How to Hear God This Advent When Life Is Loud

How do you hear God’s voice when life feels loud, busy, and confusing?

This 5-minute Advent devotional series helps you slow down, open the Bible, and meet Jesus in the middle of real life – at home, at school or college, at work, in your neighbourhood, in your corps or church, and in the places where you socialise.

Each short daily Advent devotion is a quick, powerful 5-minute Bible devotional helping you stay spiritually strong every day.

Across this Advent series you will:

• Discover the Father who gives you a place at his table, even when you feel like the “spare chair”.

• Learn how the God who spoke through the prophets now speaks most clearly through Jesus.

• See your week as God’s classroom – every room, shift, lesson, and street.

• Hear a louder message than your fears, regrets, and old labels.

• Take one simple next step of obedience each day.

Here are the Battle Drill Daily Devotionals for the coming week. The accompanying video and audio podcast episodes will be published each day.

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The Empty Chair and the Father’s Table

Sunday 7 December 2025

Imagine this. It is Christmas Day. The table is full. The house feels busy and loud. But there is one empty chair. No one quite knows why it is empty. It feels wrong, does it not? A missing person changes the whole room.

Many of us carry that feeling inside. We walk into a room, and we feel like the spare chair. We scroll through social media and we feel left out. Even at church or at the corps, we can feel on the edge. We ask, deep down, “Where do I fit? Who really wants me?”

Listen to what Paul writes in Galatians 4:6–7:

And because we are his children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, prompting us to call out, “Abba, Father”. Now you are no longer a slave but God’s own child. And since you are his child, God has made you his heir.

What a miracle. Christmas is not only about Jesus coming at the right time. It is about Jesus coming to bring us home.

God doesn’t invite you to visit once a year. He adopts you. He gives you his Spirit. He wants you to know, not just in your head but in your heart, that you belong with him. “Abba” is a close word. It is like saying “Dad”. God is not a distant boss. He is a loving Father who leans close.

This changes how we see our lives. You are not a slave to fear. You are not what your past says you are. You are not your job title, or your school exam results, or your bank balance, or the way others speak to you. If you trust in Jesus, you are God’s child. You are an heir. You have a home, a family, and a future with him.

What might that look like today? At home, it may mean you stop trying to earn love by doing more. You can rest in the Father’s love and show that same love to those you live with. At school or college, it may mean you walk into the classroom knowing you are already chosen, already accepted. You do not have to push others down to feel worth. At work, it may mean you serve with care and honesty, not to impress the boss, but because you carry your Father’s name.

In your neighbourhood and with your friends, this miracle of belonging can shape how you see people. You meet many who feel like that empty chair. You can be the person who notices them, who smiles, who starts a kind word. In the places where you socialise, you can make room at the table. You can show that God’s family always has space for one more.

In corps or church life, it might mean you see church not just as a meeting you attend, but as a family you belong to. You bring your real self. You look out for someone on the edge. You help them feel seen and safe. In our outreach and practical service, we do not help people as if we are better than they are. We serve as brothers and sisters in Christ, or brothers and sisters in waiting. We say with our actions, “You matter. There is a place for you”.

Here is one simple next step for today. Take a quiet moment. Sit with these words: You are no longer a slave but God’s own child. Let them sink in. You might even whisper, “Abba, Father”, under your breath. Ask the Holy Spirit to make that truth real in your heart. Then ask him to show you one person you can include this week at home, at school, at work, in your street, or at your corps or church.

Let’s pray together.

Abba Father, thank you for sending Jesus at just the right time. Thank you that he did not only come to save us from our sin, but to bring us home to you. Thank you that in him we are no longer slaves, but your own children and heirs. Holy Spirit, remind us today that we belong. Heal the parts of us that feel left out. Help us to live as your sons and daughters in every part of our lives. Show us who needs a place at the table and give us courage to make room for them. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Thought for today: Where do you most feel like the spare chair, and what might change if you really believed you are God’s beloved child in that place?

Before Time Began: The God Who Speaks

Monday 8 December 2025

Think back to the last message that really changed your day. Maybe it was a text that made you smile. Maybe it was a phone call that broke your heart. Words matter. They can lift us or they can crush us. No wonder we sometimes wish God would send a clear message too.

The good news is, he already has. Hebrews 1:1 says, Long ago God spoke many times and in many ways to our ancestors through the prophets. God isn’t distant and silent. He is a God who loves to speak. In fact, before there was a world to speak into, he already existed in perfect, loving conversation.

John writes, In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God (John 1:1). Before mountains, before oceans, before galaxies, the Word, Jesus, was with God and he was God. God did not suddenly decide to communicate at Christmas. His very being is a living, loving conversation of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Then God spoke, and creation burst into life. The heavens proclaim the glory of God. The skies display his craftsmanship, says Psalm 19. Every sunrise over your street, every frost on your windscreen, every star above your roof is part of God’s message. Creation is like God’s giant advertising hoarding over your life, saying, “I am here. I am powerful. I am beautiful. And I am good”.

But God did not stop there. He chose to speak through history. Through Abraham on his journey. Through Moses at the burning bush. Through prophets who called people back when they went their own way. Through exile and return, joy and sorrow, victory, and loss. As you read the Old Testament, you see a God who will not give up speaking, because he will not give up on his people.

Why? Because he wants to be known, to be loved, and to be worshipped. This is his heart for you as well. God wants you to know him not just as an idea, but as a friend, a Father, a Saviour. He wants his voice to shape your choices at home, at work, at school, in your friendships, in your corps or church, and in the way you serve your community.

And then, at the heart of history, God does something breathtaking. Hebrews says, And now in these final days, he has spoken to us through his Son. God promised everything to the Son as an inheritance, and through the Son he created the universe (Hebrews 1:2). The speaking God steps into our world as a baby. The Word becomes flesh and moves into the neighbourhood. In Jesus, God speaks your language.

Watch Jesus in the Gospels. Watch how he treats children, how he honours women, how he welcomes outsiders, how he challenges the proud and comforts the broken. That is God speaking. His hands on lepers. His tears at a graveside. His arms stretched out on the cross. His risen voice saying, “Peace be with you”. All of it is God’s message: “This is how much I love you. This is who I am.”

So, what does Advent do? It pulls us back to wonder at the God who speaks before all things. Before angels sang. Before shepherds watched sheep. Before wise men followed a star. There was God, already speaking love within himself, already planning to speak that love over you.

Here is today’s invitation. At some point, choose to step outside. It might be your garden, it might be the school playground, it might be the car park at work, or the pavement outside your flat, or the street outside your corps or church. Pause for a moment. Look up at the sky, however it looks. Look around at the buildings, the trees, the people passing by. Listen for the sounds of your town or village.

Then, very simply, say, “Lord, thank you that you are a God who speaks. Thank you for creation. Thank you for Jesus. Help me to hear your voice today”. Let that be your Advent prayer.

As you go back inside, carry that awareness with you. Ask, “What might God be saying in this lesson? During this shift? In this meeting? At this family meal? In this coffee with a friend? In this act of service or outreach?” Whole-life discipleship is simply this: letting God’s voice shape every part of life.

Let’s pray together.

Lord, thank you that you spoke before creation, that you still speak through creation, and that you speak most clearly through Jesus. Wake me up to your voice today. Help me to notice your glory in the world around me and to listen for your Holy Spirit in every part of my day – at home, at school or college, at work, in my neighbourhood, in my corps or church. Teach me to respond with love and obedience. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Your Week as God’s Classroom

Tuesday 9 December 2025

Let me paint a picture for you. Imagine your whole week laid out like a timetable on a school wall. Boxes for home, boxes for work, school or college, boxes for your neighbourhood, boxes for your corps or church, boxes for time with friends and family. Now what if every box on that timetable was a place where God wants to say, “I love you”?

Hebrews 1:1 says, Long ago God spoke many times and in many ways to our ancestors through the prophets. That verse is like a headline over the Old Testament. Many times. Many ways. God turns the whole world into a classroom.

Think about Moses in Exodus 3. His “timetable” that day is simple. Take the sheep out. Bring the sheep back. Nothing special. Then he sees a bush on fire that doesn’t burn up. He goes over to look. God calls his name. A normal work shift becomes an encounter with the Holy One.

Then think about Elijah in 1 Kings 19. His timetable is full of fear and stress. He runs. He hides. He tells God he has had enough. Then God asks him to stand on the mountain. There is noise and shaking and fire. Finally, there is a gentle whisper. God meets him, not in the drama, but in the stillness that follows.

Now look at some of the prophets. Isaiah is in the temple. Jeremiah is at the potter’s house. Amos is looking at fruit. Hosea is at home in a painful marriage. None of these places looks like a “classroom”. Yet God uses them all to speak. God uses worship, work, family life, and many other situations as his blackboard.

If that was true for them, it can be true for you and me.

So, let’s walk through your “timetable” for a moment.

At home. In your kitchen, your lounge, your bedroom, God may be speaking through the people you live with, through both joy and tension. He may nudge you as you load the washing machine or sit with a cup of tea. He might prompt you to say sorry, to forgive, to pick up the phone, to give thanks.

At school or college. God may speak through a lesson that stirs your mind, a friend who opens up to you, or a teacher who needs patience. He may whisper, “Be kind here. Stand up here. Listen well here”.

In your workplace. Whether you sit at a desk, or drive a van, or care for someone, or work on a till, or look after small children at home, God can speak in the middle of your tasks. He may highlight a colleague who seems down. He may put on your heart an idea for justice or kindness in your workplace.

In your neighbourhood. The person on your street who always seems alone. The family at the park. The person at the bus stop. The staff in the local shop. God may be saying, “This is where my love needs to be seen”.

Amongst your friends and in places where you socialise. The coffee catch up. The football match. The choir rehearsal. The walk with the dog. These are not “extra” to your spiritual life. They are part of the classroom where God teaches you to love and be loved.

In your corps or church. God speaks through Scripture as it is read and preached. He speaks through worship, through the quiet of prayer, through the bustle of the community kitchen, through serving at toddler group, through packing food parcels, through a chat in the Hub Café.

How does God speak? Through Scripture, first of all. Through worship. Through that inner nudge of conscience. Through doors that open and doors that close. Through the needs in front of you. God is endlessly creative in getting your attention.

So, here is a simple next step. This week, take your “timetable” seriously. At the start of each day, think through where you will be – at home, at school or college, at work, in your neighbourhood, at your corps or church, in social spaces. Pray, “Lord, in each of these, help me notice your voice and join in with what you are doing”.

Let’s pray now.

Lord, thank you that you have always spoken in many ways. Thank you for burning bushes and gentle whispers. Thank you that you meet people in deserts, in temples, in workshops and in homes. Please open my eyes to see my week as your classroom. Help me hear you in my home, my study or work, my neighbourhood, my corps or church, and the places where I relax and have fun. Show me one small step of obedience today. Amen.

And a question to end with: Looking at your week, which “box” on your timetable might be the place where God is already saying, “I love you. Will you listen?”

When Many Voices Drown Out God’s Voice

Wednesday 10 December 2025

If you and I sat in a café right now and just listened, what would we hear? Background music. Coffee machines. People chatting. Phone notifications pinging. So many voices at once.

Life feels like that inside our heads too, doesn’t it? Family expectations. Work pressure. School or college deadlines. News alerts. Social media opinions. It can leave us wondering, “Where is God’s voice in all this?”

Hebrews says:

Long ago God spoke many times and in many ways to our ancestors through the prophets. And now in these final days, he has spoken to us through his Son. God promised everything to the Son as an inheritance, and through the Son he created the universe. (Hebrews 1:1–2)

But Amos carries this warning:

“The time is surely coming”, says the Sovereign Lord, “when I will send a famine on the land—not a famine of bread or water but of hearing the words of the Lord. People will stagger from sea to sea and wander from border to border searching for the word of the Lord, but they will not find it”. (Amos 8:11–12, NLT)

Between the last prophet and the coming of Jesus there were about four hundred years. No recognised prophet. No clear word. Many people claimed to speak for God, but most only muddied the waters. God had spoken again and again, but people did not understand his heart.

Does that sound a bit like today? There are Christian books. Hundreds of podcasts. Millions of videos. Many, many posts. Some are helpful. Some are confusing. Some are loud but not loving. It can feel like spiritual noise.

Here is the good news. God has not gone quiet. He has spoken most clearly in Jesus. Jesus is not just one more voice in the crowd. He is the heartbeat of God in human form.

So how do we hear him in a world of many voices?

First, we check the tone. Many voices today speak in anger, in fear, or with shame. Jesus speaks with truth and grace together. He tells the truth about sin, but he also welcomes, forgives, and restores. When you hear something that crushes hope or stirs pride, ask, “Does this sound like Jesus?”

Second, we come back to the Bible with open hearts. Not to hunt for quick quotes to win arguments, but to meet with the living Christ. At home, read a short passage and ask, “Lord, what do you want me to hear?” On the bus or train. In your lunch break. In the quiet after the children are in bed. Let his words soak in.

Third, we listen in community. God often makes his voice clearer as we walk with other believers. In a home group. In a prayer meeting. While serving in the charity shop. In the food bank. In the Hub café. We test what we think we hear against Scripture and against the shared wisdom of the church.

You might say, “Well Rob, that is all very well, but I still feel nothing. My prayers bounce off the ceiling. I come to worship, but I do not sense God at all”.

My friend, that doesn’t mean he’s not there. Those four hundred silent years were not wasted. God was setting the stage. Roads were built so the good news could travel. A common language spread so many could understand. At just the right time, Jesus came.

In the same way, God may be preparing something in you. He may be deepening your roots. Growing your patience. Teaching you to trust his character more than your feelings.

Here is a simple step for today. Name one area of your life that feels silent or confusing. It might be your job. Your health. A relationship. Your place in corps or church life. Whisper it to God. And then pray: “Lord, help me trust that you are still speaking and working, even when I cannot hear you”.

Let me end with a question for you to ponder. Among all the voices in your week, what one small change could you make to give Jesus more room to speak?

Let’s pray.

Lord Jesus, you are the living Word of God. Thank you that you still speak today. Forgive me when I let other voices drown you out. Help me to recognise your tone in the middle of all the noise. Teach me to listen to you at home, at school or college, at work, in my corps or church, and in the places where I serve my community. In the silent and confusing areas of my life, help me to trust that you are at work. In your name I pray. Amen.

Lost in Translation to Understood in Christ

Thursday 11 December 2025

Have you ever been in a country where you didn’t speak the language?

You stand at a counter. You point. You smile. They talk back very fast. You nod, but you have no idea what is going on.

It is exhausting to live like that.

You feel lost. You feel foolish. You long for someone who speaks your language.

Many people feel like that with God.

The Bible feels hard. Church words feel strange. Life is busy. God seems distant or silent.

Hebrews begins with this great promise:

Long ago God spoke many times and in many ways to our ancestors through the prophets. And now in these final days, he has spoken to us through his Son. God promised everything to the Son as an inheritance, and through the Son he created the universe. (Hebrews 1:1–2)

God has always been speaking. Through creation. Through the law. Through prophets. Through songs, stories, and signs.

But in Jesus, God does something more. He doesn’t just send a message. He becomes the message.

So the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son. (John 1:14)

The eternal God moves into our street. He eats our food. He walks our roads. He knows tired feet and full diaries. He speaks in stories about farmers and families, coins and parties, bread, and fish.

The prophets held God’s words. Jesus is God’s Word. He shows us God’s glory and God’s character. To see Jesus is to see what God is like.

So, what do we see?

We see Jesus blessing children. So, we learn God cares about the youngest in our homes, schools, corps, and churches. We see Jesus touching people that others avoid. So, we learn God goes towards the lonely neighbour and the person on the edge. We see Jesus speak truth to religious people and powerful people. So, we learn God cares about justice. We see Jesus wash feet. So, we learn God honours humble service in kitchens, cafés, workplaces, and community projects.

God is speaking your language through Jesus. He speaks into exam stress. He speaks into care for ageing parents. He speaks into office politics and staff meetings. He speaks into corps and church leadership and community outreach. He speaks into those private worries you do not share.

Here is today’s step. Choose one story about Jesus from Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John. Keep it simple. Maybe read it out loud at the breakfast table. Or read it to yourself on the train. Or in the car before you go into work. Then ask: “What does this show me about what God is really like?”

If you see patience in Jesus, ask him to grow patience in you. If you see courage in Jesus, ask him for courage in your workplace. If you see compassion in Jesus, ask him who needs that compassion from you today.

This is whole-life discipleship. Not just Sunday faith. Jesus shaping how you speak at home. How you study. How you send that email. How you serve in the corps. How you respond to need in your street.

Let’s pray:

Father, thank you that you have spoken to us by your Son. Thank you that Jesus shows us what you are really like. As I read a Gospel story today, open my eyes. Help me see your heart. Help me live out what I see in my home, my work or school, my corps, and my community. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

A Louder Message Than Your Regrets

Friday 12 December 2025

If you are carrying fear or regret, this one is for you. You might be on the bus, in the kitchen, on a break at work, or listening late at night.

Let me start with two simple verses. Romans 8:38 says, And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love.Hebrews 1 says that Jesus cleansed us from our sins and then sat down in the place of honour at the right hand of the Father. That is the miracle of the message. God is saying, “My love for you is settled. It will not move”.

Maybe that is hard to believe today. Perhaps you look back on this week and see only failure. The cross word you spoke at home. The shortcut you took at work. The moment you stayed silent at school when you could have stood up for someone. The harsh thought you held against a neighbour or a family member. You think, “God must be tired of me by now”.

We know what it feels like when a message changes everything. A letter from the bank. A call from the doctor. A text that ends a friendship. Words like that seem to rewrite our future. But over every message you have received, God speaks a louder one: “Nothing can ever separate you from my love in Christ”.

Jesus is not pacing up and down heaven, wondering what to do with you. He is seated. The work of cleansing you from sin is finished. He is not waiting for you to impress him. He is resting in what he has already done for you. And he delights in you. Not in some future, polished version of you. In you, today.

God’s love is stronger than your worst day. Stronger than that habit you haven’t yet broken. Stronger than the guilt you feel when you see their face or read that old message. Stronger than the coldness you sometimes feel when you try to pray. Stronger than the fear you feel when you watch the news or worry about the cost of living.

In your home life, that means you don’t need to live under a cloud. You can apologise. You can forgive. You can try again. At school or college, you can walk into the classroom knowing you are loved before you answer a single question. At work, you can make choices that honour Jesus, not because you fear punishment, but because you are secure in his love. In your neighbourhood, in the corps or church, in the places where you socialise, you are free to serve because you are already accepted. You can offer a listening ear, a meal, a place at your table, a shift at the community project, all as a response to this love that holds you.

Here is a simple step you can take today. Grab a small piece of paper or open a note on your phone. Write down one fear or one regret that keeps rising in your mind. Just one. Name it before God. Be honest. You do not need to tidy it up.

Now, simply, pray Romans 8:38–39 over it. You might say something like, “Lord Jesus, you say that nothing can ever separate me from your love. Not my fears for today or my worries about tomorrow. Not this thing I have written down. So, I give it to you. Cover it with your love. Help me to live as someone you delight in.”

You could keep that note in your Bible. You could throw it away as a sign of trust. You might share it with a trusted friend at church or in your small group and ask them to pray with you. You might speak with your corps officer or another Christian you respect and let them stand with you. However, you choose to respond, do not carry it alone.

Let me pray with you now.

Jesus, thank you that you have cleansed us from our sins and that you now sit at the Father’s right hand. Thank you that nothing in all creation can ever separate us from your love. I pray for my friend listening today. You know their fear. You know their regret. Wrap them in your love. Set them free from shame. Fill them with courage to live as your follower at home, at school, at college, at work, and in our community as someone who is deeply loved by you. Help them to know in their heart, “Nothing can separate me from the love of God in Christ”. Amen.

The Labels God Tears Up

Saturday 13 December 2025

What words do you carry around about yourself? For some of us it’s, “Failure”. For others it’s, “Too much”. For others, “Not enough”. Words spoken by parents, teachers, partners, even by people at church. Over time, those words begin to feel like labels we can never peel off.

But God does not see you like that.

In the New Testament we read, This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! (2 Corinthians 5:17). The old life is gone. A new life has begun. In Jesus, God is not just giving you good advice. He is giving you a whole new start.

That is the miracle of God’s message. He speaks your language. He doesn’t only inform you. He transforms you. He sets you free from guilt, regret, and the fear that keeps you stuck.

Think about your everyday life for a moment. At home. At school or college. At work. With neighbours, friends, and family. At your corps or church. Serving in the community. You walk into each of those places carrying a story in your head.

Maybe your story says, “I always mess things up”. So, you keep quiet in the team meeting. You never volunteer at the corps. You hold back from sharing faith with a friend. You assume God must be disappointed with you as well.

But in Christ, God has already spoken a better word over you. He says, “You are my child”. He says, “You are forgiven”. He says, “You are new”. You are not a prisoner of your past. You are not chained to what others once said.

The Bible also says, Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding (Proverbs 3:5). That means we do not have to live by our old story. We do not have to walk through today by our own wisdom. We can lean our full weight on God’s word instead.

So, what might that look like in real life? At home, it might mean you stop calling yourself “a rubbish parent” and start asking, “Jesus, show me how to love my family today”. At school or college, it might mean you trust God more than the pressure to fit in. At work, it might mean you offer to help a difficult colleague because God calls you to grace. In your neighbourhood, it might mean you knock on that neighbour’s door and check they’re OK.

In your corps or church, it might mean you offer for a new ministry, even though you feel nervous.

God’s voice rewrites your story as you trust him. Step by step. Choice by choice.

So here is the key question for today: Where do you need to stop leaning on your own understanding and trust God’s word instead?

Maybe there is a mistake from years ago that still haunts you. Maybe there is a harsh comment you still hear in your head. Maybe there is a fear about money, or health, or your future, which keeps you awake at night.

Let God’s message speak louder. In Christ you are a new creation. You can walk a new path.

Let’s pray together:

Lord Jesus, thank you that in you I am a new creation. Thank you that I do not have to live trapped by my past or by other people’s words. Show me where I am still trusting my own understanding. Help me to trust your word instead. Please rewrite my story today at home, at work, at school or college, in my neighbourhood, and in my corps or church and in my service. I choose your voice over every other voice. Amen.

Take a moment after this devotional. Name one place in your life where you will stop trusting your own understanding today. And choose to trust what God says about you instead.

One Simple ‘Yes’

Sunday 14 December 2025

Have you ever had someone speak to you, but you only half listened? Maybe you were scrolling on your phone while your child tried to tell you about their day. Maybe a friend was sharing something important, and your mind drifted to your to-do list. You heard the sound of their voice, but you did not really take it in. I wonder how often that happens between us and God.

Hebrews 1 tells us that in the past God spoke in many ways. But now, in these last days, he has spoken to us through his Son. The Son shows us exactly what God is like. He is far greater than any angel. He is greater than any other messenger. In Jesus, God is not whispering from a distance. He has come close. He steps into our world.

Then on the mountain, in Matthew 17, the Father makes it crystal clear. As Jesus stands there, shining with glory, the Father says, This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy. Listen to him. Not “listen to everyone”. Not “listen to whatever feels good”. “Listen to him”.

This Christmas, there are many good voices around us. Family, friends, leaders, teachers, officers, and church leaders. There are also many loud voices. Adverts. Headlines. Social media. Inner fears. But there is only one voice that deserves our full, loving attention. The voice of Jesus.

Listening to Jesus starts in the quiet place. It might be five minutes in the morning before the rest of the house wakes up. It might be a short walk in your lunch break. It might be a pause in the car before you go into work or into the shops. You open your Bible, or you call to mind a verse you know, and you simply say, “Jesus, I am listening”.

But it does not end there. Listening carries on into the whole of life.

At home, you listen to Jesus when you choose gentle words instead of harsh ones. When you make space for someone else’s needs. When you decide to pray together, even if it feels awkward. At school or college, you listen to him when you refuse to join in gossip. When you sit with the person who is on their own. When you are honest about your faith in a natural way.

In the workplace, you listen to Jesus when you do your work as if you were doing it for him. When you treat customers, clients, and colleagues with respect, even if they do not return it. In your corps or church, you listen when you use your gifts to bless others instead of hiding in the background. You listen when you choose to be present, even when you feel tired.

In outreach and community service, we listen to Jesus when we serve with compassion, not duty. When we look into someone’s eyes and see a person made in God’s image, not a problem to be solved. When we remember that the way we pack a food parcel, or make a cup of tea, or sit and chat in the café, can lift Christ up in that place.

So here is the invitation today. Choose one simple act of obedience that says, “Jesus, I am listening”. Just one. Ask him, “Lord, what are you saying to me?” Maybe he is asking you to forgive. Maybe to give. Maybe to slow down. Maybe to speak up. You do not have to fix everything. You only have to take the next step he shows you.

Write it down. Tell someone you trust. Then do it. As you act, you are not trying to earn God’s love. You are responding to it. You are saying, “Father, I have heard your voice. I see your dear Son. I want to listen to him”.

Do not miss the miracle this Christmas. The God who made the universe has spoken in a person, Jesus Christ. He is still speaking now, by his Spirit, through his Word, in your every day.

Let’s pray.

Lord Jesus, thank you that you are God’s living message to us. Thank you that you are greater than angels, greater than prophets, greater than every other voice. Thank you that the Father says of you, “This is my dearly loved Son … listen to him”. Today, we choose to listen. Show us the one act of obedience that you are asking for. Help us to live it out at home, at school, at work, in our corps, and in our community. We say with our hearts and our lives, “Jesus, we are listening”. Amen.

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Unless otherwise shown, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright 1996, 2004, 2007, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. All song extracts used by permission. CCL Licence No. 135015.