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
joy exclaimed!
JOY EXCLAIMED!
Read Isaiah 12:2-6
See, God has come to save me.

I will trust in him and not be afraid.

The Lord God is my strength and my song;

he has given me victory.”
3 With joy you will drink deeply

from the fountain of salvation!
4 In that wonderful day you will sing:

“Thank the Lord! Praise his name!

Tell the nations what he has done.

Let them know how mighty he is!
5 Sing to the Lord, for he has done wonderful things.

Make known his praise around the world.
6 Let all the people of Jerusalem shout his praise with joy!

For great is the Holy One of Israel who lives among you.” [NLT]
Reflect:
Being a parent has done more to strengthen my relationship with God than just about anything. Maybe it’s because neither child came with an owner manual, so we had to constantly consult the Owner and rely on him. Perhaps, too, through parenting, I have come to understand and experience that great joy when a disobedient child has repented, asked for forgiveness and changed the behavior that was hurting them and driving me crazy.
The same can be said for my relationship with God. Great joy returns when I stop relying on myself, act humbly, demonstrate trust, surrender, and give great thanks. Once I remember that the Lord wants to love and comfort me, then I feel that joy return.
In this section of Isaiah, the people of Israel are coming out of a time when God was angry with them for their arrogance and lack of trust in him. What God demonstrates and the people discover is that even through the anger, God still loves them and wants to comfort them. Once that love and caring is rediscovered, we read in Isaiah 12, great joy is exclaimed.
Apply:
Are you exclaiming great joy this season? If not, maybe you need to examine your heart. Is God telling you to stop doing something? Is he asking you to stop ignoring something that he’s asked you to start doing? Repent and experience restored joy!
Pray:
Dear God, I am not going to ignore ____________________________ anymore. Please forgive me. I want to exclaim great joy this season. Thank you for loving me. Thank you for saving. I want to fully rely on you.