I will come to your temple with burnt offerings and fulfill my vows to you—vows my lips promised and my mouth spoke when I was in trouble. I will sacrifice fat animals to you and an offering of rams; I will offer bulls and goats.

Devotion based on Psalm 66:13-15

President Nixon’s aide, Chuck Colson, was a key player in the Watergate scandal. Because of his involvement, Colson faced prison time. During that dark time, a friend gave Colson the book Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis. He began reading, and God’s Spirit began working in him.

One night, Colson cried out to God, confessed his sins, and promised to change his life. He pled guilty, and after serving time, Colson kept that promise. He founded Prison Fellowship, a global ministry that shares the gospel with prisoners and their families.

Colson’s conversion reflects the psalmist’s words. From the depth of his need, the psalmist promises to honor God’s faithfulness. When he was in trouble, God delivered. So, he vows to sacrifice a sizable thank offering to the Lord.

Christmas invites us to reflect on how, when we were in trouble, God delivered us. “When the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship” (Galatians 4:4,5).

Because Christ sacrificed himself for us, we joyfully submit ourselves to him. In the morning, we make appropriate and well-thought-out vows to live for him. We promise that whatever we do, we will do it all to his glory. In the evening, we humbly confess our sins, acknowledge our guilt, plead for his mercy, and rejoice in his forgiveness.

Let this Advent season be a time when you, like the psalmist, joyfully bring your sacrifices to God, your Savior. And come to worship him in his temple.

Prayer: (Christian Worship: Hymnal – 324, vs 1)