“The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death, a light has dawned.”
— Isaiah 9:2 · Pray this verse →
“A voice of one calling: “Prepare the way for the LORD in the wilderness; make a straight highway for our God in the desert.”
— Isaiah 40:3
“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come forth for Me One to be ruler over Israel—One whose origins are of old, from the days of eternity.”
— Micah 5:2
“because of the tender mercy of our God, by which the Dawn will visit us from on high, to shine on those who live in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the path of peace.””
— Luke 1:78-79 · Pray this verse →
“Sing for joy, O Daughter of Zion; shout aloud, O Israel! Be glad and rejoice with all your heart, O Daughter of Jerusalem!”
— Zephaniah 3:14 · Pray this verse →
“This is how God’s love was revealed among us: God sent His one and only Son into the world, so that we might live through Him.”
— 1 John 4:9 · Pray this verse →
“And do this, understanding the occasion. The hour has come for you to wake up from your slumber, for our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. The night is nearly over; the day has drawn near. So let us lay aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light.”
— Romans 13:11-12
An Advent wreath is a circle of evergreen with four candles, often three purple and one pink, and sometimes a white Christ candle in the middle for Christmas Eve or Christmas Day. On each Sunday of Advent you light one more candle, read a passage, and pray. Churches name the candles differently; hope, peace, joy and love is one common pattern, and it is the one these prayers follow.
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