Anna Clare Couillard wrote a guest post for us on this Christmas week. She blessed the ladies of our church with the devotional below at our annual Christmas tea. Enjoy!
This time of year we hear the invitation on repeat—in songs and sermons, blog posts and Bible studies. In fact, it is the title of my favorite Christmas album by Sovereign Grace.
But how do we prepare Him room when the December calendar looks like the “No Vacancy” sign should have gone up a long time ago? We have busy schedules, but the problem is deeper than the to-do lists. As one line from the album’s title track says, “Our hearts, as busy as Bethlehem, Hear Him knock, don’t say there’s no room at the inn.” We have busy hearts: noisy and crowded, like that city long ago.
How do we step back from the busyness when it is not an external force but an inward reality? A heart condition that seems inescapable. The how is wrapped up in the Who. When we see the One for whom we are preparing room, He dispels the busyness of our hearts.
The prophet Isaiah gives five of Jesus’s names in a familiar Christmas text: “And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6). Five names—and oh, how they speak into the hurry of our hearts, if only we let them!
He is Wonderful.
We long to be filled with wonder, especially at Christmastime. We look for it in the twinkly lights and the perfect gift. And here it is: His name is Wonderful! What if we look for Him as intently as we look for the most magical light display or the perfect Christmas tree? And with as much expectation of what we will find?
He is Counselor.
Where do you need counsel this Christmas? A relationship that grates on your nerves or constantly hurts your feelings? A memory you want to bury deep because it’s just too much to untangle? A trigger for your anxiety? Jesus has come, and His name is Counselor. He knows everything. He listens so well. And He loves you dearly.
He is Mighty God.
Is there something you are trying to power through in your own might this Christmas? That thing you don’t want to bring to God because you “should” be able to handle it yourself? Jesus, Mighty God, wants to be your strength.
He is Everlasting Father.
We feel hemmed in and held back by time, but He is everlasting. Time has no power to limit or constrain Him. And this One who is unconstrained and uninhibited is your Daddy!
He is Prince of Peace.
My Bible app defines peace as “completeness, safety, health, quiet, tranquility, contentment.” I read that list and think, do those sound like me? Well, no! Of course I’m not those things. But He is Prince of them. Every area of our lives that comes under His reign comes into His peace.
Oh, friend, He is worth any preparation we make and any space He takes up.
So how do we make space?
I recommend finding Christ-followers who have walked with the Lord for a long time to ask for help with the nitty-gritty. In the meantime, here are three suggestions.
- Make time to be alone with Him. This will look different in different seasons, but in every season it takes intentionality to carve out time.
- Plan for your time with Him. Instead of flipping to a random Psalm (as I have done in some of my busiest seasons), know where you are going when you sit down for time in the Word. A Bible reading plan or Bible study can be a great aid in this.
- Expect Him to work and be on the lookout. He is not a stingy God. He does not have to be tricked into spending time with you. The way He shows up may not look the way you thought it would (it certainly didn’t when He came to earth so long ago), but you can expect Him to show up.