The NIV 365 Day Devotional

God Promised a Savior

If Jesus had shown up on earth unannounced, people might have mistaken him for any other baby. But God sent angels to announce his birth to shepherds (see Lk 2:8-20). He brought curious Magi from faraway lands to investigate the newborn king (see Mt 2:1-2). And for hundreds of years before Jesus was born in Bethlehem, the Lord detailed how we could recognize Jesus and exactly what he would accomplish.

This rescuer would come as a child and reign over the world. And his names would capture his extraordinary character. He would be called “Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” (Isa 9:6). Of all the prophets in the Bible, Isaiah brought the most stunning news of the coming savior.

To read more about Jesus in the Old Testament, read Isaiah 7:14; 11:2; 53:2-5; and 61:1-2.

How do these prophecies about Jesus spoken hundreds of years before his birth help show you he is the savior sent from God?

Taken from the NIV Starting Place Study Bible.