Our Daily Bread: Celebrating JesusSample
![Our Daily Bread: Celebrating Jesus](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fimageproxy.youversionapi.com%2Fhttps%3A%2F%2Fs3.amazonaws.com%2Fyvplans%2F28982%2F1280x720.jpg&w=3840&q=75)
Through the Tears
For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. -Isaiah 9:6
I dreaded facing another Christmas hundreds of miles away from family. Loneliness and disappointment stirred into discontent, spewing out of my mouth as complaints when my husband suggested we unpack the holiday decorations. How could I be joyful when my heart ached?
Sipping a cup of hot chocolate, I glanced at the glass-front cabinet in our dining room. An overhead light shone on the nativity set I display year-round. A figurine of porcelain with Isaiah 9:6 carved on the front sits next to a wooden shepherd. “Wonderful Counselor. Mighty God. Everlasting Father. Prince of Peace.” As I whispered each name, I grew more and more confident that my tear-filled season could never smother the joy of knowing my Savior.
The prophet Isaiah announced the coming of the Messiah more than seven hundred years before Christ’s birth in Bethlehem (Isaiah 9:6). Jesus is Wonderful Counselor—trustworthy and able to guide us. He is Mighty God, who always was and always will be the one true God with limitless power. He is Everlasting Father, the eternal Maker of time. He is Prince of Peace, the one who restored man’s relationship with the Father.
Though believers in Jesus can’t avoid the darkness of this world, we can fix our eyes on Him—the greatest light of the world. We can rejoice in knowing Christ even through the tears. -Xochitl E. Dixon
How can reflecting on the names of Jesus help you through difficult times? What aspect of God’s character encourages you when your heart aches?
Dear God, thank You for bringing light and comfort when I need You most.
Scripture
About this Plan
![Our Daily Bread: Celebrating Jesus](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fimageproxy.youversionapi.com%2Fhttps%3A%2F%2Fs3.amazonaws.com%2Fyvplans%2F28982%2F1280x720.jpg&w=3840&q=75)
These personal meditations will help you focus your heart on Jesus and find encouragement to express His love to others this Christmas season.
More
Related Plans
![Be a Blessing, Reach the World for Christ](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fimageproxy.youversionapi.com%2Fhttps%3A%2F%2Fs3.amazonaws.com%2Fyvplans%2F49524%2F320x180.jpg&w=640&q=75)
Be a Blessing, Reach the World for Christ
![Aspects of Prayer: A 3-Day Parenting Plan](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fimageproxy.youversionapi.com%2Fhttps%3A%2F%2Fs3.amazonaws.com%2Fyvplans%2F49491%2F320x180.jpg&w=640&q=75)
Aspects of Prayer: A 3-Day Parenting Plan
![When You Feel You Are in a Spiritual Desert](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fimageproxy.youversionapi.com%2Fhttps%3A%2F%2Fs3.amazonaws.com%2Fyvplans%2F49513%2F320x180.jpg&w=640&q=75)
When You Feel You Are in a Spiritual Desert
![HomeGrown](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fimageproxy.youversionapi.com%2Fhttps%3A%2F%2Fs3.amazonaws.com%2Fyvplans%2F49604%2F320x180.jpg&w=640&q=75)
HomeGrown
![Amos, an Unlikely Prophet](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fimageproxy.youversionapi.com%2Fhttps%3A%2F%2Fs3.amazonaws.com%2Fyvplans%2F49760%2F320x180.jpg&w=640&q=75)
Amos, an Unlikely Prophet
![Prayers From the Bible Part 1](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fimageproxy.youversionapi.com%2Fhttps%3A%2F%2Fs3.amazonaws.com%2Fyvplans%2F49729%2F320x180.jpg&w=640&q=75)
Prayers From the Bible Part 1
![Discover God’s Nearness](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fimageproxy.youversionapi.com%2Fhttps%3A%2F%2Fs3.amazonaws.com%2Fyvplans%2F49492%2F320x180.jpg&w=640&q=75)
Discover God’s Nearness
![Christmas Gifts From Jesus](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fimageproxy.youversionapi.com%2Fhttps%3A%2F%2Fs3.amazonaws.com%2Fyvplans%2F49614%2F320x180.jpg&w=640&q=75)
Christmas Gifts From Jesus
![Stewards of God's Grace](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fimageproxy.youversionapi.com%2Fhttps%3A%2F%2Fs3.amazonaws.com%2Fyvplans%2F49527%2F320x180.jpg&w=640&q=75)
Stewards of God's Grace
![The Role of Genealogies in Scripture: An Introduction to Matthew](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fimageproxy.youversionapi.com%2Fhttps%3A%2F%2Fs3.amazonaws.com%2Fyvplans%2F49519%2F320x180.jpg&w=640&q=75)