When [they shepherds] had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child. Luke 2:17
What a person experiences after a spiritual mountaintop is often withheld from a storyline. After the shepherds saw the heavens open, and after they found Jesus, and after they witnessed what they saw, what happened next? Did they continue to believe? Did they keep track of Jesus until his parents took him to Egypt? We’re not told.
But we know the nature of faith and the nature of mountaintops and valleys. We know that not all the shepherds would have gone on to worship God with their lives. Holy moments dim with time. Daily living consumes. Holy moments are rare. Holy men who experience them and then go on to finish well are even rarer.
My own storyline has been dotted with more God moments than I deserved, and yet, they didn’t always carry me through the dark times. There were moments I still doubted and battled hopelessness. It wasn’t that I didn’t remember the mountaintops. I did. But I couldn’t connect with them like I did just after they happened.
We’ll never know how many shepherds were on the hillside. We’ll never know if all of them left to go to Bethlehem. We’ll never know if they were all equally impacted by the baby in the manger. And we’ll never know how many went on to live changed lives from that time forward. But some did. God picks who will be privileged to witness the supernatural. For some of them, it will be the defining moment that forever changes the direction of their lives.
Take me back to the moments I need to review to be strengthened and re-purposed. Amen
Author: Christine Wyrtzen
He Gives and He Withholds
Vast caravans of camels will converge on you, the camels of Midian and Ephah. The people of Sheba will bring gold and frankincense and will come worshiping the Lord. Isaiah 60:6
God’s children have difficulty predicting what answered prayer will look like. Because our view is limited, we struggle with prayer. We wrestle with God and wonder if He will, indeed, give us what is good. To believe that all His decisions are driven by love requires faith.
Never was this more true than in the Christmas story. God provided clues of His loving-kindness in some instances but left us looking for them in others. Like ~ He could have ensured a more comfortable journey to Bethlehem for a woman about to give birth. He could have inspired wealthy travelers to feel compassion for her and extend generosity.
The struggles and the miracles in the life of Jesus continued all the way to His resurrection. We saw God’s supply but also the restraining hand of God as His Son suffered many things. In this, our own faith is challenged. Can we call Him ‘good’ after a trail of hardships and tragedies?
I have seen the miraculous in my life. So have you. God showed up in unexpected places with just what I lacked. I prayed for help, and God came swiftly. I have also waited a long time for other things before seeing an answer. I don’t know why He waited, but when He finally did move, I can tell you that it felt like the right time. In the waiting room of prayer, waiting was not my enemy, though it sure felt like it. God knew the benefits as my spiritual grit was increased, scripture was explored, faith was exercised, patience was learned, and a greater compassion for others was born.
Both you and I have an unanswered prayer today. God will break through with saving power and redemption for each of them. If not today, then one day.
When You save, Lord, I will thank You for doing all things well. Amen
Jesus Connects Me With History
Nearly every time the Apostle Paul gave a defense for the Gospel, he didn’t start with the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem. Since most of his accusers were Jewish leaders, he was intent on showing them that Jesus was connected to their scriptures. The Torah, which they embraced and knew front to back, had predicted his coming. Why was this important to the Jews? Because it’s hard to leave everything familiar and embark on something new.
And it wasn’t necessary where the Jews were concerned, though it might have felt like that. As they held the Torah and the writings of the prophets in their hands, they needed to know that it was the revelation of Jesus Christ. To believe in Him was to complete their faith, to be like Abraham, looking ahead for the Lamb of God and finding Him in Jesus. The revelation of Jesus in Bethlehem was connected to the plot line in Eden when Adam and Eve sinned. Everything in between followed God’s storyline. May I not be like the Jews who failed to recognize Jesus when He stood in front of them.
I give up all my doubts for faith, my logic for Your wisdom. Don’t let me miss You. Amen
Baby Was A Shepherd
When an ancient king from the east made a trek through a desert landscape, the way was prepared beforehand by his people. The road was inspected, repaired if needed, and all that would harm or obstruct his journey was removed.
Jesus came to prepare the way for His flock to walk the path to His kingdom. The little Shepherd who napped in the manger would be the One who would make crooked paths straight. He would be the caretaker of the inside world of those He loves. He would expose sin, the sin that destroys us. He would inspire repentance, the deep apology and heart change that restores life. He would point to each crooked place in the human heart in order to make the paths straight without painful detours. He would cheer on those who limped. He would pick up the lame until they could walk again. He would help the feeble, working within each nuance of their emotional and spiritual limitations. This little Shepherd would shepherd perfectly. No one would be overlooked and not one under His care would have a reason to live in shame and dwell in hiding.
He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young. Isaiah 40:11
The Fixer
All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ. 2 Corinthians 5:18
What a package of explosive potential lay in the manger. He was the little Lamb and the little Shepherd, each one offering life altering implications for those who needed a Lamb slain for their sin and for those who were lost and needed a shepherd to show them the way home.
Oh, but Baby Jesus could do far more than that. He was also the little Reconciler who had the power to bring together two enemies and make them, not only compatible but, intimate. Reconciliation rarely has such stunning outcomes. It is one thing to bring together two parties who are at odds over an issue. It is quite another thing to cause two people, far apart in every way, to eagerly join hands and become one in their thinking and feeling.
Oh, how deep was the fracture in the Garden of Eden. God had made man perfectly. It was he who wanted more, who bought the Serpent’s lie, and then opened his mind to evil. It was a world he was not created to understand nor be compatible with. Yet, evil corrupted him and he began to choose everything that God wouldn’t choose and to think all things God wouldn’t think. Alienation ensued and the two were separated by a great gulf. God’s answer was to send a Reconciler who could also be the Lamb to forgive sin and restore the sinner to what he once was ~ holy before God.
The baby didn’t automatically reconcile enemies at His birth. God’s timetable moves slowly. It took thousands of years for God to send this Lamb. It would take thirty-three years more for the Lamb to die for the sins that separated mankind from His Father. But how necessary the three decades were. The only way for people to trust the Lamb would be to watch Him live, hear Him speak, and experience God’s love, grace, and mercy through direct interaction. His Light would woo sinners and warm up their icy relationship. Despite the beauty of this picture, not all would come to hate their sin and mourn their estrangement however.
Ah, but for the ones who did, life would be different. There would be complete compatibility, impeccable restoration, and perfect reconciliation with the Father who waited, once again, to walk with His children in the garden of paradise.
If there is tension in our relationship, it can be fixed now. Thank you, Jesus. Amen
Oh, What They Saw!
You made him lower than the angels for a short time; You crowned him with glory and honor and subjected everything under his feet. Hebrews 2:7-8
The angels were with God before the earth was created.
The angels were with God when he touched this dead planet and everything barren and brown turned green with promise.
The angels watched as Adam took his first breath and as Eve joined him to walk in perfect love.
The angels watched God walk with Adam in the Garden and felt the wonder of God giving man dominion over all living things.
The angels watched as Adam and Eve turned mutinous. They saw God’s heart break when paradise disintegrated.
The angels pondered the news throughout Israel’s history that a Messiah was coming. Did they know it would be Jesus?
The angels watched the ebb and flow of obedience and disobedience, blessing and judgement. Loving righteousness, they wept with their Sovereign.
The angels quickened at the news that Mary was chosen to birth God’s Son. Michael, one of their own, had a story to tell. Perhaps he prepared them for a cataclysmic change.
The angels were sent to sing and announce the birth of the One they had served throughout time. He would lie in a manger instead of sit on a throne.
The angels rushed to Jesus’ side in the wilderness. They served him there just as faithfully as they had in heaven. They ministered to His frailty; hunger, thirst, and discouragement.
The angels saw Jesus’ miracles and having witnessed much greater things, they thought to themselves, “People haven’t seen anything yet!”
The angels watched the world reject Love. They saw their King beaten, scourged, and crucified. I believe the throngs of heaven wept in disbelief.
The angels witnessed and took part in the resurrection. Their Jesus was glorified and was coming back home. Was there feasting, singing, and dancing?
The angels celebrated as new children of God were born. They trembled with joy when they heard the sons of men call their God, “Abba.”
How could such a thing happen? A Holy God chose to take on flesh and make Himself lower than the angel’s estate. The world witnessed humility being defined by incarnation.
They have seen it all, Lord. They are witnesses to Your glory. They are still active serving us because of Your love. Is someone entertaining one today? Are they singing to the one who is reading this – the one who is weak and afraid? Are they fighting for another who reads these words and has dropped her hands in battle? Don’t let me lose the wonder of worlds I can’t see but the worlds You still rule. I am safe in the arms of Love no matter how chaotic it all appears. You hold me fast, Good Father. Amen
Overtaken
The concept was unbelievable. A timeless, omnipotent, powerful, holy God chose to confine Himself to live life as a human being. It was called an incarnation.
God speaks, and planets appear out of nowhere. God pushes galaxies around with the tip of His finger. He breathes over a dead Earth, and everything brown turns to green. So, could this God cause Himself to grow inside a virgin’s womb and emerge, not only as the image of God, but God Himself? Well, He did just that and this is what got Him crucified.
The wonder of this historical narrative continues to play out. I have not only been made in God’s image, but I am also a container in whom the Spirit of God lives. All that power, wisdom, creativity, peace, and holiness lives in my spirit. Can others see evidence of that? Is His glory palpable? Am I bold enough, when prompted, to call upon the surpassing power of His greatness to work through me? Perhaps I am shy of it because I have forgotten that I can be, and am created to be, possessed by Spirit.
Just as the god of this world possesses a demoniac, I am to be overtaken by the Spirit of God. Like Jesus, my works of faith will be both glorious and controversial.
Help me fully understand what Your incarnation means for me personally. It’s so loaded with implications I’ve not yet grasped. Amen
The One We Label Impossible To Save
Our Savior kneels down and gazes upon the darkest acts of our lives. But rather than recoil in horror, he reaches out in kindness and says, “I can clean that if you want.” And from the basin of his grace, he scoops a palm full of mercy and washes away our sin. Max Lucado
Of all Jacob’s sons, Joseph gets the most attention. Yet it is not from the line of Joseph that Jesus was born. The purpose of Joseph’s life was to save Judah from famine because it was from his descendants that the Messiah would come. This flawed son of Jacob didn’t mess things up so badly that he was disqualified from the Covenant. God’s promises transcended this imperfect family.
Here’s the thing. God exalts the likes of Judah. He blesses adulterers like King David. He forgives betrayers like Peter. He saves persecutors like Paul. Judah, at the end of his life, offered to give it up for the life of another brother. His father, Jacob, lived long enough to see Judah choose righteousness. God’s forgiveness was so radical that an entire past was put under His atoning blood.
Forgiveness and redemption are still relevant now in the very places you long to see the righteousness of God revealed in the lives of someone in your family. God’s heart is for your families. No one is exempt from His grace, not even the one who seems unreachable, that very one you are thinking about right now as you read this.
God’s desire to save was never more evident than in the life of a murderous zealot named Saul. He arose from the dirt on the Damascus Road and joined the Christians in Damascus, the very ones he had targeted to murder.
So, how long have you prayed for the salvation of a loved one? Is “How long O lord?” on your tongue as you cry out to the Lord on their behalf? I know you are weary in waiting. And your Father knows that you need new grace and courage to believe that all things are possible. I am praying for you right now, but even more importantly, Jesus is praying for you in all the places where your faith is so very fragile.
May God be gracious to us and bless us; may his face shine upon us. Psalm 67:2
When My Resolve Melts Away
I’ve had some rich conversations over the past two weeks. Some friends are in challenging places, and when it came time for me to respond to their stories, words were hard to find. I hope that compassion was communicated.
Perhaps you are in a crushing experience. You’re tired of fighting. You’ve held on to hope and clutched your dream. You’ve not let anyone too close for fear that your resolve would be challenged. You’ve controlled things quite artfully. No one knows that your iron will is fragile.
No one can predict the moment when someone will stop fighting. Resolve to make things work will crumble. The hardened exterior of sheer grit will melt away, and surrender to God’s providence will creep in. The humility of true surrender will mark a stunning turning point as you raise your hands toward heaven. “I place all I am, all I have, and all I want into Your hands, God.”
Dreams are fragile things in a fallen world. Perfection here is impossible. The cancer of sin metastasizes and touches everything I want. While good things do happen and pleasurable seasons come for a time, everything perfect is meant to be a taste of things to come. My hope is deferred. And ultimately, loss and grief will consume me if I don’t learn to invest all my dreams into the storehouses of heaven. David said, “And now, O Lord, for what do I wait? My hope is in you.” Psalm 39:7 Abdicating my dreams into the hands of a God who will give me all things brings me peace.
The cataclysmic moment of surrender is messy. At first, there is despair as I acknowledge that my dream is broken. But then, misplaced hope gives way to rock-solid hope, culminating in the restoration of Eden. Everything I long for will one day be mine.
How Goodness Must Be Measured
It is the week to think about being thankful. If things are going well, we welcome the topic. That’s because God’s goodness and our levels of gratitude are often defined by the nature of current events in our lives. If this is how I look at it, God offers lens correction.
His goodness is not measured by circumstances, it is measured by the cross.
Even in the worst of times, a child of God can send up a torrent of praise to a good, good Father. More about that tomorrow.
Daughters of promise 