To help us prepare our hearts for Christmas, over the next 5 devotions, we’ll focus on the ancient Christian tradition of Advent.

Each day, we will light a candle to help us count up to Christmas Day, focusing on hope, peace, joy, love, and Christ. In Isaiah 9:6, we read a prophecy about the coming Messiah Christ, “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” We’ll meditate on each of these names as we count up to Christmas.

Today, we light the candle of Hope and focus on the hope we have in our Mighty God.

If there is one thing the human heart needs, it’s hope. And this coming Messiah Christ would certainly provide that. You see, He wouldn’t just be a mighty human. He would also be Mighty God. In fact, the angel told Joseph in Matthew 1 that people would call Jesus “Immanuel,” which means, “God with us.”

In John 1, calling Jesus the Word, we learn that He existed in the beginning and was not only with God but WAS GOD and that He, as God, took on flesh and dwelt among us. This is the Christ child, truly God and truly man. And wherever God is, hope is. Whenever God gets involved, hope springs forth. There is always hope in God because nothing is impossible with God.

His might is almighty. He never fails. He never surrenders. He never changes His promise. And because of that, we have hope this Christmas and always.

Merry Christmas!

Change begins in you!