“Therefore, the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel”. Isaiah 7:14 ESV
A puppy whimpering is quite common, I am told. They are learning how to communicate what they want and need. Puppies may whine for food and attention. Lucy has a mix between a husky howl and a growl that sounds quite sad. It’s not something that another dog would take seriously. She’s not a puppy but she manages to express herself in her own unique way.
I am the Bread of Life Jesus states in John 6:35 and yet he hungered. Luke 2:7 tells us that, “she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them”. The one who states if we come to him we will never go hungry came into this world as a baby crying for physical food.
Whoever believes in me will never be thirsty Jesus again states in John 6:35 and yet he was thirsty. In John 4, he tells the Samaritan woman that if she would have asked him, he would have given her living water to drink. John 3:16 tells us, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life”. The Messiah born as a baby cried due to thirst.
The lyrics of the Christmas song, “There’s a Song in the Air” start out:
There’s a song in the air,
There’s a star in the sky,
There’s a mother’s deep prayer
and a baby’s low cry.
Jesus was born as a little baby. He cried, he hungered and was thirsty. He experienced life as fully God and fully human. He knows what you are going through and can sympathize with all your needs. Luke 4:18 states, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed”.
Jesus understands your happiness. He celebrated at a wedding (John 2:1-12). He knows your loss. He wept at his friends tomb (John 11). He knows your loneliness. His friends couldn’t even stay awake with him the night before his death (Mark 14:36-45). He knows everything you are going through and promises to never leave you nor forsake you (Hebrews 13:5).
He came as a baby for you. God sent his son just for you. This year, may you see Christmas through the eyes of a baby. May all the wonder of the story be new and the glow of the twinkle lights fill your heart with the warmth of his love. Christ is Born!
Just Another Dog Devotion 