Ponder Jesus’ coming this Christmas based on stanzas from “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel.” Week four’s devotion focuses on the fourth stanza.
Key of David
Christmas is coming! Our hopes run high for a joyful celebration with family and friends. Yet deep down, we may wonder if this Christmas will meet our expectations. Will our family members get along with one another? Will our plans lead to a Christmas celebration that we will remember for years to come? If our hopes for a merry Christmas rest on our efforts alone, we are setting ourselves up for disappointment.
The Key of David is coming! Our Savior has come to unlock the door that leads to our eternal home. The celebration awaiting us in heaven will exceed our every expectation. There we will feast with all our brothers and sisters who believe in Jesus as their Savior. There we will see the Lord himself and rejoice that we will spend eternity in his presence. This hope remains certain, for it does not rest on us. It rests on Jesus, who assures us, “I am going to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and take you to be with me, so that you may also be where I am. You know where I am going, and you know the way” (John 14:2-4 Evangelical Heritage Version).
The Key of David is coming! The hope that he gives us sustains us as we face the temporary miseries of life this side of heaven. Though the challenges of life often overwhelm us, we know how to overcome them. We look to Jesus, who has already defeated every enemy and won our victory. He holds the key to confident hope for today and certain hope for eternity. He came to live and die for us in love and then to rise in power to guarantee our victory. As we trust in Jesus, he will never leave us hopeless or disappointed.
Christmas is coming! God’s gift of his Son, our Savior, meets all our hopes and expectations. He is the one we can count on for help in life today and certainty for life forever.
The Key of David has come! Rejoice, for the hope he brings will never disappoint us as we celebrate with him for all eternity.
O come, O Key of David, come,
and open wide our heav’nly home;
make safe the way that leads on high,
and close the path to misery.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
shall come to you, O Israel!
(Christian Worship 327:4)
PRAYER: O come, O Key of David, and fill our hearts with your gift of hope. You came to unlock the door to heaven for all who trust you. Lead us to be confident in our future, for it rests in your loving and powerful hands. We rejoice as we walk in hope, knowing that one day we will walk in person with you. Amen.
HYMN: Sing along to the fourth verse of “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel” with Laudate Dominum.
Visit forwardinchrist.net/advent-2025 for devotions on the other verses.
Author: Paul Tessmer
Volume: 112, Number 12
Issue: December 2025
Illustrations: Corissa Nelson
