advent devotionals
Memorize: Psalm 139:14
I will praise You
because I have been remarkably and wonderfully made.
Your works are wonderful,
and I know this very well.
Read: Psalm 139:1-14, Psalm 104
Reflect:
Advent calls us to prepare for the arrival of our Savior Jesus Christ, yet often times our preparation is filled with the stress of planning and busyness. We don’t even take a full day to give thanks, as many race off Thanksgiving evening to find the deals. We race into December facing a to-do list of shopping, cooking, wrapping, and working...so that we can enjoy the birth of God's son?
Let’s think about this – Does our preparation have the wrong focus and the wrong feeling. Psalms 104 & 139 encourages us to pause in the midst of our preparation and consider the question, "Who am I preparing for?" Are we preparing for the arrival of Our Savior, or for the world's expectations of Christmas?
I hope today we choose to prepare for Jesus! When we do, our preparations are less about doing and more about being. We begin to prepare with praise to God for the intimacy that He has with each of us. We wake up each day with less attention on what needs done during Advent and more attention on what's been done through God's power.
Apply:
How does your thinking & planning change when you reflect on the power of your creator…your All-knowing, Ever-present God, who made you and wants an active, personal relationship with you?
Pray:
Father God, today I offer my praise for all that you have done, will do, and continue to do in my life. Help me to prepare for the things that matter and ignore the demands of this Adventseason that pull me away from you. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
November 27
November 28
November 29
November 30
December 1
December 2
December 3
December 4
December 5
December 6
December 7
December 8
December 9
December 10
December 11
December 12
hope
Read Luke 1:68-79
68 “Praise the Lord, the God of Israel,

because he has visited and redeemed his people.
69 He has sent us a mighty Savior

from the royal line of his servant David,
70 just as he promised

through his holy prophets long ago.
71 Now we will be saved from our enemies

and from all who hate us.
72 He has been merciful to our ancestors

by remembering his sacred covenant—
73 the covenant he swore with an oath

to our ancestor Abraham.
74 We have been rescued from our enemies

so we can serve God without fear,
75 in holiness and righteousness

for as long as we live.
76 “And you, my little son,

will be called the prophet of the Most High,

because you will prepare the way for the Lord.
77 You will tell his people how to find salvation

through forgiveness of their sins.
78 Because of God’s tender mercy,

the morning light from heaven is about to break upon us,
79 to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, and to guide us to the path of peace.” [NLT]
Reflect:
I wrote this original devotional from a hospital ICU where a family was saying their earthly goodbyes to a wife, mother, grandmother and friend. I was especially moved as one of her sons showed her a picture of an ultrasound of his unborn child. She sweetly nodded, closed her eyes and returned to sleep. Soon, she would close her eyes for the last time here on earth. As her husband, children, grandchildren and great grandchildren gathered around her beside, hope was everywhere. Hope for her new home in heaven, as well as hope for a new generation to come.
In today’s passage, Zechariah speaks to us out of his period of silence. As a priest, he hoped for a Redeemer. He, along with his community members, longed for a new day. But there was little evidence that liberation from the dark night would occur. He and his wife, Elizabeth, weren’t sure that there would even be a next generation in their family lines. Even with a visionary promise from the angel Gabriel, Zechariah did not believe that change would come to their plight. A hope for a new generation was not in sight.
I imagine the many questions, doubts and hopes that ran through Zechariah’s mind during the nine months of waiting that followed his encounter with Gabriel. The silence must have consumed his whole being. But it is clear that hope was an emergent factor during this time of waiting. By the time his son was born, he was ready to act on what had been developing in his soul. He boldly stepped out and called his son, “John.” Then he spoke the prophetic words that we read today. The new season filled with salvation, forgiveness, dawn, light and peace has come!
Think About It:
What are you waiting for this Christmas? Have you found your hope in a personal relationship with Jesus? Do you have peace when you think about heaven?
Pray:
Dear God, I’m putting my hope in you today. Fill me with your peace.