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

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6 ESV

Today is the first day of December. What holiday do we celebrate this month? If you said Christmas, you are right. At Christmas we celebrate the miraculous birth of Jesus Christ. Can you see the word Christ in Christmas? Each week this month until Christmas we will look at a different part of the Christmas story.

Our verses today are prophecies of the future birth of the Messiah, of Jesus. A prophecy is a message from God that is delivered by a person chosen by God and called a prophet. The prophet of both of these prophecies was Isaiah who wrote them over 2,000 years before Jesus was actually born!

God’s people of long ago knew about the prophecies that God would send a Messiah, a savior and leader, who would be called Immanuel which means “God with us.” They knew that His birth would be a miracle and that He would be the Son of God. They had to wait a very long time for Jesus’ birth. But as they waited, they continued to believe and hope that it would happen soon.

Waiting is sometimes hard, especially when it takes a long time. Can you think of a time when you had to wait for something? Talk with your parents about a time you had to wait. Was it hard? But when we are waiting, we need to remember that Jesus is with us, and we can talk to Him in prayer. Jesus loves you and works things for your good. So even if the things we wait for don’t  happen or are delayed, know that it is for our good. And just like God’s people of long ago, we will keep believing and hoping.

This Christmas shine the light and love of Jesus to everyone as we celebrate His Birthday!

Blessings of joy and hope and faith as you wait!