Christmas is a time full of traditions. We enjoy our favorite dishes, desserts, music, and movies. Family decorations come down from the attic, warming our hearts as we think of years passed.
We need our hearts to be stirred till they are fully alive as they wait for Christmas morn. And when December 1st rolled around, I reached for my favorite Advent devotional – Come, Lord Jesus by Kris Camealy. This one may become my traditional Advent devotional!
Advent. The time of waiting, waiting for the arrival of our Lord. It is in the wait, we must remember three things:
- Remember Who is leading. “Please listen, O Shepherd of Israel, you who lead Joseph’s descendants like a flock” (Psalm 80:1, NLT).
- Remember where He is enthroned. “O God, enthrone above the cherubim, display your radiant glory” (Psalm 80:1).
- Remember what He has done. “You brought us from Egypt”; “You cleared the ground for us” (verses 8-9).
In the wait, we remember. In the wait, He does more. Out of the depth of His love for us, He softly and gently reminds of He is coming.
“When tuned to you, the overflow of our hearts mirrors tiny fragments of your glory reflected in the world around us. Your fingerprints are undeniably everywhere.” (Kris Camealy, page 30)
In the wait, He does even more …
“Turn us again to yourself, O God of Heaven’s Armies. Make your face shine down upon us. Only then will we be saved.” (verse 7)
In the wait, He turns our wandering hearts back to Him.
Our hearts constantly need help to turn towards Him so that we remember Who is leading, where He is enthroned, and what He has done.
So grateful He turns me each and every day!
Today I am joining … #ChasingCommunity and Heart Encouragement Thursday and Tune In Thursday .
Oh, dear, I don’t know how many more Advent books I can add to my ever-growing collection! This sounds like it’s a must-have. On the list, for next year it goes.
Debbie, it is so true – there are so many wonderful Advent books. Since I so loved Come, Lord Jesus last year, I decided to pull it off my shelf and use it again. I am so very glad I did and it may now become my traditional Advent devotional.
I’ve heard many good things about this book, Joanne. I need to grab my own copy! Thanks for the recommendation.
Sarah, you have heard good things because this one is a treasure!
Lovely, Joanne. It’s a year for devotionals and for advent books, isn’t it? I haven’t seen this one, but I’ll have to look for it, because it aligns so closely with a post I wrote that’ll be published later this month. Fun coincidence. 🙂 He is so busy in the wait, isn’t He? It feels like wasted time, but He’s a work redeeming that time for beauty. Thanks for sharing, friend. xoxo
Brenda, I am now looking forward to reading the post you have mentioned. I love when God works that way. Come, Lord Jesus came out last year. I loved it so much last year that I pulled it back out this year. I am not thinking this is going to be my traditional Advent study 🙂
Yes, I am loving this Devotional, and the book study centered around it also. It’s a quiet place every night for me that I am appreciating. I had this same sentence highlighted: ““When tuned to you, the overflow of our hearts mirrors tiny fragments of your glory reflected in the world around us. Your fingerprints are undeniably everywhere.†Blessings to you this Season!
Bettie, I loved that you said you find yourself in a quiet place every night. And for me it is in the morning. These quiet Advent reflections are a blessing no matter what time of day! So glad to be in the book study together and appreciate that you stopped here. Thank you for encouraging me!
I’m grateful for his turning, too. I need it every day. “Our hearts constantly need help to turn towards Him so that we remember Who is leading, where He is enthroned, and what He has done.” Amen, Joanne!
Lisa, this statement caught my eye, also. I’m so thankful we have a Savior who remembers we are dust, and frequently need His guiding hand to be on point. Thanks, Joanne, for sharing Kris’s book with us.
Lisa, I need my heart turned every day as well and grateful He turns it faithfully!
May you have a blessed Advent season, Alice!