Daily Prayer Devotional - Today's Inspiration

A Morning Prayer for Christmas Day
By Lynette Kittle

Bible Reading:
“Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” - James 1:17

Listen or Read Below:

Growing up, our family opened our presents on Christmas Eve, as we usually traveled on Christmas Day to spend time with our grandparents.

My husband’s family, on the other hand, opened their presents on Christmas morning, so for our four daughters, we opened a few gifts on Christmas Eve and the rest on Christmas morning.

But, oh, how the anticipation of waiting through the dark and often cold nights to open presents brings about the joy and excitement of waking up early to a tree graced by gifts!

For me, it meant staying up late into the night in loving preparation, wrapping, putting on finishing touches of ribbons and bows, and arranging them all under the tree in an inviting way.

Every year involved a quest to find beautiful boxes, bags, wrapping paper, bows, and ribbons, to try to make their packages look festive and beautiful to their eyes. It takes months of preparation on my part to find what I consider to be just the right pieces to put together as Christmas morning gifts.

Although my Christmas morning efforts are far from ever being perfect in appearance, my goal was to come as close as possible to making the gifts under the tree look beautiful, inviting, and festive.

God’s Perfect Christmas Gift to Us

So where does this desire to give the perfect gift come from? Some may answer “The Hallmark Channel” with their over-the-top holiday sets and designs.

While a decorating inspiration to many and as beautiful as they look on film, the truth is that this desire comes from God, who is truly the only one who can present the perfect Christmas gift.

Even in our most noble and grand attempts as humans, our gifts don’t compare with the gifts He gives us. Jesus explains in Matthew 7:11, “If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask Him!”

In the gift of Jesus, God gave us the best and perfect gift we could ever receive on Christmas morning. The Prophet Isaiah describes His perfection to us:

“For to us a child is born, to us a Son is given, and the government will be on His shoulders. And He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6).

Give Jesus This Christmas Morning

There is no topping God’s Christmas gift to us, no matter how hard some of us may try. As the Apostle Paul writes, “Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!” (2 Corinthians 9:15).

Because Jesus is the perfect Christmas gift, isn’t He something we want to give to others this year, along with our hand-delivered and shipped gifts?

So this holiday, as we shop, make, prepare, and send gifts, wouldn’t it be wonderful to include with each one the opportunity to receive God’s Christmas gift, either through the gift itself, a card, a Christian tract, or a personal written note describing the gift of Jesus?

As written in God’s word, “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).

Let’s Pray:

Dear Father,

Giver of every good and perfect gift, we thank You for Your Son, Your perfect gift to us, Jesus, given to us in the most irresistible package, a precious baby boy.

Fill our hearts today with Your joy and peace, as we celebrate His birth on earth. Let heartfelt gratitude flow from our lips for Your most gracious gift of salvation and eternal life through His death on the cross and resurrection from the grave.

Lead us to share this good news with those we love and know who have not yet received Your gracious gift. Help us to love them enough to include the truth of Your gift in the gifts we give to them, telling of Your great love and sacrifice on our behalf.

In Jesus’ name,

Amen

Share your reflections on today’s devotional in the Your Daily Prayer discussion on the Crosswalk Forum.

Lynette Kittle is married with four daughters. She enjoys writing about faith, marriage, parenting, relationships, and life. Her writing has been published by Focus on the Family, Decision, Today’s Christian Woman, kirkcameron.com, Ungrind.org, StartMarriageRight.com, and more. She has a M.A. in Communication from Regent University and serves as associate producer for Soul Check TV.

Related Resource: Be Still - Advent Meditations

This Advent season can be full and hurried, which is exactly why we need moments to pause and be still with God. So Much More is a podcast created to bring you space to be with God - and this month, we're walking through Advent Meditations all designed to help you quiet yourself and hear from the Lord. If you like what you hear, subscribe to So Much More on Apple or Spotify so you never miss an episode!