5-Day Devotional: God is Near
By Stephen Puricelli
One of the great mysteries of my faith journey is how I sometimes live as though God doesn’t already know me and doesn’t see me. Sometimes I pretend like I’m all alone. I do this when I sin and don’t want to be outed. I do this when I’m struggling with life and feeling isolated.
I do this when I’m feeling in-control and my life is going well. It’s so tempting to pretend like God doesn’t know me, my situation, or my feelings. It’s tempting to pretend that He’s distant, far-away, or detached from my reality.
Christmas is all about commemorating and celebrating the birth of Jesus. It’s the day God proved He’s not far away at all. He is Immanuel— God with us. If you’re like me and you get tempted to forget the nearness of God, perhaps the best gift you can receive this Christmas season is time spent reconnecting with Him.
One of the techniques the Enemy uses to lure your heart away is by changing your mind about how you see the world and your place in it. This is easy to do, because all creation has been scarred by sin. It’s not just humanity that’s broken—literally all of the created world bears the marks of sin and destruction. When you start changing the way you view the world, you begin the process of distancing yourself from God.
Jesus gives the gift of forgiveness and absolution for the sin that marks the created world. The reason God so often feels far away is because we are detached from God in our sin. It’s not just a feeling—sin brings real separation between God and humanity. But Jesus offers a new way to connect with God. It’s not found in improving our behavior; it’s found in trusting Christ.
When Jesus came into our broken world, He experienced the fullness of what it is like to live as a human being. He knows your pain and your struggle, and He came to set you free. So don’t hide in the wilderness of your struggle. Connect with God in the presence of His forgiveness.
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 NIV
DAY 1: PROPHECY FULFILLED
Read: Isaiah 7:14 & Micah 5:2
Long before Jesus came, His birth was foretold. Over 600 years before Jesus was born, these verses were penned about how and where He would come into the world. Not only would Jesus be born of a virgin girl—a miracle in and of itself—but God communicated this hundreds of years before sending Jesus into the world!
Respond: As you think about Jesus’ birth and life fulfilling hundreds of prophecies, what is the one word or phrase that comes to mind?
DAY 2: THE FAITH OF MARY
Read: Luke 1:26-38
Mary was engaged to be married. Although she was a virgin, God told her she would conceive a child by the Holy Spirit. Most of us don’t like our plans changing when it comes to small, menial things—but this was a massive change of plans for her! When unmarried Mary turned up pregnant, you can imagine the rumors swirling around her community. Imagine how she must have responded when people asked about the Father of her child!
Respond: As you read Mary’s response in Luke 1:38, think about her simple and complete trust in God’s plan for her life. How would you have responded? Would you so quickly trust? Or, would you plead with God for a different plan?
DAY 3: JOSEPH’S TRUST
Read: Matthew 1:18-25 & Hebrews 11:1
For everyone who follows Jesus, there comes a point where we must believe and trust God—even when it makes no sense. At our darkest points, we need to trust God. At the point when people tell us to walk away, we must trust in Him even more. Undoubtedly, Joseph was struggling to accept that Mary’s pregnancy was a miracle that came through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Respond: Imagine you were one of Joseph’s closest friends. He’s preparing to marry a girl who was pregnant with a child that was not his own—how would you have advised him? What does this part of the Biblical story reveal about Joseph’s faith?
DAY 4: JESUS’ BIRTH
Read: Luke 2:1-20
The first people who received news of the Messiah’s long-awaited birth were not the powerful, the elite, the educated, or the well-connected—but simple shepherds. They were working the nightshift, keeping watch over their flocks late into the evening. These are the kinds of people God decided should hear the good news first: the humble, the ordinary, those overlooked by the world.
Respond: As God chooses shepherds to receive such great news, how does this foreshadow the life and teachings of Jesus? (Read Luke 13:30.)
DAY 5: JESUS IDENTIFIES WITH YOU
Read: Hebrews 2:17-18 & 4:14-16
These verses contain the reason Jesus came and the reason we can have hope. Jesus came to our world fully human. That means He fully understands our pain, our troubles, and all our temptations to drift from the life God created for us to live. Today, approach God knowing that He fully understands you.
Respond: Pray to God and plainly tell Him all your struggles and your pain. Open up and share them. He already knows you, your feelings, your hopes, your struggles, and your dreams, and He loves to hear your voice as you draw near to Him.