Day 24: Make Room For Jesus

That first Christmas night, the promised Messiah was born into the world. He showed up just like He said He would—in the line of David and the town of Bethlehem. And yet, there was no room for Him in the inn. While Bethlehem was sleeping, the Savior was born.

On a seemingly ordinary night in a seemingly ordinary place, God Himself stepped onto the earth. From the angels singing, “Glory to God in the highest!” to the star set in the sky, it was truly a remarkable event. And this wasn’t the first extraordinary incident to happen in the little town of Bethlehem.

A widow named Naomi returned to these very streets with her daughter-in-law Ruth searching for food. After Ruth gleaned some harvested fields, her kinsman redeemer Boaz saw her, married her, and took care of them. This is a clear picture of what the Messiah would do for his people.

Also, just outside town in the fields, a shepherd boy named David looked after his father’s sheep. Samuel, the prophet, came to that very town to ask Jesse about his sons and to find a replacement for King Saul. King David was also a foreshadowing of the Messiah and the King of Kings to come. But while David fell short at times, the true King would never fail.

A thousand years passed since David was in those very fields when angels appeared there to other shepherds who were watching their flocks by night. The people of Bethlehem should not have been surprised for the Messiah was prophesied to come from their town!

And yet, the inn-keeper completely missed what was happening. No person gave up their bed so that pregnant Mary could give birth to the Savior of the world inside a comfortable room. No one else besides Mary, Joseph, and the stable animals were even there. Bethlehem was sleeping while the Messiah was born into the world.

Can that be said of us as well? Are we asleep to the fact that there is a Savior who loves us and has come for us? Are we making room in our hearts for Him to be our Lord and Savior? And truly, Jesus should be Lord of our lives every moment of every day, from the very first moment we surrendered our lives to Him! Is He Lord of your life today? Is there anything you need to give up control of and turn over to your Lord and Messiah?

Let our prayer today be, “Come be Lord of my heart, King Jesus—there is room for you. Have it all, guide my steps, and may my eyes be ever fixed upon you. Amen.”

“Thou didst leave Thy throne
And Thy kingly crown
When Thou camest to earth for me;
But in Bethlehem’s home
Was there found no room
For Thy holy nativity.
O come to my heart, Lord Jesus—
There is room in my heart for Thee!”
- Emily E. S. Elliott
Thou Didst Leave Thy Throne