26 Devotions Focusing on Christ in the Nativity Alphabet--Alleluia

Nativity Alphabet by Krista Hamrick

Krista Hamrick’s beautiful original art print, Nativity Alphabet, has so inspired me. Each of the 26 words in the Nativity Alphabet are so intricately illustrated, almost like stained glass windows. My heart has been drawn to write 26 Devotions Focusing on Christ in the Nativity Alphabet beginning with Alleluia...

I was inspired by A Christmas Alleluia by Chris Tomlin (feat. Lauren Daigle & Leslie Jordan)…Alleluia, alleluia, Christ, the Savior of the world, He has come! The heavens roar, the angels sing, All glory to our God and King! O night divine forever more, You’re the Highest Name of all! Alleluia...while studying Luke 2:14:

J.B. Phillips: And in a flash there appeared with the angel a vast host of the armies of Heaven, praising God, saying, “Glory to God in the highest Heaven! Peace upon earth among men of goodwill!”

The Message: At once the angel was joined by a huge angelic choir singing God’s praises: Glory to God in the heavenly heights, Peace to all men and women on earth who please him.

Amplified: Glory to God in the highest [heaven], and on earth peace among men with whom He is well pleased [men of goodwill, of His favor].

ERV:  “Praise God in heaven, and on earth let there be peace to the people who please him.”

Hallelujah, or allelouia from transliteration of Hebrew halelū = to praise + yāh = Yah short form of Yahweh or Jehovah means "Praise Yahweh" and transliterated into English as "Hallelujah" or "Alleluia."

Pastor Charles Haddon Spurgeon writes: “God is God still; and the deeper your trouble, the greater are your possibilities of adoration; for, when you are brought to the very lowest, it is that, in extremis, you can raise the song in excelsis, out of the deepest depths you can praise the Lord to the very highest. When we glorify God out of the fires of fiercest tribulation, there is probably more true adoration of him in that melody than in the loftiest songs of cherubim and seraphim when they enjoy God, and sing out his praises in his presence above. You may also destroy your distresses by singing praises to God. By blessing the Lord, you may set your foot upon the neck of your adversaries—you can sing yourself right up from the deeps by God’s gracious help. Out of the very depths you may cry unto the Lord till He shall lift you up, and you shall praise Him in excelsis—in the very highest—and magnify His name! I give you this as one of the shortest and surest recipes for comfort—begin to praise God. The next time that a friend comes in to see you, do not tell him how long the wind has been blowing from the North, how cold the weather is for this season of the year, how your poor bones ache, how little you have coming in and all your troubles—he has probably heard the sad story many times before! Instead of that, tell him what the Lord has done for you and make him feel that the Lord is good. Your griefs and your troubles speak for themselves, but your mercies are often dumb—so try, therefore, to give them a tongue and praise the Lord with all your heart! There is no prayer that is purer, more spiritual, more heavenly than the prayer which comes out of a heart full of praise! How often have I said that prayer is the breathing in of the air of Heaven and praise is the breathing of it out again?”

When we kneel at the altar, we present our hearts in reverent worship to God. It is our inward sacrifice of praise. Another side of worship is the worship that praises God with our lives. We offer this type of worship when we live in integrity and honesty in everyday situations. We offer it when we treat others with fairness in business deals and speak highly of others no matter who is listening. When we avoid the bitter tongue of gossip, tell the truth instead of resorting to a lie, or keep a promise we have made even at great cost, we are showing that our lives are a living sacrifice of worship to God. I’m thankful that we don’t have to be perfect to worship God. No one is without fault. However, when we endeavor to worship God through the way we live our lives, we offer Him more than a show of worship. We present him with a heartbeat that sincerely desires to please Him. Ask God today to help you live in such a way that your life is an offering of praise to His name.

Heavenly Father, thank You for sending Your One and Only Son, Jesus Christ, to be born of a virgin, to live a perfect life, and to die for me on that cruel cross. I am far from perfect, but I desire to serve You in integrity and honesty. I realize that others watch my life and that my daily decisions influence others. I pray that they will see You in both my words and my actions. Lord, I sincerely desire to worship You not only with my heart but with my character. Help me to live a blameless life, resting in Christ’s finished work on the cross. Only You can do this. May I speak Your truth from a sincere heart so that You will receive the glory and honor You deserve. In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen.

Look Up—meditate on Luke 2:14… pray to see what it reveals about the character of God.

Look In—as you meditate on Luke 2:14 … pray to see how you might apply it to your life. Be propelled to ask galvanizing questions about your discoveries: "Because God is_________, I will_____________."

Look Out—as you meditate on Luke 2:14 …pray to see how you might apply it to your relationships with others. Let the nature of God impact on every relationship, for your good, and for His glory.


* If you liked this post you’ll love this book – Name Above All Names Devotional: Focusing on 26 Alphabetical Names of Christ

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