Greetings to you, my fellow-traveler on the way to Bethlehem! I pray that you will be strengthened today by the beauty of the name of Jesus Christ – THE Risen Saviour! I trust that you had a good weekend and Monday-Tuesday…and that you appreciated the beauty of a snowy day. Today is starting with lovely sunshine and with the knowledge that this day has been made for us by the Lord, so we rejoice and be glad in it. I will be praying for you today, asking Father to reveal Himself to you in surprising ways and in moments of laughter…may you feel His healing touch within your being…may you experience hope in the midst of your situation…may you receive the peace His presence brings.
I was looking out the window and taking note of how the snow was hanging on the bushes and branches of the trees around…thanking God for such simple beauty. Then I turned to one of my daily devotional flip-over calendars and read…Winter’s snow transforms the woods into a cathedral – Raymond K. Petrucci. In just that moment, I heard the whisper of God…be still and know [appreciate, accept, celebrate] that I am God and I will be exalted in the nations [and in the beauty of snow upon my creation]. So I simply stopped what I was doing, or thinking of doing, so that I could simply be quiet in His presence.
I know that I am repeating things that are being spoken, but…this going to be a different Christmas season. Perhaps that is a good thing, perhaps that is part of God’s promise – He has a plan – even in the midst of the uncertainty and unpredictableness of Christmas 2020. Let me share a quote that I came across…to appreciate the birth of the Saviour, the soul must acknowledge the need of one.
Could it be that one of the lessons to learn from covid19, and all of its facets, is to answer the question – “do we really need God?” The question was posed some sixteen years ago in a book by Ravi Zacharias…”can man live without God?” There are, I believe, too many people who are lost at the start of the Christmas season…they have lost touch with God and their faith…they are trying to find something to anchor themselves upon…and to take liberty with a song by one, Johnny Lee – they are looking for hope and meaning in all the wrong places, looking for answers in all the wrong faces.
Perhaps, the answer is found in a manger at Bethlehem…something to ponder…be blessed