20+ Advent Devotionals To Prepare Your Heart For Christmas

The Gifts of Christmas by Sheila Walsh

In a season that is busy and bustling, there is a deeper, softer, quieter truth that we too often miss in the mayhem.

God in our midst. God with us. The greatest gift. The only reason for the season. And the source of all our joy.

If you’ve been feeling overwhelmed and exhausted by what Christmas has become, this beautiful Advent devotional will refresh your faith, reactivate your wonder, and restore your joy. With stories of simple Christmases past, inspiration from Scripture, and pearls of wisdom you will find grace, peace, hope, and a sense of expectation for what truly can be the most wonderful time of the year.

Come Let Us Adore Him by Paul David Tripp

This year, don’t let Christmas sneak up on you again.

The wonder and awe of the Christmas season can easily get overshadowed by lights, tinsel, bows, and paper―not to mention last-minute trips to the mall and visits to the in-laws. In all the hustle and bustle, we often lose sight of what’s most important.

This book of daily readings for the month of December will help you slow down, prepare your heart, and focus on what matters most: adoring our Savior, Jesus.

Three Wise Woman by Randi Daley Mackall

You are invited to spend the 40 days of Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany in the company of Mary the mother of Jesus, Elizabeth the mother of John the Baptist, and Anna the prophetess at the temple in Jerusalem. 

Anticipate, celebrate, and marvel at Jesus’ birth with Three Wise Women, a richly researched and faith-building devotional. We don’t hear many details directly from these three women at the heart of the first Christmas, but Scripture, studies in biblical culture, and an open heart that asks “what if” allows readers to experience new revelations for the holy season that will encourage and strengthen you in becoming a wise woman of God. 

The First Songs of Christmas by Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth

Let the songs of the first Christmas turn your heart toward God’s glory.

During the holidays the musical tunes of the season are everywhere. Their nostalgic melodies warm our hearts. But the original Christmas songs are different; they lift our hearts to a holy God. They reveal the greatness, glory, and goodness of our Savior. Taking us beyond quaint imagery and feel-good lyrics, the Advent songs of the Bible unfold God’s redemptive plan for the world and His eternal purpose for the ages.

This 31-day Advent devotional offers meditations on the first two chapters of Luke’s gospel and shines new light on the ancient yet inspiring songs of Elizabeth, Mary, Zechariah, the angels, and Simeon. 

Prepare Him Room by Susie Larson

Christmas should be a time of joy and celebration. But in the hurriedness of December, sometimes we find ourselves sacrificing a sacred pace for hustle, leaving us feeling more stressed than blessed. 

Prepare Him Room invites you to give God sacred space in your holiday season as you ponder the miracle of Christ within you and respond to His work in your life. As you begin your Christmas preparations this year, journey through Luke’s account of Jesus’ birth, life, death, and ultimate resurrection. God invites you to be still and let Jesus radically transform you this holy season. Let earth receive her King!

The Beautiful Word For Christmas by Mary E. DeMuth

Are you looking for the perfect book for the Advent season? With gorgeous illustrations to stir you, scripture to remember, prayer prompts to guide you through prayer, and meaningful activities to do, The Beautiful Word for Christmas is the heartfelt book you need this season. 

It includes:

• The Christmas story alongside 23 Bible passages hand-lettered and illustrated in full color
• 31 timely devotions written especially for the Christmas season
• Special activities to bring the heart of the season home

This Advent devotional is beautiful enough for display and profound enough to be a meaningful guide through the season.

An Unlikely Advent by Rachel Billups

This four-week Advent study focuses on the experiences of four sets of often overlooked characters in the Nativity story.

During this Advent season, you will be guided through the themes of hope, love, joy, and peace by sharing the stories of Elizabeth and Zechariah, Herod, the Magi, and the shepherds. Each set of unexpected characters has something to teach about living faithfully on the journey to Christmas.

The Christmas Code by O.S. Hawkins

Grow close to the Lord this Advent season with 25 insightful and meaningful devotions that trace the birth of Jesus from its roots in the Old Testament to the ultimate gift of God: salvation.

Included are:

• Scripture passages
• Devotional thoughts
• Code Words
• Prayers of reflection

With a short devotion each day leading up to Christmas, this seasonal devotional is the perfect way to maintain a daily focus on the true meaning of Christmas.

Star of Wonder by Angela Hunt

We all love the Christmas season, but have we buried the truth of the day? 

Angela Hunt weaves together visceral storytelling with overlooked biblical historical truths to help you rediscover the places, people, prophecies, and purpose of Christmas. Each of the engaging twenty-five devotions includes scriptural insights, historical facts, and personal application, which–along with weekly family activities–will have everyone saying, “I didn’t know that!” as the Nativity comes to life anew.

Explore Bethlehem and Nazareth. Walk with Mary, Joseph, and others. Be amazed by the words of the prophets of old. And be warmed by God’s great purpose that culminated in the birth of the Messiah.

From Heaven by A.W. Tozer

“We live between two mighty events…” 

Advent is as much about looking back as it is looking ahead—back to Christ’s incarnation, ahead to His return. From Heaven combines A. W. Tozer’s best reflections on these two themes to help us better appreciate the season of Advent.

Each daily reading in this 28 day advent devotional is paired with Scripture for meditation, drawing our attention to the rising light of Christ.

Shadow & Light by Tsh Oxenreider

Celebrate a Season of Wonder and Waiting

Though the holidays are often jam-packed with busyness, the weeks leading up to Yuletide are still a time to reflect on the miracle of Jesus’s birth. This advent devotional will help you rediscover your childlike wonder and contemplate the sacred gift we celebrate in the Christmas season.

This rich yet approachable experience invites you to explore the historical meaning of Advent. Drawing from liturgical tradition, Tsh provides fresh insights for new and longtime believers alike. Each day includes Scripture, a reflection, a question, and a simple activity to engage the senses, such as lighting candles, listening to music, and viewing artwork both old and new.

Let yourself break away from the hustle and bustle of crafts, cookies, and Christmas parties, and receive your invitation to remember the quiet focus of our celebration. Shadow and Light will help you reclaim the holiday season as a time to remember Jesus’s first coming, and to long for his one-day return.

Jesus Listens – for Advent and Christmas by Sarah Young

This devotional collection of prayers and reflections prepares your spirit for the Savior’s coming, helps you spend the days of Advent and Christmas with intentionality, and carries you into the New Year with your heart and mind fixed on Jesus. 

This full-color prayer book includes:

• Prayers, reflections, and Bible verses based on the Christmas story and prophecies of Jesus’ birth.
• Stunning seasonal illustrations, making this holiday treasure a beautiful gift or keepsake.

As you pray Scripture throughout this holiday season, you’ll experience not only God’s answers, but also how prayer connects you to God, changes your heart, and brings peace and joy to one of the greatest celebrations of the year.

The Advent of Glory by R.C. Sproul

These straightforward, short, and profound Advent readings have been edited from talks given by much-loved Bible teacher, Dr. R.C. Sproul, helping readers to benefit from his enduring insight and wisdom. They delve into the details of the Christmas story and reflect on how these impact our lives now, combining scholarly detail with heartwarming application. 

Each day also includes a prayer written by a well-known Bible teacher of our own day.

As R.C. Sproul observes, “the narrative of the birth of Jesus is so familiar to many of us that the words just slip over us.” So, take the time to slow down and dwell on the words of the Christmas story so that you arrive at Christmas Day full of awe and wonder at the birth of Jesus.

Once-A-Day 25 Days of Advent by John Alan Turner

Beginning on December 1, this Once-A-Day Christmastime devotional booklet takes you through the entire Advent season with thoughts on the person of Jesus: his involvement at the creation of the world, his life in the Gospel accounts, and who he is today.

Along the way, you will meet and examine the lives of various individuals involved in the incarnation. During the week of Christmas examine the response to this miraculous and gracious event, both in heaven and on earth.

In The Manger by Max Lucado

Though the bright lights of Christmas glitter briefly, the message of the season lasts forever–the Word becomes flesh, and the Creator becomes the creation. Bear witness to the birth of Christ as you’ve never seen it before.

Advent is a season of anticipation, a celebration of the moment that God came near. He came, not as a flash of light or as an unapproachable conqueror, but as one whose first cries were heard by a peasant girl and a sleepy carpenter.

Join Mary and Joseph inside a stable, beside a shepherd, and at the feet of the King in the manger as you celebrate the greatest gift of all.

The Wonder of Advent Devotional by Chris Tiegreen

As the year comes to a close and the stress and busyness of the consumer Christmas holiday grows, it can be easy to lose sight of what the season really calls us to: worship. In today’s world, is it even possible to slow down, to ponder, to wonder in the coming birth of Christ?

This Advent brings you into a deeper experience of this integral time in the church calendar. After completing a week of short readings to prepare your heart for the Advent season, you’ll journey through December with daily Scripture readings, prompts for reflection, and guided prayer to help you savor this remarkable divine story. With each day you’ll reconnect with what happened in Bethlehem long ago―and experience it anew in your life right now.

Joy To The World by Charles Spurgeon

In the midst of the busyness of December, take 5 minutes each day and let Charles Spurgeon warm your heart with joy that can only be found in the good news of Jesus Christ.

“This is the season of the year when, whether we wish it or not, we are compelled to think of the birth of Christ,” said Charles Spurgeon at the start of his sermon on 23rd December 1855. After dispelling any notion of a religious necessity of celebrating Christmas, he went on, “However, I wish there were ten or a dozen Christmas-days in the year” as an opportunity to preach on the incarnation of Jesus.

Slow down this advent and reflect on the birth of Jesus with this 25-day advent devotional guide.

Emmanuel by Ruth Chou Simons

If there’s one name for Jesus that captures the whole heart of God, it is Emmanuel—God with us. No other name similarly expresses the fullness of God’s eternal desire for His image-bearers. He’s always wanted us to be with Him.

This gorgeously illustrated Advent explores what it means to intimately experience God’s presence in our daily lives. Ruth Chou Simons welcomes you and your family to partake in a season of surrender as you discover the true miracle behind Christmas: that while we journey to grow in our relationships with Jesus, He has already come so He can be with us forever.

Christmas Day is not the end of our celebrations, but the beginning! Emmanuel is an invitation to rejoice in the everlasting fellowship and hope God extended to us on the day of His Son’s birth. It guides us to realize that having God with us all year long is Christmas’s most incredible gift.

Love Came Down At Christmas by Sinclair B. Ferguson

Everyone seems to say that Christmas is about love. It’s in the songs we hear as we shop for presents and in the adverts we see on TV. It’s in the cards we send and on the gift tags we write. 

And Christians can agree. Christmas really is about love, because love came down at Christmas in the person of Jesus Christ. 

This Advent devotional contains 24 daily readings from 1 Corinthians 13. Sinclair B Ferguson brings the rich theology of the incarnation to life with his trademark warmth and clarity. We’ll see what “love” looked like in the life of Christ and be challenged to love like him. 

Each day’s reading finishes with a question for reflection and a prayer. 

Your heart will be refreshed as you wonder again at the truth that love came down at Christmas.

And The Glory of God Shone Around Them by Brian Simmons

Prepare yourself this Christmas to celebrate the real reason for the season!

Through short, engaging reflections on hope, peace, joy, and love, combined with the beauty and relevance of The Passion Translation®, you will find the inspiration you need to celebrate God’s gift to the world throughout your week.

Each devotional follows the inspiring journey of the main characters of the Christmas story. It also offers an Advent prayer, making it perfect for personal, family, or small-group use. Scripture readings from The Passion Translation will give you greater insights in your journey toward Bethlehem.

This advent devotional and fresh version of God’s Word will kindle and inspire your faith in the one who came to rescue us and will come again to create us anew!

Embracing Advent by Jen Ludwig

Do you look forward to Christmas with eager anticipation… but then the season flies by in a flash?

Do you intend to be present and focused… only to find yourself pulled every direction as you rush to holiday parties, decorate the house, and spend hours searching for the perfect gifts?

Do you long for a deeper, more meaningful celebration… yet feel like you’re missing something?

This year, you are invited to spend the days leading up to Christmas rediscovering the gifts of hope, peace, joy, and love that God extends to all of us.

Take a few minutes each day to step away from the holiday chaos and prepare your body, soul, and mind to whole-heartedly experience Christmas this year!