Click here to watch our second storybook entry! Did you find “baby Jesus” last time? Keep your eye’s open and see if you can spot him today!

Something special you may remember from our last video is that every Sunday we will be hiding a “baby Jesus” in Grow Zone somewhere! Make sure to try and find him this week!

All week we have learned what the prophets promised long ago. They told these promises in a time where things just weren’t how they were supposed to be, people were longing for things to be different.

We too may feel that at times, today we want to challenge you to have a conversation with your parents. Begin by asking the following question and make sure to answer yourself.

What do you wish was different about our world?

Today we want to focus on a specific prayer. You can pray this now, or you can pray right before bed.

We know prayer can be hard sometimes because you have to be quiet and focus, but prayer is important because it is an opportunity for us to talk to God! There isn’t a right way to do this or a perfect formula, you are simply talking to God, giving Him praise, and asking for His help!

Use the prayer below as we continue to remember how it felt long ago when God’s people were waiting and longing for the Savior!

God, thank you for loving me enough to send Jesus to make things right again. Give me eyes to see your love each and every day. Amen.

Bethlehem wasn’t on anyone’s radar. If you were predicting where the Messiah would make His entrance, you’d probably guess Jerusalem, the capital city, the religious center, the place of power and prestige. But Micah’s prophecy pointed to a tiny, insignificant town that most people had never heard of and wouldn’t bother visiting.

READ

Let’s take a moment to read Micah 5:2-4:

“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times. Therefore Israel will be abandoned until the time when she who is in labor bears a son, and the rest of his brothers return to join the Israelite’s. He will stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the LORD, in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God. And they will live securely, for then his greatness will reach to the ends of the earth.”

REFLECT

Micah’s prophecy of Jesus coming from a small, seemingly insignificant town, Bethlehem, is special because it is where God chose for the Savior of the world to be born. Jesus arrived in the most unexpected place and in the most humble way, in a feeding trough. Advent teaches us to pay attention to the places and moments we might dismiss as insignificant, because those may be the very spaces where God chooses to reveal His glory.

Micah says the ruler’s “origin is from ancient days.” Advent is about remembering that Christ’s coming wasn’t random, it was the fulfillment of God’s long-standing promise. This anchors our hope, the God who kept His word then is the same God who keeps His word now. Our waiting is purposeful, because His faithfulness stretches across generations.

We often feel like we have to have extraordinary talent, undeniable faith, or perfect circumstances to be used by God. But that is the exact opposite of how God operates, proven all throughout scripture. From using a young girl like Mary from Nazareth, announcing the news to shepherds, calling fishermen to follow Him, and more, there are countless examples. He seems to prefer working through the small, the humble, the unlikely, because that’s where His glory shows up most clearly.

Maybe you’ve felt untalented, overlooked, under-qualified, or just less-than. This passage should encourage you that God can and will use your weaknesses for His plan. He’s less interested in our impressiveness and more interested in our availability. He doesn’t need us to be extraordinary; He needs us to be willing.

The humble beginnings of Bethlehem also remind us that God’s kingdom doesn’t operate by the world’s metrics of success. We’re constantly tempted to measure our worth by visibility, influence, and achievement. We compare our behind-the-scenes to everyone else’s highlight reel and feel like we’re falling short. But Jesus entered the world in the most humble way possible, and that matters. What if the very things you think disqualify you are actually what position you to experience God’s power?

This passage also reminds us of Jesus’ rule. The ruler would “stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the Lord.” This evokes care, protection, and provision, not domination or military might. Advent is not only about remembering Christ’s birth but also about recognizing His ongoing shepherding presence. The peace Micah foretold is experienced in Christ’s nearness, even in our present chaos.

• How does knowing Jesus shepherds His people in strength and care change the way you view your own weaknesses?

• How might you make yourself “available” to God, even if you don’t feel extraordinary?

PRAY

God, forgive me for underestimating what you can do through small, humble beginnings. Help me see my ordinary life through your eyes and trust that you delight in working through the overlooked and insufficient. Give me the faith to offer what I have, knowing that in your hands, it's more than enough. Amen.

READ

Bethlehem wasn't on anyone's radar. If you were predicting where the Messiah would make His entrance, you'd probably guess Jerusalem—the capital city, the religious center, the place of power and prestige. But Micah's prophecy pointed to a tiny, insignificant town that most people had never heard of and wouldn't bother visiting.

Let’s take a moment to read Micah 5:2-4:

“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.”

“Therefore Israel will be abandoned until the time when she who is in labor bears a son, and the rest of his brothers return to join the Israelites.”

“He will stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God.And they will live securely, for then his greatness will reach to the ends of the earth.”

REFLECT

"But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah..." Even the prophecy acknowledges it—small, overlooked, nothing special. Yet this is precisely where God chose to launch the most significant event in human history. The King of Kings didn't arrive in a palace nursery; He arrived in a feeding trough in a forgotten corner of the Roman Empire.

This tells us something crucial about how God works. He's not impressed by what impresses us. He doesn't need our size, our platform, our perfect circumstances, or our credentials. In fact, He seems to prefer working through the small, the humble, the unlikely—because that's where His glory shows up most clearly.

Think about it: God chose a teenage girl from Nazareth, not a princess from Jerusalem. He announced the birth to shepherds, not to political leaders. He picked fishermen as disciples, not religious scholars. Over and over, the biblical story shows us a God who bypasses what looks impressive to work through what looks insufficient.

This should encourage those of us who feel ordinary, overlooked, or under-qualified. Maybe you're not the most talented person in the room, don't have the most impressive background, or are facing circumstances that feel too small or too broken for God to use. Bethlehem says otherwise.

God's pattern throughout Scripture is to take small seeds and grow them into something that feeds multitudes, to take a boy's lunch and multiply it beyond imagination, to take weakness and display His strength. He's less interested in our impressiveness and more interested in our availability. He doesn't need us to be extraordinary; He needs us to be willing.

The humble beginnings of Bethlehem also remind us that God's kingdom doesn't operate by the world's metrics of success. We're constantly tempted to measure our worth by visibility, influence, and achievement. We compare our behind-the-scenes to everyone else's highlight reel and feel like we're falling short. But Jesus entered the world in the most humble way possible, and that matters.

What if the small acts of faithfulness you're doing—the ones nobody sees or celebrates—are exactly where God wants to work? What if your ordinary life, in your ordinary town, with your ordinary resources is the perfect place for God to express His love in extraordinary ways? What if the very things you think disqualify you are actually what position you to experience God's power?

Bethlehem teaches us that God's love isn't expressed through impressive displays that keep us at a distance. It's expressed through humble, accessible, relatable means that draw us close. The God who could have descended from heaven in blazing glory chose to arrive as a vulnerable baby because He wanted to be approachable, touchable, fully human.

RESPOND

Take a moment to process what God might be leading you to do in light of what you read.

• How does God often work through small, humble circumstances in your own life?

• What "small beginnings" are you tempted to dismiss that God might want to use?

• Where do you need to trust that your ordinary faithfulness matters to God?

REST

Take a moment to rest in God’s presence and consider one thing you can take away from your time reading, then close your devotional experience by praying:

God, forgive me for underestimating what you can do through small, humble beginnings. Help me see my ordinary life through your eyes and trust that you delight in working through the overlooked and insufficient. Give me the faith to offer what I have, knowing that in your hands, it's more than enough. Amen.