By Sarah Young

Merciful Lord Jesus,

I come to You, asking You to prepare my heart for the celebration of Your birth. Christmas is the time to exult in Your miraculous incarnation, when You—the Word—became flesh and made Your dwelling among us. You identified with mankind to the ultimate extent: becoming a Man and taking up residence in our world. I don’t want to let the familiarity of this astonishing miracle diminish its effect on me. You are the Gift above all gifts, and I rejoice in You!

[Read the Bible Gateway Blog post, Jesus Calling: An Interview with Sarah Young]

A delightful way of opening up my heart to You is to spend time pondering the wonders of Your entrance into human history. I want to view these events from the perspective of shepherds living out in the fields near Bethlehem, keeping watch over their flocks at night. They witnessed first one angel and then a great company of the heavenly host lighting up the sky, proclaiming: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth Peace to those on whom His favor rests.”

Help me to gaze at the Glory of your birth, just as the shepherds did, and respond with childlike wonder.

In Your marvelous, wondrous Name,

Amen.

Mark 1:3 (NKJV); John 1:14 (NKJV); Philippians 4:4 (NKJV); Luke 2:8, 13–14 (NKJV)

Taken from Jesus Listens: Daily Devotional Prayers of Peace, Joy, and Hope by Sarah Young. Click here to learn more about this wonderful book.

When your days feel overwhelming and your life has you anxious and stressed, you can find peace and hope in Jesus. In this NEW 365-day devotional prayer book, Jesus Listens by Sarah Young, author of Jesus Calling, you’ll find confidence to come to God in all circumstances with short, heartfelt prayers based on Scripture.

God desires a relationship with you through continual conversation—prayer. Jesus Listens empowers you to pray daily, whether it serves as your only prayer for the day or simply a jump starter to your own prayers.

Jesus Listens is ideal for those who . . .

• are going through difficult times and looking for rest and hope
• are busy from life’s demands, but want to grow their prayer life
• are not sure how to pray
• have been praying for years but want a closer relationship with God

The biblical basis for each prayer in Jesus Listens is given at the end of each entry so you can continually return to God’s promises in Scripture.

Jesus Listens includes:

• 365 days of Bible-based prayers
• Scripture references for each devotion
• a ribbon marker

Whether you gift Jesus Listens or pick it up yourself to establish a more consistent prayer practice, Sarah’s words and her constant return to the Word of God will greatly enrich your prayer life. By praying Scripture through this daily devotional prayer book, you’ll experience how intentional prayer connects you to God, changes your heart, and can even move mountains.

Sarah Young, author of the bestselling 365-day devotionals Jesus Calling and Jesus Always, has sold more than 35 million books worldwide. Jesus Calling has appeared on all major bestseller lists. Sarah’s writings include Jesus Calling, Jesus Listens, Jesus Always, Jesus Today, Jesus Lives, Dear Jesus, Jesus Calling for Little Ones, Jesus Calling Bible Storybook, Jesus Calling: 365 Devotions for Kids, Peace in His Presence, and more, each encouraging readers in their journeys toward intimacy with Christ. Sarah and her husband were missionaries in Japan and Australia for many years. They currently live in the United States.