Christmas Blessings

Prepare your heart for Christmas with this devotion by Heather Hart.

Bible Verse for Today

“Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard,
and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John.”

Luke 1:13

Devotion for Today

Prepare Your Heart for Christmas

They had been married a long time, yet they had no children. In their old age, it was too late for them. They were without hope.

Then, one ordinary day, Zechariah was chosen for temple duty. This was an honor in and of itself. Yet, the joy was overshadowed by what would never be. Maybe someone had said something about his barren wife; maybe his heart just yearned for a boy to call his own. We don’t know why the prayer of Zechariah’s heart that day was for a child, but we do know that God heard it.

And on that day, one husband and one wife got a glimmer of the Christmas that was coming. Before anyone else knew the time was near, these two people rejoiced with the new life that was growing inside. The purpose of their baby was to let the world know that Christmas was coming, but for now, he was their special gift.

John was the baby their hearts longed for. In a way, he was the perfect gift for these two Israelites. But he wasn’t just for them. As much as they treasured Elizabeth’s pregnancy and the birth of their baby, they knew God had a bigger plan for him.

“And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah… to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”[1] That’s what the angel had said. Elizabeth and Zechariah knew Christmas was coming, but it could wait… that is until Mary came to visit.

When Elizabeth’s niece showed up and called out a greeting, the baby in Elizabeth’s womb leapt with joy. Her Christmas gift just kept getting better. The child in the womb of her niece, Mary, was the Christ. Christmas had come to her!

The Christmas blessings in the life of Elizabeth are impossible to deny—miraculous and inconceivable. But God doesn’t reserve Christmas blessings just for the people in the Christmas story. Because Christmas came so long ago, Jesus fills our hearts and transforms our lives.

Hebrews 12:2 reminds us to look to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who endured the cross for us. When we focus on what Jesus has done, and what it means for us, everything changes. I love Hallmark’s Christmas movies. I know real life isn’t always picture perfect, in fact, it rarely is. But I love the possibilities. And I love that Jesus came because He knew we would never be perfect.

We will never have the “perfect” holiday season. We will probably never even have a perfect day. Life happens, it’s messy, but God is good.

Even with the ups and downs of real life, Christmas blessings are all around us. They are in the little things: The smile of a loved one, an unexpected gift, the joy in the air. When we fix our eyes on Jesus, we are able to see past the trials of life and unearth the blessings, and not just at Christmas.

Christmas is when we celebrate the coming of Christ, but the best part about Christmas is that the benefits are eternal. They are never ending and unfailing. Christ came one time for all time. He lived on Earth after being born in a manger, but now He lives in our hearts.

Seated at the right hand of the Father in Heaven above, Jesus is Immanuel: God with us. He is ever-present everywhere. Hagar called Him the God who sees. Jesus sees us. He sees us where we are. When we are alone, when we are hurting, when we are happy, and when we are sad, Jesus is there; He sees it all.

The miracle of Christmas is that Jesus came for us. He was born in a manger for us. He lived a real life for us. Jesus is our Christmas blessing, and that’s a blessing that doesn’t expire or fade with time.

The miracle of Christmas is that Jesus came for us. Share on X

[1] Luke 1:17 NIV

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