The Greatest Gift

Christmas Devotional - Day 4

Listen along as you read today's devotional:

How long, O LORD? Will You forget me forever?
How long will you hide Your face from me?
How long must I take counsel in my soul
and have sorrow in my heart all the day?

How long shall my enemy be exalted over me?

Consider and answer me, O LORD my God;
light up my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death,
lest my enemy say, “I have prevailed over him,”
lest my foes rejoice because I am shaken.

But I have trusted in Your steadfast love;
my heart shall rejoice in Your salvation.
I will sing to the LORD,
because He has dealt bountifully with me. 

— Psalm 13:1-6 (English Standard Version)

I find myself often asking a similar question these days: How long? 

How long, O Lord, will we continue to feel the effects of sin in the world? How long will underserved communities experience such pain? How long will people within our country, and even the church, be in such disunity? 

I have yet to hear any answers to these questions. 

But I find comfort in this psalm — not because it provides answers but because it redirects my concern. For the first two-thirds of this short psalm, the author David grieves not understanding God’s timing. He cries out for deliverance from his enemies. 

But then David responds in remembrance of who God is. He doesn’t declare his trust in God’s timing but in His steadfast love. David relies on who he knows God to be: loving and kind. And he relies on the promise God gave him: God would save him. 

Just as God comforted and assured David, He offers His steadfast love to you and me today. God invites us to share our anxieties with Him, for He cares about us (1 Peter 5:7). He wants to be with us in our pain, fear, and challenging situations. The Christmas season isn’t simply about celebrating what God did thousands of years ago, but what He is doing for you when you trust in His Son right now. Jesus is Immanuel, God-With-You, right here and now. 

As you prepare your heart for the celebration of Jesus’ birth, remember and reflect on who Jesus is and what He did for you — He gave you freedom from sin and restored your relationship with God.

God gave us the greatest gift: Himself. 

Watch: Reflect and Pray

Reflect:

Reflect on 1 Peter 5:7, “[Cast] all your anxieties on Him, because He cares for you” (ESV). On paper, list every worry you can think of. Read and write out Philippians 4:6-7 across that list. Give all those worries to God. Thank Him for taking care of them. Demonstrate your “letting go” by tearing up the list and throwing it away. 

Then, take time to look forward today.

Pray:

Father, thank You for caring about every detail of my life. You are Immanuel, God-With-Us, and You journey alongside me in everything I do. Lord, You are so loving and kind. I know one day there will no longer be any more illness, pain, or injustice; but right now, I feel sorrow and pain. Help me to hold joy in my heart in the midst of challenging circumstances. Will You comfort us as we await Your return? Thank You for coming to save us. We love You. Amen. 

Elliott Dodge and his wife, Lauren, have three children. He is passionate about seeing God’s will done on earth as it is in heaven, and he usually starts listening to Christmas music on Nov. 1.