December Devotions: Hope for Your Heart This Christmas
Photo by Drew Coffman
MONDAY
This Christmas, Remember Your Dreams
Zechariah was startled and overwhelmed with fear. But the angel reassured him, saying, “Don’t be afraid, Zechariah! God is showing grace to you. For I have come to tell you that your prayer for a child has been answered. Your wife, Elizabeth, will bear you a son and you are to name him John.” (Luke 1:12–13 TPT)
Do you see it—an unexpected answered prayer at the beginning of the Christmas story?
The story of Jesus coming to earth includes a man who gave up his dream. Zechariah and his wife were too old to have children. According to natural, human means, the timing of their dream had come and gone, and—so it seemed—God said “no” to this desire of their hearts. It is likely that Zechariah had stopped asking for a child, because he knew it was impossible.
But God remembered the old prayers and He said “yes.” Just as He remembered Zechariah and Elizabeth, He remembers you too.
Today’s prayer point: Christmas is a time to remember old prayers. What did you ask God for in the past, but you haven’t prayed that prayer in a while? Is there a dream that feels “too late” or lost to you? It’s time to start praying those prayers again. Choose one of those prayers and pray it today.
May your Monday be blessed, and may your heart rejoice in the truth of your Savior.
TUESDAY
This Christmas, See Your Dreams as Holy
And don’t allow yourselves to be weary in planting good seeds, for the season of reaping the wonderful harvest you’ve planted is coming! (Gal. 6:9 TPT)
Be delighted with the Lord. Then he will give you all your heart’s desires. (Ps. 37:4 TLB)
Do you see your dreams as holy? Can you picture them as desires filled with light?
When the Father of lights plants a dream in your heart, that “seed” is holy and special. All your prayers concerning that seed, all your hopes and the Spirit-led secrets God has whispered to you over the years about the seed—those things are holy and special too. A harvest is coming, and you will reap glorious things.
Today’s prayer point: Do you see your dreams as an inconvenience, or do you see them as a tiny piece of God’s heart planted in yours? Your dreams are good seeds. That’s how God sees them. Ask the Lord to show you the truth of how He sees your dreams.
May your Tuesday be blessed, and may your heart be filled with hope this Christmas.
WEDNESDAY
This Christmas, Consider God’s Thoughts Toward You
Then Pharaoh said to his servants, “Can we find a man like this, in whom there is a divine spirit?” So Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Since God has informed you of all this, there is no one as discerning and wise as you are. You shall be in charge of my house, and all my people shall be obedient to you; only regarding the throne will I be greater than you.” (Gen. 41:38–40 NASB)
In a single day, Joseph went from being a prisoner to being a ruler. The false accusation against him lost all its power. So did the fact that he was starting from prison, the opposite of where we’d expect a ruler to be. When God says, “Now is the time,” He wipes away everything false until all that remains is what He Himself has built. He knows the truth, and it doesn’t matter what anyone else is saying.
Today’s prayer point: Do you feel like an outcast because of what other people think? Child of God, it’s time to change your mind. The only thing that matters is what God says—and He is saying good things, because He knows the truth about you. Ask the Lord to show your heart what He’s saying about you.
May your Wednesday be blessed, and may you hear the voice of God clearly.
THURSDAY
This Christmas, Remember God’s Promises Are True
Every good present and every perfect gift comes from above, from the Father who made the sun, moon, and stars. The Father doesn’t change like the shifting shadows produced by the sun and the moon. (Jas. 1:17 NOG)
The Lord doesn’t change. If He has given you a promise, He means it. The timing is a secondary issue that does not have the power to wipe out the promise.
The promise: “You’re going to get married one day.”
Remember: He really, really means it. Don’t give up hope.
The promise: “You are going to be a mom/dad.”
Remember: This will happen. Keep trusting Him and listen to His voice.
The promise: “I am going to make your business successful.”
Remember: He is going to do it!
Today’s prayer point: What has the Lord told you? Understand that the promise is still fresh and new to Him. He thinks according to newness, not according to age and passing years. His entire heart is supporting you in this promise, and He will bring it to pass as you look to Him and follow His leading. Ask the Lord to increase your faith and hope concerning the promise He’s given you.
May your Thursday be blessed, and may your heart rejoice in fulfilled promises this Christmas.
FRIDAY
This Christmas, Remember God’s Mercy
He has helped his servant Israel,
in remembrance of his mercy. (Luke 1:54 NRSV)
The mercy of God is for you. You don’t need to try harder to win His love or tender concern. You don’t need to clean yourself up first, get yourself ready, or put everything in order before you come to Him. Mercy is something none of us deserve, which means we can’t earn it, even if we try. God the Father loves mercy (Matt. 9:13) and He loves you, which means mercy is what you get.
Today’s prayer point: Is there something about you or an event in your past that makes you feel like you can’t measure up? This Christmas, set that thing in God’s hands and know, without doubt, that you have all His love.
May your Friday be blessed, and may your heart overflow with joy this Christmas.
SATURDAY
This Christmas, Remember God’s Tenderness
For he set his tender gaze upon me, his lowly servant girl.
And from here on, everyone will know
that I have been favored and blessed. (Luke 1:48 TPT)
Beloved child of God, you are the focus of the tender gaze of God.
His gaze is not impatient. It is not disappointed. It does not hold back. It keeps no record of wrongs (1 Cor. 13:5). God doesn’t look at you and wish you were different. He doesn’t wish you were somehow “better” than you are now. Today, right now, you have the fullness of His tenderness, and you can take a deep breath and allow yourself to relax in it.
Today’s prayer point: Many followers of Jesus feel ashamed about who they are and what they’ve done, but shame is an enemy thing—it is not a God thing. If it isn’t a God thing, that means we don’t need to see ourselves through it. Ask the Lord to show you how He really sees you, and have the courage to believe Him.
May your Saturday be blessed, and may your heart be filled with laughter.
SUNDAY
This Christmas, Believe What He’s Saying
You are blessed because you believed what the Lord said to you would really happen. (Luke 1:45 ICB)
We step into something truly beautiful when we believe what God is saying, the way Mary did. God is abundant life, and when we believe His words, abundant life is what we get.
Believing what God says opens the door for the blessing of the Lord, which has no sorrow in it (Pr. 10:22). He is abundant life everywhere, in every time, in every situation, with all your dreams, in your city, in your nation.
Today’s prayer point: What has the Lord told you? Do you believe it will really happen? Ask Him to increase your courage so you can believe Him with all your heart.
May your Sunday be blessed, and may your confidence in the Lord grow without ceasing.
Does your heart need to remember who God is? Check out these other devotions:
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